Back in the day, the only bad thing I could think of to say about The Gaslight Anthem was that they might have too much of a Bruce Springsteen fascination going on. This was okay, because A) I never listened to that much Springsteen anyway and B) because the songs were just so brilliant. They were poetic in an old timey greaser sort of way (like The Killers tried, less successfully on Sam’s Town), which made for some seriously sad, beautiful songs; and all of this combined with a Strummer-inspired punk aesthetic, made me feel like I was listening to […]
JEFF TWEEDY: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Just wanted take this opportunity to remind you that Mr. Tweedy will be performing at the Philadelphia Folk Festival this year, and you can secure tickets by clicking HERE. That is all.
MEDIA: Philly Mag Editor Larry Platt Ousted Over Testicular Cyst; Dave Weigel Out At WaPo Over Emails
DAN GROSS: Philadelphia magazine on Thursday parted ways with editor Larry Platt, who was at its helm for nearly eight years. Platt’s contract with the magazine is up in August, but after returning to work Thursday following shoulder surgery, he was informed that he would not stay on, we’re told. Sources tell us the decision was largely due to Platt’s history of inappropriate and unprofessional remarks and jokes to his employees that closely resembled the behavior of fictional “The Office” boss Michael Scott. Platt’s recent gift of a framed photo of a cyst removed from his testicle to a departing […]
CINEMA: The End Is Near
COLLAPSE (2009, directed by Chris Smith, 82 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Have you ever heard the 1970 LP Criswell Predicts? The narrator of Plan Nine From Outer Space and one-time Johnny Carson regular, Criswell predicts that the future will bring marijuana that can change your sex, nude funerals and a woman at the head of every nation. It’s a real hoot! Collapse, director Chris Smith’s latest film, just out on DVD, features one-time LAPD investigator and independent reporter Michael Ruppert making lots of predictions as well. It is not a hoot. Ruppert makes his case that darn […]
PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies
BY DAVE ALLEN 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. That’s why every week PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
NEWS CLUES: Like A Taser Of Truth
TASERED TEEN GETS PROBATION FOR BUMRUSHING THE PHILLIES SHOW Steven Consalvi, the Montgomery County teenager tasered by a Philadelphia cop after he ran onto the field during a May 3 Phillies game, was sentenced yesterday to probation for the stunt. Consalvi, 17, of Gilbertsville, was ordered by a Philadelphia Family Court judge to remain on probation for six months and to perform 80 hours of community service. If Consalvi successfully completes the sentence his record will be expunged. He was charged with defiant trespass, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after his little escapade at a game against the St. Louis […]
SCRAPPLE NEWS: Piggie Of The Week
Let’s just say it’s got something to do with Haliburton drilling in your Marcellus Shale hole and lighting your tap water on fire. That kind of thing.
CONTEST: Win Two Tix To See Passion Pit
We’re gonna be giving away tickets all summer for cool shows at the Mann! Why? Because we love you! Now, we know that it is human nature to follow the path of least resistance, so to start off let’s make it real, real easy: first person to email us at feed@phawker.com wins TWO TICKETS TO SEE PASSION PIT AT THE MANN MUSIC CENTER ON SUNDAY. Please include a daytime phone number for confirmation. What are you waiting for? On a related note, we wanted to tell you about a pretty cool promotion AEG Live has come up with to promote […]
REPORT: 25,914 Sickened By Visits To PA Hospitals
INQUIRER: Hospitals in the Philadelphia region fared poorly in so-called hospital-acquired infections in 2009, according to a new report issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Overall, 250 hospitals across the commonwealth reported that 25,914 patients contracted infection during the course of their care. The report due out Tuesday afternoon detailed the number of infections at each of the hospitals and included a detailed examination of two common types of infections – catheter-associated urinary tract infections and central-line-associated bloodstream infections. […] Medical experts say that many of these so-called hospital-acquired infections can be prevented, saving lives, unnecessary illness and millions […]
ONE YEAR GONE: Remembering Mr. Wells
BRIAN MCMANUS: A photographer for NME, working in America, is given an assignment to meet Steven in Florida, who is already there to write about American metal band Deicide. “Contact Steven,” the office tells him. “He’ll give you the details.” He gets in touch, and Steven tells him to fly into Miami airport. Upon arriving, Steven greets him, tells him they need to get a rental car. The photographer asks why he hasn’t gotten one already. “I don’t have a fucking license,” Steven says, as though this is fairly common knowledge about him. The photographer rents the car, and they […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
Streaming .TV shows by Ustream FRESH AIR Efforts to capture oil leaking from the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico suffered a setback Wednesday, after an underwater robot bumped into the venting system of a containment cap — forcing BP to temporarily remove its latest effort to capture the millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf. Henry Fountain covers science and engineering for The New York Times. April’s Deepwater Horizon disaster has continued to raise questions about the oil industry’s ability to manage the challenges and risks involved in drilling miles below the ocean floor to reach […]
WORTH REPEATING: A Pep Talk For A Pair Of Shorts
MCSWEENEYS: I understand you had higher hopes for where you’d end up. But the simple fact is that I chose you, not some fashion-forward type who’d wear you once every few weeks to lobster boils and garden walks and might even have you professionally laundered. Beyond that, I need to make clear up front that, for me, you aren’t leisure wear, weekend wear, or yacht wear: I won’t be wearing you in the off-hours when I’m not in a suit, because I don’t own a suit. I’m going to need to rely on you all day, every day, day in […]