My Type: Skinny, Awkward and Morally Ambiguous

James Ransone, looking damn fine.

Some women are drawn to prince charming types others are into the “bad boy” image. I find myself consistently drawn to neither the hero nor the villain, but the villain’s scrawny, awkward sidekick.

What were they thinking? Imagery in Die Antwoord’s Fatty Boom Boom

Die Antwoord’s music videos have never been tame. From the neighborhood flavor of “Zef Side” to the grunge fest of “I Fink U Freeky,” Yo-landi Vi$$er and Ninja have long pushed the barriers of mainstream music video aesthetic with bold art direction and heaps of attitude. However, none of Die Antwoord’s previous music videos have stirred up as much shit as their new video “Fatty Boom Boom,” which has caused a online frenzy among Lady Gaga’s little monsters, as well as opening up a more complicated discussion about race relations in in the west and South Africa.

WARNING: Do not watch this video if you don’t think you can handle a super-nasty, nearly minute long scene of a Lady Gaga impersonator at the gynecologist. You have been warned.

Soundtrack To My Life

You can’t tell me you’ve never once walked down the street and never thought of a perfectly specific song for that moment and emotion. Or imagined a grand sweeping montage where people suddenly pop out of trash cans and behind trees to join in a conveniently synchronized flash mob (500) Days of Summer style. Weather it be celebrating with Hall & Oates, envisioning Heath Ledger serenading you with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” on the bleachers of your high school football stadium, the synchronized sing a long of “Bohemian Rhapsody” in Wayne’s World or the ultimate montage of Ferris Bueller’s rendition of “Twist and Shout” we’ve all had a similar daydream.

The Power of the British Accent

It makes me go all weak at the knees and soft in the head. It makes my heart melt and my pulse quicken. It makes even the most unintelligent comment seem somehow deep and meaningful. It can turn a rogue into a gentlemen and a slob into a lady. It’s the British accent.

There’s really no denying the power of the British accent, just ask Tom Hiddleston, Andrew Garfield, Robert Pattinson, and Nicholas Hoult. All amazing actors, all British, and all taking the American movie scene by storm.

Why I Refuse to Let the World End on December 21st

Not to get too The Ring on you, but you’re going to die in seven days.

Well, at least, that’s the rumor anyway. I’m sure you’ve heard it. It’s been on the news a lot. It was the basis of entire skits on SNL and the status of probably every other person in you Facebook feed for the last month.

And only like 90% of them have been the same exact joke ripped from tumblr over and over again.

That’s right, the world is ending.

Err, maybe.

Guilty Pleasures: UNLEASHED

guilty pleasure (noun) :

- Something that you shouldn’t like, but like anyway.

- Something that you love to do, but you just cannot admit that you do it.

- To describe a certain substance or activity a person enjoys, and often practices, while said person morally believed or is informed that the substance or activity is abnormal, improper or incorrect.

- Keeping a secret collection of ABBA and Carpenters and listening to their albums when no one else is around.

- A usually secretive, sick and twisted activity/hobby that someone does, that KNOWS they shouldn’t and feel downright ashamed for. Sadly, we all have them, including me.

Guilty pleasures are normal. They are super embarrassing, but normal. Everyone has them, and everyone talks about them (to close friends, of course), but something about certain music, television shows, movies, etc is just so alluring and seductive that no one can seem to escape their sticky fingers. The best part about guilty pleasures, though, is gossiping about them. Because the one thing that everyone loves more than they love puppies is talking about themselves, I went on a mission to discover my friends’ true identities in terms of their guilty pleasures. I set my main focus as TV (although I had one friend who picked a movie because he “doesn’t watch TV”) and dug up some pretty satisfying dirt. From Bridezillas to Dungeons & Dragons, I, and now you, know the truth about who my friends really are.

These are their stories.

E-Mail Interview with Future Islands

Future Islands: if you could go to any island in the future, which
would it be? Any island in the past?

William Cashion: I think I’d go to Crete in the past & future.

At times, going on tour can be very intense; when was the last time
you woke up bleeding?

William: About a year ago, we had to drive through the night from
Norman, OK to Austin, TX to play a festival at 1pm that afternoon…
Load-in was at 10 or something. We had beer for breakfast.

The craziest thing that’s happened on tour so far? (Eg: Have you had
anyone slingshot a bra with their number on it at the stage?)

William: We’ve had some pretty wild crowd surfing going on at our
shows… Sometimes the crowd doesn’t catch the person, and that’s
always a little scary seeing someone stage-dive to the floor.

What performance of yours was your favorite concert of late? Your
favorite concert by another artist or performer?

William: My favorite Future Islands show from this past year was
probably the one we did outside at Current Gallery a few months back.
We debuted a bunch of new songs that night, and it was a really great
vibe all around. My favorite shows by other artists… Probably this
band Vio/Mire from Providence, RI – I saw them play at the Blue Moon
Saloon in Shepherdstown, WV and they just totally blew me away. Really
beautiful arrangements & performance… the music was woozy in the
best way, it sounded like a Chagall painting.

What’s your favorite kind of venue/crowd to perform for? MICA
certainly enjoyed yall last year. How has Baltimore’s music scene
effected your band’s experience?

William: I like playing the smaller clubs, I’m a fan of the intimate
shows. The Baltimore arts scene has been really supportive to us
through the years. There’s a great, tight-knit community here and
we’re proud to be a part of it. The Baltimore Round Robin Tour back in
2008 was one of the most unique & crazy tours I’ve ever been on…
something like 25 bands and 60+ people.

How do you guys get ready for a show?

William: We can’t give away all of our secrets!

If you could be rock stars in any other time period, what would you
pick? We’d definitely say 1800′s. Or performing for extinct animals.

William: I think it’d be rad if we were doing our thing in the 1950s.

How do you collaborate with artists in the production of your music,
from album artwork to music videos and posters?

William: We generally work with our friends when it comes to
collaborating… Keepin’ it in the family.

If you could collaborate with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

William: Brian Eno.

If you could give yourselves advice when you started out as Future
Islands, what would you say?

William: Tour more.

Any advice for up-and-coming art school bands?

William: Don’t wait until you’re any good to leave the garage. Throw a
keg party and make your band the headlining act.

Favorite:
cheese? Parrano cheese.
Baltimore location? Falls road.
American location? North Carolina… I also love the deserts of the Southwest.

So what’s in the future for Future Islands?

William: Writing, a whole bunch of writing.

What’s your favorite scene in the Back To The Future trilogy?

William: When Michael J. Fox is playing the guitar solo at the dance.

Fill in the blank: BMORE…. (Be more _____.)

BMORE Polite

Came up with these questions with my friend Daphne Taranto. She also runs an art zine with her twin sister who goes to RISD. The zine is called YTB and it features student work from MICA and RISD students. Special thanks to her for being able to pull enough string to make this happen. Also special thanks to Future Islands for participating