Phoebe Waller-Bridge did the pandemic form of a “visit” with Stephen Colbert to promote the charitable streaming of a Fleabag stage performance, and Colbert revealed himself to be the kind of viewer who likes a good fan theory. More specifically, the host revealed that he’s been thinking too much about the Amazon TV show’s second-season fox. You know, the fox who stalked the Hot Priest, and the fox whose meaning was never really explained on the show, but of course, fans have speculated upon its symbolism. Maybe it represented the priest’s anxiety or conflicted state, and some have suggested that the fox chases the priest and brings him back to Fleabag. No one really knows, though!
Amazon Prime
Well, Colbert offered his best guess at what the animal signifies — “I think the fox is the Hound of Heaven” (a reference to the Francis Thompson poem) — which led Waller-Bridge’s jaw to drop. She expressed wishing that was her answer, and then Colbert started reciting the poem from memory:
I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Aaaand then he skipped to the ending:
“Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.”
If one embraces what Colbert is suggesting, the poem’s final passage urges people not to run from God. Whether that applies to the Hot Priest or Fleabag, who knows? Fleabag was a professed athiest, and the Hot Priest chose God, so it makes more sense for this poem’s meaning to apply to him. Waller-Bridge seems thrilled to add this context to her work, but it’s not exactly Fleabag canon, just some nerdy fun.
Watch Colbert’s theorizing (and Waller-Bridge’s reaction) after the 5:00 minute mark below.
Like you, most likely, I’ve had some, uh, extra time on my hands sitting here at home in my New York City apartment. And I’ve been watching a lot of movies. Some of these are movies I’ve never seen before. (For example, I watched the Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie Key Largo for the first time. For some reason I thought it would be a leisurely romance set on an island – this is probably because of the Bertie Higgins song of the same name that I hear once an hour on the Yacht Rock station – as opposed to a movie about mobsters. Anyway, way more people get shot in Key Largo then I ever imagined.) But, other times, I watch movies that make me happy. And over this past weekend, I watched Rocky III and Rocky IV back to back.
Before we get to Rocky III, I did want to address Rocky IV for a quick second, which is probably the Rocky film that’s most absurd, and it’s also the most written about because it’s so absurd. Though it is also insanely appealing for a couple of reasons. It’s surprisingly short, clocking in at just 90 minutes. And since Stallone didn’t use Bill Conti’s score, he instead loaded it up with so many songs that would go on to be radio hits, the whole film basically acts as a 90-minute MTV video. The movie is known for basically being one montage after another, which is true, but each montage is set to a great song. There’s one in particular where Rocky is just driving around as we see flashbacks from the previous three Rocky films and the first 20 minutes of Rocky IV set to Robert Tepper belting “No Easy Way Out.” Anyway, yes, Rocky IV: highly recommended!
When Creed 2 came out in 2018, it was remarkable that it was less a direct sequel to Creed and more of a direct sequel to Rocky IV – getting into all the minutia of what happened to Ivan Drago after he was humiliated by losing to Rocky Balboa. At the time, I spoke to Creed 2 director Steven Caple Jr. and inquired if there’s a chance a similar treatment could happen to the antagonist from Rocky III, Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T. He responded, “I’m not going to lie. There was a moment where I got pretty stingy and was thinking about Clubber Lang. I was like, dang, wouldn’t it be cool if we brought in Clubber Lang?”
After rewatching Rocky III, I think this is a fantastic idea because, for some reason, Clubber Lang remains Rocky’s most underrated foe. And there’s a lot of interesting material to mine out of Rocky III because, as I watched, I found myself rooting for Clubber Lang.
Now, for a lot of reasons, 2020 is a lot different than 1982. (This may sound nuts, but back in 1982 humans were allowed to have contact with other humans.) But a big reason is I think we as an audience are more in tune with seeing stories from different angles. At least, with Rocky, in 1982, we rooted for Rocky. Now, this doesn’t seem like such a straightforward point of view. Because in Rocky III, Rocky comes off like a spoiled asshole. Now, this is by design. But the movie expects us to start rooting for Rocky as he’s mourning the loss of his trainer, Mickey, and he starts training with his formal rival, Apollo Creed. This time around, this did not happen for me. I remained fully on Team Clubber Lang. In Rocky III, it’s Clubber who comes from nothing and nowhere and becomes the champion based on pure desire. The theme song to Rocky III is “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. This is a song about Clubber Lang, not Rocky Balboa.
