In a lengthy Instagram post on Monday night, Colorado Rockies infielder Ian Desmond told a story about returning to the Little League fields he played on as a child in Sarasota, Fla., and how the return to his past ultimately inspired him to sit out of the upcoming 2020 MLB season.
Though much of Desmond’s post centered on the part that baseball, his coaches, and his teammates played in his career and life, not all of the memories are happy. Desmond reminisces in the post about his white teammates chanting “white power” after their pregame huddle, and of being abandoned by his stepfather after a game. Yet the trip through Sarasota also made Desmond realize how hard it is for some to have those experiences, especially today as the wealth gap grows. Desmond also wrote that leagues like MLB don’t do enough to support young athletes.
“I got to experience (sports) because (the fields were) a place where baseball could be played by any kid who wanted,” Desmond writes. “It was there, it was affordable, and it was staffed by people who cared.”
Desmond then turns his attention to MLB, calling out the “labor war,” “racist, sexist, homophobic jokes,” and “cheating,” in addition to a huge diversity problem, with no Black owners, one Black GM, two Black managers, and Black players making up less than eight percent of the league.
“If baseball is America’s pastime, maybe it’s never been a more fighting one than now,” Desmond writes, comparing the systemic racism of broader American society to the mechanisms within MLB. As a biracial man, Desmond says he has hardly ever been comfortable as an MLB player, and wants to open doors for more underserved young athletes. Desmond will spend time when he would have been playing instead reinvigorating Sarasota Youth Baseball.
This is a problem. It’s a real problem. It’s not the biggest problem we have right now, I’ll gladly concede that much, but still, the point stands: Once you hear the song “Ja Ja Ding Dong” from Eurovision Song Contest, the new Ferrell-McAdams movie that is burning up Netflix, you will have an impossible time getting it out of your head. It burrows in there with its little teeth and claws and hooks itself to particularly sturdy parts of your brain. It’s not so much an earworm as it is an eartick, holding on for dear life as you try to pluck it out of there. Luckily, I am here to help. I, too, suffered this fate, living with “Ja Ja Ding Dong” lodged into my brain for days on end. And I have a simple, easy tip for getting it back out as soon as you’re ready.
I’ll get to that in a minute, though. The first thing you need to know is that they did this on purpose. Everyone involved openly admits it. The writers of the song, Gustaf Holter and Christian Persson, said as much, telling Vulture they “wanted it to be super-cheesy, but also incredibly catchy at the same time,” and adding “’stupid-catchy,’ we call it.” Well, my friends and tormentors, you did it. Congratulations.
I think there are two parts to its catchiness. The first is the call-and-response of it all. It sounds like a real song you’d hear in a real pub in real Iceland, with its “Ja Ja” prompt followed by its “DING DONG” chant. This is the chunk of it that really gets in there. I bet, if you live in a bustling city or along the main drag in a smaller town, you could stick your head out the window right now and shout “Ja Ja!” and at least one person would shout “DING DONG” back at you. If it doesn’t work today, give it a week. If it doesn’t work in a week, try yelling “WILL YOU PEOPLE PLEASE WATCH THE EUROVISION MOVIE ON NETFLIX! COME ON!” It’s a good movie. It’s fun. They will thank you. Eventually.
The second part of its catchiness is the naughty lyrics. Hoo boy, are they naughty. Not since “Let’s Duet” from Walk Hard has a fun and peppy little fake movie song made the 11-year-old child in me chuckle this much. I mean…
Jaja ding dong (Ding dong)
My love for you is growing wide and long
Jaja ding dong (Ding dong)
I swell and burst when I see what we’ve become
Jaja ding dong (Ding dong)
Come, come my baby, we can get love on
Jaja ding dong (Ding dong)
When I see you I feel a ding-ding dong
The song itself sounds so sweet and innocent that you can almost be lulled into a trance where you forget how dirty the lyrics are. It could be an issue if you have children who are, say, 8 and 11 years old and hear it one single time. This brings us to a quote from the director of the film, David Dobkin, also from the Vulture piece: “I played it one time in my house — one time! — and my 11-year-old and 8-year-old were singing it for weeks.”
