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Da-Da-dum da da da da-dum, da da-dum. Da-da-dum da da da da-dum, da da-dum.

As you’ve clearly guessed — because it couldn’t be more obvious — that is the most hum-able section of the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s jazz standard Linus and Lucy. It’s a song that not only says “Charlie Brown” but “Christmas.” It’s also reverberating in my head at the moment because I am in fact watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. While smoking a bowl of the green stuff.

This totally normal holiday activity got me thinking: “What weed strains embody each of the Peanuts characters?” Which, admittedly, is a random thought to have. But I think any stoner can agree that most of the strain names out there are garbage. Wouldn’t you rather live in a world where you can pick up a 3.5-gram jar of Schroeder flowers instead of, you know, Purple Monkey Balls or whatever?

The more I thought about this, the more I started to take it seriously. You wouldn’t name a giggle-inducing, munchie causing strain “Charlie Brown,” it just doesn’t match his character. So I started pairing my favorite characters from A Charlie Brown Christmas — which unfortunately means no Peppermint Patty, Woodstock, or Little Red-Headed Girl — with the weed strains my very high brain thinks that they’re best represented by.

Let’s dive in!

Lucy van Pelt — Riff OG

Strain: Indica
THC: 26.87%

“It’s too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January” — Lucy van Pelt.

Okay, here we go, starting with Lucy van Pelt. When I was younger I didn’t like Lucy, I thought she was mean and a big bully. Why wouldn’t she let Charlie Brown kick the ball? Now that I’m older and wiser, I get it. Sometimes you see Charlie Brown, and you sympathize, but eventually, his incessant moping gets you to a point where you say to yourself, “You know what? F*ck that kid! Stop getting in your damn own way, Charlie Brown.”

What does any of this have to do with weed? Let’s see… Lucy van Pelt, she’s strong, she’ll throw hands with a trash talker, she doesn’t take anybody’s sh*t — as exhibited in A Charlie Brown Christmas — and she’s got a thing for Schroeder who riffs on the piano.

Easy, I’m going with Ember Valley’s Riff OG, a super-strong indica so powerful that it’ll knock you into a couch lock with a single bowl, no matter how regularly you toke up. It’s the bossy, weed strain that pulls the football out from under you.

Find Riff OG at Weedmaps.

Linus van Pelt— Cereal Milk

Strain:Indica
THC: 30.2%

“You wouldn’t hit an innocent Shepard would you?” Linus van Pelt.

Linus is the intellectual soul of the Peanuts cast, he drops knowledge on Charlie and his dumb friends constantly, yet ironically, he’s also a big baby who carries around a security blanket and sucks his thumb. He’s basically, a Zoomer. So he needs a weed-like Cereal Milk.

A cross between strawberry lemonade and thin mints, Cereal Milk is an Indica strain that sports beautiful light green buds caked in bright crystals, giving it a sugar cereal and milk vibe with limonene and linalool terpenes that crush anxiety, bring on a heavy rush of euphoria, and settle you into a sedative relaxed state.

Find Cereal Milk at Med Men.

Sally Brown — Strawnana (aka Strawberry Banana)

Strain: Hybrid
THC: 21%

“Dear Santa Claus. How have you been, did you have a nice summer? How is your wife? I’ve been extra good this year, that’s why I have a long list of presents that I want. Please note the size and color of each item and send as many as possible. If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself, just send money. How about $10s and $20s?” — Sally Brown

Charlie Brown spends much of the movie wandering around complaining about how the people around him are falling into the commercialization of Christmas and it’s making him depressed — it’s a very deep cartoon — but it doesn’t get any darker than when his own sister asks him to write her wish list to Santa and literally asks for rewards for good behavior.

As annoying as that is to CB, I think we can all agree that he needs to chill. Sally is just living her life and having fun. It’s the ’60s for god’s sake, Chuck. Grow out your hair and smoke some herb.

Anyway, Sally needs a weed strain to match her bubblegum personality. I choose Strawnana, aka Strawberry Banana, a cross between banana kush and strawberry bubblegum with fruity citrus notes, and a deep herbal flavor that makes for a great option for vaped weed or a glass-on-glass bong.

