Category: Worldwide

Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in August. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.

Friday, August 7

• ABIR — Heat EP (Atlantic Records)
• Adam Miller — Unify (self-released)
• Alison Mosshart — Sound Wheel (Third Man Records)
• Allegra Krieger — The Joys Of Forgetting (Northern Spy Records)
• Aminé — Limbo (Republic Records)
• Becky Bowe — Cosmic Hearts EP (Two Bridge Recordings)
• Broken Hands — Split In Two (SO Recordings)
• Cary Morin — Dockside Saints (Continental Song City)
• Cassadee Pope — Rise And Shine (Awake Music)
• The Collect Pond — In The Garden EP (787955 Records DK)
• Cory Marks — Who I Am (Better Noise Music)
• Cory Wong — Trail Songs: Dawn (Roundwound Media)
• Daniel Donato — A Young Man’s Country (Cosmic Country Music)
• David Ian Roberts — From The Harbor (Cambrian Records)
• Dead Swells — Dead Swells (self-released)
• Deep Purple — Whoosh! (earMUSIC)
• Duval Timothy — Help (Carrying Colour)
• Eyedress — Let’s Skip To The Wedding (Lex Records)
• Fair Mothers — In Monochrome (Toad Records)
• Fast Romantics — Pick It Up (Postwar Records / Fontana North)
• Gardner/James — Synergy (Pavement Music)
• Gashi — 1984 (RCA Records)
• Glass Animals — Dreamland (Polydor Records)
• Golden Shoals — Golden Shoals (self-released)
• Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids — Shaman! (Strut Records)
• Immanuel Wilkins — Omega (Blue Note Records)
• Jason Molina — Eight Gates (Secretly Canadian)
• Jaga Jazzist — Pyramid (Brainfeeder)
• Jenny O. — New Truth (Mama Bird Recording Co.)
• Jobs — Endless Birthdays (Ramp Local)
• Joel Crouse — WasteLAnd EP (Hum Records)
• Kenny Roby — The Reservoir (Royal Potato Family)
• Layla Kaylif — Lovers Don’t Meet (Canopus Records)
• The Loft Club — Dreaming The Impossible (So, Let’s Talk Ltd / Lightyear Entertainment)
• Mary Chapin Carpenter — The Dirt And The Stars (Lambent Light Records)
• Matt Maltese — Madhouse EP (Nettwerk)
• The Microphones — Microphones In 2020 (P.W. Elverum & Sun)
• Miserable Chillers — Audience Of Summer (Baby Blue)
• Neil Diamond — 5 Hot August Nights (Capitol/UMe)
• New Fries — Is The Idea Of Us (Telephone Explosion)
• Nilo Blues — Nilo Blues EP (Pack Records)
• Ramos — My Many Sides (Frontiers Records)
• Slaves — To Better Days (SBG)
• Stand Atlantic — Pink Elephant (Hopeless Records)
• Steve Allman — Brainwave EP (EON Records)
• The Steve McQueens — Tape Ends EP (Umami Records)
• Terrell Hines — Portal One: The Mixtape (Capitol Records)
• Tiana Major9 — Sixes And Sevens EP (Motown Records)
• Tkay Maidza — Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 EP (4AD)
• Tough Age — Which Way Am I? (Mint Records)
• The Vice — White Teeth Rebellion (Noble Demon)
• Video Age — Pleasure Line (Winspear)
• Warren Givens — Rattle The Cages (self-released)
• Washed Out — Purple Noon (Sub Pop)
• Yellow Days — A Day In A Yellow Beat (Sony/RCA)

Friday, August 14

• 0171 — Change Nothing EP (Fueled By Ramen)
• All We Are — Providence (Double Six Records)
• ARA — The Desert EP (Bad Witch Records)
• Arlo McKinley — Die Midwestern (Oh Boy Records)
• Arre! Arre! — Heavy Breathing EP (PNKSLM Recordings)
• Beautiful Dudes — Nite Songs (Mama Bird Recording Co.)
• Biffy Clyro — A Celebration Of Endings (Warner Records)
• Bill Frisell — Valentine (Blue Note Records)
• Black Marble — I Must Be Living Twice EP (Sacred Bones Records)
• Bloxx — Lie Out Loud (Chess Club Records)
• Bruce Hornsby — Non-Secure Connection (Zappo Productions)
• BT — The Lost Art Of Longing (Black Hole Recordings)
• Busty And The Bass — Eddie (Arts & Crafts)
• Casey MQ — Babycasey (Halocline Trance)
• Caylee Hammack — If It Wasn’t For You (Capitol Records Nashville)
• Dylan Cartlidge — Yellow Brick Road EP (Glassnote Music)
• Emma Swift — Blonde On The Tracks (Continental Record Services)
• Eric Slick — Wiseacre (Slick Records)
• Fantastic Negrito — Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (Cooking Vinyl Limited)
• Gordon Koang — Unity (Music in Exile)
• Jacob Collier — Djesse Vol. 3 (Hajanga Records)
• James Dean Bradfield — Even Is Exile (MontyRay)
• Jaye Bartell — Kokomo (self-released)
• Jeannie Seely — An American Classic (Curb Records)
• Johnny Hates Jazz — Wide Awake (JHJ Music)
• Jon Gurd — Lion (Anjunadeep)
• Kathleen Edwards — Total Freedom (Dualtone Records)
• Kiesza — Crave (Zebra Spirit Tribe)
• King Buzzo with Trevor Dunn — Gift Of Sacrifice (Ipecac Recordings)
• Kris Delmhorst — Long Day In The Milky Way (CEN)
• The Levellers — Peace (On The Fiddle Recordings)
• Lindsay Ell — Heart Theory (Stoney Creek Records)
• Michael McArthur — How To Fall In Love EP (Dark River Recoirds)
• Naretha Williams — Blak Mass (Rocket Group Pty Ltd)
• Only Sibling — Get Well Soon (Other People Records)
• The Oracle — Hypogeum (Repose Records)
• Orville Peck — Show Pony EP (Columbia Records)
• Primitive Man — Immersion (Relapse Records)
• Roland Tings — First Wave EP (Cascine)
• Rumer — Nashville Tears (Cooking Vinyl Limited)
• Sea Girls — Open Up Your Head (Polydor)
• Sierre — Artisan Jams EP (Practise Music)
• State Champs — Unplugged EP (Pure Noise Records)
• Sylvie Simmons — Blue On Blue (Compass Records)
• Terry Ohms — Smooth Sailing Forever (Cornelius Chapel Records)
• Tom Lyngcoln — Raging Head (Solar / Sonar)
• Tori Kelly — Solitude EP (Capitol Records)
• Twisted Pine — Right Now (Signature Sounds Recordings)
• The Wandering Hearts — The Wandering Hearts (Decca)
• Whitney — Candid (Secretly Canadian)
• Wingtip — All Your Friends Are Here (Independently Popular)
• Young Jesus — Welcome To Conceptual Beach (Saddle Creek)

