Goodbye, Chuck . . .

In less than a month, yet another key figure in the early ’80s So-Cal punk scene has passed away. Chuck Biscuits, the bombastic, powerhouse drummer who played for D.O.A., Circle Jerks (in video above), Black Flag, Danzig, Social Distortion and surprisingly, Run DMC, passed away Oct. 24 from throat cancer. He [...]

Festivals and rumors of festivals

In the wake of the epic failure that was the California Music Fest, it seems that yet another would-be promoter is cooking up something big in Ventura. And when I say big, I mean BIG. Why Ventura? Who knows. Yes, it’s a beautiful place, yes it’s got that certain je ne sais quois, but [...]

and now Michael Jackson?

“The difference between insanity and genius is measured only by success”
I made a joke on someone’s Facebook page that I’m preparing for a plague of Paris Hilton’s thong underwear. Forget Hollywood Babylon; this is Hollywood Apocalypse. Farrah and the King of Pop on the same day?
Yes, it’s too early to joke, and with the respect [...]

Bye, Farrah

I find myself resisting the urge to make inappropriate puns and rhymes with her name. Despite the apparent devolution of her persona in the last couple decades, there was always something endearing and certainly fascinating about her. Beneath the all-American, sparkly sun-bleached surface, it was dark and sad and a little bit creepy (especially where [...]

An overdue welcome

It’s been many moons since Chris O’Neal joined our stable of freelancers with his gaming column “The Gamer’s Notebook.”
Last week, Chris attended the E3 convention in Los Angeles and gave VCReporter readers lots of tasty video game previews to nibble on as gaming advances to levels unimagined only a few years ago.
Take a few minutes [...]

For the record

I like my iPod as much as anyone, but it will never replace my need for packaged product, much as the Internet (my lover for many years now) will never do me better than a juicy issue of Mojo, Paste or Vanity Fair.
I remember my first record the way I remember my first crush. It [...]

Charlie Brown and the war on Christmas

Last week while doing housework I heard what I thought was familiar dialogue from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Delighted, I turned on all three TVs in the house so as I went from room to room I could listen to it. I would almost be willing to bet my Vince Guaraldi [...]

Germs and antibiotics

These two things dominated my week as antibiotics did battle in my body against one germ and the majority of my conversations revolved around the GERMS.
A few years ago a good friend of mine became an extra in the indie film What We Do Is Secret. As a result, she became quite close to some [...]