Making the Small Big

Fascinating look into the rise of anti-mainstream, counterculture-driven minibrands chasing the commercialist dream:

The Brand Underground

By Rob Walker
July 30, 2006
NY Times

Aaron Bondaroff is 29, part Puerto Rican, part Jewish, Brooklyn-born and a high-school dropout. His life weaves through the most elusive subcultures of lower Manhattan. A-Ron, as he is also known, is one of those individuals who embodies a scene. “I’m so downtown,” Bondaroff is fond of saying, “I don’t go above Delancey.”

Even so, he longs for something bigger, like the cultural noise made by the Beats in the 1950’s or Andy Warhol’s Factory in the 1960’s or the bands and fans who clustered around CBGB’s in the 1970’s. He wants to “make history” and join “the time line” of New York. He is not an artist, an author, a designer, musician, filmmaker or even a famous skateboarder or graffiti writer. So in another era, Bondaroff might have had to settle for his cameos in some of the acclaimed images of youthful outsider debauchery captured by his photographer friend Ryan McGinley. He could be, in other words, a counterculture muse, like Neal Cassady or Edie Sedgwick.

In our present era, however, he may not have to settle. There’s a new alternative, one that’s neatly summed up in a question that A-Ron has been asking himself lately: “How do I turn my lifestyle into a business?”

The answer he came up with is worth paying attention to because it speaks to a significant but little-noted development in contemporary culture. Young people have always found fresh ways to rebel, express individuality or form subculture communities through cultural expression: new art, new music, new literature, new films, new forms of leisure or even whole new media forms. A-Ron’s preferred form of expression, however, is none of those things. When he talks about his chosen medium, which he calls aNYthing, it sounds as if he’s talking about an artists’ collective, indie film production company, a zine or a punk band. But in fact, aNYthing is a brand. A-Ron puts his brand on T-shirts and hats and other items, which he sells in his own store, among other places. He sees it as fundamentally of a piece with the projects and creations of his anti-mainstream heroes.

This might seem strange, since most of us think of branding as a thoroughly mainstream practice: huge companies buying advertising time during the Super Bowl to shout their trademarked names at us is pretty much the opposite of authentic or edgy expression. But branding is more complicated than that. It is really a process of attaching an idea to a product...

Continue reading The Brand Underground.

Monday Morning Miscellany

• Mel Gibson is finally and conclusively exposed as a raving lunatic, drunk and anti-semite. The apple, of course, doesn’t fall far from the tree.

• The FDA is taking another look at green-lighting the day-after pill.

• It’s been confirmed that UEFA champions FC Barcelona will be fielding their A squad this weekend at L.A.’s coliseum. Can’t wait to see Messi turn on those afterburners.

• Westside Rentals notes that Westside L.A. rent prices are actually decreasing, contrary to speculation that they would skyrocket in light of the collapsing housing bubble.

Vice or Virtue?

Not a big fan of Michael Mann these days (I hated “Collateral”) and I never watched the TV show (although I did enjoy the Universal Studios set piece when I was young) but this review of “Miami Vice” has me kinda pumped for the film. An excerpt:

With “Miami Vice” [Michael Mann] clearly had money to burn, and the flames are beautiful to behold. Mixing pop savvy with startling formal ambition, Mr. Mann transforms what is essentially a long, fairly predictable cop-show episode into a dazzling (and sometimes daft) Wagnerian spectacle. He fuses music, pulsating color and high drama into something that is occasionally nonsensical and frequently sublime. “Miami Vice” is an action picture for people who dig experimental art films, and vice versa.

I’m not exaggerating about the art. Some of the most captivating sequences have an abstract quality, as if Mr. Mann were paying homage to the avant-garde, anti-narrative cinema of Stan Brakhage in the midst of a big studio production. Dispensing with the convention that the pictures exist to serve the story, Mr. Mann frequently uses plot as an excuse to construct ravishing pictures.

The camera, with leisurely, voluptuous sensuality, ranges from crowded cities to the open sea, from billowy thunderheads to the rippling muscles on Mr. Foxx’s back. Like “Collateral,” “Miami Vice” was shot in high-definition digital video, which Mr. Mann, in collaboration with the brilliant cinematographer Dion Beebe, treats not as a convenient substitute for film but as a medium with its own aesthetic properties and visual possibilities. The depth of focus, the intensity of colors, and the grainy, smudged finish of some of the images combine to create a look that is both vividly naturalistic and almost dreamlike.

Count me in.

Hope Against Hope for MySpace Music

Just goes to show that sometimes it really ain’t about the music, but the hype.

Great rock'n'roll swindle fools the father of Britpop

By Jonathan Brown

The Independent (UK)
Published: 19 June 2006

It is the music scam that fooled the father of Britpop and two of the hottest bands on the music scene. A spoof indie group with no musical experience found itself on the verge of achieving overnight success after chancing its luck on the internet site MySpace.

The set-up was simple. Q magazine persuaded the office work experience student and two of his mates to pose as the ironically named Hope Against Hope.

With their Fred Perry shirts and skinny jeans, the band certainly looked the part. A "rough" demo was supplied, courtesy of a musician friend, and the results downloaded on to the website.

Within four weeks, Hope Against Hope had not only built a devoted fan base but convinced the music guru Alan McGee, one-time member of Tony Blair's Creative Industry Taskforce, discoverer of Oasis and manager of the Libertines, to sign them up for his ultra-trendy Death Disco club.

The pop industry is in thrall to peer-to-peer sites like MySpace, where fans can set up their own home page, list their favourite bands, books and films, and make "friends" with each other. When a new acquaintance is made, they are added as a link to the home page, forming networks of like-minded people. Rupert Murdoch, a belated convert to the powers of the internet, recently paid $580m to buy MySpace and its potential community of 83 million users.

