Alternative Music
The Menu, Glass Onion, and the Limits of the Eat-the-Rich Satire
Over these past few years, the phrase “eat the rich” has been accumulating quite a bit of popularity in our cultural lexicon. Originally an anticapitalist slogan coined by political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “eat the rich” has become more applicable than ever, used by the masses as a response to a growing dissatisfaction toward billionaires and other beneficiaries of the 1%. It’s also been thematized heavily in contemporary pop culture, gaining traction starting in 2019 with the advent of films like the riveting Best Picture winner Parasite, the cat-and-mouse thriller Ready or Not, the star-studded whodunnit Knives Out, and the stripper crime comedy Hustlers. Each of these stories attempted to critique the systems and ideologies that drive and preserve the ever-widening wealth gap...
David Hyde Pierce Won’t Reprise Niles in Frasier Reboot
David Hyde Pierce will not be joining Kelsey Grammer in the Frasier reboot, but Grammer says our beloved psychiatrist will have a good time even without his little brother. “David basically decided he wasn’t really interested in repeating the performance of Niles,” Grammer told People. Fortunately, however, the setback forced the Frasier writers to think up a more interesting plot for its main character than a stale cast reunion. “In a very funny way, it just took us to a new place, which was what we originally wanted to do anyway, which was a Frasier third act,” Grammer said. “It’s an entirely new life for him.” Frasier ran for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004. Once the sitcom ended, Hyde Pierce went on to work in theater, and most recently appeared in the HBO Max series&n...
Kanye West Pals Up with Holocaust Denier Nick Fuentes, Travels to Meet Trump at Mar-A-Lago
Just when you thought Kanye West’s far-right heel turn couldn’t get any more disturbing, the former rap legend is now associating himself with white nationalist and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes. In fact, the two recently traveled together to Mar-A-Lago to meet with Donald Trump. The 24-year-old Fuentes has emerged as one of the leading figures of the far-right movement for his incendiary views on women, Jewish people, the LGBTQ+ community, and other minorities. Notably, he openly praises Hitler, believes that the Holocaust was a hoax, and is opposed to women’s right to vote. He was also present for “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017, and spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, DC on January 6th. And now, he’s hobnobbing with Kanye West. As West h...
RM of BTS Announces New Solo Album Indigo
BTS leader RM has announced a new solo album called Indigo, which is set for release on December 2nd. Indigo “recounts the stories and experiences RM has gone through, like a diary,” a press release notes. “The album will present a different charm of RM with various featured artists.” Spanning 10 tracks, Indigo includes collaboration with Anderson .Paak and Erykah Badu. As part of BTS’ “second chapter,” a time for the group to explore solo activities alongside their work as a septet, RM is following bandmates j-hope, Jin, and Jungkook as the next member to release music on his own. Recently, j-hope unveiled his solo album Jack in the Box, Jin teamed up with Coldplay on “The Astronaut,” and Jungkook debuted “Dreamers” during the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. Advertisement Related Vi...
Original Misfits Cancel Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Show Due to “Personal Matter”
The Original Misfits have canceled their December 31st show at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas due to a “personal matter.” Circle Jerks and Tiger Army were set to open the high-profile gig, which would have been a perfect way to ring in the New Year for punk fans. Unfortunately, ticketholders will instead have to seek a refund (available from the point of purchase). The Misfits broke the news on Twitter: “It is with regret, that due to an unexpected personal matter, the Misfits are unable to perform our show in Las Vegas on Dec 31st. We look forward to hopefully seeing you at a show in 2023.” Advertisement Related Video Thankfully the band appear to be planning future dates for next year. Given the sporadic nature of the Original Misfits shows since classic members Glenn Danzig and Jerry...
Love Actually Cast Reuniting for 20th Anniversary TV Special
The jury’s still out on how many lobsters were present at the birth of Jesus, but at least five of the biggest stars of Love Actually will be in attendance for Love Actually: 20 Years Later, a November 29th anniversary special hosted by Diane Sawyer on ABC. The modern Christmas classic will be represented by director Richard Curtis, as well as the film’s Prime Minister of England (Hugh Grant), his sister Karen (Emma Thompson), washed up rock and roll legend Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), the lovelorn Sarah (Laura Linney), and aspiring young drummer Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, now all grown up at the age of 32). A trailer for the TV special shows the cast attempting to answer the question, “Love actually is…?” (“Dead,” Grant replies), and offering a behind-the-scenes loo...