There’s one particular line of dialogue that Clubber says that made me like him even more. When he’s being followed by a camera crew, he says, “I live alone. I train alone.” This movie is so weird because it wants us to hate Clubber so much. Oh, he’s mean! He yells at the press! He’s even a jerk to Apollo! (Okay, I’ll concede that maybe Clubber should see a professional about his anger issues. He does seem to have a temper.) And I think that line about him living alone and training alone is supposed to make us think, oh, what a strange guy. But I find it endearing. Rocky Balboa has access to the best trainers on the planet, and now here’s a guy who does it all by himself and becomes the champion of the world. Again, Rocky III bends over backward to try and make us dislike Clubber by basically telling us over and over that he’s a mean guy. But the facts are the facts: Clubber Lang was a self-made fighter and what he did was more impressive than anything Rocky ever did, yet the movie treats him like garbage. Enough! Clubber Lang is the real hero of Rocky III.
“Oh, but he killed Mickey,” you’re probably saying. Again, this movie secretly knows that Clubber is the hero of the story so it has to add in tricks like this to get us, the viewer, to dislike Clubber by insinuating that Clubber killed off a beloved character in Mickey. And I’ve always had it in my head that Clubber basically killed Mickey, but rewatching this again, I believe this is false. First of all, Mickey first has an issue when Rocky is fighting Thunder Lips. Mickey clutches his chest. He’s asked what’s wrong, he says, “Oh, it’s my heart,” then no medical attention is sought whatsoever. On what planet is a heart condition just treated like it’s a bought of indigestion? Mickey should have been taken to a hospital immediately.
Then, before Balboa v. Lang I, Rocky and Clubber get into a pissing match before the fight. Now, it’s Mickey who sort of charges at Clubber yelling, “Get him outta there!” Clubber then deflects Mickey away, who then has a heart attack. Now, here’s the really crazy part: Mickey still doesn’t go to the hospital. He claims he just needs to lie down. They do call for a doctor, but it’s a comically long time before a doctor arrives, which seems almost impossible at a heavyweight fight where doctors would be in abundance. And, somehow, Mickey is still alive after the fight ends. That is a remarkable amount of time that Mickey is just lying there in the locker room, not being taken to a hospital. To blame any of this on Clubber is absolutely insane. There’s no reason Mickey should have died that night and the blame is on Rocky for not calling an ambulance.
During the movie, Clubber often complained that the press wasn’t treating him fairly and that they were all in the bag for Rocky. Clubber is correct. And the movie is indicative of this claim, too. Clubber is clearly the hero of the movie. A boxer who comes out of nowhere. He has no trainer. He lives alone! And then beats the pampered champion who, we find out, had been fighting less-than-worthy challengers and refused to give Clubber his shot. The only reason Clubber got a shot at the title – and won! – is because he became “mean” and finally called Rocky out on all this in person. Clubber realized that the only way he could get what he was due was to become a jerk. If I were Clubber Lang, I’d also be a jerk. Being the obvious hero of a movie, but treated as the villain would make anyone a little ornery.
So, yeah, it’s time for Clubber Lang to get the respect he’s due, and the only way for that to happen is for the character to be resurrected by a Creed movie.
Despite physically distancing in Denver for the past four months and leaving the house just four times, Denver Broncos star Von Miller announced this morning that he tested positive for COVID-19.
In an interview on the “Today” show, Miller, who is asthmatic, said his illness began with a simple cough. After a few days, his partner told him that he sounded different when he spoke, so he used his inhaler, figuring it would go away. When that didn’t work, Miller said his assistant encouraged him earlier this week to get tested for COVID-19, at which point he did, and after two days, found out about his positive diagnosis.
NFL star @VonMiller of the Denver @Broncos opens up about his diagnosis with coronavirus. He became the second known case among NFL players.