Evidence of the awesome power was first highlighted when a fan of the Arctic Monkeys set up a page on behalf of the band. The buzz helped make their first album the fastest selling in British pop history.

The site is credited with creating the "queen of MySpace" Lily Allen - daughter of the actor Keith Allen - as well as helping propel Sandi Thom to the top of the UK album and singles charts. Thom's success has been mired in controversy. Some reports suggested that her famous "21 Nights From Tooting" tour, broadcast over the internet from her south London bedroom, may not have been as spontaneous as first thought - but still the record industry has been quick to clamber aboard the phenomenon. MySpace is now a vital promotional medium. As well as acting as a shop window for established bands the networks are a crucial meeting place for talent-spotters and young acts.

By accessing the pages of trendy bands like Babyshambles, and the Subways, Hope Against Hope were able to get in contact with influential "friends" like Radio One DJ Zane Lowe. After a week, they were signed up as "friends" of successful groups like Editors. After three weeks, they had admirers as far away as Los Angeles. By day 28, with nearly 600 fans, they received this message from McGee: "Send me an e-mail and I'll sort you out with a DD [Death Disco] gig."

Gareth Grundy, deputy editor of Q, was delighted. "You don't really expect you are going to get an offer of a gig from the man who signed Oasis within a month - for a band that doesn't even exist. I'd call that quite a result."

Lohan Gets Bitch-Slapped

This made my day. The 70-yr-old head honcho of the film production company Morgan Creek wrote a letter earlier this week to his employee Lindsay Lohan, chastising her prima donna, partying ways. Lohan is currently shooting “Georgia Rule”, co-starring with Jane Fonda and Felicity Hoffman, and has apparently missed a number of days on the set, citing “exhaustion”. Of course, the pics that fly around the net and in the mags tell another story…

July 26, 2006

Lindsay Lohan
C/o Chateau Marmont
8221 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90046

Dear Lindsay,

Since the commencement of principal photography of Georgia Rule, you have frequently failed to arrive on time to the set. Today, you did not show for work (all day). I am now told you don’t plan to come to work tomorrow because you are “not feeling well”. You and your representatives have told us that your various late arrivals and absences from the set have been the result of illness; today we were told it was “heat exhaustion”. We are well aware that your ongoing heavy partying is the real reason for your so called “exhaustion”. We refuse to accept bogus excuses for your behavior.

To date, your actions on Georgia Rule have been discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional. You have acted like a spoiled child and in doing so have alienated many of your co-workers and endangered the quality of this picture. Moreover, your actions have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. We will not tolerate these actions any further.

If you do not honor your production commitments, including your scheduled call time for tomorrow, and any call times thereafter, we will hold you personally accountable. This means that in addition to pursuing full monetary damages, we will take such other action as we deem necessary to preserve the integrity of the Georgia Rule Production as well as Morgan Creek’s financial interests. I urge you to take this letter seriously and conduct yourself professionally.

Sincerely,

James G. Robinson
CEO, Morgan Creek Productions

From Cute to Toot

Missed yesterday doing doctor stuff, thanks to a little friend I seem to have brought back with me from Costa Rica. Argh.

If you haven’t yet caught wind of 21-yr-old uber-cute (& uber-dirty) Lily Allen, do yourself a favor and track down her album “Alright, Still” [EMI/Regal] (not yet released domestically, unfortunately). It’s a blend of pop and urban stylings, with razor-sharp lyrics and hilarious story-telling. I can’t get enough of it.

Another unquenchable thirst of mine recently has been French-band Phoenix’s new album “It’s Never Been Like That” [Astralwerks]. Vying for the top stop on my Album of Year list (vs. Zero 7’s “The Garden”), this selection is non-stop-bopping, synth-rock fun. They’re also playing the Wiltern this September (already grabbed my tix!).

On a more frustrating note, I have to mention just how ridiculous Kofi Annan was the other day in reaction to the tragic bombing of a U.N. post in southern Lebanon that sadly killed four “peacekeeping” troops. First, he described the open and frequent communication between UNIFIL forces and IDF commanders on the ground, as well as assurances received personally by him from Israeli PM Olmert that U.N. forces would be avoided at all costs; then he goes on to proclaim that surely the Israeli strike on the U.N. outpost was “deliberate”. To quote the sage Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Annan’s accusation is ironic considering that UNIFIL, at the very least, looked the other way and covered up a cross-border raid by Hizballah in 2000 that resulted in the kidnapping and slaying of three IDF soldiers - at worst, their forces were complicit in the attack. Here's a refresher on the action and subsequent U.N. cover-up.

Onward from the dark…

EDM clubbing in L.A. is apparently alive and well. Headed down to Monday Night Social at Nacional last night to catch Brit young’un DJ phenom James Zabiela, and was treated to Club Dark instead – the whole block had lost power just minutes after the joint opened. What followed can only be described as a testament to the passion of the city’s music lovers and clubbing scenesters: braving two hours darkness, oppressive heat, a cash-only bar (with no mixers) and, not least, uncertainty as to whether the gig would come off at all, scores of eager fans milled about the candle-lit space, chatting it up and waiting for something to happen. In fact, there was a campiness to the whole thing. Sure enough, when the power booted back up at half past midnight, Whizkid JZ needed only trigger a kick drum effect on the CDJ to send shockwaves through the elated crowd - the place went off for the remainder of the evening.

I also heard it last night from the most authoritative of sources that Giant’s New Year’s Eve plans are well on their way and Sasha & Digweed will be the main attraction. In a departure from years past, this go around will be held indoors at an undisclosed (and possibly not-yet-built) location in the downtown area. Jimmy Van M will hold down opening duties and, if I’m not mistaken, it’ll mark the first time Sasha and John Digweed have graced the same stage in L.A. since their legendary Delta Heavy outing at the Mayan in May 2002.