It is very funny to picture two young children being as obsessed with the song as this bearded maniac, a tortured soul and my favorite character in this movie, possibly any movie.
Netflix
I can relate to this man. Anyone who has seen the movie can. There are other goods songs in there, too. “Double Trouble” is legitimately fun and bouncy, and could have been the for real song of the summer in that small late-90s slice of time when Ace of Base owned the charts. “Volcano Man” is preposterous on every level and still might end up on multiple playlists I listen to in my car. This is one of the reasons Eurovision Song Contest works as a movie, and it’s the same reason that Walk Hard and Popstar worked as music biopic satires: The humor lands better when the songs are good. These songs are good. All of them. But I only want to hear “Ja Ja Ding Dong.”
This brings us, finally, to the simple trick I’ve discovered to get the song out of your head. You’re going to kick yourself when you realize how easy it is. All you need to do it sit in a quiet spot in your home, close your eyes, and th-
AHAHAHA
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
YOU FOOL
THERE IS NO GETTING “JA JA DING DONG” OUT OF YOUR HEAD
Sadie Dupuis may be best known for leading Speedy Ortiz, but don’t forget that she’s done some great solo work as Sad13 as well. She dropped her solo debut, Slugger, in 2016, and four years later, she is back with its follow-up. Dupuis announced her next Sad13 album, Hand Painting, with its lead single, “Ghost (Of A Good Time).”
Dupuis calls the song a “party song about not going out,” with press materials adding that the track is “an oddball dance anthem for the introverts and anti-nostalgists among us, inspired by a recent Bushwick basement show with a 1 a.m. start-time she would have tolerated a decade ago.”
Dupuis said of the album, “I worked on Haunted Painting throughout 2019, writing, arranging and recording from home, then finishing the songs in studios around the country in between Speedy’s fly-in dates. It’s maximalist, and more true to me and my tastes than any record I’ve done.”
Watch the “Ghost Of A Good Time” video above, and check out the Hand Painting art and tracklist below.
Wax Nine
1. “Into The Catacombs”
2. “WTD?”
3. “Hysterical”
4. “Ghost (Of A Good Time)”
5. “Oops…!”
6. “Good Grief”
7. “Ruby Wand”
8. “With Baby”
9. “The Crow”
10. “Take Care”
11. “Market Hotel”
Haunted Painting is out 9/25 via Wax Nine. Pre-order it here.
If Christopher Nolan banning chairs from his sets sounded too good to be true (of course Christopher Nolan wouldn’t allow his cast and crew to sit down), that’s because it is.
In a recent conversation between Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, The Dark Knight Rises actress told her Les Misérables co-star, “Chris also doesn’t allow chairs…. He doesn’t allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working.” That’s the kind of method madness that titillates first-year film school bros, but a Nolan spokesperson told IndieWire that it’s simply not true.
“The only things banned from [Nolan’s] sets are cell phones (not always successfully) and smoking (very successfully),” spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said. “The chairs Anne was referring to are the directors chairs clustered around the video monitor, allocated on the basis of hierarchy not physical need. Chris chooses not to use his but has never banned chairs from the set. Cast and crew can sit wherever and whenever they need and frequently do.” Look, here’s a chair on a Nolan set. Two of them, actually.
warner bros.
As for the cell phone ban, that’s to protect against leaked photos and videos. No wonder Tom Holland hasn’t been in a Christopher Nolan movie yet, and never will.
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
After delaying their new album at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Haim’s Women In Music Pt. III is finally here to serve as the perfect soundtrack for those quick walks outside in the warmth before retreating back to your home. Throughout, Haim zeroes in on a shimmering vibe, focusing on instrumentation and songwriting that results in their lengthiest and most consistent album to date.
