Viva El Grimace
¡Órale!
Currently packing for Packages’ premier this Sunday in Chattanooga — get individual tix for W.T.F. (WATCH THESE FILMS) SHORTS BLOCK or passes for the whole festival — while struggling to shake the serotonin hangover from last weekend’s Knicks fugue state.
Here's three pieces that nail the BIG EMOTIONS!!! of this whole run.
Missing tomorrow’s parade for my flight is an enormous bummer, but it has been an absolutely magical start to Summer 2K26.
While I’ve never counted myself amongst their ranks, very happy for everyone who has since moved on to losing their minds over the World Cup.
“I cannot speak English but I am exciteeeeeeed!”
Always down to partake as a casual — lunch beers are lunch beers — but outside of a stray Baggio sighting or general “guess I’m glad USA is good?” I have no real emotional connection to specific countries / matches / players, etc.
With one giant exception…
I mean, hell yeah amigo.
The Purple One is no stranger to inspiration, but now there’s an added solidarity component? Considering the uptick in overall xenophobia over the last few years, this promo put me in my feels to a degree I was not prepared for.
Legit emotional over this comment: “Grimace is technically Filipino because he’s made out of ube but Mexicans are our cousins anyways so all good 🤝”.
It’s silly, but so are sports (said with love). Doesn’t make either any less poignant or unifying!
“In its most simplistic form, people just want community.”
If you go looking for bad you’ll find it, especially if it involves fast food, billionaire-owned athletic franchises or (gulp) regional pride. But when the basic concept of togetherness feels harder and harder to grasp IRL, I’ll take the imperfect vessel.
From that Will Leitch essay linked up top:
Maybe you’ve lived and died with every Knicks win or loss for 53 years; maybe you just started watching this week. It doesn’t matter. Because this is the sort of thing that happened to all of us, at once, and we shared it. We hugged our friends; we hugged our neighbors; we hugged strangers; we hugged anyone we could find; we hugged anyone we could get our arms around. This has been an explosion of joy the likes of which any New Yorker, past, present, or future, will never, ever forget.
Knicks in four five is a state of mind.
Viva El Grimace.
Standing On The Corner, “Gimme My Gun” — wonky new groove from the crate collage champs. Fav part is PDF link to actual carry permit in the YouTube blurb.
Bb trickz, sugarhiii + Six Sex, ULTRA (u gotta run these b2b)
Tierra Whack, “Wax Paper” (dir. child.)
Protect, Slimedude2003 (gloriously based)
Mike D, “True Colors” (plus an NME interview while we’re here)
Lamb, c r e a t u r e s (PinkPantheress with a copy of The Bell Jar, fire)
Orko And Alan Thicke Talk About Divorce — despite personal avidity and biblically accurate Mekaneck, rebooted MOTU movie kinda sucks. 2.5hrs of (unfunny) Barbie irony where thick-skulled sincerity should go. Still, it has sprinkled new (old) Eternian jewels into the algo and for that I am grateful.
Tyler Kolek fit roundup (u know it)
Planet Hollywood auction (need Back To The Future II “YOU’RE FIRED” fax)
Talking Heads x Pleasures More Songs About Buildings And Food jeans
Noise Graphics (vinyl / cassette art archive)
Be Your Own Pet bumper stickers (“I DROPPED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND ALL I GOT WAS UNIVERSAL RECORDS OWNING MY MUSIC IN PERPETUITY”)
Playlists updated…