Prick Up Your Ears 2008

A good friend of mine (with impeccable taste) generally sends out an annual "best albums of the year" list via email to a select group of friends... This year he has posted it on a friend's blog for easy sharing.

Click the photo to read his comments on the top 10, and several honorable mentions.

Go check it out and discuss the merits and pitfalls of his list (or come up with you own)!

All thanks to Greg Stump... who deserves all glory (and ridicule) for the list.

"Barking at the Moon"

On Saturday I saw the new Disney computer-animated movie Bolt with The Blogfather and his 12-year-old brother. For a family pic I really enjoyed it (and laughed my ass off at the quixotic, somewhat insane hamster), but I was surprised to hear what sounded like a Jenny Lewis song playing under a montage about halfway through the movie. The Blogfather thought it might be Jewel, but I wasn't convinced. Sure enough, after checking the credits at the end I was able to confirm that it was Jenny. (After constantly playing "Under the Blacklight" all spring and summer, her beautiful little trill is ingrained in my brain.) The track is called "Barking at the Moon" and it's lovely, as her music tends to be. Kudos to the Disney people who asked her to perform on the soundtrack - an unexpectedly cool choice.

"The Relevance Was Alaska's"

The Relevance of Africa
Sarah Palin

And the relevance to me
With that issue,
As we spoke
About Africa and some
Of the countries
There that were
Kind of the people succumbing
To the dictators
And the corruption
Of some collapsed governments
On the
Continent,
The relevance
Was Alaska’s.


"Not since Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass has there been such an electrifying debut. And she is yet to publish a collection. This is an astonishing poetic insurgency. The building momentum will soon be unstoppable."

LINK:
Sarah Palin for Poet Laureate

Laugh Riot - Jokes

Sometimes the best way to start a laugh riot is by simply telling some good, old fashioned jokes.
Of course, what's funny and what's not is totally *subjective.
* "Subjective"- drinking alcohol makes everything funnier.





"Hello, is this thing on?"....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why does a chicken coup have 2 doors?

Because if it had 4, it'd be a chicken sedan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you call an Italian with a rubber toe?

ROBERTO!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you hear the joke about the roof?

Never mind it's over your head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Boom!
Thank you!
Good Night America!"
Tip your waitress.

HOME ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funky Forest: First Contact on DVD

Crop circles are awesome!

So apparently this one is old news, but I just found out about it...

Let me start by saying that crop circles are AWESOME!

If you believe in aliens... AWESOME.
or if you enjoy the exploits of clever pranksters... AWESOME.
If you're into geometric abstract art... AWESOME.
If you're a geek at heart... AWESOME.
If you love puzzles ... AWESOME.
If you enjoy picturesque landscapes... AWESOME.
If you're an Anglo-phile... AWESOME.
Everything about them is AWESOME!

So...
Now that we have established that you like crop circles...
(unless you are a prudish, British hating, nature killing, art-phobe, lunk head)

Check this out...


"Yeah, Yeah... Okay... So what... It's just a crop circle..."

Maybe...
But this is a crop circle that abstractly depicts the first 10 digits of pi!
A crop circle that says - "3.141592654..."

Don't believe me? Check this out.


It even includes a mini crop circle decimal point!

I think the middle school mathlete in me just wet himself with glee...

You can read more here.

The Japanese: Imaginations Still as Cute/Deeply Disturbing as Ever

Petition signatures to put the nation of Japan under a plexiglass lid so as to safely observe its culture will now be accepted:

Laugh Riot - Banksy

I'm a late comer to the art of Banksy,
an artist in Europe who's medium is spray paint
and who's canvas is the city.

He is a man who paints a sense of humor where there forgot to be one.

Some of my favorites:













But please visit his website yourself.

BANKSY

He's got tons more art there.

Haunting and Lovely

Official Site
Let the Right One In Director Slams Remake

Educated Optimism and the Collective

Today I wore my “Obama ‘08” button, even though it’s too late to campaign for Barack or stir a conversation with an undecided voter. The button, if it ever had any impact on the people around me, is now rendered useless. Last night, Barack Obama was named the new President-Elect of the United States of America.

