As we were saying…

Are you ready to kick up your heels again with Gina Vivinetto’s Greatest Hits?

Let’s push this sucker to 2,000,000.

Also: Two Happy Birthdays

Happy Birthday to two great gay men today, both of whom had an immeasurable impact on my life.

Today would have been the 79th birthday of slain gay rights leader (and my lifelong hero) Harvey Milk:

And a very happy 50th (!) to Morrissey, also a gigantic influence on me and the impetus to my teenage-to-now vegetarianism:

Thanks, fellas.

Flashback: Afrika Bambaataa and Johnny Rotten

Here’s “World Destruction”, still relevant as ever:

Michelle Obama on ‘Sesame Street’

“I think it’s probably the best thing I’ve done so far in the White House.”
-Michelle Obama on her visit to Sesame Street

Art vigilantes paint over illegal billboards

From Consumerist:

A big bravo to the authentic graffiti artists in NYSAT or New York Street Advertising Takeover. These folks are going around the city and painting over corporate street art ads – yes, illegal graffiti ads created by corporations who want to appear “hep.”

In some cases NYSAT is replacing the ads with original street art and in others (see photo above) they’re simply painting the word “Delete.”

Here’s an incensed blog post about the phenomenon of corporate street ads in New York and an earlier Consumerist post about the blight of these ads in Los Angeles.

If you want to read more about guerilla and “underground” advertising tactics corporations are using to market to hipsters and young people, or if you just want to be scared shitless about advertising’s infiltration into every facet of our lives, pick up a copy of Anne Elizabeth Moore‘s incendiary Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing and the Erosion of Integrity (New Press, $15.95).

New Beth Ditto interview

“It’s funny how something so normal and mundane that you see every day—your body—can be controversial.

From an interview in Black Book

How are you celebrating Earth Day?

Today is Earth Day. What are you doing to honor our planet?

I’m a vegan who uses almost exclusively natural products and recycles every damn thing in her apartment. Everything, even, like, cereal boxes or any packaging food comes in at the grocery store. I read the ingredients of everything I buy and try not to buy grocery items with, say, palm oil, in them because to get that oil, we’ve got to chop down trees, the habitat for many other animals including endangered orangutans.

So obviously I give a shit about Earth Day and wish people thought about this kind of thing every day.

What do you do? Today and everyday. What do you now and what are your goals?

I really want to know. It’s not a rhetorical question. Go ahead, brag. Or confess, as the case may be.

Did you watch ‘Grey Gardens’ last night?

I thought it was very good. I think Drew Barrymore could have an acting career beyond Adam Sandler movies. Who knew? Jessica Lange was at her very best. Wow. There is a scene where she (as Big Edie) sings “Tea For Two” while surrounded by squalor and it’s haunting. Whoever did the make-up on this film needs to win an armload of awards. Bra-vo!

Did you like it? How many of you have seen the original documentary?

Flaming Lips headline Earth Day concert in D.C.

So we’re having ourselves a big shindig Sunday on the Mall grounds here in D.C. in honor of Earth Day. It’s called the Green Apple Music Festival.

Guess who’s coming to play a free concert? Guess!

The Flaming Lips:

DJ Spooky:

and Los Lobos:

True story: Flaming Lips leader Wayne Coyne and I once stayed in the same Ramada Inn during the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. It was weird going downstairs to the lobby each morning and seeing Wayne in his little suit.

The Green Apple Music festival happens Sunday in select cities nationwide with dozens of musical guests participating. Check the site to see if it will hit your town.

Earth Day is actually on April 22, so you have time to get your (environmentally friendly) party planned.

Do any of you take notice of Earth Day each year?

Happy Anniversary!

It’s Gina Vivinetto’s Greatest Hits’s eight month anniversary! Woo-hoo! Let’s celebrate with a clip from The Flinstones:

This blog is way more popular than I ever thought it would be thanks to you guys.

We’re going to get our 190,000th hit today. Can you believe it?!

XOXO