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NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts ‘Wouldn’t Bet’ On The NBA Schedule Ever Returning To Normal

When the Finals end, whether as early as this Friday or as late as next Tuesday, the real work for the NBA and NBPA will begin, as they must come together to figure out exactly how to proceed with the 2021 season and beyond.

Adam Silver has made it very apparent that next season likely won’t start until January or later, and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts echoed that sentiment to The Athletic’s Shams Charania in an interview on Tuesday. Roberts said that the “latter part of January, February” makes the most sense for the start of the 2021 campaign, with hopes of having some fans in arenas through rapid testing as it is becoming more readily available.

Roberts noted that starting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day would be great, but also could still be a bit too early, depending on what happens with the pandemic over the winter months. Whatever the case, starting in January or February or later, there will be ramifications on the schedule for years to come from pushing the 2021 season back. As Roberts sees it, it’s an opportunity to experiment with an idea that’s picked up steam in recent years, which is to start on Christmas and avoid most conflict with the NFL — pushing the NBA Playoffs into July and August, rather than May and June. She told Charania that she “wouldn’t bet” on the old October to June schedule ever coming back after this.

Even before COVID happened, there was a conversation about starting our season later. Why compete with football in the fall? Why don’t we start our season around Christmas? It may very well be that our regular schedule is going to change, not so much because of COVID, but because of the ability to experiment. I wouldn’t bet on returning to the old normal.

It’s a conversation that’s come up at times, with some falling on all sides of the issue. Some players, particularly those with children, like following the school year model that gives them summers off, but starting on Christmas Day, when many fans really begin tuning in to NBA action anyways, would allow them to avoid having to deal with football — the league tries to avoid Sundays as best they can until January and February currently — and would put them in a position to have their most meaningful games in the summer when there’s far less competition for eyeballs.

At the same time, there is a question of whether there are as many eyeballs to draw during the summer months, as we’ve seen ratings dip across the board with sports being moved to late summer, early fall this year. That, of course, could simply be [gestures at the overall hellscape we live in] and not that people don’t want summer sports, but it will be something the league will monitor next season and beyond to see if a permanent shift is worthwhile.

The ramifications of moving to a December to August schedule are numerous, but the TV partners might enjoy having more programming that isn’t in competition with the NFL and college football. There would be implications reaching as far as the WNBA and how it would effect their scheduling, as they play in many of the same arenas as the NBA, as well as TV deals for the W, but they’ve enjoyed tremendous success this season in terms of viewership running right alongside the NBA.

A permanent shift in the sports calendar would certainly lead to groans and complaints from fans, as happens with any major change, but ultimately it seems inevitable. Just one of the sure to be many long-term impacts of living in a post-COVID (hopefully) world.

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Westside Gunn Shows Off His Curatorial Skills On The Feature-Filled ‘Who Made The Sunshine’

Last December, Westside Gunn tweeted that “2020 my last year rapping I’m going down as one of the Illest Ever.” It’s a tenuous task to believe any rapper’s retirement talk. But Westside is one of the few who just might leave the booth. His desire to move on from the mic doesn’t come from dissatisfaction with a label or tepid fan reception to a project — the transition is on his terms. The Buffalo rhymer just has a desire to explore other things.

He told Hypebeast in April that, “I don’t even wanna be considered a rapper. I bring so much more to the game. I love art, fashion, design, executive producing, putting songs together with the skits — all of that sh*t I love more than actually rapping.”

The Buffalo rhymer’s passions reflect throughout his catalog. He’s won his fanbase penning scribes of Prada and peril over impeccably curated soundbeds. His ear for beats has been apparent throughout his 2020 output, including his Pray For Paris, FLYGOD Is An Awesome God II albums, as well as his executive production work on Boldy James and Jay Versace’s The Versace Tape.

He recently promised “Only 3 more months left and I’m still at peace with my decision but this will be a dope 3 months,” and he’s hit the 4th quarter of 2020 looking good. Enter Who Made The Sunshine, a feature-filled effort where he plays player-coach for Griselda. His stream of consciousness, imagery-filled bars are intact throughout the project, but his most impressive effort is fusing 16 artists onto the 11-track project while keeping it cohesive. This is perhaps the boldest exhibition of his executive producer skills — imagine DJ Khaled except with infectious gun ad libs and bars like “Allah would never make another me / Dropped the ki and whipped up anothеr ki’ from “The Butcher And The Blade.”

