Category: News

A great travel podcast stokes your wanderlust while giving you a serious education in the process. It’s a delicate balance. Not all that long ago, you’d have to trudge down to a library or bookstore to grab a Lonely Planet or Frommer’s if you wanted to know anything about your dream vacation or travel spots. Today, you can throw on a podcast and get great, current information about almost any destination around the world.

Hopefully, all that info also arrives with some storytelling and maybe a few jokes — something fun and engaging to keep you coming back for more. Again, it’s a balance.

For those who love travel, now feels like a great time to download a few pods. Travel isn’t fully open here in the US and there’s no telling when international travel will feel safe again. Entire continents are reeling with new COVID strains. Borders are opening only to close again as quickly. Vaccines are slowly rolling out but even that isn’t a magic bullet.

Still… it’s fair to say that we’re in the “it’s cool to start planning bigger trips” stage of the pandemic. Finally.

That’s what these 30 podcasts are perfect for. In one way or another, each of them invites you to dream about future adventures and to envision your next big trip. Find the ones that speak to you and let them help you wait out this last stage of pandemic-travel limbo.

Let’s Go Together

What It’s About:

TV host, pilot, diver, and all-around adventure-seeker Kellee Edwards’ podcast is one of the best in the travel world. Edwards tackles deeply moving issues related to travel through guests recounting searching for their roots in Africa or finding a place in the travel world as a deaf person or decolonizing travel. The show is a truly unique and thoroughly engaging travel pod that goes well beyond just talking about the cool places to eat or swim when you’re on the road.

Where To Start:

On Reclaiming History as an Indigenous Hike‪r Edwards talks candidly with Indigenous Women Hike founder Jolie Varela to speak out re-ordering the way colonial settlers think about the continued erasure language of Native Americans, the racist nature of John Muir and why we still cling to his racist legacy, and how Indigenous women are traveling in a non-colonial way.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Nomads at the Intersection‪s

What It’s About:

Cohosts Noami Grevemberg and Anaïs Monique have created a space in the podcasting and vanlife world for BIPOC and LGBTQIA voices to share their travel stories and experiences. While the show has vanlife at its core, Grevemberg and Monique cast a wide net and speak with people living and working in every corner of the travel world.

Where To Start:

Home vs. Homeostasi‪s is a great place to get the vibe of the show while also going inside flight attendant life. Co-host Anaïs and Naomi are joined by Raena Rice, a U.S.-based flight attendant, to talk about creating in the travel world, working on planes every day, and making a safe travel environment during a pandemic.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

The Atlas Obscura Podcas‪t‬

What It’s About:

We’ve all gone down the Atlas Obscura rabbit hole during one or two sleepless nights. The publication’s penchant for looking at the world of travel through the quirky, unique, and downright weird is what makes it so enduring, engaging, and truly unique. That whole vibe is distilled into a podcast that’s hard not to binge, especially in times when travel is hard.

Where To Start:

Jump in at Pyramide‪n‬. The episode covers an abandoned mining town in rural Russia that’s “frozen in time.” This really is a quintessential episode of Atlas Obscura that feels like you’re going down a rabbit hole on the website in the most entertaining and engaging way.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Women Who Trave‪l‬

What It’s About:

Condé Nast Traveler’s Women Who Travel is hosted by travel editors Lale Arikoglu and Meredith Carey. The show takes a deep look at travel as an experience through female experiences on the road. It’s less about giving you practical Lonely Planet-type travel tips and more about how travel can change your life and maybe even help you live a better one.

Where To Start:

What We Wish We Knew Before Moving Abroa‪d is a great place to start as it’ll give you the core of the shore while also providing great, practical information. The show focuses on guests Rachel Coleman and Katalina Mayorga who took the leap and moved to Berlin and Bogota respectively. They break down why and how along with what they wish they knew before they moved abroad permanently.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

America’s National Parks Podcas‪t

What It’s About:

With local and outdoor travel becoming more prescient in the era of COVID, America’s National Park Podcast has become essential listening. The show takes a deep dive into the practicality of the nation’s national parks and lands, as managed by the parks system. If you’re looking to get real, current, and in-depth information for an upcoming trip to a park, this is a no-brainer listen.

Where To Start:

A great place to dive in is 100 Years of Hot Springs, New Filming Rules, National Park New‪s. The episode covers how the parks got by in 2020 during massive closures, what’s new in the rule book for travelers, and what to expect in 2021.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

On the Wind

What It’s About:

Sailing is one of the purest (and least environmentally impactful) forms of travel. Hosts and pro sailors Andy Schell, August Sandberg, and Emma Garschagen bring on fellow salts to talk about the world of sailing and travel, the devotion it takes, and the trials you encounter out there at sea.

Even if you’re not into sailing as a form of travel, it’s still a fascinating and edifying listen that’ll be sure to stoke your wanderlust.

Where To Start:

Sea Shanties and Storm Weather Shanty Choi‪r is a fun and very educational way to get into this podcast. The show takes on old-school sea shanties (yes, it’s having a moment) and digs into why these songs exist and how they still resonate. It’s light-hearted while still being very informative.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Great Adventure‪s

What It’s About:

Uproxx contributor Charles Thorp hosts this deep-dive travel podcast. The show centers around a single guest interview with a focus on adventure travel in extreme conditions (think filming sharks or being a stunt pilot for a major Hollywood movie). The show offers a first-hand glimpse into the wider and more dangerous world of travel that’ll have you itching to get out there and experience the globe for yourself.

Where To Start:

A great place to jump in is Episode 62: Phil Keoghan (Emmy-Winning Host) On “The Amazing Race” & New Zealan‪d‬. If you’re at all interested in The Amazing Race (or its new NatGeo sister show), this is the show for you — as it offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the iconic challenge’s origins.

Plus, Thorp and Keoghan dive into the beauty of New Zealand as a destination, which is always fun.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Rick Steves Over Brunch

What It’s About:

Rick Steves Over Brunc‪h is the perfect balance of entertaining and educational. At its heart, the show is a TV rewatch pod where hosts and travel writers Stephanie Craig and Christopher Mitchell rewatch and break down the now-iconic episodes of the Rick Steves’ Europe TV series. It’s very light-hearted at its core while also bringing along a real sense of place and delivering more current travel information from the hosts’ own experience in the various destinations.

