August 2011
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June 2011
2 posts
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March 2011
1 post
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August 2010
1 post
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The pains of being george washington's penis
George Washington’s Penis (aka Brooklyn’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) headlined London’s tiny Buffalo Bar on Friday, effectively vaulting from one of the best band names ever to possibly the worst. Still… it was a secret gig and as a mere interloper*, I probably shouldn’t complain.
With no setlist, they churned through a variety of old and new tracks,...
July 2010
2 posts
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“Ha ha! Look at this country! U R Gay?! Ha ha!”
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Look who’s laughing now, Homer Simpson. Uruguay’s win in tonight’s penalty shoot-out means Ghana is out and striker Sebastian ‘El Loco’ Abreu is not only a National Hero, but a rather good-looking soccer dad as well. What a dude.
Awww-inducing image from Stuff.co.nz.
June 2010
7 posts
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E from eels learns quantum mechanics
Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives is a brilliant 2007 film that follows Mark Everett (aka E from Eels) as he traces his late father, Hugh Everett III, from Princeton PhD to the Pentagon, until his death as a businessman at 51.
Hugh Everett III’s 1957 paper on parallel universes was barely acknowledged until decades later, with many physicists now proclaiming themselves as...
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Exploring the cove
I’ve just finished watching ‘The Cove’ and suggest you do too. Unless you have seen the controversial Academy Award-winning documentary already, in which case you’ll probably agree that herding thousands of dolphins into a secluded cove in Taiji, Japan, before harpooning them to death is both brutal and unnecessary.
Taiji, in Wakayama, is often regarded as the...
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Colouring with kozyndan
Well, just Kozy, actually. The Yamanashi-born illustrator (real name: Kozue) is in town this weekend with her husband, Dan Kitchens, as part of their first solo UK show And Then There Were None at the tiny Nelly Duff gallery on Columbia Road.
Kozy is pictured above with The Best Sushi in Town, an all-new panoramic which debuted simultaneously at the show and at a group exhibition in New York....
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Mogwai's burning
Mogwai: Burning, a new concert film shot in New York by Vincent Moon and Nathanael Le Scouarnec premiered at London’s Scala tonight, accompanied by Mogwai & Fuck Buttons DJs and a live set from Glasgow’s Remember Remember.
All black & white and atmospheric all over, Burning is more concert than film, although perhaps that was just the venue. The crowd were respectful...
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Shonen knife... forever?
Banana chips for you! Banana chips for me! In the afternoon, Banana chips and tea.
They came, I saw, I showered them with banana chips. Literally. My plans for a banana chip taste-off (chewy! chili! chocolate dipped!) were dashed when another journo turned up, so I ended handing over a load of dried banana treats like some kinda crazed fan.
I guess I am though… There’s...
May 2010
13 posts
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SATC 2... my eyes, my eyes!
There’s many great reviews of the misguided Sex and the City sequel out there (incl. here), so I’ll keep mine brief…
Carrie:
Is but a shell of the neurotic and slightly kooky gal she once was. She’s now obsessed with redecorating her fancy yet soulless apartment, even chastising her husband (who must’ve paid for the whole place) when he puts his feet up on the...
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Hatoyama's shirt: how did it ever come to this?
Japanprobe today reported Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s hideous plaid shirt of many colours is now on sale for US$500. Presenting…
It appears Shanghai-based shirtsmyway.com has latched on to the disastrous piece of work, labelling PM Hatoyama a ‘fashion hero’ for ‘daring to be different’.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you. Props to him for daring to...
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Patrick bateman does david byrne
Miles Fisher - This Must Be The Place (Cover) from Miles Fisher on Vimeo.
Do you like Miles Fisher? His latest EP marks a new peak of professionalism. This is his take on David Byrne’s ‘This Must Be the Place’.
In case you missed it in 2009, Popmatters has recently rediscovered Fisher’s version of the Talking Heads hit (below), which in a brilliant tribute to...
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Fish story's going to save the world one day
Well, maybe not. But it is a catchy song… and I do like a Karate Kid homage as much as the next person. It’s just a little long for a sci-fi/comedy/drama about a punk song saving the world. Although since I missed it at the Terracotta Film Festival earlier in the year, I’m glad it’s getting a limited release (try London’s ICA). Read more on Fish Story over at...
