Month: October 2013 (Page 5 of 5)

The PopCulteer
October 4, 2013

It’s been a while since we’ve done this, and the time is ripe. Let’s catch up with things happening in the world of The Beatles…

At the BBC Volume 2

A new collection of Beatles tracks compiled from their appearances on BBC Radio is due out in November. “The Beatles On Air Live At The BBC Volume 2” will contain 63 tracks, 37 of which are full songs, with the rest being studio banter and skits. This is a sequel to the first Beatles at The BBC album, released in 1994, and is the first time any unreleased Beatles songs have been offiically released since the Anthology albums came along a couple of years later. Ten of the songs on this new collection were never recorded by The Beatles for their studio albums.

Here’s a teaser video…

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The PopCult Bookshelf
 

The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia
written by Martin Olsen
Abrahms
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0564-9
$19.95

Adventure Time has been a favorite of PopCult since its debut just a few years ago. What seems like the goofy, innocent adventures of a boy and his magic dog in a world of whimsical candy characters has turned out to be a pretty subversive post-apocalyptic, surreal serial adventure filled with complex relationships and loaded with cutting-edge humor, social satire and characters who are more realistically deliniated than those on most live-action television shows. Pendleton Ward has created what may be the most intricate, well-thought-out show in decades.

A book was a no-brainer, since Adventure Time is also one of the highest-rated shows on basic cable. Luckily, they didn’t just rush out a quick cash-in. The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia is an epic guide to the Land of Ooo (the Earth, one thousand years after a nuclear war) and is a must-have for any fan of the show.

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We have two new RFC MINI SHOWs this week. First up is Zeroking, then it’s time for The Dread Crew of Oddwood!

The Mez-Itz Batman/Robin/Batmobile set

If you’ve been reading PopCult for any length of time, you’re probably aware that I am somewhat enamored of the Batmobile from the 1966 TV show. Some people would say I have an unnatural obsession with it. I prefer to think of it as an intense fondness.

Mattel’s Batmobile

The fact of the matter is the TV Batmobile, designed by George Barris over the body of the Lincoln Futura concept car, is one of my favorite cars of all time. Part of this may be because I grew up watching the classic 1966 Batman TV show, starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. Like many people, in my adolescence I went through a phase of intensely hating the TV show, but I never lost my love of the Batmobile. I was greatly disappointed when the 1989 Tim Burton Batman movie did away with Bruce Wayne’s classic wheels and replaced them with an even less feasible phallic-looking automobile.

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PopCult readers may have noticed that the “Stuff To Do” segment has escaped the confines of the Friday “PopCulteer” column. This is basically to make it easier to find, but will also allow us to focus on more local events, like those that happen in the middle of the week. If you have any opinion on this, feel free to express it in the heavily-moderated comments section below.

Tuesday

It’s Tip Jar Tuesday at The Boulevard Tavern as they welcome There Is No Mountain, an Americana/psych-pop duo from the Pacific Northwest, “specializing in writing music that’s fun to play.” To the PR we go…

“There Is No Mountain is a reference to a Zen koan, a lyric from a Donovan song, and an americana/psych-pop duo known for its catchy off-kilter sonic adventures. The Portland, OR-based band toured extensively around the country and released heaps of varied folk/americana material under their previous name (The Ascetic Junkies) before paring the band back down to the core duo (married couple Kali Giaritta and Matt Harmon), changing the name to There Is No Mountain and recording a new batch of musical pieces.

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