Eli

Whenever we're ready to dive into the pod like RFK off a 10 foot cliff.

Clara

I should have expected that. Could have seen it coming.

Trey

It was like a boomerang.

Eli

He's in slow motion. He's old. He's old. Alright, we're not talking politics today. Today I want to kick things off the sphere sphere is open you guys seen the sphere? You know what I'm talking about?

Trey

How could you not see this fear?

Clara

Yeah, I saw the sphere.

Trey

Me and all 27 people who've crashed due to seeing the sphere know what the sphere is.

Eli

Right so just for our listeners, like can you provide, Trey, a little bit of background or Clara on the sphere is is kind of a topic du jour who does what empires is built?

Trey

Right. So the context that I have is there as a new entertainment venue taking over the landscape of Las Vegas. It comes to us from the brilliant mind of the man behind Madison Square Garden.

Eli

Some would say brilliant. Mostly say not.

Trey

Doesn't he own the Nets as well?

Eli

Knicks. Yeah.

Trey

And this venue has been open for all of one week or so. There is a U2 residency currently happening, currently underway.

Eli

A cool 10 mil.

Trey

They're also going to debut a new film by Darren Aronofsky basically inside and outside there are, it's basically one giant screen.

Eli

It's the highest resolution screen in the world at 19,000 by 13,500 pixels, and it seats 18,000.

Trey

Until next year, when Dubai creates something.

Eli

Oh my god. No, I thought that was the plan. Oh, it's in the UK. They're gonna have another one or they're building another one.

Trey

There's also going to be one or is one in Burbank. A mini sphere.

Eli

I mean, do you guys have thoughts on you know, U2 being the band opening?

Clara

Do you have thoughts on U2? What year is this 1984 no I mean, I do I thought it was interesting. I do either have you listen to bandsplain not to you know, shot well. First shot another podcast. Yeah. But bandsplain is hosted by Yasi Selleck. She's like a music writer. But I my experience of this fear was via her Instagram stories and I think she was in a box with Diplo or something like that. But it does look, it does look kind of like it is interesting, sort of the experience that they're able to create with like the surround sound, you know, what are those things called like in Air and Space Museums where they have like the they show you space movies,

Trey

IMAX?

Clara

No. I'm trying to remember it yesterday. We'll circle back to that. But I think it looks I mean, it is really interesting, but it's just sort of like the entertainment Deathstar in Las Vegas. I don't know. Like there's something kind of ominous looking about it. Planetarium, yes.

Trey

Right. It's a geodesic dome Allah Buckminster Fuller. I just feel like whenever, you know, something is inflicted upon the public, they didn't ask for U2 somehow involved whether it is because that's a good point, good point, surprise, iPod drop, or if residency at a new venue that everyone's talking about

Eli

But I actually feel like it's you would be, it would be tough to like, not enjoy your time at the sphere. Like looking at the videos on YouTube. It's like, even if you're not a U2 fan, even shilling for this? Why not? Even if you're not a U2 fan? Like there's one of 19,000 pixels there for you. But yeah, I mean, certainly there's probably like other bands or musicians I'd like to see. See play there. But it's interesting when we think about.

Trey

Who would you want to see?

Eli

I don't know.

Trey

Who has who has an imagination that could fill the sphere? Well, I

Clara

Well, I guess that's the thing, right? I don't Did either of you watch. I remember when I was really little I went to see the U2 experience in three, actually IMAX with my dad, my dad's a big U2 guy. Well, I was you know, I was like 13 or 14, but it was cool, because I'd never seen a concert. You know, but Okay, sure. Maybe it was a little bit younger than that. But it is interesting, because I think you too, is sort of one of those what you'd think of as being like a stadium rock band. And I guess so. I mean, like, they are kind of known for that. Like, yeah, like fill a stadium with sound and with lights and like, yeah, you know, okay, you know what I mean? Lean in Trey this story that I'm but yeah, I don't know, I guess you could say like Popstar, like Dua Lipa.

