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If there’s one thing Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers are great at, it’s giving advice.
On their podcast, Las Culturistas, the pair utilize humor to get at life’s burning questions, digging deep into the mundane and unearthing gold. In that vein, the pair are a trusted source for many when it comes to the “what’s what” of culture. With their proclivity for taste and a sharp wit in tow, Yang and Rogers embarked on a journey with Marshalls, creating a gift guide that helps shoppers navigate the holiday season, whether for yourself or that ultra picky family member you love but can never figure out.
“I think in this day and age of online shopping, people are like, ‘if I need something, I’ll just go online and I’ll get it right away,’” Rogers says. “So, something I try to do, which is very similar to the way that we’ve created this gift guide, is we create characters. For example, ‘best gifts for the host who insists you bring nothing, but nothing is code for ‘bring something good or else.’”
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Sand and Fog 31oz Winter White Scented Candle With Vase
A wintery scented candle.
Reformation Made In Brazil Patent Leather Willa Pumps
Patent leather wedge heels.
The guide, titled “It’s Giving Gifts!,” gives superlatives to a slew of Marshalls products that could cater to a specific person, including the “Best gift for the mom whose idea of a sensible walking shoe is a stiletto” or the “Best gifts for the person who loves to tell you ‘the book was better than the movie.’” Yang and Rogers have done the heavy lifting with these ultra-specific guides, giving shoppers the tools they need to choose gifts that best suit that particular person without hassle.
“We all know this person, and so once you read a category, you can kind of see that person in your mind’s eye and just be creative with it. What is that person wearing? What are they doing?,” Rogers added. Yang spoke of his love of candles and the anti-gift card wave, noting that, if all else fails, Marshalls has a “fabulous” gift card that is just as meaningful.
On the topic of gift cards, the pair got to chatting about former Las Culturistas guests, namely Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. They spoke about what gifts they’d give both artists if given the chance. For Gaga, Yang went specific, saying, “I would give Gaga a silk pajama set. I think her category in this gift guide would be ‘best gifts for the girl who thinks punctuality is like whatever.’”
Yang’s gift for Grande? An on-theme holiday piece or something from Marshalls’ extensive beauty aisle. “I think she wants the holidays. We’d get her something for Christmas. I think I’d get her fragrances as well, which Marshalls has in spades.”
Dolce & Gabbana 1.7oz The One Eau De Parfum
A 1.7 oz designer fragrance.
For Rogers, Gaga and Grande’s potential gifts were all about winding down. “I think that they both need some relaxation. I think they would both appreciate that. So maybe some sort of Theragun moment … I think a silk pajama set is really wonderful. Maybe some slippers or some cozy sweats.
Yang and Rogers got going about gifting faux-pas, taking an “I Don’t Think So, Honey!” approach to the topic, a segment on the duo’s podcast. The lesson? If all else fails, regifting is a great option. “Earlier, someone was asking me, ‘How do you cope when you know that you’ve given a bad gift?’ Just re-gift it,” Yang said. “We were also saying earlier, re-gifting is quite sustainable as a practice. It’s circular. So just the whole notion of, ‘You did a bad job giving me this gift. Go fix it.’ I’m like, ‘That’s not on me anymore!’”
Born 2pc Velour Notch Collar Pajama Set
A deep green pajama set.
Minnetonka Suede Cafe Scuff Slippers
Cozy black slippers.
You can shop Yang and Rogers’ gift guide on Marshalls’ website now. We’ve scouted a few of our favorites from the duo’s picks that you can browse below.
Bowen Yang & Matt Rogers Holiday Gifting Picks from Marshalls
Innovibe 11in Modern Rechargeable Metal Table Lamp
A red decorative lamp.
Martha The Cookbook Leather Bound Edition
Martha Stewart’s cookbook.
Barbour Laith Classic Tartan Pajama Set
A tartan pajama set for men.
Salvatore Ferragamo Made In Italy Calfskin Leather Card Holder
A brown calfskin card holder.
Touch Beauty 3 In 1 Led Light Therapy And Microcurrent Device
A red light therapy and microcurrent massager.
Hong Kong-based private equity firm HongShan Capital Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Marshall Group, makers of amplifiers that for decades have been a favorite among rock guitarists, in a deal valuing the company at 1.1 billion euros ($1.15 billion).