The Flaming Lips / Thievery Corporation @ the Hollywood Bowl, July 23

Saw The Flaming Lips and Thievery Corporation at the Hollywood Bowl last night. Strangest night I’ve ever witnessed at that venue, by far.

First of all, it was packed (ie sold out) with hippies. Was like being at a watered-down Phish show. Then there was the heat and humidity, which was out of control. Every single person in the place was drenched all night.

Thievery Corp.’s Eric Hilton and Rob Garza – situated side-by-side in the middle of the stage, each behind decks, samplers & a synth, and surrounded by a full band including a bassist, drummer, percussionist, sitarist and ever-evolving array of vocalists – started mellow with summer grooves like “Lebanese Blonde”. Beat- and bass-heavy “Illumination” signaled a segue into a more upbeat vibe, and it went from there. Each song built upon the last, and everyone was into it, dancing and swinging their arms in the air. The place was bouncing bigtime. Then the night got weird…

Thievery invited The Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne onstage to sing the last song, and it was plain bad. He was horribly off-key (possibly on purpose, I’m still trying to figure this one out) and the song was slow and meandering and absolutely destroyed the energy and vibe that had been so meticulously constructed during the set. People kinda just stopped and looked at each other and waited it out. When done, Thievery unceremoniously departed the stage. All in all, a very strange way to end their gig.

By this time it was dark, and the place was alight with glowing green, red and yellow. The venue had distributed thousands upon thousands of glow-stick rainbow necklaces and pretty much every single person was either wearing one around their neck or on their head. During the set break, people came up with the PLUR idea of opening their necklaces, attaching them to that of the people’s next to them, and creating long snakes of glowing filament. Eventually, these snakes became chains, some extending hundreds of feet into other sections. Meanwhile, on the stage, they were setting up a bunch of cameras, including one on the end of a massive boom rig. Something was definitely up…

A message appeared onscreen: “Please join us…The Flaming Lips…on an…Epic Experience.” *cheers* The Flaming Lips took stage, along with a number of other people. First, there were a number of camera crews. Then, flanking Coyne, was a group of maybe 30 guys in Santa outfits on his left; to his right, 30 gorgeous girls, wearing alien antennae on their heads, and nothing but glittery paint on their bodies. Coyne got on the mic and explained: “Tonight we have over 15 cameras here - we’re filming a DVD. So we’ll need you to go apeshit all night long. Ok?” Then the music started…

…and Coyne is inside a plastic bubble. They roll him out onto the catwalk that encircles the front garden seats. The band is playing, and he does a lap of the catwalk and people are loving it. As the song’s ending, they lift him back onto stage, he exits the bubble and takes the mic.

Suddenly, maybe a hundred or so large white balloons are pushed into the audience from the stage - these continue to bounce up and down the entire Bowl for the rest of the evening. Meanwhile, Coyne asks everyone to chuck their glow-necklaces down and onto the stage: a few make it there, but mostly they’re flying every which way along with the balloons all evening long. Some people are even getting creative and tying the necklaces to the balloons, or opening the balloons, placing a necklace or two inside, closing the balloon again, and sending it back into the masses glowing from within. It’s certainly a festive atmosphere, with everyone jumping to hit balloons and catch necklaces. Basically, the strictly Gen X/Y crowd turned into a bunch of sandbox kids.

Meanwhile, onstage, things were getting more freaky. They had a wide-angle, fish-eye camera attached to Coyne’s mic stand, and he’d be singing while contorted images of the interiors of his mouth and nose were projected on the screen behind him…which was pretty nasty, but not as disturbing as when he busted out a bald-headed nun puppet and had her (him?) sing the next tune, what with the massively enlarged and distorted image of the puppet’s face and mouth displayed on (count ‘em) five huge projection screens. Next song he ditched the nun for a fake bird (white dove possibly), which he shook in the air for a few minutes (inexplicably).

For “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”, the first single and easily most accessible tune on the new album, we were treated to a cool montage of mouths in close-up singing along to the song, overlayed by cartoon bubbles with the words in a number of different languages. That was fun and upbeat and people were into it. But then things got darker…

The new album, entitled “At War with the Mystics”, is unmistakably a protest piece against the state of the world, and specifically the Bush administration. “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” undeniably ties into this message, and I was relieved that they kept it light and arty with the previously described video montage. Afterall, we’re young and out for fun and ready to join The Lips for “an Epic Experience”. But then the screens came alive with clips of Bush and Rumsfeld and Cheney and Powell, then Bush and Rumsfeld and Cheney and Powell, on and on again. Some people chuckled, but overall, I sensed its sobering effect. Here we are, 18,000 strong, wearing fluorescent necklaces and playing with balloons and suddenly we were jarred back to reality with pics of ever-controversial political figures. If only it stopped there…

For their finale (capping a rather short set), they launched into the most unlikely of covers: Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. Immediately, all lightness and playfulness was removed from the scene as the screens broadcasted images of war-fallen corpses. Then, horrifyingly, Coyne proceeded to smother himself in what appeared to be blood. He poured it all over himself, and by the end of the song, he was a bloody mess. For myself, and others around me, any shreds of remaining giddiness were purged in that instant. I was aghast at the display. Surely Coyne and The Lips intended to make a political statement; but, for a group up until that point so entrenched in the tongue-in-cheek and flippant, this was a bold and harsh move. It was jarring and uncomfortable.

I think it’s totally cool if Neil Young or Bob Dylan or Morrissey or whomever want to be political – that’s what you come to expect. But for a group to cloak itself in youthful mischievousness, then blindside you with gruesome imagery, it just didn’t seem fair. It was as if they tricked us into letting our guards down, then crammed a hidden message down our throats. I felt violated. I hope I wasn’t alone.

Israel-Hizballah war update

Good article on the causes of the current crisis, and deep analysis of the strategic considerations.

