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May 19, 2013

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Alice Bag (CC-BY)

WTF? Beyonce and Anna Wintour Chair Punk Couture Exhibit

It’s hard not to imagine a genuine punk rocker gagging a little bit on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition “PUNK: Chaos to Couture.”

Posted on Apr 30, 2013 READ MORE



YouTube/ruspoli

Flamenco Is ‘A Bird With Very Long Legs’ (Video)

Aging Spanish flamenco artist Manuel Molina gives sensitive, forceful expression to the common things of life: singing with the voice one has, learning trust and mistrust, being hungry, and enjoying the company of friends.

Posted on Mar 27, 2013 READ MORE



Screenshot

Lupe Fiasco Booted From Inaugural Concert After Anti-Obama Rant (Video)

The rapper took to the stage at the StartUp RockOn concert in Washington, D.C., on Sunday night and proceeded to sing his anti-war song, “Words I Never Said”—which includes lyrics such as “Gaza Strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit / That’s why I ain’t vote for him, next one either”—for roughly 30 minutes.

Posted on Jan 21, 2013 READ MORE



AP/Jeff Daly

Psy Performs for Obamas After Apology

The South Korean Internet sensation sang—what else—his smash hit “Gangnam Style” for President Obama and his family at the “Christmas in Washington” concert Sunday.

Posted on Dec 9, 2012 READ MORE



AP/File

Dave Brubeck: A Love Affair

It was a conversation representative of the era: Somewhere around 1969 or 1970, my dear, conservative Uncle Ray asked his son and me why we liked music by Jimi Hendrix and the Doors but we never listened to Dave Brubeck.

Posted on Dec 9, 2012 READ MORE


Rock Stars

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Posted on Nov 28, 2012 READ MORE



AP/Alex Katz

How Pussy Riot Helps Putin

The Pussy Riot case has become an international PR disaster for the Russian government, but domestically Russia’s conservative majority is rallying behind Vladimir Putin.

Posted on Aug 20, 2012 READ MORE



Mr. Fish

Graham Nash Still Really Gives a S#!*

The first time Graham Nash made me want to talk back to grown-ups was in the summer of 1977. 

Posted on Aug 5, 2012 READ MORE        


Still Killing Fascists

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Posted on Jul 16, 2012 READ MORE


Can You Hear Me Knocking? Hello?

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Posted on Jul 12, 2012 READ MORE



Erik Kabik/Retna

EDC Closes Its Gates Because of High Winds (Update)

An official tweet sent early Sunday morning shortly before this post went to Web said: “Due to high winds, we are temporarily halting all entry to @EDC_LasVegas. Fans inside, head to the grand stands. This is for your safety.” Updated.

Posted on Jun 10, 2012 READ MORE



Erik Kabik/Retna

EDC 2012: Meet the New Electorate

I spent Friday night in Las Vegas with an estimated 115,000 young people at the country’s biggest dance party. They were there to have fun. I was there to annoy them with questions. Surprisingly, every single baby-faced millennial I talked to was registered to vote and planned to cast his or her ballot in the next election.

Posted on Jun 9, 2012 READ MORE



Still by (CC-BY)

Bob Dylan Given Presidential Medal of Freedom

Along with 11 other Americans and an Israeli, Robert Zimmerman on Tuesday received the highest civilian honor his nation can bestow. Bob Dylan’s contributions to music go without saying, but did you know he also published three books of art? You might say Dylan has gone eclectic (ouch). (Full list of honorees after the jump.)

Posted on May 29, 2012 READ MORE


Disco Queen and Go-Go King

The soundtrack of my youth is fading. That’s hardly an original observation, I realize, but self-indulgence is a columnist’s inalienable right and music has unique power to summon unbidden waves of nostalgia.

