Artist: Joji
Album: Nectar
Label: 88Rising
Release Date: September 25, 2020
Listen:
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
Deezer
Soundcloud
Background
Not many artists have had a come-up as interesting and eccentric as George Kusunoki Miller, a former YouTube comedian/edgelord turned moody R&B singer. George first got his taste of internet fame as FilthyFrank, a character he described as everything a person should not be, he played the notorious persona on YouTube for over 6 years and eventually had to retire it due to him losing passion for it and suffering from stress induced seizures, which playing the character often caused.
Throughout his time as FilthyFrank however he began experimenting with music, mostly of the satirical kind at the start, his first tracks were under the FilthyFrank persona, the first one being Who's The Sucker, a dumb track where he somehow manages to rhyme "nicer" with "vagina", go figure.
A few years later, alongside the satirical rap, Joji began to make what he would consider as serious music, and this is where the timeline gets a bit messy, as he put out multiple tracks under multiple different aliases and the lines got blurred pretty fast, so I won't focus on aliases too much, but rather on the music he put out, around this era he released the therapeutical Medicine, the slow and melancholy We Fall Again, and Dumplings, which was Joji's best attempt at a trap banger.
In 2015, he birthed the Joji alias, released two singles on Soundcloud under that name, and announced a project called Chloe Burbank Vol. 1, the project was later scrapped and is probably sitting on Joji's hard drive, unfinished, however, the two singles he put out, thom and you suck charlie, were the tracks that put him in the spotlight, not to mention that to this day, there are some of his fans that believe these 2 tracks are his best and will not be topped, but that's a discussion for another day.
Following the overwhelmingly positive reception, Joji began to put out more tracks and singles, both under the aforementioned alias and Pink Guy, which was a character that blossomed into a satirical rap project, but I won't be covering that too much, and will focus on what he did as Joji instead, most tracks Joji put out were met with positive reception, some of the tracks, such as worldstar money, ended up on his debut EP as well.
Sometime around early 2016, Joji ended up signing with 88rising, a label focused on building the bridge between east and west, he explained in an interview that he was initially a consultant for the duo behind the record label, however, once the duo noticed his music and how well it was received, they asked him to jump on board and he instantly took the chance, getting signed alongside the likes of Rich Brian and Higher Brothers.
The label immediately undertook Joji and began distributing his catalog on their YouTube channel and helped him release more music, which was a couple of singles in the earlier half of 2017, and his debut EP in the latter half, the EP, known as "In Tongues", was met with mixed reception from fans and critics alike, with some describing it as his most concise body of work so far that is oozing potential, and others describing it as a bleak project that fails to set Joji apart from the sea of artists on the same wavelength as himself.
Following the release of the EP, Joji began working on his debut album, known as BALLADS 1, the album's first single, YEAH RIGHT, was released on the 8th of May, the track was first believed to be a standalone loosie as it was released 5 months before the album itself, however it ended up being on the album and was confirmed as the one of the singles alongside SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK, CAN'T GET OVER YOU, which features a production credit from non other than Clams Casino, and TEST DRIVE.
The album was well received, and was praised for containing a wider variety of sounds than its predecessor, it felt like a natural progression for Joji's sound and was a step forward towards a more mainstream approach whilst not sacrificing any of the rawness that Joji's older stuff had, which seemed to be what most fans were expecting from him.
Moving forward Joji stayed mostly silent throughout 2019, appearing on the second 88Rising collaboration album, which was negatively received due to it's lack of creativity and sub-par performances from most label signees, he also appeared on Rich Brian's sophomore album, The Sailor, and released which is now known to be as the first single from Nectar, Sanctuary, a synth based poppy track that previewed a vocally improved and more confident version of Joji.
What was assumed to be a loosie turned out to be the beginning of an album rollout, as half a year later Joji released Run, setting a new standard for himself both instrumentally and vocally, and a couple of months later he released Gimme Love, a double sided track with a fun, catchy beginning and a melancholy ballad driven ending, the last single, Daylight, was released on the 8th of August, the instrumental was produced by Diplo and the track itself sounded like Joji's attempt to break into the mainstream.
Without warning, he also released two tracks that he classified as "NOT SONG", the first being Pretty Boy, which actually ended up on the album with a Lil Yachty feature, and the second being FTC, which sadly did not end up on the album, both tracks had videos and it seemed to me at first that the purpose of both tracks was to serve the lore that Joji has built around the album, which I will be touching up on in this write-up.
A day before the album's release, he put out Gimme Cum, an enigmatic track with a mysterious message.
Nectar itself was pushed back from it's original July release date due to the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, the album however was released on the 25th of September.
Album Lore
If there's one thing George is no stranger to, it would definitely be worldbuilding, as he has proven time and time again that he has a knack for it, especially with his FilthyFrank YouTube channel, where he managed to create characters, locations, and an entire universe out of a few satirical characters, his lore was adored by many and even though visually he never wrapped up the story he did release a book that served as closure for the FilthyFrank lore.
This album's lore is not as straight forward however, and there are multiple theories doing the rounds on the internet, personally I will go by what sounded most convincing to me in terms of timeline and storyline, however do feel free to expand on what I've said or correct me, George has left multiple things left open to interpretation therefore I would not be surprised if there were multiple different meanings to the same thing.
Our story begins in the music video for Gimme Love, where we see a young Joji who appears to be a small time engineer that is eager to climb through the ranks of the company he is working for, as he rises however he appears to become more stressed out and agitated at all times, lashing out at his coworkers and breaking down consistently, throughout the music video we can see that the more he progresses, the more roadblocks he runs into, which causes his behavior to become more psychotic and manic, as the shots move forward we see him accept awards, lead his very own research team, run failed experiments on his coworkers that causes them to bleed, and eventually receive military covert status, which did not come without sacrifices, as we see him smile less and less throughout the video.
In the second half of the video, we see Joji steal the rocket he helped build by locking out his crew members, and launch himself into space, disappointing everyone he worked with and stabbing them in the back he appears to be quite happy however, eventually his mood flips as he is faced with two choices, engage or eject, the following shot does not allow us to see which one he picked as we are facing his back, all we see is Joji making the choice and gearing up for what's to come.
The lines get blurred around this spot and many people have different theories as to which video is the right one chronologically, personally I believe Daylight comes next, and my theory is Joji is having some sort of fever dream featuring his previous coworkers, most notably the older people who went through layers of plastic surgery, who appear in the music video for FTC, where they are seen wearing badges that features the same organization Joji worked for, throughout the video they are seen rummaging through the wreckage caused by Joji, clearly looking for something specific, which ends up being the award Joji won.
Back to Daylight, Joji appears to be some sort of intern working for the director and the actors, towards the end of the music video we can see Joji waking up from the aforementioned fever dream, clearly in a daze, as the shot widens we see that he is alone, in a barren wasteland, with nothing around him except for a tent and what appears to be a device used for communication, he plants a few seeds in the soil and sits by the device, hoping for a sign of life.
Next comes Run, where we are once again met with Joji having a nightmare, the entire video symbolizes being trapped in a place you don't want to be in, as Joji appears to be in a never ending limousine with people he has no interest in whatsoever, towards the end of the nightmare we actually see Joji running across a massive wasteland, the same wasteland we saw him in at the end of the Daylight music video, throughout the video, we see Joji become consumed by the soil itself, which I would assume is a representation of his fears back then, seeing as he was alone and had little to no hope of being saved whatsoever.
Joji wakes up from this nightmare and appears to be in some kind of spaceship, if the videos were released chronologically, we would be completely lost at this point, lucky for us, we already know what the spaceship is, as we see a picture of the Sanctuary crew in the final shots of the Run music video, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that the crew is the ones that saved him from death and picked him up from the mess that he placed himself in, hence the name Sanctuary, which means refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger
The crew itself is seen in action in the music video for Sanctuary, where Joji appears to be fighting and defeating some sort of one-eyed alien supervillain at the start, however, once he is defeated, both Joji and the crew themselves become aimless, as they are living monotonously without a goal, thankfully(???), one of the crew members sees this and decides to take matters into his own hands, by surgically removing his own eye, which portrays his transformation into the new supervillain, and following this up by killing a crewmember and escaping on his own, once again giving the spaceship it's own purpose.
Unfortunately the music videos that were put out after the release of the album appear to be too subtle for me to think they are connected in any way, shape or form, there are many theories of course but I can't help but feel like that most of them are a reach.
The most plausible explanation for this lore that I can think of is that the whole escaping from earth on his own, landing in a barren wasteland, trying to plant seeds in it, and eventually being picked up by a group(88Rising, wink wink) is a metaphor for his transition from FilthyFrank to Joji, the barren wasteland stands for how hopeless he felt at the time and the seeds symbolize the loosies he was slowly dropping before ditching his channel to become an R&B superstar, which if true, solidifies the idea that George was done with FilthyFrank long before he actually left the channel itself.
Regardless, I thought the lore was very enjoyable and it was nice to see Joji back in one of his elements at least, most fans would have been disappointed in me if I had not touched up on it a bit seeing as it was a huge part of the albums release and they are intertwined in some sort of way.
Review

When it's lovely I believe in anything What does love mean When the end is rolling in

It is important for me to preface this review with the fact that this Joji album is not like anything we've ever heard from him before, this is not the one man army, garageband using, sample meshing Joji that we knew in the past, this is Joji with an entire team behind his artistic vision, a whole group of people working with him to help him push his sound to the next level, and unfortunately, while the quality of the music has clearly went up, when so many people have their own input on something eventually the lines get blurred and the album loses its artistic direction and cohesion, which is one of my only complaints with this album, and I'm glad I got it out of the way first.
Artistic direction and cohesion aside, this album contains some of Joji's highest highs to date, especially the singles, that's not to say that there aren't some deep cuts on here that shine as well, but once you listen to the album in it's entirety you quickly understand why the singles were chosen as singles, especially when you consider how sonically different they are from the non-singles.
Sanctuary, the album's first single, is a sweet, poppy and synthy track that features a high pitched and melodic Joji, some of the track's lyrics are somewhat abstract but they are quite visually descriptive and that's always a plus in my book, the instrumental itself is quite spacey and has a nice retro vibe to it, already a huge step forward from what we've already heard from George, the track's climax reaches towards the end and gives us a beautiful bridge,with Joji crooning about wanting to be held by a significant other.

I fell for your magic, I tasted your skin And though this is tragic, at least I found the end I witnessed your madness, you shed light on my sins And if we share in this sadness, then where have you been?

Run is one of the more cinematic cuts on this album, the track is truly a double edged sword because although it's one of Joji's best, it has set an extremely high standard for both Joji and the album, leaving fans such as myself worried about whether or not he will ever reach a similar high, the production is clean, Joji's vocal lines are as dynamic as ever, the guitar melody is infectious, the lyrics are better than anything Joji has ever written and he is putting his heart and soul into every word, the electric guitar solo at the end is also something worth mentioning, which sits perfectly right in front of Joji's distant and wide vocals, ending the track on a strong note.

Look into your heart and let me know Do things turn black and gray as they go? When I'm far too gone, can you show me love? Give me love

Gimme Love

The lyrics above come from the album's third single, a 2 sided track that starts as a bouncy, percussive, fast paced, and catchy song, with Joji chanting and pleading to be given love, softly singing about being surrounded by apathetic people, after the second chorus the entire song comes to a halt in order to make room for a mellow guitar and Joji's harmonies, which are absolutely stunning if I may add, the track, much like many other tracks on here, ends on a cinematic strong note with a string section and a grandiose piano.
The final single, Daylight, is no doubt unexplored territory for Joji, the instrumental, which was produced by Diplo, starts off slow and minimalistic, with a simple yet groovy bassline, and reaches its apex on the chorus, when it suddenly becomes extremely lush, heavy, and thick, the track is most definitely a solid attempt at modern day and mainstream pop music, clearly made with the intention of receiving radio play.
All of the singles show up in the first leg of the album, which is absolutely phenomenal, the opener track, Ew, starts off light and easy, with a somber and distant arpeggiated piano backed with Joji's soft vocals, who's singing about heartbreak and the loss of many relationships, sounding as bitter as ever lyrically, the chorus includes a grand string section and a chord progression that is fully panned to the right and sitting all the way behind the mix, and surprise surprise, the track itself ends on a cinematic strong note, much like many of the other tracks on here.

I've got no aim, a million rounds, is nothing real? A hundred pounds of heavy steel, it feels so loud Tied to my chest, it feels so loud I'll take a peek to across the peaks This grass is neat and I'm quite unique But I'd like to be, but I'd like to be

MODUS

Up next comes MODUS, a moody track that has an intro similar to the opener track but later on has Joji melodic rapping to a murky trap instrumental, with Joji of course sounding better than ever, lyrically speaking, many of the themes on this album are similar, Joji is mostly singing about relationships, heartbreak, and the need for a significant other, the lyrics themselves give the album a nocturnal, bitter, hopeless vibe, which is what we've come to expect from Joji's music nowadays.
The third track, Tick Tock, is a plucky banger of an instrumental that has Joji rapping over it with pitched up vocals on the chorus which is something that's a little bit reminiscent of his older, more amateur work, the vocal layering on the verse is also something worth mentioning, really showcases Joji's dynamic range and how much he improved as a whole, the track is nothing groundbreaking in terms of what we've heard so far and remains lowkey for the most part but is without a doubt one of my favorites on this project.

On Nectar, one of the yet-to-be-announced tracks was produced when the artist was only sixteen years old. “I’m excited to see if it sticks out or not to the listeners.” he reveals.

Joji Interview with Schön! Magazine.

While not officially announced by Joji himself, it is safe to say that Upgrade is the aforementioned track, a small interlude that seats itself in the earlier part of the album, the track starts with a grandiose piano, which is quite unnecessary if you ask me, because once we have it out of the way all we get is a very obviously barebones instrumental made from a different time, the telltale sign being non other than the ukulele that we have seen in George's earlier work.
It upsets me that Joji has not made this fact much more known because this track has been consistently the subject of criticism by critics and fans alike, but at the same time I understand, because at the end of the day George left that track in there for the die hard fans, not the critics.
Up until this point there is no doubt that Joji has played it safe, sure the album is much more grand and cinematic than its predecessor, but there's no denying that the signature sound is still there, we still get the hazy and moody slow bangers, if Nectar was only the first half then Joji might have had a strong album in his catalog, maybe even a classic, but I understand him wanting to expand and experiment with other sounds in order to grow as an artist.
The midsection gets a little bit tricky, as Joji begins to get out of his comfort zone and the album features start appearing, to me it sounds like Joji did not know how he could keep the listener interested in the second half of this album and decided to opt in for a bunch of features as a quick fix, some work out fine, some better than others.

Handsome young man, never pull up on time Lookin' in the mirror, lookin' good should be a crime, crime All this pain I'll never let show (No) My real thoughts, you'll never know (No)

Lil Yachty on Pretty Boy

I never really listened to Lil Yachty that much aside from the obvious hits he had over the course of his career, but he clearly shined on this track as the feature, for starters, the track is very light-hearted, definitely one of the more lofi tracks on this album, the highlight for me without a doubt is the bridge, which sounds like something straight out of Pink Season, George was clearly having genuine fun with it, some even speculate that most of the bridge was made using samples from his earlier work as Pink Guy.
High Hopes, which features Omar Apollo, is one of the more lowkey cuts in here as well, the percussion on the instrumental and the detuned guitar on here remind me of some of Joji's stuff from BALLADS 1, unfortunately however the track doesn't stand out much, at least not as much as Afterthought with BENEE, another track where Joji's melodies and vocals shine through once again, and BENEE's feature definitely adds some character to the track, at least enough to the point where the feature made some sense
On Normal People, Joji recruits childhood friend rei brown, in an attempt to capture lightning again after their first collaboration, Once In A While. Unfortunately lightning didn't strike twice here for me and the track felt quite lackluster and uninteresting, especially for such an anticipated track and when compared to their first song, many of the tracks and collaborations on the second part of the album really felt like Joji just trying to recapture the magic of his earlier work, and while some of those attempts did work at the end of the day it does feel like a cheap cop out.

Oh, understand, girl, I'm out of sight To the other side, I don't want no stripes Got my insides loud like motorcycles Girl, don't notice it, I don't notice it

NITROUS

Another example of Joji attempting to recapture magic is NITROUS, which marks Joji's second time collaborating with Clams Casino, the track is very reminiscent of their first track together, both Joji and Clams Casino however killed it, the track's instrumental is very murky and nocturnal, much alike most of the album, but that doesn't stop Joji's delivery, which is very fun-loving and upbeat.

By the way you move, I know you want me to Tell you all the rules, I know I'm searching too Give me all your clues and things to guide me through The end of the world, the end of the world

Mr. Hollywood

Produced by the one and only Kenneth Instrumentals, Mr. Hollywood is one of the more heartfelt and personal tracks on this album, Joji is singing about his evergrowing popularity and how it will never affect what is important for him, which in this case is the girl he's singing about, like many other tracks on this album, you will often hear something that will remind you of Joji's older work, in this case it is the ad-libs on the chorus, which are very reminiscent of his ad-libs on BESIDJU, regardless the song has at least a bit of substance which makes it one of the more commendable tracks.
The final run of this album is where Joji flips the script here, there are a few tracks that have questionable artistic decisions, such as Reanimator, with non other than Yves Tumor, the track serves as an instrumental interlude before the final two tracks, however with a feature such as Yves Tumor I honestly expected much more than what we got, and what we got is basically a 3 minute track, with the first minute and a half being nothing than a drone-y, synthy instrumental, and the second half being quite a lackluster performance by Joji and his guest, much like some of the other tracks on the album, it seems like it received a similar treatment, where the track was initially unfinished and still half-baked, and rather than attempting to finish the track they opted for an easy way out, which in this case was making more than half of the track an instrumental and then calling it an interlude just to be safe.