Friday, August 21

• Avi Kaplan — Lean On Me EP (FanTasy)
• Bent Arcana — Bent Arcana (Castle Face)
• Beta Radio — Way Of Love EP (Nettwerk)
• Black Elephant — Seven Swords (Small Stone Records)
• Blue Pills — Holy Moly! (Nuclear Blast)
• Brasstracks — Golden Ticket (Capitol Records)
• Bright Eyes — Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was (Dead Oceans)
• Bully — Sugaregg (Sub Pop)
• Chuck Prophet — The Land That Time Forgot (Yep Roc Records)
• Cold War Kids — New Age Norms 2 (CWKTWO Corp.)
• The Cradle — Laughing In My Sleep (NNA Tapes)
• Cut Copy — Freeze, Melt (Cutters Records)
• Dan Croll — Grand Plan (Caroline International)
• Declan McKenna — Zeroes (Tomplicated)
• Dent May — Late Checkout (Carpark Records)
• Eli Winter — Unbecoming (American Dreams Records)
• Erasure — The Neon (Mute Records)
• Exotic Sin — Customer’s Copy (Blank Forms Editions)
• Evangeline Gentle — Evangeline Gentle (Sonic Unyon Records)
• Everything Everything — Re-Animator (Infinity Industries)
• Fruit Bats — Siamese Dream (Turntable Kitchen)
• The Georgia Thunderbolts — The Georgia Thunderbolts EP (Mascot Records)
• Girl Friday — Androgynous Mary (Hardly Art)
• The Gravity Drive — The Wildlight (Alchemistic Bliss)
• H.C. McEntire — Eno Axis (Merge Records)
• Imogen Clark — The Making Of Me EP (self-released)
• Jamie Webster — We Get By (Modern Sky)
• Jefferson Starship — Mother Of The Sun EP (Secret Knock Records)
• Jerry Joseph — The Beautiful Madness (self-released)
• Josh Turner — Country State Of Mind (MCA Nashville Records)
• Juni Ata — Saudade (Flying On Fire Records)
• Kid Dad — In A Box (Long Branch Records)
• The Killers — Imploding The Mirage (Island Records)
• L.A. Witch — Play With Fire! (Suicide Squeeze Records)
• The Lemon Twigs — Songs For The General Public (4AD)
• Lewis Del Mar — August (Fader Label)
• Liar, Flower — Geiger Counter (One Little Independent Records)
• Logan Farmer — Still No Mother (Western Vinyl)
• Mad Max — Stormchild Rising (Steamhammer)
• Malik — Spectrum (ARTium Recordings)
• The Milwaukees — The Calling (Mint 400 Records)
• Mike Block — Guzo (Bright Shiny Things)
• Naked Giants — The Shadow (New West Records)
• Nils Lofgren — Weathered (Cattle Track Road Records)
• No Joy — Motherhood (Joyful Noise Recordings)
• Old 97’s — Twelfth (ATO Records / Fontana North)
• Paul Molloy — The Fifth Dandelion (Spring Heeled Records)
• Point North — Brand New Vision (Hopeless Records)
• Rachel Angel — Highway Songs EP (Public Works)
• Red Wanting Blue — The Peppermint Sessions (Blue Élan Records)
• Secret Machines — Awake In The Brain Chamber (TSM Recordings)
• ShitKid — 20/20 ShitKid (PNKSLM Recordings)
• Sneaks — Happy Birthday (Merge Records)
• Steven Adams And The French Drops — Keep It Light (Fika Recordings)
• The Tangent — Auto Reconnaissance (Insideout Records)
• Tim McGraw — Here On Earth (Big Machine Records)
• Troye Sivan — In A Dream EP (EMI Recorded Music Australia)
• Trummors — Dropout City (Ernest Jenning Record)
• Tucker Beathard — KING (Warner Music Nashville)
• Wafia — Good Things EP (Atlantic Records)
• The Waterboys — Good Luck, Seeker (Cooking Vinyl Limited)

Friday, August 28

• Aidan Knight — Aidan Knight (Full Time Hobby)
• Aleynmord — The Blinding Light (AOP Records)
• The Allman Betts Band — Bless Your Heart (BMG Rights Management)
• Aluna — Renaissance (Mad Decent)
• The Avett Brothers — The Third Gleam (Loma Vista Recordings)
• Billy Childs — Acceptance (Mack Avenue Music Group)
• Bob Moses — Desire (Domino Records)
• Bobby Rush — Rawer Than Raw (Deep Rush Records)
• Caitlin Pasko — Greenhouse (Whatever’s Clever)
• Carla J. Easton — Weirdo (Olive Grove Records)
• Colter Wall — Western Swing & Waltzes And Other Punchy Song (La Honda Records)
• Dan Penn — Living On Mercy (Sista Kompaniet Musik)
• Daniel Blumberg — On&On (Mute Records)
• Daniel Rodriguez — Sojourn Of A Burning Sun (BMG Rights Management)
• Disclosure — Energy (Island Records)
• EJ Marais — CUTS (La Castanya)
• The Empty Hearts — The Second Album (Wicked Cool Records)
• G.E. Smith And LeRoy Bell — Stony Hill (BMG Right Management)
• Garrett Kato — N. Hemisphere EP (Nettwerk)
• Girls In Synthesis — Now Here’s An Echo From Your Future (Own It Records)
• The Happy Fits — What Could Be Better (The Happy Fits Records)
• Harmonious Thelonious — Plong (Bureau B)
• Harold López-Nussa — Te Lo Dije (Mack Avenue Music Group)
• HRVY — Can Anybody Hear Me? (EMI)
• Justin Wells — The United State (Singular Recordings)
• JYOTI — Mama, You Can Bet! (SomeOthaShip Connect)
• Kaleida — Odyssey (Lex Records)
• Kelly Lee Owens — Inner Song (Smalltown Supersound)
• Knot — Knot (Exploding In Sound)
• Lasse Passage — Sunwards (SOFASONGS)
• Lynch Mob — Wicked Sensation Reimagined (Rat Pak)
• Metallica & San Francisco Symphony — S&M2 (Elektra)
• Mix Master Mike And Steve Jordan — Beat Odyssey 2020 (Jay-Vee Inc.)
• Molly Tuttle — …But I’d Rather Be With You (Compass Records)
• Narrow Head — 12th House Rock (Run for Cover Records)
• Oceanator — Things I Never Said (Plastic Miracles)
• Old Sea Brigade & Luke Sital-Singh — All The Ways You Sing In The Dark EP (Nettwerk)
• Private Function — Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Caroline Music Australia)
• Private World — Aleph (Dais Records)
• Ricky Reed — The Room (Nice Life Recording Company)
• Rome — The Lone Furrow (TRISOL)
• Ruston Kelly — Shape & Destroy (Rounder Records)
• Samia — The Baby (Grand Jury Music)
• Sarah Walk — Another Me (One Little Independent Records)
• Seether — Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (FanTasy)
• Sophie Hunger — Halluzinationen (Caroline International)
• Suburban Living — How To Be Human (EggHunt Records)
• Toots And The Maytals — Got To Be Tough (BMG Rights Management)
• Walter Trout — Ordinary Madness (Provogue Records)
• Wood & Wire — No Matter Where It Goes From Here (Blue Corn Music)
• Zephaniah OHora — Listening To The Music (Last Roundup Records)

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There’s a debate that pops up every now and then among American soccer fans. Someone will, invariably, suggest that if more of the nation’s best young athletes decided to spend their time focusing on soccer and less of their time honing their skills in other sports, then the United States has the potential to go from a country that’s merely OK at men’s soccer to one that is able to compete on the world’s stage. With an estimated 3,000,000 children who play youth soccer at one level or another, there are theoretically so many bites at the apple in a country that has the resources to produce the best talent in numerous other sports that there have to be 11 boys who could, some day, become world class.

