This has to be a joke. I cannot imagine growing up anywhere in America and not at least knowing the names of two iconic American artists in Willie Nelson and George Strait. But to be FROM Texas, and involved in music, and not know? It doesn’t seem possible… Yesterday, rapper BigXthaPlug released his country-inspired album I Hope You’re Happy, which features many country artists like Ella Langley, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs. BigX has already had some success with the pre-released singles, as the song with Bailey Zimmerman on “All The Way” topped the country airplay charts, and cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a crossover hit there. As a Dallas native, X says he grew up hearing country music being in Texas, and it was actually being imprisoned in solitary confinement during a jail stint that led him to becoming a rapper. He had violated a probation, and at 20-years-old, was in jail on his son’s 1st birthday. He said in an interview with Billboard that took a toll on him, obviously, and he used writing and poetry at first to help him cope. Eventually, that turned into a music career: “It took a toll on me, and made me very emotional. So they [jail officials] had to confine me by myself. And in that confinement, I felt like I was losing myself mentally.” In terms of his motivations for doing an entire country-inspired album with so many country artists involved, BigX previously explained that he believes that a true “artist” doesn’t want to be boxed into one genre… adding that “they can’t hate it if it sounds good.” At its core, it’s still a rap album, it just features guest vocals from country singers. “I mean, it’s the difference between somebody that doesn’t like… hip-hop, a rapper and an artist. So I’m saying, people like Beyoncé, me and a bunch of people that have been able to do it are artists. You can’t just hold them in one lane. It’s like telling a painter you can only paint red apples. No, he’s an artist, he’s gonna play a lot of different things. So I feel like you can’t really, I mean of course there’s gonna be some hate about it, but they can’t hate it if it sounds good.” It’s no secret that country music is the hot genre right now, and everyone wants in… but at least artists like Beyoncé took a little bit of time to look into the history of the genre and some of the greats, like Linda Martell, who she credited with largely inspiring her “country” album Cowboy Carter. Of course, Beyonce later said “this ain’t a country album,” so who really knows what the goal was there. But during a recent interview with BigX, when he was asked to choose between Texas staples like the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, he admitted what I imagine to be one of the cardinal sins for any Texan when it came to picking between Willie and George… he admitted he didn’t know who either one of them were, but went with George because he’s heard of him more: “George Strait. I’m not gonna act like I know who either one of those people are, but I’ve heard George Strait a lot more than I’ve heard the other guy.” Good one… that has to be a joke, right? He’s just messing with the people who criticized the fact that he’s a rapper putting out a country-inspired album with country artists, right? RIGHT!? I mean, the last time I was in the Dallas area, you couldn’t walk into any restaurant or bar and not see one of their faces, so considering that’s where he’s from, I refuse to believe he’s not familiar with Willie Nelson of the KING. I would say straight to jail with any Texan who didn’t know Willie and the King, but you know… he’s already there… But the people in the comments were largely upset over something completely different, to my surprise: a battle between grocery stores Kroger and H-E-B… are y’all okay? I think there’s much more important things to discuss from that interview… @billboard @BigXthaPlug plays This or That: Texas Edition with Billboard #bigxthaplug #texas #houston #hiphop #rap ♬ hip hop beat with bass(1325081) – Beats by METCH You might be surprised to learn that Chris Stapleton is a co-writer on the albums title track, which features guest vocals from Darius Rucker: “I Hope You’re Happy feat. Darius Rucker” “Pray Hard feat. Luke Combs” The post BigxThaPlug, A Texas Native Who Just Put Out A Country-Inspired Album, Says He Doesn’t Know George Strait OR Willie Nelson first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

