Life on Mars
By Brian J. McFillen , Nathan Brown and Brain J. McFillen | Feb 7, 2008 12:00 amThe Mars Volta has always been a no-holds-barred band and has never taken the "less is more" approach.
The Mars Volta has always been a no-holds-barred band and has never taken the "less is more" approach.
WEEKEND investigates the existence of ghosts
Jack White is the man
A month ago, I wrote about how a decision by the Library of Congress’ Copyright Royalty Board was threatening to wipe out Internet radio. In the five weeks since, things have only gotten worse. After losing an April 17 appeal to the board, starting May 15, Web broadcasters will immediately have to pay 0.08 cents in royalties for every song they played in 2006, then 0.11 cents for every song in 2007, followed by annual hikes up to 0.19 cents per song by 2010 – this will raise their operating costs by thousands and thousands of dollars, immediately bankrupting many stations. Furthermore, broadcasters will have to pay an extra $500 for every channel they have, and even non-profit stations such as National Public Radio will face higher costs.
A friend once complained to me that at this time of year the Indiana Daily Student turns into nothing more than an advertising brochure for Little 500. And with all the coverage we give the race, the parties, the related events and everything leading up to it all, I can see his point.
While Joseph Gordon-Levitt may still be known to many as that kid from "3rd Rock from the Sun," the 25-year-old actor has skillfully performed a string of interesting, challenging leads ("Manic," "Mysterious Skin" and the over-acclaimed "Brick"). With "The Lookout," Gordon-Levitt continues his recent trend of dark, "edgy" films and excels in what is perhaps his best role yet. He plays Chris Pratt, a young man struggling to gain power and positive momentum in his life after a brain injury destroys his once privileged existence.
It’s a crowded world for those of us in the media nowadays. Thanks to cheap, powerful digital technology, the Internet and sites like YouTube and MySpace, any wannabe director or rock star can make their work available for the world to see. And this goes doubly for those of us in print – word processing software is so easy to use, blogs are so cheap to maintain, our work is so easy for people to reproduce. Not that I’m complaining – but it does mean to get noticed, one has to adapt.
Spring is here again – and I’m hunkered in my apartment with the blinds drawn, trying to ignore it. But I can still hear it out there – birds twittering, basketballs dribbling, passers-by chatting amiably – like some sort of cloying siren, demanding I be like everyone else and join in the fun. “I’m spring,” it says, “I’m bright and happy – why don’t you love me?” Blech. Spring makes me sick.
My 10-year high-school reunion is coming up this summer, and I’m a bit nervous. Not that I’m doing well in the scheme of things, really. “Grad student” might not be as exciting of a job as “rock star” (or, OK, a lot of things) but it certainly beats “cubicle drone.”
This past weekend, in the course of co-writing an article, my partner and I were given the opportunity to interview members from two fantastic, critically-acclaimed, up-and-coming rock bands. (Which bands? Read tomorrow’s IDS Weekend to find out.)
Solutions by The State News