The Daily Zeitgeist - The Omicron Wave, Woke Side Story? 12.17.21

Episode Date: December 17, 2021

In episode 1053, Jack and Miles are joined by writer and podcaster Joelle Monique to discuss Omicron Is Spreading Fast, No, Wokeness Didn’t Tank the New West Side Story, Conspiracy Theorists Have La...tched Onto David Bowie’s Forgotten Video Game and more! Omicron Is Spreading Fast Should you gather for the holidays as omicron variant spreads? Experts advise caution No, Wokeness Didn’t Tank the New West Side Story Will Disney Replace Ansel Elgort in Spielberg’s West Side Story? What’s Really Going on With West Side Story’s Unsubtitled Spanish—and What It Misses Nolte: Woke ‘West Side Story’ Flopped All Over the World Conspiracy Theorists Have Latched Onto David Bowie’s Forgotten Video Game David Bowie's one and only gaming role, remembered Reality check: Microsoft, David Bowie, Bill Gates, and a creepy video game called ‘Omikron’ Astrologer Suggests David Bowie Might Have Predicted The Ninth Planet’s Arrival This music industry expert looks weirdly like David Bowie LISTEN: Theme From King Heroin by The J.B.'s Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, I'm Gianna Pradenti. And I'm Jermaine Jackson-Gadsden. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. There's a lot to figure out when you're just starting your career. That's where we come in. Think of us as your work besties
Starting point is 00:00:12 you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in people who do, like negotiation expert Maury Tahiripour. If you start thinking about negotiations as just a conversation, then I think it sort of eases us a little bit. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:00:30 I'm Jess Costavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and Shekinah Church. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 00:00:56 or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game.
Starting point is 00:01:15 Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese.
Starting point is 00:01:40 People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season, we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. Hello, the internet, and welcome to season 215 episode 5 of the daily production of iheart radio this is a podcast where we take a deep dive into america's shared consciousness and it is friday december 17th 2021 which means that you know it is National Miles. Wright Brothers Day. National Wright Brothers Day.
Starting point is 00:02:26 Yeah. Well, I mean, just Wright Brothers Day. National Underdog Day. Okay. Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. That makes more sense. And National Maple Scissor Day as well. Oh, they specified scissor?
Starting point is 00:02:40 Yeah. Maple scissor. You're supposed to drink it out of a styrofoam cup? Came straight out from the 504 boys, I think. The E36 Mafia collaborated on that one. Well, my name is Jack O'Brien, a.k.a. Stuck in a well, and you're a cat, baby.
Starting point is 00:02:55 You make Jack the horny. That is courtesy of Matt Dick. At Matt Dick, though, it is a reference to me saying, this is where I don't even remember what we talk about on the show, but I'm pretty sure I suggested that I have a fetish for cats being stuck in wells. Oh, yeah. Well cat. We thought it was a website.
Starting point is 00:03:16 Well cat. That's right. Now you're talking about my. There it is. Well, Miles, I'm thrilled to be joined, as always, by you! Hey, it's Miles Gray, a.k.a. Nakajima Mayurisu, you know, as I'm known in Japan. So, I just wanted to give you a six. Jack was hitting y'all with his legal name. I'm going to hit you with my international name. So, shout out to Japan for that.
Starting point is 00:03:42 Did you grow up with two names, basically? Your Japanese name? I mean, because Japanese, the alphabet is all syllables, so there's no way a Japanese person is going to say miles. We have to use the alphabet that we have, so it breaks down to
Starting point is 00:03:58 or I don't do the on it. I go for Zook, not Zook. But that's a personal decision. So I was using this call like my, was sort of like
Starting point is 00:04:10 my grandparents, aunties, uncles kind of saying Mike, Mike, Michael, that kind of thing. Our boys have Korean names
Starting point is 00:04:19 that were selected by their Korean school. So, but I think we're going to stick with them. Is that, is there, is there a process like wouldn So, but I think we're going to stick with them. Is that, is there a process? Like, wouldn't like your family have a name for them? Like us? Like your dad, for instance?
Starting point is 00:04:34 It was so blowing my mind. Like, isn't there like a person who decides the name? Yeah, we just didn't bother until they started Korean school. And then they were like, all right, we'll pick them for you. Okay, what are their names? they're very very cute i'm not saying my kids names on wow national podcast you want me to say my kids korean names on the podcast okay my bad my bad yeah they're cute though suri and chuna okay okay well miles we are thrilled fortunate and blessed to be joined in our third seat by one of the smartest people I know. She's a producer here in iHeart's LA podcast studio, helping to create shows like Fake Doctors, Real Friends.
Starting point is 00:05:14 She's a fabulous writer who you can read at Vulture, The A.V. Club, Teen Vogue, Pace, The Advocate, many more. She is the brilliant, the talented, Joelle Moniz! Many more. She is the brilliant, the talented Joelle Moniz! Hello! I am back in the house. Still the Marvel Defender. So excited to be here today. How are you guys doing? We're great. You have a new microphone and it is covering your eyes as though you are Nick Fury. Yeah, you had it over one eye and you looked like Nick Fury. At one point, I was covering both eyes and you looked like, you know, a witness on a like 2020 special that is trying to cover up their identity. But they're just like doing a real half ass job. You know, it's hard when your brother edits the show, because if you don't record right you're gonna hear about it you're gonna hear about it so i'm trying to get the mic right you know now that i got the a professional mic like
Starting point is 00:06:10 i've been podcasting for eight years or something i just got a real mic this is crazy i'm gonna try to hold it here so i can make eye contact no don't no no do whatever you want i just i thought it was it was fun yeah It was fun. Yeah. Well, we're thrilled to have you back. How are you doing? How have you been since last you checked in with Zeitgang? Friday?
Starting point is 00:06:34 Monday was that? You know, for business folk, it's Q4. So everyone needs everything right this minute. Not later. Not 30 seconds from now. do not take a nap do not do that other work because their work is most important right now there's six people being like but now like you have to wait it's coming please believe me i'm working on it i have not forgotten about you i've sent that email six times you're still in my thoughts the actions are coming can you record this ad three days ago
Starting point is 00:07:05 i can't i'm not a time traveler unfortunately damn it someone said you might be as a as a minor podcast uh celebrita if i can if i call myself that also other networks are now ringing me up and being like so our regulars are not available will you come slide in and help us and i'm like this is what I've been asking for all year. It would be weird if I said no. I just don't sleep now. I went to bed at like 11. I was up at three.
Starting point is 00:07:34 It's fine. Listen, we're going to get all of it done and it's going to be great. And you know, I got the things I asked for. So I'm going to just revel in that manifestation. Exactly. Get your worth. Get your worth. Yes. Yes. All right, all right joelle we are gonna get to know you a little bit better in a moment first we're gonna tell our listeners a few of the things we're talking about we're gonna check in with
Starting point is 00:07:55 omicron because it seems like it's been spreading fast i leave for one day uh and this this damn pandemic what i do once again what'd you do, Miles? So we'll just talk about, you know, the latest on that. It's kind of a lot of the same, but we're going to talk about the new West Side Story. Getting raves, but did not bring in boffo BO. So we're going to ask, why is that? Because the right, they have some answers for us. They have some guesses.
