We're on a Plane - Snap Classic

Summary

Snap Judgment Episode Summary: "We're on a Plane - Snap Classic"

Episode Information:

• Title: We're on a Plane - Snap Classic
• Host: Glenn Washington
• Release Date: August 14, 2025
• Description: Snap Judgment blends real-life stories with dynamic beats to create immersive radio experiences. This episode invites listeners into the high-flying world of a pop superstar's whirlwind tour and delves into the intense experiences of those caught in the spotlight.

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1. Introduction to the 777 Tour

Glenn Washington sets the stage by recounting his experience speaking at a major music festival in San Francisco alongside the Ear Hustle crew. He transitions into the main narrative, introducing the concept of gaining exclusive access to Rihanna's ambitious seven-day, seven-country (777) world tour. The tour involves Rihanna transporting 150 fans and 150 journalists on a private Boeing 777 jet, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the life of a global superstar.

Notable Quote:

"What would you do with the chance of a lifetime if you got a golden ticket to spend a week with someone whom you admire, whom you idolize?"
— Glenn Washington [05:10]

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2. Boarding the Plane: Anticipation and Excitement

Upon boarding, the atmosphere is electric. Rihanna makes a grand entrance, exuding charisma and excitement. She engages the crowd with enthusiasm, distributing champagne and creating an immediate party vibe onboard.

Notable Quote:

"Everybody on this plane right now is the party. We all got our own diamond."
— Rihanna [06:30]

Journalist Suyoung Kim Abrams, a dedicated Rihanna fan working for Complex magazine, shares her initial excitement and the surreal experience of being part of such an exclusive event. The plane is meticulously divided into sections: the back for fans, the middle for journalists, and the front reserved for Rihanna and her entourage.

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3. The Reality of Tour Life: Exhaustion and Frustration

As the days progress, the initial excitement gives way to the harsh realities of a nonstop tour. Sleep deprivation, repetitive performances, and limited downtime take a toll on both Rihanna and the press. The journalists, burdened with the responsibility of covering every detail, become increasingly frustrated and stressed.

Notable Quote:

"I've completely lost all sense of time and living in a fugue state beyond jet lag."
— Rihanna [13:58]

Reports of poor conditions, such as inadequate meals and cramped sleeping arrangements, surface. The journalists' morale plummets, leading to a restless and tense environment aboard the plane.

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4. Escalation of Tensions: The Paris Nightclub Incident

In an attempt to appease the uneasy press, Def Jam executives arrange a VIP party at a swanky Paris nightclub. However, the event quickly deteriorates when Rihanna arrives late with a high-profile entourage, only to become elusive behind velvet ropes and heightened security. The journalists are left feeling snubbed and ignored, exacerbating their frustration.

Notable Quote:

"I really thought I was gonna come back from the tour and be fired."
— Suyoung Kim Abrams [16:12]

The failed attempts to engage with Rihanna lead to mounting tension, culminating in the plane being stuck on the tarmac due to missed departure times. Def Jam incurs substantial fines, and the journalists' desperation for exclusive stories grows.

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5. Chaos Aboard the Plane: A Streaker Breaks the Tension

The prolonged wait and unfulfilled expectations push the journalists to the brink. In a dramatic turn of events, an Australian journalist named Tim Dormer streaks down the aisle, bringing a moment of unexpected levity. His antics provide a brief respite from the escalating chaos, momentarily uniting the passengers in laughter and easing the pent-up tension.

Notable Quote:

"Definitely broke the tension. And we started laughing hysterically."
— Rihanna [29:26]

While Tim's actions generate viral content, the underlying issues of exhaustion and unmet expectations remain unresolved, highlighting the unsustainable nature of such intensive tours.

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6. Landing and Aftermath: Mixed Emotions and Reflections

Upon finally landing in New York, Rihanna addresses the press, expressing regret over the tour's difficulties and the inability to connect more meaningfully with the journalists and fans. The experience leaves a lasting impact on everyone involved, particularly Suyoung Kim Abrams, who grapples with complex emotions ranging from admiration to frustration.

Notable Quote:

"I was really sorry that I wasn't able to party with you guys."
— Rihanna [31:16]

In the aftermath, Suyoung reflects on the paradox of her growing obsession with Rihanna despite the tour's challenges. The episode concludes with insights into Rihanna's continued rise in the music and fashion industries, emphasizing her pervasive influence and the complex dynamics between celebrities and the media.

Notable Quote:

"It's like I admire her as my captor for what she did to me."
— Suyoung Kim Abrams [33:33]

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7. Additional Story: Ray Christian's Military Experience

Interspersed within the main narrative is a poignant story narrated by Ray Christian, a retired sergeant who recounts his experiences as a young paratrooper. This tale delves into themes of camaraderie, mental resilience, and the psychological strains of military life. While distinct from the main Rihanna story, it complements the episode's exploration of intense, high-pressure environments.

Notable Quote:

"Sergeant Ronnie, you are the personification of an American paratrooper. Keep up the good work."
— Battalion Commander [52:08]

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8. Conclusion: Reflections on High-Stakes Environments

Glenn Washington wraps up the episode by highlighting the intense pressures faced by individuals in both the celebrity and military spheres. The juxtaposition of Rihanna's high-flying tour with Ray Christian's military service underscores the shared challenges of maintaining composure and humanity in demanding situations. Listeners are left to ponder the costs of such relentless pursuits and the resilience required to navigate them.