Eli

Elliott Smith?

Clara

But you know what I mean, like, and maybe I'm not making this point. Well, but how many artists have as much of like a full sort of visual audio, whatever experience with our concerts and how much of it is like, here's me and my new Coperni dress doing like the TikTok dance, you know? Like, because I do think the people that themselves are pretty small in the sphere.

Eli

Yeah, I mean, it seems 18,000 Like that is kind of that is an arena. Yeah, it's an arena. I was I was reading this Bloomberg piece that came out like a few weeks ago and it talks about the sound system so just bear with me while I read this out loud. Talking about James Dolan, then he took a seat while others describe the way the audio system would use algorithms to ensure that the howls of a lead singer or the bowing of a string section sound the same to everyone no matter where they sit, tell them about the seats Dolan interrupted spring an explanation of how they'd been designed to replicate human skin. So it's giving replicate human skin. What's up book? Tender is the Flesh. It's designed to replicate human skin so the sound in the arena won't change no matter how many seats are filled. He then sat back, grinning at times as his staff cranked up the system to play demos featuring the Beatles, JLo, Pitbull and U2 a real array before closing with a rendition of Queens Bohemian Rhapsody that swelled to a deafening crescendo if you want to blow your ears out will blow your ears out Dolan boasted. So I mean, it sounds like an absolutely transcendental experience. I feel like one one you'd think would be like a sound bath to see like Tame Impala or like Pink Floyd band like tribute band.

Clara

One could say that.

Eli

And the skin seats but I don't know

Trey

Nothing feels better than sitting on dried skin flesh of a.

Clara

I know sitting on the callus of the sphere to see. Lighting the soft, soft sounds of Tame Impala. Did you know it's one guy? Kidding. Yeah, it's like, it's like a classic like straight guy line. Like you're at a bar. God forbid. It's like, oh, yeah, you like Tame Impala you know, it's one guy. You know?

Trey

It's just one Tame Impala

Clara

He's only one. He's tame enough for up for the rest of us.

Trey

I was seeing though social media chatter about how, like jokes, I guess about how finally someone had created a stadium that was like the worst possible venue for acoustics?

Eli

No, I think it's really, really good.

Trey

It's a giant screen. Where does the sound go? I don't know.

Eli

It's the best sound system in the world Trey. I mean, I think it's interesting because it does seem like almost religious to an extent. Think about it from the outside to like the outside as LEDs that you can project off of an inside you're like totally enveloped with screens. And I think it's interesting, because like, three years ago, I was like, oh my god, like fortnite fortnite, that's where all the big concerts are gonna be, and no one's gonna do anything IRL. And now we have like, both versions of that on steroids at the sphere? I don't know. And you said culture is in decline?

Trey

Well, no, I think that for a while, we have been kind of tracking that. Basically, culture right now is synonymous with concerts.

Eli

Interesting. Yes.

Trey

Like nothing else, have really has been in the news, as much as concerts have this recently with tour-flation, and the Renaissance tour, and the Taylor Swift tour, and whatever tell us which is doing now and ticket fees, and blah, blah, blah. So I think that has kind of culminated in the sphere experience, where it's both very timely for it to launch now, as well as just kind of continuing that cultural conversation. And a very, like, it kind of puts a location to it and kind of anchors it in a way. And obviously, because brands want to always be reacting to and or pushing and creating culture, I think it provides a great opportunity to spend 450k Starting price to advertise on the sphere.

Clara

Yeah, that's the other sort of insane part of it. Because when was it all those photos started coming out of the sphere as an eyeball? The sphere is the globe?

Eli

July?

Clara

Yeah.

Eli

I mean, it almost didn't happen. Because I think COVID It's obviously been under construction for a while you don't just pop this bad baby up in like a couple of months. But I think COVID Like really drove up the price, allegedly of like cost and labor. And it was just, you know, under the threat of becoming a white elephant. And a white elephant is basically like, all of these cities around the globe who host the Olympics. They build these like massive stadiums, and they're very lavish and luxurious. And then they like, never get used ever, ever again. But something like this, I don't know. Who knows. I feel like it'll be used.