"that weeknd synthpop track sure is doing huge numbers, maybe i should also make a synthpop track as well"

Joji, probably.

I would be down to argue that if Blinding Lights by The Weeknd had not existed, 777 wouldn't have existed either, Joji's constant attempts at breaking into the mainstream and commercializing his sound have always left a bad taste in my mouth as it felt like it came from a place where authenticity is lacking, nevertheless I find it bizarre to make a track that is very similar to one of the most successful tracks of the year and not attempt to push it at all, that's not to say that 777 on it's own is not a good track, however there's no denying that the sound selection on the instrumental, some of the flows, and the chorus itself hold blaring similarities to The Weeknd's track, I understand why he would make such a track however and find it admirable at the very least.
Thankfully, the album ends on a strong note, the final two tracks are both beautiful even though they're worlds apart, Like You Do, is a quintessential love ballad from Joji, a stripped down instrumental with beautiful piano chords and a laid back vibe, Joji is singing about his current partner and how what they have might not work out, even though he feels like they're perfect for one another, the closing track, Your Man is a massive change in tempo, with an upbeat, electronic, deep house-esque instrumental, we hear a Joji that is optimistic, which is a nice change of pace, especially considering how bitter most of his albums and projects have been up to date.

Since I met you All the gloomy days just seem to shine a little more brightly Consider what we've got 'Cause I can never take you for granted

Like You Do

Conclusion
There's no denying that some tracks on here sound like a bastardized version of Joji's signature sound. Joji is trying his best to commercialize his sound without sacrificing the rawer elements of it, which unfortunately results in a jumble of sounds. This album is not free of criticisms as there are many issues in here that need to be worked on, it's much less cohesive than its predecessor and at times sounds like a bunch of rough ideas put together in order to create the world's most average musical equivalent of a photo collage, but if we were to just set all of that aside and just look at this album for what it is, then there's definitely something in here for everyone. George might have not made a classic, and he certainly hasn't found his sound yet, but this album is an indicator that he's on to something, and once again I am already anxious to hear what he has in store next.
Talking Points

What did you think of this album? Is it a good follow-up to BALLADS 1?
Do you think Joji works better alone or when he has a team behind him?
Do you think Joji will yet again set another high standard for himself next project?
What are your predictions for Joji's sound in the future?
Now that he's more keen on having features, who do you think would compliment Joji's sound the most?
Favorite tracks?

Today was so bad one of our 2 remaining sous chefs is quitting/covid complaints

Album of the Year #20: Lil B - The Hunchback of BasedGod

(Note: This review exceeds Reddit’s 40,000 character limit for text posts so three additional comments are posted in this thread with the rest of the review. Sorting comments by “old” will bring them up for you in order.)

EPISODE I: THE HUNCHED BACK MENACE

Welcome to Old BasedWorld
Hurried crowds, sparse synths and ringing cathedral bells in the streets of Old BasedWorld set the scene for our journey. High above the town in the Old BasedWorld Cathedral, a young man with a hunched back dreams of a brighter tomorrow.

Staring Out My Window
“The only way you could really feel this pain is from the BasedGod” – From this opening line along with the somber instrumental accompanying it Lil B makes it clear that this project will be different from the hyphy material he’d been releasing since Black Ken. The BasedGod’s stirring musical backdrop allows Brandon to reminisce on the times he spent as a troubled youth staring out the windows of Old BasedWorld’s Cathedral (as pictured on the album cover), dreaming of a normal life with the rest of the citizens across the bridge in ~~San Francisco~~ New BasedWorld.

The Many Sides of a Genius
Using a compilation of voicemails taken directly from Old BasedWorld’s only working phone, Lil B uses these messages to convey his own message. The people leaving these voicemails were clearly important people in Brandon’s life and, one could say, are some of the “sides of genius” that helped him develop into the man he is today. It continues the album’s narrative of a brilliant soul whose talent and ambition are unnoticed by the outside world, with only those who are closest to him recognizing the genius within.

Ain’t Gon Pick Up
One of the people leaving a voicemail on “The Many Sides of a Genius” mentioned how Lil B never picks up his phone, so it’s only appropriate that the next song has B discussing why he chooses not to answer the phone in Old BasedWorld’s Cathedral. It also ties back in to the theme of unrecognized talent, with Brandon stating in the chorus “I ain’t gon pick up, nobody gives a fuck so I don’t give a fuck”. References to stomach pains and Crohn’s disease further highlight how B is feeling “sick to [his] stomach” of being disrespected: by the end of the song, the listener fully understands why Lil B wouldn’t be interested in picking up his phone.

Hunchback of BasedGod
One of the album’s great conceptual triumphs. Lil B states from the jump that this song is meant to be a set of instructions for the Hunchback of BasedGod for his eventual descent from his perch back into the town of Old BasedWorld and beyond. It’s still unclear whether or not Lil B himself is the Hunchback, the BasedGod, the Hunchback of BasedGod, or none of the above: the abstractness allows the listener to form their own perceptions and create their own story. Again, there’s a continuation of themes from the previous songs, with further references to stomach pains and issues of self-worth and meaninglessness coming from Lil B: with so much pain in this world, is it even worth it for the Hunchback to enter society? By the end of the song, Brandon affirms that it is, stating, “Do it and don’t just watch/ Step in the game and have fun/ We all townspeople, we one/”. As such, the Hunchback leaves the cathedral, passing through the cobblestone streets of Old BasedWorld while hushed onlookers stare silently, as he ventures out towards New BasedWorld.

Berkeley San Francisco Its the BasedGod
This song is delivered from the perspective of the Hunchback, as revealed in the first line of the first verse: “I got the hunched back from all the depression”. Themes of struggle from the previous tracks reemerge, but you get the sense that the Hunchback is beginning to build up his self-esteem, boasting how he refuses to conform to the looks and expectations of the other townsfolk. He also seems to have gotten past the lack of recognition that was hindering him on “The Many Sides of a Genius” and “Ain’t Gon Pick Up”, as he proudly exclaims, “Who cares if I’m famous?” This gives the Hunchback the confidence to finally travel across the bridge he so often observed from his cathedral window. The townspeople are stunned: the ~~Golden Gate~~ BasedWorld Bridge had been badly damaged and decayed for decades, with no one daring to cross in the fears that it would collapse. But the Hunchback’s persistence leads him to make it across unscathed.

Outer Mission Music
With his feet firmly set in New BasedWorld, the Hunchback visits the colony of Outer Mission, a tight-knit community of New BasedWorld inhabitants who are unsure of how to react to their visitor. Lil B spends much of this track describing his interactions with the colony’s locals, which include Justin Timberlake, Alex Rodriguez, and Lionel Messi as tribe members. He also manages to make the situation surrounding the identities of his disparate personalities even more confusing, stating, “Lil B, I’ve seen him in public/ Is that the Hunchback of BasedGod, or is that the BasedGod? It’s BasedGod/” Will we ever know the difference?

Wake Up Get High Go Back to Sleep
In spite of a renewed sense of confidence brought upon by his decision to leave his old life behind, not all is perfect in the Hunchback’s mind. On this joint (pun intended) he harkens back to his days in the cathedral, where he would spend his mornings smoking heavy doses of marijuana in order to numb the pain of his seclusion, often to the point of losing consciousness. It’s also worth noting that the only weed that grows naturally in Old BasedWorld is mids, so the Hunchback would need to smoke a significant amount to achieve the desired effect.

Video Game That I Still Play
The irony in the title of this song is that the “video game” the BasedGod is referencing here is in fact a metaphor for his own life’s journey. As he so aptly states during the chorus: “My life is like a video game/ It’s been so weird, but I still play”. The fact of the matter is, Lil B could have chosen to rage quit this game of life long ago, but his perseverance has brought him to a new place of inner peace within the confines of New BasedWorld, even if the townsfolk are still unsure of how to respond to their new neighbor.

I Rather Die Then Go Home
At the end of the previous song, the Hunchback makes reference to an incident where he visited the Café Au Coquelet, a boutique restaurant in New BasedWorld. Upon his arrival, he received a similar reaction to those he used to receive in his homeland: “I go to restaurants, people stop smiling”. While some of the townspeople have begun to appreciate his presence, many of the other New BasedWorld residents still recognize his outsider status and continue to shun him as a result. This song is B’s response, with a firm affirmation that he would rather die than have to go back to the life of isolation he led in the Old BasedWorld Cathedral, where he wasn’t really living life to begin with. That said, the song’s mistitling of based comrade The-Dream’s original line of “I’d rather die than go home” as “I rather die then go home” leaves the Hunchback’s true intentions up for interpretation.

Crying in the Club
After finishing a five-course meal at the boutique, B ventures out to the party district of New BasedWorld, where he surprisingly gets admitted to one of the most exclusive night clubs in the land. As he observes the scene, the crushing reality of the differences between himself and the other clubgoers becomes apparent. A single tear is shed, followed by another, and another, until the BasedGod is in a state of full-blown emotional distress. In spite of his condition, he makes it known that he isn’t ashamed of wearing his heart on his sleeve, openly admitting in the chorus: “I don’t really care if I hurt myself, I don’t really care who sees”. This unyielding display of raw emotion brings the music and dancing to a halt. All eyes are now fixated on the strange being with the tear-stained T-shirt and the disfigured spine. He lets out a desperate plea: “I just want a hug…” To the surprise of the Hunchback, the residents of New BasedWorld collectively embrace him, looking past his outer deformities to recognize the beautiful soul that exists within. Historians would later acknowledge this moment as the primary catalyst for the BasedWorld Revolution™.

EPISODE II: THE COLD WARS

Voyage to Berkeley California
Meanwhile, down in the town of Old BasedWorld, the townsfolk slept restlessly, their dreams invaded by shadowy fake based figures digging away at their souls. Every day, people would wake and stare at the Old BasedWorld Cathedral. Why was the Hunchback not ringing the bells that had kept the evil spirits of the fake based realm out of their lives? It was then they realized that the Hunchback had crossed the sacred bridge and ventured to New BasedWorld. Frantic to reconcile with the gatekeeper they had long taken for granted, a group of the townspeople decide to bravely seek out the BasedGod in the hopes that he will return. However, they recognize that crossing the BasedWorld Bridge is something no mortal man is capable of doing and living to tell the tale. Using a secret map rumored to have been drawn up by Captain 66 himself, a group of citizens board a modest ship to cross the ~~San Francisco~~ BasedWorld Bay on a warm summer’s eve. Will they survive? Only time will tell.

Across the Sea
And here, ladies and gentlemen, we are presented with the greatest plot twist this side of the Fingerpoke of Doom: It turns out Lil B is not actually the Hunchback and/or the BasedGod after all.

Perhaps we should have known all along...

Indeed, unbeknownst to the townspeople (who themselves had just assumed all three entities were combined as one person), Lil B has remained in BasedWorld all along in disguise. About halfway into their journey across the Bay, Lil B’s resentment towards his shipmates and their longing for the Hunchback’s return gets the best of him, and the violent persona exhibited on tracks like “Murder Rate” and “Domestic Violence Case” overtakes Lil B’s natural pacifist tendencies. In a fit of rage, he attacks them, “knocking them off the boat” into the shark-infested waters and keeping all of the remaining LifeVests to himself. B himself recognizes the consequences of his actions, ending the song by saying, “This darkness… It’s scary.” Nonetheless, he refuses to be stopped in his mission to visit New BasedWorld and confront the Hunchback all on his own.

Where Is the Potion
Having arrived on the shores of New BasedWorld, Lil B ventures into town. Knowing that the only way to find the elusive Hunchback is through the townspeople who may have caught a glimpse of him, he travels to the aforementioned nightclub, with floors still drenched in the BasedGod’s tears from earlier, asking, “Where is the potion?” The response he’s given comes in the form of several bottles of liquor, which quickly dispel any notions of anxiety or self-doubt that may have stopped Lil B from completing his mission. A few of the club’s premium members willingly show him the spots around town where they had spotted the Hunchback, but any further clues of his whereabouts are hard to come by. Before they know it, they find themselves at one of the many riverbanks in New BasedWorld, where a celebration of the BasedGod’s glory is in full swing.

Riverdance
This instrumental is what Lil B and the clubgoers heard as they made their way to the bank of the river. Speaking with more of the natives, Lil B learns more of the Hunchback’s travels and experiences in New BasedWorld and begins to put the pieces together in his mind for where the BasedGod may be headed next.

Wolves and Snakes
As Lil B continues to plot his course, the BasedGod, who has just finished eating a salad on his way to the colony of Chaddick, senses a disturbance in the Based Force, feeling as though him and his hunched back may be in grave danger. He ponders on the wolves and the snakes that he was forced to deal with in his past life and reflects on the growth he’s experienced since leaving the dreaded, darkened halls of the Cathedral. In spite of this, he can’t help but shake the feeling that, like in the proverbial rear-view mirror, one of these wolves and/or snakes may be closer than they appear…

Meeting on UC Berkeley Campus Today
Undeterred, the Hunchback makes his way to UC Berkeley, New BasedWorld’s sole institution of higher learning. After giving a spirited 90 minute lecture on the power of positivity (modeled after previous lectures at such high class institutions as NYU,Carnegie Mellon and Princeton), the BasedGod is greeted by a mass of adoring students at the university. The male students beg for the BasedGod to fuck their bitches, and said bitches are more than willing to oblige. In a grand spectacle, the Hunchback has consensual sex with all 1,000 of the college’s female attendees while this instrumental blares out of speakers across the campus, being awarded with a trophy as a result of his success.

Artistic or Autistic
Elsewhere in New BasedWorld, Lil B attempts to strategize his next move. However, planning the escapade is made difficult thanks to B’s second most potent Internet distraction after his Twitter feed: Reddit. Going through a series of faked based comments on the hiphopheads subreddit, Lil B is particularly struck by a comment suggesting that he may in fact be suffering from the neurological disorder autism. The assertion is an eye-opening moment for him: after all, the elevated levels of lead found in Old BasedWorld’s drinking water had been a concern amongst the town’s scientists for years, and his own behaviors and thought patterns seemed to align relatively well with the common symptoms of the condition. After a brief moment of solemnity, Lil B realizes that his immaculate catalog of music has been made possible because of who he is, and if he is autistic, it is an essential component of his artistic output. This song is the result of this revelation.

Free 03
Our story continues as the BasedGod chooses to use his newfound fame and glory to give back to the New BasedWorld community. He begins volunteering at the New BasedWorld Penitentiary, espousing his worldview and giving advice to the inmates on how to make positive contributions to society after they have served their time. One particular inmate catches his eye: a fellow hip hop artist named 03 Greedo, who was arrested a few years earlier in a drug trafficking scheme. The Hunchback’s conversations with the young man have a profound impact on him, and in the weeks and months to come, Greedo becomes the model prisoner for other inmates to aspire to be, with intentions of joining the ministry upon his release. The BasedGod, proud of what he was able to accomplish, promises to dedicate a song on his new 50 song mixtape to Greedo.

Rhode Island
Rhode Island, officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area, the seventh least populous, but is also the second most densely populated. Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound. It also shares a small maritime border with New York. Providence is the state capital and most populous city in Rhode Island.

As Rhode Island is located on the opposite side of the continent from Old and New BasedWorld, it has nothing to do with this story other than this brief mention of its existence.

I’m Depressed Again
While the Hunchback is continuing to make great strides in improving the lives of the people in New BasedWorld, he continues to be fazed by an ever-growing sense of something troubling being on the horizon. A dark evil is emerging that he cannot foresee, and he worries that by the time he learns what this evil may be, it will be too late. This sends the BasedGod back into a spiraling depression, one not felt since the last day he had spent alone in the cathedral. He warns his closest confidants of the impending doom, saying, “Real talk… Feel it through your heart. Feel it through the spirit. You can feel it through the dark, cold as ever.”

Café Au Coquelet
At the same time as the Hunchback is experiencing this sense of dread, Lil B has made his way to Café Au Coquelet, one of the first spots in New BasedWorld that was graced by the power and the glory of the BasedGod. Lil B immediately detects the Hunchback’s prior presence in the vicinity: all of the restaurant’s guests are acting unusually positive and based towards one another, and the only dish that anyone has ordered over the past week has been the clams casino. Lil B also recognizes that the music playing in the background of the restaurant (the instrumental that is this song) was created by the BasedGod. Enraged, he stands up on the restaurant tables and begins to lambast the townsfolk for having fallen for the lies and deceit of a false prophet. He dictates a new philosophy, beginning by disposing of the food everybody has already ordered and teaching them how to cook for themselves. Before long, the entire restaurant is cooking to “Like a Martian”. A growing sect of New BasedWorld begins to emerge in objection to the Hunchback’s teachings, with Lil B and the swag movement as their new leader.

