Over the past few weeks, celebrities like Drake, Kylie Jenner, and Travis Scott have come under fire for contributing to climate change thanks to a new Twitter account, @CelebJets, which has been documenting “comically” short flights. However, as with most viral outrages on the internet, it appears there’s more context to be gleaned. While Kylie Jenner isn’t one to spend a lot of time online to address such controversies, Drake, as we all know, is chronically online, and took the time to respond to an Instagram trying to gin up more anger.
Popping in the comments of a post publicizing the “15-minute flights,” Drake clarified, “This is just them moving planes to whatever airport they are being stored at for anyone who was interested in the logistics… nobody takes that flight.”
Instagram
Of course, when it comes to celebrities — especially ones who inflame public passions as much as Drake does, a little thing like logic isn’t going to stop people from lobbing indictments. “It’s still using the same amount of fuel regardless of whether it’s carrying people or not,” wrote one commenter. Another took a more direct stance, writing, “Shut up stop polluting our air.”
While there are certainly some criticisms to be made about these short hops, the unfortunate fact remains that they would still be a minuscule fraction of emissions created by the largest CO2 emitters — those would be industry, electricity, and the collective totals for all transport, including cars, trucks, ships, trains, and yes, planes, which only account for 10% of what cars and trucks emit. Meanwhile, electricity and heat are by far the biggest emitters, and the ones that could most easily be fixed using alternate fuel sources like wind and solar.
Phasing those in would also help reduce the emissions from actual oil and gas production as well, since we’d need less of those things. 5 minutes on Google, people. That’s all we’re asking. Since Drake can’t save the world by taking fewer flights (at least, not by himself), maybe that energy would best be spent pushing government representatives to support initiatives like new infrastructure and stricter regulations on industry — two solutions that have been proven to work.
Najee Harris had a strong rookie year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, rushing for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries, along with 74 catches for 467 yards and three touchdowns.
The former Alabama star was drafted with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 Draft by Pittsburgh, as they looked to replace James Conner with a new bell cow in the backfield. That worked out well in Year 1, as Harris played in all 17 games and no one else on the Steelers had more than 36 carries (he also had the second most receptions on the team as Ben Roethlisberger was eager to check the ball down all year).
On Draft night in 2021, Harris didn’t learn he was heading to Pittsburgh from the usual phone call with the team, but instead by getting a call from Steelers superfan Snoop Dogg, who somehow had the information and called Harris before Mike Tomlin and the Steelers did, as he told Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast.
“Who was the first voice you heard on the phone [when you were drafted]?”
Najee Harris: “I talked to @SnoopDogg before I talked to the Steelers”
Harris still isn’t sure how Snoop knew he was being drafted by Pittsburgh, but noted they’re pretty tight now — a perk of being a Steelers star. He also explained that when Tomlin and the Steelers did call, they hung up on him initially because his family was being too loud — as Harris recalls, they were too drunk off Patron and Hennessy — and had to call back once Harris walked outside to deliver the news officially.
Hold The Girl, the upcoming second album from Rina Sawayama, is set to drop on September 2. That will give US-based fans a couple months to familiarize themselves with the album before Sawayama is in their area: Today, she announced a run of tour dates for the US for November.
The first of the 13 shows goes down in Brooklyn on November 1, and from there, Sawayama will find herself in Boston, Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, Houston, other cities before wrapping the trek in Los Angeles on the 23rd. Tickets go on sale on July 29 at 10 a.m. local time.
Sawayama also noted while sharing the dates on Twitter, “can’t wait to perform the record for u [smiling crying emoji]. which songs from the first record do u wanna hear ??”
11/01 — Brooklyn, NY @ Great Hall at Avant Gardner
11/04 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
11/05 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
11/06 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
11/08 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
11/09 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
11/11 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
11/12 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
11/13 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
11/16 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
11/18 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA
11/21 — Oakland, CA @ FoxTheater
11/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
Hold The Girl is out 9/2 via Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.
Jordan Peele’s Nope was inspired by Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, and his own dreams, apparently.
A 2014 tweet from the filmmaker has resurfaced following the release of his third feature, which made $44 million in its box office debut this weekend (it’s one of the biggest openings for a film not based on existing IP in years). “Dreamt that a baby chimp attacked some people then ran to me and hugged me all scared. I woke up with tears streaming down my face #bruh,” Peele tweeted. That dream is awfully similar to what happens to the younger version of Steven Yeun’s character on the set of Gordy’s Home.
