This video analyzes how Taylor Swift's 2019 battle with Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records exemplifies the power imbalance between artists and record labels, where artists often lack control over their own music and must fight to reclaim their creative rights. The re-recording announcement demonstrated how artists can leverage their fan base to challenge industry practices, while Swift's Billboard speech about toxic male privilege highlighted systemic issues in how the music industry treats female artists.
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Taylor Swift Historians React To Her Most DANGEROUS ComebackAdded:
Welcome back to Evolution of a Snake.
I'm Zach.
>> And I'm Maline.
>> And this is 2019, part three. It has been almost a year since we've updated our yearly format series. If you don't know, this is the format that made us what we are today. We go year by year through Taylor Swift's career in painstaking detail, offering insights from people who could only have told you what was happened because they were there living each and every day alongside her. Before we get into 2019 part three, I have to tell you that we This is our last episode before tour, we are going on the Showgirl Experience Tour around these United States and Canada. So, opening night is in New York City. We have a very low ticket warning.
Come to see us in Chicago. Come to see us in DC, in Boston, in Montreal, in Toronto, in Vancouver, in San Francisco, in LA, uh, in Philly. Am I forgetting anywhere, Maline? I think that's all.
>> Uh, Montreal. Did we say that?
>> I said Montreal. Oh, Bonjour. I said Montreal.
>> I said Montreal. We are so excited to see you. So, evolutionofnake.com, go get your tickets now. We're we're pumped. We can't wait. But >> I thought doing this task of creating 2019 part three, I thought it was going to be simple and easy because part one and two of 2019 were already so much that again, if we have to split a year into three parts, it's bad. I think the only time we've done it before is with 2016, which as we know was the worst year of Taylor's life. And something that I've come to realize is that 2019 was also low-key one of the worst years of her life.
>> If you think about it, it really kind of was. There was so much like uh I'll call it propaganda to suggest that she was like the happiest she's ever been in her life. I'm talking about the lover propaganda. The lover ganda, if you will. She's promoting like up to that point I would call the most gleeful um joyous record at least in terms of jubilant in terms of theming and in terms of you know just the way it was promoted and she's doing all that touring around the world promoting the hell out of a song called me and saying promise that you'll never find a lover like me. Meanwhile, there's turmoil going on career-wise. There's turmoil going in uh personal life-wise with her personal relationships. I'm talking about uh Scott Porchetta, of course, who was a father figure to her. I mean, it was just kind of really not all smiles behind the scenes, but it's easy to forget because again, she was saying me, he he and for a girl who said, "I really want to dial down my professional commitments in this era." She was all over the universe in a way that she really hadn't been since 1989, I guess, and hasn't been ever since. the stacked album promo commitments that she has in this back half of the year when she's already released an album. Like she had already done Promo Circuits for Lover and it continues in a crazy way. She's doing something basically every other day from this very last portion of the year. And it is very ironic that you know she's saying I only see daylight meanwhile it's I was your father figure 24/7. the Scott Porschetta and Scooter Braun stuff really heats up in this portion of the episode and I think it's very it's very tailored that she was doing it with a broken heart.
>> I think it absolutely was. She said, "I'm a real tough kid. I can handle my shit." They said, "Baby, you got to fake it till you make it." And I did. And that's exactly what happened because I don't remember thinking in 2019 she's not happy. I don't remember thinking that. I did not think that. I was saying me he he who.
>> Yeah. I was saying mihei he he but also I will pause mi heii he he to just grab my pitchfork and skewer Scott porchetta and scooter bra.
>> Oh for sure. Oh wow. We were ready to barbecue. We were lining the grill girls. We were ready to cook them extra crispy slathered in barbecue sauce and served up extra crisp. We were ready.
I've never not to do that.
>> Why don't we actually start this episode? We need to get like that evil energy out of here. So why don't we do a prayer? Everybody please join us. Bow your heads. Dear Lord, thank you so much for bringing Taylor Swift into our lives. She is a beacon of creativity, hope, and geniosity. And Scooter Broner and Scott Borchetta are nothing. And may they experience that feeling of being nothing every day for the rest of their lives. Amen.
>> Amen. Thank you so much.
>> Beautiful.
>> Thank you.
>> Beautiful way to start this this beautiful episode. So, where we left off, Taylor has announced Loverfest and we return to a pretty big bomb drop.
Taylor's first real interview in about three years with Brian Hyatt as Rolling Stone September cover story. Fun fact, he was the guy that originally interviewed her when she crashed her car.
>> And we need to know that. We need to know that.
>> In 2012, >> iconic.
>> We needed to know that this cover is >> um how would you describe it, Maline?
>> I like it.
>> Oh, I like the colors. I really like the really blue background contrasting with the the yellow. I really like the eye makeup. Um you don't usually see her in that that kind of like stark eyeshadow.
So, I really like it. Um I will say the general photo shoot, I don't like how they did her hair. Not loving that. It's kind of strange to see her in that kind of a tight I don't even know if that's a French braid, so maybe a different word for that. I'm not sure what kind of braid that is, but it's very tight. Um but I like the cover. The photo shoot in general, I'm not crazy about. I'm not crazy about the styling, not crazy about the hair. I like the cover. I like it. I like the colors.
>> I don't like it when they do her brows like that. I think it looks really weird. But I do love the eye look on the cover. And I think that in general, this color palette styling would have been way more adult for Lover than the pastel stuff that she did. I feel like bright instead of dreamy could have actually been like kind of a serve.
>> Oh, for sure. I mean, we need to be seeing that on TS3.
Bright, hot, sexy yellow >> color.
color. Ever heard of it? Blue. Thank you. So, now we'll get into the article.
There's a lot to go through here. It's a really long article. Taylor had a lot to say, and we'll save a full deep dive of that for a Tay rewind, but I think it's good to note that she was very uncomfortable giving this interview. She was anxious because she she hadn't spoken to a journalist in so long. And her words are printed verbatim, so they can't be taken out of context. Usually with profile writing it will be like woven into the pros of the writer but Taylor was very clearly saying I want to have my say and I don't want my words twisted which I think is fair. This is the second time she addresses the girl squad. She's asked if she regrets it and she says I never would have imagined that people would have thought this is a click that wouldn't have accepted me if I wanted to be in it. Holy sh that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like this did not go the way that I thought it was going to go. I thought it was going to be. We can all stick together just like men are allowed to do. The patriarchy allows men to have bro packs. If you're a male artist, there's an understanding that you have respect for your counterparts. It's assumed we all hate each other. Even if we're smiling and photographed together with our arms around each other, it's assumed there's a knife in our pocket.
This is a really interesting answer.
>> It is a is an incredibly interesting answer. She was I believe that she was totally 100% gagged by the fact that people no clue. And I remember frankly as just an outsider looking in being gagged at the lengths that people took the Girl Squad thing to critique it fair enough.
But like the the degree to which people took it to this day astounds me.
>> The double standard that she's pointing out here is definitely correct. But also we we know that the girl squad was not just this is me and my best girls ping around. there was like a strong intention behind it for Taylor as like a marketing stunt. So, you know, this is a clever Taylor pivot. She's like, "Yes, I feel bad about it, but you men do it worse." And that's true.
>> And there's not a single lie being told.
Thank you so much, Taylor. Thank you, >> Ben. Uh the the the writer says, "You once sang about a star who took the money and your dignity and got the hell out. Missed opportunity to get her to confirm who that was. In 2016, you wrote in your journal, "This summer is the apocalypse. How close did you come to quitting altogether? She replies, I definitely thought about that a lot. I thought about how words are my only way of making sense of the world and expressing myself, and now any words I say or write are being twisted against me. People love a hate frenzy. It's like piranhas. People had so much fun hating me, and they didn't really need very many reasons to do it. I felt like the situation was pretty hopeless. I wrote a lot of really aggressively bitter poems constantly. I wrote a lot of think pieces that I knew I'd never publish about what it feels like when you're in a shame spiral. and I couldn't figure out how to learn from it because I wasn't sure exactly what I did that was so wrong. That was hard for me because I can't stand it when people can't take criticism. So, I tried to self-examine.
And even though that's really hard and it hurts a lot sometimes, I try to understand where people are coming from when they don't like me. And I get why people wouldn't like me because, you know, I've had my insecurities say those things a thousand times worse.
>> There's so much there. It's like, how do you even begin unpacking that? I'm like looking at it and I'm like this cannot even be something that I'm reading right now.
>> When she goes on to be like I've never been to therapy. It's like we know we know >> we know. I think it's really interesting. She said I I wrote uh think pieces about how how you feel when you're in a shame spiral and I didn't know what I did with and simultaneous she's saying I didn't know what I did that was so wrong. I can't stand when people can't take criticism but you have to do it sometimes and I get why people don't like me. It's like there's so many different things that she's saying it's like I don't even know what to focus on.
I think it's interesting she said she can't >> they it there is a little bit of contradiction. I think it's interesting she says she cannot stand it when people can't take criticism because I feel like >> she's not the most receptive person to criticism artistically. Like yes, we everybody loves to make the point that she like has made albums in response to criticisms, >> but in other scenarios, she's actually not very good at taking criticism at all.
>> No. And you know what? It's fair like like she says, you know, it's like fair enough. It doesn't feel good when somebody criticizes you, especially when it's something so personal. But it's like I feel like so much of what happened in 2016, not the snake stuff obviously, but like so much of that stuff happened because some because of an inability to intake criticism, because of an inability to like slow down, stop, look around, because of an inability to like really see the situation for what it was or or or heed any warnings from anybody else. So, it's interesting. She hates it when people can't take criticism, period.
>> Well, >> and she tries to self-examine. Well, we know that. I think it is what what's really true here is that it's so hard to learn from criticism that is not in good faith. When everybody says they don't like you, what do you learn from that?
There's no there's nothing to take from it. And this was the first time I think that she received a lot of criticism that was not attached to some sort of automatic respect for her artistry.
Because before it was like, okay, well, she's a good songwriter, but she can't sing. You're coming from a place of saying she's a good musician. you just have a critique. She can take that critique, but saying I hate you because Kim Kardashi made a video about you, that's really difficult to to process.
>> Right.
So, Taylor, thank you. And then this is funny because this was a debate that was going on in the fandom a lot at the time from right from when it happened.
>> The writer asks, "The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. Why?
Because she's dead. Was funny, but how seriously should we take it?" And she says, "There's a part of me that definitely is always going to be different. I needed to grow up in many ways and make boundaries, figure out what was mine and what was the public's that old version of me that shares unfailingly and unblinkingly with a world that is probably not fit to be shared with. I think that's gone. But it was definitely just a fun moment in the studio with me and Jack where I wanted to play on the idea of a phone call because that's how all of this started.
A stupid phone call I shouldn't have picked up. I'm so dumb. I never connected that. That that's why it's a phone call. I ne until I read this.
>> Hilarious actually. That's why it's a phone call. The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. That's what exactly what she should have said in that moment. She should have said, "Whoever you think you're talking to, you think you're talking to little miss just won the VMA for you belong with me. Little miss is going to let you rip the microphone out of her hands. She's dead.
Nice try. She's dead."
>> It is sad that she felt like she needed to pull back after this, but I 100% understand it. And I think that making boundaries has been overwhelmingly a good thing for her sanity.
>> Yeah, for sure. I mean, folk is lover and folklore and evermore and midnights.
Actually, that whole like four album run is very like even in songs that now we think like Cardigan is like so revealing blah blah blah. But it's like it wasn't at the time everything was obiscated.
>> Death by a thousand cuts was a mystery.
Oh, it's based on a movie. Was it? No.
But she's doing what she has to do to keep to keep the shell intact. And I kind of think it's fun like the way that she does she did those four albums. I can't say that about Torture Poets. I feel like Torture Poets was really a moment where she said, "I'm going to Yeah. Mask freaking off. I'm just going to do the whole thing." But I think Showgirl is kind of a return to the midnights um and lover style of pop writing that's more like reserved and like more I'm not going to show you everything.
>> Well, also when you think about it, this is really depressing. What did she get from doing that? She went mask off to bear her soul and give us the rawest work that she'd given of a like a real-time update in a long time. And it I would say started the tape negativity.
That's what started it. It gave people a lot of ammo to be like your production sucks. You're a whiner. You're this.
You're that. You're a racist. Like her going unfiltered keeps getting proven to her to be a bad idea because people are too invested in the the words and the weight of what she says. So that's unfortunate that then we have to go to a place of a showgirl because of that. It's like she's drawing the boundaries. They're dynamic.
>> They're dynamic and I I hope they stay dynamic because that makes every album just a little bit different. So >> I agree.
>> I'm okay with that.
>> I agree. So then I'm always looking for more tea on what actually the working relationship between Scott Borchetta and Taylor Swift was like. And we get some insight here. The writer asks, "After realizing that things were not all smiles with your former label boss, it's hard not to wonder how much additional conflict there was over things like that." Taylor says, "A lot of the best things I ever did creatively were things that I really had to fight, and I mean aggressively fight to have happen. You, but you know, I'm not like him making crazy, petty accusations about the past.
When you have a business relationship with someone for 15 years, there are going to be a lot of ups and downs. But I truly legitimately thought he looked at me as the daughter he never had. And so even though we had a lot of really bad times, I had creative differences, I was going to hang my hat on the good stuff. I wanted to be friends. I thought I knew what betrayal felt like, but this stuff with him was a redefinition of betrayal for me just because it felt like it was family. To go from feeling like you're being looked at as a daughter to this grotesque feeling of, oh, I was a prized calf that he was fattening up to sell to the slaughter house that would pay the most.