Find Strawnana at Weedmaps.

Pig-Pen — Durban Poison

Strain: Sativa
THC: 24.5%
CBD: 0.1%

“Pigpen, you’re the only person I know who can raise a cloud of dust in a snowstorm” — Charlie Brown.

This has got to be the easiest one. All you need to know about Pig-Pen is that this dude is always dusty. Everybody has that one dusty friend in their life! So we’re going with a strain that’s so stinky it gives you a head change once you open up the jar. Durban Poison is a sativa with sticky dense buds dusted in trichomes, a pungent nose-scrunching smoke smell, and a burnt-earth flavor.

It brings on some nice body tingles and makes tactile sensations something to giggle over. Basically, it’s a weed you can get down with that’ll make you feel good, and if you’ve seen A Charlie Brown Christmas‘s dance scene, you know Pig-Pen gets f*cking down.

Find Durban Poison at Weedmaps.

Schroeder — Wedding Cake

Strain: Hybrid
THC: 23-25%

“What do you mean Beethoven wasn’t so great?” — Schroeder.

Schroeder has always been the coolest Peanuts character. Music is such a big part of the cartoon — which is ironic considering its comic strip origins — and those jazzy chords and rhythms are usually expressed through Schroeder rocking out on his toy piano.

For Schroeder, I’m going with Wedding Cake, an Indica-dominant hybrid that will chill you out, enhance your senses, and give you those closed eye visuals that make listening to music high awesome. Flavor-wise, this strain is smooth with piney herbal notes and a noticeable hint of sweet vanilla.

Find Wedding Cake at Med Men.

Snoopy — Skywalker OG (Mazar x Blueberry OG)

Strain: Hybrid
THC: 20%

Snoopy is pretty much good at everything. In the movie, he wins a decorating competition, elegantly ice skates, plays guitar, and shows off his acting chops. He needs a strain worthy of a hero, so I’ve chosen Skywalker OG, which isn’t legally allowed to be called that anymore.

Now it’s sometimes known as Mazar x Blueberry OG. An ironic fit for a character who has been licensed for theme parks, clothes, toys, and food.

This indica dominant hybrid has a distinct earthy blueberry flavor with subtle spicy notes and a sort of diesel undertone. Get it? Diesel — jet fuel — snoopy’s a pilot — give me a break here.

Find Mazar x Blueberry at Weedmaps.

Charlie Brown — Alien OG

Strain: Indica-Dominant Hybrid
THC: 35.8%

“I think there must be something wrong with me Linus. Christmas is coming, but I”m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. I just don’t understand Christmas I guess.” — Charlie Brown

I know I spent a lot of this article sh*tting on Charlie Brown, but that’s because in so many ways I am Charlie Brown. Or at least, I understand Charlie Brown. He’s an alien, he’s out of step with the people around him, sometimes it feels like he’s always losing. We’re all Charlie Brown, in fact. That’s what makes him such a resonant character. We may all collectively have shades of the entire Peanuts cast, but what is life but feeling like the star of a show who never wins? Especially in 2020.

So we’re giving Charlie Brown Alien OG. Coming from California’s Caliva, Alien OG is a thinking person’s indica. It’s not for knocking out and chilling out as much as it’s for soul searching. It’s a strain that makes you question things, but it’s limonene and myrcene terpenes keep you in a chill enough state that you don’t fall into panic mode.

Find Alien OG at Caliva, Med Men, or Weedmaps.

We’ll always remember this tumultuous year as one that sparked necessary discussions, especially within the spirits industry. From shining a spotlight on “off-limits” topics — from sexism to the lack of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) representation — the industry felt the heat of controversy exposing its biggest flaws, leading to a welcoming influx of conversations with the focus on change. Though we still have quite a way to go as an industry, 2020 saw its share of redefining moments that offered a beacon of hope for the future.

