You loved watching Nyan Cat, now be Nyan Cat. Play this game and guarantee that you will never get that tune out of your head, ever.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Nyan Cat FLY!
You loved watching Nyan Cat, now be Nyan Cat. Play this game and guarantee that you will never get that tune out of your head, ever.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Music for Robots
Back in 1961 the Ackermonster provided narration for the electronica LP by Frank Allison Coe, Music for Robots. It's not Stockhausen, but it's an interesting example of musical experimentation. The cover, seen in the above ad, featured Forry's face superimposed on the robot from the cheesy drive-in flick, Tobor the Great (1954).
Tone Tales From Tomorrow (instrumental)
Tin Age Story (with Forry sharing his thoughts on robots)
[via Dangerous Minds]
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tokusatsu Tuesday
At one time or another haven't we all thought that Spider-Man needed his own bad-ass mecha?
Monday, May 23, 2011
Master of Kung Fu
As Don Markstein has commented, Marvel Comics was "always ready to jump on any bandwagon that might sell comic books." So in 1973, with the hit TV show Kung Fu on the air and Bruce Lee becoming a superstar, writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin proposed adding an Eurasian martial artist to the Marvel lineup. And so Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, premiered in December, 1973 in the pages of Special Marvel Edition #15, (making him possibly the only character whose series begins with issue number 15). Since Marvel had just acquired the rights from Sax Rohmer's estate to his infamous villain Fu Manchu they decided to combine the two and appeal to the spirit of youthful rebellion by making the new character his rebellious son.
Rohmer himself was an odd duck. He made his living writing lurid thrillers that often featured occult or science fictional elements (e.g. death rays). But he could only write when in a particular mood. When he and his wife, who both lived an extravagant lifestyle, found themselves short of cash she would start a fight with him and then lock him in a room with a typewriter. In a rage he would rattle out his next potboiler which would keep them in champagne for a few more months. He had the most success with his Yellow Peril novels featuring the ridiculously named Chinese master criminal, Fu Manchu. He claims to have based the character on a crime-boss named "Mr. King" he heard rumors of while visiting Limehouse as a reporter. He also claimed to have been a member of The Golden Dawn, and at one point he even insisted that Fu Manchu himself had materialized at the foot of his bed one night to commend his writing. If nothing else the guy had a flair for the dramatic.
By making the protagonist of this new series an Asian (or at least half-Asian) hero, Marvel put an important twist on what William S. Burroughs once called "the racist garbage of the insidious Sax Rohmer." In addition to the obvious Oedipal themes, the series can be read as an attempt by an Asian character to combat the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the Yellow Peril genre. As Shang-Chi battled the minions of his father he was symbolically striking out at the prejudices of society at large. And while the stoic and philosophical Shang-Chi was something of a stereotype himself (although arguably a positive rather than negative one) his long running series transformed the continuing stories of Fu Manchu from an oppression document into a tale of empowerment. A fitting accomplishment for a Master of Kung Fu.
Rohmer himself was an odd duck. He made his living writing lurid thrillers that often featured occult or science fictional elements (e.g. death rays). But he could only write when in a particular mood. When he and his wife, who both lived an extravagant lifestyle, found themselves short of cash she would start a fight with him and then lock him in a room with a typewriter. In a rage he would rattle out his next potboiler which would keep them in champagne for a few more months. He had the most success with his Yellow Peril novels featuring the ridiculously named Chinese master criminal, Fu Manchu. He claims to have based the character on a crime-boss named "Mr. King" he heard rumors of while visiting Limehouse as a reporter. He also claimed to have been a member of The Golden Dawn, and at one point he even insisted that Fu Manchu himself had materialized at the foot of his bed one night to commend his writing. If nothing else the guy had a flair for the dramatic.
By making the protagonist of this new series an Asian (or at least half-Asian) hero, Marvel put an important twist on what William S. Burroughs once called "the racist garbage of the insidious Sax Rohmer." In addition to the obvious Oedipal themes, the series can be read as an attempt by an Asian character to combat the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the Yellow Peril genre. As Shang-Chi battled the minions of his father he was symbolically striking out at the prejudices of society at large. And while the stoic and philosophical Shang-Chi was something of a stereotype himself (although arguably a positive rather than negative one) his long running series transformed the continuing stories of Fu Manchu from an oppression document into a tale of empowerment. A fitting accomplishment for a Master of Kung Fu.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Adventures of Superman
Atom Man In Metropolis Part 13
Atom Man In Metropolis Part 14
Atom Man In Metropolis Part 15
Atom Man In Metropolis Part 16
Can pop-culture ephemera be a social commentary on something that has yet to happen? Can this radio series from the 1940s, in which The Man of Steel is laid low by radiation, become a commentary on the continuing nuclear crisis in Japan? Are the Atom Man's attacks on Metropolis a metaphor for the way this nuclear meltdown threatens people today? I certainly find it a provocative coincidence. On a more prosaic note, fans of classic movies will have noticed that the villain Sydney is an homage to the famous character actor Sydney Greenstreet, who made memorable appearances in films like The Maltese Falcon (1941).
Fukushima Update via Science Friday
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Tiger & Bunny 01
In case you haven't seen it yet, here's the first episode of the superhero anime, Tiger & Bunny. It's a clever twist on the genre in which all of the heroes have corporate sponsors. It doesn't take itself too seriously, so if you liked the humorous touches in Batman: The Brave and the Bold you'll probably dig it.
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