If you’re a beer fan, you’re well aware of the states seemingly saturated with award-winning breweries. We’re talking about places like Maine, Oregon, California, Vermont, and Colorado. And while all of those states are loaded with outstanding breweries cranking out massively-hopped IPAs, crisp lagers, and bold, rich barrel-aged stouts (among other beer styles), today we turn our attention to a state with around 200 breweries (and growing!).

We’re talking about Massachusetts.

While the state is well-known for big names like Samuel Adams, Harpoon, and Jack’s Abby, countless breweries are waiting to be discovered this winter all over the Bay State from Pittsfield to Provincetown. Sure, you might need to check the weather to make sure a nor’easter isn’t going to pummel the state with snow before planning a trip but winter is a great time to travel around Massachusetts and partake in its many award-winning breweries.

Need a little help figuring out where to drink in Mass? We did the world for you. Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorite, can’t-miss breweries.

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Hopothecary Ales Brewery and Kitchen – North Reading

Founded by brothers Mike and Steve Gabardi, Hopothecary Ales Brewery and Kitchen in North Reading, Massachusetts began when the duo traveled to beer destinations like Vermont and California to sample iconic brews. Instead of waiting in line for can releases, they decided to just brew their beer. The Duo became a trio when they added future brewmaster Kevin McComiskey into the mix.

The brewery opened in 2019 with a pair of IPAs and a pale ale. Now, not only do they brew myriad memorable beers, but they have a lounge bar, taproom, full-service restaurant, and even a beer garden (for the warmer months).

What to drink:

While they make a lot more than three beers now, you’d better try one of Hopothecary’s original beers when you visit. We suggest Elixir, an imperial New England-style IPA brewed with CTZ, Eureka, and Citra hops.

Trillium Brewing Company – Canton

While there are countless award-winning, noteworthy breweries in Massachusetts, there are a few that stand above the crowd. One of those is Boston’s Trillium Brewing Company. The brewery operates six different facilities in the state as well as nearby Connecticut. We suggest visiting the Canton location because that’s where the production brewery restaurant, and taproom are located (there’s also a pilot brewery and restaurant in Boston if you’re in the city).

A menu of salads, chicken wings, burgers, sandwiches, and even wood-fired pizza can be easily paired with a variety of beers on tap.

What to drink:

If you’re visiting this winter, it’s a good idea to get a flight to try as many of these outstanding brews as possible. But, since it will likely be frigid outside, warm up with a Night and Day imperial coffee stout. This 11.5% ABV banger is filled with chocolate, espresso, and roasted barley flavor.

Fort Hill Brewery – Easthampton

Since 2014, the brewers at Fort Hill have strived to craft lagers and IPAs while paying tribute to their European ancestors by using traditional German brewing techniques. By the German Beer Purity Law, they specifically chose Easthampton as the site of the brewery because of the high quality of the water. Visit the on-site taproom and enjoy a pint of one of the rotating beers. They have around twenty taps. While they don’t serve food, you can order in, bring your own, or there is usually a food truck or two on-site.

What to drink:

We believe that there’s no wrong time of year to enjoy a wheat beer. That’s why, if we visit Fort Hill, we’d drink their Vice Bier. It’s a sessionable, 4.7% ABV hefeweizen made with a grain bill of 50% wheat malt and 50% malted barley. This gives it a ton of old-world banana, clove, and yeasty flavors.

Vanished Valley Brewing – Ludlow

Named for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir and the four towns that were disincorporated to create it, Vanished Valley Brewing is a small-batch brewery formed to brew craft of the highest quality in Western Massachusetts. It opened in 2016 and is still going strong so it appears the plan worked. There’s a full-service restaurant serving up ribs, pulled pork, and other barbecue favorites as well as soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pizza. There are eighteen beers on tap so there’s something for every palate.

What to drink:

While there are various styles on tap, including sour ales, pilsners, and even Saisons, we suggest trying its Watershed IPA. This 6.7% ABV IPA is dry-hopped to perfection and is loaded with tropical fruit, grapefruit, and tangerine flavors.

Vitamin Sea Brewing – Weymouth

We aren’t sure what exactly a Vitamin Sea is. We imagine currents carrying various nutritional supplements as they smash against rocky shores. It’s probably just a humorous play on words. Regardless, Vitamin Sea Brewing is a notable, popular brewery in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Its taproom is dog and kid-friendly and has a tap rotation of twelve outstanding beers. While Vitamin Sea doesn’t serve food, they do have a rotation of food trucks so you’re sure to find something tasty to eat with your sudsy brews.

What to drink:

Secret Vacation is not only a great name for a beer, but this 6% ABV New England-style IPA is juicy, hazy, and loaded with tropical fruit and citrus flavors thanks to the liberal use of Citra and Michigan Copper hops.

Night Shift Brewing – Everett

Like many breweries, Night Shift began when a few friends started homebrewing in Somerville, Massachusetts in 2007. They called themselves the “night shift” because of the long hours they spent crafting unique and different beers than those they saw at stores. Flash forward to 2012 and the brewery was officially born. In the years since, the brewery has received countless acclaim. It’s also another popular brewery that has myriad locations.

If you’re only going to visit one, make the Everett location with its taproom featuring wine, cocktails, and thirty different beers on tap.

