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The Weeknd and Sam Levinson’s new HBO series The Idol is here, and so far, the response has been… not great: It has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for any HBO show ever, currently at 26 percent (with a 58 percent audience score). The Weeknd doesn’t seem fazed by this, though. In fact, it looks like he’s happy with how things are going, as he indicated in a new GQ interview.

At the top of the conversation, he was asked how he’s feeling about the response to the show after the first two episodes, and he responded, “I’m loving it. It’s definitely shaken up the culture for sure [laughs]. We knew we were making something dark and controversial but true to what we want to say.” When asked if he thinks “the audience is engaging with it in the way” he intended, he replied, “I just think discussion is healthy, no matter what. To me it’s like, I’m just happy that there’s conversation. That’s important for anything I do, especially this new medium that I’m in.”

Meanwhile, The Weeknd continues busting out new music as new episodes premiere. The fresh tracks that followed this past weekend’s episode were “Family” by The Weeknd with Suzanna Son and “Devil’s Paradise” by Mike Dean.

The pop world has been eating in 2023. Though, it hasn’t always been because of new music. For pop fans, the biggest shaking of their cultural core has occurred in stadiums, as Taylor Swift has swept through the South and East, while Beyoncé’s massive tour has taken Europe by storm. 2023 has also featured big-ticket tours from Harry Styles, SZA, and Lizzo as well, making for a year where pop fans can gather and scream their lungs out together.

But that doesn’t mean the albums of 2023 haven’t been impactful. From critical darlings like Caroline Polachek and Jessie Ware to stadium-ready institutions like Karol G and the Jonas Brothers, there has been plenty for pop fans to savor. It’s a world that still might favor the single to the full release, but the following offerings argue the opposite. Check out the best pop albums of 2023 so far below (including one from December 2022, which is basically just 2023 a little early).

Caroline Polachek — Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek is by no means new to the music world. Despite this, her solo sophomore release, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, finds her experimenting with a range of influences and elevating herself beyond the initial sound that first drew listeners in. Here, she plays with flamenco on “Sunset,” while also not alienating anyone by adding the catchy, electronic early preview of “Bunny Is A Rider.” In her present chameleon fashion, she then flips the script once more for the quiet tension on “Crude Drawing Of An Angel.” Just as the title suggests, Polachek reaches a new peak by being able to play with the concept of transformation and versatility on this album. – Lexi Lane

Gracie Abrams — Good Riddance

“You fell hard / I thought, good riddance,” Abrams twists the knife on the album opener “Best,” while maintaining themes of self-criticism throughout. The new album finds her exploring new horizons by working with Aaron Dessner and putting her biggest fears, worst behaviors, and an expanded level of emotional vulnerability on full display — all while backed by some gentle production. She also provides pauses to lift the energy, like the sweet caught-by-surprise moment on “The Blue.” Yet, staying true to the themes of struggling with the rollercoaster of entering adulthood, the album ends with the darkly contemplative “Right Now,” where Abrams wonders if her “little brother thinks my leaving was wrong,” as she continues growing up, getting out, and saying good riddance. – L.L.

Jessie Ware — That! Feels Good!

Jessie Ware snuck “Free Yourself” under the wire last July. She’s ahead of the game this year with a disco-pop indulgence inspired by divas like Donna Summer. “Lightning” is ready-made for dog days, oozing romance. “Freak Me Now” is brash lust. “Begin Again” is pure refreshment. Pick one, and you will feel good. – Megan Armstrong

Jonas Brothers — The Album

The Jonas Brothers are a trifecta, but the Jon Bellion-produced The Album underscores their dynamism. “Waffle House,” TikTok’s favorite single, reframes their formative fights with loving eyes. “Little Bird” delicately illustrates their newer roles as girl dads. They haven’t lost their edge in marriage — just listen to “Summer In The Hamptons.” Life keeps changing, and Joe, Kevin, and Nick keep writing. The ‘70s-inspired LP propels them into a boundless future. – M.A.

