Monthly Archives: August 2011

And a Little Rain Never Hurt No One…

Another scene from the Dutch summer of 2011.

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The Most “Kawaii” Punk Rockers in the Whole, Wide World

Shonen Knife played a set at the Paradiso in Amsterdam last night and rocked everybody’s socks off. It’s amazing to think that 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of this punk trio from Osaka, Japan. Lead singer Naoko Yamano, the only … Continue reading

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Once Upon a Time in Portland Television….

Recently, I came across this Facebook homage devoted to an icon from my childhood I had nearly forgotten. The sight of “Kite Man” flooded my brain with half-remembered memories of summer mornings  in the ’80s spent parked  in front of long-gone, Portland … Continue reading

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A Different Kind of Parade

What’s the best way to describe De Parade? Well, let’s think of it this way: how would someone make a hypothetical/metaphorical De Parade cocktail? Here’s my proposal for a recipe: Take 1 part Burning Man and mix with 3 parts … Continue reading

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Europe in Three Minutes or Less # 15 – Behold! The Red Light District

Yeah, this is what it looks like on a Friday night. Also: I went pretty far over my self-imposed three minute time limit.

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“Go Smurf yourself!”

Believe it or not, this is a line from The Smurfs, the universally reviled cinematic rehash of the beloved ’80s cartoon show and Belgian comic strip. I found myself getting sucked into the tractor beam of the film’s marketing last … Continue reading

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If Gay Pride is New Years Eve for Gay People, Then Amsterdam…

…must be the Gay-equivalent of Times Square. Seriously, 400,000 people turned out on Saturday for the final day of Gay Pride in Amsterdam. That’s, like, five or six Super Bowls all in one. But gay. Because the NFL is totally … Continue reading

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So There Was That Time I Nearly Crashed a Plane Into the Burning Man Festival…

I was sitting at a meeting in the offices of The Black Rock Beacon during last year’s burn when one of the staff members mentioned the Black Rock Airport. A few years prior, he had managed to talk one of … Continue reading

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