Hi all. Took last week off because I was too busy. This week will be a little more brief than I’d usually prefer because I’ve 1) got a buddy in town and 2) have been cranking away on stories this week. I can’t share them yet, but I'm keen to do so, as I’m quite proud of them. Soon, though.
Khruangbin’s A LA SALA
Khruangbin is kind of the indie rock/disco-funk version of Phish. Or, at least, what I understand to be Phish (to be clear, I’ve never listened to them but I have my assumptions.) Their new album, A LA SALA (yes, it’s styled that way), comes from pure experimentation; it’s a collection of songs that weren’t released prior. It’s hazy and homey (fitting since the title of the album is “to the Living Room”), and I can’t stop listening to it. It’s the album I’ll likely toss on next time I’m out back having a cigar. Perfectly fit for those long, hazy summer days that will be here before we all know it.
Destiny 2 is Officially Back
I wrote about this a few weeks ago in a purely speculative mode, but yes, Destiny 2 is officially back. Between an excellent rollout of this new game mode and a stunning showcase for the game’s new expansion, I’m feeling pretty confident in the state of the game at the moment. After a decidedly rough year, Bungie’s bounced back accordingly. It makes me really happy, frankly, to have my fellow squadmates back in the saddle of excitement as we head into this last stretch before The Final Shape. Benti and I will likely have some longer thoughts about this on stream next week, so I’ll save my longer thoughts for then. But for now, I can confidently say that we’re so back.
This Hat from The Masters
I can’t think about The Masters golf tournament without talking about two disparate thoughts. The first is that I cannot wait for Sunday to sit down and watch the final round like I always did with Dad. The second is this article from friend of the newsletter,
, which posits Masters Merch as Supreme for Dads. Well, call me Daddy then because I saw this hat on Twitter, and, well, it rules.There’s a chance Augusta National was already doing rope hats with text on them prior, but the first one I saw was last year’s version — a baby pink number with Azela emblazoned across the top. This one is much, much better.
Wemby’s New Nike Logo
It's not breaking news, but Nike is really good at what it does. Moments before Monday’s eclipse, the brand rolled a teaser video that seemingly confirmed Victor Wembanyama’s new logo.
The alien iconography rules, but I’m less hyped about the double swoosh on either side of the ball. Eagle-eyed fans already caught a glimpse of the gray man logo on the GT Hustle 2 PEs that he rocked during All-Star Weekend, so hopefully, it’ll be more of that and less of the full crop circle-style branding. Either way, it’s a super strong start to the Alien’s Nike era that shows the Swoosh absolutely still has it from the marketing perspective.
Conan O’Brien on Hot Ones
I don’t know at what point Hot Ones became Gen Z’s Charlie Rose, but Conan’s Hot Ones episode is probably the best episode of the show thus far. I don’t even want to spoil it for you, but I will say the trademarks of what I’ve always loved about him are present, down to his insane and impassioned desire to absolutely go for it no matter what.
Odds & Ends
I had a lovely chat with Michael Douglas (!) for Men’s Health, which I feel is some of my best work. He also told me he came up with the idea for a fart joke in his upcoming Apple TV+ series. If that’s not enough of a tease to get you to read this, well, I don’t know what else will do it.
I also reviewed Prime Video’s FALLOUT adaptation for TheWrap, which has some struggles in the backend but is otherwise much better than it should be, and is deeply entertaining. Good stuff!
See y’all next time. Get some rest and watch golf this weekend!
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Gotta say I liked everything you shared this week! Watched Conan on Hot Ones yesterday, and that Wemby logo is a BANGER!