I Am In Here: A David Foster Wallace Obsession

By Christian Lipski

It’s kind of fitting to be discussing obsession and David Foster Wallace, since obsession plays a large part in a number of his works. He’s got an amazing way of describing exactly how it feels to be obsessed with something or someone, and while I may not be clinically (or more importantly, legally) obsessed with DFW (as he is often abbreviated), I do feel the need to collect all of his books and both read them and read about them [1].
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The Beach Boys: Concert Abstinence is Not the Answer

By Christian Lipski

It seems odd now, considering my current obsession with music, that my first concert would be a band I didn’t know very well. I wasn’t very heavily into music In 1983 when my mom asked if I’d like to go see the Beach Boys at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. I will say that as a kid I really took to the surf/car songs I heard on K-Tel TV commercials, and my first LP was Jan & Dean (a re-release, in case you think I am 75 years old), but it never really became a habit. As a result, my reaction was a mild assent.
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From Assault Rifles to Guns ‘N’ Roses: A Conversation with Mike Small of The Meligrove Band

By Megashaun

My introduction to The Meligrove Band came on September 28, 2000. Some friends and I decided to catch a Sloan show and they were the opening act. Unfortunately I arrived late and only caught the last two songs of their set: a rousing rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Pump it Up” and their own mini-epic rock anthem show closer (which they still play), “The Victory.”
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I Am Curious (Giallo): Q & A with Giallos Flame

By Eric Weber

One of my favorite things to do is put on my iPod and listen to some menacing or ominous horror movie soundtrack while walking to my car after work. I love to play tracks from Halloween II and pretend I’m a character in a horror film. Someone like Jamie Lee Curtis or Jessica Harper in Suspiria. As I stroll through the dark and desolate parking deck, I’ll imagine that I’m being pursued by some shadowy figure in a dark trench coat. I’ll stop and look around cautiously, peering around the corner to see if someone (or something) is behind me. If I’m feeling particularly brave (and sure that no one is around), I’ll break out into a run towards my car, imagining the killer is close behind me. I’ll drop the keys (on purpose) and fumble with the lock before quickly jumping into the car. Whew. Another murder attempt diverted. You see, I’m completely obsessed with horror movie soundtracks.
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Top Five Most Useless Star Wars Characters

By Megashaun

1. Ponda Baba

Who is he?
In Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi enter the Mos Eisley Cantina in search of a pilot willing to fly them to the Alderaan System. Luke orders a drink and an alien with an ass for a mouth takes exception to the young traveller’s looks. That alien is Ponda Baba, a creature from the Aqualish race.
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Thriller: My Introduction to Pop Culture

By Laura L.

It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty-five years since the release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It’s even harder to believe it’s been almost as long since I listened to it for the very first time. I don’t remember exactly how old I was, and I don’t even remember whether it was the very first tape my dad bought me, but I know it was one of the very first. To go with this gift was my older cousin’s brown, hand-me-down cassette case, featuring some hand-me-down tapes. Thriller fit right in the collection.
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Q & A with Fatal Farm

Interviewed by Less Lee Moore

If you frequently troll YouTube for weird videos or subscribe to WFMU’s Beware of the Blog, you may have already heard of Lasagna Cat, video mashups of well-known songs with three-panel Garfield comics.

If you haven’t, then you should probably watch one immediately.
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Duran Duran’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger

By Less Lee Moore

In the eighties, I became a Duranie. I grew fascinated with them after seeing the “Planet Earth” video on MTV. My friend later played Rio for me and I couldn’t get enough of it so I scrounged up allowance money and bought my own copy. Previously I’d been obsessed with Adam Ant, but since I didn’t think Strip was up to the standard he set with his previous albums, my interest began to wane. Enter the Fab Five.
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No Sense Makes Sense: Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets

By Less Lee Moore

“My father is the jailhouse. My father is your system… I am only what you made me. I am only a reflection of you.”
—From the testimony of Charles Manson in the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, November 20, 1970

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The Expert

By Christian Lipski

A while back, my wife and I went to see Enuff Z’Nuff at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. That sounds like an strange and exotic location to see a band, but it’s actually just a 250-person-capacity bar in a small town in Orange County. Appearances can be deceiving.
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