CRUEL SHOES II: WHY I OUGHTA ...!!!

Inevitably, the Iraqi Shoe Chucker is now the Interweb’s new favorite GIF meme.

BoingBoing is collecting them, but I rather like this one (via substitute ):



Nyuk nyuk nyuk, etc.

And while we’re at it, regarding the whole “Throwing shoes is disrespectful in Iraq, unlike in Kentucky” thing, the BBC actually has a good piece explaining what some journalists were trying to get at – that shoes are a particularly strong insult tool in Muslim culture whether you throw them or not.

Which I already knew, and fair call, but too many news reports didn’t make that distinction clearly enough.

Shoe fly,

This is dF

ALL UR ROBOT ARE BELONG TO US

ITEM: If being a global superpower was based on who had the most robots, Japan would rule the world.



Clearly the US is suffering a serious robot gap.

Pro: We learned from Star Wars Episodes 1-3 that robot armies are f***ing useless.

Con: when Japan makes robots, they make ‘em HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!



Heavy metal,

This is dF

DEF XMAS PLAYLIST 2008 (#7 OF 12): MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DARKEST FINLAND

As I mentioned before, the objective of the Def Xmas playlist is to give you an alternative to the same old Christmas tunes, and there are plenty of songs to choose from. But you can see why some of them – even when they’re good – aren’t that popular during the holidays.

Like, say, a song about a guy who dies on Christmas Eve and then haunts his girlfriend only to find her celebrating and sleeping with another guy.

Not exactly holly jolly fa-la-la-la-la, is it? Well, neither was Dickens, and A Christmas Carol is a timeless traditional classic.

Anyway, that’s what you get when a glam rock band from Finland decides to write a Christmas song. And seasonal or not, I’m a fan of Hanoi Rocks, and “Dead By Xmas” is one of their better B-sides. And no one else is gonna play it.

So here you go.

Admittedly not for everyone. Don’t worry, I’ll lighten things up tomorrow.

Ghost of Christmas Future,

This is dF

GOING TO A GO-GO

ITEM: I missed this, but it’s something a few of you will have some interest in: Elmer Valentine, the founder of the Whiskey A Go Go, died last week.

The Whiskey A Go Go is not only one of the coolest club names ever, it’s also one of the few places in Los Angeles I’d want to visit (preferably via time travel), as it kicked off many a career for some great bands. It was to the 60s what CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City would later be to the 70s, by which time the Whiskey was showcasing bands like X and The Germs. The Doors got started there, and the Kinks and the Who played their first American gigs there.

Okay, so it’s also where Huey Lewis and the News got started, but why quibble?

And another thing ... Go-go dancing? Elmer Valentine invented that.

Well, probably. Sources say go-go dancing originated at the Peppermint Lounge in NYC, but the Whiskey was the first club to hire go-go dancers on a regular basis AND put them in dance cages.

Besides, did the Peppermint Lounge Girls get a starring role in a low-budget beach-monster picture?

No.

A great legacy for a former vice cop from Chicago.

FUN FACT: The term "Go-Go" is derived from the French expression à gogo, meaning "in abundance, galore", which is in turn derived from the ancient French word la gogue for "joy, happiness".

Source: Wikipedia

For more information, see: a girl in a glass box dancing to The Sonics.

Shake it don’t break it baby,

This is dF