Under the deal, which needs regulatory approval in Europe, the Marshall family will retain “over 20%” ownership in the Stockholm, Sweden-based company. The investors divesting their stakes in the company include Swedish telecom Telia, private equity firms Altor and Time for Growth, as well as venture capital firm Zenith.
This will be the largest European investment to date for HSG, which also has offices in mainland China and London and lists TikTok owner ByteDance and the Chinese mega-retailer Alibaba in its portfolio.
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Terry Marshall, a board member and co-founder of Marshall along with his dad Jim, expressed optimism about the partnership’s potential to further the legacy of Marshall’s pioneering sound.
“We are now over 60 years into our journey, and the pioneering sound of Marshall continues to resonate across the world,” said Marshall. “Together with HSG and our team, we can further build on our history to amplify the love for music and the Marshall brand for decades to come.”
Established in 1962 in Hanwell, West London by Jim and Terry Marshall, Marshall Amplification swiftly built a loyal following by manufacturing larger-than-life amps for guitarists craving more muscle for their stage sound. Devotees of these high-wattage “Marshall stack” rigs over the years have included such guitar giants as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Slash, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Angus Young.
In 2023, Stockholm-based Zound Industries, known for their headphones and wireless speakers, acquired Marshall Amplification and rebranded it as The Marshall Group. The Marshall family retained a 24% stake in the company, with family heirs Terry and Victoria Marshall securing seats on the board of directors.
Today, the company still produces amps in the UK at their factory in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. It’s also about to introduce a new line of guitar pedals at this year’s NAMM tradeshow that it hopes will ” provide the unmistakable Marshall sound, no matter where you are.”
In early 2024, the company disclosed that a quarter of the Marshall Group’s sales come from headphones while 70% is derived from speakers and only 5% from amplifiers.
“Our mission is to support Marshall in unlocking its full potential by leveraging our expertise in digital channels and supply chain optimization,” said Taro Niggemann, managing director for Europe at HSG. “We aim to help bring Marshall’s exceptional products to even more customers globally while embracing and celebrating the spirit that has defined the brand for generations.”
Jeremy de Maillard, CEO of Marshall Group, added: “This deal is a testament to our team’s dedication and exceptional talent in making our vision a reality. Together with HSG and the Marshall family, we have the perfect conditions to continue building on Marshall’s iconic status and unlocking our full potential across the world.”
Marshall Amplification, known for furnishing amps to a who’s who of rock stars, is being acquired by the Swedish tech company Zound Industries, Zound announced on Thursday (March 30). Zound had previously licensed the Marshall name for more than a decade and helped spread it around the world through popular headphones and speakers.
The new combined company will be dubbed the Marshall Group. Zound’s press release trumpeted that “on day one, Marshall Group revenues will be over $360 million with double-digit profitability.”
“Combining our strengths and unique positioning… will fuel our ambition to create premium, innovative, products and experiences for musicians and music lovers around the world,” Zound CEO Jeremy de Maillard said in a statement. “Zound has proven itself as a global, fast growing, and progressive company. With the Marshall Group, we are set to accelerate our profitable growth in a $100 billion market.”
“I am proud that this deal has finally been completed,” added Konrad Bergström, founder and board member of Zound Industries until 2018. “The success that we have achieved with the Marshall brand over recent years is soon going to be seen as having been the warm-up to a new British-Swedish headline act that is going to shake the tech and music industries to their foundations.”
Jim Marshall and his son Terry created the first Marshall amp in 1962, and the gear was subsequently popularized by rockers like Jimi Hendrix and The Who. “We have always looked for ways to deliver the pioneering Marshall sound to music lovers of all backgrounds and music tastes across the world,” Terry Marshall said in a statement. “I’m confident that the Marshall Group will elevate this mission and spur the love for the Marshall brand.”
The Marshall Family will be the largest shareholder of the Marshall Group, holding on to 24%.
Zound first started licensing the Marshall name back in 2010. “We brought the Marshall brand to over 90 countries through the headphones and the speakers,” de Maillard told The Verge. “So it became a much more known brand by the masses than it was before. Before it was the in-the-know, the musicians, people who were really into music who knew about the brand. But through this partnership, we’ve managed to touch a lot more people.”
“We’re very complementary to each other and this deal will enable us to bring together the full range of products and the entire consumer experience under one roof,” de Maillard added in a separate interview with Forbes. “It will allow us to be quicker with innovation and to have a deeper and more holistic connection with musicians and music lovers.”
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