Downtown Berkeley Protest
Back in the colony of Berkeley, the BasedGod is gathering his followers together for a celebration of optimism and goodwill unto others. His new instrumental track plays as the Hunchback’s followers enjoy the festivities. It is at this moment that the BasedGod feels a searing pain encompass his entire being, and he recognizes that this is the moment he has been fearing for the past few weeks: the evil has arrived. A mass of residents from the other New BasedWorld colonies have descended upon the party with torches and handguns. Dressed in pink shirts, tiny pants and Vans sneakers, they march to the center of the crowd in unison, yelling nonsensical phrases such as “Figaro!” and “Martha Stewart!” as the frightened followers of the Hunchback look on. At the front of the mob is the leader, the enigmatic Lil B. He flashes a slight smile at the BasedGod, who stares directly back into the eyes of his former student. As the crowd of pretty residents begin to hurl insults and grievances towards the based residents, Lil B raises one hand, and the noise stops. Then, he begins to walk away. B’s worshipers follow him out of the city square in silent unison. Many of the Hunchback’s flock wonder if this is the end of the madness. However, the BasedGod knows deep down inside that this is just the beginning.

EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE BITCH

Bring the BasedGod and Lil B Gifts
This is a Cold War, and we know what each side is fighting for. The New BasedWorld citizens have been divided into an even split, with half of the townsfolk (now calling themselves the “Task Force”) following the ways of the Hunchback and the other half (now calling themselves the “Bitch Mob”) committing themselves to the teachings of Lil B. In a frantic attempt to prove the superiority of one leader over the other, the townspeople begin to bestow luxurious gifts and rewards upon their idols in an attempt to make one appear more grandiose than the other. Lil B relishes in his newfound fame, gladly accepting a plethora of PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 games from his fans, along with a fully registered copy of FL Studio to allow him to produce beats on the same level as the BasedGod. Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, the Hunchback seems uncomfortable embracing his new role as a worshipped deity. Having become accustomed to people ignoring him or being flat-out disgusted by his appearance, the adjustment to now becoming the leader of thousands of men is one that is not made easily.

Body Shaming
The opposing sides of New BasedWorld’s population quickly transition from honoring their respective leaders to creating smear campaigns against the opposition. One of the Bitch Mob’s most talented computer hackers manages to secure nude photographs of the Hunchback and distribute them online, highlighting the embarrassing weight gain that the BasedGod has endured over the past 5 years. The Hunchback is at first distraught upon hearing the news: “Why are they body shaming me? Why would they say all these mean things?” It is only when the BasedGod taps into his creamy center, where all the gooey happy-lovin' goo sits that allows him to be the nicest, most compassionate person he’s ever been, that he’s able to let the world know that he will not fall down so easy. He releases this song on his MySpace as a rebuttal, saying, “There's no reason to bully people and make fun of folks”. The Task Force immediately lauds the song as the perfect response to the scandal, while the Bitch Mob lashes out at the lack of trap drums and celebrity-based adlibs.

Stopped Talkin’ But I Still Rap
“So self-conscious, you feel me?”: Despite the approval of his comrades, the BasedGod is unable to shake the ever-persistent sense of self-hatred that is being exacerbated by the actions of the Bitch Mob. He feels his mind regressing to a prior state of fear and insecurity akin to that of his days spent in isolation in the Cathedral. Deep inside, the Hunchback finds himself in the midst of an existential crisis: how can one speak on the benefits of positivity and self-love when one does not truly love thyself? What would the consequences be of allowing this negativity to manifest itself in real time? Surely, an admission of hopelessness would spell defeat for the Task Force, allowing Lil B and his army of pretty townsfolk to rule the land for all eternity. But it would also be hypocritical for the BasedGod to continue to preach the Gospel of Based when his mind is not in a based state of being. In a move that would prove to be one of the most shocking of the Cold War, the Hunchback gathers his followers in the town square to announce that he will be taking an oath of silence until peace can be found between the two factions of New BasedWorld, capping off his decree with the debut of his ‘final’ song, “Stopped Talkin’ But I Still Rap”. The crowd gasps and devolves into hysteria, with thousands pleading for the Hunchback to reconsider, rightly worried over what would become of the based movement without the voice of its sole originator. But the BasedGod is persistent. He silently walks through the crowd, hugging each of his based brethren (and consensually face-fucking some of the females) before departing, possibly for good. Some time after midnight, he successfully crosses the Based Bridge and returns to Old BasedWorld, making his way back to the Cathedral without a single soul noticing his presence. He travels to the deepest, darkest depths of the Cathedral’s caverns, located miles beneath the Earth’s surface, where he begins an indefinite period of contemplation and meditation. This sequence of events would prove to be a milestone of the BasedWorld Revolution™, and would be forever immortalized in the cover art for the Where Did the Sun Go? mixtape.

Intermission
It was a bad time for both Old and New BasedWorld. The Hunchback just stayed inside his Cathedral and he never came out. People said his brain was infected by fake based devils. The Task Force hurt the most of all: without their leader, they crumbled and succumbed to the will of the Bitch Mob. Lil B’s tyrannical rise to power was all but complete. In the months that followed, he would expand his territorial control, conquering the villages of Albany and East Oakland and even sending troops to claim regions of land as far away as Hawaii and Nepal.

Nearly a full year after the disappearance of the BasedGod, Lil B’s armies waged war on Old BasedWorld. The BasedWorld Bridge was destroyed, leaving Lil B and his followers (who controlled the naval fleets) as the only ones who had access to both sides of the territory. After taking most of its citizens hostage and establishing a new structure of government with Lil B at the helm, the Bitch Mob began to formulate its Ultimate ~~Bitch~~ Plan to capture the Hunchback. One night, they rushed the Old BasedWorld Cathedral, setting it ablaze and burning the once-iconic structure to the ground in the hopes of finding the charred body of the BasedGod buried underneath the rubble. When they failed to retrieve the body, the contingent of pretty boys and girls was ordered by Lil B to venture underground, as an ancient prophecy had foretold the Hunchback’s journey to the center of the Earth. Armed with assault rifles of all varieties, they began their descent into the depths of the caverns.

However, the deeper they traveled, the more they became disillusioned by their actions, and the actions of their once-beloved leader Lil B. They did not realize that the closer they got to the Hunchback, the more they were swayed by his righteousness and his way of being. Soon, they were no more than a few hundred yards from locating the BasedGod. It was at this moment that they had a great awakening, recognizing the error of their ways and freeing themselves from the spell that had been placed on them by Lil B. They abandoned their mission, instead choosing to return to the surface without the Hunchback. Lil B, furious at the group’s reluctance to complete their task, began to chastise his former followers, and prepared to issue one of his infamous curses upon them, one which would result in certain death. Having become completely overwhelmed with the guilt and the shame of their exploits as part of Lil B’s army (and also acknowledging the fact that none of them would ever win an NBA championship now without signing to Golden State), they instead turned the guns Lil B had given to them on themselves, committing mass suicide on top of the remains of the Old BasedWorld Cathedral. Thousands of Old BasedWorld onlookers stared in paralyzing shock as the sound of hundreds of guns discharged at once. What followed was several hours of silence, as Lil B, covered in the blood of his former troops, coldly stared at the mass of dead bodies, trying his best to process what had just taken place.

EPISODE IV: A NEW HO(PE)

The Waterfront West Berkeley at Night
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Bay, most of the former Task Force members still remaining in New BasedWorld have all but accepted their fates, purchasing clothing that is too tight for them to wear comfortably and listening to the government-approved “Cooking Music” playlist on a constant loop. A small contingent of Hunchback loyalists remain, holding private meetings in the basement of the Café Au Coquelet and listening to the “Based Music” playlist in shrouded secrecy. Upon learning that Lil B and a commission of his troops had left to invade Old BasedWorld, the few remaining Task Force members felt it was safe enough to worship the Hunchback out in the open one last time. As most of the Bitch Mob members who had crossed the BasedWorld Bay with Lil B had come from the village of West Berkeley, the BasedGod’s loyal comrades choose the village’s Waterfront area as the gathering place for the ceremony. Unbeknownst to any of the group’s members, the mass suicides in Old BasedWorld were taking place at the exact same time as the celebration in New BasedWorld was commencing. The Task Force members rejoice, harmoniously singing the BasedGod’s favorite songs of worship: “B.O.R. (Birth of Rap)”, “The Age of Information” and “No Black Person Is Ugly” are belted out towards the heavens. Suddenly, the youngest of the Task Force’s members (who goes by the name of u/insabnma) feels a twinge underneath his bare feet. He looks down at the ground and notices that he has stepped on a golden USB drive, encrusted with diamonds and embroidered with the word “BASED” in all caps. The curious group of based boys and girls procure a laptop and, upon plugging the drive in, are amazed to find a .zip folder of 13 unreleased instrumentals credited as being produced by the BasedGod. Even more amazingly, the first song is entitled “The Waterfront West Berkeley at Night”: the exact place and time of day that they are performing their ritual. The Task Force members ecstatically listen to the new music, with several being driven to the point of involuntary orgasm. Throughout the night, word spreads throughout New BasedWorld of the drive’s existence, and suddenly, the followers of the Hunchback have a renewed sense of hope.

Games of Berkeley and Magic Cards
The next evening, thousands of Task Force members, old and new, join together in the town square of Berkeley, the last place that the Hunchback was seen alive. A Task Force party has commenced, with various games being played and the Based Music playlist blasting from the colony’s speakers. As it is nearing midnight, the townspeople are each given a magic life card, rumored to be the same life cards that were discussed in the BasedGod’s legendary philosophical diatribe [“Life on Earth”](). At the stroke of 12, the second of the BasedGod’s 13 secret instrumentals is played, as the crowd enthusiastically chants “Thank You BasedGod” along to the beat. The expectation is that the Hunchback will hear their prayer and reemerge by the end of the song. However, this was not to be the case: the instrumental ends, with the BasedGod nowhere to be found. For a moment, the Task Force is disheartened, wondering if the signs pointing to a return of the Hunchback were too good to be true. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a shooting star flies across the Berkeley sky, the brightest and most brilliant star that anyone in the colony has ever seen. It continues to arc across the northwestern skyline and appears to land in the village of Albany, a formerly based territory which has been overrun with members of the Bitch Mob. The Task Force is again filled with a renewed sense of hope at this discovery, as they courageously follow the signs that could lead them to the Hunchback’s holy ascension.

Walking Through Albany California
Upon arriving in Albany, the Task Force members notice a contingent of Bitch Mob members huddled around a large crater, approximately one mile in diameter. Evidently, this is where the shooting star had landed. One of the senior members of the tribe is examining the star, which, contrary to its once large and brilliant appearance, has been reduced to the size of a small rock. Several Bitch Mob members now make their way into the crater to examine the fallen star. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the once-dead star explodes into thousands of pieces, each piece shooting out towards the heads of a Bitch Mob member (though some less fortunate members wind up getting hit in the balls). When the star touches each member, it instantly uploads the third of the BasedGod’s secret instrumentals directly into their cerebral cortex. The Bitch Mob members are at first displeased at the lack of poorly mixed 808s and rattling hi-hats, but soon after, they begin to comprehend and enjoy the BasedGod’s alternative production style. Once the song has finished, they have all been converted into full-fledged comrades of the Task Force. The Berkeley delegation of Task Force welcomes their new brothers and sisters into the fold, and the group marches on to spread the word of the Hunchback’s return to the other villages.

The Sound of Being Bullied
While this is all occurring in the BasedWorld territories, something else entirely is beginning to unfold in the far away kingdom of Detroit, Michigan. Teejay Witherspoon, the Bitch Mob’s certified rarest hacker, leans back in his chair and slyly grins. His successful exploitation of the BasedGod a year ago has proven to be a major turning point in the young man’s life. His notoriety has allowed him to start a rap career of his own, with several music videos on YouTube having gone viral throughout the past 12 months. His loyalty to the Bitch Mob has been unquestioned, and he has since been promoted to a senior position within the fold. As he clicks his way through a darkweb laundering scheme one evening, he leaves to take a shit and, upon returning to his computer, notices that a mysterious golden USB drive has been plugged into the laptop. Only one file exists on the drive: an audio file entitled “The Sound of Being Bullied.flac”. Teejay curiously loads the file into VLC, and the instant the song begins, he is assaulted with a rush of crushing despair and depression. The title of the song spoke for itself. Teejay is experiencing the totality of the Hunchback’s negative emotions that had been fueled by his prior actions, but even more intensely, and as the emotions begin to amplify, he next notices that his physical being is being affected as well. His body is shaking uncontrollably, his skin is beginning to peel, his eyes are popping out of his skull. After four minutes and seven seconds of agonizing torture, his entire being bursts into flames, unable to handle the power of the BasedGod’s wrath. The song ends.

No Longer Afraid of the Dark
It’s dark. The air is still. The ground is hot. Water drips from the ceiling. The Hunchback, in a deep state of reflection, hasn’t moved a muscle for over 12 months. His shriveled body has been starved of nourishment and exercise, but fortunately, his weight gain has had the positive effect of having enough fat stored to keep him alive. The amount of based energy needed to have maintained this state of being has aged the BasedGod considerably. He has been devoid of almost any sense of perception for at least a few months. A faint glow radiates from his being. He has concentrated his powers to what was thought to be an unattainable degree of positivity. Before his extended withdrawal from society, the negative side of the force was something that the Hunchback struggled to put out of mind. At the level of based he now encompasses, the light of positivity is too grand for the BasedGod to fail. He is no longer afraid of the dark. And that’s because the dark no longer exists. The cavern has been filled with his based radiance. And the Hunchback is almost ready to return and spread this radiance throughout the land.

Nepal Wants the BasedGod
All across BasedWorld, shooting star sightings have been abound, and thousands upon thousands of Bitch Mob members have been converted to Task Force faithful. Even beyond the traditional confines of BasedWorld, rare star sightings have also been seen in the Bitch Mob’s disparate properties. A star lands in the Bitch Mob’s Nepalian expansion territory. After having its people cleansed with the power of the BasedGod’s sixth secret instrumental track, Nepal adopts a new constitution which entails all of its citizens to embrace the Hunchback’s teachings of optimism and self-love.

Taxi Around Town
The streets of Old BasedWorld have been in dire need of repair ever since the Bitch Mob ransacked the colony, but that doesn’t stop Travis, one of the land’s only remaining horse-drawn taxi drivers, from making a buck. One evening, he picks up a mysterious hooded figure in one of the town’s more dangerous districts. The man enters the carriage, greeting the driver with two words: “Hello, Travis.” The driver says nothing. The horses begin their trek through the streets, passing by a row of burning buildings. Travis breaks his silence. “It’s lit,” he says. “The buildings, that is. There’s only a few Bitch Mob members left at this point but they always blow these things up.” The figure feels more comfortable speaking to the driver: “I hear you got the nomination”. It dawns on Travis that this person must be almost exactly one year behind the times: has he ever even heard of Cardi B? Regardless, he plays along. “Straight up. Won’t be long now.” The figure smiles, quipping, “Well, I hope you win.” He then proceeds to remove his hood. Travis looks back and momentarily gasps. His composure returns soon thereafter. Unsure of how to proceed, he attempts to continue the conversation. “I… I read about you in the papers… How are you?” Knowing he’s referring to the suicides, the figure replies, “Oh, it’s nothing new, I got over that.” They sit in silence for the remainder of the ride. Soon, the horses come upon their destination, the edge of the BasedWorld Bay. The figure gets out of the car. Turning to Travis, he asks, “How much was it?” Travis is nearly speechless. He lets out one final Auto-Tuned “So long………..LA FLAME!” and the horses gallop off.

Berkeley California Before Lil B
A massive cleaning project has commenced throughout Berkeley. The townspeople have nearly all been converted to followers of the BasedGod by this point, and in a unanimous vote, the colony’s leaders choose to rid Berkeley of any and all trace of Lil B and his formerly effective propaganda. Murals are whitewashed, statues are torn down, and portraits are removed from public spaces as the eighth of the BasedGod’s 13 secret instrumentals is played on a loop. The many books proclaiming Lil B’s omnipotence are collectively burned to ash in the town square. Even saying the name “Lil B” is punishable by fine of up to $30,000, equivalent to the amount of money Lil B had charged for features (in contrast to the Hunchback’s extremely generous $0.01 minimum fee for a verse). The townspeople are once again a tight-knit unit of based human beings living their best lives. It was just like Berkeley California before Lil B.

/r/popheads Album Of The Decade #9: Lorde - Pure Heroine (preferably the Extended version!)

You guys know who this is, but I'm still gonna try some background.

