Ashram Techno

It's truly amazing when someone takes something and recontextualizes it for the sole purposes of making you shake your ass... In this case, the band Duchess Says digs up an old video from 1984 of the Rajneesh cult fanatics doing some hardcore yoga-channeling--freaky-cult-thingy. Not really sure if the band knows the full story, but they do call the vid a "New Age Conspiracy from 1984" - and as anyone growing up in Central Oregon in the 70's and 80's recalls, they did implode from charges of racketeering, extortion and attempted murder (yes, even more colorful than the Soprano's - in shades of Plum, cranberry and Violet, no less). In any case - ya gotta love the readymade art direction and the effects (Neo-Hippies! Ashram Techno! Monochromatic Basics!). I think American Apparel may have just found it's new ad campaign for the fall season (*and who knew the compound had so many hotties back then? Granted, they were all crazy and delusional)...

More H8, Less Filling

Well - still 2nd Class citizens, but hey, at least a small handful of marriages will remain valid (until some no-life NOM-type will seek to invalidate those)... But gosh, think of how happy the children will be now. Life will be great and the great American family will be more cohesive than ever (the sound of a solitary, sarcastic applaud for emphasis here).
I could go on - but won't, because little did we know that we did win some of the culture war today. Rockstar games announced that it will develop a game just for us, the Ballad of Gay Tony. Just think, we're going to really influence the hearts and minds of brainless tweeners with more appalling stereotypes, because, you know - it's just a game... And that will totally win the paradigm. (Again, more sarcastic clapping)....

The Sound of One Universe Collapsing

Internet coolness discovered on an achy holiday morning... The B Flat project which loops together several collaborative youtube vids of musical instruments, found sounds and effects, all playing B Flat. Beautiful if you play them at once, or in gradual ensemble... Sounds like we're listening to a piece by Steve Reich... Simply gorgeous, and incidentally B Flat is the sound of black holes as they suck in matter...

Bedfellows, Strange or Erstwhile...

Quelle Horrors - bigots are underfoot and bills are gettin signed, but yet some poor girl is attacked at a Samantha Ronson DJ gig here in S-town. Sad, mad and bad. I can't believe this shit is still happening. And here -- and with alarming frequency. Please tell me the apathy isn't suppressing this issue because i'm at a boiling point... And it has fuckall to do w/Lilo's ex.
But - I am going to divert myself with this painting by Paul Cadmus. I love portraits from another time (*1932) that you can crawl into bed with. It's very familiar, like a lover who takes a brief moment to put down his banned book and pose for you (*and btw, Ulysses was still banned at the time of the painting, making this a very bold statement in more ways than one).
And while we're on a coolness meme - another diversion - take it away Plugz (from New Wave Theatre Circa 82)...

Seattle Sex-City

Ok - my more successful doppelganger, Jarvis Cocker, was again highlighted on Big Stereo doing his usual moves: Playing to a crowd in Paris and going in his 70's monster-rock mode... Yes, we both have facial hair and over sized frames which looks odd on small heads, yes we both have fey-mannerisms (him because he's skinny and English. me because I'm skinny and well, just fey). Yes, we are both middle-aged art-damaged otters. But, he stole my look first. I've long been doing the over-sexed professor look - he only recently grow out his facial hair. I must say that I'm tempted to go back to the old Jarvis look (that I also sported in the 90's): Tight low cut disco shirts and slim fitting polyester trousers, and snide irony. Oh well. As far as comparisons go - I'll take this over John Hodgman (which I got quite a few years/pounds ago)...

Mod Ettes

Because I love all things twee and postpunk girl-power pop, i am still lovin' that the kids at BigStereo posted the Mo'Dettes video from the 80's... I love this video the same way I love my Ronettes, perfect pop hooks and arrangements, detached bassists, jangly twee handclapping arrangements and chroma-key effects to match your ensemble. This makes me want to dance in the spring rain in a cherry colored rain coat and bright yellow shoes (ala Jaques Demy).

Memories from a future that never happened (pt 4): Gigadeath

With the new Star Trek out and eager anticipation of seeing the return of the 'campy, creepy sexy Kirk' (as opposed to the unsexy, militant one in the later series), Vice magazine reports on an interesting theory from AI theoris Hugo De Garis that we'll all soon be waging war on robots. Not quite like Terminator - it'll be newer nano-species that will be waging wars resulting in mass 'Giga-death'.
The thought is interesting and fantastic, but the future is going to be alot more regressive and the needs more primitive. The fact that we can't seem to get around nationalism or religious fundamentalism still in the 21st century means that we're not going to be developing any amazing technologies that will present us with those moral dilemma's. (*As why we're not having flying cars or colonizing mars: Capitol and our own short-sighted needs for validation: Religion. Stem cells are still a sore subject with fundies means no cure for cancer, or the other diseases that take us down before we can even build and mass produce 'fusion' or hyperdrives.)
Hate to kill the magic here - but our destruction is going to be ultimately banal and around the usual crap: Oil, Food, Water, Guns and God.