James and the Shame

James and the Shame is the stage name used by American musician and entertainer Rhett James McLaughlin of the comedy duo Rhett & Link for his solo music project. McLaughlin's first album under the name was released in September 2022 and was titled Human Overboard. The album discussed his departure from and criticisms of Christian evangelicalism.

James and the Shame
James and the Shame at Mythicon 2022
Background information
Birth nameRhett James McLaughlin
Born (1977-10-11) October 11, 1977
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
GenresCountry
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2022–present
Member ofRhett & Link
Websitejamesandtheshame.com

History
Rhett (left) and Link (right) posing for their "Up to This Point" album cover.

Rhett James McLaughlin is known for his work with comedy partner Link Neal. Together they host Good Mythical Morning, a daily comedy, talk and variety show on YouTube. They have also recorded three comedy music albums together, and written numerous comedy songs. Rhett & Link independently released Just Mail Us the Grammy in 2001, and I'm Sorry, What Was That? (Live in the Living Room) in 2005.[1] In 2009, they released an album titled Up To This Point through DFTBA Records.[2]

McLaughlin and Neal were both raised as Christians and previously worked as full-time missionaries while attending college.[3] In 2020, both men described their changes in faith in separate episodes of their podcast Ear Biscuits. Both said they are no longer evangelical Christians, with Rhett saying he would call himself "a hopeful agnostic".[4][5] McLaughlin later expanded on his faith deconstruction and his criticisms of Christian evangelism, purity culture, and his previous and current self.[3]

In July 2022, McLaughlin released a single titled "Believe Me" under the name "James and the Shame", his first non-comedy and first solo song he had released. At the same time, he announced he would be releasing a full album titled Human Overboard.[6][7] On August 19, a second single titled "Where We're Going" was released, with the music video being released a day earlier. The song is a duet with his wife Jessie.[8][9] The final single released was "Give a Damn", which also included an animated music video by Micah Buzan.[7] The full album was released on September 23, 2022.[10] The album was recorded at Finn-land Studios in Burbank, California with Derek Furhmann producing. The album is a country music album, with McLaughlin citing Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson as sources of inspiration.[10]

McLaughlin performed live at his and Neal's 2022 fan convention, Mythicon.[3]

In September of 2023, McLaughlin announced on the Ear Biscuits podcast that he would be releasing an EP in November of the same year.[11]

Human Overboard
Human Overboard
Studio album by
James and the Shame
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2022
StudioFinn-land Studios
GenreCountry music
Length40:46
LabelRecondite But Cordial Records
ProducerDerek Fuhrmann

All tracks are written by Rhett James McLaughlin, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Believe Me"4:07
2."Flash of Rationality"2:54
3."Give a Damn"3:26
4."Sorry"3:51
5."Where We're Going"4:05
6."Creek and Back"3:51
7."Only Thing"3:35
8."Kill a Man"3:51
9."In Vain"3:41
10."Fruit"4:30
11."Old Letters"3:15
Total length:41:06

Personnel
  • Rhett James McLaughlin – vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Gunnar Olsen – drums, percussion
  • Alex Strahle – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, slide guitar, mandolin
  • Derek Fuhrmann – bass, percussion, background vocals
  • Jessie McLaughlin – additional vocals (tracks 5, 6, and 7)
  • Carey Frank – organ
  • Edan Dover – piano
  • Dave Eggar – cello
  • Chris Bautista – trumpet

The album was produced by McLaughlin and Fuhrmann and mixed by Fuhrmann. It was mastered by Jamie King. The strings were recorded by Timothy James King Jr. and the organ was recorded by Tally Sherwood at Tritone Recordings.[10][12] The cover art was made by Greg Newbold based on photos by Anna Webber.[13]

References
  1. "About". RhettandLink.com. June 24, 2011. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  2. "DFTBA Records". Dftba.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  3. Farrell, Riley (August 11, 2022). "In his debut country album, Rhett McLaughlin breaks up — with God". Religion News Service. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  4. "226: Rhett's Spiritual Deconstruction Ear Biscuits Ep.226". Ear Biscuits. Episode 226. February 3, 2020. Event occurs at 1:13:00, 1:18:45. Mythical Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020. The deeper I have dug into Christianity, with a thirst for the truth, the more difficult it has become. In fact, for me, it has become impossible[...] So I would call myself a hopeful agnostic, meaning, I don't know, but I hope. I hope there's something.
  5. "227: Link's Spiritual Deconstruction Ear Biscuits Ep.226". Ear Biscuits. Episode 227. February 10, 2020. Event occurs at 1:17:15. Mythical Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020. If I were to label myself, I think I would say I am an agnostic who wants to be hopeful. I think I have made a decision to be open; I do want that. I don't want to be [...] an atheist. So I am hopeful that I can be hopeful.
  6. Major, Michael (July 18, 2022). "Rhett McLaughlin (Good Mythical Morning) Announces Solo Country Project 'James and the Shame'". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  7. Wiggins, Keavin (September 22, 2022). "James And The Shame Get Animated For Give A Damn". www.antimusic.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  8. "James and the Shame (Rhett McLaughlin) Shares Single 'Where We're Going'". BroadwayWorld. August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  9. Frahm, Jonathan (August 17, 2022). "James and the Shame Celebrate Love With". PopMatters. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  10. Major, Michael (September 23, 2022). "James and the Shame (Rhett McLaughlin) Shares Solo Country Debut 'Human Overboard'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  11. Link's Embarrassing Moment at His Son's College | Ear Biscuits, retrieved October 8, 2023
  12. McLaughlin, Rhett. "Instagram Credits". Instagram. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  13. McLaughlin, Rhett (September 19, 2022). "Cover art credits". Instagram. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
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