Entertainment News
Cat Power Pays Tribute to Cassius’ Philippe Zdar with Cover of “Toop Toop”: Stream
Cat Power (photo by Inez & Vinoodh) and Cassius’ Philippe Zdar (photo via Dyane de Serigny) Today marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Cassius’ Philippe Zdar. To honor the late French producer, his friend and collaborator Cat Power has shared a cover of Cassius’ 2006 hit “Toop Toop”. Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) and Zdar worked together numerous times over the years, with the former appearing on a handful of tracks on Cassius’ 2016 LP Ibifornia. Zdar even worked pro-bono on Cat Power’s classic 2012 album Sun. Their close relationship led Marshall to pay homage to Zdar at his funeral, where she teamed with -M- (French rocker Matthieu Chedid) for a performance of “Toop Toop”. Zdar’s widow, Dyane de Serigny, recalled in a press release how she joined the duo at Cas...
Astronautalis Shares First New Solo Single in Four Years “The Way I Am”: Stream
Rejoice! Astronautalis has returned with his first new solo single in four years, and his first new track since his 2018 collaboration with POS in Four Fists. It’s called “The Way I Am” and the Florida-Minneapolis bard has paired the melancholy jam with a hilarious new music video featuring a deepfake of Tiger King. Produced and mixed by Subp Yao, “The Way I Am” finds Astronautalis doing a little soul searching over balmy beats that sound like the aural equivalent of a meditative stroll. “I’m drunk on whiskey maybe,” he sings, “Passed in the back of the van/ You seen it all now, ain’t i crazy?/ Can you still love me the way i am?” “I was kind of a mess of a man when I met the woman who would later become my wife,” Astronautalis says of the song. “Thankfully, she saw through all my bullshit...
AMC Theatres Reverses Decision, Will Require Moviegoers to Wear Masks
AMC Theatres has reversed a previous policy decision and will now require customer to wear masks in their cinemas upon reopening. (We may have some suggestions for that.) In plans revealed on Thursday, AMC announced it would open 450 of its US locations on July 15th, with the remaining 150 following on July 24th. While there were a number of precautions addressed to help reduce the spread of coronavirus — reducing capacities to 30%, increasing sanitation procedures, and limiting concessions — masks were only made a requirement for “theatre associates.” Speaking with Variety about the reopening rollout, AMC CEO Adam Aron said the company felt “it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is no necessary.” He added that he expected “the...
TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe Rallies the “People” on New Protest Song: Stream
In honor of Juneteenth, aka Freedom Day, Tunde Adebimpe has released a new protest song. Simply dubbed “People”, this offering sees the TV on the Radio frontman instructing his listeners to confront and condemn white supremacy wherever it rears its ugly head. “If you see it’s a Nazi, say it’s a Nazi, and get that Nazi out,” declares Adebimpe on the track. “People” was self-produced by the indie rocker with assistance from friend and TV on the Radio drummer Roofeo. It’s available to stream and/or purchase below via Bandcamp, and all proceeds will benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center, Movement for Black Lives, and the ACLU. For the rest of Juneteenth, Bandcamp, too, will be donating its share of profits to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Earlier this month, Adebimpe performed TV on the Radi...
GWAR’s Blothar: Oderus Urungus Wouldn’t Have Wanted His Statue Next to a “Row of Losers”
Over the past week or so, a petition to replace a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, with one of late GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus has garnered more than 55,000 signatures. While it would be cool for scumdogs everywhere to see their fallen leader honored, current GWAR singer Blothar the Berserker tells us that Oderus wouldn’t want a statue of himself alongside a “row of losers.” As controversial statues continue to get toppled amid worldwide protests, the petition calls Robert E. Lee a “failed war general that supported a racist cause” while touting Oderus as a “great local leader.” While Oderus may have come from the planet Scumdogia and settled in Antarctica, his alter ego, Dave Brockie (who passed away in 2014), called Richmond his home. Blothar beamed in...
Trump Voters Are Burning Their Face Masks to Protest COVID-19 Orders
In what appears to be a new challenge-turned-fail, a number of Donald Trump voters are burning their face masks to try to own the libs. According to a report by Vice, MAGA fans have posted videos of themselves lighting the fabric on fire to Facebook, allegedly to protest their respective cities and states enforcing new COVID-19 protection orders. It all began when Raleigh, North Carolina Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin announced that face coverings will be mandatory in public, at supermarkets, inside businesses, on sidewalks, on public transportation, and in parking lots starting this Friday. Numerous other cities and states have implemented similar rules — a fact-driven, science-backed decision to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the number of coronavirus-related deaths. The members of Facebook gro...
