Pop Cultured: Your Guide to Surviving Music, Movies and More

Gurgle ...

2005-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

Seriously folks, you can't make this shit up. Not even if you tried.

(Via Gawker.)

This 'n that

2005-02-03T17:58:00.000-08:00

Forgive the erratic, skimpy posts ... 'ol Riprock's amount of bloggin' time is stretched thinner than CBS's credibility. (Hey-o! Oh, Chase or Red Dirt'll appreciate that one.) I'll leave you faithful reader(s) with this: I retract previously made harsh statements about Bright Eyes' new albums sucking the big one; "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" is pretty good while "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" takes a bit to grow on ya. So Conor, if you're reading (snicker), I'm sorry.
At any rate, until things settle down, Pop Cultured is just gonna be erratic ... y'know, like J-Lo or Martin Lawrence. (Rimshot!)

Are you dead?

2005-01-31T18:18:00.000-08:00

It's a question I've been getting a lot lately and the quick, short answer is no, no I'm not. Just busy to a level I haven't been since learning to walk, chew food and tie my shoes. Snowed under, the old-timers call it. (You know who you are.) At any rate, I'm alive, I'm well (if wanting for a nap) and I promise the posts will resume with some modicum of regularity ... just not today. Although I will mention that I saw "Million Dollar Baby" quite recently and I was ... mixed. Not what I was expecting -- not horrible, mind you but definitely an odd bird. At any rate, hugs 'n kisses, kids ... Dash'll be back soon. Why don't you go read Chase or Dr. Pants (mad props, yo) until this whole adult responsibility thing blows over?

Let the games begin ...

2005-01-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I gotta say - I'm not terribly surprised by the announcement of the 77th annual Oscar nominations this morning save for this: Paul Giamatti getting shut out? What's that all about? How do Thomas Haden Church and Alexander Payne snag noms but not Giamatti? Messed up - that's what that is. But I am supremely happy to see Catalina Sandina Moreno with a nod. This will be an interesting year - unless Marty comes along and sweeps everyone with "The Aviator." We shall see.

Back in business

2005-01-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

All righty ... quick pause there but we're all back online here at Riprock HQ - and with glorious news no less! As I mentioned a few days ago, Beck's latest work (titled "Guero" and slated for release March 29) was already trickling out into the online world; it was only a matter of time but now, the full-blown album has leaked - two, count 'em, two months in advance of its release. Beck's Web site popped up with this lil missive:

The new Beck album, tentatively due out March 29th, has unceremoniously been leaked onto the masses. This is NOT the final album. It is an early unmixed, unmastered version that is neither the final sequence or all the tracks that will appear, so please be aware this is not what Beck intended to happen or bestow onto his fans.

Heh ... stupid record company. Don't they recognize people don't care? (And for the record, yes - it is already a frontrunner for one of my favorite albums of the year ... and I've only got a third of it.)

Some kind of wonderful

2005-01-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

I'd highly recommend (for those of you who haven't seen it) to run out on Tuesday and snag a copy of the excellent documentary "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster." I got mine today ... the commentary from filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky alone is enough to recommend a purchase. The second disc has almost 40 minutes of deleted scenes, along with other film-related gewgaws. Great stuff and don't gimme that lame excuse of "Oh, I don't listen to Metallica" or "Heavy metal music makes a boring film." Stow it. This is a riveting account of famous people falling apart and somehow finding it within themselves to snap to and pull it back together.
Go rent/buy it. You'll thank me later.
(Insert quick headbanging and triumphant devil horns here.)

Eary

2005-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

I maintain that as you're working and your iTunes is on shuffle and until you've followed up "Queen Bitch" with a Portuguese riff on "Life on Mars?," you haven't really lived. But that's just me.

Unmentionable

2005-01-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, I probably should've investigated that worldly yutz who shares my bloggin' name a little further. This disturbs and frightens me, although I'm intrigued by the as-yet-untapped possibilities for my own scribblin's. Is the world ready for a Dash Riprock coffee mug?