Kali Uchis — Red Moon In Venus

Kali Uchis’ third album Red Moon In Venus is without question her best album to date. Maybe it’s because she’s more in touch with herself than ever or maybe it’s because she’s more at peace than ever. The result of either, or maybe both of those observations, is a 15-track body of work that captures Uchis majestically and graceful float through elements of R&B and pop, while also tapping into her Spanish roots, to make what sounds like Uchis’ idea of paradise. Whether it’s “Fantasy” with Don Toliver, “Deserve Me” with Summer Walker, or solo efforts like “All Mine” and “Moonlight,” Kali Uchis’ Red Moon In Venus has plenty of music to get lost in and find your own paradise. – Wongo Okon

Karol G — ‘Mañana Será Bonito’

After a very public breakup, Karol G chose to heal the way she knows best — through music. The Colombian superstar’s fourth album Mañana Será Bonito proves to be a therapeutic experience, for both Karol and the fans. Over the course of 17 flawless tracks, Karol engages in self-care, debates returning to an ex, falls in love on her travels, and has several good cries. All while repeating the very phrase that got her through it all — “Mañana será bonito.” – Alex Gonzalez

Lana Del Rey — Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

Lana Del Rey’s career has been defined by a hot and cold reaction from the press, and equally hot and cold moments of self-sabotage and self-mythologizing. But if anything, it speaks volumes that any online spat that might accompany a rollout is generally forgotten by the next album cycle. That’s how continually surprising and sharp Lana is as a songwriter, that mild controversy slides off her. And that talent is underscored on Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. “A&W” is another high point in sonic adventurousness and lyrical insight, while “The Grants” and the title track are so instantly familiar, they might as well be pulled directly from the singer-songwriter canon. We just can’t quit you, Lana. – Philip Cosores

Myke Towers — La Vida Es Una

Puerto Rican artist Myke Towers couldn’t be held in a box while making his third album, La Vida Es Una. On the album, Towers showcases his versatility by way of lightly revisiting his rap roots, but mostly experimenting with a multitude of genres. While 23 tracks may seem saturated for an album in 2023, Towers delivers through reggaeton, dancehall, and ‘80s-synthpop sounds, defying the pigeonholing of the industry. Needless to say, he’s keeping fans fed. – A.G.

RAYE — My 21st Century Blues

After years of having her debut album delayed, UK singer/songwriter RAYE took matters into her own hands. Two years ago, RAYE outed her previous label, Polydor, for holding her music hostage. In February, she finally released My 21st Century Blues independently. And in turn, she flipped the industry on its head, with tales of heartache, insecurity, and gaslighting. Having finally earned number one song and album on the UK charts, it’s safe to say RAYE’s big risk paid off. – A.G.

Skrillex — Quest For Fire, Don’t Get Too Close

Skrillex is most readily associated with the early 2010s, but he’s been killing it lately, too. Aside from his beloved Coachella performance alongside Fred Again.. and Four Tet, he dropped a pair of albums in February, his first since 2014: Quest For Fire came first and Don’t Get Too Close followed the next day. The list of artists featured across the projects (including Justin Bieber, Missy Elliott, Kid Cudi, and PinkPantheress) evidence how much esteem Skrillex has in the industry, while the top-rate albums illustrate why he remains an icon. – D.R.

SZA — SOS

Yes, this album came out in 2022, but with most of its success taking place in 2023 and the fact that it came after our 2022 lists, it’s only right that SZA’s SOS makes the cut here. Five years removed from her debut album, SZA returns to a world riddled with troubled waters that people from all over hoped to survive and swim out of. Through the album’s expansive 23 songs, SZA guides us on a journey of surviving life’s elements, the lessons learned along the way, and what it looks like to make it to shore. The ups and downs of life, growing pains, and artistic struggles are all present on this album, and it’s even more impressive that she made its 23 songs not feel like an absolute drag. It was a long time coming for SZA, but boy did she arrive. – W.O.