Starting point is 00:08:24 Oh, fuck no. is that because the right they have some answers for us they have some guesses and we are gonna uh talk about the conspiracy behind david bowie's forgotten video game omicron the nomad soul uh that came out in 1999 a lot of people forgot we did not And we're here to tell the truth. Yeah. It's the Rosetta Stone to the future. All of that. Plenty more. But first, Joelle, we like to ask our guests, what is something from your search history? Telfar Plum. If those words don't mean anything to you.
Starting point is 00:08:58 Miles knows. Miles is aware because he's a hype beast. And through Miles, I've slowly become a hype beast because he taught Justin about stuff and now I'm learning about the stuff. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Didn't teach me anything. Okay. I'm sorry.
Starting point is 00:09:09 Whoa, whoa, whoa. Justin, hold on. They're recording. Yo, who's going to defend? First of all, I knew Justin was not going to have that. I'm so sorry. Justin very much is his own hype beast. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:23 You know, I was doing like the seven days of Off-White after Virgil passed. And I was like, whoa. Keep it up the tempo, sir. Super producer, Justin. I just bought us St. Virgil pins that I'm really excited about. Oh, nice. It's like the saint hood with like Louis Vuitton symbols. It's really cute.
Starting point is 00:09:41 Anywho, Telfar Plum. Okay. So if y'all don't know telphar is really cool uh comes from a guy named telphar he's liberian american he designs handbags he calls them like shopping bags they sort of look like plastic bags almost they go like just your classic handbag two loop handles one big shoulder handle big te symbol in the center they're simple but they're classy they come in every color but the cool thing about them is they're like, listen, we can't be bothered with waitlisting and we don't feel like our bag should cost $80,000. That's ridiculous. So we will always
Starting point is 00:10:14 sell our bags for the same price. It is first come first serve. Don't call us beforehand. We're not setting it aside. There's no raffles or drawings. You just come here, you purchase, you leave. I love the system. I think it's's really beautiful all my besties have one and i was feeling left out and it's christmas and i deserve nice things fuck yeah i bought one in clumb i can't it's gonna be here tomorrow i'm so excited i have already planned the outfits it's i got the cute little tiny one it's like enough for maybe a journal and a telephone that's all i need i can't be carrying around big bags i have a bad back i'm just excited i've done i have all the shoes now i've picked up my instagram designer like wardrobe throughout the last year now i have the telephire
Starting point is 00:10:55 bag uh whenever the world decides it's safe to go out girl is ready you're doing like outfit grids and shit yes in your mind you know like that's how you're getting organized with your drip? You're like, okay, let me look at this real quick. Planning when and where I can wear things. You know, like we're going out on Saturday to see the new Spider-Man. I'm already organizing the outfit. And my mind, listen, anytime you leave the house now, it's time for the drip. I know that because I went to brunch a couple of days ago and literally everyone was was dressed to the nines. For no other reason than we were outside.
Starting point is 00:11:26 And that's where we are now. This was something I was sort of suspecting. When we were first early in the lockdown. And everyone had transitioned to just give up as a fashion choice. And now I was like, the return of the drip is going. Because I remember the first time I went out. I was like, I am wearing every single thing at once. I don't care if this doesn't even look like coherent fit.
Starting point is 00:11:49 I have to, I have to get it out here, but it's nice to see people really making a Denny's feel like the fucking Met Gala. Sometimes we were at post and beam. It's a black owned restaurant. If you're in the LA area, go check it out.
Starting point is 00:12:03 By Baldwin, Baldwin Hills. Yeah. So good. I'll hash black owned restaurant. If you're in the LA area, go check it out. In Baldwin Hills. Yeah. So good. Oxo Hash. Next level. Insane. So good.
Starting point is 00:12:11 That place used to be Eat-A-Burger back in the early 90s, which I think has... Oh, it's got that vibe. Okay. I think it has like a cameo. Boys in the... Anyway, that piece of property right there in that shopping center right there on Stocker and Crenshaw has had many iterations. How are they keeping it so that it doesn't, like, get into the resale world or it already is in the resale world? Okay, got it.
Starting point is 00:12:36 Yeah, yeah. You can get Telfars on StockX and, like, you know, the medium. Yeah, after that, it's out of their hands. They're mostly just concerned about, like, when we sell it, it's bought. And the thing is, they come out with a new one every two weeks. So, if you miss a color, like, I feel like you shouldn't be that stressed. Although, I have been eyeing the mint one because it's mint. That color's dope.
Starting point is 00:12:56 I'm not going to lie. Yeah, truly. Miles, do you have one? No, but, you know, I like to keep my ear to the street when it comes to hype pieces and what the youth them are into. And the Telfar, I just feel like, A, I hear it just by osmosis from the chatter around me. But then on Twitter, I feel like so many people have these tortured posts of like, Do I pay my bills or do I get this small Telfar in Cerulean? Because that colorway is lit, babe.
Starting point is 00:13:29 And then you're like, okay. Causing some people some, making some hard decisions. So, Joelle, you did mention the new Spider-Man, which is pulling strands from many different, you know, Marvel multiverses. I'm just going to say it. You don't have to confirm or deny i wouldn't be surprised if the uh marvel defender made a uh made a cameo but but i'm i don't know might pop up might might pop up let's just say listen i've already seen spider-man
Starting point is 00:13:59 i'm not saying i can't say anything i can't okay but't. You may be doing battle with haters like Miles. Let's do it. Let's do it. What is something you think is overrated? I'm just going to lay it all out there. Now, old gays, I've had this conversation with you before. And I understand that at a time where nobody was effing with y'all, here came Madonna to be like, no, voguing is the shit. And then she sort of stole it and then
Starting point is 00:14:25 passed it so she's like Willie Ninja who's that I never met him did not teach me to vogue I was just in these streets being a wild club girl I think at some point I get wanting a BBL the whole body lift situation I get it we live in a society that really demands body perfection particularly if you're going to constantly be on camera i just really value women and no let me rephrase that i value people who can live at every age at every age comfortably in their skin i think that there's a lot of value in that i don't want to tell you what to do and what not to do with your body but madonna's new butt scares me i think it's a really unhealthy standard for a lot of people to try to keep up with i think the music has not been hot since you know early 2000 i'm just
Starting point is 00:15:14 ready to be like madonna was in her time and she did that thing and she really angered some people who probably needed to be angered and that was good good. And okay. And it's fine now. Can we just sort of move on from the Madonna conversation of it all? Yeah. I think I counted myself in that number of seeing those boudoir photos. And I'm like, what? The salves here? And why?
Starting point is 00:15:40 And the butt should match the thighs, everyone. If you're going to get one, just please match it. Just ask your person, whoever's doing it, to be like, can you make sure these are proportional? Because otherwise, you constantly look like you have a diaper under your skin. And isn't that upsetting to you? It upsets me. Yeah. Well, look, they're still working the kinks out on that procedure, I guess, to make it seamless.