Where To Start:

Give “Iran: Historic Capital‪s” a listen. You’ll get a full feel for the sense of sympatico that exists between hosts Craig and Mitchell while also getting a great feel for how they break down Steves’ shows. It’s fun, easy-listening that’ll whet your appetite to travel again.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Van Life with Tom Green

What It’s About:

Last year, Tom Green and his trusty canine companion Charlie set out around America’s Southwest to live the vanlife. Green has been documenting his (and Charlie’s) experiences through a podcast, video series on YouTube, and lots of analog and digital photography. The podcast is a mix of interviews Green conducts on the road with practical check-ins between stops and guests. It’s an endlessly fun and engaging listen that’ll get you thinking about finally buying that van or RV and setting out on your own tour.

Where To Start:

Brent Underwood – Ghost Town Livin‪g is a fun starting point. Green interviews Underwood about his venture of restoring an Arizona ghost town and living in the desert solo while he toils at the reconstruction. It’s a fascinating listen of someone truly going their own way on the road and finding a deep passion along the way.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Get Lost Podcast

What It’s About:

The Get Lost Podcast from travel writer and all-around bon vivant Joe Sills is an easy and enticing listen — no, I’m not just saying that because I was on the podcast talking about sailing across the Indian Ocean. Sills is a great interviewer who draws stories out of his guests that always make for fun listens.

Where To Start:

Season two, episode four of the show simply titled “Iraq” is a great introductory episode. Travel writer Rebecca Holland drops by to talk about visiting Kurdistan in northern Iraq. It’s an illuminating listen from start to finish.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

The Travel Diaries

What It’s About:

Holly Rubenstein’s The Travel Diaries is one the most listened-to travel podcasts out there. And with good reason. This is a well-put-together and intriguing pod, to be sure. The show offers a chance to look at travel from a non-U.S. perspective, which is one huge advantage. Rubenstein also has a seriously deep roster of guests, from actors to explorers to the biggest names in the travel industry.

Where To Start:

The episodes are broken up into “long hauls” and “short hauls.” The former is closer to an hour in length while the latter is closer to 20 minutes. Our advice, start with the “short haul” like actor Dev Patel’s episode. It’s a great way to get a taste for the show and hear some short-form travel storytelling.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

Armchair Explorers

What It’s About:

Host Aaron Millar’s Armchair Explorer is a classic traveler interview show with storytelling and high-level production values. Millar is an award-winning traveler and host of National Geographic in the U.K., which again offers a unique, non-U.S.-based look at the travel world.

Where To Start:

“John Herrington Astronaut: Space Walk On Board the International Space Station” is the place to start. The episode tells the story of a spacewalk from an astronaut’s perspective filtered through the broader idea of space-voyaging-as-a-travel-experience.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

The Big Travel Podcast

What It’s About:

The Big Travel Podcast is hosted by British travel journalist and filmmaker Lisa Francesca. The show takes on almost a talk show feel with two people simply chatting about travel, what it means, and telling interesting stories from all over the world — making it one of the easiest listens on this list.

Where To Start:

Jump in when fellow travel podcaster and author Oliver Gee drops by to in episode 95 to talk about Paris, East Africa, and American road trips. The episode is a fun listen all around, especially when the two discuss American regional accents and travel in the U.S. from a foreign POV.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

The Trip

What It’s About:

Road & Kingdom’s The Trip comes from Anthony Bourdain’s old travel, food, and drink publication. Bourdain’s partner on the project, Nathan Thornburgh, carries the torch that he and Bourdain began and interviews artists, travelers, chefs, bartenders, writers, and more on this engaging podcast.

Where To Start:

Full disclosure, several episodes are behind a paywall at Luminary. Of the free episodes available, we’d recommend listening to the current Tijuana mini-series which covers everything from deportees to cocktails to journalism on the US-Mexico border.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

The Offbeat Life

What It’s About:

Debbie Arcangeles’s very popular The Offbeat Life podcast covers travel in a very specific way. Arcangeles takes you behind the curtain to see how travel influencers, content creators, and writers make a living out of travel. Most episodes are in-depth interviews covering how that travel-content-creator got started and found success. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look that also offers real tips for doing it yourself.

Where To Start:

“How to create inclusion and diversity in the tourism industry with Dr. Kiona” is a good first episode. “Dr. Kiona” joins Arcangeles to talk about how colonialism is still a huge part of travel, especially travel influencing, and how to shift the focus to locals and allow them to define their narratives.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

Overheard At National Geographic

What It’s About:

Hosts Peter Gwin and Amy Briggs bring a very fun and novel concept to podcasting with Overheard at National Geographic. The idea is the hosts pick up threads of stories heard around the NatGeo offices and bring on a guest to talk about these takes of adventure. It’s a great behind-the-curtain look at the inner workings of NatGeo, alongside wonderfully rendered storytelling focused on travel big and small.

Where To Start:

Season two, episode three “The Hidden Cost of the Perfect Selfie” looks at wildlife tourism and the darkness behind it. National Geographic writer Natasha Daly joins the hosts to take a sobering look at how animals are abused, largely, just for photo ops around the world.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

Travel With Rick Steves

What It’s About:

Travel with Rick Steves is the gold standard of travel advice in radio-podcast form. Known mostly for his guidebooks on Europe, Steves’ podcast covers the entire world via interviews with experts and locals. The podcast has high production quality and Rick Steves’ notoriety allows him the opportunity to get big names on the show to talk about their travel adventures.

Where To Start:

Any episode is going to be enlightening. We like “Curry Nation; Young China” wherein Steves welcomes guests to talk about the immigrant food movement in Britain and, then, about how China is changing and the tourism industry. It’s a fascinating place to get a taste of Steves’ engaging style.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

She Explores

What It’s About:

She Explores has a knack for telling amazing stories of adventure and travels through diverse female guest’s voices. The show takes a unique and refreshing view of the travel experience with a clear focus on spending time outdoors.

Where To Start:

Jump in on episode 89, Lost & Found. The episode welcomes guest Lydia Sturgis who recounts when she got lost in Montana’s backcountry. Then helicopter nurse Krista Elkins gives tips for preventing getting lost in the woods and what to do if that does occur. It’s essential listening for any adventure traveler.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Zero To Travel

What It’s About:

Jason Moore wants to give you the tools to not only travel more but to live on the road. Zero To Travel covers topics that are bread and butter for the young traveler. Where Moore lands a cut above the rest are his deep dives into the realities and practicalities of actually moving abroad, finding a job, and starting a new life.

