Witty Britain: Why are British music legends funnier than Americans?

By Shane Ryan at 9:00 AM on January 10, 2012

Steven Patrick Morrissey has always been a difficult man to read. As such, it’s probably a futile endeavor to speculate about his motives for writing “Frankly, Mr. Shankly.” The song, a thinly veiled ode to a despised real-life record executive, is full of invective and highly personal insults. It’s also incredibly funny. Take this couplet, where he strikes a blow at his target’s artistic pretensions: Oh, I didn’t realize that you wrote poetry I didn’t realize you wrote such bloody awful poetry, Mr. Shankly Later, lamenting the shallowness of his own life, Morrissey shows that he’s clearly not afraid to...  read more

Found in: Music, Columns

Portlandia: A Tale of Two Cities

By Corey duBrowa at 4:30 PM on January 9, 2012

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein—the versatile Saturday Night Live cast member and former Sleater-Kinney/current Wild Flag guitarist who serve as the show’s ubiquitous stars—are standing in front of a prototypically trendy Portland Sunday brunch spot with actor Kyle MacLachlan, reprising his guest role as the fictional mayor of Portland.  read more

Found in: Features

Stephen Merchant: Standing Up Tall

By Shane Ryan at 3:27 PM on January 9, 2012

“It started fine,” Merchant says of his first encounter with a groupie. “But it very quickly descended into lots of late-night phone calls. You know, ‘call me or I’ll cut myself.’” He pauses, letting the nervous laughter build. “And she did not want to hear that. That was a downer.”  read more

Found in: Comedy, Features

From The Vault: The Who - "1921"

By Paste Staff at 1:00 PM on January 6, 2012

The fire and passion of the Who in 1970 and the symbiosis that these four musicians achieve here is nothing short of astounding.  read more

Found in: Featured Videos

Best of What's Next: The London Souls

By John Barrett at 9:51 AM on January 6, 2012

The London Souls’ self-titled debut is loaded singable, memorable melodies; rich vocal harmonies; raw, muscular arrangements; and a healthy sense of subtlety.  read more

Found in: Music, Features

Live From Paste: The Wealthy West

By Max Blau at 2:17 PM on January 5, 2012

Austin-based singer-songwriter Brandon Kinder performed four songs during his soundcheck at Smith's Olde Bar last summer, where he opened for David Ramirez. Watch Kinder play four The Wealthy West songs here.  read more

Found in: Live at Paste

Diamond Rugs: Looking Up From the Floor

By Bonnie Stiernberg at 10:30 AM on January 4, 2012

There’s something about the idea of these guys—Ian St. Pé (Black Lips), John McCauley (Deer Tick), Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite) and Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate)—going toe-to-toe with some not-so-benevolent deity that just works.  read more

Found in: Music, Features

Guided By Voices: Let's Go Eat the Factory

By Tyler Kane at 12:42 PM on January 3, 2012

Let’s Go Eat the Factory is a 21-track burst of classic Guided by Voices lo-fi production; trashy garage-soaked guitars and songwriting that could only come from Pollard’s near-obsessive approach to songwriting.   read more

Found in: Music, Reviews

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss

By Jonathan Merritt at 10:26 AM on January 3, 2012

Whenever a great author dies, loyal fans begin holding their breath. They hope that one day, perhaps soon, a final work will emerge from the artist’s private collection and sail into the marketplace for one last hoorah. Could there be a previously unpublished manuscript, caked in dust, lying at the bottom of a desk drawer? A character sketch locked away on the author’s hard drive that might thrill us once more?  read more

Found in: Books, Reviews

Coldplay New Year's Eve: An Austin City Limits Special

By Tim Basham at 10:35 AM on December 31, 2011

Once again, the networks will be broadcasting their typical New Year’s Eve fare—movie marathons, cooking show marathons and, of course, Times Square marathons (including the we’re-still-so-cool-we-can-leave-off-the-G Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve). But, thanks to PBS, there’s now a welcome option. For the first time in its 36-year history, Austin City Limits hosts a New Year’s Eve concert, with Coldplay being the one and only performers during the 90-minute special. The band gives its usual soaring and convincingly earnest performance with Chris Martin singing his little angst-filled heart out on songs like “Yellow” and “The Scientist.” It’s just one of...  read more

Found in: TV, Reviews