This is the first overview of the lifework of a major American 20th century artistic polyglot. Angus MacLise was an American artist, poet, percussionist, and composer active in New York, San Francisco, Paris, London and Kathmandu from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Best known as the original drummer of the Velvet Underground, MacLise’s lifework included music, calligraphy, performance art, poetry, drawings, plays, and limited edition artist’s books. A suitcase of Angus MacLise’s artwork, publications, and manuscript as well as more than 100 hours of recorded music was left with La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela for safe-keeping thirty years ago. […]
SIDEWALKING: God Is My Co-Pilot
I-76 and I-476 Interchange, 10:14 AM by JEFF FUSCO
PA Medical Mary Jane Bill Back On The Table
NORML: A bill to legalize the use of medical marijuana for qualifying patients and to create a statewide system of “Compassion Centers” has been introduced in the Keystone State. Senator Daylin Leach brought SB 1003 forward on April 25th with Senators Larry Farnese, James Ferlo and Wayne Fontana as the initial co-sponsors. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. The language is essentially a re-introduction of a bill that was active in 2009-10 in both houses of the General Assembly. The bill includes provisions for home cultivation and collects the state sales tax on […]
Obama Releases Birth Certificate, Turns Out He’s Legit
DOWNLOAD: President Barack Obama’s long form birth certificate (PDF) POTUS: As many of you have been briefed, we provided additional information today about the site of my birth. Now, this issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now. I think it started during the campaign. And I have to say that over the last two and a half years I have watched with bemusement, I’ve been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going. We’ve had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this, confirm that, […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR JOHN POWERS: Writers love to grumble about the popularity of self-help books, yet they, like everyone else, are always looking for someone who will teach them how to live. Just think of all those guys who learned their masculinity from Hemingway or those classy-sounding books with titles like How Proust Can Change Your Life or How To Live: A Life of Montaigne. One who seemed to know life’s secret was David Foster Wallace, whose suicide, oddly enough, only enhanced his stature as a sage. Whether or not he was the most important American writer of his era, he’s […]
CONTEST: Win Tix To See The Submarines At JBs
[Photo by Autumn De Wilde] We have a pair of tickets to see everyone’s favorite boy-meets-girl-they-start-a-band-together-fall-in-love-break-up-write-catchy-songs-about-how-much-they-miss-each-other-get-back-together-get-married-live-happily-ever-after-on-their-Apple-commercial-money indie-pop band from LA. Well, almost everyone — some people like the Ting Tings better. The Submarines are currently on a tour in support of their third album, Love Notes/Letter Bombs, which brings them to Johnny Brendas tomorrow night. First Phawker reader to email us at FEED@PHAWKER.COM with the correct answer to the following question wins: What Submarines song was used in Apple’s commercial for the iPhone 3G? Note, we are NOT talking about the Submarines song that was used for Apple’s commercial for […]
WEASELS IN THE HENHOUSE: Head Of School Reform Bringing Same Old Crony Capitalist Bullshit?
NEWSWORKS: Just over a month ago, the chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission took part in a pivotal, closed-door meeting to discuss the fate of a charter-school deal potentially worth $60 million, only hours after he publicly recused himself from voting on the matter due to a conflict of interest. SRC Chairman Robert Archie [pictured, below right, with Arlene Ackerman] confirmed his participation in the private session in an e-mail statement to NewsWorks and the Public School Notebook. The meeting was held March 16 at Philadelphia School District headquarters, and included Archie, State Rep. Dwight Evans [pictured, below left], […]
ARTSY: French-Fried Chagall
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Marc Chagall was an enormously popular 20th century painter, revered by the public for his rooftop fiddlers, biblical lore, upside down lovers and fanciful visions of Jewish shtetl life in the old Russian empire. Art historians and critics, however, have always had difficulty placing him among the many currents of modern art; to them, he often seemed unique, special, one of a kind. Some also found him repetitive and sentimental. But Chagall was not always a loner. In an innovative exhibition, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has decided to concentrate on his younger years when, far from […]
GRAPHIC: Interactive Timeline Of The Arab Spring
[Click image to activate] Courtesy of our friends at The Guardian, this is Pulitzer-worthy. Try it, you’ll like it.
REVIEW: Elucid’s Super Chocolate Black Simian
BY MATTHEW HENGEVELD Much like jazz music, hip-hop is a pliable and elastic form. From the Beastie Boys’ meshing of punk and hip-hop to Gansta Grass’ awkward bluegrass/hip-hop fuckcluster; rappin’ has found a method of adapting to just about any genre, for better or worse. So, with the recent rise in aggressive hip-hop, characterized by the sudden uber-popularity of Odd Future, it seems natural that hip-hop should crossover to one of the most bone-crushing genres of all time, drum and bass. The precursor of modern dubstep, DNB might be the most ‘social’ music since the Jazz Age, but like a […]
FOLLOW THE MONEY: Governor Whorebett Signs Repeal Of Fire Sprinkler Mandate For New Homes
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Gov. Tom Corbett is signing his first bill as governor. The Republican plans Monday afternoon to sign a bill repealing a requirement that fire sprinkler systems be installed in all new one- and two-family homes. The legislation was approved earlier this month by margins of nearly 2-1 in the state House and Senate. Proponents of the requirement said it would save lives by extinguishing fires before firefighters can get to the scene. Opponents, led by the Pennsylvania Builders Association, said it would unnecessarily drive up housing prices already out of reach for many people. MORE RELATED: Sometimes life-saving […]
INFINITE JEST: You Are Missing Almost Everything
[Artwork via BATTLEROYALEWITHCHEEZE] NPR/MONKEY SEE BLOG: The vast majority of the world’s books, music, films, television and art, you will never see. It’s just numbers. Consider books alone. Let’s say you read two a week, and sometimes you take on a long one that takes you a whole week. That’s quite a brisk pace for the average person. That lets you finish, let’s say, 100 books a year. If we assume you start now, and you’re 15, and you are willing to continue at this pace until you’re 80. That’s 6,500 books, which really sounds like a lot. […] Of […]