Where To Start:

A great place to dive in is Should I Go Location Independent? It’s a fantastic guide to finding a job while traveling.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Amateur Traveler

What It’s About:

Chris Christensen is the Amateur Traveler (though that title is a definite misnomer these days — he’s got over 600 episodes to choose from). Each pod is formatted as a simple location guide, with Christensen bringing in an expert on each location to give an in-depth interview about getting to a place and how best to experience it. It’s like an entire Lonely Planet guidebook in 20-40 minutes.

Where To Start:

With hundreds of episodes to choose from, picking a single one is really up to you and your tastes. A favorite of ours is about getting to and around Greenland.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

The Season Pass

What It’s About:

Theme parks are serious tourist destinations. They combine travel and entertainment. What could be better than that? The Season Pass is hosted by three guys who love theme parks. In fact, they love them so much that they obsess over all aspects — from the rides to the temporary installations to the tricks of the trade.

Where To Start:

Hosts Doug, Brent, and Robert geek out on rides and attractions for an hour or two on every podcast with a big list of recurring guest hosts. A great place to start is with the hosts’ personal experience as kids going to Disneyland, paired with a history of the park.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Travel Tales

What It’s About:

Mike Siegel is a comedian by day and a travel junkie by night. There are a lot of comedy podcasts out there. So Siegel decided to focus his in on more than just cracking wise when he created Travel Tales. The show is really a travel companion piece where you feel like you’re on the road with your best pal.

Where To Start:

A great place to dive into the show is comedian Tom Rhodes’ episode about being an L.A., stand up, and working comedy clubs in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. It’s the comedy grind meets intense international travel and the perfect example of Siegel’s engaging style.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Extra Pack Of Peanuts

What It’s About:

Extra Pack of Peanuts is hosted by travel expert Travis Sherry. Sherry started out by heavily focusing the pod on using credit card rewards and frequent flyer miles to optimize major discounts for travel. Over the years, the podcast has evolved to cover all travel topics from road trip playlists to the state of the industry by the numbers and everything in between.

Where To Start:

Dive right in and listen to Travis’ interview with Bo Cordle — who went all-in on his dream to sail around the world. From there, you’ll find hundreds of episodes that’ll both inspire and give you practical information.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox

Travel Today With Peter Greenberg

What It’s About:

Travel Today with Peter Greenberg has been a standard-bearer for all things travel for as long as we can remember. Greenberg is able to take a bit of pre-internet radio talent and infuse it with amazingly pertinent travel information for any kind of traveler. Given the radio show aspects, Greenberg also covers travel news and insider tips that many of us are simply too green to have experienced. The man is a professional with a lifetime of travel behind him. You’ll come away from his show smarter with every listen.

Where To Start:

Greenberg has been talking about travel for so long that finding an enticing episode is simply a matter of scrolling through his massive archives and starting with the travel experience that jumps out at you.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

JUMP

What It’s About:

JUMP (formerly The Budget Minded Traveler), hosted by Jackie Nourse, is a quintessential travel podcast. Overall, the show is a solid balance of practical and real. That makes it a must-listen for itchy travelers waiting to strike out on the open road.

Where To Start:

You can choose from in-depth interviews with travel experts, experiential tales, travel tips, and guides. We like How to Plan a Trip to Patagonia as a starting point to get the vibe of the show.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Location Indie

What It’s About:

Location Indie is a unique travel podcast that focuses on living abroad as a digital nomad. Jason Moore and Travis Sherry live and work abroad and have created a platform to help all of us who dream of living that dream. Their show is a step-by-step guide to making your vagabond fantasies into realities.

Where To Start:

This is probably the only one on the list that we’d recommend starting with episode one and just working your way through. Think of it as getting a full-on degree about living and working abroad in the 21st century.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Deviate With Rolf Potts

What It’s About:

Rolf Potts is one of the most esteemed travel writers of his generation. Since his 2003 book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, Potts has been the voice to follow in the world of travel (the story “Storming ‘The Beach‘” is legit legendary in backpacker circles). Potts has parlayed that into a dynamite podcast that trades in travel but dips into art, music, politics, and the joys of life from those who follow their hearts.

Where To Start:

While digging through the archives is a blast, we’d recommend something a little more recent. Backpacker, Go Home: How Tourism Is Ruining Everything (or Not) is a great place to get a handle on Potts’ style and voice while also learning about overtourism around the world.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

What It’s About:

Amanda Kendle’s The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is an intimate look at someone who’s devoted their life to living abroad and traveling. Kendle’s prowess is in her accessibility as a travel buddy behind the mic. You feel Kendle’s ease with travel which makes her the perfect travel guide to help you on the road.

Where To Start:

With well over 100 episodes, you have a lot of choices. We recommend hitting episode 149 – Class and Privilege When We Travel. It’s a great place to get into Kendle’s headspace and get a feel for the flow of the show and guests.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

One More Road For The Beer (On Hiatus)

What It’s About:

Author and editor Joe Stange joined forces with me, UPROXX Life deputy editor Zach Johnston (me!), to talk about the great beer cities of Europe. One More Road For The Beer looks at an iconic European city through the travel and beer lens. They talk beer styles and then take you on a walk around the city to the best beer bars, hidden food spots, and beer-centric hotels to spend the night sleeping all of that beer off.

The show is planning a comeback/season two covering classic beer cities around the U.S.!

Where To Start:

Start with episode one, The Best Places To Drink Beer In Brussels. Stange co-authored CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide To Belgium, so you know it’s going to be the best of the best that makes his cut.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox

Travel With Meaning

What It’s About:

Mike Schibel’s Travel with Meaning is a well-structured podcast about travel. The aim is to bring people together to speak to their strengths in the world of travel. It’s absolutely wanderlust-inducing but also offers real information about making travel a bigger part of your life.

Where To Start:

UPROXX Life’s own Editorial Director, Steve Bramucci, was on an episode last year and though the audio is a little choppy, it’s a great place to start. You’ll get a chance to learn about Bramucci’s travel history before he and Schibel dive into what they see travel looking like in the near and far future.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify

It may no longer be the No. 1 single, but Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is still one of the biggest songs in the world right now. However, Lil Nas X himself says (“not even joking”) that after today, the song may no longer be available on streaming platforms. In fact, some users are already unable to hear the song.

