Flaming Pablum

Flick My Pic

The images might not be new to long-time readers of Flaming Pablum, but I've just launched my own Flickr page wherein to showcase my rather unwieldy collection of NYC photographs. I've recently uploaded the first batch. Click here to see them.

Stuff You Might Have Missed

 

Hey again, y’all. Yes, it’s been an admittedly underwhelming week here at Flaming Pablum, but I’ve been up to my eyeballs lately. To further stave you over until I’m able to put up some proper original content, herewith (yet another) seemingly random aggregation of links to items that caught my eye of late. Please enjoy.

Abandon all hope all ye who enter: one blogger’s disquieting glimpse into the omnivorous cultural phenomenon that is Hello Kitty Hell!

Maybe click on this after lunch: Cracked brings you giant versions of disgusting critters. Bon appétit!

Speaking of disgusting critters, here’s a nice collection of some memorable horror movie tag-lines.

Here’s a head-scratcher: It turns out that Shepard Fairey really doesn’t dig people vandalizing his walls. Funny old world.

Continuing on the subject of street art, Gothamist asks why the NYPD gives you shit if you tag up a wall, but doesn’t blink at illegal ads.

Julian Cope weighs in on the “necrophilick Paedofest” that is the on-going Michael Jackson wake. Also, turns out that the self-styled Arch Drude isn’t a big fan of social networking either. Regardless, you should go fetch the forthcoming deluxe, two disc re-release of his sprawling meisterwerk Peggy Suicide.

Speaking of sprawling meisterwerks, that fabled box set from Kraftwerk seems like it might see the light of day sometime soon. Inspired by same, I rented that documentary from 2008 on the droidy dudes from Dusseldorf, “Kraftwerk & the Electronic Revolution.” While it certainly could have used a bit of editing, it was indeed quite interesting. See a small clip of it here.

I found this quite refreshing: One Woodstock attendee survivor tells Newsweek how much that slavishly overhyped event sucked!

Remember that roundly-upheld belief several years ago that notoriously reclusive writer Thomas Pynchon was a big fan of the frankly underwhelming indie band Lotion? Yeah, well, it turns out that that was a towering stack of crap.

While we’re on the subject of music, why not go on over to The New York Nobody Sings and check out my posts on Low, The Cro-Mags and The Clash?

Personally speaking, I haven’t yet found her very interesting or original, but evidently Lady GaGa is a puppet for the Illuminati.

Much to my pronounced glee, it seems that this long-threatened film may finally see the light of day.

Lastly, I spotted the below legend scrawled on the men's room wall of 288 on Elizabeth Street last night and felt strangely compelled to share it here.

Gothic Facelift

I've been meaning to mention this for some time, but it wasn't until this week that I got around to snapping a picture. I spoke about my adoration for the building a little over a year ago, but it seems that 874 Broadway has gotten a bit of a sprucing. Blackened by a century of pollution, this stately tower that looms ominously over Union Square previously looked like the urban residence of the Munsters. It got a full facelift this past Spring, however (read this Curbed  piece for a more detailed account) and has been restored to its former glory. I suppose that's cool for its privileged residents, but I can't help missing its former patina of gloomy austerity. Oh well.

It's Alive!

Found this lovely little item via the always excellent C-Monster. Check out this fine collection of vintage horror/sci-fi movie posters. Had I only the wall space…

Meanwhile...

Things may have slightly slowed down here, but click over to The New York Nobody Sings to check out my latest entries on Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Hello and the great Ace Frehley vs. Odyssey debate. Rock!

Stuff You Might Have Missed

Hey there. Remember when I said you could probably expect more frequent posting this week? Well, that turned out to be a big ol’ fib. My first week back at work hasn’t left me with piles of time, so please excuse the downturn in activity here. More stuff is on the way. In the interim, here are a few choice nuggets you might have overlooked…

True crime buffs have cause to celebrate, as Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of the Manson Family Murders. Check out Newsweek’s interview with prosecuting attorney and “Helter Skelter” author Vincent “The Bug” Bugliosi. Also, why not treat yourself to a t-shirt from the disarmingly bizarre and somewhat depressing Charles Manson Fan Club? Also, ever wonder what happened to the Tate mansion (and other notorious crime scenes)?  Find out here.

Pat gets his "face-melting shredfests" courtesy of "mad good" Grooveshark.

Confessions of a John Hughes pen pal (and Pitchfork’s obit).

Goodbye, Willy DeVille.

An endearingly dispassionate performance by under-sung Swiss post-punk ensemble,Kleenex.

The somewhat slavishly overrated Arctic Monkeys throw a fistful of dung at my favorite Nick Cave tune.

And for you fans of bad album cover art…

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Rest in Peace, Bimble

About eight years ago, I started regularly contributing to an online music discussion forum called ILXOR (you can find it here). Over the next several years, I engaged in a string of spirited debates about myriad musical fine points – from whether, say, the Circle Jerks were a better band than Steely Dan (they were, by the way) to my tireless defense of the almighty Killing Joke. In the course of doing so, I managed to get to “know” a lot of my fellow regular contributors. One such individual was a gent name Mark Craig, who posted under the nom-de-plume, “Bimble.” As we both shared a fondness of shameless hyperbole and histrionic post-punk, Mark and I swiftly became ILX allies. I reigned in my ILX activity in 2006 a bit and have only stepped back into it again fairly recently. I’d kept in sporadic touch with Mark along the way, but hadn’t been as apprised of his situation as I’d previously been. Tragically,I just learned that Mark passed away on Tuesday. While I never actually met the man, I still counted him as a friend, and am shaken and saddened by this news. This one’s for BImble.

Records To Riot By

Herewith just another gratuitous plug to go check out the new collaborative sonic blog experience (or something), The New York Nobody Sings, regularly updated by a band of four for whom I apparently bang the cowbell. Check out my latest scribbling regarding Manhattancentric `choons by Missing Foundation, The Randoms, King Crimson and Muckafergason. There's much more to come as well.

Summer in the City

Hey all. Just got back into town, ready to start work again this week (in the wake of my 100 days). As such, you can probably expect more frequent posting here in the days to come. In the interim, please enjoy this appropriate sonic nugget. I was always a bit more partial to early 90's Brit indie band Eat's version. Joe Cocker recorded a version too, the video for which featuring some nice shots of a since changed-beyond-all-recognition Soho, although his ham-fisted, ersatz-Reggae reinterpretation of the Lovin' Spoonful classic leaves much to be desired.