Thanks to the 270+ people who came to Sunday's Chicago screening of The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! It was a glorious, exuberant time! Thanks to all the filmmakers and the audience who cheered them on. Full recap on my blog: jameskennedy.com/2026/04/15/t...

The other day, my students were talking about playing Clue and I asked if they knew there was a movie version. They did not, and I said, "Oh, there is. I'm not going to tell you it's an objectively great movie, but it is an extremely fun movie." Happy 80th, Mr. Curry!

The Electric Grandmother | Spacebar Columbus | 03.20.2026

Happy 80 to Tim Curry! 🥳

Sly Stone - Rock Dirge Pt. 1 [Denton, TX, USA; Funk / Psych Soul] (1971) Debut single A-Side - as duo: Sly on organ + gtr and brudda Freddie Stone on drums. Later sampled since 1989 by Stezo, Photek, Stereo MCs, Fatboy Slim, https://redd.it/1l81xgh https://youtu.be/TjX4Xt4rZXo

Rick Asikpo – Peace Of Mind [Nigeria, Electro Boogie/Synth Funk/Afro Soul] (1984) Slow burning Nigerian boogie brimful of drum machine fuelled soul and analogue synth funk madness. https://redd.it/og6to5 https://youtu.be/0UhCt9B-MoY

Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain (Isolated Drum Track) 1979 https://redd.it/6rwjna https://youtu.be/lWnhz1ZcF74

COMIC: Realities of Time Travel

Mizutama Shobodan- Unzipped Siegfried [Japan, Postpunk/No Wave] (1981-2?) https://redd.it/gm5v02 https://youtu.be/2QGTozgvckE

Design for Living - Onions and Opera [UK, New Wave, Post-Punk, Art Rock] (1983) https://redd.it/zlq2qu https://youtu.be/aXURu6yebWo

End Of Data - If I'm Not A Killer [France - New Wave, Art Rock, Synth-pop] (1984) https://redd.it/6ckv3z https://youtu.be/MDkiL9tF2ic

"No one has ever gotten pregnant while listening to the music of Rush. Clinical studies show that when combined with watching a male sexual partner play air bass along to the extended solo in 'Freewill,' the contraceptive efficacy of Rush approaches 100 percent."

Kate Fagan -I Don't Want to Be Too Cool [US, New Wave/Punk] 1980 https://redd.it/hq1ou2 https://youtu.be/UJgSC6-E_dA

Moebius - Mirror Of Infinity [US, Synthpop, Electronic] (1979) https://redd.it/1rxfm8k https://youtu.be/QfNRDoKGHrM

Sleater-Kinney released ‘Dig Me Out’ 29 years ago on April 8, 1997 | Listen to the album + revisit our tribute here: album.ink/SKdigmeout

Shiny Two Shiny - Seven Four [UK, Minimal Synth, Electronic] (1988) https://redd.it/1rspjqu https://youtu.be/EoJP3qZ5Dss

Throwback to my story from January 2025

Toad walked up and down on the porch for a long time. But he could not think of a story to tell Frog.

"Converging in 1969 Berlin, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Conrad Schnitzler—or Ensemble Kluster, as they were originally known—made music that went very far out, even when compared to their contemporaries in Kraftwerk (then called Organisation) …" A Guide to Cluster:

The stars died so you could be here. You are literally and figuratively gradients of stars, risen from the dead. Be grateful.

50 years ago, Rush released '2112.' This epic prog rock album can be found in over 100,000 Collections on Discogs. https://disc.gs/3NQ12R1

TODAY'S COMIC: Anatomy of Frankenstein

Your pal Effin’ Birds is facing off against a century-old publishing icon and a whole ass television network in this year's Webby Awards. You can make this more like the time I defeated Jimmy Fallon and less like the time I lost to Ted Lasso by voting here: eatf.art/vote

Silverfish - Jimmy [UK, Indie/Noise Rock] (1992) https://redd.it/1mt8ws2 https://youtu.be/P6-rZB8oiD0

Wolfgang Kafer - "in orbit" [UK, Electronic/Library] (1984) - Dark, pulsating synth music like one made for a martial arts B-Movie. https://redd.it/67fygc https://youtu.be/CJLuypCUD2k

Them Labs | Spacebar Columbus | 03.20.2026

Kyle Sowash | Spacebar Columbus | 03.20.2026

ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997)

Dervish by Two Thirds Loco Recorded live in one take on iPhone 📷: @masonscan.bsky.social Tackleloco - Jim = Two Thirds Loco Robert Dahl: classical guitar, effects, looper Mike Larmoyeux: synths, effects

One of the most successful deceptions of our time was getting many Americans to fear diversity more than racism, equality more than misogyny, democracy more than fascism, immigrants more than authoritarians, the poor more than corrupt billionaires, and empathy more than cruelty.

🔬 Observations d'histoire naturelle, faites avec le microscope Paris, Briasson, 1754-1755. [Source]

If you haven't read Jean Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Simulation" and "America", both written in the 1980s, I recommend you do. His explanations of hyperreality and postmodernism were scarily prescient. We live in the world he foresaw 40+ years ago; no one knows what's real or not real anymore.

Mini tour: Saturday night in Pittsburgh!

William Butler Yeats - John Singer Sargent, 1908

"They are the most extensive cave system in the eastern U.S., but are better known for their sounds. Luray Caverns are home to the largest musical instrument in the world." The largest musical instrument in the world is underground in a Virginia cave: www.npr.org/2023/11/07/1...

Mini tour: Friday night in Columbus!

Radiohead's Ed O'Brien details his second solo album, Blue Morpho — his first release under his full name — and unveils title track "Blue Morpho", a song inspired by the healing effects of nature.

Weltron 8-Track Cassette Player and Radio (1972)

For the first time since 1983, US vinyl sales cracked $1 billion in a calendar year

'Owl on Tree Stump' - Tejima Keizaburo, ca. 1980s. #OwlishMonday #JapaneseArt

ALIEN concept art by H.R. Giger, who won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects as part of the special effects team.

🦃 Les pigeons / par Madame Knip, née Pauline de Courcelles ; le texte par C.J. Themminck [i.e. Temminck] Paris: Chez Mme. Knip: [1838-1843?] [Source]

Courage by Cofferdam

TODAY'S COMIC: Anatomy of The Mothman

From five years ago: the February 2021 playlist, featuring Terry Gross, Wild Pink, Lydia Loveless, Teen Creeps, The Magnetic Fields, Fievel Is Glauque, Sweet Soul, Wake Up, Smart Went Crazy, Cloud Nothings, Spoon, David Nance, Caithlin De Marrais & more: