popcultblog

WANT MORE?

2006-06-21T09:31:00.000+02:00

do you want more? leave a message.

trunk of classic cars turned into sofas

2006-06-19T09:07:00.000+02:00

something for all you couch potatoes out there.

thanks tydsed.

zadie smith's husband knows how to write

2006-06-16T09:36:00.000+02:00

yes he does. nick laird won £10,000 betty trask award for his novel utterly monkey.

read more.

upholster your furniture with pictures of your own choice

2006-06-15T19:17:00.000+02:00

Cloth takes cutting edge print technology and allows the addition of any image, photograph, pattern or design to be added onto a range of contemporary products.
The unique Cloth system has virtually no limitations, allowing any pattern to be printed onto any surface, producing entirely bespoke items.

(thanks boing)

the rolling stones are annoying.

2006-06-15T19:13:00.000+02:00

says robert crumb. here.

(thanks flog)

the cup you want

2006-06-15T19:10:00.000+02:00

Select your drink choice and explain how you like it by twisting the stainless steel bands.
Choose from Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Herb Tea, Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha or Decaf on the top band - Then black, white, cream, lemon, soya milk, ginger or whipped cream on the middle band - then the number of sugars you want (from 0 to 3), sweetener, honey or syrup on the bottom.

The perfect way to ensure that the tea-boy (or girl) gets it right every time!

(thanks cool hunter)

r.i.p. jean roba

2006-06-15T10:58:00.000+02:00

the belgian cartoon artist jean roba, who created boule et bill, died this week at the age of 75.

chris ware is a pianist

2006-06-14T09:59:00.000+02:00

chris ware, one of our favourite comic artists, also seems to be a fine ragtime painist.

(via boing boing)

top 100 living songwriters

2006-06-13T08:11:00.000+02:00

paste magazine published a top 100 of living songwriters.

1. Bob Dylan
2. Neil Young
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Waits/Brennan
5. Paul McCartney
6. Leonard Cohen
7. Brian Wilson
8. Elvis Costello
9. Joni Mitchell
10. Prince
11. Randy Newman
12. Jagger/Richards
13. Paul Simon
14. Stevie Wonder
15. Willie Nelson
16. David Bowie
17. Holland/Dozier/Holland
18. U2
19. Patty Griffin
20. Van Morrison
21. Lou Reed
22. Lucinda Williams
23. John/Taupin
24. Jeff Tweedy
25. Chuck Berry
26. R.E.M.
27. Radiohead
28. Robbie Robertson
29. Tom Petty
30. John Prine
31. Carole King
32. Leiber/Stoller
33. Pete Townshend
34. John Fogerty
35. Steve Earle
36. Beck
37. Smokey Robinson
38. Kris Kristofferson
39. Led Zeppelin
40. Bacharach/David
41. Ray Davies
42. Loretta Lynn
43. Ryan Adams
44. Al Green
45. Jackson Browne
46. David Byrne
47. Sufjan Stevens
48. Welch/Rawlings
49. Cat Stevens
50. Public Enemy
51. Penn/Oldham
52. Paul Westerberg
53. James Taylor
54. Aimee Mann
55. Dolly Parton
56. James Brown
57. Morrissey
58. Sly Stone
59. Jack White
60. Jimmy Webb
61. John Hiatt
62. Sting
63. Richard Thompson
64. Andy Partridge
65. Bill Mallonee
66. Charles Thompson
67. Conor Oberst
68. Allen Toussaint
69. Merle Haggard
70. Alex Chilton
71. Vic Chesnutt
72. Michael Jackson
73. Julie Miller
74. Over the Rhine
75. Ron Sexsmith
76. Will Oldham
77. Bruce Cockburn
78. Robert Pollard
79. Stephen Malkmus
80. Pink Floyd
81. The Flaming Lips
82. John Darnielle
83. Fleetwood Mac
84. They Might Be Giants
85. David Bazan
86. Sam Beam
87. Lyle Lovett
88. Parliament
89. Victoria Williams
90. Nick Cave
91. Drive-By Truckers
92. Alejandro Escovedo
93. Joseph Arthur
94. Sam Phillips
95. Patti Smith
96. Jimmy Cliff
97. Josh Ritter
98. Jay Farrar
99. Outkast
100. T Bone Burnett

fun tissue boxes: everyone wants to have loads of green snot

2006-06-09T09:36:00.000+02:00

be a bit creative with your tissue boxes.

thanks tydsed.

turn your apple g4 into a mailbox

2006-06-08T09:42:00.000+02:00

they aren't any good anyhow.

from boing boing:
"A Flickr user caught a pic of this Apple G4 tower that's been converted to a roadside mailbox in Auckland, NZ -- great use for an old, iconic tower!" Link

suicide is art

2006-06-07T09:12:00.000+02:00

well.. according to morrissey.

from contactmusic:
British rocker MORRISSEY considered suicide "many times" because he saw the devastating act as "an art form". The HOW SOON IS NOW? star claims many of his artistic heroes have killed themselves, and this inspired his morbid outlook. He says, "It occurred to me that most of the people in the arts that I ever admired always came to that conclusion about their own lives. "I considered it to be something of an art form and to be a very respectful decision about having maximum control. "I never considered it to be cowardly or running away or giving up. "I considered it to be a very admirable thing to do, a very difficult thing to do, a very brave thing to do."

euhm... yeah.

coming up: dork #11. will you be #12?

2006-06-06T10:34:00.000+02:00

comic readers beware! the new dork!

from comicsworthreading:
"The last issue of Dork was four years ago, but I’m sure #11 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor, $2.95, JUN06 2814) will be worth the wait. Evan Dorkin excels at humor, insight, and all-around great cartooning."

from four realities:
"Presented in the much-maligned and unfashionable 'pamphlet' format, Dork #11 features over 200 fun strips and single-panel gags within its panel-drenched, ink-soaked pages. Some humorous in effect, others, well, we're not so sure. But who cares? Containing more diverting bathroom reading bang for your buck than any other comic, Dork #11 is the funnybook bargain of the year! Unless, of course, it isn't."

the incredible bookman

2006-06-04T12:31:00.000+02:00

from anyamountofbooks:

"The Bookman is a bookshelf in the shape of a man and is a highly decorative piece of furniture as well as a sculpture.

Designed by East Anglian artist Kazmierz Szmauz who also designed the CDMan, the DVDMan and Videoman. However, as booksellers we regard Bookman as his highest achievement. The Bookman holds about 100 books and looks most splendid when they are leatherbound books which we can also supply.

He measures 70 inches high by 45 inches wide and is made from Mahogany, although other woods can be used. Shelves are best adapted to books beneath 8 inches in height. These measurements are for Bookman 1, the Bookman we can readily produce. Please contact us for details of Bookman 2 and Bookman 3.

Bookman 1 can be ordered and collected from our shop or shipped at cost to anywhere in the world. Please allow a few weeks as each Bookman is individually built on demand. Please get in touch for shipping details. Bookman 1 is £1200 ($1700.)

Each Bookman is signed by the artist."

read more / order here.
via tydsed.

we also wrote about two other bookshelves (the armchair library and the alphabet cupboard) here.

paul auster wins prince of asturias award

2006-06-02T09:08:00.000+02:00

paul auster, one of our favourite writers, has received the 2006 prince of asturias award for letters. the spanish prize is worth € 50,000.

the jury explained: "The jury has decided to bestow the 2006 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters on Paul Auster for the transformation in literature that he has wrought by blending the best of American and European traditions, for the innovation he has brought to narrative style in the cinema, and for integrating a number of devices used by the cinema into literature.
Auster has managed to appeal to young readers by exploring new perspectives of reality and by providing an aesthetically pleasing, invaluable account of the problems faced by the individual and by social groups in our times."
read more here.

