Here's today's lesson: When the fleeting fame from your appearance on a nationally-televised karaoke competition has finally dwindled out, do the only reasonable thing: get (half) naked. Seriously. It's the American thing to do. But don't take our word for it - take the photos of these fifteen ex-"American Idol" contestants (and one current judge) in various states of undress as proof, because after all, the only thing more American than baseball, Twinkies or Ryan Seacrest is getting nekkid. Ace Young isn't just looking into the camera, he's looking into a mirror, thus the positioning [...]
Here's something the famous 16th century French seer Nostradamus couldn't have predicted: A quintet of albums dedicated to his life and work. And regardless of whether or not you believe his predictions to be accurate, his book "Les Propheties" continues to find loyal readers the world over, providing plenty of pop culture inspiration. Need proof? Check the details of the five tribute albums featured below, all of which are dedicated to paying tribute to the bushy-bearded predictor. Who: Judas Priest What: "Nostradamus" (2008), a two CD/three LP concept album based [...]
Jokers, crooners and the ultimate dragon slayer, 2008 marked the end of the line for some of the most talented folks in entertainment. Comedy will never be the same without the often incendiary and always hysterical work of George Carlin. Political punditry will forever mourn the loss and insightful analysis of Tim Russert. And the worlds of acting, humanitarianism and tasty refreshments have lost a one-of-a-kind soul in Paul Newman. Please join us as we tip our forties in honor of the supremely talented homies we lost in two thousand and eight. Paul Newman [...]
To all the Heebs on the internets, happy Hanuakkah and l'chaim. Here at YuppiePunk World HQ, we've got the menorah lit and the latkes cookin' as we merge our guilt with our gelt. As the festival of lights begins, so too does that last minute scramble to purchase that perfect something for all those babies in your life. Like we did last year , we trolled the awesome artisans of Etsy to find the best handmade accoutrements for those wee ones on you list. After all, you can't let Bronx Mowgli have better gear than your brand [...]
Here at YuppiePunk World HQ, we get a lot of inquiries from publicists, labels and bands themselves looking for a little coverage. And who can blame them? After all, we're an obscure, self-righteous, poorly-designed, infrequently-posting pop culture site with terrible taste in music. In other words, every young band's dream! And since we simply don't have the (wo)manpower to write about every interesting thing we hear here, here's a sampling of some of the goodies to have passed through our inbox of late. Butch Walker | "Sycamore" (Original Signal) Avril songwriter, "Rockstar: [...]
No doubt about it, you people have as juvenile a sense of humor as we do. Case and point: The success of our post on The 10 Most Unfortunately Named People on the Internets , which, despite being published over a year ago, continues to be one of the most popular posts on the site. And just like those Hollywood film studios when they find a hit, we decided it was time for a far inferior sequel. Some of the folks below were inspired by comments left on the first post, while others were found via old fashioned research. [...]
From da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" to Boticelli's "Birth of Venus," the womanly form has remained one of the most enduring subjects in all of art history. Second perhaps only to Jesus, the smooth curves, plump bosom and complicated inner-life of the fairer sex has long been a favorite muse of artists both male and female. And today's women are even more complicated than ever. Wet, wanton and wistful, these fourteen modern gals caught our eye with their acrylic dreams, blushing brush strokes and watercolor smiles. Eric White, "A Gentle Mistake" Xiao Quingding, [...]
Roses are red Violets are blue We like documentaries And so should you Some will be good Others just fine We hope to catch all of these In two thousand and nine "Reclaiming the Blade" Scratch your Dungeons & Dragons itch with this: From Errol Flynn to "The Lord of the Rings," a history of the sword. | Source "Second Skin" MMORPs, aka Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing games, are documented in this look [...]
Though it was a crummy year for scripted television ("Knight Rider," anyone?), non-fiction TV provided plenty of viewing pleasures. "Project Runway," "Top Chef," and "Flipping Out" on Bravo each provided hours of pleasure, as did "Survivor," "The Amazing Race" and "American Idol," broadcast TV's best unscripted offerings. But to really find the best of the genre, you'll have to watch PBS and cable. From the high seas to high celebrities, here's a look at our ten favorite unscripted series of 2008. " Independent Lens " (PBS) Hosted by actor Terence Howard, the show's [...]
You may not have heard of The King Blues yet, but that's all going to change, at least if the band's three members have any say in the matter. Formed in London in 2004, the band has been making waves in their homeland with the recent release of "Save the World, Get the Girl" (available via iTunes and Amazon ), a polished, political punk rock classic with shades of The Clash and The Pogues and The Streets. The King Blues - "I Got Love" [...]