It appears Lil Nas X was first made aware of the issue last night when he responded to a tweet from a US-based listener who was unable to access the song on Apple Music. He then told his followers, “go to apple music and click on call me by your name to see if it’s still available in your country.” Sure enough, fans from other parts of the world also found they weren’t able to stream the song on Apple Music. This afternoon, he responded to a tweet from somebody having issues with the song on Spotify, noting, “it’s happening on all the streaming services [sad face emoji].”

He then joked (or perhaps said and meant sincerely), “since call me by your name is no longer working on many streaming services i will be uploading the audio to pornhub at 3pm est.” After that, he declared, “not even joking. everybody stream call me by your name hard today because it may no longer be available tomorrow and there’s nothing i can really do about it. thanks for all the support tho!” He also shared a screenshot of the tweet on Instagram and later returned to Twitter to give his fans some advice: “everybody screen record the audio/video on youtube so you will have the song in your gallery worst case scenario.”

As of now, Lil Nas X has not revealed a potential reason why he is running into issues with the song. At least that one guy can still listen to the song on his Game Boy Advance.

It’s been a couple years since The Black Keys released their latest album, the 2019 effort “Let’s Rock”. For their next project, the duo plan on doing things a little differently. On Tuesday, the band announced that they’re working on a covers album titled Delta Kream. The catch? The LP will only be available on their fan club website.

Members of The Black Keys’ The Lonely Boys & Girls Fan Club will have exclusive access to the cover album. As noted on the band’s website, Delta Kream “honors [the] music of Mississippi Hill Country Blues, R.L. Burnside & Junior Kimbrough, among others who have influenced The Black Keys.”

The announcement of Delta Kream arrived alongside one preview of the effort. On their fan club, The Black Keys uploaded a muddy cover of “Crawling Kingsnake,” a blues song that is believed to have originated in the 1920s and was most notably covered by the revered John Lee Hooker and Bernard Besman.

Check out The Black Keys’ Delta Kream cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Crawling Kingsnake (John Lee Hooker / Bernard Besman)”
2. “Louise (Fred McDowell)”
3. “Poor Boy A Long Way From Home (Robert Lee Burnside)”
4. “Stay All Night (David Kimbrough, Jr.)”
5. “Going Down South (Robert Lee Burnside)”
6. “Coal Black Mattie (Ranie Burnette)”
7. “Do the Romp (David Kimbrough, Jr.)”
8. “Sad Days, Lonely Nights (David Kimbrough, Jr.)”
9. “Walk with Me (David Kimbrough, Jr.)”
10. “Mellow Peaches (Joseph Lee Williams)”
11. “Come on and Go with Me (David Kimbrough, Jr.)”

Delta Kream is out 5/14 via Nonesuch Records. Pre-order it on the Black Keys’ fan club website here.

Chadwick Boseman gave the first of what could have been many Oscar-worthy performances in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but he sadly passed away from colon cancer last August. To celebrate the Black Panther actor, Netflix put together an all-star team for Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist, an exploration into “Boseman’s extraordinary commitment to his craft [and] an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor’s artistry and the acting process which informed his transformative performances.”

Those interviewed include Spike Lee, Danai Gurira, and Viola Davis, Boseman’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star who was in awe of his dedication. “You know you have to step up when you’re in his presence,” the Academy Award winner said. “He’s looking at your work and he’s like really hyper focused on the craft, on the process.”

The list of participants include:

Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star)
Danai Gurira (Black Panther co-star)
Brian Helgeland (42 director)
Reginald Hudlin (Marshall director)
Aakomon “AJ” Jones (Get On Up/Black Panther choreographer)
Woodie King Jr. (New Federal Theater director)
Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods director)
Branford Marsalis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom composer)
Andile Nebulane (actor and Black Panther dialect coach)
Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star)
Phylicia Rashad (Howard University professor, actor)
Tate Taylor (Get On Up Director)
Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star)
George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom director)

Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist premieres on Netflix on April 17 for a limited 30-day window. You can watch the trailer above.

My first experience with Elhae dates back to his 2016 album, All Have Fallen. I admittedly believed the singer was from Los Angeles as a result of his name but the moniker is actually an acronym the Georgia-bred act put together: Every Life Has An Ending. The phrase may produce a “well, duh” response, but it should be recognized as a reminder that immortality is indeed fiction and that one day, our time on this planet will come to an end. For Elhae, this reminder ticks with the metronome of his love-seeking ballads outputs that he’s spent nearly the past decade delivering to his growing audience.

This brings us to Aura III. The singer’s trademark series has delivered new bodies of work that come with the increased maturity he experiences in his career. Aura presented Elhae as equal parts youthfully confident and reeling from failed relationships while Aura II brought wisdom and a strive for simplicity and straightforwardness to the mix. Aura III expands on its predecessor’s themes, but now more than ever, Elhae is aware of what he truly desires in this romantic world and now that his troubles in paradise have diminished, he now has the energy and clear-sightedness to pursue just that while pushing away what calls for too much compromise.

It’s why “Separated” is one of the strongest songs on the album. Its knocking bass riddles the mind just like the hair-pulling frustrations Elhae experiences with his partner. An ample dose of accountability and patience seem to only delay the inevitable end that the singer has spent so long hoping to avoid. His innate focus on what he feels is best for him drives him to call it quits with the drawn-out relationship, despite his former companion’s hope to try again. “It’s unfortunate you wanna try again, I can’t relate,” he scoffs before declaring, “I think we’re both much better off, separated.”

Such a line is rooted in Elhae’s understanding that lonely solace is far better than trying to stay afloat in the quicksand of inadequate love, even if it presents optimistic moments. Truthfully, Elhae has no reason to put himself through that. The man that brags about the literal and metaphorical diamonds and gold life has presented him on “Fun Fact” and “My City” seems to be in a good enough position to give the world and then some to that special someone. The contributions from Rick Ross and Masego on the respective songs arrive as luxurious co-signs to not only the singer’s lifestyle but his talents as they’ve been underappreciated despite his near-veteran status.