1000 paintings for sale

2006-06-01T09:02:00.000+02:00

swiss artist sala made 1000 paintings of the first 1000 numbers. the selling price of each painting is depending on which painting you want, and how many paintings already are sold.
see how it's calculated here.

thanks boing boing.

the beauty of amateur soccer

2006-05-31T16:05:00.000+02:00

hans van der meer is a dutch photographer who visited a lot of amateur soccer games all over europe for his latest project european fields, the landscape of lower league football. the result is a stunning series. take a look on his website, or go visit his exhibition at fotografie forum international in frankfurt (germany) june 6th - july 16th 2006. there's also a book, here.

it's not a painter, it's a machine!

2006-05-30T16:15:00.000+02:00

you want a fancy wall painting, but don't know how to do it? check out these:

sabrina raaf's grower:

from her website: "Grower is a small 'rover' vehicle which navigates around the periphery of a room. It hugs the room’s walls and responds to the carbon dioxide levels in the air by actually drawing varying heights of 'grass' on the walls in green ink. The Grower robot senses the carbon dioxide (CO2) level in the air via a small digital CO2 sensor. This sensor is mounted high on a wall of the exhibition space and sends data wirelessly to the robot. The number of people in an exhibit space breathing in oxygen and exhaling CO2 has an immediate effect on the sensor."
read more here.

another art machine is leonel moura's action painting robot. see the robot at work here. see his works here.

(thanks appelogen)

nike + ipod make you sweat / also cool while watching tv

2006-05-29T11:56:00.000+02:00

from ilounge:
"Nike recently introduced its first iPod-specific accessory. The Nike Sport Armband, designed to hold an iPod nano during exercising or other activity, is made with lightweight Nike Pro Compression fabric and Dri-FIT material and is machine washable. The $40 armband is available in two color combinations (gray/orange and black/gray) and two sizes (small/medium and medium/large). Nike is also marketing the case to iPod shuffle owners."

become the godfather of the diadem

2006-05-24T20:57:00.000+02:00

belgium is looking for a new godfather of the diadem. do you think you handle this responsibility?
until today peter van asbroeck, a famous belgian actor, has been the godfather of the diadem. the fashion item was introduced by beckham and ronaldinho, and was picked up quickly by fashionable men all over the world.
in belgium, peter van asbroeck became the godfather of the diadem, promoting the item in soap series and tv shows he appeared in, and using it in everyday life.
yesterday mister van asbroeck decided it was time for a change and ask his hairdresser to cut his hair. short.
belgian radio station studio brussel is now looking for a new godfather of the diadem, which will be presented on may 30th, the first official "day of the diadem".
if you think you have everything to become the new godfather of the diadem, apply here (attention: speaking dutch might come in handy).
here's a picture of mister van asbroeck before he visited the hairdresser:

magic numbers do smiths / deerhoof do my bloody valentine

2006-05-24T14:02:00.000+02:00

stereogum has two fine mp3s:
the magic numbers covering there's a light that never goes out by the smiths (here).
and deerhoof covering lose my breath by my bloody valentine (here).
sweet!

a rapping jew with a jamaican accent

2006-05-23T17:14:00.000+02:00

we couldn't believe our eyes/ears when we saw/heard this: matisyahu. a rapping jew with a jamaican accent. simply brilliant. make sure to check out the live video of king without a crown here, and see him stagedive twice.
(thanks roel)

the inside of a pregnant woman, by damien hirst

2006-05-22T22:09:00.000+02:00

A 35ft-tall, 13-and-a-half-ton Damien Hirst statue revealing the insides of a pregnant woman has been unveiled at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Title: The Virgin Mother.
read more.

uri geller's hobby

2006-05-22T09:59:00.000+02:00

uri geller has a hobby which might just become a new hype:

from his website:
"THE GELLER EFFECT - SYMBOL OF PEACE

Uri Geller has created the Geller Effect. The car is his cherished custom-built 1976 Cadillac encrusted with approximately 5,000 pieces of contorted cutlery painstakingly riveted to the car's body. Some of his treasured pieces were owned, used or touched by famous personalities. (See Below).

Many have semi-precious stones and crystals imbedded in them in a most exciting artistic fashion. The bonnet's mascot is a rare rock crystal globe once belonging to the surrealist master Salvador Dali. In addition looking closely it can be seen that some cutlery is carefully arranged to form the signs of the many religions and the symbol of peace adorns the car.

Uri, who lives in Britain, bent some of the cutlery with brainpower and the rest were artfully shaped with his Israeli friend, sculptor Avi Pines, who used physical technical means. They spent over 6 months creating this masterpiece. The ornaments adorning the car include several originals which Uri has salvaged from his 35 year metal bending career. A number come from his personal celebrity collection. The word peace is incorporated into the design in several languages including Arabic and Hebrew."

read more here.

via tydsed.

lordi win eurovision song contest

2006-05-21T08:13:00.000+02:00

lordi, the finnish monsters (and our personal favorites) win the 2006 eurovision song contest! read an interview with lordi here.

the 2006 top 6 looks like this:
1. finland, 292 points
2. russia, 248 points
3. bosnia and herzegovina, 229 points
4. romania, 172 points
5. sweden, 170 points
6. lithuania, 162 points

which means our other favorites, lt united from lithuania also made it to the top 10. and we also liked mihai's tornero (the romanian contestant).

read our previous eurovision posts here and here.

pearl jam's new video life wasted

2006-05-21T08:05:00.000+02:00

stereogum has pearl jam's new video clip life wasted. go here.

lordi make it to eurosong finals

2006-05-19T09:01:00.000+02:00

our personal eurosong favorites lordi (the finnish contestants) survived the eursong semi-finals. check out their fine song hard rock hallelujah here.
we also discovered the funny lithuanian contestants lt united and their cynical we are the winners. check out their song here.

for sale: chris martin

2006-05-18T09:11:00.005+02:00

coldplay singer chris martin auctions himself to help out his local school. so why don't you buy him and drop him off on a deserted island?
more info here.
(via nme)

daniel clowes video interview

2006-05-17T08:59:00.000+02:00

daniel clowes is hotter than britney spears these days! check out this nice bbc video interview via audium.
(thanks boing boing)

turner prize shortlist

2006-05-16T18:07:00.000+02:00

The shortlist for the always-controversial Turner Prize has been announced in the UK. Sculptor Rebecca Warren (known for using twigs and bits of fluff in her work,) photographer Phil Collins, mixed-media artist Mark Titchner, and painter Tomma Abts will vie for the £40,000 prize, which will be announced in December, following public viewings of the work of all four finalists.
(thanks artsjournal)

bread statue, pigeons go wild

2006-05-16T18:03:00.000+02:00

constanza puente's latest work of art is a life size self portrait of the 6ft artist in bread.

read more on ananova.
(thanks boing boing)

uri geller buys elvis' home

2006-05-16T17:56:00.000+02:00

celebrity weirdo uri geller has bought elvis presley's first home for $ 905,100. he's planning a new elvis museum.
read more on gigwise.

zero 7 feat. josé gonzalez (mp3)

2006-05-15T11:48:00.000+02:00

you ain't no picasso has an mp3 of left behind by zero 7 featuring josé gonzalez, from their new album the garden (out on may 22nd).

link!

thom yorke doesn't release a solo album

2006-05-15T11:39:00.000+02:00

radiohead's thom yorke will release his first solo album, entitled the eraser, on july 11th (xl recordings). but he doesn't want to call it a solo album, trying to avoid being called a traitor to his band.
the eraser will be beats and electronics, but still songs, york says.

track listing:
1. the eraser
2. analyse
3. the clock
4. black swan
5. skip divided
6. atoms for peace
7. and it rained all night
8. harrowdown hill
9. cymbal rush

his e-mail to fan sites:
"this is just a note to say that something has been kicking around in the background that i have not told you about. its called The Eraser. nigel produced & arranged it. i wrote and played it. the elements have been kicking round now for a few years and needed to be finished & i have been itching to do something like this for ages. it was fun and quick to do. inevitably it is more beats & electronics. but its songs. stanley did the cover. yes its a record! no its not a radiohead record.

as you know the band are now touring and writing new stuff and getting to a good space so i want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah... this was all done with their blessing. and i don't wanna hear that word solo. doesnt sound right. ok then thats that.

i think its out in july and im pretty certain XL are going to put it out.

love thom"
(thanks productshopnyc)

tango's sony bravia spoof

2006-05-12T21:42:00.000+02:00

tango has made a fine spoof of the sony bravia commercial. see it here.
(thanks ad hunt)

read jim woodring's blog

2006-05-12T21:17:00.000+02:00

comic book author jim woodring (of course you know his frank series) started his own blog. have a look at drawings from his scrapbook, toys from his characters, and more!