Twice — Ready To Be

One of my close friends is a gigantic Twice fan, which by association, has led to me getting into their Ready To Be mini-album from earlier this year. While I’m not as familiar with their past records to compare, the early singles, “Moonlight Sunrise” and “Set Me Free,” showcase the group’s romantic side over the bubbly production that truly just pulls you in. (Plus, their live performances are so impeccable and synchronized.) On other tracks from the record, Twice shift into fiery, flirty territory with the rock-influenced “Blame It On Me,” which shows off the band’s wide-spanning inspirations that push the boundaries of the general K-Pop conceptions — and prove that they really are the ones to watch. – L.L.

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

Arlo Parks just released her transcendent new album My Soft Machine, whose opening track “Bruiseless” is a slam-poetry supernova. So it’s not a surprise that the 2021 Mercury Prize winner just announced a poetry collection.

The Magic Border: Poetry and Fragments From My Soft Machine will arrive this fall. It features 20 new poems, as well as lyrics from her latest LP. Read her statement about the book:

“Writing poetry, to me, is about profound interiority. It is about wading into the saltwater of your own body, capillaries bursting, eyes brimming, unmoored. This collection is the fruit of that inner probing. It is a tangled mass of everything that has made me angry or giddy or low or impossibly happy to be alive. It has taken me almost [23] years to share my poetry beyond a few trusted friends. Poetry was my place, my little clearing in the forest, where I could quietly put everything I was holding. I’m not sure what gave me the courage to open up that space to you but here I am, doing it. I am proud to show you this personal lens that life shimmers through. This book is no longer mine. It is yours.”

The Magic Border: Poetry and Fragments From My Soft Machine is out 9/12 on HarperCollins, 4th Estate, and Dey Street Books. Find more information here.

For decades Nazis were reliable go-to movie baddies. They’re the villains of films as disparate as The Sound of Music and Inglourious Basterds. When Steven Spielberg and George Lucas bowed their tenured professor action hero Indiana Jones, who did he duke it out with first? Frickin’ Nazis. He did it again in the also delightful threequel. But in the last decade a funny thing happened that’s not funny at all: Nazis improbably made a comeback, all thanks to You Know Who.

Indy is back to battling Nazis in his fifth and final outing, which takes place in the late ‘60s. But what if Indy was around today? What would he make of the debates about whether to not it’s right to coldcock a real-life Nazi like Richard Spencer in his stupid face? That’s what someone asked Harrison Ford, who gave a not very surprising answer.

“He’d push them out of the way to get in the first punch — as well he should,” Ford said to Yahoo’s Kevin Polowy. “That was a black-and-white world,” he said of the rise of the Third Reich. “This evil presented itself to the world. It’s incalculable that this vision of evil not be confronted.”

In Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Mads Mikkelsen plays a former Nazi hired by NASA to work on the Apollo moon landing mission. Of course he has ulterior motives. Mikkelsen’s character is inspired by Wernher von Braun, who worked in Nazi Germany’s rocket development program, only to wind up in America, working for the U.S. Army, NASA, even Walt Disney.

“To see a threat of it in 1969, to know that Wernher von Braun was a Nazi and worked for America on the space program after all we knew about his history and who he associated with,” Ford explained. “I mean, these are shades of gray in a world we’d thought was black and white.”

Anyway, it’s been a while since there’s been a movie where Nazis eat it en masse. But there’s always Inglourious Basterds. And that movie where Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton spend 2 ½ hours gunning down wave after wave of Nazis.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30.

(Via The AV Club)

The 2023 BET Awards are going to be exciting this year. Drake and GloRilla have the most nominations, with the Her Loss performer having seven nods and the “Tomorrow 2” rapper with six.

The highly anticipated event is coming up fast. The ceremony is set to air live on Sunday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET, less than two weeks away. Be sure to mark it on your calendars.

The prestigious Album Of The Year category is packed with lots of instant-classics. The nominations are Anyways, Life’s Great by GloRilla, Breezy by Chris Brown, God Did by DJ Khaled, Her Loss by Drake & 21 Savage, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar, Renaissance by Beyoncé, and SOS by SZA.