BACKGROUND

There’s so many narratives one could pull out from the background of this record. The first one’s a bit vapid: Lorde as the up-and-comer, the alt-pop rebel, the Soundcloud breakout, all while she’s only 17! The Love Club EP dropped in 2012 on Soundcloud, and started gaining buzz across the blogosphere. An early Reddit post feels symbolic of the beginning of her rise: “Lorde, a 17yr girl from NZ has a new EP which is definitely bringing the next level future pop zef.” Never mind the flagrant misuse of “zef,” but it’s a perfect summary of who she was at one point: a budding artist with a keen ear for beats and some great capabilities with a pen. A comment on a different post hints at the narrative that’s more accurate, yet more exhausting in 2019: “It's too manufactured in a way, you can really tell they're going for a specific scene and vibe with her. Like Lana Del Rey but they're being more subtle about it.” This is true: Lorde grew up in a privileged NZ neighborhood, and she’s been signed since she was 14, cultivating an image for herself. Yet deriding her, Lana, or any one artist for being supposedly planted is blatant posturing - at the very least, it sure as hell has no place in judging the music on its own merits.
“Royals” eventually blew up off the EP to ridiculous buzz, and months later it was officially released as the lead single to her debut. Its popularity consistently had the air of "teen genius" around it, which worked mostly to the detriment of Lorde who was inevitably shat upon by the holier-than-thou for writing songs that dare to be violently teenaged. Think-pieces recall how gestures like this could be mobilized as political statements – see NYT: “Lorde’s ‘Royals’ is Class-Conscious.” Nowadays, a song like this would receive more vocal pushback – see USA Today: “Taylor Swift has angered many people with her 'You Need To Calm Down' release.” Yet the post-“Price Tag” teen sanctimony of “Royals” was lauded, landing a spot at #2 on Pazz and Jop’s best singles of 2013. Following “Royals,” Pure Heroine dropped in September 2013, almost a year after its independent distribution and months after its official label-backed release. It was great. Note that poptimism wasn’t quite in full swing, and liking Lorde wasn’t really a hip move – after the tragic critical reception of Born to Die, it’s a miracle it was beloved by any publications at all.
Nowadays, Lorde is seen as a pop artist, less a symbol of the cynical mainstream industry and more a songwriter in her own right. The disappointment comes with the narrative that surrounds her transition into crit-adoration, the idea of maturity over the trajectory of her career and that her first record was simply the boring teen pop she had to break out of. Often the narrative centers Jack Antonoff, and even haters tend to aim their disdain towards his efforts rather than Lorde. It’s never a good sign when people seem to treat pop music with the women songwriters as secondary to the apparent geniuses that are working in the soundbooth. Pure Heroine may owe a lot to Joel Little, but when many of his most recent works have failed to capture what Pure Heroine did, one realizes that the album itself was likely a great one because of Lorde herself.

THE ALBUM

You’re not going to learn anything new from this writeup. Yes, the “don’t you think that it’s boring how people talk” / “let em talk” bookends are very cool: a bit of neat conceptual aspiration that was fully realized later on Melodrama. Sure, “Ribs” is some sort of adolescent house party (both genre and location) anthem that totally gets the feelings of growing up down to a T. Hey, this did kickstart the airy boom-clap beats (Charli reference being intentional and purposeful - her only solo hit sounding nothing like the True Romance era nor anything that came after is indicative of something) that define much of the decade’s hits.
There’s plenty of better, more educated writers who could tell you loads about Lorde’s influence and influences. If you’re reading this, you probably understand the streamline between Lorde’s mainstream reception and the sudden birth of young acts determined to reach out to the teens as an alternative, a symbol of authenticity among what’s deemed vapid chart music. Perhaps this was the one negative impact of Pure Heroine - the retreat back into tired tropes of singesongwriter supremacy that was witnessed with 21. 2015 brought the class of Alessia Cara, Troye Sivan, Halsey, and Melanie Martinez to the forefront: each carried the mantle of relatability (Melanie less so, but the surrounding narrative scope of Cry Baby and her presence on The Voice were helpful towards establishing her as a real artist), yet none can really be said to have matched the quality of Pure Heroine. What gives?
That question’s best answered using a review of a song on Frozen. One of my favorite closers to a review is in Brad Shoup’s review of “Let It Go”: “to a four-year-old this must seem like the biggest music in the world.” Age that by about ten years, and you’ve got Pure Heroine. Its sonic palette has obvious and non-obvious influences. An initial comparison is Lana, whose debut seems to set up a downtempo, lyrically dense precedent for some of the songs on Pure Heroine. But further comparisons are necessary: Gotye and Kimbra have the geographical proximity, and their 2011 records Vows and Making Mirrors layer vocals over often minimal alt arrangements that contain echoes of Joel Little’s pristine aesthetic. Yet the most prominent influences were in the underground: Purity Ring’s Shrines has similarly electronic bombast, iamamiwhoami and Grimes can be heard in shades. That’s not even counting the works of rap and EDM producers that undoubtedly played a role here - think Flume or Clams Casino. One could argue Pure Heroine came into existence from the necessity for the mainstream to co-opt the underground’s sound eventually: Soundcloud’s finest transmuted into its marketable shapes. And it’s so brilliant.
I haven’t been able to arrange my thoughts on this record in any elegant fashion. I was considering just a series of hot takes, but then I realized I would piss people off. Here’s some assorted bullet points that I couldn’t figure out where to go with:

“Tennis Court” doesn’t even wait to highlight what the main draw of the album is: Lorde’s voice. That pitch-shifted “yeah” was made to highlight EDM remixes, and guess what, it was! (see: Flume) That video is still iconic -- just her standing in a fucking room doing whatever. It’s probably the only video from this era I actually remember. I have more to say on the following song -- but make no mistake, those steel-pan-adjacent synths are lovely.
“400 Lux” is in the typical tracklisting space usually used to highlight the lead single. While it’s not a single at all, it also happens to be absolutely the best song on the album, so good work on part of Lorde! Production like a warm midnight foghorn and string sections underwater, lyrics that settle on “I like you” two years prior to CRJ really really liking you. Her best love song, one where she doesn’t speak for anybody except her and you. “You buy me orange juice” is the meme, but my favorite line is “you pick me up and take me home again” -- repeated for both emphasis and confirmation of how fucking great it is to be alone in a car with just somebody else.
“Royals” begins like Feist’s “Brandy Alexander,” with an elegant arrangement, yet instead of settling into light fare becomes akin to AWOLNATION’s “Sail” - an underrated bit of pop that undoubtedly had just as much impact - in its electronic buzzes. Perhaps Ryan Tedder plays a big role in the softening that pop experienced in the 2010s. Not her best, but not bad and definitely still amazing.
You’ve heard enough about “Ribs.” Conan Gray’s Corny Ass (one I adore very much, and yet another post-Lorde artist, though given his obvious parallels to Troye perhaps he’s more post-post-Lorde) mentioned it on Twitter to get dragged by the true Lorde stans. But hasn’t it always been a universal Gen Z sad song? Even for those outside of the target demographic it works its spell; see the Pitchfork review of Pure Heroine concluding with a commendation of “Ribs” as the mature work it is. People kind of forget that it’s literally a dance song, though -- easily the most danceable in her discography? Tell me there isn’t an analogue between this and Robyn’s “Honey.” And I think this might be the most explicit cultural reference on the album, to Broken Social Scene’s “Lover’s Spit,” a name-drop more intelligent than what songwriters influenced by Lorde would do in the future. (see: Arlo Parks’ invocation of Gerard Way and Courtney Love). The only other example I can think of is a subtle, perhaps unintentional one: the name-drop of “wicked games” on “Tennis Court.” Perhaps a use of a good cliche, yet the sonic palette would make intentional allusion probable.
“Buzzcut Season” precedes “Glory and Gore” in its dystopian YA novel film adaptation glitz, less trailer music and more the credits sequence. The almost-vibraphone melody is the prettiest sound on the album, and the postponing of the hook is a clever songwriting quirk. When you’re younger, you really do convince yourself of how hellish life is. In 2020, a line like “explosions on TV” is a different, more real kind of frightening. Some of the best harmonization on the record.
“Royals” was the big hit, but “Team” was the song I heard every day on the morning car ride to school. The intro is Lorde’s best: a mantra pitch-shifted until rendered mute. The production is some of Lorde’s best, akin to cuts on the lighter The Love Club EP - more on that later. Like “Royals,” there’s a worrying anti-pop sentiment, present in “I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air,” but I enjoy the possibility in the phrase being a statement against giving up -- perhaps a stretch, yet one I enjoy as a lyric that contradicts ideas of Gen Z as humanity’s laziest.
“Glory and Gore” probably couldn’t exist without “High for This.” House of Balloons was murky and ugly, and “Glory and Gore” is the murkiest and ugliest Pure Heroine has to offer. Melodrama explored the uglier parts of Lorde’s vocal timbre, but “Glory and Gore” was an early example of her as sheer raw force -- just hear that “and the choir goes out!” No wonder Lorde was asked to curate the soundtrack to a Hunger Games film when she can so easily utilize violent metaphor, writing songs about teenage drama as if she’s been reading up on dystopian YA fiction. It worked then, works now.
Beginning with some excellent vocal panning and stereo effects (compare to alt-J’s “Bloodflood”), “Still Sane” is Lorde’s most underrated. “I’m not in the swing of things” serves as an excellent summation of adolescent lethargy; “not in the swing of things yet” is a lyric I never registered as positive until now. It feels like an acknowledgment of possible hypocrisy in “Team” and “Royals,” that she knows that as a popular artist she’s likely going to be corrupted by the system she indulges in.
Wait, fuck, I forgot about “White Teeth Teens.” Now that’s underrated. Marching band percussion (best rhythm section on the album!), wonky ‘50s radio vocal sampling in the back, that bridge where she just talks shit about herself over a trap beat, FUCK! The fact that the final section is that one vocal loop and the pre-chorus is great. Perhaps the most beautiful section on the album outside of “Ribs.”
Or outside of “A World Alone.” I was both wrong about “White Teeth Teens” and “Ribs” in that this is the most beautiful on the album and the most danceable. The xx guitar riff is the only bit of remotely acoustic instrumentation on the album. Had the album sounded entirely like this, a song like this wouldn’t stand out at all, and the album would’ve sucked. But given the journey Lorde takes through the darkest, dirtiest bits of synthesized squalls, “A World Alone” is a song that’s deserving of the title of shiniest, prettiest song on the album. A revelation.

Oh, damn it, I ended up writing on every song anyways. The only non-song bullet point I had was that it’s less likely that there’s any sort of “indie girl voice,” and more likely that most people don’t have the capacity to distinguish vocalists that are women. Well. The extended tracks are great, too, but I’m kind of running short on time here. Just remember that “The Love Club” is the best song Lorde has ever made, “Million Dollar Bills” is in her top five, and that her EP honestly has production like Grimes’s Visions, right? And don’t get me started on “Bravado” being an elegant dramatic piece and “Biting Down” being so underrated as her spookiest track and “No Better” being amazing the first time I heard it in my sister’s car and “Swingin Party” being the closest Lorde has sounded to St. Vincent’s “Champagne Year.”

CLOSING NOTES OR WHATEVER(?) (there's more on the legacy of this above)

Is Pure Heroine a classic? To the discerning critic, that title would probably go to Melodrama – more arcane structures, more conceptual, more of a statement. But I found Melodrama too fussy a record. Maybe it doesn’t matter if Pure Heroine is a classic. Now that I’m at the end of my high school career, too many records I loved growing up don’t even make me feel that much anymore. Blonde turned from a gorgeous comeback into a mushy songwriting mess. 99.9% is too summery for its own good, the sonics of Kaytranada now ubiquitous on the Pollen playlist. Telefone has “Yesterday” and “Bye Bye Baby,” but everything else rings a little twee now. Vampire Weekend went dad pop. Sufjan’s been cried into too much. I was honestly scared to listen to Pure Heroine for this. Would I hate it? I turned it on and immediately realized, haha, no. Still fun. It's been seven years. Pure Heroine soundtracked my entry into the year I discovered teens could be mean; it's now going to soundtrack the year I leave teenager-dom and have to make do with the real world. Still fun, still larger-than-life.

So Understaffed my fav sous chef is quitting

Album of the Year 2018 #4: A$AP Rocky - TESTING

Artist: A$AP Rocky
Album: TESTING
Listen:
Spotify
Apple Music
Tidal
Background
On December 19, 2016, about a year and a half after his last project, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky uploaded a snippet to his Twitter account with a single word caption; “TESTING…” The song previewed in that tweet was never released, but the hype from it set off the TESTING hype train. Unfortunately for fans, most of 2017 didn’t give us much new information when it came to the album. We got a few features and a new A$AP Mob tape, plus we heard a few snippets, but there was no new solo Rocky.
On January 23, 2018, fans finally regained hope for an album drop. A long-awaited snippet, “5IVE $TAR$”, aka “Wok”, was released on Soundcloud. The next day, “ABOVE” was released. And the next day, a freestyle over Babyfather’s “Meditation” was released. Though the singles received mixed receptions, they were a positive sign for the album. And once again, Rocky went ghost.
It took another couple months for a proper single to be released on streaming sites. “Bad Company” with BlocBoy JB was released in March. About a week later, Rocky appeared on Jimmy Fallon, where he performed two new songs, “Distorted Records” and “A$AP Forever”, the latter of which was released as the first actual single from the album a day later, accompanied by it’s music video, which stands as one of the best of the year.
And finally, FINALLY, TESTING dropped on May 25, 2018, to mixed reception from fans and critics.
Review
The album opens up with “Distorted Records”. The simple, distorted production gives Rocky enough to work with and make a banger of a track. Although the track is short, it serves its purpose as an intro. The song then transitions beautifully into a new version of the album’s first single, “A$AP Forever”, this time with an added verse from Kid Cudi. I absolutely love this song. It feels like it could have come out in 2011 when Rocky was first coming out. The beat is super airy, the drums are punchy, and Cudi and Rocky both deliver on their verses. The breakdown at the end with Moby’s vocals is a great use of the sample, and also gives the song a more uplifting vibe.
The next song on the trackless is “Tony Tone”, which was heavily anticipated by fans due to snippets. The guitar loop and drums have an old-school feel, but the distortion brings it into Rocky’s world. Lyrically, Rocky talks about fashion, his lifestyle in Harlem, and even addresses A$AP Bari’s sexual assault scandal. Next up is “Fukk Sleep”, which features British singer FKA twigs. The song continues the airy production, with Rocky and twigs’ voices both drenched in reverb.
“Praise The Lord (Da Shine)” with Skepta was the second single from the album, and for good reason. It’s the closest thing the album has to a typical club banger, with a bouncy, bass-heavy, Skepta-produced beat that could be mistaken for something Pi’erre Bourne would make. Skepta handles the hook, with him and Rocky both getting a verse, plus the final verse where they trade bars. It’s not a particularly deep song, but it’s super fun and energetic, and it’s easy to why it became one of Rocky’s biggest hits.
The following song, “CALLDROPS”, is less of a proper track and more of a short interlude. Though it’s pretty short, it actually showcases themes which come up a lot across the album. There’s the chopped and slowed sample in the beginning, the guitar sample, very airy, reverb’d out vocals, and another across-the-pond collaboration, this time with English singer-songwriter Dean Blunt, who sings the chorus along with Rocky. The song then ends with Kodak Black, then incarcerated, singing us a verse from inside jail, ending the song on somewhat of a poignant moment.
After the short interlude, “Buck Shots”, which features AWGE artists Smooky Margielaa and Playboi Carti, brings the tempo back up. The production sounds like what I’d imagine trap music will sound like in the year 3000. And while I love Rocky’s part and Carti wasn’t shabby, the real highlight is Smooky. His autotuned voice and the beat mesh perfectly and I’ll be damned if “Got them bullets aimin’ at your head top” isn’t a super hard way to start the verse.
“Gunz N Butta” again shows off Rocky’s skill at blending different musical styles together. The track is most obviously indebted to ‘90s Memphis rap with the Project Pat sample, but also sampling Dean Blunt’s Babyfather project. Next is “Brotha Man”, one of two collaborations with Frank Ocean on the album, and which also features French Montana. French comes with a wavy hook, and Rocky delivers a solid verse. Frank’s contributions are limited to a couple lines in the bridge and an outro, which is admittedly a little corny, thought I like his reference to Trump at the end.
Though “Bad Company” ended up not making the album, “OG Beeper” gave us another collaboration with BlocBoy JB, though he’s wisely relegated to adlib duty this time. Though this is one of my least favourite songs on the album, it’s still entertaining, with Rocky talking about life before fame, his time in prison, and his current modelling endeavours. The production is weird enough to where I’m still really enthralled by the song. The following song, “Kids Turned Out Fine” is another guitar-based song, The effects on the guitar and Rocky’s voice give it a psychedelic, wonky feel.
“Hun43rd”, which feature Blood Orange’s Devonté Hynes, is another highlight. Rocky’s rapping is super smooth over the beat’s G-funk esque synth works great. Dev’s hook sounds beautiful, and the chopped Thug Life sample fits in perfectly. We also hear a a classic Rocky maneuver, with his voice changing pitch. The outro with Tyler and the Mob is also a nice touch, showing Rocky’s crew.
“Changes” is a three-part epic. The first features Rocky rapping over just a guitar talking about a former lover, before the beat drops. The next part has a more ‘90s feel, and is Rocky at his more braggadocios, and the final part returns to the guitar of the first part. Honestly, there’s not much I can say about this song besides that it’s beautiful.
“Black Tux, White Collar” is a long-awaited collaboration between Rocky and producer Clams Casino. The Clams beat is exactly the type of beat I would’ve wanted from him, it’s super atmospheric and the drums work well without doing too much. It’s a throwback sound from Rocky, with a flow that’s reminiscent of his first tape.
The last song on the album is “Purity”, which features none other than Frank Ocean. The beat (also guitar-based) is initially simple, but as the track goes on, grows with new layers. The Lauryn Hill sample on the hook is great and Frank snaps on his verse. On the other hand, Rocky delivers a verse that doesn’t really adhere to the beat but still works. It’s a great closer to the album.
I’m not gonna sit here and say that TESTING is my favourite Rocky album, because it’s not. I’m not gonna say it’s perfect, because it’s not. But I will say it’s a damn good album no matter what people think. Throughout the album, Rocky blends so many different influences, samples, and styles, but still manages to make an album that gels together extremely well. Recurring themes like chopped samples, psychedelic guitar loops, and airy vocals help give the album a sense of cohesion.
A large portion of the criticism was about the album being “boring” or “one note”, but I disagree. There are quite a few slow paced songs that are somewhat light on drums, but that doesn’t make a song boring. And it certainly doesn’t make the album as a whole boring, because songs like “Tony Tone” or “Buck Shots” is anything but. There are so many unique songs and collaborations on this album. TESTING may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but to me, it sounds like the future of rap music.
Favourite Lyrics

The bigger they are, the harder they fall
Like dominos, nigga, Geronimos
When it's my time to go, adiós, vámonos
Flacko no Dominicano but eat the tostones with plátanos

“A$AP Forever”

Pockets loaded, rocket loaded, okay, let’s rock and roll this
It’s time to go, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Locked and loaded, diamonds glowing, chart-climbing on ‘em

“Praise The Lord (Da Shine)”

Grandma was a Catholic, and mama was a Christian
My pop returned to Muslim when he spent some time in prison
No Jehovah Witnesses where I’m from, kinda different
They don’t leave no witnesses so folks just mind they business

“Gunz N Butta”

Two more drinks of everything before the bar closed
Face to face with my demons at a barstool
Haven’t checked on my niece in weeks
Months past and months in between since me and my sister would speak
Not a call or visit in weeks, lost, nothin' since the September last
Seen her September '16, man it feels like “I’m undone because”
Lose someone every release, it feels like the curse is in me
A$AP Press is gone and I grief, I share with you my peace

Purity

Talking Points

If the album had a less rocky rollout (pun intended), do you think the reception would be different?
How do you feel Rocky’s collaborators (Dev Hynes, Frank Ocean, Dean Blunt, Playboi Carti) influenced the direction of the album?
Where does Rocky go next? What would you like out of his next album?