(stolen from boing boing)

two polyphonic spree mp3s

2006-05-11T09:21:00.000+02:00

you ain't no picasso has two polyphonic spree mp3s: light and day, and five years.
go here.

interview with daniel clowes and terry zwigoff

2006-05-11T08:58:00.000+02:00

RU Sirius co-host Diana Brown talks with Director Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Bad Santa) and graphic novelist Daniel Clowes (Eightball) about their fab new film, Art School Confidential.
take a listen here.
read our previous art school confidential post here.
(thanks boing boing).

franz ferdinand singer releases book

2006-05-10T12:03:00.000+02:00

franz ferdinand singer alex kapranos will release a book later this year, compiling the food columns he had been writing for the guardian. title: sound bites.
a little preview?
"I wake to the smell of my band mates' farts. We live on a bus. We're travelling from LA to Tucson and have stopped at the Grand Canyon. The Bright Angel Lodge is made of logs stacked on the edge. "Are the portions big?" I ask. We're in America. It's a stupid question. "Everything's as big as the canyon."
read more here.

star wars synchronization project

2006-05-10T08:38:00.000+02:00

james greene jr. has a special blog: the star wars synchronization project. he says: "Every day of the week, I watch the original "Star Wars" or one of its two sequels with a different album to see if anything synchs up a la "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wizard of Oz." I post what I find here."
truly a popcult experiment if you ask us, with amazing results. some examples:

- star wars + green day's american idiot synchs:
"Tales of Another Broken Home starts the moment it becomes apparent that Artoo and Threepio are going separate ways on the surface of Tatooine."
"She's A Rebel starts as Obi-Wan Kenobi makes his first appearance."
"As the stormtroopers investigating the cantina fracas walk over to Han and Chewie's table, the phrase "where'd you go?" in Nobody Likes You is heard. The stormtroopers want to know where Obi-Wan and Luke went."

- star wars + dr. dre's the chronic synchs:
"The line "it's time for the doctor to check yo' ass" in Fuck Wit Dre Day is heard right before the major explosion that rocks the Tantive IV."
"In the middle of Fuck With Dre Day someone is heard laughing. When this person starts laughing, C-3PO looks up, as if he can hear it."
"The lyric "Dear God, can you save me?" is heard in Lil' Ghetto Boy as Luke stares at the sunset."

- star wars + nirvana's nevermind synchs:
"During one of the choruses in In Bloom as the phrase "don't know what it means" is sung, Vader looks at one Imperial officer as another is talking as if he don't know what the guy talking means."
"Luke, Uncle Owen, and Aunt Beru get together for a meal as Krist Noveselic sings the line, "everybody get together, try to love one another right now" before Territorial Pissings.

sufjan stevens - saul bellow (mp3)

2006-05-09T08:53:00.000+02:00

another sufjan stevens mp3, thanks to stereogum.
here!

brutally honest greeting cards

2006-05-09T08:45:00.000+02:00

is your girlfriend a cunt? did you cheat on her and you want to tell her? did your sister give birth to a really ugly baby?
grating cards helps you bringing your message. check out their brutally honest greeting cards on their website.

(thanks cool hunter)

beatles lose, apple wins

2006-05-08T13:23:00.000+02:00

from gigwise.com:

"The court case had been brought by Ringo Starr, Sir Paul McCartney and the families of George Harrison and John Lennon alleging that Apple had gone back on a previous agreement with the bands label Apple Corps never to go into the music industry.

However, Justice Edward Mann this morning ruled that the company had not breach the agreement saying that they used the Apple logo in association with the store and not the music."

read more here.

buzzcocks on tour

2006-05-08T08:43:00.000+02:00

punk rock godfathers buzzcocks are touring:

may
08 France Paris La Maroquinerie
09 France StrasbourgLa Laiterie
11 France TourcoingGrand Mix
12 France St Lo Le Normandy
13 France Beauvais Ouvre Boite
14 France Clermont Ferand Cooperative de Mai
19 Greece Thessaloniki Ydrogeios Club
20 Greece Athens Gargarin
23 England London HMV Oxford Street (free in-store appearance, about 6-8pm)
24 Belgium Antwerp Hof Ter Lo
25 Belgium Liege Soundstation
27 Scotland Perth Festival of the Arts
june
02 Croatia Zagreb Mochvara
03 Serbia Belgrade Dom Omladine
10 Canada Toronto, ON Phoenix Theatre, NXNE Fest
11 USA Boston, MA Axis
12 USA New York, NY Irving Plaza
14 USA Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
15 USA Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavillion
16 USA Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater
17 USA Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre
18 USA Minneapolis, MN Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
19 USA Bonner Springs, KS Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
21 USA Antioch, TN Starwood Amphitheatre
22 USA Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Fairgrounds
23 USA St Petersburg, FL Vinoy Park
24 USA Miami, FL Bicentennial Park
25 USA Orlando, FL Tinker Field
26 USA Ladson, SC Exchange Park Fairgrounds
27 USA Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
28 USA Atlanta, GA HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
June 15 - 28: Vans Warped Tour
july
11 USA Brooklyn, NY Warsaw
12 USA Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom (formerly The Sphere)
13 USA Cleveland, OH House Of Blues - Cambridge Room
14 USA Detroit, MI Shelter
15 USA Chicago, IL Double Door
16 USA Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
18 USA Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
19 USA Albuquerque, NMLaunch Pad
21 USA Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse
22 USA Las Vegas, NV Celebrity Showroom
23 USA San Diego, CA Canes
25 USA Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
27 USA San Francisco, CA Mezzanine
28 USA Portland, OR Dante's
29 USA Seattle, WA El Corazon
30 Canada Vancouver, BC Red Room
august
05 England Newcastle Gosforth Gathering

(thanks brooklynvegan)

craig thompson's 1st book: re-release

2006-05-08T08:31:00.000+02:00

from grovel:

"With his next book due out from Pantheon in 2007, Craig Thompson's first graphic novel Good-bye, Chunky Rice has been repackaged by the publisher and is set to be re-released on Tuesday, April 9th. If you haven't already come across it we can heartily recommend it - read our review by clicking on the book cover below."

read grovel's review of the book here.

sonic youth - what a waste (mp3)

2006-05-05T09:43:00.000+02:00

stereogum has a song from sonic youth's new album rather ripped. go here.

free comic book day = tomorrow

2006-05-05T09:33:00.000+02:00

may 6th is free comic book day. just run over to your comic store and pick one (or all) up. the titles:

Archie Comics 65th Anniversary Bash
Free Comic Book Day Bongo Comics Free- For -All!
Star Wars/Conan Flip-Book
Justice League Unlimited # 1
GI Joe Sigma 6 #1 De
Disney Comics Presents: Donald Duck
The Transformers/Beast Wars Special
Future Shock
X-Men/Runaways
Tokyopop Sneak
The Preposterous Voyages of Ironhide Tom!
Arcana Studio Presents # 3
Worlds of Aspen # 1 A
Jack the Latern 1942
Soulsearchers & Company / Deadbeats Flip Book
Comic Genesis: Generations 2006
Mr. Jean
Funny Book # 2
Impact University Volume 2
Liberty Girl # 0
Keenspot Spotlight 2006
Bluff & Tales from a Forgotten Planet
Free Scott Pilgrim
Owly: Breakin’ the Ice
Amelia Rules!
Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule # 1
Viper Comics Presents: Dead @ 17 & More
Wizard Presents: The Top 100 Trade Paperbacks of All Time

more info on the books here and here.

popcultblog tip: pick up the mr. jean book, from the french cartoonists dupuy & berberian.

r.i.p. karel appel

2006-05-05T08:23:00.000+02:00

dutch artist karel appel died yesterday in zurich (switzerland) at the age of 85. in the late 1940s, appel was one of the founding artists of the cobra movement (cobra = copenhagen, brussels, amsterdam), a avant-garde group which became a milestone of european abstract expressionism. the group had an almost childish, naive, primitive approach of the subject which resulted in semi-abstract work with bright colours, expressive brushstrokes and distorted, vivid figures.
other cobra members are pierre alechinsky, lucebert, asger jorn, corneille, constant, christian dotrement and hugo claus. in amstelveen (the netherlands) you'll find the cobra museum.

coldplay gone mad: the new video

2006-05-04T09:51:00.000+02:00

check out coldplay's new video the hardest part via stereogum. the boys have gone mad. and chris martin needs a haircut.

british comic writer alan moore turns to pornography

2006-05-04T09:06:00.000+02:00

publishersweekly has an article on alan moore's upcoming new book lost girls.