At long last, Elhae stumbles upon someone who checks off all the boxes to his wish list on “In My Corner.” The heartwarming tune clocks the moment the singer realizes his companion is more than a supportive backbone to his life, rather, they’ve grown to be the love of his life. “Girl, let’s make it known,” he begs. “I’ll give you my name and everything that comes with it.” The moment of praise continues with “I Can See.” The bass-driven track is the canvas Elhae uses to paint the beauty of the woman he calls “the one” through his own eyes. Once blinded to love, the singer sees her flawless aura and a promising future with this woman as his own.

If Elhae decided to put a pin in the Aura series, Aura III would be a fitting project to conclude it with. Three projects across nearly six years have seen the singer win and lose rounds in the welterweight battle against love. His last project, 2019’s Trouble In Paradise, ended with farewell goodbye to an exhausting love while Aura III opens the door for a new one that caters to Elhae and his wants. On his 2016 song “Needs,” he declared, “I just need someone that trusts me / I just need someone that does me right.” Five years later, his wish is now a reality. Aura III continues what Elhae has done well for a very long time: paint vivid pictures of the emotional hills and valleys that he charters as he looks for the perfect partner. At least now, he can close a chapter with that now present in his life.

Aura III is out now via Motown Records. Get it here.

The Chicks and Lady A were among several musicians that decided to change their name in 2020, mostly due to the fact that their monikers were problematic in nature. DRAM was another musician that changed their name, choosing to go by his first name Shelley and announcing an album, though the shift wasn’t tied to controversy. Now under his new name, Shelley offers a taste of his upcoming project with a performance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

The singer brought his charming single “Exposure” to the late-night set. Throughout the tender track, Shelley sings of learning to be vulnerable with his lover and making sure to respect their boundaries in the process. “Let me love you inside-out and outside-in / Let me touch your soul just like I touch your skin,” he sings.

Shelley’s upcoming album is aptly titled Shelley FKA DRAM. The release date is set for April 29, which is his late mother’s birthday. According to Shelley, he hopes to honor his mother’s memory with the LP’s release. “Before she passed I played her my upcoming album and I begged her to promise she wouldn’t play it for anyone else. She held her promise and took the music with her beyond this life,” Shelley explained. “Her birthday is April 29th, so I’m pushing my album Shelley FKA DRAM’s release date to April 29th as not only my gift back to her, but my promise to play it for the world.”

Watch Shelley perform “Exposure” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert above.

Shelley FKA DRAM is out 4/29 via Atlantic Records. Pre-order it here.

Shelley is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley stopped by Tucker Carlson’s show on Monday night to promote his new legislation to break up tech monopolies and reel in corporations that he feels have gotten way too big. Considering how the bread-and-butter of the Republican Party is deregulation and free market capitalism, Hawley’s stance might seem unusual at first. But it all comes into perspective when you realize it’s really about the GOP’s latest bogeyman: cancel culture. This is something that Hawley is particularly touchy about after having his book deal canceled following his infamous support of the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on January 6.

While explaining the basis for his new anti-trust legislation, Hawley didn’t delve into the unusual concerns with breaking up powerful monopolies, but instead, he focused on corporations who have been getting politically involved with matters like the controversial voter restrictions in Georgia. Because companies like Coca-Cola are taking a stand, Hawley argued the average citizen now lives in fear of being canceled by their favorite brands:

“On the Republican side, you’re really seeing eyes open to the power and danger of these monopolies. I think voters already know it. I mean, they’re living it. They’re being censored on social media. They’re living in fear of these banks are going to cancel them, if these big corporations are going to cancel them. I think that elected officials, Republican elected officials, are listening to voters, are opening their eyes, are realizing the dangers. And it’s time to do something about it.”

Naturally, most Americans aren’t living in fear of being canceled by Delta Air Lines or Major League Baseball, so it didn’t take long for Hawley to get roasted on social media for yet another ridiculous take on cancel culture. People pointed out his disingenuous concern over tech monopolies and also highlighted that Hawley has actually cheered when banks literally did cancel the livelihood of workers:

The 2020-21 season has been a roller coaster for the Boston Celtics. Between injuries, COVID-related absences and general inconsistency, the Celtics have struggled to replicate last season’s 48-24 performance and the form that allowed Boston to reach the conference finals. In fact, the Celtics have hovered around the .500 mark, landing firmly in the middle of an uninspiring Eastern Conference, and at times, Boston’s issues have left many scratching their head.

As of mid-April, though, there are positive signs with the Celtics. Boston is 5-1 in the last six games, outscoring their opponents by a total of 65 points in that six-result sample. In taking a wider view, Brad Stevens’ team is 13-9 in the last 22 games and, perhaps more importantly, the Celtics boast a +3.9 net rating in those 22 games with the No. 6 offense in the NBA, scoring 1.16 points per possession.

It would be reckless to assume that 22-game sample, void of context, is more representative than the rest of the season, but it perhaps more closely aligns with preseason expectations and roster availability. For one thing, the Celtics have been brutal in what NBA.com defines as “clutch” situations, posting just a 13-21 record in games featuring a differential of five points or less in the final five minutes. That is the fifth-worst mark in the league and, while some alarm bells could emerge there, it is overly possible that there is noise associated with that kind of unsightly mark. In fact, 21 of the team’s 26 losses fit into that category, which indicates that, at minimum, the Celtics aren’t getting run out of the gym very often.

From there, Boston is simply playing better basketball right now. The Celtics seemingly flipped a switch on Sunday in Denver, turning a 14-point third quarter deficit into a 14-point win. That included a fourth quarter in which Boston outscored Denver by a wild 31-8 margin, and on top of that “signature win” on a national stage, the team’s best players are, well, playing like it.

The Celtics are a more than respectable 26-22 when Jayson Tatum is in the lineup this season, and he is rounding into form after a well-chronicled battle with COVID. Tatum recently turned in a 53-point effort in a win over the Wolves, and he has reached the 20-point mark in ten straight contests. Over that 10-game sample, Tatum is averaging 29.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, 39.1 percent from three and 94.1 percent from the free throw line. Those numbers speak for themselves, and the Celtics need Tatum to be at his best.