Final Thoughts:

"It just made me embarrassed for the human condition... the human condition of stanning."
— Suyoung Kim Abrams [33:33]

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Key Takeaways:

• The 777 Tour serves as a microcosm of fame's isolating and exhausting demands, illustrating how public adulation can mask internal turmoil.
• Journalists and Fans aboard the plane experience firsthand the unsustainable nature of nonstop celebrity life, leading to heightened stress and fractured relationships.
• Unexpected Moments like Tim Dormer's streaking provide brief escapes from tension but cannot resolve underlying issues.
• Ray Christian's Story adds depth to the episode, drawing parallels between different high-stress professions and the universal need for support and resilience.

Overall, "We're on a Plane - Snap Classic" offers a compelling exploration of the hidden struggles behind glamorous facades, urging listeners to consider the human costs of relentless ambition and public scrutiny.

Transcript

[Glenn Washington]

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[Rihanna]

Many ways to save for back to school at Whole Foods Market. Find yellow low price signs on no antibiotics ever sliced deli meats and organic lunchbox favorites from their 365 brand. We're talking granola bars, bagged apples, and even condiments. Save on dinner with 365 brand wild.

[Glenn Washington]

Caught fish sticks and organic salad kits.

[Rihanna]

Want low prices and the best quality for back to school? Look for $3.65 by Whole Foods.

[Glenn Washington]

Okay, so a little while ago in San Francisco, I get to speak at the huge music festival outside Lands with the Ear Hustle crew. We talk about storytelling on stage. A bunch of amazing listeners come out and it's all good. It's awesome, actually. But then our part's over and it's still fairly early in the day. So we wander. And security is tight. Tight, tight, tight, tight. You're not allowed here or there over there. But we realize we've got the holy grail. We're wearing artists past wristbands. So tentatively, I wander up to the big looking bouncer guy in front of the velvet rope area. Can I help you? So I hold out my arm for his scanning machine, half expecting a beatdown. And his light turns green. This giant, he steps aside, waves us through backstage area access where they've got the good stuff. The brews on tap, the chef prepared meal for champagne on ice, baby. Then I see some smartly dressed people on a platform. The cool kids. They're over there. I try to join them, but another security guard stops me. I hold up my arm again to his machine. The light goes green. He steps aside. I stroll over to the special platform, like I'm supposed to be there. How you doing? And I start thinking they've Got the big names coming out on stage. Lil Wayne, Anderson, Fox. Paul Simon. Paul Simon is in one of these trailers. And I'm thinking, if Paul gets to know me, we'd be great friends, he and I, maybe we could jam together. Late night. Paul and me. Me and Paul. So I head off to the trailer area. Two big bounces this time. No worries. I show them my All Access artist pass. They take out the machine. The light turns red and so do their eyes. And as I'm backing up, I wonder, what if it worked? What if I had the special access, the golden ticket, the backstage pass? What if? What if? Well, today on Snap Judgment, we're not gonna just get you inside the trailer. We're not just gonna ride inside the limousine. No friends. Get ready. Cause today we're on a plane. We're on a plane. Throw your hands up. We're on a plane. The way the 1% of the 1% travels. Get ready. Cause we are four, five seconds from Wylan. My name is Glenn Washington. My diamonds have diamonds. When you're listening to Snap Judgment now then, what would you do with the chance of a lifetime if you got a golden ticket to spend a week with someone whom you admire, whom you idolize, Someone with beauty and wealth and mystique and power on their private airplane, what would you do? Now, this story is about a rock star. So listen to. Discretion is advised.

[Rihanna]

Snap judgment the way we all know that Rihanna's on the plane. Cause at this point, it's like we're tittering. We're like in our assigned seat and she gets on the PA and it's just Rihanna. Ladies and gentlemen, there is an emergency call. 7 fucking 77. All right, guys, who's ready to hit it? All of a sudden, Rihanna appears and she's like, who's ready to.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Yay.

[Rihanna]

Everyone is up out of their seats screaming her name. She's giving shots and glasses of champagne to everyone. Cheers.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

When she got to my seat, she just like poured generally in my area, not in a cup. Just like all over my seats. All over me.

[Rihanna]

It was just insane.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Monday, November 12, 2012. We're on a plane on a Runway at LAX. Rihanna. And yeah, that is how you say her name.

[Rihanna]

Hi, Vogue, It's Rihanna. Welcome to Paris.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Is about to take off on a seven day world tour.

[Rihanna]

Get your eyes in the seat, buckle up your seatbelt.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

And she's bringing along 150 fans and 150 journalists.

[Rihanna]

Everybody on this plane right now is the party. We all got our own diamond. It was the Teeniest, tiniest little chip of a diamond.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

That's true. They all got little diamonds. And I remember distinctly Rihanna saying, now you can never say that no one's ever given you a diamond. First stop, Mexico City.

[Rihanna]

People were, like, crying and, like, freaking out that she was there.

[Glenn Washington]

Took a stand under my umbrella.

[Rihanna]

Ella, ela. Eh, eh.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

There's neon lights and confetti cannons, and the journalists write down her every move.

[Rihanna]

The baddest bitch has hit the stage.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Rihanna whines and wiggles. She pats her thighs as if slapping cheese on them.