My List Of True Crime Books That Are (Primarily) Not About Murder.

This is my third list for this sub. I hope you enjoy it.
ART THIEVES, FORGERS, SMUGGLERS.
The Art of the Steal by Christopher Mason. A true story about the auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s and how they conspired to cheat their clients out of millions of dollars.
The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine by Benjamin Wallace. The most expensive bottle of wine and the conflicting reports about its history. This is a book that would enchant wine conessi… conues… lovers.
The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser. Author Ulrich Boser looks at the unsolved art theft case of Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed by John Vaillant. Grant Hadwin, a logger-turned-activist, fells a unique 165 feet Sitka spruce in an act of protest. John Vaillant takes the readers into the heart of North America’s last great forest to find out why he did that.
Hitler’s Art Thief: Hildebrand Gurlitt, the Nazis, and the Looting of Europe’s Treasures by Susan Ronald. Hildebrand Gurlitt was an art thief, or as he put it himself, an ‘official dealer’ for Hitler and Goebbels. But he stole from the Jews and Nazis alike. This book was published after his hoard was recently (2013) discovered which created an international furor.
The Irish Game: A True Story of Crime and Art by Matthew Hart. This book is about the art theft at Ireland’s Russborough House in 1986. The suspect, a gangster named Martin Cahill, played cat and mouse with police for years.
The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime by Miles Harvey. When you think about stealing some valuable art, do maps come to your mind? Then this book is for you. Gilbert Joseph Bland Jr. stole numerous centuries-old maps from research libraries in US and Canada.
I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century’s Greatest Forger by Frank Wynne. Han van Meegeren became so much adapt at forging Vermeer paintings that it is said that even professional experts would find it difficult to point out his works from the originals. He earned more than $50 million by selling his forgeries – and he even swindled the Nazis.
The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World’s Greatest Reptile Smugglers by Bryan Christy. Reptile smuggling is a big “business”. The author, a federal agent, suspected a reptile business owner of being a major smuggler and he started investigating. It was not as simple as it sounds because at one point he was chased by a mother alligator and even bitten by a python.
The Lost Chalice: The Epic Hunt for a Priceless Masterpiece by Vernon Silver. A 2500 year old cup made by the Greek master Euphronios which depicted the fall of Troy gets stolen and sold (along with 3 other such vessels). Then due to the questionable practice of some art dealers, no one can track down its last known owner.
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr. With nothing better to do, the author embarks on a journey to discover a Caravaggio painting which was lost to time two hundred years ago.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett. John Charles Gilkey stole rare books not because he wanted to make profit as most thieves do, but because he loved books. I guess if you want to call yourself a book-reader but don’t actually want to say… read a book, you could just steal them and show them off to your friends. But who are we to question the wisdom of “booklovers”, right?
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean. If you thought that stealing maps is a weird “job” to have, how about stealing a rare breed of flower? We all know about the Tulipomania that gripped Netherlands in the 1630s. But this is a modern tale, and the book is perhaps one of the most popular ones on this list.
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman, John Shiffman. This book is about Robert K. Wittman, FBI’s founder of the Art Crime Team and his undercover missions around the world to rescue various pieces of stolen art.
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury. You could have a Jackson Pollock lying around in your basement, but if you can’t prove that the piece is real, you might as well use it as a table cloth (I might have exaggerated there a bit, but you get the point). John Myatt, a struggling artist, and John Drewe, a conman who knew the importance of Provenance in the art world, duped many people and museums by creating a fake paper trial that seemed to prove that the art was a real thing and not a forgery. So much so that the experts believe that there might still be some fake paintings created by Myatt displayed in prominent places as the real thing.
The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick. Dolnick writes about the theft of Edvard Munch’s The Scream from the National Gallery in Oslo in 1994 and the subsequent investigation that took place to track it down.
Selling Hitler by Robert Harris In mid-eighties, Hitler’s diaries were “discovered” and many experts fell for the con. The backpeddling many did when it was revealed that the diaries were not real is really amusing to read about.
Shell Games: Rogues, Smugglers, and the Hunt for Nature’s Bounty by Craig Welch. This book is about the poaching of a larger-than-life clam – a Geoduck, to be precise, and the subsequent chase from the wildlife police to nab the poacher.
Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers and the Looting of the Ancient World by Roger Atwood. This book provides a sweeping history of thefts of various priceless antiques.
Stealing the Mystic Lamb: The True Story of the World’s Most Coveted Masterpiece by Noah Charney. The twelve panel oil-painting of the Mystic Lamb is the most frequently stolen artwork in the world. It was stolen 13 times. One wonders whether they could have guarded it a little better after the first couple of times, you know. Anyway, this book describes the events of each theft.
Stolen World: A Tale of Reptiles, Smugglers, and Skulduggery by Jennie Erin Smith. Two reptile smugglers compete against each other to conquer the illegal trade for themselves. The funny thing is, the Zoos stood against them in the courts, but they had no problem buying rare fauna from the two smugglers, sometimes simultaneously.
Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California by Frances Dinkelspiel. A massive fire destroyed wines worth $250 million in a California warehouse, making it the largest destruction of wine in history. It was done by a conman named Mark Anderson, who rented storage space at the same warehouse. This book tells why he did that and also goes into the surprisingly bloody history of wine trade in California. (reads well with cranberry juice).
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R. A. Scotti. On August 21, 1911, a man walked out of the Louvre with the Mona Lisa tucked inside his coat (should have painted it bigger, eh Vinci?). I am not going to spoil this book for anyone. Read it if you want to know whether Mona Lisa was recovered or was lost to time forever.
CARTELS, GANGS, UNDERWORLD.
American Desperado: My Life --- From Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset by Jon Roberts, Evan Wright. Jon Roberts, who starred in documentary Cocaine Cowboys tells his story to the journalist Evan Wright in this book. Roberts smuggled drugs to Miami for the Medellin Cartel (which will feature many times in this category).
At the Devil’s Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel by William C. Rempel. This is Narcos Season 3, basically. Remember the family guy who gets involved with the Cali Cartel and mops around for the whole season even though he had an unbelievably hot wife who was clearly out of his league? That character was based on Rempel. And if I must say so, the book is more compelling than that season of Narcos. Nothing can beat Agent Pena, though.
Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob by Dick Lehr, Gerard O’Neill. The story of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger – the head of the Irish Mob in Boston - who became an informant for the FBI and chaos ensued. Depp plays Whitey Bulger in the movie adaptation with a soggy tortilla glued to his face as make-up.
Blow: How a Small -Town Bay Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost it All by Bruce Porter. Another book where Johnny Depp plays the main character in the movie adaptation. This book is about George Jung, who after meeting Carlos Lehder, started selling cocaine in the United States through Medellin Cartel.
Cocaine Diaries: A Venezuelan Prison Nightmare by Paul Keany, Jeff Farrell. Paul Keany was caught smuggling half-a-million euro worth of cocaine into Venezuela. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Now, prisons everywhere aren’t exactly fun places to be, but Los Teques where Keany was incarcerated was nothing short of hell on earth.
Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga. Junichi Saga was a doctor by profession. A patient, who was a former Yakuza, recounted his life story before him. Saga recorded the conversations, and broke doctor-patient confidentiality by writing this book.
Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire by Mark Bowden. A dentist named Larry Lavin builds the foundation for a cocaine empire in the United States.
Donnie Brasco by Joseph D. Pistone, Richard Woodley. Joseph D. Pistone, an FBI agent, goes undercover for six years to infiltrate the Mafia. Do watch the movie too, it is Depp’s last movie without weird make-up.
El Narco: Inside Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency by Ioan Grillo. Journalist Ioan Grillo has written, arguably, the definitive book on Mexican drug cartels. Why he is still alive is anybody’s guess.
Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh. Venkatesh, who was a sociology grad student at the time, infiltrated one of Chicago’s most notorious gangs. This is one of a kind type of book.
Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano. This book is about the Italian Crime Network called Camorra in Naples, Italy. Due to his intensive investigative journalism which exposed lot of insider information about the crime syndicate, author Saviano still has to live under constant police protection.
The Good Mothers: The True Story of the Women Who Took on the World’s Most Powerful Mafia by Alex Perry. This is a recent book, where the author Alex Perry looks inside the ruthless Calabrian Mafia of Italy and three women who want to save their own and their children’s lives. This is a fascinating and courageous look into an aspect of the Mafia which is often overlooked by most.
Hunting El Chapo: The Inside Story of the American Lawman Who Captured the World’s Most Wanted Drug-Lord by Andrew Hogan, Douglas Century. Remember when Joaquin Guzman was caught for the first time and then he escaped and then he was caught again for good? Yes? Then read this one. But this book only focuses on the operation that nabbed him for the first time. I must warn you though – the author, Andrew Hogan – is really really in love with himself and it seeps into his writing.
The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel by Robert Mazur. Mazur went undercover and actually became a money launderer for Pablo Escobar. This book is more about how bankers actively helped to launder the drug money and how Mazur helped to bring them down.
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw by Mark Bowden. This is the best book about tracking and eventually killing Pablo Escobar. And as Walter Jr. pointed out to Walter White, it focuses on the good guys, not the bad ones. Good companion book to Pablo Escobar: My Father written by Escobar’s son.
Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America’s Strangest Jail by Rusty Young. The author stays inside San Pedro jail for months with a drug smuggler to chronicle his tale. This is one of the most popular books written on cocaine smuggling.
McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld by Misha Glenny. This is a thorough investigation into organized crime worldwide which accounts for 1/5th of total GDP of the world. This book would please readers who are into extensively researched true-crime history books, not so much a casual reader (inb4 - I just read 5 pages of McMafia and wow… just wow).
Mr. Blue: Memoirs of a Renegade by Edward Bunker. Edward Bunker had had an eventful life. Incarceration for two and a half decades, being on FBI’s most wanted list, and being a crime novelist. This is his autobiography.
Mr. Nice by Howard Marks. Howard Marks started dealing dope in small quantities while he was studying at Oxford – as you do – and then eventually graduated to dealing it in tons (what the hell was he studying there? Oh, philosophy). This is his fascinating story.
Narcoland: The Mexican Drug Lords and Their Godfathers by Anabel Hernandez. Yet another book that resulted in the author getting death threats. This proves the old cliché true that the pen is mightier than the sword; until the sword comes down and cuts your neck. That’s why the author has to live under constant protection.
Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel by Tom Wainwright. Any aspiring drug lords should read this instruction manual. Just kidding. Wainwright goes deep into the functioning of various drug cartels and at the end also comes up with a plan to defeat them.
News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Little known author tries his hand at true-crime. Pablo Escobar kidnapped 10 journalists when he was on the run from the authorities. This book revolves around that event.
The Night it Rained Guns: Unravelling the Purulia Arms Drop Conspiracy by Chandan Nandy. On a December night in 1995, someone airdropped three weapons-laden wooden pallets over Purulia, West Bengal. Who did it and why? This book tells the story about one of India’s greatest ever security breaches.
No Angel: My Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels by Jay Dobyns, Nils Johnson-Shelton. Dobyns was the first federal agent to infiltrate the inner circle of the notorious biker gang. This is his story.
Pablo Escobar: My Father by Juan Pablo Escobar. Juan Pablo is an architect and lives and practices his trade in Argentina. Even though Pablo was his father, Juan does not try to justify his actions even a little bit. This is one of the best books written on Pablo Escobar.
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream by Patrick Radden Keefe. Sister Ping, leader of the Chinese underworld in the US, earned $40 million a year smuggling people from China. Told from the viewpoints of gangsters, investigators, and poor immigrants alike, this book provides a unique window into the world of human smuggling.
Scores: How I Opened the Hottest Strip Club in New York City, Was Extorted out of Millions by the Gambino Family, and Became One of the Most Successful Mafia Informants in FBI History by Michael D. Blutrich. I am disappointed that they went with FBI instead of Federal Bureau of Investigation in the title. Should have made it longer. Scores: How I Opened the Hottest Strip Club in New York City on the 34th Street Just Opposite the Starbucks, Was Extorted out of 4.54 Millions and 55 Cents Plus Taxes by the Gambino Family, and Became One of the Most Successful Mafia Informants in Federal Bureau of Investigation History by Michael Dostoyevsky Blutrich
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan by Jake Adelstein. The author, working as a reporter in Japan, writes about the seedy underbelly of crime in the country.
The Untouchables by Eliot Ness, Oscar Fraley. Where’s Nitty? He’s in the car. Great movie. How Eliot Ness and his team started the downward spiral in criminal career of Al Capone. A somewhat embellished account was also written in the book, but nonetheless, it is a gripping tale.
Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand by K. Vijay Kumar. Koose Muniswamy Veerappan was the last big outlaw of India. A sandalwood smuggler who lived in the forest to evade the police, Veerappan killed hundreds of policemen and civilians. K. Vijay Kumar, the officer who led the task force that ultimately brought down the brigand, is the author of this book.
Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi. I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? Goodfellas is perhaps the best Mafia movie ever made, so read it in his own words why Pileggi might fold under questioning.
Zero Zero Zero by Roberto Saviano, Virginia Jewiss. This Saviano guy must have a death wish. But as a handsome list-writer once eloquently said, “If bitten already by a King Cobra, what difference it makes if you French kiss a Black Mamba?” Since the publication of his book on the Italian crime syndicate, Saviano has to live under constant police protection. So to make sure they don’t slack off, he wrote a book on Cocaine Cartel, this time acquiring lots of admirers in Latin America.
CONMEN, IMPOSTORS.
The Art of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter by Jason Kersten. The Art of making money is to make other people work for you; not the other way round. But more scrupulous method of making money would be to counterfeit it. Art Williams did exactly that.
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake by Frank W. Abagnale. Maybe the most popular book on this list, Abagnale Jr.’s book is not to be missed even if you have watched the movie starring the actor who had sex with a bear (no, not Tormund).
Charlatan: America’s Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock. One “Dr.” John R. Brinkley, set-up a medical practice to surgically insert goat glands in human testicles to restore their fading sex drive. I am not joking, this happened.
Conman: A Master Swindler’s Own Story by J. R. Weil, W. T. Brannon. Known as “Yellow Kid” Weil was a master conman, who duped public of more than $8 million 100 years ago. He’s called by many as the greatest conman of all time (second to the companies that charge service fees on the internet, of course).
Eyeing the Flash: The Making of a Carnival Con Artist by Peter Fenton. Fenton was a math student until he turned into a carnival con artist. How many bananas he stole from the monkeys? How many bales of potatoes from the elephants? Read this book to find out.
Inconvenient People: Lunacy, Liberty and the Mad-Doctors in Victorian England by Sarah Wise. If you have any annoying friends who romanticize the Victorian era and say that they would have liked to live there, tell them to read this book and get back to you after that.
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor by Mark Seal. This is the true story of one of the greatest impostors of all time. The man could have impersonated a chihuahua if he wanted to.
The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by James Francis Johnson. Viktor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower not once, but twice. I still have the relevant papers that my great grandfather left us. I’m going to shift it to Nauru or Detroit.
The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con by Amy Reading. This is a revenge story of a man who sets out to con the conmen who conned him twice. Unfortunately, the book could have been written better, but it is still worth having a look at.
Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud by Elizabeth Greenwood. I once tried playing dead in a meeting when asked about the progress on my project. But there are people who fake their death for lesser gains, such as insurance fraud and debt fraud. Author Elizabeth Greenwood journeys into the dark world of death fraud to find out more.
Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend by Mitchell Zuckoff. Charles Ponzi was so successful in duping people that we have immortalized his name by terming such swindles after him. At one point, he was raking in $2 millions a week. How many weeks would it take you to earn 2 million dollars at your current income? (sorry, that got heavy fast. It hurt me too).
A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud by Karl Sabbagh. One botanist claimed that some species of plants on the islands south of Scotland survived the last Ice Age. Another botanist doubted him. This might not sound like a big fraud if you are not into plants, but believe me when I say that the 2 botanists who just read this threw their phones away in disgust and disbelief.
Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest by Gregg Olsen. A quack doctor named Linda Hazard developed a technique called “fasting treatment”. The story focuses on two sisters who fell for the quack’s assurances that they would be cured of all the diseases - real or imagined. This book is quite infuriating to read. Hazard was a despicable human being.
Swindled: From Poison Sweets to Counterfeit Coffee – The Dark History of the Food Cheats by Bee Wilson. Wilson looks from ancient Rome to current times for food frauds. And she finds them aplenty (companion read - while having a nice snack).
A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History’s Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes and Frauds by Michael Farquhar. This is a good bathroom book about fakers through history.
The Woman Who Wasn’t There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher, Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr. Have you heard about Tania Head? If you haven’t, I urge you to skip this book. Tania Head duped survivors of 9/11 and the whole world alike into believing that she was one of the survivors from the South Tower of World Trade Center. I feel enraged just by typing this. So just read this book if you want to know more about her. There are a couple of documentaries out there too.
HACKERS.
The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Clifford Stoll. Long before internet became a place for cat memes, Cliff Stoll was working at a research lab as a systems manager. One day he found 75 cents of accounting error. This made him alert that an unauthorized person was logging into the system. Thus began his lone effort of tracking down the spy.
Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws Who Hacked Ma Bell by Phil Lapsley. Before there was internet, or even personal computers, mobsters and teenagers hacked the telephone system.
Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin D. Mitnick, William L. Simon. The book tells the story of one of the best hackers of all times, Kevin Mitnick, and his cat and mouse game with the FBI.
The Spider Network: The Wild Story of a Math Genius, a Gang of Backstabbing Bankers, and One of the Greatest Scams in Financial History by David Enrich. A group of bankers manipulated daily interest rates just a fraction here and there on loans worth trillions of dollars and made some serious cash for themselves. This book also rocks one of the ugliest book covers of 2017.
MUTINEERS, PIRATES, OUTLAWS.
Batavia’s Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History’s Bloodiest Mutiny by Mike Dash. I was torn whether to include this book in the list as the history of Batavia’s mutiny is littered with corpses. But as the focus is on the mutiny, I am going to keep it here. This event could give the Medusa’s raft a run for its money.
The Floating Brothel: The Extraordinary True Story of an Eighteenth-Century Ship and its Cargo of Female Convicts by Sian Rees. Poor girls in England, most of who were petty thieves, were given a chance to sail to Botany Bay in Australia to create a new life for themselves and the male population of New South Wales. But the real story happened at the sea on board the ship Lady Julian.
The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid by Thom Hatch. Butch: What happened to the old bank? It was beautiful. Guard: People kept robbing it. Butch: Small price to pay for beauty. The book might not be full of memorable dialogues as the movie, but if you want to know more about the legendary outlaws, give this book a chance.
Lost Paradise: From Mutiny on the Bounty to a Modern-Day Legacy of Sexual Mayhem, the Dark Secrets of Pitcairn Island Revealed by Kathy Marks. Mutiny of the Bounty is perhaps the most infamous of mutinies that occurred at sea. Even after the event and hundreds of years later, the descendants of Fletcher Christian and his sailors continue to live a crime-filled life like their forefathers on Pitcairn Island.
The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks. This book will change your perception of Captain Kidd, that’s for sure.
To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West by Mark Lee Gardner. This non-fiction book concentrates on Sheriff Pat Garrett’s chase in pursuit of the bandit Billy the Kid. If you like reading westerns, this one and The Last Outlaws are not to be missed.
Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly. Cordingly takes a look at life among the pirates. Some of your romanticism would be squashed, but there were some good things about being a pirate too. Life among the pirates was neither black nor white; it was beige.
POLITICAL CRIMES
Arms and the Dudes: How Three Stoners from Miami Beach Became the Most Unlikely Gunrunners in History by Guy Lawson. Three kids won a 300 million dollar contract – legitimately – I must add, to supply ammunition to the Afghanistan military. They had no money, but still they almost pulled it off. I don’t know, read this book, and if you’re a US citizen, visit the websites mentioned in the book, see if they are still doing business the same way, and if you want, you can become a supplier to the army too. Don’t forget to send me my cut (the movie War Dogs was trash).
The Brother: The Untold Story of Atomic Spy David Greenglass and How He Sent His Sister, Ethel Rosenberg, to the Electric Chair by Sam Roberts. Even if you’re not a United Statian of American (USians?), chances are you might have read at least something about the execution of the Rosenberg couple as spies. This is probably the best book about the subject.
Curveball: Spies, Lies, and the Man Behind Them: How America Went to War in Iraq by Bob Drogin. How many weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq? If your answer is “what’s that?” then congratulations, you’re not unlike one of your former presidents. Who told the USians that there were WMDs with Saddam? Curveball.
The Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. Perkins was an economic hitman, who at the instruction of US intelligence agencies and giant corporations cajoled and blackmailed other country leaders to serve US foreign policy and award lucrative contracts to American businesses (now that job has been transferred to the White House).
A Kim Jong – Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator’s Rise to Power by Paul Fischer. Say you want to make a big movie for your country. But there is no one in your country who can handle such an ambitious project. What do you do? Hire some talent from other country? But you’re Kim Jong – Il. Oh. Then you just kidnap them, and force them to make the glorious movie of yours. Read this book. It’s pretty absurd (the movie they eventually made for Kim was utter shit. The Room would look like Gone with the Wind compared to that abomination).
The Nuclear Jihadist: The True Story of the Man Who Sold the World’s Most Dangerous Secrets… And How We Could Have Stopped Him by Douglas Frantz, Catherine Collins. One day a man Abdul Qadeer Khan caught a plane to Pakistan from Europe. With him he had blueprints of the mechanism that could prepare weapons grade Uranium that he had stolen from the lab he worked at in the last 3 years. He would make the first atomic bomb for Pakistan with that information. Then he sold the tech to stable countries like Iran, North Korea and Libya. How can someone get away with stealing such powerful information? Read this book to find out.
Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America by Annie Jacobsen. This is a pretty controversial topic that has only gained wider acknowledgement in recent decades. Read this book to know in detail how bogus the claims of justice being served to the perpetrators of the Holocaust were. Basically, if you were a scientist, you were very likely to be acquitted from any War Crimes allegations.
The Real Odessa: How Peron Brought the Nazi War Criminals to Argentina by Uki Goni. How did most of the Nazis who managed to escape from Germany ended up in South America? Read about the collusion of various entities and institutions that made it possible in this book.
The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBI’s Hunt for America’s Stolen Secrets by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee. This is the true story of a mole in FBI, how he attempted to sell classified information and how FBI tried to track him down.
ROBBERIES, HEISTS.
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein. If there is one thief in this list that I admire, it is without a doubt, Attila Ambrus. Ambrus was known as a gentleman thief, who would ask – no, request - the teller to fill his bag with money. If you read this book, it would be hard for you to dislike Attila even though he was a thief.
Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason, Lee Gruenfeld. Bill Mason looted many famous personalities in his long career as a jewel thief. In this book he tells how he did it.
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk W. Johnson. Do you know there are people whose hobby is fly tying? The feathery thing that you attach to the hook to catch fish? But these are not your average fly tiers. They use feathers from exotic birds to create different ties whose total cost could run in thousands of dollars. Moreover, many of the most coveted birds are either protected or extinct. So one night a man named Edwin Rist broke into Tring museum and took hundreds of bird skins, some that belonged to Darwin, to fuel his hobby and even getting rich by selling precious feathers to other tiers. Don’t miss this book.
Finders Keepers: The Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million by Mark Bowden. Who hasn’t dreamt of finding a big bag of money? It couldn’t have happened to a more clueless person. Joey Coyle, to be exact.
Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby. The theft from Antwerp that still raises many questions.
Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn. The truth is not that romantic.
The Great Pearl Heist: London’s Greatest Thief and Scotland Yard’s Hunt for the World’s Most Valuable Necklace by Molly Caldwell Crosby. Pearls, more valuable than the Hope Diamond, are stolen by thieves in Edwardian London.
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton. My favorite Crichton book. Stealing gold from a running train! Watch the movie too that stars the great Sean Connery.
Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft by Jeff Diamant. How hard is it to steal 17 million dollars? As far as these thieves were concerned, not much. Getting away with it was another thing altogether. The movie was pretty average, I think.
Into the Blast: The True Story of DB Cooper by Skipp Porteous, Robert Blevins. Is Tommy Wiseau DB Cooper? If only that was true. Read the book but don’t expect any clear-cut answers (I think most people would agree that the clumsy bastard died after he jumped from the plane).
A Pickpocket’s Tale: The Underworld of Nineteenth-Century New York by Timothy J. Gilfoyle. True story of George Appo, a pickpocket living in nineteenth-century New York.
Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History by Ben Mezrich. A guy steals moon rocks from NASA and then had sex on them with his girlfriend (how the hell is that comfortable?)
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. The last hermit was not a hermit in true sense. He didn’t rely on land to feed himself. He stole from the nearby community. Before someone says I have spoiled the book for them, it is revealed in the first chapter that he is a thief.
WHITE COLLAR CRIMES.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou. The Steve Jobs impersonator, Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, and her old boyfriend, Sunny, are some of the most vile people that I have come across while reading about corporate crime. This is one of the best books that I have read this year.
Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart. This is probably the most famous book written about those Wall Street scoundrels.
Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation by Dean Jobb. The story of Leo Koretz, who created one of the longest running Ponzi schemes in the 1920s Chicago.
The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald. Mark Whitacre becomes an FBI informant against his own corporation. But as time goes by, the FBI starts to realize that Mark is not as truthful as he seems to be, and he has his own agenda (they made a movie with Matt Damon).
Octopus: Sam Israel, the Secret Market, and Wall Street’s Wildest Con by Guy Lawson. Sam Israel’s hedge fund was making heavy losses. So naturally, he fabricated fake returns to fool the investors. Then he heard about a secret market from where he could convert his millions into billions. That’s how he lost the last 150 million dollars of his invertors’ money.
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice by Bill Browder. Only thing you are going to learn from this book is don’t do business in Russia.
The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind. Bethany McLean asked one simple question in her article when everyone else was going gaga over Enron. “What does Enron actually do?” Nobody knew. Even Enron couldn’t give a specific answer. They were not just committing accounting fraud; they were looting ordinary people by creating fake shortage of electricity and driving the prices high. The documentary is worth watching too.
Stung: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Molony by Gary Stephen Ross. The guy Molony debited huge amounts of money from the bank he worked at to feed his gambling addiction. Oh, and he took the money in other people’s name who held huge accounts there. This is one of the best true-crime books that I have ever read.
Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by Jon Krakauer. You know the man who builds schools in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan? Great guy, right? Krakauer doesn’t think so. And he’ll tell you why in this short book.
The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust by Diana B. Henriques. 65 billion dollars. That’s the amount that Madoff swindled from people through decades of fraud. I think I can buy a small island country with this much money. The idiot is in jail though. I don’t know, maybe after a couple of billion, skip to a country with no extradition treaty and live the rest of your life without the fear of being getting caught? But then, these types of people don’t know when to stop.
OTHER.
American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down --- My Wild Twenty-Five-Year Ride Ripping Off World’s Casinos by Richard Marcus. The guy ripped-off casinos all over the world by stealing gaming chips while maintaining an illusion of a highroller to lend his eventual take required legitimacy.
Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz by Jolene Babyak. Written by the daughter of a guard at Alcatraz, this book tells the story of the infamous escape from the prison island. Don’t forget to watch the classic movie too.
Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich. The movie 21 was based on this book. But if you want to know the real story, without the whitewashing, you have no choice but to read this book.
Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales. Kevin Bales estimates that there are 27 million people worldwide who live as slaves, right now. And yes, slavery still exists in United States of America in case you were wondering. This is a depressing book.
Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison by T. J. Parsell. Rape in prison is absolutely overlooked almost everywhere. Read this book if you can endure reading about helplessness page after page.
Hotel K: The Shocking Inside Story of Bali’s Most Notorious Jail by Kathryn Bonella. Prison systems in developing world differ from the developed one in one regard that the guards and officials there are more corrupt and hence are likely to look the other way when something bad is going down amongst the inmates. Kerobokan Jail in Bali is one of the worst among those.
The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison by Pete Earley. The author interviewed inmates from Leavenworth Prison for two years. The book is the result of that labor.
The Laundrymen: Inside the World’s Third Largest Business by Jeffrey Robinson. I have a perfect idea to launder money. Laser Tag! Robinson looks at the third largest business in the world. The book was published a while ago, but still hasn’t lost most of its relevancy.
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer. Jon releases the Krakauer on one of the most relevant subjects of today. Rapes in colleges. These institutes would do anything to sweep things under the rug to maintain the illusion of clean image in the public eye.
Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing by Ted Conover. The author worked as a prison guard for a year at one of the most notorious prisons of the United States. This book is about his experience.