Starting point is 00:16:02 Just a little bit. They haven't quite figured out the blending of the two. That it's like when people got that hard makeup line below their chin right it's not like the new facelift where they go in through your cheek and lift it up so you don't look like you've been stapled back but it sounds like it hurts a lot because they like they cut in through your cheek remove some of the fat and then lift up in there. So all the weird pull, stretchy parts are hidden in your mouth. What? Oh my gosh. I'm fascinated and disturbed by plastic surgery. I love that it's an
Starting point is 00:16:31 option for people. I think you should be able to look and feel like however makes you feel best. But I'm also deeply disturbed by the lengths we go to try that we have to feel comfortable. You know what I mean? The fact that you had to go under and get sliced up. It says a lot about our standards of beauty.
Starting point is 00:16:51 Yeah, absolutely. That they're unattainable to the point that merely existing isn't enough because it's this specific look that like, yeah, it takes a medical intervention to arrive there. And like the other part, like you're saying, like if only we could normalize, you know, self-care, self-love. That beauty isn't this thing that is measured by how many fucking likes or followers you have. Well, or I'm the kind of person who finds such beauty in like the, in a different face. Like all these girls, the like Instagram face, I'm'm like your face just looks like everyone else's
Starting point is 00:17:25 right and like all the girls like trying to thin out their nose with makeup like i get listen trans women taught us how to contour and it was great we thank you as somebody who's frequently trying to improve their contour thank you i really appreciate it but i am like again just weirdly disturbed by the amount of people that are like, what I need is a pencil thin nose. I'm like, big nose is where it's at. I don't know where y'all have been, but like distinct features, like please give them to me. I just don't want us all trying to look the same. I think then it becomes not beautiful anymore.
Starting point is 00:17:58 You've made your face a product. Don't do it. Don't do it, folks. Like your face is gorgeous. I promise you. Someone is looking at that face being like, oh, my God. Amazing. Well, yeah, we're the we're our own worst critics in the when we look in the mirror. And I think that's the insidious part that it's difficult for many people to get over.
Starting point is 00:18:16 We don't know what we look like in the mirror. Like we know what we look like to ourselves, but we don't know what we look like to an objective person we are worse at judging that than other people are yeah we can't judge our voices our voices objectively everyone thinks their voice sucks everyone thinks their face is fucking sucks like just like come on now we have to we have to realize that there's just that little bit inside of us that is kind of giving you bullshit and not the truth all the time i will say one bonus here is for people who are you know do find themselves wearing diapers underneath their clothes it you can now be like hey i just got a butt lift right right i got that excellent yes
Starting point is 00:19:00 so and that's not something I know about from personal experience. Grandpa looking dummy thing. What is something you think is underrated? So, like, I know along the West Coast, but I specifically went to the one in L.A. It's this thing called Unique Markets. My friend took me there last weekend. Miles, have you been? No.
Starting point is 00:19:24 Oh, my gosh it is if it's a thing that requires me to leave my home the chances are low you do have to go outside that is the downside i like this though i'm sold but imagine if you will like an etsy but in person it's an it's like an open air market where they hold smorgasbord. Oh, yeah, yeah. Smorgasbord. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So in that same area, but it's like all of these independent sellers around Christmas.
Starting point is 00:19:54 I have a friend, my friend Casey is obsessed with only buying direct for Christmas. So all of her holiday gifts come from like unique artists, small businesses. That's her whole bag. And I really like hopping on that train because, you know, small businesses,'s her whole bag and i really like hopping on that train because you know small businesses they're going to need more money around the holidays it's the end of the year they got taxes next year it's a whole deal plus it's nice when you can get someone a gift that you're for sure no one else got them that's my favorite where did you find this let me tell you and not it's just around you know how i be shopping so it's like 6 30 to 60 of them if you do it's 12 to enter 36 for vip we did vip because we're
Starting point is 00:20:31 fancy now you get wine tickets so you can drink a little you day walk breezily around and then you just shop i thought i bought so much good stuff at what were like very reasonable price. I got a gold ring for $30. It is beautiful. It is not turning my finger green. It looks like a Cuban chain link. I don't want to take it off ever. I bought a new net, like several new necklaces.
Starting point is 00:20:57 I spent too much money, but it just made me feel good. I got Justin t-shirts from like, it was just, it's so nice to just like directly interact with somebody who's so excited to sell a product that they worked really hard on. And then you're giving them money. And there's so many black owned businesses there. If you happen to be in like any major city along the West coast, I know they just had one in Portland. I think they're doing one in San Francisco coming up.
Starting point is 00:21:18 You should check them out because you'll feel good after going. And yeah, I feel like it's something I've seen in other cities too, though. I just look at people's posts that I know live in other cities, and it looks like they're at a mall, but it's a bunch of independent vendors who are selling their wares. I feel like this is a
Starting point is 00:21:38 very, very welcome event. Jewelry, ceramics, candles. One woman was there. All of her proceeds go to like helping like big clean water wells in africa it you will find something that you love my friend bought all of her christmas gifts i was selfish and bought gifts for myself mostly you can do whatever and it's just it's cute and fun shop local if you guys are still trying to get your Christmas gifts. It feels better. And so it's like a curated, like, I guess not flea market, but like it's individual like kiosks, right?
Starting point is 00:22:13 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone sets up their little stalls. If you've been to any kind of comic convention and done an artist alley, it's very similar. It's like everyone's got their like two little card tables and their wares are out. I guess you could try to bargain. I did not. It's not similar. It's like everyone's got their like two little card tables and their wares are out. And I guess you could try to bargain. I did not.
Starting point is 00:22:28 It's not in my blood. I don't come from a family that knows how to do that. I'm always impressed when I see people being like, I'm going to walk away. I'm like, but you really want it though. Like buy it. No, that's the whole thing. You got to pretend like you don't want it and go back. They're going to be like, oh, we could do two for the same price.
Starting point is 00:22:44 It's impressive. I just be like, here's my money like thank you yeah i'm i i used to be like that until i sold cars and i understood that like what's what like the elasticity of a deal actually is uh because i'm like okay yeah overpay for this that's fine if they would like laugh at you when you walked away and then i'm like now i have a i have a more dialed in idea of like what things are worth or what I'm willing to pay. But like in a situation like that, if someone's like actually selling, you know, they're like handmade products and they set it at that price, the most I'll do is like, Hey, is there like a cut if I get like three? And that's, that's like
Starting point is 00:23:20 the most I'll bargain these, like in a context like this. If I'm traveling and I'm in some tourist trap type situation and I know that like sometimes I'm willing to pay like what is the value, but typically what I try to do is I like to bundle. You know what I mean? I say, let me get five, but let me get a cut on that. Let me get some points on the back end of this. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:23:42 Yeah. And I'm not going to be offended that you asked Miles if he knew about this and not me i get it i get it you probably assumed i did right you were like jack miles have you heard because yeah you probably saw me there right is that why you didn't ask me and it was really cute i didn't want to disturb you, so I kept it a pleasure. But I thought you had your bags. You're ready.
Starting point is 00:24:08 You're doing damage. Jack's slacks. Thanks, Joelle. Jack's slacks. I like slacks. Oh, boy. Yeah, I go to estate sales. I find some real cool slacks, and I just resell them.