Dreamt that a baby chimp attacked some people then ran to me and hugged me all scared. I woke up with tears streaming down my face. #bruh
The next time you have a dream where an animal goes apesh*t (pun intended?) on some people, write it down. Maybe you’ll turn it into a hit summer movie, too.
“That is what happened,” Peele told us about Nope being the first big-budget sci-fi movie with a primarily Black cast. “And I think the result of that is something that even, I think, surprised me. You come up with this nightmare, or this vision, and then you bring this team together. And you launch into it full tilt with collaboration and the product ends up being even something surprising to me if it works out well. And it did this time.”
Audiences at the Newport Folk Festival erupted into gleeful joy as living legend Joni Mitchell graced the stage once again, joining fellow singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. This unexpected performance is quickly becoming one for the history books—not only for the rare sighting, but for the beloved icon’s triumphant return.
In 2015, Mitchell suffered a near-fatal and debilitating brain aneurysm that left her unable to speak, walk or even get out of a chair, much less sing or play a guitar. In a post-concert interview with CBS News, the 78-year-old performer described her rehabilitation as “a return to infancy.” To reclaim her guitar skills, she had to watch old videos of herself playing “to see where I put my fingers.”
Her diligence definitely paid off, and fans were delighted to see Mitchell ace her solo during “Just Like This Train.”
Joni Mitchell, Just Like This Train (electric guitar solo), Newport Folk Festival, 7/24/2022
Lucky concertgoers listened to an unforgettable set list that included some of Mitchell’s greatest hits like “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Love Potion #9,” and “Both Sides Now.” Nine years might have passed since Mitchell performed publicly, but I think I speak for everyone when I say she’s still got it.
Though the entire concert was an emotional affair for everyone involved, the real clincher was “Both Sides Now.”
Mitchell’s voice was as soulful as ever as it rang through the air, leaving listeners enraptured. Wynona Judd can be seen in the background, singing along through tears. “Both Sides Now” has always been a profound song, but something about hearing Mitchell sing it at this point in her life, after overcoming many health battles, hits in a very different way.
This video alone quickly rose to nearly 2 million views (what a wonderful modern world we live in, where amazing moments in music history can be shared so easily, am I right?) and unbridled love from fans came flooding in.
One fan wrote, “This is not a woman reaching to get back to her young self; this is a woman reinterpreting a song through who she has become. She is a fighter and a resurrection, as if to say to us ‘you can do it!’” Yep, that just about sums it all up quite nicely.
Mitchell has always had a remarkable knack for getting audiences right in the heart with her music. That magic quality hasn’t dimmed at all, but now shines in an altogether different way.
Certain people have an innate ability to remember random facts. They are great at trivia but can also be insufferable know-it-alls.
So why are some people better at recalling random facts than others? Researchers in Europe believe that it’s because their brains are more efficiently wired than other people’s.
“We assume that more efficient networking of the brain contributes to better integration of pieces of information and thus leads to better results in a general knowledge test,” biopsychologist Erhan Genc, from Ruhr University Bochum, said according to Science Alert.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, an MSNBC contributor, activist, and co-host of Crooked Media’s “Pod Save The People,” wanted to harvest the mind hive on Twitter and find the most random fact that anyone knows.
“I mean RANDOM random,” she wrote.
The answers ranged from the utterly pointless to the truly amazing. There was also a generous helping of utterly disgusting answers thrown in the mix.
Almost every answer deserved the follow-up question: “Why in the world do you know that?”
Here are some of the most random responses to Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s question: “What’s the most random fact you know?”
Whatu2019s the most random fact you know?nnI mean RANDOM random.
— ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8All AmErican New Year (@ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8All AmErican New Year) 1580499864
most mammals have twice as many nipples as their species’ average litter size (e.g. humans mostly have 1 kid at a time, but 2 nipples), this is colloquially referred to as the ‘half nipple rule’nnexcept opossums, which for some reason have an odd number of nipples
— Several Irate Bobcats (@Several Irate Bobcats) 1580184771
Muhammad is statistically the most common first name on the planet while Wang is the most common last name on the planet. But I still haven’t met anyone named Muhammad Wang.
Muhammad is statistically the most common first name on the planet while Wang is the most common last name on the planet. But I still havenu2019t met anyone named Muhammad Wang.
In DNA, mushrooms are more similar to animals than they are to plants.