[Rihanna]

The thing that I remember the most was when she did the song Stay. It was sort of just her stripped down, and her voice was incredible. Not really sure how to feel about it. If you were like a child in bed and someone was just like, I'm gonna grant you a wish, and you're like, I want to hang out with Rihanna. This is, like, definitely top three things you would envision, like, you being whisked away on her world tour with her. It just felt like such a safe space and trust circle. And then. And then it kind of pulled down the curtain a little bit and showed us that everything is a lie.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Julianne Escobedo shepherd covered the tour for Spin.

[Rihanna]

I'll never have an experience like that again. Definitely no other musician will ever do that again. I had no idea what I was in for.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Suyoung Kim Abrams worked at Complex magazine, where it was a known fact that she was the biggest Rihanna fan. So when Sue Young found out her editor was prepping a cover story about Rihanna, she wanted to be the one to write it, but she was nervous. She'd never written a cover story before.

[Rihanna]

I just had so much imposter syndrome, and I was a young girl working for a men's magazine, and I said, what will I say for him to trust me to give me the biggest story probably of the year? So I walk into his room and I said, hey, you know, if you don't give me this Rihanna cover story, I might blow up the building.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Her editor was convinced, and a few weeks later, she was on the tour.

[Rihanna]

I didn't think I would get it, and I think that's why I asked, because if I knew I would get it, I would have never asked because I would have been terrified to write this piece.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

What was your hope going into this?

[Rihanna]

It's embarrassing, but my hope was to be best friends with Rihanna.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

But she also had to deliver an article, A big one, a cover story.

[Rihanna]

It was like, oh, man, if I don't do a Good job. I'm screwed. A seven show tour in seven countries in seven days.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

It was called the 777 Tour.

[Rihanna]

Rihanna's first stop is Mexico City, followed by Toronto, Stockholm, Paris, Berlin, London, and ending up In New York.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

14,000 miles in the sky on a Boeing 7.

[Rihanna]

777. 777 plane.

[Glenn Washington]

Yeah. Party jet. Rolling on dubs.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

All to promote Unapologetic, Rihanna's seventh album in seven years.

[Rihanna]

I'm trying to picture this airplane situation. Will you be like, hey, I'm gonna go grab an orange juice and the fans will see you walk by? Or is this how does this work? Definitely. We're all in the same plane together.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

The plane is divided into three sections. At the back, the fans and that was like where you went to die. Jeff Rosenthal, Rolling Stone. That was like where like the madness was. It's 150 Rihanna fans. Like, they're singing Rihanna songs constantly. In the middle, the journalists.

[Rihanna]

I was really, really nervous and I was super excited. And I obviously went shopping because I didn't want to look like a scrub.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

There are magazine writers, TV show hosts, photographers, videographers, vloggers. And unlike the fans who are just here to party, they have a job to do.

[Rihanna]

Music journalists don't ever get this type of access. You know, I think a lot of people look at our jobs and think that it's all like, almost famous. Like, we can go on the bus with Stones or whatever. That just doesn't happen. You know, you would be lucky to get an hour with someone like this. Are you like sweats and slippers and like cream on your face and just, hey, definitely. They'll see me in every realm.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Rihanna is at the front behind a curtain in first class with Def Jam executives. Her band, her entourage, they all have their own private sleep pods and wifi. And Rihanna has brought along her personal masseuse.

[Rihanna]

It's not even. It's not even going to be glamorous.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Like, trust me, I probably everybody's here for one thing. They want access to Rihanna. But after that walkthrough on day one, she pretty much stays behind the curtain, which is surprising for Su Yung.

[Rihanna]

We thought we were going to have a chance to ask her questions. Kind of like how after a basketball game, there's a press conference.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Why are we doing this tour? How are you going to do it? What is your rest regimen? When did you rehearse this? Esteban Serrano worked for Fuse tv.

[Glenn Washington]

I am super excited to see.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

What's this? How did the band come Together. How are you putting together your set list? What are you doing in these countries when you're not on stage? We want to know all of these things. You have experienced a crew change.

[Rihanna]

We will be with you for the.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Duration of your tour.

[Rihanna]

It's our pleasure.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

But as the plane leaves Mexico City, they still haven't had a chance to ask these questions. And the harsh reality of tour begins to set in.

[Rihanna]

I didn't realize we'd be sleeping on the plane.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Mary HK Choi MTV style blog we.

[Rihanna]

Were all super sleep deprived. We just wanted to be supine on any surface.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

The label did provide hotels, but not at every stop and never for very long.

[Rihanna]

I think over seven days, I probably slept for like 10 hours total.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Maude also MTV style blog.

[Rihanna]

I doubt I slept in more than three hour bursts. @ any point. We're sitting sleeping with this, like, fear that if we fall asleep right after the actual show, the that we were gonna miss the food. We were kind of subsisting on sad airplane sandwiches, honestly. Like, you know that really famous tweet of the sandwich at Fyre Fest, like kind of similar situation.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

I don't have much weight to lose. I'm very tall and very skinny. I lost two belt loops.

[Rihanna]

The only thing that we could have overflowing amounts of was alcohol. Some of us actually remedied these feelings of like, disorientation by just staying super drunk. I couldn't really drink like that because I was going to die.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Julianne is sick with what will later turn into pneumonia.

[Rihanna]

I puked so much and it was generally because I was coughing too much.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

The journalists get herded from plane to bus to venue. They barely see daylight. And as the tour progresses, their tweets become increasingly unhinged.

[Rihanna]

I've completely lost all sense of time and living in a fugue state beyond jet lag.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Please God, make this end.

