March 2014

Sometimes, I’m really proud of my friends. Pretty often, actually. Anyway, read what @kissane wrote. incisive.nu/2014/thinking-…

Whether they’re grappling with the side effects of success or (more likely) licking the wounds of failure, I don’t have much sympathy for people trying to be superstars. And as much as 20 Feet from Stardom is primarily an affectionate profile of some of pop’s most noteworthy backup singers, it spends a little too much time entertaining assertions that these (mostly) women’s status as historical footnotes is some kind of gross injustice.

Granted, it’s not… See more →

“Nothing is sacred, everything is awful, let’s have fun.” invisibleoranges.com/2014/03/the-gr…

House of Cards, S02E08: Do all lobbyists have mad P.I. skills like Remy? Also, I want to make a fanfic lifestyle magazine called Plutocrat.

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Gwar (176), Future Islands (10) & El-P (7) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

After having their records in steady rotation for several months, tonight I heard Whores the right way. Best live band I’ve seen in ages.

If you’re struggling to make sense of the American health insurance mechanism, I found this to be hugely helpful. lessaccounting.com/health-insuran…

Katerina Kamprani’s wonderful “The Uncomfortable” recalls Christian Marclay’s “Impossible Instruments.” (via @kottke) kkstudio.gr/#the-uncomfort…

HEALTH INSURANCE ENROLLMENT SUBMITTED

Attention merchants: If I have to pay you before I get anything, then nothing you provide is “free,” and I will resent your use of the word.

And now to confront the dreams that await the man who listens to ten GWAR albums in one day.

Metallica’s medley of Rainbow covers is inconsistent, but damn, their take on “Kill the King” (at 4:23) sounds great. rol.st/1rkFZSl

In the late ’90s, I interviewed Dave Brockie for a magazine. I was a lousy interviewer but a huge fan, and he made the conversation so fun.

Devastated to hear Gwar’s Dave Brockie died. RIP, Dave. Your creativity and wicked wit were peerless. Thanks for being unapologetically you.

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Nothing (18), Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra (16) & Unwound (16) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

Last night’s Nothing show was way more of a punk thing than I expected; it isn’t the dominant vibe I get from the record. Not a bad thing.

For the record, @bearskinrug’s first tweet wins. twitter.com/bearskinrug/st…

Repeating mistakes in real time.

Chad Channing has a great attitude about being Gen X’s Pete Best. Nice of the Hall of Fame to add insult to injury. news.radio.com/2014/03/17/nir…

A straightforward but enjoyable @mountain_goats cover from @ShearwaterBand: rd.io/x/QFyuK0Hyog4/

“100 percent of respondents said the guitarist should hit the whammy bar at the end of a particularly sick riff.” onion.com/1iVNtKb

House of Cards, S02E07: Claire’s marital destabilization tactics are at the pioneering intersection of US foreign policy and Heathers.

“From Ghosts,” an overwrought but affectingly impressionistic document of 2008’s All Tomorrow’s Parties fest in NY. youtu.be/hVWSbB4Dytc

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Nothing (18), The Shrine (11) & Whores. (11) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

House of Cards, S02E06: Tusk is playing hardball, eh? Clever, if a bit on-the-nose. I’m kinda bummed Doug is finally cracking. He’s my rock.

My ★★★ Veronica Mars review: letterboxd.com/robweychert/fi…

Veronica Mars has a lot of work to do. For the cult following of the TV series that spawned it, it needs to be a reunion, and for the potential fans who never saw that series, it needs to be an introduction. The series’ third season attempted a similar balancing act, eschewing the first two seasons’ year-long, serialized story arcs in favor of standalone episodes that wouldn’t put off new viewers unfamiliar with the backstory.… See more →

This expressive review by @jason_m_heller ably describes the unique difficulty of Unwound’s early records. pitchfork.com/reviews/albums…

If you need to prep for the movie, here’s a quick and dense recap of all three seasons of Veronica Mars. youtu.be/c-KNmJl7yws

Just unearthed the powerfully nutritious Musical Breakfast, a video oddity I made back in 2005. youtu.be/1wLeM6te__M

Haven’t seen Episode 1 of Cook Inside the Box, starring @JennLukas and @sequoiam? No time like the present. youtu.be/-g4tkt5WL8w

You guys, this belly button lint thing. I don’t understand it. How do my shirts still exist.

Can’t get this Nothing album out of my ears. And I don’t want to. rd.io/x/QFyuPn8-ig/

House of Cards, S02E05: So many Civil War LARPers, and they’re not even the ones chewing the scenery. Feng, Gavin, and FBI guy are hackwork.

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Nothing (26), Neneh Cherry (10) & Low (8) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

You will suffer for this.

World Peace Is None of Your Business… and Business Is Good! #megassey

House of Cards, S02E04: Claire’s big interview is straight-up pornography for real-life CNN execs. Frank’s pseudo bottle episode is filler.

House of Cards, S02E03: Hieronymus Bot! Lucas’s wacky deep web adventures are fun for now, but the minute I see a Guy Fawkes mask, I’m out.

“If you’re poor, stop being poor.” Wow. thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-marc…

“Da prom here... is we don’ ave enuff akkers hew are willen to masser da Filelfia acksin.” nytimes.com/2014/03/02/opi…

I don’t begrudge Thelma & Louise its iconic feminism – and it’s sad that a major motion picture asserting that women deserve to be treated like human beings is still revolutionary more than twenty years later – but the on-the-nose catharsis that defines the film also holds it back. As a pair of friends whose weekend vacation goes awry when one of them guns down a would-be rapist, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon are an… See more →

No matter how many times I see The Silence of the Lambs, it is engrossing from start to finish. Anthony Hopkins’s Hannibal Lecter is unforgettable, but only as a foil for Jodie Foster’s much more sober Clarice Starling, without whom Lecter would be little more than a cartoon. Countless imitators tried and failed to replicate that magic, including Lambs’ two sequels. The leads anchor the film, and everything else falls into place around them.

House of Cards, S02E02: Will Frank also undermine Major Dad’s sway over Walker’s Netflix queue? “I suggest ‘Usual Suspects,’ Mr. President.”

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Brutal Juice (13), The Notwist (12) & St. Vincent (11) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

“The Dark Power of Fraternities,” outstanding reporting from @CaitlinAtlantic: theatlantic.com/features/archi…

My lady and I will be in SF in April and want to spend a couple days at an Airbnb up or down the coast a bit. Location/activity suggestions?

Hey, Heineken. Your little 7oz bottles should be called Tinekens. You’re welcome.

So, people really enjoy musical theater, huh?

Taking my mom to see Mamma Mia. Looking for other males with whom I can exchange sympathetic looks.