This leads to debates about things like the kinds of elite athletes America produces (ex: there aren’t too many people Zion Williamson’s size who play soccer), how athleticism does not necessarily lead to aptitude on the pitch, and how there is a gigantic gap that needs to be bridged so those elite kids choose soccer over sports with better infrastructures for giving talented youngsters a path to being successful athletes in the United States. Thanks to a series of tweets he sent out earlier this month, Larry Nance of the Cleveland Cavaliers learned that this is grounds that is ripe for debate.

As someone who is inclined to agree with Nance, I found this interesting, in large part because he, unlike myself, knows what is required of youngsters who want to become professional athletes someday. It helps that Nance views soccer as “a drug,” and made it a point to watch the sport in any form he could find it as leagues in Asia and Europe began to come back from COVID-19 hiatuses earlier this year.

We caught up with him last week to talk soccer, his love of the game, his “get them playing soccer young” take, being a Chelsea fan, and his thoughts on Blues star Christian Pulisic, who Nance believes can do for men’s soccer in America what Mia Hamm did for women’s soccer in the States or Vince Carter did for basketball in Canada.

Where does your love of soccer come from? Because I see on Twitter, you’re not just talking about it, you seem to really, truly love this sport.

I adore the sport, yeah. So, I actually grew up playing soccer. That was the first sport I played, first sport I loved. Unfortunately, I got too big and they tried to stick me in goal, and that’s kind of where I decided, “No, thanks. I’m good.”

So if you didn’t grow up to be an NBA power forward, do you think you would have stuck with that or do you think you would have got steered to basketball eventually?

I think I would have eventually been steered to basketball just because of who my dad is and what my family does. But yeah, I do often think like, “Man, I think I could have been pretty good at that.”

There’s playing the game then there’s actually falling in love with it and really getting into it and watching it, doing all that. When did you start getting into it as a fan? Was there a single moment when you were like, “Oh, you know what? I’m all in on following this sport?”

For me, it was the 2010 World Cup in South Africa — I think it was in South Africa.

Yeah.

For me, that was the end all, be all, “Okay, this is officially my new favorite sport.” Because obviously I played it, but I had never really gotten into watching it that much. Then, it was really that Samuel Eto’o Cameroon team that just, man, I could have watched them all day, every day.

Yeah, it’s funny. You and I are about the same age, I think that World Cup is the big thing that got a whole bunch of younger people into it. I think one thing that I have noticed in following the NBA, it seems like it’s a sport that’s really growing in popularity among basketball players. Is there anything that you would attribute to that or am I reading that wrong?

Oh no, I think you’re right. To be honest with you, I think it has a little bit to do with the mutual respect between sports. I mean, just from me stating my love for soccer and all that stuff, it’s the amount of love I’ve gotten back from various soccer players that, for me, is very cool because that’s a sport that I can’t play. I don’t say I looked up to them, but I think it’s cool seeing that they look at us the same way we look at them, something that is so forward and so unique that they can’t get enough of the NBA.

So, seeing them over here, and now there’s more foreign guys in the NBA, and of course soccer being the world’s sport, the more foreign guys in the locker room — the more foreign guys in the league, the more exposure there is to different games. Therefore, I think more guys are starting to see and learn that like, “Man, this is actually a pretty cool game, too.”

I’ve always thought, and you can tell me if I’m wrong on this, in terms of just comparing to sports, the way that you’re so quickly going back and forth from one end to the other, and you have to compete on both ends, it seems like there’s that mutual bond in that and some similarities in that, no?

Yeah, there is a little bit. Basketball is obviously way more high scoring and all that stuff. But in terms of the tactics of it, what I’m starting to realize, it’s actually very similar in terms of the play-making, the space creation. Tactically, it’s very similar, and that’s what I’m starting to see and learn more and more.

What was kind of cool was what I see while watching it, I put it all over my Twitter, like, “Hey, here’s what I’m seeing. What do you guys think?” Most everybody kind of agrees with it, but now I’m speaking from a strictly … I’m not that knowledgeable about the tactics of soccer. I’m no [Manchester City manager] Pep [Guardiola] or [Liverpool manager Jurgen] Klopp or anything like that, but just from a basketball player’s perspective, I can understand and relate to what’s going on because we do some of the similar things.

So the “choose to play soccer from a young age” tweets, I’m sure people were in your replies, and surely you have seen the discourse around that talking point in the U.S. in recent years.

Yeah, there was a lot of love from it and there was a lot of hate.

Why, as someone who knows what it takes to be a professional athlete in the United States, are you in the camp of, “We need to get our best kids playing soccer and that will eventually pay off?”

Because to me — and I could be very biased, I could be very naïve to this by saying this — but I think the United States has, arguably, the best pure athletes. We’ve got some ridiculous athletes coming out of our country, right? So while I understand that athleticism and size and strength isn’t the only thing needed to be a great soccer player — soccer’s very different in that regard — it’s mainly skill.

But my point is, you mean to tell me that if you take two kids from the time they’re born. One of them is more athletic, their parents were more athletic, whatever, and you give them both the same upbringing in soccer, teach them the same tactics, same skills, same everything. That kid with the higher aptitude for athleticism is more than likely going to end up better, just because he has the natural gift for it. That’s all I was saying, is that if we could teach, could you imagine teaching a young Odell Beckham to kick a soccer ball around instead of playing football? [ed. note: Larry might be onto something considering this is what Odell can do after giving up soccer as a teenager, when he had an invitation to join the USMNT pipeline.]

Yeah.

I mean, it would be scary.

Right, and you’re spending those earlier years developing this stuff in between the ears that, I don’t want to say American players don’t have, but the stuff that you have to learn to go along with the jumping, the strength, the speed, all that stuff.

Of course, yeah. Of course America’s behind in our teaching of soccer because it’s fairly new to us. But if you send a few of our better athletes as kids, send them over at Portugal or send them to England, send them to France, and let them learn the game over there, they’re going to be shocked as to what kind of athletes come out of this country.

The pushback is always our best athlete are guys like LeBron James, but no matter how funny it would look, you don’t want the 6’8, 250-pound guy winding up as a winger or anything, correct?

Correct. Right. No, Bron is in the sport he should be. We don’t want those guys. Let’s get some of our blistering speed wide receivers and blistering speed cornerbacks. The footwork they have, teach them different footwork and I think you’d see a similar outcome. One of the best athletes for the longest time in soccer has been Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s a tremendous athlete, he’s fast, he’s strong, he could jump off the pitch. He’s ridiculous. But if you brought him to America, he’s not that great of an athlete.

Are there any guys in the NBA who you think, based on what they can do athletically, would have made for really, really good footballers if that’s the direction they went in?