>> He will die today. I will make sure.
>> Goodbye.
Your days are being counted. This it actually really really really is so upsetting the way that she puts it. You know, I I thought that I I was like your daughter. You're a daughter you never had. And the whole time you're just thinking of what you can get out of me.
This is why when people are like he's talking about this [ __ ] thing again.
Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. It's probably like one of the the the most painful things that's ever happened to her in her life. I'm not tired of the songs.
>> I'm not tired of them either. I think it's still a really right. We don't have enough like father figure, you know, being one of the most interesting like lyrically interesting songs on showgirl is proof positive that she she is well within her right to keep going because this is how it felt. Well, the difference between this and I think a comparison that people would draw would be, oh well, you say that she should stop writing about the Kanye and the Kim stuff. She's ran out of interesting things to say about that. That's why we say that this there's more to mine.
We've only cracked the surface on this.
>> Oh, no. It's only the beginning. And even even when she's saying this, a lot of the best things I ever did creatively were things that I had to fight. And I mean aggressively fight to have happen.
We've only just scratched the surface of what she's talking about there.
>> I want to know.
>> I I bet I knew you were trouble. Was it crazy? Like I can guess all that kind of stuff, but it's like I want to know more. Were there more things that he really How much was he pushing the narrative of you being the kind of girl that he wanted you to be? the country good girl, the girl who says, "I want to thank God." The girl who who reads as conservative even though she never says anything about politics, like how much of that was actually him? I want to know.
>> What decisions would you have made differently had he not influenced you to do something otherwise? I would love to know the answer to that question.
>> So then the writer mentions, and I forgot about this, he accused you of declining the Parkland March and the Manchester benefit show. Taylor says, "Unbelievable. Here's the thing.
Everyone in my team knew if Scooter Braun brings us something, don't bring it to me. The fact that those two are in business together after the things he said about Scooter Braun is really is really hard to shock me. And this was utterly shocking. These are two very rich, powerful men using $300 million to buy other people's music to purchase the most feminine body of work. Then they're standing in a wood panel bar doing a tacky photo shoot, raising a glass of scotch to themselves because they pulled one over in me and got this done so sneakily that I didn't see it coming and I couldn't say anything about it. I The blood is coursing through my veins. I I need my harpoon and I need to go out into the field.
>> I want to know what he said about about Scooter Braun.
>> I don't know. Tell us.
>> Taylor has been they the way that Taylor has kept her mouth shut in this. She could have been so much messier. And the thing that I've noticed in between their responses is Taylor is always like, "Here's what I want and here's what's stopping me from getting what I want about my own music." Their responses to her always include personal attacks, uh, random lines, random accusations thrown out of nowhere because they're clinging, they're grasping at straws. They can't refute the fact, so they have to go with, "Okay, don't look at the fact that I did something reprehensible. Taylor Swift didn't do the Parkland March.
Isn't that doesn't that show you that she's a bad person?"
>> You, >> it's like completely irrelevant, too, to every completely irrelevant. Unbelievable. She says it's unbelievable. Unbelievable.
It's unbelievable. And then the writer chimes in and says, "You've been mastering masterminding your business since you were a teenager." Taylor says, "Yes, but I've also tried very hard, and this is one thing I regret, to convince people that I wasn't the one holding the puppet strings of my marketing existence or the fact that I sit in a conference room several times a week and come up with these ideas." I felt for a very long time that people don't want to think of a woman in music who isn't just a happy, talented accident. We're all forced to kind of be like, "Oh, shucks.
That happened again. We're still doing well." Alex Morgan celebrating scoring a goal at the World Cup and getting for it is a perfect example of why we're not allowed to flaunt or celebrate or reveal like that. Oh yeah, it was me. I came up with this stuff. I think it's really unfair. People love new female artists so much because they're able to explain that woman's success. There's an easy trajectory. Okay, then she gets into Game of Thrones and we don't want to hear about that.
>> And it's completely random, too. I don't understand what she means by it. I don't I don't even know what she's talking about. But it's it's interesting to me that she had this idea in her head that nobody wants to really hear about a woman who's incredibly assertive and is like a quote unquote boss for lack of a better term. Nobody nobody likes that girl. It's like what she says in Miss Americana. You have to be nice. You have to, you know, you can't tell people what to think. I didn't realize how much that would bleed into not wanting people to know that she's the one behind all of this because there's something about like being in charge of everything that reads to people, specifically men, as not being feminine.
>> Like, oh, she's in charge of everything, >> right? So, she she's in charge of everything. Oh, that's kind of Oh, that makes me uncomfortable is how a lot of people would react to that. And it's like crazy because you or I would never think that.
>> We knew we'd be saying yes. Also, we say >> we knew the whole time. That was something that we used to talk about on Tumblr back in the day. Like how how many of the decisions were actually Taylor's? I feel like we always assumed everything was her.
>> Everything fans.
>> The thing is is that I think every decision was Taylor's. And what's even more impressive about it is that she had to really fight to get her way a lot of the time. And I think that's why she is such a good business person because of the internal squables that she had to face with with her own team. And it's like when outside forces are telling you you can't do something, you can rally your people and oppose them. When it's your own team that's supposed to be helping you, opposing your creative direction or vision, that must be very difficult to deal with. And yeah, I think she says here, people want women in music to be a happy, talented accident. This is why people love Chapel when she was on the comeup and now they hate her and want her to die.
>> Exactly. And it happens and you see it every time with every new female artist.
Oh my god, the anu. She's so amazing. We love her. And then >> it's happening right now for this number one battle. They're saying, "Oh, she's so she's so calculated." And it's like, well, uh, if you had a chance to extend like a world record, wouldn't you do that? Why wouldn't you? Why not >> take a chance, make a change, and break away, girls? You would. You know, >> if I were a man, then I'd be the man. So unbelievably true.
>> Period.
So then on September 21st, Carly Clauss has lunch with Scooter Braun. You >> croo got caught is not a strong enough word.
>> You know, >> come to the era tour after doing this at this time.
>> The fact that she was in the 300 level at the Aerys tour. I almost always had a better seat at the Aeros Tour than Carly Claus. Think about that. Think about that. Think about that.
>> The fact that she even went is really crazy to me. I think she's psychotic.
>> No, there's something about that like I wonder if there's part of her that always really wanted to >> There's always like a part of her that always wanted to like >> she I think a lot of her sins were passive and I think like she didn't think I did something so horrible and so evil. But it's like what you did was nothing. You didn't stand up for me. You didn't stand.
>> This isn't nothing though.
>> Yeah.
>> Going to lunch with Scooter in the middle of this is everything.
>> But but I'm saying here's what I'm saying. That's not actually like inherently like it's not like we know what she was doing at that lunch. What I'm saying is like all she did was not cut Scooter Braun off.
>> She wasn't. It was passive. It just wasn't active. It was incredibly passive. And I think in her mind whenever you've met people like this that are very passive like that and like they they don't stand up for you in the moment. They don't do this. They don't do that. It's like sometimes that's even worse because it's like damn you% you're it's spineless. It's jellyfish behavior.
>> Well, apparently there were rumors too that Carly was hanging out with Scooter when Taylor was in the middle of negotiating her deal with UMG and may have passed along some information about what was going on. that and that's how Taylor was blindsided according to her.
A few days later, Maddie Healey gives an interview on a podcast. They're talking about You need to calm down.
Unfortunately, he's critiquing it in a way that makes sense. He says, "Artists like Taylor, who are so big, can't take like risks like this to endorse things that are not popular. They'll wait until something's been workshop woked enough to feel like you're making a statement when you're not." That Taylor Swift song about supporting gay people didn't come out 60 years >> ago. Yeah, >> it didn't.
>> I'll hear it from anyone else but you.
>> Exactly. I'll hear from anybody else but you. Nobody wants to hear that from you.
Nobody wants >> the worst man you know. You know that meme from the Onion that's like the worst person you know just made a good point.
>> Yeah. Yep.
>> He also says he wants Taylor's next record to be an acoustic album and he wants to produce it. He tweets Taylor Swift with an acoustic guitar doing her Nebraska doing her blue. Kill me. She already did blue, idiot.
>> Yeah, pretty much everybody clowned on that. And like that is such a stupid thing to not know. Who doesn't know about an album called Red by Taylor Swift?
>> Who doesn't know Red by Taylor Swift?
>> Do an acoustic album when up until like 1989 at least 40% of her albums were acoustic.
>> Do the math.
>> Brat. Brat.
>> Do the math.
>> Brat.
So, to finish off the month of September, Taylor and Joe take a trip to the Lake District to celebrate their three-year anniversary. This is crazy.
>> Take me to the Lakes where all the poets went to die. I don't belong, my beloved.
Neither do you. Write it down. I've been writing it down since day one.
>> We're getting to the point in the yearly where the Matty Healey of it all is really starting to become apparent in a way that's just disquing to me. Well, if you think about it, like yes, the Matty Healey quote about uh you know, do an acoustic album, do do your blue, like obviously that's stupid. What was the next album she made? I'm just asking.
>> No, seriously. Unfortunately, like we have to >> This is diabolical. It's diabolical.
What was the What is the opening track on that album?
>> I don't want to talk about it. I don't want I don't want to talk about this.
This is This is This is for 2020. This is for 2020.
>> This is for 2020. Then we get into a beautiful month, a birthday month for two of your favorite snakes, October.
And in October, Taylor's first appearance is on Jimmy Fallon. I really like this look. It's an off-the-shoulder blazer dress.
>> It's gold. Her hair is bright blonde, red lip on. Cute.
>> You know, there's something about I think you mentioned this later on, but there is something that she was really into business casual for the lover looks. And I and I and I like Yeah. No, she's the man. And I that's probably my favorite genre generally speaking of lover fits is like the glitzed up glamorous the man outfits. And this is like one of my favorite ones. It's just gorgeous. Absolutely gorge. Perfect. No notes.
>> Another great one was at the NME awards.
You know the black and white one. I love that she love that. Um it looks better sitting down than it does standing up for sure. But that's smart because you're sitting down for most of the time >> on these shows. So in the interview she talks about how she almost called Lover Daylight because Reputation was a nighttime album. It I always forget before I watch these shows how asinine they are. It's like it's adults talking as though they're speaking to the Blues Clues audience.
>> Yeah. I think it's the thing about these shows now and like Taylor doing them now when I think of them in hindsight is like it's so interesting to see her in these situations. I I never mind them.
Um, I like when they play the games and stuff. I don't know.
>> Jimmy Fallon just PMO. Jimmy Fallon really PMO.
>> Yeah. I don't know. See, there's like a vendetta against Jimmy Fallon.
>> Period.
>> Um, >> I have no opinion. No opinion.
>> He asks her about Loverfest and she says, "I felt like this album I should try something new. I haven't done festivals in a long time and this feels like a festival album. I had the opportunity to open a new stadium in LA." Now, Jimmy, if you had any sense or any scruples, you would say, "What are you going to do at Loverfest? Who's going to be there?
>> Nobody ever asked her that question and so we'll never know.
>> I guess we'll never know.
>> I guess we'll never know.
>> I guess we'll never know. She's asked what her favorite song from Lover is and she says Lover, the title track, which just so happens to be the single at the time. Genius.
>> Gen. No, she's literally the marketing genius. Not just anybody can do this.
>> Not just anyone can do this. Um, she pretends to be surprised that Jimmy Fallon has been supplied with video footage of her after Lasic. And then I was watching I was like, is she is she surprised? Because they do pre-in for this. Like they run through everything you're going to say before you actually go and tape it. I can't imagine Taylor is not the kind of person that would just allow behind the scenes footage of her in her home to be shown without her knowledge of it. No. And it was like an edited video.
Like it was it was put together. Maybe Andrea put it together. Maybe Taylor trusts Andrea enough like, "Oh, I'm going to send in a funny video of you."
And Taylor trusts her enough to make sure that it's not humiliating.
>> Possible. But it's going to go on national television. I think she knew. I think she knew. I think she knew.
>> The footage really kills me as well cuz it's peak Bleachella. Her hair is fried in a ponytail and she's eating a banana in bed. And she says, "I'm not asleep.
My mind is alive." For some reason, this is like everyone's favorite thing. It's It's hysterical to the Phantom. Still, you >> know, I I recently watched it like within the last year. The my mind is alive bit doesn't make me laugh. But her trying to eat the banana >> is actually one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It's pathetic. It kills me.
>> Yeah, that's what that's what it feels like to be coming off anesthesia.
>> Then she references when # drunk Taylor trended on Twitter because she had two mojitos and was acting the fool on Snapchat. She tries to play it off like she wasn't acting cuckoo in those videos. Babe, you were acting loca after two years. We and we we were loving it.
She live in La Vita Loca. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Mambbo number five. That was the energy that she was giving in those videos. And I'm saying thank God. I like to see >> it really was number.
>> What bothers me is when the fans act like she was wasted. It's like, okay, she probably tipsy cocktails. And what's wrong with that?
>> Can a lady have a little slurp?
>> Can a girl have fun?
>> I'm asking.
>> Can a girl have fun? Can a girl have fun? She can. We're saying on this podcast #drunk Taylor, we salute you.
