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Hipstercrite Round-Up

I’m going to try something new today. This was an idea I planned for the blog redesign but never got around to doing it until Randall at  The Mojo Wire reminded me.  Thanks, Randall!

Now that I’m a freelance writer and social media manager, I spend a lot of time reading and sharing on the internet. I come across a lot of cool stuff and I guess sharing them on Facebook and Twitter are not enough- I FEEL THE NEED TO SHARE THEM ON MY BLOG TOO!

I’ve always enjoyed Flavorwire’s daily roundup, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Please let me know your thoughts. Do you like? Not like? Should I do daily or once a week or never?

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–Texts from Bennett was the hot commodity trending on Facebook today. Text messages from a 17 year-old white kid who thinks he’s a Crip never was so funny. Do you guys think it’s real?

-Do you go by the title ‘Happiness Advocate‘? What about ‘Social Media Trailblazer‘? ‘Head Cheese‘? Or how about ‘Douchebag‘? Brazen Careerist talks about the trend of cutesy (more…)

December 1, 2011 by
Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture

A Post Entirely Made of Cheese

I have a job where I interview and photograph restaurants. Sometimes I get free food out of the process.

It might be the best job I’ve ever had.

Recently, this job enabled me to photograph God’s glorious gift to Mankind- the grilled cheese sandwich.

I photographed grilled cheese sandwich after grilled cheese sandwich.

IT WAS AWESOME!

Here are some outtakes from that photoshoot.

Enjoy!

Here are the sandwiches before they’re pressed

They squiggle butter onto the sandwiches

Then it comes out looking like this!

AND THIS!

And this…which kind of looks gross because it has tuna fish on it, but it’s delicious

This is a photo of a dollhouse grilled cheese sandwich. It came to my attention via @Tillamook Cheese’s twitter feed. I am a big fan of Tillamook Cheese and they’re super fun to talk to on Twitter. I highly recommend following them.

Speaking of Tillamook Cheese- this photo was taken when I toured their factory in Tillamook, Oregon two years ago

I (more…)

December 1, 2011 by
Music, Pop Culture

Can Musicians Be Artists Too?

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I have a Google Alerts set up for David Byrne.

Unfortunately, a lot of people on this planet are named David Byrne.

Sometimes I am alerted of news stories about David Byrne the musician.

Like about how the soundtrack for “This Must be the Place” has been released, even though the movie hasn’t been released yet because it supposedly sucks ass. It upsets me that something named after the greatest song on the planet can supposedly suck butt so badly.

Most of the alerts are crap, but once in a blue moon I get an interesting story about David Byrne in my inbox. One that caught my attention recently was from the Spectator Arts Blog (an UK publication) and titled “An Inflated Sense of Their Own Artistry“. In it, the writer, Niru Ratnam, lambasts musicians like David Byrne, Ron Wood, Iggy Pop and David Bowie for- get ready for it- making art!

“Imagine for a moment the following grouping: David Bowie, the former Clash bass player Paul Simonon, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie (more…)

November 30, 2011 by
20-Something, Pop Culture

The Hipsterfication of NPR

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NPR’s “The Hipsterfication of America“.

Dear God.

What happened?

I wanted to write about this last week when the article first came out but my mind was so blown, I had to spend the weekend recuperating.

NPR! I love you, but did you write this back in 2008 and forget to post it until now? Was it a slow news day? Did an 88 year-old man who has been living on a remote island out in the Galapagos write this? Or do you think that your viewership is strictly 88 year-olds, because I have news for you NPR, hipsters listen to you and we’re severely confused by this article.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this article yet (it’s a short one), NPR decided it was time for America to know about hipsters.

“In case you haven’t noticed, hipsters — and those who cater to them — are everywhere. And that really galls some hipsters,” the author Linton Weeks (sounds like a James Thurber character!) stated. The article goes on to state that hipsterdom is an omnipresent culture- (more…)

November 22, 2011 by
Film, Pop Culture

The Muppets Review: A Must-See For Every Muppet Fan

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I was going to post this next week, but screw it. I already noticed a few reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and my blog isn’t big enough to have a studio sic a Muppet on me, so here it is, my The Muppets review. Disclaimer- I’m not a movie reviewer and suck ass at writing reviews.

The Muppets is a good movie. It’s not great. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that the more you watch it, the more great it becomes. Writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller had a big task in front of them and all-in-all they succeeded in doing the job.

Gary (Jason Segel) and his Muppet brother, Walter, live in Smalltown, U.S.A. They are best buds and do everything together. As they grow older it becomes apparent that Walter is “different”. He feels out of place. One day Gary and Walter watch The Muppet Show on TV and Walter is transfixed. He has found his people.