Two come to mind right away. Could you imagine Russell Westbrook as a number nine? As a striker, I mean, he would be the most explosive striker ever. We think [Inter Milan striker] Romelu Lukaku is strong, and he is, but could you imagine Russell Westbrook?

Then, I think John Wall as well. Just the foot speed, coordination, the way he sees the court. Both of those guys, their court vision and stuff like that would seem like it would translate seamlessly.

You also mentioned Mia Hamm and what she did for women’s soccer, and Vince for what he did for basketball in Canada, when you mentioned what a guy like Pulisic could possibly do in America. Beyond being a Chelsea fan, what is it about a guy like Christian where you think he can kind of usher in this huge era of popularity in the States?

The biggest thing is that he’s in attack. It would be really difficult to have kids watch this awesome central defender that we have and say how great it is to watch him play. As a soccer fan, I love it, but to the naked eye, like, “All right, that’s a pretty boring position.” Nobody wants to sit around and watch that. But Christian, flying in and out of the tackle, dodging and nutmegging guys on the attack, checks in, gets an assist in record time yesterday.

He’s the type of player that people get excited about, and the type of player that our country should be excited about. Someone that isn’t just talented in our eyes, that is talented in the world’s eyes. Hopefully, just like I said, the young girls that were watching Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain just dominating the world, you can see now they grew up and are dominating the world.

Vince Carter in Canada — granted, yes, he’s not Canadian, but how it kind of woke the country up to the sport of basketball, and now you see, what, 17, 18 years later, these kids that grew up watching Vince Carter play, you’ve got a huge number of Canadians in the NBA. Nik Stauskas, Tristan Thompson, Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, the list goes on and on and on of guys that have credited Vince Carter for kind of getting that country into basketball and kind of showing them, “Hey, this is actually a pretty cool sport, guys. You should take a look at this.”

So now, I will ask as a Chelsea fan, what are your thoughts on Christian? Is he what you expected or are you like me and you’re like, “No, there’s no way that we could have seen this coming as soon as it did?”

It makes a little bit of sense to me, not that as a Chelsea fan I expect this from him right away but as an athlete, I understood. Obviously you’ve got, what, a $72 million price tag? That comes with some ridiculous expectations.

So he came to Chelsea and kind of got lost in the shuffle for a little bit, didn’t know where he fit in what position, where are we going to play him at. But, we had all these different guys that played ahead of him until he got acclimated. I think Frank Lampard actually did a really good job of letting him get acclimated on the training ground as compared to shoving him in the limelight and everybody watching him go through that learning curve and learning process, which would have just cast a ridiculous doubt and shadow over his head.

Since the restart, you could argue that he’s been a top three, top four player in the entire Premier League. Just for him to be able to have that development and not be forced into a role he wasn’t ready for right away is invaluable.

Yeah. Then just outside of him, I’m a City fan, I don’t normally like watching Chelsea just because in the years past, Chelsea’s been this steely defensive side, but I can’t stop watching this Chelsea team. What have been your thoughts on the side, aside from him?

I love it. This year, you come into it and you don’t know what to expect. [Real Madrid forward Eden] Hazard left, so that’s great. LeBron left Cleveland, great. So, you don’t know what to expect. I’m thinking like, “All right, if we can finish top eight, top seven, I would be thrilled,” starting what seemed like 11 guys from the academy. But, Frank has done an unbelievable job of getting these guys’ chemistry together and bringing Mason [Mount] along, Tammy [Abraham] along, using [Mateo] Kovacic and making him a world-class midfielder. I mean, I’ve been really loving watching this young team develop, and I’ve actually been really enjoying watching him go through the growing pains a little bit.

Yeah. It’s gotten to the point where there legitimately seems to be a belief that they can, if not win the league, be right there with City and Liverpool next year. Are you expecting them to win it next year or are you just like, “Let’s get through this huge weekend, let’s win the FA Cup, and then when Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, maybe Kai Havertz come in, that’s when we’ll start focusing on that stuff?”

Yeah. I mean, you can’t expect them to win it right now. Your starting 11, you’re going to have five or six guys that are under 22, 23 years old. That’s going to be pretty hard to do, but hopefully we do the right thing on Sunday and either beat Wolves or get our point we need [ed. note: they did]. I expect us to be back in the Champions League next year, but I think with this team right now, you’re not just worried about this year or next year, what they’re putting together is not just a one or two-year plan. It’s a three, four, five, six-year, really good stretch.

The overarching question with Chelsea is why them? Why didn’t you get into United or Liverpool or Arsenal or City or someone like that?

So, it all kind of goes back to that Cameroon team, really. Samuel Eto’o was my favorite player from that Cameroon team, and then I didn’t even really know a whole lot about the club game, to be honest with you. I didn’t pay much attention to it when I went to school — there was a whole lot other things that I was doing in college.

Then towards, I want to say 2013, ’14, it was when I really took note of the club game. The first name I looked and wanted to go watch was Samuel Eto’o. He happened to be with the Blues at that time. So, I went there for Samuel Eto’o and stayed for a number of different reasons. But then, then coming into the NBA really kind of sealed it when, I had tweeted that, “I’m a Chelsea fan,” [current Real Madrid and former Chelsea goalkeeper] Thibaut Courtois was right back at me, like, “Hey, I’m a Lakers fan.”

So right away, I found that I had a friend in Chelsea’s starting 11, not to mention a really good soccer player. Eden Hazard as well, basketball fan. So, I got to meet him and kind of shoot the sh*t with him a little bit. It’s just been on and on, and now it’s with the whole new group. Mason Mount, big basketball fan, so I’ve grown acquainted with him. Even some of the guys coming in, it’s a very cool to see the level of respect between two different sports and willingness to make friends and be social outside of your sport. So, I’ve made friends with Chelsea, and there’s no other choice now.

That’s awesome. A few final questions — one is that amid everything going on, football has been the one sport back right now. Have you used this as a chance to spread your wings and follow closely Spain and Germany and all that or are you pretty strictly to your Premier League guy?

No, I’ve been tuned in to just about everything. I mean, I remember the first league back was the Korean Soccer League. So, you know what? I opened my laptop and streamed some Korean soccer. I needed a fix, it’s like a drug. Then I started watching some of the Bundesliga when that came back early — I claimed Schalke, “All right, that’s the team I was going to go with.”

Got to go with [American midfielder] Weston [McKennie].

Yeah, got to go with Weston. I’ve become acquainted with Weston through that. So, it’s been good. I’ve gotten to learn more about it. Obviously Spanish soccer, I know quite a bit about already, Bundesliga I learned more about, but my major love is the Premier League. What I need to do more of is our soccer here. I need to follow MLS a little bit better.

This is the last one: Best and worst FIFA players in the league?

Gosh, the best is, I’m claiming the best, for sure.

There you go.

For sure. Now that the Luol Deng has retired, I’m definitely the best. Then the worst I’ve played, Ivica Zubac for the Clippers.

Okay.

He’s really, really bad. I mean, not just a little bit bad, really, really bad.

As she tends to do when releasing just about anything, Beyonce effectively broke the internet yesterday when her musical Black Is King premiered on Disney+. Fans celebrated the release in a variety of ways, but none was as extravagant as Lizzo’s watch party. The “Good As Hell” singer shared a behind-the-scenes tour of her event, and it’s clear she went all-out.