As an individual, my vote did not affect the outcome of the election. Presidential elections will never come down to one vote as long as the Electoral College remains firmly in place. But as a member of a large group of citizens who mobilized and turned out in droves to cast their votes for Obama, I am one of many people who chose to see themselves as a collective rather than individuals. I am one of many who stepped into the voting booth or mailed their ballot in the hopes that they could help to turn the tide. One vote doesn’t mean much, but if so many Obama supporters hadn’t exercised their right to vote, the election would have had entirely different results.

I believe it was this camaraderie, this awareness of the danger of apathy and the significance of standing up for what you believe in, that led people into the streets to celebrate Obama’s victory in Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. There were celebratory gatherings in England, Kenya, Costa Rica, China and many other nations around the world. And individuals and families across the nation and overseas sat joyfully in their homes as Obama gave his televised victory speech – a speech that weighed heavily with the difficult tasks ahead of him, a speech that called on Americans to think of the greater good and to serve their communities, a speech that recalled the painful moments of our history and painted a cleaner, brighter future, a speech that brought many in the diverse crowd in Chicago to tears.

The election of Obama has renewed my belief that our individual actions matter. We are each one small piece of a vast union and each of us must be willing to take responsibility for his or her choices, whether we disconnect from what lies outside our comfort zones, or whether we jump into the fray and try to make positive changes wherever we view a need. Young voters and African-American voters turned out in record numbers, but they alone did not create the wave of support that turned key states from red to blue. Individuals all over the nation, many who had not voted in previous elections, understood the importance of their individual votes. Because so many individuals didn’t allow themselves to become apathetic, they were able to form a collective that brought about a significant milestone in our nation’s history.

My Obama vote had little to do with race, gender, age or any other physical trait. Quite simply, Obama demonstrated to me and many others through his voting record and his many speeches, appearances, and writings that he has compassion for people in need, for working-class and middle-class singles and families, for immigrants, for people who experience discrimination, and for segments of the population that have been ignored for the past 8 years. He always appeared poised, thoughtful, logical and ready to lead. He admitted his imperfections and the areas in which he lacked specific knowledge, but he never seemed weak or unable to handle new information. Listening to Obama speak, for once I didn’t feel like I was being swindled or that someone was attempting to sell me a leader who was the lesser of two evils. I felt inspiration, hope and genuine excitement about the election, and I realized how great a privilege it really was to be able to vote for someone I believed in.

For those who were so busy booing Obama that you failed to hear his speech last night or turned off the T.V. before he finished, you missed an opportunity to be a part of something big, something bigger than yourselves, your immediate surroundings and you political party. Just as John McCain gave a gracious, humble concession speech, Obama spoke with equal grace and humility. If you missed his speech because you were angry about McCain’s loss, you missed the opportunity to witness a new sense of hope and responsibility in America, a fresh perspective that is not based on fear, but on educated optimism. You missed an opportunity to witness millions of Americans all over the country coming together in the streets to celebrate and revel in the power of democracy.

And now the work begins. Obama will be tested. His administration will be tested. The American people will be tested. We don’t know what crises we will face in the next four years or what actions we will have to take to overcome them. We don’t know who will rise to the occasion and who will fall. We must remain cautious with our government and learn to recognize when our leaders are taking steps toward a healthier and more unified nation, or when they are acting out of fear, greed or self-interest. The collective truly has the power to make a positive impact on the world stage, and thus each one of us as individuals, and we must remember this fact before cynicism rears its head once again.

With the election of Barack Obama I believe, for the first time in my life, that the government will be taking steps toward truly protecting and supporting the American people – male or female, poor or wealthy, young or old, healthy or sick, Republican or Democrat. The people of my country are inspiring me to become a better person. For the first time since childhood, I almost believe in the American Dream.

Michael Crichton Has Departed to the Great Amusement Park in the Sky

...hopefully, he will find it devoid of malfunctioning robots, genetically-cloned oversized lizards, talking apes, or pretty much anything else that has ever been featured as a plot device in one of his novels.


If you're looking for a fitting way to pay the man tribute, may we recommend reading -- you know, actually reading, rather than watching the movie version -- Jurassic Park? It doesn't have any of the cool CGI or the gosh-isn't-this-neat John Williams score, but it is a markedly better story, and one of the most intense reads you're likely to stumble across for a good long while.

LINK: RIP Michael Crichton (A.V. Club News Bulletin)

Back to our regularly inconsequential programming: featuring Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash...

