Just yesterday, CNN posted a story from TIme Magazine questioning whether political shock jocks are bad for America, using not O’Reilly or even Limbaugh, but Glenn Beck as the example.  For Beck, it’s a mighty triumph that signals a passing of the torch from the his conservative counterparts.  But, the piece also argues that it signifies a broader attitude shift among the American people — they’re no longer disapproving; they’re downright mad. →

Various Artists
ZE Records/ Strut Records
(2009)

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For all of you in the know, ZE Records was the progenitor in New York during the late ’70s, early ’80s. Its black and yellow cab sleeve design was a staple amongst subterranean New York cool kats. If you think Lower East Side is the hip place to be at the present, well, just imagine where it all began. Before the hipsters took over and the term ‘subculture’ wasn’t so loosely referenced, there were the originators- the punks, the mods, the no waves and the electro disco heads. →

London-based photographer Dan Tobin Smith is the man behind the now-famous BP3 cover.  The video above shows the painstaking work of both placing and painting the instruments for the shot, which took nearly 3 days.  Channeling Hova’s empire state of mind, Tobin shot it on 8″x10″ film so that the quality would hold up equally well on a building-sized billboard as it would a CD cover.  Tobin Smith was chosen because of a letter “E” that he made as part of a series of typography portraits, some of which can be seen on his personal site.  There is also a full interview with Dan discussing the cover over at It’s Nice That.

Peligro Trampero, 2009 Photo Courtesy of LACE

Fallen Fruit Banana Meditation & Artists Talk
LACE – Hollywood, CA
9/20/09
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On Sunday September 2oth at noon, Fallen Fruit members: David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young discuss the research behind United Fruit along with their ongoing project The Colonial History of Fruit. The collective talk about the focus of their work with the local and the way this initiative combines the particular history with the global reality of fruit. The salon will begin at noon with a guided meditation leading participants through a range of concepts related to the banana, followed by a discussion led by the artists at 1pm.  →

Bad cakes beware – Jen Yates will find you and post you on Cakewrecks, disgraced icing and all. You may even make print if you’re just that bad.

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Last Year’s Reenactment of Cesar Chavez’ “We Are Also Responsible”

LACE is pleased to present Mark Tribe’s Port Huron Project, a series of video installations depicting reenactments of protest speeches from the New Left movement of the Vietnam era. Each reenactement took place at the site of the original speech and was delivered by an actor or performance artist to an audience of invited guests and passers-by. →

Being an eighties kid, I can still remember sitting by the radio and “taping” my favorite songs instead of actually going out and buying the tape or cd.  Now some can say that was a outright stealing of songs but I was a child and preferred spending pocket change on sour keys and marshmallow strawberries. →

Three months ago, I moved just three blocks away from the heart of Haight-Ashbury.  Much to my surprise, the spot that my parents had talked about as the bastion of hippies and illicit drug use now has a remarkably civil feel.  There are still hippies begging and peeing in the streets, but there are also mid-level retail shops and BMW’s lining the same streets.  An AP piece chronicles this juxtaposition of progress and tradition, which San Francisco City Supervisor and Haight resident Ross Mirkarimi describes as being, “a wonderful, iconic place that wrestles with its past, present and future,”.  The revolutionary atmosphere prevails while gentrification threatens it from all sides, leaving residents torn between modern conveniences and losing the feel of the iconic neighborhood that they love.  See the piece in its entirety here.

When a world renowned turntablist and two highly skilled musicians from Canada come together, an implosion of creativity is bound to occur. In the case of Keys N Krates, that is exactly what materialized. The boys from KNK, DJ JRFLO on tables, Adam Tune, the jam master on drums, and Matisse, the smooth operator on keys, have ignited a sonic boom. →

Trailer for “Gimme Shelter”- The British Invasion Series

Although fall semester/quarter for college students has just begun, it can quickly become an arduous process. Running across campus with heavy texts in hand is quite cumbersome and let’s face it, tiring for us non-athletic types. And do not forget the overwhelming feeling of reading the syllabus for the first time or finding out that there is an additional book to be bought on top of the sundry of theoretical, philosophical, historical (non-fictional) texts already purchased. If you need to escape and can not wait until Thanksgiving  OR can not afford to take a mini vacay, Cinefamily has the solution. →