Concert Alert

For those of you in the City of Angels, tix go onsale Sunday morning for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - w/ The Strokes on opening duty - September 26 @ the Hollywood Bowl.

Last time I saw Petty was during his Wildflowers tour at the Bowl in '95. He blew my mind then, and I suspect he'll do so again.

This go-around is touted as the 30th Anniversary Tour, so expect a fully delightul career retrospective.

UPDATE: The password for Ticketmaster's radio presale is apparently "wilson". Thank you Nate for the heads-up!

Tech Talk

New rumors that iPod is working on a mp3-player/phone:

IPOD PHONE MAY RING IN

By Janet Whitman
New York Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Apple Computer may have a new product in the works to ring up sales: an iPod phone.

The gadget, which would combine the computer giant's popular portable music player with a mobile phone, has been rumored for months.

Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about new merchandise, but a top executive hinted earlier this week that the company is working on a mobile phone music player.

"We don't think that the phones that are available today make the best music players," Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's finance chief, told analysts on a call late Wednesday to discuss quarterly results.

"We're not sitting around and doing nothing," he added.

Cellphones that can play music are considered the biggest threat to Apple's dominance in the portable-music arena, though so far the products being offered by telephone companies have been disappointing.

Gadget
freaks got their strongest signal that an iPod phone might be on the way when Apple filed to trademark the phrase "Mobile Me" in January.

To retain the No. 1 spot in portable music player sales, Apple needs to keep innovating. Its sales of iPods, iPod accessories and downloaded tracks from the iTunes Music Store account for 45 percent of its business.

"Apple's ability to push the envelope is well understood, meaning that it's one of the few companies that could actually create an entirely new product category,"

Goldman Sachs David Bailey said in a note yesterday after adding Apple shares to the firm's "buy list." "We expect Apple to break some new ground with its advanced smart-phone technology."

Apple shares closed at $60.51, up $6.36, or 11.7 percent, on the day. They are down 16 percent this year. Analysts that track Apple believe the iPod phone could be introduced by next year. An Apple spokesman didn't return a call seeking comment.

(Artist's rendering only.)

Celluloid Squeeze

The L.A. Times takes a look at Hollywood's reaction to hard times - ie the beginning of an industry sqeeze.

Wise investment

For a mere $30k, you can change the life of one young woman, while another changes yours:

How much for date with Jessica Biel?

Money to help teenager who lost leg in accident

Thursday, July
20, 2006; Posted: 5:05 p.m. EDT (21:05 GMT)

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- A date with Jessica Biel has raised $30,000 to help a teenager who lost her leg in a prom night limousine accident.

Jeanne Lee, an organizer of the event dubbed "Mollypalooza," told The Associated Press the winning bid came from a man who requested anonymity. The event Tuesday raised at least $44,000 to help Molly Bloom's family with medical expenses, Lee said.

Biel, Esquire's "Sexiest Woman Alive" and a former "7th Heaven" star, "has this opportunity to create a buzz that would provide some support and she's more than happy to do that," her father, Jonathan Biel, told KMGH-TV. He said it was his daughter's idea to hold the auction for a lunch date.

Biel, a Boulder native who is on location in Italy filming the movie "Next," was not at the fundraiser. In an audio message, she said, "I promise, I'm a cheap date."

Lee said the winner wrote a check but it had not been cashed as of Wednesday. The lunch date is set for August 18 when Biel is in town to receive a humanitarian award, she said.

Bloom was run over and dragged about 38 feet by a Hummer stretch limousine on May 13, police said. Limousine driver Stanley D. Sample, 38, faces a misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury.

Bloom is undergoing rehabilitation at a Denver hospital.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Biel, you may recall, was trapped in a career-limiting contract with Disney/ABC at the age of 17 when she posed semi-nude for Gear Magazine, hoping to get released from her agreement (which she did). I still believe this to be one of the hottest photo shoots of all-time.

Hump Day Miscellany

• The man behind Google's quirky artwork.

• "The Prestige": an upcoming film by Chris Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento) starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine & Scarlett Johansson. I got goosebumps when I watched this.

• "The Way We War": an op-ed in the NY Times, written by an Israeli who offers one perspective on the Israeli view of the war (site registration required).

• "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage": another NY Times piece, in which a woman recounts her success at molding her husband's behavior by employing training methods used by animal behavioralists (site registration required). This has been in the top-5 of the NY Times' most-emailed stories list for almost a full month now, a feat I haven't seen before. Evidently, there are countless men and women across the country right this very minute unknowingly undergoing behavioral adjustment methods intended for baboons and African crested cranes. Fascinating.

Who is Gnarls Barkley?



For those of you still confused (like the gf)...

Cell phone gun

This is really just one of the more insane things I've seen recently. It's a gun made to look like a cell phone. Check it:

At first sight it looks like a regular cell phone — same size, same shape, same overall appearance.

But beneath the digital face lies a .22-caliber pistol, a phone gun capable of firing four rounds in quick succession with a touch of the otherwise standard keypad.

The US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are aware of the device and have instructed baggage screeners to be on the lookout for suspicious mobile phones. This is especially after 9/11.

European law enforcement officials — stunned by the discovery of these deadly decoys — say phone guns are changing the rules of engagement in Europe.

Airport authorities across Europe are implementing systems to X-ray all cell phones.

“We find it very, very alarming,” says Wolfgang Dicke of the German Police union. “It means police will have to draw their weapons whenever a person being checked reaches for their mobile phone.”

The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S.
Customs Service say they’ve been briefed on the new weapons.

“This criminal invention represents a potentially serious threat to law enforcement
and the public,” said U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. “We received word about these guns last month. We have since alerted our field personnel to be on the lookout for ‘cell phone guns’ at U.S. ports of entry.”

Guns on the Move

These new covert guns were first discovered in October when Dutch police stumbled on a cache during a drug raid in Amsterdam.