In DNA, mushrooms are more similar to animals than they are to plants.
— u2728 No More Mayors u2728 (@u2728 No More Mayors u2728) 1580181372
Some were pretty darn cool.
London Tube platforms have different tilings because when the Tube was originally built, a lot of people who used it were illiterate, and the different tilings helped them know what station they were at.pic.twitter.com/Yw8e04zCJA
London Tube platforms have different tilings because when the Tube was originally built, a lot of people who used it were illiterate, and the different tilings helped them know what station they were at.pic.twitter.com/Yw8e04zCJA
When you look at a flower, some of the photons that entered your eye just ended a 100,000-year journey from the center of the sun.
Nobody else sees them.
Just you.
10% of THOSE will give up their energy to cause a chemical reaction that—literally—makes them a part of you.https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/1221992423905202176 …
When you look at a flower, some of the photons that entered your eye just ended a 100,000-year journey from the center of the sun.nnNobody else sees them.nnJust you.nn10% of THOSE will give up their energy to cause a chemical reaction thatu2014literallyu2014makes them a part of you.https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/1221992423905202176u00a0u2026
Elephants are the only animals other than humans who have something like funerals. They cover the dead elephant gently with leaves and branches, then stand around in a circle for hours making sad noises.
Elephants are the only animals other than humans who have something like funerals. They cover the dead elephant gently with leaves and branches, then stand around in a circle for hours making sad noises.
The act of touching glasses to cheers comes from medieval suspicions of poisoning each other, so youd slam mugs together to spill each others drinks into your own to show trust you werent trying to kill them. Europeans man…
The act of touching glasses to cheers comes from medieval suspicions of poisoning each other, so youd slam mugs together to spill each others drinks into your own to show trust you werent trying to kill them. Europeans man…
Male dolphins can ejaculate as far as 10′ and with such force it can kill a human if that human was foolish enough to attempt zoophilic relations with dolphin.
Male dolphins can ejaculate as far as 10′ and with such force it can kill a human if that human was foolish enough to attempt zoophilic relations with dolphin.
— dr. k still loves Richard (@dr. k still loves Richard) 1580180807
Artificial raspberry and strawberry flavoring comes from the anal glands of a beaver.
Artificial raspberry and strawberry flavoring comes from the anal glands of a beaver.
— u2744ufe0fu2744ufe0f Stephanie Nelson u2744ufe0fu2744ufe0f (@u2744ufe0fu2744ufe0f Stephanie Nelson u2744ufe0fu2744ufe0f) 1580236997
And some could be helpful down the road. You just never know.
If you are attacked by a gator and your arm is in its jaws, push, don’t pull. If you can push the flap open at the back of its throat, water rushes in and it starts to drown and will open jaws, hopefully releasing you.
If you are attacked by a gator and your arm is in its jaws, push, don’t pull. If you can push the flap open at the back of its throat, water rushes in and it starts to drown and will open jaws, hopefully releasing you.
The Phenomena: “The Doorway Effect”
When you forget the reason you enter a different room.
To retrieve the reason, walk backwards w/o turning around.
It can trigger the memory.
The Phenomena: “The Doorway Effect”nWhen you forget the reason you enter a different room.nTo retrieve the reason, walk backwards w/o turning around.nIt can trigger the memory.
Doug Martsch is like a fine wine. The leader of the timeless Built To Spill is capturing nostalgia better than ever on all of the new singles from the band’s upcoming Sub Pop Records debut album, When The Wind Forgets Your Name. At this point, Built To Spell is indie rock royalty and every new wrinkle from the Boise, Idaho faithful unlocks new psychedelic worlds led by Martsch’s fantastic guitar.
“Spiderweb” is right there with new gems like “Gonna Lose” and “Understood.” The riffs are as exploratory as Martsch’s always sweet vocals and his lyrics are simple and dreamlike, as he sings, “I learned a lot about the way things are, and what we’re supposed to do. And why you’re me and why I’m you.”
For When The Wind Forgets Your Name (out September 9th) Martsch worked extensively with Lê Almeida and João Casaes of Brazilian psych rock band Oruã. They’ll be supporting Built To Spill on many of the band’s extensive upcoming tour stops.
Listen to “Spiderweb” above and check out Built To Spill’s tour dates below.
