I loved the last Peter Gabriel album, where his transcendent cover (cocreation? PG supplied the melody) of Lou Reed’s “The Power of the Heart” (which somehow quotes “Ol’ Man River” in a love song to Laurie Anderson) almost balances out the Lou-Metallica combo/car crash. Speaking of Lou, James Wolcott’s memoir of NYC in the 70s …
It’s the 20th anniversary of Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. It may not be anybody else’s cup of tea, but I love Loveless (though I can’t claim to know it—it is a surpassingly strange album), but it is a landmark, and Stereogum puts it as well as anyone I know: Click here. – Tom Fredrickson …
Chapter Fifty-Eight All Keith and I could do was hold each other and listen to our baby scream as they stuck a tiny needle in her leg to insert an IV. My stomach turned into knots and I felt like I was in the middle of some horrible nightmare as medical staff rushed to Mandy …
In 1989, Pedophilia State University head football coach Joe Paterno wrote a book called “By the Book.” How telling, in retrospect. In the strictest sense, Coach Paterno adhered to his legal requirement by reporting to his supervisor the anal rape of a 10 year old child by Paterno’s longtime friend and coworker. Perhaps Coach Paterno …
Chapter Fifty-Nine Keith spun around and froze. It took me a second to realize who they were. Then I recognized Keith’s father. Even though I’d only seen him in a dark nightclub, I recognized his eyes. His black hair had more silver than I remembered. His mother‘s hair was cropped short and almost nearly gray. …
This clip is from 1992: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZwgu8_b0Vw
When it comes to sports, it’s the NFL’s world. All the other leagues just live in it. While the NBA and MLB hope and pray that at least one East Coast big-market team goes deep into their playoffs in order to generate fan interest, the NFL can match up bottom-feeders from such trendy cities like …
I love this video. It is certainly my favorite Swedish hip hop video of all time. Curiously, it features a baseball bat. They don’t play baseball in Sweden, and, given their history of neutrality and rank civil order, I assume Swedes discourage the sort of aggravated violence which occurs when a baseball bat is used …
Chapter Fifty-Eight Keith pulled me into his lap and wrapped me in his arms. “Your mum called and says the baby made it through another night.” “I can’t wait to see her. This has been a nightmare I don’t care to repeat.” A nurse came in pushing a wheel chair. “Ah, your limo has arrived,” …
Today is the 40th Anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin IV, the high water mark of the rock era. Thanks to Sir Tom Kipp for notifying me of this momentous release date anniversary. By “high water mark,” I mean the point where the wave crested and broke. It’s not that there would be no …
On Thursday, 11/17/2011, Portland’s supercool, cassette-only, indie label, Apes Tapes, will celebrate one full year in business and the release of a sensational new mix tape (Mixed Ape) of local artists with a celebratory show at Holocene featuring ONUINU, ADVENTURES! WITH MIGHT, (a reunion performance of) VANIMAL, XDS and PEGASUS DREAM with special mini sets …
In this video, mixed media beadwork artist and EPB contributor Betsy Youngquist takes a brief look at some of the art exhibited during the ArtPrize competition held in Grand Rapids, MI, September 21 – October 9, 2011:
“Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard Key Lyric: “Love is like a bomb baby come on get it on.” The Message: Do me. Everything you need to know is on the table by the second line of the song. Bluntly put, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” is about f**king. It’s the clever, we’re-talking-about-it-but-we’re-not-really-saying-it …
Thanks to Reddit:
They’ve been around since 2003, but I just discovered Portland Radio Authority. Here’s how they explain themselves on their website: The PRA is a non-commercial, listener supported, online radio station. As a free form community media source, we are committed to bringing independent artistry and marginalized viewpoints into regional and international view. We aim to …
http://youtu.be/1fQT-GjKlLw
Fox Entertainment scrapped Arrested Development in 2006 after only three seasons. Apparently strong DVD sales and the show’s burgeoning cult status triggered a response in some studio office somewhere that the time was right to cash in, and so sometime soon a movie version of the TV series will be coming to a theatre near …
I’m from a little church that watched the choir dwindle, with words from the small audience of “God Bless Them”, meaning….Thanks for trying, but your better days were 20 years ago! Those older saints , who poured their hearts out of tired vocal cords and hung their choir robes up to rest, were now forced …
From last year, with love:
On November Sixth 2011 I made my first international call to Paris to interview Ken Stringfellow, a powerful creative force (along with Jon Auer) behind Seattle’s long-running, legendary, melodic power rock combo, the Posies. A full-time Paris resident now, Stringfellow has a thriving career as a solo artist, is writing music scores for films, and …
Chapter Fifty-Seven “Your daughter is a tough little girl. However, she’ll need more specialized care than we can provide. We want her airlifted to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. They have the best neonatal intensive care in the country. You’ll need to sign papers giving us permission.” “Mon dieu,” I gasped. “She will survive, …
On November 5, 2011 I attended yet another Occupy Seattle event. I once again hopped on a bus to the downtown Seattle hub of Westlake Center. Getting there at around 1:00, I joined a protest already in progress at the busy intersection of fifth Ave and Pine Street. Traffic had to be diverted around us …
So much has already been written about The Joy Formidable that its nearly cliché to discuss the band’s size, sound, attitude, relationships, or comment on all the attention they’ve recently been paid by other musicians, the press, or the late night show circuit in America. However, one common theme that keeps being bandied about is …