COVER OF THE MONTH Jon Berkeley for the Economist … [Read more...]

...It was nearly noon, and since I was nearby, I decided to go to Langer's Delicatessen, renowned for its pastrami sandwich. I was about to turn off my car when a song came on the radio that grabbed me. I recognized the lyrics: "Just a little lovin', early in the morning." I'd heard the famous Dusty … [Read more...]

Last night we finished watching Tropic Thunder, which was too brilliant for comment. Made me think of Ben Stiller's Oscar beard, and then I saw Thomson praise Phoenix's "awesomely nasty Commodus in Gladiator, one of the best villains of modern times - creepy, depraved, lethal and smart with it; his … [Read more...]

Why isn't she a huge star yet? Yo Tina! And from this same podcast, Jeffrey Tambor: The Sound of Young America … [Read more...]

For my birthday, family took me to this show at the Boston ICA, where I marveled at the detail, twists on Warhol and Ono, and all manner of originalities. So where does Schjeldahl get off? Oh right, it's pop not art, that's a pretty clear distinction, no problem there. (Whatever happened to … [Read more...]

You'll come for the camp, you'll stay for the yucks: "What nerds listen to on prom night as they cry themselves to sleep..." (Don't forget the wallpapers.) … [Read more...]

Conduit your proctor if your election lasts wronger than four trousers. … [Read more...]

(adapted from the hit facebook meme, expanded and enlarged) BLONDE ON BLONDE, DYLAN PLASTIC ONO BAND, LENNON MCCARTNEY, MCCARTNEY GET HAPPY and/or KING OF AMERICA, COSTELLO SMALL MIRACLES, DRONGOS VERY GREASY, DAVID LINDLEY EL RAYO-X PINKER PROUDER PREVIOUS and/or LABOUR OF LUST, NICK LOWE LEFTY … [Read more...]

"The madness of our financial system cries out for comic demolition - it needs Preston Sturges. But the glimpses of the big 2009 films gathered at the end of the Oscar show looked old-hat already, before they've even opened..."--David Thomson on the Oscars. The big routine around this house was … [Read more...]

Asked what punishment he would like to see for Mr. Madoff, Mr. Wiesel said: "I would like him to be in a solitary cell with only a screen, and on that screen for at least five years of his life, every day and every night, there should be pictures of his victims, one after the other after the other, … [Read more...]

but check it Redoubtable mashable runs best music tumblelogs, so crank it. [for "dandelions" read: "deadlines"] … [Read more...]

MISSED OPPORTUNITY In the current issue of the Atlantic, James Parker wonders: "Has rock history ended, its glorious teleology exhausted?" Unpack and expand please. Some quotes from Harmonix principals and history of the game's evolution from Japanese models, there are many more, and far bigger … [Read more...]

A Sound Check SMACKDOWN where Morrissey pushes the boulder of camp (Years of Refusal) up the mountain of art, artlessly. … [Read more...]

FILE UNDER: Why didn't I think of this? … [Read more...]

Jon Nelson hosts "Some Assembly Required," which specializes in underground sound collage and mashups. As "Escape Mechanism," he's released an album of his own, "Emphasis Added." This ON POINT interview includes music from Nelson, Eno and Byrne, Eric B and Rakim, Girl Talk, People Like Us, Wobbly, … [Read more...]