>> We We salute you and we look forward to seeing you again sometime soon. Thank you so much.
>> Then Taylor does SNL. She is wisely the musical guest and not a host. One of my prayers is that Taylor will never host SNL ever again. That's one of my prayers.
>> I feel like I mean she only I don't think she is. How many years has it been since last time? 15 years. I think it's over.
>> But then now Veronica's on the cast so we could have a Veronica Taylor Swift crossover which would kill me.
>> I kind of need it desperately.
>> I need it. No, I need it now.
>> I kind of need that desperately. I SNL is such an interesting thing. I feel like we've talked about this so much when we've done the SNL episodes that she did do. I feel like her appearances on SNL are either like the gag of the century or something that I'd rather forget. This one is kind of like in the middle for me.
>> Yeah, it's neither. It's not great, but it's not her worst work. The photo shoot is great.
>> The photo shoot's amazing. Again, this is more of like this would have been really really cute for a lover photo shoot. like the bright colors, the um sort of like uh 1960s kind of a vibe to the pictures. It's really cute and really fun and sort of girly and campy.
Um the performance >> adult >> it's one of my least favorite performances from the from the uh Lover era. I think it's really >> she just doesn't sound good. I think she'd been performing too much. Her voice was not in a good place. I like the staging, the all green, the paper airplanes.
>> Yeah, let's go. I love the >> because it's just her and the piano as well. It's really apparent that the vocals aren't giving, >> right? It's a shame.
>> And the vocals continue to not give on False God actually, which is kind of disappointing because everything else about it is a serve of a performance except her vocals.
And what's good about the false god SNL performance is it's kind of different than any other performances that she was doing at the time or really has done since in my opinion. It's different.
It's kind of like this specific and that's the thing about false god too.
It's like a specific kind of slinky sexy that we don't see a lot. So I >> I'm just glad she didn't do You need to calm down or me. Thank god.
>> Thank god. No, she knew. She knew for SNL. I'm New York City. She had to bust it out. And it was great. It was a great choice. If you're up at 8:00 PM, you don't want to hear me. You don't.
>> If you're No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. What you want to hear is >> That's for Good Morning America. That's for Good Morning America.
>> Oh, that's for Good Morning America.
That's for Good Morning America for Good Americas.
She's the man and I have to clap and cheer her. I clap and cheer.
>> Then she goes to an SNL afterparty and we get a rare pop shot of her and Joe together. She's wearing the fit that she wore on stage and he is dragging her head first into Zuma. He looks >> like the janitor.
>> He He does look a little rough around the edges in this picture, but I mean whatever.
>> She's doing also so much press for the album still at this point, two months later. And she's also hanging out with the queer guys. Queer guys. Queer guys.
She's hanging out with the gays.
>> She is. She's hanging out with those weird She's hanging out with with the Queerey guys a lot. Specifically Jonathan Vaness and Anthony Peroski.
>> Aren't these more of your um vendettas?
>> Yes. These are my ops. I hate them. I hate them. I don't like them.
>> I was never into the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy um thing. Is that what he was even called in the rebrand? I think it was just called Queerey, right?
>> Um nonetheless, I I was never into it.
But I remember when it had its big moment in this era, mind you, you know, tail end of the 2010s, Taylor was, you know, oh, this is popular, so let me get on this. I never got into it. I don't know. There was something about it that just it it was like not my kind of energy.
>> No, me either. But it was definitely Taylor's energy. Especially at this point when when >> at this point when Taylor was at Stonewall every day, she was saying everybody, I love gay. I love gay. Hi, gay.
>> Welcome gay. Good morning. gay. And I think queer eye was just like one of the most popular visible um literally queer things that was happening in pop culture at the time. Not that I'm saying, oh, they were her token gays or I'm not saying that, but >> you can say that.
>> I'm not saying it. I'm not I'm not saying that. But I will say that I don't know. Have we seen her hanging out with any of these people since? Is my question.
>> Since Lover?
>> Anthony Povski I think has been in the mix.
>> Period.
>> Here and there. Um, then she goes to a Madonna concert with Anthony. Then she attends a screening of Bombshell in LA with Joe. And then she on October 19th, she performs at the We Survive event at the Hollywood Bowl.
>> Really?
You don't need to give me money.
>> No, I want the present, but I >> Oh, it's me on there.
>> That's actually really great. I blacked this out. Black that out. Forgot that.
>> So the out the outfit is like unremarkable to me. When I Googled the pictures cuz I also couldn't remember it. I was like, "No wonder I forgot about it." It looks like any old lover outfit. Like she could have been anywhere.
>> She could have been anywhere.
>> She meets Billy Eyish for the first time at this event and she performs blank space. Me lover, you need to calm down and shake it off. Okay. Thanks.
>> Period. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you so much. Then we get a serve.
Taylor Swift's one and only tiny desk performance. It's iconic and we need another one right now. She shows up in a checkered blazer with a burgundy velvet long sleeve shirt and she plays the man on the guitar, lover on the piano, death by thousand cuts back to the guitar and all too well on the piano again for lover. Rough vocals.
>> Yeah. And that tiny desk again. It's one of those situations where you really can't hide it. You're at tiny desk.
>> She was tired. I think I remember something about her like sneezing or blowing her nose in the performance video. So, she was ill, but that did not stop her from serving a level of >> that is that is it's not rare because she's very capable of it. But The Man and Death by Thousand Cuts, these are some of the best acoustic fun Taylor Swift performances. And she's also she's the man again. She's in her business casual. I mean, when we line up all the evidence, I think that she was really saying, "I'm corporate. I'm a corporate girl. I go I I have take my lunch pail and my shoes in my purse on the subway and I commute my to my nineto-5 and I support it.
>> Cheryl Taylor Sandberg. Cheryl Taylor.
>> Exactly. We do need another tiny desk performance. Honestly, like the only tiny desk being for the Lover era when I don't think Lover lends itself generally to being a great Tiny Desk uh album, if you will. Uh I think it's kind of a shame. I would have Can you imagine Torture Post Department Tiny Desk?
>> No, it it would have been too powerful.
You see, too powerful.
>> I She I think I would really like it if she did another one. I love Tiny Desk. I love seeing the the different artists and like the way they look in that situation and everything's all stripped down. It's just really fun. So, I would love to see another Tiny Desk performance from Taylor.
>> Her performance of Death by a Thousand Cuts is so good. And you can tell she's like, you can tell she's political because when she's doing the bridge and it's like guess it was a lawless land and uh Tiny Desk is in DC, I believe she like really emphasizes it and looks around. She's like our president and it's like yes, >> somebody needs to say it.
>> Someone needs to say it. She also tells her fake Netflix story about the inspiration and goes on a co-rant about how she doesn't need real life relationship drama to make sad songs.
Okay.
>> I'm not And you can't even even begin to discuss that. No, >> we can't begin discussing that.
>> Then she concludes with All Too Well.
Again, not her best vocal.
>> No, it's a shame. We need another tiny desk. I'm saying we need another need one more. Need one more. On October 23rd, Taylor posts about Selena Gomez's new song, A Little Diddy. Her first number one called Lose You to Love Me.
She was apparently her and Andrea were the first people that Selena played for.
And you know why? because they were the ones, I'm telling you, who were picking her up off the floor every single time Justin Bieber did something bad to her.
So, Taylor says, "This song is a perfect expression of healing." And my absolute favorite one she's put out yet, a triumph. I love you so much.
>> I also remember Taylor being one of the first people to see the um the heart wants what it wants music video.
>> She's at the scene of every single crime.
>> You're in this relationship with me, baby.
>> No. And it's like I Taylor is a strong strong friend because the the Justin and Selena debacle and I don't know how else to describe it other than the train wreck debacle to have lived through that as a friend of Selena. You deserve the purple heart because I know that that was horrible and she was I mean she was lost in the sauce and Justin was crazy >> obviously and he was deserves her >> at this time. She deserves her sneak peek. She deserves to see everything first and hear all the songs first.
100%.
>> I agree. She earned it. Um, so then on October 24th, we have Divaom and Mess.
Okay, so the D.Va dum is Taylor celebrates 13 years since the release of debut, sharing a picture of her playing her songs in the parking lot. And she says on Instagram, I said in an interview 13 years ago, I'm just hoping that I have a second album that does as well as the first and someday get to be a headliner and always be the same person that I started out as. That's a very convoluted sentence to say and it always scares me how like articulate she was when she was a literal child.
>> I know, right? It's crazy. No, she was a genius. She wrote a book. She wrote a book.
>> If you asked me, I would have been like, I like Ava Lavine and my Neopets's going to die.
>> No, she was like lowkey media trained straight out of the womb. She came out of >> Yeah. No, she came out with a press release >> with with Exactly.
>> I'm here. I was born on a Christmas tree farm. No one interrupt that story.
Period.
>> Exactly. Period.
>> So, she goes, "Scrolling through all your posts today has me feeling all the feelings, and I want to thank you.
Because of you, there was a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh album. You made me into a headliner because you wanted to see me play, and your support all these years is what's helped me stay true to that kid I was when I started out. I miss when she would just speak normally to us."
>> Yeah, those were the days. Those were the freaking days. Instagram posts. Come on. Just a couple. Just a couple. There was a lot of I love my fans this year and I think actually she really genuinely needed the strength of her army behind her because it seemed like the industry was maybe going to go against her or that she wasn't going to get what she wanted. And she very sincerely at multiple times throughout this year is like this is all because of you. And I guess it was also smart of her to to make this post because we would learn soon that she was planning to set the dogs on Scooter and Scar again which evolution of Snake approved.
And I would have done that whether she said do it or not. If she said no, don't lay down your arms. I would have said, Taylor, I respect you 100%, but I need to do what's best >> and you need to you need to be quiet in this moment and let me attack and kill.
Thank you.
>> If you if you need a moment, you leave the room.
>> Yeah, exactly. Cuz I'm fighting to the death.
>> The humiliation ritual was Universal Pictures posting a promo of Taylor's original song for Cats Beautiful Ghosts.
They didn't take chances on me. Let's just >> It becomes clear at this point also that Taylor is very directly mounting an Oscars campaign for the work that she did on Cats and it is immediately mocked by the media. Like all the trade publications are like that's not going to happen though.
>> Didn't stop her.
>> No. And you know what? You have to admire it. You have to say she believed.
She believed he lied. She believed he lied. What do you want me to say?
She She really thought, "This is my EGOT moment." And there's something about the delusion of that that I find really aspirational in so many ways.
>> It's the same delusion of Only the Young. It comes from the same breath.
>> Exactly. It's right cut from the same cloth.
>> At the 30th of October, Taylor is interviewed by Zayn Low wearing another blazer. Um, she says that Pete Wentz and Lana Del Rey are her favorite lyricists and she said that Blank Space would never have existed without Fallout Boy.
I when I was reading this back when I was going through the thing, I thought about it for a second. I think she's sort of thinking about like she's thinking Blank Space is punk.
She's like, "Oh, it's it's so like it that's what she thinks." No, I think like in terms of how it was, you know, punk not as a genre, but punk as in everybody's so punk on the internet. You know what I'm saying? Like she's that kind of I don't know that I listen to Blank Space and I think, "Oh, this reminds me of Pete Wentz's songwriting."
>> I guess I can kind of maybe see the inspiration if I think about it really hard. Maybe she's just thinking, "Oh, it's like a It was kind of like my um God, I can't even think of a Fallout Boy song to equate it to. It's so intrinsically like feminine that I'm like I I can't think of a Fallout Boy song that's like this. I get what she means and also she is is for some reason just being crazy and delusional, but I support it 100%. I'll take my crumbs.
>> That was a sometimes I put on a delusional girl persona for fun.
>> She does. I I'll take my crumbs.
>> She does. She then says, okay, this is where we really start to cook. I can tell that she's cooking on what the master's project is going to be because she says how she has now a strange convoluted relationship with her previous work because everything new is compared to what came before and she specifically references you know damn All too well was a really good song.
Basically wondering to herself how can I top that? And then she says that lover and this is so confusing to me and this is really an example of of the misalignment between Taylor and her own work is a return to form lover reputation was important needed to be unexplained. So this entire new phase there was no distraction from the music.
What are you talking about?
>> It's so strange and like everything that she does like for example the snake turning into butterflies like that is also I think in her mind like oh this is me going back to the start. Like this is me really going back to who I really was. And it's like okay but Lover is still there's no other album like that in your catalog still to this day. And there certainly wasn't at that point that Fearless was just like Lover. Are you hearing yourself? No.
>> And if you even if you love Lover, you have to admit that it's not a return to form because it's again not like anything else she has in her catalog.
So, it's certainly even if you want to disagree about what that form is or whether that form is is better or worse than what's on Lover, >> there's no sort of like returning to anything here. Soon You'll Get Better is the only song that is semi a return to form. Everything else is kind of interestingish and new, either in a bad way or a good way.
>> Yeah. No, exactly. And and that's a good thing, mind you. That's what everybody that's what everybody was interested in.
So there you have it.
>> She's really hitting all her marks here.
She starts talking about creator compensation and how the splits aren't fair and we need to change them. Speak queen. She says the only thing she reads online is political news and there's lots of stuff on the record about politics. And then she talk she says Miss Americana and this kills me. Zay Lo goes oh I definitely didn't pick up on that. And she goes it's definitely about politics. And it's like Taylor see that's where you should have gone. Oh no. If Zayan Lo is not getting it, cuz I'll tell you one thing about Zayn Lo.