Starting point is 00:24:23 I put my own tag inside though. All right, let's take a quick break. We'll be right back. I'm Jess Casavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and LA-based
Starting point is 00:24:56 Shekinah Church, an alleged cult that has impacted members for over two decades. Jessica and I will delve into the hidden truths between high control groups and interview dancers, church members, and others whose lives and careers have been impacted, just like mine. Through powerful, in-depth interviews with former members and new, chilling firsthand accounts, the series will illuminate untold and extremely necessary perspectives.
Starting point is 00:25:20 Forgive Me For I Have Followed will be more than an exploration. It's a vital revelation aimed at ensuring these types of abuses never happen again. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, everyone. I am Lacey Lamar. And I'm Amber Ruffin, a better Lacey Lamar. Boo. Okay, everybody, we have exciting news to share.
Starting point is 00:25:45 We're back with season two of the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network. You thought you had fun last season? Well, you were right. And you should tune in today for new fun segments like Sister Court and listening to Lacey's steamy DMs. We've got new and exciting guests like Michael Beach. That's my husband. Daphne Spring, Daniel Thrasher, Peppermint, Morgan Jay, and more. You got to watch us. No, you mean you have to listen to us. I mean, you can still watch us, but you got to listen. Like if you're watching us, you have to tell us. Like if you're out the window, you have to say, hey, I'm watching you outside of the window. Just, just, you know what? Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber
Starting point is 00:26:24 show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever to say, hey, I'm watching you outside of the window. Just, you know what? Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How do you feel about biscuits? Hi, I'm Akilah Hughes, and I'm so excited about my new podcast, Rebel Spirit, where I head back to my hometown in Kentucky and try to convince my high school to change their racist mascot, the Rebels, into something everyone in the South loves, the Biscuits.
Starting point is 00:26:51 I was a lady rebel. Like, what does that even mean? The Boone County Rebels will stay the Boone County Rebels with the image of the Biscuits. It's right here in black and white in prints. A lion. An individual that came to the school saying that God sent him to talk to me about the mascot switch. As a leader, you choose hills that you want to die on. Why would we want to be the losing team? I'd just take all the other stuff out of it. On segregation academies, when civil rights said that we need to integrate public schools, these charter schools were exempt from that.
Starting point is 00:27:24 Bigger than a flag or mascot. You have to be ready for serious backlash. Listen to Rebel Spirit on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It was December 2019 when the story blew up. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, former Packers star Kabir Bajabiamila caught up in a bizarre situation.
Starting point is 00:27:46 KGB explaining what he believes led to the arrest of his friends at a children's Christmas play. A family man, former NFL player, devout Christian, now cut off from his family and connected to a strange arrest. I am going to share my journey of how I went from Christianity to now a Hebrew Israelite. I got swept up in Kabir's journey, but this was only the beginning. In a story about faith and football, the search for meaning away from the gridiron, and the consequences for everyone involved. You mix homesteading with guns and church, and then a little bit of the spice of conspiracy theories that we liked.
Starting point is 00:28:25 Voila! You got straight away. I felt like I was living in North Korea, but worse, if that's possible. Listen to Spiraled on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. And I guess the global pandemic's back, you know. Did it ever leave? It's always like that.
Starting point is 00:28:50 I don't know. People's minds? Yeah, according to most of America, yeah. So, you know, there are some things that are new about this train. The one thing we know is that it's spreading fast, right? Yeah. There's speculation that this might be like the right is really pushing the like this is the last gasp of the pandemic because as we discussed it's
Starting point is 00:29:12 like more transmissible but less severe and so that just assumes that this is going to follow the same path as all pandemics which absolutely has not done to this point and that's that's based on science yeah it's based on like one possible direction things could go right and they're just like tripling down as they did at the beginning of the pandemic when libertarians were like this is not a big deal it's big government trying to scare you. And I think they still are. I mean, I guess there's no version of libertarianism that works with a global pandemic, right? It's just like, I guess y'all die. Yeah. But it's in a vacuum, you know, a very convenient vacuum.
Starting point is 00:29:58 And even if we see this rapid spread, which is the one thing we do know is happening with less severity, it's still a lot of people getting sick at the same time taxing hospitals lots of deaths it's all the all the bad shit that's happened with previous waves and yeah the vaccine seems less effective at protecting against it at least for like contracting it but it still seems like the cutting down the severity that's right still holding because that was always the intent of the vaccine was to prevent serious, severe illness. Yeah. Less effective than previous strains. Still, it's not like useless.
Starting point is 00:30:35 Yeah. I mean, like on some level, like you hear epidemiologists talk about, it's like, man, like when they saw the mutations of the spike proteins, they were like, this is concerning. But then they've, you know, slightly dialed back that like it was completely monstrous. But the idea that this isn't anything to worry about or that it's because they believe or because of the data so far may suggest it could be milder, that that's a reason to just like carry on is completely backwards. And I think we're also seeing this like huge, I think, conflict
Starting point is 00:31:06 between what, again, what Joe Biden was saying would be his how he would lead the country using science through a pandemic and what we're seeing now. And like, I feel a lot of people are like, we're not quite following what we need to be doing suddenly. And we're becoming more relaxed about things when really we should be, again, possibly reconsidering some holiday plans or some indoor gatherings, because many, like, especially experts have, you know, rang a light alarm to say, it's definitely worth something to think about. Like, I get that people are vaccinated, but to think that this isn't like we're in the same situation you know that we were in like the you know early fall or late summer is uh is is not is not going to to do well yeah it seems strange to me that uh the only thing we
Starting point is 00:31:56 see is like they're like oh we'll go back to wearing your masks indoors for sure like definitely do that right and maybe outside too if you're gonna sort of be around i just it's like confusing and i think we're all just very very tired and it would behoove us as a nation to be like what if we really did try to just take a knee for a minute what if we really did just say you know what like at least two months go indoors like let's really legitimately have some time to get boosters we'll bring back the checks to help people who need it through and like let's see if we can really like bring this thing down i just the ability to soldier on and be like oh more people are dying it happens it's it's yeah it's still hard for me to like wrap my head around even as somebody who again wants to go out and
Starting point is 00:32:41 like has gone out it's still it's weird yeah i mean it it that's the thing that like to your point right of it sounds like we're not much better off than we were when the first delta wave hit when we were first having lockdowns that we're looking at really bad outcomes like the with especially when you look at how much the hospitals are overwhelmed and how much that has affected care in every other dimension, because hospitals are becoming places where, you know, people are even quitting because the job has become so difficult to deal with on a daily basis. You'd hope that we could have another breath to say, OK, so it's still a pandemic. We still have people who, because of their workplace or their living situation, are massively more susceptible to falling ill. We need to begin to remedy that.