[Rihanna]

I'm gonna mace someone in the eyes with my face cleanser for a carrot spear. Hashtag prediction. Save us Rhiannaplane.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

By the time they make it through Toronto and Stockholm, Twitter was beautiful and land in Paris. Next stop, Paris, France. The hashtag rhiannaplane is trending on Twitter. Paris was the tipping point.

[Rihanna]

Even if you want to go to sleep, you can't go to sleep. You have to stay up. You have to see what is going to happen because nothing is happening and we have to get something.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Def Jam. The record label knew the press were antsy. So after Rihanna performed the exact same show for the fourth time in a row in Paris.

[Rihanna]

Paris, what's Up. We didn't know that every show was gonna be exactly the same and that the only difference would be her outfits and the city that she mentioned when she shouted out the T Mobile sponsorship.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

They decide to throw the press a bone by inviting them to party with Rihanna at a swanky Paris nightclub.

[Rihanna]

It's gonna be totally vip. You're gonna have all this access. She's gonna be there.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

The journalists get there at midnight, and Rihanna doesn't show up until 3am but when she does, she arrives with an entourage of celebrities.

[Rihanna]

Puff Daddy, Cassie, Omarion. Everyone kind of rushed. Rhianna and Diddy and Omarion and Cassie, like, something's gonna happen. We have this moment of access now. Maybe this is when we all get to hang out. And then suddenly, these velvet ropes appeared. They started putting velvet ropes between the VIP and the rest of us.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Sue Young can't see Rihanna behind the velvet rope and the wall of security guys. She can't take notes. She can't do any reporting. None of them can.

[Rihanna]

How is she drinking from her cup? You know, like, is she smoking a blunt inside? Just anything we could write about to paint a picture of her on this tour. We couldn't even get that this is.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Bad news for her cover story.

[Rihanna]

I really thought I was gonna come back from the tour and be fired.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Her editor is sending her frustrated email.

[Rihanna]

I felt that I was letting people down. They gave me this huge opportunity to go on this tour, and I wasn't giving them anything. But I also knew that I had no other options.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Sue Young had managed to lock down an interview with Rihanna after the tour, so she didn't want to write about how badly it was going and risk losing that interview.

[Rihanna]

The record company is very strict, and if you upset them, then your future access is gone. So I was in a very tricky situation where I felt like I needed to work, but I. I couldn't.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Other people's editors are threatening not to pay them, and several journalists actually leave the tour.

[Rihanna]

It's not like we were there for shits and giggles. We were there because we had jobs to do and we needed to go home and get our freelance paychecks so we could buy cat food.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

A few hours after their failed nightclub rendezvous, they go to the airport, but Rihanna doesn't show. Rihanna legendarily, crazily. Rihanna's tardiness will probably be the most memorable thing from this tour. Def Jam reportedly racked up over $300,000 in fines from airports for not taking off on time. We were waiting on the tarmac for Hours, hours and hours and hours. And someone checked Twitter and saw that Rihanna was not on the plane. She was shopping for lingerie on Champs d'. Elysees.

[Rihanna]

There are photos of her from basically that moment shopping for underwear in Paris. That's when I think all of us got super salty. We're going mental at this point. People have turned on our lovely angel. What's the big deal? You're here because of her. She's not here because of you.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Lama Amin, Rihanna's personal masseuse on the tour.

[Rihanna]

What does it have to do with them? Because they had to wait for her. They didn't have to wait for her. And they were snotty like that. They were snotty like that. A lot of the press were snotty. Oh, we oughta do. We gotta do this. What are you. Huh?

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Llama is one of the best. She's worked with Beyonce, Jay Z, Justin Bieber, so many more. And what is it about your fingers that makes them magic?

[Rihanna]

I'm doing the audio girl, so she could tell you. Really? Because I don't know how to explain it, but I'm very precise here. God. Yeah. She said I'm God.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Are you massaging my tape sinker right now?

[Rihanna]

I did.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

What Llama can do with her hands is she can make celebrities fall dead asleep. And that's what she's doing on this tour. She's working on Rihanna's neck while she's in the car on the way to the show, working on her feet while she's in makeup, all so the bad girl can catch a few Z's before she has to go on stage.

[Rihanna]

I'll be honest with you. That girl was so exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to do interviews and talk to press, and there was a lot of them. If she did one, she'd have to.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Talk to all while Llama had her hands full with Rihanna. And Sue Young and the others were starving for anything from Rihanna, There was one member of the press corps who seemed the least worried.

[Rihanna]

We were all pretty sick of the Australian guy. Oh, God, that feels guy. He would play the harmonica incessantly. Everyone was about to murder him. Like, literally. People were going to just go over there and, like, slice his hands off.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Hey, you didn't like my harmonica? Fuck you. We're here to party. That's Tim, the Australian guy. He was sitting a few rows behind Sue Young.

[Rihanna]

Tim looks like your typical Australian surfer dude with long, curly blonde hair. He's loud and wild.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

A lot of people were treating it like a Serious sort of job, and it was for a lot of people. That sounds funny, me saying a lot of people were treating it like a serious job. It just shows that I didn't. Tim DJ'd for Nova, a radio station in Sydney. He got offered the tour last minute. It was a bit of a lucky break moment where they gave me an opportunity and then I think they may have regretted it come the long run. Tim had one job to do on this tour. Just one. He had to get a shot of Rihanna holding a cardboard cutout of his radio station's logo. But you know what? Before we'd even taken off, like, the plane was still on the Runway.