“2020 was the year that forced us to look within,” says Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Blender, Eboni Major, one of a handful of women of color making positive advances within the spirits industry in 2020. “The positive stride is the visibility. I say that because, for a while, whiskey was seen as just liquor. For a while, it was just like, ‘Okay, this is the person that makes it.’ Now you have Black Bourbon Society and people like Becky [Paskin] that are calling out things that we knew, but it was kind of taboo.”

To Major’s point, whiskey has traditionally been marketed to solely older white men — leaving out a significant portion of its consumers, including women and people of color. Conversations that call that out are the first step in addressing it. Or, as Major puts it: “The visibility has been huge in being able to really see what’s going on because you can’t change or improve anything if you don’t take the time to really see it for what it is.”

Marketing is one vital piece of the representation puzzle, but jobs for BIPOC within the industry are equally important. This year saw massive growth for Uncle Nearest — a brand led by Fawn Weaver, a Black woman, and blended by Victoria Eady Butler, a Black woman. It also saw new voices enter the conversation, like the forthcoming Fresh Bourbon, whose founders, Sean and Tia Edwards, are the first Black owners of a grain-to-glass distilling company in Kentucky.

Fresh Bourbon will begin shipping their first batch in January 2021 to customers who supported the presale campaign, in addition to being on store shelves throughout Kentucky and expanding to six states by the end of next year. They also plan to break ground on their distillery in the summer of 2021.

“The spirits industry has been super receptive to new African-American owned brands entering the market,” says Sean Edwards. “If the industry allows a seat at the table for more people of color and women, it will only help it to be viewed more positively. It won’t just be paper statements; it will be concrete actions.”

Despite what the industry has gotten right this year, there is still room for actionable improvement.

“When it comes to diversity and inclusion within the industry, the conversations are there, but that’s all I see,” says Major. “The thing I’m looking for out of the future is more action.”

I share Major’s experience as the youngest person, the only woman, and/or the lone Black person in the room at whiskey tastings and events. So I speak from experience when I say that it’s not enough to simply talk the talk when it comes to change. Those talks need to be backed with action. As Major puts it: “Diversity is not just having representation. Having me in the room means nothing if I don’t have a voice, the power, or respect, and lastly, the equity that others do.”

Renowned author and creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur, Jackie Summers, has spoken on multiple panels this year about representation – and the lack thereof – in the spirits industry. Summers’ sentiments are similar to Major’s.

“The industry is beginning to listen,” he says. “They’re not beginning to institute change, but they’re beginning to listen. They finally figured out that while corporations are not required to have a conscience, they are required to produce financial benefits for the shareholders, and ultimately it is financially irresponsible to either not diversify your staff or not adequately serve a diverse audience.”

Change, he says, must start on the executive level and trickle down to employees.

“There has been a standard of mediocrity which has permeated how these companies are run,” Summers says, “and it’s insufficient for us anymore.”

Looking forward to 2021, there are big steps to be taken. How do we as an industry get past the conversations and into an atmosphere of action? How do you really diversify this industry from an equitable standpoint?

“I think that’s the next conversation,” Major says. “How do we make sure that this is something that continues on and on and this is not just a 2020 era of living in the moment? Intent is always great, but we know the more you ignore a situation, the more it gets left behind. So, as long as everyone is being held accountable, I think we will get where we need to be.”

Sean Edwards wants to see a shift on the executive level. “I think the industry still needs work on the C suites. What does the C suite look like? Is it as diverse as the customer? Introducing more diversity at the top would be a great move by the large companies in the industry.”

It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance. The key is to hold those in charge accountable and to continue to vocalize what needs to change to promote a shift.

“It’s important that as we seek diversity in this industry, I challenge those that will represent diversity – meaning the Black and Brown people – hold them accountable that we’re not just a number,” Major says. “It’s not just good enough to have us there. Make sure diversity and inclusion are included in everything you do. It’s about being able to create a future for others. As our ancestors did it for us, we need to do it for the next generation.”

The most important domino to fall is hiring practices. As Edwards states, “We also have a truly diverse team working with Fresh, that has assisted in every decision we’ve made. This not only makes us inclusive for people of color and women but also experienced professionals working with us who have committed years to the industry.”

