Last week, Steven and Ian kicked off part one of their most sacred annual tradition, the Indiecasties. This week, they bring home part two. (This is a banked episode so if any major indie-rock news occurred this week, the guys won’t be talking about it.)
Part one had many incredible categories, including Most Valuable Annoying Music Story, The Album Cycle Of The Year, The Feel-Good Story Of The Year, The Most 2023 Album Of 2023, and the Most Hyped Album That Turned Out To Be Actually Good. But Steven and Ian saved the really good stuff for this week. Categories include Biggest Disappointment, The Album We’re Most Surprised We Liked, The Most Egregiously Overrated Album On Year-End Lists, The Comeback Of The Year, The Year’s Most Enjoyable Trend To Hash Out, and (Steven’s personal favorite) The Most Memory-Holed Album Of 2023. Who won? We can’t wait to share the news!
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 169 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
Bleachers performed on Late Night yesterday (December 21), but before that, Jack Antonoff sat down for a chat with Seth Meyers. During the interview, Jack Antonoff shared a list of celebrities he thinks he looks like, and it was spot-on.
A handful of times in the first couple minutes of the interview, Antonoff either referenced, looked at, or gestured towards Late Night bandleader Fred Armisen. Meyers noticed this and brought it up, saying, “You’re the first person who’s had this much trouble with Fred being in their eye line.”
So, Antonoff offered up an explanation, saying, “Me, Fred, Andy Samberg, Rick Moranis: we’re just a kind of person.”
Meyers asked, “So, when you’re in the same room with him, you do feel a need to be like, ‘I’m here, you’re here?’”
Antonoff answered, “I don’t feel it, but, like, other people… people on the street will be like, ‘You look like Fred Armisen.’”
Meyers noted, “I think, on an aura level, you also have a similarity, in a very positive way. I like both of your vibes a lot.”
Antonoff and Armisen then started both doing the same smile and nod to each other, which the studio audience got a kick out of.
Check out the full interview above and find Bleachers’ performance of “Alma Mater” below.
Podcasts hit their Peak TV era in 2023, and with that glut of good listening came some unwanted consequences. Cutbacks, cancellations, celebrity deals gone wrong — the “too much of a good thing” crowd warned us long ago what happens when a content bubble bursts, and podcasts proved to be no exception. But despite the growing pains, some truly terrific shows were made this year (including the Uproxx produced Indiecast with Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen and People’s Party with Talib Kweli.
This list, with picks from staffers and contributors, includes a few steady favorites, fresh true crime takes, comedy audio hangs, and shows with a focus on debunking medical mysteries. All fascinating, entertaining, and illuminating in their own right. We listened to them during our daily commutes, miles-long runs, work breaks, and more, learning, laughing, and now we’re suggesting them to you (in no particular order) as we wrap up 2023.
iHeartMedia
Who Killed JFK? (with Rob Reiner and Soledad O’Brien)
Something I did not have on my 2023 bingo card was to become utterly enthralled by a podcast exploring the JFK assassination hosted by Meathead from All in the Family (Rob Reiner) and former CNN host Soledad O’Brien, but here we are, life is strange and full of surprises. With all of that said, Who Killed JFK? somewhat shockingly offers some new perspective and insight into one of the 20th century’s (and world history’s) greatest mysteries. Hint: it may have actually been an inside job all along. – Brett Michael Dykes
The best interviews don’t feel like interviews. It’s just a conversation, loose yet interesting because people are comfortable enough to let their guard down and be a little silly as they tell stories about their lives and careers. Conan O’Brien, freed from the limits of a late-night talk show (though he was pretty great as an interviewer in that format too) has become a master of this kind of interview with Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. Whether the guests are fans, returning favorites like John Mulaney, actual real-life Conan friends like Timothy Olyphant, legends like Harrison Ford, or the sitting President of the United States, the vibe is the same: a breezy hang with the guest, Conan, and co-hosts Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley. — Jason Tabrys
You’ve absolutely seen The Basement Yard on TikTok. This is how I got my introduction to them: These clips of two dudes going back and forth talking about god knows what pop up on my FYP all the time. At some point, I made the decision to actually listen to them, which made me realize these are two of the funniest guys on the planet. The chemistry between Joe Santagato and Frank Alvarez is something that can only come from childhood friends, while their ability to take mundane topics and make them hilarious is something few (if any) can match. — Bill Difilippo
Six Trophies with Jason Concepcion and Shea Serrano
Okay, sure, I’m biased with this podcast pick. But set aside my admiration for both hosts and look at the pedigrees involved; both men are clearly in their wheelhouse and their friendship and working chemistry makes this hangout sports show even more of a gem. This is how hoops talk should be done: by people with unadulterated love for the game and all the awe, curiosity, and humor the insane feats and quirks the modern NBA and its culture-dominating figures deserve. – Aaron Williams
