Category Archives: san diego

Interview: Charles Yu

Owl and Bear met with up-and-coming author Charles Yu, who braved 8-foot Pikachus and zombie brides at Comic-Con International 2010 to talk with us about his new book, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (Pantheon Books), due in stores September 7, 2010.

At first blush, Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in A Science Fictional Universe is a classic science fiction comedy complete with a sobbing, suicidal time machine operating system and an ontologically ambiguous robot dog. But surrounding the dark humor of the protagonist, a lonely repairman of chronogrammatical vehicles with temporolinguistic architecture (read: time machines), is a small, sad universe that challenges the polarity of science and art through a unique narrative “technology.”

“I was trying to explore a fake science of storytelling,” Yu said, when asked about how his book collapses the barrier between science and language. “Reading a book itself is definitely a pretty advanced form of time travel, one we’ve had for a long time… I wasn’t so much trying to rigorously work through any kind of science about it, but just the idea that this is a really amazing technology we already have.” Continue reading…

Lullabies in Nerdland

Comic-Con International 2010 came and went, leaving behind all its star-studded blockbuster buzz and its traumatic encounters with cellulite precariously wrapped in spandex hot pants (my Wonder Woman fantasies are forever destroyed). We’ll be bringing you our take on the world’s largest comic convention in the coming days, but in the meantime, here’s a video that captures the live-action fever dream that the folks at Owl and Bear got lost in this weekend.

Also, look below for some custom made owl, bear, and owlbear sketches by some generous Comic-Con artists. Continue reading…

Review: The Dead Weather; July 19, 2010; House of Blues, San Diego

Photo credit: Nic Adler

The Dead Weather may be known as Jack White’s band, but make no mistake — the real draw is
lead singer Alison Mosshart.

Much like White’s other side project, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather can feel like just a fun way for White to get his classic-rock geek on. Similarly, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence’s guitar and bass work seems to exist only to plop out schlocky, metal-inspired riffs. But it is Mosshart who injects the band with some much-needed soul and, at the House of Blues show on Monday night, she brought enough for everybody. Continue reading…

The Comic-Con Has Landed

Westboro Baptist Church counter-protesters

Every July the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my heartbeat quickens. I can sense the gathering of nerds from all over the globe. It’s a mecca for the most hardcore geeks. I’m talking about San Diego Comic Con. It is the Super Bowl for the sci-fi/fantasy/horror/pop-culture fan in all of us. Between the days of July 22-25, the San Diego Convention Center houses thousands of vendors selling toys, statues, costumes, video games, movies, memorabilia, and of course comic books. Continue reading…

Fluxx Live Returns

Click to enlarge

Last month’s inaugural Fluxx Live event was a bold addition to San Diego’s music scene. Presenters Daydream Nation used local ringers Scarlet Symphony and Dirty Sweet to lure indie fans out of their comfort zones and down the road less traveled — to Downtown’s glitzy Gaslamp district. Here’s what we said about it:

Overall, the night proved an unsuspected success, and a nice change of pace for the commingled Gaslamp and hipster crowds. The monthly event seems like just the type of shake up that San Diego’s music scene needs. If future Fluxx live events are handled as deftly as this one, we’ll wonder how we ever got by without them.

People hungry for a second taste, or newcomers curious as to what the fuss is all about, can head down to Fluxx this Thursday, July 22nd, for the second installment of the monthly event. Mix Master Mike of The Beastie Boys is headlining, and groovy dance band Hyena will be on hand as well. DJ sets from Shark Attack and DJ Leif will keep the turntables dizzy, and Tim Pyles will MC over the proceedings.

As you can tell from the lineup, this month’s Fluxx Live event is decidedly more dancey than the previous installment. It will be interesting to see whether future iterations adhere to the indie-centric, fish-out-of-water vibe that worked so well at the first event, or veer toward the clubby, typically Downtown vibe of this week’s bash. Tickets for Thursday’s event can be purchased at the door, or online. There is no dress code for the festivities, so all you Comic Con attendees are encouraged to stay in your Slave Leia costumes.