| Looking back in Time to find the present future. |
Also, what’s a “teleputer”? Anyway, innacuracies are to be expected from a 12-year-old issue of Time, but I only bring it up because I was obsessed with the issue as a child. I wanted to “touch cyberspace” as one article claimed I would be able to. continue reading |
“Welcome to Cyberspace!” declared Time in 1995, when they published a special issue introducing its readers to the hot-button issue of the “information superhighway”. Approaching this strange new technology cautiously, with hyperbole abound, the issue attempted to break things down with a veritable lexicon of new vocabulary that failed to catch on. For instance:
Last night I saw Ariel Pink for the third time at one of my favorite stores, Family, on Fairfax. The first time I saw him play was at The Echo, and it was a disappointing affair. He didn’t have a backing band that time, so he was constantly fiddling with a highly complicated series of analog playback hookups, wearing an ammo strap loaded with cassette tapes. He took so much time fiddling with tapes and knobs that the audience eventually lost interest (with the exception of a few drunk hos who decided it would be a good idea to take the stage and dance drunkenly behind him) and he became visibly despondent, before eventually storming off stage. continue reading |
I know I’m a little late on the bandwagon here, since this came out several weeks ago– but when I first saw the trailer for Year of the Dog, I thought it was just going to be another quirky pastel-colored romantic comedy. I was pleasantly surprised to discover an altogether original film that is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. Chuck & Buck writer Mike White presents the audience with another character propelled on a path towards anti-social behavior, but the difference here is that we actually care about her, not in the least due to Molly Shannon’s stellar performance. In fact, everyone is amazing in Year of the Dog. It’s not easy to juggle comedy and earnestness, but Shannon, Laura Dern and especially Peter Sarsgaard do just that with unexpected nuance. With less talented performers, it would have been easy to simply laugh at the characters without feeling any connection with them. And they couldn’t have asked for a better venue to display their talents than through White’s thoughtful and authentic script. As a first-time director, too, he shows off a keen sense for comedic timing and striking compositions. But I’ll stop gushing and simply command you all to see this film as soon as possible. Seriously, like, leave now. At these prices, tickets won’t last long. |
Let me tell you about two of my favorite movies. They’re born from the late Cold War and they’re both love stories about the end of the world. continue reading |
When I’m online and I see a picture I like, I save it to a huge folder full of random crap on my hard drive. I’ve been doing this for years, and that folder has amounted to a veritable gold mine of rad, covering the spectrum of everything wonderful and amazing. Sometimes I put together carefully selected mixes of these pictures on CDs for my friends, so I thought I’d try implementing that idea here. A lot of these pictures are from blogs that I frequent on a regular basis, some of which are on the list to your right. Since I don’t remember where most of these came from, I won’t try and credit all the sources. If you took one of these photos, just know that I love it/you. Anyway, enjoy! continue reading |
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I went to the opening of the new “I Am 8-Bit” show last night with my friend Bob. Bob is into some of the artists, so we figured we’d just drop by, not expecting the extraordinarily long line out front. It took almost 45 minutes to get inside, and then we had to inch our way around the gallery, which was filled to the brim with video game nerds, art lovers, and everyone in between. There were at least three news reports being shot for video-gamed themed premium cable channels you’ve never heard of. They have some some fun pieces up, and it’s definitely worth checking out– it’ll be up at Gallery 1988 on Melrose until May 12th. Here are some pictures from the event. continue reading |
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Today I did a photo shoot for the band Swivel. Here are some of the pictures… continue reading |
[subscribe to the podcast in iTunes] Right click and save to download Podcast #6 [51:11 | 58.5mb] If you take a walk through the woods, or drive down to the local laundromat, you may find yourself wishing for some music to enliven your journey. If you’re waiting at the dentist’s office and there are seven people in line ahead of you, you may find yourself reaching for your iPod. If you’re visiting relatives and everyone’s asleep, but you’re still very much awake, you may decide to slip on your headphones. In those cases, listen to this podcast. Track Listing: 1. Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly 2095 |
There was a moment in the mid-80s when Brian De Palma found himself in a personal and artistic crisis. His marriage to Dressed to Kill and Blow Out star Nancy Allen had dissolved after attacks from the press– people wanting to know why he was so intent on casting her in sexually exploitative roles, and how he could write her into such grisly deaths. He had faced a drawn-out battle with the MPAA over whether to give Scarface an ‘X’ rating, only to see the film subsequently ridiculed for its graphic content by nearly every major critic. From this low point, De Palma decided to strike back at the pantheon of amateur ethicists with an over-the-top film that threatened to reach unprecedented levels of depravity. continue reading |
I went up north for a week to get my car repaired, spend some time with my mom before her 53rd birthday, and relax in Sea Ranch with my friends Carla and Alexa. Sea Ranch is a beautiful seaside town where Carla’s parents own a beach house, and herds of deer graze in everyone’s backyards. We listened to Lionel Richie, played Scattegories, and watched Al Gore’s television network by satellite. We also went for walks in the woods, took trips to Tolkein-esque chapels, and tried to ride our bikes through the ocean to Tokyo, but failed. |
Corndawg is a master airbrush artist, unparalleled folk musician, poet, world traveler, and on-again off-again Black Diamond houseguest.
We got together yesterday to record a dramatic reading of “Sparco Fireproof Suit Poem” and an a capella rendition of his classic tune, “When a Ford Man Turns to Chevy” right here in Highland Park. (Photo: Corndawg’s Flickr Page) |
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#2. New Year’s Eve While I’m not much of a leather and chaps kind of guy, I came along to the festival for the sheer absurdity. Tickets were $15, despite all the corporate sponsorship, but luckily I got in free on account of Rudy’s DJing. It was highly entertaining, in its own embarrassing way, and surreal, to say the least. I caught some footage of obnoxious stilt dancers, hairy asses, uncouth boot cleanings, and a marvelous dancer whom Bob and I have fondly dubbed “Grandpa Hands”. Enjoy! :) (Photo by Bobby!) |
