Not sure what rock we were sleeping under at the beginning of August when news of Olivia Tremor Control mainman Bill Doss’s untimely death at age 43, but we were deeply saddened by this news when we inadvertently came across it the other day. Dusk At Cubist Castle was on heavy rotation around what would become Chez Phawker for the better part of the late ’90s (this is one of our favorite cuts) and we fondly remember seeing OTC perform it at Pilam in February of ’99. Well, we’ll always have that, at least. Goodnight Mr. Doss wherever you are. […]
CINEMA: Law And Disorder
LAWLESS (2012, directed by John Hillcoat, 115 minutes, U.S./Australia) COSMOPOLIS (2012, directed by David Cronenberg, 109 minutes, U.S./Canada) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Although Lawless brings to life a violent little slice of U.S. history, detailing the Virginia moonshine wars of the last Depression, in many ways it is seeing the country through Australia’s eyes. Aussie directors have a long tradition of incorporating the landscape into their films, and Australian John Hillcoat, with the gory revisionist western The Proposition and the grim Cormac McCarthy adaptation The Road to his credit, fits easily into that mold. The film’s Australian roots […]
PARODY: Pharma Ad For New Form Of Birth Control
The actress is Laura Napoli, who also co-wrote and produced the video. Via: Funny or Die. PREVIOUSLY: Senate Candidate Says ‘Legitimate Rape’ Victims Don’t Get Pregnant, Just The One’s Who Like It RELATED: The controversy over Missouri GOP Congressman Todd Akin‘s recent “legitimate rape” comment brought to mind a campaign of my former boss, Texas Gov. Ann Richards. It’s unclear what affect Akin’s statement will have in his race against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. But in Richards’ successful campaign for governor, which I worked on in 1989 and 1990, an insidious rape comment from her male opponent may have […]
NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
[Artwork by Thomas Kain] FRESH AIR Actor Jack Black is best known for his comedic performances in films like Nacho Libre and School of Rock. In his latest film, Bernie, Black goes to a darker place: He plays a serious small-town funeral director who uncharacteristically murders his live-in companion, a wealthy widow played by Shirley MacLaine. The film is based on a true story. In 1996, 39-year-old Bernie Tiede of Carthage, Texas, murdered his 81-year-old companion, Marjorie Nugent, shooting her in the back four times with a rifle. A lengthy Texas Monthly article about the case notes that “what made […]
RNC DAY 3: Romney Overshadowed By The Dirty Harry Ventriloquist Hour; Still Looks Like The Guy That Fired You
Artwork by RICK FORTSON CLINT EASTWOOD: I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, what’s a movie tradesman doing out here? You know they are all left wingers out there, left of Lenin. At least that is what people think. That is not really the case. There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans, Democrats, in Hollywood. It is just that the conservative people by the nature of the word itself play closer to the vest. They do not go around hot dogging it. (APPLAUSE) So — but they are there, believe me, they […]
LISTEN LIKE THIEVES: Redd Kross’ Researching The Blues
PITCHFORK: Released in 1982, Redd Kross’ debut record, Born Innocent, was to mall-punk what homo erectus was to modern man. Founded in the suburbs outside of Los Angeles, the band, led by teenage brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald, wrote scrappy and bratty three-chord pop songs that betrayed a fascination with B-movie kitsch via references to Charles Manson, The Exorcist actress Linda Blair, and sugar-infused breakfast cereals. According to legend, they even opened for Black Flag at a middle school graduation party. But eventually, Redd Kross accrued some polish. By the early 90s, the band had evolved into a heavy […]
Trust Us, There Is A Perfectly Good Explanation For This
This woman at the Phillies vs. the Mets at Citizen’s Bank Tuesday night is either: A.) Really, really committed. Going all in. Doubling down. When she menstruates, it comes out Phillies red. OK, we get it. B.) Paying belated tribute to the deeply-disturbing Diane Ladd lipstick-face scene in David Lynch’s Wild At Heart. (SEE BELOW) C.) Batshit crazypants. In which case: A.) You have to respect the fact that some people can get so worked up about a steroidal man hitting a ball with a stick in the summertime for the amusement of fat, no-neck sububrban crackers drinking overpriced […]
SIDEWALKING: Ship Happens II
Columbus Blvd 12:02 PM by JEFF FUSCO PREVIOUSLY: Ship Happens I
KILLADELPHIA: 18,043 People Shot Since 2001 In The 215
PHILLY MAG: Between January 1, 2001, and May 29th of this year, 18,043 people were shot in Philadelphia. That equates to about one shooting every six hours. In that same time period, there were 3,852 murders—a new body yielded up for disposal nearly every day. The entire length of the conflict in Afghanistan hasn’t produced as many dead Americans as we’ve picked up off our city’s streets. Unfortunately, political debate over urban violence reduces to opposites: On the left, politicians blame economic factors, bad schools and ineffective, even racist law enforcement; to the right, conservatives preach personal responsibility, citing […]
RNC DAY 2: ‘Mendacity In The Pursuit Of Victory Is No Vice’
Illustration by DONKEYHOTEY EDITOR’S NOTE: All apologies to Talking Points Memo but Brian Beutler’s deft truth squading of Paul Ryan’s speech should be read far and wide. TALKING POINTS MEMO: Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s headlining speech at the GOP convention in Tampa Wednesday night touched on many of the election’s defining issues. But it was also filled with prevarications — not just recitations of the conventions “you didn’t build that” theme, but on the very policy matters that have endeared him to the political establishment in Washington. The speech effectively rallied his supporters in the audience. But on the […]
PLAYED IN AMERICA: Mixmaster Mike Has No Good Explanation For The Gross Injustice Of Fencing Off Public Space For Private Gain Other Than ‘Jay-Z Likes Me, He Really, Really Likes Me’
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Organizers say the blocks-long site will be enclosed by 8-foot-high double-fencing patrolled by security. Material woven into the chain-link barrier is designed to keep non-paying spectators from seeing the show. It’s a big change from previous parkway music events, which have been free. That includes annual Independence Day shows featuring performers like Sheryl Crow and The Roots, as well as the Live 8 concert for African poverty relief in 2005 and a Bruce Springsteen set in 2008. As of Friday, two-day passes for “Made In America” cost $135 each, while a one-day ticket was $75. VIP passes, […]
STRAIGHT OUTTA TAMPA: Christie Eats His Way Thru TUMBLR
Just discovered this f*ucking hilarious TUMBLR. Enjoy, but remember kids, keep your hands in the car and away from his mouth. RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About Last Night’s RNC But Were Too Liberal To Sit Thru RELATED: @maddow calls Chris Christie‘s speech “One of the most remarkable acts of political selfishness that I have ever seen”