R.I.P. Reggie Dunlop

Laugh Your A** Off

... as in A-B-S! Oh, yeah, I'm clever. Anyway, forget Taibo, spinning, and pilates. This is the next fitness craze that will be sweeping the nation. Go ahead and laugh. No, I mean it. In fact, I bet you can't not laugh.

Flashback Friday: Shatner Woo Remix

Do a couple of whippets, put this on repeat, and dance, dance, dance!

Glad To See That Art School Education Is Paying Off

Yes, I suppose this hand-drawn basement decoration is impressive, done only in Sharpies and Magic Markers. But I think the artist was doing it for the fumes. Also, as the artist is an associate general counsel for a major corporation, a husband, and father of two kids, I can't help but think he might have spent a little too much time down in the basement. Though he is from Kentucky, so maybe this is the modern day equivalent of whittlin'. I kid, I kid, Bluegrass State! Please don't shoot me like you would some revenooer.

By the way, the artist works for Lexmark. I calculated it out, and to do all this art with one of their crappy printers would cost you $2,284,748 in ink cartridges.

Via BuzzFeed

I'm A PC ... Made On A Mac

Apparently at least some of Microsoft's "I'm A PC" campaign, created to counter the "I'm A Mac" campaign, was actually created on a Mac.

This is great for a couple of reasons. One: dedicated Mac users like me enjoy pretty much any opportunity to dis PCs. And second, it's another whoopsie for ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, who most people in the ad world also enjoy pretty much any opportunity to dis (while secretly wishing they worked there). The awkward Seinfeld/Gates spots (hey, let's humanize Bill Gates by ... making him do the robot!) that have already been canned being another example.

Via AdFreak

Charles Bronson's Mandom Is Random

Apparently back in the day, Charles Bronson's evenings consist of hanging out at a piano bar, driving home very fast in a big sedan, grabbing a pipe, removing his shirt, and then dousing himself with some kind of what I assume is a scented talcum powder.

I kept waiting for some winsome lass to show up, but no. It must all just be part of Chuck's "me time."



Via YesButNoButYes

Blindfolding Nemo

If you think of your time in the bathroom as peaceful respite in an otherwise hectic day, you'll love the Fish 'n Flush toilet. To quote their website: "A whimsical potty that turns your toilet into a nautical wonderland."

Personally, I'm not sure I want all those little aquatic eyes watching me. Kind of creepy. Especially if you had one of those little deep sea diver guys in there.

Two Candidates Enter, One Candidate Leaves

Say what you will about the nastiness of today's political campaigns, at least they don't involve bloodshed. At least until now ...

Kung-Fu Election is pretty much what it sounds like. Instead of debating the finer points of foreign policy or health care reform, the candidates fight to the death.

It isn't quite up to date, so unfortunately you can't have Sarah Palin fight Joe Biden. Of course, whatever your political leanings, I think we all know who'd win that fight. Certainly who would be better armed at any rate.

So enjoy, but be warned, this type of campaigning is a bloody, bloody business.

The Rocky Franchise In 5 Seconds (More or Less)

Yeah, this is pretty much it. Though I would have like to have seen James Brown.

You Want More Cowbell? You Got It Chachi.

It's hard to believe that it's been more than eight years since Christopher Walken uttered the now famous admonishment: "More cowbell!" on Saturday Night Live. Given its longevity, fancier culture watchers than I would likely call that a "meme."

Well now thanks to MoreCowbell.dj, you can cowbellify any mp3, and add commentary from legendary music producer Bruce Dickinson.

Here's how AC-DC's "Back In Black" sounds with 32% more cowbell (and 24% more Walken):

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

Flip Flop Fur-ray

I really had no reason to write this post other than to use that headline. But if you want to pick up a pair of these fun fur flip flops, feel free. Okay, they're actually shearling-lined, but that's like sheep fur, right?

Top 10 80s Bands: Part II

It's the 1980s again here at the Nugatorium, with Part 2 of "Top 10 80s Bands," featuring bands five through one. You can check out the first half of the countdown in Part I (10-6).

That post also has the whole long, drawn out explanation of what I considered when deciding who made the list. Suffice it to say it's not a list for the most influential bands, or the most critically acclaimed, or even most popular (though they often are that as well), but just the bands that I associate most with the eighties. So, yes, I suppose it's overly personal, like a whole lot of the other "content" you'll find around the Internets.