RIP Rosalind van Hoorn, I'm fast asleep, it's boring and hell no!

2005-01-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

I'm a little perturbed that with the recent passing of Virginia Mayo, one of her great roles (at least in my mind) is being overlooked. I'm speaking, of course, about 1947's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" - which at this stage may or may not be remade starring Jim Carrey - a delightful slice of madcap comedy which, for some reason, never fails to put a smile on my twisted, bitter face.
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On another note, the latest Rolling Stone turned up today - and I was aggravated before I even opened the damn thing. Now, having not heard either of Bright Eyes' (nee Conor Oberst) upcoming twofer ("Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" or "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning"), I can't speak to their quality but I'm already way more than exasperated with the lionization the media are engaging in; c'mon, I know there's a dearth of decent tunes out right now, but is this former Winona-fucker from Omaha the greatest thing since sliced bread? I highly doubt it. Having said that, however, I would like to note that both Emmylou Harris and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket fame) both appear on "I'm Wide Awake." So perhaps, it'll be a dish of crow for me.
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And no, I shan't be watching this brain-melting waste of two hours this evening.

Two turntables, a microphone and some illegally obtained tunes

2005-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

Gotta love the complex web of back alleys that plop unreleased (and most likely, stolen) tracks into your lap; hell, Beck's follow-up to "Sea Change" doesn't even have a firm release date (I've seen February mentioned, I've seen April) yet - but if you hurry and follow the white rabbit to this thread, you just might be able to snag a fairly high quality MP3 of the track "Scarecrow." It's a very "Odelay"-esque song - a sort of psychoblues acid jam; perhaps he got that baby-I'm-so-bummed-'cause-you-tore-out-
my-heart-and-stomped-on-it groove out of his system. At any rate, I'm definitely looking forward to this album.

(Update: As of 6:41 PM on Jan. 18, the above link is dead. Sorry...you had your chance.)

Golden Globules

2005-01-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

Nope, didn't watch the Golden Globes (I was so thrilled that "The Office" won last year that I decided to take a year off and see if I missed anything). In fact, Ricky Gervais - in the supplemental material on "The Office Special" DVD - put it this way about the Britcom's double win last year: "It's a great award for sticking up your arse." Amen.
My good pal Chase has a blow-by-blow breakdown of the over-hyped, wildly overblown and wholly unnecessary self-flagellation festival that inaugurates each awards season for realz, yo! Now the studios can begin whoring their product in earnest - well, as soon as the 77th annual Oscar nominees are announced next Tuesday. It's a year in which I can't get too worked up about one pelicula over another - I won't shed any tears if Scorsese whips up on Payne or vice versa. C'est la vie.
In other entertainly-type news, a veritable avalanche (sorry, Utah) of CD and DVD goodness is on its way so I'll be postin' some reviews 'n stuff - particularly now that I'm a part of that "sinister cabal" known as Blogcritics. Ooh, the pressure's on. Stay tuned...

Say what?

2005-01-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Heeeeeeere's Riprock! And I'm back (with a mildly belated post, as this was up on Friday, but hey, things happen). Defamer had a rather amusing post as to the pop culture status of homosexuals - even going so far as to wax reminiscent about the once mighty "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy" (a franchise now sounding the death knell with "Queer Eye" for straight chicas). It was at the conclusion of those damned L.A. hipsters' post that the following caught my eye, causing a momentary laugh and then slightly indignant fuming: "There is some hope for lesbians, the flavor of gay that doesn't give people in Oklahoma the retarded tingles: The L Word is sticking around on Showtime."
Being an Okie native, I wasn't aware that we got "retarded tingles" from any flavor of gay - but after pausing to think about it, I realized that some of the, shall we say, more outerlying areas may very well go all tingly at the thought of some man-on-man (or, to be fair, girl-on-girl) action.

