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While the average festival attendee might not recognize the names of Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, and Yoni Reisman, they have proven to be pivotal to New York City’s history. After founding the production company Founders Entertainment as 20-somethings with an immense passion for live music, they also crafted the idea to host a music festival on Governors Island in 2011.

The sounds of the city were still drawn to the Indie Sleaze movement, and so, the festival’s single-day lineup reflected that — with electronic artists Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, and Empire OF The Sun headlining that year. That decision to cater to a generation of fellow early adults paid off immensely, as the aptly-titled Governors Ball’s debut drew the highest attendance for any event on Governors Island. “As many area festival attempts often fall flat due to poor execution, the Governors Ball was a pleasant exception to the rule, leaving us looking forward to its return next year,” Flavorwire wrote about the festival.

Building upon their success, the founders expanded Governors Ball to a two-day festival the following year, moving the location to Randall’s Island to better accommodate the growth — which included popular city food vendors (Luke’s Lobster, Wafels & Dinges) and a variety of outdoor games. Beck, Kid Cudi, Passion Pit, and Modest Mouse were on 2012’s top billing.

Despite the momentum, the third year was not a charm for Governors Ball, as disaster struck in the form of Tropical Storm Andrea on day one — the start of weather that would prove to be a common struggle for the founders in years to come. By 9 pm, the entire festival was canceled, with local paper Gothamist publishing a slideshow of the conditions. Crowds in colorful ponchos dispersed, just trying to avoid being drenched in mud.

“It was a heck of a storm: a lot of rain and high winds. When you have 40,000 people on your festival site, which is grass, and you have five to six inches of water descend upon that site within an eight-hour period, the result is a field of mud,” Russell told INC about that year. “There’s not much you can really do to combat that. We laid down plywood, sand, and landscaper’s hay, but everything just sank. Around 8 p.m. on Friday, when we started getting 40 mph wind gusts, we knew we had to cut the show.”

Throughout the years, weather complications have continued to be a common theme affecting Governors Ball. In 2019, Sunday attendees were stuck on Randall’s Island, until an 8:30 pm announcement officially canceled The Strokes and SZA’s nighttime performances. With severe thunderstorms, ticket buyers walked back across the RFK bridge to get home.

Still, Governors Ball planned to get back to normal. The original 2020 lineup continued the cross-generational appeal by featuring Tame Impala, Missy Elliott, Flume, and Vampire Weekend as headliners; it was eventually canceled due to the pandemic. After taking a-year-and-a-half hiatus until returning in September 2021, much like the rest of the world, the festival made some major changes. As for whether these will prove for better or for worse is to be determined.

Upon their return, Governors Ball announced they would be moving the permanent location to Citi Field — with stages set up just outside of the Mets stadium. Last year marked my first time attending the festival, so it’s difficult to compare to past locations. However, crowd control seemed to be a significant issue. Given the stages are spaced quite closely together, a lot of the audiences blended into one giant crowd, with very minimal lamp posts or clear exit signs. About six months later and in the wake of Astroworld, it seems to be a potential safety issue.

Still, Governors Ball has the opportunity to smooth out any roadblocks for their second year at Citi Field. At the very least, they have an all-star lineup — one that leans heavily into aiming for a younger demographic instead of keeping one headliner your Gen X mother might recognize.

Saturday’s headliner, Halsey, is one of the most exciting artists on the bill. They sought out their musical heroes — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails — to eventually began crafting an industrial-inspired pop record together. The result was their cinematic fourth studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. While the writing process began before Halsey’s pregnancy (and first child), it conceptually began to wrap around all the various aspects of motherhood.

Rapper J. Cole will close out the festival as Sunday’s headlining performer. Last year, he released his Grammy-nominated sixth album, The Off-Season. “The Off-Season symbolizes the work that it takes to get to the highest height,” he told Slam magazine last year. “The Off-Season represents the many hours and months and years it took to get to top form. Just like in basketball, what you see him do in the court, that shit was worked on in the summertime.”

Hip-hop continues to play a heavy part in Governors Ball’s main acts: Friday headliner Kid Cudi, Jack Harlow, British MC Skepta, Coi Leray, Roddy Ricch, and many more. As a fun surprise, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal is scheduled to perform on Saturday under the stage name DJ Diesel.