Because he is in a risk group for the infectious disease considering his asthma, Miller said in the four times he left the house, he never even got out of the car. Whether in those trips to pick up food or through his contact with workers who have come and gone from his home, Miller ended up becoming infected, showing just how transmittable the disease can be.
Fortunately for Miller, he said on “Today” that he is beginning to feel better and none of the symptoms have been too bad. Miller became the second NFL player to come out publicly regarding a positive diagnosis, after Rams offensive lineman Brian Allen.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel answered a question about determining how and when to lift the mitigation measures most countries have put into place during the coronavirus pandemic, and her answer shows us what it looks like to have a scientifically competent person leading a country.
Merkel is an honors graduate with a PhD in quantum chemistry, which undoubtedly makes her one of the most qualified heads of government in this pandemic. Germany, despite being hit hard by the virus, has managed to start flattening their curve and has a far lower death rate than most other countries. (This New York Times article explains some reasons for why that might be.)
Merkel explained why lifting lockdowns is a “fragile” situation that requires caution over overconfidence and described how exponential growth works. In clear terms, she showed how even a small increase in the reproduction number—how many infections an infected person causes—makes a huge difference in how taxed the health system will get.
Angela Merkel uses science background in coronavirus explainer
Even with a translation from German, Merkel Comments on Merkel’s video shared on Reddit show how much people appreciate a smart, educated, well-spoken person in charge—and how stark the contrast is with certain other leaders.
“Well, that’s a Politician that understands basic numbers. Most others will try to deliver a speech they don’t understand and butcher it.”
“I’m flabbergasted seeing a politician explain the effects of exponential growth with cause and effect. This is so refreshing…”
“I don’t understand. Why isn’t she saying how great she is and how high the ratings will be for this clip?”
“Weird right? Also I am massively confused, but it feels like she uses long coherent sentences and I’m not used to that.”
“When you are suddenly proud to be German and don’t know how to deal with it. No, really. By comparison to many other countries, this must be my favorite response. I’m really not a fan of her politics at all, but I’m good with her response to this crisis.”
On the one hand, seeing a leader who not only understands the science but can explain it simply is indeed refreshing. On the other hand, it shines an ugly spotlight on leadership that clearly does not understand the science and can’t explain even the most basic concepts in full, coherent sentences.
And what’s really sad is that no one even has to name a name for people to know who fits that bill.
Well done, Chancellor Merkel. Let us know if other countries can arrange to temporarily adopt you as our leader, please.
Contrary to his Twitter bio, John Legend is more than just Chrissy Teigen’s husband. He’s also an eleven-time Grammy winner who aims to promote joy through his music. The singer released “Bigger Love” Friday as an anthem for being carefree. The empowering track arrives as the lead single off Legend’s upcoming album, which is slated for a summer release.
Peppered with reggae influences, “Bigger Love” boasts expansive and rhythmic percussion. With his signature soaring vocals, Legend sings of ignoring the negative aspects of the world and focusing on the good. “We ain’t going no place but up / Nothing can stop this, no one can top us / We got a bigger love,” Legend croons.
In a statement, Legend said the track celebrates all things love: “This song is a celebration of love, resilience and hope. I wrote it last year, before any of us could have imagined what 2020 would become. The message of the song is that love can help carry us through these dark times and music can bring us joy and inspiration. I hope it brings some light to people’s day and maybe inspires a dance break!”
Legend will debut “Bigger Love” live on Global Citizen’s televised One World: Together At Home. Curated by Lady Gaga and hosted by late-night talk show favorites, the TV special benefits healthcare workers that are on the front line.
Now the good news, there are reviewers and judges all over the world (and right here on this site!) trying their damndest to help you figure out which whiskeys really are “the best.” Of course, that word itself isn’t easy to define. Judges of big competitions, like the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition, have specific characteristics they look for but sometimes it still comes down to a special magic something.
To help you understand why some whiskeys get chosen as standouts, we’re breaking down* the 12 top American whiskey picks from the 2020 SF World Spirits Competition. These are the cream of the crop — Double Gold and “Best In Show” winners — as chosen by people who spend their lives sipping the best of the best. These whiskeys are also fairly widely available for delivery. Though, to be fair, there are a couple of bottles that are in a very expensive and very rare category.
