The Latest from Boing Boing

Upgrades! Posted: 04 Apr 2009 06:53 PM PDT It's upgrade time, mutants, which means that the system won't be publishing new comments for at least a few hours. Note that these are unsexy upgrades: if nothing outwardly changes, that means it worked! In the meantime, here's an embedded comment thread that won't be affected: blog comments powered by Disqus

Dangerous Minds w/ Charles Hugh Smith Posted: 04 Apr 2009 04:22 PM PDT Richard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger And now for my promised video interview with Charles Hugh Smith, author of the new e-book, "Survival+." Part 1: We discuss "Survival+" and the current economic crisis. Part 2: We discuss why socialism in the USA is inevitable (and why this is a good thing), Karl Marx and more. Part 3: More on socialism in America and Niall Ferguson calling for America to repudiate its debt in the pages of TIME magazine. Part 4: Charles and I discuss Cory's BB post about squatters on his block and why it's important for culturally influential people to create feedback loops for humane and dignified solutions to the economic crisis. Produced by Bradley Novicoff and Tara McGinley I'd like to give a way huge, massive thank you to my longtime friend Jason Calacanis, the CEO of Mahalo and the hardest working person I have ever met in my entire life. He's a 5000 watt bulb, let me tell you people. It was Jason's kind offer of his brand new studio --it was actually more like a challenge than an offer, he dared me to do it!-- that allowed this to happen. The studio's newest toy, the fantastic Tri-caster, was still being set-up the day we recorded and we just winged it --next time I'll have a teleprompter!-- but I think it turned out pretty well and I'm happy to be able to give my good friend Charles Hugh Smith the kind of wide exposure that Boing Boing offers. I think it's important that people hear what he has to say. I'd also like to thank Jason Krute, Mahalo's studio manager, Tyler Crowley from Mahalo, Ryan Scott from Causecast and Kenny Chen, who edited the piece and who was such a big help in several ways. Thanks also to Charles' wife's cousin for the use of her Skype account and laptop!

The Thurm Glupston Show Posted: 04 Apr 2009 03:32 PM PDT An appreciation website is here. Snip from the show description: This Thurm Glupston Show was recorded and cablecast live on Cablevision (of Greater Johnstown, Pennsylvania) Community Television (CCTV) in 1988. In this episode, Thurm Glupston interviews We'll Save You Man (in a surprise appearance); Woody B. Green, a man who can turn into a plant; Kitty Cologne, a cosmetologist/astrologist; and Russ Fink, a professional talk show filler. Fake commercials include: We'll Save You Supermarkets, Powerflex Bodybuilding Shampoo, and Memorial Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. As with so many of the really good public access cable video clips I've blogged before, this find comes from the legendary curator of mutant talent, John Andrew Walsh.

Hemp for Victory: 1940s US Gov. Film Urging Folks to Grow Tons of Weed Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:53 PM PDT Above, Hemp for Victory, a 13-minute film produced by the US government in the 1940s which urged citizens to grow hemp during the war. During this earlier era of American crisis, farmers and 4-H clubs were encouraged to cultivate industrial hemp, the non-intoxicating cousin of what I like to call cannabis gettabis stonerus. And now, during our current American crisis, this same "non-drug" cannabis strain is the subject of a new bill put forth by Congressmen Ron Paul (R-TX) and Barney Frank (D-MA). They and eight cosponsors, both Republican and Democrat, hope to legalize the plant so American farmers can begin supplying fibers for a wide array of products, with the overreaching goal of opening a new sector in American agriculture. Anyway, back to the propaganda film. I think the world needs a post-econopocalyptic remix with a totally baked-out Cheech and Chong VO. (Via Ned's List)

