Radiohead is once again doing crazy awesome things to traditional music mediums. After being cut free from their label, they are doing the unthinkable for a successful band - making their music free and accessible to fans. The freedom they have applied to In Rainbows in general is fantastic: allowing fans to choose the album price, the Nude remix contest. With few exceptions, the record industry has not embraced or even really recognized the sea change brought on by digital media - not only music “piracy” but also the proliferation of fan remixes. Radiohead, Beck, NiN and a few others are catching on - and I’m glad to see it.

Now Radiohead made a music video for House of Cards using 3D imaging technology (no cameras or lighting) and provided the visualization data for users to play with and make their own music videos.

Here is the original video:

Check out the youtube group for fan-made videos.

Oh and here’s the data plus a “making-of” video.

If you haven’t read it already, you should also check out this interview in Wired of Thom Yorke by David Byrne (Talking Heads interview Radiohead - hee!). I also found Byrne’s accompanying opinion piece on the future of the recording industry really interesting.

Spaced, the TV show created by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright before they did Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (and Run Fatboy Run) finally comes out on Region 1 DVD tomorrow, July 23. The show aired in 1999-2000. I TiVo it whenever it pops up on BBC America but I’m pretty damned stoked finally getting the DVD.

As with Shawn and Fuzz, the style of Spaced is very silly and loaded with pop-culture and movie references: references not only in dialog but also in film making style.

Here is a clip from one of my favorite episodes:

Oh and did I mention they talk about Star Wars a lot?

For more about Spaced, go to the wikipedia entry (natch) or buy the DVD set here.

I’m taking advantage of actually having an internet connection this morning to counter Jundt’s BMX movie clip with a clip from my own 80s childhood. I loved book Teen Witch as a kid and one late night (this is when basic cable shows terrible old movies) I discovered that at some point, someone had made it into a film which diverges greatly from the book. Basic movie plot: frumpy girl finds out she’s a witch, gets a Tiffany makeover (based on a poster in her room), forces the high school quarterback to fall in love with her, and makes her best friend “funky”. Some other stuff happens I think but I don’t remember them ever resolving the whole “my boyfriend only loves me because magic makes him” thing. Oh and that tiny lady who played the organ in the wedding in 16 Candles is her witch “mentor”. Teen Witch the movie also is an amazing 80s time capsule, from an era when that new-fangled “rap music” was just being introduced to suburban America.

“Taste Test” is one of my favorite features on the Onion AV Club (the non-parody wing of America’s Finest News Source). The foods they taste range from probably good (Inverted Junior Mints) to foreign (Japanese Kitkats) to stupid (Mountain Dew “Quest” Doritos) to really really gross (Pickle Sickle). Most fall in the latter two categories. My favorite part of each review is the “Office Reactions” section.

(source: AV Club)

Yesterday’s review was of 2 new meat flavored Combos crackers: Cheeseburger and Bacon, Egg & Cheese. I’ve always been sort of freaked out by meat flavored crackers and by Combos in particular. I’m glad I’m not alone on this one.

A complete list can be found here.

(source: Gawker)

Detroit News infographic on baggy pants configurations that will get you in trouble in Flint, Michigan. This is like something from the Onion.

Ok, so bear with me for a minute here. I made a Ferris Beuller’s Day Off image the other day. And it is (in my opinion) pretty awesome and something I would proudly wear on my shirt.

But what if… what if I took Cameron, and placed him not in front of Sunday in the Park, but other iconic paintings? Would it be anything more than another Ironic T-Shirt? I have nothing against irony in my clothing, in fact, I usually like a heavy dose of it. But it seems that, if I’m to do this, it needs to be something beyond ironic. So I need help. Is this just a terrible idea? One that shouldn’t see the light of day, but for whatever reason my brain has latched on to and won’t let go?

I’m not trying to make a statement or anything (how could I?), but think about it… for all the focus on Ferris, Cameron is obviously the more complex, tortured character. Trampled upon by everyone, including his best friend, marginalized by his father, drifting, aimless… I always thought that once you got past the ha-ha appeal (and awesome racing/jumping scene) of Ferris, the movie was more about Cameron finally standing up for himself, against everyone (including Ferris). This was a movie watched many times during my formative years, and while Ferris taught me to relax, do what makes you happy, and everything will be fine… Cameron taught me that sometimes you just have to draw a line in the sand, and dare the world to cross it.

So perhaps I’m over analyzing the movie, perhaps I’m putting too much emphasis on Cameron in what is, in reality, a comedy. But I still think him staring at other iconic images (not even just art, but serious, historically important images) would be amazing.

Then again… I’m pretty sure I don’t have the artistic ability to pull it off.

I spent the last weekend of my vacation back in New York. I had even less of a plan for this part of the trip than the rest of my two weeks and as a result didn’t get to see everyone I meant to (sorry DP, Tones). I just want to post the last few pics I snapped (still need to get the ones from my sister’s camera). For whatever reason, the lyrics to Truckin’ keep coming to mind…

Truckin’ got my chips cashed in. Keep truckin’, like the do-dah man
Together, more or less in line, just keep truckin’ on.

Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street.
Chicago, New York, Detroit and it’s all on the same street.
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.

location: Brooklyn

Dallas, got a soft machine; Houston, too close to New Orleans;
New York’s got the ways and means; but just won’t let you be, oh no.

location: Greenwich Village (yes Vespas were parked on 3/4 of these street corners)

Most of the cast that you meet on the streets speak of true love,
Most of the time they’re sittin’ and cryin’ at home.
One of these days they know they better get goin’
Out of the door and down on the streets all alone.

location: Brooklyn (Cake Wrecks anyone?)

Truckin’, like the do-dah man. Once told me “You’ve got to play your hand”
Sometimes your cards ain’t worth a dime, if you don’t lay’em down,

Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurres to me What a long, strange trip it’s been.

What in the world ever became of sweet Jane?
She lost her sparkle, you know she isn’t the same
Livin’ on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine,
All a friend can say is “Ain’t it a shame?”

Truckin’, up to Buffalo. Been thinkin’, you got to mellow slow
Takes time, you pick a place to go, and just keep truckin’ on.

Sittin’ and starin’ out of the hotel window.
Got a tip they’re gonna kick the door in again
I’d like to get some sleep before I travel,
But if you got a warrant, I guess you’re gonna come in.

Busted, down on Bourbon Street, Set up, like a bowlin’ pin.
Knocked down, it get’s to wearin’ thin. They just won’t let you be, oh no.

You’re sick of hangin’ around and you’d like to travel;
Get tired of travelin’ and you want to settle down.
I guess they can’t revoke your soul for tryin’,
Get out of the door and light out and look all around.

Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurres to me What a long, strange trip it’s been.

Truckin’, I’m a goin’ home. Whoa whoa baby, back where I belong,
Back home, sit down and patch my bones, and get back truckin’ on.
Hey now get back truckin’ home.

Ok, so maybe my first attempt was using an image that is a bit, well… iconic, for lack of a better word. How about this one?

Granted, it’s a pretty well known image as well… but this is not actually THE image, it is a photoshopped image of a man (NOT the one from the movie), pasted on top of a photoshopped non-copyrighted picture of the painting. So take THAT censors… something tells me that it probably won’t help though. So anyway, perhaps I’ll order a few of these up. Or maybe just one for myself. Ha!

Well I’m back in New York City for the last bit of my vacation. I had a really wonderful week in Ithaca. On Wednesday, my gracious host had to get some work done so I decided to go for a gorge walk. I started at the park at the bottom of Cascadilla Gorge - I lived a block away from there my last year in Ithaca in a horribly teeny apartment so I spent much of my time in the warm months in this gorge. In addition, this is the way I walked home from class on nice days. Check out the gallery and click through the images for descriptions:

Yesterday I went out to breakfast with my old adviser then spent the rest of the day with my gracious host. We went to Taughannock Falls (the largest single drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, I’ll have you know), then walked around the Cornell Plantations and finally hit up the Ithaca SPCA and played with kitties. The drive to NYC was *mostly* uneventful and I found an amazing parking space which means I’m not going to move my car until I have to. My sister is here this weekend too and we’re meeting up in a bit. The Cold War Kids are playing a free concert in Brooklyn so I think we’ll be hitting that up later.

Rad.

There, I said what we are all thinking. Rad is quite definitely the preeminent BMX Teen Movie of the eighties. If you’ve never seen the movie before, go watch it. Now. But if that is too much trouble for you (it is hard to find, I understand… but that didn’t stop me from finding it again), then just watch this clip. It sums up the entire movie in one beautiful, ludicrous scene.

Some highlights:

• 0:00 - Yes, that is Aunt Becky. And she is hot with shoulder pads.
• 0:45 - The appearance of the Evil Lacky Twins, quickly cut to… the Badass Teen-Villain (why were the jerks always blonde in the eighties?), and he is clearly not impressed.
• 0:56 - Drunk Corporate Asshole! Yes, he is the true villain here, accompanied by his own slick, Mustachioed Lacky
• 1:50 - Wha? The Evil Lacky Twins are enjoying the show? Blonde Badass will have none of it!
• 2:08 - Quite clearly, a man in sequined, be-shoulder padded blouse. Apparently, Aunt Becky can only do tricks when the bike is fixed to a track
• 2:41 - Sooo… do the Evil Lacky Twins share the Zebra Girl? I’ve never been clear on that particular fact.
• 3:43 - Wow, we were so easily impressed back then…

Interesting side note, the movie is loosely based on the life of Eddie Fiola, who is actually in the movie… as Cru Jones’ stunt double.

I can’t count the number of times I watched this movie as a kid. A few years ago I finally managed to turn up a (bootlegged) copy on DVD. And you know what? I like it even more now than I did then. Perhaps if all you are nice enough, one of these days I’ll host a Rad movie night, and we can all bask in the warming glow of the eighties.

And in case you are wondering what that awesome song is, “Send Me an Angel” by Real Life. Thrice does a half-decent cover.