Live In The Now, Man!
Matt's mentions of music writer Richie Unterberger and the notion of zeitgeist put me in mind of one of my favourite music writers, Roni Sarig. In fact, his book The Secret History of Rock would be a great companion volume to Unterberger's Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll. Sarig has written for a bunch of alternative weeklies and is now the music guy for Atlanta's Creative Loafing. In the linked article, Roni argues for living in the now, musically, and the importance of not getting bogged down in nostalgia.
Friday, February 2, 2001 11:15 a.m.

The Gentlemen Callers
Not to be confused with the very evil & Tim Burtonesque Gentlemen from a particularly creepy episode of last season's Buffy. The Gentlemen Callers are a band of very, very funny men. They even have a song about Bea Arthur - a must-have for all closet Golden Girls aficionados!
Friday, February 2, 2001 11:10 a.m.

Puffy's Lawyer Calls for Mistrial
And you want to hear something really weird? I've seen Puffy's lawyer in action before. I used to work for a very fine defence attorney, and at the time, my excellent former boss was representing one of four co-defendants in a multiple homicide & conspiracy trial. Mr. Brafman, who now represents Puffy, was representing another one of the co-defendants at the time. I attended a few days of testimony, and Mr. Brafman was even then the working the flashy lawyering moves that he has evidently perfected since.
Friday, February 2, 2001 11:09 a.m.

Dubya Magnetic Poetry Game
I love those magnetic poetry things. I love making fun of my new president. It's two great tastes that taste great together. Via the wittily named blog and mablog.
Wednesday, January 31, 2001 02:17 p.m.

Word Detectives Rule!

I'd like to thank my Mom, The Living END, and Miss A for putting their very fine vocab detective skills to use for me last week. Within just a few hours of posting my request for the derivation of the word "tweak", I had three different sources all rarin' to go. For the curious and etymologically inclined, the online sources may be found here and here. My Mom's reference was from my parents' etymological dictionary, so I can't really link to it. Yes, they have a separate one from the regular dictionary. Yes, we're a family of word geeks. We like it like that.
Wednesday, January 31, 2001 02:12 p.m.

Sing-Along Sound of Music
Interactive Rodgers & Hammerstein, baby! Yeah! I cannot wait til this comes to Toronto. I am so there. Via Alt-log, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pop Culture Junk Mail.
Wednesday, January 31, 2001 02:10 p.m.

Super Bowl Half Time Show - The Late Review

First, I must thank April for reminding me that I had something snarky to say on this topic. Though it is hard to follow the tube sock assessment, I'll try to add something to the growing body of literature. Heh.

When I thought that the Super Bowl Halftime Show was just *NSYNC throwing down with the Dinosaurs of Rawk, I was happy. There was this excellent Jets vs. Sharks rumble vibe going on that I really enjoyed. You know, “Bye Bye Bye” vs. “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”, etc. etc.

When Britney, Mary, and Nelly all joined in the fun is when the show took on the look & feel of a train wreck. In my mind’s eye, I have a vision of the Super Bowl Executive Squadron’s planning meeting. Someone portly and impressive is saying something like, “We’ve got to go for Mass Appeal at the Half Time Show. I’m talking cradle to the grave demographics, here, Stan! I want the kiddie pornographers and the aging hippies! I want the teenyboppers and the hip-hoppers! I want 'em all! Ratings, ratings, ratings!”

At least, that’s the kind of speech I would use if I were a member of the elite Super Bowl Executive Squadron. And I’d be chomping on a biiiig mother of a cigar while I delivered it, too. (A bubblegum cigar, of course, darlings. I love my respiratory tract!) Where was I? Oh, yes, the train wreck effect. That’s what you get when you have no unifying vision at the top. Unless the unifying vision they were going for was one of total chaos. In which case, they succeeded admirably.

My favourite moment of the entire spectacle was when Steven Tyler was trying to sing along with Mary, but she wouldn’t share the mic with him. Bwahahaha! Dream on, Stevie baby.
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 11:55 p.m.

Westlake or Stark?
Donald E. Westlake is a novelist. So is Richard Stark. They're the same person. In this amusing article, Westlake talks about his relationship with his alter-ego. (Free registration required)
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 12:54 p.m.

Devil-Ettes!
Is it me, or do the Devil-Ettes look like Blythe dolls crossed with Poison Ivy of the Cramps? via outbox.
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 12:53 p.m.

Mr. Big
Hey, Chris Noth is doing an ad campaign for Lane Bryant. His coolness factor just went up a few degrees.
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 12:51 p.m.

Chicks Dig Hip Hop
Yes, we do. And these chicks have redesigned. Lovely, sassy, and chock full of informed opinion.
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 12:50 p.m.

Smiths Cover Stars
Who's the guy on the cover of Strangeways, Here We Come? What does the guy's helmet on the cover of Meat Is Murder really say? Answers to these and many other Smiths cover art questions can be found here! I like obsessively well-documented information repositories like this, especially when I didn't have to go to all the trouble of putting them together. Plus, I just like to say "information repositories." In a roundabout way, via April.
Monday, January 29, 2001 10:09 a.m.

Swanky Furniture Fun
My Mom has a very groovy silver necklace featuring most of these chairs as perfectly rendered miniature charms. Link via Matt.
Monday, January 29, 2001 10:07 a.m.

Eddie Izzard Interview
The ever-fabulous Mr. Izzard has a supporting role in Shadow of the Vampire, which I really want to see. Here, he talks with PopMatters film critic Cynthia Fuchs about total clothing freedom, the humour in horror, and how much makeup is too much.
Monday, January 29, 2001 10:06 a.m.