From comedians to pornstars to shredding metal guitarists, here's a look at some of our favorite Kats (and a Katt). No Cats, Katz or kittens here, just a round-up of folks with nothing in common but their names, usually an abbreviation for Katherine, Kathleen or Katrina. Meow. Kat Von D Real name: Katherine Von Drachenberg Kat nip: The tattoo artist made a name for herself as a guest artist on the TLC reality series "Miami Ink," but her popularity soared when she [...]
1 Blake Schwarzenbach + Aaron Cometbus = Thorns of Life 2 Lars Ulrich + Whining about illegal Metallica downloads = $13.5 million Basquiat 3 David Fincher + Brad Pitt aging backwards = "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" 4 Classic KISS + Classic artworks = A new show from Ron English 5 IGN's 10 Great Punk Singers + The exclusion of [...]
Punk rock has mostly been a man's game since it was coughed out of the lungs of New York's Bowery in 1970s at about the same time it was piercing the face of the London underground. Punk's original leading ladies were Siouxsie Sioux and Poly Styrene , who later made room for Exene Cervenka , Alice Bag and Kira Roessler . These days, however, there are plenty of ladies in punk rock, though perhaps their (in most cases) softer personalities lend themselves to the softer sounds of pop-punk as opposed to the grinding [...]
Poor David Marchese. He was just trying to do his job by interviewing Lou Reed for the latest issue of SPIN , and save for a few snotty comments by Reed during the first half of their chat, the interview was going along swimmingly. They touched on Reed's varied solo work, his new CD/DVD, and begrudgingly, his time in the Velvet Underground. But when Marchese had the audacity to dovetail into questions that (gasp!) weren't about music, Reed barraged the journalist with a steaming pile of bullshit. Rather than graciously declining to answer something or provide any kind of [...]
As punk turns the corner into its fourth decade, it seems fitting that there are finally affluent buyers waiting in the wings to snatch up relics from punk's salad days. Punk rock may have started on the streets, but it certainly didn't remain there, having been co-opted by everything from Madison Avenue to Hot Topic. Christie's, the world's foremost auction house, recently announced their Punk/Rock sale , which, along with standard rock & roll relics like Jimi Hendrix' hand-written lyrics and the original artwork for "Master of Puppets," includes important punk rock items from the likes of the Ramones, [...]
Ever since sex and drugs became perfect bedfellows with rock & roll, there have been book publishers willing to shell out big money for rock stars looking to tell their tales. From the biggest rock icons ( Bob Dylan ) to one-hit wonders ( the drummer of Semi-sonic ), plenty of musicians have tried their hand at telling their rock & roll story. And despite the fact that Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde, two of the earliest rock chicks, have yet to pen their autobiographies, plenty of other rocking women, from musicians to groupies, have shared their stories - and [...]
Finally, some good records to listen to. It's been a long few months with little to get excited about in the way of music, but we're happy to report we've been rocking the below releases loudly in the YuppiePunk Music & Mustache Emporium™ for the past few weeks now. And just in time. We were moments away from unearthing our double gatefold copy of Lou Reed's " Metal Machine Music " and playing side 4 until the Apocalypse. The Gaslight Anthem - "The '59 Sound" Though they share a home state [...]
As long as there have been bands, there have been songs about women, from Marilyn Monroe to Monica Lewinsky to Queen Elizabeth. So why not Paris Hilton, the modern era's most disposable tartlet, a perfect subject for the modern era's disposable pop songs. Which isn't to say that all of the below are lousy, but unlike say "Alison," "Melissa" or "Angie," won't likely be remembered generations from now. Nor for that matter will the lasting cultural contributions of Ms. Hilton. Cansei de Ser Sexy - "Meeting Paris Hilton" Attempts to set [...]
Shawn Barber has recently begun to learn the art of tattooing, but he's been painting pictures of tattoos and its surrounding culture better than anybody for most of the past decade. He's had shows in some of the best galleries on both coasts and his work is in the collections of several celebrities including Robin Williams, Van Morrison and Christian Slater. He is not, however, a famous linebacker . Barber has a dark, realistic style which depicts a completely modern subject in a classic portrait style. His recent work experiments with ghost-like images ala Chad Robertson [...]
YuppiePunk | Adventures in Middlebrow
Stream: Disclosure – When A Fire Starts To Burn
40 Year Itch: David Bowie TV Documentary Shot
Boards of Canada :: Tomorrow's Harvest
You’ve GOT to Hear This: “Enemies”
