BY JONATHAN VALANIA Brad Beesley has been the Flaming Lips in-house documentarian and videographer since the mid-’90s. Just about any Flaming Lips video you have seen was made by Brad Beesley. He is also the director of Fearless Freaks, the excellent Lips documentary released a few years back, culled from literally hundreds of hours of interviews and performance footage that Beesley shot over the course of the last 10-plus years. Concurrent with his work on Fearless Freaks, Beesley also served as cinematographer for Christmas On Mars, the just-released low-rent sci-fi thriller the Lips made in Wayne Coyne’s garage. Back in […]
THE ACORN: The Flood Pt. 1
The Acorn opens for Calexico tonight at the TLA.
CINEMA: The Spy Who Shoved Me
Quantum of Solace (2008, directed by Marc Forster, 108 minutes, U.K.) BY DAN BUSKIRK, FILM CRITIC Directing action on film is sort of like being a good dancer, either you’re blessed with an understanding of movement, space and rhythm or you’re not. The recently trimmed down, buffed up and rebooted Bond, ushered in with Daniel Craig two years ago with Casino Royale, has anchored the long-running series more than ever to its action sequences; gone are the jokes, the gadgets and the preposterous villains. The mystery in Casino‘s sequel pertains to a shadowy scheme labeled “Quantum” yet the biggest conundrum […]
EARLY WORD: Get Mad Or Get Even
Tomorrow night at Starlight Ballroom.
DR. DOG: The Ark
Dr Dog “The Ark” by Gary Breslin and Adam Kurland from gary breslin on Vimeo. Dr. Dog “The Ark” from Adam kurland on Vimeo. Currently touring the capitals of ‘old Europe’, the Dog comes home to the Starlight Ballroom on November 28th.
HEAR YE: Belle & Sebastian The BBC Sessions
Now playing on Phawker Radio!
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR Since joining the Howard Stern Show in 2001, comic and actor Artie Lange has revealed his personal demons to millions of radio listeners. His new book, Too Fat To Fish, recounts anecdotes from Lange’s past, from his stint as a cab driver in New Jersey to his struggle with drug addiction, obesity and depression. Born to a working-class Italian-American family, Lange was a regular on the sketch comedy show Mad TV. His film credits include Elf, Old School and Beer League, which he wrote and starred in. PREVIOUSLY: God Save Artie Lang, Please FRESH AIR In early June […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
NEW YORK TIMES: George and Laura and Barack and Michelle | 1:50 p.m. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have just arrived at the White House for their first visit. Their black sedan pulled up outside the diplomatic entrance on the South grounds. John D. Podesta emerged from the car first, followed by Mr. Obama, who turned around to help Mrs. Obama out of the car. Mrs. Obama wore an eye-popping cherry-red dress, and Mr. Obama a dark suit and blue tie. After shaking hands with Mr. and Mrs. Bush, the Obamas posed with them for a quick picture, ladies in […]
MIDNIGHT MOVIE: Christmas On Mars TONITE!
MONDAY NOVEMBER 10th 12 pm screening NATIONAL MECHANICS (Musical acts before the film at 10 pm) FREE 22 s. 3rd st National Mechanics Psychedelic rock band the Flaming Lips present Christmas on Mars: A Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips, a glorious science fiction film that marks the directorial debut of the Lips’ visionary frontman Wayne Coyne. Seven years in the making, Christmas on Mars features original music by the Flaming Lips (“The greatest U.S. band today” — The Guardian), with acting performances by all band members, and many others from their Oklahoma City-based team. Comedian Fred Armisen (Saturday […]
CONCERT REVIEW: David Byrne At The Tower
[Photo by DANNY CLINCH] BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER David Byrne got his first of countless standing ovations Saturday night just five songs into his set at the Tower Theater, where he closed out the North American run of his ambitious tour in support of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his splendid second collaboration with Brian Eno. Not surprisingly, the ovation was occasioned by the first Talking Heads song of the night — “Houses In Motion” from Remain in Light — but it was more than just a beloved old song that elicited such a response from the […]
5 Reasons Why Hanging With The Hold Steady Is More Fun Than Hanging With Your Old Drinking Buddies
TOMMY, CAN YOU FEEL ME: The Hold Steady, Electric Factory, Saturday Night 1. Knowing that they had the shorter of the two sets tonight, Craig Finn and the gang made sure to fit in all of the staples. For the Hold Steady, that means fitting in horse races, Kerouac references, and dealing with dealers—all in the course of an hour. Cliffs notes for having a good time? 2. Just a few years ago the crowd for the Hold Steady was mostly the younger, blog-savvy set, but last night saw a much older collective. It seems like Gen-X (and even some […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
NOVEMBER SURPRISE: The Decemberists, Electric Factory, Last Night [photo by MICHAEL DONOVAN] BY MICHAEL DONOVAN We all have novels we constantly return to in times of public boredom or private darkness. I’ve read The Great Gatsby more times than I’d like to admit, and The Sun Also Rises ceases to get old for me. It’s fitting, then, that Portland, Oregon’s premiere storytelling band is just the same—no matter how many times I spend the evening with them (seven) and no matter how little their show changes (very little), I’ll never tire of seeing the Decemberists. Take seven: The D’s are […]
DEBUT: The Good News Flower Hour
The Good News Flower Hour #1 Humbly submitted for your approval, a new animated feature wherein I am a flower that reads the news.