Beyoncé Launches “Black Parade” Initiative to Support Black-Owned Businesses
Beyoncé is marking Juneteenth by launching “Black Parade Route”, a new initiative supporting Black-owned small businesses. The newly launched section on Beyoncé’s website includes an expansive list of Black businesses filtered by categories such as “Art & Design”, “Beauty”, “Fashion”, “Lifestyle”, and “Restaurants & Bars”. “Being Black is your activism. Black excellence is a form of protest. Black joy is your right,” reads a tagline for “Black Parade”, which “benefits BeyGOOD’s Black Business Impact Fund, administered by the National Urban League, to support Black-owned small businesses in need.” In a corresponding Instagram post, Beyoncé writes, “Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to re...
Prince’s Blue Angel Cloud Guitar Sells For $563,500 in Auction
Prince’s Blue Angel Cloud 2 guitar, which he played frequently between 1984 to 1993, was sold for $563,500 at a charity auction on Friday. The instrument was Prince’s go-to performance guitar throughout the late 1980s and early ’90s. He took it on the “Purple Rain”, “Parade”, “Sign o’ the Times”, “Lovesexy”, and “Diamonds and Pearls” tours; used it to play “Electric Chair” during the Saturday Night Live 15th anniversary special on September 24th, 1989; brought it out for the infamous 1991 MTV Video Music Awards performance of “Get Off”; held it on the cover of SPIN in September 1991; opened his September 9th, 1991 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show by using it for “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Cream”, and “Purple Rain”; and featured it in the music videos for “Cream” and “Get Off”. The hi...
Alec Benjamin on the Influence of Leonard Cohen
Kyle Meredith With… Alec Benjamin Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Alec Benjamin speaks with Kyle Meredith about his first full-length album, These Two Windows. The Phoenix singer-songwriter discusses how there’s enough leftover songs to make a second album and how being bilingual may lead to writing in Mandarin in the future. He also shares his appreciation for Leonard Cohen and explains how he’s been co-writing and collaborating on songs amidst quarantine. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the artist’s work to find out how the music is made and whe...
Into the Wild Bus Removed From Alaska Wilderness Due to Safety Concerns
Authorities in Alaska have removed the abandoned bus made famous by the book Into the Wild and movie of the same name. According to The Associated Press, Alaska Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige cited safety concerns as the reason for the bus’ removal. At least two people have died attempting to reach the bus, while scores of others needed to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The 1940s-era bus had been used by a construction company to house employees during work on an access road in the area and was abandoned when the work was finished in 1961, The Associated Press explains. It later become a natural monument of sorts in the wake of Christopher McCandless’ tragic death in 1992. McCandless, a 24-year-old native of Virginia, sought refuge in the bus after becoming stranded on the...
Ms. Lauryn Hill, Brittany Howard, Leon Bridges, and More Play “Small Biz Live” Concert: Watch
Lauryn Hill (photo via ACL), Brittany Howard (photo by Amy Price), Leon Bridges (photo by Ben Kaye) With stores slowly reopening around the country, it’s tempting to believe that normalcy is just around the bend. That’s hardly the case, however, and perhaps no one knows that better than black small business owners, who have been financially hit the hardest by the coronavirus. To support these individuals, city locals have been widely sharing listings of Black-owned operations, such as restaurants and coffee shops. Now, a number of prominent musicians are doing their part by playing a virtual event today called “Small Biz Live”. The online concert is highlighted by Ms. Lauryn Hill, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Brandi Carlile. 2 Chainz, Bam Marley,...
Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Arcade Fire to Play on Preservation Hall Jazz Band Livestream
Dave Grohl (photo by Philip Cosores), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (photo by Paul R. Giunta), and Paul McCartney (photo by Joshua Mellin) Summer music festivals may be canceling left and right due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but that won’t stop Newport Folk Festival staple the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from playing loud and proud anyway. On Saturday night, the famed group will perform a livestream from their respective homes alongside some special guests, including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Arcade Fire. The livestream, dubbed “Round Midnight Preserves”, will take place on June 20th from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET. In addition to the Foo Fighters frontman, The Beatles bassist, and Arcade Fire, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Beck, Irma Thomas, My Morning J...
