Category Archives: art/books/film

art/books/film, interviews

Interview: Ron English

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You may have seen Ron English‘s artwork before. Remember Super Size Me, the documentary by Morgan Spurlock, in which Spurlock bravely eats nothing but McDonald’s for a month straight? The 32-year-old gained 24.5 pounds, a 13% body mass increase. His cholesterol level also rose to 230 and it took him 14 months to lose the weight and get his body back to normal. Fun stuff.

Spurlock needed a representation of what Ronald McDonald would look like if he actually ate his own food. Enter Ron English, a notorious artist known for what has been coined as Agit-Pop, but which English prefers to call POPaganda. His painting of a super-sized McDonald made its way into the film and became one of the Oscar-nominated documentary’s most resonating images. Continue reading →

art/books/film, teevee

The Curious Case of Jay Leno

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When considering whether ancient aliens landed on Earth thousands of years ago and got civilization boost started here, you’re bound to create a few sentences ending with question marks. This is precisely what happened to Erich von Daniken when he wrote Chariots of the Gods, a book that reimagines Earth’s ancient origins. Among others, von Daniken poses the following questions: “Was God an astronaut?”; “What connection have mummies with our theory of space travelers in the remote past?”; “Will hospitals in the year 2100 be spare-part stores for defective men?”; and “Ought we not ask such questions?”

With more than two hundred question marks in the slim book, von Daniken leaves the reader clamoring for answers. But you have to appreciate the fact that von Daniken’s willing to ask the questions everyone else is perhaps too afraid to.

It’s with this inquisitive spirit that we consider Jay Leno’s unprecedented return to The Tonight Show. There are lots of questions, to be sure, but let’s start with what we do know: airwaves are soon to be The Jay Leno Show-free and new episodes of The Tonight Show will begin airing March 1, with Leno as the permanent guest host of the show, which has no permanent host. Now for the questions. Continue reading →

art/books/film, teevee

The Judgment of Conan O’Brien

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In the final moments of Friday’s The Tonight Show, the now former host, Conan O’Brien, grabbed an ax (that’s slang for guitar) and joined The Max Weinberg 7 to perform “Freebird,” which also included one of the dudes from ZZ Top (the long-bearded guy), Ben Harper, Beck, and Will Ferrell on lead vocals. The spectacle turned an otherwise melancholy moment into something amusing (the segment, along with the rest of O’Brien’s final episode at the helm, can currently be viewed, with limited commercial interruption, at Hulu). The supergroup’s competencies notwithstanding, there were two remarkable things about the performance. First, O’Brien’s ability to shred (that’s slang for play ax); and second, his alternating expressions of joy, sadness, and, more interestingly, relief.

He’s been through a lot (frankly, we all have). O’Brien was having fun jamming, for sure, but by the end it was like watching someone who, after coming to terms with the fact that there’s nothing more the doctors can do for him, happily dies in his sleep while dreaming and, once dead, ascends to heaven. Or something to that effect. Continue reading →

art/books/film, video

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – ‘Kisses Over Babylon’ (Video)

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As if being one of 2009’s breakout bands—thanks to their incredible Merge release Up From Below—wasn’t enough, it appears that Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros also have some cinematic ambitions. They’ve just released “Kisses Over Babylon,” the second installment in a 12-part video series entitled SALVO! The videos depict a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic wasteland where water is in short supply and Edward Sharpe is a wanted man. The clip costars character actor-extraordinaire David Strathairn, best known for his riveting performance as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck.

And, since no indie rock video these days is complete without some gratuitous nudity, you should be warned that the video is slightly NSFW. Finally, in case you missed it, we’ve also got the first part of the epic series, “Desert Song”, after the jump. Continue reading →

art/books/film, video

Factory 25 to Release Films/Vinyls Featuring No Age, Sufjan, Rosie Thomas, Others (Video)

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Factory 25
Factory 25, a new independent film and vinyl label based in Brooklyn, specializes in packaging indie DVDs with limited edition vinyl, posters and other goodies.

They’re about to release a slew of new stuff on October 27, including the films High School Record, All The Way From Michigan Not Mars, and You Weren’t There. The latter two releases come with special edition vinyls.

Out already (September 29) is Damon and Naomi’s 1001 Nights, a comprehensive anthology of videos and live performances from 2001 through 2009.

The folks at Factory 25 are rightly excited about these films, some of which feature indie music luminaries like No Age, Minutemen, Rosie Thomas, and Sufjan Stevens. More info and trailers after the jump. Continue reading →