"Already a star in the world of graphic novels for wildly successful and critically acclaimed books like Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, British writer Alan Moore reached a new level of mainstream fame this spring with the success of the movie V for Vendetta. So what's he doing for his next act? Pornography."
read more here.

(via comicsworthreading)

chapman stick

2006-05-04T07:52:00.000+02:00

if you can't decide which instrument to play, check out the chapman stick, developed by emmett chapman in the 70s. the chapman stick sort of looks like a guitar with a wider and longer fretboard. it has 8 to 12 strings (so you have the range of a guitar and a bass). you play it by tapping it with both hands, so you can play multiple lines at once, performing bass, melody and chord lines simultaneously.
check out these two amazing instruction videos by greg howard: one and two.

art action figures

2006-05-03T10:18:00.000+02:00

check out the art action figures of michael leavitt. there's andy warhol, jean-michel basquiat, jackson pollock, salvador dali, mark ryden, leonardo da vinci, vincent van gogh, hieronymus bosch, pablo picasso and many more.

mr.t gets his own tv show

2006-05-03T08:35:00.000+02:00

yesterday, tv land network announced it will start i pity the fool, a tv series hosted by famous a-team member mr. t (aka b.a. baracus). mr. t will be travelling all over the united states (in a black van) to help people with problems (personal or professional). sounds like the a-team all over again!

other mr. t fun: check your mr. t name at the mr. t name generator.

blacklight tattoo

2006-05-03T08:21:00.000+02:00

if you always wanted a tattoo but were afraid of what your boss will say, check this fascinating new technique: you can cover yourself in body art and no one will be the wiser, unless they see you in the dark, which is the only time these tattoos are visible. the new technique uses blacklight reactive ink, which has a "glow in the dark" effect.
read more here.

(thanks cool hunter)

sigur ros: tour dates

2006-05-02T10:53:00.000+02:00

sigur ros are playing some gigs:

may 3 benaroya hall, seattle, washington
may 4 arlene schnitzer, portland, oregon
may 5 big easy concert house, boise, idaho
may 6 the depot, salt lake city, utah
may 8 orpheum rheatre, minneapolis, minnesota
may 9 civic opera house, chicago, illinois
may 10 the riverside, milwaukee, wisconsin
may 11 state theatre, detroit, michigan
may 13 massey hall, toronto, ontario
may 14 bank of america pavillion, boston, massachusetts
june 23 southside festival, beuhausen ob eck
june 24 hurricane festival, eichenring
june 25 lichtburg, essen
june 27 oslo spektrum, oslo
june 28 dalhalla, rättvik
june 29 roskilde festival
july 01 rock werchter festival
july 02 les eurockéennes de belfort festival
july 03 montreux jazz festival
july 04 piazza castello, ferrara
july 06 olympia, paris
july 07 heineken open'er festival poland
july 08 t in the park festival, scotland
july 09 oxegen festival, ireland
july 11 guildhall, southampton
july 12 neumünster abbey luxembourg
july 14 summercase festival, barcelona
july 15 summercase festival, madrid
july 16 pavilhão atlântico, lisbon

the clash: live footage

2006-05-02T09:49:00.000+02:00

bedazzled has some video files of english punk/rock icons the clash on fridays (80's television show). they perform london calling, train in vain, guns of brixton and working for the clampdown. go here.

(via boing boing)

more sufjan stevens mp3s

2006-05-02T09:43:00.000+02:00

i guess i'm floating keeps posting sufjan stevens mp3s. which we like. this time you'll find some lesser known sufjan songs:

The First Full Moon
All Delighted People
I Can't Even Lift My Head
Damascus
Bushwick Junkie
Borderline
God'll Ne'er Let You Down
Woman At The Well

go here.

crosby, stills, nash and young: tour

2006-05-02T09:31:00.000+02:00

rock veterans crosby, stills, nash and young hit the road. the boys will also be playing some songs of neil young's recent protest-album living with war.

July 06 Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center
July 08 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
July 10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
July 14 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
July 15 Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Venue to be announced
July 17 Denver, CO Red Rocks
July 20 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
July 23 Fresno, CA Save Mart Centre
July 25 Concord, CA Chronicle Pavilion
July 27 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
July 28 Portland, OR Clark County Amphitheatre
July 30 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 31 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Aug 08 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Aug 10 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Aug 12 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
Aug 15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
Aug 16 Boston, MA Tweeter Center
Aug 19 Saratoga, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug 20 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 22 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Amp.
Aug 25 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
Aug 29 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater
Aug 31 Detroit, MI The Palace at Auburn Hills
Sep 02 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sep 03 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank
Sep 06 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
Sep 07 St. Louis, MO UMB Pavilion
Sep 10 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion

(thanks, bumpershine)

rose d'or: and the winner is...

2006-05-01T09:55:00.000+02:00

the rose d'or (or golden rose) festival is one of the most prestigious television awards festival. it's held every year in switzerland and honours entertainment programmes (so no drama's, documentaries, etc.)
the 2006 winners:

best performers:
female comedy performance: jo joyner - swinging (gbr)
male comedy performance: chris lilley - the nominees (aus)
game show host: stephen fry - qi (gbr)
sitcom actor: bastian pastewka - pastewka (ger)
sitcom actress: ashley jensen - extras (gbr)
soap actor: jack wagner - the bold and the beautiful (usa)
soap actress: alexendra neldel - verliebt in berlin (ger)

honoury rose d'or award:
ricky gervais

rose d'or charity award for corporate philanthropy:
fuji television

best programmes:
arts ands specials: girl in a mirror (aus)
comedy: look around you (gbr)
game show: deal or no deal (gbr)
music: gospel in paradiso (nld)
reality show: the apprentice (gbr)
sitcom: extras (gbr)
soap: verliebt in berlin (ger)
variety: friday night project: billie piper (gbr)

social awareness award:
paradise lost (nor)

press prize:
pastewka (ger)

pilot award:
alex fm (ger)

frapa awards:
frapa scripted format award: the nanny
frapa game show format award: deal or no deal
frapa realit format award: the biggest loser

seems ricky gervais does it again.

prangstgrüp makes you smile

2006-05-01T09:50:00.000+02:00

prangstgrüp is, well, a group of pranksters. and boy, they are funny. check out their lecture musical, or their libary musical.

daniel clowes: interview

2006-05-01T09:48:00.000+02:00

wired interviewed alternative comic book artist/author/screenwriter daniel clowes (read his comic book series eightball, go see his new movie art school confidential soon). read the interview here.

christo unveils over the river project

2006-04-30T09:29:00.000+02:00

bulgarian environmental artist christo and his partner jeanne-claude have unveiled their next project: over the river, for the arkansas river in colorada (usa). from their website:

"Fabric panels suspended horizontally clear of and high above the water level will follow the configuration and width of the changing course of the river, during a period of two consecutive weeks to be selected between mid-July and mid-August of any given year in the future, in 2009 at the earliest.