[Tim Dormer]

More Australia. Yeah.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

I just jumped up, grabbed Rihanna and shoved the Nova logo in her hand and pointed the camera. Say hi to Nova.

[Rihanna]

What up, boo?

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Literally, before. Before we'd taken off, I had sent that back to my boss and he just text back and said, oh, my God, your work here is done.

[Glenn Washington]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and once again, welcome aboard. Flight time to Berlin will be approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

After Paris, the next stop is Berlin. To kill time, because we got there to the venue actually early, we went on this bizarre tour where they were showing us, like, the chips that she would be eating. They pointed at a tray of chips and they were like, oh, these are for Rihanna. It's like, oh, great. Sure. People were taking pictures. Showtime comes and goes.

[Rihanna]

German people are not fucking around. And they were really turning on her and yelling as she was becoming. Later and later and later. The vibe in Berlin was scary. The show was very, very delayed and the venue was very, very hot and people were very, very mad.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Three hours later, Rihanna takes the stage.

[Rihanna]

It is so hot in here. Why do you say hot in German?

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Then Sue Young and the rest of the journalists are swept back onto the bus and taken to the plane.

[Rihanna]

You could feel the tension in the airplane. Like people were not feeling good and they were ready to. They were ready to leave.

[Glenn Washington]

It is not over, Snappers. After this short break, the Rihanna plane is ready for liftoff. Stay tuned. Look, I've got this fly overcoat. I get compliments every time I wear it. I dig it so much, I just shot a Snap video ad wearing it. What is it? My quints Double brush stretched over shirt jacket. Yes, it looks fantastic. And I'm sharing my secret, which is why drop a fortune on basics when you don't have to. Quince has the good stuff. High quality fabrics, classic fits all at prices that make sense. Everything I've ordered from Quince rocks. So now to make up for past folly, I am preparing ahead. For the first time in my life I'm be one of those people that orders holiday presents early. Listen to me when I tell you nobody has ever made a mistake by gifting the classic Quince cashmere sweater. They will love it. You are welcome. Keep it classic and cool with long lasting staples from quince. Go to quince.com snap for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quincy.com snap to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince for me my big mistake was accepting that super high interest rate credit card in college and then buying pizza and beer with it. Turns out that wasn't really free money. And later when I needed a car, needed to rent an apartment, those pizzas came back to haunt me. Don't let pizza haunt you. Now through Chime you can be better about how you manage your credit scores. Build credit history with everyday purchases and regular on time payments. Plus get access to credit tracking tools and personalized tips for a stress free credit experience. Make everyday purchases count with Chime's secured credit builder Visa credit card get started [e-mail] snap that's chime.com snap Chime feels like progress.

[Rihanna]

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[Glenn Washington]

Welcome back to Snap Judgment. When Lansby left Rihanna's seven day world tour just checked off Berlin and things are heating up.

[Rihanna]

You could feel the tension in the airplane. Like people were not feeling good and they were ready to, they were ready.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

To leave but the plane doesn't take.

[Rihanna]

Off and they just started handing out alcohol like giving people these giant cups of cognac and people just keep getting drunk, turnt up and drunk and rowdy. You can feel that sort of coalescing energy and so we're kind of shouting at each other at this point.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Finally liftoff.

[Rihanna]

No one would sit down. People were kind of just running around and bugging out and the flight attendants were yelling at people.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

There's a camera crew roving around the plane filming all this which the journalists.

[Rihanna]

Do not like, wait, this was never the deal. I'm supposed to be the one reporting on this. Nobody's supposed to be reporting on me.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

And one guy starts making fun of them. He makes a joke about, like, how much B roll can you get? There's nothing going on here. And that turns into a chant. And the chant is just B roll, B roll, B roll. One of the other journalists goes, just one quote, Just one quote.

[Tim Dormer]

Just one quote, just one quote.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

It had descended into chaos.

[Rihanna]

It was a little scary. We're all like, save our jobs.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Save our jobs.

[Rihanna]

Or like, I need a headline like, Norma Rae out here. Free the Rhianna 150 occupy Rhianna plane. Where have you been all this flight? Are you hiding from us?

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Rihanna, come and say hello to us. All the pressure, all the frustration just came to a head and turned into a riot. It is absolute pandemonium in this place. There was just a cry for help from Rihanna, like, save our jobs. But Rihanna stays behind the curtain. We did hear some rumor that there was some panic room on the plane.

[Rihanna]

Panic room? Where would a panic room be on the plane? Like, the front bathroom or what?

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Again, Lama Amit, her masseuse.

[Rihanna]

We all looked at each other with that look. Like, what the hell? You know, that jump kind of look. Security got on edge. Brianna was getting updates. Like, she wanted to know. She was like, what are they doing? I think she peaked. But no, she did not go back there. That was not a good idea for her to go back there. No, she shouldn't go back there. That's not cool. Fans and press, they can be dangerous. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. Paparazzi and fans tromple you, run you over. When they act up like that, it can sound like a threat.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

I remember Steve Bartles, the president of Def Jam at the time, walking out and just going, what the fuck? Like, they. They could not have been more shell shocked. It was shocking. And then, like, out of the corner of your eye, rushing past you, and it went.

[Rihanna]

This, like, naked white dude goes whizzing.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Past in my peripheral vision, butt naked, like fucking Pegasus through the clouds.