Clara

I mean, there it is kind of funny, though. Just the sort of, like, you know, like the Ozymandias thing of it all of like Ozymandias, yes, whatever his name is, it's like, it's like the poem is it? Oh my God. now I shouldn't have brought this out. But is it the Keats poem? Is it? Oh, I don't know. But it's like the saying the poem. Oh my god. No, but you know what I mean, it's the poem about the guy and he builds the statue to himself. And then the statue is like crumbling, but it's been basically about like

Trey

It's a Percy Shelley poem.

Clara

Wow Ozymandias by John Keats not his real name, but um, I don't know like, I guess to the point about it becoming a white elephant and all of these random like, wasn't Madison Square Garden like all of these things are like the height all this to say all these things like these new buildings, these new studios, these new technologies are all like the height height of their importance and relevance right now. And with how quickly technology seems to develop and innovate the idea of investing billions of dollars into building something that will with in all likelihood be dated in 20 years is kind of crazy. You know what I mean?

Eli

It's going to be like the last scene a Planet of the Apes like the only thing visible is the sphere? They really did it.

Clara

Do you know, what I mean though? Like, I feel like that is the funny thing about like, to the extent you're trying to like modernize the concert experience, or like modernize these IRL experiences even going to see I don't know, like an IMAX movie or like these, like 4D movies that when I was in high school were like the height of like, oh, this is so cool. And now it just feels like oh, you can see any movie in 3D. If you really were that desperate, like

Eli

I'm going to see Joni Mitchell at the sphere.

Trey

Oh my God. Whatever happened to real music? No, but I think yeah, it is kind of to your point this like, next step of evolution for you know, I think Disneyland and Disney World and Epcot and whatever these kinds of futuristic ideas were of immersive experiences where not even the ride itself was like the thing but the wait and the journey to get there was surrounded by these like, immersive interactive touch points and stuff like that. I think that that has kind of reached its peak like Disneyland is extremely washed for lack of a better word.

Eli

There's so much good TikTok content of like Disney parents. So we woke the kids up at 530 ready to go itenerary here's the trick to skipping the line.

Trey

Right but I think like that hasn't really been brought to the concert experience yet were there is this part of the concert experience where you are like checking in and going through security and having your bags checked and like buying your $40 beer and looking at the merch stand and stuff. And if all of that is now paired with like a TikTok attention span sphere pixel video to like distract you or you know, entertain you while you file into your fleshy seat like that is that is

Clara

Like watching subway subway ride or whatever it is like on the side of the sphere screen.

Eli

Yeah, Subway Surfer?

Clara

Yeah, Subway Surfer.

Eli

All right. In other news, Paris Hilton. And the platform X formerly known as Twitter has have signed a special revenue sharing deal with Paris's company, excuse me, 1111. And it includes a custom hashtag for a word that Hilton has been trying to popularize since at least 2019, quote, sliving, the two will work together to create four original video content programs per year. That includes live shopping along with a host of new activations across all services of X. I don't really know what those other services are. But another another desperate bid for X relevancy. And...

Trey

I hear I have a theory, which is that there are two celebrities that every brand goes to for a collaboration. And one of them drives like press all the time drive sales drives, like intrigue and interest camp comments, and one does the opposite. And the two people I'm going to name and you have to guess, which is which one is Martha Stewart, and one is Paris Hilton,

Eli

what was the first option? Headlines?

Trey

Yeah, so like one of them, I think drives headlines, genuine interests, sales like this is camp comments, which could be said for either, but who do you think I'm talking about? You don't?

Clara

Okay, well, like Martha?