*Two bottles that we didn’t have the chance to taste because of the quarantine have been noted.
Best American Blended Whiskey — FEW American Whiskey
ABV: 46.5% Distillery: FEW Spirits, Evanston, IL Average Price:$47.49
The Whiskey:
FEW offers a solid grain-to-glass craft whiskey experience. This expression is a blend of their signature bourbon and rye whiskeys cut with whiskey made with cherrywood-smoked barley malt whiskey. There’s no age statement on the bottle but each whiskey is nuanced and well mellowed, creating a fascinatingly unique American whiskey.
Our Tasting Notes:
This is kind of the best of all worlds if you dig on rye and bourbon. There’s a clear sense of apples, cloves and cinnamon, clear vanilla, and wet brown sugar next to a hint of that cherry smoke. Fresh ginger sharpness marries with oak, black pepper, and caramel apples. The spice heats up on the short finish with a slight sense of dark chocolate that leans dry and spicy.
Best Flavored Whiskey — Catskill Provisions New York Honey Rye Whiskey
ABV: 40% Distillery: Finger Lakes Distilling, Burdett, NY Average Price:$43.50
The Whiskey:
This flavored whiskey is made from a rye whiskey made by Finger Lakes Distilling. The mash bill of 80 percent rye and 20 percent barley make this one pretty bold on the rye side. The whiskey then makes its way to Catskills Provisions where it’s infused with local, fresh honey from upstate New York.
“Indulge in our smooth, rich flavor with hints of toffee, burnt orange peel, and golden raisin.”
Best Bourbon (Best Small Batch Bourbon Aged 6 To 10 Years) — Barrell Bourbon Batch 021 10-Year-Old Cask Strength
ABV: 53.1% Distillery: Barrell Craft Spirits, Louisville, KY Average Price:$84.52
The Whiskey:
Not only was this expression deemed the “best small batch bourbon” but the absolute “best bourbon” overall this year. This dram is comprised of 18 barrels chosen for three main attributes: Corn-focused and buttery, the woodiest notes present, and the easiest drinking lower-proof bourbon. The barrels ranged from ten to 14 years old and hailed from distilleries in Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky with the final product blended and bottled in Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
Blackberries touched with a hint of tanginess lead to black tea, light rushes of tobacco, ground cardamon, toasted oak, and a note of fresh peppermint. Fatty and sweet marzipan sits next to dark chocolate nougat while mingling with a minerality, peaches, fresh honey, orange, orchard flowers, and more of that blackberry tang. Finally, the sip reels off with mild spice, bitter cacao, dried roses, anise, and mellow, almost tart warmth.
Best Straight Bourbon — Woodinville Straight Bourbon
ABV: 45% Distillery: Woodinville Whiskey Co., Woodinville, WA Average Price:$42.99
The Whiskey:
This Washington state bourbon is another great grain-to-glass craft whiskey experience. The classic mash bill of corn, rye, and barley is all grown in Washington specifically for the distillery. The new oak is aged on-site for 18 months outdoors, rain or shine. The oak is then slowly toasted and then deeply charred before the hot juice goes in for a five-year rest.
Tasting Notes:
Toasted oak and a slight bitterness from the char mingle with a ripe black cherry fruit sense. Dried herbs and fresh mint cut through the heavy hand of oak with doses of vanilla and caramel pushed to the background. The fruit, spice, and herbs come together on an oaky final note, with a wisp of smoke billowing underneath the sip.
Best Small Batch Bourbon Aged Up to 5 Years — Kings County Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50% Distillery: Kings County Distillery, Brooklyn, NY Average Price:$60.99 (Half Bottle)
The Whiskey:
New York’s Kings County has been a mainstay on the awards circuit since they started. The craft distiller uses New York grown organic corn and English malted barley in its mash bill. The bourbon is then aged in small format oak and bottled at higher proof under federal regulations, hence the “bottled-in-bond” moniker.