[Rihanna]

All of a sudden, I just see butt. I just see, like, butt cheeks running right past me. And I see long blonde hair flowing. And I knew exactly who it was.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Yeah, it was a bit of a blur. I remember some people pulled out their cameras, their video cameras and phones straight away at the back of the plane. I did kind of leap over one guy, and I remember him sort of squealing, and he was a grown man. Everything became so good after that guy ran around naked. Finally, finally, something happened. Tim was the knife that cut the tension.

[Rihanna]

Definitely broke the tension. And we started laughing hysterically. I was laughing so hard that I puked like, a bunch of lung mucus into a plain blanket in front of me. And then it kind of turned into a party where they weren't mad anymore. I guess whoever streaked, we should thank him because he made it light. He really did.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Everybody got out their laptops and went to work. Soon, videos of Tim running naked would rocket across the Internet. Someone said, you don't realize what you've just done. You've just given a plane full of hungry press a story. As Rihanna hops the globe for her 777 tour, things got rowdy. On board a jet filled with journalists and her fans. One of them streaked down the aisle.

[Rihanna]

There he goes, butt naked. Everyone wanted to be the one to break that story. Scrotz on a plane.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Is it the story everyone wanted? Hell, no. But for Sue Young, it was a story she couldn't tell without risking her interview.

[Rihanna]

I was like, ugh, I don't know if I can write about that.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

I think I thought, oh, great, this is gonna go back to my boss. I'm gonna be in trouble. When Tim got off the plane in London, one of the suits from Def Jam was waiting for him. And they pulled me aside and said, look, we actually don't know what to do with you. Like, what you've done is illegal. They said, if this was a commercial plane, you'd be arrested. We're gonna watch how this story unfolds. But to be honest, it is one of the first positive stories to come out of the plane. Like, you've actually made this tour look fun. And then when they're descending into New York, Rihanna decides to address the press. It's the first time they've seen her in coach since lax.

[Rihanna]

Thank you, everybody, for making this trip for shit.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

For someone who just released an album titled Unapologetic, she is kind of apologetic. She was like, I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to party with you guys. And all these people from the back of the plane, from the middle of the plane, everywhere ran to where Rihanna was. Cameras out, just commotion. That might have been honestly the most insane, because I was just like, I understand why she wouldn't want to hang out with us. Like, people just lost their shit. Are you GLAD you did 777?

[Rihanna]

Absolutely, yeah. And I'm glad I did it like this. We Landed.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

What can we expect in New York tonight?

[Rihanna]

At mtv we had black cars that would be waiting for you at the airport. Very old school journalism. And I got into my town car and was just like, it's over. I'm alone. That was the biggest thing was being alone for the first time in six days.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

When we landed in New York, someone came up to me and said, you're coming with me for the day. And we're doing press all day. I want to bring in VH1's Janelle Snowden and Australian DJ Tim Dormer. Oh my. They got me to strip down and like interviewed me about this tour on American television. Have you seen where they blurred me out? They weren't very generous. I remember meeting Anderson Cooper in the hallways. I'm not even joking. We're in the CNN building and Anderson Cooper goes to me. You are the news today. The weight of the experience stuck with me for a while. Not on something like ptsd, but kinda. Tell me about your Rihanna plane dreams. Oh, man, I legit had Rihanna plane dreams where Rihanna never got on the plane. And we just sat there for days like, water's running low. Like, ate all the peanuts. People are like, sick. I don't know if anybody's told you this, but Def Jam after this whole thing, the idea was to do an 888 tour where they would get a boat in Miami and I would have done it again. I would have gone on the 888 Tour.

[Rihanna]

I came back with more of an obsession with Rihanna, which I wasn't expecting at all. Like I thought I would have enough self possession and dignity to hate her afterwards, but that was false. We always talked about Stockholm syndrome, but it really is like that. Like I admire her as my captor for what she did to me. It just made me embarrassed for the human condition. The human condition of stanning, you know, the human condition of believing that someone is better than you just because they happen to be extremely talented.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

Sue Young did finally get her interview with Rihanna a few weeks after the tour.

[Rihanna]

Man, it was really crazy. Just sitting at a small dinner table at a very intimate restaurant next to her. I still can't believe that happened to me.

[Suyoung Kim Abrams]

The interview was short and she did not ask about the 777 tour. Her story came out and then a year later, she was at a fashion show in New York.

[Rihanna]

When I walk in, there's a swarm of paparazzi surrounding someone. When I look closely, I realize that it's Rihanna and her friend Melissa. So I took a deep breath and I walked into the crowd of paparazzi, cut through them, went up to Rihanna and her friend and said, hey, how's it going? And she looked at me and noticed that I changed my hair and said, oh my gosh, you dyed your hair blonde. It looks so good. And I said thank you so much. I almost peed my pants. And then I went back to my seat and then everybody after the show obviously was looking at me because they were looking at Rihanna and they said, wow, we didn't know you and Rihanna were best friends. And I was like, well, you know, we have a history. We went on tour together.

[Glenn Washington]

Since the 777 tour, Rihanna has released one album and is working on another. She is the first black woman in charge of a man major luxury fashion house with her bad self. According to Forbes, she is also the world's richest female musician worth $600 million. Why are they up in her business? And she has nine Grammys. She did not respond to a request for an interview yet.

[Rihanna]

You know, my success, it started as my dream, but now my success is not. It's not my own. You know, it's my family's, it's my fans, it's my countries, it's the Caribbean as a whole. It's women, it's black women. So many people.

