Coronavirus
FKA twigs Says She Made a “Whole Album in Quarantine”
Fans had to cool their heels for five years between 2014’s LP1 and 2019’s MAGDALENE, but the wait for FKA twigs’ third album is already nearing its end. In a recent interview, the British songwriter said that she made a “whole album in quarantine.” The news came in conversation with Scott Goldman as part of the Grammy Museum’s Programs at Home. Early on in the pandemic, twigs acknowledged “struggling a little bit to find my rhythm.” A professional dancer before she was a professional musician, twigs missed going to dance studios and pushing her body to its limits. But she eventually settled in, finding a songwriting routine over FaceTime. She explained, “In the beginning of the quarantine I was struggling a little bit to find my rhythm, because I love to train, I love to go to da...
Here Are All the Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch During the Coronavirus Crisis: Week of Oct. 12
It’s a week full of big names when it comes to livestream concerts and events. Things kick off Monday night with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and others joining Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Michael Stipe and more to remember and carry on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy. Later in the week, Alanis Morissette and the Broadway cast of Jagged Little Pill will host a fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Stone Temple Pilots play their album Purple from start to finish, and more. With the coronavirus pandemic ongoing — and now with cases rising in the U.S. again — many musicians have continued to hold virtual shows to safely entertain and connect with fans. Below is a list of socially distanced streaming events to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Thi...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Had COVID-19 and Still Has Lung Damage Months Later
Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 back in February. Moreover, he is still feeling the effects months later, as he deals with lung damage and coughing fits. While speaking to the Arizona Republic about his band Puscifer’s upcoming album, Existential Reckoning, Keenan was asked about Tool having to shut down their tour plans due to the pandemic. He responded, “I was still recovering from having gotten COVID at the end of February. I’m still dealing with the residual effects. But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that.” When the interviewer expressed surprise at the singer’s revelation, Keenan explained, “I kind of didn’t want to run around screaming it. But it’s real. And there’s after-effects. I had to ...
6 Fashion Editors Share the Clothing and Accessories That Are Bringing a Bit of Joy in Lockdown
Since we’ve taken a break from saving outfits for special occasions, we’re re-discovering the joy of dressing up for ourselves. Now, more than ever, it’s important to find the simple bliss of everyday moments, and one of the ways we’re doing that is through our personal style. There are a few key pieces in my wardrobe — mainly dresses and jewellery — that I find myself wearing when I need a little help staying positive, and I got in touch with five of my favourite fashion editors to share the clothing and accessories that are lifting their moods in lockdown. Style is a great form of self care through personal expression. It gives us both a sense of structure and freedom in that our outfit is a daily choice we make, which we have complete creative control over. A sil...
MusiCares Launches ‘Wellness in Music’ Survey to Gauge Music Community’s Physical & Mental Health
The survey delves into a lot of personal areas, including the respondent’s alcohol, drug, tobacco and marijuana use. It also asks the respondents to reveal their age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, spiritual practice, income level, life satisfaction level, stress and anxiety level, health insurance status, how well they sleep and how often they exercise and meditate. Two areas it does not inquire about: the respondent’s sexual orientation or religious affiliation. One section of the survey uses the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 test — a standardized test that helps to screen for depression. MusiCares stresses that this is a voluntary survey and that all responses are strictly confidential. The survey is limited to those 18 and older and who have been working in ...
Broadway Extends Shutdown Through Spring 2021
Broadway has been entirely shut down since March 12th of this year, and it doesn’t look like the lights will be coming back up anytime soon. Today, it was announced the iconic theater district will remain shuttered well into 2021. The Broadway League, a trade association of producers and theater owners, announced that they’re officially suspending all ticket sales for New York City productions until May 30th of next year. However, the League’s president, Charlotte St. Martin, expressed skepticism that the city’s 41 theaters will even be operating by the summer. “Certainly a lot of shows are making their plans, and some think we will open in the summer, and I hope they are right,” she said in an interview with the New York Times. “But I think people’s bets are the fall of next year.” An add...