Posted on May 18, 2012 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS


Nazi Sniper Tamed With a Trumpet

Americans hear a lot about the need to vanquish their supposed enemies abroad with bullets, bombs, and other tools of overwhelming force. Evidence that a common humanity can be called upon to settle differences is scarce in the media. Count this brief story from a World War II vet among the few exhibits submitted to that effect.

Posted on May 11, 2012 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS



YouTube

Night of the Living Dead at Coachella: Tupac’s Holographic Resurrection (video)

Tupac Shakur was killed in 1996, but he rose from the stage at Coachella on Sunday, a hologram that entertained a mesmerized crowd and promised a new era of technologically enhanced grave robbing.

Posted on Apr 16, 2012 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS



Faking the ‘Truth About Trayvon’

Fake photographs of Trayvon Martin are being used to diminish public concern about his killing; emails and other documents of the Department of Homeland Security reveal that the hacktivist group Anonymous was investigated as a dangerous security threat; Egyptian women are finding ways to express their revolutionary voices through music. These discoveries and more after the jump.

Posted on Mar 27, 2012 READ MORE  |  19 COMMENTS



Christopher Macsurak (CC-BY)

A Religious War Out of Thin Air

At ease, Christian soldiers. There is no “war on religion,” no assault on the Catholic Church. A faith that has endured for thousands of years will survive even Nicki Minaj.

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 READ MORE  |  16 COMMENTS



AP / Damian Dovarganes

‘Soul Train’ Creator Don Cornelius Dies

In 1970, Don Cornelius set “Soul Train” rolling into American homes in Chicago, and soon the R&B-heavy weekly broadcast became a showcase for predominantly black musical acts and a fixture on TV sets around the country—and it didn’t stop for 35 years.

Posted on Feb 1, 2012 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS


What Cellphone Taxes Say About Republican Hypocrisy

This week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: David Lazarus tracks the cash from phone and bank fees; good news for unions; moving money out of big banks; anarchy in the USA, and “digital parasites.”

Posted on Nov 11, 2011 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



Photo illustration from an image by Colin Grey (CC-BY)

What Cellphone Taxes Say About Republican Hypocrisy

This week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: David Lazarus tracks the cash from phone and bank fees; good news for unions; moving money out of big banks; anarchy in the USA, and “digital parasites.”

Posted on Nov 11, 2011 READ MORE



Paulina Spencer (CC-BY-ND)

Saving the Rave From Extinction

As cultural epochs go, the rave scene didn’t last very long, and because mix tapes and foam parties don’t translate well to radio replay, a small but important slice of America’s musical history has vanished. Enter concerned ex-ravers who are working to restore those thumpy beats and archive them online.

Posted on Nov 8, 2011 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT



Flickr / Dani Canto (CC-BY-SA)

The Power of Protest Contest: Find Out Who Won

We have a winner, folks. Or make that two: a winning song and the Truthdig reader who named the tune. It wasn’t easy to settle on just one out of all the possibilities—and we’ll give nods to some of those after the jump—but it was fun.

Posted on Nov 4, 2011 READ MORE  |  14 COMMENTS



Flickr/Dani Canto (CC-BY-SA)

The Power of Protest Music Contest

Here at the Truthdig office, we’ve been listening a lot to Ry Cooder’s new album, “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down.” With songs like “No Banker Left Behind,” which was inspired by a column by our own Robert Scheer, the album is refreshingly political, with roots in the tradition of protest music. Here’s your chance to win a copy. (more)

Posted on Oct 12, 2011 READ MORE  |  115 COMMENTS


Ry Cooder Listening Party With Robert Scheer

The celebrated musician talks about select tracks from his new album, “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down,” as well as his musical and political influences, with Truthdig’s Robert Scheer and Kasia Anderson.

Posted on Oct 2, 2011 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS


Gaga Performs in Drag for MTV Awards Show

Lady Gaga sang her opening number at Sunday’s Video Music Awards in drag, confusing the hell out of a number of stars in attendance, including Britney Spears, who, mouth agape, looked like she had just walked in on her parents.

