HOT: Panic Counter-Attack
Weird Al wasn’t the only one riling up the Internet with song parodies last week. In honor of their plans to picket a Missouri concert by Alt Rockers Panic! at the Disco (because the group’s singer has talked about being bisexual), the hateful idiots of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church turned the band’s hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” into a slur-filled, anti-gay anthem called “You Love Sin What a Tragedy” (God hates commas, too, apparently). Panic! had the best response to the “Church” yet, announcing it would donate $20 to civil rights group Human Rights Campaign for every protestor who showed up. Turnout was typically small — 13 bigots showed — but the Panic! Facebook page said they’d up the donation to $1,000.
WARM: Punk Fashion 101
Many aspiring Punk rockers (and probably narcs assigned to infiltrate squat houses and basement shows) hit their local Hot Topic store when preparing for a life (or at least a month or two) of Punk Rock-itude. But now there is an online option for Punk newbies who don’t want to get busted buying a crisp new Misfits shirt at the mall. The “Punk Starter Kit” being sold on Etsy recently caught the attention of some music sites. The Etsy artist (whose specialty is studded jewelry and accessories) may have posted the offering with tongue in cheek (the listing begins, “Did you recently see some punks at the mall, thought they looked sick and want to join the freak show?”), but it worked. The $85 kits, featuring things like a bondage belt, studded wristband and obscure Punk band patches (as well as a “list of cool bands to listen to and of attitude and fashion faux pas for your new look”) are now sold out.
COLD: Worst DJ Gig Ever?
Music’s main purpose is to bring joy, but nowadays its uses have extended to include being employed as a torture device during terrorist interrogations and as a crowd control tool to keep teenagers from loitering in front of convenience stores. The mayor of Belgian village Landen reportedly decided to try the “music as a weapon” tactic recently when he hired a DJ to blast songs in an effort to repel a caravan of so-called “gypsies” who had set up camp at an industrial site. The mayor apparently hired an old, laid-back FM radio DJ, because he kicked off his “set” by blasting Dire Straits’ gentle rocker “Sultans of Swing,” reportedly causing some of the campers to start dancing. There’s no word on what else the DJ played (Pitbull’s greatest hits would do it for me), but ultimately the campers agreed to leave. Guess it’s better than using tear gas grenades.
