Author: The Rake

Tonight is the night of bad haircuts. There’s the bassist with the frizzed-out white boy Afro. And there’s a whole mess of uncontrolled curls. But who said rock and roll is supposed to be beautiful? Mick Jagger? Fuck Mick Jagger. Music sounds better when it’s snarled, in need of a comb. This evening is showcasing…

Fake Sonny has that deer in the headlights look. The right side of his mustache is slowly slipping down to rest on his bottom lip, looking like a venomous breed of wooly caterpillar. It doesn’t take long for audience members to notice. They erupt in gut-breaking cackles at poor fake Sonny’s expense. This mockery is…

Over the years, the Kentucky Derby has drawn comparisons to such high profile annual events as the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. But in comparing these events, the celebrity status of the participants in the Kentucky Derby seems to fall short compared to the other two. In the 133 year history of the Derby, the…

The last few Gus Van Sant films that I have seen were all part of the filmmakers’ Death Trilogy, which are best characterized as plotless trips through discomfort. Elephant was like experiencing the Columbine tragedy, Last Days a pseudo re-enactment of Kurt Cobain’s demise, and Gerry a battle of attrition, both in the desert, onscreen,…