“It’s probably slightly more meandering.”
– Neil Gaiman
When the novel American Gods was published ten years ago, Neil Gaiman went from being a writer primarily known for comics like The Sandman and Mr. Punch and novels like Neverwhere and Good Omens to one of the most successful and acclaimed writers of his generation. In addition to his novels, short stories, picture books, and movies, in the past decade Gaiman has also become one of the most beloved children’s writers of our time, his novels Coraline and The Graveyard Book having become modern classics.
He also penned an episode of Doctor Who, much to the delight of both Gaiman and the long running sci-fi show’s fans. More recently, it was announced that Gaiman will be working with HBO and the director and cinematographer Robert Richardson on a series based on American Gods. Now Harper Collins is releasing the tenth anniversary edition of of the book in a hardcover edition that contains what Gaiman referres to as “the preferred text.”
SG reached out to Gaiman by phone for a brief conversation at the beginning of his book tour.
Despite all his super powers, the Green Lantern might not land the green light for a sequel. Reports had been floating around all week that the movie would be getting a follow up regardless of its horrible performance at the box office. However reports of a Green Lantern 2 were quickly dismissed as Warner Bros. waits to make the official decision. Likely, the studio is wanting to see its $200 million (plus a ridiculous $175 million in marketing costs) returned before they sign off on anything. It all comes down to the green, and the lantern’s light isn’t going to help him out of this one.
And as if this summer hasn’t had enough of overdone CGI, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be releasing worldwide on the first of July. In the earliest reviews it looked like the critics had gone to the dark side as they praised the film. Many critics insisted it be viewed in 3D claiming it to be the visual rival of Avatar. The later reports weren’t as kind. USA Today hails it as being visually stunning, but lacking story line, and…
“[Spartans] throw their kids off cliffs”
– Zack Snyder
300 is such a blast. There will be no other movie ever that is able to combine killing children, stabbing half dead Persians and guys with swords for arms in such a cool way. Gerard Butler has teamed up with visionary director Zack Snyder to bring the ultimate historical graphic novel by Frank Miller to life.
Butler plays King Leonidas, who declares war on the invading Persians, after they insult his queen and his city. Without permission from Spartas high courts, Leonidas gathers 300 of his best soldiers to battle Xerxes army of 10,000 Persians. 300 takes what Robert Rodriguez did with Sin City to the nth degree creating a colorful and sometimes even horrifying story of courage.
I got a chance to talk with Snyder at the 300 press day in Los Angeles about what it takes to inspire an army, making fun movies for adults, and his upcoming film adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Watchmen.
SG caught the penultimate show of the Black Lips’ West Coat run last Friday night at the Music Box in Hollyweird. Live, the flower-punk garage band from Georgia have built a solid reputation for their on stage antics, which in the past have involved nudity, chickens, vomiting, and urination. However, it was all business as the quartet powered through tracks mostly culled from their solid new Mark Ronson-produced full-length, Arabia Mountain.
“We wanted to show that drummers could become front men.”
– Adam Alt, Street Drum Corps
There are drummers, and then there are street drummers, the guys who truly aren’t afraid to get down and dirty with their craft. The musicians in Street Drum Corps are both, having played traditional drums in rock bands for years before lending their sticks to something decidedly more free-form and experimental.
Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman once dubbed Street Drum Corps the punk-rock Stomp, and the name stuck. The band is an apocalyptic, voodoo-rock revolution born from smog stained, litter strewn Los Angeles sidewalks and has grown into a full-force, stage production that now brings its battery of sound to the masses.
Since SDCs start in 2004, drummers Bobby Alt, Adam Alt and Frank Zummo have used found objects to create their elaborate beats and have toured the worldleaving a trail of broken drumsticks, battered trash cans and busted tail pipes in their wake. They’ve gone from drumming in downtown junkyards (which they still do), to recording an album with DJ Lethal for Warcon Records, to performing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to, last fall, having their gear inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of a Warped Tour display.
SuicideGirls met up with the guys before a recent gig at Hollywood’s famed Goth club, Bar Sinister.
For Part Two of my Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Polyamory series (see Part I with Annie Sprinkle here), I spoke with Tristan Taormino, author of Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships. In addition to being the princess of polyamory, Double T is also one of the most coveted safe and kinky sex educators around. She travels all over the nation to spread her sex positive message, and is a huge catalyst in the pleasurable-anal-sex-for-women movement. Yes, there’s a movement. (Responsible for bringing the back door to your backyard.) This feminist and erotic guru is not only outspoken, but makes talking about sex almost as fun as doing it! So much so, that she is now directing sex ed vids for Vivid Enterainment!
Grab a beverage, your lover or vibrator and buckle up for this one. It’s going to be a mind-blowing ride.
“The themes and narrative…are timeless.”
– American McGee
American McGee started his career in games working on projects like Doom, Quake, and their sequels. However, most of us first learned his name in 2000 when Electronic Arts released American McGee’s Alice. The video game took Lewis Carroll’s character away from the genteel, neutered Walt Disney version and took it in a darker, bloodier direction. Since then, McGee has moved to China and started a company Spicy Horse which has developed games like Grimm. Now he’s returned to the world of Alice with one of the year’s most anticipated new games, Alice: Madness Returns.
He spoke with SuicideGirls via e-mail about the new game, the accompanying art book (published by Dark Horse Comics), the future of gaming, and how living and working in China has affected his way of thinking.
