Earlier this week, just days before the release of her new gospel album Pressing Onward, I had the honor of interviewing Big Freedia. Freedia is known as the Queen of New Orleans bounce music, and she made a name for herself with music that literally commands audiences to shake ass until they sweat — and lean into the sensual and the raunchy. Which means this new gospel album might surprise some longtime fans. But it shouldn’t. 

“What is the biggest difference between directing the choir and directing the asses?” I asked Big Freedia. 

“I mean, the biggest difference is one of them be bent over,” she responded. 

For Freedia, it’s all part of the same mission: bringing joy to the masses, whether they’re in a church or a club. We talk this week about how her experience as a choir director in New Orleans during her youth made her a musician unafraid to both genre-bend and fully own her queerness while making songs about God. 

Pressing Onward is named for the church she attended in her youth, and it’s out now. I highly recommend it.

BIG RECS

Speaking of things I like, I wanted to share a little list of some pop culture stuff I’ve been enjoying this week: 

Prince’s cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” at Coachella ‘08

There are too many incredible Prince live performances to even think about picking the best one. His solo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2004, where he made it known once and for all that he was the best guitar player pop has seen in the last 50 years, before throwing his guitar into the air, with a final shot that makes it seem it never actually came down. There’s his Super Bowl halftime show, where he played “Purple Rain” on a stage with purple lights, while rain gently fell. But this week I’ve watched one Prince solo over and over again: It’s the Purple One, playing Coachella in 2008. A night set. The YouTube video is grainy. Prince starts playing Radiohead’s “Creep,” and tbh, it sounds a little lazy. He seems to not really care about the lyrics, or delivering them like Thom Yorke did. He slows the song down, makes it feel a little drunk. It feels like he’s disrespecting the song, being a jerk to it, until he starts making it his own, vocalizing in a falsetto reminiscent of those high hollers in “When Doves Cry.” And then he launches into a guitar solo that kinda just punches you in the throat. That’s when you realize, it was all just for that. This song isn’t Radiohead’s anymore. It belongs to Prince. And it works. When he takes your song into his hands, it’s a blessing. He can only make it better. 

Leanne, a new sitcom on Netflix

The reviews are in, and a fair amount of critics think Chuck Lorre’s (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Mom) new Netflix sitcom is, well, pretty bad. A review in The Guardian called it “brain-melting.” But that same review also gave the show… 3 out of 5 stars? “Is my brain melting? And does it matter? I feel happy. I am happy,” writes Guardian critic Lucy Mangan.

 And she’s right. The protagonist, Leanne Morgan is immensely likable, and this sitcom has the same familiar beats of all those B or C-grade sitcoms I secretly loved in my youth. If I’m being honest, the creators of Leanne probably need to cut the creators of Reba a check. Don’t ask whether Leanne is good, just let the nostalgia wash over you. I’ve been watching episodes to help me get to sleep at night — highly recommend. 

Tame Impala’s new single, “End of Summer” 

I fell in love with Tame Impala during COVID lockdown. The music was hazy and moody in ways that made it perfect for social distancing and hiking for miles with no one but a dog, while simultaneously  longing for crowded dance floors. The new Tame Impala single is just as moody, but a lot more club-ready than the stuff that got me hooked. And it’s seven minutes long, which gives you more than enough time to fully trance out.

The Burger at Dudley Market on Venice Beach

Trust me Angelenos, it’s really good! They don’t take reservations, but it’s truly worth the wait! 

What did you enjoy this week? I’m curious. Lemme know! 

— Sam

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