Anyway, let's get to it ...

5. Simple Minds

Biggest Songs: Don't You Forget About Me, Sanctify Yourself, Alive and Kicking, All The Things She Said, Somewhere In Summertime

Did someone mention John Hughes? Once again, one of his movies (in this case "The Breakfast Club") led to a band's biggest hit. For a lot of people who were in their teens back then, the decade's defining moment is likely a toss-up between hearing Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" while watching "The Breakfast Club" or listening to OMD's "If You Leave" during "Pretty In Pink."

Despite it being their biggest hit, the band always dismissed the song, likely because they didn't write it. It was written specifically for The Breakfast Club by the unlikely duo of producer Keith Forsey (who won an Oscar for "What A Feeling" from Flashdance) and Steve Schiff, guitarist for Nina Hagen's band. Simple Minds recorded it at the urging of their label, and only after it had been turned down by both Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol.



4. Pet Shop Boys

Biggest Songs: West End Girls, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money), It's A Sin, What Have I Done To Deserve This, Always On My Mind, Domino Dancing

While "West End Girls" was Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe's only number one hit (in the U.S.), they followed it up with a number of jaunty electronic hits throughout the eighties. While you could argue that was their peak (except in certain clubs known for their colorful flags), they've continued to put out albums every year or two ever since. In fact they've sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

The video for "West End Girls" isn't terribly compelling. Mostly just the Boys walking and standing around London (including, one assumes, the West End). Though Chris does make something that could very loosely be defined as a dance move about 2:30. See if you can catch it.



3. Depeche Mode

Biggest Songs: Just Can't Get Enough, People Are People, Strangelove, Behind The Wheel, Personal Jesus

To be honest, I've really never liked these guys. But it's hard to argue with over 72 million albums sold, and over 30 Top 20 singles (in the UK, granted). Though a strike against them (at least for this list) is that even though they'll always be associated with the eighties in my mind, three of their biggest albums actually came out in nineties (Violator, Songs of Faith and Devotion, Ultra).

Here they are doing some kind of naval-based Stomp routine in the video for "People Are People."



2. Duran Duran

Biggest Songs: Girls On Film, Hungry Like The Wolf, Rio, The Reflex, The Wild Boys, A View To A Kill, Notorious

I suppose many people would consider Duran Duran "pop," and they certainly were popular throughout much of the eighties, with nine top ten hits in the U.S. (plus another couple in the nineties). In fact, they'd look at Depeche Mode's 72 million records and say: "Nice start." DD has currently sold somewhere north of 100 million.

As further evidence of just how big they became, one summer during the late eighties, an ex-girlfriend of mine asked a teenage girl what she'd learned during a week at a church camp. She responded: "That I shouldn't pray to Duran Duran."

The mortals known as Duran Duran were also known for their elaborate, high-concept videos, a dramatic change from the many "band on stage" videos that were the norm at the time. In 1982, they were receiving almost no radio airplay. Then MTV put this video into heavy rotation, and the rest is eighties rock n' roll history ...



1. New Order

Biggest Songs: Temptation, Blue Monday, Bizarre Love Triangle, True Faith, Touched By The Hand of God

You'll likely recall my warning earlier about this being a personal list, and I guess this could be considered Exhibit A. New Order didn't have any where near the success of Duran Duran or Depeche Mode (or even Tears For Fears for that matter). And while certainly very influential, I don't really have any justification for putting them at number one other than when I hear them, it puts me back in my dorm room at college, cranking Substance (their greatest hits compilation from '87) on what we then very politically incorrectly called a "ghetto blaster." And yes, there's a very good chance I was wearing a skinny leather tie at the time.

I'll leave you with the potentially seizure-inducing video for my favorite New Order single and favorite eighties song of all time. You could say every time I hear it, I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue.

Flashback Friday: Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager

Dark Lord of Sith he may be, but that doesn't help him much down at the market.

Metrosexuallica

James, James, James. Judging by this picture, heavy metal is officially dead. Where to begin ... the plaid shorts, the flip flops, and, perhaps most troubling, the Armani shopping bag. Unless that thing has Giorgio's head in it, it doesn't belong in the hands of a man (now formerly) known as a Lord of Metal. No doubt after spending some time at the adjacent Prada boutique, Metallica's frontman stopped by Starbucks for a soy Pumpkin Spice Frappucino.

Mr. Hetfield has certainly a long way from this.

Via Sand & Cotton