Chewy Donuts and Evil Bunnies

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

Goodbye John Chamberlain, the artist died yesterday at the age of 84

2011-12-22T07:07:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the art world lost one of it's foremost sculptors, John Chamberlain, an artist widely known for his use of abstract expressionist works featuring vibrant colored metal from automobiles. Mr. Chamberlain has lived locally in Shelter Island, N.Y. for a number of years and I had the chance to meet him and hear him speak about his work a few years ago at Jack Larson's Longhouse Reserve when he showed up as a substitute for Chuck Close who couldn't make it. John was a really friendly guy and I thought it was fascinating hearing how he developed his style after different attempts at other creative endeavors such as music and drawing. It was at Larry Rivers Southampton home where he found his craft which continued to advance over the years. I've seen a number of his works in person over the years and they are supremely American in every way regardless of how you read them.

Here is a link to his NY Times obituary: John Chamberlain, Who Wrested Rough Magic From Scrap Metal, Dies at 84

3 Ghosts @ The Beckett Theatre

2011-12-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Carol is a story which has been adapted repeatedly since its premiere in 1843, but the Pipe Dream Theatre Company’s interpretation of the story as a steampunk musical entitled 3 Ghosts, might be one of the most original. The musical is as clever as it is creative with a very youthful cast and strong original music by Collin Simon with lyrics from Elizabeth Muller who also does a great job as the ghost of Christmas past.

The real heart of the musical is the music, which occasionally intermingles melodies of well known Christmas songs, and when the cast is tight as is the case in the Christmas past and future segments, it’s terrific. As in any production of the story, a strong Scrooge is key and Elio Lleo does a terrific job as well as some of the supporting cast such as Katherine Murphy as Mrs. Cratchit and Brady Lynch as Belle, both of whom rose to the occasion both vocally and dramatically. The set design is a bit sparse, especially considering the steampunk motif, but the costumes and staging helped along with the unique portrayal of the ghost of Christmas future as a group of masked, coalescing dancing performers.

The show certainly has some issues, most notably the lack of microphones causing some of the less vivacious singers to be almost inaudible, but luckily it’s an intimate theater and the musical’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses thanks to an ardent ensemble and some engaging choreography. 3 Ghosts is currently playing through December 23, so if you are in need of a little Christmas spirit sci-fi style, its well worth seeing.

3 Ghosts runs at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, through December 23. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.theatrerow.org/thebeckett.htm.

From: shortandsweetnyc

Wyclef Jean with special guests @ The City Winery 12.11.2011

2011-12-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

Wyclef Jean played an intimate show at The City Winery Sunday night which featured a hometown Haitian vibe thanks to few of his close friends, none of whom I had ever heard of but all of whom were interesting. The show was uncharacteristic for the former Fugee as it began acoustic and built up to a legit Carnival closing number which managed to get the conservative wine crowd off their seats to dance. The former Haitian presidential candidate is an entertaining performer regardless of what audience or type of show he's performing but he might be the best in this type of small setting as he was passing the wine down from the stage and joking with the audience throughout the show.

Occupy Dickens

2011-12-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a glimpse of Occupy Port Jefferson during the Charles Dickens Festival, conceptually I think it's a pretty good fit, who knows the plight of the working man better?

"I had no advice, no counsel, no encouragement, no consolation, no assistance, no support, of any kind, from anyone, that I can call to mind, as I hope to go to heaven!"

It seems a bit arbitrary for a small town on Long Island to celebrate an author like Dickens but it's better than the worlds biggest ball of yarn and Elvis's Toenail besides it seems to really be taking off this year. Below are a few photos from the parade earlier tonight, as Tim Needles says "It's the best four minutes Port Jeff has seen since Thomas Edison's Magic Lantern demonstration".

TEDxBrooklyn

2011-12-02T04:59:00.000-08:00

Watch live streaming video from tedx at livestream.com

TEDxBrooklyn streams live from Brooklyn Bowl with speakers such as: comic Eugene Mirman, artist Tara McPherson, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, and musicians Eclectic Method so it should be interesting. The full schedule is on the site here: TEDxBrooklyn

The Title Design of Saul Bass

2011-11-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

The Title Design of Saul Bass from Ian Albinson .

"Design is thinking made visual."

In addition to creating logos for companies such as: AT&T, The Girl Scouts, Continental Airlines, and Warner Communications designer Saul Bass is also an icon when it comes to graphic title sequences in film and here's a terrific short piece on some of him most renowned titles for film.

Graffiti Queens

2011-11-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

I stopped off at 5 Pointz in Queens yesterday to check out some of the new aerosol art that's been put up, there were a bunch of artists out painting and some really cool pieces- it's amazing what you can do with a can of spray paint these days!

Miranda July is Learning to Love Me More

2011-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

This week in my classes I took inspiration from artist and filmmaker Miranda July's learning to love you more project and had each student in my AP Art class create an inspirational banner and post them around school. Here's the example I did for class in our courtyard's outdoor classroom.

Here's the class assignment from my school blog: Artroom161

Japanese design: Eirakuya

2011-11-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

In preparing for a talk on contemporary Japanese design I recently gave at The Japan Society I was gathering some examples from one of my favorite shops in Kyoto, Eirakuya, which is one of the oldest companies around being founded in 1615 during the beginning of the Edo era in Japan. The company began as a cotton wholesaler and developed into a retailer as well with name taken from the Eirakuya Tsuho crest which was sewn into the company's ancestor's ceremonial court robes. Their colorful, graphic designs mostly on Japanese scarfs are some of my favorite examples of the ancient Japanese visual elements persisting in the modern day (much of the designs are reprints from the 19th and early 20th century) and the products themselves range from printed handbags to scarves which I find are exquisite and suitable for a frame.

Miranda July @ Symphony Space 11.16.2011

2011-11-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night Miranda July was in town at Symphony Space to perform a few scenes from her new book It Chooses You which was just released by McSweeney's this week. The book details her real-life interviews with people she met through the Pennysaver while trying to complete the fictional script for her most recent film The Future. A host of veteran Broadway actors joined her on stage standing in for her subjects as photographs of the actual interviews were projected and Miranda occasionally interjected to give context to the situations.

I have to say that the performance was one of the most entertaining and informative of all the many Selected Shorts performances that I've seen so the two hours felt more like 10 minutes. The dialogues themselves were both funny and moving sometimes in a truly meaningful way as she managed to really engage the people she met. The people, who as July pointed out mostly don't use computers otherwise they'd be using Craigslist, had encounters that revealed some inner truths about themselves and in doing the interviews Miranda in a sense does the same. The final interview ended up helping her complete her screenplay for the film as she hoped the process would and the subject and his interview appear in the film with the main character stepping in as July. By the end of the evening I felt like July was a kindred spirit and her honesty about her artistic process was enlightening.

If you haven't seen the film, here's a recent review I wrote - The Future

Art Deco Superheroes

2011-11-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

I came across Grégoire Guillemin's fantastic Art Deco versions of superheroes via io9, terrific stuff!

The Beach Boys - Smile Sessions

2011-11-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Beach Boys - Smile Sessions

The most famous unreleased album in rock history, The Beach Boys Smile, is now unreleased no more and in addition to being a source of wonderful and well crafted songs like “Good Vibrations”, “Surf’s Up”, and “Heroes and Villains”, the 5 disk edition of Smile Sessions also contains a wealth of material that helps you understand the musical genius involved in the creation of the groundbreaking work. To be fair Brian Wilson did put out a newly recorded version of the album a few years back but there is a special magic in hearing the mythical Beach Boys 1966-1967 version finally completed.

There are a few sublime treasures in the album itself such as: the beautiful “Wonderful”, the astonishing solo version of “Surf’s Up”, the angelic opening to the album “Our Prayer”, and of course the classic “Good Vibrations” and “Heroes and Villains” complete with a wealth of sessions from the songs. The sessions give a great deal of insight into the music with Brian Wilson directing the musicians and sometimes learning as he was going but it also shows his professionalism and dedication to the tedious process as opposed to the out of control lore which has been told over the years.

If you’re a real Beach Boys fan or a true music aficionado this is certainly a must have release and it’s amazing that the album was this close to being finished and never released over the years. Even if you’re not a die-hard the album is well worth a listen if nothing else it inspired a host of musicians ranging from contemporaries such as The Beatles to modern masters such as Animal Collective.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

I photographed 11 elevens today around northern Long Island for 11.11.11

Japan Society Workshop on Technology in the Classroom

2011-11-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was honored to have been invited to speak at The Japan Society in Manhattan to a group of educators about technology in the classroom and contemporary Japan. I put together a new page on my website with some of the materials that I presented in class that might be of int rest to teachers or technologists out there.

The six hour course when over some specific ways to incorporate technology as a tool in class without losing focus of the content and featured some great inspirational information from groups like: RSA Animate, Dan Pink, and Brainpickings as well as some of the photographs I took in Japan over the past few years. I created a series of lessons which incorporate teaching Japan into the basic principles of design which will be posted on their website shortly. Also the society offers an unbelievable 3 week summer Study Tour to Japan for educators that is well worth checking out, it'll change your life!

Here is the link to the workshop pages: TimNeedles.com

Here's more information on the Japan Society's Social Networking Project: Going Global SNS

Soledad O'Brien's The New Promise Land: Silicon Valley

2011-11-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to speak with CNN anchor and Smithtown High School East alumnus Soledad O'Brien at a special VIP event at Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Grill which featured a screening of her new documentary The New Promise Land: Silicon Valley earlier this week. As a teacher in the district I know O'Brien has shown her support for her alma mater so I was happy when it was recently announced that she would be returning to a newly revamped version American Morning in January but her new documentary has a number of teachable moments educators might want to use in the classroom as well.

When you’re asked to think of Silicon Valley icons, people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg come to mind, but if your asked to think of African-Americans in Silicon Valley most people draw a blank and O’Brien’s new documentary looks at a group of people that are trying to change that. The documentary which airs on CNN this Sunday, November 13 at 8pm is the latest from her Black in America series and focuses on a group of 8 black technology entrepreneurs from varied backgrounds living together in a summer incubator program which facilitates and helps prepare their product demos.

The documentary is informative beyond even the racial question as it outlines that path that is taken from getting the concept of a product down the path to pitching the demo to investors and even Anthony Frasier, CEO of the video game app Playd, and an entrepreneur featured in the film told me “it’s really just about putting out a great product.” Nevertheless, like anything else, who you know is key and the incubator fast tracks the group toward pitches at Google headquarters and in front of numerous potential investors with interesting and mixed results.

The racial questions that the film stirs up are interesting and the idea that Silicon Valley is a land of “white college dropouts and Asians” is put to the test, but identifying the reality of what it takes to make it in the industry is certainly interesting to watch. There's a number of lessons to be learned from the program and parents and teachers can reference a handy guide to the film's educational angles at CNN's ed guide here: Silicon Valley Guide

Soledad O'Brien Speaks On The Importance Of CNN BIA4 from ICED MEDIA on Vimeo.

For: Short&SweetNYC

One Foggy Morning

2011-11-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

Here's some images of my drive to work in yesterday's fog it was as gorgeous as it was dangerous

PRATT Cats

2011-11-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some images from my visit to the PRATT Institute this week for a school conference day activity. It was great to spend some time with the professors and sit in on some of the classes, they have a terrific campus in Brooklyn with some outstanding facilities! I really love how there are cats roaming around on campus and how they even have there own entrance into the building, awesome!

A Guide to Hip Hairstyles: Find It In Nature

2011-11-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend I came across this group of Scottish Highland Cattle at one of the vineyards out on the North Fork of Long Island and bonded over our very similar hairstyle- it's always nice to come across like minds, even with cattle.

Illustration Friday: Fuel

2011-10-25T05:02:00.001-07:00

Port Jefferson Scarecrows Learning Hard Lessons

2011-10-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Looks like some of the Port Jefferson scarecrows spent a little too much time at Billy's Saloon this weekend...

The 2011 Hamptons Film Festival

2011-10-17T10:50:00.001-07:00

This year's Hamptons Film Festival was as eclectic and interesting as ever with a host of different documentary and narrative films in theaters scattered throughout the Hamptons. In addition to the films they hosted a number of talks with: David Bailey, Harry Bellafonte, Rufus Wainwright, Matthew Broderick who had a strange incident when an audience member started pleading for help because she was being spied on after taking on the Catholic Church, and Susan Sarandon caused a stir of her own at the festival when she referred to the pope as a Nazi on stage. The festival also included an installation on Georgica beach created by land artist Jim Denevan. I had a number of my students volunteering at the festival but managed to see a pair of terrific film "My Week With Marilyn" which was hauntingly beautiful with a amazing performance by Michelle Williams and the terrific "The Rum Diary" based on Hunter S. Thomson's early adventures in Puerto Rico with Johnny Depp again playing the lead.

Creators Project in DUMBO 10.15.2011

2011-10-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

DUMBO was packed Saturday for this year's Creators Project which featured a huge array of art, film, music, and food all free of cost courtesy of Intel and VICE magazine. There were a number of highlights such as performances by Four Tet and Florence and the Machine under the Manhattan Bridge archway and Atlas Sound's show in the refitted Tobacco Warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge which also housed the amazing LED light art installation "Origin" created by the UK's United Visual Artists’ collective.

The "Life On Mars Revisited" piece by David Bowie, Mick Rock, and Barney Clay was also impressive with it's immersion in sound and visuals as well as art pieces such as "Six-Fourty by Four-Eighty" by Zigelbaum + Coelho which gave a voice to individual pixels and the "The Global Photomontage" which projects images from everyone at the festival who tags their images in Instagram making for a truly participatory artwork.

Jackson Browne @ Westbury Music Fair 10.12.2011

2011-10-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

The audience had a self-appointed elevated presence at Jackson Browne's solo acoustic benefit performance at the Westbury Music Fair on Wednesday night shouting out numberous marriage proposals and birthday wishes between the calls for songs in every moment of potential silence. Browne who took the stage framed by a keyboard and just under 20 guitars realized early that he may have opened up Pandora's Box when he mentioned an earlier performance at the Music Fair in which someone shouted out an obsure song request that he played which eventually helped lead him in the direction of the new format sans setlist.

The mellow, sentimental sound did not pair well with the abrasive shouting but didn't spoil the night as Browne played two sets of songs ranging from lesser known gems like the recent "Off Of Wonderland" and the seldom played "Sing My Songs To Me" to his mainstream hits such as "Running On Empty". "The Pretender" and "Doctor My Eyes". One of the unfortunate consequences of all the crosstalk was that it cutback on Jackson's storytelling inbetween songs but he did manage to tell an amazing story leading up to my personal favorite "These Days" about playing a show with Tim Buckley early on in his career and ending up at a wild party in Stony Brook. He said "everywhere I went people just kept looking at me and I was like- what? and for a while I was thinking, well, I guess they never seen anybody from California" but then realized everyone was on acid. He closed out the show with a short encore featuring the aptly timed Little Steven song "I Am A Patriot".

Panda Bear @ Webster Hall 10.1.2011

2011-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox of Animal Collective) performed at Webster Hall last night to a packed house and while his layered electronic sound paired with echoed, harmonic vocals often brings to mind The Beach Boy's Brian Wilson, as a performer the effect was much more akin to Pink Floyd especially with the visuals projected on stage which were created along with director Danny Perez.