For those looking for rising indie acts, Samia is one of the solo artists not to miss. The singer-songwriter released her first full-length record, The Baby, in 2020. She has since followed that with a handful of equally strong singles, from the somber, piano-driven “Desperado” to capturing feelings of love, and acceptance on “As You Are.” Last year, Samia also teamed up with a handful of prominent indie artists to reimagine songs from her debut album, including Bartees Strange, Christian Lee Hutson, Palehound, and many more.

The past year has also been a record-breaking one for Michelle Zauner, who fronts the Philly-based indie band, Japanese Breakfast. Between releasing a Grammy-nominated album, Jubilee, and becoming a New York Times bestselling author with her debut memoir, Crying In H Mart, Zauner has continuously distinguished herself as a talented artist — no matter what the medium is.

In all, Governors Ball has the chance to redefine itself for this new decade, evolving as necessary, and representing its city as the flagship festival offering.

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

If you’re a fan of Breaking Bad and/or Better Call Saul (are there people who like one, but not the other? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t want to know), you should follow Thomas Schnauz on Twitter. He’s written (and occasionally directed) many of the best episodes for both shows, including “Say My Name” and the Saul season six midseason finale “Plan and Execution,” and answers questions from his followers.

Like @David66393582, who wondered “if deaging tech was ever considered? And would you use it if and when Walt and Jesse emerge in BCS?” It’s a fair question considering Saul takes place before the events of Breaking Bad, but Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, etc. look older in the prequel series, because that’s how aging works. “You either go with it or you don’t,” Schnauz replied. “We don’t have the time or budget to do that.” Better Call Saul does not have The Irishman money.

The Emmy-nominated writer also responded to a question from @TruthScarier about whether Saul takes into account people who haven’t seen Breaking Bad. “We try to have it make sense for people who haven’t seen BB, and that just means returning characters and references have to work organically with the plot and not be forced in,” he explained.

Also, Schnauz tweets about testicles.

A lot.

Like hundreds of times.

Honestly? Good for him.

There was no reason for it to be anyone else. When the cover for Madden NFL 23 was unveiled to a room full of press and other members of EA’s staff it became obvious that nobody besides the late John Madden should be placed on it. The man who influenced not only the game of football, but the world of both broadcasting and video games. The impact of Madden is apparent all over the game from menus to how the game is being designed this year.

As for the cover itself, there will be three covers that each represents different stages of his career. There’s the cover with his time in the booth as a broadcaster, a cover of one of the most iconic images of his coaching career, and finally a recreation of the original cover from his first ever game, John Madden Football on the Apple II.

There was really nobody else they could have put on the cover for Madden NFL 23. The last time Madden himself was on the cover was Madden 2000, and every year since has featured an NFL athlete. This of course has led to intense yearly debates on which athlete should be on the cover of Madden, but this is a great tribute to the man who brought the game to life.

With the cover revealed, EA Sports will unveil the first full game trailer for this year’s edition on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET here.

A fantastic fourth NBA season concluded earlier this spring for Trae Young. Despite some hiccups in the first round against the Miami Heat’s rangy, physical defense, Young’s fourth year may have been his finest yet. He made his second All-Star appearance and last week, was selected as an All-NBA Third Team honoree. Across 76 regular season outings, the 23-year-old averaged 28.4 points, 9.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds on 60.3 percent true shooting.

As a superstar point guard, Young recognizes the internal rigors of the limelight and pressures associated with being a franchise pillar. They initially manifested when he starred during his lone collegiate season at Oklahoma en route to an All-American selection.

In aim to provide resources for others dealing with mental health struggles, the Trae Young Family Foundation was enacted in 2019. On behalf of Trident, Dime caught up with Young to discuss how he navigates the ebbs and flows of mental health, what this NBA season taught him and the next steps ahead on his hoops journey.

What have you learned during your life about the importance of mental health?

Yeah, I mean, obviously, for me, it’s been more about basketball. And it really started in college and going through a season where it was up and down, and felt like the whole country loved you. And then, the whole country hated you at the same time. Just because of basketball and being 18, 19, going through that, I really had to think about my mental health, and it was really messing with me at times. So going into the league, that was a big focus of mine, when starting my foundation on what I would focus and emphasize on and so that was the reason.

With your foundation, did you want to provide an outlet for people to have somewhere to go to that could help with their mental health?

Yeah. 100 percent. So, I mean, you hit the nail on the head, that’s the reason why, and that was a focus for me after just going through that experience. And yeah, just now, people are obviously talking about it more since COVID and these last couple of years, but that was the focus for my foundation from day one.

When you feel your mental health slipping, what sort of habits do you practice to try and address that?

I really just try to focus on thinking positive as much as I can with anything, And then also seeing my friends or my close family, like just being around my circle, I think also helps me in just being positive and helped me with when there are down times, and things like that. So, I think those are important for me.

What do you consider the the mission or the objective of your family foundation? What is it that you want to accomplish?

Really, just focus on the mental health side of everybody and try to force the positivity out there. To let people know that if they are going through things that it’s okay to speak up and talk to somebody about it. I’ve had people I’ve talked to throughout the last couple of years that helped me throughout things. So I think it’s okay to let the people know that. For other people to see me from a distance and think that everything may always be good to understand that sometimes it’s not. I think it’s just shows people that they can speak out too.

Who are some people who helped you feel more comfortable speaking up and what did they do to make you feel like it’s, OK that you don’t have to put up the facade?

I think first person who really helped me was my college coach, Coach (Lon) Kruger. He helped me, as far as just seeing the mental health side. Just seeing me throughout that season struggling sometimes, and helping me and guiding me to the right people. He really helped me.

What did you think exactly was key for you with your relationship in that regard?

He was around me every day. We were playing games, and we’re winning and doing good. And then, obviously seeing the struggling times. He was just around and he guided me to a person who helped me and somebody who I still talk to to this day. And I appreciate him for that.

Is it the correct assessment that it was like the first prolonged period of consistent inconsistencies for you as a player and team?

Yeah. And it’s on a bigger stage. When every game is the headline of college basketball, it’s a big stage. Being a freshman trying to lead a team to the championship, It’s a big thing and a big stage. With good things comes bad things, too. So I think I just had to go through it. And it’s made me a better person today.

I just remember watching some games on ESPN and they had like a Trae Young Tracker or something like that.

Yeah, there would be games that weren’t even mine and they were putting my stats on it.

I can imagine that’s quite the burden to bear, both positively and negatively, at such a young age. This year, what do feel like you learned about your game and what do you hope to really address this offseason to help lead your team back to where you were a year ago and even further?

I think it’s been a great year. Obviously, we didn’t finish as far as we did last year, but I think with what we went through this year, with the injuries and guys being out, I think just seeing how he fought to the end, it was good to see. And then obviously, next year, we don’t know what it’s going to bring. So, I’m just happy that the season ended with guys fighting.

Yeah, for sure. You went up against a really talented Miami team with one of the best defenses in the league. What did what did that series teach you about your game in areas where like you already excel or areas that you want to you address moving forward?

The Heat had a really good team. They had the personnel to switch everything And I think we just ran into a tough matchup. … I think the front office, and everybody’s, talking about making some moves. But I don’t know what’s going to happen this offseason. But just understanding that we got to get a higher seed going into next year is the main focus point.

What do you take from that series that you kind of allow to influence your offseason training like, ‘Oh, I gotta get better at this? Or maybe they kind of exploited a certain part of my game here.’ Like, where do you kind of let the those games influence how you approach this offseason, if at all?

They just did a good job of not letting me get into the paint. And I mean, a big part of my game is being in the pick-and-roll and getting into the paint. When they’re switching everything, you’re not really able to get into pick-and-roll games. They just had a great, great defensive scheme. It’s more about just now figuring out how, if they’re going to be switching, still find ways to get into the paint and make plays for myself and for others. They just did a good job. You gotta give them credit.

Where do you kind of feel like you made the most strides individually this season?

I think really just being consistent with just my play, and and really just being better in efficiency. I’ve gotten better in that (every) year, so just continuing to be better in my efficiency. I think that was good to see this year.

