book club

Book Club: May books

in: on queue

Book Club’s May Web installment brought you the ridiculous antics of Eman Laerton, and, in true tradition, the print edition features yet another fantastic pop culture facet! The problem? With all of my inspired cultural capital, I’m actually joining the parade a bit late. Whoops. Call it cultural invigoration!

In print:

Continuum’s 33 1/3 series:
For the sake of full disclosure, it should be noted that these nifty little memoirs/novellas make me giddier than a dog n’ a bone.

This book series, with 73 books published by Continuum at current, chronicles the most prolific and beloved albums of modern music (the series title refers to the speed – 33⅓ revolutions per minute – of an LP album). With one author per book per album, the series’s authors include music journalists, musicians and common fans alike, all producing under-200 page manuscripts on what each respective album meant to the author historically, culturally or nostalgically. I’m truly digging the series, beginning with the seemingly deviant Céline Dion and, as soon as it arrives, Joe Pernice’s turn at The Smith’s “Meat is Murder.”

The whole endeavor is brilliant, and I can’t wait to pitch my own come next year. Too bad “Pinkerton” is already taken.

The books are cheeeeap but primarily available online. Give ’em a go – you’re sure to find at least one title occupying your record collection.

Book Club: May sites

in: on queue

YAY!, May Book Club!

Click-click-click-click-click:


You Have Bad Taste in Music – Eman Laerton

You Have Bad Taste in Music
This little gem appeared during RTVF 230, in the midst of a discussion of pop culture taste, and I sincerely guffawed. This man, Eman Laerton, attends the concerts of culturally low-brow musicians (Hoobastank, Nickelback, Evanescence) and mocks the attendees. Wearing a haphazard outfit of a priest robe, Zorro mask and army helmet, Laerton (a pseudonym, “Not real name” backwards) berates parents and children alike for their terrible taste of music, indicated by their presence at said concert. The whole deal is hilarious (albeit obnoxious and pretentious), even if Phase 2 of Laerton’s plan is creepy and confrontational.

Check out the videos on the web or on YouTube.

And, for good measure, May’s Trash Bin:

The Nickelback website (note the new AP Style!).

This is the site’s front page. It’s abhorrent. How can the band even stomach their poor taste? And, moreover, how can anyone find merit enough to actually visit the site?

What a total yuckfest. Hi-five, Canada.

Book Club: April sites

in: on queue

Both Sides of the Mouth

Both Sides of the Mouth
BSOTM may be the most comprehensive music blog site I have ever seen – ever. The site is run by two college students, one in Austin and one in Baltimore, who study nursing and biomedical engineering respectively. The blog, with posts dating back to June 2006, profiled now-popular artists years before their songs premiered on mainstream charts. They took on Tender Trap and indie darlings Matt & Kim in  July 2006, and the fun has lasted well into recent posts, as the bloggers explore bands to watch at SXSW while constantly loving on wee indie newbies with awesome conceptual graphics and strange-themed playlists.

The blog is really cool, with pithy writing, under-the-radar acts, downloadable tracks and interesting features. Check it out, scour the archives and, as is their parting tagline, be their friends!

Book Club: April sites

in: on queue

For the fourth and final portion of April’s Book Club, I am featuring an awesome new Web series updated weekly.

Click-click-click-click-click:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

A.V. Undercover
I love The Onion’s AV Club, and I stumbled upon this neat little series they premiered in mid-March. The AV Club, in association with Starbucks, presents a new video each Tuesday featuring a prominent band covering a popular track. AV Club execs compiled a list of 25 tracks, and a new band heads into the Chicago office each week to cover a song of their choice from the list. Songs are chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis for the artists, so, in week 25, the band will play the remaining single song. Check out the first video in the series, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists covering “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, here – (editor’s note: this video would not embed!) -, and be sure to check the AV Club Web site each Tuesday for a brand new video!

Book Club: April television

in: on queue

Presenting the third installment of April’s Book Club: grandiose emotion on the small screen!

Channel surfing:

The cast of NBC's "Parenthood"

The return of “Glee“! (April 13)
The cultural phenomenon is back, and I cannot be more excited. I sat in rapt attention, captivated by the singing and pretty colors and glowing faces, and the season left off with such a bang. I am eager to find out about Finn & Rachel, what’s-her-face‘s baby and, of course, Emma and Mr. Schuester!

“Parenthood”
Despite poor critical reception, “Parenthood” captured my heart with its various plotlines all intertwining with the Braverman family. I’m optimistic about the future of the series, and I am hopeful that the characterization will further as the season progresses.

Even the characterization in “Parenthood” is flexible – the immature Crosby (Dax Shepard) grows, matures and constantly morphs into a man more like his brother. It’s an emotional show I adore, an interesting family series similar to but entirely divergent from ABC’s “Modern Family.”

Book Club: April films

in: on queue

The second installment of April’s Book Club features upcoming films coming to your local cinema!

At the movies:

"The Runaways" promotional poster

The Runaways (out April 9)
You know, the awesome girrrrrl-rock portrayal of Cherie Currie and Joan Jett probably won’t even come close to comparing to what will surely be the excellence of MacGruber!, but I guess I’ll probably go see it. On opening night.

I Love You Phillip Morris (out April 30)
Not to be confused with the total suckfest “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” “I Love You Phillip Morris” (sans comma) is based on the real life events of a police-officer-cum-con-man who comes out, is sent to prison for fraud and falls in love with his cellmate. Jim Carrey stars in it, which is usually a dealbreaker, but I’m excited about this one.

Book Club: April books

in: on queue

This blog has me all a-twitter with the giddiness of spring and newness and possibility. With that in mind, I’m launching all kinds of new features for my blog (see The Dunce Cap, Vol. 1), including Book Club. In Book Club, I plan to spotlight particular literary works, films, albums, television shows, magazine issues, Web sites, tracks, etc., that I’m either enjoying or hoping to enjoy during the month.

April, my favorite month of the year, just came rushing through the gates, so, without further ado, I launch the first edition of The Dunce Cap’s Book Club!

In print:

Author Julie Klausner

Julie Klausner: I Don’t Care About Your Band
“Scarsdale-bred actress and entertainer Klausner fashions a breathy, vernacular-veering-into-vulgar, spastically woe-filled account of her youthful heartaches falling for guys who were just not that into her. Chronologically arranged, the brief, zippy anecdotes move from her preadolescent sexual awakenings, poring over Stallions magazine during sleepovers with her girlfriends, through the unsavory details of sleeping with a gallery of losers throughout her 20s” (from Publisher’s Weekly).
Read a great article about Klausner from The New Yorker here.

Frank Portman: King Dork
“In Frank Portman’s dazzling debut novel, frustrated song-writer and high school student Tom Henderson finds his dead father’s copy of The Catcher in the Rye, and his life changes forever. Part social satire, part mystery, with a healthy dose of rock music (and angst), King Dork is one of our must-read favorites of the year” (from Amazon.com).