Last year’s BET Awards were surrounded by controversy after Lil Nas X called them out for not nominating him. “My relationship with BET has been painful and strained for quite some time. It didn’t start with this year’s nominations like most people might think,” the “Industry Baby” rapper explained to Rolling Stone after the situation. “They did let me perform on their show last year, but only after [I gave] assurances that I was not a satanist or devil worshiper, and that my performance would be appropriate for their audience.”

Back in Season 9 of The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes had the worst day ever. He took his final, ill-fated horse ride, ended up being impaled, took a few moments to blow up a bridge and save his community, got carted off by the helicopter people, and ended up in CRM custody. From there, the zombie-franchise meant to put Andrew Lincoln’s character into a movie trilogy, yet shortly thereafter, a different kind of virus wreaked havoc on real life. Years later, the TV and movie landscape has largely shifted to streaming, and few projects can motivate people to leave their home TV set up. AMC must have seen those signs and decided that Rick would be better off in spinoff land, and the same goes for other enduringly popular TWD characters, too.

As we speak, Fear The Walking Dead is currently wrapping up its final reinvention, and AMC has paved the way for at least three new spinoffs. This includes Rick, yes, who will co-headline his show with Michonne. We’ll get to see Daryl Dixon inexplicably wash ashore in France for Daryl In Paris, where someone will hopefully convince him to bathe before going to the Louvre and wandering through the catacombs, as one does. Before that happens, Maggie and Negan will make a complicated team in The Walking Dead: Dead City.

Actually, these two are a nightmare together, but since Maggie justifiably loathes Negan, plenty of fruit for conflict exists. Both Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are also beloved by Walking Dead fans, even if people still have issues with the latter’s so-called “redemption” arc. They must now rescue Hershel Rhees, son of Maggie and the late Glenn, who of course died when Negan bashed his brains out with a baseball hat. (Awkward.) To do so, the pair must *gulp* head into Manhattan.

Obviously, this is a bad idea on its face. For the most part, The Walking Dead avoided cities since the first time that Rick was dumb enough to hop onto a horse. Still, if characters’ bad decisions led to Dead City existing, then so be it. Don’t expect a quick in-and-out trip, either. The first season runs six episodes, which end with a clear intent to keep the story going, and the show succeeds at blending the past and present of TWD in a few ways.

The undead are overwhelmingly dangerous again: TWD only occasionally made walkers the main threat, but it’s a nice shift of pace to return there (and away from the politics that consume humans) for the visceral hell of it. And yes, there are baddie humans in NYC, but they’re initially dwarfed by Manhattan’s status as a sealed-off-from-the-mainland time capsule. Millions of walkers endlessly roam in the city that never sleeps. The hoards are bigger than we’ve ever seen, much more so than in the TWD finale that bid RIP to Rosita. These “new” zombies are also presumably a well-fed bunch, unlike those Season 7 TWD stragglers, all decaying and weakened, right before Jesus slammed into Rick. That arrival had widened the show’s breadth and should have made it more interesting through long-ass seasons.

Yet even Jesus got bored. He felt “over it” after repeatedly being elected Hilltop leader, so the show conjured up more soap operatics. And when The Whisperers showed up while shuffling alongside walkers, this only reinforced that humans were the main villains as the series continued… for eleven long seasons that contained much padding filled with people-on-people conflict.

What I’m saying is this: Dead City is leaner and meaner and takes the franchise back to its gory brass tacks with a gruesome new playground while the leading duo deals with walkers falling from the sky and whatnot. The danger is constant, so the show never downshifts in intensity, which is nice during a compact season and more like an action movie than a zombie soap opera.

Showrunner Eli Jorne also promised that we’d see some of the “most awesome, disgusting, terrifying walkers” ever on this series, and yep, he delivers. Also, don’t forget about good old-fashioned NYC cockroaches.