Benny The Butcher and Conway also show up on the sinister track, adding another memorable song to the trio’s seemingly endless array of heat. Newer Griselda affiliates Boldy James and Armani Caesar are also on the album, with Boldy James making a strong appearance on the meditative “All Praises” with Jadakiss, and Armani Caesar popping up twice.

It’s Armani and Westside’s “Liz Loves Luger” that’s one of the album’s most demonstrative moments. There was an entire generation of late-2000s and early-2010s era New York-based spitters who floundered when it came to exploring romance and sex because they veered too far out of their comfort zone. There were too many stunt features or out-of-place songs that made it too apparent that getting sultry wasn’t their lane. In 2020, that kind of MC would try this track with a London On The Track type beat, a Tinashe feature, and maybe some off-putting autotune.

But Westside knew he didn’t need all that. He kept it inhouse with Armani Caesar, used a warm Alchemist beat that fit the rest of the album’s production, and let his charisma do the rest. That kind of insight is what a slew of MCs need to be paying him for. The beauty in Westside Gunn’s ear for beats is that he can choose production with a range of sample source that all serve to immerse a listener and have their head nodding while waiting for the next bar.

Any good coach, or executive producer, also knows how to get the most of a veteran that the rest of the game may not be thinking about in current terms. On Who Made The Sunshine, that vet is Slick Rick. The rap legend is largely viewed as a classic act, but as Jay-Z and Black Thought (who killed “Ishkabibbles”) show, a true MC will always have some bars on deck. Westside, ever a student of hip-hop, knows that. His flamboyant narratives are reminiscent of Ghostface Killah, who has always lauded Slick Rick as an influence. By showing love to Slick Rick and collaborating with him on “Good Night,” (titled after the closing of Rick’s “Children’s Story” classic) he paid homage to the past but also made it clear that he can still make noise in this era.

Now, the “Westside Gunn should EP a Slick Rick project” tweets will be in abundance in a way they never were before. He also paired Rick with Busta Rhymes on “Ocean Prime,” where he set the table and let the legends go from there over an idyllic soundscape. The yin-and-yang of Westside and Busta’s energy with Slick Rick’s makes the track another winner.

That said, the production choices aren’t flawless. “Frank Murphy’ sounds like a mere imitation of Hitler Wears Hermes 7’s “Undertaker Vs. Goldberg,” while the rock-tinged “98 Sabres” was a tad too ambitious, though the bars are right on both tracks. Even in those missteps, however, his intent was apparent, which is all one could ask for from someone overseeing a project.

Who Made The Sunshine shows that If Westside Gunn really does retire, he’ll still be a staple in rap through EPed projects, and maybe even the occasional “boom boom boom” surprise appearance.

Who Made The Sunshine is out now via Griselda/Shadey/Interscope. Get it here.

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Anderson .Paak Shares The Funk-Flavored ‘Jewelz’ After Weeks Of Teasing

Anderson .Paak returns with another funky single, the Timbaland-produced “Jewelz.” Featuring an airy beat with a face-scrunching bassline, strategically placed talkbox, and distorted vocals, Anderson does a little boasting and bragging, rhyming “I just wanna ball, show off and show off.”

The song lands after Andy teased the track for several weeks, culminating in a deluge of fan requests to put the thing out already. The California crooner made light of the situation with a tongue-in-cheek trailer a few days before releasing the song, collecting some of the more enthusiastic requests into a video that piled them one of top of the other until revealing the release date. Shortly after the release, .Paak promised a video as well, with a teaser clip featuring an animated Anderson dancing with his son, Soul Rasheed. It’s set to premiere at 7 am PT on FootLocker.com. You can check out more of their adorable father-son dance routines on Anderson’s Instagram.

Anderson’s been making use of his corporate connects to sponsor releases including “Cut ‘Em In” from Madden NFL 21 and “Don’t Slack” from Trollz World Tour while also speaking on the current political climate with “Lockdown.” He’s also put together some strong feature appearances with the likes of Busta Rhymes, India Shawn, and Nas.