Starting point is 00:33:32 We need to begin to think of what our contingency planning is. But, I mean, we saw the momentum for enhanced unemployment benefits just slowly putter out. But along with that, we never got to a point where like, okay, the pandemic's over. Well, and I don't know if you, like either of you have like immunocompromised friends, but like they can't do anything. Yeah. Like it's devastating. Like the most we could do is like I quarantined for two weeks and I can come visit you, you know, for a day because I'm sure I don't have it. I'll come directly to you and like spend some time with you because like they can't go grocery shopping they can't like they're afraid
Starting point is 00:34:10 to even participate in like outdoor activities because they cannot fight off this disease like it's just uh it's just very intense for us to again just leave behind an entire group of people and shrug and just be like well well, you'll figure it out. Yeah. I mean, just the point about, you know, our ability to just move on from the deaths and, you know, just ignore the fact that hospitals are already taxed and quitting. Like it does kind of drive home again the ways that this pandemic has, I think, highlighted aspects of late capitalism that just no longer work or at least have turned so monstrous and toxic that like the results are pretty, pretty fucking stark and kind of hard to ignore at this point, which, you know, but all of that is examples of our society and our system's ability to remove humans from their context and just view them as the deaths of statistics. We view nurses who are quitting in droves and doctors who are quitting in droves as like a labor force that needs like replenishing and is like written about as such and it's like you know these are
Starting point is 00:35:29 people in your community like that but we've just the whole system like it used to be that this was just work and like commerce and now it's like all culture is like kind of ruled by this. All communication is now ruled by these massive corporations who are just removing us from context and treating us as values in a algorithm instead of human beings. And I think it's more and more like both like the society is heading in a direction where like we're better and better at removing people from context but like the results are getting so bad that i think it's harder and harder for people to ignore it right yeah i mean you know that's there's a write-up today i think in vox that was saying like how can people be expected to work through the apocalypse yeah but we're like in an omni crisis you know whatever you pick a subject and it's fucked up essentially unless you like very narrowly looking at like
Starting point is 00:36:32 hey at least you got that plum telphar you know and i think those are the ways people find some semblance of a way to feel fucking good or treat ourselves to something that isn't merely looking straight into the void and not wanting our heart to collapse in on itself. But I think it's also, again, I think with Omicron, a lot of epidemiologists to your point are saying it will again reveal the cracks in our system and our society where you're going to see like with boosters, certain areas based on socioeconomic numbers are going to have better access to boosters, but also access for communities with less resources,
Starting point is 00:37:11 that's going to be a problem. And Omicron is going to affect those communities. To still think that you might be fine because you got to this point in the pandemic by doing this, that, and the other isn't going to hold up necessarily because yes, this is a very different variant. And yeah, it is one of these things where you'd hope that more people, it seems like most people who run a corporation or company, they're playing, like they run their
Starting point is 00:37:34 shit. Like they're playing SimCity, you know, like it's so zoomed, it's so zoomed the fuck out that you're like that. Okay. We need another fire department there. Click, click, click, click, click, build it. I don't know. It just happens.
Starting point is 00:37:47 I don't I don't have the context to zoom in to actually see what's happening on the street level where it's a completely different game and a completely different world. Well, in the same way that we can't comprehend how much money they actually have, I truly think that they cannot comprehend how like people who live paycheck to paycheck actually live and what that existence is like. Even if they at one point experienced that. They're just so far, again, as you said, like removed from the reality of it. You know, with Bell Hooks dying, a lot of her work has been circulating over the past couple of days.
Starting point is 00:38:18 And she had this belief that like fantasy as a genre, as a form of escape and she tied this also to like just our purchasing of things you know is is actively destroying us as a society and it made me feel a little bit bad about my telephower purchase but she had this idea that like you know by grounding yourself in reality it's the only way to bring about radical change right and i've been thinking about that a lot for the past couple of days because we are in a moment that requires radical change. Radical being fast and the exact opposite of what we've been doing, particularly when it comes to, you know, not just how we treat this pandemic and not just how we're going to ratify what capitalism has done to us as a people, but also on like a global, like, um, Omnicrisis.
Starting point is 00:39:08 Yes. Back to the Omnicrisis. And I just, I wonder if we have the ability specifically as Americans to divorce ourselves from that fantasy as a person who's obsessed with fantasy, both as a genre and as a form of escape. I find myself trying to escape from reality a lot, whether it's through purchases, whether it's through my love of Marvel and other television series, whether it's,
Starting point is 00:39:31 you know, even through my work, you know, as much as I want to turn over a capitalist system, I'm also obsessed with my work. I spend a lot, a lot, a lot of hours on my work. And I just don't know if we're prepared and I don't know how fast we can get prepared to actually make a difference to face our reality. Right. Because on some level, right, we need the radical like you think about the radical change we need at a governmental level. Right. Just to even dial back the idea that corporations can buy and sell Congress people like that. That would require drastic change and change that the people who are going to be affected by it, it directly affects them. I don't have much faith that they're going to be able to implement something that completely changes the power dynamic in which like how elections are won. So then you're like, hmm, OK, that's kind of difficult. And you'd hate that, like the real grim nature of how unforgiving and how brutal and
Starting point is 00:40:27 barbaric this system is has to touch you before you might begin to have a change of heart about something. Because there are many people who are very invested in a system that aren't able to see that it's directly contributing to their lack of resources and divesting from the system is so hard it's going to take actual like you have to you're going to have to sacrifice yeah and truly truly invest in that sacrifice in order to divest from the system and that's really hard asking people to willingly take less you know asking people to willingly give up the status that they they value and i just i just don't know if we're going to get there. Right. I think a lot about the idea of like on-demand manufacturing, which is something I
Starting point is 00:41:12 only recently kind of learned is the new like model of capitalism, this new way that people make things is that you have to react quickly and start manufacturing like based on demand, but you never have like a stockpile that's sitting in the warehouse because it's like it cuts margins a little bit. And this was adopted as like the more profitable way to do things. And, you know, we've been in a global pandemic now for almost two years. And the way that the economy has reacted is to just stick with that and still not have the stockpile necessary for massive spikes. They basically just baked the death into the system and just been like, all right, well,
Starting point is 00:42:03 I guess we're willing to live with that rather than, you know, building the stockpiles that are needed, adding a bunch of nurses and doctors to the system to get ready for the next pandemic or be ready when this pandemic spikes, spikes up again. Like we've had the time to do that but like there's just the inertia of like the this current system and like even like new kind of versions of this system just get locked in and like it's like you can't fucking break out of it it's it's really like the you know some people talk about capitalism being the like sort of artificial intelligence that we were afraid of in our sci-fi movies but it's just it's already everywhere it's already impossible to defeat and it's actually us but it's like a system that can't be controlled and anticipates
Starting point is 00:43:06 any attempt to contain it and that that just that example specifically like makes me makes me realize like how how hard this is to to defeat where we have a type of manufacturing that is like marginally more profitable and we can't get people to stop doing it even though we're in the middle of a pandemic and it like killed a bunch of people yeah and and i think just to sum that all up and you think about like okay well who has the ability to do it it's elected officials unfortunately i guess in a legislative sense i mean if we were more organized then who knows there's really no limit to what people could do collectively. But and currently the way things are, and we have to look at the leaders in D.C. who
Starting point is 00:43:49 already are articulating that they cannot fucking evolve at all. Like Nancy Pelosi was asked very directly, should fucking members of Congress and their spouses be allowed to hold and trade fucking stock while in office. And she said, this is a free, this quote, this is a free market and people, we are a free market economy. They should be able to participate in that. That's already, you know, like that's our, just like something that seems like low hanging fruit. Hey, can you not fucking trade stocks when you're in office and you may be have your ear to the street in a way that other people might not and be able to profit off of your position? The answer is, ah, come on now.