Gordi — Our Two Skins
Gordi’s latest album “balances fierce intimacy with expansive ambition,” writes Philip Cosores for Uproxx. The sparse arrangements leave room for Sophie Payten’s lyrics to really sink in, allowing the listener to revel in the intricacies and impressive command of her songwriting as she describes a woman figuring out her own place in the world.
Hum — Inlet
The best part about Hum’s first album in 22 years is that it doesn’t sound like they haven’t made an album in 22 years. It’s perhaps their most exciting album to date, giving the classic Hum sound a modern revamp for thicker mixes and heavier guitars, with no song clocking in at any less than four minutes.
Arca — KiCK i
Arca has been consistently releasing new music throughout the 2010s, and the producer isn’t slowing down in the 2020s. As for what you can expect to hear on Kick I, Carolyn Droke writes for Uproxx that “it’s hard to place a finger on the distinct category Arca’s music falls into, as she expertly layers jagged, metallic samples with contemporary pop sensibilities.”
Bad Moves — Untenable
On their sophomore full-length, these Washington DC rockers tried to push to the outer edge of their influences, into territory that felt a little more unfamiliar. Untenable features flourishes of folk and garage rock, while still staying true to the band’s mission of delivering undeniable hooks and melodies.
Bright Eyes — “Mariana Trench”
At long last, Bright Eyes’ first album in nearly a decade has a title and release date. “Mariana Trench” is the latest sampling from Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was, previewing what the band called in a statement “an enormous record caught in the profound in-between of grief and clarity — one arm wrestling its demons, the other gripping the hand of love, in spite of it.”
Tigers Jaw — “Warn Me”
Tigers Jaw’s first song in three years marks the first time that Ben Walsh and Breanna Collins have recorded with their touring members, and the new input pushes the band in a welcome, fresh direction. “Warn Me” isn’t slated to appear on the band’s upcoming Hopeless Records debut, but is a promising taste of what’s to come. I’ve been hesitant in the past to write from a more positive point of view,” said Walsh in a statement, “but my entire personal life went through an upheaval a few years back and it inspired me to see things through a new lens.”
Narrow Head — “Night Tryst”
Narrow Head channel The Smashing Pumpkins on their first single for Run For Cover Records, featuring chugging instrumentals and Corgan-esque guitar leads. Lyrically, vocalist Jacob Duarte says he “wanted to create a fairly dark world with my words. I put my life and experiences into that world and those are the words that came out.”
If you’re a reader of this column, you probably know I’m a sucker for emo-inspired indie rock. Michigan’s Forest Green fall into this category, with melodic earworm choruses sandwiched between heavy guitars and raspy vocals. “Ivory” is the latest preview of the band’s upcoming album In Waves, which is due out this week.
Rituals Of Mine — “Come Around Me”
Mixing the sonic palettes of R&B, electronic, and pop, into a unique and innovative hybrid, Rituals Of Mine previews her new album Hype Nostalgia with “Come Around Me,” where Terra Lopez takes on the music industry to call out the times she has been taken advantage of as a gay woman of color. With Lopez’s ethereal vocal over an electronic beat, “Come Around Me” is an extremely promising look at what’s to come with Hype Nostalgia.
Fenne Lilly — “Alapathy”
Fenne Lilly’s music takes a more upbeat approach on Breach, her debut album for venerable indie label Dead Oceans. “Alapathy” is a taste of this new approach, with insistent percussion that keeps up an anxious intensity throughout the track. It’s the first step toward the inner peace that Lilly searches for throughout Breach.
Katie Dey — “Dancing”
With programmed drums and glitchy synths, “Dancing” introduces Katie Dey’s latest album mydata. On the new album, the Australian musician maintains the integrity of electronic dissociation that made her previous efforts so engaging, while also utilizing strings and orchestral arrangements to expand the breadth of her songwriting.
