Originating in Japan, and known simply as Botaoshi, the objective of this peculiar sport is for a team to defend their pole for two to three minutes. If the pole tips 30 degrees or more for three seconds the defending team loses. Pretty fantastic if you ask me.
Written By Reed Windle
Dear Max,
I am sorry to say that I have secretly found out that Mr. Blume is having an affair with Miss Cross. My first suspicions came when I saw them Frenching in front of our house. And then I knew for sure when they went skinny dipping in Mr. Blume’s swimming pool, giving each other handjobs while you were taking a nap on the front porch.
Wes Anderson knows what the fuck he’s doing. In 15 years, he’s released more classics than many directors do in their whole lives, he’s made no critical flops, he’s launched and reignited the careers of actors, and he’s done something that puts him in the same category as Godard and Cassavetes — he’s become an “auteur” filmmaker. The worlds he creates are so rich and deep that you can instantly tell he was the type of kid in high school wearing Raging Bull t-shirts and killing it at “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”. On top of his prowess as a director, his journey is an inspiration for the current “do-it-yourself” world.
He’s narrated over 750,000 television spots and over 5,000 movie trailers. From Terminator to Fern Gully and even some Geico shorts too. His name is Don LaFontaine and he’s the voice you’ve been hearing behind nearly every blockbuster film for the past 20 years. Known by many simply as the “Voice of God,” LaFontaine’s life changed the day his voice dropped mid-sentence at the age of 13. From there he pursued voice acting seriously, rising to the pinnacle of the field, while solidifying his position as the preeminent voice actor of his generation. Passing away from a lung disease in 2008, LaFontaine’s legacy will be cemented forever in the films and shows he’s introduced to millions all over the world.
Pretty much any time you can combine art and humor, you’re winning. The overall tone of artist Jayson Musson‘s work is playful and unassuming, and the result is work that’s as clever as it is simple. His largest collection of work, entitled Miscellaneous Things That Resemble Paintings, consists largely of single sentence observations, satire and sex jokes. Another, the Flaming Lips-referencing Barack Obama Battles the Pink Robots pokes fun at the deification of Obama, depicting him saving kittens, rescuing Jesus Christ and battling giant terrorists. All in all, just quality work all around. Check out Jayson’s full catalog of work here.
It’s funny how shit you used to hate comes back around on you sometimes. Those things are always so forgiving. Spinach and I have that sort of relationship. I told her I never wanted to see her again when I was like 7. So she dipped. But for some reason we always ran into each other as we got older. Usually just at parties and stuff. I’d be drinking and she’d always just be sitting there. Sometimes she’d ask me if I wanted to go get coffee or something, but I’d always decline.
I’ll be honest though. It was jealousy that brought us back together. I saw her out with another guy one night. She was so well dressed. She looked flawless. I texted her a few days later to hang out and she was down. She brought over some nuts and cheese and we reconnected. We’re cool now though. We still see other people and stuff, but we both know that what we have is special.
It is crazy how things come back around though. I guess it really is true. If you’re really meant to be with someone you’ll find your way back to each other. No matter what.
By Adam Frank
There once was a man. His name was Thales. He lived a long, long time ago in Miletus an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Turkey. Thales had an idea. It was a new and dangerous idea. He thought that events in the world could be explained not as the consequence of supernatural gods (and their whims) but as the result of purely natural forces.
The natural forces Thales considered were part of the world. They were orderly and behaved in consistent and coherent ways that could be understood with careful observation and mindful effort. In this way many, if not all, the events we experience could be predicted – they could be anticipated as exactly as our understanding of the laws allowed. Thales apparently knew of what he spoke. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, using only principles of geometry and astronomy Thales successfully predicted an eclipse of the Sun. Such was the power of this perspective Thales, and the Greeks who would follow in his footsteps, offered unto the world.
Mar told me this talk was golden, and I have to say, it’s nothing less. For those who still haven’t gotten familiar with Nardwuar, he might come off as a little eccentric, or a lot weird. But over the past few years, Nardwuar has emerged as easily the most entertaining interviewer out there, in my humble. Having talked with everyone from Jay-Z to Gaga to Basegod, Nardwuar’s taste in artists is matched only by his unusual style of interview. For a few choice examples, check here or here.
The message of this talk, given at this year’s TED Conference, is simple though, and it’s central to his movement as well as ours. If you want to make something happen, get on it. There’s no better time than the present, and no better person to do it than you. You can always come up with reasons to wait for shit to come to you, and being prepared is cool too. But if you know what you want, ask for it. Or better yet, find it on your own. You’ll thank yourself later.
Watching this one now, it’s hard not to draw parallels to Charlie Sheen. I suppose Charlie’s been living out his own gonzo fantasy of sorts, if you want to call it that. And yet, Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, despite the similarities, offers a portrait of a figure not only decadent and depraved, but also deeply talented and fascinating in every way Sheen isn’t. Filmed in 1978, Fear and Loathing was director Nigel Finch’s attempt to capture Hunter S. Thompson in all his glory, revisiting the sites of some of his most storied works. Rampant and varied drug use, odd humor and incoherent mumbling abound. If slightly unflattering, it’s a pretty fascinating portrait of one of the 20th century’s most peculiar and revolutionary journalists.
Just a little inspiration for your Friday afternoon, because we could all use a little break from all the Royal Wedding bullshit. Until his death a few weeks ago, Buster Martin was the oldest working employee in the U.K., claiming to be 104 years old. At 101, Mr. Martin also added another official title, cementing his place as the oldest to run a full marathon. At a hundred and one? I mean, come on. At 22, I think it’s safe to say I’ve got some things to learn as far as aging goes. But if by some miracle of modern science or radical lifestyle change, I last this long, it seems like I could take a few tips from Buster. How to Live Forever, of which this clip is just an excerpt, is a documentary about the search for eternal life, opening in theaters this May. Sounds pretty dope to me.
Yeah, the visual for “You”, a standout among standouts from TV On the Radio’s Nine Types of Light, is pretty funny. Starring frontman Tunde Adebimpe, the clip is an excerpt from the ambitious hour-long film collage of the album, all directed by Adebimpe himself, and features Tunde wandering through the world in full-on Purple Rain Prince gear. But as endearingly goofy as the short film is, the song holds some serious poignancy in the wake of bassist Gerard Smith’s untimely passing after a bout with lung cancer just last week. Like a handful others on the album, it’s a love song, and by TVOTR standards, a surprisingly emotionally transparent one. Humor and all, “You” is a testament to just how powerful and affecting a band TV On the Radio can be when they’re at their best.