07/30 — Stanley, ID @ Sawtooth Family Gathering
08/06 — Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
08/07 — Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
08/11 — Spokane, WA @ Lucky You Lounge ^ ~
08/12 — Bozeman, MT @ The ELM ^ ~
08/13 — Billings, MT @ The Pub Station ^ ~
08/15 — Fargo, ND @ The Hall @ FBC ^ ~
08/16 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^ ~
08/17 — Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater ^ ~
08/18 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^ ~
08/19 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^ ~
08/20 — Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall ^ ~
08/22 — Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater ^ ~
08/23 — Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop ^ ~
08/24 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall %
08/25 — Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre # %
08/26 — Portland, ME @ State Theatre # %
08/27 — New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall # %
08/29 — South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground # %
08/30 — Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts # %
09/01 — Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony # %
09/02 — Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live # %
09/03 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza # %
09/04 — Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest # %
09/06 — Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre * =
09/07 — Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine * =
09/08 — Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater * =
09/09 — Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall * =
09/10 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live * =
09/11 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room * =
09/13 — Orlando, FL @ The Social * =
09/14 — Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits * =
09/15 — Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall * =
09/16 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn Birmingham * =
09/17 — Memphis, TN @ Growler’s * =
09/18 — Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom * =
09/19 — St. Louis, MO @ Red Flag * =
09/20 — Columbia, MO @ Blue Note * =
09/21 — Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater * =
09/23 — Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater * =
09/24 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall * =
10/07 — Reno, NV @ Off Beat Music Fest
* with Orua
^ with Prism Bitch
# with Wetface
% with Blood Lemon
~ with Braided Waves
= with The French Tips
When The Wind Forgets Your Name is out 9/9 via Sub Pop. Pre-order it here.
Earlier this month, Bruce Springsteen announced the US dates for his 2023 tour with The E-Street Band. The string of dates will kick off in February with a performance in Tampa Bay and continue through mid-April before coming to an end at Newark’s Prudential Center. Fans were excited to get their hands on tickets for the upcoming shows, but prices quickly frustrated some while turning away others. Tickets for shows at Tampa Bay, Tulsa, Boston, and more went for upwards of $5,000 on Ticketmaster which made their frustration very understandable. After hearing some of their complaints about the ticket prices, Ticketmaster issued a response in defense of their pricing model.
“Ticketmaster says [the most expensive tickets] represent only 11% of the overall tickets sold,” Variety reports. “By the ticketing service’s calculations, that left the other 88.2% of tickets sold at fixed prices that ranged from $59.50 to $399 before added service fees.”
They continued, “Ticketmaster further says that the average price of all tickets sold so far is $262 with 56% being sold for under $200 face value…The service further broke down the percentages on the 56% of tickets it says were sold for under $200. It said that 1% were sold under $99, 27% went for between $100-150, and 1% sold for between $150-200.”
Ticketmaster concluded by noting that “prices and formats are consistent with industry standards for top performers.”
Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.
Billie Eilish — “The 30th”
The “Bad Guy” singer dove headfirst into vulnerability with this pained ballad “The 30th”: “Sometimes you look the same / Just like you did before the accident / When you’re staring into space / It’s hard to believe you don’t remember it,” she sings, her vocal delivery overflowing with emotion.
Panic! At the Disco — “Middle Of A Breakup”
In usual Panic! At the Disco fashion, “Middle Of A Breakup” is full of theatrics, swears, and drug references. Hedonism at the forefront of the track: “Blessed be your last cigarette / Makeup sex in the middle of a breakup,” Brendon Urie belts.
Fletcher — “Becky’s So Hot”
Drama aside, Fletcher’s “Becky’s So Hot” is a ferocious, fearless anthem about thinking your ex’s new partner is, well, hot. Both humorous and a bit vengeful, it succeeds at being catchy, the melody will remain in the listener’s head after the song is done.
Madison Beer — “I Have Never Felt More Alive”
Madison Beer’s “I Have Never Felt More Alive” is for the feature film “Fall,” which is not hard to imagine because the song is cinematic and intense. The build-up is packed with anticipation, and Beer’s vocals are sprawling, adding to the sense of catharsis.
The Chainsmokers — “Time Bomb”
“Time Bomb” is about trying to move on and grow up, despite the relentless atmosphere of party: “I guess I’ll stay on this vibration / I don’t need your reciprocation,” they sing, adding that they’re “getting tired of this simulation.” This song goes further into the vulnerable texture that The Chainsmokers have been exploring.