Trey

Yeah, I think Martha like, genuinely drives sales amongst a plethora of different cross generation, you know, like she spends multi generations she's like, really leaned into this authentic personality now, where I do think that Paris Hilton has kind of like stunted herself by coming out with that documentary that was like very vulnerable and authentic and kind of was saying how her like slipping personality was sort of, you know, a put on for the whole first half of her life or whatever. And now she's like, just going back and forth. You know, oscillating between that and like authentic newness, so I just don't really understand. I don't know nothing. I've seen Paris Hilton do I've been like, that's cool. That's hot.

Eli

She had apes. Remember that whole thing on Jimmy Fallon where she was showing him

Clara

Like NFT's? Yes. I I agree with you, I think Paris Hilton and not to. I for what it's worth, I like Paris Hilton.

Trey

Oh I do too. I want her to be a successful.

Clara

And I do too. And I'm happy that she's able to be authentic about what her experience was like growing up and being in the public eye. But I agree with you, I feel like there's always something slightly off about the fact that she has been so I don't know, vulnerable in that way. And yet, in all of her brand deals is leaning back into that persona that she says was so contrived, and also so isolating,

Trey

Right she's denounced it? And it's like...

Clara

It's also it's interesting to like, there's been, I don't know, not like Mariah Carey is necessarily in totally the same category. But like, I think of her as being also someone who like leans into like, very much always her own lane of like, oh, it's Christmas. And here I am, again, with Mariah Carey. But yeah, where it's like you, you know, the bit like, somehow the bit is the same with every single commercial that you see, the men are like, Oh, I'm a bit of a diva. Like, don't tell anyone type of thing. Where I think Martha Stewart and, you know, I feel like you could say this of anyone who's a really good entertainer, but I feel like all of her spots are even like doing the Sports Illustrated shoot or anything like that is always very surprising, and it feels fresh air. I don't feel like I've been like surprised by anything Paris Hilton has done with the exception of the documentary, which I thought was very...

Eli

With the exception of ape number 0857.

Clara

But even that, it's like, everyone. Yeah, everyone was even Larry David, for God's sake was in like that. That's where all of us not bring him. Okay. Well, all I'm saying is, you know...

Eli

He never owned it.

Clara

If you want to have the conversation. We can have that conversation.

Eli

I think it's interesting from the like, stop trying to make extra things standpoint, like she will be the second high profile name, I think,

Clara

After Ron DeSantis?

Eli

Well, yeah, okay, maybe third after I was gonna say Tucker Carlson moved content series over to the platform. And it's interesting, because I guess like the draw is, you know, mass reach and direct communication with your community, yada yada. But I mean, the Tucker the Tucker show has been an absolute and utter flop. And also, it's like, there was an article that came out recently that all of the metrics on Twitter, Twitter video are like a scam. I guess most metrics are a scam, to be honest with you. But it's yeah, I don't know. I'm curious how will actually go and also like live shopping seems like a third rail for every celebrity to enter. I'm sorry, but like one has, when has the live shopping thing ever worked?

Clara

I don't know. Well, I was gonna ask in the context of like TikTok too, because I don't know if we've talked about this yet. I don't think we have but TikTok has started to roll out sort of in force. It's in app shopping. And I'm curious how we're whether it's affected at all like not that I'm on TikTok super compulsively. But the times that I am I feel like live shopping. And I couldn't necessarily speak to this as much for X. But I feel like it overtakes the interface in such a way in the same way that happened on Instagram when they rolled out like Instagram shop, but I think that it puts so it makes it so commerce forward that when you're looking at content that isn't shoppable content and like algorithmically, I'm sure it's also sort of de-prioritized, but I don't know, I have my own grievances about live shopping as a social media platform pivot. Just broadly, I feel like it's done a lot to take away from like regular consumer content. And like, also jokes on like, every platform, and I think Twitter was sort of the last vestige of that of a platform that hadn't been touched in so many brand heavy ways. And I don't know, I feel like that's slipping away every day.

Trey

I for one am, shocked that the user experience is the thing that is less prioritized, when...

Clara

What is it?

Trey

Just like whenever this happens on every social platform, it's like, I'm shocked that the user experience is not the first and foremost thought on everyone's mind here like.

Clara

Are you being sarcastic?

