by Ryan Stewart
William Gibson will always be the cyberpunk prophet, the man whose Hugo-winning 1984 debut novel Neuromancer, about a future underworld dystopia where radically advanced computing possibilities exist in tandem with sex, drugs and political skullduggery, introduced the notion of “cyberspace” to the public and predicted the emergence of a world wide web, along with computers of ever-increasing intelligence and dubious motive. In the post-September 11th world, however, his attention has increasingly focused not on a new imagined future (the branch of Matrix-style cyber fiction his work spawned chugs along regardless) but on the complexities of the present. In a recent NYT op-ed about Google’s tightening grip on our lives, Gibson conceded that “science fiction never imagined Google” and characterized the search engine as a “coral reef of human minds” with an impact so potentially transformative that it should cause us to consider new ideas like “training wheel” identities for today’s minors, whose every stupid, impolitic thought is being cached to their potential future detriment.
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by Fred Topel
We Americans are kind of soft. When we say “machete” it kind of sounds like “ma-shed-ee.” When Machete himself says it, it sounds as sharp as the blade itself: “Ma-chay-tay.” Danny Trejo really emphasizes the correct Mexican pronunciation of his latest character.
If there were Suicide Men, Danny Trejo might be their leader. Although, he wouldn’t have to worry about committing social suicide, because nobody’s going to mess with him. His rugged face, chest of tattoos, handlebar moustache and long man hair have gotten him cast as bad guys in movies for the past 25 years.
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by Fred Topel
“I love the Suicide Girls. I like Radeo.”
– Jason Schwartzman, actor
Jason Schwartzman loves the SuicideGirls. He called out his favorite by name and even mentioned another one by her signature tattoo. It makes sense that he’d be so cultured, coming from the Coppola family. They have high class tastes in film, music and even fine wine (try the Coppola shiraz. It’s delightful.)
Alternative beauty is especially relevant to Schwartzman’s latest movie. In Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Scott (Michael Cera) has to fight his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes. Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) expresses a lot of SuicideGirls qualities, the way she dresses and her different hair colors (three hair changes in the film), though no visible tattoos. We’ll assume they’re in the director’s cut.
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by Ryan Stewart
April 11, 1983 was the definitive day in Dave Mustaine’s professional life. As lead guitarist and contributing songwriter for an up-and-coming thrash metal band called Metallica, he had been living out his dream of making a living at playing metal for over a year and a half. Like many at the time, he was also beginning to sense that his band was something truly special, a ferociously talented foursome that had the potential to go where no metal band had gone before. A musical virtuoso with unlimited ambition, Mustaine’s eyes were fixed on the future, but he was badly neglecting the present. A problem with drinking and drugs, owed in part to a rootless childhood, had plagued him for years, and as success drew closer his reckless behavior increased and lines were crossed. No one knows what the final straw really was, but on the morning of April 11, while Metallica was in N.Y.C. on business, Mustaine was awoken by singer James Hetfield and unceremoniously handed a Greyhound ticket home to L.A. He was out of Metallica, without so much as a warning.
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by Pandie Suicide
So you’ve been lucky enough to score yourself an interview! Whether you’re a veteran or a first-timer this can be a nerve-wracking experience, but it also could be THE interview that changes the course of your musical career forever! Inspired by a book on Rolling Stone Interviews on my reading list right now I began thinking, what makes a good interview? In part it is the interviewer and the questions they ask, but that’s only half of the equation. The rest lies solely on you, the interviewee. As someone who has conducted hundreds of interviews and read, watched, and listened to thousands more, I’ve come up with some advice on how to make sure your interview comes out in the best possible way with these helpful tips on how to approach an interview – just for musicians.
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By Nicole Powers
You may not recognize his name, but as the man who figured out how to make online adult entertainment pay, Chris Mallick has had a profound effect on our world. “Third-party billing” is not exactly a sexy phrase, but the concept Mallick masterminded revolutionized the way the invisible masses achieved satisfaction, and gave e-commerce its kick-start.
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by Ryan Stewart
Deep in the Congo, a scientist named Jenny Lowe is running for her life from the machine-gun fire of guerrillas when she comes upon the isolated cabin of a colleague who has always kept his distance despite their identical fields of study – primatology. Finding him dead in his doorway and his cabin ransacked for valuables, she is about to press on when a figure hiding inside catches her eye: a young girl. Acting on instinct, Jenny grabs the girl and they race through the darkness towards the safety of a helicopter: it’s not until the danger subsides that the girl, Lucy, is seen clearly. She is, in a word, different: dark, sleek, and muscular, with features that are proportional, yet very exotic. She proves to be startlingly well-educated – fluent in poetry and mathematics – yet culturally autistic, having been born and bred in the jungle. [..]
