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After making their official national TV debut earlier this week with a performance on Austin City Limits, Texas-based trio Khruangbin are keeping up their momentum by added even more dates to their massive 2021/2022 North American and European tour.

The tour celebrates the release of the band’s 2020 album Mordechai, which saw a return to their endlessly groovy sound. After selling out shows in LA and Colorado, Khruangbin have now added the entire month of March onto their 2022 tour, which will see them starting in Milwaukee and coming to a close in Tampa Bay before heading oversees to Europe in April.

Check out Khruangbin’s full 2021 and 2022 Mordechai tour dates below.

12/01/2021 — New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theatre *
12/02/2021 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
12/03/2021 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
12/04/2021 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
12/06/2021 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room *
12/07/2021 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre *
12/10/2021 — Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *
12/11/2021 — Columbus, OH @ Express Live! *
12/14/2021 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
12/16/2021 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Pageant *
12/17/2021 — Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory *
12/18/2021 — San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center *
12/19/2021 — San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center *
12/31/2021 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall ^
03/02/2022 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee ^
03/03/2022 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre ^
03/04/2022 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre ^
03/05/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom ^
03/11/2022 — Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem ^
03/12/2022 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE ^
03/14/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium ^
03/15/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium ^
03/17/2022 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
03/18/2022 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
03/19/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met ^
03/20/2022 — Tampa, FL @ Tampa Florida ^
04/04/2022 — Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
04/05/2022 — Zurich, CH @ X-Tra
04/06/2022 — Cologne, DE @ Oarlswerk Victoria
04/07/2022 — Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
04/09/2022 — Stockholm, SE @ Annexet
04/10/2022 — Copenhagen, DK @ K.B.Hallon
04/12/2022 — Amsterdam, NL @ Afas Life
04/14/2022 — London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
04/15/2022 — Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
04/16/2022 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo

* with Nick Hakim
^ with Nubya Garcia

Tickets to Khruangbin’s expanded tour go on sale 11/12 at 10 a.m. local time. Get them here.

Mordechai is out now via Dead Oceans. Get it here.

Comedy legend John Cleese recently announced (back in August) that he’s making a documentary about “cancel culture.” He’s doing so (and this is what he declared) because “there’s so much I really don’t understand” about “so-called political correctness.” This seemed to be a genuinely enjoyable endeavor for the at-times controversial Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star, and he declared that he was “delighted” to take on the project. It must be noted that the doc’s title is John Cleese: Cancel Me, and well, something has happened that has led Cleese to actually, you know, cancel himself.

At least, Cleese has gone on a tear to “blacklist” himself preemptively while pulling out of a scheduled Friday performance. Via Variety, Cleese was on tap to give a talk at the Cambridge Union, until he learned that the Union decided to “blacklist art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon. The historian had performed a mock impression of Hitler ranting, during a debate last week on art and good taste at the Union.”

Cleese reacted to this blacklisting of Graham-Dixon by preemptively pulling out of his own talk, and he did so while referencing his own Hitler impression from Monty Python [he also performed an impression of Hitler’s Nazi March (and mustache) in Fawlty Towers]. On Twitter, Cleese made the announcement: “I was looking forward to talking to students at the Cambridge Union this Friday, but I hear that someone there has been blacklisted for doing an impersonation of Hitler.” He then declared, “I regret that I did the same on a Monty Python show, so I am blacklisting myself before someone else does.”

The comedian added, “I apologise to anyone at Cambridge who was hoping to talk with me, but perhaps some of you can find a venue where woke rules do not apply.”

It’s worth noting that Cleese is a Cambridge alumnus. Yet as the years have passed, jokes that were considered comedic in a pull-no-punches way, decades ago, simply won’t fly in a culture that’s growing increasingly more inclusive. Despite determining to make a documentary on the subject of “cancel culture,” it seems that Cleese has decided not to take that stage when confrontation could await him. Or maybe, you know, this will be part of the documentary. (You never know.)

When it comes to flavored vodka, we’re pretty used to the usual flavors of blueberry, watermelon, orange, lime, and even cranberry. Salted caramel has made an appearance. Even pepper vodka is pretty popular. Flavored vodka isn’t a new thing by any stretch is what we’re getting at. But, are you ready for french fry-flavored vodka? Arby’s is betting that you are.