Trey

Yeah. Like what they they aren't thinking about the user experience. Like it's annoying. It's annoying.

Clara

I'm annoyed.

Eli

Yeah.

Trey

I just, I think that the only TikTok shop or social shopping thing that is genuinely successful, is Tik Tok live, like gifting where you're literally buying a creator and you're paying them to act in absurd ways that are it's like so engaging or enticing that you feel like spending your money to like, show them your appreciation for playing a robot or whatever.

Eli

So the other thing that's been on my mind recently is a show that's absolutely popping off on Max formerly HBO called Naked Attraction. Oh, that oh, I've seen that show. Yeah, yeah. I mean, okay, so just reading a bit from the Hollywood Reporter. For the uninitiated naked attraction is a British dating show where a picker selects between six fully nude contestants who are gradually revealed from the feet up. And then they embark on a clothed date. And, yeah, I mean, I'm trying to kind of parse what this says about the current moment that this is like, a extremely popular show on Max other than the fact that like,

Trey

The writers strike.

Eli

I mean, yeah, the writer's strike, formerly writer's strike.

Trey

It's just the same as tic tock live shopping or whatever.

Eli

For sure.

Clara

I think it's interesting, because in the past, I didn't well, I watched golden bachelor last night, but I'll get into that later. But there was also a piece that came out about this latest season of love is blind and is the sort of trope or structure of that show played out. But I think naked attraction is interesting, because I feel like you're dating. Yeah, you can't hide and I feel like in both talking about love is blind, but also at the Golden bachelor, I think some of these other franchises not that this is like a new show. I think it started in like 2018. But I think this sort of challenge for dating shows is coming up with something that doesn't feel super contrived or like contrived to the extent that it's taking you out of what is supposed to be a realistic experience. And I feel like naked attraction on some, or whatever it yeah, naked attraction on some level is so basic. And you it obviously is contrived and produced. And like, a lot of that stuff is also played for laughs, which is also just like, kind of crazy. But I think, to some extent, I don't know, I've been thinking about dating shows because I've been thinking about the golden bachelor. I don't know what that says about our current moment. I don't know what any of this says from a broader context.

Eli

I think it's like you hide behind anything like what you see is what you get. There's no kind of like veneer or like facade that you can put up like that is you are the real article type of thing.

Clara

But I think it's like there is that I guess, on some level, but I feel like to not even overcomplicate it, I feel like so much of dating shows is voyeurism. And watching other people do things, and whether or not you think they're acting, or whatever it is, like watching people do things that are either, like humiliating, embarrassing, watching them get cheated on watching them do. And what I think is interesting about naked attraction is it just bears all that out? Like these people are doing truly like a very vulnerable thing. But you're not even really, they're not doing it so that you even empathize with them in any true way. It's sort of played as if like, Oh, can you believe these jokers? And like, that's true of any dating show. But I think it's this show is interesting, because there's absolutely no sort of whatever hang up, or attempt to cover that up where I think golden Bachelor on the flip side, and I have much to say the show puts a lot of emotional veneer over what is essentially the, like, obviously, the exact same premise, but it's like, in some ways, even more, I don't know, manipulative in some way, like this guy actually has, you know, lived a life and isn't trying to get like a pretty little thing deal or whatever it is, you know.

Eli

Well we can talk about well, we'll delve into golden bachelor, but I just like thinking about how like being in the writers room and so I was like, what if they were just all naked? And I was like, shut up dude. Like we're not doing the naked thing again.

Trey

What's interesting is you both are kind of saying in different ways like there is something positive about this naked attraction show which is like people bearing it all which feels to me like so not what I would think about it, which is that it's basically going to go down as one of those shows that was like so wrong for its era like the swan right there, like commenting about how people should like, fix their faces or something like the entire premise is basically like, revealing people's private parts that people react to live. And it's like, look, his willy like.