What to drink:

There are a lot of beers to choose from at the Everett location, but we think that since you’re in New England, you should try the brewery’s flagship NE IPA called Whirlpool. It’s hazy, tremendously juicy, and filled with peach, tangerine, and mango flavors at a crushable 4.5% ABV.

Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing – Framingham

Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing was opened in 2016 and co-founded by Matthew Steinberg, a brewmaster who has worked in the industry for decades at places like Harpoon, Offshore Brewing, and High Horse Brewing. Its Framingham taproom is the place to go for tasty pints and cans to go. The brewery has fourteen beers on tap as well as a few “Brewer’s Special Offerings” which are taproom-exclusive beers.

What to drink:

While a visit to Exhibit ‘A’ means you have to try The Cats Meow, a juicy, hazy New England-style IPA. We think the real can’t-miss beer is Goody Two Shoes. This year-round German-style Kolsch is crisp, refreshing, and filled with lemon, honey, and cracker malt flavors.

Tree House Brewing – Charlton

When it comes to Massachusetts breweries, there are none more famous than Tree House Brewing. Brewers of some of the highest-rated beers in the world (including Julius and its many offshoots), Tree House has various locations, but Charlton is its heart. This sprawling campus is home to a brewery and two tap rooms serving up the largest selection of Tree House beers than any of the other locations.

What to drink:

While we believe you should sample as many beers as you can (and take some home to enjoy later), no trip to Tree House is complete without a pint (or two) of its flagship New England-style IPA Julius. This iconic brew is hazy, sublimely juicy, and filled with peach, passionfruit, and ripe mango flavors.

Facebook user Savannah Root from Missouri stared at the photo above for hours before she finally figured out what it was.

Everyone that sees it either gets it right away or sits there stumped. The picture is so mystifying that after one week, it’s been shared over 33,000 times.

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For the solution, scroll down past the comments to reveal the hidden picture.

It’s a cowboy with half of his face obscured by a shadow. Facebook user Cristian-Dumitru Popescu created a cool graphic that explains it.

This article originally appeared on 09.23.17

Seattle is a city a lot of people think they know. I’m not sure why. Perhaps because its iconography is so distinct. You can see the Space Needle in your brain right now; you can imagine a fish flung from one set of hands to another at Pike Place Market. Or maybe it’s the city’s pop culture imprint. The Wiki for movies based in Seattle feels disproportionately large compared to its size.

Of course, it could just be some Starbucks-based osmosis we all suffer from.

Whatever the case, Seattle is often treated like a known entity among travelers. It gets referred to with a sort of shorthand: rain, Puget Sound, coffee, Space Needle, flying fish. And while this is typically the place in a travel article where the writer flips things and says “Aha! It’s not that, really!” this isn’t that article. I’m not here to tell you that those elements aren’t a big part of the city. They are. And while Seattle has incredible hip-hop, grunge, and punk subcultures that add tremendous texture to the community, you’d be remiss to visit and not “play the hits,” so to speak.

That’s one of the reasons that I love Thompson Seattle so much. The stylish, sleek property is based just steps from my favorite Emerald City attractions and restaurants. Moreover, the property seems “at one” with its setting — architecturally and (don’t hate me) ~energetically.~

Read more about my favorite place to stay in Seattle, Washington below.

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

We’re going to talk a lot about the hotel in this article but also, we’re going to talk a lot about Pike Place Market. It’s my favorite mainstream “tourist attraction” in the country. Probably because it’s never succumbed to the allure of being a tourist attraction and has remained a functional market. Even the gimmicky seeming “fish throwing” has an actual purpose — it expedites real-live fish sales.

More recently, Pike Place Market has become a food incubator for up-and-coming chefs starring small spaces, affordable rent, and immense foot traffic. As such, it’s got some of the best food in the city on offer and more of the best food in the city has settled into more permanent outposts nearby.

Don’t believe me? Take the word of Anthony Bourdain — who also loved this cultural hub.

Thompson Seattle looms large over this iconic market — you can practically see which stalls are open from the rooms. This means that your coffee, your breakfast, your lunch, snacks, dinner, gifts… they can all come from Pike Place — it’s just steps from the property. And with that sort of access, why wouldn’t you wander over often?

I certainly do when I stay — weaving through the market for everything from a nice bowl of pasta to a perfect pear. Sometimes I just stroll through to look at the incredible used book selection hiding in the market’s basement.

As for the hotel itself, as you can see above it’s got a whole lotta glass. Smart move considering that the property looks over the market, Puget Sound, and the Seattle Great Wheel. Having stayed there twice now, there’s something voyeuristic about the design that feels sort of titillating.

You can look out on the city from your room and… the city looks in on you. It’s a bold design and stands out from the refurbished warehouse and midcentury buildings that dominate many of the PNW’s other hotel offerings.

I’ll speak more about the food and drink below but here’s another big reason I love this property — the service. This is a Hyatt property so I can’t imagine the training is somehow different from other Hyatt properties (which is very solid, taken all around), but my experiences with staff at Thompson Seattle have been some of the most pleasant customer service experiences I can remember.

I left a pair of headphones there after NYE 2020 and rather than pass me off to other people, one specific desk clerk made absolutely sure that I got them back. Not hiding behind policy and instead being personally accountable to help a customer counts huge with me.

IN-HOUSE FOOD & DRINK:

Conversation Seattle, the restaurant adjoining Thompson Seattle’s lobby, does a superb job reflecting the Pacific Northwest’s bounty. Local sourcing is so common to the region that it barely gets a mention on menus anymore. Still, the team at Conversation Seattle reflects their locality in how dishes are composed — plus they taste great.