In another recent incident a Croatian gun dealer was caught attempting to smuggle a shipment through Slovenia into Western Europe.

Police say both shipments are believed to have originated in Yugoslavia. Interpol sent out a warning to law enforcement agencies around the world. European border police and customs officers are at a heightened state of alert at all ports, airports and border crossings.

Realistic Appearance

‘If you didn’t know they were guns, you wouldn’t suspect anything,” said Ari Zandbergen, spokesman for the Amsterdam police.

“Only when you have one in your hand do you realize that they are heavier,” says Birgit Heib of the German Federal Criminal Investigation Agency.

The guns are loaded by twisting the phone in half. The .22-caliber rounds fit into the top of the phone under the screen. The lower half, under the keyboard, holds the firing pins. The bullets fire through the antenna by pressing the keypad from numbers five to eight.

Amsterdam police says they are very sophisticated machines constructed inside gutted cell phones which do not light up or operate as real phones. “These are very difficult to make. We believe experts are involved,” says Zandbergen.

U.S. authorities, including the FBI, ATF, Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Customs Service Authority have been supplied detailed information and pictures of these new weapons.

“They’ve been given a heads up,” said Jim Crandall, ATF spokesman. To date no phone guns have been discovered either in the United States or in the process of being smuggled in, authorities say. But they know it’s only a matter of time.

FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler said airport security officers had been trained to deal with this new threat.

“We don’t want to tell the bad guys exactly what we’re looking for,” she says, “We are trying to stay one step ahead.”

Will Affect Travelers

Airport authorities across Europe are implementing systems to X-ray all cell phones, those procedures will likely be followed by airports around the world.

“This is just one more item that we need to pay special attention to because nowadays, of course just about every passenger carries a mobile phone,” says the spokesman for Frankfurt airport security.

Customs officials in the U.S. say their safety procedure has normally been to require travelers to turn their phones on, however that may no longer be enough. Cell phone users will have to be made aware that reaching for their phones in some circumstances could be misinterpreted as a threat by authorities.

Watch the video.

"...hate is the new smart..."

I should preface this post by stating that, while I’ve definitely heard of him, I’ve never listened to Ryan Adams before – er, to his music. From what I’ve gathered, the oft-maligned Adams is oft-ridiculed as a poster child of the emo scene, in all its glory and failings. Anyway, he gets a +1 in my book after my reading a post of his on Stereogum.

It seems Adams wrote on some board about his plans for the rest of the year – these included, count ‘em, three separate album projects (one of which is to be a double-LP). Adams, with no less than eight full-length albums to his credit in the past six years, was promptly slammed by the punters on Stereogum as being more prolific than meaningful – too much doily, not enough tea. With true emo ferocity, Adams retaliated:

… if its not your scene then cool. but dont go doggin on somebody cause they want to fucking pick up a pen and tell a story. if these people are so eductaed about the recording process and how records should be, then may i ask, "Where is your record". i imagine there isnt one and if there were to be, they would have to work on it until its perfect. till its 11 songs and they are all essential. so thats my 2 cents. back to the studio. i hope people find their own way and learn to stop hating on everything. hate is the new smart it seems, and the new "smart" is pretty stupid.

He hits here on an all too sad and common trend these days: ever more hip hipsters and knowledgeable chin-strokers striking out against anything and everything because they’re too cool and the subject is clearly not cool enough. (The forever-slung tag of death that is “sell-out” also figures into this phenomenon, but that’s another matter.) Surely, this tendency has been around since the days of Igadan, the first preeminent cave art critic, but it’s still as vexing as ever. The idle and under-talented trashing the prodigious and brave. Call Adams what you like, but a liar he ain’t.

Now back to the hating: Pirates of the Caribbean. People are loving this film?! Pray tell, were you once a cannibal until a ship with a mouse on the side plucked you from your digs of Eden and unto the pages of Rotten Tomatoes where you were forced for 18 hours a day to post positive reviews? I consider myself to be at least slightly mentally capable, but I have to admit, I didn’t understand one frame of this pic…and neither did a number of other people I’ve spoken with. What’s so incredibly rude about this effort is that I honestly believe the studio intentionally muddled the story and characters in order to stun the viewer into some sort of catatonic state, thereby inhibiting higher thought. And America’s buying it – lapping it up like a teacup yorkie with pink socks on. Amazing.

Thom Yorke’s new album is, interestingly enough, an example opposite to the hating described by Adams above. Here you have an artist elevated to demigod status who can do no wrong. “The Eraser”, imo, is pretty damn boring. Reminds me of Billy Corgan’s solo effort from last year, minus the why-haven’t-I-slit-my-wrists-yet-ness of it all. And whereas producer Nigel Godrich hit Zero 7's effort over the Green Monster, his contribution here is more like a bunt that goes foul, what with quirky minimal techno devoid of any heart. Alas, take a listen for yourself, but I was expecting at least one track to be Bopping for Bonzos-worthy, and that just isn’t the case. I don’t hear any of the interesting songwriting found in Radiohead’s recently-premiered works. Oh well.


More refreshingly, I dove into a fantastic novel over the weekend: Peter Carey’s “True History of the Kelly Gang”. Ned Kelly was the real-life Irish outlaw who terrorized Australia’s outback in the 1880s, eventually evading the British authorities for two years and becoming a folk hero to generations of Aussies, and a wider symbol of the anti-authority spirit. The book is a fictionalized memoir written in the first-person, chronicling Kelly’s life – from childhood to hanging. The voice is of the period’s vernacular and region’s dialect, and while it could have easily made for a cumbersome reading experience, the words flow gently with a rhythm that is oddly soothing, given the fast-paced, roughshod action of the stories. Not since Mark Twain’s “Roughing It” have I found myself so enamored with the wild frontier. Yeehaw!

