Eels, the much admired indie band that’s mostly just a guy named E, have just announced a new album for early next year, with art by Adrian Tomine, who has previously worked with the group. The name of the album — End Times — and the gloomy art combined to disturb many anxious indie music snobs:
Is that meant to be GOD as a homeless man? Just a homeless man? The End of Times? The End of Days? Heck, maybe it’s even E. in 25 or so years? Who knows what the hell is being suggested in this cover? ALL I KNOW is that I now want to watch King Of The Hill forever more, which I may well do. Possibly some Aqua Teen Hunger Force, too…
A bunch of Tolkien/Howard Shore related events are taking place this weekend in NYC, including a LIVE symphonic performance of the Fellowship of the Ring score at Radio City — with Elijah Wood in attendance. Sunday sees a symposium of Tolkien scholars, including Colleen Doran, David Salo and Howard Shore. This is kinda a big deal if you’re into Tolkien. Above, Elladan and Elrohir, sons of Elrond, by Doran.
October 9th The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Howard Shore’s Complete Score Performed Live to Film Radio City Music Hall at 7:30p.m. 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, The Collegiate Chorale, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Howard Shore and Billy Boyd in attendance! For tickets visit the Radio City Music Hall website or call Ticketmaster: (212) 307 4111.
October 10th The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Howard Shore’s Complete Score Performed Live to Film Radio City Music Hall at 7:30p.m. 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, The Collegiate Chorale, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Howard Shore in attendance! For tickets visit the Radio City Music Hall website or call Ticketmaster: (212) 307 4111.
Billy Boyd with BEECAKE Joe’s Pub at 11:59p.m. Actor and musician, Billy Boyd, who starred in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as Peregrin “Pippin” Took and contributed to the soundtrack with his original song Steward of Gondor, embarks on a tour of the U.S. East Coast with his band Beecake October 6—11 in support of their new album Soul Swimming. Hear them in their New York debut! For tickets, visit Joe’s Pub or call (212) 967-7555. * FOTR at Radio City ends at 10:50p.m. so there is ample time to attend Beecake at 11:59p.m.
October 11th Behind The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films Angel Orensanz Foundation from 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. Free Event! TheOneRing.net—Quizzes, Contests, Giveaways, Presentation by Colleen Doran, Premiere of Elizabeth Cotnoir’s Journey’s End (with intro), David Salo speaks about Choral Texts from LOTR, Howard Shore and Doug Adams in discussion. Angel Orensanz Foundation, 172 Norfolk Street.
And no, Goddard, this has nothing to do with comics, but it is ground zero for nerddom! So stuff it!
Mrs. Vodden’s connection to the Beatles dates to her childhood friendship with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon’s son.
Julian Lennon, then 4 years old, came home from school one day with a drawing, showed it to his father and said it was “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”
We like to think that this school band performance of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss in many ways exemplifies the themes of the film it is most associated with, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Or if not the themes of Stanley Kubrick, then at least of Arthur C. Clarke. For human beings must strive, must struggle to reach a highest state, to find the perfect — or at least accurate — notes. We must come together, in communion and fellowship, to make ourselves better, the human tribe in all its glorious flaws. Granted, the tutti of this particular performance is a ragged, naked attempt, the horns desperately seeking the notes as written in the score, but hear the brave tympanist still keeping the rhythm, the strings coming in. ‘Tis a courageous battle, a stark symbol of the beauty of efforts that go on despite failure after failure.
You may enjoy this piece in the LA Times covering musicians who make comics, including Zak Sally (above) Archer Prewitt, and Gerard Way. There are a few obvious names missing, like James Kochalka, and a few more obscure ones, like Carson van Osten, who quit Todd Rundgren’s band, The Nazz, in 1969 for a busy career writing Donald Duck comics. How did that one happen, anyway?