Listen to Anderson .Paak’s “Jewelz” above.

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Amy Schumer caught a major milestone moment on video, and it’s toddlerhood in a nutshell

There is nothing more delightful as a parent than when your child says “Mama” or “Dada”—or some variation thereof—for the first time. That verbal recognition is a precious moment that most parents treasure, but few are able to catch on video. Unless you have a camera on your little one 24/7 (which would be a little creepy), most major kid milestones live only in our memories or as notes in a scrapbook.

Comedian and actress Amy Schumer got lucky this week, though. She managed to catch her son Gene, who is 16 months old, saying “Dad” for the first time on video. And naturally, it’s adorable.

“We just wanted to say hi Daddy, we miss you and we hope you’re having a fun day,” Schumer said in the video, referring to her husband Chris Fisher, who wasn’t home. “Can you say ‘Dad’?” she then said to Gene, who paused for a moment then obliged.

Schumer and whoever is behind the camera gasped in surprise, and a woman sitting at the dining table started clapping when he said it. And for a moment, Gene got excited, too.


But then, total toddlerhood happened. Watch:

Poor Gene probably got startled by everyone celebrating and it overwhelmed his little 16-month-old self. Such is life with a toddler. Over-the-top adorableness and joy followed by bursts of tears and wailing. It’s just how it goes. That dichotomy is toddlerhood in a nutshell.

“This video was clearly a surprise to us Getting to experience these first moments with my son makes me feel so lucky,” Schumer wrote in the caption. Then she made reference to a friend, Angelia Henry, and her son. “I would like to ask anyone reading this to google DJ Henry,” she wrote.

According to InStyle, D.J. Henry was a college student at Pace University who was shot and killed by police in 2010. Henry at a party at a restaurant when other patrons got into a fight. Police were called, and as Henry was driving away from the scene, a police officer shot him through his windshield. He was pulled from the car and handcuffed on the ground. He died on the pavement.

The family sued. but a grand jury did not indict anyone involved in the killing. The family accepted a partial settlement in 2016, but in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the family is asking for a new investigation into Henry’s death.

“This was murder. It’s plain and simple,” Henry’s sister Amber told local Boston news outlet 25 Investigates. “It’s obvious it didn’t have to end this way. I have a hope in my heart and a fire in my soul that I’m not going to give up until it happens. I know if my brother was here he would do the same thing for me.”

Joe Kennedy III shared the Henrys’ story in July:

How lovely for Schumer to draw attention to these parents’ pleas for justice while sharing her own parenting moments. With more than 2.6 million reactions to her “Dad” video, that’s a powerful way to use her influence and reach a lot of people with their story.

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Shia LaBeouf’s ‘Fast Times’ Stoner-King Performance Has Received The Ultimate Praise

Last month’s charity table read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High was a viral success thanks to Dane Cook (you read that right) rounding up an all-star line-up of celebs including Sean Penn, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, John Legend, Ray Liotta, and more. Cook also scored an impressive headline-grabbing coup by reuniting Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston to read the infamous pool scene together. Not to mention, the whole thing was narrated by Morgan Freeman. But there was one performance that stole the whole virtual show: Shia LaBeouf as Jeff Spicoli.

LaBeouf’s fully-committed stoner performance from inside the front seat of his truck had Penn, the original Spicoli, repeatedly cracking up, so that’s high praise already. And now comes word that Fast Times screenwriter Cameron Crowe watched the table read and absolutely loved LaBeouf’s “wild and brave” acting. Via Variety:

“Tore up the room, too. It just brought everybody to a place of giddiness, that made the whole thing work, for me,” Crowe says. “Though I may not ever get over Morgan Freeman reading my stage direction that I wrote when I was 22. That’s kind of like, ‘Whoo. Okay.’ It’s like Morgan Freeman reading your diary. It was thrilling and slightly scary. But it was fantastic.”

While LaBeouf’s Spicoli was a viral sensation, it had stiff competition from Freeman whose narration of the classic masturbation scene that Pitt and Aniston reenacted was deemed his best work ever by the internet and even his fellow celebs at the table read. As the production wrapped, Julia Roberts can be heard yelling, “Morgan Freeman, you’re the MVP!”