He sits there and he does his homework.
>> He listened to that song and he'll do a cartwheel to get it. Nothing nothing that she wanted to get out of it.
Honestly, I think if she hadn't told us, I also wouldn't have gotten political anthem out of that. Like maybe I maybe like in an idea of like some people are bullies and some people are the good people. Like good versus evil. I can kind of see that in the song, but like it's really convoluted and and maybe that's something that is good looking in hindsight. Maybe it's good. We can't really understand what's going on there because it kind of lends itself to a nebulousness that makes it palatable.
>> She's really randomista.
>> She is.
>> If it was more political, I wouldn't enjoy it, but I do because it's vague, >> right? It's very, very vague. You cannot figure out what the hell's supposed to be going on. And that's what makes it so >> and that's >> I think she had three goals with that song. one, she wants to go, okay, and she wants to she the title, we know she gets fixated on a title, so she liked the title. And I also think she wanted to say, you play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
>> Those were three goals with this song.
>> Hard the way that she says it. The way she says stupid in the song, you play stupid games.
>> It's so good.
>> No, it's so good. And and Zan Lo said, "Oh, I thought it was about being a cheerleader." Oh, okay. Okay. And coincidentally, those three things that I said were the entire intention of the song are the only parts of the song that are included on the IRS tour.
>> Go figure. It's you and me. There's nothing like this.
>> Figure. Then she's banging the drum about how all the conversations about who she's dating early in her career minimized her talent. I hate [ __ ] shaming. Go, queen. Say it. Say it.
Speak. Speak. Speak. Then she's talking about cats. Not interested. No thank you. She talks about cat school and studying the anatomical biological facts of cats. She goes into a detailed explanation of how they drink milk.
>> None of our business. It's really not our freaking business. The cat lady behaviors in 2019.
>> It's unspeakable.
>> I'll hear about your cats. I'm open to hearing about your cats. I'm not open to hearing about you pretending to be a cat. Do you see how that >> going around on all fours? You're You're with Jason Derulo. You're with Idris Ela. You're with Dame Judy Dench.
>> An Oscar. She said, "This is going to win an Oscar."
>> She was She was promoting it. She said, "This is my chance to EGOT. This is my Whoopi Goldberg moment." It wasn't.
>> It wasn't.
And then she's asked if there are ever songs she's talking about soon get better and Zanlo is asking are there ever songs that are about other people that are really sensitive that you play for them first or don't release because they're not your story to tell. And she actually brings up exploiting Abigail's trauma here and she says that she played 15 for Abigail and she said if if you don't want this out it won't go out. And Abigail said the world needs it. Abigail you were so right.
>> She was right. I actually think often about how this is another person in the episode that deserves a purple heart because I think what Abigail was probably thinking like everybody else like when I was how old would she have been 18 19 and my friend came to me and said hey can I kind of like low-key tell the story of how you lost your virginity on my album I think most people would be like uh no >> but I think Abigail really had the presence of mind to realize like this what happened to me really sucked and I don't think I'm alone and I think there's a lot of other girls who have had this similar experience to me and they need to know, you know, a couple things. A, it's okay. B, it happens to other people. And C, we live.
>> We live through the experience. Life goes freaking on.
>> So, it's powerful. Actually, when I think about 15 too much as an adult now, it's even more powerful than it was to me when I was 15. It's crazy. It's powerful.
>> I had a whole 15 obsession about two weeks ago. I I went through it again and I was like, why are people not talking about this song more? But anyway, that's neither here nor there. In 2019, part three. She says that in her friendships, the quality she's looking for is resilience. Yeah. When your stock is down and they want to hang out, that's when they're real. Not people who go to lunch with Scooter Braun. No, not them.
Them. Goodbye. They're dead. She says she's so proud of Selena and that she's been through. She Taylor's always doing this. She's always stressing with this very like serious expression on her face and her eyes saying, "You will never know what I know, but you must know that it's extremely intense and serious."
When she's talking about what Selena's been through and I know that that's Justin Bieber when everybody I gave my all and they all know it. I gave my all and they all freaking >> He's another I'm sorry. He's another He won't He doesn't get to to live from me.
Sorry. He's going into the behaviors with Selena. We really have to say that was really [ __ ] up. It was crazy.
>> That was torture. He tortured.
>> No, it was it was torturous period.
>> And he tortured Taylor. He tortured Taylor because she had to hear about it >> and pick her friend up off the floor.
>> So then end of the month, Taylor goes on The Voice as a mega coach, whatever that means.
>> She was business casual again. She was It's I've never actually really noticed it. Like I remembered, oh sometimes she would show up in her blazer, but like this is crazy. She's in her blazer like half the time. All like most of the best outfits from lover era are when she's wearing a blazer. Open the case.
>> I'm saying let's do it. It's one of the best outfits on the era tour too.
>> In it as soon as that blazer comes on the man. Not even one of my favorite songs. That is a moment of girl power.
That is a moment of feminism. I'm saying I'm leaning in. I'm saying I'm saying lock her up. I'm not saying hey Larry.
I'm saying >> pushy hat freaking on # I'm with her >> period.
>> So unfortunately at the end of the month the shake it off copyright lawsuit that got thrown out is revised. Revived. I believe it's since been thrown out again but you know everybody just wants to get a piece of her. Okay. November. This is crazy. She is everywhere. She's so Julia. She's in like three continents in this month beginning in Tokyo for a lover fan event. This, I think, was the last time that she went to Japan just for promo, which is something she used to do for every album. I guess she had to make a special trip because she wasn't planning a tour in Asia. So, she does a Q&A and she greets all the Swifties and for who knows what reason because the entire record is out now.
She goes on Japanese television to perform Me. This is one of Can you describe what she's wearing, Maline?
>> Okay. So, it's it kind of reminds me of like if if you were like a painter, like you would wear this like coverall. It's a coverall. It is a full bodysuit with scrunched up legs at the ankles and it's zip. It has a zipper ponytail. These hideous like chunky >> almost like they're huge boots. Like not a single part of the outfit makes any sense. And it's especially insane because Japanese television is so bright. It's so like uh well lit. Yeah.
Well lit. And so she's like >> see every >> How could you forget the belt?
>> How could you forget the belt this big?
>> It's horrible.
>> Oh no. This like stylist Joseph Castle fired.
>> I don't know what he was thinking. It's kind of like what an like an American man might think is like, "Oh yeah, wear this to Japan. It's so loud and colorful. Yeah, this is really going to gag. This is going to be perfect for Japan." Ah, >> it wasn't. You look the fool. She looked the damn fool. And she sounded the fool, too, because she gave a terrible vocal performance of me. The bridge, the way she tries to scream it, it's so humiliating. I love in the later performances of me when she's had to edit Hey Kids spelling is fun out out of the songs out of humiliation when she just stands there while the track plays and the adlib doesn't happen and you just see in her face like I could tell in this performance she regretted ever releasing me.
>> Well, I was watching the Starlights and I was thinking in my head I was like, "Do they know?"
>> You also sounded insane. The mics were way too loud.
>> Yeah. the the the way that they did the harmonies and the it was just strange.
Everything about it was bizarre.
>> Everyone was screaming.
>> Yeah, it was crazy.
>> It's you if you haven't seen this video, you have to watch it. Actually, everything from this Asia press trip is a mustwatch because this doesn't make any sense. So, she posts a selfie from the event with the caption, "My earring said, smile, but I stay smirking." Of course, your earring said smile in that outfit. Of course, it did.
>> But I stay smirking.
You should know that >> the millennial leapt.
>> Oh, yes. No, no, she was she the millennial was present in this moment.
Everything about this event gives I'm a millennial. And you know what? Good for her. Good for her. I don't know what to say.
>> Congratulations. Congratulations. Taylor Nation reveals the very first era's collection, which is kind of crazy that she was already using that as a marketing tool. like the the old tailor lined up together and she's using the font that would go on to become the eraser font. Girls, you had so much time to come up with something else. You had four years.
>> I actually have on one of my um my Hydro Flask, I have one of the original era stickers on there and it's so funny. It goes up to Lover and you know what the the Lover sticker is? It's like a her in the me outfit when she pour with Brendan Yuri I think on the BBMAS and it's the golden pink off the shoulder >> jacket. Not that one. Golden pink off the shoulder piece. You know what I'm talking about with the ponytail.
>> Yeah. Weird mistake.
>> They swapped that though, right? They didn't keep that as the lever.
>> Oh, no. There's tons of different variations out there now. Like even from back then immediately. People immediately picked up on that on Etsy and started making their own. So >> genius. And I'm saying let them let them >> let them let them.
>> November 10th. Okay.
So Taylor goes to China for a seriously confounding sequence of events. She performs at the Alibaba Singles Day Gala.
>> It like doesn't sound like a real thing that actually happened, but it was there and she was there.
>> You've sold millions of records and you're performing at the Alibaba Singles Day Gala. Okay.
>> The jokes write themselves on that one.
Literally Alibaba.
>> Literally Alibaba. We don't even have to do the work. We don't even have to make a joke about it. And I think what you have to know about Chinese fan events is that they're insane because the budget is always like a billion dollars. So she she does two things. A fan event and a concert. And it's not really a concert.
It's like five songs. So she has an entire arena tour setup to perform me with a bunch of Chinese dancers who start out with umbrellas just kind of twirling around while she's doing me.
Then she she sits behind a truly hideous explosion of flowers that is a piano and does a lover. And then she concludes with this is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my entire life. A gaggle of Chinese gays doing intense voging and choreography to you Need to Calm Down.
>> It's crazy. The the blocking on the performance for the dancers was not at times they're literally >> the way they're like bumping into her.
They're like crossing over her. It's It's like a flash mob. Honestly, it's a flash mob. And Taylor looks >> She's doing her best, but she's like, "Where?"
>> They clearly had not rehearsed that with her before she stepped on that stage.
>> No, it's they're really there's something behind her eyes that says, "Now, what what what's going on? What era is this? Why am I promoting this album?" Like, what?
>> And it's it's also it's not like 10 gays that are voguing behind her. It's like 40. There's a lot that it's huge. The production value break dancing is crazy.
>> It's insane. I had such a good chuckle revisiting this when I was looking at it. So, the following day, it's time for her fan event in Guangjao. And again, she has a full arena for an interview.
Essentially, >> we need stage in the USA.
>> I would go to this so fast. The stage literally is a theme park and it is a Turning Point USA conference. She gets an Erica Kirk >> introduction. There's like fireworks and confetti and me is playing these big screens and she rises up from under the stage and she's like >> it's so funny. That's so much confetti you can't really see her at first. It's crazy.
>> And she walks and she's like, I don't know where to go. She's like, where am I going? Who am I talking to? But like >> it's the most deranged. It's It's Erica Kirk. No, it's one it's an Erica Kirk grief world tour moment.
>> And it was You know what? I was moved. I was like, "This is incredible. I don't know why they're not doing stuff like this at, you know, the Staple Center.
Come on, let's get up on our good foot.
Come on."
>> I think it could have been really if Taylor knew that it was going to happen.
It seemed to me that all of these engagements were surprises to her.
>> She was bamboozled.
>> I loved it. I loved it. She also stood there. I'm not joking. She stood on her feet in her heels for one straight hour answering questions, getting things translated to her. It is a bizarre video to watch and I think it's a mustwatch.
>> It It's one of those things that's like nothing like this has happened since and nothing like this will ever happen again in Taylor's career. Like that's this is over. So get it while you can.
>> I would pay good money to go to the Alibaba Singles Day Gala. It's >> I would I want to go to the Alibaba torture poets. Let's go to the Alibaba torture poets singles day gala.
>> Imagine all the soldiers during the smallest man. It would be like an army.
>> It would be amazing. No. And the torture poets would have deserved it. The thing about the lover songs is that none of them really deserve all this. Like that's why it felt so weird. It was like uh I think we can tone it down a little bit.
>> I think we can just I think we can just have the starlights in Taylor for me. We don't need 40 dancers on stage and 100 people in front of you with umbrellas running around, >> right?
>> It was crazy. I loved it. I loved it. I wish we could get It's so funny to see her in an embarrassing situation. We just don't get that anymore.
>> Yeah. You know what? This is something I was thinking about as we were going through uh the the document. I was like, you know, there's something that Lover has that Showgirl at this point does not have. Showgirl doesn't have humiliation rituals.
>> No.
really lover really had humiliation rituals. So, Showgirl kind of wins that fight. It really does cuz she's not humiliating herself on a massive scale the way that she was for Lover. She's just not.
>> No. No, she's not. So, she's non-stop posting on Instagram while all of this is happening. Hey, I have jet lag. Hey, if it fits, I sits. I think she was so happy that her comments were off and she could just post again.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah. And we need to get back to it. I want more posting.
>> You have Instagram. Do you know that Taylor Swift?
>> Log in every now and then and give us a sneak peek of what's going on behind the scenes.
>> Close friend story.
>> Yeah, >> I'd like to see.
>> Put me on the close friend story.
>> I want to know what's up. So, on November 13th, she's in London for dinner with a turkey and the lover remix featuring Shawn Menddees is released.