Summers, who has written extensively about representation in the drinks industry, sees increased Black ownership — like himself, Fawn Weaver, and Tia and Sean Edwards — as the path forward.

“There are two parts to this game,” he says. “There’s what you do that everyone sees and then it’s what you do privately. Like Biggie said, ‘Bad boys move in silence and violence.’ So, publicly, I am trying to make sure there’s education. Publicly, I’m trying to make sure that there’s awareness. Publicly, I’m trying to put words out into the universe that bring these issues to light. Behind the scenes, I’m trying to make sure that I can not just work with organizations that put diversity and inclusion as a priority, but to create one. Because it isn’t enough anymore to accept crumbs from the table. We can make our own table.”

He certainly takes the initiative when it comes to not only speaking on change but driving it. Sorel will re-launch in the new year and be available in the Caribbean, North America, South America, and Africa. Summers also plans to release additional liquors “with centuries of cultural significance that have not been properly marketed.” Working with fellow advocates for diversity and inclusion on future projects, Summers adds, “I’m going to look for people like myself. Black people, women, Asians, Latin, anyone’s who been marginalized and help them grow their businesses. What’s important to me isn’t my achievement or my goals, but the community. There’s a model of consumer capitalism that is me and how much I can accumulate. I want to break that model. I want the model to be us and how much can we create and distribute.”

While 2020 saw the rumblings of significant change in the spirits industry, 2021 needs to be the year the chatter is put into motion.

“The industry finally figured out there are things not palatable anymore — like delicious rums that are named Plantation,” says Summers. “We love your rum, but we’re not going to support this anymore. So, they’re beginning to listen. But what have they done? That is to be seen. So, while I’m sick of hearing myself talk and I’m sure others are sick of hearing me talk too, they’re going to hear my mouth and more mouths like mine more vocally united over the months and years to come. Because we’re not accepting anything but change anymore.”

While the Rockets take stock of the lingering tension with James Harden, the team is now also dealing with a positive coronavirus test and the fallout of corresponding contact tracing, all of which could leave the team without multiple players in its opening night matchup with Oklahoma City, according to multiple reports. This all on top of a previously announced positive test for Ben McLemore, who has been isolating for several days already.

Initially, Shams Charania of The Athletic noted that players including DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall were isolating as a result of contact tracing within the Rockets’ organization. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski later added that both Wall and Cousins had tested negative but were at home isolating as a precaution.

Before long, reporters uncovered who the player in question was, and it turned out to be rookie second-round pick Kenyon Martin Jr. who tested positive and was in isolation on Wednesday. Martin was added to the Rockets’ injury report mid-day Wednesday.

Soon, Wojnarowski indicated that for Martin, Wall and Cousins, the incident at the root of the problems was a trip to a nearby apartment building for haircuts.

This would be a clear breaking of protocol if Wojnarowski’s report is true. It is unclear as of now whether a player like Wall or Cousins, who have been isolating but have tested negative, will be allowed to participate in the Rockets’ opening game against the Thunder.

Last week, Vice President Mike Pence announced that members of the Space Force military service will be called guardians. The name choice came after a “yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public,” the Space Force Twitter account tweeted, but they should have spent more time on it. It’s not only silly (are the guardians guarding… Earth?), that word, “guardians,” is already synonymous with a popular movie series. What, was “xenomorphs” already taken? Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn recently dinged that “dork” Pence, while Mark Hamill is ready to file a lawsuit.

“So they grab the ‘Guardians’ from your movies, they use the ‘Force’ from our movies… then they have the gall to just steal their logo from Star Trek? Let’s file a 3-way joint lawsuit & really nail these larcenous bastards!” the Star Wars actor wrote, along with the hashtag #MayTheDorksBeWithYou. If there’s one thing that can bring together Star Wars and Star Trek fans, it’s taking the Trump administration to court.

Space Force has already defended itself against plagiarism charges after many took note of the logo looking like the Star Trek insignia. “The delta was first used in space organizations as early as 1961 and has inspired generations of space professionals,” the branch tweeted, also noting that when “you look at the logo, you notice a black area inside of it. The black area embodies the vast darkness of deep space. Some feel fear and dread, but we prefer to be inspired and stand up to the challenge.” Cheery!