A New Spin On That “Truce”: By the end of TWD, Maggie and Negan had agreed to some form of peace, but I think we all knew that couldn’t last. Yet in Dead City, Negan is the only person who can help her on this mission. He doesn’t even want to help, but for reasons I won’t spoil, he has no choice. And that leverage from Maggie is a good way for the show to roast Negan’s previous redemption arc, which always felt forced on TWD. It also felt obvious that the show kept Negan around because Jeffrey Dean Morgan is such a charismatic actor, and the show had already lost several originals, including Rick. So, Negan endlessly toiled towards impossible redemption, yet Dead City drags him enough to make it almost funny.

Granted, this is no comedy, and Negan did change in TWD. That’s partially the case because he had to adapt in order to remain in Alexandria. Although he did take some bullets for the team, it’s nuts that Dwight was exiled and sent to FTWD land whereas Negan got to stick around — not only after the baseball-bat madness but many other terrible Negan deeds, which included taking a harem of “wives,” sometimes by force, and disfiguring their husbands.

In this spinoff, he’s not let off the hook so easily, and I love to see it. Maggie makes him work his ass off and never gives him an inch. Yes, there’s been some promotional talk of the “Old Negan” coming back, and there are slight shades of the Saviors leader that return. And that’s kinda fun, even while the show dives deeper into Maggie’s trauma and how it has shaped her to grow ever more hardened. All of the Old Negan parts do serve a purpose, too, so the show earns those moments.

So, we do get to see Negan let loose with that bravado once more, but there’s no glorification for what he’s done in the past. That also allows for a more textured take on this dynamic other than “Negan is such a swell guy now” and “Maggie is 100% good.” Let’s just say that this show does not forget that most characters have done terrible things to survive in this world. And in a way, Dead City feels like redemption for the redemption arc.

The two halves make a whole: Maggie and Negan’s relative strengths and weaknesses actually do add up to an effective team, and the show’s blending of past and present themes make Dead City as watchable as the better TWD seasons. We also get to see the duo throw down in a completely different environment — obviously a grime-soaked, more potentially lethal one — where they must fight harder than they ever have to stay alive.

Speaking of which, physically, Maggie has never been stronger, but otherwise? This spinoff explores that, too. Anyone who’s lived through the horror of watching their husband be brutally murdered is naturally going to have some issues in life. Yet there’s a certain point where both the show and Maggie must also decide whether they will be defined by Negan’s misdeeds. And it’s that exploration that makes Dead City worth watching beyond the spectacle of the undead huddled masses, yearning to be free to eat human flesh. This is all so gross, I agree. If you could stomach The Walking Dead, you will dig what you see on Dead City.

AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ will premiere on April 18.

Two-term Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker gave a clever commencement speech at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on June 12 based on quotes from “The Office.” Pritzker graduated from the Northwestern University School of Law, which was renamed in his honor in 2015.

Coincidentally, “The Office” star Steve Carell was in attendance at the speech because his daughter was among the graduates.

“Today, graduates, I want to invoke a seminal piece of twenty-first-century culture to help send you forward on the right path in life,” Pritzker said. “I am, of course, talking about the Emmy award-winning sitcom known as ‘The Office’—which in its two hundred episode run gave us all the wisdom you need to make your way in this world.”

His speech was based on six quotes from “The Office.” (The last one comes at the speech’s conclusion.)

“PowerPoints are the peacocks of the business world; all show, no meat.” – Dwight Schrute

“Having a baby is exhausting. Having two babies? That’s just mean.” – Jim Halpert

“I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do.” – Michael Scott

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” – Andy Bernard

A quote from Schrute inspired the most poignant moment in his speech: “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think ‘Would an idiot do that?’ and if they would, I do not do that thing.”

u201cu201cWhenever Iu2019m about to do something, I think u2018Would an idiot do that?u2019 and if they would, I do not do that thing.u201d u2013 Dwight SchrutennAnd what is the best way to spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel.u201d

— Governor JB Pritzker (@Governor JB Pritzker)
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“If you want to be successful in this world, you have to develop your own idiot detection system,” Pritzker said before joking that people who prefer the “Star Wars” prequel and sequel trilogies over the originals may be idiots. But then the speech took a serious, heartfelt turn where he talks about two approaches to human nature.