The dinner menu’s manilla clams with charred sourdough, foraged mushroom toast, and king salmon with yakisoba noodles all feel distinct to the city, its culinary influences, and its local flora and fauna. Halibut is a chronically underappreciated fish that we get a lot of in the PNW and the Conversation Seattle riff — paired with fava bean stew — is both delicious and ideal as a not-to-heavy rainy-day meal.

Over on the cocktail menu, I like the pear mule — it’s light and crisp. Though, to be fair, there’s a high chance you catch Seattle rainy and that’s the right time for an Old Fashioned or some other bourbon-based cocktail.

The Nest, the property’s rooftop bar, offers a very cool scene paired with some very distinct and local-feeling high-end cocktails. The bourbon and rye whiskey drinks make use of Woodinville whiskey. The nearby distillery is something of a whiskey aficionado and award-circuit darling (we’ve covered it extensively on Uproxx).

AMENITIES:

Thompson Seattle’s absolute best “amenity” is the location. Walking to the market is much more useful than a traveler than, say. being able to walk to the Space Needle. While the Capitol Hill neighborhood has a ton of allure, I think it’s better to be based at the Thompson and take Uber’s and taxis to other neighborhoods when exploring further afield.

• Full-service kitchen stocked with Wolf gas range & oven, Sub Zero fridge, dishwasher (penthouse suite)
• Tableware, glassware, flatware, and cookware from Made In Cookware (penthouse suite)
• Built-in wine refrigerator (penthouse suite)
• Luxury bedding with 400 thread count SFERRA linens
• Exclusive D.S. & Durga bath toiletries
• In-unit washer and dryer (penthouse suite)
• Plush robes (penthouse suite)
• Hair dryer
• Coffee maker
• Hand steamer
• Dramatic views of Puget Sound
• 1920s-inspired Temperance Cafe and Bar
• Rooftop cocktail lounge
• Floor-to-ceiling windows
• Rainfall showers
• Hardwood floors
• Fitness center
• Electric vehicle charging stations
• Pet friendly
• Digital check-in
• Free WiFi
• In-room Chromecast
• Business & meeting rooms

ROOM TYPES:

There is a wide range of room types, though both times I’ve stayed I’ve been in a Waterview Studio Suite. I love this room. It’s got not one but two floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the market, the wheel, and beyond. There’s a separate living room that is a large enough space to host a few guests in and also allows privacy in the bedroom.

That said, I’ve toured the Penthouse Suite and its next-level — really a self-sustaining setup that feels less like a traditional hotel room and more like the coolest apartment in the city. If you’re in town and looking to host some guests and cook a few apps with fruits, vegetables, and cheese procured from the market, the Penthouse Suite is perfect.

• Thompson Penthouse Suite South
• Thompson Penthouse Suite North
• Executive Studio Suite
• Water View Studio Suite
• Thompson Suite
• 1 King Bed
• 1 King Bed With Water View Deluxe
• 1 King Bed With City View
• 1 King Bed With City View Deluxe
• 2 Queen Beds With City View
• 2 Queen Beds With City View Deluxe
• 2 Queen Beds With Water View Deluxe

BEST THINGS TO DO WITHIN A 15-MINUTE WALK:

Well come on, this is a freebie. I’ve been raving about Pike Place Market throughout this whole article! It’s a no-brainer! Okay, let’s get a little more granular…

DO:

• Drop in on Beecher’s Handmade Cheese — across from the market — and load up on aged local cheeses. Also, an order of the “World’s Best Mac & Cheese” makes the for one of the best “rainy day in Seattle” lunches I can imagine. This was another of Bourdain’s faves in Seattle.
• Visit Pasta Casalinga — inside the market’s food stall section — and devour whatever they have on the specials board. This is a true Italian pasta stall and the pasta is fantastic across the board.
• Watch the fish guys. It’s fun. What are you doing with your time where people throwing fish is not interesting to you? I defy you to tell me this isn’t as engaging as a football game.
• Wander from the market down Bubblegum Alley to the waterfront. It’s very touristy but also bustling with energy and worth strolling through.
• Get coffee from Pike Street Coffee — or one of the many, many shops in the area that roast their own beans. There is really so much great coffee in this little corner of the city that a coffee odyssey would prove really fun.

DON’T:

• Wait in line to be served at the very first Starbucks — which is right across from the market — unless you really really love Starbucks. The line is always insane and the coffee is… THE SAME AS EVERY STARBUCKS (even according to Starbucks). The only reason to prioritize this would be that you want to tell people you did it, which is… fine. There are worse reasons to do things, I suppose.
• Ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. It is tall and goes in a circle. You get the idea. There’s not much to it and the view from almost anywhere inside Thompson Seattle is as good, if not better.

BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A $20 CAB RIDE:

This is where I would immediately and strenuously vote that you get thee to Capitol Hill. The LGBTQI mecca-turned-hipster-paradise is very cool and fun and there’s a whole lot worth seeing and tasting. Here are some highlights:

• Linda’s Tavern was Kurt Cobain’s watering hole. As such, it’s vital to anyone who wants to follow in the legend’s footsteps.
• Elliot Bay Book Company is likely the city’s best book store — though you’d be remiss not to visit one or two more specialized used booksellers that dot the city. With the rain slatting against the window, Elliot Bay competes with Portland’s Powell’s Books as the best bookshop to browse an afternoon away in the PNW.
• I love Vietnamese food and the Saigon Dungeness Crab at Monsoon is one of the best fusions of PNW and Vietnam that I’ve ever tasted.
• Alternately, Carmelo’s Tacos are some of the best in the city. Get the birria — it’s authentic, rich, and delicious.
• If you must have Starbucks in Seattle, go to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery — a creative concept that proves how good Starbucks could be if it treated every cup with the care of its craft contemporaries.

BED GAME:

The beds at Thompson Seattle feature 400 thread count SFERRA linens. You notice them to the touch (up around 400 thread count, cotton starts taking on a silky texture). The pillows are quality too — firm enough to support your neck and soft enough to let you settle in and feel cozy.

The only knock is that I do love a nice quality quilt. Having only bed linens on the bed felt a little light.

RATING: 9/10

SEXINESS RATING:

A rooftop bar and floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms feel very sexy. The shower was giant with a rainfall head, which feels sexy too. Hardwood floors? Sexy.

No in-house spa and no bathtub in the basic suites knock a few points off.

RATING: 8/10

VIEWS & PIC SPOTS:

The property isn’t catering to IG with loud backgrounds or infinity pools but it does have what I believe to be — as I’ve stated many a time now — the best view in the city. Watching the sunset over Puget Sound with a drink in your hand at The Nest might be the best view in all of Seattle.

RATING: 9/10.

BEST SEASON TO VISIT:

Hmmmm… kind of hard for me to say — I like the rain. And I’m from the region. So I guess I would say go in winter and feel all wintry. But there’s a great case to be made for going in Spring when festivals are popping and bands are coming through town and Capitol Hill feels like a street festival on a daily basis.

Final answer? I like Seattle in the fall.

IF I HAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE THING:

I would like more bathtubs because I like to bathe. Or a communal tub — I would love a big old tile hot tub looking out on the market for adults (no kids!). Hire me, Hyatt!

Other than that, it’s really hard to find much to gripe about. The food menu at The Nest could be more robust and inventive but it’s really not set up so much as a place to eat as it is a place to convene for drinks before a night out.

BOOK HERE:

Rates at the Hyatt Thompson Seattle range from $258 in a basic King room to $1,958 in the Thompson Penthouse Suite North.

BOOK YOUR ROOM OR SUITE HERE

INSTAGRAMS TAKEN AT THOMPSON SEATTLE:

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from 21 Savage, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and more.

Here is is: The first Best New Hip-Hop column of 2024! It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you… but, hey, how many new albums and singles were dropping during the holidays, anway?

And despite it only being the second week of the new year, it’s a doozy, with a bunch of new songs and projects from many of our favorite hip-hop artists, including:

The return of Lil Nas X, who ruffled some feathers with the artwork and video for his new song, “J Christ.”

Doja Cat’s continued run of rap excellence. Apology letters from anyone who said the Project Blowed vet isn’t a rapper can be sent to me directly.

And wouldn’t you know it, Jay-Z got inspired — but maybe not in the way you might have expected — on “I Want You Forever” with D’Angelo.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending January 12, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

21 Savage — American Dream

21 Savage’s first solo album since his whole ICE kerfuffle a few years ago is here to remind listeners that he doesn’t need the high-profile co-signs to carry a project. Despite that, there are still plenty of intriguing assists here from both the expected (Young Thug, Metro Boomin) and the surprising (Doja Cat, Burna Boy).

Kid Cudi — Insano

Kid Cudi’s latest is already stirring up listeners on social media, but besides the potential for drama, it deserves attention for employing Gangsta Grillz-style DJ Drama ad-libs, experimental beats, and features from the likes of Pharrell, Travis Scott, and Lil Yachty.

Singles/Videos

310babii — “Stuck” Feat. Kalan.FrFr

18-year-old Inglewood, California native 310babii isn’t even out of high school yet, but he’s already built himself quite the buzz on the West Coast. Teaming up with fellow teen star Luh Tyler last year raised his profile outside the Golden State, but his latest single links up with Compton’s own Kalan.FrFr and keeps waving the flag for LA.

Benny The Butcher — “Bron”

The latest single from the Buffalo native’s upcoming album Everybody Can’t Go is a bit more energetic than some of his prior output, sounding every bit as muscular and dynamic as its namesake. Benny compares his longevity to that of the NBA superstar, putting the rap game on notice that he’s still got championship ambitions.

Gus Dapperton, Lil Yachty & Joey Badass — “Fallout”

A unique blend of alt-rock sensibilies and boom-bap rap flourishes, this unexpected collaboration from the Lyrical Lemonade collaborators may generate some raised eyebrows (or side-eyes) but is a testament to the elasticity of hip-hop.

TiaCorine — “Yung Joc” Feat. Luh Tyler

2024 figures to be another big year for women in hip-hop and TiaCorine looks very much like she’ll be a big factor in that. The North Carolina rapper continues to gain momentum after the breakout of her viral favorite “FreakyT,” and who better to cross-pollinate fanbases with than the current reigning king of the teens, Luh Tyler? “Yung Joc” is a vibey, laid-back track that shows off both rappers’ verbal dexterity over a hypnotic, stripped-down loop.