Starting point is 00:44:30 What are you coming now? We still have a generation stuck on equality and not equity and has not bridged this gap, which I feel like we've been talking about for at least the past 15 years, very openly, succinctly, and clearly so that school children can understand it that there's a difference between everybody gets to do something and this is a society that
Starting point is 00:44:50 allows everyone to live in a fair and consistent manner yeah frustrating nancy frustrating yeah not great nance not great not great find a new angle all right let's take a quick break we'll come back and talk about some pop culture shit. I'm Jess Casavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and LA-based Shekinah Church, an alleged cult that has impacted members for over two decades. Jessica and I will delve into the hidden truths between high-control groups and interview dancers, church members, and others whose lives and careers have been impacted, just like mine. Through powerful, in-depth interviews
Starting point is 00:45:49 with former members and new, chilling firsthand accounts, the series will illuminate untold and extremely necessary perspectives. Forgive Me For I Have Followed will be more than an exploration. It's a vital revelation aimed at ensuring these types of abuses never happen again. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, Lucha Libre. It doesn't get more Mexican than this. Lucha Libre is known globally because it is much more than just a sport and much more than just entertainment. Lucha Libre is a type of storytelling.
Starting point is 00:46:31 It's a dance. It's tradition. It's culture. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask, a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, the emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar.
Starting point is 00:46:48 Santos! Santos! Join me as we learn more about the history behind this spectacular sport from its inception in the United States to how it became a global symbol of Mexican culture. We'll learn more about some of the most iconic heroes in the ring. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask as part of My Cultura Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 00:47:11 or wherever you stream podcasts. It was December 2019 when the story blew up. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, former Packers star Kabir Bajabiamila caught up in a bizarre situation. KGB explaining what he believes led to the arrest of his friends at a children's Christmas play. A family man, former NFL player, devout Christian, now cut off from his family and connected to a strange arrest. I am going to share my journey of how I went from Christianity to now a Hebrew Israelite. I got swept up in Kabir's journey, but this was only the beginning. In a story about faith and football, the search for meaning away from the gridiron,
Starting point is 00:47:52 and the consequences for everyone involved. You mix homesteading with guns and church, and then a little bit of the spice of conspiracy theories that we liked. Voila! You got straight away. I felt like I was living in North Korea, but worse, if that's possible. Listen to Spiraled on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:48:13 Hello, everyone. I am Lacey Lamar. And I'm Amber Ruffin, a better Lacey Lamar. Boo. Okay, everybody, we have exciting news to share. We're back with season two of the amber and lacy lacy and amber show on will ferrell's big money players network you thought you had fun last season well you were right and you should tune in today for new fun segments like sister court
Starting point is 00:48:35 and listening to lacy's steamy dms we've got new and exciting guests like michael beach that's my husband daphne spring daniel thrrasher, Peppermint, Morgan Jay, and more. You gotta watch us. No, you mean you have to listen to us. I mean, you can still watch us, but you gotta listen. Like, if you're watching us, you have to tell us. Like, if you're out the window, you have to say,
Starting point is 00:48:57 hey, I'm watching you outside of the window. Just, you know what? Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. And so we do like to keep an eye on the box office, you know, see what people are watching and what they aren't watching. And this past weekend, people were surprised by how few people rushed out to the theaters to see Steven Spielberg's West Side Story.
Starting point is 00:49:38 Like, just great reviews, great word of mouth. And it pulled in $10 million in North America ticket sales, which is, you know, it cost over a hundred million. So they were definitely hoping for more than that, you know, just from a broad, like kind of entertainment reporting sense, they are comparing it to previous like Spielberg movies, which tend to be like sci-fi and not like he's never done a musical before. And musicals tend to have really long legs because people like to go see them or they start hearing the song. And that movie, The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Grant, was like started out somewhat disappointing at the box office. And I think it ended up making like 300 something million, even more than that.
Starting point is 00:50:24 437 million in worldwide ticket sales by the end. And it was a terrible movie. Yeah, and it was bad. So maybe there's hope for this West Side Story movie. But of course, right wing outlets like Breitbart were quick to lay the blame solely on Steven Spielberg's raging wokeness. Because... Go on. Well, you know,
Starting point is 00:50:47 the guy who made Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The social justice warlord. Indian people are literal monsters. That guy is supposedly just too woke. And yeah, I think they're pointing to the casting of actual, like, people who are Puerto Rican to play Puerto Ricans. Except for Maria. Right.
Starting point is 00:51:15 Except for Maria. Which I know, like, I think a lot of people were feeling some type of way about that where they're like, he almost did it. He almost did it. So close. So close. like she almost did it she almost did it so close so close i mean she is colombian american so i guess you know it's not like having uh like a white person in brown face or right marina moreno like the original face yeah right but i mean i think that was another thing where a lot of people were like you there for all the other points that like they were hitting i
Starting point is 00:51:39 think other people were like if you know if we're gonna actually actually have advisors on making everything authentic as possible, why not honor the character's origin? And why not replace Ansel Elgort with Tig Notaro, like we already did with Chris D'Elia in that one action movie? First of all, I would absolutely see Tig in that role. I would take Tig in that role. That's Tony. Oh my goodness. Fuck yeah. Tick would kill it. just so dry in a musical it would probably be so brilliant you're like completely upended what we even thought a musical beautiful also ansel elgort is is already inadvertently deadpan and dry. Sorry, go ahead.