Via Telegraph

"A Return to Traditional Values"

Dead Set
Election night has come and gone, and surely no matter which side of the political fence you reside upon, some things went your way while others did not. But lost in the shuffle of celebrations and recriminations has been perhaps the greatest issue of them all, elucidated in yesterday's Guardian U.K. with heartbreaking clarity by writer, actor, and impassioned advocate for the undead, Simon Pegg:

ZOMBIES DON'T RUN!

I know it is absurd to debate the rules of a reality that does not exist, but this genuinely irks me. You cannot kill a vampire with an MDF stake; werewolves can't fly; zombies do not run. It's a misconception, a bastardisation that diminishes a classic movie monster. The best phantasmagoria uses reality to render the inconceivable conceivable. The speedy zombie seems implausible to me, even within the fantastic realm it inhabits. A biological agent, I'll buy. Some sort of super-virus? Sure, why not. But death? Death is a disability, not a superpower. It's hard to run with a cold, let alone the most debilitating malady of them all.

More significantly, the fast zombie is bereft of poetic subtlety. As monsters from the id, zombies win out over vampires and werewolves when it comes to the title of Most Potent Metaphorical Monster. Where their pointy-toothed cousins are all about sex and bestial savagery, the zombie trumps all by personifying our deepest fear: death. Zombies are our destiny writ large. Slow and steady in their approach, weak, clumsy, often absurd, the zombie relentlessly closes in, unstoppable, intractable.

However (and herein lies the sublime artfulness of the slow zombie), their ineptitude actually makes them avoidable, at least for a while. If you're careful, if you keep your wits about you, you can stave them off, even outstrip them - much as we strive to outstrip death. Drink less, cut out red meat, exercise, practice safe sex; these are our shotguns, our cricket bats, our farmhouses, our shopping malls. However, none of these things fully insulates us from the creeping dread that something so witless, so elemental may yet catch us unawares - the drunk driver, the cancer sleeping in the double helix, the legless ghoul dragging itself through the darkness towards our ankles.

For more of Pegg's heartfelt review of a television miniseries unlikely to ever see the light of day on this side of the pond, we suggest you click here.

Strange Days

There are (1) people who like politics. There are (2) people who like the stock market. There are (3) people who like the arts. There are (4) people who just wanna have fun. Maybe some others.

Usually those first two groups have crossover, and the last two as well, but it's pretty rare to find a 1-3 pairing or 2-4, etc.

Certainly my peers, while responsible voters, were not obsessed with the Bush-Gore election. Certainly my peers could not explain the stock market's bizarre tics.

But here we find ourselves, at a time when due to a conflagration of post 9-11 searching, previous generations' money borrowing, 24-hour news saturation, a 2-year campaign trail, A Series of Inconvenient Truths and spam that references the credit crisis, being interested in the arts or having fun with your friends feels fey/juvenile/wasteful/pointless.

Right after 9-11, of course, a number of comedians took a couple weeks off, because even they couldn't figure out how comedy mattered any more.

And it's truly bizarre to see KCAL reporting on Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God" sandwiched between bankruptcy stories.

This is actually a familiar feeling: in younger days, many many people told us that we needed to put down the guitar, and that it was wrong to worry about whether you liked your clothes when there were those who had none. And then the first few of our generation edging into adulthood "opted out," in one way or another.

Philosophically, I believe culture is precious. I don't think there is any sense in sending Tim Hawkinson and Joanna Newsom off to die in a war. I don't think Tracy Morgan should be laying low while the country's in a serious mood. But these days I feel a bigger and bigger disconnect between what I think about and what I think I should think about.

That last sentence could be misleading - of course I care about the election and the economy. Many people I love deeply will have their lives irretrievably altered if things "get worse." But I voted early and voted my conscience: why can't I enjoy my book tonight? Why do I feel like I have to watch the news to see what's happening with the election?

It's certainly not my hobby. I am not a (1). I get so confused and frustrated watching the news that I have a no-TV news rule. But now I feel like I have to break it, like not watching could have some disastrous consequences.

Last Thursday, a window opened up. I was flushed with creative energy, and ready to assign myself a 5-a-week regimen of exercises from Miranda July's "Learning to Love You More." Now, I'm back to where I was Wednesday, meaning I couldn't even think of that. I literally feel that the threat of terrorist attack, war, or economic meltdown is so nearby, making my creative impulses feel meaningless. Why? Is the threat real? For how long?

