Alternative Music
What Ever Happened to the Kids from A Christmas Story?
Each month, Clint Worthington’s What Ever Happened To… catches us up with some of our favorite faces from our pop-culture past. It was updated in November 2022. We’ve all seen 1983’s A Christmas Story. The Bob Clark-directed holiday tale of little Ralphie and the many misadventures surrounding his ninth Christmas started out as darkly comic counterprogramming to the sunniness of traditional Christmas movies, only to become an annual tradition for most yuletide households. No one born after 1997 has ever had to seek out A Christmas Story; just walk past any random TV playing TNT on the day itself, and you’ll catch a glimpse of Ralphie shooting his eye out with a Red Ryder BB gun or Darren McGavin marveling at his leg lamp. As you read this, some TV somewhere is probably playing A Chri...
I’m a Former Video Store Clerk and I Think Netflix’s Blockbuster Deserves to Go Bankrupt
It’s not a good sign that Blockbuster, a workplace sitcom set inside a literal metaphor for late-stage capitalism, feels the need to call out the problem with its premise seven minutes into the pilot episode. “Isn’t it ironic that the small business taking a stand against the big corporation in this scenario is actually a franchise of a once-huge corporation, named after the exact type of big corporate movies that killed off smaller movies?” Blockbuster employee Eliza (Melissa Fumero) says, as her boss Tim (Randall Park) tries to rally his underdog staff. I’m admittedly coming to the show with a bias, as a former video store clerk who spent about two and a half years behind the counter of independent stores — stores that always struggled to compete with the Walmart of the industry. But des...
Adele Reveals How to Pronounce Her Name Correctly
Though Adele has been a household name for well over a decade, it turns out that not all of us have been pronouncing her name correctly. During a recent Q&A with fans (via People) promoting her music video for “I Drink Wine,” the superstar set the record straight. “Love that,” Adele said in response to a question submitted via video after a fellow Londoner pronounced her name “perfectly.” As the singer clarified, the correct way to say her name is “Uh-dale,” not “Ah-dell.” So, put a slight emphasis on the second syllable the next time you say Adele’s name. Got it? Watch the video below at around the 21:45 mark to hear the proper pronunciation. Adele is the latest high-profile artist to issue a correction about the pronunciation of their name. In September, Nickelback’s lead singer...
Future Islands Cover Wham!’s “Last Christmas”: Stream
Every autumn, the jack-o’-lanterns are still rotting on the stoop when Christmas season swoops in to stomp them into oblivion. This year Future Islands are leading the charge with a new cover of the Wham! 1984 classic, “Last Christmas.” With the original’s melody and lyrics intact, this cover skates along on cheerful synths and a smooth, relentless bass. Vocalist Samuel T. Herring has a rather distinctive style, and here he wrings every ounce of Christmas cheer out of each vowel and consonant. Who needs to hear sleigh bells ring when you can hear him jangling the words, “This year, to save me from tears/ I’ll give it to someone special?” Check out Future Island’s “Last Christmas” below. Future Islands’ most recent full-length was 2020’s As Long as You Are, though Herring ha...
Yves Tumor Questions a Higher Power on New Single “God Is a Circle”: Stream
Yves Tumor returns today with the hypnotic single “God Is a Circle,” their first new music of 2022. Along with its release comes the eerie music video directed by Jordan Hemingway. Though you can still hear traces of their usual experimental rock side, “God Is a Circle” sees Yves Tumor lean more into a heavier, punkier sound. Lyrically, the song seems to meditate on the woes of existing in a corporeal form: Is there something greater out there, and if so, how does it interact with us mere mortals? “Sometimes/ It feels like/ There’s places in my mind that I can’t go/ There’s people in my life I still don’t know, yeah/ Wander ’round I just feel like a ghost in a well,” Yves Tumor sings in the opening lines, his voice low and brooding over propulsive drums and sound effects that mimic the uns...
Harry Potter Fans Asked to Stop Leaving Socks at Dobby’s Grave on Wales Beach: “It Could Put Wildlife at Risk”
If you happen to be in Pembrokeshire, Wales and want to pay tribute to the late Dobby the Elf at his Freshwater West Beach grave, go ahead, but please don’t bring him any socks. The conservation charity National Trust Wales said as much after noting that socks and other trinkets Harry Potter fans were bringing to the site were putting the beach and its marine life at risk. Freshwater West Beach became a landmark for Harry Potter fans after the fantasy franchise shot Dobby’s death scene there for 2010’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. In the film, the elf dies in Harry’s arms at the beach, which he describes in his final moments as “such a beautiful place to be with friends.” In the years since the movie’s release, fans have erected a memorial to the belove...
