You often hear about how homogenized we’ve become as a society. We’re all eating McDonald’s, wearing clothes from the Gap and watching Jerry Bruckheimer movies. But regionalism still exists. Via Catchdubs, I found this track “Rep Minnesota!,” with RockCity (a.k.a. Rocky) and FIC (a.k.a. Fiction). I haven’t heard much about Twin Cities hip-hop, guys like [...]
Culture Wars Redux
I’ve long had a dread fascination with the Culture Wars periodically fought in this country. I recall the PMRC-driven lyrics battles of the Eighties, pitting Tipper Gore against Frank Zappa. One of the last things I wrote on this site before it took a long nap starting in 2000, was a piece about Joe Lieberman, [...]
Can TV Create Living Worlds?
At the same time I was planning the post on “classic” TV, I read a film review by Stanley Kauffmann in TNR. It begins this way: Reviewing a recent film based on a television series, Michael Wood wrote, “What TV doesn’t seem to need is a world.” When directors want to make television series into [...]
Bands of the Golden State
Two songs from bands named after California landmarks. Earlimart is named after a city in Central California, near Bakersfield. Silversun Pickups is named after a liquor store located at the corner of Sunset and Silver Lake Boulevards. Both bands are from Southern California, my old home. Earlimart’s lead singer/guitarist Aaron Espinoza is known for his [...]
Can TV Be Classic?
In these United States, the new TV season gets underway this week, with 41 shows premiering. Monday looks like kind of a dog, with only Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip holding any interest for me (pilot discussed here). Television has been better of late, and there are some intriguing shows coming up. But how [...]
Barenaked Ladies Live in NYC
On Thursday night, I got to attend a private performance by Barenaked Ladies in New York. They were playing in a small studio at Music Choice. It was a very intimate experience, as the room was about the size of a 3-car garage with really high ceilings. They played a set about 30-40 minutes in [...]
The Drowsy Chaperone
I have mixed feelings about theater. While there are works I love, I often have trouble dealing with the artificiality of the form. There you sit, in a large room with a lot of other people, while actors stand on a raised platform pretending you’re not there, shouting out as they parade back and forth [...]
The streets of New York
I’m up in New York City this week on business. Tonight, a little after 11:00 p.m., I took the camera out around the area between Times Square and Radio City Music Hall and grabbed a few shots. You want to know a good way to avoid 9/11 memorial burn-out? Go to NYC and spend all [...]
“I’m a Rock Star, I’m rhyming on the top of a cop car.”
As I mentioned previously, I have become fascinated with Rock Star: Supernova. Lame? Maybe. But since when have I cared? Starting with the full set of contestants, most of them appeared to be either enthusiastic, semi-talented amateurs or people just good enough to play at the bar down on the corner (Remember, Thursday is Ladies [...]
“Three, four, five, look at him jive…”
Back in March, I was sufficiently irritated by a piece written by Lee Siegel of The New Republic that I took keyboard in hand to respond. Siegel also took heat in the blogosphere for coining the term “blogofascism” (see a response here). What would be the perfect endgame for this situation? How about this: Lee [...]