Back Off, Man, I'm a Scientist
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we help a forlorn scientist understand why his friend and co-worker chose to quit her job and leave the state.
Andrew Womack
Coachella, MySpace & the Octopus Project
The single greatest problem our country faced throughout the 1990s, the summer music festival, was responsible not only for 90 percent of infections in 18-24 year-olds, but also for Live’s Throwing Copper going platinum eight times. Thankfully, the vast majority of music festivals are now confined to
Piping Hot
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we show a tenant how to beat the heat that's still pouring out of the radiator.
Menacing Chamber Blues
Sometimes I just have to gush. I don’t know much about the Candy Bars (MySpace page), but I do know they’re a new-ish trio from Tampa. I’ve never read an article about them, I’ve only heard that they were great at SXSW. What I have
Not Getting all Dewey-Eyed
In “Doozy of a Decimal System,” published April 5, 2006, Anthony Doerr admits that his half-serious censure of library borrowing is “silly.” I’d like to argue that not only is it silly to suggest that libraries make it harder for writers to get published, it is also wrong.
On Morrissey and Career Arcs
This month it’s been 18 years since Viva Hate, Morrissey’s initial solo foray. That’s right—and that means it’s been over 18 years since the breakup of the Smiths, one of the two most important guitar bands of the 20th century (next to the Beatles), the
Attention Screenwriters
I've noticed an abundance of horror films over the past few years, the premises of which involve a thing that somehow somebody gets a hold of that winds up killing them. Like The Ring, where a videocassette is traded around, and whomever sees it is later dies. Or
How My Chemical Romance Will Save the Record Industry
Depending on whom you ask, the business of buying and selling music is or is not in the toilet. I propose that not only is it down there, but that we go ahead and yank the handle. The argument goes that many people treat file-sharing services as listening stations,
On the Secret Machines' New Album
Since their 2002 debut EP Brooklyn-via-outer space-via-Texas rock trio the Secret Machines have led a charmed life. The group’s rise has been meteoric: rescued from seedy Williamsburg loft parties, knighted by Warner Bros., and anointed in Hedi Slimane suits, the Secret Machines appear in every
New Reviews
If it's true that opinions are like assholes, and that the internet is full of both, then please tell us why aren't we a natural part of that? Which is exactly what we asked ourselves, and which is why, beginning today with Robert Birnbaum's