Fret not...

2005-01-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

...for I shall return to regularly scheduled posts on Monday. Between the crush of work and a weekend of familial obligations, Dash ain't got no time for writin' on the Internet. But I shall return. Peace...catch ya on the flipside.

DMB remix

2005-01-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

From the "Should I Be Worried About the Next DMB Studio Album?" File: Rolling Stone reported a few more tidbits about the forthcoming album today, nailing down a tentative month for release (May) as well as two confirmed songs ("Wake Up" and "Dream Girl") from the (!) almost two albums worth of songs (so quoth bassist Stefan Lessard) the group's worked up. Almost two albums worth? Is Dave taking lessons from Pete Townshend or something? Lessard quote that both amused and concerned me: "It's good dancing music. We'll have more hits going straight to the clubs." Er, yeah. Let's hope that's a facetious one.

(Via nancies.org.)

Taking its toll

2005-01-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Dustbury's recent musings on the subject (as well as being a faithful PikePass user myself), I couldn't help but be intrigued by this oh-so-sassy "accidental" marketing campaign. Y'know, if more government institutions used sex to sell stuff, things like taxes might seem a lot less painful ... then again, probably not.
On a more entertaining note (not that unintentional phone sex faux pas aren't entertaining), The Zutons have officially won me over with "Who Killed the Zutons?" It's a cool lil disc that I highly recommend. A copy of the new Snow Patrol DVD ("Live at the Somerset House") that somehow escaped my notice in November is en route; I'm also eagerly awaiting copies of Tegan & Sara's "So Jealous" as well as The Comas' "Conductor." New music...yummy.

Talk about paradise

2005-01-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

Awwww, sweetness. This guy totally stole my idea for the perfect life. Of course, I'd leave out the whole jailbird thing...but otherwise, it sounds right on - although I have to question his choice of food. Couldn't he jack a Subway or something?

(Via FoxNews.com...please forgive me.)

The weather's not for kids anymore...

2005-01-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

Tragically, there is no mention of it anywhere online, but trust me - when KOCO (the ABC affiliate here in my fair burg) cuts to another meteorologist during a broadcast, they use the unfortunate moniker "Double Team." The mind reels and my funny bone is immensely tickled.

Porn for a penny

2005-01-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

Wow...it's stories like this that make me awfully proud to be an American. And to think I jumped ship on Columbia House lo these many years ago. I wonder...since I'm in that oh-so-prized key demo, how long will it be before an ad makes its way into my mailbox? I can only imagine the slogans now: "Cheaper than pay-per view and less intimidating than elbowing truckers out of the way at a 24-hour adult superstore..."

(Via Movie City News.)

Bloggin' cousins

2005-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

We couldn't be more diametrically opposed (bloggily speaking) but out of curiosity, I Googled my name and darned if it didn't pop up (and on Blogger, no less). And yes, I think it's mildly stupid that this far more politically active Dash has a buddy named Slash Riprock. C'mon...that's just lazy.
And for the curious, yes, I'm boycotting this thoroughly worthless excuse for an awards show. I've just got better things to do with my life...like watch "Out Cold" on Comedy Central. Damn, that Zach Galifianakis is one funny bastard.
Oh, and don't forget to hoist high a peanut butter and banana sandwich sometime this weekend. Or tip a 40 of Oxycontin on the curb. Either way, it was the big guy's 70th birthday yesterday.

Ooh, peoples is readin'!

2005-01-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

A shout-out to fellow Okie blogger LilRed and her amusing post about my emergence into the world of bloggination. As she says, let the good vibes commence flowin'.

Sailing the seas of bad taste

2005-01-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Sweet leaping son of God - just when I thought the recent tsunami tragedy in Asia couldn't get any worse, I read this. Somebody please...make it stop. This is even more horrifying than a 20-foot wall of water, 150,000 people dead and Anderson Cooper's overly earnest coverage put together. (Insert full body shudder here.)

Weekend roundup

2005-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Are there any greater joys that ripping through a pile of DVDs over the course of one slow Saturday? Other than stopping for Panera bagels, of course. I submit that no, there are no greater joys. Mikey and Nicky turned out to be one damned depressing flick; Bourne Supremacy and Silver City were just as decent the second time around.
With film safely devoured (I know, I know - there's more, but I gotta take a breather or else my eyes will slowly deflate), I turn my attention now to illegally obtained tunes; I downloaded the new Doves single, "Black and White Town" off the forthcoming "Some Cities" last night...not too shabby. Granted, it sounds like it won't be too much like "The Last Broadcast," but I'm telling myself that's OK.
Another band I'm diggin' on currently are Liverpool natives The Zutons - their first single, "Pressure Point" sounds something like the White Stripes roughing up the Strokes in a back alley while a jazz combo looks on and shares a bag of chips. I'm waiting on a copy of their debut, "Who Killed The Zutons," and shall report back forthwith and post haste and all that.
I'll take my leave now, scampering back to the couch to finish watching football (or scampering to the Riprockmobile and cruising the dangerous, chilly streets of OKC).

"This is from...Mathilda..."

2005-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Since approximately no one may care about this, it nevertheless blew my mind: I was finishing up watching the new "Leon: The Professional" 2-disc set (obviously, the movie on the first disc with the so-so Superbit transfer and I maintain, the best movie Luc Besson has and will ever make) when I noticed a startingly familiar name in the credits: production assistant Morgan Spurlock - a quick check of IMDb reveals that indeed, yes, it's the same chap who told us all that French fries were really, really bad for us. What a difference a decade makes.
Still to come in the generally hefty pile of DVDs stacked on the trusty right speaker: Mikey and Nicky, a 1977 Elaine May crime lark that might be more fun than the synopsis lets on; Silver City, a flick I saw in theaters and definitely liked more than those I saw it with; The Bourne Supremacy, which I saw with the lovely lady in my life; I'm Not Scared, a 'lil Italian job (har, har) from last year that made next to no noise and Husbands and Wives, 'cause who doesn't need a Woody Allen fix every few weeks. While I'd gladly watch Manhattan again...it's not due back at Netflix any time soon. Gotta get your money's worth out of 'em, ya know?
So there it is folks - a weekend spent glued to the home theater. Ah, I do suffer for my art.

Like a crumblin' stone?

2005-01-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

While I'm not as verklempt about the recent editorial schizo goings-on at Rolling Stone as some of my compadres, reading the once-venerable pub has been much more of an adventure these last few years than when I first started seriously devouring the mag in the late Nineties. My deep and seething distaste for Rob Sheffield as a writer and human being aside (it was really those execrable appearances on VH1 that tore it, Robster) and my on-again, off-again feelings about Austin Scaggs (who more often than not, comes across to me as a desperate, hack starfucker), there are enough scribes left at RS that are deft enough with turns of phrase as to warrant paging through the rag when it shows up every couple of weeks - mad props to David Fricke and Parke Puterbaugh, yo.
Their final issue of '04 and first issue of '05 (packaged together, don'tchaknow) arrived at Chez Riprock today...the side-splitting, quasi-serious profiles of Lindsay Lohan and Arnold Schwarznegger aside, there's still a SMOKING HOT pic of Paris Hilton on the opening spread (er, just dodge the barely contained Freudian slips in that last bit) that almost completely redeems the fluff that follows.
Their top 50 list reads like publisher/bon vivant/current editor (are they even trying to find anyone to replace Ed Needham?) Jann Wenner assembled the writers, doled out his mandatory inclusions and left the sycophants to fill in the blanks. And in alphabetical order? Way to skip actually having to judge the albums and rank them in some kind of order - just crank out a few quote whore-worthy blurbs and it's onto the next issue. Huzzah!
Eh, at any rate, I was dumb/committed enough to slap down the hundred smackers and re-up my subscription as part of the "Get Rolling Stone Until You Die" promotion - seemed neat enough. Besides, it'll have paid for itself in about a year and a half.

