After years of trying to play the Hollywood game, Shane Carruth is finally back with a new film on his own terms. It’s called Upstream Color, and it’s definitely worth the wait. Carruth, who previously dazzled us with the self-produced, garage sci-fi thriller, Primer (2004), spent the years since trying to get a script called A Topiary made, which, even with the support of no less than Steven Soderbergh, never received the funding it needed. He was on hand at the Music Box Theater in Chicago last night and answered …

I started drafting this post before they’d reached their Kickstarter goal, but it only took four hours for The Veronica Mars Movie Project to get halfway there and less than ten for it to make. It’s good to know that I’m not alone in my love of Kristen Bell, Rob Thomas’s writing, and the product of their working together.

Now that it’s definitely happening, I’m all abuzz with possibilities. The only hints Thomas is revealing are,
Life has taken Veronica away from Neptune. In the years since spoiling Keith’s chances to be reelected sheriff, …

Eight years after his death, Mitch Hedberg’s unique style of standup continues to haunt open-mic stages and playlists of millions, as well as our daily conversation. I commemorated his humor and haunting over on Splitsider.com today, thanks to Samantha Pitchel and Adam Frucci.

Here’s an excerpt:
I was at a bar in Seattle called Lynda’s with [Hedberg's road manager, Greg] Chaille and several other comedians on the two-year anniversary of Mitch’s passing, and we all went around the table telling our favorite Mitch jokes.
“Last week I helped a friend stay put,” started …

As many of you know, my domain slipped from my hands a few months ago. Well, several of my most ardent supporters contributed to my getting it back by donating and spreading the word, and their rewards are packed and ready to ship.

Many, many thanks (and packages of loot) go out to the following: Jeff Newelt, Michele Foreman, Doug Armato, Brian Peterson, Chris Bentley, Val Renegar, Steve McCann, Alex Burns, Matt Bailie, Elizabeth Usery, Sean Cashbaugh, Katie Newcomb, Mark Wieman, Sidney Brinson, Eric Larson, Ryan Lane, Matt Youngmark, Kath O’Donnell, …

I wrote a tiny, little bit about My Bloody Valentine’s recently released mbv for Reality Sandwich. Many thanks to Ken Jordan, Daniel Pinchbeck, and Faye Sakellaridis for the opportunity to blab about one of my current favorite records by one of my all-time favorite bands.

Here’s an excerpt:
With nine songs total, mbv is a trilogy of trilogies. It hangs together as a whole, but one can easily discern three movements. Three floes in the waves. The first set of three songs pulls you in with perhaps the poppiest sounds on the …

The figureheads of an entire subgenre of modern rock music, My Bloody Valentine is the only band in history to make a career out of not releasing a record.
Following the likes of Glenn Branca, Band of Susans, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Phil Specter, and Alan Moulder, as well as the core sound associated with Alan McGee’s Creation Records, My Bloody Valentine became a genre unto themselves with their second full-length record. Released on November 4th, 1991, Loveless was Kevin Shields’ self-proclaimed masterpiece and few have disagreed with that designation. Its …

So, in the interest of obscure references and nerdy nerdness, I made Jean Baudrillard and Frankfurt School shirts. Here are the details:
For the sultan of the simulacra, we have the copy of a copy of a copy of his countenance, in the black of toasted toner on the white of winter, of course.

…
And for the more cultured, we have the Frankfurt School ampersand shirt. Top five dudes of the day listed right on front. The actual print is not quite so crisp, which gives this T that good ol’ …

I just came across this full-length video of the SXSW panel I was on this year with Dave Allen, Rick Moody, David Ewald, Jesse von Doom, and Anthony Batt. The panel is called “What Happened to the Big Idea in Music Technology?” and we spend about an answer trying to answer the question [runtime: 57:49]:

——————-
Thanks to my friends and co-panelists for the opportunity and the great talks, including the one you see here, and to Philip Goetz for recording and posting this.

When I was little, I went through a lengthy maze-phase. First, I was doing them, then I started drawing them. I’ve long since abandoned my inner Ariadne, but thankfully Eric J. Eckert never did. He has a whole site of these great maze drawings of skateboarders, comedians, actors, and other famous folk. Well, he did one of my goofy self:

Check out Eric’s site for many more and of people you might actually know, like Jason Lee, Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, RZA, Red Angry Bird, Frank the Rabbit (from Donnie Darko), Tyrannosaurus Rex, Autopilot from …

Stack away, not up.
Asymmetry reigns.
Spin the square.
Build structures, not buildings.
Think negative (space).
See not color but line.
Wait for no shape.
Don’t block the blocks.

With thanks to Alexey Pajitnov.