It was one of the rare shows which was more of an experience than a performance with its repetitive, trance rhythms and hallucinogenic images and I'd argue that the best place to enjoy it might've been toward the back of the house as opposed to the front. Overall, the hour-long set felt more like a acid, indie, hipster, new-age church than a rock show as the young NYU audience soaked in the sound sprinkled with a few older music aficionados such as former Talking Heads simger and artist David Byrne. The show closed with a short encore which included the crowd favorites such as "Comfy in Nativa" and "Bros" followed by a funky visual of repeated, distorted faces as the sound lingered and the stage fell dark.

John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders @ City Winery 9.23.2011

2011-09-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

The lastest installment of John Wesley Harding's "Cabinet of Wonders" was performed at City Winery on Friday night with an eclectic group of musicians, writers, and comics but noticeably absent was Harding's cohort Eugene Mirman. The event featured: Andrew VanWyngarden (lead singer and guitarist of MGMT), comic Todd Barry, Eleanor Friedberger (lead singer of the Fiery Furnaces), author Jami Attenberg, record producer Tony Visconti, and children's singer Dan Zanes.

The evening was as intriguing and enjoyable as one might expect although the packed house of wine and flatbread customers may not have been as enthusiastic as the attendees in Harding's former location in the village. There were a number of highlights throughout the evening but it was the wonderful variation of performances which always makes the cabinet a pleasure to attend. One of the early high points in the show was producer Tony Visconti's reading from his memoir about producing David Bowie's Young Americans during which he met John Lennon and mentioned his experience with arranging The Wings "Band on the Run" for Paul McCartney and not getting creditied which spurred John to cancel his plans with McCatney for the following day because "Paul is a C*nt".

The comedy portion of the show is always a personal favorite and although he didn't attend Eugene Mirman managed to get the whole crowd laughing with some hilarious films and comic Todd Barry who you might know from Louie or the film The Wrestler had a good time making fun of the snootier side of the audience with Riesling jokes mixed in with some of his regular material. Dan Zanes contribution was also quite memorable and the former Del Fuegos singer had no problem keeping his adult audience amused with a few wonderful songs with backstory that was just as interesting such as his story about his favorite version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" sung by Pete Seeger at an anti war rally (which he also dedicated to singer Joe Pernice who had to drop out of the show due to illness).

But it was clear from the audience's reaction that the performance they had come to see was MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden who began by saying it was the first time he had performed solo. He started off with crowd favorite "Congratulations" and kept the audience delighted with a few covers: The Beach Boys "A Day In The Life Of A Tree", Epic Soundtracks' "House On The Hill", and The Only Ones' "Someone Who Cares". His set was followed by the cast rendition of T.Rex's "Hot Love" in which Tony Visconti played bass and VanWyngarden fit perfectly as his voice seemed to have a similar timbre to Marc Bolan's, finally they closed with a cover of Kevin Ayers "Singing A Song In The Morning" which also featured Dan Zanes on spoons.

Beirut @ Terminal 5 9.22.2011

2011-09-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last night Beirut played the second of their two shows at New York's Terminal 5 to a packed house of notably young and/or European fans. Stereolab's Leatitia Sadier opened up the show and as soon as singer Zach Condon and the band hit the stage it was obvious that they were on top of their game with a spot on sound. They played a little over a hour and a half and the set included most of their fan favorites such as: "Postcards from Italy", "Elephant Gun", & "A Sunday Smile" as well as a number of tracks off their new album The Rip Tide. While the songs have a tendency to sound repetitive, they're still terrific and the band changed it up occasionally keeping it interesting. The show was one of those rare times when an artist played a number of songs off the new album and the crowd was overjoyed to hear it.

Interview with Skid Row's Sebastian Bach

2011-09-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

After fronting the notorious 1980’s metal band Skid Row for 9 years, multi-platinum recording artist Sebastian Bach moved on to a solo career releasing a number of albums as well as starring in roles on Broadway in productions such as Jekyll & Hyde and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He has also appeared on television in a number of shows including: Gilmore Girls and SpongeBob and the Clash of Triton as well as a number of reality shows such as: CMT’s Gone Country (which he won), MTV’s Celebrity Fit Club, and VH1’s Supergroup. His new album Kicking & Screaming will be released on September 27.

I first have to ask you about your house, I read that it was wrecked from Hurricane Irene, that’s terrible!

Yeah, great, it’s gone, it’s condemned.

That’s unbelievable. What were you able to salvage from your house?

Well, anything on the top level was ok. My comic books and my dad’s art and my scrapbooks and my family memories, those are all fine, nothing happened to that. Stuff on the second level that I lost, I lost like my stereo and a bunch of shit. On the main level there’s water like up to my knees there and everything in the basement is pretty much a write-off. I got the KISS gargoyles from the 1979 tour, I got those out of the basement because they are Styrofoam so they were floating on top of the water, which looked pretty crazy, and some things I got out by luck. It’s a horrible scene, it’s making us all sick. We’re down there, you know, wearing masks and it smells like fucking hell and even the stuff that I pull out of the water I don’t even know if it’s salvageable because it’s just so wrecked. It’s a horrible thing, I didn’t know getting flooded was so rotten, it’s really horrible. I’m living in a hotel right now. I’m a homeless rock star! It’s ridiculous, my kids are homeless, it’s fucked, everything’s fucked, how’s your week going? (laughs)

Yeah, it’s amazing on Long Island we were expecting it bad but New Jersey got hit hard, it’s crazy.

Yeah, I live right across from a reservoir and the reservoir overflowed and I didn’t have a drop of water in my basement for over 20 years and now it completely caved in, like one side of the house there is no foundation. The house is condemned, we’re not even supposed to be going over there to get stuff out but I gotta get my KISS gargoyles, fuck that! (laughs)

Well you mention KISS and I know from reading about Skid Row that essentially KISS was sort of part of why you guys fell apart, because the rest of the band thought Skid Row was too big to open for KISS and it was ironic that Skid Row went on later opening up for KISS anyhow after you were out of the band. Did you guys resolve that? Do you talk to those guys at all?

No, I don’t talk to them at all, I have a new record, Kicking & Screaming that comes out on September 27th and I’ve been making new music, my album before that was Angel Down and I’m just making new music, that’s what I’m doing. I’m really proud of the new CD, I think it sounds fucking killer, have you heard it?

Yeah. What I find interesting is that it’s even harder than I imagined, it’s pretty cool.

Did you hear Angel Down?

Yeah.

I think Angel Down is probably a harder record but you know, I’ve always surprised journalists with how heavy [the sound is], I remember when we put out Slave to the Grind, every interview was like, “This album is so heavy, this album is so heavy” that was back in ’91. I think Slave to the Grind might even be heavier than Kicking & Screaming I don’t know, but it’s got really heavy production from Bob Marlette.

Yeah, it has a little bit of an old school feel, early almost Soundgarden kind of feel to it, but then it’s also contemporary at the same time.

Well that’s cool. Well you know when you’re making a record in 2011 it’s completely different than making a record in ’89. You know back in ’89 when we wanted to cut in a part of a song we actually had to take a razorblade and cut the tape and put in the tape of the other song. There was no such thing as Pro Tools or anything like that, so now it’s a completely different method of recording a record. We just did it a couple of months ago so it sounds like it’s brand new because it is brand new.

You know it’s interesting, you’ve seen the industry change so much going from this analog stuff to the digital stuff and when you started out it was still real “sex, drugs and rock and roll,” you know, metal was huge and sort of dipped down a bit and changed and came back. When you look back at the changes, what stands out to you?

The internet is the biggest change and when it first happened I thought it was going to be all bad for music, but it turns out at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s all bad because when we go on tour in South America or whatever, everybody knows the brand new songs just as good as the old ones and that’s gotta be because of the internet, you know. I don’t think the radio stations are playing Angel Down in Ecuador as much I remember, maybe they are, I don’t know, but I gotta see that it’s from being exposed to the music on the internet and so I think that it gets your music to the fans very quick and that’s really awesome so that’s the biggest difference to me. Also, touring is completely different now. Most of the promoters are just really into this reunion tour kind of thing and it’s very safe and about selling beer and I don’t know, it seems weird to me but that’s a big difference too, but those are to two big differences I’d say.

Yeah, actually I read that your first single was free this week on Amazon.com, that kind of thing must be huge in terms of getting the music out there, right?

Yeah, everybody can go get it for free, I don’t know if it still is but that’s an awesome thing. I don’t understand the internet that much, I kind of just let it go, I let other people tell me, I’m like “why the fuck’s my song free?” and they’re like it’s killer dude, it’s great, don’t worry about it and I’m like “okay, you guys know better than me.”

Does that stuff impact you at all financially? I’ve always heard that musicians don’t make that much off the albums compared to touring, does giving away a song like that impact you or not really?

No, I think it’s a promotion kind of thing. You do get paid for your royalties on plays on the internet so it’s kind of like a big radio station. I didn’t know that but you get royalties when your songs are played on the internet which is kind of cool. I got a check for that and I thought it was a fake check, I was like “what the fuck is this- internet plays?” and it was real and I was like “that’s killer!” I didn’t know that, just like radio, you get paid for that, it’s amazing so the internet is not all bad.

Another thing that I’ve heard from rock stars is that you have “the songs” that you have a relationship with and you have to play them night after night- you have “18 and Life” and “I Remember You,” do you get sick of those songs?

Yeah, I do, I do because I’ve been playing them since I’m 18, 19 years old but I still love the songs. It’s just more exciting for me as an artist to do something new than something really old. I think that’s basic human nature but I still love the songs, I consider myself lucky that people want to come hear me sing a concert and I’ll do the songs they want to hear. I don’t want to go see a band and not hear the songs I want to hear so I understand, so it’s not a big deal. A song like “Piece of Me,” I’ve done it so many times, I can’t tell you how many times, (sings) “Sleazin’ in the city I’m looking for a fight” I’ve been doing that my whole fucking life dude so when I do a new song like “Kicking & Screaming” it’s more exciting. It’s like when you go to an amusement park and they got a new roller coaster, you’re obviously going to have more fun on the brand new one than the old crickety, crackety one in the back that you’ve been on a million times, you still have affection and memories for the old, wooden Coney Island coaster, you know- “oh, I remember this- fuckin’ hurts going around the corners, oh I love this spot” that’s kind of like what it is, but I’ll take the loop de loop Green Lantern 3D fucking ride any time.

I also wanted to ask you about reality TV. You’ve been on a bunch of different shows and I was just wondering what your perception of being on those shows is.

Well, reality TV shows really are a pay check to be honest with you, but some of them are far better than others. I did go on the train wreck show Celebrity Fit Club but I took it very seriously and I lost like 30 pounds and I never gained it back, I’m still under 200lbs and almost 6’4” and I learned how to eat on that show and I learned stuff that I didn’t know so that show was probably the best show that I ever did because it transformed my body, now I can wear the cool fucking clothes that I got so you know that’s a very good thing that I did that. Some of the other shows were disappointing to me like Supergroup. I didn’t understand the director’s cut on that show at all but some people liked it but I didn’t really like it. Some of the shows are better than others, I did a really cool show with John Rich called Goin’ Country that I won and then I did some TV that’s not reality TV like the Trailer Park Boys which is totally fucking hilarious that I get noticed for a lot, a lot of people are getting into the Trailer Park Boys and Gilmore Girls I did for a long time which was a lot of fun but TV, that’s not my first love, rock and roll will always be my first love.

When you are out doing shows now, do you see a good number of people become fans from that kind of thing or is it more the old school metalheads?

Mostly it’s the metalheads but I do get a lot of fans that know me from television too, but you know it depends on what part of town I’m walking around in. If I’m walking around in the village in New York City it’s Skid Row, if I’m walking around in a high fashion area, little girls will come up with their moms and it’s the Gilmore Girls, they’ll be like “oh, you’re that guys in the Gilmore Girls.” If I’m with a bunch of pot-head stoners, it’s the Trailer Park Boys, they fucking love that shit, they’re like “you got any model trains?” They quote the lines to me and shit and I get that a lot now, that’s a funny thing. I get a lot of black people that know me from Celebrity Rap Superstar which was a show I did that was not a great show but a lot of black rappers watched that and they’re like “you’re the fucking white guy who knew how to do it- that’s you” and I’m like “yeah, that’s me.” They all laugh and remember that show so yeah, I’ve done a lot of different kinds of shows, that’s for sure.

You’ve had a relationship for years with a lot of the guys in Guns N’ Roses. You guys both came out at a similar time and you have a lot in common. I know you’ve had your ins and outs with Axl Rose but you guys are good now and you even went out for Velvet Revolver but it didn’t work out because Slash said it sounded too much like Skid Roses. You have your distinct vocal sound and you’re able to continue on but how do you feel about it when you see other musicians lose a lead singer and try to make it after things fall apart, it’s gotta be tough?

Well I can’t really concern myself with other musicians really I can only do my own thing and I just think that music is a form of self expression and you can only express what you have inside yourself. You know my dad was a famous painter, he taught me that, about looking inside yourself and expressing what’s in your heart. Everybody’s situation is different and I just know that I ain’t getting any younger, so to me the most important thing is putting out really good CD’s because that’s what’s going to be left for the world to listen to when I’m dead and that’s the way I look at it and here’s a new one for ya and hopefully I’ll get to do another new one real soon. I mean, to me that’s the most important thing. It’s like a form of immortality. You leave behind your music and people listen to it forever and ever. I think that’s an amazing thing, really amazing so that’s my first focus and goal all the time.

That’s a good way to look at it. I know you’re out on the road now, what’s the future look like> What are you up to now?

We’re putting together a tour for America before Christmas and then Europe in January and February.

From: Short&SweetNYC

A Sunday at the Beach

2011-09-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

I decided to play fashion photographer Sunday morning at Cedar beach and took some photographs of Melissa in a dress she made earlier this week.

Panda bear - "Alsatian Darn" Video

2011-09-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the new video from Panda Bear of Animal Collective done by Ori Toor. I think I can watch this one for eternity if I forget to look away.

StoryCorps September 11 Animations

2011-09-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

Story Corps and The Rauch Brothersput together a group of very moving animations based on first hand stories from September 11 that I showed in my classes today, heartbreaking but a wonderful memorial!

FILM REVIEW: The Future

2011-09-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

When you hand an artist a crayon they will draw you their world and in Miranda July’s case, her world teeters between the desire to be animalistically wild and domesticatedly digital as illustrated in her new film, The Future. The plot focuses on a thirty-something couple Jason (Hamish Linklater) and Sophie (Miranda July) as they deal with a very relatable mid-life dilemma and its consequences, but its framed through several very surrealistic elements such as the film’s narrator, the couple’s adopted cat Paw Paw who is awaiting the couple’s return at the veterinarian clinic.

Much like July’s first film, the wonderful Me And You And Everyone We Know, the film is infused with her special sense of creativity, humor, and whimsy as the characters deal with their own loneliness, sexuality, and commitment issues in their attempts to find themselves. July wrote and directed the film in addition to starring in the leading role and manages to succeed in producing a very idiosyncratic and original film which prevails even amid its utter strangeness at times. The film was originally born out of one of July’s recent performance pieces and puts July in a class with filmmakers like Spike Jonze and Todd Solondz who manage to marry the avant-garde with the everyday in a signature way. The Future is a film which represents the time we are living in with all its glory and bemusement yet centers on a classic narrative and while your parents may still think it’s too strange your friends are likely to love it.