Elsewhere, Jaylen Brown continues a breakout season, averaging 24.3 points per game with 58.7 percent true shooting, and the Celtics bolstered their roster for the stretch in adding Evan Fournier at the deadline (currently out due to COVID protocols). Finally, Marcus Smart is back after an 18-game absence in February and early March and, since his return, Smart is connecting on 38.0 percent of his three-pointers. He is also the team’s best perimeter defender and passer, but Smart is putting up 14.5 points (including 43.8 percent from three) and 6.5 assists per game in this recent 5-1 uptick, further illustrating his value.

Questions are still unanswered with the Celtics, ranging from Kemba Walker’s performance level to what the team will do at the center spot in prominent situations. With that said, in what most have felt has been a season to forget in Boston, the team is just one game behind Atlanta and a half-game behind Miami in the standings, meaning that the scuffles haven’t left the team in a terribly precarious position.

Where do the Celtics fall in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s take a look.

1. L.A. Clippers (37-18, Last week — 6th)

The top is a mess this week, and the gaps between these teams are virtually non-existent. When that happens, we’ll default to the hottest squad, and the Clippers own the NBA’s longest winning streak at five in a row. L.A. boasts the No. 1 offense in the history of the league (117.7 points per 100 possessions), and they are rolling.

2. Phoenix Suns (38-15, Last week — 3rd)

If we’re being honest, the only reason the Suns are not No. 1 this week is that the Clippers beat them just a few days ago. Otherwise, Phoenix has the NBA’s best profile since late January. The Suns are a ridiculous 30-7 since then, outscoring opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions.

3. Utah Jazz (40-14, Last week — 1st)

There is no great shame in losing to Phoenix on the road in overtime, which happened to begin this week. The uglier result was a home loss to Washington on Monday. Utah did show resilience in coming all the way back to take the lead in that game, but we have to dock them a touch for both results. Have no fear, the Jazz are still in fantastic shape and could be No. 1 again next week quite easily.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (37-17, Last week — 7th)

There is a real case for Philadelphia at No. 1 on this list. That case revolves around the 76ers being 28-8 when Joel Embiid plays this season, and Doc Rivers’ team has a +13.0 net rating in the 1,155 minutes with Embiid on the floor this season. He is ridiculous, and Philadelphia might be underrated when healthy. They also seem to be feeling pretty good right now.

5. Brooklyn Nets (36-17, Last week — 2nd)

It’s not entirely clear how the Nets lost to the star-less Lakers by 25 points over the weekend. That result did happen, though, and it’s part of why Brooklyn dropped here. Otherwise, the Nets are just holding the line until James Harden returns.

6. Milwaukee Bucks (33-20, Last week — 5th)

Milwaukee is just 4-4 without Giannis Antetokounmpo this season. That isn’t terribly surprising given how important (and awesome) he is, but that does help to explain some of the variance with the Bucks. They also throttled the Magic by approximately 100 points in their last outing, snapping a three-game skid in the process.

7. Denver Nuggets (34-20, Last week — 4th)

Everyone has been raving about Denver, but it was not a good end to the week. The Nuggets completely collapsed in a home loss to Boston, then flopped against Steph Curry and company on national TV on Monday. The biggest concern, though, is the health of Jamal Murray after he went down in the fourth quarter against Golden State with a torn ACL.

8. Atlanta Hawks (29-25, Last week — 11th)

The Hawks are essentially the hottest team in the NBA right now, winning 15 of their last 20 games despite myriad injuries. Check this out for more.

9. Boston Celtics (28-26, Last week — 13th)

NBA observers will be seeing plenty of the Celtics in the coming days. Five of their next seven games will be on national television, including three in a row against the Blazers, Lakers and Warriors this week. Buckle up.

10. Miami Heat (28-25, Last week — 12th)

The stretch run of the season is approaching and the Heat are still 25th (!) in the NBA in offense. That is a little bit scary, but Miami is 6-1 in the last seven games to alleviate some of that fear. They will be tested in a big way with road trips to Phoenix and Denver this week.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (33-21, Last week — 10th)

Trying to rank the Lakers right now is kind of silly, because they are a completely different team at this moment than they will be when the big guns return. To their credit, Los Angeles is 5-7 in the last 12 games, even while posting the 2nd-worst offensive rating (1.03 points per possession) in the NBA during that time. It helps to play good defense.

12. Portland Trail Blazers (31-22, Last week — 9th)

Portland is just 2-4 in the last six, which isn’t ideal for any team. However, all four losses came to quality opponents (Bucks, Clippers, Jazz, Heat), and the Blazers have a two-game cushion as the No. 6 seed. Avoiding the play-in would be nice for Dame and company.

13. Dallas Mavericks (29-24, Last week — 8th)

It wasn’t a great week for Dallas. They opened with a relatively inexplicable loss to Houston, then finished up with back-to-back defeats. Perhaps the Mavericks were due for some regression after a very hot stretch, but they need to make waves in the next couple of weeks against what is a pretty soft schedule on paper.

14. Indiana Pacers (25-27, Last week — 15th)

Indiana rattled off three straight wins to end the week, taking care of business against two bad teams (Minnesota and Orlando), then winning in Memphis. That leaves the Pacers just 1.5 games out of the No. 8 spot, and they feel at least reasonably dangerous in the play-in situation.

15. Memphis Grizzlies (27-25, Last week — 14th)

The Grizzlies went 2-2 this week and pretty much held serve. That gives us a chance to showcase Jonas Valanciunas, who has been fantastic for Memphis all season. Ja Morant is the team’s centerpiece, but Valanciunas is averaging 17 and 10 for the season and, in the last nine games, that boosts to 22.2 points and 13.7 rebounds per game with 66.2 percent shooting. He’s been great.

16. New York Knicks (28-27, Last week — 18th)

After sweeping a three-game homestand, the Knicks are in sole possession of the No. 8 seed in the East. They are also as close (1.5 games) to the No. 4 spot as they are to the No. 9 spot, leaving New York in a pretty great position, all things considered.

17. Charlotte Hornets (27-25, Last week — 16th)

It’s unclear if the Hornets can keep this going without both Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball. With that said, James Borrego is doing a heck of a job so far, and Charlotte is 7-4 in the last 11 games overall.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (25-29, Last week — 17th)

The Pels have won three in a row, and they are just one game out of the No. 10 spot in the West. Credit for their uptick goes beyond Zion Williamson, but we should marvel at what he’s done. For example, Williamson is averaging 29.7 points per game since the All-Star break, shooting more than 63 percent along the way. He’s an alien.