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

Earlier this week, The View host Joy Behar, who is known for saying things at the wrong time, shared that she was considered to play Ted Lasso’s mother on the third and final season of the hit Apple TV+ comedy. While that would have been…interesting, Behar said she ultimately turned the role down because she didn’t want to get sweaty. But the cast of Ted Lasso seems to have a different take.

While at a PEOPLE event this week, the Ted Lasso lads Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt seemed confused by Behar’s claim that she was offered the role of Dottie Lasso. When asked about the rumors, Sudeikis responded, “I… no. Joy Behar? From The View?” he exclaimed, while Hunt confirmed the duo has no idea. “Respectfully, it would be news to us. We just work there,” he added. The role ultimately went to Becky Ann Baker.

While it would be easy to call Behar a liar (she surely marches to the beat of her own View), sources told EW that the Ted Lasso staff did reach out to Behar about the possibility of playing Lasso’s mom. Behar had probably already declined, which is why Hunt and Sudeikis were unaware. Or they were playing dumb, which would also be respectable at a time like this.

On the other hand, maybe Behar is just planting the seeds for her own sports comedy show. She seems to have a lot of opinions about football these days.

(Via People)

Everyone is guilty of throwing paperwork into a miscellaneous desk drawer and pretending it doesn’t exist. Bills, paperwork, important documents… you don’t need ’em!! This is why it took so long for two Friends scripts to see the light of day after they were left abandoned 26 years ago. Someone, somewhere, felt like those scripts just weren’t really important, so they just shoved them aside. And now they are worth more than a decent car.

English auction house Hanson Ross sold the scripts to the two-part season four finale of Friends for $36,896 this week. The finale episodes, titled “The One With Ross’s Wedding I” and “The One With Ross’s Wedding II,” famously feature Ross’ embarrassing slip-up at the alter where he says Rachel’s name instead of his finance. So hopefully whoever got these scripts loves mess and broken marriages.

Hanson Ross claimed that the scripts were originally found in a bin over 25 years ago after the episode was shot at the now-defunct Fountain Studios. An employee allegedly found the scripts and held onto them. “It was part of my job to ensure everything was tidy and no rubbish was left around,” the retired employee told Hanson Ross (via USA Today). “I wasn’t sure what to do with them so just put them in my office drawer,” the employee admitted. That’s the spirit! When you don’t know what to do with something, just shove it in a drawer and let it marinate for a few years. Then someone will buy it for thousands!!

If you aren’t lucky enough to purchase scripts on your own, don’t worry: every episode is streaming, so you can just watch the show without having to read it. Unless you put subtitles on.

(Via BBC)

Being a mom is often a thankless job but it’s also one that feels nearly impossible to do while still maintaining balance in other aspects of life. This is especially true for moms that also work outside the home.

They’re somehow fitting in 40+ hours a week at an 8 to 5 while also keeping up with appointments, activities, special events, groceries and housekeeping. Then there’s the matter of fitting in time with your partner if you have one while also finding time for your friends and yourself.

There just simply don’t seem to be enough hours in the day for working moms to do all that is expected of them. But many working moms grew up with working moms who somehow seemed to have this work-life balance thing all figured out. One mom took to the internet to demand to know the secret that moms from the 80s and 90s are keeping around this common struggle.

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The mom uploaded a video to her account, FamPhiji to express her confusion on how her own mother was able to do everything while never appearing stressed.

“Am I the only mom that’s actually confused at how her own mom was able to do this? How are you able to wake up, get yourself dressed, get me ready, take me to daycare or school, go to work, work a full shift,” Phiji asks. “Get off, pick me up, take me home, make sure I was fed, make sure I was bathed, put me to bed, wake up and do it all again?”

Other moms shared Phiji’s confusion on how their working moms were able to keep up with everything while maintaining their sanity.

“They had a different batch of 24 hours,” one woman claims.

“They had real coke in their coke, energy drinks [keep] me standing,” another mom jokes.

“Air quality was different,” someone says.

@_phiji

I’m tired. #momtok #momsoftiktok #toddlermom #toddlertok #millenialmom #momlife #momstruggles #fyp

Others were more serious with their answers as they lamented about what moms in the 80s and 90s went through.

“Honey, it took me til adulthood to realize my mom was depressed,” a commenter reveals.

“I don’t think they had time for themselves. I think they just kept moving and never even stopped to think about how exhausted and miserable they were,” someone assumes.

A mom from that older generation chimed in to confirm the suspicion of others, “there was no balance. We just kept moving cause we knew what had to be done,” she reveals.

So maybe it wasn’t magic or a super secret extra set of hours. Maybe it was the more likely scenario where they absolutely were overwhelmed and exhausted but we didn’t notice because we were children.

One day our own children will be asking how we made it all work and that’s your time to tell them the truth–balance is a lie. It takes equal partnership to make a household run smoothly and something will always get put down. It’s up to you to prioritize what you need to hold, what you can delegate, and what you can set aside for another day.

The 2024 calendar isn’t even two full weeks in and already, we’ve got rap beef cooking on the horizon — maybe.

Fans pressing play on Kid Cudi’s new album Insano are pretty convinced that there is, as line from guest rapper ASAP Rocky on “WOW” sounds like it could be referring to Drake. As true rap beef lore heads may remember, Drake has feuded with both fellow blog-era rappers as often as he’s collaborated with them, so there could be a little bit of merit to the speculation.