Chloe Moriondo — “Manta Rays”
Just a few months after releasing the Split Orb EP, 17-year-old singer songwriter Chloe Moriondo is back with “Manta Rays.” With shimmering guitars and reverb-soaked vocals, the track “is supposed to feel like the moment when you sit fully alone in your room after seeing that one person you’ve been trying to dream of just to be closer to them, and reflect on how dumb you are and how much of your time goes to thinking of them,” wrote Moriondo in a statement.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Toronto singer, songwriter, and poet Mustafa released the stunning debut single “Stay Alive” in March as a reflection on gun violence. The song was produced by James Blake, who also worked with the singer on a handful of other songs. The duo collaborated on the touching track “Come Back” and they’ve now returned to debut the song with a moving live performance.
Directed by Nabil, the affecting performance poises James Blake on the piano as he offers supporting vocals to Mustafa, who showcases his textured voice. The song is a reflection on loved ones Mustafa has lost throughout his childhood. “If she runs her fingers through my past / She may lose the softness in her hands / Maybe I can still make it come back,” Mustafa sings.
Speaking on the meaning behind song, Mustafa expressed his gratitude towards Blake in a statement: “Perpetually grateful for James who helped free me of my own emotional burdens when I was young, to now helping me free these stories of those who’ve passed too young. today marks 2 years without Smoke Dawg. I pray the people you lost come back to you in the form that heals you best, if not a memory, a dream, if not a dream, in their siblings eyes, if not that, than in the way you carry yourself.”
Watch Mustafa and Blake perform “Come Back” above.
Ever since the Lost series finale aired, a decade ago as of May 2010, it’s been a source of contention for both fans and the creators of the show. While there never could’ve been an ending to the hit supernatural drama that satisfied everyone, the series finale has been relentlessly dunked on for years. Even George R.R. Martin got into the act. Although, he probably should’ve waited until Game of Thrones ended its run, because that show did not have the smoothest landing either.
In a revealing new interview with Collider, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof opened up about the behind-the-scenes battle that led to the show’s ill-received ending. With the success of HBO’s Watchmen and The Leftovers under his belt, the showrunner seems to be less apprehensive about tackling what he believes was the main source of creative problems: ABC wanted too many seasons.
According to Lindelof, the original plan for Lost was to only run for three seasons, and there were already conversations about how the show would end as they were working on the pilot. However, if the show became a hit, ABC’s line of thinking was “why end something that people love watching?” This led to the show being stretched to over twice its original length, causing too many mysteries to stack up, and the show’s trademark flashback scenes became less revelatory character moments and more “treading water.”
Eventually, Lindelof and the writers managed to convince ABC to at least have a conversation about ending the show, and well, it didn’t go so great.
“Then they finally came to the table and we had a real conversation. They were like, ‘We have agreed to let you end the show.’… I just said to [ABC President] Steve McPherson, ‘Thank you. This is what’s best for the show,’ and he said, ‘We were thinking 10 seasons.’ Mind you, we’re halfway through Season 3, so first off how do you even think we’re gonna get to 10? That’s really the same as saying we’re not gonna let you end the show, because how many drama series even get to 10 seasons?”
After a back and forth where Lindelof and the writers suggested ending the show after four seasons and ABC came back with nine, six seasons was agreed upon as an ending point even though, again, that was twice as many seasons as the creators originally wanted. While Lindelof is proud of the plan they came up with to end the show and they way they executed it, he fully acknowledges that stacking too many mysteries over the show’s 121 episodes spiraled out of control.
“I think that we can both agree that we did not get that balance right,” he told Collider.
Terry Crews isn’t faring so well on social media these days. Following the killing of George Floyd, Crews tweeted controversial remarks on avoiding “Black supremacy.” He then attempted to explain his perspective with more tweets and ended up creating a bigger mess, mostly because his wording had suggested a warning against something (“Black supremacy”) that does not exist. The matter grew even more unwieldy with Crews eventually lashing out against “gatekeepers of Blackness” and doubling down: “Any Black person who calls me a coon or and Uncle Tom for promoting EQUALITY is a Black Supremist, because they have determined who’s Black and who is not.”