Okay. The series of humiliation rituals that have happened. I'm releasing Beautiful Ghosts. I'm going to Guanghao to do the Alibaba singles day event. And now Lover featuring Sean Memphis. Did she think that was going to get Lover to number one on the charts? Did she think that?
>> Did it happen? No. Did you get the girl?
Did you get the job?
>> Collabor collaboration.
>> It is. Yeah. Collaboration is what she says about it. It that remix.
We've actually met someone who said that that is their favorite Taylor Swift song of all time.
And it tracks. I'll just say that. I guess I guess there's somebody for everyone. I'll just leave it at that.
I'll just leave it at that.
>> This song, what do you think of this remix? I listened to it once when it came out and never again since.
>> I have listened to it probably in my lifetime twice. Um, it's terrible. The original song is perfect as it is. A.
And I think that this was a hu I don't understand why a man would be there. A and B. I go down with you like the Titanic. It's true.
>> Think a better writer. Ed Sheeran could have done a better job.
>> Oh, Ed Sharon would have bodied this.
But I still could have been perfect because he replaces the best part of the song. Why would you do that?
>> Taylor, I don't I don't understand her.
>> We're so lucky we were marked safe from this at the tour. You know what, Loverfest? I guarantee you this would have happened. I guarantee this would There's times when I think that there's bullets that we've dodged that we don't even know about.
>> Mhm. So, she does that and you think everything is, you know, chill. You think that she's like relaxing. Um, you think there's no atomic bomb to drop on Scooter Bron's house, but there is.
Taylor takes to Twitter and she tweets.
Sorry, my nose is really itchy.
>> This happening the day. This happening the day after the collaboration is really putting things in perspective for me.
>> Collaboration. I feel like we were getting whiplashed like never before.
This is crazy.
>> So, it says, "Guys, it's been announced recently that the American Music Awards will be honoring me with the Artist of the Decade Award at this year's ceremony. I've been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show. Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have now said that I'm not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be re-recording my music before I'm allowed to next year. Additionally, and this isn't the way I had planned on telling you this, Netflix has created a documentary about my life for the past few years. Oh, how we thought that was going to be so much more interesting than it was. Anyway, Scott and Scooter have declined the use of my older music or performance footage for this project, even though there is no mention of either them or Big Machine Records anywhere in the film. Scott Borchetta told my team that they'll allow me to use my music only if I do these things.
If I agree to not re-record copycat versions of my songs next year, which is something I'm both legally allowed to do and looking forward to. and also told my team that I need to stop talking about him and Scooter Braun. I feel very strongly that sharing what is happening to me could change the awareness level for other artists and potentially help them avoid a similar fate. The message being sent to me is very clear.
Basically, be a good little girl and shut up or you'll be punished. This is wrong. Neither of these men had a hand in creating the writing of these songs.
They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans. So, this is where I'm asking for your help.
Please let Scott Porchetta and Scooter Braun know how you feel about this.
Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work. Please ask them for help with this. I'm hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote. I'm especially asking for help from the Carell group who put up the money for the sale of my music to these two men. I just want to be able to perform my own music. That's it. I've tried to work this out privately through my team but have not been able to resolve anything right now.
My performance at the AMAs, the Netflix documentary, and any other recorded events I am planning to play until November of 2020 are a question mark. I love you guys, and I thought you should know what's been going on. Taylor, >> this is insane. In hindsight, the amount of >> This was the atomic bomb.
>> No, this was the atomic freaking bomb.
Not It's She didn't say, "Okay, hounds, go after Scott and Scooter." She said, "Go after Ariana Grande.
>> Get their artists, too." I forgot that she did that.
>> Yep. Get them. Cook them. Tell them. Get Justin Bieber while you're at it. Tell them this is wrong. How would you like it to happen to you?
>> When you think about it, this is really like two titans of the music industry.
It's also a proxy war. It's not just a war between Taylor and Scooter. It's like a war between their power and their influence over the industry. Because Taylor very directly here is being like, I want to use my fans and my power to pressure Scooter Bronze artists to disavow him. That >> father figure genius moment. The fact ever thought he was going to win a battle of public opinion with Taylor Swift just shows how demented and delusional and arrogant men can be.
>> No, seriously.
Really? You think that she fell out that hard because of the cancellation? Oh, sis, they want you crucified in the street.
>> Bomb them again.
>> Crucify the street.
>> It is crazy. And also, we learned a lot of stuff here. So, we learned that there's a Netflix documentary coming, which I immediately was like, "Yay!" And then I was like, "No." Cuz it seemed like I was never going to get it. And >> you didn't need to ask me, girl. I was already doing it. I was already doing it. I Scott Borchetta has me blocked on Instagram because I was sending him death threats.
>> I didn't send him death threats, but I did I sent him a strongly worded paragraph and he blocked me.
>> But you did get blocked by Calvin Harris, right?
>> Yes.
>> But everybody did. Like if you said anything even slightly nefarious, >> call what you want lemonade got thrown at me, etc., >> etc., etc., >> period.
>> And you know what? We deserved it.
>> Fair enough. If if if I'm saying some out of I blog people all the time, but you know, she gets a lot of support. # I stand with Taylor Trends and I want to give a shout out to the people who showed up. Selena Gomez, congratulations. Rebecca Black, it's Friday. Joe Little, forgiven. Lily Allen, the West End Girl. Sarah Bareilles, Katy Perry stole your wig.
Camila Cabo, you're free. Hillary Duff.
Oh, also the T. Hillary Duff posted on her Instagram story. I'm glad I trusted my gut and fired him years ago. I didn't even know that Scooter managed Hillary Duff. Did you know?
>> This was a blip on the radar. I completely forgot about that. This whole like who was on Scooter's side and who was against him, it's all a blur in my memory now. So this guy forgot about >> men who took his side and women most of the women who worked with him that were not Ariana Grande as in the the one woman he channeled his resources into were on Taylor's side. Karly Ra Jepson, Hillary Duff, like he did not treat artists well at all, especially not his female artists. Ariana Grande, I don't think she addressed anything this time, but she did the first time she did her Instagram story that she then deleted.
Justin Bieber is doing mess constantly.
Haley Bieber, unfortunately, is also in the comments.
Yeah, but that the the the relation of the beers to like everything that's going on is like so >> it's so convoluted like at this time it was so convoluted because of the Selena thing there's like an added layer of it.
Not that I'm like oh yeah you know don't get Haley Bieber for doing this but it's like Justin already was like anti-Taylor to begin with. So obviously Haley Bieber the wife I mean what's she gonna do?
>> She chimed in a little too much for my liking. I I'm not I'm not going to hold it against her is what I'm trying to say.
>> I forgive her, but I am against her.
>> Period. Period. You can you can forgive, but you can never let it go. You forgive, you never let it go.
>> You said it beautifully.
>> So the following day, Beautiful Ghosts is released in the middle of more waring statements between Taylor Tree Pain and Big Machine. And thank God because everybody forgot about it. Thank God.
>> Thank God. No, cuz we really didn't need to be paying attention to it. No, God's God's plan. It was God's plan the whole time. They didn't take chances on me.
Thank you.
>> They didn't. So, also, you know what's so hilarious to me as well when I think about this in hindsight? Like, Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta really just completely miscalculated this entire thing. I don't know how you could know Taylor Swift, as Scott Borchetta really intimately did, know her operation and think that you could pull one over on her and get away with this basically because all of their responses to anything that Taylor ever says are complete messes. So, this is what Big Machine said in response to Taylor and it's been since deleted from their website and it was also unsigned. So, it was just from Big Machine. Scott, we know. So, here's what it says.
>> Here's what it said. As Taylor's was partner for over a decade, we were shocked to see her Tumblr statements yesterday based on false information. At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs or block her Netflix special. In fact, we do not have a right to keep her from performing live anywhere. Since Taylor's decision to leave Big Machine last fall, we've continued to honor all of her requests to license her catalog to third parties as she promotes her current record in which we do not financially participate.
The truth is Taylor has admitted to contractually owing millions of dollars and multiple assets to our company which is responsible for 120 hardworking employees who helped build her career.
We have worked diligently to have a conversation about these matters with Taylor and her team to productively move forward. We started to see progress over the past two weeks and were optimistic as recently as yesterday that this may get resolved. However, despite our persistent efforts to find a private and mutually satisfactory solution, Taylor made a unilateral decision last night to enlist her fan base in a calculated manner that greatly affects the safety of our employees and their families.
Taylor, the narrative you have created does not exist. All we ask is to have a direct and honest conversation. When that happens, you will see there is nothing but respect, kindness, and support waiting for you on the other side. Today, not one of the invitations to speak with us and work through this has been accepted. Rumors fester in the absence of communication. Let's not have that continue here. We share the collective goal of giving your fans the entertainment they want and deserve.
>> What a croc of sh. It's a complete croc.
It's a croc from start to finish. What's interesting is that in Taylor's statement, she says, "They're not letting me play my old music." And Scott, you could call this smart. I call it stupid. He just says, "We're not stopping you from performing." She didn't say you were stopping her from performing. She said you were stopping her from playing blank space. She said you were stopping her from playing White Horse. It's all in how everything is presented. Liar.
>> Liar. Liar.
Liar. Um, no. This was really crazy. And the point about her owing millions of dollars in multiple assets. Like, what you're trying to do is discredit her as a business person. And Taylor Swift is widely known to be >> one of the best treating employees in the industry. She treats her people well. She pays people on time. She is not someone that fs around with that kind of stuff. So, I'm sure that this accusation really pissed her off. Tree Payne immediately refuts this and says that Boretta flatly denied the request for both the American Music Awards and Netflix and added, "Please notice in Big Machine statement, they never actually deny either claim that Taylor said it last night in her post. They don't they don't deny they don't deny anything.
>> They're condescending." Oh, well, you're throwing your hissy fit. The men over here are trying to get things done. Like that's the whole tone of the >> If you would just stop telling people about the fact that we're doing this to you, then we wouldn't do it to you.
>> Why don't you stop the histrionics, little girl? Like that's the tone of it.
>> THAT MAKES ME SO MAD.
>> I HATE THIS.
>> OH, but it's so it it makes it even more delicious that she got everything she wanted.
>> We're talking about this in 2026. Think about that. But at the time, this also was D-Day for the fandom as well because >> oh my god I and and at that point I was a little bit too old to be doing the mounting my steed behavior on Stan Twitter and you know harassing people online. But I got on I logged the back in and I said who do I need to harass?
>> I can't remember what I was doing during this time period. I'm sure I logged in.
>> I'm sure I logged in, but I don't remember what specifically I did in in my quest to defend Taylor. I don't remember. And surprise surprise, the shaming worked because Big Machine comments to Billboard later that they have agreed to grant all licenses of their artists performance to stream post show and for rebroadcast on mutually approved platforms. Do you see mutually approved platforms? So you agree you were saying you can't do this on this platform before. Do you agree?
>> Do you agree?
>> Okay, fine.
>> It should it should be noted that recording artists do not need label approval for live performances on television or any other live media. The statement continues, "Record label approval is only needed for contracted artists audio and visual recordings and in determining how those works are distributed. So you're the clowns with egg on your face. No response to Tree saying that actually you owe her money.
Taylor gets her way as requested. You don't deny any of the facts that she stated. But what kills me is the lying here. If she wasn't telling the truth, why the hell would she be making this public? She could get sued for for sicking that amount of people on you.
She could get sued. Why would she do that? She would only do this if she was telling the truth.
>> Exactly. And we knew that. We knew that from day one. This wasn't one of those situations like Snakegate where it's like, "Hold on, wait a second. Wait, the Ellie Who." We knew from the get-go.
This was all a bunch of hogwash and horse hockey. Hogwash and horse.
>> Nonsense. Complete and total nonsense.
Meanwhile, Taylor's attending the favorite premiere with Joe in her gorgeous, sexy black red number that she doesn't walk the carpet for, so she doesn't upstage him. Jail.
>> No, literally jail. This is one of the best dresses of all time, and we're not allowed to partake in it in any way, shape, or form. It reminds me of something she would have worn during Bleachella.
>> Oo, yeah, it is very Bleachella coated, and her hair looks great. She's a gorgeous spray tan. She's glowing and yet we don't get to see it because of Joe Alwin. Yet another thing he's taken from us.
>> Yeah, there there's a lot of dresses that he took from us. I'd just like to point that out. A lot of beautiful pictures that have been taken.
>> So now you can see this is starting to be a very or has been a very difficult year for Taylor. So she's having to do collaboration while also I am going to lose control of my work and I can't do any of these great opportunities that I have because two men decided to try and pull one over on me. And something evil is in the air because John Mayer goes live with Shawn Mendes. And I remember at the time being like Shawn Mendes, are you dumb? The answer is yes. But are how dumb do you have to be to go live with John Mayer right after you do a collaboration with Taylor Swift? Why?
>> There's something about the John Mayer of it all. I don't know what it is.
>> He still hates Taylor. If he had it his way, he would be trashing her left, right, and center, but he can't cuz he knows.
>> Well, because he's been exposed. And the thing about the expose is that it's foring life. Everybody knows that happened and everybody's going to know for life that you did that. And it makes you a gross. I mean, there's so many things that already make you a gross without Taylor having to say a single word, but like it's in print that happened after >> and it pisses him off after that.
>> It pisses him off. And you know what? I don't care.
