Fourth of July music

Yglesias argument is obviously dumb and in bad faith but I always liked my history teacher's argument it was a gumbo: you can recognize the components but they've all added and absorbed flavor.

Seeing Justin Long and John Hodgman reunite for Ozempic commercials feels like one of the darker corners of reboot culture.

i wrote about the truly astonishing jaylen brown trade: www.theringer.com/2026/07/01/n...

Vonda McDaniel spent more than 30 years championing the labor movement in the South. www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...

New from me: Bari Weiss's Free Press has been amplifying the lie that "Biden's open borders policy" pushed thousands of kids into sex slavery -- and that Trump is now rushing to rescue them. What Trump is actually doing: separating kids from their families, jailing them, and deporting them.

Just in: Nashville judge issues a temporary restraining order barring Tennessee health officials from reporting children to a state immigration enforcement division as a condition of keeping healthcare through a public program for chronically ill kids tennesseelookout.com/2026/06/24/d...

I drove out to my native Sumner County to interview Steve-O about his burgeoning animal sanctuary, The Radical Ranch.

I saw Tay Keith perform a set after a show featuring lots of Tennessee rappers and singers shortly after my move to Nashville in 2019. Was crazy he was already such a big name. www.nashvillescene.com/music/nashvi...

Began reading "The Left Hand of Darkness" while listening to the "Lilith's Brood" series and it's like I accidentally built a mini-course on sci-fi and sex and gender politics.

Big in-depth read from @yellowbrickurban.com

Fisk University alumni and North Nashville community members gathered outside the historically Black college’s campus Wednesday to speak out against the school’s plan for a data center.

Longtime activist Karl Meyer, 88, is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow to face a trespassing charge over his one-man protest against the War in Iran. I wrote about Karl's action back in March. www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...

Wrote this years ago and while it's always painful to reread old stuff I think the broader 'Roo point holds up. share.google/S15Qlj4Y99Sn...

Ladies and gentlemen The Weeknd (visiting Atlus studios for some reason)

this game was such silly fun. no clue why they're bringing it back but glad to see i'm not the only one who enjoyed it. (it was kinda just me and my best childhood friend who even knew this game lol)

Squinting at BlueSky, trying to figure out if a post is beyond my ken, utter nonsense, or just missing a word or two.

“It was my belief back in 2016 that the way to save democracy was to destroy it ... I was wrong about that. And I realized that it’s much easier to tear something down than it is to build it back up.” Check out my interview with Rich Logis below.

Leaving MAGA’s Billboard Campaign Targets Nashville www.nashvillescene.com/news/citylim... @alejandroramirez.bsky.social @nashvillescene.com

Enjoying a lazy Sunday lounging outside with the dog and playing Mina the Hollower

please be funny www.nashvillescene.com/arts_culture...

The Scene staff does a great job of breaking down Tennessee's historic congressional redistricting. We dive into the special session's key moments, ongoing lawsuits, the civil rights history that underscores the new map and help you locate your new district and find out who's running for office.

I haven't seen 'I Love Boosters' yet but here's the ode to The Coup's discography I wrote when 'Sorry to Bother You' was released. “Fat Cats, Bigga Fish” remains some of the best musical storytelling recorded. www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alej...

thought the city elected a true poster, not sure what this is

Star is a big fan of the dogs in Monster Hunter Rise

it is very funny the full-throated pivot to free market boosterism is getting buried in this particular market since youtube's algorithm tends to favor right-wing content

The Charizard/Gamestop news is reminding me about one of the first essays I ever got published: reminiscing about the youthful Pokemon card hustle and an embarrassing school yard trade-back situation. www.defunctmag.com/Essays/Place...

"Numb/Encore" by Jay-Z and Linkin Park

We've got a great team at the Capitol today and you can see some of their footage and interviews with lawmakers over at our IG: www.instagram.com/nashvillesce...

Photos from @tennesseelookout.com photojournalist John Partipilo was on the scene in South Nashville for ICE raids of an apartment complex, nearly one year after raids first shook the city.

Inscryption is full of surprises, what a game.

I rode in a Waymo (and my mom yelled at me via text) for journalism

i grew up on the stupidest memes possible but may not survive this "-maxxing" stuff

Cheryl "The Pearl" Cook, the last living member of groundbreaking female rap trio The Sequence, speaking at the National Museum of African American Music today. Items from the group are being added to the museum's collection, in addition to a tribute to recently deceased Gwendolyn "Blondy" Chisolm.

This doesn't look anything like the anime

No clue how you make a movie out of that game but A24 is willing to let filmmakers get dark and weird, so fingers crossed

I spoke to The Sequence members Blondy and The Pearl weeks before an event at the National Museum of African American Music honoring their legacy as a breakthrough all-female hip-hop act. Sadly, Gwendolyn "Blondy" Chisolm died days after the interview. www.nashvillescene.com/music/featur...

i would've stuck with fencing if the school had a VFX budget (and if my family had a "keep taking fencing classes" budget)

Democrat strategists and pundits who whine about purity tests have never waded into the discourse about whether or not Expedition 33 is an indie game

Still not used to seeing Don Lemon running up to people Billy Eichner-style

Faith leaders and immigration advocates say a man detained by ICE was denied visitation and legal counsel while hospitalized in Murfreesboro.

Makes me think of this AP story apnews.com/article/catholic-church-shift-orthodoxy-tradition-7638fa2013a593f8cb07483ffc8ed487 share.google/mdXWPjszxAuw...

i know a lot of people use social media as a news-discovery tool and there's value in that. but i do think the fact you're more likely to see the reactions to headlines (despair, rage, confusion, sarcasm) before even a snippet of copy means you're plunged into the deep-end of discourse each time.

Gonna start introducing my cat and dog the way Gandalf just announced his horse is the "lord of all horses"

Amid going slightly insane covering Tennessee's legislative session, I got a chance to touch grass (or in this case, touch creek) and tell the story of the small but mighty Nashville crayfish.

After I read NY Mag's profile of Altman calling him the next Oppenheimer I had to Google "what does Sam Altman actually do?" because that feature-length article did not spell out any skill-based credentials.

palate cleanser

TRUMP on Truth Social just now: "I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks."

probably one of the bleaker mornings on this site, and there have been some grim ones.

I know the Y is a Christian organization but still surprised how much more religious the Nashville location I go to is compared to my old YMCA in Boston. Parking is better though, so 🙏 I guess.