Clara

I mean, it's I'm not I'm not saying I agree with you, I don't think that I don't think that fatal attraction in the sense of being attraction. Oh, my God. I don't think that I can't say anything correctly today. And I'm really sorry, but I don't think that negative attraction is a net good or like is a sign that TV is getting more authentic or people viewers want more authentic TV? You know what, like, I don't think there is anything to it in like a sense of like, oh, this is a good thing. I think that it will go down as like, wow, people will really watch anybody do something that's that vulnerable, like whether it's like, I don't know get like slut shamed in the Fantasy Suite. You know, like, I think there's a lot of that in TV in general is all this to say I think this just does a terrible job at covering it up, which is is interesting and of itself but isn't meaningful.

Eli

All right. Talk to us about Golden Bachelor and why it's important in life.

Clara

Well, it doesn't have to be important. So, Golden Bachelor is the latest franchise spin of The Bachelor. It stars.

Trey

An old man.

Clara

No, he's okay. It's Jerry. His name is spelled like Jerry but it's pronounced like Gary. He's a bachelor, his wife passed away a few years ago. He's ready for love again. All of the women in the show I think are above the age of 60.

Trey

So it's age appropriate.

Clara

It's age appropriate dating, there's been a lot of oh, it's normalizing you know, women at a young age still wanting to be pretty it normalizes dating at an older age it normalizes, normalizes, and normalizes.

Trey

Finally, a real show about old people dating.

Clara

I know. But it's like it has all the like bachelor gimmicks of like, the girl comes out of the car with like, some insane one liner or like, it's like dance with me, Jerry and like, Gary, his name is Gary, dance with me Gary or whatever it is. But he was like talking to one of the ladies. And he's like, oh, yeah, my granddaughter says, I have rizz. Like, there's all this, you know, like, there's all this like weird shit, where and I want to like, Gary, for what it's worth. I don't think he's like a bad guy. But the show still is what it is, is just like, older people doing it, which I guess is something in of itself. It's like the Golden Girls for the reality. So, but that's what it is like, there isn't anything like, I don't think it's groundbreaking. I think from a representation perspective. Sure. And I don't want to undercut that. I mean, some people I mean, I'm not 70 years old, people are excited. Well, no, I mean, that's the thing is I'm not, I don't know, maybe it is, like helpful for somebody, but I don't feel any type of way about any of it.

Trey

I do think you're right, though, like there are some people in this country that are so earnest that they would see themselves in this content and be like, wow, I've been given permission to live a second life now. Because old women are getting dates with this hot guy, or whatever.

Clara

Exactly. But I feel like that's a whole other separate thing of like, how easy it is to give that type of visibility in as little of an actually meaningful way as possible in a franchise like The Bachelor, you know what I mean? That is so produced, and it's like, oh, we we noticed that women were feeling left out of the bachelor franchise, we created Bachelorette to empower women. And it's like, Bachelorette does not empower women, but like, allowed, or whatever.

Trey

Like the idea that we're still basically aiming or they are I'm assuming aiming for headlines that are like, first ever bachelor over the age of 50, normalizes old age like, first ever minority, you know, Person of Color Bachelorette. Like, it's just like, are we still at this place in society?

Clara

Well, I think it's like a lot of these franchises I guess. This just say, I agree with you, I think you can see very clearly with the bachelor that the show is trying to whatever, keep itself relevant or make itself relevant again, or like get the right headline, which is exactly what you're saying, like the bachelor democratizes, whatever, like, and I feel like it to me as a viewer feels very transparent. And I feel very sort of weird about that. But to your point, as well, I think some people are earnest enough that it is impactful.

Trey

The majority.

Clara

The majority of the majority of but I feel like this is to say like I feel like I'm coming at it probably from a different slightly more cynical standpoint. But it does just feel like oh my god.

Eli

Alright, folks, I think that'll do it for today. Thanks for chiming in. See you next time. Yo, thanks for tuning in. Stay up to date with all things Day One FM by subscribing to our page on Spotify, following us on Instagram @d1a, and staying up to date with the latest trends and insights on d1a.com/perspective.