If you told me, a person who has lost all sense of time over the course of the pandemic, that Bo Burnham’s Inside came out 6 weeks, 6 months, or 6 years ago, I would believe you. Monday, on Twitter, Burnham said it was a year ago. Okay then. He also said he spent 2 months prepping the release (on his YouTube channel) of The Inside Outtakes, an hour’s worth of new material (behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes) from the original lockdown sessions that resulted in the widely beloved Netflix special. This is exciting.

For the unfamiliar, Inside stands out as a document of our collective time spent inside during COVID with Burnham capturing himself during a long stretch filled with impossibly catchy songs and comedy bits that alternate between searing and silly. When it came out, I called it a “cross-section of comedy, anger, and stir craziness.”

Since its release, Inside has been nominated for a Peabody, won three Emmys and a Grammy, and seen its companion album top out at number 7 on the Billboard 200. Obviously, the special hit a very specific nerve at a time when a lot of people could relate to (and needed to laugh through) the side effects of isolation and boredom as we waited for a sign that it was safe to resume our normal lives. But that time is over now. No, seriously. I think masks got outlawed and the hesitant and high risk have been drawn out to center stage like Stephen King’s Carrie with everyone’s hot breath drenching them as the pandemic continues. Rub some dirt on your mental health problems, get out of your makeshift home office, crack your nest egg and smear the yolk on the gas pump, your landlord… this got gross. What I’m saying is: normality has returned, ready or not.

So, Burnham’s special is a period piece now, referencing a time deemed too depressing for revisitation by everyone else in pop culture. Think: when was the last time you can recall a major TV series with an arc that referenced masks or COVID? That’s the challenge of releasing this new material right now, but I’m sure Burnham had a look around at the landscape and did this anyway. Why? Is this companion content a statement about our “over it” attitudes toward the pandemic? A gift to his fans? A look into the arduous craft required to make Inside while reinforcing the idea that this is a classic that should be considered and reconsidered? Or is it just a useful distraction that was easier to commit himself to than some new thing that might spark anxiety for its need to equal or better Inside? Maybe it’s all of it, maybe it’s none of it. As with all things Inside, Burnham isn’t offering many additional clues.

A product of the internet and early days of YouTube, Burnham has reinvented himself (or, I suppose we could just say he’s grown) into a serious filmmaker (Eighth Grade) who occasionally teams with his peers to push the envelope on the visual spirit of comedy specials (Jerrod Carmichael’s Rothaniel is a great example). This version of Burnham doesn’t tweet much and he didn’t really say much about Inside when it came out. Instead, he let the work speak for itself. Something he’ll probably do again with Outtakes. It’s a novel approach: quiet in an era of self-promotional noise. It also leaves space to fill because people inevitably get curious about why art happens, especially when it seems so personal.

Left with only the work to define itself, we can report that The Inside Outtakes is great, funny, weird, clever, and closer to some of the less heavy moments from the original Netflix special. This is more “White Woman’s Instagram” (which is about privilege and mocking a parade of cliches on social media) than “Welcome To The Internet” (which is a jaunty number about how the internet has poisoned our brains while continuing to draw us deeper into its web). “Five Years” (which is about a couple bickering at the five-year mark in their relationship) and the “Jeans” fake ad are great examples of the tone here. I wonder why that is, though. Was this material from earlier in the filming process? Later? Mysteries, mysteries.

Oh, there’s another Jeff Bezos song! How many Jeff Bezos songs does Bo Burnham have in him? What about Elon? Is he taking requests? The “Joe Biden” song is great (and a bit of a bop), tapping into dissatisfaction with Biden as the pick to be the lesser of two evils in November 2020. Why didn’t that make it into the final cut of the original special? Maybe it felt more dated in May 2021 than it does in May 2022 when there’s less excitement over old Joe in these streets.

There are also several efforts to take the piss out of self-important comedians in the new material (as there was in the original, specifically with “Comedy”). The podcast bit here (that reads as a slam on Joe Rogan) and the repeated swipes at the significance of Inside with numerous faux ads all accomplish that seeming goal. But this may seem a little odd since Burnham has, himself, been elevated to comic philosopher/messiah status by critics (myself included) following Inside. Yet it’s fair to remember that he didn’t necessarily ask for that or supply anything toward our construction of the pedestal we have placed him on, save for his work, silence, and maybe his Christ-like look (I mean, it writes itself). Bo Burnham doesn’t have to be who we’re trying to make him.