Neither the Jews nor Kazakhs will go quietly

With Israel on the brink of all-out war with not just the Palestinians and Hizbullah, but possibly Syria and Iran as well, I'm reminded of a piece written a few years back by Joe McCain, the brother of Senator John McCain. In it, he describes the Jews' contentious history and why they will never back down in the face of existential provocations, such as those we're seeing today in the form of a rocket storm.

In other news, the good people of Kazakhstan are facing an existential threat of their own in the form of Borat, a fictional character played by Britian's Sacha Baron Cohen (mentioned here yesterday, as well). Last November, the nation threatened to sue the entertainer for slandering its people and honor. Borat responded by stating:

...I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government's decision to sue this Jew. Since the 2003 Tuleyakiv reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world. Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hats, and age of consent has been raised to eight years old.

Unfortunately, that seems to have not reassured the fretful state, as they have embarked on a campaign to defend their name. I can only sympathize for them as it's sure to get far worse: Borat, the Movie.

In yet other Kazakh news (they're on a roll these days), Allah is doing his darnest to make it up to these fine folk by gifting them a wonderous gift:

Chicken lays mystery Allah egg

Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:06am ET

ALMATY (Reuters) - A chicken in a Kazakh village has laid an egg with the word "Allah" inscribed on its shell, state media reported Thursday.

"Our mosque confirmed that it says 'Allah' in Arabic," Bites Amantayeva, a farmer from the village of Stepnoi in eastern Kazakhstan, told state news agency Kazinform.

"We'll keep this egg and we don't think it'll go bad."

The news agency said the egg was laid just after a powerful hail storm hit the village.

Kazakhstan is a large, thinly populated Central Asian state where Sunni Islam is a dominant religion.

I'm not making this up. Really. I swear.

The Bush Pilot

Absolutely classic. Reminds me of Sacha Baron Cohen's humor. Gotta love him rocking out to the Bon Jovi tune during the schoolroom scene.

MoM: Music of the Moment

Finally gave a listen today to the new Zero 7 effort, "The Garden", and I'm kinda shocked at how much I like it. I've typically been a big detractor of theirs, as I tend to hear either a) forced pop lacking emotional weight or b) bad Air wannabe-ness, but there's more to them this time around. They've found their groove.

The album has a number of divergent sounds, which keeps it interesting; but throughout there is a cohesive mood: one of relaxed yet confident retro-groovyness. These may not be the best written songs in history, but the sonic landscapes and melodies are continually interesting and unexpected, and the vocalists shine. Sia's contribution is mature in a way that her solo efforts are not, and Jose Gonzalez is, simply stated, fantastic. His verses are clean and effortlessly powerful, and he sings beautiful harmonies with himself - at times reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel, and at others of the Beach Boys.

Producer Nigel Godrich can probably be thanked for nudging everyone up to their A-game. Having worked recently with Radiohead, McCartney and Beck can surely not hurt, and you can't help but wonder what magic he pulled in-studio.

Looking forward to getting some good mileage outta this album this summer.

The Great Gazan Hypocrisy

Just a couple of short years ago, I was so hopeful of what might have been a tentative, but burgeoning path to peace for the Israelis & Palestinians. Arafat had passed, Sharon had changed and things were looking up. Then Abbas showed his weakness, Sharon exited stage left and Hamas rose up. But none of those disappointments match Gaza.

I've been screaming the past year to anyone who would listen about the vast and sickening hypocrisy that is Gaza. Israel pulled out, in good faith, and got bubkiss in return. Actually, less than bubkiss. The Palestinians have been clamoring on and on for years about the occupation, but as soon as Israel pulls out from a major piece of land, what do they get? Rockets. Rainstorms of rockets on schools and hospitals and as many civilian targets as can be reached. Of course, no one in the international community says a word about what that might reflect about the duplicity of those who say the conflict hinges solely upon the occupation.

Enter Charles Krauthammer. Thank you, good sir...


Remember What Happened Here

Gaza is freed, yet Gaza wages war. That reveals the Palestinians' true agenda

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

TIME Magazine
Wednesday, Jul. 5, 2006

Israel Invades Gaza. That is in response to an attack from Gaza that killed two Israelis and wounded another, who was kidnapped and brought back to Gaza ...which, in turn, was in response to Israel's targeted killing of terrorist leaders in Gaza...which, in turn, was in response to the indiscriminate shelling of Israeli towns by rockets launched from Gaza.

Of all the conflicts in the world, the one that seems the most tediously and hopelessly endless is the Arab-Israeli dispute, which has been going on in much the same way, it seems, for 60 years. Just about every story you'll see will characterize Israel's invasion of Gaza as a continuation of the cycle of violence.

Cycles are circular. They have no end. They have no beginning. That is why, as tempting as that figure of speech is to use, in this case it is false. It is as false as calling American attacks on Taliban remnants in Afghanistan part of a cycle of violence between the U.S. and al-Qaeda or, as Osama bin Laden would have it, between Islam and the Crusaders going back to 1099. Every party has its grievances--even Hitler had his list when he invaded Poland in 1939--but every conflict has its origin.

What is so remarkable about the current wave of violence in Gaza is that the event at the origin of the "cycle" is not at all historical, but very contemporary. The event is not buried in the mists of history. It occurred less than one year ago. Before the eyes of the whole world, Israel left Gaza. Every Jew, every soldier, every military installation, every remnant of Israeli occupation was uprooted and taken away.

How do the Palestinians respond? What have they done with Gaza, the first Palestinian territory in history to be independent, something neither the Ottomans nor the British nor the Egyptians nor the Jordanians, all of whom ruled Palestinians before the Israelis, ever permitted? On the very day of Israel's final pullout, the Palestinians began firing rockets out of Gaza into Israeli towns on the other side of the border. And remember: those are attacks not on settlers but on civilians in Israel proper, the pre-1967 Israel that the international community recognizes as legitimately part of sovereign Israel, a member state of the U.N. A thousand rockets have fallen since.