Hamill and Gunn should hire Dexter Jettster to defend their case. There’s no rule in the book that says a greasy diner-owning alien can’t be a lawyer.

Music is an integral part of the TikTok experience, so naturally, some big stars have made a significant impact on the platform. In a few days, TikTok is rounding up a bunch of them to help welcome 2021 with their live New Year’s Eve celebration.

The event, which kicks off on December 31 at 9:30 p.m. ET, will be hosted by Lil Yachty and TikTok personality Brittany Broski. Set to perform during the show are Saweetie, Conan Gray, Jason Derulo, Anitta, Aly & AJ, Tai Verdes, Powfu, and Avenue Beat. Meanwhile, musicians set to appear on the program in a non-performing capacity are Cardi B, Mick Fleetwood, Liam Payne, and Rebecca Black.

2020 was full of music-focused TikTok trends. Perhaps the most notable of them was the resurgence of Fleetwood Mac thanks to a dude on a skateboard vibing out to their music. Fleetwood previously thanked Nathan Apodaca for helping introduce his band to a new generation of music fans, saying, “We owe you and it’s such a celebration of everything. It’s so joyous and fun and I was just lead right into it. […] I just want to say, outside of Fleetwood Mac, we owe you. It’s such a great story and so needed in days that are challenging I’ve heard you speaking and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

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

Earlier this year, Tom Cruise sealed the deal to become the first actor to shoot a movie in outer space. He even secured the whole budget for the movie (made in conjunction with Elon Musk to be filmed on the International Space Station) over a Zoom call. In effect, this means that Tom will win the space-race flexing contest between everyone and Vin Diesel, but there might be a catch. Tom’s movie (which still has no script) probably won’t shoot until 2022, and Russia might get to space with its first actor in 2021.

Via IndieWire, Sky News has reported on an upcoming Russian TV channel that’s looking to film a movie (with the working title of Challenge) in October 2021, and yep, they’re aiming to do so on the International Space Station, too. A casting call even went out to cast a woman in the lead role. Oh boy:

The casting announcement for the role says a “a real superhero” is required for the part, someone who wants to “go to the stars… at the same time as becoming a big international star.”

While the successful applicant does not have to be a professional actress, she does have to be aged between 25 and 40, stand between 150 and 180cm tall, weigh between 50 and 70kg and have a “chest girth” of up to 112cm. She is also required to have a clean criminal record.

There are other, fitness-related requirements for the role, too, mostly related to endurance, but what matters most is that Tom Cruise might be bested by Russia. It’s the weirdest space race ever, really, and honestly, it sounds kind-of fun.

Meanwhile, Tom’s on-set tirade (launched at crew members who weren’t taking COVID protocols seriously) is still generating responses. Although many people supported Tom’s message, not everyone was thrilled, including ex-Scientologist Leah Remini, who accused him of doing so as a publicity stunt. This week, a source told US Weekly that crew members are essentially “walking on eggshells” and believe that while Tom had “good intentions… he didn’t need to rant and rave the way he did.” Meanwhile, a U.K.-based production source told People that Tom’s taking the breaking of protocol “personally.” Further, “The Mission: Impossible movies are very special to him. They are ‘his’ movies,” so Tom’s pretty upset to see them threatened.

(Via Sky, IndieWire, People & US Weekly)

There are few TV pairings as interesting as Don Draper and Peggy Olson on Mad Men, primarily because, while Draper was a swirl of confidence and creative thunder laid atop a man who often saw the world like a child — with fear, with mischief, with selfishness — Peggy was so much more interesting. A narrative arc like a moonshot, Peggy went from Don’s quiet and unsure secretary to an eager to please junior copywriter and, eventually, Don’s tough as nails ally, foil, colleague, and, to be honest, better. Yet she had her own complexities and vulnerabilities that were also masked by her confidence and capability. I think about the ways they were the same and the ways they differed a lot. How Don was fighting to keep his grip on something he earned (and stole) and Peggy was fighting to claim her rightful place atop the food chain against a world that wanted to keep her down. I think about how I would have loved more Peggy stories and triumphs. But while that likely will never happen, I’m also thinking about how I see similarities in their story and the one just starting to unfold on Industry between Harper and Eric, another mentee/mentor relationship elevated by natural chemistry and fueled by a kind of symbiosis. The power dynamic here isn’t quite the same. In some ways, everything is coming a little bit quicker and it’s a little bit more direct. But it’s still quite interesting.