In a series of videos posted to her Instagram Story, Lizzo showed fans all she had in store for the Black Is King watch party. Not only did Lizzo roll out a sparkly black carpet as her take on the infamous red carpet, but the singer filled her house with all the best movie-watching snacks: Lay’s chips, cinnamon rolls, catered mash potatoes, mac and cheese, and even pre-made vegan chicken bacon sandwiches. Of course, Lizzo’s final touches are what made the party a true spectacle. The singer adorned an entryway table with a giant statue of Beyonce’s rear end complete a plaque reading, “What would Beyonce do?”

Ahead of the Black Is King premiere, Beyonce made a rare TV appearance on Good Morning America. The singer spoke about her intent behind the musical: “The narrative unfolds through music videos, fashion, dance, beautiful natural settings, and raw, new talent. But it all started in my backyard. So, from my house, to Johannesburg to Ghana to London to Belgium to the Grand Canyon, it was truly a journey to bring this film to life. And my hope for this film is that it shifts the global perception of the word ‘Black,’ which has always meant inspiration and love and strength and beauty to me. ‘Black Is King’ means Black is regal and rich in history, in purpose, and in lineage.”

See clips from Lizzo’s watch party above.

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

As first reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the St. Louis Cardinals became the latest baseball team to postpone a game because of positive COVID-19 tests.

Later clarification indicated the Cardinals may have as few as two positive tests and will be tested again today, meaning the rest of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers could be saved. So long as nobody else on the team tests positive, the Cardinals could in theory isolate the two infected players and move forward with their schedule.

The news broke the same morning that the Miami Marlins added yet another infection to their total, which put them at 18 positive tests, or 60 percent of the roster. As the NBA and NHL saw when teams who happened to ride on the same plane or play in the same arena back in the spring may have spread the disease that way, one team playing with the virus can create a ripple effect across the league.

Though no one within MLB is waiving the white flag yet, Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet noted that with the Cardinals added to the list, one-fifth of the league will not play tonight as a result of postponed games due to positive tests.

Classifying Beyonce’s music into a genre is close to impossible — our own Aaron Williams laid out that airtight case already. To an extent, the same goes for her filmmaking, although we don’t yet know what Queen Bey has in store for us with her second visual album, Black Is King. Disney+ will stream the iconic singer’s latest directorial effort on July 31, and it’s probably safe to guess that (once again) Beyonce will deliver the unexpected, whatever that might be, and the project will be a topic of conversation for years to come.

So, we have to hang tight a bit longer, but for now, it’s certainly worth discussing how Beyonce’s status as a filmmaker keeps rising, due to her unwavering resolve to never shy away from her visions for the future. Each of the three Beyonce-helmed films discussed here achieves something different than the preceding installment, and no matter how you feel about her messages in each film, one has to respect that she’s got her reasons, and she’s got her plans. And boy, does she have hustle. Your guess is as good as mine on how she can possibly evolve further past what she’s already achieved through Life Is But A Dream, Lemonade, and Homecoming, but her decisive ambition knows no bounds, so let’s converse about her journey thus far.

Life Is But A Dream (2013): A Cool And Calculated Beginning

Beyonce went cinéma vérité style for her first directorial effort (which aired on HBO) that chronicles how she stepped out from under her father’s managerial thumb while also moving through the stressful “M”s in her life: marriage, miscarriage, motherhood. On the professional side, the documentary makes absolutely no secret of her artistic prowess and maneuverings, whether she’s practicing dance moves in a hotel hallway or, as shown above, departing a business meeting and declaring to the camera, “I’m an artist. And I’m sensitive about my shit.” She ain’t kidding.

The fascinating thing about Life Is But A Dream (the title comes from an utterance that she makes while on secluded vacation with Jay-Z) is that Beyonce doesn’t even pretend that she’s not the one crafting the “dream.” It’s a creative choice that was criticized when this film came out, given that the end product is clearly calculated to reveal exactly what Beyonce wants to reveal, and no more. And that’s a fair assessment, since this isn’t like Madonna’s Truth Or Dare, where Madge let everything (even her worst moods) hang out in front of the cameras and clashed with her father and other men in her life. Or even like Katy Perry’s Part Of Me documentary, where Katy had no issue being super-personal about her terrible marriage. However, there’s no question that those films’ directors, along with Madonna and Perry, had agendas and perspectives that they wished to push. The same goes for Beyonce, although the lone agenda with this documentary appears to be this: to show the world that she’s the one in control.

Beyonce meticulously plotted out moments that she wanted to portray as vlog entries with stripped down (but still perfectly styled) hair, makeup, and clothing, surrounded by soft lighting. The “candid” footage also doesn’t seem so candid, but as a viewer, I felt like Beyonce knew that we knew that. She hinted very vaguely at feeling pressure and pain over the years but withheld details. She, and only she, is narrator of her own story, and I gotta respect that chutzpah.

Lemonade (2016): Now We’re Getting Cinematic

Now available on iTunes, Beyonce first released this “visual album” as a surprise (in the dead of night) and exclusively via Tidal, the streaming service owned by Jay-Z. Surreal and at times unsettling, the film was actually helmed by seven directors, including Beyonce, given that the project is essentially a seamless assembling of music video clips spanning several themes and styles. However, enlisting others proves that Beyonce does know when to delegate when necessary. As a whole, the film is a substantial piece of artistry and her statement on gender politics and Black identity.

Of particular interest to social media at the time, of course, was how Beyonce also cryptically broached the subject of infidelity. There was the “Becky With The Good Hair” line from the “Sorry” portion (directed by Dikayl Rimmasch), and the “Hold Up” portion (directed by Jonas Akerlund), which produced the project’s most iconic shots. While gliding down the street in now-infamous gold dress, Beyonce let loose in controlled anarchy with a baseball bat, glass and water flying everywhere. Did this portion reflect Beyonce’s personal-life reality in any way? She never clarifies that point, but it was all a testament to how Beyonce can keep an audience on its toes. Whatever her intent, it was a deftly executed one.

Lemonade was a revolutionary approach to album release, for sure, and Beyonce also used the visual album to explore sisterhood, racial tension, and her faith. Years later, that gold dress has come to symbolize her emergence as a well-rounded artist, one who decided not to be afraid to express anguish and pain within a much larger project, which covers expansive themes that tie the individual to the whole of society.

Homecoming (2019): A Fully-Formed Vision Emerges

It’s one thing shoot portions of a film and then get what many consider to be the “real work” done (to effectively hammer home intended messages) in the editing room. It’s quite another thing to communicate one’s specific vision to hundreds of onstage performers, make it all work at the historic “Beychella” performance — the first time that a Black woman headlined the festival — and also helm a movie that filters those messages to the screen. Once again, Beyonce gave us a documentary unlike the rest, even including Life Is But A Dream, that preceded it.

