too bad

This silly little cartoon never went into full production..

ian and sylvia

I know they were a bit ahead of their time, but Ian and Sylvia are one of the few places where jazz, blues and folk meet and mange to be lame. They just can't be taken out of the context of the time they were around. I bet in the early 60s they were as hip as the strokes. Now they sound a bit like something aging people put on the cd player as a soundtrack to a shitty dinner party.

remember this video?

midnight nation

Reading Midnight Nation. A brilliant graphic novel steeped in metaphor in only the way a comic can. Telling the story of David a man who accidentally finds him self in the "land in between" inhabited by "people who fell threw the cracks", literally people who have been completely forgotten about in the world until they become invisible. How these people fell threw the cracks is what got to me. Afraid to take chances, but always blaming the world for their predicament and not themselves. They only have themselves to blame. I can say I can relate to this...

bitchin' camero

Although the Dead Milkmen are rarely regarded as classic, most children of the 80s who had at least a moderate fondness for them. I still have the intro to "Bitchin' Camero" memorized....
here goes...

- Hey Jack, what's happenin'?
- I don't know.
- Well uh, rumour around town says you mighht be thinkin' 'bout goin' down to
the shore.
- Uh, yeah, I think I'm gonna go down to thhe shore.
- Whadda ya gonna do down there?
- Uh, I don't know, p-play some video gamess, buy some Def Leppard t-shirts.
- Don't forget your Motley Crue t-shirt; y''know all proceeds go to get their
lead singer out a' jail.
- Uh huh.
- Can't wait to go down. Hey uh, were ya goonna check out the sand bar while
you're down there?
- Uh, what's the Sand Bar?
- Ah, it's a place that lets sixteen year-oold kids drink.
- Ah, cool.
- Ya hey, guess who's gonna be there?
- Uh, who?
- My favourite cover band, Crystal Ship.
- Wow.
- Yeah, they do a Doors show, you'd be reallly impressed, in fact, it goes a
little like this:

Love me two times baby
Love me twice today
Love me two times girl
Cause I got AIDS
Love me two times baby,
once for tomorrow,
once cause I got AIDS

- Uh...
- Pretty good Jim Morrison impersonation thhere. I hope those guys have a
good sense a' humour and don't take us into court.
- Uh, what's the court?
- Never mind that, the important thing heree...
- You mean the People's Court.
- The... Now, that's another story. The impportant thing here is that we get
to the part where you ask me how I'm gonna get down to the shore.
- Oh, how you gettin' down to the shore?
- Funny you should ask, I've got a car now..
- Ah wow, how'd ya get a car?
- Oh, my folks drove it up here from the Baahamas.
- You're kidding!
- I must be, the Bahamas are islands. Okay,, the important thing here is
that, uh, you ask me what kinda car it is.
- Uh uh, what kinda car do ya' got?
- I've got a bitchin' Camaro...

a short interview with joel peter witkin

coffin for head of state

I've been going through my music library and digitizing a lot of it. In doing so I came across my collection of Fela Kuti reissues. Fela was a Nigerian musician who spearheaded the development of Afro-Beat music, An amalgam of reggae, Cuban and soul that hit its stride in the 70's. My favorite of the bunch at the moment is "coffin For Head of State. An album that is one 32 minute song. It was written after Fela's mother was killed in a raid of his compound by police. It is confrontational, uncompromising and a middle finger to the government that tried so hard to silence him. No wonder he's still considered a national hero to the Nigerian people.

let sleeping corpses lie

Long before Rob Zombie was a mover and shaker in Hollywood he was the singer of New York industrial metal powerhouse White Zombie. They were all over MTV and radio in the 90s before Zombie decided to go solo and then get into film directing. Now those of us who remember watching the video fro Thunderkiss 65 on Beavis and Butthead have something to be excited about. Let Sleeping Corpses lie is a fours cd/one DVD box set that spans the bands entire career including soundtrack and noon album tracks. In fact nearly everything the band ever recorded is included here. From the scum punk stylings of the Gods on Voodoo Moon EP to the more polished Astro Creep 200. The DVD contains all the band’s music videos as well as a handful of live performances and a few easter eggs including the original White Zombie film starring Bela Lugosi. After listening to the box set and watching the DVD, it’s hard to believe these guys were New York art students and not a bunch of insane cannibal rednecks living in the middle of nowhere in Texas with only original film prints of bad grindhouse films and slaughter to entertain them. Sure it is all done tongue in cheek, but this music did have bite and an image that was over the top.