She Said/She Said - Denise Winkelman

When people move abroad, it's normal to experience serious culture shock. Culture shock is a feeling of being disoriented or confused by a different way of life and set or norms than you're used to. You'd think moving from America to another English speaking country wouldn't be so jarring, but you might actually be surprised at how different things can really be even when the bulk of the language and customs overlap nicely.Devyn Hales, 22, from California, recently moved to Sydney, Australia, on a one-year working visa and quickly found out that she had a lot to learn about her new home.The first thing that made her feel out of place? Believe it or not, her name. It wasn't going to work Down Under. It all started when a group of men made fun of her on St. Patrick’s Day. Australia is a lot more than Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin. Giphy After she introduced herself as Devyn, the men laughed at her. "They burst out laughing, and when I asked them why, they told me devon is processed lunch meat,” she told The Daily Mail. It's similar to baloney, so I introduce myself as Dev now,” she said in a viral TikTok video with over 1.7 million views.For those who have never been to Australia, Devon is a processed meat product usually cut into slices and served on sandwiches. It is usually made up of pork, basic spices, and a binder. Devon is affordable because people buy it in bulk and it’s often fed to children. Australians also enjoy eating it fried, like spam. It is also known by other names such as fritz, circle meat, Berlina and polony, depending on where one lives on the continent. It's like in America, where people refer to cola as pop, soda, or Coke, depending on where they live in the country.So, one can easily see why a young woman wouldn’t want to refer to herself as a processed meat product that can be likened to boloney or spam. "Wow, love that for us," another woman named Devyn wrote in the comments. “Tell me the name thing isn't true,” a woman called Devon added.For Devyn, it could have been worse, as her name was easily shortened to Dev. She could have been named Sheila, which is a slang term for women or girls that also carries slightly derogatory undertones. @dhalesss #fypシ #australia #americaninaustralia #sydney #aussie Besides changing her name, Dev shared some other differences between living in Australia and her home country.“So everyone wears slides. I feel like I'm the only one with 'thongs'—flip-flops—that have the little thing in the middle of your big toe. Everyone wears slides,” she said. "Everyone wears shorts that go down to your knees and that's a big thing here.”Dev also noted that there are a lot of guys in Australia named Lachlan, Felix and Jack. (Noah, Oliver, Leo, and William have officially held the top spots for years.)She was also thrown off by the sound of the plentiful magpies in Australia. According to Dev, they sound a lot like crying children with throat infections. “The birds threw me off,” she said before making an impression that many people in the comments thought was close to perfect. "The birds is so spot on," a user named Jess wrote. "The birds, I will truly never get used to it," Marissa added. @dhalesss Replying to @j? #greenscreenvideo One issue that many Americans face when moving to Australia is that it is more expensive than the United States. However, many Americans who move to Australia love the work-life balance. Brooke Laven, a brand strategist in the fitness industry who moved there from the U.S., says that Aussies have the “perfect work-life balance” and that they are “hard-working” but “know where to draw the line.”Despite the initial cultural shocks, Devyn is embracing her new life in Australia with a positive outlook. In a follow-up video, she mentions she hasn't even had many run-ins with Australia's infamous and dangerous creatures like giant spiders and man-eating sharks. There are other perks to living there, as well.“The coffee is a lot better in Australia, too,” she added with a smile, inspiring others to see the bright side of cultural differences.This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

It's really interesting what nearly 35 years does to the lens of perspective. When my friend invited me to join her family for their once-a-month movie night, she asked which John Hughes movie she should show her 14-year-old twins. The answer was obvious. It had to be something fun, school-related, and iconic. Ferris Bueller's Day Off seemed to be the perfect choice as we Gen X-ers loved it when we were exactly their age in 1986.The fraternal twins (one boy, one girl) sat down on a rare early Saturday evening when neither had dance practice or a sleepover. We gathered in our comfy clothes, popped some popcorn, and hit "rent now."They were excited by the opening scene, where an adorable Matthew Broderick (doesn't matter what generation one is, he transcends them all) is pretending to be sick in bed with worrying parents. His sister Jeanie is suspicious and exhausted by his antics, but Ferris prevails. He then proceeds to give a brilliant monologue about eating life up and living in the moment. His now-famous line, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” is still plastered in quote books and on Bumble profiles.The twins seemed inspired, and one of them actually teared up in the first five minutes. - YouTube youtu.be Spoilers ahead: the movie is pretty simple. Ferris is a super cool high school kid with a beautiful girlfriend, Sloane, played by Mia Sara. His best friend is a depressed hypochondriac named Cameron, who is played to perfection by Alan Ruck. Ferris skips school a lot (nine times!) and grabs each day by the neck. There are themes of hedonism, nihilism, and Taoism, but neither of the twins mentioned that.The first thing both kids did bring up was how privileged the characters were. Affluent Chicago suburbs, after all, was the setting John Hughes knew best. They also noted, as many have over the years, that Ferris seemed rather selfish and insensitive to what others in his life wanted and needed. A Ferris Buellers Day Off Film GIF Giphy Paramount Pictures There have been many conversations over the years about Cameron being the true hero of the film. He has a story arc, unlike Ferris, that is unwavering. He's sad, but pushes through it and even gets the guts up to stand up to his father after accidentally totaling the old man's prized Ferrari.In fact, there was a theory that Ferris was a figment of Cameron's imagination—a Fight Club scenario, if you will. Robert Vaux writes on CBR, "The theory holds that the entire day is a fantasy taking place in Cameron's head while he lies sick in bed. His sickness actually supports the theory: once Ferris comes over, it vanishes, and Cameron plunges energetically, if reluctantly, into the events of the day. According to the theory, it's because there are no events of the day. He's still sick at home, and the whole thing is a daydream." Cameron GIF in Ferris Buellers Day Off 80S Giphy, Paramount Pictures I fully expected the twins to have similar thoughts. If not the Fight Club part, at least the idea that Cameron was the true protagonist. But what they (both of them) said instead was shocking. "No," the daughter told me. "I mean, I liked Ferris and I loved Cameron. But it's Jeanie who's the hero here."Jeanie, the sister mentioned earlier, was played with pure rage by Jennifer Grey. She spends most of the movie attempting to narc on Ferris rather than enjoying her own beautiful day. She is angry and determined until…she meets a "bad boy" at the county jail, played complete with bloodshot eyes by Charlie Sheen.Taken aback, their mom pushed back. "Jeanie, the sister? Why?"The son answers, "She just changes the most. She starts out, like, having it in for Ferris. Really, having it in for EVERYONE. And then she just like figures it out." The daughter adds, "Yeah, in the end she was rooting for Ferris. She came the farthest from where she started and she's the one who kinda saved him." - YouTube youtu.be gobsmacked, I turned to Reddit for more answers. In the subreddit r/movies, someone recently posted, "Something I noticed about Ferris Bueller's Day Off." They then proceed to drive the Cameron theory forward. "At the start of the film, Cameron is in bed sickly and not really confident in himself, but as the movie progresses, he starts to get more confidence, and by the end, he gains the courage to stand up to his father."A Redditor replies with this thoughtful answer: "I've heard it called a flat character arc when the protagonist doesn't change but is instead the catalyst for those around them to change. It's hard to pull off but is often the most satisfying kind of character. Ted Lasso (especially in season one) is a good example."Others echo that idea, offering up characters like Forrest Gump and The Dude from The Big Lebowski. They stayed exactly the same while the world or others in their lives changed around them. It's described on a YouTube clip as "The moment you realize the main character is not actually the main character." - YouTube youtu.be This would give credence to the twins' opinion. But I'd never heard anyone choose Jeanie before (and they weren't swayed by Grey's performance in Dirty Dancing because they haven't seen it yet). When pressed one more time, their answer didn't change. "No doubt, it's the sister. She should have a spinoff." Their mom was so proud and we all totally agree.This article originally appeared in June.