Part 45.

Sorry guys. The Mandela Effect technically slowed down but I found Maybe It's Mandela'd on YouTube and they have reported tons of changes from November 2018 to May 2019 and even some from 2016 I haven't heard about yet.
7073.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember any of this stuff being different or not a thing?(Just gonna link their tons of interesting videos.)(El Pasco, Texas/El Paso, Texas)(MOAM/MAOAM candy)(Ring Pops/Ring Pop)(Is the knife that Chucky is holding on the Child's Play movie cover different?)(Girls and guys have different natural body odors.)(Anonymous masks now have red lips and red cheeks.)(Didn't Grumpy Cat die way before May 14, 2019 and wasn't she male?)(Watermellon/Watermelon)(Flying squid.)(All different colors of flamingos.)(Titantic/Titanic)(Lots of new Steven Seagal movies.)(The music video for Hotline Bling by Drake has changed in a lot of ways.)(More changes to the Anonymous mask.(Miki Lauda/Niki Lauda)(Other spellings?)(Certain living and dead members of Iron Butterfly dying more than once or still being alive.)(Tempermental/Temperamental)(Other spellings?)(Galapagos giant tortoises born for first time since 1800's.)(All the new videos and angles of the JFK assassination.)(Embryonic Fluid/Amniotic Fluid)(Buzzing boy heard in his ear was a tick.)(The lyrics to Rock Me by Steppenwolf have changed.)(Rebecca Grayheart/Rebecca Gayheart)(Juwanna Nan/Juwanna Mann)(Black rainbow roses now exist.)(You can no longer sink in quicksand.)(Days Go By is no longer a 90's hit and Dirty Vegas is now popular for it and not The Rembrandts who used to be The Rembrants.)(Bumblebees can't sting.)(Mean Girls movies both have connected letters.)(Red eyed cats.)(Blue eyed box turtles.)(Half albino peacocks.)(A group of cats are called a Clowder or Glaring.)(Quantus Airlines/Qantas Airlines)(There were female pilots in some of the really old wars.)(Masters Of Reality/Master Of Reality)(Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget shows his face now.)(Zupas has connected letters.)(Black sunflowers now exist.)(Black and purple bell peppers now exist and the different colors for bell peppers now might apparently be them in different stages instead of being separate types.)(The first E in Deep Purple is now reversed.)(More animals eating weird new stuff.)(Bed Bath & Beyond D is stretched out.)(Are the colors used for some of the signs off?)(Was the name different?)(The first recorded sound was April 9, 1860 now.)(Cursive Q looks like a 2.)(More weird looking mantises.)(Megaduck/Negaduck)(Air plants now exist.)(Star shaped cities now exist.)(Area 54/Area 51)(Was it something else?)(Two names for "They Live"?)(Red LobsteRed Lobster: Fresh Fish Live Lobster)(California breaking up into multiple separate states.)(Royalty way back like Queen Victoria wearing things like sunglasses.)(Tornado ripped off roof of church as children sang Jesus Loves Me story came out last year?)(Taiwanese Leopard spotted for first time since 1983 extinction.)(Christie Alley/Kirstie Alley)(Chucky's jumper and shirt have changed in Child's Play.)("If the glove don't fit, you must acquit."(Aquit?)/"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.")(Did he not have a hat and was he referring to a glove?)(Johnny Cochrane/Johnnie Cochran)(Anything else off?)(More lyrics in Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi have changed.)(Was Swum not a word for you?)(Weasel riding on the back of a bird.)(Pigeon dancing to street music.)(Anything famous the Theremin is used in seem off to you?)(Was it the Theramin?)(MannoManor)(Swamp Thing was now released exactly 5 years earlier in 1982 instead of 1987.)(Tony Scott killed himself exactly 5 years earlier in 2012 instead of 2017.)(Tom Skeritt/Tom Skerritt and did he die?)(Did the little girl die before or after 3rd movie?)(Anything else off?)("Got out of bed."/"Fell out of bed.")(Vinegarette/Vinaigrette)(Other spellings?)(When The Heart Calls/When Calls The Heart)(Caress/Carress/Caress)(Rare black deer spotted.)(Dogs dying from saltwater poisoning.)(Outtro/Outro)(Anything else off?)(Feather stars can swim.)(Brittle stars can swim.)(Sea anemones can swim.)(Was it The Family Circle or Family Circle?)(Did Richard Leroy McKinley and him dying and the two other guys who died with him not exist?)(1670 painting showing cell phone and many other paintings and old movies, films and the 1995 boxing match and all the other photos and paintings of time travellers.)(The Wizard Of Oz theme park closed decades ago but has been open since the 90's.)(Brian Mullins/Brian Mullin)(Lots of new flag designs.)(Zapruder film with sound?)(Other spellings of Deion Sanders?)(Akira Toriyama is now alive.)(Lots of new deep holes.)(Red hourglass change on black widow.)(Paul Mason/Paul Masson)(Women having a freckle in the same spot.)(British Indian Ocean Territory?)(Gem found in Israel worth more than diamonds.)(Animals in places where they never used to live.)(Capricorn is an actual goat species.)(The Mysterious Case Of Benjamin Button/The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)(Have you heard of The Great Dying?)(The first inhabitants of Asia were black.)(Phenomenon vs. Phenomena?)(Salem's Lot logo has merged.)(Jennifer GardneJennifer Garner)(Lots of new Star Trek changes.)(Circle K letter K is now dipping into the outer part of the logo.)(Lavar Burton/LaVar Burton)(Grand Canyon city?)(Dobsonflies now exist.)(Green Humphead Parrot Fish now exist.)(Lizard giving birth without mate.)(Shaggy sometimes has a visible Adam's Apple.)(Lollipop color has changed in The Wizard Of Oz.)(Pokémon Go now has rainbows.)(Velella Vella now exists.)(Heward Packard/Hewlett-Packard)(Other spellings?)(Anything else off?)(Cat born with 4 ears.)(More living rocks.)(Blue rolly pollies now exist.)(All Of My Love/All My Love)(Jimmy Paige/Jimmy Page)("Horny backed toad."/"Horny back toad.")(Anything else off?)(Game Boy Advanced/Game Boy Advance)(Anything else off?)(Vegas Vic is now more ecil looking, is now hitchhiking and not waving, and is now pointing down.)(Crystal Light logo has changed.)(Orcas now eat birds and they even bait them.)(Alligator scopes out somebody's houses.)(Ghetto Superstar lyrics have changed.)(Wendy Peppercorn/Wendy Peffercorn)(Frank N. Furter's outfit has changed.)(Pelican spiders now exist.)(Surface tension on water creates shadows.)(Did the Stonewall Riots not happen and lots of gay acceptance from the 1960's to the 1980's didn't happen.)(The Ghetto Boys/Geto Boys)(Do any of their logos look off?)(Juicy Fruit multiple slogans.)("The taste is gonna move you."?)(Superman peanut butter?)(Lord Of War has connected letters.)(Lava Soap has connected letters.)(Papersource has connected letters.)(9 Lives has connected letters.)(Freshen-Up has a striped version.)(Certs R has changed.)(Clorets has connected letters.)(A River Runs Through It has connected letters.)(Eagle Transport Corp. has connected letters.)(Toni Perm has connected letters.)(Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil has connected and off letters.)(Tang has changed.)(Double Jeopardy has connected letters.)(Sea Breeze has connected letters.)(Cutex has connected letters.)(ABC after school 80's special has weird logo.)(The Sands/Sands casino)(The Dunes/Dunes casino)(Charleston Heston/Charlton Heston)(The Bee's Knees/Bee's Knees saying originated as just Bee's Knees.)(Back To The Future fading photo has changed.)(Sea monkeys have changed in a lot of different ways.)(Mr. Potato Head was originally other vegetables before being a potato.)(Multiple different versions of Tank Man holding stuff or not and what the tanks look like.)(More logo changes.)(Didn't Bushwick Bill already die?)(TVs in cars in the early to mid 1900's.)(Pocket TVs back then too.)(Quantum Dot TV too.)(Napili-Honokawai/Napili-Honokowai)(GangStaGang Starr)(Do any of their logos look off?)(Was KISS not a contemporary band?)(Did Bob Dylan never wear white makeup?)(SofteneSoftner)(The Stray Cats/Stray Cats)(Do any of their logos look off?)(Were Stones never used as a measurement for weight?)(Birds that can sew?)(7Up Gold was now a thing.)("You won't like me when I'm angry."/"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.")(Bone that disappeared is now returning.)(Lisa Edmonds/Lisa Edmond/Lisa Emond)(The Weed Man/Weed Man)(Record breaking longhorn sheep in Alabama.)(Valais blacknose sheep now exist.)(Crocodile uses pool noodle.)(Valentina Tereshkova is now the first woman in space and she went up in the 1960's.)(Dogs and cats and many other animals have multiple sets of eyelids.)(Storm down bursts now exist.)(Gloria Vanderbuilt/Gloria Vanderbilt)(Crazy Frog's penis is now visible.)(Our skulls are changing due to mobile phones and other things.)(Spider-Man no longer clinging to the wall in the famous Nintendo 64 game.)(Emperor Tamarins now exist.) ("Had to know it was in your palms."/"Had to know it was in your card.")(Anything else off?)(Energizer bunny has sandals now.)(Hart To Hart has connected letters.)(Moonlighting has connected letters.)(The Love Boat has connected letters.)(Fame has connected letters.)(Rogaine has broken letters.)(A Family AffaiFamily Affair)(Heathers has a broken R.)(Soul Train has weird letters.)(The Outsiders has weird letters.)(Electric Youth has weird letters.)(Red Perfume has weird letters.)(Emeraude has weird letters.)(Flex brand has weird letters.)(Clean & Clear has weird letters.)(The Last Starfighter has weird letters.)(Dogs can actually drive cars.)(Abraham Lincoln might have had Marfan syndrome.)(Chenille plants now exist.)(Rafflesia parasite found in Southeast Asia.)(Smart cakes that make their own layers while baking now exist.)(Woody's gun holster has a ribbon on it.)(Whiskey A Go Go/Whisky A Go Go and it was called Whiskee A Go Go in the 1960's.)(Has Bugs Bunny's tail gotten bigger?)(Stepping Stone/Steppin' Stone)(Were there no red bats on the wheels of the Batmobile?)(South Park: Bigger, Badder & Uncut/South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut)(A hat in As Good As It Gets has changed from blue to black with USA written on it.)(Theory Of Relativity/Theory Of Special Relativity)(Seeing the end of a rainbow is possible now.)(Cal Ripkin Jr./Cal Ripken Jr.)(Johnny Ive Of Apple/Jonny Ive Of Apple/Jon Ive Of Apple/Jony Ive Of Apple)(Ricky SchroedeRicky Schroder)(Chicken Of The Sea logo and letters and Starkist logo are now off.)(The Firm letters are connected.)(Cabrini College letters are connected.)(Liberty University and Jeff Foxworthy graphics on screen are merged.)(Malibu Musk letters are connected.)(Aqua Net new logo is off.)(Lynx car logo is off.)(Rave Hair Spray(Was it always Hairspray?)logo is off.)(Coast Soap logo is off.)(Kodak Color Watch logo is off.)(Great Westerners Savings Bank, Chevrolet and Pacific Bank commercials are merging.)(Aveda logo is off.)(Grizzly Adams is merged.)(Mork & Mindy is merged and Na-Nu is Na-No.)(LA Looks is merged.)(4C Iced Tea is merged.)(Cannonball Run/The Cannonball Run)(A Shark's Tale/Shark Tale)(Royal Dansk(Danish?)cookies logo is off.)(Baby jumping festival since 1600's.)("Standing there by the record machine."/"Dancing there by the record machine.")(Is the video off?)(Do any of their logos look off?)(Nestlé Krunch/Nestlé Crunch)(Was it the Lollipop Kids and not Lollipop Guild?)(Adam Bockovich/Adam Bockwich)(Adam GardneAdam Gardiner)(Vengence/Vengeance)(Other spellings?)(South Jersey isn't just a saying.)(Disposable clothing in the 1960's.)(Sausage trees?)(Pepto-Bismo/Pepto-Bismol)(Sharks that squirt glowing clouds.)(Argentina has their own space program.)(America's Tires/America's Tire)(Animals with Down Syndrome now exist.)(Amish people almost all wear straw hats now and not fedora hats.)(The Flintstones now all have only 4 fingers.)(Deer almost all have really long tails now.)(Arcacia Drive/Acacia Drive)(Song title too.)(More WW1 stuff.)("Planet earth moves slowly."/"Planet earth turns slowly.")("You'd think I'm rude."/"You'd think me rude.")(Do any of their logos look off?)(3 Non Blondes/4 Non Blondes)(Did one of the members not exist?)(What's Going On?/What's Up?)(Lyrics are still the same.)(Do any of their logos look off?)(Beast Number wasn't always 666.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eZqT6_xyIc8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RiIHte9fKXs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hOiw_Gi_9ec
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVqf_lJu2M
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tG87s36LGJc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NrE-jzbqj0E
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fczGryfBzNw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xeYEcqPWVNA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HSeG9gQcFoA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eYGu6KrTyKk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t7_bCTu4VIE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JgYYavtr9UQ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AmI_cJ0-Ty8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2PZWLyqUI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3YmY-91jsvs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TEkqUIqP3Cg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BkDTqq5hc2s
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-m7SiKz0lw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X_TaCCxcaWU
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YvBz3Sb1yYo
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9UO9f6GeWHQ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FPmxTNV8Qwo
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pken1D6HfRg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pDFTD-EP_Bk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhhdttoY6Q
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qGtsFd4ttKg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2mpaMFbnLqk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kFfZiKMAL_w
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCpFD9K7rMI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hmCUr0A9_Dw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nG-thBJ9UHk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VsQesgdFKE0
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TJlbhVw-AmM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YUleDIGV60U
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YPFoemLlLSo
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cua7tb-0gFQ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VNYmEwg0NPk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DsU-AVjxRKA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AcOdyvHnprc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Go2luQelFlw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r_G6STR_u1k
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yJm06E3ExFA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R2TX2IkVbV8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ztWZGVqlUb8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-sYBXDtp8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EbKWbh7PV4I
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PeI26w4BuyE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ALBoD8vaYXc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yiqmDlK9e0U
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wM14zOHXr2E
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1XzxEjCENoI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iT49sErNf1k
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NxfkuggRtko
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bYMTDKXwdW8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FHT2hXH4yrM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lIm31AJK100
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7NI8nioiXMI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k3M5Bv41m8o
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8hu5KH0WsNE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_h_u5d-58
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L6mPVyYx_ds
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7NaF36yaeyA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XXDaS0UZ5fY
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2MzA3xQ-mHE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=92yuFjwuEW8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg2z-mmHhCI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9fLGigzcwp0
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9D3aqVxRz6w
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oEf_fEmj5yM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqQwWXGcgs
7074.(Movie Quote change.)"Put him in a body bag Johnny."/"Get him a body bag. Yeah."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OXXq2yFPXVs
7075.(Famous Singer name change.)Mary J. Blidge/Mary J. Blige(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_J._Blige
7076.(Song name change.)Getting TighteGettin' Tighter
https://genius.com/Deep-purple-gettin-tighter-lyrics
7077.(Company name change.)Dress Barn/Dressbarn(Were the letters in Teddy Ruxpin not connected?)
https://www.dressbarn.com/
7078.(Company name change.)Cooper Tires/Coopertires(Cooper Tire or Coopertire?)(Certains companies with the name Perkins looking like Jerkins.)(Perkins Cole/Perkins Coie)
http://us.coopertire.com/
7079.(T.V. Company Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in DIC not being connected?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIC_Entertainment
7080.(T.V. Company Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in United Artists not being connected?(Do the letters in the My Little Pony logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Artists
7081.(Famous Singer name change.)Chrissie Hines/Chrissie Hynde(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrissie_Hynde
7082.(Company Logo change.)Do you remember the TSR logos being normal?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSR_(company)
7083.(Tour Company Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in Starr Tours(Star Tours?)being normal?
https://www.starrtours.com/
7084.(Fictional Area appearance change.)Do you remember the bathroom in The Shining being red or golden yellow instead of green?
http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/m_friers/clips/the-shining-crossing-the-180deg-line/view
7085.(Phantom fictional character.)Do you remember Moss-Man not existing?("My angel in a centerfold."/"My angel is the centerfold.")(Do any of their logos look off?)(John Lennon in Imagine keeps changing.)(Does Felix The Cat seem off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss-Man
7086.(Famous Actor name change.)Stanley Livingstone/Stanley Livingston(Was Livingston always spelled Livingstone?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Livingston
7087.(Movie Logo change.)"Run like the wind Bullseye!"/"Ride like the wind Bullseye!"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NVtT5oqB-JA
7088.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember The Who singing American Woman instead of The Guess Who?(Did The Guess Who not exist?)
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-guess-who/american-woman
7089.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Liquid water on Mars, Huitlacoche, tusker elephants, mirror hand syndrome, clams can swim, 3 secret additional icky verses to the Star Spangled Banner, sock worms, harp sponge, the falling man is the brother of the extra GI ME guy in the Village People, more on camel teeth, feral parrots are taking over America, shadows are fuzzy now, East Africa is splitting in two, orange crocodiles, Devil's corkscrews, insect with interlocking gears in legs, are we in Kali Yuga, famous 40 year old image of frost on Mars, people with open damaged holes in their head do not get them closed again, changes to war horses, more anatomy changes.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I8KZnr8xgDc
7090.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Bull Jumping not being a thing?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph_VkV-mxDs
Add-On: Do you remember Arnold Schwarzenegger being Russian, German or both and not Austrian?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger
7091.(Album name change.)Eric B. For President/Eric B. Is President(Eric B. For President/Eric B. Is The President)(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_B._Is_President
7092.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Gerard Butler being the main character in Wanted instead of James McAvoy?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanted_(2008_film)
7093.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Benjamin Franklin being first to find electricity?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin
7094.(Famous Actress name change.)Jenny Garth/Jennie Garth
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_Garth
7095.(Famous Singer name change.)Jan Ackerman/Jan Akkerman(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Akkerman
