SANTA’S LIL’ HELPER MEETS PHAWKER: Electric Factory, December 16, 2006 THE CONTEXT: So we are standing at the back of the Electric Factory Saturday night waiting for the dreadful Killers concert to put itself out of its misery when up walks Peter Pan, Santa Claus and his Lil’ Helper, who are, it becomes immediately apparent, more than full of holiday cheer — the beer spilled down Santa’s shakes-like-a-bowl-of-jelly belly was the first of many clues. We ask if we can take their picture and when they ask what for we hand them our business card and Santa proceeds to stuff […]
TOONS: Nightmare Before Christmas
“Durch Nacht Zum Licht”, an advertisement for Underberg by Hans Fischerkoesen
TRIBUTE: Goodnight Mr. Ertegun, Wherever You Are
Somebody Hip: Ahmet Ertegun, 1923-2006 ED KING REMEMBERS: Growing up in love with rock ‘n roll and its extended family, images of Atlantic Records founders Ahmet and Neshui Ertegun and their team of hipster producers, such as Jerry Wexler, were burned into my impressionable brain. I never learned exactly what this group of hitmakers did beside put together the right people in the right places and then get photographed having cocktails with the Beautiful People of the 1970s pop culture scene, but the Erteguns were there in the grooves with every record I loved by The Coasters, Aretha Franklin, Otis […]
EULOGY: Fair Thee Well Leaning TOWER of Song
KING BRITT REMEMBERS: Tower Records totally changed my whole life. I worked there in ’88, for four years. In high school I was a music nerd, so naturally I desperately wanted to work at Tower. I started as bag check dude, but moved up to 12″ singles buyer and New Age buyer in a matter of six months. Everyone who worked there were masters at their craft, and their passion for music was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the “team work” vibe. We all went on to do great things. Renny Harris, a major choreographer and dancer; James Bond, who owns […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
DUTCH COURAGE: The Ex, First Unitarian Church, December 14 SIMONE SECCI, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, REPORTS: Before talking about the show, I just would like to say how was weird and different for me as a European, going to a show here in Philly expecially an all ages show, where pretty much nobody was drinking and smoking weed, which is what the majority of the people do in Europe at shows. Cultural shock! Anyway first to be on the stage is this folk rock singer which I’m not exactly sure about the name, but I think was Billy Petersen, whose songs the […]
Cover Wars: Whose Artfag Kung-Fu Is Stronger
There something sick going on in Atlantic City, or shall we say something sicker than usual, which is really saying something. The Inquirer and Daily News have been reporting — and we’ve been echoing — what the cops won’t say: a monster lurks in A.C. And no, we are not just talking about Gamblor. Though authorities refuse to label him as such, a serial killer has wasted four street walkers, dumping their bodies in a drainage ditch in the briny swamplands nearby, all within a stone’s throw of each other, all facing East, towards Atlantic City. Fox News, no stranger […]
TIERNEY’S LIST: Inky Diaspora Begins
Now that the Company and the Guild have called off their game of chicken, it’s time for the Last Free Lunch and, unfortunately, shit sandwiches are all that’s left in the picnic basket. As had been made clear all along, strike or no strike, there will be layoffs. The exact number remains an elusive quantity, morphing in unforeseeable ways with each new staff departure and rumored departure (BIG NEWS afoot on this front, more later today), from as low as 82 to as high as 150. And pink slips are expected to be dispensed just in time for Christmas. “Anybody […]
SPLACK PACK: Shake That Ass
Warning: Not ENTIRELY Work-Safe.
BREAKING: Tom Waits For No Man, Except Maybe David Dye
“File our stay under ?Accidental Tourism,? a random touchstone to Waits? boozy, flophouse residency at Tropicana Motel in the endless, doomed summer of Los Angeles in the ?70s. It was a simpler time then. A piano served as furniture, and down the hall lived Waits? partner in grime, Chuck E. Weiss, ?the kind of guy that would sell you a rat?s ass for a wedding ring,? joked Waits to an interviewer at the time. Weiss brought around Rickie Lee Jones, with whom Waits shared a brief creative and romantic dalliance. It was at the Tropicana that Waits forged the image […]
OBIT: Mister, We Could Use A Man Like Ahmet Ertegun Again, Number One Zep-Head Dead At 83
Ahmet Ertegun, the music magnate who founded Atlantic Records and shaped the careers of John Coltrane, Ray Charles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and many others, died today in Manhattan. He was 83. A spokesman for Atlantic Records said the death was the result of a brain injury suffered when Mr. Ertegun fell backstage at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan on Oct. 29 as the Rolling Stones prepared to play a concert to mark former President Bill Clinton?s 60th birthday. He had been in a coma since then. […] Mr. Ertegun was the dapper son of a Turkish diplomatic family. […]
SMELLS LIKE DEMOCRACY: DiCicco Calls For Six Month Hold ‘Em On Slots, Wants To Re-Shuffle Deck And Deal Public Into The Game
PENNSYLVANIA ? As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News: “With four of the potential casino locations in his district, Councilman Frank DiCicco yesterday urged the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to postpone for six months the selection next Wednesday of the two winning applicants. “Though DiCicco had hoped for plenty of support from the city’s legislative delegation to Harrisburg, he got only incoming freshman state Rep. Michael O’Brien and Councilman Darrell Clarke to stand with him in South Philadelphia near the proposed Foxwoods Casino. “?With a six-month delay, the board could gather more public input on the casino operators’ evolving plans, […]
SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM: Mayor Lifts Smoking Ban For Three Weeks, Marlboro Man and Camel Joe Spotted On Edge Of Town
Mayor John Street signed a revised bill into law on Thursday, allowing smaller bars to apply for permanent exemptions. That ban goes into effect January 8th, and overrides the current one. So, until then, smoking is allowed, although it is expected that most restaurants will continue to enforce the ban. Under the new law, outdoor cafes and taverns which make no more than 10-percent of sales off food can apply for exemptions. 6ABC: Quitters Never Win, Plus It Makes You Look Cool And More Grown-Up