They do it at Occidental Park, they do it in Pike Place Market, and they do it at Kerry Park. At one point, someone flips through the air.

Oh, you do not want to miss Alex Ross's New Yorker story, with scribbled government documents and audio snippets, about the suspicions of Nixon and his henchmen as Bernstein worked on his Mass in 1971. Pat Buchanan and John McLaughlin (the "good" priest), later of The McLaughlin Group, are involved in the secret investigation into Bernstein's dastardliness.

Put your hand on my hips...
When I dip, you dip, we dip.

I *love* listening to music in the shower. And/or the bathtub. Do other people do this? Or am I just slowly turning into this guy:

One word:

Napster.

That Beyoncé is the best possible thing one could listen to while cleaning the house. I've tried many, many bands and albums over the years, but nothing has ever gotten me to clean so fast and furiously (while having fun doing it) as a little B'Day. I should've realized this sooner, I'm sure, but better late than... whatever.

I still have to scrub the bathroom tonight, though, if you think you've got a better idea.

You're welcome.

TMZ has the scoop:

For the second time in 9 months, Suge Knight got his face punched in—and the alleged ass-beater claims to be Akon's business manager.

It all went down in a private party at the W Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ where Suge was attending a private party for NBA All-Star weekend. Cops say they were called to the scene by hotel security who warned about a brewing fight between two groups in the VIP area. According to the Scottsdale PD website, when cops arrived, they saw a man punch the victim—aka Suge—"two times in the head."

The suspect, Robert Carnes Jr., was charged with one count of felony aggravated assault—they ruled it a felony "due to the severity of the victim's injuries"...According to the Scottsdale PD, "Carnes reported to officers that he is employed as the business manager for singer 'Akon.'" Suge was transported to a local hospital and treated for facial injuries.

UPDATE: Akon's publicist released the following statement about Robert Carnes Jr., the guy accused of beating Suge's ass: "He is not Akon's business manager, David Bolno is. He is with Akon's camp."

Don't miss TMZ's slideshow of photos of a knocked-out Suge—it's more gratifying than I ever imagined.

In the ten years that I’ve known Erin Tate, he’s always had a penchant for R&B and hiphop. As drummer for Minus The Bear, that penchant manifested itself in four-on-the-floor beats and a high-hat with a souped-up tempo. Granted, he’ll espouse the virtues of Monorchid and Mahavishnu Orchestra, but he’ll speak of D’Angelo and Cash Money Millionaires with the same degree of reverence.

One : Fifteen, the “neo-soul” project featuring Tate and fellow Bear bandmate Alex Rose, features the kind of auto-tuned vocals and synchopated booty beats you’d hear at KUBE’s Summer Jam. And while the music conjures the exaggerated sugary machismo of R. Kelly and T-Pain, the endeavor is far more homage than parody.

Summer is still a ways off, but One : Fifteen is a solid soundtrack to many a backyard BBQ.

One : Fifteen — Yo Style

One : Fifteen (feat. P.O.S.) - Saturday

Music and culture site The Quietus presents It's a Question of Mime: The Quietus' Album Cover Quiz Game, in which a pair of men in leotards silently recreate classic album covers. Good luck!

(Thanks for the tip, Metafilter.)

A wonderful video by Mad Rad, who are performing tonight.

However, the article I wrote about Mad Rad this week does not address two big issues: the first concerns their curious relationship with local hiphop, and the second concerns sexism.

For the first: I maintain that a rap group like Mad Rad (a group that makes meta-hiphop) can only exist in a healthy hiphop environment. Their appearance on the scene is proof that it is a thriving scene. Mad Rad is the afterparty of local hiphop.

Now what about the sexism? One woman wrote this to me:

the first (and only, really) time i saw them i was really bummed. their music is exciting and refreshing and good, but three white kids from seattle rapping about how women need to pop their pussies? it was too much to handle. are you sure that "abandoning reality" isn't just a way to excuse their sexism in the face of their talent?

This is a difficult question to answer. So many points to make. I will give it some thought in a later post.