This weekend Sarah Mirk and I found ourselves in N. Lombard’s Mousetrap Tavern drinking on the cheap and singing karaoke (we were so good the KJ hugged us! Service!) I left to use the bathroom when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a vending machine filled with ribbed condoms, edible oils and this […]
Dave Bow
Posted inBooks
Who Thinks White-Washing Mark Twain Is a Good Idea?
Gawker reported today on Auburn University professor Alan Gribben’s plan to release a new version of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where the words “nigger” and “Injun” are replaced by the words “slave” and “Indian”, respectively. Let’s pretend this didn’t happen Lord knows the “Mark Twain is […]
Posted inMovies & TV
The (Kinda Crappy) Year in Film
Portland’s Film Experts Pick Their Favorites of 2010
Portland’s film experts pick their three favorite films of 2010. Hope you like machetes and Scott Pilgrims!
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 18
A classic. Merry Christmas from Dave Bow, David Bowie, Bing Crosby and The Mercury. May dinner with your friends and relations be every bit as awesome as this video of “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” (though a little less awkward). For bonus cheer, you can see John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell recreate this classic […]
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 17
I dedicate today’s entry to those scrooges who came down on poor Macca yesterday like a ton of bricks. I would rather listen to “Wonderful Christmas Time” on loop for an hour than hear the whole Fat Les album. Fat Les was a supergroup(???) comprised of Alex James (bassist from Blur), acclaimed actor and father […]
Posted inGeneral
Peacock Lane: A Critical Overview
The Mercury’s Most Annoying Critics Review Selections from Portland’s Favorite Holiday Group Art Show
The Mercury‘s most annoying and astute critics take on Peacock Lane.
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 16
I previously asked if there was any pop songwriter as suited to Christmas music as XTC’s Andy Partridge. Of course there is: Paul McCartney! Macca’s shameless cheese is made for this time of year and, as a tireless McCartney defender, I feel obliged to include Wings’ “Wonderful Christmas Time” in my countdown. Listen to Linda […]
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 15
Just when you thought it was safe to celebrate, here’s the inimitable King Diamond with a lump of coal for you! Like a lot of true ’80s metal, “No Presents for Christmas” manages to be extremely silly and kind of genuinely sinister. What else would you expect from the King? PS, I love how, halfway […]
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 14
Home stretch, folks! Hope you’re not waiting ’til the last minute to buy those Christmas gifts. As of this writing I am… but I’m not letting it stress me out cuz I’m bumping songs like XTC’s “Thanks for Christmas”. If ever there was a pop songwriter tailored to write catchy Christmas songs it was Andy […]
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 13
This version of “O Holy Night” made the rounds for the internet long enough for internet people to do what they do best: find out who could have butchered the song so delightfully. The answer was a man named Steve Mauldin who was so proud of his recording (or maybe just incensed that other people […]
Posted inMusic
Christmas Music Countdown: Day 12
I guess Guster has gone from being an also-ran to being a critically acclaimed also-ran in the last few years but I never really listened to them. This cover of “¿Donde Esta Santa Claus?” is pretty damn charming, though. How does it stack up to the rest of Guster’s recorded output? I couldn’t tell you…
Posted inPolitics
Stephen Colbert Agrees: Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat
There was a lot of stuff on last night’s Colbert Report worth noting here, some of it directly in my wheelhouse. I mean, come on! There was an interview with Stephen’s old friend Amy Sedaris where they made neckties into snakes in celebration of her latest crafty book. After that Stephen talked with Paul Simon, […]