A New Supergroup … With No One You’ve Ever Heard Of February 19, 2009

According to Billboard.com, there’s a new band that exists on earth called Tinted Windows featuring former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, handsome Hanson brother Taylor, and Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger.

Thanks to D for bringing this tidbit from pitchforkmedia.com to my attention.  How does something like this happen?  Were they all at the same bar or something?  Is Taylor Hanson old enough to drink?  And, most importantly: Yes, but will they have a super-cool, cooler-than-you chick bassist?  I am free … (though I don’t actually know how to play … and I am not super-cool … and they have a bassist …).

In related news, I searched Google for any news on the alleged Flaming Lips /Aaron Sorkin Broadway musical, Yoshimi Battles Pink Robots.  There have been no new posts since we first reported it, so I think this may become another missed chance like the Joss Whedon Wonder Woman script.

Slanket v. Snuggie — The Debate Rages

So even before we saw the ubiquitous, freaky (and freakily ubiquitous) Snuggie commercial, our book club friend had told us of the Slanket Phenomenon.  That she had tried to buy one for her boyfriend for Christmas 07, but it was on back order until April.   [She  gets three Fingers-On-The-Pulse points from Your Mom.]  So clearly, the Slanket is the original and is, even more clearly, way more up market.  First, it costs more than twice as much.  Second, it isn’t advertised during FX’s DVD on TV presentation of John Tucker Must Die, as the Snuggie was.  [How do I know that, you ask?  Don’t worry about it.]

So what is a stylish NYCer* to do at the upcoming Snuggie Pub Crawl?  And does this conflict with a post-ironic hipster’s actions**?  From the Gothamist:

 

Snuggie Pub Crawl Will Warm (Or Creep Out) Your Drunken Heart

The Snuggie™—that adawable bwanket with sweeves that’s basically a hoodless monk’s cowl with a trademark—has inspired all sorts of reactions, from snickering to wanting, with its instant-classic commercial. (“Blankets are okay but they can slip and slide. And when you need to reach for something, your hands are trapped inside!”) With the Snuggie™, your hands are free to work a remote control, massage your lover’s feet, or pound Jäger in public. New York’s FIRST Snuggie Pub Crawl is in the works, and already over 50 Snuggie™ enthusiasts have signed up! The date is still T.B.D., but the vision of a mob of pseudo-ironic drunks stumbling around in their creepy Snuggies™ makes the ritual orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut seem somehow comforting by comparison. And while we don’t want to contemplate what a drunken Snuggie™ hook-up would look like, now we can’t help ourselves! [Via AntiKris, whose step-mother is sewing her a Snuggie for the occasion.]

 

Now, we should first should note that, much like the Snuggie itself, the NYC Snuggie Pub Crawl is not an original idea.  There is one in Chicago that apparently predates ours because a) it has 450+ participants and b) has a set date.  

At any rate, and to restate, what is one to do?  Clearly, the hipster goes for the Snuggie, cause it has way more comic value.  The scene in the commercial where the whole family stands up at the big game all wearing Snuggies is the hipster humor equivalent of Helen of Troy: it launched a thousand snarky comments.  But the stylish NYCer doesn’t want any old “As Seen On TV” knock off; she goes for the original.  So what if you are a stylish hipster?  Does such a thing exist?  Or do hipsters, by definition, have to shower less often (As we learned in Brooklyn, dirty is the new hip), which might interfere with one being considered stylish.  Thoughts?  

* This does not presume that I am a stylish NYCer; it merely asks the question of what one such person might do.

** See above note and apply.

shaq + jabbawockeez = awesome February 17, 2009

watch.

[Insert “Old Dog, New Trick” Joke Here] February 11, 2009

Congrats to Stump, the Sussex Spaniel who was Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club tonight.  It was the first Sussex Spaniel and the oldest dog to win the big prize at 10 years old.  And my favorite.  He beat out the Scottish Terrier, who peed on his way into the MSG floor (oops); the scary looking Scottish Deerhound, who I am pretty sure will haunt my dreams; the favored silly toy dog (sorry, toy lovers, they are all dumb); and the much hated (by my viewing audience of 2) Standard Poodle.  If you loved Davidson in last year’s NCAA basketball tourney, you would love Stump.  He took five years off the dog show circuit recuperating from an unmentioned (or unmentionable?) illness.   And look at that cutey-patoot dumb dog face.  Love. 

Why, you ask, do I know this?  Cause I watched it.  Two nights of it.  Two nights full of Mary Carilloisms, such as “My dogs often outwit me.”  No eating of scorpions though, which disappointed me.  I am not a dog person, but I can tell you that 15 minutes of the dog show had more entertainment value that the entire episode of Heroes that D made me watch. 

So, get on with your middle-aged self, Stump.  Enjoy your 17 silver bowls and ridiculously large ribbon.

Eds. note: Is this really the 2nd time we have posted about the WKC show winner?  Strange, considering none of us have dogs.  And no love for the 2008 winner, Uno the beagle?  We IAYMers are a fickle bunch. 

Your Mom Goes to Brooklyn . . . And Lives To Tell February 9, 2009

Last night, we went to the birthday party of Your Mom’s new favorite party planner, Nick.  We officially will now go to anything that this guy plans as the entertainment was legendary.

Unfortunately, the topless chick band went on before we got there, so we just got the tail end.  Literally.  The next band was the excellent rockabilly Japanese punk rock band, with hits such as “Please don’t F*#&” and “Die, F*&%er, Die.”  The next band was just your average garage punk band, no weird props or anything.  But the kicker was the last band, which was a death metal band called Two Man Advantage, all of whose songs are about beer, hockey, and/or hockey and beer, such as “I Need a Beer, I Want a Beer” and “Two Minutes for Tripping”.  As you can see from the pics, they wore hockey masks and jerseys, save for the lead singer who was just wearing hockey pants.  So HE was topless.  And hairy.  Awesome.  Needless to say, there was a full-on 1994-style mosh pit.