In his verse on the song, Rocky raps, “These n***as can’t stomach me, gotta go get a mandrake.” Fans have interpreted this as a clever way to sneak Drake’s name into the line, which references a natural remedy for stomach problems. It could also be reference to Drake’s 2023 admission that he’s taking time off to deal with a stomach issue. You can hear the song for yourself above.

Rocky citing himself as the source of Drake’s tummy troubles might be a nod to their shared dating history; Drake dated Rocky’s current partner Rihanna in 2016, however, she moved on pretty quickly. And while Drake insists he’s over it — most recently, on his For All The Dogs song “Fear Of Heights” — the fact that he keeps talking about it undercuts his argument pretty thoroughly.

(Drake also notably had a back and forth with Cudi after the Cleveland rapper appeared to shade him on Twitter in 2015. Drake later dissed him on “Two Birds, One Stone,” then collaborated with him on Certified Lover Boy. Basically, rap is wrestling, all this is kayfabe, and it’s hilarious that people keep taking these artists seriously.)

In any event, there’s probably a certain amount of good-natured gamesmanship going on here; and we’ll probably see Drake and ASAP on each other’s music at some point in the future. In the meantime, it’s fun to speculate (for some people) about when and how Drake will respond.

Roy Wood Jr. and Jordan Klepper don’t eat, drink, and sleep politics. Wood Jr. has done a ton of acting work (co-starring in Confess, Fletch), co-produced an award winning documentary, and developed scripted comedies that have nothing to do with Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Klepper is also developing projects that aren’t exactly in line with his Daily Show work, including one that “expands on documentary work that brings comedy to serious issues.”

With that all said, they do love this shit. That can’t be denied, even if Wood is having fun paying a little less attention to national news since leaving The Daily Show. What’s next for him? He’s weighing options still, whether that means self-producing something or going in with a big network or streamer. But more immediately, he’s going on tour with Klepper for the America, For The Last Time tour (click for info/tickets), hitting towns like Charlottesville, VA and Ann Arbor, MI to talk about the state of the world, reminisce about less divisive times, and discuss this incoming transformational election with attendees.

Below, we get into all of that with the comics and friends, discuss whether some voters are lost for good, and try to agree on whether there is too much politics in late night comedy.

Roy, Jordan and I were just talking about philosophy books while waiting for you to join us, and how I’m utterly lost with some of this stuff.

Klepper: You and me, both. I’ve just been looking for one easy interview where we could talk about Slovenian philosophy, but no. Okay, let’s talk comedy.

Roy Wood Jr.: To be fair, because Klepper’s still on the campaign trail, in the 2024 mix, I think we have different philosophies and different priorities right now. Different stuff. I watch the local news now, with pleasure.

Does that mean instead of the national news?

Wood Jr.: Yes. Fuck yes. To some degree, I have not completely unplugged from the news cycle. I’m just trying to balance it a little more. I don’t think it’s a luxury you have when you’re still at The Daily Show. I need to know what’s going on. But to the deeper philosophy so that I can then satirize them? No, I don’t have to do that right now.

Jordan, doesn’t that sound nice?

Klepper: (Laughs) Oh, my God. Dear, Lord, tell me what it’s like to hear about a puppy being rescued in Michigan. Sounds like the vacation I need right now, Roy.

It could be yours too. You’re the one who’s making you go to these rallies and exposing yourself to these people. Now it’s gone from philosophy chat to a therapy session. Jordan, what is it about you that makes you want to hurt you with these assignments?

Klepper: (Laughs) I have a morbid curiosity and the depth our brains will go, and so whether that’s Slovenian philosophy on one side or the QAnon philosophy on the other, I want to walk around the edges of the human mind.

So the tour that you guys are doing. I’ve read the poster. Can you give me a Cliff’s-notes version of the good parts of America that we’re celebrating here before the last light flickers out?

Wood Jr.: I think it’s the last bit of real unity before the AI and disinformation really starts reigning supreme. I mean, we call it America For The Last Time just because it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it really is about where we’ve been as a country up until this point. I don’t think we’re still going to be there after this. Now whether that’s for better or worse remains to be seen, but so far everything’s lined up to be for the worst. So I think it’s an opportunity to talk about some real issues, but also just jokingly laugh about things that we communally also all agreed were fun. I mean you had Popeye’s chicken sandwiches and people fighting over that, and now it’s Stanley cups. So are we the same? Are we better off than what we were before Trump? I don’t know.

Klepper: (Laughs) Well, I don’t know if we’re better off before Trump. I feel we’re in a crazier place, and I think Roy is totally right in that we are going to find ourselves in a very different time and space a year from now. And I don’t exactly know how it’s going to play out, but I do know people are stressed. People are getting pulled apart, as they have been for the last eight years, and it’s only getting worse.

And so this was an opportunity for us to, one, hang out and play with each other, which we love hanging out and having fun. So that’s what we want to do, but we wanted to bring it to an audience who, I know Roy experiences as well as I. When I go out on the road and I talk to audience members, they’re stressed too. They want to talk about the shit that’s on their mind, the things that they’re seeing in the news, from small to big. And to go to some of these towns and to get into big places and actually communally laugh over it, is cathartic. You feel like you’re on the same page, or at least you find a little moment of respite from the chaos. And so, I think this is an opportunity for us to find some fun before the dark times ahead.

These are going to have a town hall element to them. Obviously, town halls can descend into madness. Are you guys going to have Tasers? You going to be behind glass? What’s the security? Jordan, you know I always like to ask you what the security is like to make sure you’re safe.