From: Short&SweetNYC

And the trees came tumblin down

2011-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the scene on the morning after Hurricane Irene, a few moment ago my neighborhood eruped with the sound of chainsaws and sirens and the town was out taking care of the mess and making it look easy with this great tree crushing payloader. There's some flooding and some downed trees but in all I've seen rock concerts do more damage.

Celebrity Autobiography @ Guild Hall 8.26.2011

2011-08-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

East Hampton's Guild Hall was loaded with celebrities Friday night for a special one-night performance of Celebrity Autobiography just a few hours before the town was threatened to be hit by Hurricane Irene. The play, which recently ended a 3 year run off-Broadway in New York, featured celebrities performing outlandish and odd excerpts pulled from other celebrity autobiographies and starred: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Mario Cantone, Joy Behar, 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit, and Tovah Feldshuh as well as creators Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel.

The irony of celebrities mocking celebrities with additional celebrities (such as Alec Baldwin and Bob Balaban) in the audience was entertaining in itself but the over-the-top drawn out performances by Cantone and Lane paired with the dry delivery of Broderick and Adsit made it a terrific evening. Sex was the starring theme of the evening with highlights ranging from Broderick’s take on Tommy Lee’s oral sex advice to Cantone’s killer portrayal of Liza Minelli’s sensual relationship with Geraldo. Some of the most lurid tales came from the ladies such as Joy Behar’s reading of Madonna’s sexual encounters and the grand slam cast closer with the full cast reading the multiple perspectives involved with Debbie Reynolds, Liz Taylor fiasco regarding their multiple husbands and lovers.

Preparing for Hurricane Irene on Long Island

2011-08-25T20:55:00.001-07:00

Went out to the local Walmart earlier to grab some last minute supplies for Hurricane Irene on Saturday but it appears like there was a run on the store for anything useful. I did manage to get a memo pad with Belushi on the cover wearing the college seatshirt from Animal House though (hopefully he'll help keep my house together!)

826 Haiku

2011-08-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Wrote a '826' haiku today for 826NYC & the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company celebrating National Youth Literacy Day.

Blue Point Brewery Anniversary featuring The Mickey Hart Band

2011-08-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Blue Point Brewery in Patchogue celebrated their 13th anniversary Saturday with a great all day show featuring plenty of brews, BBQ, and a show with Jam Stampede, The Michael Glabicki Trio with fellow Rusted Root members Preach Freedom and Colter Harper, and The Mickey Hart Band. The Michael Glabicki Trio played some Rusted Root classics like "Send Me On My Way" and "Ecstasy" as the sun set and the music lasted late into the night with Mickey Hart showing off some new material based on the sounds of the universe as well as some Grateful Dead classics such as "Scarlett Begonias", "Fire on the Mountain", and "Casey Jones"

Summer Reading

2011-08-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today I started my annual end-of-the-summer beach book, this year it's a
comedic anthology from filmmaker Judd Apatow entitled I Found This Funny which supports the 826 National program and features stories from authors such as: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Franzen, Sedaris, & Eggers as well as some fun stuff from the likes of: Conan O'Brian, Miranda July, & Judd Apatow himself. So far it's been a great read and a nice distraction that summer is going so fast!

Interview with Grateful Dead drummer & musicologist Mickey Hart

2011-08-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Drummer Mickey Hart joined the Grateful Dead in 1967 becoming one half of the infamous ‘Rhythm Devils’ with fellow drummer Bill Kreutzmann. After singer Jerry Garcia’s death and the band’s dissolution in 1995, Hart continued to play with his remaining Grateful Dead alumni in The Dead as well as a project with Kreutzmann known as The Rhythm Devils and his own Mickey Hart Band. In 1991 his Planet Drum project spent 26 weeks at the #1 slot on Billboard’s World Music charts and earned Hart his first Grammy award. Hart has continued to play with a variety of different musicians as well as authoring a number of books on the power of music and percussion and has been working with the Library of Congress and The Smithsonian to preserve recordings of music from around the world. The Mickey Hart band will be presenting some of their new material based on the sounds of the cosmos on August 18 at The Brooklyn Bowl and on August 20 The Blue Point Brewery in Patchogue, NY.

It’s been over 15 years since Jerry Garcia’s passing and Grateful Dead’s parting, you’ve gone on to do a number of different projects but when you look back at the Dead do you gain any perspective on the band’s legacy?

Well, one of the things that’s kind of unbelievable is that the music is still vital, that people still love it and they want it. Its longevity is surprising. I kind of knew it had power, but seeing the response to it these days and after all these years is very gratifying. That’s one of the things about the power of music, some music, it lasts a long, long time and when I look back, I think we did a good job.

Yeah it’s amazing, I teach high school and you still see the Grateful Dead shirts and groups of fans.

Well, there’s new fans that have cropped up and that’s even more important, the younger generation have been touched by it.

Yeah, the bands influence, just the footprint of the band is sort of amazing. You’ve influenced a lot of groups, some sort of directly like Phish but I was listening to Howard Stern the other day and Lady Gaga was on and she said she was a big Dead head and wrote a song about it. You must have some interesting perspective on that, were you aware of Lady Gaga being a big fan?

I had no idea that Lady Gaga was into our music at all but it crosses a lot of different demographics you know I actually talked to a Navy Seal a few weeks ago and he was in SEAL Team 5 and he said “yeah, thanks for all the years Mickey” you know that kind of stuff coming from a Navy Seal, it’s all over you know; politicians, business people, it’s hard to imagine that the band made such a deep impression on so many different kinds of people; republicans, democrats you know, all kinds of folkways.

Yeah, it’s tremendous. After the Grateful Dead, you worked with a number of different bands but what was it like getting the recognition of receiving your first Grammy award for the Planet Drum Project?

Well at the time it was very uplifting especially for percussion, you know the first Grammy was for percussion actually, it was very uplifting to know that rhythm and percussion was taken seriously and it was nice to be recognized by your peers. You know, we did it just with voice and drums, that was always the dream in the old days, that’s what I always wanted to create, a new kind of gamelan, a new kind of orchestra and Planet Drum was the beginning of that series. You know Global Drum won a Grammy as well and it was very gratifying.

I know you’ve done some really important work with percussion and The Smithsonian as well as The Library of Congress. What first got you involved in doing the recordings?

Well my specialty is digital transfer and I’m also deeply into ethnic music that lives out there, the worlds’ music, so my work at the Library of Congress and now with the Smithsonian has to do with that. Part of my collection will be released in a few months on Smithsonian Folkways, 25 of them will be released in a few months so it celebrates the worlds’ music and I’m very proud of that.

That’s terrific. What I find amazing after reading about you is that you were influenced by these world musicians really early on. From what I understand, in high school?

Before high school, when I was a kid, when I was about 6, 7, 8 years old I was listening to Pygmy music from the Ituri rainforest so it was way before high school I was teething on these marvelous voices from the rainforest. I just love that music out there. Western music was great: I love the blues and I loved rock and roll when it first started, big band music, Latin music- I was a lover of music, still am, nothing’s changed. Except now my appetite has gotten more sophisticated, but I’m still hungry for the worlds music. I listen to music every day, I love sound, I love noise, I love music, I love playing rhythmic music, and rhythmic noise has always captivated my imagination, so there is nothing new about that, it’s just part of the journey. It’s the same thing I’ve been doing since I was 3 years old but you know, this is just another progression we’re doing now with this new band.

You’re talking about the Rhythms of the Universe project?

That’s what we are doing now. This band is built around the Rhythms of the Universe, and this band has to do with the sounds from the epic events of the universe.

It’s really an interesting idea. What gave you the inspiration to take that on?

Well all my books: Drumming at the Edge and Planet Drum all started with the first beat, the first sound which was the big bang 14.7 billion years ago. There were no instruments to measure the sound of it back then, until recently we really couldn’t go back that far in time to the beginning of creation, the beginning of time and space, the beginning of the universe. But the thought was to sample the light waves that came to us from those epic events. Radio telescopes have brought us these wave forms and then we crunch those wave forms, turn the light waves into sound waves, and then be able to manipulate them and play with them, make music with them. This band celebrates that and we’ll be playing some of these amazing pulsars, supernovas, big bangs, black holes, the sun, the moon, the Earth, Saturn, all of these marvelous spheres.

That’s really interesting. What has been the response from the scientific community?

Oh, they love it. You see, science, they weren’t really into the sound of it, they see it as wave forms and numbers so when I, it’s called sonification, when I started to sonify it they were amazed. I became good friends with George Smoot, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for the discovery of the big bang in 2006, so George and I are partners in this endeavor, so yeah, the scientific community is very enthused about it because not only can you see it but you can hear it so it brings a whole other dimension, a whole other dynamic to the creation of the universe.

It’s pretty exciting.

It’s really exciting, I’m thrilled by it and like I said, this band was built to play those rhythms and those sounds and Robert Hunter wrote beautiful songs that go with all of it and it’s a dance band, it’s got vocalists, lots of rhythms, bass, guitar, drums you know, it rocks!

I’m looking forward to hearing it. I know you’re on tour and you’re going to be coming to New York for a couple of stops at the Blue Point Brewery and Brooklyn Bowl. I know you were born in Brooklyn- did you live in Brooklyn at all?

No, no I mean I did when I was a little kid, I was born in Brooklyn for sure but I left when I was really, really young.

So you have no memory of it. What was your experience like growing up on Long Island?

Yes, I remember that, I went to high school on Long Island at Lawrence High School and then I left and dropped out of school as a senior and went to Europe.

And how did you eventually get together with the Grateful Dead at first? I know you were with the band really early on.

I was at the Fillmore watching Count Basie and someone introduced me to Bill Kreutzmann and they were The Warlocks, they had just changed their name to The Grateful Dead. Bill and I just hit it off and he asked me to sit in with his new band and that was it, the magic was there and we didn’t look back, it’s been 45 years or something more.

Catch The Mickey Hart band August 18 at The Brooklyn Bowl and on August 20 The Blue Point Brewery in Patchogue, NY.

Cass McCombs @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 7.21.2011

2011-07-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

If I said there was a weird vibe at the Cass McCombs show Thursday night at The Music Hall of Williamsburg I'd might be understating the fact. The show began with a set from Lower Dens whose ethereal sounds led by Jana Hunter’s deep vocals seemed right at home with the crowd but the tone changed as Cass and crew hit the stage even amid a packed house of adoring fans. McCombs opted for darkness throughout his set with no stage lights aside from backlighting derived from light boards against the rear of the stage which resembled Modrianesque honeycomb shapes which occasionally fluttered as they blinked.

Playing in darkness seemed to fit McCombs mellow musical style but for some reason things just did not jive as the band played some of their notable songs such as “Dreams Come True Girl” and “County Line”. The band’s sound wasn’t hitting the mark and their playing seemed almost confrontational at times as McCombs continually asked for his vocals to be increased even though they were already painfully loud, additionally the occasional Ray Manzarek vs. Nirvana keyboard solos seemed downright angry. A good portion of the crowd tried hard to buy-in to McCombs vision as rolling “shh”ing erupted through the crowd in-between songs but it became almost laughable at times. By the time McCombs hour-long set concluded without an encore the audience was already pouring out into the sweltering heat of the night wondering why the band seemed to hate them.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Sarah Vowell's Great Speeches and Other Outbursts @ Symphony Space

2011-06-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended an event entitled "Great Speeches and Other Outbursts" at the Symphony Space uptown put together by author and NPR favorite Sarah Vowell to benefit 826NYC. The event had a host of well know comedians and actors reading famous and infamous speeches throughout history ranging from Vowell's own version of Chief Seattle's 1854 speech addressing concession of land to Daily Show comic John Oliver's version of John Cleese's eulogy for fellow Monty Python actor Graham Chapman to This American Life host Ira Glass's rendition of a speech from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The event also featured performers such as: Eric Bogosian, Amy Sedaris, Bobby Cannavale (The Mutherf***er with the Hat), and The Daily Show's John Hodgman (The PC guy) & Wyatt Cenac.

The pinnacle of the evening was the re-interpretation of the famous interview Woody Allen did with the Reverend Billy Grahm on his television show in the 60's which I posted below and featured Cannavale as Allen and Bogosian as Grahm as well as the rest of the crew acting as audience members. In all it was a pretty amazing evening which aided a great charity with a number of highlights such as a very emotional performance from Eric Bogosian, an awesome interpretation of Teddy Roosevelt by John Hodgman which featured push up and jumping jack breaks, and as Philip J. Fry said, a whole lot of "smart-making".

A Family Portrait

2011-06-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

A Family Portrait from on Vimeo.

Here's a wonderful, dark little short animation on taking the family portrait from a terrific UK artist Joseph Pierce

New Music Reviews: Death Cab For Cutie, My Morning Jacket, & Eddie Vedder

2011-05-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today we saw albums released by Death Cab For Cutie, My Morning Jacket, & Eddie Vedder so here are my reviews of each. We begin with the winner and champion: Circuital by My Morning Jacket.

My Morning Jacket- Circuital

It’s not often one comes across an album such as Circuital, the most recent production from Kentucky rockers My Morning Jacket, but it’s a glorious thing when it happens as the 10 tracks feel at first listen like a classic album deserving a place in the archives of rock-n-roll. The songs are musically complex, compelling in content and often beautifully melodic with singer Jim James soulful, far-off voice leading the way and stringing the tunes together cohesively.

The title track and first single, “Circuital”, is one of the clear standout tracks as it balances mystical, mellow passages with more assertive, brighter segments reminiscent of fellow southerners The Allman Brothers Band. This is followed by two more stirring, harmonious songs: “The Day Is Coming” which exchanges a lead guitar for a keyboard bringing a more popular music feel and the emotive, gorgeously sung and produced, “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)”. The album then changes gears with “Holdin On To Black Metal” and “First Light” both of which are louder, with a 1970’s inspired sound retaining an impression of a live show. This is followed by another brilliant grouping of songs: the upbeat “You Wanna Freak Out” leading directly into a bluesier “Slow Slow Tune”, followed by “Movin Away” which closes the album with a sorrowful, cinematic, slow motion wave goodbye.

It’s not just the songs themselves, it’s the spirit of the album and it’s insightful, inflective lyrics that really lift Circuital to the level of classics from bands like George Harrison and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Eddie Vedder- Ukulele Songs

The ukulele is so hot right now and Eddie Vedder is part of the reason why. Vedder first used this instrument on the his first solo release, 2007’s Into The Wild soundtrack, and now he is following it up with an album that focuses exclusively on the instrument, Ukulele Songs. Whereas the first album leaned toward the triumphant, this one tends to linger in melancholy as Mr. Vedder’s musical exploration leads to an eclectic collection of songs. Despite it’s instrumental focus, both the covers and the original songs range in style, length, and content.

The 16-track album has a number of noteworthy songs such as “Without You,” a great cover of the classic “More Than You Know,” and the first single, “Longing to Belong.” Vedder maintains a sense of playfulness as he includes some very short snippets of music and mess-ups like the eight-second “Hey Fahkah.” He also winds up making some sweet songs sorrowful, like his darker version of “Dream a Little Dream” as well as some sorrowful songs sweet such as the gorgeous “Sleeping by Myself.”

The album also features guests such as Cat Power on “Tonight You Belong to Me” and The Swell Season’s Glen Hansard on a great rendition of the Everly Brothers song “Sleepless Nights.” Overall, the effort comes across as very personal as the Pearl Jam frontman strips down the production and leaves us with a collection of songs that are a balance of both heavy and light hearted.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Death Cab for Cutie- Codes and Keys

Transition abounds throughout the new Death Cab for Cutie album, Codes and Keys; the album focuses on some of the changes the band has been going through as well as marking a change in the band’s sound and approach with a very different and noticeably more positive outlook. Death Cab became well known years ago as the melancholic indie band from Washington with a dark romantic edge but after fourteen years and six albums it’s apparent things have changed.