>> He's really And it's like >> I don't feel bad for John Mayer getting the Swifty sicked on him. Don't attract them. Don't tempt them to come for you because what did he do? He was making fun of Taylor's line, "We could leave the Christmas lights up till January."
He goes, "But that's insane. Everybody does that. That's not like a remarkable thing to do." Oh, really? Really?
>> He's stupid. Oh, it >> Oh. Oh, so you're the best songwriter who ever lived. I find that really interesting when I when >> you're going I guess I just feel like nobody.
>> Exactly. Mothers, be good to your daughter.
>> We've had enough of you. You beast. And Shawn Mendes, look what happened. Look what happened. You took your songwriting lessons from John Mayer instead of Taylor Swift and Where Are You? Getting on the John May train is a one-way ticket to Flopdom. Watch this space.
>> Watch this space.
>> Watch this.
>> We need to start talking about more men that are in the Kia asylum. It's always women that are talking about >> John May and Kia.
>> You've just uncovered a facet of the misogyny of Stan culture that has yet to be uncovered. It is always women in the Kia asylum. What's up with that? When men are way bigger >> is like the biggest is like the >> if if there was if a woman was doing what Charlie Puth is doing. If a woman was sponsoring an AI music generator or whatever the he's doing it would be over. But no, it's Charlie Puth, so he gets away with it. I find it interesting.
>> Well, you know what? That's a new video.
The male Kia Asylum. A list of all the men who are in the Kia >> Asylum. Ex. And there's a lot.
>> There's a lot. November 20th, Grammy nominations. If you remember, the impetus to create Lover came from a little phone call in Miss Americana where Taylor was told that she was not nominated in any of the big categories for reputation and she said, "I'll just make a better album." Well, what were your nominations? Album of the year, not mentioned. The big four awards. Well, she got one song of the year for Lover.
Deserved, I would say.
>> I think so. I thought it was a great song. I've always said great song. I walked down the aisle to that song. Come on.
>> She got nominated for best pop vocal album for Lover and this killed me. Best pop solo performance for You Need to Calm Down. Now, who rigged that?
>> They were doing their They were saying, "Let's we stand with the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ community has forgiven the Grammys."
>> And they didn't.
>> And they didn't. So, just for context, the people that were nominated for album of the year here, and the thing is is that this was technically a really big oversight because Lover was by far the most successful album of that year, but by very far. So, Thank you, Next, Billy Eyish's debut record, Norman Rockwell, Bony V's record, I don't know what it's called, I Used to Know Her by Her Seven by Lillax and Lizo's Cuz I Love You, and Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend.
And nothing for Lover >> and Nothing for Lover. It doesn't surprise me.
>> I kind of think Thank You Next deserved that. I know everyone wants to say Billy, but Thank You Next was really a moment. Also, NFR, hello.
>> I'm okay with Billy having won this one.
>> We'll give it to her.
>> I'll give it to her.
>> The great album.
>> Here. Here you go. There it is for you.
>> Then on November 22nd, Scooter Braun chimes in. He writes an open letter to Taylor saying that his family is receiving death threats. I don't think we need to platform his voice once again. We don't care. We don't care. You shouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have done it. You play stupid games. You win stupid prizes.
>> You do. This part really enraged me. He wrote, "It almost feels as if you have no interest in ever resolving the conflict. At this point, with safety becoming a concern, I have no choice other than to publicly ask for us to come together and find a resolution. I have tried repeatedly through your representatives to achieve a solution, but unfortunately, here we are. The game of telephone isn't working." How crazy do you have to be? You want someone to do you a favor, but before you even ask for the favor, you accuse them of not wanting to give it to you. How has this man ever taken a simple class in how to get what you want?
>> And also, he's the one who started this whole thing to begin with. Being like, wow, you are really blowing this out of proportion when it's like you you are the one who invented the whole situation to begin with.
>> And and I'd say this was really And you know what's delicious? He's never had a free day since. You are the number one most hated man in the industry. And I love that you don't work anymore. You're dating Sydney Sweeney. That's all you have.
>> Okay. So, for like a split second, I was thinking of Scott Porchetta. And he said, "You're dating Sydney Sweeney."
And I was like, "Wait." And then I remembered we're talking about Scooter.
>> Did I say Scott Porchetta? I meant Scooter Braun.
>> I scooter Braun. I just had the craziest image in my head of Sydney Sweeney and Scott Porchetta being the ones in those pictures on the rocks.
>> I can see it unfortunately. And it's disgusting.
>> They're both disgusting foul cretins.
Disgusting creatures. Not Not Sydney.
Not Sydney. Scott and Scooter. Scott and Scooter. Let me clarify. November 24th, Taylor said. Anyway, while uh people are threatened to kill your child. I have to my performance now.
>> She attends the AMAs. I do not understand the thought behind the red carpet look here. It's a big night for her. She's I like the dress in general.
It's reputation coded. It's a green gown with one leg cut out and a thigh high black boot. I just thought it was kind of blah.
>> Well, my thing about it is that it's not on theme with the rest of the night.
Like it doesn't mean No. If she had worn another gold dress, like, you know, matching her stage outfit and the and the and the kind of pink and gold outfit that she wore in the crowd, I would have like, "Okay, this makes sense." Or if it was pink, but like green and black. It's it just like >> you did that already. And also, you're trying to move on from that, >> right? It feels like two different events when when I look at the red carpet and then I look at the performance and the outfit she was wearing like in the audience. I didn't I that didn't I didn't comprehend it. I like the outfit like to be clear, but I just am confused about why we wore it for this particular event with these other outfits that she wore on the night. It just felt kind of strange and very >> the other outfits that demented Hobby Lobby cake and bodysuit that she wears in the crowd. She looks the fool. This is like a children's fancy dress outfit.
Everyone else is wearing like normal adult clothes and Taylor is wearing this goaudy cheap looking cape.
>> The video of her running to Post Malone in the cape is is she looks like Batman.
It's like billowing behind her as she runs. She's literally going to the Batmobile. It's >> her audition for Wonder Woman.
>> Yeah, it was crazy.
>> It's crazy. So, Carol King presents her with artist of the decade and there's a long slow zoom in on Andrea crying. So true. That's my baby and I'm real proud.
>> And you know who's up her ass the whole night? Billy and Phineas. They're loving it. I just think that's interesting.
They're gagged by her this evening. They love the performance. They're clapping and cheering. Um, so what did she do to you ever? I'm specifically looking at Phineas, but I also am kind of looking at Billy, especially because of what Taylor goes on to say later. But in her speech, she says that this has been some of the best and worst times of her life in this past year. the industry is weird and sometimes feel like you know your stalk is up or down. people like you or you don't, but the people who hang in there for me and will never forget those are my fans. And I went, "Yes, we are Swifty. I am Swifty."
>> Swifties, >> we are carry torch.
>> No, we are. We literally do.
>> So then she gives a performance and overall >> performance overall. I have small quibbles with it. There are parts of it that I find weird, but I think it's that's very in keeping with the theme of the era. Uh, she for the first time ever is lip-syncing for almost half of this performance. Why?
>> She she knew she had to put her best foot forward. I guess that's the only thing I can imagine. I can't imagine any other reason. Like I know I have to really gag them. I It can't be I choke on my vocal tonight. I really have to give it 100%. That's the only thing I can think of. And well, you would be like, "Okay, maybe it's because it's the songs where she's doing coro. Those are the the ones that she's lip- syncing."
But she lip syncs I knew Trouble and sing Shake It Off live. I'm like, "Girls, what was the plan?"
>> Who knows? Who freaking knows? It's so random.
>> What was the plan? Uh, so it starts with her doing The Man. I wish we' gotten more of it actually because I think this is so the way it goes. She's wearing her iconic white shirt with all of her albums written on it. That was so doing this the day after Scooter Braun said, "Please spare my children their lives."
No. So funny.
It's so funny. And the way it's like a jail outfit. It's like written in the jail print to to suggest that they're locked behind bars.
>> When she turns around and it says fearless.
>> No, it's so >> No, I And I take it very seriously. I take it very seriously. I take it so seriously. And then I love >> really important.
>> She's doing the man and then she's got all the little girls around her. I was like in tears. I was like this is powerful.
brought you wrong the children of the world.
>> You did. So, it's like I don't care about if your children are getting death threats because I'm worried about the children of the world globally >> who who are being shaken by this event, >> right?
>> You might take their master recordings next. No one's safe from you.
>> Mhm.
>> No one is safe from you. So, she does a little bit of the man and then she hugs all the little girls which is really cute and then immediately goes into love story again. I am so powerful. Heart heart.
>> Mhm. My heart was high up in the air. A great song. We already knew that. And she looks great doing it.
>> Phineas and Billy are going crazy.
Remember that feeling. You two need to remember that feeling.
>> Who doesn't love love story? Is there I want to know who are the people out there who are saying love story? Ew.
I'll find you.
>> I'll get a camera on you at the bar when you think no one's watching you and it comes on.
>> Exactly.
>> I'll get you.
>> Everybody loves Love Story. And that's on period.
>> It's one of the greatest songs ever made. Then we go into a dark and twisty remix of New York Trouble, which is badly lip-s synced, too. It's like so obvious that she's doing it to not only a track, but like usually if you're going to lip-s sync, you'll record a new track. It's the track from the album, >> which is crazy.
>> Which came out like what, seven years ago at this point, >> which is crazy. It's absolutely insane.
>> And my favorite Okay, so a separate story to what's going on for Taylor this evening is what's going on for Selena Gomez. Selena Gomez has essentially blown up her music career by showing up on the red carpet, seemingly wasted, stumbling all over herself, getting on stage, and giving one of the worst vocal deliveries I've seen on live television ever. If you've never seen AJ's reaction to it, please go and watch.
Wait.
Yo, she looks gorgeous.
Selena. Selena.
SELENA.
SELENA. What is this?
>> It's hysterical. Selena. It's not funny.
Hysterical laughing. It's it's it's not funny. It's not funny.
>> It is.
>> And Taylor's in the crowd like really trying. You can see her being like, "Get up. Get up on your good foot."
>> Yeah.
>> It's crazy.
>> It zooms to a shot of her falling all over a clearly up to here. Had enough of it. Andrea Swift.
>> Who knows what was going on that night, man.
>> Who knows?
>> You're going to lose something. gonna lose lose you to love me.
>> So then she does blank space serving but also I think lip-syncing here too.
>> I couldn't tell.
>> I think so. Lizo is pretending that she doesn't know the words to blank space.
You know the words to blank space.
>> Everybody knows the words to black space cuz it's going to be forever >> or it's going to go down in flames.
>> You don't do that Lizo. Please don't do that. Then she does shake it off with Hollyy and Camila Cabo and I remember there were rumors that Selena was supposed to be up there to do it with her which would make sense because she was performing that night but um her state prevented that from happening.
Thank god she didn't get up there because I don't think she would have been able to do it. What kills me is the fact that Hoy and Cama are not introduced. They just appear.
>> They just walk on.
>> Yeah. And it's like from one second to the next, all of a sudden Hoy and Camila are there and it's like, "Okay, okay, why not?"
>> Taylor just loves a randomista guest.
She doesn't want to explain. She doesn't want it to match the moment. She just wants to have a guest and she doesn't want to even give them a lot of time.
Like they get a line and then they're backup dancers.
>> Yeah, exactly. Holly, I really like the glitter that she put in her hair. Uh, but I wasn't crazy about her outfit. But Hoy, she goes to the beat of her own drum. She goes to the beat of her own drum, but I love the glitter in her hair. I thought it was great for a lover a lover era performance, if you will.
>> Camila's just happy she got booked.
>> She's happy to be there >> for sure. Good for her.
>> She's a foot soldier. She'll come up and do her thing. Thank you, Camila.
>> Then a performance of Lover with Ballerinas. Okay, thanks. Overall, a great night for her.
>> It was a great night. I I liked the performance uh bodysuit, by the way. The gold bodysuit. I liked it.
>> Yes, I like that, too.
>> But you know what? Her hair, it's been a long time, like going through all these old videos and performances. the hair with the the blunt bang and the like very like bowl sort of shape. Not my favorite hair. It's been a while since I've seen it and like really seen it in HD. I was like I don't like it.
>> I don't like that era hair. I The color's great. I like the bang. I'm not crazy about the shaping or like the the cut of it. There's something off about it that I just think wasn't It almost didn't look like Taylor's hair, if that makes any sense. Like >> like a wig. Yeah.
>> Yeah, it does. So then she hosts Friendsgiving with the Queerey guys, Martha Hunt, and Ashley Aignon, keeper of all secrets, our queen. We stand.
>> She knows everything.
>> She knows nothing about her. We literally know nothing about her and we stand.
>> That's why we stand.
>> Cuz she knows it all and she keeps her mouth shut.
>> Then Taylor flies to London for double turkey. Thanksgiving with Joe Allen.
>> Thanksgiving with Joe Alwin.
Can you imagine of anything worse?
>> No. Doesn't thrill me. Two turkeys on the table that year.
>> I wouldn't be thankful. I wouldn't be thankful.
>> No. No. No. No.
>> Then in December, Taylor's British Vogue cover is announced. Now, the interview came out in 2020, so we'll discuss that then. But this shoot, Mama Likey.
>> Mama really really likey. This one, the picture in the socks, that's for that's for all time. That's for all time.
Absolutely. Almost near unrecognizably retouched her face. Well, yes.