Steel wire cables, anchored on the upper part of the riverbanks, will cross the river and serve as attachment for the fabric panels. The woven fabric panels, sewn in advance, with rows of grommets at the edges perpendicular to the river, will create shimmering waves of fabric, 8 to 25 feet (2.4 to 7.6 meters) above the water. The 6.7 mile (10,7 kilometer) long stream of successive panels will be interrupted by bridges, rocks, trees, and bushes and for esthetic reasons, creating abundant flows of light.

Wide clearance between the banks and the edges of the fabric panels will create a play of contrast allowing sunlight to illuminate the river on both sides. When seen from underneath, standing on the rocks, at the edge of the river, at water level or by rafting, the luminous and translucent fabric will highlight the contours of the clouds, the mountains and the vegetation."

read more here.

the arkansas river is a popular rafting river, and rafters will be allowed to raft under under the installation. should be ready in 2009.

motley crue: the movie

2006-04-29T09:11:00.000+02:00

motley crue is ready to hit the big screen. from their website:

"The raunchy tale of rocker group Motley Crue's rise to the top is being made into a feature film.

‘The Dirt’ is being made by Paramount Classics and MTV Films, and will be based on the rockers' 2001 book "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band."

The book was written by bandmates Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Vince Neil, along with writer Neil Strauss.

It tells the story of the band's rise, complete with all the ups and downs of friendships, on the tour and in the recording studio.

All of the band members, along with Strauss, will serve as executive producers on the film.

Larry Charles, who directed ‘Masked and Anonymous’ which starred singer Bob Dylan, will direct the film and help the band bring their story to the big screen."

snow patrol interview

2006-04-29T09:05:00.000+02:00

the guardian has an interview with gary lightbody of snow patrol. one quote: "i used to be a total wanker". read the interview here.

modest mouse on tour

2006-04-29T09:00:00.000+02:00

modest mouse hit the road:

Sun Aug 6 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Tue Aug 8 Sacramento, CA Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Wed Aug 9 Bend, OR Les Schwab Amphitheater
Thu Aug 10 Troutdale, OR Edgefield

four new sufjan stevens songs

2006-04-29T08:56:00.000+02:00

i guess i'm floating has four songs of sufjan stevens' new album the avalanche: outtakes and extras from the illinois album:
dear mr. supercomputer
adlai stevenson
the henney buggy band
the avalanche
check them out here.

listen to the new pearl jam

2006-04-29T08:48:00.000+02:00

aol has a stream available of the new self-titled pearl jam record. here.

justin hawkins makes soccer song

2006-04-27T12:14:00.000+02:00

when announced that embrace would record the official 2006 england world cup song, a lot of english artists said they would make a protest song (amongst who happy monday bez and graham coxon). the darkness singer justin hawkins and his solo project british whale also made an effort. he just finished soccer anthem england. and the lyrics are a bit controversial, mentioning world war 2: "we fought them on the beaches, now we'll play them on the field. once again, the world will surely yield."
anyhow, listen to the song on british whale's myspace site.

james hetfield formes charity supergroup

2006-04-27T12:03:00.000+02:00

metallica singer james hetfield forms a band with alice in chains guitarist jerry cantrell and drummer sean kinney, and metallica bassist robert trujillo. they will play an addiction charity fundraising gig at the henry fonda theater (los angeles) on may 12th.

world party: new record + tour

2006-04-27T11:52:00.000+02:00

and another 90's band is back: world party. their new cd/dvd dumping up (previous record egyptology dates from 1997) hits stores may 2nd, and the party is coming your way. check the dates on their website.
mp3's on stereogum.

lemonheads reunite

2006-04-27T11:39:00.000+02:00

from their website:

"LEMONHEADS RE-UNITE, SIGN TO VAGRANT

New Album Due Out Fall 2006

(April 26, 2006) – Vagrant Records is proud to announce that THE LEMONHEADS have signed to the label. The recently re-formed band is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on what will be their eighth studio album in a career that spans over two decades.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Evan Dando is co-producing the album with drummer Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag), and the band is rounded out with bass player Karl Alvarez (Descendents). NYC-based Dando self-funded the project and has been recording in Stevenson’s Colorado studio off and on during the last year.

"The thing I remember most about Vagrant's first year is being locked up in my apartment, drinking coffee, stuffing 7"’s into envelopes and listening to It's A Shame About Ray on cassette all day, every day. If it wasn't for that record, we probably would've left the apartment eventually and given up the label. Nobody writes songs like Evan Dando, nobody sings likes him...the new songs are incredible. He is in top form." -- Rich Egan, Vagrant Records President

One of the most beloved bands of to emerge from the Boston post-punk scene of the late 80’s, The Lemonheads released three albums on Taang! before signing to Atlantic Records. They released their breakthrough album, It’s A Shame About Ray in 1992 and it went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. “Into Your Arms,” a track from their 1993 disc, Come On Feel The Lemonheads was their first single to hit the Billboard charts. After the release of Car Button Cloth in 1996 the band toured extensively - playing festivals worldwide, from Europe and the UK to South America. Dando took a break from the Lemonheads in the late 90’s to concentrate on his solo recording. He released Baby I’m Bored, in 2003."

stereogum has some lemonheads mp3's.

we are scientists keep touring

2006-04-27T08:44:00.000+02:00

we are scientists just added a series of uk dates to their tour (october/november). here's the dates (all of them!):

Thu April 27 2006 Providence, RI / Living Room /
Fri May 5 2006, London, GB / Fopp Store Camden
Tue May 9 2006 Tokyo, JP / Shibuya Duo
Wed May 10 2006 Osaka, JP / Quattro
Thu May 11 2006 Nagoya, JP / Quattro
Fri May 12 2006 Tokyo, JP / Quattro
Sat May 20 2006 Mexico City, MX / Parque Ecologico
Fri May 26 2006 Victoria, BC / Sugar /
Sat May 27 2006 Vancouver, BC / Commodore Ballroom /
Sun May 28 2006 Seattle, WA / Gorge Amphitheater / Sasquatch Festival /
Mon May 29 2006 Portland, OR / Roseland Theater /
Wed May 31 2006 San Francisco, CA / Warfield
Fri June 2 2006 San Diego, CA / Soma /
Sat June 3 2006 Los Angeles, CA / Wiltern Theatre
Sun June 4 2006 Tempe, AZ / Marquee /
Tue June 6 2006 Dallas, TX / Granada Theatre
Wed June 7 2006 Austin, TX / Stubb’s
Thu June 8 2006 Houston, TX / Warehouse /
Sat June 10 2006 Atlanta, GA / Tabernacle /
Sun June 11 2006 Norfolk, VA / Norva /
Mon June 12 2006 Baltimore, MD / Sonar
Wed June 14 2006 New York, NY / Roseland Ballroom
Thu June 15 2006 Boston, MA / Avalon /
Fri June 16 2006 Montreal, QC / Le Medley
Sat June 17 2006 Toronto, ON / Kool Haus /
Sun June 18 2006 Detroit, MI / State Theatre /
Mon June 19 2006 Lansing, MI / Temple Bar
Tue June 20 2006 Cleveland, OH / Grog Shop /
Wed June 21 2006 Chicago, IL / Metro /
Sun June 23 2006 Indianapolis, IN / Emmerson Theatre
Mon June 26 2006 Columbus, OH / Little Brother’s /
Tue June 27 2006 Washington, DC / Black Cat /
Wed June 28 2006 Philadelphia, PA / Theatre of Living Arts /
Thu June 29 2006 Brooklyn, NY / Warsaw /
Fri June 30 2006 New York, NY / Irving Plaza
Sat July 1 2006 Northampton, MA / Pearl St.
Sun July 2 2006 Boston, MA / Paradise
Fri October 20 2006 Norwich, GB / UEA
Sat October 21 2006 Sheffield, GB / Octagon
Sun October 22 2006 Manchester, GB / Apollo
Mon October 23 2006 Leeds, GB / University
Tue October 24 2006 Newcastle, GB / Academy
Wed October 25 2006 Aberdeen, GB / Music Hall
Fri October 27 2006 Glasgow, SC / Academy
Sat October 28 2006 Belfast, NI / Limelight
Sun October 29 2006 Galway, IE / Roisin Dubh
Mon October 30 2006 Dublin, IE / Ambassador
Tue October 31 2006 Cardiff, GB / University
Fri November 3 2006 Birmingham, GB / Academy
Sat November 4 2006 Nottingham, GB / Rock City
Sun November 5 2006 Bristol, GB / Academy
Mon November 6 2006 Exeter, GB / University
Tue November 7 2006 Southampton, GB / Guildhall
Thu November 9 2006 London, GB / Brixton Academy

