by Brett Warner

Love him or hate him, Kanye West is America’s favorite asshole. His endlessly hyped new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy hits stores next week, though little of that hype concerns the music itself. Whether apologizing to George W. Bush, rambling on Twitter, canceling appearances, or claiming that Coldplay are bigger than The Beatles, Kanye seems dead set on further alienating his “haters” and keeping his fans in perpetually defensive mode. In spite of – or perhaps, because of – his talents, Kanye is a uniquely positioned pop culture scapegoat. Too self involved and misinformed to realize how he sounds to the rest of us, Mr. West has a knack for stealing the spotlight from other obnoxious, egotistical celebrity artists – of which there are plenty.

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by Jay Hathaway

“I had been in a sexually hibernated state of mind…”
– Kevin Barnes

Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes has been experimenting with pop music for almost 20 years, all the way back to recording home demos in high school. He started of Montreal in 1997 in Athens, GA, and fell in with the Elephant 6 collective, which included bands like Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Apples in Stereo. Since then, of Montreal has put out nine records, including Barnes’ biggest critical success, 2007’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

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Sysca Suicide in Nice n Easy

• MAKES ME HAPPY: When Maedusa posts new testimonials on my profile.
• MAKES ME SAD: I hate interns.
• HOBBIES: Photography, illustration, css, sex, parties, sex, shopping, walking, sex, writing.
• 5 THINGS I CAN’T DO WITHOUT: Laptop, water, music, Clarins cream, a place to hide.
• VICES: Always come for more.
• I SPEND MOST OF MY FREE TIME: I’ve got no fucking free time.

Get to know Sysca better over at SuicideGirls.com!

by Damon Martin

In a real world context, Benjamin Franklin may have very well been right, but those rules don’t apply when talking about the comic book universe. Like a bad soap opera where the lead character is bound to find out that his wife – whom has just made a full recovery from a terminal illness – is also his long lost sister, comic books are notorious for never letting any character stay dead for too long.

That leads us to the February 2011 Marvel Previews in which they tease us with the “Death of Spider-Man.” Sure, the sticky guy has flatlined a time or two in his day, but this will be the first major run where the character is billed as meeting his ultimate demise. While Marvel is apparently being very hush-hush about the events surrounding the eventual “death” of Spider-Man, the big goal of course is to raise sales for the Spider-Man titles before they rub him out.

Comic book deaths however are a cautionary tale because the concept is rarely very final in the land of the superhero. The genre has exploited this device for years, and many fans tire of the ubiquitous “dead hero/miraculous resurrection” storylines. With Peter Parker apparently the next hero on the chopping block, let’s look at some famous comic book deaths and how the heroes came back to life:

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by SuicideGirls Radio Host Sam Doumit (SG Member: Samia)

TRY: Getting hooked on my shopping addiction – Gilt.com

WHY: They offer items from the most coveted designers, such as Alexander McQueen (yes they REALLY do!), Christian Louboutin, Rock & Republic, and everyday brands like American Apparel and Converse. The best part is that everything is at least 50% to 70% off. Yes, EVERYTHING!

They’re not just moving merchandise from last season that nobody else wants either. I’ve found items two months BEFORE they hit the regular stores. For example, I saw a pair of Henry Duarte for J Brand waxed denim jeans in a magazine and searched everywhere for them before discovering that the $400 leather-look jeans wouldn’t be available for two months. Then I saw them on Gilt for $98! I freaked out and bought a pair immediately. My other fave purchase is my to-die-for black studded, metal spike heeled Rock & Republic boots. They originally cost $498, but I got them for $110.

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by Andrea Larrabee

“I’d kill some zombies.”
– Craig Mabbitt

It’s 4 o’ clock in the afternoon, and I’m in the dancers’ dressing room at Crazy Girls, a strip club on the corner of La Brea and Sunset in Hollywood, waiting to meet Craig Mabbitt and Max Green from the post-hardcore band Escape The Fate. Their third album has just been released the previous day, and the boys are scheduled to perform a special mini-set for a select group of guests invited to a record release party hosted by their new label, Interscope, at the intimate venue later on in the evening.

Cracked mirrors and a ’70s style red formica laminate counter run around three walls, the fourth being taken up mostly by a bank of sticker-adorned lockers. The carpet has seen better days, the lighting is harsh, and the room is otherwise sparsely furnished with a few cheap chairs and an exceptionally wobbly table. Ink jet printed signs are taped up in several places to remind the girls who usually occupy this space that the $25 house fee must be paid before they start their shift. In short, in the cold light of day, the circumstances are seedy rather than sexy – though that would change later on in the evening as the club came alive to the epic, hormone-charged sounds of Escape The Fate’s grind-friendly release.

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Embry Suicide in Union Pacific

• INTO: Dirty boys, astrology, yoga, activism, art projects, learning new things, music, movies, history, body mods, hair, bike rides, and traveling.
• NOT INTO: Close mindedness, systems of oppression.
• MAKES ME HAPPY: My cat 🙂
• MAKES ME SAD: Empty beds.
• HOBBIES: Cooking, reading, watching documentaries – I’m a bit of a hermit.
• 5 THING I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: My cat, cigarettes, incense, Dr. Bronner’s magic soap, tea.
• VICES: Lots of bad things.
• I SPEND MOST OF MY FREE TIME: Lounging, lurking, riding my bike, exploring.

Get to know Embry better over at SuicideGirls.com!