19. Golden State Warriors (26-28, Last week — 23rd)

Golden State is in fine shape, sitting in the No. 10 spot in the West. Given that the Warriors are just 1-7 when Steph Curry doesn’t play, it would be fair to say that they are better than their record. If that wasn’t enough, Curry’s 53-point eruption on Monday was a good reminder of what he means to the Warriors.

20. San Antonio Spurs (26-26, Last week — 19th)

A recent 2-10 plunge likely removed any chance for the Spurs to land in the top six and avoid the play-in. They did recover with road wins over Dallas and Orlando over the weekend, reaching the .500 mark with 20 games to go.

21. Toronto Raptors (21-33, Last week — 20th)

Do the Raptors have one last push in them? They would miss the play-in if the season ended today, which is wild to consider when remembering their preseason expectations. They’ve been snake-bitten all season, but it is pretty easy to sell yourself on a team with a positive point differential despite a 21-33 record.

22. Chicago Bulls (22-31, Last week — 22nd)

A 50-point game from Zach LaVine wasn’t enough to beat the Hawks earlier this week, and the Bulls followed that up with road losses to Minnesota and Memphis. Chicago would still be in the play-in if the season ended today, but they aren’t trending in the direction that most projected after the blockbuster acquisition of Nikola Vucevic.

23. Washington Wizards (20-33, Last week — 28th)

Beating the Magic on the road is one thing, but the Wizards also beat the Warriors and Jazz away from home this week. That Utah win was probably a bit fluky, but Washington also played quite well. With those wins, the Wizards are only two games out of the No. 10 spot, which seems crazy.

24. Minnesota Timberwolves (14-40, Last week — 25th)

It’s not as if the Wolves have been good since the All-Star break, but Chris Finch had a bit of time to get some work in and it seems to be helping. Minnesota is 7-11 with a -3.6 net rating since the hiatus, and that is more indicative of their talent level than the previous results. Finch also has Karl-Anthony Towns unlocked, which is a big factor.

25. Detroit Pistons (16-38, Last week — 24th)

The Pistons are respectable. They’re 3-3 in the last six and, even when accounting for the competition in their wins (Washington, OKC, Sacramento), the wins still count. Detroit has a notably worse win-loss record than teams like OKC and Sacramento, but their peripherals are better and that tracks when you watch them.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-34, Last week — 26th)

Cleveland won a game by 27 points this week and still managed to end the three-game week with a dead-even point differential. They’ve lost 13 of the last 18 and 23 of the last 32. Yet, the Cavaliers aren’t even in the mix for the bottom three.

27. Sacramento Kings (22-32, Last week — 21st)

It’s kind of amazing that the Kings aren’t in the bottom three right now. Sacramento has the NBA’s longest losing streak (seven), and they lost those games by 11.6 points per contest. De’Aaron Fox, who scored 43 points in New Orleans on Monday, is trying his best, but it’s ugly right now for the Kings.

28. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-33, Last week — 27th)

The Thunder have the NBA’s worst offensive rating and the NBA’s worst net rating. If not for some good fortune in close games, this could be off the rails, but OKC is firmly staring into the rebuild vortex down the stretch. They’ve lost six in a row by a total of 171 points. Read that again.

29. Orlando Magic (17-37, Last week — 29th)

Orlando’s available roster is pretty dire right now. That is well known, of course, but their performance on Sunday and Monday was unsightly. The Magic to the Bucks and Spurs at home by a combined 60 points. Sim to end.

30. Houston Rockets (14-40, Last week — 30th)

There were a couple of moments in which it seemed like the Rockets might escape from the basement this week. Then, Houston made everyone remember that they are just 3-30 in the last 33 games. It’s hard to overcome that.

Let me state the obvious here: Sebastian Stan currently stars in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and you’re undoubtedly aware of his over-a-decade-long gig of portraying Bucky Barnes. The character’s been on one hell of a hellish journey, from being Captain America’s best friend to being the homicidal fist of HYDRA, and just last week, the Marvel Cinematic Universe gods finally allowed Bucky to let loose with a torrent of emotion. This happened during a heartbreaking and humanity-affirming scene, and finally, Sebastian could really stretch his acting legs in a Marvel film, but that’s no true surprise for those who have followed his career.

Sebastian has developed quite a habit of sneaking much smaller-budgeted films into his schedule. While doing so, he often ends up being the most underrated presence in a vast ensemble of talented actors (while he reliably steals some scenes). That’s the case with his mustached portrayal of Jeff Gillooly, for example, in I, Tonya and his disturbingly dirty cop in The Devil All The Time. His career is peppered with performances alongside many of the greats, going way back to portraying Sigourney Weaver’s son in Political Animals and Meryl Streep’s kid in Ricki and The Flash. His showier projects include Gossip Girl and The Martian, but Stan finds time to indulge in indie-land whenever possible. His latest project, Monday, sees him (and co-star Denise Gough) giving us a very different romantic story what we usually see onscreen.

Monday is a sensually rendered tale of two Americans living in Athens, Greece. They fall into a whirlwind romance and soon find that a passionate weekend can turn into a relationship, but not all goes as planned. Let’s just say that love can interrupt life, and life can interrupt love. And the “Friday” phase of relationships can be full of abandon, but how do we deal with those dreaded Mondays? Sebastian was cool enough to hop on a Zoom call with us to discuss this movie (which was very much shot on location, no MCU green screen anywhere) and how much he’s drawn to strong female co-stars. He was also gracious enough to indulge a gut-punch of a question about his Marvel character.

You’ve got the Marvel thing going on and you are promoting Monday, but I’m gonna start by congratulating you on the fifteenth anniversary of The Covenant.

Oh my god, the fifteenth anniversary! Dear god.

That movie’s quite the guilty pleasure.

And you know what? Some of my best friends came from that movie, and I’m still friends with them today because of that movie.

You were doing a Jack Nicholson villainy vibe there, but there’s no Nicholson vibe in Monday. Can we talk about the title of this movie and how people shouldn’t be afraid of Mondays before watching it?

Well, you won’t have to deal with Monday in this movie until the very, very end, maybe even the last seconds, so you’ll actually be dealing with Fridays for about ninety percent of the movie. And if you wanna remember what the world used to be like, maybe you should watch it. Not to be nostalgic about it, but once we come out of this into the roaring ’20s, maybe we should be grateful to see each other and be around each other and hug each other, you know?