Tasting Notes:
Malts create a biscuit-covered-in-butter-and-honey base with a sense of Christmas spices alongside bright and fresh cherries. Those spices carry on as the cherries turn into dried fruit and bitter chocolate comes into play. A rich salted caramel sweetness peaks as dark fruits and spice combine for a big finish.
Best Small Batch Bourbon Aged 11 Years and Older — Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 50.5% Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY Average Price:$501.50
The Whiskey:
This is one of the five classics that are part of Buffalo Trace’s yearly “Antique Collection” release. This expression is classic Eagle Rare 10 which is simply aged an additional seven years. The 17-year-old barrels are hand-selected for an exemplary small-batch quality.
Tasting Notes:
Dried tobacco mixes with cedar, old cinnamon sticks, and dried fruit soaked in sugar. The tobacco carries through the palate as a rich sense of vanilla peeks in beside hints of worn leather, spice, and oak char. Rich toffee rises next to cacao bitterness as the spicy final note lingers next to a whisper of tobacco smoke.
Best Single Barrel Bourbon Aged Up To 10 Years — Baker’s Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 53.5% Distillery: Jim Beam, Clermont, KY Average Price:$249.99
The Whiskey:
Hailing from the Jim Beam rickhouses, Baker’s Single Barrel is a unique and refined bottle of bourbon well-worth seeking out. The juice is aged on the higher floors of the rickhouse and the barrels are hand-selected for exactness in quality.
Tasting Notes:
This is a single barrel, so iterations will vary. Based on my dram, expect an opening of dark blackberries next to bourbon vanilla and caramel. That vanilla carries through as oak helps usher in sharp spice and a hint of licorice and roasted nuts. Expect the vanilla to carry on to a spicy, warm, and velvety end.
Best Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon — Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series “Phifer Pavitt Reserve” Bourbon
ABV: 53.5% Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Bardstown, KY (sourced) Average Price:$139.99
The Whiskey:
Bardstown Bourbon’s Collaborative Series partners well-made whiskey with unique finishing programs. This expression is a nine-year-old Tennessee straight bourbon that’s transferred to French oak from Napa Valley’s Phifer Pavitt Winery. The whiskey spends an additional 19 months in that oak.
Tasting Notes:
Marzipan, black pepper, and cherries greet you. The black pepper mellows to more of a white pepper and cinnamon spice mix as the marzipan carries through with a clear sense of plummy oak wine barrels. Bourbon vanilla pops in alongside the spice with a long, svelte finish.
ABV: 50% Distillery: Pennington Distilling Co., Nashville, TN Average Price:$53.99
The Whiskey:
Tennessee whiskey is finally making a comeback and Davidson Reserve is a fine example of that resurgence. The Tennessee whiskey is made from locally grown corn and rye with a touch of barley that’s twice distilled and then filtered through new sugar maple charcoal a la the Lincoln County Process that makes Tennessee whiskey so unique. The juice is then aged for a minimum of four years before going into the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Crème brûlée infused with real maple syrup creates a base for dried red berries. Malted crackers covered in buttery caramel mingle with the burnt sugars from grilled fruits and a slight marshmallow sweetness and texture. All of that sugar is cut by a rush of fresh mint sprigs that helps usher in a short and, yes, quite sweet finish.
ABV: 52.5% Distillery: Heaven Hill, Bardstown, KY Average Price:$399.99
The Whiskey:
This rye is all about the nuances. This edition is comprised of a small batch of 75 barrels that are hit with fire twice as long as usual, creating a deep black char and rippling for the juice to rest in. The whiskey is then aged exactly eight years and nine months on a high floor of the Heaven Hill rickhouse.
Tasting Notes:
That char imparts a sense of smoke next to dark chocolate bitterness, pine resin, banana, and vanilla. Dark spices and sharp black pepper arrive with a note of fresh honey as a counterpoint. That woody pine, char, chalky bitterness, and spice combine on a long and warm end.