viggo mortensen in new david cronenberg film

2006-04-27T08:37:00.000+02:00

actor viggo mortensen seems to like his a history of violence cooperation with director david cronenberg (also: scanners, the fly, naked lunch, crash, existenz). he's teaming up with the canadian filmmaker again, for his thriller eastern promises, about a london nurse who investigates the identity of a russian girl who died during childbirth. mortensen won't play the nurse, but some mystery man caught up in the russian maffia.

mariah carey buys marilyn monroe's piano

2006-04-27T08:33:00.000+02:00

mariah carey bought a piano owned by marilyn monroe at a christie's auction. she paid $ 662,500 and said: "it was either the piano or three new gucci bags".

gorillaz: the opera

2006-04-27T08:18:00.000+02:00

gorillaz keep making headlines. after the split, the film, the las vegas shows, the tv series and the fifth member, now there's the gorillaz opera. top opera house staatsoper in berlin (germany) put monkey journey to the west on its 2007 calender.

it's an opera based on gorillaz music, vocals written by chen shi-zeng, music written by damon albarn. the story, about buddhist reincarnation, is based on the book xi you ji by chinese novelist/poet wu cheng'en (1500-1582), and tells the story of monkey king on his trip through india. the staatsoper say they're doing this to reach a younger audience.

premiere: july 31st 2007, in berlin. the gorillaz opera will also come to paris (france) and manchester (england).

underworld return to the shelves

2006-04-26T10:34:00.000+02:00

underworld seemed to have disappeared. now the british electronic music trio are ready to resurface. currently they are working on the soundtrack for anthony minghella's (director of the english patient, the talented mr. ripley and cold mountain) new film breaking and entering, which features martin freeman, jude law, ray winstone and juliette binoche.

underworld are also preparing their fifth studio album, which will be available in shops (!). in 2005 they released two compilations (pizza for eggs and lovely broken thing) which were only available as downloads on their website.

new sufjan stevens - the henney buggy band mp3

2006-04-26T10:20:00.000+02:00

download the mp3 on stereogum. the henney buggy band is a song from the new record the avalanche: outtakes and extras from the illinois album of indie rock hottie sufjan stevens, which will be out on july 25th. (thanks stereogum)

here's the complete track listing:
1. The Avalanche
2. Dear Mr Supercomputer
3. Adlai Stevenson
4. The Vivian Girls Are Visited In the Night by Saint Dargarius and his Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies
5. Chicago (acoustic version)
6. The Henney Buggy Band
7. Saul Bellow
8. Carlyle Lake
9. Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair
10. The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)
11. Kaskaskia River (2:15)
12. Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)
13. Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne
14. No Man's Land
15. The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake
16. The Pick-up
17. The Perpetual Self, or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?"
18. For Clyde Tombaugh
19. Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)
20. Pittsfield
21. The Undivided Self (for Eppie and Popo)

michelle rodriguez in jail

2006-04-26T10:00:00.000+02:00

lost star michelle rodriguez (whom you also might know from girlfight, the fast and the furious or s.w.a.t.) has chosen to spend five days in a hawaii jail, plus paying a $ 500 fine, instead of doing 240 hours of community service. the actress, who plays ana lucia in lost, was caught driving under influence on december 1st on the island of oahu (where lost is filmed), with a blood-alcohol level of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. this isn't the first time rodriguez has problems with the authorities, but we won't start talking about that...

15 minutes after they pulled over rodriguez, police halted cynthia watros (libby in lost) with a blood-alcohol level of 0.10. watros was fined $ 312, has to undergo an alcohol assessment and 14 hours of counseling. she also had her driving license suspended for 90 days.

bouncing souls - golden song mp3

2006-04-26T09:48:00.000+02:00

punk rockers bouncing souls will release their the golden record on june 6th. the first single will be the golden song.
download the golden song. (thanks to productshopnyc)

golden record track listing:
1. The Gold Song
2. So Jersey
3. Sounds Of The City
4. The Pizza Song
5. Sarah Saturday
6. Better Things
7. The Messenger
8. Lean On Sheena
9. Letter From Iraq
10. The New Thing
11. Midnight Mile
12. For All The Unheard

tour dates:
6/01 Knitting Factory - NYC, NY
6/02 Knitting Factory - NYC, NY
6/03 Knitting Factory - NYC, NY
6/04 Knitting Factory - NYC, NY
6/05 Knitting Factory - NYC, NY
6/06 Knitting Factory - NYC, NY
6/10 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
6/15 - 8/13: WARPED TOUR:
6/15 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavillion
6/16 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater
6/17 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
6/18 Minneapolis, MN Hub.H.Humphrey Metrodome
6/19 Bonner Springs, KS Verizon Wireless
6/21 Nashville, TN Starwood Amphitheater
6/22 Jacksonville, FL Met Park
6/23 Saint Petersburg, FL Vinoy Park
6/24 Miami, FL Bicentennial Park
6/25 Orlando, FL Tinker Field
6/26 Ladson , SC Exchange Park Fairgrounds
6/27 Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavillion at Walnut Creek
6/28 Atlanta, GA Hi Fi Buys Amphitheater
6/30 Houston, TX Reliant Center
7/1 Dallas, TX
7/2 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/3 Las Cruces, NM New Mexico State University
7/4 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
7/6 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheater
7/7 Pomona, CA LA County Fairgrounds
7/8 San Francisco, CA Pier 30/32
7/9 Fresno, CA Selland Arena
7/11 Ventura, CA Seaside Park
7/12 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium
7/13 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheater
7/14 Boise, ID Treasure Valley Speedway
7/15 George, WA Gorge Amphitheater
7/16 Portland, OR Columbia Meadows
7/18 Vancouver, BC Thunderbird Stadium
7/20 Calgary, AB Race City Speedway
7/22 Salt Lake City, UT Utah State Fairpark
7/23 Denver, CO Invesco Field at Mile High
7/25 St. Louis, MO UMB Bank Pavilion
7/26 Cincinnatii, OH Riverbend Music Center
7/27 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
7/28 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/29 Detroit, MI Comerica Lot/ Woodward Avenue
7/30 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Chicago
8/1 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake PAC
8/2 Fitchburg, MA Fitchburg Airport
8/3 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center At The Waterfront
8/4 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion
8/5 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
8/6 Old Bridge, NJ Englishtown Raceway
8/8 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/9 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/10 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavillion at Stone Ridge
8/11 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheater
8/12 Barrie, ON Park Place (Molson Park)
8/13 Montreal, QC Parc Jean Drapeau

wes anderson commercial

2006-04-26T09:34:00.000+02:00

director wes anderson (the life aquatic with steve zissou, the royal tenenbaums) made this lovely commercial for american express. (seen on productshopnyc)

and while you're at youtube.com, also check out m. night shyamalan's (director of the sixth sense, unbreakable, signs, the village, lady in the water) rather weird effort for american express. well, of course it's weird, what did you expect?

webcomic tattoos

2006-04-26T09:24:00.000+02:00

webcomics are cool. tattoos are cool. add those two up:
webcomic + tattoo = webcomic tattoo.
check out some examples:

more? here!
seen on boing boing.

