Travel Advice for a Journey Into Comic Books

By Christian Lipski

Thanks to Hollywood, comic books (graphic novels) are more popular than ever among the general public, and a lot of people are interested in finding out what these things are all about. Comics have been around for a hundred years in one form or another, so it’s nearly impossible for the uninitiated to know where to begin. I’m no expert, but I can tell you what I’ve loved. My tastes run toward the superhero end of the spectrum; I’ve never delved into the world of Love and Rockets or American Splendor, two great examples of the “realistic” genre, so plan accordingly. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive map of the best in “sequential art” (as comic books are sometimes loftily known), but rather some suggestions for places to start, based on my own forays.
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Nothing Wrong With Liking A Flashy Man: An Interview With Dick Valentine

Interviewed by Christian Lipski

From the bouncy warning “Danger! High Voltage!”, through the metallic invitation to a “Gay Bar,” to the recent clarinet-laden declaration, “It’s Showtime,” Electric Six has been a band you can count on for high-energy music in a patchwork quilt of styles. Their new album, Flashy, is more of the same only in the sense that it’s utterly rocking. Lead singer Dick Valentine and band have put together a new collection of songs that span the gamut from the upstroke ska of “Your Heat Is Rising” to the electronic vocoder of “Making Progress.” Valentine took time out from the recording of E6’s new CD to talk with Popshifter‘s Christan Lipski about carbon footprints, the music industry, and the worst places in America.
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There’s A First Time For Everything: David Bowie, Stryper, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Robyn Hitchcock

By Christian Lipski

Beginnings are a very delicate time. No matter how rabid or deep your fandom may be now, at some point there was a first experience, an introduction at a time when you weren’t sure that you were going to like whatever it was. If you do end up loving that artist, the first work always holds a special place in your heart, even if it’s not the “best” effort from that artist. I think it’s interesting to know how a fan was introduced to the object of his or her obsession, to see the foundation of a lifelong love. Interesting, too, to see the introduction to a failed obsession, when that first work didn’t blossom into more, but still remains important. Here is a selection of albums that were my first from the artists, some of which became the first in a long line of acquisitions, and some which did not.
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Origin of Similarity: Why Muse Is Not Radiohead

By Christian Lipski

Son House’s style was ripped off by Robert Johnson.

Pearl Jam is a cheap copy of Stone Temple Pilots.

Can you claim that two contemporary artists with similar influences and styles could not possibly have developed these techniques separately? You can if you’re a music writer:
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Tori Amos, Y Kant Tori Read

By Christian Lipski

I heard about Tori Amos in early ’92 from a Kate Bush newsgroup, where they kept referring to this mysterious album called Y Kant Tori Read and wondering where it might be found. I dug Little Earthquakes so the existence of an additional entry in the Amos canon was a tantalizing thing. I saw a copy of YKTR once in a record shop in Tucson, Arizona, selling for $300—so close, yet so far.
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London Triad, 1987: Sigue Sigue Sputnik, The The, Fuzzbox

By Christian Lipski

Twenty-two years ago I was in my freshman year of college, and my friend Mark and I decided to spend two weeks of our winter break in London. We were both huge music fans: Mark was a Beatles expert and I followed David Bowie, so London was Music Mecca for us. Pictures of me from the trip show a plastic shopping bag always at my side, full of tapes for my Walkman. My headphones were nearly always on, pumping a steady diet of British sounds into my brain. Adam Ant, Gary Numan, Bowie, Rolling Stones. . . the bag was very heavy.
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Electric Six, Flashy

By Christian Lipski

I remember when Electric Six (E6) was explained to others as “that band that did the Gay Bar song for that video with the kittens.” Now, of course, they’re “that band that did the Gay Bar song for that video with the kittens which you may not remember.” This is through no fault of their own, of course; E6 are hilarious and fun and at times amazing, but their label certainly doesn’t have the sheer cash-power to compete with the Top 40 acts. Thanks to the Internet, though, they’re well-known and loved by hipsters, geeks, and perverts the world over.

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Be Epic: The Glory of Power Metal

By Christian Lipski

Let us drink to the power, drink to the sound
Thunder and metal are shaking the ground
Drink to your brothers who are never to fall
We are brothers of metal here in the hall
Manowar, “Brothers of Metal Pt. 1”

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Fuck You, I Like Tin Machine

By Christian Lipski

“The Irish are the blacks of Europe,
and Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland,
and the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin.
So say it once, say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud!”
The Commitments

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Poison, Open Up And Say. . . Ahh!

By Christian Lipski

This was the first new Poison album to come out since their 1986 debut, Look What The Cat Dragged In, and I got the album (yes, vinyl!) for Christmas that year. I think this was the real and true beginning of my hair metal journey. I already had Poison’s first album, along with some Def Leppard and even Stryper, but this was the first real, commercial glam metal I had, and from there it never stopped.
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