Pop Culture Blog: Music, Movie and Humor

Leveraging low-hanging synergies outside the vertical fruit box since 1999.

Friday’s Quizzlet: Concatenating Kevin Costner.


in Monday's Quotelet

Appetizer: Who is someone you would consider to be a calm person?
I have thought about this for a few minutes now, and no one is really coming to mind. How about a bomb squad technician? A skydiving instructor? A police officer? Anyone who risks their life daily for a paycheck. I only risk my sanity.

Soup: What was your last “gut feeling” about? Were you right?
There’s a really simple anser to this question, but there are elements of my personal life that I don’t like to talk about on the site. So I’ll avoid the best answer and reply as follows. There was never any question in my mind that Michael Stipe was as gay as an Easter parade.

Salad: List 3 words that you really don’t like how they sound.
I hate the word concatenate. It’s tough to say, and I have to say it frequently at work. I’ve also never been crazy about chaff. And there is a town next to Guelph, where I went to University, named Puslinch (pronnounced Pee-you-zlinch) that always made my skin crawl.

Main Course: What kind of shampoo and conditioner do you use?
Whatever’s around, really. I honestly don’t spend much money on ‘product’. I have also been known to wash my hair with whatever bar of soap I’m using. It’s my daily little prison fantasy ritual. Indulge me, and also please send 2 cartons of cigarettes.

Dessert: If you had a guardian angel, what would you name it?
Kevin Costner, of course. There’s never been a better Bodyguard.

{ 0 Comments }

My Name Is Craig. Daniel Craig.


in Movies

Way to busy to do a proper quizzlet today. Meetings, dentist, interns and the like. But as always I’ll get to it over the weekend. In the meantime, please discuss the hot topic of the day – and no, it has nothing to do with a bombing, Nicole Richie or a natural disaster. Although these are often synonymous. I’m here all week – try the martinis.

Since my #1 choice didn’t want the role, I am now quite happy with the selection of Daniel Craig as the next (“grittier and darker“) 007. If you’ve seen Layer Cake, you know this guy can pull of some serious action. His rugged fugliness is also a departure from the poofiness of Brosnan, Moore and Dalton – and a bit of a throwback to the tougher, more mean-spirited and thuggish Bond that Sean Connery brought to the screen.

This publicity photo, the first of Craig as Bond, really says it all. “The actor said he was not looking to redefine the role, but added: “It’s a question of taking it somewhere maybe where it’s never gone before.” Oh, James.

{ 3 Comments }

These Pipes… Are CLEAN!


in

Some workmates and I went down to Brookline last night to Chris Elliott‘s book reading event at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. I have been a fan of Chris’ since I was a sprog and saw him do an interpretation of William Shatner’s interpretation of Rocket Man on David Letterman. Chris was hilarious, reading from his new book Shroud of the Thwacker for 15 minutes and then taking questions from the audience for another 45.

Upon listening to all the questions that were rapid-fired to him, I realized how many movies Chris has been in that I had completely forgotten about. He’s the cameraman in Groundhog Day, a deep sea miner in The Abyss, Oogie in There’s Something About Mary – and he even played a forensic psychologist in Michael Mann’s far superior Red Dragon precursor, Manhunter. He was asked about all of these, Letterman, obscure specials he’s done for pay TV and of course – Get A Life. “We had no idea there were so many people watching that show. And unfortunately, neither did Fox“.

After the Q&A, The Coolidge screened Cabin Boy – an equally reviled and unsung movie which Elliott hasn’t disowned, but admits he can’t watch because its box office failure was a huge blow and seriously derailed his career back in the early 90s. The packed house went absolutely nuts for it, and he was visibly moved. He signed copies of his book in the back as the audience laughed their heads off, and I felt very happy for him – as he obviously had no idea what his work has meant to so many people. It was quite a thing to be there and watch that kind of realization. This is the first book proper book he’s ever written, and he’d never done a flesh-pressing tour like this in his life.

I waited a long time to get up to talk to him, and I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera at home as he was graciously posing with anyone who wanted a snap. I bought a copy of his book, shook his hand and had a little chat. After he signed the book, I asked him “Are you sick of seeing these yet?” at which point I slyly slipped him the insert from my Cabin Boy DVD in the hopes he’d sign it. “Not at all!” he replied. “In fact, after tonight I am going to call Adam Resnick and see if he wants to do a re-release with a proper commentary and some special features.” He looked up after signing it and smiled. “You had no idea there was a market like this did you?” I asked – “I had no idea” he replied. He shook my hand again and I returned to my seat somewhere near the “Fishstick Kitty” scene.

Chris Elliott is a genius, and a genuinely friendly person to boot. I wish him the best and encourage all of you to seek out more of his amazing work.

{ 2 Comments }

Wednesday Wadio: The Go! Team’s ‘Huddle Formation’


in Wednesday Wadio

“Throwing together electro, 70’s cop show theme music, Bollywood soundtracks, cheerleading chants, old hip hop and noise guitar bands with a wide-eyed sense of possibility where everything crashes into everything else with a breathless, delighted, abandon. The Go! Team seem to be suffering from a collective brain-wrong that is gloriously, euphorically right.” – Amazon.com

If you took the buzz and drone of early Sonic Youth, mixed it with the frantic drumming and splashy cymbals of the worst indie rock band you’d ever heard and then paid a group of double-dutching young girls 2 boxes of Mike and Ike‘s to sing backup vocals – You’d be closing in on the sound of England’s The Go! Team.

I’ve had this album for over a year now, and it’s finally been released in the USA. The reason it took so long is because of the mountain of samples they had to clear – I have noticed a few minor variations from the UK release but it still packs a wicked punch and is like nothing I’ve ever heard.

“Every tune surges, every chorus makes you feel like an Olympic contender. It’s been ten years since the excesses of Big Beat, but The Go! Team have harvested all of the fun elements of that culture (happy samples, clunky rhythms, hands perpetually in the air) and made it digestible again.” – BBC Northern Ireland

The Go! crew is made up of an even split of men and women from a wide variety of nationalities, and the whole conglomerate is headed up by a teeny female MC named Ninja. They’re playing at the Paradise on November 1st, and I encourage you to check them out by hitting ZAP on Radio Pye in the left hand column. What a unique, wonderful, fun band these guys are.

{ 0 Comments }

Princess Magnolia Rodriguez Is Now Holding Court.


in

I was just sent a photo of Dee’s new kitten – the ridiculously regal Princess Magnolia Rodriguez! Welcome to our dysfunctional, booze-soaked, silly little family, Mags.

I never get sick of the kitten photographs. Bear with me, as I’m super busy today. I will get to Wadio after returning from seeing Chris Elliott host a screening of Cabin Boy at the Coolidge tonight. Hey – the kitten is filler, but it’s cute ass filler.

{ 4 Comments }