gorilla biscuits reunite

2006-04-26T09:15:00.000+02:00

legendary new york hardcore punk band gorilla biscuits reunite. they will be touring across america this august.
the band already played a reunion show on august 14th 2005 as a benefit to save legendary rock club cbgb.
gorilla biscuits released its last record start today in 1989. after that, guitarist walter schreifels played in quicksand and rival schools. singer anthony "civ" civocelli started civ and opened his tattoo studio lotus tattoo.
more details about the summer reunion tour soon.

three mile pilot: new record

2006-04-25T17:28:00.000+02:00

indie rockers three mile pilot are ready to release a new album. the band released their last album another desert, another see in 1997, but never officialy broke up. now armistead burwell smith iv (a.k.a. zach smith, bass and vocals in 3mp, formed pinback after the break-up) and pall jenkins (guitar and vocals in 3mp, formed the black heart procession after the split) both confirmed that they recorded new three mile pilot material. touch & go records confirmed the 2007 release.

al pacino joins ocean's 13

2006-04-25T17:20:00.000+02:00

al pacino will play willie banks, a casino and hotel owner in las vegas, in the upcoming ocean's 13. director steven soderbergh starts shooting the film on july 21st. other members of the cast are george clooney, matt damon, brad pitt, ellen barkin, matt damon, andy garcia, bernie mac, casey affleck, carl reiner and scott caan.

kula shaker extend comeback tour

2006-04-25T14:17:00.000+02:00

kula shaker extend their uk comeback tour, which started this month. the new dates:

May 8th, Bristol Fleece
May 9th, Leeds Cockpit
May 10th, Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
May 12th, Liverpool Stanley Theatre
May 13th, Sheffield Plug
May 16th, Norwich Waterfront
May 17th, London Scala
May 18th, Oxford Zodiac

neil young: the blog

2006-04-25T10:17:00.000+02:00

neil young currently seems to be hotter than suri and brangelina together! that's some fine news. and there's more. his new album living with war got a fellow blog (reprise records is working hard lately). check it for lyrics, etc.
the track listing for living with war:

01 After the Garden
02 Living With War
03 The Restless Consumer
04 Shock and Awe
05 Families
06 Flags of Freedom
07 Let's Impeach the President
08 Lookin' for a Leader
09 Roger and Out
10 America the Beautiful

quentin tarantino makes jimi hendrix biopic

2006-04-25T10:01:00.000+02:00

from contactmusic:

"QUENTIN TARANTINO has reportedly signed on to direct the long-awaited JIMI HENDRIX biopic. The PULP FICTION movie-maker is huge fan of the script of the film, according to producers at Dragonslayer Films, and will team up with Hendrix's brother LEON to tell the story of the guitar great's life. Tarantino will have full access to Hendrix's music and likeness when he starts shooting is scheduled to begin later this year (06) in Seattle, Washington; New York, Toronto, Canada; and London. Senior executive producer ELLE VON LEAR has access to interviews and live footage of the rock legend, which will be incorporated in the film."

create the fifth gorillaz member

2006-04-25T09:49:00.000+02:00

they're calling it quits by the end of this year with a big show in las vegas. they want to make a movie. and gorillaz have more plans. now, they're looking for a fifth member. together with hay festival in wales (may 26th - june 4th), they've created a competition for kids between 9 and 16 to create the fifth gorillaz member.
enter those illustrations before may 12th. more info here.

lost becomes interactive game

2006-04-25T09:34:00.000+02:00

hit tv series lost will become the interactive game the lost experience, abc announced yesterday. from the tailsection:

"Details have finally made their way out of the hushed halls of ABC concerning a massive campaign designed to keep LOST fresh on fans minds between the finale of season 2 and the premiere of season 3 in September.

ABC, Channel 4 Television in the U.K, and Australia Channel 7 will launch the 'Lost Experience,' a revolutionary interactive experience based on the international hit television series, 'Lost'. Working together, more than 30 broadcasters from Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East will release clues with new information regarding the mystery and mythology of the island featured in the series. Fans looking to solve the puzzle will find audio, video, and text clues in locations around the world, along with an online community in which to connect and collaborate with others. Just like any other good mystery, clues can and will happen anywhere at anytime across multiple platforms.

The rumor is that official details will be released after the recap episode "Reckoning" airs on April 26th."

coldplay: rolling stone interview mp3

2006-04-25T09:20:00.000+02:00

download the mp3 here.
coldplay frontman chris martin and guitarist jonny buckland talk to the staff of rolling stone in new york.

pharrell designs jewellery for louis vuitton

2006-04-25T08:22:00.000+02:00

rapper/producer pharrell williams (n*e*r*d, the neptunes) will design a line of jewellery for louis vuitton. pharrell was asked by vuitton designer marc jacobs to team up with jewellery designer camille miceli (who recently styled mariah carey's music video for say somethin'). the first collection should be out in 2007.
pharrell already got some designing experience, designing watches for jacob the jeweller, and a series of sunglasses for the louis vuittonsummer 2005 collection.

star wars released in 3d

2006-04-25T08:09:00.000+02:00

the 1977 sci-fi classic star wars: a new hope will be released in 3d, together with the film's 30th anniversary. director george lucas is such a fan of the 3d technique, he's also considering releasing the five star wars sequels in 3d, putting them out a year apart from each another.
other films that are considered for a 3d release: peter jackson's lord of the rings, and james cameron's titanic.

snoop writes novel

2006-04-24T13:09:00.000+02:00

rapper snoop dogg is currently writing his debut novel love don't live here no more, telling the story of a young man in south california who's struggling to make a life in the hip-hop world. the book should be out in october of this year, and is the first in a series of books snoop is planning to write. literaturizzle!

depeche mode release 50 live cd's

2006-04-23T20:40:00.000+02:00

hey, these guys have to eat too. so buy them all!
from their website:

"50 official live recordings announced
Available to pre-order now!

Depeche Mode are proud to announce an exciting new collaboration with Live Here Now that will see 50 dates on their current world tour recorded and released as limited edition CD's and digital downloads.

Depeche Mode will play to more than two and a half million people across 31 countries during the "Touring The Angel" 2005/6 World Tour.

Recording will begin at the legendary Shoreline Amphitheater in California, where the band headline on Thursday, April 27th. After numerous dates across the United States, Depeche Mode return to Europe for a series of stadium shows and festival appearances throughout the summer.

Each concert will be recorded and mixed, giving fans a unique high-quality souvenir that truly captures the energy and atmosphere of the legendary Depeche Mode live experience. The two-disc set is available for a limited time and is packaged with deluxe artwork featuring new and exclusive photographs by Anton Corbijn. Fans can order at the venue on the night or online.

Live Here Now was established in 2004 to produce legal official concert recordings and offers a legitimate alternative to widespread live music piracy. Their clients to date include Moby, Goldfrapp, Mylo, Erasure, Heaven 17 and Throbbing Gristle."

these are their tour dates:

