News

Boner’s Last Stand

Shannon Hassett :: Friday, February 26th, 2010 7:10 pm

Growing Pains came and went, and now its beloved Boner has followed suit. Andrew Koenig, better known as Mike Seaver’s right-hand man Richard ‘Boner’ Stabone, was found dead in the secluded woods of Vancouver yesterday. His parents announced the suicide came after years of battling depression, and the body was discovered after a two week search, organized when Koenig went missing in mid-February. The actor’s death seems to confirm the debilitating toll 80s sitcoms take on their casts, as Kirk Cameron (Mike Seaver) now serves as the founder and leader of Christian evangelism ministry The Way of the Master. Rest in peace, Boner.

This Week’s Dick: David Paterson

Alex Moore :: Friday, February 26th, 2010 5:00 pm

David Paterson, you dick! What are you doing dropping out of this gubernatorial race? Who do you think you are to deprive us of a season of rad SNL parodies and pithy investigative journalism uncovering layer after layer of the apparently bottomless well of corruption in the New York state government?

Listen, we know the bar is set pretty high, here—between Sptizer’s “client number nine” racket and Hiram Monserrate stabbing his girlfriend with a damn shiv (or whatever it was) you’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. And we’ve gotta hand it to you—trying to cover up a domestic abuse case is pretty hardcore. That, piled on top of the hilarious quips about your total unpreparedness to serve as governor were starting to add up to a corruption/ incompetence cocktail of sheer comic genius. Remember some of these gems from early in your term?

“I kind of feel like the student who’s getting ready for the final exam but they didn’t attend any classes.”

“I did not sign up for this.”

Damn it, man, that stuff is priceless! By ousting yourself now, you’re screwing up a whole season of invective and conjecture and just ruining the party for everyone. But we’ll hand it to you—you’ve created quite the act for Andrew Cuomo to follow. It’s gonna be one hell of a fall from grace when that guy takes a turn in the mandatory state government corruption hot seat.

Here’s to a hell of a funny term, if nothing else. So long, and thanks for the good times.

Music Video: Love Is All “Kungen”

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, February 26th, 2010 12:00 pm

On March 23rd, Polyvinyl will release Love Is All’s new record Two Thousand And Ten Injuries. The lovely Swedes will be touring North America immediately following the release of their album. For a list of the tour dates please click after the jump. And do click here to see their new video for the song “Kungen.” We’re not exactly sure what a “Kungen” is, but think it might be related to World of Warcraft. Anyone know what’s up? Holler at your boys. MORE »

Shamu Attack: Whales Gone Wild

Stephen Blackwell :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 6:00 pm

There are only a few events that could occur which grip our national consciousness tighter than political scandal. One is when a white school girl is mysteriously killed or abducted. The other is when an animal kills a human being for sport.

Did SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau deserve to die? I don’t think so. Then again, it’s never occurred to me to ride a 30-foot long evolution-honed killing machine like a surfboard. MORE »

J.D. Salinger’s Unpublished Works To Be Displayed

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 6:00 pm

If you are still mourning the death of one of America’s greatest writers, J.D. Salinger, you will soon have your turn to make peace with his lasting memory. After his passing, all sorts of lost works of his writing started to surface. From letters to unpublished short stories, these pieces will not sit in some musty basement of an old library. The Morgan Library in New York City has revealed a heaping stack of letters between the late writer and a friend, and an upcoming exhibition to display the letters opens in March. Don’t worry if you don’t live in the Tri-State area because there are exhibitions planned all over the US, according New York Magazine. MORE »

The House of the Devil: Ti West Interview

Drew Fortune :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 5:00 pm

Writer/director Ti West’s The House of the Devil (in stores now on DVD and Blu-Ray) is a loving throwback to those scrappy horror movies churned out in the 1980s by companies like Vestron and Cannon Video. Take a mental trip back to the horror section of your favorite Mom n’ Pop video store growing up, and you can imagine seeing a sun-bleached VHS copy of The House of the Devil perched on a dusty shelf, right at home next to a copy of Slumber Party Massacre 2 or 976-Evil. The film nails the details of that era with an uncanny eye for little details (the wood paneling, the old Pepsi logo on a paper cup in a greasy pizza joint). Although the film may give you pangs of nostalgia, House of the Devil is not an exercise in camp and West is not interested in winking at the audience. It’s a slow burn, steeped in dread, paranoia and old fashioned, haunted house chills. MORE »

An Open Letter to Walter Schreifels

Shannon Hassett :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 4:45 pm

Dear Walter,
You are about to debut your first solo record, and you named it An Open Letter to the Scene. What scene, exactly, would you be referring to? Is it the one where you produce an acoustic album, featuring tracks such as “Ballad to Lil Kim,” and pretend you have any business touting your Gorilla Biscuits tenure to back you up? You had me at Start Today, Quicksand was pretty legit and I could even stand behind a few songs on United by Fate, but you’re going to take a three decade spanning career and throw it away on this? I hope you enjoy that big fat Clear Channel paycheck, buddy, because it’s straight to Lite FM for you. MORE »

Playlist: Up The (Fashion) Punx!