Everything But the Girl Announce First New Album in Over 20 Years
Everything But the Girl, the husband and wife pop duo who released 11 records between 1984 and 1999 before going on indefinite hiatus, have announced their first new album in over 20 years. Vocalist Tracey Thorn and multi-instrumentalist/producer Ben Watt broke the news on social media. “Just thought you’d like to know that Ben and I have made a new Everything But The Girl album,” Thorn wrote on Twitter. “It’ll be out next spring.” The band also created an Instagram account for the first time to add, “For our first post, we thought you’d like to know we’ve made a new Everything But The Girl album. It’ll be out next spring. Love, Ben and Tracey.” Check out those posts below. Advertisement Related Video Everything But the Girl made their name with jazz-inflected “sophisti-pop” before achievi...
The Cult’s Ian Astbury on Under the Midnight Sun, Gothic Futurism, and the Optics of Nostalgia
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Ian Astbury calls in to chat with Kyle Meredith about Under the Midnight Sun, The Cult’s latest album. Advertisement Related Video Astbury talks about coming up as a crooner during the post-punk era, journalists mistakenly lumping them in with hair metal, and living through the optics of nostalgia. The frontman also talks about some of the big influences on this album — including Brian Jones, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac — and also dives deep into the ecological and environmental moments that arrive throughout. We also get his takes on recent artists like Yves Tumor and how they’re part of...
Disney’s Live-Action Hercules Is “Experimental” Musical for Audiences “Trained by TikTok,” Says Joe Russo
Disney’s live-action Hercules remake will be a “more experimental” musical for audiences “trained by TikTok,” producer Joe Russo told Variety. He and his brother Anthony Russo are producing with Disney through their independent studio AGBO. “I think they’re excited to see what we can all bring to it in a way that isn’t just a reinterpretation of the animated film,” Joe said, explaining that the new Hercules would be “a little bit more experimental in tone, a little bit more experimental in execution.” The 1997 animated Hercules featured now-iconic song and dance numbers such as the Oscar-nominated “Go the Distance.” Russo said, “There are questions about how you translate it as a musical. Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, r...
Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel Announce Co-Headlining Concert in Arlington, Texas
Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel have announced a co-headlining concert, and in a strange twist of fate, it takes place not in New York or Los Angeles, but in Arlington, Texas. The gig goes down April 8th at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. Nicks announced the concert on Instagram with an image advertising “Two Icons” in “One Night,” but her caption suggests the Nicks/Joel bill may extend to more than one show. “Excited to hit the road with the amazing Billy Joel in 2023,” she wrote, before teasing, “More soon!” Check out her post below. Tickets to Nicks and Joel’s Arlington concert go on sale Friday, November 11th at 10:00 a.m via Ticketmaster, with a Live Nation pre-sale code taking place Thursday, November 10th (using access code HEADLINE). Advertisement Related Video In addition to the...
Placebo Announce 2023 North American Tour
Placebo are hitting the road in 2023 for their first North American tour in nine years. The band had previously delayed a fall 2022 trek. The new 19-date stretch opens in Mexico City on April 17th and hits New York for two nights as well as Philadelphia, Austin, Los Angeles, and more. The tour wraps at The Fillmore in Denver on May 20th. LA rock duo Deap Vally will join as support along with Cold Cave on select dates. See the complete itinerary below. Tickets for the 2023 dates go on-sale Friday, November 4th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. A Live Nation pre-sale for select shows is ongoing and will run through Thursday, November 3rd at 10:00 p.m. local time (use code HEADLINE). Meanwhile, tickets to the band’s current European and UK run are entirely up for grabs now. Advertise...
My Morning Jacket Announce Deluxe Edition of Circuital, Share Demo of Title Track: Stream
My Morning Jacket have announced a new deluxe edition of their 2011 album Circuital, out December 9th via ATO Records. Available in 3xLP and 2xCD physical formats, the expanded set will include 10 previously unreleased demo recordings. As a preview, MMJ have shared a demo of the title track. Circuital (Deluxe Edition) will come in three vinyl variants: “Setting Sun” (orange vinyl mixed with bright transparent yellow), “Lucifer’s Beach” (opaque blue and ultra-clear marble colored vinyl), and “Inner Light” (neon magenta vinyl mixed with ultra-clear swirl). All three will feature a glow-in-the-dark triple gatefold jacket with new artwork, unreleased studio photos, and a special MMJ Owl graphic side etching. Meanwhile, the CD edition will feature a 6-panel digipack and an exclusive 20-pag...