Wilko Johnson, Game of Thrones Actor and Dr. Feelgood Guitarist, Dead at 75
Wilko Johnson, the British musician who also portrayed Ser Ilyn Payne in Game of Thrones, has died. He was 75. The news was shared early Wednesday morning via Johnson’s social media: “This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died,” reads a tribute post. “He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.” Born John Peter Wilkinson in Essex, England, Johnson rose to prominence in the ’70s as the guitarist of the rock band Dr. Feelgood, known for his distinctive percussive sound. Dr. Feelgood released three studio albums throughout their short tenure, as well as a 1976 live album Stupidity, which would go on to top the UK album char...
Mötley Crüe Announce “Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989” Vinyl Box Set
Mötley Crüe have announced the Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989 box set, which collects their first five albums on vinyl and CD. Both formats are set to arrive on February 17th. The LP box set will contain colored-vinyl variants of the following albums: Too Fast for Love (white/black splatter); Shout at the Devil (yellow/black splatter); Theater of Pain (hot pink magenta/black splatter); Girls, Girls, Girls (cyan blue/black splatter); and Dr. Feelgood (coke bottle green/oxblood splatter). The vinyl and CD sets are each limited to 10,000 copies worldwide. It’s the first time the Crüe’s iconic ’80s output has been housed in one package on vinyl and CD. Previously, the band offered up those five albums as part of a limited 40th anniversary cassette box set for Record Store Day in 202...
Jason Isbell, Jim James, and Doug Martsch on Scorsese, Live LPs, and New Music
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS In this special three-part episode, Kyle Meredith features a trio of recent interviews that were taped in front of a live audience during WFPK Members Only performances. Advertisement Related Video The first interview is with Jason Isbell, who talks about putting on his own festival, what authenticity means for him, and being featured in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon. Then, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James tells us why he loves Halloween more than the other holidays, how public radio has helped out the band throughout their career, and how they go about choosing the releases for...
Nandi Bushell and Shane Hawkins Jam to “Everlong,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and More: Watch
It’s been around six weeks since Wembley Stadium hosted the London iteration of the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert, but we haven’t forgotten the star-studded event — and neither has Nandi Bushell. The tween drummer took to Twitter Wednesday to give a heartfelt shoutout to another young musical prodigy: Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane. Bushell spread the love with a minute-long video comprised of clips of the duo rocking out together before the tribute concert: “Jamming with Shane backstage at Wembley is one of my favourite ever moments,” she wrote in the caption. “Shane is one of the nicest, friendliest, talented people I have ever met. He is so much fun to be around and has so much energy.” The pair practice a handful of songs in the video, including Foo Fighters’ classic “Everlong” and Ni...
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Is Sweet, Slight, and (Kevin) Bacon-Flavored: Review
The Pitch: Did you know that in Britain, there’s a long and proud tradition of ongoing series putting out special episodes for the holidays? More often than not, they’re even broadcast on Christmas Day, when it seems that entire nation turns into couch potatoes. In America, though, our more couch potato-y holiday happens to be Thanksgiving, and our biggest ongoing series happens to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thus, this week’s release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special feels pretty apt. Clocking in at 42 minutes (including post-credits scene), James Gunn’s breezy holiday confection offers a little bit of set-up as to where the titular Guardians, including Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillen), Rocket (Bradley Coop...
Senate Antitrust Panel Announces Ticketmaster Hearings Following Botched Taylor Swift Sale
Following a frustrating Ticketmaster pre-sale for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have announced that a congressional antitrust panel will hold hearings on a lack of competition in the live music and ticketing industries, Variety reports. Klobuchar had previously called for hearings last week. Dates and witnesses will be set at a future time. Pre-sale for “The Eras Tour” began on November 15th, and demand almost immediately outstripped the capacity of Ticketmaster’s website. The ticket portal crashed for many users, while others experienced lengthy delays, and by November 17th, the company was forced to cancel general on-sale due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket...