(Via Variety)

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Jeff Tweedy Swaps Faces With Jon Hamm And Other Famous Folks In His Wacky ‘Gwendolyn’ Video

Jeff Tweedy continues his illustrious solo career, which he launched after years of fronting the Chicago-based indie rock group Wilco. Now gearing up for his upcoming album Love Is The King after announcing it with two singles, Tweedy shares a wacky video alongside his brand-new song, “Gwendolyn.”

Directed by James Fleischel, Tweedy’s “Gwendolyn” video tackles cameos in a time when people are encouraged to keep their distance from each other. The visual opens with Tweedy walking in front of a camera with a mask on. He takes it off, revealing someone else’s mouth over his. With each new verse, a new mouth appears to lip sync Tweedy’s lyrics. “It’s a little wacky and a whole lot of fun,” Tweedy said about the visual. “A special thanks to mouths of our friends and family who participated!” Those participants who lent their smiles include some big-name stars like Jon Hamm, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, Courtney Barnett, Elvis Costello, Nick Offerman, and many more.

In a statement about the album, Tweedy said it first started as a way to soothe himself during the pandemic lockdown:

“At the beginning of the lockdown I started writing country songs to console myself. Folk and country type forms being the shapes that come most easily to me in a comforting way. ‘Guess Again’ is a good example of the success I was having at pushing the world away, counting my blessings — taking stock in my good fortune to have love in my life. A few weeks later things began to sound like ‘Love Is The King’ — a little more frayed around the edges with a lot more fear creeping in. Still hopeful but definitely discovering the limits of my own ability to self soothe.”

Watch the “Gwendolyn” video above.

Love Is The King is out 10/23 via dBpm Records. Pre-order it here.

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‘The Witcher’ Reveals A Transformative Look At Warrior Ciri Ahead Of Season 2

Netflix delivered a peek at Henry Cavill’s new Geralt of Rivia armor on Monday, and they’re keeping the ball rolling with a fresh glimpse of how Ciri will look in Season 2. We don’t know precisely when the show will return, but Season 2’s been back in production for over a month, so we hopefully won’t have to wait too far into 2021 to see grumpy Geralt guzzling potions again to beat back elves and whatnot. As viewers will recall, though, Geralt and Ciri’s fates finally intersected during the last season finale, which means that all those warring timelines should disappear. Also, these stills sure make it look like Geralt’s ways (and skills) are rubbing off on the princess.

In an Instagram post, The Witcher account asks, “And what will destiny bring tomorrow?” This suggests, of course, that we’ll see some Yennifer action this week, and if we’re really lucky, Jaskier will cut in line and steal the spotlight, like he tends to do. The pressure is certainly on for actor Joey Batey, though. His self-declared Humble Bard is expected to keep delivering more insidious bangers like the “Toss A Coin” earworm, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Netflix gift the show’s loyal audience with a snippet of some nefarious tune to tide people over until the next round.

Rest assured, The Witcher universe shall soon come raging back on Netflix. There will be an animated, feature length movie called Nightmare of the Wolf and a live-action prequel series called The Witcher: Blood Origin. Jason Momoa has enjoyed rumors of his involvement in the latter and (one can only hope) would be ideal to deliver some serious bathtub action. That would lead to tweets like this:

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Future Islands’ New ‘Born In A War’ Video Is Full-On Puppet Warfare

Future Islands are just days away from the release of their new album, As Long As You Are. Ahead of then, though, they’ve offered another preview of it with a video for “Born In A War.”

The clip features a cavalcade of puppets and animations walking across the screen while loosely interpreting the lyrics. The group says of the visual, “We first met with Wayne White back in 2014 to discuss collaborating on a music video. We’ve been wanting to work with him since then. We’re stoked that we were finally able to work together on the video for ‘Born In A War.’ We love the puppets he created and his unique interpretation of the song.”

Meanwhile, the band’s Samuel T. Herring recently told Uproxx of making As Long As You Are, “This one was really about us capturing our vision and how we heard things and taking the time to do that. The Far Field was just so rushed that we didn’t want to have that happen again, that there was a deadline that decided when the album was done. We wanted to decide when the album was done.”

Watch the “Born In A War” video above, and revisit our interview with Future Islands here.

