Tuesday, September 26 2006
Songs of Faith and Struggle: An Interview with Wovenhand
Wovenhand's David Eugene Edwards tells PopMatters about his bleak view of humanity, his love of outsized percussion, his fascination with traditional music, and the difficulties of being a devout Christian in the rock world.
Monday, September 25 2006
Found Genres #2: The Soundtrack to Satan’s Life
Not the demonic metal that pleads for the Dark Lord's favor but genuinely tormented music suitable for clearing all but the truly damned from a party.
Packaging Optimism
Not only were the lives of Andy Warhol and industrial-design pioneer Norman Bel Geddes surprisingly similar, but they seemed to share a mission, to explore the artistry of commercialization.
Friday, September 22 2006
The Dogg, The Doctor, & Death Row
By consistently giving us addictive beats and hot lyrics, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg have had an undeniable influence on the world of rhyme. This is dedicated to the rapper and the producer who were down from Day One.
Wednesday, September 20 2006
Indie-Rock Stripes
Through tour tribulations and member reconfigurations, San Francisco band Film School has endured.
Tuesday, September 19 2006
Kill Hannah
Chicago's hometown modern rock heroes are starting to get some play outside the Windy City, proving that dedication and hard work pays off. And if the same devotion that they've generated in local fans can be instilled in new audiences, then the brand extension is likely to blossom following a new album and tour.
Cult Fiction: Ayn Rand, Anais Nin, and the Feminist Backlash
However we choose to approach Nin and Rand, it is impossible to deny that they were both writers of great force, who dared to take on some of the defining issues of their time, and who refused to sacrifice the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of their thought for the relative safety of a party line. In that respect, they both approach the feminist ideal of self-determination and confidence; for that accomplishment, they deserve our lasting consideration.
Monday, September 18 2006
Souvenir
Back in the days before VCRs and sell-through VHS/DVD titles, a soundtrack was your only tactile souvenir of any entertainment experience. Certainly, you had your memories, and the emotions created or considered via the film, television show, or musical in question, but the only real way to relive the moment -- at least in your mind -- was to trot on down to your local record store and pick up the official companion LP.
Friday, September 15 2006
Bookmarks: Brief reviews of new and overlooked books
When French authorities arrested Jewish novelist Irene Nemirovsky on 13 July 1942, she had completed drafts of two sections of what was to be a five-part, somewhat symphonic novel detailing the effects of the war on ordinary Frenchmen.
Balancing on The Wire: David Simon and America’s Forgotten War
The micro and macro storytelling mastery of HBO's The Wire shows the devastating effects creating social policy in the shape of war.
How Cigarettes Killed My Youth, and The Killers Made Sure It Was Dead
A requiem for Toronto's Dance Cave, emblematic of underage dance nights everywhere, and the dark 1980s dance music entombed there.
Thursday, September 14 2006
Casey Kessel
An independent artist in the truest sense of the word, Casey Kessel may call Nashville her home, but she writes and performs country music on her own terms and at her own expense. Capturing the details of life in powerfully touching songs, Kessel's talents may only currently find their way to public ears in the mouths of others, but odds are that situation won't last long.
December
This is it, the money month. The time in the Fall film season where the box office big guns are revealed and the patina of prestige covers each and every release.
Wednesday, September 13 2006
November
This promises to be the most confounding month of the entire Fall season. There are literally dozens of movies opening, and for everyone that sounds entertaining.
Tuesday, September 12 2006
The Apotheosis of Hulk Hogan
If the sports-as-religion metaphor is accurate, then who is god in the professional wrestling world? While numerous potential candidates exist among the pantheon of wrestling superstars, one name shines a little brighter: Hulk Hogan.
October
Just as the leaves on the trees start to change their colors, the tone and temperament of the movies being offered change radically between summer and fall.
Monday, September 11 2006
September
Just as the leaves on the trees start to change their colors, the tone and temperament of the movies being offered change radically between summer and fall.
Friday, September 8 2006
Bookmarks: Brief reviews of new and overlooked books
Philosopher, author and scholar of speculative fiction, Martin finds the avowedly down-to-earth are not on the solid ground they (very unreasonably!) presume. There's maybe evidence of design in the universe, but it supports no fundamentalist churches.
Crüe’d and Tattüe’d
After catching nearly a dozen live dates, PopMatters' Adam Williams explores the rising ranks of a new class of Crüehead.
