Channel Z

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Wed, 23 May 2012 09:56:54 -0400

psychojello: On this day in 1967, the Monkees’ third album...

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:39:48 -0400

On this day in 1967, the Monkees’ third album Headquarters was released.

This was the first Monkees album where they played ~~all~~ most of their own instruments and had creative control. It went to #1 for one week and eventually went double platinum.

32/100 » Lois Lane sexiest Lois and Jimmy ever. Unf!

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:14:57 -0400

32/100 » Lois Lane

sexiest Lois and Jimmy ever. Unf!

Story Pirates by Cake Power!

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:32:08 -0400

storypirates:

Beautiful Story Pirates cake by Kate Sullivan of Cake Power!

Greg Rucka rips Hollywood and Comics a New One

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:26:25 -0400

dcwomenkickingass:

The folks over at Comicbook interviewed Greg Rucka where he discusses the treatment of women by Hollywood and DC Comics. Rucka’s discussion of Hollywood comes in reference to the development of his Queen and Country for the big screen. That discussion, as you’ll see, turns into a discussion of the comic book world. Rucka left DC Comics in 2010.

You should go click through to the whole interview and listen to the podcast this was taken from but here are some of the more provocative soundbites:

“There’s an absurd marketing issue which is this conceit that Hollywood labors under and they’ve got studies to back it up, that their market is men 18 to 34, and they won’t go see a woman in an action role, which is utter bulls**t. I mean, if you can think of any demographic that’s more likely to go see women in an action role it’s going to be a guy who’s eighteen! What’s the thing that eighteen-year-old is constantly thinking about? Girls. It’s absurd and the more you look into it, the more the fallacy falls apart….

….The same studies that these guys swear by—‘our demographic is men age 18 to 34, who drive purchasing’—well, alright. Those same studies say it’s women age 20 to 40 who control the income outlay. They control the pocketbook, so why aren’t you marketing to them? It doesn’t make any sense and it’s a fundamentally misogynistic market field and people wonder why we see such negative representations of women or the same consistent galling of women and objectification of women in media and you strip everything away and the only argument that remains is it’s a misogynistic industry—they don’t like women. And you see that all over comics now, too.

These things aren’t going away now and I think in large part the reason they’re not going away is that in particular DC did an extraordinary job of revealing the truth of their situation—they don’t care.

That’s what they said at San Diego—not only do we not care but we actually don’t want you here, go away. Well, guess what? That’s a sh***y business model and you’re going to lose money and you’re going to lose readers. It doesn’t make any sense to me from a business standpoint, right? I was lecturing at the University of Oregon yesterday and the only analog I can come up with is if Apple had said, ‘you know what? We’re only selling iPhones to blondes.’ It doesn’t make any sense—why would you just exclude a whole portion of your market? And the combination of arrogance and ignorance is appaling, and people should be angry. And the mere fact that the people who then actually spoke out about it who were threatened—talk about wanting to make ourselves look good. Nice endorsement for the industry, there.”

Yeah.

I really don’t have anything to add.

Except,

Preach it Reverend Rucka!

Important.

vicemag: Cracking the Jandek Case It has been nearly eight...

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:38 -0400

vicemag:

Cracking the Jandek Case

It has been nearly eight years since news broke across the Internet that the elusive and (as far as we knew) reclusive avant garde musician known as Jandek made his first-ever live appearance at a festival in Scotland. Even though that performance is now one of a few dozen that Jandek has taken part in around the world, the shock of his first steps onstage hasn’t really worn off

You could credit this to the fact that the show happened some 26 years after the release of Jandek’s first album (Ready For The House, originally credited to The Units). Or that, until that debut performance in October 2004, no one could really say for certain whether the music he had been self-releasing at a frightening pace was to be taken seriously or not.

The few interviews he has given have been cagey about his methods and the inspirations behind his jagged, unhinged blues/folk skronks and wails. And when Irwin Chusid, the WMFU DJ and outsider art expert, wrote about Jandek in the book Songs In The Key of Z, he was treated as something of a novelty, just another crazed dude who likely thought he was recording potential top 10 hits.

Nearly a decade later, there’s no denying that Jandek is for real, and the music he is creating on his own and in collaboration with whatever live band gets cobbled together to perform with him on stage is equally bona fide.

Still, no one really knows what drives the work that Jandek does either onstage or off. He hasn’t given a legitimate interview in many years. He doesn’t participate in stage banter or even seem to acknowledge the existence of an audience when he plays live. The only way we are going to get any sense of the man is through the people who have performed with him over the years.

To that end, I connected with five artists who have spent time onstage with Jandek to get some deeper sense of what drives him as an artist and, now, as a performing musician. Below are the recollections - edited for clarity - of these musicians about their experiences with Jandek’s music both as listeners and as performers.

Spencer Yeh, played with Jandek on October 10, 2008 at the Wexner Center For The Arts in Columbus, Ohio

I was aware of Jandek before I had actually heard any. I mean, the time in between hearing the tale and actually hearing some music was kind of short, but long enough to really imagine all sorts of crap about what it might sound like. I think I felt like it was going to be a bit more fucked up in a lo-fi way. Part of me was sort of startled by how “pro” it felt.

The organizer of the show got in touch with me. I guess the organizer submits a proposed band and then Jandek filters through the list. I’m guessing some research was done on his end in making the selections for the band.

By the time I met him, I had heard about his surprise appearance in Scotland and seen pictures; had friends who had performed with him. So of course there was a lot of talk along the “what/how” lines already. Despite that, meeting him in person, he immediately just has this sort of vibe. I mean, it’s sort of the ideal vibe anyone dressing in one color with a hat on is striving for. Even my girlfriend who was sort of, like, “What’s the big deal in meeting this person?”…boom, in person, whole different story.