7096.(Paint name change.)ZinseZinsser
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPM_International
7097.(Music Lyrics change.)"I need a gun to keep myself from harm."/"I need a gun to keep myself among."(Does the instrunental sound off?)
https://genius.com/Gorillaz-dirty-harry-lyrics
7098.(Fruit name change.)Mullberry/Mulberry
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_(plant)
7099.(Food name change.)Tofurkey/Tofurky(The latter is more acceptable.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofurky
7100.(Song name change.)Me And You And A Dog Named Blue/Me And You And A Dog Named Boo(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_You_and_a_Dog_Named_Boo
7101.(Snack name change.)Whatsits/Wotsits(Does the logo look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wotsits
7102.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the Theremin not being a thing?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin
7103.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the NASA Robonauts not going back as far as 2002?(Did they not exist at all?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robonaut
7104.(Spelling change.)Pigmy/Pygmy(Was the former the only acceptable spelling?)(Anything else off?)
https://wikidiff.com/content/pigmy-vs-pygmy-whats-difference-0
7105.(Famous Singer name change.)Alex Boyd/Alex Boye/Alex Boyé(Other spellings?)(Not the artist known as Alex Boyd.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Boy%C3%A9
7106.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Popeye and Olive Oyl not being real people?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/books/childrens-books/popeye-10-things-you-never-knew/amp/
7107.(Famous Actor name change.)Powers Booth/Powers Boothe(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powers_Boothe
7108.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Freemartins, human body doesn't reject stem cells with foreign DNA, world population counter, 7 Of 9 of Star Trek's eye piece continues to change, Hitler was vegetarian, Hitler didn't like Jews due to Kosher slaughtering because Hitler was an animal lover supposedly, Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy intro has changed, bird attack causes traumatic brain injury and trauma to the spine, Stellar Sea Eagle/Steller's Sea Eagle, more Popeye characters I haven't personally seen already mentioned based on real people.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQq-dOgrn8
7109.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the Schwerer Gustav not being a thing?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerer_Gustav
7110.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the number next to the M on the back of a product meaning something else?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/824851271042825/permalink/1077568549104428/
7111.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Switzerland not being considered a third-world country?
https://www.alternatememories.com/historical-events/geography/switzerland-is-a-third-world-country
7112.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember London Bridge actually being in London and not Arizona?
https://www.alternatememories.com/historical-events/geography/london-bridge
7113.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember tomato sauce being invented in Italy and not Mexico?
https://www.alternatememories.com/historical-events/geography/tomato-sauce
7114.(Famous Football Player name change.)Deon Sanders/Deion Sanders
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deion_Sanders
7115.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember uppercase I and lowercase L not looking so similar?(Didn't I have horizontal lines on it everywhere it was written?)
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-we-have-same-symbol-for-capital-I-and-small-letter-L-in-English
7116.(Famous Actor name change.)Kevin CosneKevin Costner(Is the pronunciation off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Costner
7117.(Famous Basketball Player name change.)Magic Mike Johnson/Magic Johnson(Anything else off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Johnson
7118.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Rain caused by fires, hairy frog fish, seagull eats another bird, Dick's Sporting Goods logo, Sigmund Freud's history is very different now as a Jew who chain smoked and had hundreds of surgeries on his face, EF3 tornado, CSF rhinorrhea,(Brain fluid leaking out like snot.)more weird sea animals, more geography changes, more weird clouds and cloud related changes, Tasmanian devil appearance changes, lots of Tasmanian tiger related changes, crow vs. magpie and birds are way more aggressive, toilet plant and more new weird plants and fungi.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a6h0Q2ZuC4I
7119.(T.V. Show Quote change.)"Submitted for your approval."/"Submitted for the approval.")(Did Rod Serling say it more in The Twilight Zone as well?)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q0tuHe7WoYg
7120.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Ladybug swarms and they're on radar, Brazilian skipper caterpillar, USA now always had a migrant worker program, moving entire apartment complex on rails, more weird weather, earwigs can draw blood now, giant forest hog, boys that do not grow private parts until age 12, snub nose dolphins, warthog face lumps, can't see blue unless there is a word for it first, rainbow chemtrails, aerodynamic contrails, pet skunks and more weird stuff.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rIiTlxluxdA
7121.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember beluga whales not having knees?
https://www.newsweek.com/beluga-whale-knees-viral-whales-dont-have-legs-965267
7122.(Spelling change.)Pompei/Pompeii(Was the latter never acceptable?)
https://goudalife.com/2016/08/09/gouda-life-pompei-pompeii-vesuvius-capri/comment-page-1/
7123.(Coffee name change.)Chock Full Of Nuts/Chock Full O' Nuts(Is the logo off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chock_full_o'Nuts
7124.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the Ornithopter not existing?(1890's spy cameras?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithopter
7125.(Fictional Character name change.)Jamie Summers/Jaime Sommers(Lindsey WagneLindsay Wagner)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Sommers_(The_Bionic_Woman)
7126.(Casino Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in Primm not being connected?
https://www.primmvalleyresorts.com/
7127.(Movie Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in Amadeus not being connected?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeus_(film)
7128.(Movie Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in Black Sheep not being cut or connected?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sheep_(1996_film)
7129.(Car Model Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in Chrysler 200 not being connected?(Air Jordan logo has broken letters.)(Apple & Eve logo has broken and weird letters.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_200
7130.(Product Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in Eckrich not being connected?
https://eckrich.com/products/smoked-sausage/roped-smoked-sausage/
7131.(Painting change.)Do you remember the cherubs in the Sistine Madonna having different colored wings than they do now?(More changes to Chock Full O' Nuts logo.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Madonna
7132.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Jesus not having a forked beard?
https://www.openbible.info/topics/they_plucked_jesus_beard
7133.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember being able to stack Draw cards and also being able to draw cards until you can play one in Uno instead of those being illegal plays?
https://www.pettymayonnaise.com/uno-rule/
7134.(Music Lyrics change.)"I had to say I love you in a song."/"I'll have to say I love you in a song."(Song title too.)(Do any of his logos look off?)
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jimcroce/illhavetosayiloveyouinasong.html
7135.(New fruits.)Do you remember only green kiwis existing?(Was it never known as a kiwifruit?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwifruit
7136.(City name change.)Chernobyl, Ukraine/Chornobyl, Ukraine(Was the latter not acceptable?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl
7137.(Movie Quote change.)"An angel gets its wings."/"An angel gets his wing."
http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question53295.html
7138.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the letter U never ever being depicted as looking similar to a V?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gz7IbC_olmk
7139.(Famous Actor name change.)Will Farell/Will Ferrell(Other spellings?)(Was his outfit in Elf all green or were the tights beige or orangish?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Ferrell
7140.(Township name change.)Belle Meade, New Jersey/Belle Mead, New Jersey
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Mead,_New_Jersey
7141.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Leonardo da Vinci not being the first person to describe contact lenses?(Anything else he supposedly was the first to describe seem off?)
https://www.alternatememories.com/historical-events/science/leonardo-da-vinci-invented-contact-lenses
7142.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Juneteenth not being a thing?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
7143.(Famous Singer name change.)Glen Fry/Glenn Frey(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Frey
7144.(Famous Singer name change.)Jackson Brown/Jackson Browne(off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Browne
7145.(Movie name change.)Trains, Planes And Automobiles/Planes, Trains And Automobiles
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planes,_Trains_and_Automobiles
7146.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Cranial fissures on orbital bone, Sun double halo, mastoiditus, cholesteatoma, MH370 flight path and history, Fort Alcatraz, Eastwing rockhammer, slow crawling lightning, gnat larvae moving blob, more new moon types, cat fox, Bristol or Windsor hum, more new quakes, living fish found in boy's lung, teratoma tumor, inflatable moth man parts, black cloth is more cooling than white cloth, Sunda stink badgers, Our Lady Of The Rockies, Possum-eating spider, more Lincoln Memorial changes, Viagra makes flowers stand up straight.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PW5jmJWMxkA
7147.(Hip Hop Group name change.)Die Antwood/ Die Antwoord(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Antwoord
7148.(Famous Composer name change.)Johanne Sebastian Bach/Johann Sebastian Bach
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach
7149.(Famous Drummer name change.)Barrymore Barlow/Barriemore Barlow(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barriemore_Barlow
Add-On: Do you remember Uncle Sam's jacket being completely light blue?(Does his pointing finger look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam
7150.(Song name change.)Love Rain On Me/Love, Reign o'er Me(Are the lyrics off?)(Is the way he sings it off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love,_Reign_o%27er_Me
7151.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Younger humans growing horns, human height varies by 1 to 2 inches a day, spiders that eat mice, you continue growing well into your mid 20's, Wagu beef is not Wagyu and is more marbled, a single hornet kills a mouse, horses routinely bleed through their nose and lungs and nose during heavy exercise and it's not super dangerous for them, Britain's opium wars against China, Sahara sand is more orange, dead fish still tries to "bite", the Jordan Lead Codices, electric cars 100 years ago had 200 mile range now, zombie snakes play dead, restaurants in Japan serve still living food and food that's just still moving including frogs and octopus, Space Shuttle changes, more weird new plants, more geography changes, UV light may be able to kill flu viruses, Equal Pay Act Of 1983, moon looked like the Sun, Camera Obscura goes much farther back now in time.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rE_KEmQyl4w
7152.(Fictional Character appearance change.)Do you remember Woody not having cacti on his boots and no string attached to his hat?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff_Woody
7153.(Fictional Character appearance change.)Do you remember Red Fraggle having red hair instead of orange hair?
https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Fraggle
7154.(Restaurant Product name change.)Hunger BusteHungr-Buster
https://dqtyler.com/menu/burgers/hungr-buster
7155.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Mandela effect conference, PayPal log tilting, crow standing on wings, wasp super nests, humans running like horses, funny bone no longer easy to bang, monkey cheek pouches, flies have 5 eyes, temple elephant head hair, venom spraying scorpions, syrup from walnut and other trees besides maple, fat tailed goats, Gympie Gympie trees, Dalai Llama saying non-Buddhist jerky kind of things now, mini tornados, Scandinavia was never a country, Caduceus has 2 snakes instead of 1 and other things.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Cxhdxl0U0
7156.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Honeybees can sometimes sting more than once, cannonball star eating fort, water anole uses bubble on head to breath underwater, magnetic portals connect sun and earth, Canadians also did Japanese internment camps, semi slugs and their love darts, thread snakes, kneeling moals, more anatomy changes and more stuff.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BWU62qVMSNY
7157.(Village name change.)Teahopoo/Teahupo'o(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teahupo'o
7158.(Website Logo change.)Do you remember the letters in savefrom.net being normal?
https://en.savefrom.net/1-how-to-download-youtube-video/
7159.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the Dongle not being a thing?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle
7160.(Fictional Character appearance change.)Do you remember Smokey Bear having overalls or suspenders instead of no shirt?(Does he look bigger?)(Does his fur look off?)(Is his face off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear
7161.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the gloves not fitting on O.J. Simpson's hands?(Did he not have glove liners?)(Was there only one glove?)(Are the gloves different?)(Was O.J. Simpson the one driving the car?)(Was he the only one in the car?)(Did he drive his own car?)(Did he not have a gun?)(Did he have something else?)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jUyWS6j5rS4
7162.(New fruits.)Have you heard of the pink lemon?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variegated_pink_lemon
7163.(Spelling change.)WaffeWafer
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafer
7164.(Music Lyrics change.)"When I was just a young boy."/"When I was just a baby."
https://genius.com/Johnny-cash-folsom-prison-blues-lyrics
7165.(Famous Singer name change.)Billie Ellish/Billie Eilish(Is the pronunciation off?)(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Eilish
7166.(Famous Actress name change.)Mindy Cohen/Mindy Cohn
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindy_Cohn
7167.(Date change.)Do you remember the first electric toaster not going as far back as 1893?
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-your-toaster-4076981
7168.(Spelling change.)Nickle/Nickel(Everything Nickel is used in.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_(United_States_coin)
7169.(Fictional Character name change.)Eric Carmen/Eric Cartman(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Cartman
7170.(Famous Singer name change.)John Entwhistle/John Entwistle
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Entwistle
7171.(Company Logo change.)Do you remember the Starbucks logo not having as many wavy lines?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks
7172.(Phantom person.)Do you remember Joe Bonamassa not existing?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Bonamassa
7173.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the 3rd Degree Burn being the worst burn you can get instead it being 4th Degree?
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/types-degrees-burns
7174.(Music Lyrics change.)"To think I might not see those eyes."/"To think I might not see those eye."(Any of their logos look off?)
https://genius.com/Snow-patrol-run-lyrics
7175.(Famous Paper name change.)Great Remonstrance/Grand Remonstrance
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Remonstrance
7176.(Fictional Character appearance change .)Do you remember Abby Mallard having braces?(Does her voice sound off?)(Did she have a lisp or speech impediment?)
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Abby_Mallard
7177.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember the lid of the water tank in the Elisa Lam story being closed instead of open?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Elisa_Lam
7178.(Famous Singer name change.)Andy Worhol/Andy Warhal/Andy Warhol(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol
7179.(Company name change.)Cambell/Campbell's(Was Campbell always spelled Cambell in everything it was used in?)
https://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/
7180.(Book Title change.)Kujo/Cujo(Do any of Strphen King's book logos look off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cujo
7181.(Famous Composer name change.)Andrew Loyd WebeAndrew Lloyd Webber(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber
7182.(Music Lyrics change.)"Love is a burning flame."/"Love is a burning thing."(Any other lyrics off?)
https://genius.com/Johnny-cash-ring-of-fire-lyrics
7183.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember Bison and Buffalo being interchangeable names instead of being 2 different animals?
https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-bison-and-buffalo
7184.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(Siphonomores and pyrosomes, Portuguese Man Of War is not a jellyfish, sailfish change colors by mood, spleen can heal on its own, pygmy hippos, more Easter Island statue changes, long tailed weasels in San Diego, Moon Hill China, giant trevally fish snatches birds from air, red river hog, cave pearls and other things.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P1cpbJkqyr4
7185.(Dictionary name change.)Meriam-WebsteMerriam-Webster(Other spellings?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merriam-Webster
7186.(Instrument name change.)Accordian/Accordion
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accordion
7187.(Celebrity death cause change.)Do you remember John Belushi dying of a drug overdose instead of being murdered?(Anything else off?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Belushi
7188.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember these things being different or not a thing?(More on Tikki Marsala, Finland sided with Nazi Germany, cherubism, more weird clouds, Venus was maybe once more like Earth, thousand year old moss and nematodes were recently thawed out of ice and are still alive, weird Abraham Lincoln statue, more Crazy Horse changes, lithophonic stones in Stonehenge, cichlids change colors with mood, dancing mini stingrays with bifurcated leg like man parts, antelope jackrabbits, huge Hindu temples in USA, and more.)(Video below.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Angn287axA
7189.(Famous Singer name change.)Roy Albrighton/Roye Albrighton(Do any of their logos look off?)
https://www.loudersound.com/news/nektar-roye-albrighton-dead-67
7190.(Fictional Character appearance change.)Do you remember Dorothy's slippers not having bows?(Were her socks white and not blue?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_slippers
7191.(Movie name change.)The Devil's Advocate/Devil's Advocate
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Advocate_(1997_film)
7192.(Music Lyrics change.)"And I said hey."/"And I say hey."("What a wonderful time of day."/"What a wonderful kind of day.")("Learn to walk and play."/"Learn to work and play.")(Anything else off?)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QG0gaDtdL9A
7193.(Can't think of a title.)Do you remember screaming frogs and toads not being a thing?(Anything else?)
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/amphibians/can-frogs-scream/
7194.(Fictional Character appearance change.)Do you remember Bambi's spots and tail being different?
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Bambi_(character)
7195.(Famous General name change.)Poncho Villa/Pancho Villa
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa

what to serve with clams casino video

Place the stuffed clams on a metal tray or cast-iron pan. Bake until hot and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. Bake until hot and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. Clams Casino - Ready to heat & serve. Rating * Name Email * Review Subject * Comments * $29.50 - $89.50) SKU: CBP304. Availability: Prepared to order with fresh local shucked clams and shipped in oven ready container. Prep time 0 Minutes, Cook time approx. 15-20 Minutes. * ... In this video, I’ll show you my version of the classic Clams Casino appetizer. As I said, it’s my “version” of it! I’m not too sure if there’s cheese in the classic one but I sure do enjoy mine with some! It is an easy recipe to make and the beauty of it is the bacon mixture can be prepared the day before so when you are ready to serve them, the only thing you have to do is to ... I modified this recipe so it was clams casino instead of stuffed clams. The only thing I did different was not take the clams out to chop them up. I put the mixture directly on top of the clams in the shell and baked it. I also used littleneck clams (it was all the store had). They came out very good. The only thing I will change the next time I make them is to decrease the amount of bread ... Clams casino should be a great dish—what could be bad about clams, bacon, butter, and bread crumbs? But all too often, it's executed all wrong. Not this time. Meet the make-ahead, no-shuck, easy-as-pie clams casino recipe that just happens to taste better than most others out there. TO FINISH AND SERVE THE CLAMS CASINO. Remove pan from heat and toss in the diced tomatoes. Transfer clams to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Ladle the pan sauce onto the clams. Garnish with the reserved bacon and more fresh chopped parsley. Sprinkle on the breadcrumb mixture. Serve with a side of lemon wedges. As mentioned earlier, you can serve this deconstructed version of Clams Casino as ... Get Clams Casino Recipe from Food Network. Deselect All. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 2 ounces sliced pancetta or bacon, finely chopped The easiest clams casino recipe using only 5 ingredients and one sheet pan. The perfect elegant appetizer to serve at a party or a quick light meal for a busy weeknight. What you need for this recipe: fresh clams, chopped shallot, panko breadcrumbs, black pepper, and bacon, and lemon (optional). How to Plate and Serve Clams Casino. Once those beautiful Clams Casino are cooked and ready to eat you’ll want to just put them on a plate. One problem. They’re gonna slide everywhere and either fall off the plate or be a complete pain in the ass to eat. To fix this we’ve got 2 options. They make plates specially for clams casino and oyster Rockefeller that have impressions to hold the ...

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Food Wishes - YouTube

#AsphyxiateSaeRin Please put this tag in both the title and description of your video, and add which part you have as well. 《Deadline is August 1, though it may change ... Sit in with Angie today and she'll show you how to make delicious baked clams.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixP8wNU2eZJbIh9UoQ5DJQ? Gordon is out to prove that all you need to make a stunning dish is 10 Minutes and incredible ingredients. So on Ramsay in 10 he's challenging some of his fa... Hello this is Chef John, and welcome to the Food Wishes channel, where the food is the star. Watch these fun-to-make, and easy-to-follow recipes, and you'll ... Sharpen your tools and come to attention because class is in session! Join Mike Cruz, manager of Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Wholesale, as he details the best ... Appetizer recipes for your party! Learn how to serve quesadillas, stuffed mushrooms, and crab dip in this free video clip about party appetizer recipes. Expert: Laura Banford Bio: Laura has cooked ... The Sterling Brunch at Bally's is famous for its all-you-can-eat lobster, steak, caviar, and all-you-can-drink Perrier-Jouët Champagne. But this much decaden... These are 10 of the best food tricks from my past food hack videos.I hope you enjoy this re-compilation of the best tricks, I selected these based on the fee... Clams Casino - I'm God R.I.P David Higgs & @djkillbill313 View full playlist (15 videos) Show more. This item has been hidden. Language: ... Reminding humans they serve a purpose. Clams Casino is a classic appetizer for those special holiday parties, or any other time you want to impress your guests. Visit http://foodwishes.com to get ...

Clams Casino - Ready to heat & serve

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