My favorite kind of projects are ones that balance the very serious with the very silly. Think about a show like Succession, where the drama and comedy co-exist to make each hit harder. It’s a tough trick to pull off, sure, because the wrong formula or the wrong process of mixing them can bungle everything, but when it works, hoo boy. That’s probably my favorite thing about Pablo Torre’s new podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out. Where else are you going to find silly extended chats with Action Bronson next to legitimate and humanizing pieces of journalism like the episode where he looked into a state law banning trans athletes from high school sports in the name of competitive fairness and then interviewed the one (1) trans athlete in the entire state it impacted, who wasn’t even all that good at the sport in question? Nowhere, I suspect. It’s a nice reminder that anything can be more than one thing and still do all of them well. And it’s also a really good time. – Brian Grubb
Ding dong, the best pop culture podcast of 2023 is calling. Saturday Night Live breakout Bowen Yang and comedian Matt Rogers have been serving the tea on all things pop culture since 2016 and, despite the podcast market being flooded with imitators, their brand of savvy, sharp-tongued, hysterical commentary is still the best of its kind. That’s mostly thanks to their easy banter – an inimitable byproduct of their years-long IRL friendship – and their in-depth knowledge of all things Real Housewives, but their roster of celebrity guests, unique industry insight, and comedic instincts also elevate the show beyond its format. — Jessica Toomer
There are surely countless film podcasts currently running (I’m not going to verify this, but it just feels true) and even more comedy podcasts (same), but there is only one comedy-film hybrid podcast hosted by two friends that go through the filmography of auteurs (probably?). This podcast is Blank Check With Griffin & David, hosted by actor Griffin Newman and The Atlantic film critic David Sims. The episodes often run long as all hell (sometimes going beyond three hours) but somehow the duo, their beloved scum-bum producer Ben Hosley, and generally fantastic guests (Tatiana Maslany, Zach Cherry, Nia DaCosta) never wear out their welcome while breaking down the work of recently featured directors David Fincher, Park Chan-wook, and Danny Boyle. Weekly episodes focus on a single film and are typically hilarious, empathetic, and deeply insightful. But what always strikes me is how after years of doing this, the podcast still comes from a place of love that increases both the cinematic knowledge and appreciation of the listeners. — Philip Cosores
There are few podcasts that can mix history lessons, humor, and the occasional public health service all in one, but Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine does just that. While the podcast began as a way for Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin (of My Brother My Brother and Me fame) to discuss interesting stories from medical history, in recent years they have also debunked dangerous myths, helped promote proper vaccinations, and more, making them a must-listen. Sydnee is knowledgeable and self-assured, bringing her experience as a physician to help explain everything from leprosy to burping, while Justin jokes and helps represent the audience, who are likely not doctors themselves. The podcast has been going strong for a decade, but it’s never dipped in quality and is still hilarious and educational. — Danielle Ryan
I listen to a lot of film podcasts, too many to recommend just one. So let’s zig over to film-adjacent territory because this is the year I finally listened to a friend’s advice and started listening to Podcast: The Ride. Tied, sometimes loosely, to amusement park rides and attractions (or any sort of themed entity really, it finds Mike Carlson, Jason Sheridan, and Scott Gairdner exploring the obsessions that have stayed with them well into adulthood, be it old TV specials filmed in EPCOT or long-forgotten celebrity-branded restaurants. I’m probably at the low end of theme park appreciation in my house, but their enthusiasm is infectious, their knowledge of this world impressive, and their digressions often as fun as their discussion of the topic at hand. — Keith Phipps
Werner Herzog said, “We have to articulate ourselves, otherwise we would be cows in the field.” Cows in the Field puts that quote to the test, packaging the headiest of concepts into language that any curious filmgoers can understand. Each week, MIT philosopher Justin Khoo and his wife Laura Khoo invite a film critic, friend, or colleague in academia to bring one of their favorite movies for discussion. While the conversation can go in many directions — Justin and Laura are as informed about film as they are about philosophy — the common denominator is their rare blend of intelligence, curiosity, and accessibility. If you ever wanted a film podcast that considered Joe vs. the Volcano in the context of Immanuel Kant’s notion of the sublime, or compared Yoda to Christian philosopher St. Augustine, Cows in the Field is the film podcast you’ve been waiting for. — Noah Gittell
Travis Scott has fallen into a peculiar routine during his recent concerts: He’ll regularly perform his song “Fe!n” a bunch of times in a row. At an Oklahoma show in November, for example, he played the song ten times. Now, he’s offered an explanation.
Why Does Travis Scott Perform ‘Fe!n’ So Many Times In A Row Live?
