1. Quote of the evening: Madonna, to muscle boy at foot of the stage: “Oh honey, you’re gonna have to go to the gym more if you’re gonna wear a shirt like that.” At this point, Madonna’s physique is beyond reproach — the python arms, the thighs that would crush your skull like a grape, an ass that’s stunning even from Section 106, so she’s certainly got room to talk. But it bears noting that the now 50-year-old pop goddess kept press photographers way back near the sound board, ensuring flattering mid-range shots of her face. Sayin’. 2. The set […]
JUNK SCIENCE: Frankenfood For Dummies
BY ELIZABETH FIEND LIVING EDITOR Genetic engineering is a biological science that involves modifying plants, animals or any living cell on a genetic level using gene splicing and gene modification. Complex technology allows scientists to isolate DNA from a plant or animal, and also from tinier organisms like bacteria. The DNA is then cut and spliced and either removed from the original source or implanted into another organism. This allows alterations and direct manipulation of hereditary traits of either the original organism, or whichever new host organism into which the DNA has been implanted. OLD SCHOOL Hybridization, the old way […]
HEAR YE: The Mural And The Mint
Now playing on Phawker Radio! Our record release show for our debut full length, “Private Pockets” (available below) will be this Friday, 11/21 at Johnny Brenda’s (Frankford and Girard). Also on the bill will be the internationally renowned Pig Iron Theatre Company, performing songs from their musicals. They will be followed by Gildon Works, a band with an intense sonic palate and psych tendencies. Accompanying our set will be dance performances by Nichole Canuso, Kate Watson-Wallace, Scott McPheters, Christy Lee and Meg Foley. Video amazingness by Jorge Cousineau. Doors at 8. $10, 21+ CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ALBUM
ARTSY: The Lonesome Death Of Amy Winehouse
ONTD: An artist is displaying in New York a statue in real size of the British singer Amy Winehouse fallen in the ground in a blood puddle, with a shot in the head. In the back, there’s a real size statue of the American writer William S. Burroughs with a rifle in his hand.The installation belongs to the Italian artist Marco Perego and is called “The only good rock star is a dead rock star”. It is on sale for about US$ 100,000 and started to be displayed last week in the Half Gallery, New York. Perego explains that the […]
PAINT JOB: Rock Town Hall Gets A Fresh Coat
Hosted by our in-house rock expert Ed King, Rock Town Hall remains the place to take those volatile arguments about the majestic trivia of rock after your girlfriend gives you that disapproving ‘you promised‘ look. The new design makes it roomier than ever, plenty of room for throwing elbows. Come on by, take your shoes off, sit a spell.
OPEN LETTER: Don’t Drain Pools, Soak The Rich
Dear Mayor Nutter: It was a pleasure bumping into you on [date redacted] at [my employer’s event, redacted]. I spoke to you briefly as you made your way through the room, and asked you how much it costs to keep a single pool open. You replied that the cost is about $50,000.00: that’s a grand total of $3.1 million dollars for the 62 pools slated to be closed. I explained that I am a grant writer, and that I would do some work with regard to funding. My preliminary research proved disappointing on one hand, and quite fruitful on the […]
Judge Dismisses Cop Beatdown On Graffiti Artist
INQUIRER: A Philadelphia municipal court judge dismissed charges today against two former police officers who were accused of assaulting a graffiti artist. David Vernitsky, 36, lost three teeth and suffered a broken jaw that had to be wired shut for five weeks. Judge Francis Cosgrove issued his decision without comment. At 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2007, Officers Sheldon Fitzgerald and Howard Hill III saw Vernitsky spray-painting graffiti on a wall near Fourth Street and Wyoming Avenue in Feltonville. When Vernitsky fled, the officers caught him, beat him, and threw him head-first into their patrol car, District Attorney Lynne Abraham […]
PAPERBOY: ‘Infamous Cookie Crumb Duster’ Edition
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 […]
GAYDAR: How I Became The Alabama Slammer
BY AARON STELLA Welcome back ya’ll to another bold and beautiful edition GAYDAR! OK, down to business. Last time I told you how my family settled into our Alabama homestead. Now, I was never one for the bucolic pleasantries of rural living. Luckily, I would reside in Birmingham at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA, which suspiciously sounds like “ass fuck” — appropriately so, as you shall soon see). As I mentioned in the last edition, I had been accepted into ASFA. I applied as a vocalist and a pianist, but because I lack adequate sight-reading skills, they accepted […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR The name of former anti-war activist William Ayers was brought up twice in an attempt to discredit Barack Obama during the recent presidential campaign — first by Hillary Clinton, and then by the McCain campaign. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused Obama — who served on two nonprofit boards with Ayers — of “palling around with terrorists.” The accusations stemmed from Ayers’ involvement with the Weather Underground, a radical group responsible for bombings on the New York City Police Department headquarters in 1970, the U.S. Capitol building in 1971 and the Pentagon in 1972. The federal case […]
THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS: Whatever Happens In Room 315, Stays In Room 315, Part 2
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE: At Least They Spelled It Right BY JEFF DEENEY You might be asking yourself, if Room 315 is designated as an educational no-man’s-land for the worst behaved kids in one of the city’s worst public high schools, where are the true hard cases? Where are the 15 year old stone killers that you saw holding corners down like trained infantry occupying a battleground hilltop on The Wire? The fact is that come high school many of those kids are already gone. They’ve gone to juvenile detention facilities and privatized discipline schools. Some were so incorrigibly truant and their […]
MAYOR NUTTER: This Won’t Hurt A Bit
INQUIRER: After 11 days of mounting outcry over its budget cuts, the Nutter administration yesterday tried to assuage critics with more detailed explanations for its decisions to target 11 libraries, seven fire companies, and 68 pools for closing. For libraries, the administration released statistics on usage and location, arguing that the 11 chosen were among the less heavily used and the nearest to other facilities. For the fire companies, the administration released a variety of measurements, including number and variety of calls each handled and length of response time. It was the most comprehensive offering yet of the data behind […]