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Goodbye, gary coleman
An inter-cranial hemorrhage has taken Coleman at 42. He may be gone, but we’ll always have this:
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The solitude of ravens
The British Journal of Photography has named Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase’s 1986 Karasu (Ravens) as the best photobook of the past 25 years*. According to the BJP:
The book is a mournful reflection on Fukase’s past relationship, but has also been interpreted as an allegorical critique of modern industrialised society.
Through dark, grainy images of karasu, Fukase...
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Reasons to stop bullfighting #1
Whoa. An unbelievable photo from The Telegraph of 41-year-old Spanish matador Julio Aparicio taking it on the chin for bullfighters everywhere.
Did I just say that? The poor guy underwent an incredible six hours of surgery to reconstruct his mouth, throat, jaw and tongue following the goring yesterday. Six bulls were also reportedly destroyed after the day of bullfights, which combined with...
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There ain't no iguana
Here’s Val Kilmer being upstaged by drug-addled police officer Nic Cage and a pair of reptiles in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans. Director Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, La Boheme) apparently shot the hilariously surreal scene himself, taking a bite from one of the lizards in the process.
The scene, and indeed the entire film, is brilliant. After schlepping about in so many...
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My Kiwi friend Miss Mac is gorgeous. She’s...
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Japan's PM yukio hatoyama... melting fast in the...
If you were the prime minister of a small nation with the world’s second largest GDP, which, my friends, would be worse?
A 67% disapproval rating, resulting in you being written off as a ‘lame duck premier’ by the Financial Times?
Having a character so weak your predecessor, Yasuhiro Nakasone, describes it as ‘sweet like soft ice cream that melts fast in the summer...
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600 sausages (to the tune of aphex twin)
Japanese people tend not to eat in public. It’s generally considered inappropriate to chow down on the street or on public transport — unless you’re crowded around a Harajuku crepe stand, in which case, it’s not a problem.
This is why I was rather impressed to discover JJ O’Donoghue’s 600 Sausages, a four-minute ode to the mighty frankfurter at Kyobashi...
April 2010
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Japan's town flag typography
Town flags L-R: Taketomi (in Okinawa) shows 竹 (take); Hachijō reflects the kanji for Hachijō 八丈, arranged in the shape of a bird.
Studying Japanese is tough. There’s three written languages, one of which, kanji (the complex ideograms) can be read using both Japanese and Chinese pronunciation. Every year, the government lists nearly 2,000 essential kanji characters for all high school...
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Japanese fine art auction at bonhams
Above: 18th century print attributed to Suzuki Harunobu and Isoda Koryusai, est. price £800-£1,200.
Feeling flush? No, me neither, but if I was, I’d consider a trip to Bonhams for the upcoming Fine Japanese Art auction on Tuesday May 11.
Almost 500 pieces of Japanese history will go under the hammer, including a vast array of ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), paintings, ceramics, carvings...
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David cameron wants to be like common people
I went to Eton paid a lot for knowledge…
Today I received my postal voting papers. Not long after, a dear friend sent me this Pulp-inspired ditty, officially ruining this classic song for me forever.
Sack off health care, cut some jobs Support the rich guys & fuck the yobs.
Then in another attempt to gain some street cred, Cameron announced The Wire is excellent and Dominic...
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New roads for kosovo
The newly independent Republic of Kosovo yesterday broke ground for a €700-million road linking the capital, Pristina, to Albania, eventually providing access to international ports and markets.
What’s that got to do with popular culture, you wonder? Well, Kosovo is a strange little place. Not only is it one of the world’s youngest countries (the government declared independence...
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Guitars, cymbals & zebra finches at the barbican
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s installation at the Barbican’s Curve Gallery may be my new favourite interactive art piece. By arranging horizontally mounted amplified Les Paul guitars, cymbals and basses on grassy islands around an airy exhibition space with 40 zebra finches, the Nice-born composer and musician has created a piece that’s equal parts art, music and ornithology.
...
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A lego hamster wonderland
Again with the Lego, I know.
This time it’s from TV Tokyo, where five Legomaniacs created 1,000+ piece Lego hamster* wonderlands.