There’s one more specific moment I want to call out that speaks to the new material and this stubborn question about why and what Burnham is trying to say. It’s a sweet song called “Chicken” and it’s about a bird plump with dreams who must find the courage to cross the road away from the mundanity of her life and how she freezes in the street as headlights approach. The metaphor here is not subtle to anyone who has tried to time their own adventure back out into the world and it’s a lovely thing that ends with a little optimism. It also stands out because I don’t know that a bunch of in-depth profiles and interviews with Burnham would have revealed more about his headspace than this song or “Look Who’s Inside Again,” “Problematic,” or “That Funny Feeling” from the original.

Exploring motives is an important part of trying to understand art. I don’t want to make it seem like there’s no value to be gained from asking questions. But the absence of that further context does not halt the reach of that art. That’s my point, specific to someone like Burnham who doesn’t seem to want to offer an explicit road map or much more than a few highly intimate snapshots of his mind from a time when few of our minds were ready for the flash of a camera. We always want more, but like Inside, that goddamn chicken song hit me right between the shoulders, and so, at the risk of putting too convenient and breathless a cap on this thing, the why doesn’t really matter that much. The enjoyment gained from that song (and this material) and the power of that is why art happens. And that’s just going to have to be a good enough answer.

‘Inside: The Outakes’ is available on YouTube

Laura Ingraham, who’s regularly torched by her brother, Curtis (imagine those Thanksgiving dinner conversations), has blamed the Left for every ill in society. She hates Big Bird and loathes clowns, and Curtis has called out her “evil” response to the Uvalde mass school shooting when she somehow blamed trans people and immigrants (after nonexistent gun control made it possible for an 18-year-old gunman to purchase two assault rifles, which he used to kill elementary school kids and their teachers).

Ingraham has a new scapegoat, though, which she trucked out to blame for all the violence in America. She’s actually attempting to make some sort of twisted connection here, although one would be hard pressed to find any mass shooter who has confessed to lighting up a joint and then going on a killing spree. Some right-wing opinion columnists disagree, and Ingraham is onboard with that thinking.

“Why aren’t people in general not talking more about the pot psychosis violent behavior connection?” Ingraham very seriously asked on Monday night.

As Mediaite points out, Ingraham was drawing conclusions from the Daily Mail and New York Times reporting that the Uvalde shooter may have smoked pot at some point, so she now sees weed as a big scapegoat for all mass shootings. And she got dragged mightily for Michael Steele, a former RNC chairman, who wanted to know of Ingraham, “What kinda sh*t you smoke’?”

Chip, cheese doodles, and ice cream lovers everywhere joined in the ridicule, as did one user who wondered why weed-loving Canada (clearly) isn’t experiencing a mass shooting epidemic.

Well, at least it’s incredibly hard to imagine Ingraham smoking up or even vaping (unlike Sean Hannity). So, Cheeto-on, smokers.

No more teasers, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ new song, “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World” featuring Perfume Genius is here. And since we all had to wait for nearly a decade, they’ve also just officially announced the release of their next album, Cool It Down.

The eight track album from the trio of Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase, is due out on September 30th and the band has already announced a slate of performances worldwide.

“To all who have waited, our dear fans, thank you, our fever to tell has returned, and writing these songs came with its fair share of chills, tears, and euphoria when the pain lifts and truth is revealed,” Karen O began in a statement. “Don’t have to tell you how much we’ve been going through in the last nine years since our last record, because you’ve been going through it too, and we love you and we see you, and we hope you feel the feels from the music we’ve made. No shying away from the feels, or backing down from what’s been gripping all of us these days. So yes we’ve taken our time, happy to report when it’s ready it really does just flow out.”

The album’s lead single is “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World,” which features Perfume Genius’ Michael Hadreas and was produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek. O’s voice sounds as glorious as ever, while Hadreas brings depth to the vocal arrangement as they sing over Zinner’s possessed guitar, about the grim future that our planet could face if we keep living wastefully. “I see the younger generations staring down this threat, and they’re standing on the edge of a precipice, confronting what’s coming with anger and defiance,” O says. “It’s galvanizing, and there’s hope there.”