Quadrophenia: "New" 4-channel versions classic rock albums Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:37 PM PDT Richard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger The last time I was guest blogger here at Boing Boing, I innocently waded into a war of the words by doing a post on audiophile SACDs and DVD-A surround sound mixes of classic albums. But for those of you who care --not you haters-- I recently --not so innocently-- noticed that certain lovely people were putting up their own homemade DVD-A versions of four channel rips made from 70s quadraphonic 8-tracks, reel to reels and in rare cases, LPs on the various torrent trackers. Most of these mixes haven't been heard for years, by anyone and they're awesome! It's a quadraphonic treasure trove out there, I tell you: Joni Mitchell's "Court and Spark," and "Hissing of the Summer Lawns." Kraftwerk's "Autobahn"(!), "The Worst of the Jefferson Airplane" and "Volunteers" (which uses totally different takes from the stereo LP), Jeff Beck's "Wired." Black Sabbath's "Paranoid." "Band on the Run," "Venus and Mars Rock Show" and "Wall and Bridges" (mixed in quad, I am assuming, by Phil Spector --what would "#9 Dream" sound like in Quad? Heaven?). "Bitches Brew." "Aqualung." "Atom Heart Mother" and "Wish You Were Here." "Music from the Big Pink" and a King Biscuit Flower Hour recording of the Rolling Stones in 1973 in full glorious 4-channel surround with the audience in the rear speakers. Here's a review of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" in quadraphonic sound. It's amazing to hear the way they mixed the automobile sounds pinging from speaker to speaker. You really feel like you're in traffic!

Obama tells country "Serve Satan" (or not?) Posted: 04 Apr 2009 12:51 PM PDT Richard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger Right-wing foolish person connects Obama to Satan: Plus there is this stupefying wingnut YouTube channel, Antichrist Obamanation, with various videos relating to things like is Obama the Antichrist, how you can prove Obama is the Antichrist using the "Bible Code," and how Obama is the head of the Illuminati/New World Order and a stealth Muslim. Tons of this stuff out there, "Obama = Antichrist" is practically a YouTube genre already. Thanks Legba Carrefour!

Tuxedomoon: No Tears for the Creatures of the Night Posted: 04 Apr 2009 12:10 PM PDT Richard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger While the Sex Pistols were regurgitating old Who and Chuck Berry riffs in London, and the Ramones were dumbing down the Beach Boys' sound in New York City, something truly weird was going on in San Francisco. Formed in 1977 by multi-instrumentalists, Blaine L. Reininger and Steven Brown (and later joined by Peter Principle and puppeteer/weirdo, Winston Tong) Tuxedomoon are a group that, like their singular Ralph Records label-mates, The Residents, fall into exactly one category, the category of Tuxedomoon. With a sonic aesthetic difficult to describe (electronic, erudite, evil, with lots of strings and a sleazy sax, if that helps) but once called the sound of "ectoplasmic formation" (any better?), Tuxedomoon never fit into the San Francisco punk scene, they were viewed as "too European." Not surprisingly, the band decamped to Rotterdam, then Brussels in the early 1980s where they were more warmly received. Since then, Tuxedomoon have rarely played in America --just five concerts-- and I can count myself as lucky enough to have attended one of them. Tuxedomoon celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2007 with a box set, "77-o-7" consisting of a new album (Vapour Trails), a CD of the new album played live, a rarities disc and a nearly three-hour long DVD of their multi-media film works and performance documentation. A friend gave me this box set not that long ago and it absolutely floored me. I played it for weeks on end and the video material was a joy for a longtime fan to behold. There's also been a definitive 450-page book book written on the group titled "Music For Vagabonds: The Tuxedomoon Chronicles" by Isabelle Corbisier, that looks really great. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Official Tuxedomoon website Tuxedomoon on MySpace "No Tears" video Tuxedomoon on Glenn O'Brien's TV Party (note Debbie Harry cameo) "Jinx" music video directed by Graeme Whifler "Special Treatment for the Family Man" (about Harvey Milk's killer, Dan White) "59 to 1" music video "Desire" (with Jean-Michel Basquiat on spray-paint) from "Downtown '81" "Jinx" live, 1979 "Nervous Guy" on TV Party "Found Films" trailer "Victims of the Dance" (a loft jam) "The Stranger" (with Winston Tong) Totally Wired: Simon Reynold's extensive email interview with Tuxedomoon's Steven Brown Thanks Frank Alongi from Ryko!

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