Best Craft Distiller Whiskey — ASW Distillery Maris Otter Single Varietal Single Malt Whiskey
ABV: 54.2% Distillery: ASW Distillery at American Spirit Works, Atlanta, GA Average Price:$53.99
The Whiskey:
This is going to be a tough bottle to get a hold of as only so many were made. This expression comes from the brainchild of homebrewers and has deep roots in beer malts. The whiskey is Scottish whisky distilling meets American bourbon aging. The mash bill is 100 percent English Maris Otter Malt and distilled in Scottish pot stills. Then the juice goes into medium and medium-heavy charred new American oak, adding that bourbon element.
Best Other Single Malt Whiskey — The Notch Nantucket Island Single Malt Whisky Aged 15 Years
ABV: 48% Distillery: Cisco Brewers Triple Eight Distillery, Nantucket, MA Average Price:$350
The Whiskey:
This one is going to be really hard to come by. The dram also hails from brewers turned distillers and also utilizes a 100 percent mash bill of Maris Otter Malts. It’s treated like scotch via pot still distilling and then aging in ex-bourbon barrels (mostly from Buffalo Trace) for 15 long years.
Tasting Notes:
Dried apples and pears lurk alongside bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla. Sweet cherries flutter past as rich pipe tobacco, libraries full of worn leather, oak, and mild spices mingle on the palate. Finally, the dram comes to a close with a flourish fresh green peppercorns, toasted oak, and a final hint of tart fruit.
YNW Melly, who was reportedly diagnosed with COVID-19 while in jail awaiting trial for two counts of first-degree murder, put out an S.O.S. on Twitter, reaching out to one of his biggest collaborators for help: Kanye West. The two rappers previously worked together on Melly’s We All Shine single, “Mixed Personalities,” which is one of the younger rapper’s biggest hits to date. Late in the afternoon on Thursday, April 16, Melly or his representatives tweeted to Kanye’s account, “Need your help,” requesting the hit maker to send a direct message.
While it’s impossible to know whether or not Kanye saw the request or responded, it’s easy to imagine how his work with prison reform might make him an attractive resource for the distressed Melly. Further to that work, he’s also got the ear of the current occupant of the Oval Office and has used that influence to try to help out younger rappers in the past. In 2019, Donald Trump reached out to the Swedish authorities on behalf of the then-incarcerated ASAP Rocky at Kanye’s behest, although Sweden’s Prime Minister declined to release the rapper on Trump’s say-so.
However, Melly’s team shouldn’t get their hopes too high that Kanye could again sway Trump to reach out on an incarcerated rapper’s behalf. For one thing, Rocky was only locked up on assault charges, while Melly is set to go on trial for allegedly murdering two of his YNW crew members in an attempt to fake a drive-by. For another, it was later revealed that Trump only reached out for Rocky as a publicity stunt, one that has since backfired spectacularly, causing the already insecure politician more public embarrassment. And since Melly’s request for early release due to his coronavirus diagnosis was already denied by a judge, there’s little Trump could do legally speaking.
While Melly’s tweet leaves it unclear what exactly he needs Kanye’s help with, all this is just speculation, but here’s hoping that the rapper at least recovers from his symptoms enough to see a fair trial.
Darren Aronofsky, the director behind cinematic mind-f*cks like Requiem for a Dream and mother!, was hired by Warner Bros. to direct a Batman film. It went as well as you might expect. The film was going to be based on Frank Miller’s legendary Batman: Year One story with some key differences, according to the Batman wiki, including “the Batmobile would have been a Lincoln Continental” and “after Bruce Wayne’s parents are shot, Bruce loses his fortune and becomes homeless.” But the project fell apart when Aronofsky realized he had a different vision for the Dark Knight than the studio.
“The studio wanted Freddie Prinze, Jr. and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix,” he told Empire. “I remember thinking, ‘Uh oh, we’re making two different films here.’ That’s a true story. It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making.” What “they” ended up making Batman Begins, which turned out pretty well for everyone involved, and Phoenix won an Oscar for playing the Joker. Aronofsky, too, has been up for an Academy Award (Best Director for Black Swan), but he has an even rarer distinction: he’s one of the few people who has “shocked” Frank Miller:
Apparently even [Miller] was shocked by how dark Aronofsky was looking to go, with Batman veering into torture territory. “The Batman that was out before me was Batman & Robin, the famous one with the nipples on the Batsuit, so I was trying to undermine that, and reinvent it,” he explains. “That’s where my head went.”