[Glenn Washington]

Respect Special thanks to Kristin Gwynn, Lawrence bull and Elizabeth McConnell. The original score for this story was by Renzo Goriot, was produced by John Cassille. Now in just a moment, we're boarding another flight when the we're on a Plane episode continues. Stay tuned. Here's the truth. It seems like everyone is talking about being burnt out. Behind the highlight reels are high functioning people quietly falling apart. Low energy, fragile moods, libido gone. And your little yearly checkups. They aren't giving you the answers or insights you need. I chose function to help find the signals under the symptoms with tests to measure testosterone, cortisol, vitamin D, magnesium, more. So much more. And it was easy. A couple of short visits to get the fluids and function puts names and numbers the crashes no one can see. Because seeking information about what's off is the first step to getting yourself back. Learn more and join using my link. The first 1,000 get a $100 credit toward their membership. Visit functionhealth.com snap or use gift code snap100@signup to own your health from Snap Judgment's orbiting Hall of Justice. Welcome back to Snap Judgment. The we're on a plane episode. And you might think that you've had Reason for alarm in your own past. But in our next story, a longtime friend of the show, Ray Christian. And aside from being a storytelling legend, Ray's an army man. Snap judgment.

[Tim Dormer]

In 1984, I was a 22 year old young sergeant assigned to an airborne infantry battalion. We were paratroopers. I was stationed at Fort Bragg. We'd conduct night combat equipment jumps that would involve thousands of paratroopers at once. The training was dangerous, and it wasn't unusual for us to have guys severely injured or even killed during these training operations. We had young soldiers in the company that were Grenada vets and our senior NCOs. A lot of them were Vietnam vets. Our young soldiers who were just chomping at the bit to get a chance at combat. Guys start doing drugs, guys start drinking, guys have problems with their wives, their girlfriends. Morale in the company was starting to drop. And this added up to so much stress, we had a few guys go awol. Me and Sergeant Ronnie were assigned to inventory the soldier's locker and equipment who had went awol. There's uniforms, civilian clothing, radio clock, and in the corner there's this little folded bindle of aluminum foil. Unfolded it, and I saw inside were two small stamps with stars on them. Whoa. Acid? Nah. So I took one of the stamps out and I said, hey, Ronnie, put one of these in your mouth. He left, looked at me and he said, what is this acid? I, I figured it was acid, but I wasn't gonna really take one. I was just fooling around with him, you know, put it in your mouth. Just kidding with him. He looked at it for a second and said, why not? And put it in his mouth. And I laughed. Now, Sergeant Ronnie was the kind of guy that was very hyper military. He was kind of strict. He had a high pitched voice, pretty by the book kind of guy. He looked at me and said, so what are you gonna do? He must know something. I don't know. He wouldn't take acid. I just knew when he put it in his mouth, it had to be fake. Then he looked at me and said, what are you gonna do? Say, hey, okay, same as you. I put one in my mouth, we take the inventory sheet, we turn it into supply, we start heading out. And as we were walking across the parking lot, the battalion sergeant major yelled out, hey, you two guys, what are you doing? Where you going? Oh my God. The sergeant major. We said, we're heading out, Sergeant major, heading home. He said, oh, no, you're not. Get your gear, you're going on the jump. Because we had the additional duty of inventorying this guy's equipment. We believed that we weren't going to be involved in the jump. Beside the major, I think he cut me off. We need to get these chutes filled. Let's go. Let's move out. So I'm starting to think about all the things that go wrong. What if I get decapitated by a suspension line? What if I get towed behind aircraft? What if I hit some equipment on the ground? I was starting to immediately feel fear and apprehension. If we would have said something like even slightly hesitant about being on a jump, it would have seemed suspicious. We call people who are not on jump status legs, and that's a dirty word. I would rather have died and turned down being on a jump. I wasn't gonna be a leg. I was gonna jump. I looked at Ron and I said, man, how you feel? He said, man, I don't feel nothing, but this is bad anyway. When we were on the trucks headed to the pack shed, this is at the Air Force base, I started having this feeling right then and there that everybody on the truck was staring at me. And I knew. Oh, it's. It's starting to kick in now. We all pour inside the rigger shed, all 500 of us, and one at a time, we're issued parachutes as we enter inside. Once you've got your parachute on and you got all your equipment hooked up, you stand in line for the Jumpmasters inspection. Open your ripcord protected flap hole, squat hole. Recovery turn, bend, arch your back, Tick, tap, tap, tap, tick, tap, tap, turn, turn, squat, hold. I actually started saying that out loud, you know, squat, hold, squat. I was just saying it because I thought I should. And then I started thinking, wait a minute. If I do that, people will think I'm high. But if I act like I'm not high, they'll think I'm high. Slowly, all the guys in line started getting their parachutes inspected, and we take a seat. I wanted to sit down, but I kept standing up. I kept walking around, and that was unusual. I started to think about how many thousands of paratroopers have been in this building preparing for a jump. And I was inspired to just yell out for everyone to hear. How many paratroopers have been in this place? I started thinking about there were ghosts maybe still impregnated in the memories of the building and in the walls. And I yelled that question out, too. Are there any ghosts in the walls? When I was startled by two. Well, what looked to be two World War II era paratroopers coming out of the walls. I couldn't help but walk closer to it, but on closer inspection was just a pattern of old paint scuffs on the wall. That's when I started to notice that other people were starting to stare at me, staring at them, and a few even laughed at me. And that's where I saw Ronnie. He was already rigged, sitting on the floor, crying, tears coming down his cheeks. To me, it was like a river of water. I asked Ronnie how he was doing. Ronnie looked at me and he just started to cry. And people noticed. I went to him and I said in a soft, loud voice, man, get yourself together. You are an American paratrooper. Do you know what our brothers have done before? You act like a damn man. Get it together. And I started singing, and I'm not a singer, and I'm singing these corny airborne songs that they force on us. Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die and he ain't gonna jump no more and I remember somebody yelling out, oh, that's pretty damn appropriate, Sergeant Christian. That's really appropriate. Ronnie stared. I reached out and I wiped his eye. A little tear was coming from it. And I helped him up, and then he assisted me in rigging my chute. Once everybody's inspected, we stand up and we all march out toward the back of the airplane. The only thing you can see inside C130 at night like that is this. The red jump light above the jump door and down on the floor, and there's this hum of the plane. Usually the guys sleep, but I didn't. I was just focused on the light. I mean, it was beautiful. And it. Airport pilot turns on the green light. Go. Door opened up, and the wind rushed in. Normally, you really feel the impact of the prop blast hitting you and you twist into the night sky, but I don't know. I had the sensation that I just jumped into a big old marshmallow cloud and I just floated out. The stars were starting to twinkle. The moon smiled at me. The parachutes billowing across the drop zone, they looked like ghosts. They were just floating and dancing. And I could hear everything, every sound. Threw my arms out, looked up like Jesus. Started contemplating the nature of the universe. God, it was just beautiful. It was probably the best jump I ever had. I loved it. Loved it. Seemed like it took me forever to reach the ground. I landed in a sandy pile amongst the Pine trees and thickets. The guy landed close to me and he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. And he gave out a oh. And I just yelled out across the whole drop zone, this is beautiful. And it just echoed. I know everybody heard that, but I couldn't help myself. It was beautiful. Like those other parachutes that were billowing across the drop zone. It looked like a woman in a dress. Through the doctors, I heard this sound, and I recognized it as the sound of vomiting Instead of going to the assembly area, I followed that sound and that led me to Sergeant Ronnie. And there he was, sitting on the ground, vomiting, and he was crying softly. And I was thinking to myself, he must be having a bad trip. And that's when I decided I wanted to sing to him. We're all Americans and proud to be guardians of honor and liberty. Some flying gliders to the enemy. Some come down as paratroopers. The next morning when I woke up, the company commander, who I always try to avoid because of his manner, when he saw me, he said to me, you know, you need to go see the battalion commander. He wants to talk to you about your behavior pre jump and on the drop zone. So the battalion commander doesn't speak to me. People in my rank don't usually get a chance to talk to him. And I go into the battalion commander's office. All the senior officers in the battalion were present. That kind of a group usually means something bad. You're getting some kind of ugly reprimand. And I was scared as hell. And he said, never have I seen such an unselfish act as a man motivating his fellow paratroopers. Sticking with a scared, nervous man during every phase of the operation, even on the drop zone. Sergeant Christian, you are the personification of an American paratrooper. Keep up the good work. Airborne. I said, thank you, sir. Airborne. I can remember shaking my head as I was walking away from his office going, damn. I was completely dumbfounded. I what just happened? It was like the blade didn't cut my head, but it fell. In the mornings, when all the units are doing physical training and they run up and down Ardennes street, they're the loudspeakers where they play nothing but non stop military martial music. And these old airborne songs are the ones that you hear. And when they would come across the speakers, we would all start singing them really loud to Sergeant Ronnie, you know, much to his chagrin. Sergeant Ronnie, you was scared on the drop zone, man. Sergeant Ronnie, what's up? You lost your nerve? You was having problems Sergeant Ronnie. He be running with his butt cheeks really tight. He was too stiff and too anal to respond up to that point. Everything. All of our encounters were always serious. We really didn't have anything to joke about. There was nothing funny. I had my boys back again. They were back in their spirit.

[Glenn Washington]

Big thanks to Ray Christian, who is a storyteller living in Boone, North Carolina. Now. Do yourself a favor. Subscribe to his podcast what's Ray say? It'll be available on our website or wherever you get your podcast. Snapjudgment.org do that. The original score and sound design was by Leon Morimoto. That story was produced by Adeza Egan. Now it's about that time and if you missed even a moment of snap storytelling magic, you know what to do. Get the Snap Judgment podcast. Wherever you get your podcast and all the things that are going on, I'd love to tell you what I really think. Hit me on the Instagram. We'll be new best friends. Snap Judgment is brought to you by the team at Claps. And every single time the plane lands, throw some peanuts at the uber producer. Mr. Mark Ristich, Pat McMiller, Anna Sussman, Renzo Gorio, Shayna Shealy, Liz Mack, Elijah Smith, Leon Morimoto, Lauren Newsom, Marissa Dodds, Flo Wylie, Nancy Lopez, John Facilio, Nikka Singh, Teo Da Cott and even though this is not the news, no way is this the news. In fact, you could sit next to the big star in first class and next trip, pitch your script, have him say yes, only to realize that hey, hey, this is not first class. That guy doesn't even look like Matthew McConaughey. Though he did promise to be right back with your luggage and you would still still not be as far away from the news as this is. But this is prx. It.