Whether it's another commercial-free '70s rock block on the radio or '80s night at XS, people love to celebrate decades past, and I can dig that.
Catwoman, Hello Kitty, Yusuf Islam - whether through black spandex, lunch boxes or folk music, each of these feline enthusiasts have made meaningful contributions to the rich landscape of American pop culture. But not the Pussycat Dolls, who, with "Doll Domination," continue to claw their way through the ranks of tightly clothed MTV inventions with high-cut skirts and lowbrow R&B. "Bottle Pop" features some typically smooth lines from Snoop Dogg, and there's also a song called "I Hate This Part" - the girls showcase their command of irony. A little piece of my soul withered away when I heard this album. Still, this kind of music can't kill the Pussycats - they have nine lives.
Innocence is like a dollar bill in a busted vending machine: Once it's gone, you aren't getting it back. So Jenny Lewis, whose up-until-now enduring image was that of a blue polka-dotted Southern belle, might as well kiss her Dorothy-esque appeal goodbye. "Acid Tongue" gets its title from the line, "I've been down to Dixie and dropped acid on my tongue." A thousand clean-cut boys in Middle America have just lost their princess. Freed from the burden of virtue, the prodigal daughter blossoms in this den of foot-tapping hell-fire. In "The Next Messiah," her sultry voice slithers atop bluesy guitars when a male voice chimes in: "I'm gonna give my love to you on a day you gotta bring it back." Our little girl is a full-grown tramp.
"Oh, that stupid bitch is mine." Now before you make any snap judgments, know that this line comes from a song called "Errant Dog." Get it? It's funny - or at least Ben Folds thinks so. On "Way To Normal," Nashville's longest-running jokester walks the fine line between kitschy fun and tasteless humor with twelve politically incorrect songs designed to challenge the gag reflex. "The Frown Song" and "Dr. Yang" play like dumbed-down, cheesed-up New Pornographers outtakes - frenetic, hyper-pop of the most hummable order. "Bitch Went Nuts" uses the phrase in a more conventional sense and adds a shot of gratuitous profanity for good measure. Call it a guilty pleasure if you'd like - the track has more hooks than a fishing charter. Get it? Hooks? Fishing charter? Ben would think it's funny.
I'll bet your mother told you a lot of things when she was teaching you how to dress: Don't wear white after Labor Day, match your shoes to your purse, wear everything in moderation. But did it ever occur to you that maybe your mom was wrong? Well, not wrong so much as dated. Mom grew up in another time period all together. And grandma? Doubly true. So I think it's time to go back, reanalyze those cardinal fashion sins and decide which ones need to be cast aside.
College students' participation is crucial in deciding which way the presidential elections will swing in November, according to voter registration groups such as Why Tuesday? and indie-rock band Death Cab for Cutie. To encourage students to vote, the band partnered with voter registration groups to organize the Ultimate College Bowl.
Just as the 21st birthday girl has become a fixture in Gainesville nightlife, so has "that guy," the one who ends up getting kicked out of the bar every time he goes out.
Anal sex. There, I said it. If the notion makes you clench up, I suggest you stop reading. Like, now.
In a national phone conference, comedian Sarah Silverman schleped over to a phone to discuss the season two premiere of "The Sarah Silverman Program" on Comedy Central and her voting campaign called "The Great Schlep," which favors Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. For more information, check out sarahsilverman.comedycentral.com and thegreatschlep.com.
Kevin Nowak, Liquid Limbs guitarist and vocalist, gave an unusual forecast for the band's Saturday performance at The Atlantic. He promised a "razor sharp set of mind-blowing volcanic riff tornadoes."
I'm a clean guy with dirty habits.
Indie rock group The Walkmen somewhat defy their so-called "indie" branding. With with heavy influences from Bob Dylan and The Kinks, The Walkmen combine emotional lyrics with a throwback to classic rock roots, which doesn't exactly fit into the "indie rock" box - especially since the band crosses genres with songs featured films such as "Spider-Man 3" and television cult classic "The O.C."
Balancing responsibility and still managing to go out is one of the biggest problems facing college students. Between classes and bills, it sometimes seems as though fun takes a backseat.
For Chadwick Stokes, former guitarist of the acoustic-rock group Dispatch, anti-war songs like "The General" weren't enough. Stokes wanted something sharper when it came to political issues. He found this edge in bassist Chuck Fay and drummer Mike Najarian. The three formed the politically charged reggae-rock band State Radio.
The three greatest things to possibly come out of Gainesville: Emmitt Smith, Gatorade and Against Me! It might be surprising to learn that the resident punk heroes eat at The Top, listen to The Streets and are playing a benefit show for the Civic Media Center this Sunday at Common Grounds. Yeah - not very anarchist of them. But lead singer/songwriter Tom Gabel also does interviews while dodging traffic. Now that's more like it.
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings keep it cute and awkward as two teens getting to know each other in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," a one-night, feel-good frolic through New York City. In between tickling and throwing things at each other, Cera and Dennings chatted in a national phone conference about their new movie, which opens Friday.
Reggae-hip-hop band Funkatron defines its name as "the musical creation and expression of five individuals' hearts and souls."
If you ask my friends, they'll be the first to tell you that I'm definitely not a politically active person. My knowledge of the presidential candidates is shallower than a kiddie pool, but with the shambles our nation is in, I thought it would behoove me to catch Friday night's debates. After all, what better way to learn about our potential future presidents than watching them civilly duke it out on national television?
I'm an optimist when I look at transportation: If it's faster than walking, it's good enough for me. Stopping never comes to mind.
A fantastical view of the world's sleazier characters, "Choke" is a surreal softcore porn movie where the story is better - and more appealing - than the sex but just as graphic. Self-proclaimed sex addict and medical school dropout Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), cons people into loving him by pretending to choke at restaurants and having others save him. He then uses these people for money to keep his dying mother, Ida Mancini (Anjelica Huston), in "nice" hospital facilities. Content in this wayward lifestyle, he meets his mother's new doctor, Paige Marshall (Kelly Macdonald), who, with an almost angelic demeanor, manages to turn Mancini's life upside down by telling him he might be Jesus's half clone forged from the ancient holy foreskin. It's pretty mind-boggling.
Solutions by The State News