The album opens with “Home Is a Fire”, a promising track that is reminiscent of singer Ben Gibbard’s side project, The Postal Service, with its quick digital percussive beats. While the Postal Service feel is welcoming, the song, and much of the album, embraces a new level of sonic echoed ambiance which the band has been delving into increasingly over the years. The result is a bit confused, while the song works it does seem to be lacking the emotional potency of what Death Cab has always been known for but it hasn’t managed to find some equivalent musical or emotional elements to give the music power.

This point is true of much of the album which dives deeper into the echoed 80’s pop, spacey sounds often with less success in songs like “Unobstructed Views” and “Underneath the Sycamore”. The irony is that some of the lyricism on the album is the bands finest and manages to salvage songs like “You Are a Tourist”, which is wonderfully written and worthwhile despite its unoriginal sound which brings to mind 80’s radio hits like Eric Johnston’s “Cliffs of Dover”. There are a few other songs on the album that work in a more complete sense such as “Monday Morning” which has a plethora of interesting guitar and synth sounds and is presumably about Gibbard’s new wife, singer and actress Zooey Deschanel of Elf fame as well as “Portable Television” which has a quicker tempo led by upbeat piano chords.

The overall result is confusion in terms of the album with a few good songs for fans and a few more radio friendly tracks for coffee shops and banks. With this transition the band has been going through, the new sound and feel appears to be more of a stopping point and less of a destination for the band, anyway, let’s hope so.

For: Kevchino

Creative Vandalism

2011-05-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

I love this short, expressive vandalism.

FILM REVIEW: Submarine

2011-05-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

The name Richard Ellef Ayoade may not be familiar to most Americans unless they are fans of the British TV comedy The IT Crowd, but cinephiles should learn the name and how to pronounce it (eye-oh-WA-dee) because his directorial debut, the dark, coming-of-age comedy Submarine, will soon be hitting the screens and it’s likely to make a big impact. The film, which was produced by Ben Stiller, is a smart and quirky take on a familiar story as it follows a teenager, Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), as he attempts to get through high school without being beat-up or humiliated, get a girlfriend, lose his virginity, and save his parent’s relationship.

The film’s humor stems from its spot-on timing and accurate portrayal of the self-centered, anomalous realities of being a teenager but the film also balances the humor with a genuine teenage love story among the shallow, worn out adult relationships that surround it. It’s smart, witty, heartfelt, and at times downright cruel but honest and might be best compared with Wes Anderson’s Rushmore. The cinematography is as impressive as the writing as the well-composed shots often feel deserving of a museum wall. The songs, by Arctic Monkey’s front man Alex Turner, are wonderful in their own right. The characters are unique and the story is relatable even as it leans towards the eccentric at times. To sum it up in a word, one might borrow Ron Weasley’s catchphrase, “Brilliant!”

For: Short&SweetNYC

Interview with director Chris Paine

2011-05-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

Chris Paine is the director of the new documentary, Revenge of The Electric Car, a follow up to his 2006 film Who Killed The Electric Car. In addition to directing Chris has served as an executive producer on films such as William Gibson: No Maps for these Territories and 2003’s Faster. He also founded the internet company Internet Outfitters and co-founded Mondo-tronics, which produces robotic materials. I had the chance to speak with him out on the balcony of the new Trump SoHo Hotel shortly after his film premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival where it became one of the notable standout films.

How did in your interest in electric cars begin?

Well, my bicycle broke down and it was cheaper to get an electric car than fix my bike up. That’s my joke answer, but my real answer is that I wasn’t really that interested in cars but then I heard that Paul MacCready, who had done the Gossamer Albatross, the bicycle powered plane when I was just a kid in the 70’s, that he had designed an electric car and I’ve got to drive it. It was a pilot program and I applied to it through GM and I didn’t get in but then the cars went on sale about a year or two later and I bought one. The first day I drove it off the lot I went, “wow, the future’s arrived!” This car was like nothing else you’ve ever driven, it was every fantasy I’d ever had of what cars could be as a little kid and I just got, I drank the Kool Aid as they say. I think that’s why it’s so exciting now because people are finally going to get a chance to drive the cars, they may not be quite as fast as the General Motors EV1 was but even that Nissan Leaf, you can get that EV1 feeling when you’re driving, like “wow, this is so much cleaner and [there’s] just something about it, you feel it!” so that’s what got me in.

Watching your most recent film, Revenge of The Electric Car, really evokes a feeling of excitement about the possibilities of electric cars. I had watched the previous film, Who Killed The Electric Car, which ends on a disappointing note, so it’s so nice to see how things have changed in the last few years. How far away do you think we are from a real mass-market acceptance with electric car in America?

I think we’re probably looking at 5 years before the price comes down to where a lot of people can jump into it. I mean $32,000 before tax credits is still expensive for most people but there are so many markets that already put these cars up, I don’t think they’ll have any problem selling inventory especially with gasoline at $4 a gallon, they’ll be able to sell these cars and this will infiltrate. You’ll begin to see it kind of like the Toyota Prius [at first it’s] “oh, this stupid looking Prius and then 3 years later it’s like, God, there sure are a lot of Priuses around”. I think this will happen with the electric car, especially [because] it’s going to be everyone from BMW to Ford with their Focus EV, this is coming from a lot of directions.

It’s exciting. One thing I think, I thought about when I saw the film, having been to Japan and seeing Nissan’s approach in the film, is that other countries might step on the technology first and kind of drive America a little bit, just because they can put out the stations really quick and it’s less than of a “red tape” issue.

I think the station installation n the US is one of the fastest in the world. I keep expecting to see a station or an electric car off this balcony. There’s a lot of money in venture capital right now flowing into this stuff and the right wing wants it because they don’t want to be permanently dependent on a bunch of idiots and empower the Middle East. You can already see where the Libya disruption went and that’s a fair movement, it’s already hurt the price of oil and its way too much dependency for us. The left wing wants it because they know it can be cleaner and I don’t think the obstacles to getting infrastructure are quite as big as people think in the US. It’s true that places like Japan, China, and other countries, in theory, have the ability to do this thing the fastest but I bet you it happens here faster in the US.

That would be interesting to see.

Yeah it is, you know we went to Japan to find the Mitsubishi iMIEV, they were originally in the movie and it was like it almost didn't exist. We finally found some, we spent a whole day looking for them, 8 or 15 cars parked at TEPCO, ironically, and we went, “wow, this is a lot of hype they're feeding into the U.S.!” I wish Mitsubishi every success, I think their car is really viable but the car companies use the electric cars to try and “green” the rest of their cars, this is what Toyota did with the hybrid. It's part reality and part bullshit but the lucky thing about the electric car, I think, is that it is such an upgrade for the total car experience that it won't go away, this time.

In terms of the film, I know that you're an enthusiast and you're also a filmmaker, but what comes first, where's the film going to go? Is it going to be a big theatrical release or do you just want to get it out there?

I just want people to see it. Last time we did a deal with Sony and once you sell it to a studio they lock it down in their own business plan. Sony did a decent job putting the film out there but what really helped that film was Internet adoption and people saying “hey, did you see this movie?” and to this day you can't even get that movie on Netflix streaming.

Yeah, I know it's shocking!

It's like, come on Sony, can you please do that? So our producers want to make sure that it doesn't get locked up again and if that means we miss a big theatrical release, it would be painful to me. I feel it now because we're buzzing right now, we're the hot movie today and tomorrow people don't remember us but I'd rather see us have more freedom with the movie than give it up to the man.

What made you choose TriBeCa as the place to premiere it?

Oh because this is New York, it's just, the media and you're here and Earth Day was here.

Yeah, it was nice to premiere the film on Earth Day.

We knew we could probably get Bob Lutz (Former vice chairman of GM) or Carlos Ghosn (C.E.O. of Nissan) and Elon Musk (C.E.O. of Tesla Motors) to all come here and if we had opened at South by Southwest, which was our other option, we may not have gotten that triangulation. I had an interview on MSNBC with one of the main programs and it was because it was Earth Day so…

Yeah, that sounds like good timing, it was nice having David Duchovny moderate the discussion with those guys after the film. How did Elon and the different people involved with the film feel about how they were portrayed?

Oh, they all liked it. Carlos wanted us to know that he wasn't betting “the whole” company on the electric car and you know Dan Neil (columnist for The Wall Street Journal), who's usually the guy who says the most inflammatory things, he's sitting in the thing and I'm sure Elon is kind of excited that Dan Neil's prediction that he's going to lose his shirt may not becoming true. As a filmmaker sitting in a room like that, that these people who exist on video screens for 3 years, like you're playing a video game, suddenly they are alive and breathing and interacting with you, it almost scrambles your brain

Yeah, I can imagine, it's exciting as an audience member to have the cars right on the street after you walk out of the film and see how real it is, it's amazing.

It's fabulous, fabulous

You started out as an assistant for a Michael Tolkin, a big writer in the film industry, how did you feel about that experience and what did you learn from it?

Well, he did The Player and I thought if I have to live in Los Angeles, I at least want to work for a smart New Yorker. I'm from San Francisco so we're all supposed to hate Los Angeles but I slowly began to really like LA, a lot of great people came from NY and Michael was the right person to work for, he's just in the zeitgeist of American culture in some way but what I also saw in working for him was that a project could get locked up with studios. He did a film with Judy Davis I worked on for awhile and it just became a very painful process, the movie business was like walking through quicksand and you know what's happening? The Internet is happening so I jumped ship and I went off to play the internet game for few years and it kind of refreshed me on two things- one, getting out of the baby boomer quicksand and two, picking up a younger generations energy for reinventing media
and so when I finally came back to filmmaking, I was lucky enough to have that double perspective and I didn't need to get totally beaten down by the film industry, which can be pretty punishing.

Yeah, actually it’s really interesting, I had read that you sold your internet company, and I guess that must give you a lot of insight into internet marketing and just knowing what’s out there. I mean the internet is the future of film in some sense.

Yeah

It’s real, I’m a film teacher so I see the change in the students, Netflix has changed the world.

Yeah, and it’s really good for documentaries

Yeah, that’s what we find ourselves often watching.

Because a lot of times the studios hold back on what you really want to see on Netflix “oh, I’ve seen all those movies- oh that new documentary, okay, I’ll watch that” and that documentary, you’d never put on your list if you could’ve watched the new Harry Potter or something.

I also read that you co-founded a robotic company that you did work for the Mars robot?

Yeah, my friend Roger from high school got me involved with his company doing a Nickel-Titanium wire, like muscle tissue made out of metal and one of the designs he sold to a NASA group that did the Pathfinder. It was used to basically dump, dump solar panel, off of the top of the spectrometer because there is so much dust on Mars. I still think that was one of coolest things, something we touched is sitting on Mars

That’s amazing!

Well, maybe it won’t be so amazing in 50 years when Elon Musk is landing on Mars with his family or something. So yeah, like what you’re doing, that Joseph Campbell thing about “following your bliss” and not just hitting your head against the wall, I’m just lucky that the passion happened to line up with what I like doing…at age 50.

Well, it happens, you know? I understand, many people don’t ever have that so it makes a difference, it’s great to see this film is out there. There is a big jump from your previous film, the production value is so much nicer, the title sequence is terrific, it’s a sleek movie. I thought its nice because the content of the original film was so good, that now with the new film, the production value really matches the content.

Yeah, and we had the luxury of technology moving ahead in the last 5 years, we didn’t have the budget for that the first time. Plus, the first film depended on, as you said, a lot of investigative type camera work which means shitty cameras and this time we go well “we have our one day with Carlos here so I’m going to rent camera that’s $2000 with a beautiful lens with a camera operator that know how to operate it” and it makes a difference, you know, it’s hard to get stuff like that on an iPhone 4 video camera.

How did you manage to get the access that you did? I was shocked that someone like Elon was willing to put himself out there in the way that he did, it actually makes him look stronger in a sense because you see him bounce back, it makes him more human as opposed to a lot of the corporate people who are just “corporate faces”, how did you manage to get that?

Well, I met Elon Musk at like Burning Man or something years ago and he’s just a remarkable guy and I think he had seen the first movie and I think he felt the same way about what happened to the EV1 and he had the means, after Tesla I said “I’d like to track your story, if you’re serious about Tesla, I’ll buy one of your damn cars” and he make an instinctual choice that I wasn’t going to fuck him over and let me in. After you film for a couple of years people just begin to trust you. It was dicey for him, especially with some of his communication people when they got into their IPO because if things got out, that could’ve really adversely effected the IPO pricing. Our deal was nothing gets out until 2011. Elon is just brave, but you know, Bob Lutz is brave too.

Yeah, I was surprised with how honest Bob was.

Yeah, that’s why I put in that whole thing about risk adverse communications, whenever Lutz was doing stuff, his handlers were all around him and they’re like “oh Bob don’t hit on the girl at the Detroit auto show while you’re on camera”. Bob doesn’t give a shit, he knows that people are attracted to raw charisma even if they sometimes don’t do something PC or whatever.

It’s refreshing to see especially form someone from like GM, we’re so used to seeing the opposite where it’s just closed down.

Exactly

Yeah, and I have to ask what cars you’re driving, I know you bought a Tesla from the movie.

I bought a Tesla 3 years ago. They had my money for a whole year and that’s why I was worried about putting a scene in the movie because it makes me look like some rich guy that just buys electric cars but I go well, I am a true believer, you know, I might as well out myself so there I was. I’ve since bought a Volt and had to pay full retail price for these fuckers and they are nice cars and part of the reason I did it was, I don’t believe in spending all your money on cars but because I do college tours and stuff like that, everyone and their brother calls me [and asks] “what did you think of that car?”, I didn’t want it to be just based on a movie, I wanted to see and it’s kind of expensive but it is worth it. That Volt is a much nicer car than I thought even when I finished the film I’ve had it for 2 weeks now and I’ve driven about 500 miles on it, in California and used a gallon of gasoline and I think I’m understanding a little better why a plug in hybrid will work for so many more people than an electric car out of the gate, you know, you have to grow to an electric car for a certain kind of person.

Is it like a weaning process?

Exactly and it doesn’t mean its bad, the Prius is a weaning process, selling a Prius and buying a plug in hybrid is kind of a great moment.

Yeah, you know it was exciting watching the movie, I thought to myself, well maybe this is the last gas car that I will have and I’m looking into it and understand the fears you have as a consumer but it’s exciting to see that it’s only a few years away.

And I had a dear friend who she hates cars and she’s like, if I’m going to have car, it’s going to be a Zipcar, I don’t need to have a huge factory spend all this energy to make me my personal car and in fact, I took her into my electric car garage in California to impress her, “look it’s all solar powered, I’m all sun powered here” and she looked in the garage and there’s a Tesla sitting here and my old Rav 4 EV and she goes “don’t you have any bicycles?” Not one comment about solar energy or anything like that so I think that’s a great thing about generational change, you don’t need to own.

From: Short&SweetNYC

Katy Perry's Firework, High School style

2011-05-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

As a art and media teacher I appreciate the crazy amount of work that must've gone into putting this video together without edits, pretty impressive school spirit! It comes from Magnolia High School in Texas, apparently the cheeriest place in Texas.