Beyonce meant business, both literally and figuratively, and the footage shows how she meticulously fine-tuned every aspect of the set by collaborating with an enormous team and overseeing multiple rehearsal soundstages. She did not hesitate to push harder to communicate her vision of Black cultural legacy while gathering an unparalleled entourage of musicians (brass and orchestra), dancers, and costumes that paid homage to historically Black U.S. colleges (and their Greek organizations, as with the Beta Delta Kappa sweatshirt detail), an Egyptian queen, and the Black Panthers. References to Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Audre Lorde resonated, as did the inclusion of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Likewise, the documentary itself was a meticulously constructed homage to Black power that traces Beyonce’s entire process, from her beginning inception of the concept all the way to launching a full-on cultural movement. With Homecoming, Beyonce didn’t simply stick with being the one to call the shots. She became the maker of her own myth, one cemented by an unyielding vision of Black feminist politics. Her vast Homecoming accomplishments are breathtaking. I’m more than ready to see what she’s got in store for us with Black Is King.

Disney+’s ‘Black Is King’ streams on July 31.

Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily, we’re doing the work to put the best new rap music in one place for you. This week, there were videos from Logic, Mariah The Scientist and Lil Baby, Gucci Mane and Mulatto, IDK and ASAP Ferg, and Action Bronson. There were also songs from DaBaby and Stunna 4 Vegas, JpegMafia, ASAP Ferg, Nicki Minaj and MadeinTYO, as well as Octavian and Future. Here’s the rest of the best new rap music this week:

Benny The Butcher & Black Soprano Family — Da Respected Sopranos

Benny The Butcher and his Black Soprano Family crew revitalized a legendary brand with their Gangsta Grillz collaboration with DJ Drama. There was once a time where it was a rite of passage for a buzzing artist to get on the venerable mixtape series, and Benny used his power to make his first Gangsta Grillz appearance a national introduction to the BSF crew of Rick Hyde, Heem, LoveBoat Luciano, Jonesy, FlexxBaby, Young World & DJ Shay. The 8-song tape delivers everything one would, with gritty rhymes over beats that veer from the soulful “It’s Over” to the menacing “Paulie & Vito.”

Adam Snow — “42” Feat. Freddie Gibbs & Josh Alias

DC producer Adam Snow is gearing up to release his forthcoming As Luck Would Have It project. He linked up with Freddie Gibbs for the second time this year for “42,” a soulful track which Gibbs tears through before Josh Alias delivers a fiery followup, surmising, the “only heartbreak I feel, when I see chalk and tape,”

2KBaby — “Old Soul” Feat. G Herbo

Kentucky rapper 2KBbaby collaborated with the perfect person for his pensive “Old Soul” record, which is a single from his Pregame Rituals EP. The LAKA-directed video shows the two dressed up as old men, with Herbo dropping the lamentful boast, “Couldn’t be a kid, now I’m grown got a big wheel.”

Wuki Feat. Juvenile — “Bad Girl Drumma”

Producer Wuki and New Orleans icon Juvenile collaborated on the “Bad Girl Drumma,” a bouncy track that will turn up any function — whenever they’re actually safe to have again.

Dave East — “I Got 5 On It” (EastMix)

Dave East rekindled his renown EastMix series by dropping bars over The Luniz’ classic “I Got 5 On It,” recalling, “Used to gamble wit’ our life / ain’t need no dice to get right” but now he lives the good life, boasting, “Mayweather back at it / I’m bout to catch a flight to the fight.”

Quando Rondo — “1999”

Quando Rondo pays homage to the heyday of Louisiana hip-hop on “1999,” ideating his bluesy, pensive brand of reality rap “that Juvenile, that Boosie Boo, that back in 19-9-9” over melancholy production.

Plies — “I’m Not A Racist”

The title of Plies’ recent single may have spurred expectation of an excavation of race relations, but it refers to him loving “all different color foreigns” and diamonds, which he rhymes about over quaking, off-kilter production.

Bodega BAMZ — “Who U With”

New York Underground stalwart MC Bodega BAMZ is set to release his Yams Heard This project, which references the late music exec’s status as his primary sounding board. The first single from the project is “Who U With,” where he affirms his supremacy over a minimalist, hypnotic instrumental.

Bree Runway — “Gucci” Feat. Maliibu Miitch

“Gucci” is an intercontinental affair between UK MC Bree Runway and Maliibu Mitch. The swaggering single is paired with a decadent video in which both women embody their boastful lyrics.

Coi Leray — “Do Better”

Coi Leray announced her upcoming Now Or Never EP with a preview of what to expect. The melodic “Do Better” showcases the New Jersey artist focused on steady improvement for her and her team, but she’s already assured enough to know that she’s “turnt up and I’m cocky / these b*tches can’t stop me.”

K.A.A.N. & Big Ghost — All Praises Due

Maryland artist K.A.A.N. has kept his fans plenty fed this year. He dropped off a surprise for his fans in the form of All Praises Due, his fourth project of 2020. The 10-track project is entirely produced by Big Ghost, who plies the talented lyricist with a diverse collection of beats like the smooth “Manifesto” and soulful “Valley Of Kings.”

Radamiz — “Gratitude Is Gangsta”

Brooklyn MC Radamiz is gearing up to release his Synonyms Of Strength EP sometime this summer. The first release from the project is “Gratitude Is Gangsta,” a characteristically thoughtful track that inspires as much as it displays his lyrical wizardry over a lush soundscape.

Beat Boy — NewDre

Platinum LA producer Beat Boy released his debut project today. The young producer, who’s laced Shoreline Mafia, Maxo Kream, Vince Staples, Earl Sweatshirt, and others, showed off his burgeoning curatorial skills on the 10-track homage to Dr. Dre.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The opening night of the NBA’s restart in Orlando provided two entertaining and competitive games, which was something of a surprise, given it was all four teams’ first basketball games in four months. The Utah Jazz edged out the New Orleans Pelicans with a 16-point comeback in the opener, while the Lakers held off the Clippers in the nightcap, and while both had some expected choppiness, the overall quality of the games was a pleasant surprise.

It was one game, the first in months, and as such it is time to make sweeping declarations based off of a small sample size and begin some All-Bubble team watch. With the NBA awards already voted on and these games not counting towards that, we’ll be keeping track of who are first and second team NBA All-Bubble as the games go along. Some may say it’s too early given that only four teams have played, but I beg to differ.

All-Bubble First Team

G: Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell was a big part of dragging the Jazz back into their opening night win with 20 points, five assists, and five rebounds. He’s got a genuine chance to hold onto a spot here given how much they’re going to need from him offensively.

G: Paul George

George was spectacular in a Clippers loss, hitting some huge shots late to tie things up as he went for 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting (6-for-11 from three). If Bubble P is a real thing, it bodes well for the Clippers, who have been waiting for this version of George all season.

F: Kawhi Leonard

The loss on Thursday was not at the feet of their stars — aside from a dismal final possession — as Leonard kicked in 28 points for the Clippers. It wasn’t his most efficient outing, but he came through with some big buckets when it counted and the Clippers were much better when he was on the floor. Having your two stars playing well out of the gate when you’re still awaiting key bench help might mean more to the Clippers than the results early on.

F: Anthony Davis

The best player of the night was AD, as he went off for 34 points and eight boards, dominating inside against a Clippers frontcourt that simply had no answers for him. Given the relative struggles of LeBron, Davis being at this level already is a very good sign for the Lakers.