As Long As You Are is out 10/9 via 4AD. Get it here.

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21 Savage And Metro Boomin’s ‘Savage Mode II’ Surpasses Its Predecessor

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.

The first thing that happens when a listener presses play on Savage Mode II is a double-take. “Is that… Morgan Freeman?”

Yes, yes it is.

And so, you’re now all the way locked in, expectantly prepared for whatever other curveballs Atlanta co-conspirators 21 Savage and Metro Boomin want to throw your way. This is exactly what should happen when the concept of a sequel project to a beloved album/mixtape — or to any creative work, really — is announced. Fortunately for our heroes, not only do they leave the gate strong, but they also stick the landing as Savage Mode II lives up to all the hype of its predecessor — then surpasses it, easily.

It probably does seem easy to make all this appear so effortless. Maybe it’s Savage’s laconic flow or the steady confidence with which Metro pushes the boundaries of his sonic experimentation. But the truth is so many “sequel” efforts in hip-hop ofent fall flat, failing to reach the heights promised by the sequential naming convention. I’ve written about this beforemultiple times — but the axiom remains as true as ever: Exceptions to the rule are (mostly) few and far between. While I’m not sure what it says that Savage Mode II released within a month of Big Sean’s Detroit 2, it’s clear that as the music business flounders in the wake of massive shutdowns, further artists will probably see the 2K franchise model as a quick boost of income. So long as they follow the blueprint laid by these two projects, that shouldn’t be (too much of) a problem.

The first ingredient, naturally, is a fan-favorite, possibly even introductory project. The original Savage Mode qualifies. Released in 2016 in the wake of 21’s buzzy The Slaughter Tape and Slaughter King mixtapes, it was many fans’ first chance to observe the monotone, horror-obsessed rapper on top-flight production — a prospect made all the more exciting by Metro’s own, parallel rise to prominence after contributing multiple hits to Future’s extensive, explosive catalog. After producing the Monster mixtape and 11 tracks on What A Time To Be Alive, fans were intrigued to see what he could do with burgeoning, unpolished talent.

The result wasn’t just a fan favorite, it was also a launching pad for 21 Savage’s impending superstardom. While the lanky, laid-back rapper has always secretly been pretty funny and much more expressive than he’s given credit for being, Metro’s guidance helped bring his personality to the foreground — especially on the Future-featuring “X,” which also proved that he could touch on topics of the heart without describing it as a potential target for .223 caliber bullets. Now, five years, five projects between the two of them, and a whole Grammy win later, both of those traits are in full evidence on the highly-anticipated sequel.

So, about Morgan Freeman. To put it plainly, having the most recognizable voice in all of entertainment (he’s been God how many times now?) narrate the project is a stroke of genius. The message it sends to the listener — that this is a classy, big-budget operation — doesn’t just elevate the work, it clears the “improves on the original” bar right from the outset. Freeman’s presence is so head-spinning and entertaining — hearing GOD explain the difference between snitches and rats makes such a world view seem not only logical but morally correct somehow, even though you know it’s just foolish-ass street talk — that it’s almost impossible to feel let down.

Then, there’s the music. Metro digs deep into his sample bag, coming up with the eerie, ghostly chant of the menacing “Runnin,” the earwig, iconic 50 Cent chorus on “Many Men,” and the soulful, RZA-esque hum on “Said N Done.” When he sticks to original sounds, he crafts the angelic, perky synths on “Mr. Right Now” featuring Drake, the old-school bop of “Steppin On N****s,” and a sparkling violin solo on “Rich N**** Sh*t” with Young Thug. It’d have been easy for him to rest on his laurels — instead, he steps his game up to remind listeners why those producer tags still nab our attention after all these years.

21, who’s had five years of growth as an artist since their first outing, no longer needs Metro’s guidance to craft charismatic hooks or draw that clever, quirky humor out of him. He’s also got plenty more fodder for content since being arrested and held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents early last year for having an expired visa, dating and breaking up with Slutwalk proprietor Amber Rose, and winning a Grammy for Best Rap Song for “A Lot” with J. Cole. He succinctly addresses the former on “My Dawg”: “N****s keep talkin’ that UK sh*t like I don’t got AKs / Like, ’cause I was born overseas, these motherf*ckers ain’t gon’ spray-spray.” He also tackles his relationship woes on “RIP Luv”: “Got my first taste of love and I thank you / Savage, never let another woman taint you / Fallin’ victim to my feelings, something I can’t do / Get revenge on every bitch, even if it ain’t you.”