For what possible reason? Before the withdrawal, attacks across the border could have been rationalized with the usual Palestinian mantra of occupation, settlements and so on. But what can one say after the withdrawal?

The logic for those continued attacks is to be found in the so-called phase plan adopted in 1974 by the Palestine National Council in Cairo. Realizing that they would never be able to destroy Israel in one fell swoop, the Palestinians adopted a graduated plan to wipe out Israel. First, accept any territory given to them in any part of historic Palestine. Then, use that sanctuary to wage war until Israel is destroyed.

So in 2005 the Palestinians are given Gaza, free of any Jews. Do they begin building the state they say they want, constructing schools and roads and hospitals? No. They launch rockets at civilians and dig a 300-yard tunnel under the border to attack Israeli soldiers and bring back a hostage.

And this time the terrorism is carried out not by some shadowy group that the Palestinian leader can disavow, however disingenuously. This is Hamas in action--the group that was recently elected to lead the Palestinians. At least there is now truth in advertising: a Palestinian government openly committed to terrorism and to the destruction of a member state of the U.N. openly uses terrorism to carry on its war.

That is no cycle. That is an arrow. That is action with a purpose. The action began 59 years ago when the U.N. voted to solve the Palestine conundrum then ruled by Britain by creating a Jewish state and a Palestinian state side by side. The Jews accepted the compromise; the Palestinians rejected it and joined five outside Arab countries in a war to destroy the Jewish state and take all the territory for themselves.

They failed, and Israel survived. That remains, in the Palestinian view, Israel's original sin, the foundational crime for the cycle: Israel's survival. That's the reason for the rockets, for the tunneling, for the kidnapping--and for Israel's current response.

If that history is too ancient, consider the history of the past 12 months. Gaza is free of occupation, yet Gaza wages war. Why? Because this war is not about occupation, but about Israel's very existence. The so-called cycle will continue until the arrow is abandoned and the Palestinians accept a compromise--or until the arrow finds its mark and Israel dies.

Love L.A. and we will love you too

Radiohead messageboards across the globe were ablaze last week with tales of how horrid Los Angeles and its Angelinos are. People who came in from all over the country/world to see their gods, Radiohead, were appalled by the apathetic snobby know-nothings who “stole tix from the real fans” and basically made a mockery of the human race. We didn’t know all the words, didn't dance enough, wore strange clothes, had too many celebrities in our midst. It was clear to every out-of-towner, including the members of the band apparently, that we were incapable of a truly emotional response to the music, and undeserving of a performance that would warrant one (nice Catch-22 right there). Indeed, many comments made by Thom Yorke during the show were interpreted to be put-downs of the audience – and they might very well have been.

Fast forward to last night. It’s 7:30pm, a gorgeous day of 75, there’s still light in the sky, and The Shins have just taken the stage for their Hollywood Bowl debut. “Welcome to outdoor dinner theater.” Thanks - you, too! The Bowl is an unlikely venue for The Shins, and it was a point of curiosity how they would present themselves, and be received. They get going, and by “going” I mean they strum their guitars and pluck at their Nord Leads and stand at their mics opening and closing their mouths to renditions of their songs that are frighteningly identical to those found on their albums. They don’t much stray from the script, except for their ‘tween-song banter - “Y’all enjoying your picnics or what?”; “Man, look at that champagne! It’s more expensive than the shit we got!!”; “So, really, who’s got caviar here? Hold up your hands. See, I knew some of you all would have caviar! Is it good?!” Then it is right back to looking, what is it?, bored?, nervous?, omg maybe it really is bored! All said and done – minus that of the two 13-yr-old girls in the box behind ours – the reception to The Shins’ lackluster performance is, well, lackluster. The group clearly does not feel comfortable up there in front of the wine-/cheese-/caviar-gobbling L.A. crowd. Their loss.

45-min later, the eight members of Belle & Sebastian mount the stage, majestically reinforced by the LA Philharmonic. Frontman Stuart Murdoch - wearing a black rimmed hat and horizontally-striped black and white shirt not unlike those of a mime - begins: “Hi. We’re from Scotland, but we like to think of L.A. as a second home. Mind if we play some tunes for you?” Massive cheers erupt from the newly shaken-from-slumber crowd. The first few songs are pretty mellow, and after a handful Murdoch speaks again: “…maybe a little later you’ll have a dance with us?” Some cheers, but cautious and unsure ones at best. As the night progresses, though, things get a bit more interesting…

First, there is the lap: Murdoch, mid-song with cordless mic in hand, descends from the stage into the crowd, and proceeds to run up up up into the audience, deep deep deep into the second tier of boxes. He runs a huge arced path - at quite a healthy pace I might add – and he’s singing and smiling and, lookie here!, there are people from the audience now running behind him and singing and smiling and who’s this pied piper and what’s he doing to us? By the time he returns to the stage, the audience is electrified and a noticeable bop has washed over all.

A few songs later, Murdoch asks whether anyone in the crowd would like to dance with him and a moment later a girl from the front garden terrace is ushered onstage. He asks for her name, to which she responds “Baby Beeyatch” – lots of hooting and “hells yeah!” and the band is playing and orchestra jamming and Murdoch & Baby Beeyatch are tearing it up.

Later, Murdoch ventures out onto the semicircular catwalk that juts out from the stage into the boxes. He’s singing and dancing and then they’re all singing and dancing – the pied piper’s legions have returned and they’re also up on the catwalk, dancing a jig and freakin’ the piper and he’s singing and dancing and doing a damn good job at ignoring security’s futile efforts to peal fans off him.