Amazing time lapse footage of the skies

2011-04-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Check out this terrific time lapse photography footage from Norwegian photographer Terje Sorgjerd. He spent 170 hours photographing and at one point ended up in a sandstorm but it was well worth the difficulty.

Thursday

2011-04-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here's an awesome short film, Thursday, from Matthias Hoegg that was recently nominated for a British Academy Film Award. The design is terrfic and Sound Design/Music by Marian Mentrup really boosts the film

Egonomics

2011-04-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight my new comedic play Egonomics premiered of at the Northport Play Festival . I had promised to break at least one leg, possibly both but I think only broke a bone in my foot (and that was probably already broken). I did manage to win Best Actor in a Comedy which I'm really happy about and I have to thank my co-star Kevin Scott and assitant director Melissa Bellafiore for all their hard work!

The Beastie Boys are Back to the Future

2011-04-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Crane Madness

2011-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

Since we have begun to create a vast number of oragami paper cranes for the 1000 Crane Project for Japan last week I have had a number people ask about the largest and smallest cranes and above is a video of the creation of the largest, 268 ft 10 in wingspan, created by the Peace Piece Project at Hiroshima Shudo University, Hiroshima, Japan in 2009. The smallest on record was created by Assistant Professor Watanabe at Nigata University, Japan and it measured 1 mm by 1 mm. It was created using a microscope and sewing needle. So rather than beating either of those records maybe I'll just try to create the coolest looking crane...

2011 Newport Folk Festival Lineup

2011-03-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

I'm excited for the return of the annual Newport Folk Festival® this summer at Fort Adams State Park July 30-31. There lineup was announced today and is listed below and I was excited to see favorites such as the Decemberists, M.Ward, the Middle Brother crew (Dawes, Delta Spirit, and Deer Tick), and Elvis Costello are on the list after buying early bird tickets this weekend.

SATURDAY, JULY 30 ~ 11:30 am - 7:00 pm
The Decemberists Gillian Welch Earl Scruggs Gogol Bordello Ramblin' Jack Elliott Tegan & Sara Mavis Staples The Felice Brothers Delta Spirit Freelance Whales Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three What Cheer? Brigade The Devil Makes Three Song Circle with Dar Williams, Ellis Paul, John Gorka & Liz Queler The Wailin' Jennys Typhoon The Ebony Hillbillies River City Extension PS22 Chorus

SUNDAY, JULY 31 ~ 11:30 am - 7:00 pm
Emmylou Harris Elvis Costello Amos Lee M. Ward Wanda Jackson Carolina Chocolate Drops Middle Brother Justin Townes Earle The Secret Sisters Trampled by Turtles The Civil Wars The Head and The Heart The Cave Singers David Wax Museum Mountain Man The Seeger Clogging All-Stars BrownBird

Here's a collection on You Tube Videos of the lineup put together on pietonightcheese.com

Cold War Kids @Terminal 5

2011-03-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to check out the Cold War Kids play last night at Terminal 5 to a packed house that was moved from Radio City a few days ago. Fellow L.A. natives No Age opened up with a experimental set of sound and recieved one of the worst receptions I've ever seen with a constant barage of beer cups and garbage being thrown at them. But the Cold War Kids hour and a half long set was well paced and featured a number of songs from their new album Mine Is Yours as well as some of their classic tracks like: "Hang Me Up to Dry" and "Audience".

A Thousand Cranes for Japan

2011-03-20T18:35:00.001-07:00

Made a ton of paper cranes this weekend and photographed a few as a demo for the project I'm doing to support Japan in my classes this week, 9 cranes down, 991 to go! (if anyone want to make and photograph a crane, please do we'll be mosaicing the 1000 together and selling small prints with the proceeds going to the Japan Society's relief fund)

5 Questions for the director and star of Kill the Irishman

2011-03-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

I recently had a chance to talk with some of the director and star of the new film Kill the Irishman. Here’s a short interview with director Jonathan Hensleigh who produced films such as: Gone in Sixty Seconds and Con Air and was the screenwriter for films such as: Jumanji, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Armageddon and actor Ray Stevenson who you might know from his roles as: Titus Pullo in the HBO series Rome, Frank Castle/The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone, or as Roger Wesley, the private security guard who strips Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg of their weapons and shoes in The Other Guys. Both of these figures have had a good deal of success despite getting into the industry late so I spoke to them about the experience, their future, and the film which opened this weekend in New York.

Jonathan Hensleigh
I read that you started out as a lawyer and segued into a writer, how difficult was that process? Had you always wanted to be a screenwriter and director?

It’s been so long since I made the transition, I wanted to write professionally but when I was 18, 19, 20 I lacked the courage and I didn’t, I knew it was hard to break in and I didn’t want to spend those years of my life trying to do that, I didn’t follow my calling out of fear so I took the easier route. I practiced law for a couple of years and then I reached a stage of maturity and a financial state that I could make the transition and I did.

It’s really amazing, very encouraging.

Oh, well cheers!? I did it a little later in life.

Do you think that makes a difference in your work? That you were ready for it?
Yeah, absolutely. I think that I was, I broke in when I was 31 and I didn’t go to film school, I didn’t do anything, I just sat down and started writing scripts and screen plays. I had written a novel, I had written a three act stage play but I had not written screenplays. I just immersed myself and went after it.

How much did you think about the genre of gangster films while working on this because this film sort of fits in the genre in an interesting way? When I was thinking about the movie Goodfellas certainly came to mind but Kill The Irishman has its own place in this blue collar, “soda bread gangster” way that I haven’t seen before. Did you think a lot about the genre?

Yeah, you can’t not think about it, it’s impossible to make a picture like this and not have it in the back of your mind and it has been dominated by Martin Scorsese for good reason, you know the pictures are extraordinary. The pictures that Marin Scorsese has made about organized crime in this county are considered some of the finest films ever made in America so it’s daunting, it’s challenging you know but you gotta make a move so if I did anything to create a movie that stands on its own, I’m proud. I do think that Kill The Irishman does have, has a unique tone, I do and I think that it has a very, very nice set of performances by all the wonderful ensemble cast that you don’t see every day.

In this film was there a concern at all that you might have glorified Danny Greene too much?

Yes, yes and that was part of the internal debate and because there were a number of people in Cleveland, remember this didn’t happen that long ago so there are people that Dan Greene’s violent actions harmed who are alive and well in Cleveland, and Danny Greene was a violent man, he was a murderer but there is a duality to the human character at times. He is also a man who did subsidize the education of orphan children in Collinwood, he did pass out 50 turkeys on Christmas and 50 turkeys on Thanksgiving, it sounds quaint but these were acts of kindness that were very appreciated in those impoverished neighborhoods, so it really happened, you know, these are historically confirmed facts and we just tired to strike a balance I guess.

Ray Stevenson
You started acting a little later than most people, how hard was it to break in for you and how much does that change your mentality when approaching a role?

Well, it was the right time for me, I think early on when I would go to some audition meetings and I’d recognize everybody I lost jobs to people who are more recognized and indeed it still happens now where the money people will say “yeah but we want Nick Cage for this job because he’s going to bring us the box office”. That’s the nature of the business you know, you just gotta maintain your faith and know if it’s right. Acting is not a competition, it’s just got different rules and any business is the same- businesses make decisions for one reason or another, not [always] because this is the right product, like beta max, beta max was a far better system than VHS, but VHS won the war, you know it won the marketing campaign and now where’s VHS? But the people made their money from it so if you were a DVD back in VHS days, you’d [say] “why can’t they see how brilliant I am?” One day! Just suck it up and get on with it and enjoy your career that you’re having, cause that’s the one you’re having not the one you think you should be having
But you gotta be happy now, I mean this movie really showcases your talent.
Oh yeah, I’m very happy, it’s great, I’ve been able to keep myself busy for the next couple of years and I have a good body of work behind me. I’ve worked with some great people which it’s all about and I’ve got the biggest production happening in 3 weeks time, my second boy, yeah so talk about productions, that’s a big production, boom!

What other new projects do you have coming?

Three Musketeers in 3D is coming out at the end of the year, Paul Anderson directed it and it’s going to be a lot of fun, all sorts of flashing swords and everything and I get to bring my poor-thoughted- sexiness with a tendency toward violence. I know it sounds cliché, we’re fielding a few things at the minute, I’m at that position now where, it’s who I work with next and what we get involved with, it’s nice, it’s a great position to be in. I’ve got enough work now where people can see that I can change between- it’s not like in the next movie he wears a blue suit- Ken Branagh said (while filming Thor) “I know you’re a big strapping lad but I’m going to put you in a big fat suit you’ll be great!” My agent’s going “you know people won’t recognize you, what if they don’t recognize you?” I said, “I don’t give a damn!” I said who else is going to give me a chance to put on a big fat suit and ham it up! Right? It’s what we’ve been aiming for, now the industry out there in LA, they know me, moviemakers know me, it’s seeing what’s going to come next, who knows? I could play a midget, I’m classically trained, if they make everyone really big around me, it could be done. Will Ferrell played Elf, you never know, it could be a lady, a very tall, deep voiced lady, who knows, but it’s been great, it does veer from feast to famine that’s the nature of the beast. It’s good, I support my family and do what I love to do and that’s sort of the biggest complement you can ever get from life, that you get to do it.

For: Short & Sweet NYC

Vivian Maier, the unknown street photographer

2011-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here's an amazing story of Vivian Maier, a nanny who was a terrific photographer. Her work was found a few years ago by accident and is now being shown in exhibitons. The work itself is right up there with the best street photographers and really stands on its own.

Film Review: Kill The Irishman

2011-02-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

In the summer of ‘76 thirty-six bombs exploded in Cleveland’s escalating mob war with local legend Danny Greene, an Irish gangster who is the central character in director Jon Hensleigh’s new film Kill The Irishman. The film has a terrific blend of action, humor, and humanity as it tells the gritty, blue collar tale of a man who rose from the trenches to become a major crime figure with a Robin Hood appeal who eventually led to the downfall the mob’s network. It stars some well seasoned actors such as: Vincent D‘Onofrio, Val Kilmer, and Christopher Walken, as well as some up and coming talent such as Ray Stevenson who really rises to the occasion in his tough yet empathetic depiction of Danny Greene.

It’s hard not to compare the film to Scorsese’s Goodfellas because of the similarities in treatment and concept but ultimately Danny Greene makes Henry Hill feel like he came up in the nice part of town. The film contains some terrific performances that match the really tight storyline and the violence in the film is palpable thanks to the cinematography and sound design which make the audience feel every punch. The only real downside of the film is in its nearly unwavering glorification of Green’s violence and nefarious lifestyle but that being said it’s still a great film and one that will appeal to a wide range of viewers. In the genre of the American mobster works, this is a film that may not have a ton of subtext but it certainly stands apart with an original voice and will likely be a favorite to many.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Album Review: Radiohead - King Of Limbs

2011-02-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

The constant evolution of Radiohead’s musical identity has arrived at its latest incarnation in the band’s new album King of Limbs which offers a sound both reminiscent of the past while at the same time innovative and with a clear influence coming from dubstep. When the band first announced a new album release on Valentine’s Day even the most fervent fans found themselves surprised but less than a week later the 8 track download had arrived. The album is loaded with conflict both emotionally and in a musical sense with counteracting tempos and assertive persistence percussion featuring odd and intriguing tuplets. It’s is layered with waves of reverberating noise littered with speckles of hissing bits and backwards amputated sounds digitizing and modernizing Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” for the new millennium.

The album opens with “Bloom”, which sets the tone for the subsequent album and gives the listener the feeling of being thrown into the winds of a digital hurricane but despite the tension in the music the smooth and consistent vocals relay a sense of calm. “Morning Mr. Magpie” follows with bright, tremble guitar phrases and more oppositional lyrics addressing the magpie, a bird which is an omen of bad luck, stating that it’s “got some nerve coming here" and that "they’ve stolen all my magic” and “took my melody" allowing for a number of symbolic interpretations.

One of the best tracks on the album is “Little by Little” which opens with a dense musical intro reminiscent of 90’s era Beck and builds to evoke cinematic visuals and an emotional response which is evident in nearly all the band’s strongest songs. This is followed by the enrapturing “Feral” which is essentially a sonic painting replacing lyrics with fragmented sound layers and “Lotus Flower” which recalls Motown’s Funk Brothers classics with its offbeat clapping and tight hooked percussion married to sensual vocals.

The album rounds out with “Codex” which has an almost singer-songwriter feel, the melodic “Give up the Ghost”, and “Seperator”, a song which goes in really interesting directions with a vocal melody and paralleled guitar that feels akin to late 70’s/early 80s rock with it bright notes and pop appeal.

For: Kevchino

Film Review: Best Worst Movie

2011-01-31T07:17:00.000-08:00

The 1990 film Troll 2 is considered by many as the worst movie of all time and the child star of the film, Michael Stephenson, takes a look at how the film went so wrong and eventually turned so right earning a cult following in his new documentary Best Worst Movie. The film, which is really bad, isn’t the worst of all time but it certainly is incomprehensibly strange and unintentionally funny as proven in one of its trademark scenes in which goblins turn a woman into a plant and then eat her as a man screams “Oh My God!” (the clip has seen more than 2 million hits on You Tube).

The documentary on the other hand is fascinating as it tells the story of the legions of fans who have come to celebrate the film and catches up with the cast, most of whom have all but forgotten the film, and exposes them to a new world of niche celebrity. The cast and crew are a varied lot but overflowing with personality and always interesting, especially George Hardy, the charismatic dentist who played the father in the film and Claudio Fragasso, the passionate Italian director that still cannot bear with his film being called bad. The documentary does a great job of illuminating the humanity in each of the former cast members as they deal with their lives in retrospect and the sudden fame that the resurgence of the film brings them. The documentary wins over a crowd for much the same reason that the film became celebrated, its sincerity.

From: shortandsweetnyc

Can You Walk Straight?

2011-01-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

A Mystery: Why Can't We Walk Straight? from NPR on Vimeo.

Here's a really interesting animated short video from NPR about studies finding that humans have an inability to walk straight.

Ebert and the Idiot with a tripod

2011-01-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

I love this short collection a great shots that Queens resident Jamie Stuart put together during our most recent snowstorm, it's amazing how it effects me like a narrative film does with the precise editing and terrific cinematography. Now I feel guilty for staying in for 2 days and watching Netflix.

Roger Ebert helped get the short piece a good deal of attention and even went as far as suggesting that it should get a Oscar nod for Short Live-Action Film. Speaking of Ebert, if you haven't had a chance to check out his top ten list of documentaries for 2010 I included it below, some terrific films (2 of which I also included on my top ten list) and a number of them are on Netflix.

Roger Ebert's Top 10 Doc of 2010

Tim Needles top films of 2010

2010-12-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here are my top ten films of 2010. In terms of quality it was a pretty goods year for film and even a number of the big sequels like Iron Man 2, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, and of course Toy Story 3 stood the test as well as winning in the box office.

1. The Kings Speech
2. True Grit
3. The Social Network
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Other Guys
6. Inception
7. Black Swan
8. Restrepo
9. Exit Through the Gift Shop
10. Cyrus

Honorable mention goes to Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

The worst film of the year might be a tie between Sly Stallone's 100 minute masturbatory fantasy entitled The Expendables (which taught all of us, if nothing else, to moisturize because good skin doesn't last) and the impossibly odd and artificial chick flick Just Wright. Special mention goes to the 3D interpretation of Yogi Bear, a film which I didn't see but appears terrible and annoyed me enough in commercials that it warrants recognition.