We know all about the allure of Arby’s iconic curly fries, but they also recently added crinkle-cut fries into the mix. So, it should come as no surprise that the fast-food chain is dropping not one, but two flavored vodkas. One flavored is like their beloved curly fries and the other is flavored like their new crinkle-cut fries, which … are just fries with a bit of salt.

“Though we’ve mastered the art of drive-thru fries, we wanted to take it one step further by making them 80-proof,” Patrick Schwing, CMO of Arby’s said in a press release. “Being a potato-based liquor, this limited-edition vodka is infused with crinkle and curly fry flavor so Arby’s fans can enjoy our menu from bag to bottle.”

This is where it’s okay if you want to say, “wait, what?!” 

We’re as dubious as you. While you have to wait to try this french-fried vodka, we don’t. We got a chance to try them early. So, we’re giving you our professional opinion on what’s actually in the bottle. And hey, if they sound good to you, these limited-edition vodkas will be available beginning November 18th (and then again on November 22nd) at ArbysVodka.com for $59.99 for a 750ml bottle.

ABV: 40%

Price: $59.99

The Story:

The first vodka is flavored like Arby’s beloved Curly fries. Called “Curly Fry Voda,” it was distilled with cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic, and onion to make it taste as similar to a spicy, crisp curly fry as possible.

“Crinkly Fry Vodka” is a little simpler. It’s made to taste like crinkle-cut fries by distilling the vodka with kosher salt and sugar. The result is a sweet, salty homage to the newest addition to the Arby’s menu.

Tasting Notes:

Curly Fry Vodka

With all the spices included, the nose is surprisingly sweet. It actually has a sweet corn/moonshine scent to it. This is followed by a kick of cayenne pepper and other spices. Even knowing the ingredients, I wasn’t fully prepared for the heat of the palate. It’s still sweet, but there’s a ton of cayenne, paprika, and other over-the-top chili spices. It sort of burns similar to pepper vodka. I definitely would never drink this neat again. But … it would probably be pretty decent in a Bloody Mary.

Crinkle Fry Vodka

This vodka’s nose is truly unique. It smells like french fries (should I be surprised?). It also smells very sugary and slightly fruity. The palate is fairly muted with a ton of sugar and salinity at the end. This is another vodka that I would definitely never drink neat again. With the sweetness and saltiness, it might work in a vodka tonic? But who knows? I’m not a big flavored vodka drinker.

Bottom Line:

These vodkas really feel like a gimmick to sell Arby’s new crinkle-cut fries. That shouldn’t take away from the fact that while they might not be palatable to every drinker, they’re kind of fun. They’re silly and whimsical and I didn’t hate them.

If I had to pick one, I’d go with the Crinkle Fry vodka. It was much more subtle and closer to pepper vodka. Plus, I could actually see drinking this in Bloody Mary on a Sunday morning.

Geraldo Rivera is no stranger to the way things are done at Fox News, having been a part of their team—initially as a war correspondent—for the past 20 years. But ever since COVID-19 became the biggest headline, the 78-year-old has regularly found himself butting heads with several of his colleagues. On Tuesday night, he tweeted out a no-context message that many understood to be a clear shot at some of his fellow Fox News hosts, saying:

“Nothing is more contemptible than vaccinated commentators urging their unvaccinated followers to fight (and die) for their freedom. It’s like the punk-safe on the street-urging the guy in the ledge to jump.”

While his tweet elicited plenty of snarky replies, it almost seemed like a prelude an hour or so later, when he appeared on Hannity to discuss the backlash against Aaron Rodgers, who lied to the NFL about his vaccination status (and who, apropos of nothing, apparently has a huge dong). While Hannity and fellow Fox News personality Dan Bongino think Rodgers is being treated unfairly, Rivera says what Rodgers did was a total a**hole move, as Yahoo! Entertainment reported.

Though Rivera claimed that Rodgers and Shailene Woodley are one of his favorite couples (random), he went on to tear into the Green Bay Packer for being selfish, saying: “If I’m in your room with my grandchildren who are not vaccinated because they are too young and you lie about vaccine status and you sneeze on my grandchildren, that could be a crime. That is absolutely so selfish.”

Meanwhile, Hannity was complaining that while he believes in the science behind vaccines (and is reportedly vaccinated himself), he’s not necessarily a fan of vaccine mandates. Which is when Rivera really lost it, telling his colleague:

“I despise vaccinated people who are smug in their protection who urge unvaccinated people to exercise their freedoms. It’s like the guy in the street telling the guy on ledge to jump.”

To be continued.

“I can’t pretend to be humble about it,” Lindsey Jordan, more commonly known as Snail Mail, tells me about her new record Valentine, out Nov. 5 via Matador. She’s wearing a white tank top, a golden locket around her neck, and silver slacks with intricate prints. She doesn’t look like she should be humble; she looks like the embodiment of the real deal.

The 22-year-old was not prepared for the success and fame that her debut full-length Lush ushered along, which is something she’s disclosed many times in interviews. It’s not exactly surprising; she was only 17 when she wrote the record, and the project of Snail Mail started off by playing basement shows. A few years after receiving praise from Pitchfork, NPR, and pretty much every other prestigious music outlet, she appears to be readily accepting the royal status.

“I feel like I’m really growing as a musician and a songwriter, and it’s hard to look backward at all,” she says. “Any expectations that are held that have to do with my teenage self are just super unfair because I’m a thousand percent different person. It’s uncomfortable because I feel like I have to kind of ease everyone into the adult version of my music and myself.”

Valentine pushes us into Jordan’s maturity, instantly portraying distance from the completely separate world of Lush. The songs on the first record are known for their visceral honesty, but it’s anchored by a kind of timidness; this new album is elevated with a newfound sense of strength and confidence. The opening song alone reaches a louder, more unabashed climax than any of Lush does, and the rest of the album oscillates between those roaring highs and intimate lows.

Her fashion choices communicate this with sophistication and a refined nature. Her suits give off an aura that explicitly demonstrates growth from Lush; Lush is someone who wants to see the world, and the aesthetics of Valentine are that of someone who has seen the world.

“My stylist Alexa [Lanza] and I worked for months together on figuring out how everything was gonna be,” she explains. “I think it’s really important to be careful when you start working with a stylist that you don’t start looking dumb. Bringing fashion into things is a slippery slope. You want to look cool, but not look like you’re wearing a rockstar costume. A big thing about being a part of the process was getting everything so that it’s like a high-stylized version of how I actually feel inside. I think it’s important to not let the clothes wear you. I have a very distinct style and a distinct eye for what I like and what I don’t like. It’s made the shopping process extremely difficult, but I also am really happy with everything that I wear. It’s like a sweet spot of glam and preppy and kind of androgynous.”

The shirt on the cover art of the third single “Madonna” is from the 1800s. The black, puffy garment makes Jordan stand out like a sore thumb against the white background. “It was crazy,” she says with a laugh. “It made me feel gross wearing it. I was like, ‘How would this have been washed if it’s well-preserved?’ And they were skinny as fuck back then. I was [sucking in my stomach] the whole time because there was a jacket inside the jacket and all this stuff. It’s an interesting thing to mess with, especially when you’re messing with the gender of it because they weren’t doing that back then.”

There’s almost a sense of sacrilege in this, but that’s a common theme of Valentine. The singer plays with divinity as if it’s an everyday topic for her, whether it be by calling herself the devil in “Ben Franklin” or summoning Jesus on “Glory.” The songs were primarily written during the pandemic, when she stayed productive and inspired by exercising and cooking. The process of being a newly-successful musician was strange considering there was really only one avenue through which she could do her job: relentlessly working on Valentine.

“Writing a record is a scary thing because, unless you work with songwriters, it’s really you, yourself, and you, just trying to keep your career afloat,” she says. It was the only expectation of her, and it intensified as Lush’s release in 2018 grew more distant. “I was just taking it one day at a time trying to do what feels right. Sometimes that’s writing. Sometimes it’s not,” she says. “It only feels real to me to make songs about things that I feel strongly about, but it doesn’t always translate to music I want to put out. Sometimes I cut songs because they’re too personal. Sometimes I change verses because they’re too personal. Sometimes I think something is just the perfect amount of personal. Sometimes I think something is a little too personal but I put it out anyway.”