Starting point is 00:52:30 Yikes. Yikes. Nope. You're not incorrect there. What they have found a better way to say that they did not say is eloquently when Shang-Chi came out. Diversity doesn't sell. This is what they're trying to say, and they've been saying it for a while and they i think they really revel in the idea that if a movie has a cast that is not predominantly caucasian that they're like see no one wants your diverse bullshit what we want is more white people
Starting point is 00:52:56 which is beyond ridiculous i think there's a number of reasons west side story isn't doing as well as they hope straight out the gate. One, I think the advertising for it has been that of a traditional musical, which is the wrong way to go in a YouTube generation. The theater kids have never stopped loving theater, ever, period. They will come see these movies. Grandmas and moms are going to come see this movie. But a lot of things have changed over the course of the pandemic. One, as quickly as we were getting dvds pre-pandemic we are getting through streaming services so much faster if this is a movie you're going to want to watch over christmas with your family if you can you're not going to be able to watch this one at
Starting point is 00:53:33 home but you'll be able to watch it in a few weeks after this and so like why not just wait it's fine right the way it was advertised was very like here are these big scenes and it's like flashy as if we like just got cinemascope or technicolor these are not the things that impress so much anymore what you needed to do was release a couple of key scenes right everyone says that um maria not maria uh is the lead maria's bestie cousin maybe if i remember the movie correctly but the woman that plays her character original character is supposed to be like the standout like the thing she is incredible she was in hamilton she's queer y'all should have leaned with her scene and been like look at these blowout
Starting point is 00:54:18 stars the girl who plays maria has the loveliest voice i haven't heard a full song yet i've heard little clips of not the most musically impressive, as far as vocal performance goes. It's the classic on the balcony scene. We don't have any of the fight scenes, which are supposed to be so good. All they showed us, they advertised it like it's a superhero movie, which is a thing I think is a problem
Starting point is 00:54:37 across our freaking landscape of cinema right now. Not everything is a superhero movie. And we have to, have to, have to stop trying to- But they make money. But they make money. And no one else does. Nobody else has been able to replicate this process that Marvel has of like, here's an entire cinematic universe. And we've had 26,000 tries in the past five years of people trying to do this. And these like no spoiler release, get over it. A spoiler is not that big of a deal because a spoiler is not giving you the entire experience of sitting through a movie and because they didn't
Starting point is 00:55:09 do any of those things i think a lot of people are just like oh i'll see it shortly i'll see it later we are also in another wave of the pandemic this is not a marvel movie in which you have to see things or it will be spoiled you know the story very very well there's just like a bajillion reasons why this didn't sell but to blame it on anything other than it's a crazy freaking time and we have to wait i think is short-sighted a lot of people are like oh the musical is dead no one wants to see me i know that when wicked comes out it is going to cause such a frenzy such a stir in the box office because it's just that type of musical it's a pop musical which tends to lend itself better to film in the first place right i think they i think they messed up by not having enough
Starting point is 00:55:50 air force ones and timbalands in the trailers i doubt there's something they could have done more with or maybe it's just what the the right is saying which they're blaming it all on what subtitles or lack of subtitles yeah that's one that's the thing that is being called out. They don't use subtitles when Spanish is spoken. That's why. By not centering it on the American non-Spanish speaking person's perspective, they have ruined it. That's the big failure there.
Starting point is 00:56:24 Oh, look what they're oh okay so everybody speaks spanish here now okay and that's the problem with steven spielberg who's so damn woke yeah but that just feels like a like the easiest attack from the right these days is like oh yeah like they're not doing well because they're against uh transphobia right huh what yeah that that's the i guess that's the dynamic they're so desperate to establish is that considering other perspectives is the you know the recipe to go straight down the tubes another just point that people are making about the box office like actual people not people in the right are saying that the reason it didn't do well the box office is it's clearly like aimed at old people because uh it's a remake of a 50
Starting point is 00:57:12 year old musical that definitely feel like when my dad told me that west side story was his favorite movie as a kid i was like oh i was so surprised i was so surprised but it's not like a movie that like you know everybody like knows the snapping and stuff like that. But it's not a movie that I feel like people, I don't know, talk that much about anymore. Like that had a cultural, like a huge cultural legacy. And I mean, it has a cultural legacy. But I guess it's just. The Natalie Wood?
Starting point is 00:57:44 It didn't strike me as. I'll put it this way. It's Ira the third's favorite movie culture icon Ira oh it's his favorite movie of all time I really feel like it has like a lasting it's it's real everyone loves the story of Romeo and Juliet Jack but I think I've never heard of them Romeo and Juliet uh they sound like a lovely couple but I I guess I'm just saying it's not this thing that everyone was like, oh shit, they're making West Side Story. Other than people who are older, that felt like a bigger deal. Or have the palette and interest in musicals and things like that.
Starting point is 00:58:17 I mean, I acknowledge how gigantic West Side Story is because I felt like in the 80s and 90s, like in my school music classes, like that's all the teacher would talk about. And then West Side Story, you're like, OK, like I'm trying to learn the trumpet. But that was your teacher. All you keep talking about is West Side Story. Yeah. Right, right, right. So all I'm saying is, though, the pandemic, during the pandemic, older audiences understandably haven't gone to movies. Right. And so that is like the very easy and obvious reason that this didn't do that great.
Starting point is 00:58:52 And it's not the thing that Breitbart is going to tell you about. Right. And even like to Joelle's point, like I'll watch it when it's streaming because that's the you know, the barrier to entry is much lower. And it's just merely like, oh, yeah, I actually kind of want to see this. Because I'm really curious. Visually, it looks really, really cool. And that's the thing more than... Because I'm not really a fan of musicals.
Starting point is 00:59:14 But I'm like, no, no, no. I like how this looks. I like the vibe I'm getting from the screen. It's Steven Spielberg's first musical. Oh, my gosh. Just as a cinephile, you're like, I have to know what did he do. What he does. Right. Yes. Yeah. Alright. Well, real quick,
Starting point is 00:59:30 we do want to explain the truth about the modern world to you. And conspiracy theorists have cracked the code by pointing out that there is a mostly forgotten 1999 game for Dreamcast, Sega's failed console, that I think only released like one wave of games.
Starting point is 00:59:51 And then they were like, ooh, that did not go well. Hey, but shout out to Dreamcast because those games are so easy to pirate. And if you had one, it was everything. Yeah, if you had it. I got one because the homies at high school could get you any game for like the cost of a CDR. Yes. But anyway, I digress. But anyways, in 1999, they kind of gave us a little peek, a little pinhole look into the truth behind the veil. The world as the Illuminati know it with the game Omicron, the nomad soul.
Starting point is 01:00:23 Omicron, you're saying? How the fuck did they know the future? And, you know, the truth is that it's because the Illuminati is real or because it's an actual letter in the Greek alphabet. Okay. Forget about that part. Go back to the part where they predicted the future. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:00:44 So I got to blow past that detail that blows apart this conspiracy theory. So they thought up of the word go on. Yes. They came up with the word and then, and then also the virus actually told scientists what its name was. Scientists didn't give the virus that name. So that's, what's so amazing is like,
Starting point is 01:01:00 how did they predict it? Because the virus was like, Hey, what's up? I'm Omicron i'm on yes like that game hint hint but so the thing that was notable about the game at the time is that david bowie not only did the music he's in it kind of it's like a blue facsimile of his face surrounded by what looks like a bunch of post-it notes. Right. It's just very poorly rendered.
Starting point is 01:01:26 It looks like... Jack, he's punched into the internet, man. Right, right. Yeah, it looks like somebody was like, jack me into the game, and this is the result. He plays a character called Boz, and the players try to save their own soul while hunting down a serial killer,
Starting point is 01:01:43 and it features demons, government conspiracies, and ancient religious orders. So, I mean, did QAnon write this game? Or did this game write QAnon? Thank you. But people have latched onto the fact that this game was released by Bill Gates himself. Wow.
