Amanda Palmer & Neil Gaiman – photo by Spin Magazine, heart graffiti by Queenie

And the award for Most Predictable And Yet Still Rather Heartwarming News Story Of The Week goes to: Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman’s engagement announcement.
According to the bandwidth fairies, the picture below is the MOST requested one on this site. Have it [...]

The one and only is 63 today. Here’s the ever-luminous Space Oddity, by way of celebration:
And, as a special bonus, an audio-only clip of  one of his very early songs, ‘The Gospel According to Tony Day’. Been humming this a lot over the last few days. All the fault of this week’s Patricia Hewitt/Geoff Hoon [...]

What’s that you’re saying, tea leaves?
You predict that Queenie will resort to posting another video with the word Queenie in the title, rather than write a proper post of any consequence?
And yet, despite this slatternly tendency, it’ll still be well worth viewing?
Good heavens. It’s uncanny.

50ft Queenie – PJ Harvey

A cheery clip for a Friday afternoon. You might have seen it already, as it’s gone a bit viral. If not, it’s Lewes Primary School’s cover of David Bowie’s Changes.
What freaked me out, while discussing this clip, was the realisation that not only wouldn’t the children have any clue what a great album Hunky Dory [...]

First day of October, Autumn is on its way… Depressing, isn’t it?
NO, because here’s a new Spotify playlist themed accordingly! See, there’s always an upside.
Click the picture, plug in your headphones and roll around mentally in a pile of imaginary leaves. Careful not to squash any hibernating hedgehogs. You know the drill.

Official Postculturist AUTUMN playlist [...]

To celebrate the forthcoming Making a Creative Living series here on Postculturist, here’s a brand spanking new themed Spotify playlist for you. We are really spoiling you, yes.
As ever, just click the image below to enjoy in the comfort of your own home. Because you’re worth it.

And if you can’t wait long enough for [...]

Earthboundboy contemplates the conceptual maelstrom that is the Postculturist interview
Hip hop beats czar Sten King, aka Earthboundboy, once auditioned for Echobelly. Even now, in post-Britpop sobriety, he won’t hear a word against them. This is because he’s Hertfordshire’s nicest man. FACT.
Fortunately, this also means he didn’t mind a bit when Queenie Harrison presented him with [...]

Well, we Brits don’t seem to be getting any actual summer. Nnnnggggg.
Heatwave, come back! Sun, don’t leave us! We’re sorry we slighted you by saying it was far too hot to sleep, breathe or think straight! We were hasty, ill-tongued fools.
Hopefully that’ll appease him. The sulky yellow so-and-so.
While he’s getting his hat on, why not [...]

The 1980s. Golden age of pop, right? YES! says Nick Parkhouse. So why do we have to hear the same handful of songs over and over again? What about all those forgotten 80s pop gems?
________________________________________________________

Limahl of Kajagoogoo
There were 190 number one records in the UK during the 1980s. Using a conservative estimate of five or [...]

Glastonbury Festival in the 21st century – is it still worth the trek? Depending on who you ask, it’s either (A) a messy corporate hellhole full of coke-addled B-listers and yummy mummies in Boden and floral wellies, or (B) a transcendental human experience, teeming with brilliant music, diverse cultural experiences and the greatest atmosphere on [...]

I wasn’t going to post anything about Michael Jackson’s sudden death, because there’s saturation coverage on all media as it is. But he’s one of the huge cultural pegs on which I hang my own life history. I can’t not.
Instead of yet more tiresome prose, here are two videos by way of memorial.
The first is [...]

You didn’t think we’d let you spend Fathers’ Day* weekend without a brand new Postculturist playlist to mark the occasion?
Get away with you. As if.
This Spotify playlist is not only 100% FREE, but is also guaranteed to contain absolutely no ‘Daddy Cool’ by Boney M. Phew.
Take this extravaganza to your fathers, or have it yourself [...]

We’ve gasped at the thrilling notion of Cindy Sherman and David Byrne dating. We’ve cooed over the adorable sight of Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer falling in love.
When I say ‘we’, I do of course mean ‘I’. But you’re with me, right? Yeah, course you are. You like a warm-hearted glow as much as the [...]

The last issue of Plan B – June 2009
Today we present one sad thought and one happy thought. In that order.
Here’s the sad one. It’s the end of an era for music fans.
Well, the sort of music fans who read the eclectic, hyperbolic and occasionally life-altering Plan B magazine. ‘Real music fans’, I’d call [...]

It’s full moon! That calls for a themed Spotify playlist, wouldn’t you say?
By an extraordinary stroke of luck, that’s exactly what we have here. Click the picture below to listen to the FREE bumper 30-track Postculturist full moon Spotify playlist. Then have a cheery lycanthropic jig in the comfort of your own home. Go on. [...]

It’s Monday. It’s been one of those days. Let’s not even try to talk about anything sensible.
Have this instead:

I love it when people get the idea to do a loopy little project like this and then actually do it. Bravo.

Last night, I watched a jawdropping piece of theatre.
This being the 21st century, it was of course an American high school production beamed live over the internet, co-devised with the high priestess of aceness (and school alumna), Amanda Palmer.
The students, Amanda Palmer and drama teacher Steven Bogart used the magnificent Neutral Milk Hotel album In [...]

It’s the end of Insane Pre-planning Experiment Week and I’ve learned a lot. Like: spontaneity rocks. Public scheduling doesn’t allow for last minute inspiration. What’s the point of being your own boss if you then stand over yourself bellowing tiresome demands in your own ear? Pah. I reckon we should abolish this lunacy right now.
One [...]

Last week, the proprietors of Pirate Bay were found guilty of being accessories to copyright crime. The site is a popular and well-used free repository of links to copyright-ignoring media torrents.
The debate has turned cartwheels ever since, in the mainstream media and in blogs. Was a custodial sentence really warranted? Should the entertainment industry be [...]

It’s Friday. What better way to celebrate than to tuck into a glorious helping of Owen Pallett and his magic violin?
 

Final Fantasy – This Lamb Sells Condos 

Owen Pallett, a genius
Ah, Owen. He’s a good’un.
Have yourselves a wonderful weekend please poppets.
Click to stare at/worship/buy 10 copies of He Poos Clouds
by Final Fantasy, aka Queenie’s favourite album [...]