B.B. King, Live In Africa ’74 DVD

By Adam McIntyre

If pressed about my blues preferences, influences, or interests, I’ll stammer for a moment, name some greats, and whatever single, obscure guitarist I can vaguely pluck from my past to show that maybe we have common interests, and that I’ve educated myself a little deeper than your average blues wanker.

It’s much simpler, actually, than naming a few names once I think about it; I’m mostly a blues racist and an elitist. Oops, yeah, did I just call myself a blues racist? That’s weird, definitely, but here’s the deal: I stopped playing blues because I became increasingly self-conscious about coming across as some angsty white kid in a tie, absentmindedly regurgitating legitimately black licks.
(more…)

Top Five Inebriated Concertgoers And How To Deal With Them

By Adam McIntyre

5. The Freebirder

At first it could just be chalked up to “he’s just a drunk redneck who suddenly is jonesing for some Skynyrd” but then Mike Judge popularized the cliché and it became pop culture turned inside out. Man-children, fueled by The One Time They Yelled It At Oak Mountain Ampitheater And The Whole Audience Laughed, undeterred by the nasty incident at Lilith Fair and presently ignorant of the lineup, truly believe that they are part of the night’s entertainment. Oh, but now a hipster is yelling it. Perhaps it’s a step further; he’s being ironic. He would actually hate it if Kasabian played “Freebird,” but two PBRs in and suddenly he has replaced “show us your tits” (the drunk boy mantra of choice in many situations) with a good old “Freeeeebird!” Again, you laughed at him once. This is your fault. He doesn’t own any Skynyrd, but the boys in that legendary southern rock band would agree: you should throw ice (or anything) at him. Extra points for hitting his girlfriend if he has one.
(more…)

Popshifter‘s Best Of Lists

Pete Best

Most publications give you their “Best Of” and “Top Ten” lists in their December issues. But what about giving props to of all the great things you embraced in the penultimate month of the year?

That’s why Popshifter has decided to provide you with our favorites now, so that you can add them to your list of “Things To Check Out In 2009.”

In addition to the lists our staff compiled, we’ve also posted the lists from some very special guest contributors.

Enjoy!
(more…)

Toothpaste For Dinner: An Interview With Drew, Humorist

By Adam McIntyre

Drew and Natalie Dee are a husband and wife duo, creators of a handful of well-known webcomics. I discovered them through their joint creation, Married To The Sea, which updates with a new comic at midnight—every night. Their webcomics—and now videos on YouTube—often become viral Internet phenomena. I had a chat with Drew about the nature of their work and where it may be headed.
(more…)

John Hodgman in Atlanta: There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Tuxedo

By Adam McIntyre

“What’s going on here?”
“John Hodgman. It’s a book reading.”
“Never heard of him. What’s he do?”
“Um. . . well, he’s a minor television celebrity.”
“He has a show?”
“Well. . . no. He’s on shows.”
“He’s on a show? Like what?”
“Well have you seen The Daily Show?”
“No.”
“Well he’s reading from his book.”
(more…)

The Amsterdam of the South: Todd Rundgren Plays Atlanta

By Adam McIntyre

“You’re the Amsterdam of the South! I’ve never seen so much good green. Bless you for that. Good on ya! And 50 miles outside of town? Squidbillies.”
Todd Rundgren addressing Atlantans at the Variety Playhouse Theater; April 17, 2008
(more…)

The Geeks Shall Inherit The Jokes: Cinematic Titanic

“If they could give him plastic surgery,
you think they could’ve fixed the scar on his hand?”

For those of us who were Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans, the new riffing-over-bad-movies venture of Joel Hodgson (and original cast members Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, and J. Elvis Weinstein) is like the second coming of Crow T. Robot.
(more…)

Those Old Melodies: Songs Rediscovered

Intro by Less Lee Moore

Recently I was listening to The Vines’ Highly Evolved album again. My history with this album is intriguing, and proves my theory that some music needs to be fully digested before you can appreciate it.
(more…)

Mark Mothersbaugh’s Postcard Diaries

By Adam McIntyre

Rabbit Hole Gallery, Atlanta GA
April 18, 2008

“Would you like to attend a Mark Mothersbaugh art exhibit?” This is a rhetorical question: it should be obvious to anyone who knows me what my answer would be. Mark Mothersbaugh’s art (in the media of visual, print, and live or recorded music) is so ingrained into my perception of pop culture that I can hardly notice one without thinking of the other.
(more…)

Band Names Are A Con: The Flaming Lips

By Adam McIntyre

Grunge wasn’t weird enough for us. I mean, the awesome rock power of those hairy flannel people was a little hard to deny but really, they were making music for someone else. My friends and I had backwoods families, didn’t use drugs, and had absolutely nothing to do. We were fifteen. It was more likely that we’d break into someone’s house to use the phone than steal something.
(more…)