Crews then tried to explain his stance to Seth Meyers, which didn’t fix things, but fast forward a few weeks, and Crews is, well, tweeting again.
“If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology,” he wrote on Tuesday. “We must ensure #blacklivesmatter doesn’t morph into #blacklivesbetter.”
If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology.
Again, Crews appears to be sending a warning against something (#blacklivesbetter) that wasn’t even on the table. As one might expect, this tweet isn’t going over any better than his past tweets on Black Lives Matter, and now, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice King, has responded to the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor.
“We’re so far from that bridge, Terry,” Bernice tweeted. “#BlackLivesMatter is, in part, a rallying cry and a protest slogan to galvanize people into doing the justice work needed to derail the deaths, dehumanization and destruction of Black lives that racism causes … Justice is not a competition.”
We’re so far from that bridge, Terry. #BlackLivesMatter is, in part, a rallying cry and a protest slogan to galvanize people into doing the justice work needed to derail the deaths, dehumanization and destruction of Black lives that racism causes.
Crews hasn’t responded with another tweet yet, although that might be coming.
On a tangential note, Crews recently revealed that Brooklyn Nine-Nine has trashed several episodes (while planning “to start over”) following the killing of George Floyd.
Flying Lotus called up a lot of collaborators to lend him some assists on Flamagra, his latest album. Now, though, the musician and producer wants his fans to step up to the plate and make some contributions of their own. He and Denzel Curry have launched #BlackBalloonsChallenge, for which they want fans to share their ideas for reinterpreting the lyrical part of the instrumental version of “Black Balloons Reprise,” from Flamagra (Instrumentals).
Asking fans to “enter the world of Flamagra (Instrumentals)” and “re-imagine” the song, the site instructs interested entrants, “Download the 16 bar instrumental via SoundCloud here & create your own flow to the accompaniment. Submit video or audio of yourself performing your bars on SoundCloud, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok & use the hashtag #BLACKBALLOONSCHALLENGE to win various prizes, including a Flying Lotus merch package, a free Pro-Unlimited subscription from Soundcloud, and the chance to have your remix featured on socials by Lotus & Curry.”
The SoundCloud description of the instrumental download also notes, “In celebration of the one year anniversary of the landmark album, Flamagra, Flying Lotus has returned with a new and intimate perspective of that epic body of work; Flamagra (Instrumentals). The album is an exploration of Lotus’ mastery of production techniques & virtuosic musicianship that allows the featured players of his world to take center stage. Now Lotus challenges you to enter his world & re-imagine the single ‘Black Balloons Reprise,’ originally featuring Denzel Curry.”
As the WNBA and NBA continue to plan out how they will use their seasons in Florida to take a stand for broader social issues, Chicago Sky forward and two-time NCAA champion at UConn Gabby Williams released photos of the Nike sneakers she’ll wear on the court when the WNBA kicks off on July 24 in Bradenton, Fla.
The sneakers are a tribute to the late Gigi Bryant, the daughter of Kobe Bryant. She, her father, and seven others died on Jan. 26 in a helicopter accident, and the WNBA has been dedicated to honoring Gigi’s memory since her passing.
When the @WNBA tips off in Florida next month, @gabbywilliams15 will wear a custom-painted pair of the Nike Mamba Focus in honor of Gigi Bryant
Over the past several years until her abrupt passing, Gigi often discussed her dreams of attending UConn and playing in the WNBA. It was one of the key focuses of Kobe’s post-playing career to draw attention to and support the WNBA. At an exhibition game between the women’s national basketball team and the UConn women’s team days after the crash, a seat was saved and decorated with flowers and Gigi’s No. 2 jersey to commemorate her relationship with the school. When the WNBA became the first league to pull off a virtual draft this spring, it kicked off the draft broadcast with a moving tribute to Gigi and her two teammates, Peyton Chester and Alyssa Altobelli, who also passed away in the crash.
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