>> Abs. Well, absolutely. But there's something kind of about it in this particular instance. It's like it's so >> you just never see her edited like that.
>> Yeah. Supermodel edit editorial like America's Next Top Model retouching.
>> It is.
>> That's what it looks like. And I And I cheer her. And I freaking cheer.
>> The hair is so beautiful. I'm like, why don't we try that hairstyle now?
Yeah, let's bring this one back. It's so >> It's gorgeous. It Yeah, because like again, we were just looking at her and the hair didn't really quite look like this. Unless they have like the greatest hair stylists available, which it's Vogue they might. It just looks so different and it looks so good.
>> I tell you what, Joseph Castle wasn't allowed on set.
>> They said the styling is really good for the pictures, too. Like everything about it. I love when they do her vintagey, which I think Vogue really likes to do her vintagey. I think they've done her vintagey a bunch of times. And I kind of wish I know we kind of got it on Midnight's a little bit, but I would really like to see for a possible TS13 idea. Something kind of like this kind of vintage vibe, if that makes sense.
>> It's like vintage Laurel Canyon vibe.
That's what I think is really fun about it. It's not like the typical like Hollywood starlet thing. It's kind of like desert star. And I really like the photo of her with the with the boots and the long skirt and the tunic top with the lace. So cute. And >> I think, you know, this is one of her best magazine covers. But you're right.
Actually, Vogue loves to do this to her because they also did this in the 2012 interview when she had her bangs for the first time and show her shoot with her guitar. That's a really similar styling.
>> Yeah, they love to do her vintage. I think she has that she just like really she doesn't dress that way a lot, but like her the way she looks like really lends itself to that kind of a styling.
I think >> it's not her personal style. That's for sure. It should be, but that's a conversation for a different day. The photo with the socks is everything to me. Also, her makeup is really good. I love that like nude kind of frosty lip.
>> Oh, it's gorgeous. It's very Y2K almost.
It's Gorgina. I love that kind of um it's very like uh Buffy the Vampire Slayer uh lipstick from like the early seasons. Yes. It's so like frosty >> uh bamboo pink almost kind of. It's It's very >> Can we just hire these people to do our album? Why? Why?
Why?
>> But she she always lets Vogue do something weird with her look. She doesn't usually let magazines like really mess with her, but Vogue, she's put a lot of trust into them over the years. I mean, they chopped her hair off.
>> They're always right. That's the That's the best thing about them. They're always right.
>> They're always right. So, then we get a People magazine cover, which was random.
She was on Okay, think about how much press she's still doing for an album that's been out for almost six months at this point. She is everywhere. She's So, Julia, she's still going. This is uh I mean, it's not really much to write home about. It's called The Year I Found True Joy. Okay. Um, we kind of know that's not true. The second picture where she's looking over her shoulder is so stunning. That's the most Maryland she's ever looked. I think it's gorge.
>> There's something kind of like old Hollywood about the shoot.
>> It's in the vaguely. Yeah, vaguely sepia toned the pictures are. Um, it just kind of gives that kind of old Hollywood sort of vibe. It's very Gorgina.
>> She's got a spray tan. She looks great.
She >> She looks great. Not much to report about the actual article itself other than her stressing that it's been a really hard year. And yeah, it must be really hard to promote the I'm So Happy album when Scooter Braun is bombing your house. It's hard.
>> It's really hard. They're outside.
They're descending upon your house. Like you there's nowhere safe to go.
>> It's hard to pretend like you're so happy. She was doing it. She was doing it every day.
>> Mhm. Then she goes to London and she visits Stella McCartney's studio and her bodyguard carries out like so many bags of clothes. This is my dream to just walk into a store and just go, I everything I even slightly want, it's all mine. And someone else will take my bags and put it in my car and drive me home. Okay.
>> Yeah. When's that going to happen?
When's that going to happen for us?
That's such a dream.
>> Can we have that? And you don't even have to think about what it costs. It's not relevant to you.
>> No, it's not. It doesn't even matter to you. Put it in the bag. I see it. I like it. I want it. I got it.
>> That is her life. Um, so on December 5th and 6th, she surprise announces and then releases Christmas Tree Farm. I forgot that she wrote this in the same month that it came out.
>> Well, I I believe it 100%.
>> When I hear it, I believe it 100%.
>> Makes sense to me.
>> In my heart is a Christmas tree farm where the people would come dance under lights.
Thank you.
>> Anyway, so she's doing her behaviors of I'm going to write it and I'm going to release it as soon as I'm done writing it. This was her first taste of really ever doing that. So, Christmas Tree Farm being the genesis of folklore. Let's say it.
>> And we need to open that case wider right now. Without Christmas Tree Farm, there would be no folklore. Yeah, I just said it.
>> There'd be no Tam season.
>> Oh, I'll tell you that for free. Free of charge, ladies and gentlemen. There would be no Tadam season. There would be no Evermore >> without without Christmas Tree Farm.
>> So, write it down.
>> On December 8th, she performs at the Jingle Bell Ball. This was and also this is why I believe her when she was saying that they wouldn't let her broadcast anything because she was doing a bunch of of jingle bell performances and all they would ever post was her new songs.
They would never post the recorded performances of anything. Not blank space, not shake it off, nothing. So Taylor, Truthtelling, Scott Bashetta, Scoo Wrong, Lying, We've been New >> the only good footage of this performance we have is of the lover stuff. The set list was blank space.
Blank space as an opener is kind of >> amazing. And and you know they were going nuts. Yeah, you're going nuts and then all of a sudden I promise that you and you go, "Okay, time to sit down."
>> No, she's still pushing it. Come on. I thought we decided I decided it was bad.
Come on.
>> And she does her first and only performance of London Boy with a full production. She's got the track. She's got the band. She's got the boots on >> and she she's performing London Boy in London. And I see a purity of soul, essence, and joy in her face as she's doing it.
>> It's so much fun. The London Boy haters really need to go to the left, to the left, to the left. everything you want in a box to the left.
>> No, for real. It's camp. That is camp.
London Boy to me is a definition of camp. It is so good. But the crowd isn't moving >> cuz they don't know it yet. They don't know the power yet. They don't. They'll learn.
>> They still don't.
>> They'll learn.
>> It's your city. You have nothing else other than London. Boy, come on. Let's Let's get up and and appreciate it. Then she does Lover and a pretty long acoustic set. She does We Are Never and 22 acoustic. Okay, sure. Why not? I also think that was because she knew no point doing a full production because can't be recorded anywhere.
>> Going to be removed. Yeah.
>> Then she did You Need to Calm Down Christmas Tree Farm and Shake It Off. I love this set. It's really cute.
>> Yeah. Oh, I I would have gone absolutely buck wild, insane if I was there.
Christmas tree farm live one day.
>> When she puts the hat on. So cute.
>> IT'S SO CUTE. I love the outfit, too.
This is always um whenever I change you know for you know my icon to be Christmas I always use >> I know this is >> this is my right here.
>> This has been Maline for about seven years now.
>> Mhm.
>> Um so beautiful goss is nominated for a Golden Globe >> and you know she was saying I have a chance.
>> Who's doing this? Who is doing who's behind this? Who's responsible for that?
Ch.
>> There's delusion. It's like the Green Goblin mask.
>> Mhm. Submit beautiful ghost and you will win. It's like it's not going to happen though.
>> It's not going to happen though. It's not. Taylor is named Billboard's woman of the decade and she covers the magazine. She's wearing a very nice professional suit. Again, business casual in a chiffon dress and a crisp white button-down. The shoes.
>> Yeah. And the the thing about the picture where you can see the shoes is they're prominently displayed and it's like the point is the shoes >> slowly scrolling down. You're like, "Oh my god, serve, serve, serve." And then you get to the shoes and it's like, "Ah, okay."
>> I'm going to say something a little shady right now. I think Maline came to stay with me in my apartment in New York City in 2017. And my roommate at the time was a character. And she had a collection a collection of heeed sneaker boots. So many of them. That was like her thing. And this is something that she would own. Oh, 100%. And these are the same kind of boots that she was wearing on the Japanese show when she was doing me.
>> Crazy. The heel is like eight inches.
>> I don't even know like what to call these shoes. Is there a name for them other than sneaker heel? They're >> They're lac They're laced up, but they don't look like sneakers. They look They look to me like a horrible hybrid of Timberland sneaker heels.
>> And you shouldn't be doing that.
>> No. And because the rest of it is a serve.
>> Yeah. It's a damn shame. It's a damn shame.
>> Taylor and a Chris White shirt. I won't tire of that. It should have been the one she wore for her performance though.
That >> agree. Agree. Let's let We need to bring that out of the archives.
>> Let's get it.
>> We'll make another one if you can't find it after.
>> Display on display.
>> Display each. So then she does a little interview. Not too much that she hasn't said before, but a few things I think we can discuss. So we were just talking about this the other day, Maline, in a different episode about pop girls and community and how it seems like the Gen Z pop girls kind of have each other's backs more. So Taylor said, "Country music is a real community, and in pop, I didn't see that community." Now, there is a bit of one between the girls in pop. At this point, we all have each other's numbers and text each other, but when I first started out in pop, it was very much you versus you versus you. We didn't have a network, which is weird because we can help each other through these moments when you just feel completely isolated.
>> Yeah, 100%. That's This is what she thought she was doing in the You Need to Calm Down video with the drag queens.
>> Yeah.
>> And I think she >> she said, "Me and Ariana are friends."
She >> she succeeded in the sense that I think this that was the spirit of what she was doing and you need to calm down. Um and I and I think it was a nice gesture, but I think it's like but but you you and Ariana haven't really been supporting one another. I think there but that's not >> anybody's fault other than the the demon on the hill.
>> The thing about the Gen Z girls as well is that it feels like more of a level playing field. There isn't one of them that is like so obviously the star, the seller, the biggest person. It's really hard to be the the epicenter of community when you're also the person that has the most influence and power and control. Like people are scared of you. People probably feel competitive towards you or resentful of you. So I would imagine for Taylor the only person she can really have community with is Beyonce because she's the only other person that's on her level. Everyone else is like, you know, Taylor's ex reaching down to them and a lot of them are saying don't come anywhere near me.
>> Many of them are saying that. I I definitely >> No, they really are >> with the the generation of pop girls that's like Kesha, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry. I don't think that there's like a ton of like in this day and age of community between them now. But the Gen Z girls definitely understand that like, man, we are the only ones that each other has. Nobody else is going to be on our side except for each other. And like the Stan communities are constantly trying to pit us up against one another.
So, let's just deny it and deny it and deny it and say that's not our truth.
Again, this is what Taylor thought she was doing in the Need to Calm down video. This is what she wanted. This is this is the we're the world that she wanted and it's happening for the Gen Z girls. And I'm really happy for them because I'm >> It's happening for them, but it's not happening for her, which is a shame because like I would love for her to have community, but also when you want to be the monster on the hill, >> it's a little difficult to have community with competitors when you're so clearly just outdoing. And also what's interesting about those Gen Z girls, one of their common enemies for all of them is the Swifties. Not Taylor Swift. The Swifties. The Swifties are always coming after this, that, or the other person for perceived slights against Taylor. So what do they all have in common? They all get harassed by someone else's fans.
>> And that wouldn't make me smile. It doesn't make me smile. Honestly, the Swifties need to call call off the dogs.
I know this whole episode we've been saying send the dogs after Scott and Scooter, which you still should be sending the dogs after.
>> You still do that. Yes. I I think there there comes a time where it's like nobody needs a comment from the Swifties right now. Chapel, >> leave Rodrigo alone, >> right? Leave Olivia Rodrigo alone. Leave Chapel Ron alone. Like your comment isn't needed. It's really not needed.
>> We don't care.
>> Thank you.
>> And it makes it worse for Taylor. That's what they don't realize.
>> Yep.
>> So the interviewer asks her, "You've served as an ambassador of sorts for artists, especially recently, staring down streaming services over payouts, increasing public awarenesses over the terms of record deals." Taylor says, "We have a long way to go. I think we're working off an antiquated contractual system. We're galloping towards a new industry, but not thinking about reccalibrating financial structures and compensation rates, taking care of producers and writers. We need to think about how we handle master recordings because this isn't it. When I stood up and talked about this, I saw a lot of fans saying, "Wait, the creators of the work don't own their work." I spent 10 years of my life rigorously trying to purchase my masters outright and was then denied the opportunity. And I don't want that to happen to another artist if I can help it. I want to at least raise my hand and say there is something that an artist should be able to earn back over the course of their deal, not as a renegotiation ploy and something the artist should maybe have the first right of refusal to buy. God, I would have paid so much for them anything to own my work that was an actual sale option, but it wasn't given to me. And when people complain about her being like selfish and whatever, it's like Olivia Rodrigo wouldn't have thought to negotiate to own her masters if Taylor didn't give this interview, if she didn't bang the drum about this and talk about this and make it all about herself, plenty of artists would not even be aware that this is something they can argue for.
No, exactly. I think the re-recordings project and her refusal to capitulate to these two Jack really did so much for so many people, not even just women in the industry, but like people artists in the industry. It's like I think that going forward things are just going to be different. I hope. And that there's going to be less and less artists who wind up under the exact same situation that Taylor had. I hope. And I think Taylor, we're still just beginning to see the effects of what the re-recordings project um meant to people and what it means for the industry. And I I I have to clap and I have to cheer.
