THE SATANICALLY SWEET SYMPHONY OF THE DYING TOY BATTERY

I think my generation (kids born in the late '50s/early 60s) was the first to experience the widespread wonder of battery-operated toys, although certainly the majority of my playthings didn't have them. I had dolls that didn't "do" anything other than sit there or maybe pee out water or cry like a rubber chicken if you pressed in on their tummies. I had building blocks and Play-Doh and a Spirograph and board games like Monopoly and Life and Sorry...

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PHOTOS: "WE ARE WOMEN" - UNITE AGAINST THE WAR ON WOMEN RALLY, NOW UP ON SEATTLE WEEKLY!

As everyone is aware, there's been a whole lot of talk recently about the legislative "War On Women" that's been ramping up across America. In state after state, court after court, and in the hallowed halls of the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court, we have seen seen economic, civil, and reproductive rights rolled back for women. It hardly seems like this could really be happening in a sane, civil, and thinking world, but it is. Far-right legislators...

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A HOPELESSLY LAST-MINUTE POST OF GREAT VIDEO STUPIDITIES

My Saturday has been entirely taken up by taking and processing photos -- a good, good thing -- but other than taking a short break to eat something and smile at the dog and the kids, I haven't been able to make something super-pithy for you today. Instead (and this might be better anyway) I will bring you some dumb YouTubes, because you like them and I like them and you like them. And I like them! First up, How To Correctly Add Milk To Your Coffee. Next...

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A SPRING TREAT: BIG BUNNY, CIG-EATING GOAT, SKATING HORSE & KISSING COCKATOO ON "I'VE GOT A SECRET" AND MISS NINE'S FLOWER FOTOS!

Spring is springing everywhere, and when I came across this old episode of the "I've Got A Secret" TV game show from approximately ONE MILLION B.C., I knew I wanted to share it with you. A little info first, if you aren't familiar: "I've Got A Secret" was a long-running game show (1952-1967) on CBS-TV. It was essentially the same premise as "What's My Line?" -- a panel of celebrity guests tried to guess what someone's weird secret or occupation was...

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REJECTED SELF-AFFIRMATION POSTERS

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I MADE YOU ANOTHER POLITICAL CARTOON

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THE DANDY WARHOLS, "THIS MACHINE," AND ME!

Sometimes, ya just can't even believe it until you see it, and then it's STILL pretty surreal. This is why I've not yet mentioned that something pretty amazing was in the works. But today...I CAN MENTION! If you read here regularly, you may know that Portland's own Dandy Warhols are a favorite band of mine. I just love 'em, and have truly enjoyed being able to photograph them in concert. This is plenty enough for me, really: I get to hear and see...

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MONDAY SUN DAY

A flawless, warm sunny spring day here in Seattle-ish, one of those we treasure so here, for tomorrow we shall likely go back to the usual impenetrable gray skies and cloud leakage. I wish my moods weren't so affected by the weather. There is no doubt that the many rainy days here puts me in a different frame of mind: somber, contemplative, and probably more irritable that usual. But when the sun shines I am like a languid, stretching cat, deliciously...

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MORE THRIFT STORE RECORD ALBUM COVER ODDITIES!

If you are willing to get your fingertips a little dusty and have surrounding shoppers look at you a bit curiously, a good time can be had rummaging through your local thrift stores to find...interesting...record album covers of the past. There's nothing like holding 12 square inches of graphic improbability in your hands while someone else behind you is considering adding to their fake Hummel collection. Let's go! If you'd like to see these in...

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HAPPY BDAY IGGY POP! REPOST: POPJUSTICE

(In honor of Iggy Pop's 65th birthday today, I am reposting this piece from May 4, 2009. Love you, Iggy, and I'm still holding out hope you could save the SCOTUS yet.) I have been thinking more about whom President Obama should nominate to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice David Souter. A lot of people are thinking about this, including Professor Sherrilyn Ifill, who teaches at the University of Maryland School of Law. She wrote this article...

