Today, July 14th, marks the 223rd anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789, the event that sparked the French Revolution.
While there were only seven prisoners – all freed – incarcerated at the time, the fortress was perhaps the most visible and most accessible symbol of a repressive royal authority that represented only the top 2% of the country. The other 98% were bound in an economic enslavement with a regressive tax system, meaning the richer one was, the less one paid.
Does any of that sound familiar?
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen – alongside our own Declaration of Independence one of the greatest documents of democratic principles – arose from the camaraderie and solidarity shown by the vanishing middle class and poor of Paris who fought back with a vengeance on this single day that changed the course of history.
Now celebrated as Bastille Day, it is to France what Independence Day is to America.
WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?: I love this group because I love horror! Pure and simple. I love to be scared. I also love film, and horror is my favorite genre. Oh, and there’s a “Dexter” discussion!
DISCUSSION TIP: Anything horror goes! The supernatural and paranormal, evil dolls, clowns, sharks – whatever your twisted mind can think of.
BEST RANDOM QUOTE: “I’m just perpetually afraid there’s sharks. Sharks. Everywhere” – Annasthesia Suicide on the movie Jaws. I am so with her on this!
MOST HEATED DISCUSSION THREAD: I would say “Scariest horror movie ever?” is the most active thread with lots of varied opinions and movie ideas. It doesn’t really get heated though, it’s just a great place to discuss opinions and thoughts on horror.
WHO’S WELCOME TO JOIN?: Everyone is welcome! Anyone who likes to be scared and wants to hear about horror movies they may not have heard of. Some of them are total gems!
Hopefully you’ve heard mentions of the LIBOR scandal – the biggest banking scandal in years. I need to tell you two things about it. 1) It’s not as complicated as it sounds. 2) It does not stand for “Ladies Intimately Bending Over, Rearview.” If it did, you would see a lot more coverage of it on the mainstream media.
– Lee Camp, July 2012
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Lee Camp is a stand-up comedian, writer, and activist. He’s a contributor to The Onion and has performed stand-up comedy at events featuring Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Al Gore. He was recently on Showtime’s series The Green Room with Paul Provenza. He’s done comedic commentary on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, BBC’s Newsnight, PBS, E! network, SpikeTV, MTV, and ABC’s Good Morning America. He’s featured in the new bestseller Satiristas! with the likes of George Carlin, Bill Maher, and Stephen Colbert. Lee also provided a catharsis for millions of people when he went live on Fox News and called the network a “parade of propaganda and a festival of ignorance.” His first album, Chaos for the Weary, was listed as one of the Top 5 stand-up comedy albums of 2011. His new book, Moment of Clarity, and album, Pepper Spray The Tears Away, are in stores now. Lee will be bringing his comedy show West to the Fake Gallery in Los Angeles this Saturday, July 14. For tickets click HERE. For more information visit LeeCamp.net.
[Above: “White Noise” from the album Good Morning, Magpie]
I was lucky enough to stumble across the music of Bloomington, Indiana’s Murder By Death almost 10 years ago and since then they’ve grown to be my absolute favorite band of all time. I’ve logged countless hours falling into their heavily visual and moody music. With every album comes new concepts and sounds. Spanning genres from post rock to alternative Americana with strong elements of story, Murder By Death possesses the ability to attract listeners from all ends of the musical spectrum.
After five full length albums, many EPs and splits, and even a soundtrack to sci-fi novel Finch by Jeff Vandermeer, Murder By Death has announced the release of Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon on September 25th via Bloodshot Records. Recorded and mixed by Grammy-nominated producer John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Modest Mouse, Amanda Palmer), this album is much-anticipated, and follows their 2010 release, Good Morning, Magpie.
The band are also one of the hardest working bands I’ve ever known. Logging over 1,200 shows in their touring career worldwide, and countless hours traveling, it’s never short of enthralling to see them play live. This summer, they are back on the road, playing not only songs from the new album, but celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their very first album, Like The Exorcist But More Breakdancing, which was released in the summer of 2002.
During their summer tour last year, I spoke with bassist Matt Armstrong about iabout doing an nterview for the site once they announce the new album. Matt has been a member of Suicide Girls since 2007, so he was excited to speak with me.
The Pre Comic Con Party this past Saturday at Meltdown Comics was a super awesome preview of what’s to come this Comic Con, and I must say that I’m nothing short of stoked. It seems costumes get more creative every year! And there were so many babes (Kemper, Pandie, Ackley, Moxi, LaneyChantal and Sash) in cosplay – that’s just as cool as it is sexy.
– Milloux, XOX