According to the NY Post, the immensely complicated and expensive — $45 million — Spider-Man Broadway musical, has shut down production because it ran out of money. Directed by Julie Taymor with music by Bono and The Edge, the musical — entitled SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK — promised to be a spectacle like nothing ever launched on Broadway. Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming had been cast, and the show was set to begin in February, 2010. But…
Last week, production crews at both the Hilton Theatre and the scene shop where the show was being built were put on “hiatus” because the producers ran out of money. Assistants in the scene shop “ran to the bank to cash their checks because they weren’t sure they’d clear,” a source says.Now comes word that the actors have been released from their contracts, with no incentive (i.e., money) to hang around waiting for the production to get back on track.
Meanwhile, ticket agents are desperately trying to get refunds for deposits from theater parties that booked early previews.
Author Michael Riedel blames inexperienced producers — Sony, Marvel and lawyer David Garfinkle — and Taymor’s grand but hard-to-pull-off vision for a Cirque du Soleil-like extravaganza. Although some still think she show will open February 25th as promised, the financial tale is grim: the show would take five years of sold out houses every time to just break even.
Perhaps more to the point, there is a letter in the comments from one J. Jonah Jameson:
So Spider-Man, a well-known criminal mastermind, makes off with $45 million dollars and all you want to do is blame the producer of a stage show?!? Wake up and arrest this web-slinging menace before he strikes again!!! Oh, and Bono, how about a front page interview with the Bugle about how Spider-Man pulled off this heist??
The L.A. Times reports that Heinz Edelmann, best known for his work as art director of the 1968 Beatles film “Yellow Submarine,” died last week at a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany. He also designed the cover for the German edition of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, among many other books. He was 75.
He was also living proof that you don’t need drugs to be an awesome surrealist:
“I had never taken any drugs,” the artist said in a 2004 interview with the British magazine Design Week. “I’m a conservative, working-class person who sticks to booze . . . so I just knew about the psychedelic experience. . . . I guessed what it was.”
So remember that, aspiring cartoonists: stick to booze.
I can’t seem to get video embedding to work, but here’s “When I’m 64″ from “Yellow Submarine,” enjoy.
Via PR, the start of what you know is going to be a new comics cottage industry.
To millions he was the King of Pop; one of the world’s most cherished entertainers and a celebrated international icon. With his untimely passing, Michael Jackson left an extraordinary and tragic legacy. Bluewater Productions is paying tribute in October to his memory and legacy with a special collectors edition biography comic.
The newest addition to the publisher’s critically acclaimed biography library will trace Jackson’s rise as a musical prodigy with the “Jackson 5” through last Thursdays sad end. The book will feature highlights from his storied career and cover his enigmatic private life.
“Michael Jackson’s music served as the soundtrack to countless lives…including mine,” said Bluewater president Darren G. Davis, “His influence on our culture has been profound.”
“TRIBUTE: Michael Jackson, King of Pop,” features a wraparound cover and foreword by “The Official Michael Jackson Fan Club’s” Giuseppe Mazzola. Mazzola was also Jackson’s personal friend. The issue is being written by Wey-Yuih Loh, (Political Power: Colin Powell” and “Political Power: Joe Biden) and illustrated by Giovanni Timpano (Vincent Price Presents). Noted cover artist Vinnie Tartamella will also provide an alternate wraparound cover.
“This is a celebration of his life and what he meant to a legion of fans,” Davis said. “Although the book won’t shy away from some of his personal troubles, we try to tell a balanced story that shows Jackson as a musical genius, an unparalleled superstar and as a complex person.”
Davis noted that he initially waffled at producing a tribute comic, but after receiving dozens of emails and phone calls he knew it was the proper way to show respect and give fans a lasting remembrance.
A lot of illustrators remember the King of Pop at Drawger, and you can look through his April estate auctions here. The 242 pages of arcade games, Disneyana and other pop culturey stuff might be the most interesting, but Jackson’s addiction to frou frou Victoriana antiques and furnishings is fairly astonishing as well.