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PHOTO: THE WASHTUB BABIES

I am very happy to be able to show you this. My daughter was born in 2002. My mother was born in 1926. Here they are as babies, splashing in metal washtubs. The two photos were taken 75 years apart. ...

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VIDEO: "AM I WRONG" - MIKAL CRONIN (2011)

OK, now it's just completely and utterly WRONG WRONG WRONG that: ONE, you might not be familiar with the completely charming, catchy, sweet, and cool "Am I Wrong" by San Francisco-based garagerockpopper Mikal Cronin and; TWO, you can't even BUY this song if you wanted to!!! AIIEEE! In a just and sane world, "Am I Wrong" would be #1 all over the whirled, with grannies and tots and formerly-gloomy teens humming it to themselves while going about their...

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MY DATES WITH DICK CLARK

DATE: Almost every Saturday around noon, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s My first, and longest-running dates with Dick Clark were spent here, usually just he and me and the TV, and maybe a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and a cold glass of fresh Golden Guernsey Dairy milk. Far more sacred than church for me was my weekly viewing of ABC-TV's "American Bandstand." Nothing was allowed to interrupt, no playdate more important, no weekend...

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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE WEIRD COVERS OF THE BATMAN THEME SONG

I love Batman. BUT ONLY ONE BATMAN AND THAT IS ADAM F-IN' WEST, PEOPLE! Not only was the 1966 Batman TV series fresh, funny, colorful, and cool, it had the BEST THEME SONG EVER form Neil Hefti. How could I not love it?? It was like Kinks crossed with the Ventures sprinkled with Mitch Miller. Genius! The Batman Theme is one of those songs that you simply must play when you first pick up a guitar, even if you like Rush or Lil Wayne or Andres Segovia...

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TEN OF MY TEENAGE FAVORITE ROCK STAR QUOTES & A JR. HIGH KISS REVIEW FROM 1976

In the midst of doing of spring cleaning today, I opened up yet another box of Ancient Saved Crap from my mom, which is always a total blast for me and a great distraction from actually cleaning anything. In a box of old books I found "The Book Of Rock Quotes," a 1977 compilation by Jonathon Green, and "The View '76," which was the arts yearbook of my own Oconomowoc (WI.) Junior High School. Today I'd like to pick out some of the quotes from the...

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20 OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS OF PEOPLE & NOT PEOPLE IN TOP HATS

Inspired by the sartorial splendor of today's Coachella fest appearance by one of my favorite bands, the Hives, I decided to comb through the Series Of Tubes today to find other excellent examples of formalwearing. Specifically, we shall focus here upon the grand and elegant top hat, and those whom I feel have done it proud. And HELL NO, there won't be any pictures of Slash or Madonna. NO. You may recognize one or two of the folks here. Cough...

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FIVE WAYS TO HELP A FRIEND COPE WITH THE LOSS OF A PARENT

One of the sad realities of getting older is that your parents age along with you, and the day comes when you lose them. Just because this is the natural pattern of life doesn't make it any easier. A close friend's dad died unexpectedly a few days ago, and he now begins the journey of going forward without his father's presence. Of course, when we hear of such a loss, we are saddened and want to help in any way we can. I thought I would spend a few...

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THIS YEAR'S WHIRL: MY SEATTLE WEEKLY PHOTOS OF ELVIS COSTELLO'S "SPECTACULAR SPINNING SONGBOOK" SHOW (AND A LITTLE SURPRISE BONUS)!

Oh, my dearies, I cannot even TELL you how excited I was when I found out that I was going to be able to photograph the one and only Elvis Costello for Seattle Weekly! This was a big deal for me, as a huuuuuuge fan who hasn't missed an Elvis tour since 1979 but never had the opportunity to bring the big camera along. Downright giddy, I was, to walk into Seattle's beautiful Paramount Theater with my gear last night to shoot the "Spectacular Spinning...