Posted on Aug 28, 2011 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS



U.S. Navy / MC2 Mark Logico

Over There With George M. Cohan

It occurred to me that it’s never going to be over, over there. We’re never coming back. We have more than 250,000 volunteer soldiers, sailors and airmen scattered (too thin) all over the globe.

Posted on Jul 6, 2011 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS



The Double Life of a Hip-Hop ‘Mogul’

Aaron “Big A.T.” Tremble, the main player in Terrance Dean’s debut novel, “Mogul,” is a music producer with a secret: He’s on the up-and-up in his career, but he’s also on the down low, struggling to come to terms with his sexuality at the risk of losing his family and his fame in the hip-hop industry.

Posted on Jun 17, 2011 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons / aphrodite-in-nyc (CC-BY)

A Kinder, Gentler Anti-Piracy Campaign

Busting purveyors and consumers of unsanctioned online music circulation (aka piracy) has typically been the heavy-handed tack taken by record labels and other industry players, but one British outfit, Web Sheriff, prefers kid gloves. (more)

Posted on Jun 10, 2011 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



AP/ Chris Pizzello

Exclusive: Ry Cooder’s ‘No Banker Left Behind’

The legendary musician tells Robert Scheer that his new album, including a song inspired by one of Scheer’s Truthdig columns, was written out of feeling frustrated, helpless and angry with current events.

Posted on May 26, 2011 READ MORE  |  14 COMMENTS



americanidol.com

Ain’t Nothin’ but a Guy Thing

Seventeen-year-old Scotty McCreery just won “American Idol,” making him the sixth guy to win in 10 competitions. That’s not so unbalanced overall, but McCreery is the fourth male singer in the last four years to win. Viewers of the show select the winner, either by phone, text or online. This year Fox recorded 122 million votes.

Posted on May 26, 2011 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



Photo illustration from an image by Colin Grey

Truthdig Radio: How the U.S. Co-Opted Human Rights

On this week’s show we hear from Reagan Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb on our imperial military budget, and James Peck tells us how the U.S. co-opted human rights. And we send Reese Erlich to Cuba to find out how Raul Castro’s economic reforms are affecting the island’s world-famous music scene.

Posted on May 11, 2011 READ MORE


Truthdig Radio: How the U.S. Co-Opted Human Rights

On this week’s show we hear from Reagan Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb on our imperial military budget, and James Peck tells us how the U.S. co-opted human rights. And we send Reese Erlich to Cuba to find out how Raul Castro’s economic reforms are affecting the island’s world-famous music scene. Update: Full transcript.

Posted on May 11, 2011 READ MORE



woozie2010 (CC-BY-SA)

Google Launches Music Service Despite Industry Resistance (Update)

For months Google has been putting the finishing touches on a “cloud” music service that will allow users to put their own music collections online, much like Amazon’s Cloud Player. Apple is also working on such a project. Unlike Apple and Amazon, Google was unable to negotiate a deal ... (more)

Posted on May 10, 2011 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



Daniel Ogren / Some rights reserved

No Bibi for Bieber

This is one of those moments when an actual news story sounds like the stuff of weird dreams (or nightmares, depending): Believe it or not, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly planning to meet with Canadian popster Justin Bieber ...

Posted on Apr 13, 2011 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



Lupe Fiasco Calls Out Obama, Among Others

Lupe Fiasco is returning hip-hop to its best tradition: actually saying something. With his new track, “Words I Never Said” (listen after the jump), the rapper confronts such diverse topics as the war on terror and the foreclosure crisis, with rhymes such as “Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit | Thats why I aint vote for him, next one either | I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful.”

Posted on Mar 28, 2011 READ MORE  |  14 COMMENTS



Lady Gaga vs. Malaysia

Apparently the heavy-handed radio stations of Malaysia are not too keen on the pro-gay message of Lady Gaga’s newest ubiquitous single and have taken to editing out parts of “Born This Way.” The monster-in-chief told her Malaysian fans to “do everything that you can if you want to be liberated by your society, you must call, you must not stop, you must protest peacefully.”