F: Brandon Ingram

I don’t know why the NBA insists on keeping the center position on the All-NBA ballot rather than just being a frontcourt spot. I reject the premise. Ingram was sensational in the first half, but ran out of gas in the second half, which made this a real debate between he and Gobert. Still, he finished the night with 23 points and eight rebounds and for a stretch of the first half was truly unguardable. A lot of guys have to figure the conditioning thing out still, and Ingram appeared to get tired legs down the stretch, missing all four shot attempts in the final five minutes of the game when New Orleans desperately needed some shot making.

All-Bubble Second Team

G: J.J. Redick

The Pelicans sharpshooter had a monster first half and, while he was less impactful in the second half, he was a big reason New Orleans opened up the 16-point lead they would eventually see slip away. He finished the game with 21 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and the Pelicans might have to consider involving him more in their late game offense that was otherwise dreadful.

G: Jordan Clarkson

An absolute masterclass from Clarkson on Thursday night. He opened 2-for-9 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three, but did that stop him from leading the Jazz in shot attempts and points? Hell no. Jordan Clarkson finished the game 8-for-17 shooting with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals (!). It really and truly was Jordan Clarkson Time.

F: Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma was actually very impressive in the opener for L.A., coming off the bench for 16 and seven on strong efficiency and played legitimately good defense. More than Davis, Kuzma playing at this level would unlock an entirely different Lakers team if he can be this kind of an efficient threat who is engaged on the other end.

F: LeBron James

LeBron was only 6-for-19 from the field and didn’t get to the free throw line, but still put together the sequence of the night on the final two possessions of the game, hitting the game-winner on a follow runner off his own miss and then locking down Kawhi and PG to force a contested miss to end the game. It wasn’t his finest effort by any stretch, but he still finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

F: Rudy Gobert

Gobert bookended the opener with the game-opening and game-winning baskets, finishing the night with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and, per usual, was sensational defensively with three blocks and just generally making the Utah defense menacing when he was on the floor.

All-Bubble Third Team

G: Dion Waiters

There was a brief stretch where I was really excited about the idea of having Waiters and Clarkson on the first team, but unfortunately the Dion minutes tapered off late. Still, he had 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 5-for-10 shooting and was a preposterous +17 as the Lakers bench dominated the Clippers bench, which sounds ridiculous but is true! It’s fun seeing Dion play well.

G: Mike Conley

Conley had 20 points and four assists, looking an awful lot like the Mike Conley we’ve grown to know and love over the years in Memphis, but struggled to show that consistently in his first season with Utah. It wasn’t often pretty for the Jazz, but when they had their starting unit on the floor they were genuinely quite good. Conley was a big reason for that and they’ll desperately need that to continue if they’re to do much of anything in the playoffs.

F: Jrue Holiday

Going to cheat a bit and put Holiday in as a forward, because sometimes he plays the three in New Orleans. That’s good enough for me, and he was very solid for the Pelicans with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. For whatever reason, he, like Ingram and the rest, couldn’t buy a bucket late, and they’ll need to iron out that end of game execution if they’re to climb into the playoff hunt.

F: Royce O’Neale

It is honestly incredible how badly the Jazz need Royce O’Neale to be good right now. He and Joe Ingles are about it for functional wing players — and it wouldn’t surprise me to see some more three-guard experimenting from them in this seeding period. He looked good in the opener, with 12 points and nine rebounds, along with being their best wing defender by far.

F: Zion Williamson

It was not a stellar frontcourt night so Zion’s 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting lands him this spot in only 15 minutes of action. Also I just wanted to note how weird his handling in this game was. The initial reporting said there was no minutes restriction, but that he’d play in short bursts, but he only played 15 minutes, none in crunch time, and after the game Alvin Gentry said it was because he’d played the minutes the medical staff would allow. If there was a minutes restriction, I can’t understand not building in some cushion for late minutes as coach. All around bizarre, and Williamson looked less than thrilled on the sidelines.

Ja Rule, who I assume had Pelicans -2, put it best.

Thank you, Ja.

NBA players, coaches, and officials took part in demonstrations of peaceful protest on Thursday evening during the first two games of the Orlando bubble league. The Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah Jazz all knelt during the national anthem, the latest show of solidarity among NBA players in the fight against systemic inequality and police brutality.

These knees were taken before the first NBA games since the pandemic started, and while the action was taking place on the court, social justice was still top of mind. That was the case after both games, too, when players and coaches from both sides discussed the goal of making the world a better place.

Unsurprisingly, LeBron James was among those who used his platform to call for societal change. While talking to TNT after the game, James indicated that people need “to continue to put our foot on the gas” in this endeavor, saying that in the past, individuals have let up too early.

James was asked about kneeling in his postgame press conference. He made it a point to shout out Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers signal caller who began sitting and then kneeling — which he started to do after consulting with a former member of the green berets — during the anthem during his final year in the NFL. James went on to say that he hopes that NBA players “made Kap proud.”

“Kap was someone who stood up when times wasn’t comfortable, when people didn’t understand, people refused to listen to what he was saying,” James said. “If you go back and look at any of his postgame interviews when he was talking about why he was kneeling, it had absolutely nothing to do about the flag, it had nothing to do about the soldiers, men and women that keep our land free. He explained that and the ears were close, people never listened, they refused to listen. I did, and a lot of people in the Black community did listen, and we just thank him for sacrificing everything that he did to put us in a position today, years later, to be able to have that moment like we did tonight.”

James and the Lakers will next take the floor on Saturday evening in a tilt against the Toronto Raptors.

This whole COVID lockdown situation has caused people to discover new and interesting skills that they didn’t know they had. For a lot of us, that means baking bread and taking to TikTok (with not always the best results). For celebrities, it can mean breaking into song (with not always the best results) or diving deep into your past work to reconnect with fans and find some interesting details in the margins of pop culture history.

Which brings us to Brian Baumgartner. We all know him as Kevin from The Office, but he’s taking a new role now that thanks to An Oral History Of The Office, his new Spotify exclusive 12-episode podcast series (5 episodes are live with new ones dropping every Tuesday) wherein he talks with nearly everyone associated with The Office to reminisce. But it’s more than that, they’re also getting to the bottom of the show’s enduring existence, charm, and popularity. Recently, we spoke with Baumgartner about that pursuit, what makes this exploration unique, “Dinner Party” palace intrigue, and shopping for tissue paper box shoes in a paper product shortage.

How much are you personally reexploring The Office now and is that where the idea for this came from?

Well, the idea specifically for the podcast came from Ben Silverman and Propagate and deciding to partner with Spotify. The general idea was to have the story of The Office told from the inside, from our perspective. Ben Silverman approached me about partnering with him on it. And to me, the question that was interesting or most interesting to go back and explore was simply why is The Office — seven years since we filmed our last scenes in the finale — still the most-watched television show? What has happened and what happened early on, in the creation of the show, that formed the show that has not just survived and which has a legacy, but which actually thrives and increases in viewership and… including new shows that are on the air now, by any metric you can measure, more people are watching The Office now, then not only ever before, but more than any other show that exists today. So my approach was that it was an exploration… that it was an active investigation, as opposed to passively telling the story of what happened. But it’s really about wanting to look at why and what happened, that has created this show that now is bigger than ever.