gift idea for a metalhead

How can you tell when extreme metal has infiltrated the mainstream? When there is a show that pokes a little fun at it on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. There are very few metal fans out there who haven’t seen at least one episode of this quirky series that tells the story of Dethklok, a death metal band so popular that it has become the world’s 7th largest economy. The complete second season is out now on DVD and makes the perfect gift for the discerning metalhead on your list. With musician cameos from the likes of James Hetfield, Angela Gossow, Mike Patton and Emperor and such classic moments as Murderface’s “Tittyfish” song, Dethklok’s foray into fashion design and a little trip to the amazon because it would be very “Cannibal Corpse”, this 2 disc set is chock full of both the hilarious and very metal. Don’t kid yourself, metal fans have a sense of humor. What could be better on Christmas then opening this putting it on the dvd player and cracking up a brew with that special Darkthrone fan in your life?

bastards of young

what a beautiful fuck you this was to MTV. I love the Replacements

dark reign

All right. I'm hooked. Secret Invasion is over in the Marvel universe. Make way for Dark Reign... A secret cabal of super villains calling all the shots? The story telling potential is astronomical. And here I thought quality writing in superhero books was on the wane. As the saying goes "bring on the bad guys". And just who are the Dark Avengers?? hmmm

rip

Odetta.. She won't be singing at Obama's inauguration after all.

crystal stilts

One thing proven by the rise of Crystal Stilts rise to prominence among New York's hipster elite is that the kids aren't tired of bands that sound like Interpol. Or to be fair, Joy Division. The band's new Album, Alight of Night, is a moody affair that had it come out in the 80s would have considered Goth. But it's come out in the new millennium, so let's just call it indie rock and move on. The lyrics are buried deep in the mix and soaked in reverb. Added to this the sea of guitar fuzz and you have a dreamy concoction. The only problem is that there aren't enough moments on the record to snap you out of the dream into the waking world. This isn't music for a party at your pad. It's music for a coffee shop between spoken word performers.

got a kick out of this clip...

chinese democracy

"We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane." - Francis Ford Coppola.

This was Francis Ford Coppola talking about making Apocalypse Now. This could have just as easily come from Axl Rose when talking about Chinese Democracy. An album so long delayed and anticipated that it has become legendary. And now that the wait is over the only question to ask is "was it worth the wait". The simple answer is yes. This is a very balls out rock record. The songs are catchy and it's good to hear Axl's trademark voice. On the other hand the album is over produced and disjointed. The disjointed is easy to understand. He's worked over a decade on this list with enough musicians to populate a small country. Added to that Axl's own cultural sequestering it is no surprise there are times where he disappears up his own ass. As far as the overproduction... I don't mind when bands like Muse or My Chemical Romance does it, so why was it off putting on this album? Axl doesn't need all the bells and whistles . Appetite For Destruction was as straight ahead as records get. it was bare bones, hit you in the teeth and remains one of the best rock albums of all time. I'd like to hear what Axl could come up with if he didn't feel he had to hide behind all this musical clutter. Luckily though, the songs shine through that clutter and Chinese Democracy is an energizing album.

brilliant monologue

From Spike Lee's 25th Hour

if all goes wrong

Billy Corgan. Billy, Billy, Billy. What are we going to do with you? You reform your band (with new members)and get people all excited. You play residencies in San Francisco and North Carolina. But then play no old material. And then you bitch and moan about how nobody understands you and how fans should be willing and eager to hear your progression as an artists. Then you make a documentary all about an artist trying to stay relevant in today's world. You know what? You were relevant as an artist back in the 90s because you wrote songs that connected with the moment in popular culture. Sure culture changes, and to stay relevant is to keep giving those fans what they connected with in the first place. Give them the classics and they will accept the new.

wise up

I know that a lot of people found this scene cheesy, but I loved it. And I loved this movie...