Scott was a guest on The Tonight Show yesterday (December 21), and towards the end of the conversation, Jimmy Fallon noted that Scott performed “Fe!n” ten times at a recently Brooklyn concert and asked why. Scott responded, “Man, I have, like, the best fans in the world, and I, you know, I go off the energy they give me, and they were wild that night, and so I just got even wilder.”
He added, “Tonight, I plan on going even crazier in MSG.”
Indeed, Scott upped the ante at his Madison Square Garden concert: setlist.fm lists the song 45 times on the setlist, although fans on Reddit indicate it was more like 14 times.
Elsewhere during the conversation, he also discussed his recent courtside incident at a New York Knicks game, in which a wayward basketball caused him to spill his drink on the court, so check out the full interview above.
When Kanye West announces a release date for a project of his, it’s hard to believe him. Perhaps more than anybody in modern music, the rapper has a history of not making good on his word and repeatedly delaying the release of his albums. The same has proven to be true for Vultures, his upcoming joint album with Ty Dolla Sign.
Neither West nor Ty have publicly explained why the album keeps getting pushed back. Worth noting, though: Minutes before the expected release on the 15th, West reached out to Nicki Minaj on X (formerly Twitter), asking her to clear her contributions to the song “New Body” for the album. She declined, responding, “Child, that train has left the station, OK? No disrespect in any way. I just put out a brand new album. Now why would I put out a song that has been out for three years? Come on, guys. You know?”
For several weeks, the NBA world has been trying to figure out when the Detroit Pistons would win another basketball game. It seems like a lifetime ago, but the Pistons did start the 2023-24 season with a 2-1 record. Since then, Detroit lost every game in November and another no-win month is very much in play in December. On Thursday evening, the Pistons had an appetizing chance to stop a 24-game losing streak when they hosted the injury-riddled Utah Jazz (playing on a back-to-back) at Little Caesars Arena. In fact, Detroit was the betting favorite by tip-off but, after a close-fought game, the Pistons fell by a final score of 119-111, extending the skid to 25 consecutive losses.
22-year-old Cade Cunningham is the face of the franchise for the Pistons and, while it certainly is not his fault that Detroit is in the muck to this extent, his postgame quotes on Thursday evening attracted attention. Cunningham led the team with 28 points and 10 assists in the loss to Utah and, after the game, he shared his belief that the Pistons are not, in fact, “2-26 bad.”
“Do you think this particular group can turn it around?”
Obviously, Cunningham’s position makes sense, even amid clear exasperation in his tone. For one, he’s on the team and would not want to consider that Detroit is actually as bad as the 2-26 record indicates. From there, he even has a reasonable point in that Detroit’s point differential, while terrible, is not as bad as a 2-26 record would indicate. It takes some bad luck to rack up 25 straight losses in any context, but that is especially true in a professional league and with the knowledge that Detroit was not even picked as the expected worst team in the league prior to the season.
Cunningham’s recent play is one of a few bright spots for Detroit, as he also scored 43 points on Monday in Atlanta and at least 20 points in six of the last seven games. Clearly, he’s not ready to pack up shop for the season before Christmas even arrives, but this stretch for the Pistons is rather dire and morale can’t be high in Detroit. The Pistons will resume their quest for a win on Saturday in Brooklyn, and Detroit will face the Nets in back-to-back games before a tough trip to Boston and a home game against Toronto to end 2023.
The couple sparked buzz about a rumored engagement earlier this week, when Waterhouse was photographed wearing a diamond ring. A source close to the couple reportedly confirmed the engagement to People.
At the time of writing, Neither Pattinson nor Waterhouse have directly commented on their reported engagement.
“They are engaged. They both want to be married. It’s important for them,” said the source.
Back in November, the two confirmed that they are expecting a child. The source added that this particular milestone has both Waterhouse and Pattinson on cloud nine.
“He’s so ready [to be a dad],” said the source. “His relationship with Suki is incredible. He feels very lucky.” Waterhouse was also said to have a “special glow” to her, and “seems very happy.”
During a recent interview on the Driven Minds: A Type 7 podcast, Waterhouse opened up about hers and Pattinson’s relationship, expressing how fortunate she feels to have moved in with Pattinson, and how well their dynamic works together.
“It doesn’t feel like that much of a crazy thing,” she said. “And I’m very lucky because he is so accepting of the mess and the chaos. He never says anything about it. He kind of thinks it’s like, charming. So I’m very lucky for that.”
The dismissal of Spencer Elden’s lawsuit against Nirvana over the use of his image on the cover of the band’s 1991 album Nevermind has reportedly been reversed, according to Pitchfork. On the cover, a four-month-old Elden appears fully nude in a swimming pool. Back in 2021, Elden filed a lawsuit against Nirvana, the band’s record labels, and photographer Kirk Weddle — who shot the cover art — claiming that the image constitutes child pornography.