Is this a companion or a competitor to the oral history book that just came out?

I don’t know that I would call it a competitor. I don’t think that I look at it that way. I mean, journalists are better than I am. I mean, we have a couple of jokes there about me pretending or acting like a journalist. I am not, but this is a story that is told from the inside, right? And so, for example, if I was talking to John Krasinski on the phone, right now, the conversation that we would be having…

Would be far more interesting than the one you’re having with me, I’m sure.

Well, no, I’m not even saying more interesting, but more familiar. And talking about a subject that we both experienced together. You may ask way more insightful questions, but the conversation that he and I would be having would just be different. I was never interviewed for that other book. He took quotes from things that were previously said, and I’m not suggesting he took them out of context. I just think this is a story that’s being told from the inside.

I’m curious, what are some of the surprises you came across when you talked to past castmates?

There are some major revelations that will come out as the series goes. One is around Steve leaving. But more significantly, even than that was what happened around the writer’s strike in 2008 and the 100 days that Hollywood shut down and The Office‘s role in that. How that changed kind of the course of the show, in some ways. And also the intense family that was, if not made, certainly strengthened by the events that happened there and everybody bonding together. There were stories and things that happened, significant major things that I truly found out as I was interviewing people [who were] in the room.

Is there anything specific that changed your perception of a moment?

Yeah. I’m trying to decide what I want to tell you.

[Laughs] Tantalize the audience, man.

The show was shut down for 100 days. We had a script that was written and had been approved by the network. And we showed back up at work day one of the writers strike to shoot an episode. Because we had to, that was our job, as actors, we weren’t bound. Not only were we not bound by the strike, we were not able to not show up. But [because of] some heroic actions by a specific actor on our show we did not shoot that episode. And that episode became the first episode that we shot once we were back with The Dinner Party. Which became one of our touchstones. A huge episode that happened. And had we continued to shoot, [Paul] Feig, the amazing director, would not have directed Dinner Party. So I had no idea all of the things that were going on behind the scenes — people being threatened to be sued, people being threatened to lose their jobs.

I think one of the reasons the show has endured and why people still want to watch it is… Even if Michael Scott is doing something really bad or saying something really terrible, I think when you watch the show, you feel that the people involved really care for each other. And we talked a lot about… people that you work with, you spend more time with than your actual family. So on some level, you’re forming some dysfunctional family not of your choosing, but I think that on this show, it was true.

I’m curious about a Kevin specific moment from The Office, if you’ll indulge me. Jim and Pam’s wedding and Kevin with the tissue box shoes. I’m curious how that all came together.

Yeah, I mean, as the show developed, the character of Kevin evolved. They saw that I came from theater and that I did a lot of physical comedy. I mean, that’s what the writers were really good at. There could be some outlandish, crazy scenarios, that they came up with. I feel like they were all rooted in some basic character truth and history. I mean, that example specifically, what is it? Two, three years earlier? You hear from Kevin, that if he has the opportunity to buy himself one gift (because he’s given himself as secret Santa), he’s going to buy a foot bath. You have a number of references over the years of Angela about Kevin and his feet.

I think I loved this idea even more than the tissue box shoes. The idea that Kevin is going to dress up for this big event, and as a way of dressing up, he wants to look really good so he’s going to, for the first time, put on a hairpiece. And the idea that that in and of itself is not jarring. That he can somehow pull that idea off is, to me, amazing. But of course, his perfect outfit gets spoiled because of his shoes being destroyed.

I will tell you at colleges or Q & A’s or things that I do, undoubtedly, there is someone or some group of people who will show up in tissue box shoes. And the comment that I always have for them is, “This was a really funny idea this morning when you decided to do this. Right?” And then I’m like, “It’s not so comfortable now. Admit that you’re regretting the decision, just a little bit.” So I do, with those people, try to take a picture with them and make it somehow feel worth it. Because I know what they’re going to be feeling for a few days.

I’m sure. So, no Hollywood tricks there? No insoles or no other special padding?

No! My recollection is that they tried to do something or build something, but it made it not fit right or whatever. And I will tell you this, this is true, that we just… For John Krasinski’s thing, Some Good News, we had a reunion and it was about the wedding, he married some people on it and he had all of us come on and I was like, “Of course. Well, I mean, I’ve got to find some tissue boxes, right? I’ve got to find some tissue boxes to put on my feet, at least give a nod to that.” Well, first of all, we’re in a lockdown where paper products are difficult to find… I will say that. For me, attempting to do that, they must have found some… I do have big feet. They must have found some jumbo-sized tissue boxes. But yes, they were real tissue boxes.

If there was a reunion, what would be the best part of that for you: telling more stories or being with these people?

It would unquestionably be being able to play with these people. I mean that, and that’s the greatest joy that I have with the podcast, even just in a small way being able to connect and work with them again. We talk a lot about the accounting part, so Oscar and Angela and Kevin. And I view that as a perfect comedy triangle, the three characters together and their specific traits and personalities and how they feed off of each other and how there are constantly shifting alliances. Whether it’s Kevin and Oscar against Angela or Angela and Oscar against Kevin, I don’t know if Angela and Kevin were ever too aligned. But you know, that is sort of a perfect comedy triangle. And then you give us nine years to explore those characters. It’s a chess game of comedy that we have worked out, three, four, five, six lines ahead. And that is just, as an actor and as someone who loves and appreciates comedy and making people laugh, that is the greatest gift to have. And so to be able to go back in and not just that, interact with Michael and Dwight and Jim and Pam, that would be the most fun for me, for sure.

‘An Oral History Of The Office’ podcast is available on Spotify

There’s an infamous story from the set of X2 where Halle Berry, while dressed in full Storm costume, told director Bryan Singer to “kiss my Black ass.” Singer, who has since been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men, laughed off the altercation in later interviews, calling it a “misunderstanding.” It wasn’t a misunderstanding: the Hollywood Reporter got to the bottom of what actually happened while filming the X-Men sequel, and it reportedly involves narcotics, near-deadly stunts, and egomania.

Singer and producer Tom DeSanto got into a fight after DeSanto “attempted to halt shooting when he learned that Singer was incapacitated after taking a narcotic. Some crew-members had taken the same drug, and DeSanto became fearful that someone on set could be injured,” according to the Reporter. Instead of delaying the stunt (which took place aboard the X-Jet — there was no stunt coordinator on set) for another day, Singer trudged ahead, “leading to a botched stunt that left Jackman bleeding on camera”:

The next day, the studio appeared to side with Singer and told DeSanto to return to Los Angeles. That prompted the main cast members, minus McKellen and Romijn — all dressed in their full X-Men costumes — to converge in Singer’s trailer and confront him, threatening to quit if DeSanto left. That’s when Berry famously said to Singer, “You can kiss my Black ass,” a line that has been oft-reported in the years since but never with the correct backstory.

When reached for comment by Hollywood Reporter, a representative for Singer (who was called a “monster” by an executive who worked on X-Men) said, “Nothing like that ever happened.” The whole article — especially the part where Michael Jackson “queued up an elaborate presentation” to show why he should play Professor X — is worth a read.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)