Anniversary
10 Times The Rocky Horror Picture Show Crashed Pop Culture
The Rocky Horror Picture Show gets tagged as a “cult” movie whenever it’s mentioned. After 45 years, though, it might be time to retire that adjective when talking about Richard O’Brien’s science-fiction rock ‘n’ roll parody turned ultimate midnight movie. While it may not be everyone’s cup of fishnets, when Fox broadcasts a remake in prime time and programs from The Simpsons to Sesame Street have dropped allusions to Brad (“Asshole!”) and Janet’s (“Slut!”) salacious sleepover at Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s castle, it’s safe to say that Rocky has officially gone mainstream. If you still haven’t popped your cherry (“Virgin!”), be sure to grab your fishnets, tighty-whities, or six-inch high heels, and celebrate 45 years of absolute pleasure by checking out these 10 times The Rocky Horror Picture Sh...
Ranking: Every Clerks Animated Episode from Worst to Best
Nothing about Kevin Smith’s 1994 cult-classic film Clerks lent itself to making an animated version for ABC. Not the maxed-out credit-card budget, not the grainy, black-and-white cinematography, and surely not the foulmouthed, esoteric nerding out about innocent plumbers dying on the Death Star or how much the average jizz mopper makes working a nudie booth. And yet, thanks to studio politics, the Disney-owned network is exactly where the animated adaptation landed. It was no surprise then when the premiere got bumped back to the pilot graveyard that is summer, only two of the original six episodes aired on the network, and Dante and Randal curtly got told that they weren’t supposed to be there today … or any day for that matter. Editors’ Picks No, Clerks the cartoon dropped dead qui...
Whitney Houston’s Self-Titled Debut Introduced a Voice for All Times: Classic Review
The Opus: Whitney Houston premieres on Thursday, May 28th and you can subscribe now. You can also prep for the experience by listening to Whitney Houston via all major streaming services or enter to win a copy of Vinyl Me, Please’s 35th anniversary Whitney Houston box set. Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Follow on Facebook | Podchaser Music allows us to feel an array of emotions and is one of the universal aspects of the human experience. It can be the cause of laughter or the reason for momentary sadness. It sparks fond memories and serves as a time stamp of the most pivotal points in our lives. The music industry is forever changing, and even the most skilled of artists can fade into obscurity if they fail to adapt. Musicians come ...
The Complicated Legacy of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis
As we think back on 40 years without Ian Curtis, Dan Weiss examines the sad nature of the young frontman and Joy Division’s music, especially as we collectively experience these strange times of isolation in quarantine. “Surrendered to self-preservation/ From others who care for themselves” — Joy Division, “Isolation” I know I’m beholden to the perpetual motion machine of anniversary cycles because I’m the press, but what’s your excuse? Yes, it’s the 40th anniversary of a day that was particularly grim long before there was any pandemic. On May 17, 1980, Ian Curtis died by suicide, possibly the most “famous” hanging in rock history, a morbid martyrdom that secured his legacy as the accidental inventor of just about anything goth. But that doesn’t mean you have to do something stupid like l...
El-P’s Debut Album Fantastic Damage Available on Streaming Services for First Time
Run the Jewels rapper El-P promised a massive reissue campaign throughout 2020, and today he’s delivered perhaps the project’s most notable release. In celebration of its 18th anniversary, the veteran rapper has made his seminal debut solo album, Fantastic Damage, available to stream on digital platforms for the very first time. Listen in below via Apple Music or Spotify. Originally released in 2002, the classic record launched El-P’s solo career following his time with New York collective Company Flow. It also set the tone for the MC’s burgeoning Definitive Jux label, which would later put out albums from Aesop Rock and Cannibal Ox. The 16-track Fantastic Damage was anchored by singles such as “Stepfather Factory”, “Deep Space 9mm”, and “Truancy”. Editors’ Picks “This album is ...
Ranking: The Beatles’ Albums from Worst to Best
Almost everybody has a Beatles moment. Mine came when I was 10 years old, riding in the middle row of a 1994 Dodge Caravan on a family road trip from Indiana down to the Great Smoky Mountains. My step-brother had just gotten cassette copies of 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, better remembered as “The Red Album” and “The Blue Album” by anyone who grew up with parents who’d spent the ’60s as teenagers. We played those tapes non-stop from Kokomo to Gatlinburg and back again, the sounds of “Love Me Do” and “Ticket to Ride” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” on a continuous week-long loop. I remember tears welling in my eyes during “In My Life”, the hairs raising on the back of my neck at the start of “Eleanor Rigby”, the strange kaleidoscopic friendliness that radiated off of “Penny Lane” and “All Y...
Ezra Koenig Performs Vampire Weekend Medley on Fallon from Quarantine: Watch
This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of Father of the Bride, the stellar fourth album from Vampire Weekend. In celebration, frontman Ezra Koenig delivered a quarantine-style medley of the album’s songs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday. Shot from his own spacious home studio, Koenig performed solo piano renditions of standout tracks “Flower Moon”, “Stranger”, and “Big Blue”. The album versions of these three songs benefited from robust instrumentation, but Koenig proved they sound just as lovely and clever when stripped bare. Watch video of the Fallon medley below. Editors’ Picks Prior to lockdown, Vampire Weekend shared three FOTB bonus tracks, as well as campaigned hard for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Earlie...