Illustration Friday: Mail

2010-12-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

I think she's sad because they're thinking of grounding her on Saturdays soon

Tim Needles Top Music of 2010

2010-12-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here's my favorite songs of 2010:

1. Sleigh Bells "Crown On The Ground" [N.E.E.T. / Mom & Pop]
2. Morning Benders “Excuses” [Rough Trade Records]
3. Gorillaz "On Melancholy Hill" [Virgin]
4. Cee-Lo "Fuck You" [Elektra]
5. Arcade Fire “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” [Merge]
6. Vampire Weekend "Giving Up the Gun" [XL]
7. Das Racist “You Oughta Know” [Greedhead / Mishka]
8. LCD Soundsystem “I Can Change” [DFA / Virgin / Parlophone]
9. Kanye West "Runaway" [Def Jam / Roc-A-Fella]
10. The Black Keys “Tighten Up” [Nonesuch]
11. Lykke Li “Get Some (Beck Remix)” [LL Recordings / Atlantic Records]
12. Warpaint “Undertow” [Rough Trade]
13. April Smith and the Great Picture Show “Wow and Flutter” [Little Roscoe]
14. Broken Bells “The High Road”
15. Electric Wire Hustle “They Don’t Want”
16. Gold Panda “You”
17. Tokyo Police Club “Breakneck Speed”
18. Preservation Hall Jazz Band “Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out”
19. Avi Buffalo “What’s In It For”
20. Mumford and Sons “Little Lion Man”
21. The Walkmen “Angela Surf City”
22. Delorean “Real Love”
23. Ray LaMontagne “Beg Steal Or Borrow”
24. Delta Spirit “Bushwick Blues”
25. Band Of Horses “Factory”

and here are my favorite albums of 2010:

1. Sleigh Bells Treats [N.E.E.T. / Mom & Pop]
2. Arcade Fire The Suburbs [Merge]
3. Vampire Weekend Contra [XL]
4. LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening [DFA / Virgin / Parlophone]
5. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [Def Jam / Roc-A-Fella]
6. Preservation Hall Jazz Band Preservation [Preservation Hall Records]
7. Gorillaz Plastic Beach [Virgin]
8. The Black Keys Brothers [Nonesuch]
9. Das Racist Shut Up, Dude [Greedhead / Mishka]
10. Flying Lotus Cosmogramma [Warp]
11. April Smith and the Great Picture Show Songs For A Sinking [Little Roscoe]
12. The Walkmen Libson [Fat Possum]
13. Morning Benders Big Echo [Rough Trade Records]

Interview with Delta Spirit

2010-12-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

Southern California folk rockers Delta Spirit might best be known for their upbeat 2008 track “Traschcan” off their debut album Ode to Sunshine but their unique country/folk inspired soulful melodies have garnered them a loyal following, especially among musicians. The band was formed after singer Matthew Vasquez was discovered playing on a street bench in San Diego by drummer Brandon Young, bassist Jonathan Jameson, and guitarist Sean Walker (who has since left the band), and they completed their line up with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Kelly Winrich. Their recent album, History from Below shows how the band has developed after five years of touring and recording.

So I read a little bit about how Delta Spirit started and it actually made me think of Creedence Clearwater Revival because you guys met up in California but you really sound more like a southern band, how did you really get together?

Well basically Matt and I played in a band in high school and that kind of fizzled out, we kind of went our separate ways and then I met up with Matt again and he had started a band which would be Delta Spirit. It kind of came full circle and I was like, shit, I quit your band to go do something else and I completely regret it and now I wish I was still in your band so I started recording as more of an engineer and producer. I wasn’t really in the band, I was just recording, I played bass and piano on some recordings and it worked out, I started going on tour with them and eventually they asked me to join. Brandon, our drummer, did meet Matt busking at a train station, that’s the most interesting part of the story. Now we have a new guitar player named Will from a band called the Willows and he’s this new guru and will definitely change the direction of the music a little bit.

I heard a funny story about how you guys chose your name, wasn’t it the name of a store one of your uncle’s had?

Yeah, it was Tom’s uncle’s taxidermy store that may have even burned down. We try to keep it all in the family, that’s kind of the epitome of that. We were trying to figure out a sweet name that meant something and we thought it sounded good and that it also has a bunch of other meanings to it, obviously Delta Blues, like Matt made some kind of far-fetched like “Nile Delta” the beginning of human civilization, you can get real weird with it if you want but it all comes down to we liked the way it sounded.

The first time I really became aware of you guys was when I first heard the song “Trashcan” which has become one of my favorite songs and I believe it’s called “Trashcan” because you’re playing a trash can on it- is that true?

Yeah, that was one of those situations that was just happenstance. Originally it came from kind of a drunken jam between me and Matt and our other buddy who plays in another band. We have a studio and we were kind of jamming one night, Matt was on piano, I was on bass, and then our other buddy was on drums and Matt just had that lick and I was playing that chugging bass line and we looked at each other afterwards and we were like, oh- we have to remember this and show this to the guys. The next day we showed it to the dudes and Matt started playing the lick but it was dragging, it was 10 times slower than it was the night before and we were like no, it’s gotta be faster. I had been using the trash can during recordings so I just picked it up with a tambourine and set up that 16th beat tempo with it and it just kind of stuck. When we came down to figuring out a name for it nothing was that catchy, we were calling it “trash can song” and then we whittled that down to “Trashcan” for shits and giggles. Originally when we first started playing it we didn’t have any lyrics for it, we had the chorus lyrics, “my love is coming I can barely hardly wait” but beyond that, it’s funny , we were literally making shit up on the spot.

You guys are really an independent band or at least you started out that way. The music industry has changed so much, is it possible to make money outside of touring in music today or do you really need to tour to do well?

Yeah, I think there is definitely money to be made, touring is almost a sure shot as far as guarantees and selling merchandise and we love it but the way to go is publishing, it’s a great way to make money on the side and to still be creative. The last thing you want to do is not have any money and have to get jobs but [with] publishing we get songs on TV shows and movies and it’s a great way to kind of keep us afloat so we can concentrate on making music. I was talking to some friends the other night, they don’t have a record deal yet, and they are going to put out their own record. They are going to license it through a distribution company. They also have a person to go out and find sinks for their music to TV shows and movies [and] they are pocketing all this money straight. They pay their person a percentage for each sink they get but he said they made something like $150 grand on publishing alone and this is with no record label. Now that they have all this money they don’t need a record label, they can pay for marketing themselves, they can pay for the pressing of the CD’s, and they can own their masters and they can still get publishing so they’re set. If I could do it again that might be the smarter way to go but also you want to get to a point where you don’t have all of that on your shoulders when you need someone to kind of head it up for you, that’s the positive part about a record company. It’s definitely a time to be creative in how to be able to have a career in music but not completely sell your soul to the devil which is getting harder and harder by the moment.

When you signed with a label you ended up going with Rounder Records which is an interesting label, sort of this big indie that has these cool folk and bluegrass groups. What’s your relationship like with them?

Well it’s interesting, that was what was more exciting about Rounder, their back catalog and the fact that they didn’t have any young bands on the label. It felt like that was enticing for us because we thought maybe we’d get more attention than the other bands they have but they did that Allison Krause and Robert Plant record that like cleaned out the Grammys so we knew there was money there to be spent. We weren’t really sure if they knew how to break a younger band like us and now we’ve done two records and it’s a little bit more apparent they either don’t know what they are doing as far as breaking a band or it just takes a little bit longer for us. We were all really excited about this record and unfortunate things happened as far as publicity went. It wasn’t set up in time and a lot of people who came to our shows didn’t even know we had a new record out which was baffling so stuff like that you wish you could really control. I think there’s still time for this record; it’s not like the cycles over. With this tour we’re in the process of getting new management and we’re trying to get back some control we never lost but that we did relinquish, I think we are going to try to make it a little more DIY.

Well I should mention that you guys have a new EP, Live from the Waits Room, coming out next week, right?

Yeah, we do. The interesting thing about that is that we had to bootleg our own vinyl because the record label couldn’t get it done in time. We called in a favor, we didn’t personally but our managers called in a favor to Jack White, he has his own vinyl record printing plant and he expedited these vinyl’s for us so we will have them exclusively for this tour. We’ll have 300 copies and kind of spread them out for each show and make sure everyone has a chance to get at it.

I was just listening to it and the EP definitely has a more alt-country feel but you also have a real interesting cover of the classic folk tune, “John Henry,” which ironically has a Jack White-Tom Waits feel to it. It’s interesting because all the other songs are so folksy and then you have this almost punk rock version of John Henry. What made you guys decide on that sound?

Well [we] were just like let’s have some fun and see what happens. We recorded an alternative version of “Bushwick Blues” and “The Devil Knows You’re Dead” and then we recorded the song “The Flood.” Originally it was going to go on the record but then we decided not. Matt has a new song which was the last song on the EP called “My Dream” which is a great song and it might even end up on the next record with a little bit more production. We wanted to record “John Henry” for the record but we didn’t and we actually hooked up back at the studio and were like, alright let’s do something crazy, we love that cover song, we wanted to just kind of make it fun and a little more punk rock like you said.

Speaking of genres there’s definitely that old school 60’s folk feel to many of your songs and I also happened to read the description of your band by Sean Moeller, who runs Daytrotter, who mentions The Newport Folk Festival in his description of the band, have you guys ever played Newport?

We are playing this year, 2011. That’s another thing, this last year as far as the festival was concerned, and unfortunately the timing wasn’t right for our record coming out at a certain time. A lot of these festivals were picking bands that were kind of like building on their record cycle and we hadn’t even started ours yet, we wanted to play Newport, we wanted to play Sasquatch, Coachella, you know, but we’re going to do all that stuff next year. We’re on Coachella next year and then Newport and then a couple of other festivals so were pretty excited about that

I’m glad to hear it, you know, there’s sort of a growing folk and Americana scene that you guys seem to be part of along with bands like: Elvis Perkins, Dr. Dog, The Dawes, and The Avett Brothers and so on. Do you get a sense that there is something building there musically as an insider?

Yeah, for us I feel like it might be a blessing and a curse but I don’t think we really want to stick to one genre, you know? Where Dr. Dog, they have a very distinct sound, very Beatles/Beach Boys, Dawes, same kind of thing. When you hear a Taylor Goldsmith song, you know it’s a Taylor Goldsmith song. They are in this The Band meets Creedence meets like Jackson Brown. We toured with these bands and you kind of pick up what these guys love to do and it works great for them but for us it might be as simple as- we haven’t found exactly what we love yet. We like everything so much that we want to incorporate it all so as far as that new age folksy scene, we’re friends with all those dudes but I think, we really don’t want to be stuck there.

How successful do you guys feel as a group? Or you personally, are there big ambitions you have specifically or are you just sort of letting it go organically?

That’s the most comfortable way to do it, to let it go organically, but there’s also measures you can take to kind of expedite the process and get to the next level, obviously we want to have a career in music but I think first and foremost we want to make music we all believe in, as cliché as that sounds. We welcome success but it’s just difficult to say how we get there, it may be a slow burn like say, My Moring Jacket or Wilco, they started off and then later on in their career they had a critically acclaimed record so you know, it just depends. We don’t really know exactly how it works because I can’t really read people’s minds but I think if we just keep making music and write songs that we think are amazing, that’s the most important part to us.

Absolutely, I know you guys recently played Webster Hall in New York, last time you were in town at Piano’s you had Gordon Gano from The Violent Femmes come up and play with you, which was awesome, was that planned at all or did it just kind of happen?

Yeah, we were freaking out, he is a fan of the band and he got in touch with our booking agent and said he wanted to open a show for us and we were like, hell yeah! We are all big Violent Femme fans when we were younger and there is a YouTube video of us playing that song with Gordon and you can see my face the whole time and I have a dumb grin on my face just like staring at the guy like there is no way I’m playing with Gordon Gano. It was awesome, it was just one of those once in a lifetime things.

Photography with a Social Impact

2010-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

This photography project by JR was well deserving of the TED prise, it's spectacular and inspiring. Check out more of his work at www.jr-art.net

An Education Remix

2010-11-24T10:18:00.001-08:00

I love the animations that RSA have been doing and this one is a favorite, both in content and creation. The speech is from by education expert Sir Ken Robinson and he has a number of very intriguing points.

Delta Spirit's "Trashcan"

2010-11-09T10:26:00.001-08:00

This week I'll be interviewing soul rockers Delta Spirit. They put out one of my favorite tracks in recent years, "Trashcan", featured in their tour video above.

Building the Boardwalk Empire

2010-10-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool time-lapse footage of the creation of the set for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Film Review: Conviction

2010-10-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

A sister’s love and attachment to her imprisoned brother is put to the test as she works to put herself through law school in an effort to free him while raising a family in Tony Goldwyn’s new film Conviction. The film, which stars Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, is based on the remarkable real-life ordeal of Betty Anne Waters and, at its core, is an untraditional love story between siblings.

Conviction is really an actor’s film and Goldwyn, the actor-turned-director (best known for his role as the corporate villain in Ghost) does a wonderful job of eliciting great performances while using the plotline to pull at the heartstrings without ever feeling corny. Sam Rockwell’s Oscar-worthy performance in this film is captivating as he balances rage and misery with charm and charisma into the truly fleshed-out character of Kenny Waters. The supporting cast is also well-seasoned as it features Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher, Melissa Leo, and notably Juliette Lewis, who is truly dynamic in her brief appearances onscreen.

The film’s depiction of families and the modern justice system is quite reflective of the times we live in. While the film has a Hollywood feel, it manages to retains some real grit to it and should appeal to both men and women.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Film Review: Tapped

2010-10-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

In the 1980’s bottled water was something of a gimmick, but once big corporations like Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi began producing it due to the drop in soda sales, it caught on and today its a billion dollar business. The new documentary Tapped, directed by Stephanie Soechtig takes a look at the environmental and financial consequences.

The film highlights some of the facts about bottled water that the public is unaware of, the most startling being that a good percentage of the water is essentially tap water, taken free of charge from locations around the country without any filtering or outside testing because its free from many of the rules of the Food and Drug Administration. The financial issues that the film raises while alarming are inconsequential compared to the environmental and health consequences that arise from the plastic containers which often end up floating in large pockets in our oceans and sometimes contain Bisphenol A, better known as BPA, a known estrogenic which can leach into the water causing problems for both people and wildlife.

The documentary makes some strong points and follows up with some well researched facts that are illustrated in a variety of ways from short animations to interviews with people on both sides of the issue as well as reactions from the public. The film stands out as one of those documentaries like Food Inc. or Sicko that might forever alter your awareness and understanding of the issue and might well cause a stir with the public if it manages to reach the masses.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Interview: Carrie Fisher

2010-06-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Even before her iconic role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, Carrie Fisher was well known as the child of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, and in her inspirational new show, Wishful Drinking, she tells the story of her life with wit and wisdom. She walks the audience through the films, the drugs, the scandals, the psychological issues, and she gives some insight on how she made it through to eventually win the prestigious title of “Bipolar Woman of the Year.” HBO recently announced that it was going to adapt the show for a documentary based on upcoming performances at New Jersey’s South Orange Performing Arts Center on June 25 and 26, tickets are still available through SOPAC’s website http://www.sopacnow.org/

I had a chance to see your show, Wishful Drinking, in NY and I thought it was fantastic. I loved your blog post about not getting a Tony nomination because maybe you hadn’t played the part of Carrie Fisher well enough, were you really surprised?