You think that’s dark?
doing the jack nicholson nodding gif while envisioning the untethered insanity of a nic pizzolatto batman movie pic.twitter.com/4sZ0xVoCGe
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Westside Gunn is a survivor. After years of grinding on the gritty, frigid streets of Buffalo, New York, the Griselda Records founder and self-declared Fly God recently found himself facing a battle of a different kind. This enemy wasn’t one he could shoot it out with, make deals with, or even out-rap in a lyrical contest. It was the COVID-19 coronavirus and it laid him low for several weeks as he battled chest pains that felt “like a tornado went through my chest.”
Yet, just like those Buffalo avenues, unforgiving the drug game, the cutthroat rap game, and the stark spotlight of his burgeoning stardom, Gunn “thugged it out,” practically overcoming the virus before he even let his closest associates know he was fighting for his life. Somehow, in the midst of all that, he maintained the insane work ethic that had him pumping out three-to-four projects a year over the past decade, wrapping up work on his latest full-length release, Pray For Paris.
Following up 2019’s Flygod Is An Awesome God, Paris is Gunn’s ode to the finer things in life and showcase of his eclectic tastes, inspired by a recent trip to the titular French capital for Fashion Week — his first trip out of the country. The city’s influence on the project is undeniable; Gunn’s usual heavyweight grit is balanced by the smooth polish of one of the world’s jazz epicenters, with less focus on gunplay and more on the artistic vibes he soaked up on his first trip abroad. Don’t get it twisted, though: There are still plenty of his signature “boom boom boom boom” ad-libs peppered throughout.
Gunn was generous enough to accept an interview by phone — despite still recovering from his respiratory illness — to break down the new album, his artistic growth, and his post-rap plans, including design, film direction, and executive producing many more potential classics.
How are you? I know that you have been going through it and I just want to make sure you’re doing all right.
I’m good. Just maintaining. I didn’t even make the announcement that I already was feeling at least 80% better. I’m not one of those people that want everybody to feel sorry for me and call me a thousand times a day to check on me. I was just thugging it out. It’s been healing in my own kind of way. And I was really focusing on this project and getting love. And everybody that was involved in the project, we’re having conversations on it through text, and just building. Just designing. Shit like that was like my therapy, just getting stronger again.
I got to get my breath back right, of course. Because I’m an asthmatic, too, so it’s taking a little longer to get my breath back 100%, but another week or two I should be back up. I was having bad chest pains for a long time. It was like a tornado went through my chest. So once that pain started subsiding a little bit, I’m like, “Okay.” Eventually I’m like, “Okay, I’m starting to feel a little better.” Because the pain was crazy. It was like, this shit killing people.
With all of that happening, it’s so good to actually hear somebody still being able to work. And that’s what we want to talk about today, is the work. So let’s get into it. What is the concept behind Pray For Paris?
It started off as a EP. I was out in Paris. I had no idea I was even going to record one record, because I went out there for fashion week. Everything was based off of fashion week. And I’m not a guy who just raps all year long. “Hey, I’m a rapper. Let me go in the studio.” Some people, they live in the studio.
When I went out there, all I was focusing on was fashion. Anybody that know me, know I’m a fashion guy. Even if you listen to my lyrics, since Hitler Wears Hermes one, it’s always fashion. So, this was my first Fashion Week in Paris, this was actually my first time leaving the country. So, I went out there and I was just inspired, by the city, by fashion shows, by the parties, the culture out there.
So after like five days, all the shows, and parties, and shit was over. I ended up booking some studio time, because the thing was, I wanted to rap. I wanted to do something in Paris that was special, because I was so inspired. I had never experienced nothing like that in my life. I was just like on a natural high, just being out there. I’m like, okay, I’m going to make a EP, when I get back to the States on Tuesday, and I’m just going to drop it on everybody Friday.
But once I got back, I was just like, yo, I should make an album, man. But like the vibe of this album was just…. I set the tone in Paris. The first six songs was made out there. But just me coming back and working — the fans need more. I need to make it a full length, and let me just go hard. I haven’t dropped nothing since October. The fans need more than just six songs.