>> My hand hearts up. It's always up to that subject.
>> So then she's asked, "How long will the re-recording process take?" And she says, "I don't know, but it's going to be fun because it'll feel like regaining a freedom and taking back what's mine.
When I created these songs, I didn't know what they would grow up to be.
going back in and knowing that it meant something to people is a really beautiful way to celebrate what the fans have done for my music. And that is the spirit that I feel in all of the re-records. Even if they're messy, even if they're sloppy, they are gifts.
>> They are gifts. Exactly. Thank you so much for the tragic Taylor's version >> specifically.
>> Thank you for Hey, Steven Taylor's version.
>> So then she goes to the 2019 Billboard Women in Music event. The mood for lover again, as we keep saying, is business casual. I like this outfit. She's wearing like a pants suit sort of thing with a gold with gold chains on it and a slinky stiletto.
>> I just don't like that braid of hers. I always want it to have more hair. It just feels too limp.
>> I don't I don't It's not an evermore braid. I'll tell you that for free. It is not ever >> It is no Evermore braid. So yeah, I agree. I'm not really crazy about the braid either.
>> Jamila Jamil gives her the award.
>> You know, the other day in the comments somebody was like, "Wait, why do we hate Jamila J?" And I like was like, >> "We don't hate her. She's a L.
>> I don't I don't remember all of the things. There was just stuff many I don't even >> Yeah, it's so funny.
>> Um but she it's it's just it's kind of a meme. So then let's discuss part of her speech. I won't read the whole thing, but there is part of it that I think made the whole room kind of go quiet, which is when she starts directly addressing Scooter Braun. So she says, "There's been a shift in the industry that has affected me personally and that I feel is a potentially harmful force in our industry. As your resident loud person, I feel the need to bring it up.
This is the unregulated world of private equity coming in and buying up our music as if it is real estate, as if it's an app or a shoeline. This just happened to me without my approval, consultation, or consent. After I was denied the chance to purchase my music outright, my entire catalog was sold to Scooter Bronze Ithaca Holdings in a deal I'm told was funded by the Soros family, 23 Capital, and the Carell Group. To this day, none of the investors have bothered to contact me or my team directly to perform their due diligence on their investment on their investment in me to ask how I might feel about the new owner of my art, the music I wrote, videos I created, photos of me, my handwriting, my album designs. And of course, Scooter never contacted me or my team to discuss it prior to the sale, even when it was announced. I'm fairly certain he knew how I would feel about it, though. And let me just say that the de definition of toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying, "But he's always been nice to me when I'm raising valid concerns about artists and their right to own their music." Of course he's nice to you. If you're in this room, you have something he needs. The fact is that private equity is what enabled this man to think, according to his own social media post, that he could buy me, but I'm obviously not going willingly.
>> This is actually >> I cheered. Oh my god, I raised the roof.
>> Kind of insane that she was just at an award show being like, "And I'm not done." She got him over and over again by name.
>> You could have heard a pin drop in the room, but also she raises a really good point that I think gets lost because people focus on the personal element of it. private equity coming in and buying up people's cataloges is actually insane and it really dehumanizes a lot of this work. And I guess when you're Katy Perry and someone's trying to buy your catalog, there's not a lot of you in there. It's not there's not a lot of Katy Perry's personal thoughts that are going into someone's thing. But also these allegedly like really smart, intelligent finance people who, you know, deal with all these investments, they don't understand. They shouldn't own like art or music because they don't understand how it's made or what it's worth because it's worth more than just money. and they didn't think to approach her and ask her, "How would you like us to handle this?" And that is that just from a business perspective is stupid because Taylor with her publishing rights has the ability to veto every decision they could make that would actually make this investment worth their while. So it was like the arrogance of men in so many different ways.
>> Yeah, it's crazy. And it happens again and again worldwide, ladies and gentlemen. But you already knew that.
But you already knew.
>> If you're in this room, you need you have something he needs. Ah, >> it's scary. You know, she was saying, "I don't understand why you guys aren't getting him the way that I am." That's kind of how I read it.
>> And they weren't cheering. People were kind of like enough. It just it did kind of get swept into Taylor Swift's drama again when this was so unfair because that's not what this is.
>> No. And I also feel like it kind of reads to me as like she doesn't say it directly, but there's a little bit in here that's almost like I'm asking you for help. like why why is nobody in this room backing me up when I've done so much that I she feels like she's done so much, you know, to like back everybody else in the room up. She's doing it right now as a matter of fact. And she's like, well, >> she's like, "Am I the only one that cares?"
>> Yeah. She That's literally if I mean there's a there's an evil guy doing evil day in and day out. Nobody cares. Okay, got it.
>> It could happen to you and you don't care. Okay, that's interesting. Then she her speech concludes basically with being like I'm doing this because 10 years ago when I accepted the woman of the year award for the same event. I said we need to protect artist rights.
This is when she was going on her streaming battle that she lost. We need to protect artist rights so that you know the next Taylor Swift or the next big artist in 10 years will have blah blah blah. And she pointedly goes and we need to look out for the next that woman is now here. She's grown up and her name is Billy Isish. What has Taylor ever done to you to incur the constant Taylor shade? I'm asking.
>> I don't remember a lot of Taylor Shade recently.
>> It's been I mean it's been going on.
It's not all the time, but it's persistent. And she loves Justin Bieber.
>> Well, yeah, but but that's been known.
But that's been since the dawn of Billy Isish. She's been loving Justin Bieber.
That That's >> Phineas also though. I mean, Phineas was liking stuff that called the life of a show girl spiritually Israeli.
>> Phineas is a different case. I don't know what's the matter with him. I think it's called I'm a man.
>> I think it's called I'm a man, but I don't know. I don't know. I have no idea. Nobody knows.
>> Maybe something happened that we don't know about.
>> Maybe they're just tired of the monster in the hill behaviors. Who knows?
>> If I were the Whisper Twins, I would just remember certain things that happened in the past.
>> They should. Taylor's really never the same situation over and over again, but again, we don't really >> It's the situation. You're taking a swing at me, but what did I do to you?
>> We don't know.
>> We don't know. So then she performs at the Jingle Bell yet again on her birthday. It's her 30th this time. This outfit is the most maline coded thing Taylor Swift has ever worn.
>> It is. It's the chokers. It It's the dress. I don't know what it is. It looks like something I would wear, period.
Maybe I should wear it. I was like, "Did you wear that for for tour?" Did you for bleach? Did you >> I think we need to whip this one out.
But it's like, what? Where would I wear like what would the event be? I guess if I was doing a Christmas, but it would be so niche and specific, >> but that's would get it >> period. So she she performs again blank space, me lover, welcome to New York.
You need to calm down. Christmas tree farm and shake it off. Then she has she is like she's working her off and socializing 24/7. Like her energy levels, her social battery continues to astound me. She has at her birthday party Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, The Queerey Guys, Jack Antinoff, 5 Seconds of Summer apparently, although I couldn't find pictures of them. Hollyy, Camila Cabo, Cassie David, Ashley, our queen, Abigail, Queen, Fletcher, and of course, she had a tinsel wall and a cat birthday cake with all her cats on it. What else would you do? I'm interested in that. I I want to be invited to one of these parties, please.
>> The best one The best one is when Beyonce and Jay-Z went. That was crazy.
>> That was her 25th. That would have been >> everything to be a fly on the wall. No, really, to be a fly on the wall. So on the 15th, Taylor is announced as the Glastonbury headliner. You are bigger than the whole sky. I wish this happened so bad. And I love the little like fake news printout they made. ta Sunday night tailor made for Glastonbury and it was the 50th anniversary of the festival. It would have been so but would it but would it?
>> That's the thing. We don't know. It probably would have been a mini Loverfest preview. So, >> I mean, maybe we dodged a freaking bullet. Maybe we dodged a freaking >> Could have gone one way or another.
Could have gone one way or another.
>> So, on December 16th, Taylor attends the Cat's premiere.
>> I like the dress. It's a silver dress extravaganza from Dearenta.
>> Great gowns, beautiful gowns. It's gorgeous. The hair, makeup, gorgeous.
Perfect red lip.
>> Um, it's gorgeous.
>> The Instagram she posted is gorgeous of her looking over her shoulder.
>> Gorgeous.
>> We we loved that. Um, the reviews of Cats were immediately atrocious, but the saving grace Taylor was by and large marked safe from further humiliation due to how small her role is. And in fact, most people said if there was anything that was kind of okay, it was Taylor.
This is the best result that she could have ever had.
>> You know what? I think that there is a future for Taylor in another sort of like movie musical. I actually really like movie musicals. I've never seen Cats because that's where I draw the line. But it's like imagine Taylor in a bit part in like a Mama Mia style movie.
That's what if like if you're going to be in a movie that could be really cute and fun and >> Penny Hairspray, she could do that. Just something so cute like that would be really fun. So, um, never say never. I'd like to see her in Chicago, but I know she wants to be Roxy Hart and you will never be. So, write that down.
>> And you will.
>> I'm sorry. She needs a bit part. So, that's all I'm trying to say. And I think she would do really well in um in that kind of a setting.
>> So, the movie comes out and we pretend it's not happening. She's then featured in a 20-minute interview with Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson, and the randomista who sang Beautiful Ghosts in the movie.
I I didn't need to hear what she had to say. It was more cat school nonsense.
But she's serving randomly in this Versace black dress and a yellow heel.
Oh, business [ __ ] >> She said, "If I can't do anything, I can show up in a in a in a beautiful outfit." Thank you. Thank you.
>> And a pop of color. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
>> Then the Cats cast performs Memory with Jill Jimmy Fallon and the Roots. And unfortunately, Taylor is there.
>> It's none of our business. That's really none of our business. Everything Cats, if you were like, "What? What's an era of Taylor that you you know the least about? Everything promotional she did for cats I would say is a fever dream and that didn't happen. I don't know anything about it.
>> Unfortunately, I was kind of locked in shot and Freud and I loved it. So, she flies back to the UK to spend Christmas with the turkey and a pre-taped James Cordon segment of Cat School. Now, this I couldn't bring myself to watch, is posted on YouTube. I can't comment on that. She's in a fursuit. Eh, no comment.
>> I'm not doing this.
>> It's no comment.
No.
>> Is this for The Secret Life of Pets, too?
>> Yeah. Get her again. Is this Secret Life of Pets? Come on.
>> Terrible. Then Joe is asked in an interview how he feels when Taylor writes songs about him and their relationships. Does he find it uncomfortable? He said, "No, not at all.
It's flattering." Joe feels that 99.9% of what the press write about them is false. For example, he says Taylor doesn't really have a private jet that she uses to fly him whenever she wants.
That being the one rumor that you want to clear up is so funny to me. Why that?
>> Were people really saying that?
>> Was it emasculating to you that you didn't have your own jet to fly around on? Cuz we know you didn't. It's so strange like the rumors that celebrities do pick up about themselves I sometimes find really random because like I don't really think anybody was caring about the private jet in this era. I hate to tell you. Um it definitely existed and we saw it even on Miss Americana. So it's interesting to lie about this but whatever.
Then the New York Times releases the diary of a song with Lover. Love to see this. We rarely get a glimpse. I like having a narrative glimpse of being like this is how the song was created.
Someone's asking her questions. It's not just a randomista clip of her in the studio. It's like from start to finish, how did this happen?
>> I I always like to hear like the interviewer asked like, "Okay, what was the first thing that came to you about this song?" I love to know that. And she said it was, "Can I go where you go?"
And I was like, "Yeah, >> yeah, >> yeah.
>> It's powerful."
>> This was the beginning, now that I think about it, of her campaign for song of the year.
>> Yeah. And you know what? Maybe if she had campaigned a little bit harder for All Too L and actually done some promo and showed us a behind this curtain look, she would have won it. How about that?
>> And yet, >> how about them apples? But we'll probably get all the behind the curtains looks at the fate of Oilia. I don't need to know how that song came about.
>> I know. No, I actually >> No, I understand 100% how that song came to be existing.
>> My man, my man, my man disease. That's it. That's all we need to know.
She ends the year in the Maldes with someone who certainly doesn't deserve a vacation as much as she does.
>> No. And I'm saying it. He doesn't deserve to go there. A beautiful vacation.
>> What did you do all year?
>> I watch. Yeah. What did you do to deserve the vacation, sir?
>> Joe Alwin's big 2019. Doing what?
>> Joe Allen is Joe Allwin is the next it boy. This is the year of Joe Allwin. And it was the year of Joe Alwin and his come up for six years.
>> And he's still coming up. Anyway, >> that finally we are Evolution of a Snake is officially out of the lover era, which we've been in since we started our podcast.
>> We've been This is crazy. Actually, we've been doing 2019 since 2024, 2023.
>> Mhm.
>> We should actually be stoned in the street for that. That's crazy.
>> And also, you should be clapping and cheering and putting flowers in the chat because >> Can I get some flowers, please? Flowers in the chat.
>> Flowers in the chat, please. So, you'll get 2020 in um 2029. So, we'll see you.
>> Yep. See you then.
>> No, it's going to be it's going to be easier now until we get to 2023 and then it's this again.
>> Yep.
>> Well, >> well, it's over. Thank you so much. It's lover.
>> It's over. It's over.
>> It's lover. Well, it's lover. Don't forget to go to evolutionofnake.com to get tickets to see us on tour.
>> Goodbye. Thank you.
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