The few years in between Lush and Valentine felt long to impatient fans, but it was especially long for Jordan. “[Lush] is so full of wonder and curiosity and pure excitement about life,” she says. “It’s super weird to return as a kind of cynical adult.” Her adulthood is mirrored in her new style as well: “I still hear so many things about what I was doing before, even as far as going into styling for shoots. It’s hard to be like, ‘Yeah, I wore a dress two years ago, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s who I am now.’ It feels uncomfortable for me to even think about it because it’s just a self that I’ve shed. I don’t want to look at my 19-, 18-, 17-, 16-year-old self.”

Things are always changing; she says that things are already even different from when she worked on Valentine. “But I still feel the pain of the songs. It was such an intense process and all of the songs do really mean significant things to me. I think with Lush and Habit, I was writing from the experiences that I had, but a lot of those feelings went away really quickly because they were about crushes and the pressures of growing up and stuff like that. And that just doesn’t cut as deep later as some of the stuff that I’m singing about now. It’s really twisted and turned my life; it really made me the person that I am.”

Valentine is not only a departure from teenage years, but also a goodbye to being regarded as only an indie-rock figure. “Madonna” and “Ben Franklin” are jangly, mischievous pop tracks with R&B undertones; throughout the whole album, there are synth-laden moments, detours into folk, and many places where genre is eluded altogether. “I think I started to get to a point where the guitar-heavy stuff appeases everybody. I was like, ‘If I’m making a guitar record, I’m doing it for someone else,’” she explains. “I didn’t want to make another ‘Damn this chick rocks’ album. I’m so sick of being the chick that rocks. I just want to make something that feels entirely like I’m not doing any kind of people-pleasing here.”

She also learned what to prioritize this time around, taking more creative control with Valentine than she did with Lush. “Last time I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t take any interest in the producing or music videos or any of the stuff that would have taken me out of how busy I already was,” she says. “But something I learned about myself is that it’s more important for me to put the effort in when it’s hard because later it’s a lot more rewarding.” The result is Valentine being not just music, but a carefully-constructed world that’s cohesive and layered with intent. There’s no reason for Jordan to be humble; Valentine feels like the beginning of a Snail Mail empire.

Back in March, Cardi B achieved a huge milestone: She became the first-ever female rapper to have a solo song be certified Diamond, meaning it garnered over 10 million sales in the US. Now, a few months later, Cardi’s predecessor has followed her achievement. Nicki Minaj’s 2010 track “Super Bass” just hit 10 million sales, meaning she’s the second-ever female rapper to have a song be Diamond-certified.

“Super Bass” originally appeared on the deluxe version of Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday, nearly a decade ago. Now celebrating its new Diamond status, Minaj took to social media to share her gratitude. She posted a video of the official Diamond certification plaque, which is encrusted with shimmering rhinestones and features a photo of Minaj from the “Super Bass” single art. In the post’s caption, the rapper thanked her fans for a “decade of support” and even gave Taylor Swift a special shout-out. “Thank you for over a decade of support,” she wrote. “(special thx to Ester Dean, Kane, Juice, Taylor Swift, Sofia Grace & Rosie, Ellen, Young Money/Cash Money & Republic. This one was released b4 the streaming era, so millions of fans actually purchased the song. I’m so grateful for you guys. Sending love & blessings your way.”

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

Picture, if you will, Maya Rudolph coming home after a long day at work saying “bubble bath.” Waiting for her is her long-time partner Paul Thomas Anderson, their four kids, and a Marvel movie. That’s a typical night at the Rudolph / PTA household, based on an interview with the Oscar-nominated (but somehow never Oscar-winning!) filmmaker.

When asked by Variety what movies he’s enjoyed recently, Thomas Anderson replied, “Shang-Chi was good fun. There’s a terrific energy about it, but I also live in a Marvel-obsessed household, so continuing the journey of these Marvel stories is exciting to us.” He also said that he liked Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage and Titane, one of the best movies of the year. He expanded on his feelings for the Julia Ducournau film:

“Proceed with caution: I have no idea how to recommend it, because it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. I don’t know entirely how I feel about it, but, my God, you are in the hands of a real filmmaker. I was holding on tight for dear life, and that is a terrific feeling.”

