And so is GWAR. They’ve done Undercover eight times now, which must be a record. Below is my favorite AVU performance of theirs, Kansas’s “Carry On My Wayward Son.”
A.V. Undercover archives are up now too. Right here.
Don’t Worry About It
I recently ordered some shoes online. The brand is unpronounceable to me, as it features several consonants in a row. They have not exploded yet. But I’m wary.
Yes, Please
Saw this years ago on a shitty Blockbuster VHS tape, looking forward to seeing it cleaned up. Coming to Disney+ on May 8th, you filthy bastards.
How Much For The Whole Collection?
This is the same guy who did the Clockwork Orange location tour I posted not too long ago. I’m slightly obsessed with his channel at the moment.
The Internet’s Inevitable Enshittification
How platforms decay, as explained by Cory Doctorow to NPR. Finally a name for what we may not consciously recognize but deep down know is going on.
… I think Facebook’s a good example. Facebook went through the whole lifecycle of platform decay. They started off by offering a really good deal to their end users. They said, “Hey, leave MySpace, come to Facebook. It’s just like MySpace, except we only show you the things that you asked to see, and we’ll never spy on you.”
And then once those users were locked in — because once you’re in a place with all of your friends, it’s really hard to leave — they started to take away some of that good stuff they gave them, and they handed it to advertisers and publishers.
To the advertisers, they said, “We were lying when we said we weren’t going to spy on these guys. We’re totally spying on them. Here’s all the data you need to target them for ads that we’re not going to charge you much money for.”
And to the publishers, they said, “We are also lying when we said we’d only show them the stuff they asked to see.”
And then once the publishers and the advertisers were locked in, well, they took away those surpluses. The ads got more expensive. Publishers had to put more and more of their content — not just to get recommended, but even to be shown to the people who subscribed them. And that’s the final stage, the stage where there’s just only the residual value left on the platform that the platform owner thinks will keep the users and the business customers they bring in stuck to the platform. And that’s when we’re at the beginning of the end.
Further reading.
Do We Need Another Guitar Hero?
Y’all know I’m all loopy over this Jason Isbell fella. I’ve been a fan since he was in the Drive-by Truckers, and have followed his career closely since. His latest, Weathervanes, is remarkable. A fantastic writer, but moreover a blistering guitar player (he bought Ed King’s Les Paul), who stretches out a lot with his band, but doesn’t get all boring jammy. He sat in with Dino Jr. during their anniversary run in NYC. It’s guitar-riffic!
Also, he went to University of Memphis and was recently given his degree because he was apparently only one phys ed class short of a degree.
I’m Not Trying to Be Elvis
I noticed this was leaving the Criterion Channel, and figured I’d watch it. I never really knew much about Orion (Jimmy Ellis) or listened to him at all, dismissing him as an Elvis impersonator. I know y’all aren’t Elvis (RIP PBUH) devotees like I am, so I don’t know if you’d find it as fascinating, but I was transfixed. Also, there is a ZINGER about 3/4 in, that they focus on for about 5 seconds, that discusses who his real father is (you can guess), and why he may sound EXACTLY like Elvis when he sings. As someone who has listened to a lot more EP than you have, I mean Exactly.
Continue reading “I’m Not Trying to Be Elvis”
Rolling Jones
There’s no shortage of Brian Jones documentaries, but I haven’t seen any of them. I may catch this one.
These Guys Are Doing Gonerfest Saturday
Guys who can play – pretending they can’t – while dressed as monsters is fucking genius.
The Mummies are an American garage punk band formed in San Bruno, California, in 1988. Exhibiting a defiantly raw and lo-fi sound, dubbed “budget rock”, the Mummies’ rebellious attitude and distinctive performance costumes exerted a major influence on garage punk and garage rock revival acts later in the decade, as well as in the 1990s. Their recorded output was intentionally completed with poor, cheap equipment, including their first and only studio album Never Been Caught, which was released after the group’s initial break-up. Since then, the Mummies have engaged in several positively-received reunion concerts and tours, including appearances in Europe and the US sporadically through to recent years. The band is currently working on a movie.