With Savage Mode II, the two Atlanta mainstays stage a family reunion that’s as insightful as it is entertaining. We see how they’ve developed as artists and how they’ve grown as men, as well as how those changes have strengthened and evolved their working chemistry. While they’re as synchronized as ever, their individual growth informs the output, making it more personal, more polished, and more poignant, expanding their range beyond just hood shootouts and flexing on haters over cavernous, 808-driven production. The five years between projects makes all the difference, but the experience and wisdom they gained in that time still matter more. So whatever happens in the next five years, let’s all hope there’s enough to drive a Savage Mode III that continues to live up to the name.

Savage Mode II is out now via Slaughter Gang, LLC/Epic/Boominati Worldwide/Republic. Get it here.

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With ‘The 40-Year-Old Version,’ Radha Blank’s Moment Is Here

Radha Blank is conflicted. As would anyone in her position be right now. Way back at Sundance in January, her breakout film, The 40-Year-Old Version (which is in the process of being rebranded as The Forty-Year-Old Version, in an effort to avoid confusion from people completing on-demand purchases who were looking for the 2005 Judd Apatow comedy) debuted to rave review and accolades and nothing was going to stop Blank now. And then, of course, the whole world basically stopped. And her film, ripe with comedy and a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, would not be able to play in front of any crowds. Or, at least, the big raucous crowds she had envisioned. So here we are, at the biggest moment of her career, but it’s not how she saw things playing out. None of us did, really.

Her film – in which the title is a play on The 40-Year Old Virgin because, as Blank puts it, there are enough movies about white guys trying to figure their lives out; Blank says she even appropriated Apatow’s notoriously long-running time – stars herself as a middling Harlem playwright whose new play has been workshopped to the point she doesn’t even recognize it anymore. To take out her creative frustrations, she enlists the help of a Brooklyn musician, D (Oswin Benjamin), as she embarks on a new career in hip-hop.

When I spoke to Blank she was in Baltimore where Netflix had given her a socially distanced, limited capacity premiere, which will have to do for now. (Her film hits Netflix this week.) Though she’s been promised that once things return to normal she’ll be given her theatrical run on gorgeous 35mm print of the film. This interview turned out to be somewhat impromptu, originally scheduled for a future day, the film’s publicist asked if I could just do it right then, which led to maybe a more freewheeling conversation since we were both just kind of going with the flow. And, as it turns out, Blank is especially great at going with the flow.

Where in the world are you right now?

I’m in Baltimore. I live between here and Harlem.

So, I saw this movie at Sundance with a crowd in a theater…

Oh, the olden days.

It seems like six years ago.

Oh yeah. Ages ago. A whole other time.

When I watched this at Sundance, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I miss New York. I want to go back.” And then I watched this again today and I had similar feelings even though I have not left New York City since February.

Boy, if we knew and could do it all over again, I’m sure we’d be in a different place. The funny thing is, the other day I walked outside without a mask and I felt like a pariah. I walked outside and I walked up the block going to my juice spot. And, I was like, “Oh no!” And I ran back inside. I didn’t want to be the person not following the rules.

Something similar happened to me. I wanted to shout, “No, no, I’m not a no-mask guy. I just forgot.”

“I’m a good person.”

Right. I’m a good person.

It’s where we are. The movie opens in theaters Friday, and I can’t lie and say I’m not conflicted about it. Here is the biggest moment of my career as a filmmaker, and because we’re in a pandemic, I can’t really fully celebrate it. But, Netflix is so cool. The film is not showing in theaters in New York.

They’re not even open here.

Right. Netflix supported me in doing a really cool friends and family, socially distant, very socially distant screening in Baltimore. And my friends, they have their trepidations, but we’re the COVID test crew. I’m like four tests in. Netflix has been very supportive in helping me to have some kind of moment. Honestly, I am in a better place than other filmmakers. There were some people who did not get to show their films in a festival because the festival was canceled.

Yeah, you were at one of the last ones.