Thu, Apr 27th, 2006 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sat, Apr 29th, 2006 Indio, CA Coachella
Sun, Apr 30th, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Theater Under the Stars at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tue, May 2nd, 2006 El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center
Thu, May 4th, 2006 Mexico City, Mexico Foro Sol Stadium
Fri, May 5th, 2006 Mexico City, Mexico Foro Sol Stadium
Sun, May 7th, 2006 Monterrey, Mexico Arena
Wed, May 10th, 2006 Kansas City, MO Starlight Amphitheater
Thu, May 11th, 2006 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
Sat, May 13th, 2006 Wantaugh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheater
Sun, May 14th, 2006 Holmdel, NJ PNC BankArts Center
Wed, May 17th, 2006 Montréal, PQ Bell Centre
Thu, May 18th, 2006 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Sat, May 20th, 2006 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata
Sun, May 21st, 2006 Washington, DC (Bristow, VA) Nissan Pavilion
Fri, Jun 2nd, 2006 Nuremberg, Germany Rock im Park
Sun, Jun 4th, 2006 Nurburgring, Germany Rock am Ring
Mon, Jun 5th, 2006 Hannover, Germany Bremen Weser Stadion
Wed, Jun 7th, 2006 Aarhus, Denmark Aarhus Stadium
Fri, Jun 9th, 2006 Warsaw, Poland Legia Stadium
Sun, Jun 11th, 2006 Bratislava, Slovakia Inter-Bratislava Stadium
Mon, Jun 12th, 2006 Budapest, Hungary Puskas Ferenc Stadium
Wed, Jun 14th, 2006 Ljubljana, Slovenia Central Bezigrad Stadium
Fri, Jun 16th, 2006 Imola, Italy Heikeken Jamming Festival
Sat, Jun 17th, 2006 Interlaken, Switzerland Greenfield Festival
Wed, Jun 21st, 2006 Sofia, Bulgaria Locomotive Stadium
Fri, Jun 23rd, 2006 Bucharest, Romania National Stadium
Sun, Jun 25th, 2006 London, UK London Wireless Festival
Mon, Jun 26th, 2006 Dublin, Ireland The Point
Thu, Jun 29th, 2006 Arras, France Arras City Square
Sat, Jul 1st, 2006 Belfort, France Eurockeennes Festival
Sun, Jul 2nd, 2006 Werchter, Belgium Werchter Festival
Thu, Jul 6th, 2006 Kristiansand, Norway Quart Festival
Mon, Jul 10th, 2006 Locarno, Switzlerland Moon & Stars
Wed, Jul 12th, 2006 Berlin, Germany Waldbuhne
Thu, Jul 13rd, 2006 Berlin, Germany Waldbuhne
Sat, Jul 15th, 2006 Leipzig, Germany Festwiese
Mon, Jul 17th, 2006 Rome, Italy Curva Olympico
Wed, Jul 19th, 2006 Nyon, Switzlerland Paleo Festival
Thu, Jul 20th, 2006 Nimes, France Antic Arena
Sat, Jul 22nd, 2006 San Sebastian, Spain Estadio Anoeta
Sun, Jul 23rd, 2006 Spain Benicassim Festival
Tue, Jul 25th, 2006 Torrevieja (Alicante), Spain Parque Antonio Soria
Wed, Jul 26th, 2006 Granada, Spain Plaza de Toros
Fri, Jul 28th, 2006 Lisbon, Portugal Alvalarde Stadium
Sun, Jul 30th, 2006 Istanbul, Turkey Kurucesme Arena
Tue, Aug 1st, 2006 Athens, Greece Terra Vibe
Thu, Aug 3rd, 2006 Tel Aviv, Israel VENUE TBA

neil young's new album: online before release

2006-04-23T20:19:00.000+02:00

fans will be able to listen to neil young's new, anti-war album living with war on his website before the records hits the stores. on monday april 28th the songs will appear on young's website, downloads will be available from may 2nd. reprise records is planning to release the cd between may 5th and 15th.

b-52's cancel european tour

2006-04-23T20:08:00.000+02:00

from their website:

"The B-52’s have had to make the very tough decision to withdraw from their European summer touring plans. At present they are deeply involved in the writing of their next album, and they have become so excited with its progress that they now feel quite strongly about not wanting to disrupt their momentum. The band is sorry to disappoint all their fans and the promoters who have been eagerly anticipating their return to Europe. They are very much looking forward to presenting and touring behind their new album in early 2007."

xiu xiu: tour dates

2006-04-21T10:10:00.000+02:00

experimental indie band xiu xiu hit the road:

April 18 Troubadour (BRISBANE)
April 20 Hopetoun Hotel (SYDNEY)
April 21 Northcote Social Club (MELBOURNE)
April 21 Schooner Tavern (AUCKLAND)
April 28 Athens, Underworld Greece
April 29 Festival Printemps de Bourges France
May 4 - Ancona - Thermos ITALY
May 5 - Legnano (MI) - Jail ITALY
May 6 - Bologna - Covo ITALY
May 7 - Trieste - Teatro Miela ITALY
May 9 - Roma - Circolo degli Artisti ITALY
May 10 - Napoli - Galleria Toledo ITALY
May 11 - Genova - Banano Tsunami (Porto Antico) ITALY
May 12 - Basel, Hirscheneck SWITZERLAND
May 13 - Munich, Rote Sonne GERMANY
May 14 Vienna, Chelsea AUSTRIA
May 16 - Schorndorf, Manufaktur GERMANY
May 17 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
May 18 - Koeln, Gebaeude GERMANY
May 19 Den Haag, Ground One Festival NETHERLANDS
May 20 Diksmuide, 4AD BELGIUM
May 22 - Hamburg, Uebel & Gefaehrlich GERMANY
May 23 Berlin, Volksbuehne GERMANY
May 24 Festival Elektricity Reims FRANCE
May 25 Le Nouveau Casino / Paris FRANCE
May 26 L'olympic / Nantes FRANCE
May 27 Le confort moderne / Poitiers FRANCE
May 28 TARRAGONA Sala Zero)
May 29 MADRID (Café la palma)
May 30 CASTELLON (Ricoamor)
May 31 VALLADOLID (Malbicho)
June 1 VIGO (Vademecwm)
June 2 LEIRIA (Teatro Miguel Franco)
June 3 GIJON (Festival Intersecciones)
June 4 BARCELONA (Festival Primavera Sound)
June 17 Guadalajara, México

stream some xiu xiu songs here.

smashing pumpkins are back

2006-04-21T09:51:00.000+02:00

the smashing pumpkins reunited! from their website:

"it's official, The Smashing Pumpkins are currently writing songs for their upcoming album, their first since 2000. no release date has yet been set, but the band plans to begin recording this summer."

we bet they'll have a fight and split again before anyone has heard anything...

flaming lips: tour

2006-04-20T11:42:00.000+02:00

the flaming lips are ready to conquer the world:

2006-04-22 London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
2006-04-24 Birmingham, UK - Academy
2006-04-27 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso
2006-04-28 Paris, France - Bataclan
2006-04-30 Bourge, France - Carré d'Auron / Palais des Congrés
2006-05-02 Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
2006-05-03 Copenhagen, Denmark - Tivoli Gardens
2006-05-04 Hamburg, Germany - Markethall
2006-05-21 Atlanta, GA - Southern Comfort Music Experience, Centennial Park
2006-05-24 San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theater
2006-05-27 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival, Gorge Ampitheatre
2006-05-28 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheater
2006-06-02 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound festival
2006-06-04 Gent, Belgium - Vooruit
2006-06-05 Heerlen, Holland - Pinkpop - John Peel Stage
2006-06-06 Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
2006-06-10 Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Festival - Clinton Lake State Park
2006-06-23 London, UK - Wireless Festival, Hyde Park
2006-06-24 Kilkenny, Ireland - Nowlan Park, supporting Bob Dylan
2006-06-25 Leeds, UK - Wireless Festival, Harewood House
2006-06-28 Munich, Germany - Elserhalle
2006-06-30 Weisen, Austria - ForestGlade Festival
2006-07-01 Ferrara, Italy - Piazza Castello
2006-07-22 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
2006-07-23 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
2006-07-28 Twin Lakes, WI - Hedgpeth Festival
2006-07-29 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Ampitheater
2006-08-03 Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
2006-08-05 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza - Grant Park
2006-08-24 Saint Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair/Grandstand
2006-09-15 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits - Zilker Park

von bondies need your help

2006-04-20T11:26:00.000+02:00

from the von bondies website:

"Fancy yourself an artist? Do you wear a beret and sport a pencil-thin mustache? Do you wear clothing only in the darkest shades of black? No? Well, even if your artistic abilities are so horrible that you can't even draw a simple smiley face, we need you to send in your ideas for Von Bondies artwork. We've been so busy working on our new album that our brains are fried. Completely fried. Moreover, we really want to see what our beloved fans are capable of. So send us designs for t-shirts, album and single covers, posters... Anything. Scan them, Or take digital photos of them. Or describe them in words. And e-mail them to vonbondies@hotmail.com. The best ideas will receive a really special prize. A really, really special prize."