Max — “Wasabi”
Max has made it possible to write a love song called “Wasabi,” and it’s as spicy as one would expect. Against a restless, ebullient beat, he sings: “Baby you got that body / That extra little something, Wasabi.”
Clinton Kane — “Keep It To Yourself”
On “Keep It To Yourself,” Clinton Kane is having trouble healing after a relationship while watching his ex move on much faster than he’s able to. The vulnerable track has a powerful build-up, and his voice is hurt: “You should probably keep it on the low,” he sings in a kind of plea.
Jessie Ware — “Free Yourself”
Jessie Ware knows how to make a feel-good anthem, and this one’s perfect for the summer. The lively beat is infectious, and her unabashed vocals make it even bigger and brighter: “Free yourself / Keep on moving up that mountain top,” she sings.
Ali Gatie — “Can’t Give Up”
“Can’t Give Up” is brimming with pain as Ali Gatie sings about feeling haunted by someone from his past. There’s lots of rain and tears, but he refuses to give up: “I’ll sing to your shadow even when it gets dark / I’ll keep all your secrets tucked inside of my heart ,” he sings.
Montell Fish — “Darling”
Speaking of pained ballads about loss love Montell Fish’s “Darling” is another. In Bon Iver-like fashion, his vocals are high-pitched and almost whispers as he lulls some of the most heartbreaking lyrics you’ve ever heard: “Are you still in love my darling? / Did you fall out of love my darling?”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In 14 years, Foodbeast has gone from a humble blog written by foodies geeking out over food porn and the sorts of outlandish food hacks that probably drive fast food employees crazy, to a multi-million dollar media company with a reach in the billions and content that feels at once youthful and deeply knowledgeable. Foodbeast’s latest project, Kitchen League is a live cooking competition that pits chefs against creators and relies on audience participation to inject chaos (and fun) into it all. The show — which our own Steve Bramucci was recently featured on — is a mega-hit on Twitch and might be the best thing Foodbeast has given us since the Dream Machine, a vending machine that operated on Instagram posts as currency, and dispensed Cup Noodles, video games, and gift cards.
All cooking competitions are pretty cut-throat and can be, at times, pretty sadistic, but even the best ones can’t really provide what Kitchen League can — a way to join in on the fun. That sense of community is everything to Foodbeast founder, Elie Ayrouth, who credits the passion of his team and the community they’ve built via viral food posts and social media with the brand’s success. We caught up with Ayrouth over Zoom to talk about what’s next for Foodbeast and hit him up for his current favorite food hacks. He also did us the favor of finally putting the great In-N-Out french fry debate to rest.
Peter Pham/Phambot
Foodbeast has exploded from its humble food blog roots, what are you most excited about right now?
The most excited I am about any one product we’re doing right now is the show, Kitchen League. Everything that we’ve done up to this point when we first started Foodbeast was basically a bunch of kids trying to emulate Food Network in our own way, with no money. Then fast forward 10 years later, we’re not even using money to do that, but now we’ve taken what Food Network has owned for years in cooking competitions, something you needed network backing and millions and millions and millions of dollars to do and we did it with the community. We created Kitchen League using other creators. It started with GoPro’s in an office, and now it’s a kitchen studio with 20 cameras and there’s no outside funding to put this on.
It was just built on the backs of viral blog posts, then popping off on Instagram, then building a community on Facebook. Then this last frontier that we have right now is Twitch. Really, finally, there is a platform where we could do something, that Food Network couldn’t, even if they threw money at it, they couldn’t do what not only Foodbeast is doing, but what creators on Twitch are doing — which is really just being themselves. We’re hoping to upset that model by just having a live cooking competition and an entire league around it.
Do you have any other new ideas you’ve been cooking up that are also inspired by Food Network? Beyond the cooking competitions, what other things do you want to explore via Twitch?
Once we realized that this platform existed, the next business model for Foodbeast is getting into packaged goods and things. We want to take everything that you use in the kitchen and give it that Foodbeast touch. We started really trivially with this product called, The Double Dip Bowl, which is our first foray into selling anything online. It’s basically a bowl that has two tray compartments in it for the ultimate fat ass, someone that needs a huge dipping container, but wants to hold their chips and their salsa or their nuggets and their ranch in one hand, be able to operate with the other. We’re like, all right, that was a fun, goofy project. When we launched, I think the first 1,000 sold out in a couple of hours… So we said, “Well oh shit, there’s something here to that. What else are we excited to circumvent?”