PTA was also quizzed on whether he thinks Daniel Day-Lewis, who he worked with on There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread, will come out of retirement. “We can all get together and hope he’ll come back. Wouldn’t it be great? When Phantom Thread came out, I was asked about it a lot, and I feel the same way now that I did then. Yes, I’m greedy like everybody else. I want more Daniel Day-Lewis performances,” he said. “But I also think he’s given us more than enough, and we should stop being so greedy. He’s the king.”

Paul Thomas Anderson’s next movie, Licorice Pizza, comes out this month.

(Via Variety)

Among Us was the surprise hit of 2020 that nobody saw coming. Mainly because the game was released back in 2018 with very little fanfare to it, but with everyone seeking ways to interact with each other online during COVID-19 lockdowns, Among Us quickly became a hit on Twitch and among friend groups. It was the perfect online party game.

Thankfully, most of us are finding some semblance of normalcy in our lives and are able to go see our friends in person again, but that doesn’t mean Among Us has stopped receiving updates. The developers over at Inner Sloth are working on improving the game constantly and recently they released their biggest update yet. It features two huge changes to the game. The first one it showcases is a store with dreaded microtransactions. However, in an appreciated gesture, they’re very upfront about the purpose of the new store: To make money and give players new cosmetics. They say so right in the trailer.

“This is all to make money isn’t it?”

“YUP.”

“We live in a capitalist society.”

While yes video games do need to make money, and microtransactions seem to be one of the more effective ways of doing that, this would be a bummer of a trailer if the only addition to the game was a store. That’s why they saved the best part for last with the reveal of new roles for the game. It used to be that Among Us only had two roles: Imposter and Crewmate. Now there are new roles such as Scientist, Engineer, Shapeshifter, and Guardian Angel to add a little more variety to each game.

This is a really good update and one that is going to push some people back towards the game. While Among Us has been receiving consistent updates since it broke out, these major ones are always a fun chance to go back and see everything that’s new. Even if it does have to remind us that we live in a capitalist society sometimes.

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, and there’s no denying that it has real effects on the music industry. It’s become a way for some artists to boost their streaming numbers while others, like Lizzo, have absolutely mastered the app and use it go viral and further connect with fans. But other artists are late to the game when it comes to being active the app. Lady Gaga was definitely one of them — up until now.

Though Gaga’s TikTok account already has 3.6 million followers, she just posted her first-ever video. The TikTok wasn’t some dance challenge or a trend. The singer instead wanted to show off the impeccable red carpet dress that she wore to the London premiere of her film, House Of Gucci. The video starts with her delivering a line from the movie before it cuts to her absolutely working the flowing gown.

Gaga is the second celebrity to recently make their first social media post as a way to promote an upcoming film. Jay-Z, who is notorious for rarely using social media, returned to Instagram for the first time in six years just to post the poster to his western film The Harder They Fall. Jay-Z deleted the picture just 24-hours later, but its unlikely that Gaga will be deleting her TikTok that quickly.

Over on the National Governors Association website, there’s a list of incentives for Americans to get vaccinated. There’s free Six Flags tickets in Illinois; free beer in New Jersey; and free fishing licenses in Minnesota. And yet, even though the free life-saving vaccine has been available for months, only 59 percent of the population has been vaccinated. Maybe the problem isn’t that people are skeptical of getting jabbed for… reasons. Maybe it’s that the perks aren’t good enough. As Americans, we love perks. But Austria is lapping the United States when it comes to vaccine incentives.

An Austrian brothel has devised an ingenious way to incentivize people to get the coronavirus vaccine — by offering promised patrons a free fling with a prostitute of their choosing if they get immunized at the bordello

Fun Palast, located in Vienna, Austria (4.1 out of 5 stars on Google!), is offering the jab every Monday from 4-10 p.m. until the end of November. “Best of all, men who get inoculated on-site will be gifted a free 30-minute session in the skin merchant’s VIP club with the lady of their choice,” the New York Post reports.

Fun Palast owner Christoph Lielacher told Reuters that “we are very popular,” but the brothel lost 30 to 40 percent of its clients since the pandemic, and cases are rising in Austria (64 percent of the population is fully vaccinated). “It’s actually such a great action to make such a statement, especially in our industry,” he said. “And now we have a great vaccination site and we are very popular.” I can’t imagine why.

(Via the New York Post)