BTW, apparently Jackson’s rehearsal the night before his death was recorded and taped in high def video. So there should be at least one more moneymaker in the troubled pop star’s oeuvre.
And now, to remember the most important thing, here’s Amanda Palmer singing “Billie Jean” at the Troubadour the day MJ died.
As several folks have pointed out, MJ was a real comics fan. During the height of his fame in the ’80s and ’90s he would occasionally shop at his favorite comics shop — it would have to be shut down so he could shop in peace. A more recent trip with his children resulted in tabloid images, like much of his later years. He was certainly no stranger to the comics section.
Rick Marshallremembers Jackson’s attempt to buy Marvel Comics, one of those weird moment of ’90s Marvel history that Jim Salicrup should write a book about some day.
The above issue of Disney Adventures was, at the time, only the second magazine cover that Jackson had done a shoot for since he become the King of Pop. (The other was Vanity Fair.) It was his idea to pose with Pinocchio, an idea that’s pretty creepy in retrospect. But let’s try to look on the best side. In the end, the man lived a sad, sick life, but it’s the music that will live on forever and ever. Cliched but so true.
Live band karaoke? Are you ROCKSTAR enough? Although the band’s repertoire does not include such classic Beat buzzkillers as “Gethsemane” or “Kid Charlemagne” or even “Simple Life,” we’re sure we’ll find something to astound the folks lucky enough to come. Official PR:
This Saturday, June 6, sing your heart out after MoCCA at Live Rock N Roll Karaoke, presented by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund & The Beat!
The party starts show at 7 PM at M1-5 in Tribeca. Rock Star Karaoke NYC provides the live backing as you belt out your favorite Karaoke tunes. For a full song list visit: http://rockstarkaraokenyc.com/songlist.html
A donation of $5 - $10 is asked for admission. Show your current year CBLDF member card and get a free poster!
The Beat says, “With a proud tradition of unorthodox karaoke choices, We look forward to the first annual ‘Welcome to the Jungle Mocca Sing Off!’”
Support the CBLDF with the Beat and rock your face off at Live Rock N Roll Karaoke!
What: Live Rock n Roll Karaoke
When: Saturday, June 6, 7 PM
Where: M1-5, 52 Walker Street, between Church & Broadway
Why: Support Free Speech & Sing Your Heart Out After MoCCA!
How Much: $5 to $10 suggested donation
How To Get There: Take the 6; J, M, Z; N, Q, R, W, A, C, or E to Canal St
Moore has already recorded the two-hour audio book for the deluxe package of the semi-autobiographical work, which is likely too appear in early 2010.
The score that accompanies the book is being worked on by Andrew Broder of alternative act Fog and spoken word artist Adam Drucker. Brown says musicians in the frame to provide key elements of the soundtrack include Mike Patton of Faith No More and Justin Broadrick, formerly of industrial metal band Godflesh.
The result will be released by Lex Records.
Patton, best known as the lead singer of Faith No More, has had a long career as an experimental musician, fronting such adventurous bands as the cartoon spaghetti metal icons Mr. Bungle and working with John Zorn, as well as doing voices for video games Darkness and Left 4 Dead. He’s also known for some odd adventures with peep and poop, such as defecating in Axl Rose’s orange juice, and urinating on the crowd at an English concert. The best part of the latter story is that he briefly claimed afterward that the liquid has originated from a “squirting dildo I tucked in my pants.” However, questioned later, he said “There’s a dick. There’s piss. You do the math.”*
Anyway, we’re sure Moore and Patton will get along just fine.
* We’re informed by Agent Tsarkiller, who sent us this item, that a squirting dildo tucked into the pants is now a regular part of Rammstein’s stage act. We need to get out more.
Well, here’s a comics double play — the new DC referencing song from Art Brut in a homemade vid that shows Jeff Lemire’s cover for the new album. Enjoy.