So then we started looking at the whole kitchen. We started looking at the products we used. We do have a sauce coming out… we’ve been working on this sauce for the past nine months. It’s going to be a bright white, spicy garlic sauce. I’ll give you the name later. We’re still hammering it home. The branding is the last stage. We spent the last eight months dialing in the formula and making sure it has really good ingredients. I didn’t want a label that was like 100 ingredients deep. I wanted it to be like four or five ingredients.
Something respectable.
Yeah, man. I mean, I’ve seen enough now. Dude, I’m getting older! Every time I eat something with fucking 100 ingredients on it, I’m passing out after, so I wanted something that is a brand in and of itself. So the next frontier is we have this media, we have these shows and now we want products. We want our products in there. We’re built our back off an advertising model. We see the future where we want to have our own products that we’re proud of getting featured in these shows.
Is there another food festival in the works? I know the pandemic has made that impossible for the last three years.
It did. Yeah. The last major festival we did was right before the pandemic hit and it was Nood Beach. It was weird because we culminated with festival after festival. We started with like a couple hundred people at our first one and our last one with Snoop Dog on the beach — around 10,000 people that showed up. Then the pandemic happened.
Oh, so you’re the one to blame!
Yeah, it was us. Snoop gave everyone COVID! It was actually 2019, so still could have been us, who knows? Seriously though, after COVID, we knew we’d want to get back to it one day. We dabbled a little bit. We threw a 300-person invite-only festival. We’re going to get back to it. We haven’t announced any upcoming public-facing ones. We’re kind of just seeing how other festivals do it right now. What are they doing right? What’s scary? What’s unhealthy? What’s healthy? What’s a good thing to do. It’s not big on our priority list immediately, but we do appreciate how much it can bring people together. I know people are thirsty for it, but yeah, we haven’t announced anything and this year probably won’t see anything like public-facing from us.
I was reading about Foodbeast’s vending machine, the Dream Machine and how that started as a joke. What other jokes have turned into realities at Foodbeast?
Kitchen League started as a joke. It was this sadistic idea that if we wanted to do a cooking show, what would Foodbeast’s version of it be? Cooking shows are already pretty fucked up. Especially an Americanized cooking show. You know, “here’s your cooking basket!” then Joe Rogan comes out like, “well, it’s a testicle now,” or whatever. So we thought how it would be even more fucked up if you let the audience at home actually play along. That was the first foray. We’re like, how funny could that be? How viable could that be? We were trying to find the platform for it. It ended up being Twitch, but essentially, it started as a joke.
We have a tendency to kind of blow out our jokes. We try to push it as far as we can go. That one ended up having some legs to it. We’re like, “oh shit, that could be a brand and a league in and of itself.”
What are your favorite fast food hacks?
My favorite fast food hacks? Oh, this is good. I wish I thought about this a little bit more. So In-N-Out, the tomato wrap… Have you ever had a tomato wrap?
I haven’t.
So everyone knows the lettuce wrap, protein style, you can actually ask for a tomato wrap and it’ll hit you tomatoes as the buns. It’s pretty nice. If you don’t like tomatoes, it’s going to piss people off. So it’s a really fun one to show on the internet, but that’s a top hack for me right now. I’m still a sucker for Del Taco. They do the “Go Bold.” They’ll put fries and white sauce on anything you ask. I usually get all my stuff bold at Del Taco. You can even ask for a milkshake bold. They’ll just do anything. They’ll put fries and fucking white sauce in your chocolate shake if you want.
Who is killing it in fast food right now?
I think Taco Bell and Chipotle… those two are killing it. I think Taco Bell’s ability to stay in the news, for positive things, is a testament to their brand for how simple the food is. The core ingredients are pretty simple. I think they’re killing it just in staying in the news. Chipotle is still kind of killing it for value and quality. Those are the two that I would immediately jump to. All things considered, pandemic aside, food industry aside, they’re figuring it out and they haven’t really compromised the quality. So I think that’s cool.
What do you think is missing in the fast food space right now? We don’t really have a strongly visible Indian fast food chain that has made it nationwide.
No. I agree with you. I think the closest one I can think of in the Indian space is Curry Up Now and they’re pretty darn good. They’re just not blowing up the way they could. I also think a Middle Eastern chain, like a proper fast food Middle Eastern chain, not the like Daphne’s Greek cafe of it all, but like I was in Canada recently and they just have great quick service Mediterranean and Lebanese, fast food. It’s crushing. These are like 100 location-chains. This shit would work out here. Why not?