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 4:30 pm

Now, I’m not so hip to the world of fashion but I’ve been observing a new trend that seems to be sweeping across misunderstood fashionistas and taking the young art school girl scene by storm. Punk is in. I haven’t seen so many studs since a Casualties video and there are more Doc Martens kicking around the streets than at a National Front meeting. The fashion world constantly evolves itself and usually these styles are just clothes and clothes alone but this look is associated with a very specific community: punks. I think it’s only fair that if you take on the look of an underground scene such as punk, it’s important to have at least a basic knowledge of the music that created the style. This playlist is designed to enable all the ripped jean jacket wearing punkanistas out there understand a little bit about where the image comes from. MORE »

This Daniel Higgs: The Artist Formerly Known as Daniel Higgs

Shannon Hassett :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 4:15 pm

So Lungfish was definitely a legitimate band at one point, signed to Dischord and responsible for the awesome Talking Songs For Walking LP. This Daniel Higgs, their former singer and lyricist, has apparently gone off the deep end in the years since. His latest solo effort, Say God, is a collection of gospel songs and poems that this Daniel Higgs hopes “may be of any use to the listener, may serve the listener, may accompany the listener in clairaudient fellowship.” He uses everything from acoustic and electric guitars to upright pianos to banjo to jew’s harp in his work, and his last album was produced entirely at his home on a cassette recorder (and aimed to ‘conjure a force similar to the tarot experience’). Say God will be out May 18th on Thrill Jockey.

February 25, 2010

Stephen Blackwell :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 4:00 pm

It’s official: The toxins we pump into the air are making our children retarded. (Real retarded, by the way. Not the way that Seth MacFarlane uses the word retarded, which is kinda like how Eminem uses the word faggot.)

Today In Music: Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Lady Gaga’s Penis

Colm McAuliffe :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 3:30 pm

The Rolling Stones are set to re-release their 1972 classic Exile on Main Street replete with ten previously unreleased tracks. If the strung out soul vibes of this are your thing, check out Rolling Stone for more.

The NME reports that 50 Cent is being sued for posting a sex tape on his website. Lastonia Leviston is suing the rapper for emotional distress and unauthorized use of her name and image.

Over at Pitchfork, David Byrne is the subject of a new documentary to be premiered at SXSW this year called Rise, Ride, Roar.

Ultra-hip Baltimore duo Beach House are set to release an exclusive EP for Record Store Day.

That distance sound of rejoicing and relief is the world response to the Stone Temple Pilots debuting their new album…

And finally, Lady Gaga wants everyone to see her penis…

RIP Lil Wayne’s Twitter

Shannon Hassett :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 3:00 pm

For those without a Twitter, there are three important things to know about the site. The first is the meaning of a hashtag, which is any word that appears with a number sign before it (for example, #thisisahashtag). Hashtags were developed to create groupings on Twitter, meaning your tweet will automatically be linked to anyone else using the same hashtag by clicking on the tag. A list of the most popular hashtags, also called trending topics, is constantly updated within your profile, so things like #musicmonday and #nowplaying become very popular. Your second essential Twitter fact is the recent addition of @liltunechi, better known to the world as Lil Wayne. And the third, and perhaps most essential fact, is that @liltunechi is not here to fuck around. MORE »

Massive Attack Tour North America

Colm McAuliffe :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 2:31 pm

On the back of the release of their album Heligoland, Bristol trip-hoppers (is that term still in use?) will tour the US for the first time since 2006, with support coming from Martina Topley-Bird. The North American trek will start May 7th at Sound Academy in Toronto, ON and finish up May 30th at the Sasquatch Festival in George, WA. They will play 2 shows in NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco with general on sale beginning March 5th.

Click through for full tour schedule. MORE »

Natalie Portman Gets a Little Stoned

Danielle Johnsen :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 1:47 pm

Natalie Portman is not new to stoner humor, so I am super stoked to see what she does with “Best Buds”. The project, which Portman will star in, as well as produce, is set around a weed-infused road trip between three best friends. The girls set off to San Diego to bond and refuel before Portman’s characters wedding, which is THIS CLOSE to sending her to the crazy house. And take it from someone in the middle of planning a nuptial extravaganza - it can get pretty hectic. The script was penned by Jamie Denbo of “Ronna and Beverly” fame, so expect a great deal of neurotic and sexual humor. Personally, I think the American movie going audience, especially those of us with boobs, are really ready for some raunchy, stoner humor to be directed our way - so here’s to hoping they don’t go the mushy way out and keep it real. I’d prefer more The Hangover than say Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I’ll be happy just as long as the friends aren’t fighting over dresses, shoes or a dude.

Five $$$ Facts About Sarah Palin’s PAC

Andrew Belonsky :: Thursday, February 25th, 2010 1:15 pm

Sarah Palin’s spending habits have become a national obsession. From speculating about her wardrobe’s cost to revelations that her PAC helped boost her book sales, Palin’s lavish and at times bizarre economics provide endless entertainment. Here are five fun facts we learned looking over how Sarah’s political action committee spends its donors’ money. Look for special rock star guests, a glimpse at how Bush officials turn office supplies into gold and find out where Sarah PAC’s sending the most campaign money. It’s not Alaska! HERE’S THE SPENDING SLIDESHOW.