Klepper: I think from a security standpoint, my New Year’s resolution, I’m trying to cut these carbs. So you’re going to see a sleeker or more efficient Jordan Klepper.

So more flight than fight?

Klepper: Exactly. Well, at least my flight is going to be swifter than it ever has been in the past. So that I can guarantee.

Seriously though, is that (the town hall aspect) the element that you are most looking forward to?

Klepper: I think in conceiving this show, it started with the fact that Roy and I have a lot of fun on stage together. And so we start there, and also something we don’t get to do enough is to interact with audience members during the shows that we do separately. And I think this was an example of let’s use this format. We’re going to have some fun, we’re going to tell some jokes, we’re going to riff off of each other. We’re going to tell some stories from our years on The Daily Show and out on the road, some close calls that we’ve had. But also a big chunk of this is going to be talking to the audience, what’s on their mind.

And I will tell you when I have those conversations on the road, when I have those conversations after shows, it’s a wide swath of things on people’s minds. Sometimes people want to know what it’s like doing comedy on TV. Sometimes people want to know what the political attitudes are like on the East Coast or the West Coast. The conversations vary vastly from, perhaps the more comedic to the more dire and serious. And I think this is an opportunity for us to field those, both in earnestness for people who really want to hear from what we’ve seen and our perspectives on it, but also with the dash of comedy that they’ve grown to expect from the other shows we’ve done and the way we approach these topics.

Wood Jr.: Yeah, I don’t think it’s about necessarily solving any of these issues, but just knowing that you’re not alone in thinking and feeling the way you feel. And I think if we’re able to do that as a group, I think there are parts of the show that will be a communal group hug and parts that will be a communal punch in the balls, but we’re still friends at the end. It’s like when your brother gives you a noogie, you don’t always love it. But I just think there are opportunities to have conversations, like real connected conversations on a myriad of issues, serious and silly.

There was a poll with something like 31% of Republicans saying they think the FBI was behind January 6th, and I think it’s 62% think that the election was fraudulent in 2020. Are those people reachable still, or are they just gone and you just have to hope that when you bring down their king that they’ll kind of scatter?

Klepper: I look at those polls and it bums me out. It shows the rot of the Republican party. All of the leaders in that party have given up any credibility they have, simply staking their claim with what has the best chance of winning. And I think because of that, you have a party with a bunch of cowards without spines and you have a bunch of people following because the people in power are lying to them, which is a real freaking bummer. And I think you are right, until the king moves on or craps his pants in public, I think you have a lot of people marching to the beat of pretty shitty, deceitful leaders. And comedians are going to try their best to get through, but I wish some leaders would try a little harder too.

Wood Jr.: I think that to a degree, comedy is really not that different from politics in the sense that it’s just a fight for the middle. The people in the center, who could be swayed one way or the other, the undecided voter, the person who voted for Trump because he passed laws that benefited their self-interest, versus someone who delusionally believes a person, or a platform that’s running on archaic ideology. No, I don’t think you’re going to have a golden joke. There’s no golden joke that will sway anyone’s opinion. But if done properly, you can educate people a little bit more, and then if they still want to make a decision to believe that, yeah, the election was stolen, you’re not going to change those people’s minds. They’re diehards. I will say though, I’m 50-50 on the FBI being a part of stirring up January 6th. As a Black person, it is hard for me to just say that the FBI is a bunch of great dudes with a good agenda. You almost swayed me on that one. I’ll say this, if someone says the election was stolen, I don’t want to hear it. But if you’re telling me the FBI did January 6th, I will simply say, “Tell me more.”

Klepper: (Laughs) Fifty-fifty, right? You’re going to get a coin flip odds.

You can’t even go like 60-40? 50-50?

Wood: No, 50-50 on the FBI. If you’ll put crack into entire neighborhoods and set up civil rights leaders, I am willing to see… I just need to see documentation.

I think, can we agree though, that if Trump crapped himself in public, that it would become a trend. You’d have at least 60% of the people in the House shitting themselves all the time.

Klepper: (Laughs) Yeah, it would be a new trend. Mitch McConnell will be so relieved. He’ll be like, I’ve been doing this for years. Thank God it can be cool again.

Exactly.

Wood Jr.: He would love that.

With regard to late night, so many of the shows have a political bend to them or they’re informed by the headlines to some degree. Is it surprising to you that there aren’t more options out there that are more in the silly space? Conan used to not really involve itself in politics too much. Craig Ferguson really didn’t get too deep into politics.

Klepper: When I look at late night, what I see is, yes, there’s a reason that there is a lot of politics on late night right now. It’s because of the weird fucking times we’re in right now. And like I always say, the comedian’s job is to read the room, and the room is scared and they’re talking about the end of democracy. So I do think there’s space for late night shows to talk about what’s happening right now because that’s what a late night show does. It talks about what’s happening right now, and frankly, I think there’s more space for these shows to go deeper into what is happening right now.

As far as silly shows in late night, I don’t know, I love Conan. I grew up on Conan, but I see the ethos of what is so funny and silly about Conan O’Brien in Tim Robinson’s sketch show, and there’s other formats now to get some of that silly and play, and I would love to see that in late night. There’s really smart, funny, silly bits in Amber Ruffin’s shows. She had some really great stuff there too. But I don’t necessarily think the future of late night looks like something that has a silliness that can live effectively on a bunch of other mediums. I think late night should own what it does, which is respond to the news of the day and what is happening right now with insights and swiftness and a budget in a way that other places can’t. And so I guess when I look over the next couple of years, that’s what I imagine.

