December 6, 2023

Title: QUICKSTARTS

Constructors: Manaal Mohammed & Brooke Husic

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

FLEETWOOD MAC (20A: Band with the 1977 album "Rumors")

SWIFT-QUAKE (34A: Ground-shaking phenomenon caused by an Eras Tour crowd)

BRISK ICED TEA (53A: Drink brand with lemon and peach varieties)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer STARTS with a synonym of QUICK: FLEET, SWIFT, BRISK.

Things I learned:

• WES (44A: "Asteroid City" director Anderson) Asteroid City is a 2023 movie directed by WES Anderson. The movie is set in a retro-futuristic version of 1955, and depicts the events of a Junior Stargazer convention which is "spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events."
• ANGELA (6D: "Way Up" host Yee) Way Up with ANGELA Lee is a syndicated radio show. On the show, ANGELA Yee interacts with listeners on a variety of topics, and also interviews celebrity guests. ANGELA Yee previously co-hosted the syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club, with DJ Envy and Charlamagne tha God. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• REN (19A: Star Wars villain Kylo ___) The Star Wars antagonist Kylo REN was played by Adam Driver in The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020), and The Rise of Skywalker. Kylo REN is the chosen name of Ben Solo, the son of Princess Leia Organa Skywalker, and Han Solo. Kylo REN was originally trained as a Jedi by Luke Skywalker (his uncle), but is persuaded to join the dark side (as his grandfather did).
• FLEETWOOD MAC (20A: Band with the 1977 album "Rumors") Rumors is the name of FLEETWOOD MAC's 1977 album. It was the band's 11th studio album, and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
• SOJU (23A: Korean alcohol) SOJU is a distilled alcoholic beverage that originated in Korea. The clear, colorless beverage is usually consumed neat (without mixers). Traditionally, SOJU was made from rice. I learned about SOJU when it appeared in a clue in the January 27, 2022 puzzle.
• HAIRY (27A: Like a cat owner's clothes, often) Isn't this the truth?! Cat (and dog) owners

  

  Willow and me

  keep the lint roller industry in business. This time of year, Willow likes to be wrapped up in my scarf while I'm working at the computer, leaving behind a massive amount of cat hair on my clothes.
• ADA (28A: Poet laureate Limon) ADA Limón is the current U.S. Poet Laureate. I have written about ADA Limón before. 
• BARTY (30A: Tennis champion Ash) The last time I wrote about Ashleigh BARTY, also known as Ash, was the day after she announced her retirement from tennis. During her tennis career, Ash BARTY spent 121 weeks ranked as the number one player. Ash BARTY is Australian, and since 2018 has served as the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador for Tennis Australia. 
• SWIFT-QUAKE (34A: Ground-shaking phenomenon caused by an Eras Tour crowd) When I read about the SWIFT-QUAKE that happened earlier this year, I knew that I would eventually see the term in a crossword puzzle. Today is the day! In July of this year, the fans at a Taylor Swift "Eras" tour concert at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington caused seismic activity equivalent to an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.3.
• TONI (45A: "Song of Solomon" author Morrison) Song of Solomon is TONI Morrison's third novel, published in 1977. The book, which follows the life of a Black man living in Michigan, won the National Book Critics Circle Award. 
• ART POP (46A: Kate Bush genre) ART POP is a style of POP music that is influenced by other ART mediums, such as fashion, fine ART, cinema, and literature. Singer and songwriter Kate Bush has been described as the "queen of ART POP."
• MEDS (67A: Zoloft, Lexapro, etc., informally) Zoloft and Lexapro are antidepressant MEDS. Both of these drugs are in the class of MEDS known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). When I first read this clue, I put on my pharmacology hat and made it much more complicated than it is, wanting to fill in SSRI here. I did laugh at myself, realizing most people wouldn't know this, and of course the correct answer is MEDS.
• ALL (2D: "___ I Want for Christmas Is You") "ALL I Want for Christmas Is You" is Mariah Carey's well-known Christmas song, which was originally released in 1994. This clue/answer pair reminded me of the December 25, 2021 puzzle. 
• MOLTEN (7D: Like a chocolate lava cake's center) Suddenly I'm craving chocolate lava cake...
• MOHAWK (18D: Easternmost of the Six Nations) The MOHAWK people are part of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Six Nations, or the Iroquois. Traditionally, the MOHAWK are the easternmost of the Six Nations. Their original homeland is the northeastern part of New York State, extending into Vermont and southern Canada. 
• DARKEST (22D: ___ timeline (worst possible trajectory)) The DARKEST timeline is a reference to a theory that there are multiple universes outside of our own. I wrote about this on May 11, 2021 when we saw DARKEST TIMELINE as a theme answer.
• ODE (24D: Beethoven's "___ to Joy") "Ode to Joy" is part of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which was completed in 1824. 
• BAA (30D: Ewe said it) This clue made me smile!
• WOBBLE (44D: Line dance named for an unsteady movement) The WOBBLE is a line dance done to the V.I.C. song "WOBBLE." Here's a tutorial if you want to learn how to dance the WOBBLE.
• MAR (Pi Day month, for short) Pi Day, which I have previously written about, is celebrated on MAR. 14 (3-14).

Did you appropriately get off to a QUICKSTART on today's puzzle? I enjoyed uncovering the QUICK synonyms in this puzzle, especially SWIFT-QUAKE. Congratulations to Manaal Mohammed for this USA Today debut! Thank you, Manaal and Brooke, for this puzzle that was a wonderful way to start my Wednesday.