The Nightly — “The Day U2 Put Music On Our Phones & 8 Mile”

Host: Hatch Podcasts
Guests/Co-hosts: Jackie (A), Josh (B)
Release Date: February 2, 2026

Episode Overview

This cozy late-night edition of The Nightly blends relaxing chat with warm nostalgia, focusing on pop culture moments centered around music, technology, and transformative movies. Hosts Jackie and Josh reminisce about truly awe-inspiring natural wonders before delving into two iconic moments from the 2000s: U2's infamous automatic iPhone album drop and the cultural earthquake caused by Eminem's semi-autobiographical film, 8 Mile. The episode is a gentle, humorous conversation designed to help listeners unwind for bed.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Awe of Nature & Making Memories (00:41–09:13)

• Grand Canyon & the Northern Lights:
  The episode opens with Jackie and Josh sharing fond memories about breathtaking natural phenomena, including the recent unusual visibility of the Northern Lights in the U.S., which Jackie attributes to the sun's 11-year solar maximum.
  • “Have you ever seen the Northern lights?” — Jackie, [01:05]
  • “It lives up to the hype. It's stunning.” — Recounting a friend’s reaction, [02:24]
• Grand Canyon Experience:
  Both hosts tell stories of visiting the Grand Canyon, reflecting on their changed perceptions and sensory memories—especially temperature changes from day to night and star-filled skies.
  • “Like, I remember...walking up to the areas where you can like check out the Grand Canyon and like starting to lose my breath.” — Jackie, [04:25]
  • “I remember being kind of like, oh, sure, I guess we'll go see a big crack in the ground...And I was like, nope, you were right. I did need to see this with my own eyes in person.” — Josh, [05:34]
• Desert Nights vs. Humid Heat:
  The hosts share comedic takes on climate and nighttime temperatures, with references to famous basketball player Dikembe Mutombo and the cultural quirks attached to different kinds of heat.
  • “I used to have this character...Dikembe Mutombo...It's so hot. You go outside when it's night and you look at the moon and you get moon burned.” — Jackie, [07:06]

2. Pop Culture Time Machine: U2’s 2014 iPhone Album Drop (09:14–16:14)

• Setting the Scene:
  The hosts play a game, taking each other back to significant pop culture moments, starting with Josh’s pick: U2’s 2014 Songs of Innocence iPhone album incident.
  • “I would like to take you back to September 9, 2014, when the U2 album, Songs of Innocence was downloaded automatically by, I think, every iPhone, the world, and people did not care for that.” — Josh, [09:20]
• Public Backlash and Perception:
  They discuss the bizarre anger that swept iPhone users and the cringe of receiving unwanted music.
  • “How demoralizing would it feel as a band to be like, we gave millions of people free music and they deleted it. Furious. They're so mad.” — Jackie, [10:22]
  • “I guess it felt like there was this idea of, like, this is my domain. You know what I mean? Like, this is. I should have control over this...How dare you, Bono, how dare you do this to us?” — Josh, [12:18]
• Comparisons to Modern Streaming Era:
  Jackie points out that with streaming, a 2014-style incident would barely register now.
  • “If this were to happen in 2025, I don't think people would be upset. I don't think it'll ever happen again.” — Jackie, [13:38]
  • “Most people have music streaming services and we get most of our music for free nowadays…” — Jackie, [13:54]
• Music, Commercials, and Cultural Shifts:
  Josh draws parallels to changing attitudes about artists doing commercial deals or surprise album drops, referencing Jay-Z’s Magna Carta partnership and the Beyoncé surprise-album era.
  • “Like, it's almost like seeing a band do like an ad for Mustard…And then DJ Mustard did that this year, last year.” — Josh, [14:29]
• Notable Moment:
  The hosts joke about bringing back pay-per-text to force people to call each other more.
  • “Honestly, I think they should not...We'll get back to the U2 of it all, but I do think we should bring back text messages costing money. Because maybe it'll force us to start talking to each other more.” — Jackie, [11:37]

3. 8 Mile and the Music-Movie Crossover (16:28–23:21)

• Eminem’s 8 Mile Phenomenon:
  Jackie recalls the profound impact of 8 Mile and its authentic depiction of hip hop culture—a critical moment for both music and film.
  • “I've been thinking about when 8 Mile came out and just, like, how, like, relevant and prevalent that was, not only in the music world, but in the movie world as well.” — Jackie, [16:28]
• Authenticity and Crossover Success:
  Discussion of Eminem’s real-life parallels to his character and the rarity of an artist both acting well and creating their biggest song for a film at the height of success.
  • “I always find it interesting when an artist who is like, three, four albums deep has hits that...could say, like, man, that was one of the biggest hits of all time, and still release a song that becomes the biggest hit they ever had.” — Jackie, [18:26]
• Oscar Glory and Popular Legacy:
  The pair note that “Lose Yourself” won an Oscar (Best Original Song) and spawned its own kind of pop culture, from memes to the Mom’s Spaghetti restaurant in Detroit.
  • “He has a little restaurant in Detroit called Mom's Spaghetti.” — Josh, [20:21]
• The Rapper-to-Actor Pipeline:
  Reflecting on why Eminem didn’t follow other successful hip hop artists (like Ice Cube, Tupac, or LL Cool J) into full-time acting. Jackie surmises that 8 Mile’s cultural impact is stronger because Eminem largely left movies alone after his genuine, one-off hit.
  • “Usually when a hip hop artist does it and the movie is good, they transition to becoming a movie star...And he didn't. He didn't take that.” — Jackie, [22:19]
  • “Do young people...know that [LL Cool J] was a music artist?” — Josh, [22:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On U2’s Album Drop:
  “How dare you put something on my phone that I didn't ask for which. Look, that's fair.” — Jackie, [10:51]
• On Changing Music Tech:
  “Your phone comes preloaded with a bunch of stuff, like, as soon as you take it out of the box, which is funny to me.” — Jackie, [10:59]
• On 8 Mile’s Cultural Impact:
  “Eminem earned that song...because it was just like, all right, we know the Eminem that we know. We know your story at this point...But then we got to see it, and then, like, Lose Yourself was like, oh, it made you start to feel like what it felt to actually say, like, this is my ticket out.” — Jackie, [19:34]
• On the Rapper-Actor Evolution:
  “I think also kind of helps 8 Mile's cultural relevance...Usually when a hip hop artist does it and the movie is good, they transition to becoming a movie star...He didn't take that. He stopped. Yeah. Which I think is dope.” — Jackie, [22:19]

Highlighted Timestamps

• 00:41–09:13 — Stories about the Northern Lights, Grand Canyon, and climate quirks
• 09:14–16:14 — U2’s 2014 iPhone album debacle; the psychology of unwanted digital gifts
• 16:28–23:21 — Discussion of 8 Mile, Eminem’s career, “Lose Yourself,” and the artist-actor tradition

Tone & Style

True to the show’s mission, the episode is laid back, humorous, gently nostalgic, and friendly—a virtual pillow fort for pop culture lovers to unwind and reminisce. Jackie and Josh’s banter is light, warm, and peppered with witty asides and relatable reflections on technology, music, and youth.

Summary

This episode meanders from starry skies and desert nights to music’s most unexpected gifts (and gaffes), all the way to the underdog magic of 8 Mile. Hosts Jackie and Josh invite listeners to wind down with nostalgia, laughter, and a few lovingly-remembered cringes from pop culture’s recent past.