Thank you, well you know what I always heard was that they took out the category that my thing would be in so, you know, what are they gonna do? Nominate me for playing the part of Carrie Fisher?

It’s a shame because the one person show is really very innovative in itself you know and there are a lot of great shows that are like that.

Yeah, well, no I guess so? I mean they know what they are doing. I never in my life have counted on awards for anything, I’ve gotten the “bipolar woman of the year” award that’ll have to be enough.

Well that’s a special award, I understand. You discuss something in your show that I found really very profound, when you’re talking about the mental trauma that you dealt with as a child you say that you can’t blame your past because your brother had the same past and turned out fine. It’s an interesting case of nature vs. nurture. On the flip side, as such a creative person, do you feel like the trauma you dealt with and those kinds of issues, do they feed into your creativity at all? Do you buy into that?

Ahhh, the trauma… It’s one way of handling it. I mean to get distance on it you know, it’s the thing that I say: ‘if my life wasn’t funny it would just be true’. I’d rather see these things that happen to me as true and I can’t when they first happen but that’s the best way to combat it. That’s what I’ve done by owning it, it’s the thing I have problems, problems don’t have me.

You’ve done a lot of writing and you’ve also worked as a script doctor, how often do you write? What’s your process like? How important to you is your writing? How essential is it to who you are?

It is, sometimes I get into it and I lose track of time, that’s the best kind of work to do. I don’t have a set pattern, more is the pity, but I sorta try to do it. Especially lately because I owe a book and I am adapting this other thing so I try to exercise and then set aside a couple of hours for writing within that time a day but I’ve never had a really organized schedule which is a shame but it still manages to get done somehow.

I wanted to ask about Star Wars. Obviously it’s one of the most important films of all time but, you know, in context when you’re coming at it in the early 70’s, I mean Lucas must have looked crazy. What was it like in the beginning on the set? Did you get a sense that this could be a disaster or did you get a sense that it could really be this great film?

Not this great film, it just seemed like it would be kinda cool you know, like there wouldn’t be other movies like it. Not that it would do what it did but just that it seemed, you know, certainly inventive and that there hadn’t been a science fiction movie, well period, for quite some time, but that didn’t mean it was going to make a lot of money. I thought it was a fantastic script so whatever that means, I thought I would like it but I didn’t think I’d have that many people that would agree with me.

Were the actors friendly on set? No one was really huge at that point, were you guys tight early on?

Tight? Not tight. You know, Harrison was fifteen years older than I was and we were all shooting on different planets at a certain point. We hung out, you know, but everyone was at different points in their lives, I was a teenager. But we did definitely hang out and when it came out and sort of ambushed us like that, suddenly we had quite a lot in common.

Did your mom (actress Debbie Reynolds) give you advice?She started out really as a teenager in Singing In the Rain, she must’ve had something to say?

My mother has never stopped giving me advice. I can’t really remember what her advice was? On how to look when the death star blew up my planet? But my mother’s always had a lot of advice.

You talk a little bit in the show about your marriage to Paul Simon and it almost sounds like, in some senses, you were a muse to him at times.

Well, he wrote songs about me, I don’t know if that means that I’m a muse. I don’t think of Paul as someone having a muse but he did write quite a few songs about me you know. I don’t know if he needs a muse he’s very brilliant.

And do you guys still talk at all or not really?

Not really. We did for awhile and then you know, everybody moves on and it certainly doesn’t make new mates comfortable and all, you know.

You have this pretty amazing group of films you’ve done in your career. How much has Hollywood changed over the years? Is it for the better or worse?

Well, I mean, the thing that I notice it’s sort of, because of all these reality shows and stuff, you know everyone has access to celebrity and that’s not always a good thing you know? I mean it’s just, you’re not famous. It’s the thing of being famous for being well known. It used to be more people were famous because they were actually skilled at something and the same is not necessarily still true, but by the same token I suppose you know some people that would never have had a chance otherwise, get a chance so I don’t know, it’s hard to know what to think.

You’ve worked with some amazing directors: Lucas, Mike Nichols, Woody Allen, Hal Ashby…having dealt with so many directors, what do you think makes for a good director coming from the perspective of acting?

Well, I mean passion. I mean really having a strong sense of the story and what they want and the ability to communicate that to you. You know, [also making] the atmosphere on the set comfortable enough for you to deliver what they want or comfortable enough to be able to allow you to experiment with some ideas that you have.

You’ve done so many things in your life and been through so much, what drives you now? As a person, what are the things you want most in your life right now?

Oh, travel, I like writing still, my daughter, you know I have a real, I have a curiosity about everything, so if I’m not watching documentaries about stuff I don’t know, I’m wandering around looking for stuff I don’t know and I like experimenting with things, going to different places, trying different things, whatever.

I teach high school and I teach film, screenwriting, and acting. What advice would you give to young creative people in terms of them wanting a career in a creative industry whether it’s writing or acting?

Well it’s a big difference between whether it’s writing or acting. The important thing is to learn as much as you can and to write even when you don’t feel inspired, you know, to do it anyway. Do everything anyway whether you feel confident or not it’s worth going for.

Finally, is there anything people would be surprised to know about you?

I exercise now! I actually used to exercise for 12 years and then I went on the road and stopped for 2 so now I’ve gotten really fat. So now I’ve been exercising constantly.

Oh, it’s a pain in the ass let me tell you I know.

It’s a pain in everything including the ass.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Music: Band of Horses' Infinite Arms

2010-06-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Melodic and ethereal, Infinite Arms, the new album from Seattle’s Band of Horses, embraces their tender side blending a beautiful sonic ambiance with their down-home, southern, alt-country sensibilities for a magnificent album. The 12 song release is reminiscent of the great album-oriented rock classics of the 70’s, a rarity in the age of single song iTunes downloads. There are some knockout tracks on the album such as: the sublime “Evening Kitchen” with its sweet multiple vocal tracks and the introduction track “Factory” which sets the album’s tone perfectly but in reality the album as a whole might be stronger than any of its individual songs.

One notable development in the album is the band’s vocal prowess led by Ben Bridwell’s confident smooth harmonies which are more complex in songs like “Blue Beard” and add consistency to the album along with the familiar graze of echoed guitar. As the album continues the tempo follows with songs like “Dilly” which has a fun, almost 80’s am radio feel due to the keyboard and in “NW Apt.” which goes for an all out heavy guitar rock sound helping to setup the album’s closing track “Neighbor” which is like a microcosm of the album beginning with soft vocals and piano which lead into a full-bodied electric ending with organ and guitar. The album really secures the band’s place as one of the musical heavyweights of the current music scene and is certainly one of the year’s best.

This weekend they have a few local stops on their tour including a secret show at Grand Central and a show with Grizzly Bear at the Williamsburg Waterfront this afternoon.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Film Review: Cyrus

2010-06-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

“Seriously, don’t f*** my mom” is a tagline that will draw eyes on the new film Cyrus by directorial duo the Duplass brothers, but it may give audiences the wrong idea about the film because it's a funny film but it has guts too. While it is a great comedy, the heart of the film is in its character's centered look at the nature of human relationships and co-dependence. The film contains a wonderful ensemble of actors with Oscar regulars: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and Catherine Keener as well as funny man Jonah Hill who shows he’s more than just the chubby kid with the punch line as the characters draw us into the story quickly and never disappoint.

The film focuses around the life of John (Reilly) who is recently divorced with no prospects in sight but maintains an oddly close relationship to his ex, Jamie (Keener), who is soon to be re-married. She walks in on him spending some "quality personal time" and tries to get him out where he embarrassingly meets Molly (Tomei) who seems terrific, but as he soon finds out, has a relationship with her adult son Cyrus (Hill) that goes beyond intimate. After an awkward start, the men fight it out for the love they need in Molly and the film becomes the battle of John C. Reilly vs. Jonah Hill.

The film is tight, funny, and moving with no wasted moments and some brilliantly authentic performances. It’s an unassuming film that should really be on the Oscar contender shortlist and will make the Duplass Brothers film lovers’ favorites.

For: Short&SweetNYC

BP's Coffee Spill

2010-06-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Brilliance courtesy of the Upright Citizens Brigade

I always knew that someday cartoons would save lives

2010-06-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Banky's Film preview

2010-06-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

It's official, I can't wait!

Colbert vs. Vampire Weekend

2010-06-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Vampire Weekend

http://www.colbertnation.com/

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Fox News

In Stephen Colbert vs. Vampire Weekend I score it a tie but Colbert has the edge

Interview: The great Loudon Wainwright III

2010-06-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Loudon Wainwright III is a musician that has blended a sense of humor with an eye on the times in his unique blend of folk, blues, roots, and rock music over the years. In addition to releasing more than twenty albums he has also made an impression onscreen in roles in: MASH, Big Fish, and Knocked Up. He might be best known for songs like his 1972 hit “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)” as well as fathering musicians Rufus, Martha, & Lucy Wainwright, but as his 2009 Grammy win for Best Traditional Folk Album suggests, he’s a man of many talents who shouldn’t be judged solely on his highlight reel. He will be performing locally at Central Park Summer Stage on June 8, the YMCA Boulton Center in Bay Shore on June 11, and at Stephen Talkhouse out East on June 12.

First of all, congratulations on your Grammy, how has it changed things for you if at all?

Well as the expression goes “it couldn’t hurt” or “it doesn’t hurt” or “it’s not hurting.” You know, it was a wonderful finish to, I don’t’ know if finish is the right word, it was a wonderful payoff to the work that we did on the album, the double album, High, Wide, & Handsome that I did with my friend Dick Connette who produced the album and bankrolled the whole project. So it’s wonderful that it ended up the way it did and we won the Grammy. And yes, now in my obituary somewhere there will probably be a mention of the fact that I am a Grammy winner in addition to being the father of talented children and the creator of “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road).”

Yeah definitely, speaking about High, Wide, & Handsome I wanted to ask how you came upon choosing Charlie Pool as a subject to cover and work with?

Well basically, I’m of the generation where in the mid [to] late 60’s I was a kid, a teenager listening to music and in addition to Tom Lehrer and Allan Sherman records I was listening to groups like The Holy Modal Rounders and The New Lost City Ramblers and they were covering songs like “Moving Day” and “The Baltimore City Fire” that they got off Charlie Poole records, well Charlie Poole was not a song writer but he was a wonderful, creative interpreter of the popular songs of his day which was the 1920’s, and then I actually heard Charlie Poole himself in the early 70’s (I didn’t hear him live because he died in 1938) but there was a hip label out at that time called County Records and they had some Charlie Poole material so I heard them and I really just got into him and his style of playing and singing and then the fella that I just mentioned, Dick Connette, had this idea that we could somehow inhabit his world and take what our feelings were as performers and songwriters and just do an album, a project and that’s how it all happened.

It’s a terrific album and it seems to segue cleanly into your new album Songs for the New Depression. Was there any thought to that or was it just coincidence?

There wasn’t really a lot of thought; I mean I have written topical songs throughout my entire career. I suppose that I’m of a generation that, in the 60’s you’d hear, well certainly Bob Dylan, but even before him Woody Guthrie, you know, people that would write social commentary and so that’s something that I’ve done, I did an album in the early 90’s called Social Studies. So I just started to write these topical songs to kind of track the recession that we are in now and I found a couple of songs from the old depression and so there is a link I suppose because Poole lived in that first depression and some of his songs, I mentioned “Moving Day,” but I suppose it can be construed as dealing with hard times but I wasn’t trying to link the two albums in any particular way, it’s just coincidental- one came after the other.

There’s a song on your new album, “Fear Itself,” that I find really interesting in talking about the times now because it seems to have a personal meaning too. Where did that song stem from and how did it develop?

Well, again I started writing the first song on the album “Times are Hard” which was written kind of around the inaugural and then I just had my eye out and do what I do everyday which is read the newspaper a little bit and glance at the news and it just struck me that again all these parallels were being made between this depression and the old one, the Roosevelt era depression, and that expression “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” and then I just- often a song can start that way with just a line or an idea and the song opens with “everybody’s talking about 1929 eighty long years ago” and then you’re just off then you just write four verses really I mean that’s how these things really happen.

Do you tend to write the same way? Do you tend to sit down and try to write songs? What’s your process in terms of writing music?

The parallel I use is fishing. I mean, you’ve got a line in the water and a bait on a hook I suppose and you know you have some skills as a fisherman. In my case I’ve been writing songs for forty years or thereabouts so there’s also mystery: why do you get a bite? or a strike? or why does the fish take the hook? I mean I don’t quite understand how it all works, the inspiration part, but you know you’re out there trolling around looking for stuff and then all of a sudden you pull up and you’ve got something. That’s the best way I can describe it.

Ironically, I first became aware of your music as a music director working at a college radio station when I picked up an album and saw the track “IWIWAL (I Wish I Was A Lesbian)” and I had to at least give it a listen. The song, like many of your hit songs is categorized as a “novelty song.” How do you feel about your hit songs being referred to as “novelty”?

Well, in my mind a novelty song is a good thing, I grew up a fan of so-called novelty songs, I don’t know if your familiar with the work of people like Ray Stevens or Stan Freberg or Tom Lehrer or even Allan Sherman, songs that make people laugh- I’m all for that so I write those kinds of songs- like silly, fun songs like “I Wish I was a Lesbian” or “Dead Skunk” or I have a new song about getting my guitar broken called “Suzy.” I continue to do that, I mean I write other kinds of songs- I don’t spend a lot of time dividing them up into categories, I’m just writing songs, but occasionally a novelty song comes out, occasionally something that you wouldn’t call a novelty song by any stretch of the imagination comes out.

Even as an actor a lot of your roles are humorous but often when you incorporate humor into work it sometimes doesn’t get the respect it warrants.

Yeah, I think that’s a mistake. When I do a show for instance, I work at getting the audience to loosen up and to laugh and some of these songs are designed to illicit that laughter and it’s not an easy thing to get 300 people to laugh at the same time or 2000 or 30, whatever the number is but it takes skill and timing and it’s not a simple, easy, nothing thing to do.

Absolutely, as a stand-up comedian I totally understand. I wanted to ask you about your family because you have such a musical family. Did you ever sit down and teach your kids music at all or did they just get it from being around you? They each have their own personal styles and you’ve all worked together on different songs, how did the Wainwright family of music develop, because your parents weren’t necessarily musical at all right?

Well my father wrote some songs, he played a little bit of piano but he wasn’t a musician but he loved music and had a terrific record collection and that’s where I heard all those Tom Lehrer and Stan Freberg records, in his record collection. I think in terms of the kids, they’re not kids anymore, Rufus is 36 but Lucy, Martha, and Rufus who are out and about doing music earning a living as musicians, making records, writing songs, performing I suppose some of that is genetic perhaps. Rufus and Martha’s mother was the great musician and songwriter Kate McGarrigle and Lucy’s mom is Suzzy Roche of The Roches, so the deck was genetically stacked I suppose you could say. They grew up around guitars and pianos and banjos and parents who were going to do shows and sound checks and in the studio so the nature and nurture aspect of it , it doesn’t surprise me that they ended up as singers and songwriters and musicians and happily they are talented.

It can certainly be tumultuous in the music industry. Was there ever a fear of them going into the industry? Did you ever push them away from it?