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GUEST POST: MISS NINE STEPS IN

MissNine: Mom, you have a show tonight? Me: (busily loading camera gear in bag) Ya, I'm shooting Elvis Costello at the Paramount. MissNine: Can I go?? Me: Aw, no, honey, not this time. I'm sorry. MissNine: Aw!! Me: Next time for sure. MissNine: So...you're pretty busy right now? Me: Yup. MissNine: You want some help on your blog tonight? Me: (smiling) Sure! Whatcha got for me? (She leaves, and comes back with a drawing of her brother, Mr14,...

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I MADE YOU ANOTHER POLITICAL CARTOON: AMERICAN FREEDOMS

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IDENTIFYING & COUNTERING THE SINGLE-ISSUE CONSERVATIVE: A PRIMER

As much as it causes me at times great consternation and mental implosion, I do think a lot about American politics, especially in this Presidential election year. For as complex and frustrating as such mulling can be, I get personal satisfaction from trying my best to be an involved and informed citizen, and trying to align the things that are important to me with the things that are also important for my American brethren, and the world's other...

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VIDEO: "PARTIES" - PUBERTY (2010)

When there's a really catchy garage rock song out there that doesn't have a proper video on YouTube (i.e., not just a static image over the music, or god forbid, scrolling misheard lyrics in comic sans...this is where I step in. "Parties" is by Puberty, also known as Lars Finberg and Susanna Welbourne, also of the Intelligence. Lars is also also known as a member of Thee Oh Sees, A Frames, Wounded Lion, and I think KC & The Sunshine Band, but...

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GUEST PHOTO ESSAY: EASTER SUNDAY 2012 ON HOLLYWOOD BEACH, FLORIDA

Yours truly gets a day off, because my pals Stacy and Barry delivered these sweet photos to me to share with you! If you want to know how it would feel to spend a balmy sunny Easter/Passover Sunday on Hollywood Beach, just north of the more-famous Miami Beach, NOW YOU CAN KNOW! Thank you, S & B, and thanks to all the unknown and colorful sandy friends featured! Stacy goes first... ...

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IPHONE PHOTO ROUNDUP: TOWN HALL ANTIQUE MALL, BOTHELL, WA., PART TWO (PLUS A FANCY CHICKEN VIDEO!)

Just about a month short of a year ago, we went for a fine afternoon drive up the road to Bothell, Washington to visit the Country Village Shops (which you can read about here), and had such a nice time we went back again today. As it was the day before Easter, there were lots of fun kids' activities like pony rides, egg hunts, a visit from a giant egg and the Easter Bunny, and it was very busy. But really, I was all jonesing to get me and my camera...

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VIDEO: MARIANNE 0-50 IN 2 MINUTES, 30 SECONDS

50. 50!!!! Oh mah gawd, HOW DO IT WORK, HOW DO IT HAPPEN??? Like this! Marianne 0-50 In 2 Minutes, 30 Seconds (Song: "Time" by the Black Lips) I tell you what, it's been pretty damn great so far. I think the next 50 or so should be just fine. My love and thanks to my wonderful friends and family and readers who made this birthday extra special, and who make every day fun. ...

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PHOTOS: 25 SCARY EASTER BUNNIES OF THE PAST

I like Easter. Easter was always around My Birthday Time, which adds allure to anything, and I like jellybeans and chocolate and hunting for easter eggs in the new muddy spring grass. Furthermore, Easter Bunnies are just cute as the dickens. Unless... THEY AREN'T SO CUTE. One wonders. ...

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MY THREE FAVORITE OVERHEARD CONVERSATIONS AT ROSS TODAY

Cabin fever got the better of me today, and at 5PM I decided on a whim to leave the house and go out for a few hours of recreational discount shopping. I find this very relaxing; when I have no time constraints, the store isn't busy, and there's nothing in particular I am looking for, moseying through the racks at places like Ross or TJ Maxx or Marshall's calms me like a fruity drink at the beach. It was really quiet today at the stores I went to,...

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