So, there will be a lot of different stuff going on in this blog:
All sorts of television – the great, the not-so-great and “Vinyl,” a show that should really be called
The correct title. (Thank you to the brilliant David W Alexander Parker for creating this image)
Movie things that don’t fit in the Austin Movie Blog (cool home video releases, what’s new in streaming, supplementary notes about movie reviews or maybe some of the angry trolling I got about this thing.)
Music things that aren’t quite right for the Austin Music Source (cool band I find on, say, Bandcamp, what I’ve been listening to, etc.)
Books things that might not be right for the Reader (including comics, comics and more comics).
Cultural detritus from around the Web. A place to discuss all that is new and interesting in culture, or old and interesting in culture, popular or otherwise.
And if I use the word thinkpiece, please feel free to send me a strongly worded note.
A word about the blog name:
I thought I was making a horrible pun that maybe three people would get, as in
a) this blog I would love for you, the reader, to in fact check out, and
b) it is the catchphrase, more or less, of one John Brannon, one of the greatest punk frontmen who ever lived and a man possessed of a truly singular vocal roar. He fronted Negative Approach, one of the three or four best first-gen American hardcore punk bands; Laughing Hyenas, a truly mighty indie rock force back when indie rock could mean everything from the Jesus Lizard to Heavenly to Yo La Tengo to Fugazi; and Easy Action, whose “Kool Aide” is one of my all-time favorite Brannon joints.
Anyway, this is what he looks like:
The Voice
And this is the photo that made everyone familiar with both of us laugh out loud:
Some dude
See? Dumb joke.
The problem, of course, is I completely and totally (and I mean this sincerely) forgot about the phrase’s association with these guys:
RIP MCA
In fairness, that (admittedly Grammy-nominated and very popular) song is on “To the Five Boroughs,” which I do not recall as an album with which I spent a whole lot of time. That said, I understand why SEVERAL people have said, “Oh, like the Beastie Boys song?”
No, not like the Beastie Boys song. And definately not like the John Cougar Mellencamp song. Never, ever that. Ever.
In sum, welcome to Check It Out. Watch this space.
