This essay originally appeared on The Huffington Post for the launch of the New York section and was recorded by WFUV for the award-winning “Cityscape” program. You can find a recording of me reading it for the July 11, 2009 show here! Merci! When I went to France one summer, I came back with a …
Tips On Finding And Dating French Folks In New York City Read More »
This is the happiest Matt Berninger has ever been. Sitting backstage in his dressing room at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Saturday night, about to play a sold-out concert and begin a year-long tour around the world, the baritone frontman is enjoying fatherhood and the fact that The National, after ten years of producing …
The National’s Matt Berninger on Dirty Lovers and Even Dirtier Politics Read More »
What repression can do for art: The Yellow Dogs are an amazing rock band in Iran, where rock bands are illegal, along with other important things that make life worth living. I don’t think I’ve felt this way about discovering a band since the White Stripes. My God– the Yellow Dogs are brilliant. You wouldn’t …
The Yellow Dogs: An Illegal Rock Band Breaks Out Read More »
Remember Schoolhouse Rock!? Meet Flocabulary, a program that teaches science, Shakespeare, SAT words and ancient civilization through hip-hop. The music, developed by producers who have worked with Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige, is the reason students take it seriously — it’s used in more than 10,000 schools. The idea for Flocabulary came when Blake Harrison, …
Wouldn’t it be great to live in a mansion on the water, Gatsby-style, with your best friends and make art all day? That was the fantasy of Celene Ramadan, a twentysomething filmmaker and musician living in Seattle, who rented a lake house in Chicago with 17 friends while attending an improv festival. The rental only …
Coolest Find on Craigslist? Mansion Living in Seattle, Just $650/Month Read More »
When a gifted artist like Joaquin Phoenix or Angelina Jolie toys around with retiring, it’s like, who do you think you are, Ludwig Wittgenstein? The one star who better not go there, and he won’t, is Thom Yorke. Headlines are increasingly shocking these days. If you wanted to play a cruel joke, here are the …
10 Places Not to Yell: “Thom Yorke Is Retiring” (He’s Not) Read More »
Phoenix, one of my favorite bands right now (next to Data Rock, also incredibly good), is taking over the world with their sweet summery music that makes you want to wear colorful, flowy dresses, no matter who you are. Check out their performance on The Interface, Spinner’s addictive concert series, also featuring live performances/interviews with …
Phoenix World Tour Makes Stop at Spinner’s Studio Read More »
This new video by Details magazine, directed by Rakesh Baruah and the Southern Mothers, asks “When did the dressing room become the depressing room?” Instead of females bemoaning the harsh lighting and inescapable multiple mirror angles, its the guys’ turn to feel the pain. (Evil laugh begins now.)
Phoenix, this amazing, uplifting French band on SNL last night, was unrecognizable to my French friend watching the show. He knew electronic Phoenix–the guys who sounded like a much better, far superior version of Jamiroquai. But these guys looked like they could have been out of Brooklyn, sharing practice space with Vampire Weekend. The following …
As suspected, Coldplay is not your average professional and calculating superband. In last night’s 60 Minutes, while Steve Kroft was getting a tour of the band’s recording studio, the camera closed in on a list of rules plastered to the wall. Thanks to the magic of DVR and a hit of the pause button, Coldplay’s …
Coldplay’s “Rules” Caught on Tape by 60 Minutes: Does Chris Martin Yearn to Go Solo? Read More »