It’s also a beautifully shot film. Greece, man. I bet you got to soak in some culture.

Of course! Everything was in Greece! And very literally on location. We were there a couple of weeks beforehand. We even took a road trip, and we went to a lot of restaurants, and I think we really got to bond that way, and it helped with the movie because we’d talk about it (and talk about it some more), and spending time together was very important for the making of this.

Obviously, it’s a different kind of romantic story. What drew you to that darker edge?

Because it was trying to be honest, and it wasn’t trying to sugar coat anything. It was just giving it you straight, and in a way, it’s very much that nobody likes Monday, but we’re all going to end up waking up in Monday at some point, so you know, you can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist. And you can only run away from it for so long before you crash into the wall, and I think the idea of relationships — particularly now, as I feel that technology continues to get in the way of how we connect, more and more — begs for us to continue to sort-of explore relationships in a truer sense. Let’s not cater constantly to how sometimes, people want to watch a movie about how great things can be. We should also just be mindful of the things that happen sometimes in relationships and how messy they are and how unpredictable they can be. They can start out one way and often surprise you in good ways but also in bad ways.

Things get dramatic. On that note, your co-star, Denise, is seriously talented.

Oh yeah!

How did you make your chemistry feel so authentic?

We did rehearse a little bit, but Argyris [Papadimitropoulos, director] didn’t want us to rehearse too much, and that was very interesting because Denise is from a theater background, and myself, I’m also very script-oriented, and this was a movie where the script was always changing. I think we had to have a lot of patience with this process and how it was going to be a different process, but a lot of it came from building trust with each other. Building a sense of trust with each other is very important as you go into these things, especially with a movie like that. And by the end, it was sort-of hard to say goodbye, and even now, we have these moments when we’re like, “We’re coming back to Greece!”

Not a bad idea, if you can swing it.

I’ve actually returned to Greece a few times since the ending of this movie, and I will continue to do so because of the people and how everybody is down there, and how (in the country) we were so embraced.

Outside of Marvel, I’ve noticed that you’ve done lots of films with ladies who have a commanding presence.

[Huge smile]

Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep! I could continue listing names, but I’m sensing a pattern here.

More often than not, I’m very grateful that these just happen to be great projects as well, but look, I grew up with a very strong single mother, and before that, I was very close to my grandmother. And I don’t know, I gravitate toward strong women, I guess! I feel more comfortable there than I’ve honestly felt with any ginormous, super-male-action-whatever-you-want-to-call-them film. And I’ve always felt like I’ve seen the best version of myself in those situations, you know, in terms of what those particular women, and also actors, have brought out in me by circumstances of working opposite them. So it’s like a cyclical thing for me, but I do feel very lucky. I’m looking back and I’m like, “Wow, I really did get lucky to work with some really unbelievable actresses.” And there’s this movie I’ve done that hasn’t even come out yet with Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger and Lupita Nyong’o, man, I just don’t know [how it happened].

We’ve gotta wrap here, so I can’t help throwing a Marvel question at you. One of my favorite interviews of yours took place at a Wizard World event back (in 2014) when Bucky first became the Winter Soldier, and someone asked you and Anthony Mackie how you’d prefer for your MCU characters to die. You said that the Winter Soldier would rip his arm off and beat himself to death with it —

[Bursts into laughter]

— a lot has happened since then, so would your answer be different now?

You want me to answer how Bucky would die?

It’s terrible, yes, but I really did just ask that.

Oh man, hopefully at this point, it would be in a nice warm bed as a 200-year-old man with a family. That’s his way now, I think he’s earned that.

I want to send Bucky to Aruba.

Yeah! [Starts singing a certain Beach Boys song] Aruba, Jamaica…

Alright, this day is made. Thank you for that one.

[Does a mini-dance move while seated. Continues humming “Kokomo.”]

IFC Films’ ‘Monday’ will open on Friday, April 16 in select theaters (the pandemic is obviously making things tough there) and on VOD.

Much like the very innocent former-president, Mike Lindell is banned from Twitter due to “repeated violations” of its integrity policy. (The MyPillow account has been suspended, too.) So he’s launching a new social media website, where free speech-loving users can say whatever they want — as long as they don’t take the lord’s name in vain.

Lindell described Frank (which was originally called “Vocl” until lawyers got involved) as a “Twitter, YouTube combination,” whatever that means. “I have my own servers and everything,” the MyPillow guy said in a video on FrankSpeech.com. “We’re not going to be worried about Amazon taking it down or YouTube or Google or Apple and we are going to get our voice of free speech out there.” The platform is scheduled to launch on April 20 (dubbed a “Frank-A-Thon”), but users can get early access beginning this Thursday if they submit their phone number, which definitely doesn’t sound like a scam.

But what can people expect from Frank?

“You’re going to have your own YouTube channel, only that’s your Twitter handle. Or Twitter channel, so to speak,” Lindell explained (?). “All of the cancels, our First Amendment rights that we’re seeing right now, well, guess what? It’s coming back. You’re not going to have to worry about what you’re saying.” Except you will, because “the four swear words” are banned, Lindell said. “The c-word, the n-word, the f-word, or God’s name in vain. Free speech is not pornography. Free speech isn’t, ‘I’m going to kill you.’ It’s very well defined in our mission statement.” The mission statement is not currently on the website, but I’m sure it will be crystal f*cking clear. (Am I banned from Frank?)

Lindell discussed Frank even further on conservative commentator Eric Metaxas’ radio show on Monday. “What I’m not going to do is suppress true free speech,” he said. “When someone goes out there and says, ‘I don’t like what’s going down at the border,’ or ‘I don’t like that our country was attacked and nobody’s trying to know you did anything about it or is doing anything about it,’ that’s free speech. Another thing you can’t do [is] what we define in there is totally defame someone. What’s the Ninth Commandment? I can’t even think now, but in the Ninth Commandment, you’re bearing false witness, I believe it is. So, if you’re putting a complete lie against Eric; if I say, ‘Eric Metaxas did something terrible’ and it’s an out and out lie, that’s not free speech. That is not free speech.” That answers my questions! Twitter and YouTube must be trembling.

(Via Raw Story and Right Wing Watch)