Soon, anarchy is gaining a foothold: columns, twenty deep, of the smiling/dancing/singing are cascading down the aisles, bursting through walls of ushers and pushing farther and farther towards the front. 20, 50, 100, 300. The whole bottom tier of the bowl is now jam-packed, a newly formed general admission pit bopping in unison. The aisles have long disappeared and so has the catwalk, crowned by undulating masses. The band is still playing but where are they? You can almost make them out amidst the scores of giddy celebrants who’ve made it all the way – they’re on the stage and the band is bravely plowing ahead while the conductor can only be described as incredulous and the strings and the horns and, yes!, the harpist are bowing and blowing and plucking their little hearts out.

The scene is infectious and sublime and 18,000 people ascend together. It is Basement Jaxx all over again, minus the big beats and clowns dressed as gorillas. It is Los Angeles reveling in the possibility of a band of foreigners taking them seriously and leading them as peers into the Promised Land. It is everything that’s great about our city: a place where the jaded are tough to awaken, but genuine effort is rewarded with handsome dividends. It is our secret, and one to which The Shins and legions of Radiohead groupies are not privy.

A night in the cemetary with Dr. Strangelove

We went to the Cinespia screening of Dr. Strangelove at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Sat. night. I’ve been hearing of these for years, but this was my first time. Holy cow, it was beautiful! What an amazing setting and group of people.

You hear “movie in a cemetery” and it just sounds freakin’ weird, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. First of all, the cemetery is gorgeous: bright green grass everywhere, with majestic mausoleums, hundreds of palm trees, and even a swan lake (although the swans’ perching on marble grave slabs was a little bit strange).

We got there nice and early and worked it so that when the gates opened at 7:30, we were ready with our car and jetted in, getting the best parking and lawn spots imaginable. Within half an hour, this massive square of grass was packed with blankets, lawn chairs, wine, cheese, and over 2,000 smiling faces. The DJ laid down proper background music, from prog to electro to sweet summer house. For the next hour and a half, we ate, drank, and grooved to tunes; the sun went down and the palm trees silhouetted against the dusk’s hazel sky. Firecrackers were visible off in the distance.

At some point the brainchild of the organization got on the mic: “Hi, everyone, my name’s such-and-such. Thanks for coming; a portion of your donation goes to film preservation efforts; blah blah blah… Every year for about two weeks around this time we have a group of very special visitors: the junebugs! They’re mating right now and, if you haven’t noticed already, they’re kinda sloppy fliers. So expect them to smack into your head and food for a few minutes, but don’t fret, they’re harmless and will only be out for 10-15 mins. Please be nice to them.” Sure enough, a few minutes later, those damn sloppy fliers let us be. lol

The film began around 9, projected on the side of a massive mausoleum, and the first thing I noticed was the incredible sound. It was all-encompassing surround sound in stereo, and it was as loud or louder than that in the top indoor theaters these days.

Even though I think Kubrick was one of the best filmmakers of our age, I still don’t like Strangelove. It reminds me of a bad joke that goes on far too long, and I feel the political commentary is lessened by the severity of the caricature it paints. Still, it was cool to share the experience of watching it with…

…all these amazing people. The crowd of twenty/thirtysomethings were cool, hip (but not too hip), and nice as could be. Even the organizers and people who worked the event were unusually mellow and friendly. Everyone was really respectful of and helpful to others. Everyone was allowed to do their own thing: eg, we sat next to Thandie Newton (from Crash) and not one person came up to her or bugged her all evening. People were lighting up all night, and by the end you could tell everyone was feeling niiice.

An amazing, anomalous find in LA. We’ll def be going back.

Radiohead @ The Greek, June 29

As expected, they were great. What’s amazing about Radiohead is how good they sound live, especially in an open-air venue. The sonics were crisp and impactful, and their range of produced sounds is astounding. Yorke was quite the showman – whining and screaming like only he can, and bouncing around like a pugilist who finds himself at an African tribal ritual. I’ve been following the setlists from this tour, and this one was pretty unique:

01 You And Whose Army?
02 The National Anthem
03 2+2=5
04 15 Step
05 Morning Bell
06 Arpeggi
07 Videotape
08 Kid A
09 Dollars And Cents
10 Street Spirit
11 All I Need
12 Nude
13 Paranoid Android
14 Bangers 'n Mash
15 The Gloaming
16 Idioteque
17 Follow Me Around
18 Everything In Its Right Place

Encore 1
19 There There
20 Down Is The New Up
21 The Bends
22 How To Disappear Completely

Encore 2
23 House of Cards
24 Lucky

The new songs were great. I was going in most looking forward to the new “Videotape”, which we heard, but it was massively upstaged by “Down is the New Up”. The band, as ever, continues to evolve and as soon as this song started, I was knocked back - it’s new ground for them for sure. In it I hear jamband sensibilities: major chords, upbeat tempo, vocal harmonies. Then, of course, it’s made their own with Yorke’s signature drawl and that gorgeous but slightly eerie piano riff that comes in midway through. Check it out (from an earlier gig): Down is the New Up.

“Idioteque” was a standout - wicked beat and the whole place was bouncing, dancing. “Paranoid Android” was extremely powerful, throwing down the full force of their angstful energy. “Everything in Its Right Place”, of course, had the place going off – everyone singing along. “Street Spirit” was a huge surprise and beautifully done. Same with "The Bends". The only thing I felt was missing were the early songs from Pablo Honey – I don’t think they played one.

From a fan review this morning online: “Mr. Yorke stuck it to a few people demanding Creep, explaining something to the effect of, ‘all the monkeys are asking for creep...that's SOOOOO yesterday.’” :lol

Good shit. Will def have to catch them next time around, as many years as that takes. In the meantime, I can’t wait for the new album – I think it’ll be their best since Kid A, easy.

--------------------

PS Here are a bunch of bootlegs from the recently completed tour: Radiohead live 2006