Carl King

10 Awkward Speeches, Interviews and Rants

Pass the mic and prepare for the worst. Here we have 10 awkward speeches, broken interviews, and impromptu rants by celebrities and public officials. 1. In this 1992 Hangin' With MTV interview with Faith No More, vocalist Mike Patton is too busy picking his nose to even listen to the questions. 2. A young Henry Rollins, way back in 1985, turns the tables on the interviewer. Intimidating? Just a little? 3. Sometimes an interview goes smoothly, like this one from 1980 with Dead Kennedys... READ ON

The Late Movies: How Musicians Would Fix the Music Business

The music business is a baffling vending machine. Kick it and yell, but it's not giving your dollar back. What's that squeaking noise and red blinking light? Do you smell smoke? If musicians were in charge, could they get the danged thing fixed? Let's ask them... Remember that cute little song called "Happy Together"? Vocal duo Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman from The Turtles explain how to write a hit song, and how to be in debt for it. We're not off to a good start. Let's ask Moby, who might tell... READ ON

The Late Movies: Robots in Music

Composers are notorious for their antisocial streak, and musicians are notorious for their lazy streak"¦ so why not skip the turtlenecks, rehearsals, per diems, unions, living out of a van, all the drug problems -- and let the Toasters deal with it? Here are ten videos that just might answer the question. League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), founded by Eric Singer, have built a four-necked self-playing instrument called Guitar Bot. In this video, it performs The EmergencyBot TV... READ ON

3 Colorful California Politicians

When it comes to offbeat political figures, California's history is remarkably rich—and we're not talking about The Governator. While these candidates' philosophies range from obtuse to downright crazy, their campaigns may have caused voters to wonder what the real difference is between politicians and performance artists. Emperor... READ ON

Examining the Resumes of Motivational Speakers

In his 1961 book, The Image, Daniel J. Boorstin noted, "The celebrity is the person who is known for his well-knownness." Nearly half a century later, the ever-expanding phenomenon of self-created, self-publicized "expertainers" contains a paradoxical niche profession known as Motivational Speakers—people who are mostly successful at selling books and giving lectures about success. A sort of meta-success. Let's take a look at a few examples: Suze... READ ON

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