Ol' Dirty Chronicles
The ODB is looking at, minimum, a 3-year jail sentence, on top of however many months of extra time for violating parole. I feel badly for the guy, mainly because it's clear that he's not right in the head, and he's terrified of serving time. He needs help, not incarceration. If I'm honest, though, I'll admit that part of why I don't want him incarcerated is that reading the rock & rap music press isn't nearly as much fun without new reports of his shenanigans surfacing every month or so.
Friday, March 23, 2001 04:44 p.m.

Happy Birthday, Tom!
Go, on, give the man a few more page hits for his birthday. He's probably out getting soused and having an excellent time. That's such a good idea, I think I may do the same this evening.
Friday, March 23, 2001 04:42 p.m.

What Does It Feel Like For a Girl?
Well, to this girl, it doesn't much feel like Madonna's latest, and inexplicably controversial, video. Now, I grant you, I watched the Guy Ritchie-directed clip after watching the latest episode of The Sopranos, which was exceptionally brutal. But still, what the hell was all the fuss about? While you're wishing Tom many happy returns of the day over at NYLPM, read my formal trashing of the video.
Friday, March 23, 2001 04:35 p.m.

Matt Mahurin Mystery
Yesterday, Matt mentioned the videos of the great Matt Mahurin. I seem to remember that Mahurin directed a video for Bob Mould back in the day - maybe the one for "See A Little Light." Unfortunately, that video isn't included in the list Matt linked to. Can anyone verify this for me? whatsername? Other Mould fans? Anyone?
Tuesday, March 20, 2001 12:50 p.m.

Sophie's To-Read List: Vermeer Bio
Well, this looks very interesting. I had no idea that Vermeer died so young (at age 43), that he had 15 (!) children, nor that his work output was so low (only some 35 paintings survive from his entire career, as compared with the 50 works most Dutch painters completed annually). I do wish this article had included some slides of the works they discuss, though, because although I know what Girl With a Pearl Earring and Girl With a Red Hat look like, no images leap to mind for The Procuress or Christ in the House of Martha and Mary.
Tuesday, March 20, 2001 12:39 p.m.

Snoop's Porn's Upside Ya Head
I think the title says it all. Snoop is getting into porn. The man's an entrepreneur, but an auteur? Not so much. Still, I have to appreciate the excess of his vision. Rock on, Slim With The Tilted Brim.
Monday, March 19, 2001 05:30 p.m.

Antiques Roadshow Scandal!
Fraudulent antiques! Planted items! Accusations of ethics violations! All that, and more! Thank you, PBS.
Monday, March 19, 2001 05:28 p.m.

The New Yorker Archive, kerplink-style

So I've been grumbly about this lately. The New Yorker is newly online, to which one can only say, it's about damn time. Actually, one can also say to their new web presence, "Hey, high-culture punkasses, where's your archive?" Well, it's dispersed. It's a diaspora archive. So far, I've been able to assemble the some links to the New Yorker articles by the following authors: Malcolm Gladwell, who writes about cultural phenomena; Jerome Groopman, the magazine's medical science correspondent; Rebecca Mead, famous in the world of blogging for her article on Megnut and Kottke.org; and Michael Specter, who writes mainly about Russian politics & culture and high fashion. Not Russian high fashion, that would be an oxymoron. I mean high fashion, in general.

This doesn't begin to cover their volume of material to be found in their back-issues, but it's a start. For now, I'll have to content myself with the little morsels they toss out each week at the main site.
Monday, March 19, 2001 05:20 p.m.