6 Fashion Editors Share the Clothing and Accessories that Are Brining a Bit of Joy In Lockdown
Since we’ve taken a break from saving outfits for special occasions, we’re re-discovering the joy of dressing up for ourselves. Now, more than ever, it’s important to find the simple bliss of everyday moments, and one of the ways we’re doing that is through our personal style. There are a few key pieces in my wardrobe — mainly dresses and jewellery — that I find myself wearing when I need a little help staying positive, and I got in touch with five of my favourite fashion editors to share the clothing and accessories that are lifting their moods in lockdown. Style is a great form of self care through personal expression. It gives us both a sense of structure and freedom in that our outfit is a daily choice we make, which we have complete creative control over. A sil...
Trump to Receive Sham Medical Examine Live on Fox News
Exactly one week ago today, Donald Trump was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. After being shot up with steroids and other experimental drugs, Trump claims to have made a complete and full recovery, and is ready to return to the campaign trail as soon as this weekend. Most health experts are rightfully skeptical. As Kavita K. Patel, an internal medicine physical at Mary’s Center in Washington, DC, wrote in the Washington Post, the “typical length of stays for COVID-19 patients who are treated the way Trump was can approach weeks.” At various points over the course of his hospitalization, Trump was given supplemental oxygen, heavy steroids, and a cocktail of experimental drugs that is not available to anyone outside of clinical trials. The more practical scenario is that Tru...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Opens Up About Coronavirus Battle & After-Effects: ‘I Survived It, But It Wasn’t Pretty’
“I still have the cough,” he revealed. “Every other day, I have these coughing fits because my lungs are still damaged at the tips. And I just got over the inflammation that was going on with my wrist and hands. I had an autoimmune attack on my system in the form of, like, a rheumatoid arthritis. Basically, from what I understand, it attacks weird spots and it’s random. So that’s what I got. That was my prize.” Keenan also delved into the idea of personal freedom and mask-wearing. “It’s just an absurdity. We wear seatbelts. We don’t smoke in trains, planes or taxis anymore, or even restaurants. There’s reasons for those things,” he said of those who reject masks or use the concept as a vehicle to project hate. R...
The Flaming Lips Are Planning a Concert Where the Crowd Is in Space Bubbles
The Flaming Lips’ live shows have long been synonymous with space bubbles, but the coronavirus has forced them to take things to the next level. Instead of just frontman Wayne Coyne rolling around in a giant, inflatable hamster ball, they’ve lately been putting a bubble around every member of the band — and the audience. They did it on Fallon, they did it on Colbert, and now they’re trying to do it in an actual music venue. As Coyne explained the Brooklyn Vegan, a concept that began as a funny bit of merch has grown into a very real possibility. “We’re starting to get ready to do an actual show where yeah, there’s three people in each of these space bubbles, and we play,” said the frontman. “We think maybe playing two shows a night, and getting a big audience in there each time.” The plan ...
Totally Under Control Is a COVID-19 Horror Movie for the History Books: Review
The Pitch: COVID-19. Sorry, but there really are no breaks from this fucker until we have actual, steady control over this present strain of novel coronavirus. When the culture is illness, you don’t hide under coats until the whole thing blows over. You deal head-on. And this review for this particular movie will treat the issue in that way. Despite President Trump’s assertions that COVID-19 is “totally under control,” no, it’s not. And that, in a dish served cold and fast, is the case of the new documentary Totally Under Control. With 210,000 dead in the United States and rising, millions infected, and a president unwilling to acknowledge the hubris of his actions while himself testing positive for the disease, we’re far away from anything remotely resembling “control” at this present mom...
Facebook Pulls Donald Trump’s Post Falsely Claiming the Flu is More Lethal Than COVID-19
Donald Trump knows firsthand what it’s like to have COVID-19, and he also knows what it’s like to have the best medical treatment immediately available. Yet, less than a day after being released from the Walter Reed Medical Center, Trump posted messages to social media downplaying the severity of coronavirus. Facebook responded by taking down the post, while Twitter flagged it with a warning label, reports Mashable. Trump’s post to social media on Tuesday morning seemed completely unbothered by the ongoing pandemic. “Flu season is coming up!” it read. “Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations fa...