“The best way to spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel,” Pritzker says. “When we see someone who doesn’t look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us—the first thought that crosses almost everyone’s brain is rooted in either fear or judgment or both. That’s evolution. We survived as a species by being suspicious of things we aren’t familiar with.”

“In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct and force our brain to travel a different pathway. Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being. They require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges,” Pritzker continues. “I’m here to tell you that when someone’s path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, they have failed the first test of an advanced society. They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct. They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their own instinctual fears. And so, their thinking and problem-solving will lack the imagination and creativity that the kindest people have in spades.”

u201cThe pressure was on, but I hope Steve and #NU2023 enjoyed my sharing of the wisdom we learned from The Office.u201d

— Governor JB Pritzker (@Governor JB Pritzker)
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Then, instead of showing the graduates how to detect the idiots in the world, he showed them how he finds the most intelligent.

“Over my many years in politics and business, I have found one thing to be universally true—the kindest person in the room is often the smartest,” Pritzker says.

Priztker’s observation may sound nice, but it is rooted in research. Numerous studies have found that people who have lower cognitive abilities—or, as Pritzker and Dwight Schrute would call them, “idiots”—are more likely to harbor bigoted beliefs about people who are different.

Pritzker concluded his speech by summarizing the lessons he learned from watching “The Office.”

“Be more substance than show. Set aside cruelty for kindness. Put one foot in front of the other even when you don’t know your way. And always try and appreciate the good old days when you are actually in them,” Pritzker said. “And remember what Dwight Schrute said, ‘You only live once? False! You live every day! You only die once.’”

A few weeks ago I came across an article about a kid who watches television at 1.5x speed so he can cram as much viewing in as he can. It seemed that his unquenchable desire to get through shows in the Golden Age of television meant he’d sacrifice the entertainment value of the show just to get to the end.

“Man, this guy would have been crucified in 1993,” I thought.

As a 45-year-old card-carrying member of Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1979), I remembered a time when nobody bragged about the amount of TV they watched. In fact, they bragged about not owning a TV. “I don’t watch TV, man,” people would say. “It only exists to sell you stuff.”

This complete reversal on the social acceptance of gluttonous TV viewing made me wonder what happened to the values we were raised on as Gen Xers? We were taught that sincerity was for simpletons, everything corporate is evil, old school is always better than the latest and greatest, authenticity is king, conformity is death and there is nothing worse than being a sell-out or a poser.

Nobody would have ever referred to themselves as an “influencer” in 1991—that’s the definition of a sell-out.

“After writing this book, I’m back in the mindset of ’90s thinking, which is that nothing is worse than selling out,” Chuck Klosterman, author of “The Nineties: A Book,” told Esquire. “Nothing was more embarrassing in the ’90s than trying to convince people to like the thing you made.”

Deep inside the heart of almost every Gen Xer is a deep-seated feeling of nihilism. We didn’t trust the corporations that laid off our parents or gutted their pensions in the ’80s. In fact, everything corporate was predatory. We didn’t have a lot of faith in family values because we were the first generation raised by single parents or in daycare. We didn’t care much about politics either. Back in the ’90s, Gen X’s aversion to politics was historic.

Of course, these are all generalities about a generation of nearly about 65 million people, but studies show that there are some definite hallmarks of being a Gen Xer.

According to a generational differences document circulated through the business community, Gen X’s core values are “skepticism,” “fun” and “informality.” They’re described as “self-reliant,” “independent,” “unimpressed with authority” and motivated by “freedom.”

In the young Gen Xer, the culture of the era “instilled a wariness and skepticism, and a kind of ‘figure it out for yourself’ mindset,” Paul Taylor, author of “The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown” told The Washington Post. And with that came a sense “that you don’t have to shine a light on yourself. You’re not the center of the universe.”