torchwood

It's a shame American TV can't get away with some of the things the Brits can. Then more of our shows would be as good as Torchwood. The pansexuality of the characters just wouldn't fly on network tv here. And it's not like it has that much effect on the story lines... Beyond that. The writing is solid and dramatic. It seems like there are mini apocalypses in every episode that will probably make at least someone watching the show cry. I have a suspicion that there are people who watch this show that normally hate sci-fi..

the high places

The two things I've been listening to lately are Johnny Cash and cds of radio transmissions form Thailand. So, in a way, world music has been spending a lot of time on my ipod recently. Then I put the High Places cd in my computer.. A tantalizing mix of dreamy ethereal crooning and layered world rhythms. Sure this is all the rage right now among the hipster elite, but don't let that scare you away..

i miss

The smashing pumpkins when they were this good...

rip

Michael Crichton. He never got that much respect as a writer, but I did learn a lot from reading him. He was one of the few republicans i respect. I'll actually miss his "airport bookstore" novels...

who watches the watchmen?

It pays to be on DC Comics mailing list. Today in the mail I received the new hardcover edition of Watchmen. This is really a landmark in literature. Along with Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns and Art Spiegelman's Maus, Watchmen forced evolution on the entire medium. Sequential storytelling was no longer kids stuff. It was literature. Although the story takes place in the 80s and deals with a lot of cold war issues it has remained pretty timeless. I'm often asked "what graphic novel would recommend to someone who doesn't read comics?" My answer is always "Watchmen". This is the dark, seething underbelly of the human condition dealt to the reader with enough pathos and gravitas to make them forget they are reading about superheroes. This stuff too mean and cynical for you? There's always Archie. Or John Grisham. Trust me. This is every bit as dense and complex as Russian literature.

live at folsom prison

I've been listening to a lot of Johnny Cash lately. There is something very honest and sincere in his voice.. it's the voice of a life of struggle and triumph. But he also had a funny side. Check out "Live At Folsom Prison".. it is arguably the most important concert of his career and he even manages to crack a few jokes. Anybody who spends time with his music will find it hard to take. In fact it's hard not feel like you know him like a good friend after spending sometime with his music

quarantine

Saw Quarantine over the weekend. As horror movies go it was pretty scary. But what really got my attention was how much inspiration the last half of this film got form first person shooter video games. See it.. I think you'll agree.. I won't say cuz.. well I don't want to spoil it for you..

memories

Fugees' "The Score" was the soundtrack to an incredible summer. 1996. The sun, the old chevy, a girl sitting next to me. It's funny how even in your early 20s the summers seemed to last forever. Even though I almost died in a car accident towards the end, the summer of 1996 will always be one of the best of my life.

tell tales

Just heard Bob Dylan's Tell Tale Signs (vol 8 in the Bootleg series). These are all outtakes from Dylan's recent albums. As a general rule, musicians don't age well. Culture passes them by, they lose their fire and become complacent. Not Dylan. These songs are as good as his 60's material. And because of the expansive arrangement are musically more interesting than some of his earlier work. Always a challenging artist better than 90% of new artists out there today.

hounddog

Saw Hounddog a few days ago. The controversy surrounding this film is well known. Dakota Fanning plays a young rape victim. Yes that would be a terrible burden for any child actor to have to play, but she pulls it off. There wasn't a second where her performance wasn't believable. The damage, the death of innocence. Growing up isn't easy, and the character she plays has a harder time of it than most. Controversy or not, her performance was devastating.

heckle this

Saw a pretty decent documentary last night. Heckler. Ever wanted to see Carrot Top interviewed seriously? This is as close as you’re gonna get. The film interviews everyone from Rob Zombie to Bill Maher about critics, hecklers and how to deal with them. Jamie Kennedy even gets to confront critics that hated his comedy and Uwe Boll gets in the ring and challenges his harshest critics to a boxing match. The basic truth? Something is good if YOU like it. Fuck what the critics say.

starlite walker

I have 66 Silver Jews songs on my iPod. I never listened to them all back to back before this weekend. I have a new found respect for David Berman. Well his lyrics anyway. The man can’t sing but his words resonate. Kind of like.. well.. Bob Dylan. Of course Berman’s Silver Jews project doesn’t have the cultural impact Dylan has had, but his lyrics have a certain relatable edge that should give him a wider audience. If he was making this music in the 60’s he’d be a revered star now.. Plus his lyrics are pretty depressing which is always a plus with me. The high lonesome sound indeed.

