Rest in Peace, Les Paul (1915-2009)
A rock and tech legend passed away today. I charted his influence in short form on Wired, mostly because words can’t express one man or woman’s influence, especially one like […]
journo
Land and Water Grabs In The Age of Climate Change
The economic valuation of land and water has increased in concurrence with both price commodities and the ravages of climate change, whose droughts, wildfires and other extreme environmental events are quickly shrinking what’s left of the planet’s arable land and clean water
Happy Anniversary, The Iron Giant!
A decade ago today, one of my favorite directors Brad Bird made an animated sci-fi film for children of all ages which utterly annihilated cliche and convention. To date, it […]
Dinosaur Jr. Rules the Rock Farm
Dinosaur Jr. plugged the ’80s back into distortion and riffage, and changed music for better in the process. Then, it fell apart. But now, it’s back together again, and the […]
After Watchmen, What’s Unfilmable?
This list of five books and comics that may now inherit Watchmen‘s mantle as what Alan Moore called the most “unfilmable” texts around was a popular read.
A Note From Pixies’ Black Francis
I have always been a singer, a writer, and a musician, not as a prodigy or as in a trade handed to me by my parents, but because of an inner voice or maybe a command from beyond reality as it is usually defined.
What Really Causes Autism? Everything.
I knew about as much as the next journo about autism, before AlterNet sent me in search of its roots and riots. And what usually never happens happened: I came […]
California Drought Threatens Entire Nation
The way California is currently wasting water — on elaborate lawns in Beverly Hills, on cow death-camps in the San Joaquin Valley, on whatever — it either doesn’t know where its water comes from or simply doesn’t care.
Currency Wars Coming Right Up!
It’s probably not the sexiest battle on Earth, but it is easily one of the most important. With the econopocalypse ravaging what’s left of the American economy and the currency […]
Anthrax + Lobo = Comics Hilarity
Back at it, after a week fighting off a fucked up stomach flu. I sure could have used a murderous lunatic to help me kill it off. Hey, why not […]
Hydrogen Sulfide Is A Nasty Way For Life On Earth to Die
Unfortunately, you can usually find H2S whenever and wherever you’ve got mass extinctions.
Sonic Beacons: An Interview With Tortoise
Tortoise’s Beacons of Ancestorship, a potent dose of unclassifiable sound that veers from dub, funk and hip-hop to jazz, punk and rock without ever dissipating into incoherence, is the Chicago-based […]
Gimme Some (Superman) Truth
Ruled as a suicide, Reeves’ death inspires a series of conspiracy theories and the interpretive biopic Hollywoodland, as well as a persistent urban legend, itself famously known as the Superman curse.
Wired Dump! Batman, Colbert, Robot Chicken, Stickman Exodus
Mrs. Manface, who sports a five o’clock shadow while kissing her (his?) cherubic hubby.
Jack White: Rock’s Great Multitasker
I put together a retrospective of The White Stripes frontman’s various sonic disguises for Metromix last week, which was a hoot. As much as I love White’s musical talent, I […]
The Kills Fall Through The Kracks
I interviewed The Kills’ Allison Mosshart, who is now fronting Jack White’s new band The Dead Weather, about her various groups, The Mighty Boosh, why The Killers aren’t cool and […]
Grand Duchy, Black Francis’ Family Affair
So I rapped with the pair for Rolling Stone and reviewed the disc for Metromix. All is well.
Battling Extinction With The Linguists
Finally got to dip back into academia and matters of substance for Wired. This time, I talked language extinction and the digital age with a linguist from the movies. It’s […]
Sea Levels Are Rising: Time to Decide Which Coastal Cities Are Worth Saving
Coastal cities, most of the Earth’s most densely populated cities, are due for a drowning.
Mr. Lif Walks the Talk
“Whether you’re a suit with a desk job or a creative artist, you are still programmed to work. You can never ultimately escape from your responsibilities.”
Pop Lifer Robyn Hitchcock Dreams of Oslo, Synesthesia, Snow
Robyn Hitchcock is a gentleman, an artist and one hell of a prolific songwriter. From his work in the ’70s with The Soft Boys to his escape-minded recent effort Goodnight […]
Indigo Girls Get Bitter, Beautiful
Catching up with my Metromix reviews. This one was a mellow pleasure.
How Long Will China Buy Our Debt Economy?
It started with a joke, but quickly went viral everywhere from the South China Sea to the White House.
Grant Morrison Gets Deep On Superman, Batman, Cosmology, Crisis
From mind-warping revisions of comic book heroes in All-Star Superman, Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis, to pop-cultural and philosophical exegeses like The Invisibles, The Filth and We3, brainiac graphic novelist Grant Morrison is a master of the Gordian-knot narrative.
Watchmen Box Office Still Looks Solid
But the dystopian comic blockbuster isn’t dead yet. Far from it.