For actor Ken Leung, the role of Eric stands out for multiple reasons. For one, it felt different. As he told us when we spoke heading into the season, “it was quite frankly a really great Asian-American role. He’s not the triad boss or a computer hacker, he had some interesting stuff going on with him.” Leung has been a familiar face for a long time, most notably playing a key role in Lost‘s later seasons, but while he has seen better representation for people of Asian descent in TV and film over the years, as he perfectly put it, “that’s like saying, a glass of water in a desert is an improvement.”

Another thing is the dynamic of the cast — young in one of their first jobs, much like the veritable finance babies they’re playing in the show world. Leung indicates that he’s someone who relishes the chance to give advice to young actors when they seek him out, but this was something different. “It was very exciting to be around that,” Leung said, talking about the electricity of the young cast right at the start of their careers. “As much as it obviously seems like I’m being a mentor, I’m also being mentored by that. I’m being reminded of that fire.”

While Leung is referring to the entire cast, his rapport with Myha’la Herrold (who plays Harper) on set translates to the screen, praising her openness. Leung sees, clearly, an us against the world sort of bond between the characters at the start of the show.

“I think he recognizes that she [Harper] is an outsider. She’s an American, she’s Black, he’s Asian, they’re minorities. It’s funny now that we’re talking about it, I once heard, I don’t remember where I heard this, but I once heard that Asian man, Black woman is the perfect combination. Because they are both equally marginalized by American society. So they have this natural … they should have this natural affinity towards each other. So I think on the surface, he recognizes that.”

Herrold basically agrees with that assessment, telling us that Harper “recognizes this is the other American in the room and that he is not white. And so there’s a level of comradery there.” But she also notes the weight of Eric’s approval of Harper and the power that he has. “When he finally sees her for real, I think there is something shocking, scary, but also incredibly fulfilling to be seen, especially by someone who has maybe gone through a similar time as you. And from someone who is, as far as she is concerned, the most important person in the room and the person she wants to be. But it does make it very complicated because she’s also like scared as shit of him because he could ruin her.”

That appraisal is so key, especially to the show’s first four episodes, which is where I was at when I first spoke with Leung and Herrold, but over the course of the second half of the season, the power dynamic changes.

Spoilers ahead here, but as Harper falls flat in a task for an increasingly desperate and challenged Eric, she faces his wrath and disappointment before being dragged by an office politics riptide, begrudgingly participating in an effort to take him out of the game. A silly notion. As if showrunners Konrad Kay and Mikey Down would fail to see the power of the Harper/Eric relationship and flush the show’s most promising asset.

If you’ve seen the season finale, you know Eric finds a way back, aided by Harper’s decision to… Let’s just say it’s bold move and one that may have serious long-term repercussions amongst her peer group, but I’ve never been too sure that those relationships really matters to Harper. Or, at least, not as much as that relationship with Eric.

Kay is hesitant to dig too deep into analysis on the finale, preferring the audience to make their own assessment. But he does tease what’s to come when we ask.

“The ramifications of her choice aren’t easily brushed away, power shifts aren’t that seismic in life and the consequences of her choice don’t just follow season 1 into the past. Its residue hangs over season 2. This relationship will deepen going forward despite many new stumbling blocks. It becomes a more complex dance, as the mentor and mentee continue to circle each other and in so doing circle the thing that binds them together, getting tantalizingly close to fully realizing it. Whether they can ever verbalize it is another matter entirely. Can they both be good people? Does it matter if they have each other?”

Herrold and Leung have their own view.