It’s like pita garlic, chicken wraps, and bowls, follow the Chipotle model and go to town.
It’s simple and makes sense.
The industry is also missing transparency.
That might be a little corny, but I think fast food chains can weather it if they get a little bit more transparent with their ingredients. Go a bit more of the Chipotle route, because people are just more into whole ingredients. They’re less into going out to eat like healthy or low cal or whatever. Tell us what’s in this stuff. If you can’t tell, start fixing it and get it down. I think that’s what’s keeping Chipotle afloat. I think that’s what sets them apart. Taco Bell’s embraced the other side, but I know Taco Bell’s working on continuing to add transparency, making their ingredients simpler.
But, I think in terms of cuisines, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern and Indian, I think they’re definitely missing in the marketplace. It’d be dope to see that. It’s cool to see Filipino food get a little bit more love through Jolly Bee.
I know you’re an In-N-Out fan.
Love it.
Can you make the case for the fries? I feel like a lone warrior on this hill, defending real potatoes that are cut in front of your eyes and fried. I don’t know how that’s ever a bad thing…
You made the case! I mean, the only thing worse than an In-N-Out Stan, is an In-N-Out hater. We always talk about what the best burger in the game is. People will say In-N-Out then they will immediately say, “but the fries are trash.” Let’s talk about the burgers. The burgers on affordability level, a taste level, to me, an In-N-Out Burger is up there with any burger, regardless of the price. I think the fries are dope. I don’t know what people are talking about. There’s so much customization available to it. Get them well done, if you want them crispy. Animal style is an amazing feat of fast food innovation. People need to be eating that shit all the time!
God forbid, someone cuts potatoes from scratch. They have a whole room with a window so that you could see the young soul working away and crushing potatoes from scratch. Come on, show that some love! It’s good. What are you talking about? That’s why I think In-N-Out’s going to continue to thrive because it’s just that transparency again. The window’s open. You can see them working on one ingredient at a time, these potatoes. That’s why they don’t let you put the fries on the burger behind the scenes. They just have their stations set for these things. It’s beautiful. It’s just a good, transparent model. I think you made the case for the fries. I would use your quote, exactly.
What do you think the best platform for showcasing food is? TikTok, Twitch? I mean, obviously, it seems like you guys have really kind of latched onto Twitch and its capabilities of being able to interface with the audience in real-time.
Yeah. I mean, I’m still a huge fan of what YouTube can do for food. I think the best platform right now is not Twitch yet, unfortunately. I think Twitch goes the deepest, but I do believe TikTok is changing the game a lot. When TikTok came about and foodies realized that it’s not just a dancing platform, I mean, you have a new flock of amazing creators that are now chefs, because of TikTok. They had no chef experience before and just had fun exploring it. You can get from zero to 100,000 followers, zero to a million followers faster on TikTok than on any other platform.
You couldn’t do that on Twitch. YouTube is still a feat to do that. TikTok, I mean you’re a phone and a couple goofy ideas away in your home kitchen, regardless of what it looks like. You can have a galley kitchen with one stove and I can name you three creators that are crushing it and that’s how they started. Now they’re like millionaire recipe creators. So TikTok is that platform of opportunity right now, I think.
Overall, what is your big takeaway as the viral food god?
I remember the first couple of years of Foodbeast, when I was trying to decide if I wanted to go full-time with this thing and if it would be sustainable. It was like, man, Foodbeast’s whole model was built on covering and talking about the things that were new in food. I kept thinking, and I kept having this digging nightmare in the back, like, “will food be interesting 10 years down the line, if I’m blessed enough to be able to continue to do this for a living? Will there continue to be new innovations? Will it continue to be fun?” People are still innovating. People are still finding new stories about food. Now it’s TikTok. I’m learning about like a 13-year-old kid in Dubai, who’s cooking in this dark kitchen, but his recipes are crazy.
I would’ve never found that out without TikTok. That’s still something new in food. The story is, we’re going to continue to eat until our entire food supply is replaced by one fricking pill that will fill you up for the whole day. I think there’s going to continue to be innovation in food. I think if you just find ways to continue to tell these stories, that’s been the secret sauce, where are people telling the most interesting food stories, and let’s just go there. So now it’s TikTok, it’s Twitch, and YouTube. I’m still excited about the new things I’m seeing.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
(@NFLonCBS) 