Right. Exactly. I don’t take my six screenings lightly. It also was an opportunity to learn more about the film. I’m that kind of writer. I spend so much time with the words or the world that I’ve been creating that I don’t really know what it is until I hear it or see it or watch people watching or hearing or seeing it.

I know the movie’s a little different now than the one I saw in January…

Just a little bit.

You got to use the audience to probably make some of those choices.

I will say, though, that artists, storytellers, the industry is doing their best to respond to that. Netflix has been a great partner in trying to give me the best first filmmaker experience as I possibly can. You don’t shoot a 35mm film with the intention of people watching it on a tablet or on the iPhone. But, I will get some of that cinema experience, and we’re hoping next year, as we close out our campaign, that we get to do some special screenings in New York of a purely black-and-white 35mm screening.

If it makes you feel better, I think most people are watching on their big-screen TVs now. I know it’s not a theater, but it’s better than a phone.

I hope so. I was inspired by Roy DeCarava in terms of making sure you see the difference between my skin tone and Peter Kim who plays Archie, his skin tone, as well as Oswin Benjamin, who plays D. It’s been a real labor of love. And I think that those 35mm screenings, when they happen, hopefully in 2021, as a part of this awards campaign, it’ll be a moment to celebrate cinema in a theater. You know what it’s like when you’re in the theater in New York? And it’s dark and you go to a screening? God bless Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. Ugh, God, that’s heartbreaking that that place isn’t there anymore, but that’s where I used to go.

I used to go there all the time.

Oh my God, I remember when I discovered it was closed. I was across the street and it was like being in a ghost town and seeing this saloon, this place I used to frequent. Letters were practically hanging off of the marquee. I cried.

I loved that escalator ride down, that you’re still kind of outside and then you’re being enveloped by the theater.

Right. To get to the hallway or to get to the bathroom or even to get in the aisle, you had to kind of squeeze yourself in front. I went to see Dancer in the Dark with my mom, who was the first major cinephile in my life. I remember sitting in that theater, and it’s always the same thing. It’s like a routine. It’s choreographed. You sit down, and there’s the older couple ahead, and he’s coughing and she gives him a mint. And, then there’s the older women behind us, the widowers who are just like, “Is this going to be any good? My daughter said this was great.” I miss that so much.

When I was rewatching it today, speaking of the way things used to be, the scene where you get shamed on the New York City bus stood out. Everyone who lives in New York has that moment where someone with a leg cast is getting on the bus and you think, “Oh my God, this is going to take 20 minutes and I’m late.” But, then you feel like such an asshole for thinking that. And it’s such a great scene.

Thank you! This is based on a true story of me taking the Bx19 across town. It’s stopping at every stop. I got on that bus and it felt like it took me an hour to go what I think is a 25 minute ride. Initially, we meant to shoot a third beat at that, but we didn’t really need it especially for New Yorkers, like yourself, who have been through that experience. You already know that that scene could have gone on for another 10 minutes.

Much longer than that.

Much longer. You know what I love about that, which is why New York will always be my home? I’ve grown very, very romantic and nostalgic about the Upper West Side because I find that even though there’s some economic disparity between where I live in Sugar Hill, it still is what it is. I don’t know that that place could be gentrified in the way that other parts of New York are gentri-fried: like all new businesses, new buildings going up, new cultural hubs. When I go to the Upper West Side, especially by the park or by the museum, I love walking through that neighborhood. I can count on my New York elders walking around hands in hands, sitting on a park bench. Every once in a while, there will be that homeless guy who has an opinion and is waxing poetic.

It sounds like you were hesitant at first about selling to Netflix because the theatrical experience means so much to you. Do you look back at that decision now with what’s happened in the world and go, “Oh, thank goodness.” Instead of being in limbo, you’re in this group of movies directed by yourself, Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher…

Charlie Kaufman.

Right, and Charlie Kaufman.

Well, it’s one of those things. When my mom passed away, one of my friends said, “You know, one day you’ll see the beauty in this moment.” My inkling was to punch him in the dick. I didn’t do that.

I lost my dad in 2017, and people would say that. I was like, “That is not what I want to hear right now.”

“Fuck you. First of all, fuck you.”

Yes.

It’s usually people who haven’t gone through the experience.