This one is probably your most feature-laden project. So I was wondering about what was the reasoning behind why, especially since some of these names might be unexpected to people. Tyler The Creator, Wale, even Jay Versace got a beat on here. So, what was the reasoning behind putting so many features in, especially so many features that might be considered unusual for a Griselda project?
Well, when I was in Paris, the first six songs, of course, was no features at all. It was just like the Paris vibe. But it was just like when I came back, man, and if I’m going to do it… that’s the one thing about me. If I’m going to do a project, you always going to get the best out of me. Every single time. When I first made Flygod, it was like, “There’s no way he could top Flygod.” Then I dropped Supreme Blientele.
“There’s no way you could top Supreme Blientele.” Then I dropped, Hitler Wears Hermes 7. Then it’s like, “There’s no way you can top Hitler 7. So now it’s this. I love the art, I love pushing the culture forward, I love bringing something new to the table, I love the fact that I can bring certain people into my world. I brought Tyler into my world, I brought Jay Versace into my world. Love just bridging the gap, and bringing the best hip-hop and art to the game as possible.
Yes, sir. Which song from the album can you just not wait for people to hear? Which is the one that you know people are going to go bananas over?
My favorite is “French Toast” with Wale and Joyce Wrice, because it’s a different kind of Westside Gunn. It’s not the shoot-em-up, bang bang Westside Gunn. It’s just kind of just like fly, smooth, you can play it on the radio, you can play it in the club. If it wasn’t for this damn corona, you would have a video.
It would have definitely been something crazy, man. I’m a fly dude, Wale a fly dude. The ladies in it would have been immaculate. And we would have been in Paris. So it would have been like something crazy. I say “French toast.” I also say the “327” with Joey and Tyler.
You guys have been in the game 10 years strong. You guys probably dropped your first joint, what, in 2011, 2012 right?
Yeah. Yep. [Hitler Wears Hermes] Part one was October, 2012.
So, what did it take to remain in the game almost ten years strong, as an independent artist, as an independent label that people might not know?
It’s all art, man. I love it. I love it, man. And it didn’t matter if I was the most popular, or not. You’re going to get two, three projects out of Westside Gunn every single year. Last year alone, I did Flygod Is An Awesome God and Hitler Wears Hermes 7.
Even with the songs that I just was performing on tour like Awesome God is probably — definitely — on my top three projects I ever made. And it was so overlooked at the time it came out. And people just really didn’t even get the lyrics. I was so ahead of my time, talking about shit people still don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s going to be one of them projects that people still won’t get for another two, three years.
But after all of that, what’s going on with all of these retirement announcements? Because you said you were going to retire sometime in 2021 or 2022. And then Conway is talking about he’s going to retire. What’s going on with half of Griselda trying to retire all of a sudden? You guys are just getting started.
I can’t speak on bro. Bro ass probably was drunk and high, and just tweeted some shit. I don’t know. You know how sh*t go. But me, personally, I’ve been saying this sh*t for two years already. And it’s not like I just start saying it. My crew knew, my family knew. In this business, I’m not a rapper. I’m a artist. I love painting pictures. I hate when people call me a rapper. I’m not a rapper at all. I’m a artist, man. I start with that blank canvas, and I get to work. I always said 2020 was going to be my last year because I was going to push a wrestling company and executive produce some of the illest. Just because I’m not rapping, don’t mean I’m not about to executive produce the illest groups people ever heard, still.
I want to go to Milan, and Paris, and Japan and design, and start interning for a major house, things like that. I came into this game knowing I had to do what I had to do to get my team on. Conway was first. Then came Benny. We all came together, and we did what we had to do together. Everybody making noise. And it’s like, okay, what I came to do, I did.
I just want to focus on a lot of other things. I was doing fashion before the rapping. The GxFR brand, the clothing brand, was before Griselda Records. I still want to do film. It’s so much shit I want to do. I’m still going to direct movies and videos. I’m still going to be behind the illest shit you still see in the culture.
Pray For Paris is out now on Griselda Records. Get it here.
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