quiver

Just finished reading Kevin Smith’s Green Arrow story “Quiver”. It was a fun little story of resurrection, redemption, amnesia.. and.. oh yeah.. Satanism.. Big themes for sure, but what really made this so enjoyable was the dialog. Quick, witty.. and just what you’d expect from Kevin Smith (minus the dick jokes of course). If Kevin Smith wasn’t such a big Hollywood player, he could make a comfortable living writing comics… But then what would we do without Jay and silent Bob?

this day

New York, New York - A song from Ryan Adam's Gold album that always reminds me of 9/11

click here

fringe

Ok I admit it. Fringe rocks. Despite its obvious similarities to X files, it stands on its own. Or at least the series premier was pretty damn good. It’s definitely flashy and big budget and why shouldn’t it be? It has JJ Abrams behind it. After Lost and Cloverfield the guy can pretty much write his own ticket. Too bad he wasn’t behind decent yet similar but shows like Threshold and Invasion. Maybe they would have been given more of a chance to find an audience.

secret invasion

When Civil War came out in ’06 it made the pages of the New York Times, which is rare for a comic book crossover event. What got reposts was buzzing was the political allegory involved in the story. Superhero fighting superhero over a Government imposed registration act where all costumed superheroes had to register their identities with federal authorities. It’s pretty obvious to see the parallels to modern US policy. But why hasn’t Marvel’s latest crossover event, Secret Invasion, garnered the same press? And invading foreign army aided by imbedded sleeper agents? I think this story is just as allegorical to a post 9-11 world. Get off your asses New York times..

all hope is gone

Usually bands lose their edge way before their 4th album. Hell, these days very few bands last long enough to even make a 4th album. Then there’s Slipknot. Say what you will about this band, but on this new album they are just as intense as they were in ’99. When they want to be. There are softer moments here that could be a sign of weakness if the band didn’t grow as musicians. And I’m willing to let those moments slide when songs like Gematria (The Killing Name) are pure catharsis. On a bit of a side note the band is at its most political on this record. Not that that really matters. Slipknot has always been about getting the poison out, not about deep lyrics. In the end the masks and jumpsuits don’t matter. What does is whether or not the band delivers. And they do. In spades

last will

If Brad Meltzer wanted to, he good quit his job as a novelist and devote all of his time to writing comics. His latest the one-shot Final Crisis tie-in, Last Will and Testament, is one of the best single issues of any comic published this year. The confrontation between Geo-Force and Deathstroke is so profound and deeply human that it could stand up to Oscar winners and classic novels for pure gravitas. It’s books like this that are finally helping the comic medium rise above its “kids stuff” stigma. Who cares about the funny costumes? These are real human moments..

controversy

Recently Tropic Thunder has come under attack by various mental disability advocacy groups. Having had a sister with Downs Syndrome I feel I can comment on this. As much as I appreciate these issues coming into the cultural debate, I feel that in this case the controversy is a bit misguided. What’s being lampooned with the character of Simple Jack is not the mentally challenged, but how Hollywood treats them. It really shines a light on how condescendingly they are portrayed in film and how Hollywood bends over backwards to pat themselves on the back for being sensitive while in reality being cold and calculated. We’ve all seen the academy award nominations for actors and actresses playing mentally challenged characters. Is it possible that maybe the lure of the little gold statue outweighs sympathy? And let’s face it.. some of these films are just awful.. The Other Sister? I Am Sam? So, to all those boycotters I say go a little deeper with your criticism and you may find this film is on your side.

robotech

I just picked this dvd collection up. Robotech was one of my favorite shows as a kid. Not just because it had giant robots. No this show had character development, dram and even.. death.. Yes death. I was used to the GI Joe cartoon where you'd see a parachute every time a plane blew up. In Robotech main characters died. Add to that interracial relationships and even cross dressing, I'd say this show helped me open my eyes to different cultures and maybe even helped to cement my liberal political views at a young age.. And the show is just as good to me now as it was then..