He proposed three pieces with open-ended instructions. We worked out some ideas and made decisions on choices such as a general vibe of the jam, or the particular voices he used on the keyboards. It felt like he sort of he had to say “Yay” or “Nay” about what we were coming up with, from a “feel” standpoint. It was very much “show him what we can do” and see what worked. It was so long ago, but I recall it being pretty good. I definitely did appreciate that we were doing “songs”, that he did hit the mike. To me, that makes a big difference, just hearing his voice. We also did a radio session the next day, which was a blast, particularly when he pointed at a drum set and was, like, “I want to play THOSE.”

He did give me some open insights into Jandek. A piece of the puzzle lies in the fact that additional players aren’t listed in these recent live records. I’m wondering if a secret goal would be to absorb every person on Earth into Jandek at some point or other.

CONTINUE

Cool Cars and Science - A Pilot For An Action Show By Matt B...

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:43:43 -0400

Cool Cars and Science - A Pilot For An Action Show

By Matt B Weir

Hi! My name is Randy Flash, and I design the fastest and coolest cars in the world! I share a laboratory with my best friend, the famous scientist Dr. Berg Bergmire. It might seem like we wouldn’t get along, because we’re in such different fields, but HEY! THIS WORKS FOR US!

cheapocheapo: Looking up L. Frank Baum-related sites to see here in Chicago and getting pissed...

Sun, 20 May 2012 04:11:57 -0400

cheapocheapo:

Looking up L. Frank Baum-related sites to see here in Chicago and getting pissed because they’re all torn down.

Wait - this is something else we have in common? GHAAA.

jakefogelnest: CALLING ALL PUNKERS!!!! Get this great...

Fri, 18 May 2012 22:57:25 -0400

jakefogelnest:

CALLING ALL PUNKERS!!!! Get this great compilation CD called “PUNK” featuring all your favorite PUNKED OUT hits! This CD is only for HARDCORE PUNKYS, so if you’re not into PUNKIN’ OUT, buy some other record, YA SQUARE!!!!

THE PUNK IS NOT DEAD IT IS ALIVE STILL!!!!

Hahah. I was thinking of posting this yesterday.

Tonight - THIS.

Thu, 17 May 2012 22:33:16 -0400

Tonight - THIS.

muppets: Frank, Rowlf and Jim

Wed, 16 May 2012 21:50:06 -0400

muppets:

Frank, Rowlf and Jim

uncannybrettwhite: Taken with instagram For me, this picture...

Wed, 16 May 2012 21:46:47 -0400

uncannybrettwhite:

Taken with instagram

For me, this picture encapsulates 2012 in a wonderful way.

Kevin Mullaney on what makes improv unique in and of itself

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:34:48 -0400

Kevin Mullaney on what makes improv unique in and of itself:

I do think that great improv is something unto itself. When improv shed the idea of telling stories and instead embraced forms which followed patterns and sought connections between seemingly unrelated scenes and characters is when it became something new and special.

surfboardsandpianos: Happy anniversary to Pet Sounds, one of...

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:29:28 -0400

surfboardsandpianos:

Happy anniversary to Pet Sounds, one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

“Pet Sounds represents Brian’s peak. He may have peaked in ambition after this, but with Pet Sounds, he peaked in pure display of talent. It was so good that, after Pet Sounds, he was so self-aware that he had to go for something even more ultimate. Maybe that’s what drove him crazy—there was nothing more. You couldn’t beat it—no one else has.”
David Wild, Rolling Stone senior editor

Album released by the Beach Boys on May 16, 1966.

Tomorrow Never Knows on Mad Men: How The Beatles Tune Changed Pop Music Forever

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:05:26 -0400

Tomorrow Never Knows on Mad Men: How The Beatles Tune Changed Pop Music Forever:

By 1966, when the episode takes place, the Beatles had been pushing songwriting conventions for a few years already… But “Tomorrow Never Knows” represented a more significant innovation: Rather than playing with what they could do inside a pop song, the Beatles asked what kind of music a pop song might be.

Excellent piece written by my friend Chris about the process of recording “Tomorrow Never Knows” and it’s recent use in Mad Men.

Happy birthday to a man that I have much creative respect for -...

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:32:04 -0400

Happy birthday to a man that I have much creative respect for - David Byrne.

the-mtblog: The Kids in the HallToronto1986 Photo by Rick...

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:22:27 -0400

Photo: Rick Eglinton/Toronto Star

Photo: Rick Eglinton/Toronto Star

the-mtblog:

The Kids in the Hall
Toronto
1986

Photo by Rick Eglinton/Toronto Star

You know, sometimes I forget how much I love these men. And then, here’s something like this, that I get to look at. And I remember that these are some of the guys that made me want to do all of the stuff I’m doing today.

The Adventures of The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Splitsider

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:44:29 -0400

The Adventures of The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Splitsider:

(via Instapaper)

hitrecordjoe: leftcoastjane: Mother’s Day began in America in...

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:32:02 -0400

hitrecordjoe:

leftcoastjane:

Mother’s Day began in America in 1870 when Julia Ward Howe wrote the Mother’s Day Proclamation. Written in response to the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War, her proclamation called on women to use theirposition as mothers to influence society in fighting for an end to all wars. She called for women to stand up against the unjust violence of war through their roles as wife and mother, to protest the futility of their sons killing other mothers’ sons.

Howe wrote:

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly: “We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.” Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed …to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy! :oD

dcwomenkickingass: It’s the Superfriends Song! If you watched...

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:26:31 -0400

dcwomenkickingass:

It’s the Superfriends Song!

If you watched DC Nation this weekend (and don’t get me started on YJ and Kaldur) you saw this. If not, here’s a video with A LOT of DC characters!

YES YES YES!!!!!