Watch the Cody Critcheloe-directed video for “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World” above and check out the album art and tracklist below, as well as Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ up-to-date list of upcoming live shows.

1. “Spitting Off the Edge Of The World” Feat. Perfume Genius
2. “Lovebomb”
3. “Wolf”
4. “Fleez”
5. “Burning”
6. “Blacktop”
7. “Different Today”
8. “Mars”

06/05 — O2 Apollo @ Manchester, UK
06/07 — London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
06/08 —London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
06/11 — Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound 2022
07/20 — Melbourne, Australia @ Margaret Court Arena
07/22 — Yelgun, Australia @ Splendour in the Grass 2022
07/24 — Sydney, Australia @ Hordern Pavilion
07/29 — Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music and Arts Festival 2022
09/18 —Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
10/01 — New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
10/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

Cool It Down is out 9/30 via Secretly Canadian. Pre-order it here.

Mayans M.C. launched four years ago in the shadow of Sons Of Anarchy. It’s now 2022, and everything has not only changed within this world but also within this FX franchise. The spinoff’s now in the thick of Season 4 with Elgin James pulling sole showrunner duties (Kurt Sutter left the building long ago), and Danny Pino, who portrays drug lord Miguel Galindo, now takes the director’s seat for the first time. This move has been a long time coming for him, given that Pino’s done a lot of Hollywood time. That includes a recent return to a beloved role for Law & Order: SVU‘s 500th episode along with more fearsome characters, not only in Mayans but also The Shield.

In Mayans, however, Pino’s character (who is, at times, both unspeakably ruthless and empathetic) has taken quite a turn. No longer is he simply the Ivy League-educated prodigal son of the Santo Padre drug trade. Rather, he’s heavily bearded and hiding out in a convent after leaving his luxurious life (and Michael Corleone-esque ways) behind. He’s on the run from everyone; his wife has also run away after he attempted to poison her out of vengeance for her betrayal and let’s just say that Miguel’s life is messy. Ain’t no drama like biker-related drama is what I always say.

While Miguel’s (relatively) sidelined, Danny Pino has gearing up to direct, and now, he’s doing it on his own for Season 4, Episode 8. It’s a heck of an episode, too, after the death of a fan-favorite biker and as the Mayans and Sons engage in war, this time for real. Danny was kind enough to speak with us (shortly after the devastating Texas school shooting in Uvalde) about his realization of his long-running directorial plan and how he dealt with all of that unfamiliar hair.

Hey Danny, thanks for talking about Mayans with me today. I know that we’ve all got this shadowy cloud hanging over us.

Of course. And thank you for bringing that up, and I agree. Everything else seems trivial.

And we’re all struggling to find words to process this.

Unfortunately, it feels like, you know, it doesn’t seem like words are getting to the right people so that we can fix this epidemic that we have going on. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking, sometimes you can get lulled into thinking that it’s hopeless, but it’s not. We have the power to change it.

And of course, now I have to awkwardly change the subject.

Yeah. [Laughs] Yes, yes.

So, this episode that you directed, whoa, it looks great. I was taken aback at how beautiful the lighting is and striking the shots are. It felt like I was watching Ozark but had no trouble seeing everything without cranking up the brightness.

Thank you very much for that. It gives me an opportunity to quite literally shed light on the first person who makes every frame a piece of art. And that is Vanessa Joyce Smith, who started off as a camera operator on Mayans in Season 1, and then moved into the cinematographer position and just flourished. So to be able to create those frames with her and think about what those scenes would look like, I had the advantage of not only being on the show, obviously as an actor, but also Elgin James encouraged me to shadow him and other directors on our show over the course of the last few years. He knew that I had an interest and a passion to tell stories and to direct and to expand my artistic expression and to continue to challenge myself as an artist. And I think that he probably recognized some of himself in that, and opened up many doors to me, to the department heads. And allowed me to ask them questions and one of those people was Vanessa. To tag along and ask her questions about what her taste for film and television and to watch things that she enjoyed watching, a long list of recommended material that Elgin suggested, that he derived some of his inspiration from, whether it was old-school film to some Asian films and Chinese cinema…

That Asian influence really comes through in this episode’s battle scenes.