Or should we say cartoonist David Lynch, whose “The Angriest Dog in the World” ran for several years in various LA alt.weeklies, and comics supporter Moby have collaborated on an animated video. See, we can find a comics connection for ANYTHING.
PS: “The Angriest Dog in the World” is still being produced, but for the subscription portion of Lynch’s website. See, he’s even figured out how to make money from webcomics!
In addition to its many other achievements — torturing Saddam Hussein, preventing Steven Spielberg from ruining the Indiana Jones DVD, alerting Americans to the Canadian menace — South Park can now add taking Kanye West down a notch:
SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT’S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF “I TOLD YOU SO!!!” IT’S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU’RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE’S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT.
In remembrance of the 15th anniversary this week of the suicide of Kurt Cobain, cartoonist Ward Sutton offers“In Bloom, an alternate take on the life and times of everyone’s favorite dead grunge idol.”
§ Supervillain-styled rapper Doomis back, and we will doubtless find much to amuse us on his new album, dropping today
With a career modeled on the Marvel comics arch-villain Doctor Doom, the metal mask-wearing fortysomething remains characteristically cryptic about future live dates. “I tell you one thing: when you come to a Doom show, come expecting to hear music, don’t come expecting to see. You never know who you might see. It has nothing to do with a visual thing. Use your mind and think. I might be there. Next time I do a show, I might tell everybody to close they eyes. Use your own mind’s eye. That’s better than a camera phone, know what I’m sayin’?’ ”
After listening to all the goofy lyrics on the new U2 album (which has about 3 and 1/2 songs that are awesome, BTW) guessing just what the Spider-Man musical will be like could be a very amusing parlor game. And now, the new Rolling Stone cover story on the new U2 includes some talk about Bono and the Edge’s music. Finally!
The first song Bono plays on the Maserati’s more-than-adequate sound system is called “Boy Falls From the Sky,” with Across the Universe star Jim Sturgess singing as Peter Parker. It sounds a lot like a U2 hit, especially when Bono sings along in the car with the line “I used to use a single thread to cross the sky.” “Killer!” he shouts as the song wraps up, and then he plays a choral, operatic segue. When Bono’s assistant calls on his cell, he cuts the conversation short: “We’re in the middle of an opera here!”
“I used to use a single thread to cross the sky.”
Oh man. We hope there’s a song about…Doc Ock!!!!
“Steel claw, strapped to my back
Reaching for the salt,
Reaching for the pepper
Love, oh love, love will break a man’s adamantium harness.”
In all their business news yesterday, a firm opening, title, and other info for the Spider-Man musical was announced. You’ll recall that the musical will be directed by Julie Taymor with music and lyrics by Bono and the Edge, and a book by Taymor and Glen Berger. No casting has been announced, but in red carpet interviews, Evan Rachel Wood keeps hinting strongly that she’ll play Mary Jane.
“Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark” opens on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway’s Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street. And some lucky Broadway goers will get to see the show when preview performances begin Saturday, January 16, 2010.
Stay tuned to Marvel.com to find out about your chance to purchase tickets to “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark” before they go on sale to the general public!
[snip]
Group tickets now on sale. Single tickets will go on sale June, 2009. For more information about group tickets, visit the “Spider-Man” website at www.SpidermanOnBroadway.com or by calling 1-800-Broadway.
Regarding the Spider-man musical, for 2009 there’s no material financial effects. Just to reiterate, we are not investing any capital into the Spider-man musical and we do have a very significant first dollar gross participation in all the revenues. So for 2009, there should be no financial effects; 2010, again no cost effects, only whatever revenues we get as our gross participation in the show, including merchandise revenues, by the way, which some of these shows do significant business in.
After listening to all the goofy lyrics on the new U2 album (which has about 3 and 1/2 songs that are awesome, BTW) guessing just what the Spider-Man musical will be like could be a very amusing parlor game. And now, the new Rolling Stone cover story on the new U2 