Have you ever met somebody new and wondered if they were a good person with a mischievous streak or a bad person who can turn on the charm and behave occasionally? Determining someone’s true moral character is important, especially if you start dating them or have a business relationship. It is crucial to get to the core of who they are and know whether they can be trusted.Popular TikTok philosopher and Substack writer Juan de Medeiros recently shared a great way to determine whether someone is good or bad. His rubric for judging someone’s moral character comes from a quote commonly attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet, playwright, novelist, and intellectual known for works like Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther.How can you tell if someone is a good or a bad person?“Here's a pretty good indicator that somebody is a bad person and vice versa, how you can spot a good one. And this goes back to a simple rule, a moral aphorism by Goethe in which he writes, ‘Never trust someone who is unkind to those who can do nothing for him,’” de Medeiros shared in a TikTok video with over 45,000 views.“Never trust someone who is unkind to those who can do nothing for him.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe @julianphilosophy Good vs. bad #good #bad #wisdom De Medeiros then provided real-world ways to determine whether the person you have questions about is good or bad. “A bad person is unfriendly to strangers, to the elderly, to children, to service staff, to anybody they're not trying to impress,” he said. At the same time, the good person treats people equally, no matter what they can do for him. They’re good for goodness sake, not to get anything out of it.“A good person carries grace within them and shares it freely with abundance. A good person treats other people as they would like to be treated as well. And it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what your status is, they will treat you and see you as their equal,” de Medeiros said. — (@) What is 'The Waiter Rule'?Goethe’s quote echoes the common red/green flag test that many people have on dates. Sure, it's important if your date is courteous and treats you well on the date, but you really want to watch how they interact with the server. The rule is often called “The Waiter Rule,” outlined by William Swanson. Swanson, the former chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company, wrote in his book, 33 Unwritten Rules of Management, "A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter—or to others—is not a nice person." Boxer Muhammad Ali is also known for saying something similar: "I don't trust anyone who's nice to me but rude to the waiter. Because they would treat me the same way if I were in that position." — (@) Rudeness toward the waitstaff also indicates that the person isn’t very smart. It’s not wise to be rude to someone who is in charge of your meal for the night.Conversely, a good person is kind to others without looking for anything in return because they want to spread joy and believe that others deserve respect. You are what you do, not what you think or believe, and when someone treats others with goodness, it's a clear indicator of the type of person they are.In the end, we are all a mixed bag of behaviors and attitudes, and even the most perfect of us has a devil on their shoulder telling them that it’s okay to occasionally get into a bit of mischief. However, when it comes down to determining someone's core character, how they treat those who can do nothing for them says everything.This article originally appeared in April.

The new and improved versions. The post The Traveling Wilburys solo songs they almost brought to the stage first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Simple but effective. The post The band Ozzy Osbourne said “no other” could match: “I’m proud to say I love them” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.