But things have changed since the ’90s when Gen X was coming of age. We live in an American culture that is fractured by political partisanship, fueled by a constant culture of outrage, crippled by a preoccupation with technology, plundered by greedy boomers and annoyed by overly sensitive millennials. All of this is happening while we face the greatest challenge of our times, climate change.

The answer to all of these problems is simple: admit that Gen X at one point had it right and if we followed its lead, we could reverse these terrible trends. OK, it might not fix all of our woes, but the way things are going now surely aren’t working. Plus, weren’t the ’90s great?

Also, with hat in hand, I must admit that this message is for Gen Xers as well. Many of us have lost our way by forgetting our disdain for authority and skepticism toward institutions. This is a call for us to remember what we once stood for and to fight back by doing what we do best—staying above the fray.

Gen X, it’s time to strap on your Dr. Martens boots and get back to fighting the “Battle of Who Could Care Less.” It’s time we collectively got our “whatever” back and showed the other generations how powerful dismissiveness can be.

Here are the top five Gen X values that we need to embrace again.

5.  Buying vintage items

Nothing was less hip in the early ’90s than wearing mall clothes. If you had any style you shopped at a thrift store and bought used duds from the ’70s and early ’80s and remixed them into something awesome. If you were into hip-hop or skating you shopped at the surplus store and rocked some super-durable Dickies or Carhartt gear. The mood of the times was totally anti-fashion. These days, we live in a world where fast fashion is killing the environment. By embracing the Gen X value of old-school cool, we can help the planet while looking much more fashionable in the process.

4. Corporate skepticism

In the early 2000s, people fell head-over-heels in love with smartphone technology and social media so quickly that nobody stopped and said, “Hey, wait a minute!” Now, we have a world where kids are depressed, the culture has become divided and nobody talks to each other in public anymore, they just stare at their phones. I can totally understand why young millennials and Luddite boomers would fall for the big-tech ruse, but sadly, Gen X was asleep at the wheel and fell victim, too. The generation that embraced the notion that TV rotted your brain needs to remind everyone to go outside and play in the sunshine or read a book. And if you read a book it should be by Bret Easton Ellis.

3. Just say “whatever”

Two of the most popular Gen X phrases were “whatever” and “talk to the hand (because the face don’t give a damn).” These may seem to be flippant responses but they are the correct way to deal with other people’s nonsense and in 2022, we have to deal with a constant barrage of it.

Somewhere along the way, people forgot that it’s even more powerful to ignore someone than to admit they got under your skin. In the world of social media, we unintentionally amplify the most wretched voices by subtweeting, commenting and liking the posts from the army of grifters fighting for our attention.

We also live in an era where many seem to be addicted to outrage. The quickest way to stop fanning the flames of outrage is with a simple, “whatever.” Like dogs distracted by squirrels, we’ve got our heads on outrage swivels these days. Throwing around the occasional “whatever” gives us the time and energy to focus on the problems that really matter and take action.

These days “whatever” matters more than ever.

2. Bring back snobbery

Good taste used to matter. In the 2000s, millennials decided that people have the right to like what they like and that it’s worse to judge someone’s personal taste than to have bad taste. Gen Xers based their entire personalities on taste and demanded integrity from artists and were rewarded by living in a time of superior films and music. These days, no one listens to new music and we’re stuck in a world dominated by comic book movies because no one stood up and shamed people for liking low-effort culture.

1. ​Political apathy

America’s political divide has calcified over the past decade because more and more people are basing their personal identities on their politics. This has created a culture where the dialog between liberals and conservatives has become a shouting match that only makes people dig their heels in further. It’s also created a culture in Washington, D.C. that has attracted a more debased form of politician and led to the gridlock that has halted any sense of progress. Sadly, Gen X has also been sucked into this vortex.

Things were a lot different in the ’90s. Back in 1999, Ted Halstead at The Atlantic noted that Xers “appear to have enshrined political apathy as a way of life.” He added that Gen Xers “exhibit less social trust or confidence in government, have a weaker allegiance to their country or to either political party.”