It’s people who lost a grandparent. And I’m like, it’s not the same.

It is not the same, especially when you’re so close. My relationship with my mother, she really was the Sophia to my Dorothy Zbornak. We really were close. We share the same birthday. When I lost my mom, my life was pretty devastated because it was like, how am I going to call myself an artist when my biggest fan or champion is not in the audience? We were best friends. I bring up that thing of the beauty of the moment. because when we started those meetings, those quiet clandestine meetings in the cloak of night in the Sundance mountains with all the interested parties – the reality is that everyone doesn’t have an art-house cinema in their town. But everybody has Netflix. If you have WiFi, you have Netflix. It did turn out to be the best thing because now also people can return to it over and over again if they want to. It’s something I do with films I really love. I will pause it, and go have tea or whatever and come back and revisit. There’s a show on HBO max, Ridley Scott’s Raised by Wolves.

Oh yeah.

I’m up to maybe episode seven, and I really love this show. I’m just refreshed by it, and the production value is so damn high. There was a moment in there where I had to rewind this thing eight times. You can always go back and just play, like me and The Wiz. It’s a childhood treasure for me, mainly for the musical numbers. And, it’s so funny, because Sidney Lumet is one of my heroes. And that’s a film that, when it came out, got trashed. But, for Black children the world over, it is a classic.

I’ve seen it again recently. It’s very entertaining.

It’s so entertaining when you see what these artisans, how they transform these street scenes into something really mystical and magical. The messages, there’s a song in there, “You Can’t Win,” by the late, great Michael Jackson. I know he has a, you know, cloak over him. But at this particular time, he was definitely a celebrated artist. If you listen to the words of that song and how it relates to Black pathology in America, I mean, my God. I did not appreciate that as a kid, but as an adult – I think I was on mushrooms at the time – I heard that song in a way I had not heard before. “You Can’t Win” is that self-hating voice that has come out of years of oppression and white supremacy in this country that a lot of Black people walk around with day to day. That darker self-defeating voice we don’t all adhere to. Sidney is someone who, I think the reason I love him so much is because he’s an actor’s director. He really trusts the people that he hires.

He worked with Vin Diesel, which is still so weird.

I wonder what he would say about that now? But yeah, it’s very crazy. He trusts himself. And when asked, when someone said, well, wait a minute, your films are all over the place. But then he said, “No, the running theme is the dissenter.” The person who says “no.” Whether it’s Serpico or Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men or Sean Connery in The Hill. It’s the person who’s pushing up against something. He is a God to me. He was an influence. Robert Townsend was an influence. Hal Ashby, John Cassavetes. My mom turned me on to all these people.

I’d embarrassingly never seen Hal Ashby’s Shampoo until recently. That movie is amazing.

What a voice. I don’t know if you saw the Hal doc on him and his life?

I did.

What a storyteller. Harold and Maude? Come on. What I got from Hal is fearless. To leave a camera lingering on an actor for that long and to trust an actor, not cutting away, not cutting away. It’s like theater. Christopher Guest was an influence just in terms of… I’m obsessed with mockumentary. I do want to make a straight-up, cold mockumentary.

There are moments in this that feel like that, little exchanges you have.

Great. The first film for a lot of people, they put everything in there or they’re experimenting. And, that is something I do want to do at some point.

Did anyone try to talk you out of the title? I’ll admit when I first heard people saying it I thought they were saying 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Yeah, absolutely. And, that whole thing of, oh, version, in your head… And I’m being quite explicit about my appropriating Judd Apatow’s title. While there are numerous films about white guys trying to figure their lives the fuck out, this for me and people who look like me, I appropriated his title and appropriated his running time. Why not? And why not make it two hours? You know? I’m going to be honest with you. I didn’t set out to make a two-hour movie, but for me it was what was required to tell this big, epic New York story. I had potential producers at the time telling me, “You need to change that title.“ I actually think it’s one of the best things about the film, because now I have this acronym, “FYOV.” Know what I mean?

Well, I’m looking forward to your version of The Sing of Staten Island.

And when are you going to be at The Comedy Store?

I’m doing open mic next week.

I can’t wait. I’ll be there, front and center.

‘The 40-Year-Old Version’ streams via Netflix on October 9. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.