Radiohead tours with Grizzly Bear

This weekend, among other activities (seeing O’death blow away an audience of hundreds at Bowery Ballroom, getting pissed at lame Webster Hall bartenders for making me wait an hour for a beer at the Jens Lekman show–although I did also finally hear “Pocketful of Money” live!–and getting screwed by the F train), I spent a lazy Sunday remembering why I love Radiohead and trying out Head On (it doesn’t work, but it is kind of a fun tingly experience–very Kid A). Then today one of my favorite, favorite, favorite bands, Grizzly Bear posted this on Myspace:

“We are VERY pleased to announce that for 6 shows and 2 festivals we will be touring with Radiohead this August.

Hope to see you all!

August 1 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
August 3 – Verizon Wireless Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
August 4 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH
August 6 – Parc Jean Drapeau – Montreal, QC
August 8 – All Points West Music & Arts Festival/Liberty State Park – Jersey City, NJ
August 9 – All Points West Music & Arts Festival/Liberty State Park – Jersey City, NJ
August 12 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
August 13 – Tweeter Center For the Performing Arts – Mansfield, MA
August 15 – Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON”

Better than the Beta Band opening in the early 00’s? Better than Grizzly Bear opening for Feist? Uh yeah, fuck yeah, although those were both two very good scenarios. I love you Grizzly Bear, especially since you not only make beautiful post-shoegaze and have an openly gay member who does interviews with Out magazine and Pitckfork, but you also seem to like all the same music as me.

(Please note, I have also added a new blog to the –that of my father, aka Condoguy. Today he is blogging about Sweeney Todd and how it ret;aes to Condos. I’m SO PROUD!)

Oscars 2007: Takeover by Arty Euros?

Last night’s big winners? Not Clooney, not Philip Seymour Hoffman, but instead it was a sweep by the Coens and those damn Euros! Indeed, the major awards left not given to the Coen Brothers (who deserved  them all, hands down) were snatched by highbrow European actors: Marion Coutillard, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, and Daniel Day Lewis. 

My only complaint is the why the fuck did Jonny Greenwood not get nominated for the score to There Will Be Blood?And why did Marjane Satrapi not win for best animated film with Persepolis? Ah, I suppose the avant garde cannot always dominate….However, in fashion land, there were some funky departures from the pretty blond chick in haute couture ballgown regular. I am sure the tabloids will rag on these looks, but I was encouraged to see some traces of subculture on the Red Carpet.

My favorite look of the evening was on Cambridge-educated, arty cougar Tilda Swinton, winner of Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton. Swinton is one of the most underrated actresses out there. Go see Orlando–it will change your life! And then go rent The Deep End, which features her as one of the most heroic and heartbreaking mother characters recently portrayed on film.

Swinton is not only an amazing actress, but she’s a true eccentric. Her lifestyle is constantly in the British tabloids, as she is supposedly involved both with the father of her children, playwright John Byrne, and a much younger man, the German-born artist Sandro Kopp. Sandro was with her last night (which is so fucking awesome–esp when you consider all the old Hollywood dudes with young women, ala Harrison Ford and Calistra Flockhart).  Swinton looked pretty fierce, even a little Annie Lennox, in her asymmetrical dress, funky bracelet and extremely stylish haircut (Full Disclosure: I sport a very similar hair style…):

Looking just as fierce, although a bit more punk/less 80’s art student, was Diablo Cody who won for Best Original Screenplay for Juno. (Much has been made of the fact that she’s a former stripper. It even made the front cover of the New York Post with the headline: “Pretty-in-ink former stripper wins for ‘Juno’”). Assymetical black bob plus sailor tatto0 plus sexy vintage print sheath equals my kind of hot.

Best Actress surprise Marion Coutaillard was absolutely amazing (and dead-on) as the perpetually drunk, bawdy and yet very child-like French superstar chanson Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose (which had a limited distribution in the U.S.). She looked smashing in a white couture mermaid-style gown accessoried smartly by a long diamond necklace.

 

Daniel Day Lewis, winner for Best Actor in There Will Be Blood (his big comeback film), was caught sporting a lot of hair and a large pair of mearrings (man-earrings). I love Europe, I love Day-Lewis–but oh why is man-jewelry and floppy hair so popular there, especially in the post-40 arty set (think Johnny Depp post move to Paris)?

He and Rebecca Miller (daughter of playwright Arthur and wife of Day-Lewis) made quite the eccentric splash on the red carpet. Check the footwear on both of them. Love hers; hate his. Still, it’s refreshing to see some people waving the freak flag, a pleasant distraction from the polyuthertane Hollywood mold.