I hear you, but sometimes I just want to clock out and watch a masturbating bear.

Klepper: Totally. I totally get that. But I think you don’t need to see Hollywood guests be interviewed after the masturbating bear. I think now you’re going to just go to YouTube and find whatever the new version of that silliness is. It’s not going to be attached to this 1950s or earlier format that had to sell you the latest movie that’s coming out and give you standup jokes. I think that format actually is being phased out and the thing that it still serves best seems to be topicality over silliness.

I think the key is to have the celebrities interviewed by the masturbating bear whilst eating hot wings.

Klepper: Now you’ve got it.

Wood Jr.: I just think that we’re more politically divided, so you’ll be hard-pressed to create a television show that addresses politics in a way where, and I’ve quoted him a million times on this, but as Mike Birbiglia said, “Comedy only works if everybody agrees on the premise.” So with politics, people don’t agree on the premise sometimes, whereas even at the height of Bush fumbling the Iraq invasion, we all agreed he was the elected president. Even at the height of hating Obama, everybody agreed he was at least the elected president. So if you can’t even get past that, then how do you get into any satire, the administration and the laws that they’re making?

So I just think that networks are trying to figure out a way to have something that, like Jordan said, that’s cost-effective and reaches a good number of people that want to hear that style of humor. And I think we have become more politically divided just in general. So that genre of late night has to become a little bit more either divided or unifying. And I feel like The Daily Show remains to be a unifier. It’s not like Gutfeld! in that sense. But then you look at what Gutfeld! does on Fox — it has the best ratings. But maybe that’s the way. I don’t know. I think networks are always looking at what the audience wants. And they’re always trying to be both sides and both sides are getting further and further apart and what they want and the premises that they choose to agree on.

I just wonder if it’s a chicken or egg thing, whether it’s we want political comedy, we want all this commentary on politics or it’s just everybody thinks that’s what we want, and so we just keep getting it. I don’t really know. What’s the driving hand there?

Klepper: Well, I also think there’s a market for it as well, right?

Yeah, but that’s the thing. So many shows popped up after Jon Stewart went off the air that were political in nature, and a lot of them kind of went away.

Klepper: The old man in me points the finger at what had happened the last five years is the explosion of social media. And if you look at the incentives across the board it’s what gets eyes, what gets attention, what gets clicks? And the answer to that is outrage. It’s hyperbolic takes and thoughts. And frankly, what I will say is what news is news is something that you can amp up to outrage. You throw that thing in a furnace and it gets hot and outrageous real quick. I don’t know if a lot of other topics burn as hot.

And so I do think part of that is because we live in a little bit of an inferno when it comes to our political discourse right now. Another part of it is, yeah, that’s the thing that burns really hot, so entertainment looks at it. It’s like, “Oh, well, if I need my late night show to travel online, the only thing that’s going to travel online is primarily going to be something that either is culturally really fun in a way that breaks through,” maybe you’ll get a carpool karaoke, but more often than not, you’re going to get the hot take, and that burns hottest on the platform that we’ve created.

The thing I quote too often is Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves To Death because this is the problem in the entertainment structure we’ve created: it’s all the incentives are killing us, and it pushes us to be outraged and to have only clicks. And because of that, it affects the discourse that we have and the way in which we can interact with one another. And so you look at a form like late night television, and any linear television is going through Herculean changes, and you look at it right now, and it still has these old artifacts about celebrity interviews and classic monologues, but all being digested through clicks online and likes and retweets, and the only method for those likes and retweets is often outrage or insight. And so it keeps heading towards those two things. I’d love there to be a place where the world of silliness and playfulness is incentivized in the way that perhaps it used to be, but I just don’t think it is anymore.

Again, I think the solution is clear: the masturbating bear interviewing celebrities while eating hot wings. I think we’ve learned that.
Klepper: I don’t hate.
Find out more about ‘Roy Wood Jr. and Jordan Klepper: America, For The Last Time’ here.

In 2022, The Black Keys dropped their critically acclaimed album, Dropout Boogie. Instead of taking a much-deserved break, following their even busier 2023, the group is prepping to release another full-length project. On January 12, The Black Keys announced a new album, Ohio Players, and shared the lead single “Beautiful People (Stay High).”

The record is a retro offering from the group, teasing that they’re returning to their roots, as their album’s title suggests. “Time I’ve been gone / I’ve been strugglin’ alone / Keepin’ all of my demons to myself / I’m saving my grace for that heavenly place / To the sun, I will sing you my song / Never coming back down / All of those beautiful people,” sings Dan Auerbach.

As if the new project wasn’t enough, The Black Keys will debut their Jeff Dupre-directed documentary, This Is A Film About The Black Keys, in March at the SXSW festival. The film is described, “From a jamming session in a basement in Akron, Ohio, to rock’ n’ roll super-stardom. They barely knew each other when they made their first recordings, yet quickly realized they shared a powerful musical connection and a drive to succeed.”

Listen to “Beautiful People (Stay High)” above.

This Is A Film About The Black Keys will debut at the 2o24 SXSW Festival. Find more information here.

Ohio Players is out 4/5 via Nonesuch. Find more information here.