Flaming Lips are cooler than Radiohead. See below for proof:

When McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate, I kept thinking she looked familiar - and it hit me just a minute ago…

…and so as not to play favorites…

I do hope my fellow Yellow Menace compatriots will forgive this slight indulgence - especially after my anti-political ad tirade from a week ago…but upon reflection of last evening’s GOP festivites, I couldn’t help but noodle around in Photoshop at work today, and this is what I came up with.

Right now they’re available in Men’s and Women’s white but I’ll probably add a few different options shortly. And again, this doesn’t reflect the views of Yellow Menace…I’m flyin’ solo here…

I don’t know what’s funnier, the spot-on stupid incredulity of his ‘marks’ or the way he ‘mysteriously’ gazes into the camera with each trick. Note: don’t let the kids listen unless you wanna hear a lot of questions about the ‘F-Bomb’.

I love old WWII-era cartoons, particularly when they relate to the war effort. This handful of Disney-produced training videos fit the bill nicely. They describe the operation of the Boys high-caliber anti-tank rifle.

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I just learned that fantasy author Robert Asprin died yesterday in New Orelans. I haven’t read much of his output for the last decade or so, but there was a time in my mid-teens to my late twenties that I devoured everything with his name on it, primarily the Thieves’ World books, which I felt were a wonderful counterpoint to all the bland Tolkien-template fantasy that perennially clogs the shelves of most bookstores. If you haven’t read them you really owe it to yourself to hunt down all 12 volumes (and of course, there are several relatively new volumes published under the stewardship of Mr. Asprin’s ex-wife Lynn Abbey…those are worth checking out too).

I understand Mr. Asprin ran into problems with the IRS and had some rough times later in his life, including dealing with Hurricaine Katrina, after which fans (myself included) sought every bit of news to see if he had come through okay. I also felt a remote kinship with Mr. Asprin, being the only person I knew of other than myself and my two brothers to share our Filipino / Irish ancestry.

So long, Robert - the next Guinness and balut will most assuredly be in your honor.

Okay, I’m going to ask our readership for a slight indulgence.

I know there are probably a few of you who are ready to permablock our site at the mere mention of Mr. Richard Dawkins. If you’re one of those people, then please just ignore this post and pretend you never saw it.

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I love Hawkwind. A friend of mine once asked me what rock band I considered to be the most influential, and without hesitation I chose Hawkwind. I mean, every single English rock musician in the sixties or seventies was in Hawkwind, or at least partied with Hawkwind, at some point or another. And seriously - with a discography the size of Hawkwind’s, I think their track record is self evident.

So - my brother and I were hanging out the other day, and he was perusing my bookshelf and pulled out a tattered copy of Michael Moorcock’s ‘The Time of the Hawklords‘ that’s been gathering dust. Not one of Moorcock’s finest works, mind you, but it is his only out-and-out homage to Dave Brock and the boys from Hawkwind, and in a wierd way pefectly captures the band at the height of their power.

Here’s how the back cover copy reads:

From a ruined London on a burnt-out Earth, the Hawkwind group beams out its last, defiant concert. The Children of the Sun, the tattered remnants of the Hippies gather to listen. But when the music ends, withdrawal symptoms begin - dreadful, retching illness only the Hawkwind sound can allay.

This new malady may be more than debilitated mankind can withstand. Desperately the rock group begins research: first, with the few electronic instruments miraculously still intact; then with a book whose existence is an even greater miracle - an ancient, magical tome, The Saga of Doremi Fasol Latido, whose prophecies seem to be coming true.

My brother gave me a funny look and asked, ‘So Hawkwind are trying to save mankind from a hangover?’ Funny, that - I suspect Hawkwind created more hangovers than they ever solved, but there you have it.

Our good friend Jason (aka ‘Centurion’ for old-skool Yellow-Menace / Destroy-All-Monsters visitors) sent us this short-but-sweet review of the new Iron Man movie.

Much to the surprise of some of my friends, I didn’t read comic books when I was growing up. I watched cartoons like other kids, but I never really got into the whole comic thing. I knew the headliners like Superman, Spiderman and Batman mainly because their either had their own movies or their own cartoons. I may have heard of Iron Man and knew a bit about the character: Billionaire playboy turned superhero who flies around in a metal suit blowing shit up. That was pretty much all I knew, but it was enough. When I heard this movie was coming out I had a mix of boyish excitement and nervous dread. An Iron Man movie could either be very very cool, or very very horrible. My first question of course, was who is going to play lead head.

The answer was Robert Downey Jr., and I can honestly say once I heard it I was intrigued. I had long been a half-hearted fan of Downey ever since I first saw his drug addict performance in Less Than Zero; a movie which would ironically describe long periods of Downey’s life. Downey was this somewhat insane and unpredictable Hollywood cat. He was Johnny Depp before Johnny Depp was, although with a lot more drug and criminal baggage (or at least his was more public). In addition to this he was by all accounts, a complete asshole. Right or wrong he was at least up front about it, and that at least I always admired. I mean, who better to play a ruthless, cold, sarcastic, egotistical weapons dealer than Robert Downey Jr.? I think the trailer speaks for itself.

Even as cool as this all seemed, however, I had to know if it would live up to the hype. After seeing the movie I can honestly say it does, and then some. It is dramatic and cool without taking itself too seriously. There are a lot of comedic moments, mainly Downey’s, that just work. The script, the performances, the special effects, the direction and even the pace of the movie are superb. I’m not one to geek out when I’m at a theater, but I can honestly say I was alternating between laughing out loud, clapping, cheering and just sitting there staring in amazement. I think the best compliments I can pay the movie are these: First, I was so into the story that the special effects took a back seat, which is very impressive considering what an effects-driven movie this is. Second, I’d pay to go see it again, tomorrow.

If you are even remotely interested, or if you just want to feel like your money is well-spent when you go to the theater, then go see Iron Man. Now.