RIP

RIP Michael Turner.. To anyone who collected comics in the late 90’s Michael Turners work was instantly recognizable to the point of being iconic. His work on Fathom and Witchblade redefined the “hot woman” comic character for a new generation. And his work on Supergirl created a look for the character that is still the defining look. His work will inspire up and coming artists for decades. He will be missed by fans and industry insiders alike..

under the hood

I’ve just read Judd Winick’s “under The Hood” story line from Batman. I’ve always been a little rough on Winick’s writing. I always viewed him as the guy form the Real World who happened to get lucky. But I’m eating my words now. His characterization of Black Mask had me in stitches. It’s a shame he’s not a better known villain. Then we could be contemplating who could play him in the next Batman film and using Winick’s concept of the character as a blueprint.

overrated

I’ve really tried to like Mad Men. It’s won awards, the critics love it. It’s hip, it’s stylish. To me it’s overrated. I’m not going to argue that that acting is solid (I’ve been a fan of Elizabeth Moss since her days on the West Wing), but its lampooning of early 60's sexism and habits is over the top as to be clumsy. And yes I know its ironic and the women really do have the power, but that doesn't make it any less clumsy. Everything it is trying to do has been done better in Far From Heaven or even the Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio. Is there something I’m not getting? Is it because I’m a man who isn’t a misogynist? I dunno

memories

Funny how a song will take you back.. I remember listening to the Belle and Sebastian song “Dress Up In You” when I was on vacation in Italy in the summer of 2006.I put this song on my ipod this morning. Instantly I was transported back. I was able to stay in a friend’s apartment. The windows all open and a fleeting breeze blowing back the white curtains. Sipping lemoncello from the corner store. Reading bits of James Joyce’s Ulysses as the sun set before going to the bar down the street. Some say that smell is the sense most associated with memory. I say that sometimes it’s sound.

what's left of the flag

I have to say I’m pretty psyched for tonight. Seeing Flogging Molly an Irish (via Los Angeles) punk band. Absolutely everyone who sees this band live becomes a fan. It’s a free show so I Imagine the crowd will be large and rowdy. Plus I’m going to appeal to the lesser angels of my nature and get a more than just a little tipsy before I go. This should be a fun night. No, fuck that. It WILL be a fun night. After all, it’s all what you make it isn’t it?. Carpe Diem, bastards!

modern classic

You know the best thing about The Dark Knight? It lives up to the hype. So many times we here today that everything sucks and it was done better before. Not so with this film. It is truly a modern classic and will easily go down as one of the best films of the decade. And yes, Heath Ledger’s Joker could prove to be one of the best on screen villains ever. It’s a dark film for sure, but it does give me a little hope that this pop culture machine still has some tricks up its sleeves.

stay frosty

What is it about a piece of art, be it literature, painting, film or any other medium, that makes it timeless? Aliens is a movie that is just as good to me today as it was when I was in 7th grade and watching my favorite parts over and over again. I can still recite almost every line in the same inflection and tone as the actors. The effects still look pretty damn great. Even the score still holds up to the test of time. Every time I open a book or sit down to watch a film I’m hoping for an experience like the one I got the first time I saw Aliens. Of course it hardly ever happens, but I still have hope..

you can't go home again

There’s something about the writing and artwork of Alex Robinson that makes opening one of his graphic novels like seeing an old friend. Too Cool To Be Forgotten is a no different. Telling the story of Andy Wicks – a middle aged man who goes to a hypnotist to quit smoking and ends up reliving his sophomore year of high school, TCTBF, is probably Robinson’s most bittersweet work. Andy confronts not only what was but what will be and struggles to change them. In the end Andy gets his wish, but probably not how you’d expect. This is definitely Andy’s story and very personal in a way that only comics can be. We hear his thoughts, we feel his awkwardness and his frustration with the mundane.. This can be read in one sitting and is well worth it.

I'm torn..

Anybody who has spent time in New York’s East Village over the past years knows it’s not what it used to be. From the Chipotle on St Marks to the sanitation of Tompkins Square Park the formally sketchy magic has been white washed and replaced with commercialized gleam only slightly better than the Disney vomit that Times Square has become. One of the biggest blows to the old East Village was the loss of CBGBS. John Varvatos has opened a store where CBGBS used to be. He has managed to keep as much of the original venue as he could. My knee jerk reaction to this is to hate it. But would I rather have the place gutted and forgotten? Maybe it’s better to have a museum disguised as an haute couture boutique than nothing at all. I guess in this changing city I’ll take what I can get.