Part Sweat, Part Sermon: Abbot Elementary’s Zack Fox Made Us a Playlist

Photos courtesy of Zach Fox.

Welcome to SOUND ADVICE, Interview’s weekly destination for playlists curated by our friends, enemies, and lovers. In recent weeks, we’ve featured playlists from Danny L Harle, Organ Tapes, and August Ponthier. This week’s installment belongs to Zack Fox—the Atlanta-born comedian-rapper-actor-DJ-producer and certified agent of chaos whose brain runs on punchlines, prophecies, and three cans of Celsius. Ahead of his set at Skyline Festival, a three-day ode to L.A.’s underground electronic scene taking over the city from February 28th to March 1st, Fox assembled a playlist for the end times: part Sunday sermon, part basement sweat, part Abbott Elementary staff party. It’s funny, filthy, and just spiritual enough to make you text your mom.

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Where do you dance? Literally everywhere. Might hit my two step in TSA. 

Which song on this playlist makes you cry? “Pressing On” by Vanessa Bell Armstrong. I remember my mom playing it on cassette when I was a little kid and just thought it was groovy; whole time it’s a working-class single mother struggle banger. 

Dream collab, living or dead? If I don’t get to act alongside Regina Hall, I’ve failed. 

Name an underground artist that you wish more people knew about: Whu Else. His music is so camp and fresh and funny but oddly poignant. 

Which song on this playlist would the students of Abbott Elementary enjoy the most? “Ghetto Life” by Rick James, because they’re cultured and cool beyond their years.

What are you ordering from In & Out? Nothing. We eat burgers from the Win-Dow in my household. Love their outfits though! Beautiful gowns.

Which song on this playlist do you sing the loudest in the shower? It’s not on this playlist but it’s that song that’s like, “Rest in peace my granny she got hit by a bazooka…”

The world is ending. What are you wearing? The fit Eddie Murphy had on in Raw.

Which song on this playlist do you wish you wrote? “That’s What I Want” by Shake aka Anthony Shakir. He sampled “Mesopotamia” by The B-52s and it’s so simple but effective. And hard as hell.

Best TV sitcom of all time? My Wife and Kids. No contest. 

East Coast or West Coast? I love Los Angeles but the East Coast is home forever. 

Three things you need with you in the studio: Three cans of Celsius.

Drop your all-time favorite dad joke: “I don’t know what HD is but I went to the doctor and she said I got 80 of them bitches.”