Starting point is 01:02:06 He was the head of Microsoft while a company that was a subsidiary of Microsoft developed the game. No, no, no. Come on. No, I don't like that detail. Bill Gates personally designed this shit. Called Omicron because he's letting people know his plans in advance through a video game that you just have to stare at long enough for the details to come out. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:02:29 Well, he's just got to let them know. You know, it's a little trick he's playing on us. You know, he's like one of the villains in a Sherlock Holmes thing. Are there, like, within the game? I mean, there's always going to be stuff that conspiracy theorists point to. It's like, it's nailed on, man. Look at this part part how could you deny this yeah kind of not even that sort of i mean that so tangentially people have pointed out
Starting point is 01:02:55 that david bowie also predicted the future because on his ziggy stardust album cover he's standing under a sign that says k-West on the cover. Okay. Which is obviously a reference to Kanye West, which he brought with him from the future to create and change the face of music. Yeah, that's the best that I got. that Bowie faked his own death because when he died, Sky News in the UK interviewed a music industry executive who looks exactly like David Bowie. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:03:33 In a way. It's almost like a joke version. It's like if David Bowie tried to address as a dude who had no David Bowie swag at all. He even mentions that the news of Bowie's death makes it feel like a part of himself died too which is just like all right oh and they're like see that's him come on y'all i mean i do like though that with the the ziggy stardust thing is that there's like
Starting point is 01:03:59 that track five years on it and they're being like almost five years to the day after ziggy stardust was released kanye omari west was born i mean now i do have now i do have goosebumps actually okay all right that actually did it for me but anyways yeah uh david bow, Bill Gates clearly teamed up to give us just this strain of the coronavirus. Weird that they just focused on this strain. They'll work. To tease. But anyways, Joelle, you seem stunned by all the truth I'm dropping on you here. I don't know if you guys know, I'm a huge fan of Bowie's last album Black Star, and so I was
Starting point is 01:04:46 trying to see if I could deepen the conspiracy because there's a lot of hidden messages about his death, particularly in the song Lazarus, Girl Loves Me has some very interesting themes that could potentially, you know it's a lot about sort of hiding
Starting point is 01:05:02 and all of a sudden, I couldn't do it my brain is not as fast as these uh conspiracy folks but i think that if you want to deepen the conspiracy and you're interested in this you should definitely check out black star and just try to go deeper on this bowie was leaving us messages everywhere i believe in the video game i believe in black star yeah i hope that bowie is not part of omicron maybe i think he was trying to warn us about it he was like yo it's coming. It's going to be the one that really, you really got to pay attention to like this eighth version, fourth.
Starting point is 01:05:30 I don't know how many versions in of Corona we're in, but whatever it is, he was like, this is when you really need to be paying attention. Well, Joelle, as always, such a pleasure having you. Where can people find you and follow you? Y'all know me. You can follow me all over the internet at Joelle Monique. That's J-O-E-L-L-E-M-O-N-I-Q-U-E. I forgot to grab a tweet. Damn it.
Starting point is 01:05:51 Hold on. Oh, I got it. Okay. Paramount Pictures tweeted out Bullock, Tatum, and Radcliffe introduced the official trailer for The Lost City. If you guys like romancing the stone, it's back. But Sandra Bullock and Channing tatum and daniel radcliffe are in it daniel radcliffe plays the bad guy book is the writer and tatum is a romance cover star
Starting point is 01:06:12 a la fabio who wants to save sandra bullock because he's in love with her my favorite part about this tweet is brad pitt also makes a very important cameo in this trailer and he is not mentioned in this tweet at all if you haven't seen romancing the stone please go get your whole life it is so so it's deeply funny like aside funny and this trailer i literally cannot wait for march 25th it feels like a older like classic you guys know i'm really into 90s and 80s films not to be be that person, but I am. And it has those vibes. It's like weird and cheesy and goofy, but funny and also has a
Starting point is 01:06:50 huge freaking budget. I can't wait. Law City looks like it's going to be so good. It's also called The Law City of D is the name of her book, which is funny if you realize. The Law City of Dick. It's a romance novel. It's going to be great. It's going to be so good. That's amazing. Miles, where can people find you? What is a tweet you've been enjoying?
Starting point is 01:07:05 Find me on Twitter and Instagram at milesofgray and also the other pod for 20 Day Fiance with Sophie Alexandra talking 90 day. Some tweets that I like. This one is from at jessicase tweeting It would be hilarious if alcohol had gotten
Starting point is 01:07:22 stronger since the 60s like we did. Your dad tries a sip of Coors Light and passes out. It's always the refrain whenever I've burned up with older people. It's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. This isn't like back then. And yeah, could you imagine if somehow our tolerance for... No, actually, no. That'd be a hellscape if you had a sip of a Coors Light and then passed out.
Starting point is 01:07:45 But anyway. I mean, if it actually made them pass out instead of be insanely drunk, that would actually be not the worst thing in the world. All right. That was actually mine. But I will also shout out. Yeah. Michael Benjamin. Wow.
Starting point is 01:08:00 Great. MF Benji tweeted me. It's cold. Worst person you've ever met. You think this is cold? I'm from. And then in parentheses, by this point, I've turned off my Chicago B and it is not that cold. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:08:15 There they are. I will be that worst person. I don't care. Have you not been cold at all since this? Listen, OK. Because I bet it's relative right because i bet part of you your your body gets used to this californian-ness and you forget your miles i was trying to make a point but there was frost on the roofs yesterday i had to turn the heater on
Starting point is 01:08:36 my father disowned me i'm not allowed back in the city of chicago now uh it's over for me but also i am like i'm mentally aware that it's not that cold, but physically my body refuses to accept that and I did have to put a blanket on. There you go. Okay, well, I appreciate that. Alright, well, you can find me on Twitter at Jack underscore O'Brien. You can find us on Twitter at Daily Zeitgeist. We're at The Daily
Starting point is 01:08:57 Zeitgeist on Instagram. We have a Facebook fan page and a website, DailyZeitgeist.com where we post our episodes and our footnotes, where we link off to the information that we talked about in today's episode, as well as the song that we think you might enjoy. Miles, what song do we think people might enjoy? Just some
Starting point is 01:09:14 good, old-fashioned instrumental music from the JB's, James Brown's backing band, which is just chock-full of fantastic musicians in their own right. I mean, you know, Maceo Parker. Heard of Maceo Parker?
Starting point is 01:09:28 Heard of Maceo and the Max? Anyway, but yes, very talented band. But this track is called Theme from King Heroin. And it's just a great track. Just again, with the weather and the indoor nature of our current season. This is something nice to have in the background. It's got soul to it. It's got a little bit of funk to it.
Starting point is 01:09:48 It's just a great track. So theme from King Harold. All right. Well, go listen to that. The Daily Zeitgeist is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Starting point is 01:10:00 That's going to do it for us this morning. We'll be back this afternoon to tell you what's trending, and we'll talk to you all then. Bye. Bye. Bye. Hey, I'm Gianna Pradenti. And I'm Jermaine Jackson-Gadson. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. There's a lot to figure out when you're just starting your career. That's where we come in. Think of us as your work besties you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in people who do, like negotiation expert Maury Tahiripour. If you start thinking about negotiations as just a conversation, then I think it sort of eases us
Starting point is 01:10:32 a little bit. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jess Casavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me for I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and Shekinah Church. Listen to Forgive Me for I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 01:11:10 I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's
Starting point is 01:11:28 sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Keri Champion and this is season four of Naked Sports.
Starting point is 01:11:44 Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season, we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps or wherever you get
Starting point is 01:12:06 your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke.

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