Posted on Mar 24, 2011 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons / aphrodite-in-nyc (CC-BY)

Lady Gaga Takes Target to Task for Little LGBT Monsters

So, Lady Gaga struck a deal with Target to release a special version of her new album, “Born This Way,” which rankled some of her core devotees, as the retail giant had made a supersized slip-up in the political arena with contributions to a political action committee ...

Posted on Feb 22, 2011 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS



Daniel Ogren Some rights reserved.

Justin Bieber Likes Health Care Too Much to Become ‘Evil’ American

Justin Bieber isn’t just a pop sensation, he’s a Canadian pop sensation, which means his health care costs are covered. The 16-year-old tells Rolling Stone why he never wants to be an American citizen: “You guys are evil. ...” (Full quote after the jump)

Posted on Feb 17, 2011 READ MORE  |  34 COMMENTS



Martin Reffstrup Mikkelsen (CC-BY-SA)

Austin Takes Music Criticism to New Depths

The city of Austin, Texas, long known for keeping it weird, decided to let the public rename the Solid Waste Services Department. The leading contender is “The Fred Durst Society of the Humanities and Arts.” Durst, the face of millennial rock band Limp Bizkit, probably won’t end up with the honor.

Posted on Feb 8, 2011 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons / Dread83 Pmathijssen

Florida Finally Gets Over Morrison’s Jimmy

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has pardoned the late Doors frontman Jim Morrison on a conviction of showing his penis to a Miami concert audience in 1969. Morrison’s bandmates have long claimed that the singer may have been belligerent, drunk and obnoxious that night but kept his instrument in his pants.

Posted on Dec 9, 2010 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



WikiLeak This Ear

Today on the list: The GOP vs. Sarah Palin, what Google charges for government surveillance, and WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange’s political philosophy explained.

Posted on Dec 2, 2010 READ MORE



Noam Chomsky on Misguided Outrage

Today on the list: President Obama confirms that his is a Republican health care plan, Noam Chomsky considers “a level of anger ... like nothing I can recall in my lifetime,” and a random act of culture that brings a Macy’s crowd to its feet.

Posted on Nov 9, 2010 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



How Much for That Senate Seat in the Window?

Today on the list: How did outside groups manage to spend $3.6 million on one Colorado race in one day? And what the hell happened to Randy Quaid? Plus: The future of books, music and your democracy, after the jump.

Posted on Oct 26, 2010 READ MORE



Three Myths Every President Should Avoid

Today on the list: PBS is as white as TV gets, the three myths that keep flummoxing America, and the Middle Easterners who conquered Europe with their magic potion—milk.

Posted on Oct 21, 2010 READ MORE



Open Call: Obama’s Town Hall

The casting call for Obama’s town hall, dealing with the media’s masturbation shame, and what Stephen Hawking has to say about God.

Posted on Oct 12, 2010 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



A Brief History of Michelle Bachman’s Lies

Today on the list: The virtual world where Muslims, Christians and Jews all get along, Bob Woodward defends his journalistic integrity, and is Michelle Bachman a compulsive liar?

Posted on Sep 24, 2010 READ MORE



AP / Pat Wellenbach

Is It Lady Who’s Gaga or the Senate?

We live in two simultaneous but radically incongruous realities, where undemocratic arrangements negotiated in the 18th century contend with commercial media industries that covet the enlightened youth.

Posted on Sep 22, 2010 READ MORE  |  7 COMMENTS



A Study of the Worldly Art of Jazz

Developing an appreciation for jazz is partly a matter of understanding how it is influenced by other forces of life, as this review of a new book by Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux notes, and how the music plays—and breaks—with form.

Posted on Sep 3, 2010 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


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