BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME (2005, directed by Kevin McAlester, 91 minutes, U.S.) A MILLION YEARS OF KENN KWEDER (2007, directed by John Henderson, 119 minutes, U.S.) Its title, taken from the sole hit of the Texas psych-rock outfit The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, is sadly untrue — the world had forgotten the brightly-blazing talent of their lead singer, Roky Erickson. A glaring injustice, that, because Erickson was the Real Deal, a man with hell hounds on his trail who had a naturally blood-curdling howl to rival Van Morrison’s raw vocals with his early band Them. Mental […]
GAYBO EXTRA! This One’s for You, Mahmoud
Yes, you were supposed to get this yesterday, but believe me, it’s worth the wait. Not exactly SFW, unless your workplace is cool with the word “faggoty.” If you aren’t currently gay you very well may be by the end of this. Also, does anyone else think it’s time for an openly gay boy band? Maybe with Perez Hilton as the impresario, like Lou Pearlman but without the Ponzi scheme. RELATED: Trudy Rubin: Dining With The Enemy RELATED: In Iran, Nobody Here But Us Breeders
PAPERBOY: On-Time Delivery Is Not Guaranteed
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 […]
Send Me An Angel To Kill The Earworm
Fault lies squarely with Dirty On Purpose, who rocked a crack-a-lackin’ version of this at JBs the other night. Umm, thanks?
Retro: The New Frontier is BYOB
Call it a lesson learned from Katrina or dirty-bomb fearmongering, but officials in Huntsville, Alabama are re-examining and implementing emergency disaster shelter plans in which bomb shelters, university housing and an abandoned mine play starring roles. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Sept. 27) – In an age of al-Qaida, sleeper cells and the threat of nuclear terrorism, Huntsville is dusting off its Cold War manual to create the nation’s most ambitious fallout-shelter plan, featuring an abandoned mine big enough for 20,000 people to take cover underground. Others would hunker down in college dorms, churches, libraries and research halls that planners hope will bring […]
Not-Exactly-Liveblogging The Liberty Medal Ceremony
BY AMY Z. QUINN I’m not sure what time this occurred to me, but it’s worth pointing out: Accepting the Liberty Medal with Bono was Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, formerly both finance and foreign minister for Nigeria and a member of DATA’s policy advisory board. She’s the third woman in the Liberty Medal’s 19 years to have it placed around her neck. Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (who had to dodge falling set pieces) and in 1995, Sadako Ogata was the first. 4:45 p.m. Will Bunch just emailed a link to his brush with Bono, which happened earlier […]
NEWS CLUES: It Ain’t All Rock Stars And Awards, Boyo
* Homicide No. 306 happened overnight in Grays Ferry: Eric Dixon, 19, lived in the 1500 block of Bambrey Street in South Philadelphia. He was fatally wounded during a shooting at about 6:15 p.m. near 28th and Dickinson Streets. The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead at 8:14 p.m. [Inky] * Madonna mia! Cops bust Andorra pizza shop, say delivery drivers were bringing more than cheesesteak-hoagies. (And no, that pun headline does not work.) Look, I totally ate dinner at Argento’s about a week ago […]
HOLLA: The Monster Mile, Part II
BY JAMES DOOLITTLE 12:45 PM Sunday, Sept. 23 I’m completely intimidated by gear heads, which may seem odd considering I know plenty of nerds. Nerds are my peoples. We rose from the same primordial soup years ago, and while we may have splintered in regards to the teat upon which we choose to obsessively suckle — be it record collections, pornography or computer operating systems — we still can eyeball each other’s joie de vivre and understand the time and energy devoted to the cause. Merriam-Webster’s defines a nerd as ?an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially one slavishly […]
MY MOTORCYCLE DIARY: Or Seven Days Through The Amazon On The Back Of An Ass Part II
BY JONATHAN VALANIA SOUTH AMERICA CORRESPONDENT ZIPAQUIRA, COLOMBIA — Wednesday morning, I saw the most impressive cow erection I have ever seen. Actually it was the first cow erection I have ever seen, and hopefully it will be the last. The background: We got up at the crack of dawn to attend the livestock market in the nearby town of Zipaquira. Once a week all the area campesinos gather at the fairgrounds to buy, sell and trade cows, pigs and sheep. Being the only gringos in attendance, it is an understatement to say we stuck out like sore and throbbing […]
All Of This Happened While You Were Sleeping
Off Your Bleedin’ Rocker: Fujiya & Miyagi, Johnny Brenda’s, last night.
Tomorrow on Phawker: We Have People On The Inside
C’mon by tomorrow for Part II of James Doolittle’s in-the-pits look at Dover International Speedway, Amy Z. Quinn reporting live from Bono-pallooza, your weekly visit from Paperboy, a Gaybo! Extra and — if you’re very, very good — a visit from Mother Phawker! You should be so lucky!
Back On The Block: Speaking Up For Hurley Street
Jeff Deeney’s recent Philadelphia Weekly cover story on Hurley Street has provided a fulcrum upon which several important and constructive conversations about the city’s future — and more urgently, its present — are tilting back and forth. Was it a realistic portrayal of the desperate straits in which poor families are forced to live, or a hatchet job on a section of the city which can still lay claim to many safe and stable residential blocks? Is it more important for the city’s next mayor to understand the problems or to solve them? Is it too little to simply expect […]