Compared to what’s going on in America in 2022, this type of apathy seems welcome. Back in the ’90s, taking a “chill pill” could solve everything. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone took one, and then we could open our ears and hearts and have some constructive discussions?

There was a common lament in the 1980s that the boomer hippies had sold out and became boomer yuppies. They went from being concerned with peace, love and the planet to stocks, bonds and conspicuous consumption. Gen X is now in its 40s and 50s and it’s fair to say that we’ve moved from being the outsiders to creating technological and political machines that are generating the type of conformity that we once railed against.

Now that Xers are at the age where we get to run the world for a few decades, it’s time to recommit to the core values that make us well … us. The great news is that as Gen Xers, it’ll be easy to get back to our roots because we were raised to ironically love the past.

This article originally appeared on 03.10.22

In December of last year, the estate of the late Mark Linkous shared a posthumous song from his band Sparklehorse called “It Will Never Stop.” The fuzzy track captured the group’s skill for balancing troubling content matter with mesmerizing melodies. His brother Matt said in a statement that “great care has been taken to archive and preserve Mark’s music.”

Now more releases are coming. On Tuesday, June 13, ANTI- Records announced the forthcoming release of a new album Bird Machine and also released the song “Evening Star Supercharger.” It’s a twinkling ballad, showcasing Linkous’ spellbinding, unmatched lyricism. “Peace without pill, gun or needle or prayer appear / Never found sometimes near but too fleet to be clear,” he lulls.

“It’s the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” said Matt. “It’s difficult making a choice about someone else’s art, even if you’ve known them all your life and worked with them, even if they were your brother and best friend. We had long conversations about not wanting to take this into a different direction. We wanted to bring out what was there.”

Listen to “Evening Star Supercharger” above. Find the album artwork and tracklist below.

1. “It Will Never Stop”
2. “Kind Ghosts”
3. “Evening Star Supercharger”
4. “O Child”
5. “Falling Down”
6. “I Fucked It Up”
7. “Hello Lord”
8. “Daddy’s Gone”
9. “Chaos of the Universe”
10. “Listening to the Higsons”
11. “Everybody’s Gone to Sleep”
12. “Scull of Lucia”
13. “Blue”
14. “Stay”

Bird Machine is out 9/8 on ANTI- Records. Find more information here.

Prior to the 2022-23 NBA season, a clip from a Philadelphia 76ers practice showed then-head coach Doc Rivers talking to James Harden about how he can help the team become unbeatable. Of course, the Sixers were decidedly beatable this year, as the team blew a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics and went into an offseason that saw Rivers get fired and questions pop up about Harden’s long-term future in Philadelphia.

In the aftermath of the Game 7 loss to the Celtics, Harden sure made it sound like his relationship with Rivers wasn’t in an excellent place, as he simply said their bond was “ok.” Rivers hadn’t spoken about much since then, but during an appearance on Bill Simmons’ podcast, the now-former Sixers coach broke down how “challenging” it could be to coach a player like Harden.

“It was challenging, more because we were fighting two things—and not like visually fighting—it was James is so good at playing one way, and the way I believe you have to play to win, in some ways, is different,” Rivers said, per Bleacher Report. “Because it’s a lot of giving up the ball, moving the ball, coming back to the ball. I would have loved to have him younger, when that was easier for him because giving up the ball and getting back the ball is hard. It’s physical, it’s exhausting.”

Rivers went on to break the year down into the first and second half, and said that Harden’s play was the biggest differentiator in Philly’s success during the former and struggles during the latter.

“So, yeah, at times, to get him to move it and get him to play the way I needed him to play — I thought the first half of the year, we were the best team in the game,” Rivers said. “I thought James was playing perfect basketball. He was the point guard of the team. He was still scoring, but he was doing more playmaking and scoring. Then in the second half, he started scoring more, trying to score more, and I thought we got stagnant at times. I thought we changed.”

Rivers was replaced by former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse as the head coach of the Sixers.