No, no both their mothers and I were both pleased that they were singers and drawn to the family business, it’s a wonderful thing. It’s not an easy life particularly. The touring and the traveling is chaotic and reeks havoc at home but it’s a great life. I mean I’m a believer that being an entertainer is an honorable, noble calling so I’m happy that the kids are doing it.

Speaking of the road, you’re on the road now. What is your approach to the road? You’re a seasoned musician who’s done it so long, are there certain rituals you go through?

It’s harder and harder to go on the road cause I’m getting older and older and basically the shlep is tough and you know airports are a nightmare now with all the screening and baggage issues and paying for bags and you can’t bring the guitar on the plane and it’s a big hassle being on the road and it hasn’t really been fun being on the road. A lot people travel in buses and I suppose that’s easier but since I’m a one man operation I travel alone. That’s the aspect of the job I don’t like, the other aspects like the songwriting and performing I still love and outweigh the vagaries I suppose so but it’s a tough life. Now it’s about figuring out how can I not bring this- do I really need my computer? It’s weight, it’s all about weight and movement and it’s become about physics more than anything else.

Yeah, did you get a chance to see Up in the Air? It gives a good look at the physics of traveling?

Yes I did.

You’ve had a number of interesting film and television roles over the years and certainly with Knocked Up and doing an album based on that film you sort of opened yourself up to a whole new audience. How did that come about?

Well, Judd Apatow was a fan of mine when he was a teenager, I guess in the eighties he grew up on Long Island and I think he saw me on one of those variety shows like The Mike Douglas Show or the David Letterman Afternoon Show or something and something I was doing just grabbed him. I didn’t know this of course until I met him about 10 years ago and he got in touch with me about being in his television show Undeclared. So that’s really how that all happened, I studied to be an actor. I thought I was going to be an actor and I went to drama school. I had done some stage work and a couple of movies in the eighties but then with Judd and the TV show and being in Knocked Up and working on the music, you know I’m doing more things now I suppose, getting little parts in movies every once in awhile and one of my songs was just in that TV show Parenthood. You know it’s great getting the songs into movies and getting the little acting jobs is always fun so I’m quite happy about that development and I think I owe a lot to Judd in that regard.

How would you compare Hollywood with the music industry?

Oh, pretty much the same, you know, full of shit. That’s pretty much it but I mean again, it’s pretty much like Ingrid Bergman put it “but still you wouldn’t trade it for a sack of gold” or “a sack of shit” what every she says- “a sack of weed.”

You’ve had this long career with a number of interesting turns, any large regrets? What are the moments that you’re happiest with?

Well, I’m full of regrets but we won’t talk about that, but it was a great year, it was wonderful to win the Grammy and I actually just got back from the road yesterday and opened up the box and now it’s on the mantel so that certainly was a thrill. I think as a songwriter I don’t think about writing for other people so much but occasionally somebody will record my songs and this year Mose Allison who is one of my absolute heroes, I still go see him when he performs, recorded one of my songs, a song called “I’m Alright” on his new album. That was the kick of the year, it’s going to be hard to top that , that and the Grammy and I became a grandfather too, that’s a big thing- speaking of ‘g’ words. Martha had a boy in November so but certainly having someone like Mose Allison record one of your songs, it’s a thrill, there is no other word for it.

Yeah, when you have Mose and Johnny Cash covering your stuff you are doing well!

Yeah, we’ve had some interesting covers and I am always happy when that can happen.

For: Short & Sweet NYC

Goodbye to Louise Bourgeois, an artist with guts

2010-05-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

"Tell your own story, and you will be interesting, don't get the green disease of envy. Don't be fooled by success and money. Don't let anything come between you and your work."

-Louise Bourgeois 1912-2010

It Sucks to be Gary Coleman, or at least it did anyway

2010-05-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Dennis Hopper, rest in peace!

2010-05-29T11:19:00.001-07:00

Dennis Hopper was a truly groundbreaking artist and filmmaker with a groundbreaking taste in art as this clip on his art collection shows. He was awesome, one of those people I always would've wanted to meet (or at the very least buy some of my work). Rest in peace Dennis

Illustration Friday: "Early"

2010-05-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Reggie Watts, my new hero

2010-05-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

I recently learned of the unique music,comedy, and performance of Brooklynite Reggie Watts and I am at once captivated, jealous, and tired (that last bit just because I just got off work and ate McDonalds). Anyway, he's awesome- check him out.

Bob Dylan, Happy Birthday

2010-05-24T16:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to one of the best songwriters of our time, Robert Allen Zimmerman was born 69 years ago today on May 24, 1941. Happy Birthday Bob Dylan, glad you're still making music!

Obey NYC

2010-05-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear NYC,
Why do you have to go and ruin a cool Shepard Fairey mural with that terrible bubble letter garbage graffiti? It's not 1981, Run DMC is over, move on and learn how to spraypaint.

Sincerely,
Tim

Music: Ted Leo And The Pharmacists cover Tears For Fears

2010-05-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists cover Tears For Fears
In third grade Kerri Davis turned to me and said "Do you listen to Tears for Fears, I'd think you'd like them" and I realized I did like them, in fact I still do and this cover by Ted Leo And The Pharmacists of "Everyone Wants to Rule the World" reminds me why. That's AV Club and Starbucks, by the way- I'll take a grande coffee in a vente cup with extra half and half thanks!

DVD REVIEW: Arj Barker ’s LYAO

2010-05-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Jokes.com

Arj Barker - Complicated Being

comedians.comedycentral.com

Futurama New Episodes

Funny Demon Zombie TV Show

Funny TV Comedy Blog

CYBO might be a more appropriate title for Arj Barker’s new stand-up comedy DVD LYAO because while the comedian most known for his role as Dave on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords does succeed at delivering an engaging and entertaining hour of comedy, the chuckles still outweighed the laughs. Regardless, it still is an impressive showing. The comic gets a hefty thumbs up and 27.4 gold stars for his special brand of observational material that plays with language in the age of the internet as well as his great character work which helps set himself apart from the mass of comics out there today.

Arj manages to bring a fresh perspective that keeps the audience attentively involved throughout his set, which ranges from everyday topics like sleep and money to jokes about Pluto’s planetary status and ethnic bias (and being half-Indian and half-European, I’m sure he knows a thing or two about it). As a comedian, Arj is like a love child of Demitri Martin and Jerry Seinfeld and stylistically he’s reminiscent of a laid-back motivational speaker that doesn’t suck, so the show is definitely worth checking out.

The DVD also comes with an audio version of the show and a couple of bonus features including a pretty awesome music video entitled “Sickest Buddhist.” If you’re a fan of comedy or just a fan of seeing Indian guys in embroidered cowboy shirts, the DVD is well worth checking out and even beyond being fun to say, the name Arj Barker should be one we’ll hear from more in the future.

For: Short & Sweet NYC

Goodbye Lena Horne

2010-05-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

According to the New York Times Jazz legend Lena Horne passed away last night at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center due to undisclosed causes at the age of 92. She was one of the last great Jazz singers and even though I was introduced to her years after her prime on television shows like Sesame Street and The Cosby Show she could still knock them out.

Concert Review: Dion Roy & Ryan Cabrera music cruise

2010-05-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

There might be no activity that attracts the “Bridge and Tunnel” crowd more than a "Rock's Off" concert cruise around Manhattan at night but that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile experience. In truth the crowd was oddly eclectic mixing young and old with A-list with last call making the four hour cruise as interesting for the people watching as it was for the music and scenery. The show opened with a short set by singer/songwriter Matt Lowell which was perfect in such an intimate space especially when it’s accented with the spectacular view of the sun setting over the skyline.

He was followed by South African native, Dion Roy who had an equally chill acoustic set featuring songs from Gallery, his recently released debut album. Dion's laid back sound was the perfect fit for the moment as the boat cruised slowly under the Brooklyn Bridge and along the south shore of Mahattan. The most shocking thing about Dion is that this same mild mannered musician choose to submit himself to singing into "Will the Farter's" rectal gas onslaught shortly after the performance in order to perform on the Howard Stern show.

Finally the microphone was passed on to headliner Ryan Cabrera who proved that he is every bit as much of a tool as you might think. He started off his performance well and interacted with the audience but after a few drinks he let his douche flag fly and it was all over. Still it was more funny than annoying and his songs were mellow in their live incarnations so all’s well that ends well. Overall the experience was well worth the ticket price and the songs of all three singers might well have been better live than recorded so it made for a great night.

Theater Review: American Idiot

2010-05-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Quick, Sexy, and endlessly confusing, Broadway’s American Idiot is a questionable caricature of a burgeoning generation.

Green Day is one of a handful of bands that represent the generation that is now coming of age and Broadway’s American Idiot is something of a caricature of that generation but seeing it played out before one’s eyes is terribly uncomfortable and gives little input into what the generation is really about. The most immediate issue with the musical is the total lack of any concrete storyline which unfortunately is multiplied by the fact that the work follows three friends after high school as they travel down very different paths of drug use, having a child, and joining the army.

As one might expect the music pulls the weight in this piece and the big numbers such as: 21 Guns, Time of Your Life, and Holiday are great but with 90 minutes to fill no amount of theater tricks like: wire suspensions, animations, or seductive skin can fill the void (but honestly the sex appeal of the skin does help a little). In reality, the smooth polish of Broadway and the cast of young talent ends up taking away some of power of what is great about these songs in their original form, the raw emotion (they are after all a punk band at heart), and it ends up cheapening the music.

The set, costumes, and design of the show contain a ton of modern iconography like wallpapered graffiti reading OBEY, Avedon’s Marilyn Monroe images, and a huge amount of punk influence countered with a touch of Calvin Klein ala Kate Moss in the Army numbers- all things that are associated with “cool” but in this context they are everything but and feel an obvious exploitation of cultural elements to no means aka it’s a sellout. We forgave Green Day for writing the never-ending prom video classic “Time of Your Life” even with the flimsy excuse that it was “the most punk thing” they could’ve done but this musical crosses the line.

In all, there are a couple of great musical numbers followed by a couple of huge questions like: why not write a better story, why would Green Day allow this to be staged, and does that girl in the sexy underwear have a boyfriend? Either way for the ticket price I’d much prefer to see the band perform the music themselves- that or grab a ticket to see the Who’s Tommy because they might not have died before they got old but somehow they remained respectable on Broadway.

Album Review: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

2010-04-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

After ten years of silence and a career that includes five albums and a legacy of sonic and interpersonal discord, Pavement has just released Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement, a 23 song greatest hits album pulled from a cross-section of their catalog. The collection is far from a typical greatest hits album, partially because the band had no real conventional hits to speak of but it allows the listener to follow the band from their cassette tape beginnings to their abrupt ending while appreciating their special brand of melodic disharmony and witty sarcasm.

While the song choices draw from across their tenure they are heavily pulled from the band’s two initial and most notable albums: Slanted and Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain including classic songs such as: "Here," "Range Life," "Heaven Is a Truck," and their closest brush to a hit "Cut Your Hair." All the well-known Pavement songs are included but what’s great about the band has never been their popular appeal, it’s their unique grungy and sometimes awkward garage sound paired with abstract poetic lyrics pulled from inspirations in classic rock, punk, and country and it’s well represented on the album.

The collection mixes in terrific tracks like: "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" from the Watery, Domestic EP and the Slay Tracks song "Box Elder" which helps show why the band’s been so influential with their smart melodies and bright raw feel. The album is the kind of thing that should be issued to everyone entering art school and is without question a must have for any fan of low-fi indie rock.

Now, to get my hands on a pair of tickets to their live show this summer...

For: Short & Sweet NYC

Tomorrow is Black Friday....duex

2010-04-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Tim Needles: Renaissance Man (366 Days of the Year)

2010-04-11T13:18:00.001-07:00

Here's a three part article that was recently written about me by Louis Lasser IV, a very creative artist in his own right, for the Long Island Examiner. It's strange to see you life in third person but it's cool so I thought I'd share.

Tim Needles: Renaissance Man (366 Days of the Year)

Tim Needles: The Oak Tree Metaphor

Tim Needles Loves Art (and Art Reciprocates)

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I had lost my mind....

2010-04-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was thinking this to myself quietly today and I thought of Daniel, if you haven't seen this biography it's one of my absolute favorites...absolute and get the album The Late Great Daniel Johnston while your at it (even though he's still alive).

Theater Review: Henson's Stuffed and Unstrung

2010-03-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

We all grew up on the Muppets and now in a small theater in Union Square, the Muppets have grown up too (and man do they have filthy mouths and dirty minds) as Henson Alternative presents Stuffed and Unstrung, a live, adult orientated improv puppet show. First off, no, it’s not actually the Muppets but there are a wide variety of Henson puppets performed by amazing puppeteers including Jim Henson’s son Brian and the show brings improv comedy to a new level as the audience sees the puppeteers on stage creating the work as a cropped video feed above the stage gives the crowd a glimpse of the act with just the puppets.

The result is both fascinating and thoroughly entertaining and the actual show might well be the best improv of any kind you’ll find in New York right now. The sheer wit, timing, and craft of the performers aids in nullifying the lulls that one might find in a typical improv show. Brian Henson said he felt that part of the success was because in improv there are traditional scenarios such as a bad date and “when your actors doing it that’s one thing, but a bad date between a fish and a goat adds a whole new layer of outrageousness.”

The piece is hosted by actor Patrick Bristow who is well known from his roles on “Ellen” and “Who’s Line is it Anyway” and there is an enormous amount of audience participation ranging from the expected input via yelling out character names or occupations to be used in the sketch to pulling up audience members for a shotgun lesson in puppeteering and getting thrown into a skit. The show is a perfect New York experience and not to be missed so grab a ticket while you can because the engagement only runs through May 29th at the Union Square Theatre. For more information go to: www.stuffedandunstrung.com

For: Short&SweetNYC

DVD Review: Copyright Criminals

2010-02-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sampling has become a mainstay in music and it’s come a long way from the straight-up sound clips of early hip-hop, establishing itself as an art unto itself. The new documentary Copyright Criminals takes a look at the legality and the evolution of recontextualizing music along with all the questions that it generates.

Director Benjamin Franzen manages to outline both sides of the issue and presents a tremendous amount of information in a tight 54 minute piece, giving a range of viewpoints from artists famed for sampling such as: De La Soul, Chuck D, and Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys to those who have been sampled the most such as: George Clinton and James Brown’s drummer Clyde Stubblefield. The film follows the timeline of the practice, hitting on major lawsuits and outlining copyright law with interpretations from lawyers and business perspectives from producers and record company executives.

The film is as interesting and entertaining as it is relevant and is a must see for the modern musician but it also manages to entertain with wonderful clips by the Eclectic Method, a group that samples music paired to video clips making their sources overt while creating a much more sensory experience. The film rhetorically asks the provocative question “can you own a sound?” To get a glimpse or to purchase the DVD check out www.copyrightcriminals.com

For: Short & Sweet NYC

David Byrne's "Playing the Building"

2010-02-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

The Talking Head's were the group that helped mead me to art school and David Byrne continues to work creatively in a variety of media with interesting new works. Here's a short video from the BBTV introducing the installation "Playing the Building" that was in the Battery Maritime Building in New York recently. This summer it will open in London. It was a wonderfully interactive and creative installation and so cool it's not to miss!

U900, Cuteness overload

2010-02-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know this is a little overboard but this Japanes duo's amigurumi animated videos are the "crack cocaine of cute" and I can't stop watching. U900 takes kawaii to a new level.