Fast forward years later, Gary decides to take his girlfriend of ten years, Mary (Amy Adams), to Los Angeles. Knowing how (more…)

November 18, 2011 by
Film, Pop Culture

The Muppets Create Nostalgia-Fueled Cry Fests

Last night I saw an advanced screening of The Muppets.

And as I predicted, I cried eleven times, including once within the first 60 seconds of the film.

When the entire Muppet gang sang “The Rainbow Connection”, I lost it.

I just wrote a whole review, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post it, so I’ll wait.

Instead I will share with you the write-up I added to the Muppets window which was featured in the East Austin Studio Tour this weekend and next.

 

It was our third date. You were screening your movie. I was nervous.

I really liked you.

When I left the theater I discovered that someone had broken into my car.

The next night you took me out to dinner. You felt bad about the broken window so you offered

to make me a new one. We stood on the dark street cutting out a cardboard window. You

asked me who I wanted driving alongside me. I told you the Muppets. You drew Kermit,

Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear by the light of my cell phone.

I drove around (more…)

November 15, 2011 by
Austin, Pop Culture

E.A.S.T. Opening at Super!Alright!

Dear God I love E.A.S.T. so much!

Our opening night at Super!Alright! was a huge success! So many wonderful people showed up, bought some art, drank some booze and got down to the sweet jams of BK & Mr. E. E.A.S.T. is my favorite time of year because it’s the only time I can pretend that I’m an artist and pretend that I live in East Village circa 1980.

Take a look at some of the great artists showing their work at Super!Alright! below. So happy to be a part of this talented gang.

I will be posting more pictures this week and next from E.A.S.T.

Our gallery space at Super!Alright!

BK & Mr. E crooning sweet jams.

Artist Luther Himes confused and disorientated.

Acclaimed artist Jason Archer’s exhibit

My recycled magazine mosaic

Some of Luther Himes’ commissioned drawings

Adreon Henry’s commissioned Dean Stockwell paintings presented to the actor at the Albuquerque Film Festival. His Blue Velvet paintings were particularly my favorite.

Jacob Villanueva’s (more…)

November 14, 2011 by
Pop Culture

Mortified Comes to TV!

Have you ever been to Mortified? I have and I nearly pissed my pants and started crying. People recollecting stories of their rudimentary and pubescent years is both entertaining and nausea-inducing. It stirs up memories you’ve locked deeply away, memories that you want no one knowing except for your therapist and maybe your 16 cats to know. It brings you confidence in knowing that you’re not alone, that others were as fucking weird as you were as a child. It makes you feel compelled to share these deep dark secrets with the world. It drives you to drink to forget these memories.

If you’re not as lucky to experience Mortified live, now you can check out Mortified on TV. Starting Dec 5th at 8PM, Mortified will be airing ten episodes of cringe-worthy hilarity on the Sundance Channel. Guests include Will Forte, Ed Helms, Cheryl Hines, Paul Feig, and Alanis Morissette. I’m particularly intrigued in hearing Alanis considering most of Jagged Little Pill was like one giant episode of Mortified.

As (more…)

November 8, 2011 by
Pop Culture

The Newspaper Said That God Is Dead

The day L arrived home from the war he felt alive for the first time in two years. He was coming home to see his boy, jump back into the family business and do nothing but enjoy life from now on. He was far from the fighting and far from the hospital bed he laid in for nearly 2 months in Vietnam. The surgery to remove the shrapnel from his skull left an intriguing “X” pattern across the left of his forehead that resembled that of a laurel crown. It made L look noble.  He often stopped before a mirror and traced his finger along the jagged scar. The doctors did a good job, he thought. Even his son Jesus thought his scar looked daring. L was happy that he looked like a hero to his son. If only one person appreciated what he did for our country, he hoped it was his child.

Life became normal after the war. At 7AM he’d drop Jesus off to the private school he had saved up for, then head back home to get started on the day’s work. L was in the animal balloon business. The company had been handed (more…)

November 7, 2011 by
Pop Culture

Life in a Comic Book

Our trip to Burlington, Vermont was chronicled in the ‘American Elf‘ comic series by James Kochalka. If you’re not famliar with James’ work, ‘American Elf’ is a daily webcomic of James’ life transcending the past 13 years. James starred in Geoff’s movie Mars– which was screening at the Vermont Film Festival. Geoff is the guy who looks like a hairy muppet. I didn’t make the comic. Actually I may be one of the vapid ghosts in the background of the bar scene.

Bitch.

November 6, 2011 by