… and really getting an understanding of that and applying it to the script that I was lucky to inherit when I was assigned Episode 408. Nobody really knew what that meant. We just knew that was the eighth episode in the fourth season because the storylines hadn’t really been broken yet. So we didn’t really know what all was going to land in Episode 408. It turns out that I received a huge gift in the depth and also the action, the kinetic energy in the episode. I got very fortunate with that combination of emotion and action, and it was really up to me and try not to mess it up. [Laughs] And to rely on the incredible ensemble of actors and equally incredibly talented and artistic crew. And editors to collaborate on telling the story.

What an episode to direct, too. The Sons of Anarchy are at war with the Mayans, who are sending a message to Charming. That feels like a lot of pressure for you?

I think fear is a great motivator. But it certainly helps to feel supported in every way from Elgin to the studio to our network, FX, and like I said, this cast and this crew. Having worked with them for the last three seasons and having built friendships and relationships, artistic and otherwise, to be able to collaborate on something that means so much to all of us. We all have skin in this game, and so I knew I wasn’t alone. And so sure, there was some intimidation, but more than that, it was excitement to be able to tell this particular story.

I know you can’t tell me any spoilers, but hey, is Miguel okay after this episode?

[Laughs]

C’mon, could you give me any reassurance here?

You know, Kimberly, I respect you too much to… tip my hand in any way, but I will say that our writers, specifically Elgin James, has a way of writing himself into a corner, only to kick through the wall.

That’s very cryptic. You’ve got me really wondering here.

[Laughs]

Let’s talk about your transformation. It’s a very new look for Miguel. With the facial hair and the new hair, how much of that was makeup?

Oh none of it, none of it was makeup.

Because you recently showed up on Law and Order: SVU‘s 500th episode looking, well, not like you do in Mayans right now, so that’s impressive.

No, I mean, all the hair was mine. The sunburn and the sunspots and the beating down of what Miguel has been doing at the convent, that was makeup. But the hair, the facial hair and the locks were all mine, which my wife protested vociferously about it, and nobody was happier when I cut it all off and shaved than she was. But I had to give her one last flavor of rebellion. I told her I would shave, but she came home to a handlebar mustache.

Oh nooooo.

You know, you gotta keep things interesting in a marriage.

Well, now I’m very distracted by that.

[Laughs]

Are you going to post a picture of the mustache on Twitter?

I’ll keep the anticipation… buoyant.

Speaking of social media, this show’s fans are enthused and very vocal. How much attention do you pay to that?

I really enjoy our fandom. They’re smart, they’re sarcastic. The anticipation they have for every episode, they’re prognosticating as to what will eventually befall certain characters. It’s amusing and sometimes very accurate. I don’t ever give that up, I don’t like to put spoilers out there, but oftentimes on shows, there’s a feeling that you are performing in a vacuum. Unlike live theater, where you get immediate feedback, and the experience of shooting something months before and having it edited/sculpted and finally having people see it. And to get on social media and to hear that people are enjoying it. There’s something very gratifying about that, and to be able to have a dialogue with people who appreciate all the work and time and effort and the emotion that goes into it. The ownership of the material that goes into it.

Almost ironically, Miguel is almost on an island to himself, so to speak, this season. I talked to you before Season 2, and you mentioned how everybody asked if you were gonna ride, and you said that you only rode in a Maybach, and Miguel is very far from that Maybach now. I imagine you’re still seeing the usual suspects, even though you’re not in scenes with them?

It’s a strange dichotomy to be honest because while Miguel is isolated and certainly the faces of the actors who I was working with this season were new to me and to Miguel. I’ve never spent more time on set with this cast and this crew as I did this season. From prepping Episode 1 of Season 4 with Elgin and being there right alongside him, shadowing him. Spending time on set and asking questions and observing to having out with the cast. Miguel didn’t make an appearance until Episode 4 this season, but I was on set throughout every episode leading up to that. Every day, all day, which is very rare for any actor. In general, an actor shows up when he or she is called. They get in makeup and hair and they shoot however many scenes they have, and then they go home. The crew continues to shoot, but as a shadowing director, I was there from dark to dark. Even then, the crew is generally there an hour before call time, and an hour after wrap, putting things away. It was very eye-opening for me. I mean, I knew this, and I’ve spent enough time in the industry to know that intellectually, The hours involved, but to feel it physically, viscerally, along with the crew and to observe that. The irony is that Miguel isn’t seen for the majority of this season, but I certainly felt much more present as a member of this ensemble and this crew.

