THE THINKER: The Tenacious Z On The Throne BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER An ingenious crank with the ears of Stravinsky and the soul of Alfred E. Neuman, Frank Zappa is credited in the straight world with a handful of novelty songs (“Valley Girl,” “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow”) and as a result a dubious rep as the hippie forefather of Weird Al Yankovic. When in fact he cuts much deeper than that. Always more of a musician’s musician than a give-the-rabble-what-they-want kind of guy, Zappa made albums — bizarre, labyrinthine hybrids of jazz, rock, prog and doo-wop shot […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Matt Weiner, a TV writer and producer who landed an Emmy and a Writers Guild Award for his work on HBO’s The Sopranos, has created a new show. It’s an AMC drama series called Mad Men, set in the fiercely competitive world of Madison Avenue ad execs in 1960s New York. PLUS, Ayub Nuri was working with foreign journalists in Iraq as a fixer — a war-zone interpreter, guide, source-finder and occasional life-saver. Nuri worked with increasing autonomy until he became a reporter with his own byline. He wrote about his experiences in The New York Times Magazine […]
INTRODUCING: Question The Parking Authority
It is a sad state of affairs when the most effective government agency in this city is the Parking Authority. 911 is a joke. The cops are trigger-happy at the most inappropriate times and MIA at the most crucial. DHS actually kills children and the Housing Authority can barely keep a roof over its head. And good luck getting anywhere with City Hall if you don’t have a council person on your payroll. But, overstay your meter welcome by just one hot minute and you are fucked for $25 courtesy of the men (and women) in baby blue. God forbid […]
Bush Disses Gas Tax Hike To Pay For Bridge Repairs
WASHINGTON – A week after a deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis, President Bush dismissed Thursday raising the federal gasoline tax to repair the nation’s bridges at least until Congress changes the way it spends highway money. The Democratic chairman of the House Transportation Committee proposed a 5-cent increase in the 18.3 cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax to establish a new trust fund for repairing or replacing structurally deficient highway bridges. More than 70,000 of the nation’s bridges are rated structurally deficient, including the bridge that collapsed over the Mississippi River last Wednesday. The American Society of Civil Engineers says repairing them […]
ARTSY: The End Of The Innocents
In her recent work Audrey Kawasaki continues to captivate her viewers with voyeuristic images of young women caught in seemingly very private moments. She explores (and challenges) the innocence of her subjects by placing them in suggestive environments and provocative poses. At first glance they seem harmless and innocent but upon further investigation they can also appear to be mischievous and naughty. These stylized figures often seduce viewers with their “melancholy” expressions and “bedroom eyes.” This mixed with Kawasaki’s soft and subtle style creates a tension in her work and makes her paintings irresistible to anyone who encounters them. Audrey […]
PAPERBOY: ‘See You In The Funny Pages’ Edition
BY AMY Z. QUINN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right — these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. Hey, we know how it is — so many words to read, so little time to surf for free porn. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you, freeing up […]
MILESTONE: I Wanna Thank Ya 4 Lettin’ Me Be Myself
PHAWKER STATS SINCE 2006* Page Views: 243,506 Readers: 80,565 Posts: 5,111 *Source Mint
PRB FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
THE JON SOLOMON RADIO HOUR We have a number of special events on a very busy show tonight. We’ll be remembering Lee Hazlewood all evening. Brooklyn’s Standing Nudes will join me live in-studio around 8:00 pm ET. At 9:00 pm ET a 2005 live session from Coyote will be rebroadcast in memory of Coyote/Bottom Of The Hudson member Trevor Butler, who died in a van accident on July 29th. For information on donating to the fund in Butler’s honor, visit www.absolutelykosher.com. I will also have tickets up-for-grabs for Friday night’s Armalite/Ergs show at the First Unitarian Church and Saturday’s The […]
DUANE EDDY: Rebel Rouser*
*Produced by Lee Hazelwood.
JOYLESS IN MUDVILLE: The Highest Scorer
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Has there ever be a more joyless milestone? Is there anything sorrier than watching the victory lap of a condemned man? Any hope Hank Aaron had of taking the crown to his grave has been defeated by a chemistry that didn’t even exist back when he was knocking ’em out of the ball park with just his bare hands. Aaron didn’t even bother to show up to see his record broken, and who could blame him after all? Certainly not Willie Mays, according to USA Today: Willie Mays, who promised the late Bobby Bonds that […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
NOW HIRING: Dunkin’ Donuts Looking For 75 Fattest Greatest Philadelphians ” PHILADELPHIA — Dunkin’ Donuts, in celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th anniversary season, has announced its search for the 75 greatest living Philadelphians. Fans may nominate an individual who exemplifies this spirit of community service on-line. Individuals will be judged on their community accomplishments and their ability to impact, improve and inspire the city. Nominations will be accepted until Aug. 30, and winners will be recognized at a ceremony at Lincoln Financial Field in October 2007. Dunkin’ Donuts is the official coffee, donut and breakfast sandwich of the Philadelphia […]
BARELY POLITICAL: Dogging Obama Girl
When beside the point becomes the point — it is not by accident.
WHY WE FIGHT: Clash Of The Beer Barons
Yards sold just under $2 million in beer last year and had recently begun to turn a profit. So what caused the breakup? Depends on whom you ask. “There was a difference in our opinions of work ethic,” said Bill Barton, formerly in the auto-auction business. He, his wife and McBride joined Yards in 1999, after [Yard’s co-owner Tom] Kehoe’s original partner and co-founder, Jon Bovit, bowed out. Barton said he and his wife were out selling the beer, persuading bars to set up Yards taps. Kehoe would show up late and leave early. “He was on a free ride,” […]