The lawsuit was dismissed in January 2022 after Elden missed a deadline to respond to a motion for dismissal from Nirvana’s legal team. Elden would later file an adjusted suit that same month. The suit was once again dismissed in September 2022 by U.S. District Court Judge Fernando M. Olguin, due to an expired statued of limitations.
But today (December 21), a three-judge panel reversed Olguin’s ruling, noting that “each republication” of child pornography “may constitute a new personal injury.”
However, a footnote in the suit read “The question whether the Nevermind album cover meets the definition of child pornography is not at issue in this appeal.” The ruling also noted that Elden’s original complaint cited more recent reissues of the album cover, including a 30th Anniversary edition of the album released in 2021. Since 1991, Elden himself has also recreated the cover multiple times.”
A lawyer for Nirvana stated Pitchfork, saying, “This procedural setback does not change our view. We will defend this meritless case with vigor and expect to prevail.”
A laywer for Elden said. “The wholesale worldwide commercial exploitation of a baby might be iconic, but that doesn’t make it right and certainly doesn’t make it legal.”
Almost all of us, whether we’ve grown up in religious households or not, have heard the story of Christmas—or the birth of Jesus—at some point in our lives.
But very few of us have had the chance to hear it straight from the mouths of babes—a version where the Virgin Mary (make that “Meh-wee”) was a teen doing laundry at the moment of her immaculate conception, where she and her husband Joseph ventured to “Bethle-ha-ha-ham” to bring their newborn into the world, who is gifted diapers, a stuffed animal and some Air Jordans sneakers by those Three Wise Men.
Thanks to the folks at Southland Christian Church, however, we can all enjoy a delightful wholesome spin the well known story.
In the video, which first appeared in 2015 but often returns online due to “popular demand,” adults act out the Biblical story according to what the kids say—all with silly costumes and including every giggle or wandering sentence. If you ever watched the series “Drunk History,” you’ll recognize the story structure immediately.
Even years later, it’s easy to see what makes this clip so darn charming. Seeing the three wise men bestowing Jesus “ “Gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh” alone is a hoot.
Watch:
Hanna Wahlbrink, creative director at Southland Christian Church, and Neil Gregory, the church’s video producer, told TODAY.com that the team never expected their little passion project to affect so many people year after year.
What they did know was that when it came to creating the funniest script possible, all they had to do was let the kids wing it.
“We really didn’t want to script it because we knew the kids would give us better sound bites than anything we could come up with on our own,” said Gregory. “And they did.”
Given by the literal millions of views and heartwarming comments, it seems like that was the right call.
Take a look at what other folks are saying:
“This is the best Christmas story I ever heard. There, I said it.”
“This melts my heart every year, whoever had this idea is genius. It’s so innocent & precious.”
“I look forward to watching this over and over every year. I love this so much.”
“OK, I’m not joking, this may be the best telling of the Christmas story that I’ve ever seen. Marvelous!”
“I’m not even religious, and I absolutely loved this. Good job guys. Super cute and hilarious.”
Almost all of us, whether we’ve grown up in religious households or not, have heard the story of Christmas—or the birth of Jesus—at some point in our lives.
But very few of us have had the chance to hear it straight from the mouths of babes—a version where the Virgin Mary (make that “Meh-wee”) was a teen doing laundry at the moment of her immaculate conception, where she and her husband Joseph ventured to “Bethle-ha-ha-ham” to bring their newborn into the world, who is gifted diapers, a stuffed animal and some Air Jordans sneakers by those Three Wise Men.
Thanks to the folks at Southland Christian Church, however, we can all enjoy a delightful wholesome spin the well known story.
In the video, which first appeared in 2015 but often returns online due to “popular demand,” adults act out the Biblical story according to what the kids say—all with silly costumes and including every giggle or wandering sentence. If you ever watched the series “Drunk History,” you’ll recognize the story structure immediately.
Even years later, it’s easy to see what makes this clip so darn charming. Seeing the three wise men bestowing Jesus “ “Gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh” alone is a hoot.
Watch:
Hanna Wahlbrink, creative director at Southland Christian Church, and Neil Gregory, the church’s video producer, told TODAY.com that the team never expected their little passion project to affect so many people year after year.
What they did know was that when it came to creating the funniest script possible, all they had to do was let the kids wing it.
“We really didn’t want to script it because we knew the kids would give us better sound bites than anything we could come up with on our own,” said Gregory. “And they did.”
Given by the literal millions of views and heartwarming comments, it seems like that was the right call.
Take a look at what other folks are saying:
“This is the best Christmas story I ever heard. There, I said it.”
“This melts my heart every year, whoever had this idea is genius. It’s so innocent & precious.”
“I look forward to watching this over and over every year. I love this so much.”
“OK, I’m not joking, this may be the best telling of the Christmas story that I’ve ever seen. Marvelous!”
“I’m not even religious, and I absolutely loved this. Good job guys. Super cute and hilarious.”
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