Yowza!

2005-01-04T23:26:00.000-08:00

How 'bout that West Coast ass-whippin'? Sheezus, that stung - it's almost enough to make me glad I zoned out about the time Ashlee Simpson trotted her overhyped, undertalented keister onto a stage that seemed better suited for the Olympic opening ceremonies than a college football game. That and apparently, Kelly Clarkson is soliciting eyeliner tips from Billie Joe Armstrong. An odd, disappointing game to say the least - but hey, now we've got spring training to look forward to, right?
I'd also like to add that I was baffled by U2's new video, particularly since I thought the second single off their terrific new album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," was gonna be something else entirely ("Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own," for the curious). But aside from that confusion, when precisely did U2 become reckless corporate whores? Is Bono girding his 401K for early retirement to the south of France or something? First aligning with Apple, now shilling (however obliquely) for SBC during the Orange (Disem) Bowl (ing) ... one has to wonder if the aforementioned scenario is the case or the boys from Dublin knew "HTDAAB" wouldn't fly off the shelves. Things that make one go, "Hmmm..."

Portents of possible doom

2005-01-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

The Dave Matthews Band, a long-time fave of mine (arguably the group who helped open doors and get me to my current level of fiendishly indiscriminant musical consumption) and who recovered from the semi-fiasco that was 2001's "Everyday" with the superb 2002 disc "Busted Stuff," could possibly be heading down the Glen Ballard Expressway To Disaster once again with their as-yet-untitled studio album, due out later this year. The band selected producer Mark Batson to man the boards this go-round, a man whose C.V. includes time spent with Eminem, Maroon 5, Beyonce, India.Arie, Sting and Gwen Stefani, among others.
I'll refrain from jumping to any conclusions (particularly since I've yet to hear anything from the Batson sessions) but I will admit that my anticipation for this record has somewhat diminished. Dammit, Dave - you're filthy rich and can make whatever the hell kind of music you want. When will you stop begging for attention from the mainstream?

D'oh!

2005-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

I've just begun digging into the fifth season "Simpsons" boxed set...this is a point where the show really began to hit its stride. I credit the brilliance of former staff writer Conan O'Brien, whose contributions include many of my early "Simpsons" faves. Several classic episodes can be found on these four discs; you've gotta love Homer's triumphant dance in "Homer Goes to College": "I am so smart ... I am so smart ... S-M-R-T, I mean, S-M-A-R-T!" Ahh, good times - although recently, "The Simpsons" have gone into something strongly resembling a slump; it's my hope that Matt Groening knows when to hang up his spurs and focus on the long-delayed "Simpsons" movie.
On the other hand, the sustained hilarity of season five is enough to whet my appetite for the return of Fox's stupidly cancelled and thankfully resurrected "Family Guy" later this year. For those unfamiliar with Seth McFarlane's unhinged bit of genius, I highly recommend you either snag the recently released "Freakin' Sweet Collection" or the first or second volume. Fans of "The Simpsons" or "South Park" shan't be let down.

All systems go?

2005-01-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

The tweaking has ceased (for now). Soon, a torrent of thought-provoking posts will flood this particular spot on the dial...well, perhaps that's overshooting the mark a bit. At any rate, I am to make this a haven for people sick and tired of popular culture without substance. Brace yourselves...and stay tuned.

Welcome to the show

2005-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

Strap in, surfers - you're in Dash Riprock's world now. Seeing as this blog phenomenon is catching on with everyone and their grandmother and seeing as how I've had my own private blog for a while, it's time for the training wheels to come off. This blog'll have a little bit of everything, but there's one thing it'll lack: boring, dumb posts. Stay tuned.