Month: January 2004

Ryko is celebrating its first 20 years with a compilation disc that includes Frank Zappa, David Bowie, John Cale and Bill Hicks. Juicy details of the last twenty years can be found here, written by none other than Ryko founders Don Rose, Arthur Mann and Rob Simonds.

Us here at KUR may be on a bandwidth diet (at least until after Feb 10), the folks at The Big Note decided otherwise. I kid you not.

Rose Marie Zappa, FZ’s mom, passed away today at age 91.

“I’m neutral in this race but I’m for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down,” says Al Franken who, previously, had emerged from the crowd at a Dean rally and charged one male protester, grabbing him with a bear hug from behind and slamming him onto the floor. Aaah, free speech! I could tell a few stories…
(via xkot)

Former Jethro Tull Keyboardist and arranger David Palmer has had a sex-change operation and is now a woman called Dee. She broke the news to Tull’s frontman Ian Anderson by saying: “There’s something I need to get off my increasingly ample chest.” You go, girl!

I just heard in the news this morning that Exxon confirmed a settlement of 6.75 billion dollars (4.5 billion plus interest) as compensation for that big, nasty oil spill fifteen years ago. There’s nothing like that sleek, fast, “well-oiled” legal machinery!

Concentrate on the four dots in the middle of the picture for about 30 seconds. Then close your eyes and tilt your head back. What do you see?

We all know Cynthia Plaster Caster’s funny site, but (at least i) recently discovered she has a not-for-profit foundation whose goal is to offer financial assistance to musicians and artists in need, buy selling editions of her well known plaster casts (don’t miss the description and memories of each cast here.) You go, girl!

Is that a bonsaï potato or a dead chicken?

“Monster Road”, the documentary on visionary ClaymationMeister Bruce Bickford wins at Slamdance. Co-producer Jim Haverkamp writes: “Bruce Bickford attended the festival and delighted the crowds with his dry wit and mysterious ways. Some lucky folks even got one of his homemade business cards, which are made out of a piece of foam core and contain a tiny clay dude.”

Be a Yeti, throw a penguin, and don’t you eat that yellow snow!

Helmut Newton, the great photographer of erotica, died last Friday in an automobile accident. Many of his works were featured in Vogue, Elle and Playboy. He was 83.

Don’t shoot the messenger! For those of you who are loading and reloading HotPoop like there’s no tomorrow, well: there’s no tomorrow. Or better said, there’s no friday boot today. Barry is totally *incommunicado* at work (no internet available) and asked me to let you all know there won’t be any boot today, and there won’t be any, at least, until the 10th February, when a new cycle in his *evilish* bandwidth-meter starts again…money is too tight to mention, Oh money money money… Let’s see the bright side of this: now, you have more time to enjoy the boots you already downloaded; you can also check how are the vines working (btw, Balint, your disks are on your way already!)…and…and…Maybe there’s a good show on the tv tonight?? I hate it when i’m this optimist, you know :-)

When Georgie Sings, I don’t hear violins. Some catchphrases sadly missing:
– “Turrr’r” (“terror”)
– “Nuke’ular (“nuclear”)
– “El Kaaaah’duh” (“Al Qaeda”)
– “Uh’murh’ka” (“America”)
– “Puhhr’sdent” (“threat to rest of world”)
– “Maaah’ridge” (“hello right wing christians”)
– “Deee’ath Penalty” (“hello NRA”)
– “Faaaam’ly” (“daddy did I do okay?”)

Ed Palermo has put some video highlights of Zappanale #13 on his site. Right now i’m listening to a Candy Z’s Modified Let’s make the Water Turn Black, and boy, she has a voice! There’s also a lot of MP3’s to download here. (thanks Francesco from the zuts who saw it first!)