Sad news in the music world this month. Karl Alvarez, who played bass in The Descendents, aka the greatest pop-punk band ever, suffered a heart attack earlier this month. Although he is doing OK the medical bills are mounting. You can help Karl out here. J Robbins is the guy who made Jawbox one of the greatest bands to ever come out of the greatest city for hardcore in the world. J’s son Callum was born into this world with Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. SMA is a terrifying affliction that leads most sufferers to not make it past their second birthday. You can help Callum out here. Punk rock does not have a medical plan. It has however given you all a lot over the years so right now it is time to give a little back. All our best goes out to Karl, Callum and their families.
Posted on August 31st, 2007 | 18 Comments
Currently on a nationwide tour, the Black Lips have just been featured on The Guardian’s weekly music podcast. Go here to listen to Jared and Joe charm posh Brits with yarns about the Shangri-Las and their plans to outsell Kenny Chesney. Oh, and keep up with their latest shenanigans at the all new Black Lips blog.
Posted on August 31st, 2007 | 6 Comments
Today we’ve got a new Epicly Later’d with Pat Duffy, former member of the legendary Plan B superteam and owner of two of the most dictionary-illustration-looking scars we’ve ever seen on an actual body part. They’re each a single line with evenly spaced crosshatches–it’s like his legs are cartoon gangsters.
We’ve also got the fourth part of VBS Meets’s little day around town with famed Australian criminal Chopper Read, and an old episode of Practice Space with the Rapture.
Posted on August 30th, 2007 | No Comments
Remember the vicious wolf on the cover of the Photo Issue? If you
didn’t know already, we’re sad to tell you that it’s been dead and
stuffed for many, many years. We decided to go and see the guy who
made him look so real. Going to the museum, we expected to interview a
shy, sciencey kind of guy. But we found this nutty taxidermist who chain-smoked as he dug out old photos and told funny stories about his craft.
Read more »
Posted on August 29th, 2007 | 34 Comments
Maybe we’re still a little cock-drunk off The Turning Gay Issue? Or maybe there’s just a deep, hidden appreciation within every human being for over-abundant chest growth? Whatever the cause, we just can’t seem to lay off fat, gay guys with beards. First, we brought you a probing Q&A with Mr. Bears of Toronto. Then, we broke the story about the alpha-bear ascendancy of Father Damian from Fucked Up. And, now we proudly present a 24k nugget of furry fabulousness by Bearforce1 - “the world’s first true bear band” - breaking shit down like someone stole their picnic basket. Though they appear to be a pastel-and-chino clad Miami brand of bear, the band is one part Belfast, three parts Amsterdam and all really gay. And, by that, we mean European. Go ahead and call our infatuation by whichever name you choose. Man-crush? Bromance? Bone bond? They’re all apt. But, when gold is struck, do you stop digging? No, my little cub, you don’t! With a little effort, you uncover this treasure.
Posted on August 29th, 2007 | 3 Comments
Black Lips are back with a new tour, new tees and a new single. They’re also the star guests of Gigwise’s weekly webchat on Wednesday afternoon. So if you’re online tomorrow at 4pm (GMT) just head over here to ask the boys a question. After the jump we’ve got details about tour dates, how to get your hands on a limited edition T-shirt (pictured) and how to download "Katrina."
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 | 4 Comments
Today on VBS Meets… we continue our chat with Australia’s original earless ex-convict rapper Chopper Read. For all the non-Aussies who haven’t been beaten over the head with him their whole lives, here’s Chopper’s infamous drunk driving PSA and even infamouser anti-rape PSA. What an old softie. On the other end of the masculinity spectrum, we’ve got a new episode of Practice Space today with South London’s These New Puritans, and of course, we’ve got our usual daily regimen of DOs & DON’Ts & Friends and music videos.
Posted on August 28th, 2007 | 3 Comments
If you’ve been reading our blog lately you’d be forgiven for thinking that Brazil’s favelas are brimming with cocaine-fuelled criminals. However, there are some people working to show that it isn’t all bad in the slums of Rio. Meet Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas, who’ve started a little project where they help local kids paint huge murals in their neighbourhood. They will soon return to Rio to paint an entire hillside.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 | 2 Comments
Not sure if you all keep up with French TV, but if not you missed a doozy of a step routine from Devendra Banhart’s touring dancer. Call us nostalgists, but we liked Devendra a little more back when he was a shambling, warbly-voiced young ragamuffin, before his transformation into some weird minstrel version of Dave Navarro.
Posted on August 26th, 2007 | 7 Comments
Today the first edition of our new series Spike Spends Saturday With… comes to a close as Spike Jonze and M.I.A. head back to her place and have a little street-style dance off before calling it an evening. If you haven’t been around for any of the previous parts, now’s your chance to see them all in order on the very day of the week they were filmed. We know, exciting stuff. There’s also a new edition of Sublime Frequencies for you to watch, or you could just comb through the archives for things you might have missed. Or you could just do nothing–totally up to you.
Posted on August 26th, 2007 | 2 Comments
Jesper Odelberg has been a comedian for 15
years and a big part of his schtick is that he does a lot
of dirty jokes about people with cerebral palsy –
because he has it too. A regular on Norway’s favourite comedy
show Rikets Røst, Jesper recently debuted as the singer in a wheelchair-bound boy band called Boys On Wheels. We sat down with Jesper and asked him about the band.
Read more »
Posted on August 24th, 2007 | 2 Comments
When we last caught up with Steven Seagal he was hocking the Bulgarian face cream line Lacrima. He’s kept a pretty low profile since, but Steve is back in the news this week, complaining that the FBI has ruined his career by associating him with the mob. Now, the feds haven’t responded to his allegation (presumably because they are busy doing paperwork), but we’re going to have to agree with the gentle giant. Sure, he’s one of the few Buddhists out there packin’ heat in his custom-made bullet proof jacket, but there is no denying this man’s magnetism. Would you be opposed to Executive Decision II? Didn’t think so. Seagal, like Guttenberg, should still be out there, confusing us with his talents and his ponytail, not degrading himself as the low rent, male version of Morgan Fairchild.
Posted on August 24th, 2007 | 3 Comments
Today on Music World, the Black Lips wrap up their whirlwind tour of the Holy Land with a little pit-stop at the beach and a final acoustic show in the middle of the West Band. Just a friendly, nagging reminder, the Lips’ new album Good Bad, Not Evil comes out on us September 11th. It’s available for pre-order here, although really you can listen to the better part of it on their myspace page. We’ve also got the fifth part of Spike Jonze’s weekend jaunt with M.I.A. and the conclusion to the Epicly Later’d Los Angeles hang sesh with Chris Haslam and new DOs & DON’Ts & Friends.
Posted on August 24th, 2007 | 2 Comments