In July, Adbusters ran a cover feature about "Hipsters", calling them (us?) the dead end of civilization. It was a ridiculous those-darn-kids article suggesting Adbusters may be out of ideas, but it's general idea was disturbing: kids who go to concerts are inferior to those who volunteer.

Is this true? If so, where does it stop? After work and sleep, I have about 6 hours every day. Should I be maximizing those 6 hours for their social impact? And how do I know what's more important: Leaving aside my passions, and just going with political issues, is it more important who wins the US presidency or how soon we (the world?) can stop the genocide in Darfur? Could I impact homelesness more by writing about it, or by handing out sandwiches? Is it an issue of balance? Can I justify spending $20 on Synecdoche, New York instead of socking it away to make up for my plummeting 401(k) (and the non-existent ones of artist friends I would hope to be able to help as we got older)?

Or is it true, against all my better instincts, that the best way to care is to create Rock For Change and Raves For Breast Cancer?

I feel like my list of concerns is becoming less and less my own. Stephen Covey ("The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," yes, I've read it) talks/writes about our "circle of concern" and "circle of influence" and how many of us waste energy worrying about concerns and not wielding influence. But when surrounded by constant messages of threat to life and well being (for me and loved ones), how do I find joy in making a nice dinner "baked with love" for Mrs. Blogfather? How do I care about what a young artist is saying about the history of conceptualism? Why is my joy being taken from me? Are things really this bad, or am I letting the worst logicians' arguments strangle my brain?

What happens next?

MIXTAPE MONDAYS: Hymns to the Electoral College

(Every Monday at Tragically Hipster we'll feature a look at a band, performance, or vague musical concept, with an accompanying virtual mixtape for your listening pleasure. There's no need to thank us; it's just one more service we like to provide for you, our dedicated readers. Most of whom also write for this site.)


Don't know if you've heard about this yet, but apparently there's going to be an election tomorrow. I guess it's sort of a big deal.

To inspire you to participate in your civic duties, we hereby present a mixture of sonic delights, all themed in some overt fashion toward the concept of a free and democratic nation -- some more cynically than others. So skip school, ditch out on your work day, or just wake up before noon you lazy unemployed bastard, and spend your day at the polls. If you happen to see George W. voting at the very next booth, be sure to give him Tragically Hipster's regards, and tell him to not to let the door hit him in the ass on his way out.

On the Mixtape:

1) "This Lands is Your Land" by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
2) "Pindar" by The Shapeshifters
3) "California Über Alles" by Dead Kennedeys
4) "Rock the Nation" by Michael Franti & Spearhead
5) "Imagine / Walk on the Wild Side" by RX featuring George W. Bush
6) "(I'm in Love With) Margaret Thatcher" by Notsensibles
7) "Behavior Modification / We Will Rock You (Bipartisan Mix)" by Emergency Broadcast Network
8) "Mass Destruction (George W. Mix)" by Faithless
9) "What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes" by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
10) "That's What a Pimp Does (Obama Mix)" by DJ Excel
11) "Chocolate City" by Parliament
12) "George Bush Doesn't Like Black People" by The Legendary K.O.
13) "Election Day" by Arcadia
14) "Alles Neu" by Peter Fox
15) "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Rebekah Del Rio and the Section Quartet

Laugh Riot - Voting Day laughs!

This Tuesday night, November 4th, is a night we have all been waiting for;
VOTING NIGHT!

There's no doubt that everyone reading this blog is already planning on exercising their vote, if you haven't already done it by mail. Good Job you!

iO West Theater wants to reward YOU (the citizen who knows and appreciates their rights)
by offering you a FREE NIGHT OF HILARIOUS IMPROV!

All you have to do is show your "I voted" sticker at the door and you can get into the improv shows free all night long.

Featured on Tuesday nights @ 9:00 pm
is the Amazing improv team
USS ROCK N' ROLL
They always have FREE PIZZA for the audience
and beers for 3$ or less

to view some of USS's funny short films
go HERE!

Their latest short film: Halloween Surprise!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Don't stress over who's gonna win,
Come on down to iO West and let us help you laugh the worry away.

iO West Theater
6366 Hollywood Blvd.