We’re running short on time, but I wanted to say that I just realized you and Emilio Rivera were in an SVU episode together. And it feels like everyone has guest-starred on that show.

Yeah, and Emilio and I actually go back to The Shield.

The timelines are all kinds-of crossed right now! You were a baddie on The Shield.

Emilio and I played brothers, and that was one of the first things I did in Los Angeles and in front of the camera. I was in a conservatory theater program and done mostly stage work, and one of the first things I did in Los Angeles was to work with Emilio, and then one of the next things we did together was to work on SVU. But we’ve always had this kind-of shorthand because we came up together, so the relevance of us being on Mayans and working so closely together, especially when Alvarez and Galindo were quite literally working together , there were a lot of layers in that experience. He’s one of those guys, when Emilio calls, I’m there.

He’s a class act. And hey, I’m looking forward to seeing the social media reaction to your episode next week.

Thank you, Kimberly. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the episode. We certainly spent a lot of time on it. There was a lot of love and effort put into it.

FX’s ‘Mayans M.C.’ airs on 10:00pm EST on Tuesdays (and next day on Hulu).

In a hilarious bit of schadenfreude, Donald Trump is reportedly banning anyone who’s wearing Proud Boys or QAnon symbols from his rallies. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Isn’t that his base?” Yes, it is, and the Proud Boys are pretty confused by the whole thing, too, considering Trump gave them VIP tickets to his most recent rally in Wyoming.

In a new viral video, a Proud Boy films himself being turned away by security after being told of the new rule prohibiting symbols that Trump no longer wants seen at his events. He is given the option of his turning his shirt inside out, but the security team made it very clear that no Proud Boys or QAnon logos are permitted.

As for why Trump is suddenly making a concerted effort to distance himself from the two movements that practically define the MAGA world is unknown, but it probably doesn’t help that the Proud Boys have been in considerable legal trouble for their involvement in the January 6 insurrection. The same January 6 insurrection that was committed in service to Trump, which makes his betrayal of the Proud Boys all the more disingenuous and hilarious to people watching the video online.

“Ahhhh…. Those delicious Proud Boy tears of confusion not being able to understand how quickly Trump went from ‘Proud Boys standby’ to ‘come in disguise ONLY. I’m embarrassed to know you,’” wrote Hadley Sheley.

“To Trump, we already know these are your dudes. Too late to try and disassociate now,” Bethany tweeted. “To the Proud Boys, ‘ha ha f*ckity ha ha ha.’ Your savior does not care about you. You were a prop, a tool, & someone to use just like every other MAGA asshole. Find a bag of dicks. Consume them. ”

“Trumps supporters are finally starting to find out that he wants them for votes and money not to hang out with,” wrote Marc Vondem.

You can check out more reactions to the Proud Boys learning Trump doesn’t want to be seen with them below:

(Via Ron Filipkowski on Twitter)

Last month, Phoebe Bridgers dropped a video for “Sidelines,” offering a Conversations With Friends-themed clip since the song was made for the Hulu series. Now, though, Bridgers has returned with a new visual for the song, going Conversations-agnostic this time around.

The clip is a slice of life of a Bridgers tour, as it features behind-the-scenes footage of herself and her band on and off stage. Specifically, the video comes from the Reunion Tour and was shot by Jackson Bridgers, Phoebe’s brother.

Bridgers previously said of the song’s origins, “[Marshall Vore] had this like love song idea… he sent it to me right in the beginning of the pandemic. I was like, ‘This is insane.’ Was so obsessed with it, was playing it all the time in the house. And then when the show asked me to make something, I was like, ‘But I don’t have anything that fits.’ And Marshall was like, ‘What about that ‘Sidelines’ one?’ I was like, ‘What?!’ So we re-wrote some of it and re-recorded it and changed some stuff around, and it just kind of magically fit and was exactly what I wanted.”

She also noted of previously indicating “Sidelines” would be her only new song of 2022, “Uh, who knows, actually. I try to do things that are exciting, so I never really know what I’m gonna do.”

Check out the “Sidelines” video above.