“I think anything Harper ever does is ultimately about survival,” she tells us over email. “Everything she does is about business and protecting her business; no sentimental feelings at all. Harper definitely knows she’ll have leverage moving forward with Eric which is another business advantage.” Leung sees something similar, telling us, “I imagine it equalizes the dynamic. They’re partners now. They’ve taken turns saving each other’s lives, in a sense, and by the end are both in a place that on paper neither is supposed to be. Partners with a history.”

Is that right, though? Are they partners now or is Harper’s survivalist mentality going to be a problem that Eric can’t see coming? Like that Don and Peggy dynamic, it’s easy to see the mentor trying to hang on and the mentee aggressively reaching for what’s theirs despite pushback that comes when you don’t play it polite and within the rigged rules of the game. Something Harper is far more willing to embrace than Peggy ever was. And more quickly. Just because those characters parted on good terms doesn’t mean these two will.

Everything on Industry is informed by the authenticity that the show strives for. Including my gut instinct on what happens next. Because, to put a fine point on it, the world is full of people who will stab you in the back, the front, or in the side and, in what is my most cynical sentence of 2020, trust and friendship are nice notions that don’t always prove their durability in business (or in life). And so the very specific kind of will they won’t they (destroy each other) of the Harper/Eric relationship stands at the heart of why it’s so fascinating — in season one and in the future.

All episodes of ‘Industry’ season 1 are available to stream on HBO Max.

The ongoing James Harden trade saga appeared to go to another level this week. Harden, in a bit of footage that began circulating around the internet on Tuesday, was spotted maskless in a club, an instance that is becoming disturbingly common with the former league MVP who has made clear that he wants out of Houston.

Under normal circumstances, Harden going to events wouldn’t be a particularly big deal, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s brought him under a ton of fire. Even though he has already had COVID and has an immune system that is presumably able to mount a response against the virus, going to events is in violations of the NBA’s myriad of guidelines that look to put on a season amid the pandemic.

After news broke that the league and the Rockets are both looking into the event, Harden took to his Instagram in an attempt to clarify what happened. He made clear that he did not go to an event at a strip club, something that had been previously reported, and that he was showing “love to my homegirl at her event … because she is becoming a boss and putting her people in position of success and now it’s a problem.”

While it is certainly admirable to uplift the work a friend is doing, Tim MacMahon of ESPN and Sam Amick of The Athletic pointed out that this statement is essentially Harden admitting that he broke the COVID protocols laid out by the league.

MacMahon also noted that Harden ended up deleting the post from his Instagram.

Regardless of whether or not this is genuine or if Harden is just doing what he wants because he wants out of town, this is a gigantic headache for the Rockets and the league, the latter of which has to choose whether or not it would be worth making an example of one of its most prominent stars.

As soon as the 2020 Presidential Election was finally called for Biden, there were calls from right-wing commentators to see things from their perspective and to give them some time to heal.

This request was, obviously, ludicrous and insulting because you knew that the right’s request to consider their point of view tends to only flow in one direction, and there wasn’t a lot of empathy and calls to understand Clinton voters after the ’16 election was called, and there sure as hell wouldn’t have been if Biden had lost.

Fortunately, as usual, Jeff Rosenstock saw all this coming, and already had a song in the chamber to help you laugh it off. The Long Island punk lifer put it best on “Scram!,” a standout cut from his standout album No Dream, one of the best rock albums of the year. (“Scram!” was also the basis for the best late-night performance of the year.)

“I’ve been told for most my life
Try to see the other side
By people who have never tried to
See the other side”

and then:

“Everything you say is a distraction
Well, I’m not listening to you”

And fine, a little more but only because Jeff is great:

“Not hearing all your shit
Don’t waste my fucking time
And don’t you want to get away tonight?
Go kick rocks and die”

Music was the one reliable balm in this exhausting, unending year. Artists such as Taylor Swift created the musical equivalent of a warm sweater to help us swaddle away our anxieties, while Dua Lipa and Charli XCX turned our living rooms into dance parties so we could toast to better times.

Then there were the musicians that gave voice to our anger against a hollowed-out system that allowed untold thousands to needlessly suffer and die due to negligence and incompetence. No Dream was the exhausted battle cry of reasonable, good-hearted people who watched their country fall apart for years, and are sick to death of respectability politics and calls to be civil that aren’t going to put the fire out.

