http://youtu.be/LaK6khs8aMw Last weekend my entire family went to the theater to watch “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” “Rise” is the prequel to the 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell. In a nutshell, “Rise” is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in a theater. Where shall I begin? Well, star …
http://youtu.be/BOByH_iOn88
A friend sent me a link to an internet gallery of motel postcards: http://www.motelpostcards.com It’s a lovely site, but any discussion of American motels of the 60s has to include Lileks’ homage to The Gobbler, the grooviest motel in Wisconsin. While a number of years old now, this gallery with commentary is the best thing …
http://youtu.be/SWQTS8zqYXU
Seems appropriate/interchangeable with today, though “Reaganomics” rolls off the tongue easier than “Getting squeezed by the rich and their Bible-thumping, gay-bashing, union-busting, flag-waving stooges.” – Steve Stav
Thanks to Daniel Saul Housman for this tip: XLR8R describes Cryland, Don Cavalli’s most recent record, in this way: “It’s hard enough to learn another language, so give France’s Don Cavalli bonus points for nailing Americana roots and blues with a hammer. His stripped-down hybrid-Cajun swing owes as much to his laptop as it does …
Thanks to Daniel Saul Housman for this tip: Allmusic.com describes Unknown Mortal Orchestra in this way: “Basing the songs on funky, strutting beats is a good start. Throwing fuzzy guitars, chunky basslines, and bubbling keyboards on top is a nice second step. Finishing it off with Nielson’s playful and child-like lyrics sung with an innocently …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBaskRZDbNA
The image below, depicting Catwoman astraddle a vibrator, or perhaps a motorbike, is the first still to be released of Anne Hathaway as the iconic feline criminal in the next Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. MTV is highly critical of her performance, calling it, “unflattering” and “underwhelming.” The East Portland jury is still out, …
http://youtu.be/7YEPUswpbMc
Urkel is back:
Seattle pop-punk band Quickie has less than one month to get Jimmy Kimmel’s attention. Kimmel is co-sponsor of the Samsung AT&T Summer Krush contest, which is currently underway. The telecommunications giants are searching for a killer opening act for their Seattle “Summer Krush” concert (date to be determined). The winning band will not only open …
Early 1980s Seattle had a pretty active music scene. There were clubs like Baby O’s, Eagles Auditorium, Seattle Hippodrome, The Showbox, The Hall of Fame, among others. The only place still in existence is The Showbox. I was barely over twenty- one, but my best friend and sidekick Katie was still 20. Back then, the …
[Ed. Note: What follows is a work in progress. Tom Kipp is in the process of compiling “1500 Completely Unforgettable Songs! (A Musical Cornucopia of Rock, Punk, Soul, Funk, Pop, Postpunk, Grunge, Sludge, Spoken Word, Country, Hardcore, Hip-Hop, Metal, Industrial, and Beyond).” Some of these songs will be familiar, others less so. All will be …
It may be an odd admission to hear from a music journalist, but I don’t think I’ve enjoyed new music this much since the 1980s. Great, “independent” sounds seems to be pouring into my radio and computer in a torrent from all over the globe, making me as giddy as a 16-year-old waiting in line …
Saved By the Bell is beset by cartoonish, grisly accidents: New Romance – Miles Fisher from Miles Fisher on Vimeo.
One thing not be taken away from The Who, they had the best rock documentary for miles and miles… However, Tom Kipp cautions, “The film does seem a lot sadder now, though, as opposed to celebratory, given what’s happened to those still alive when it was released…”
http://youtu.be/G_TrD7F1FXc
http://youtu.be/mU5JA1_hcIc
“Jungleland” conveys Springsteen’s Runyonesque Born to Run-era urban aesthetic through his most complicated storytelling and perhaps his most transcendent poetry. He wanted grimy, realistic, lumpenprole art on the order of Last Exit to Brooklyn. As the years pass, it’s becoming clear he achieved it. The story about the Magic Rat and his sleek machine may …