First up is the ‘exciting fruit paradise’ – with a pineapple wheel, grape tree jungle gym, melon ball pool and a banana see-saw. According to the narrator, ‘it’s a hamster paradise!’.
There’s also a *yawn* Robinson Crusoe...
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Go, citizen, go!
Citizen Japan has unveiled the Citizen i:Virt M, a new £200 wristwatch that recalls dear Penny’s telephone watch of old.
Thanks to Bluetooth, the i:Virt M connects wirelessly to the wearer’s mobile phone and flashes to alert of incoming calls or text messages. It can also display (but not send) text messages.
The i:Virt M was created for those times when you’re not...
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Happy earth day
I’ve written before about the Environmental Justice Foundation, a small UK charity who campaign for victims of environmental abuse/climate change and fight pirate fishermen from robbing our oceans of marine life. They also campaign for sustainable/organic cotton, and are currently selling designer t-shirts to help fund their work around the world. A little refresher, for Earth Day...
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When is japanese food not japanese food?
When an international star like Jared Leto blogs about it.
Not too long ago, 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Leto was in town and raved online about ‘Great Japanese food in London’ – only to post the above picture of Yauatcha, one of London’s finest dim sum emporiums.
And I know, I know, he’s a big film rock star who may not grasp the delicate intricacies that...
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terracotta: london's far eastern film festival
London’s second annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival has unveiled their selection of fifteen hand-picked films from Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, to screen at the Prince Charles Theatre from 6-9 May, 2010.
From Japan there’s a host of manga/novel adaptations, fantasy films and anime, including Japan Academy-award-winning anime, Summer...
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Uniqlo hits nyc + china with 88 dancing girls
Japanese clothing retailer, UNIQLO (famed for its cut-price basics and collaborations with upcoming designers) is opening two new superstores in an apparent bid to take over the casual-wear markets of China and the USA.
In preparation for the first Chinese store opening on May 15, UNIQLO has unveiled From Shanghai to the World, a slick new website featuring eighty-eight girls dancing* in...
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I agree with nick, but...
I don’t agree with copyright infringement.
The latest article/free downloadable poster from the Guardian - which asks if Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is the British Obama - is almost enough to put me off reading the paper forever.
Yesterday began with London Mayor/Tory toff/Telegraph columnist Boris Johnson extolling his party leader, David Cameron, who had ‘aced every question’...
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Happy birthday, holy father
Pope Benedict XVI turned 83 on Friday, and despite the Vatican not officially recognising papal birthdays, a US fundraising group managed to rustle up some white chocolate and strawberries for a birthday cake.
The Papal Foundation even sang him Happy Birthday in English after presenting him with the modest ‘Happy Birthday Holy Father’ cake (above), which seems to reflect how...
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Pasta with black people. i mean pepper.
Last week Penguin Group Australia reprinted 7,000 copies of the Pasta Bible following an AUD$20,000 typo.
According to The Age, a recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto* called for salt and freshly ground black people, rather than the intended salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Head of publishing, Bob Sessions, could not understand why anyone would be offended by such a...
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Japanese marathon man goes m.i.a →
Is this for real? He sounds like my kind of Olympian:
Shizo Kanakuri disappeared while running the marathon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He was listed as a missing person in Sweden for 50 years — until a journalist found him living quietly in southern Japan.
Overcome with heat during the race, he had stopped at a garden party to drink orange juice, stayed for an hour, then took a...
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“I’m not pro-war or against war. It’s not for me personally, but I...”
– — Pharrell Williams, sharing his thoughts on international conflict with Blast magazine.
Williams, or as Blast calls him, Icône des icônes de l’esprit Cool America, is in Paris this week to talk about his latest piece of furniture, the Tank Chair, which he originally unveiled in Nov 2009....
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Atari teenage riot, 13 years on
Atari Teenage Riot has a new album coming out next month, which makes me feel rather old. Firstly, as I haven’t listened to them since 1997’s The Future of War, and secondly, because the new song, Activate! makes my head hurt.
Old.
Like the Atari above, which we had as kids until a centipede crawled in, got electrocuted, and ruined Donkey Kong for everyone.
Click the...
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Thank you, Godsauce, for this nonsensical gem.