A DIY punk lifer, the Long Island-based songwriter has a remarkable talent for cutting through the bullshit and getting right to the point. He’s also got an uncanny sense of timing, dropping his critical breakthrough album Worry a few weeks before Trump’s victory, and surprise releasing his rallying cry Post on New Year’s Day in 2018, just as things were starting to get much worse. With No Dream, another welcome surprise release, he eased us out of the Trump era with his signature compassionate fury.

Rosenstock is an assuming, good-hearted leftist dirtbag who works in a proudly declasse genre (pop-punk with hints of prog, ska, and thrash), who has no interest in sucking up to the NPR/MSNBC respectable neoliberal crowd. He sings like a guy who has all the skin in the game, who could really use some damn healthcare, who constantly worries that he’s going to end up working in an Amazon warehouse and peeing into a Gatorade bottle.

Doom scrolling through the Bad News On Twitter is terrible for your mental health, and Rosenstock makes it clear he’s been as glued to his feed as the rest of us for these past four years. And goddamn, is he tired. The title track is a grandly-rising swell that explodes into a triple-time breakdown that leaves him audibly breathless as Rosenstock comes to grips with the fact that his country is capable of evils he never imagined.

“They were separating families carelessly
Under the guise of protecting you and me”

Rosenstock calls out hypocrisy wherever he sees it, but as heavy as his heart sounds, he refuses to let the bastards steal his joy from him. As righteous as No Dream is, it’s also a blast, one unapologetic bubble-gum hook and pogo-inducing beat after another. This is music made to be screamed along in a sweaty crowd while you try not to get kicked in the head by a crowd surfer. That we had to listen to it by ourselves was just another indignity 2020 served up to us.

Throughout No Dream, Rosenstock argues that in a crumbling world, the only thing we can do is hold tight to the people we love, and remember they’re the reason why we’ll keep pushing for the world to be a better place. It’s hard work, though. Closer “Ohio Tpke,” takes one of weariest of rock cliches, that Life On The Road Is Tough, and makes it sound fresh and relatable, even if you don’t make your living via touring the country in a van. (Though Rosenstock also writes music for the cartoon Craig Of The Creek.) Rosenstock contemplates the loneliness and wear and tear of touring and the pain of being away from the one you love, elevating the vulgar into something nearing poetry through sheer plainspoken sincerity, aided by the power of nervously elevating guitar strokes that sound like tapping anxiously on the dashboard.

“All these other motherfucking dipshits can bite me
‘Cause you’re the only person that I wanted to like me”

Next year has to be better than this one. (Right?) For his own sake, I hope Rosenstock can wean himself off the news, ignore the dipshits for a while and maybe download a meditation app. Like the rest of us, the man deserves a break. But not for too long, because when the madness starts again we’re going to need him back on stage, calling bullshit with a nervous smile.

Pop Smoke’s team has been steadily releasing videos alongside the rapper’s posthumous album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, which was released in July. Now, fans get a behind-the-scenes look at the late rapper’s life through his “What You Know About Love” video.

Directed by Oliver Cannon, the visual opens with a heartwarming message from Pop Smoke to his fans: “I love y’all, I f*ck with y’all, and I appreciate y’all. I wouldn’t be nothing without y’all.” The rest of the video compiles memorable clips of the late rapper, from showing him vibing out in the studio to putting on a show for hundreds of adoring fans.

The “What You Know About Love” video arrives after much of Pop Smoke’s posthumous music has risen to success. His album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and three months later, it managed to return to the top of the chart once again. On top of that, SoundCloud recently revealed that Pop Smoke was the site’s most-streamed artist of 2020. The Brooklyn drill rapper had 65 tracks uploaded to the platform and his music was streamed 191,500,188 times this year alone, with his DaBaby and Lil Baby collaboration “For The Night” making up 40 million of those listens.

Watch Pop Smoke’s “What You Know About Love” video above.

Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon is out now via Republic. Get it here.