Nebraska group, Beep Beep, are one of my favourite bands. Founding members Eric and Chris spoke exclusively to Lost At E Minor about where they’ve been for the past few years. So what’s been up for the past while? Haven’t seen you guys around much. Eric: ‘We’re not looking to beat people over the head with our songs. We toured [their album] Business Casual twice in the U.S. and Europe spanning 17 weeks, ending in March of 2005. That seemed sufficient enough to give anyone interested in seeing us the opportunity to do so; any more would feel like casting a net for a fan base. As we wish to repel as well as attract, campaigning is not on our agenda’. Chris: ‘Eric and I have been writing new material and engaging in other hobbies. It takes time to hone creative vision and develop new ideas. We will be in the studio recording a new record in December’. When it first came out in 2004, Business Casual had a real freshness about it. How do you feel the album holds up these days? Eric: ‘It’s always difficult to listen to anything I’ve written after it’s been finalised as a record, so it’s been a good year since I’ve heard Business Casual. It’s concise in its statement and approach and I will always appreciate the determination we had to deliver it no matter who, if anyone, would be hearing it let alone releasing it! We were determined to amuse and entertain ourselves and were energised by the repulsion from our peers. That record was fully realised on tour. If I could time travel, I would make it available only as a live DVD’. Chris: ‘I am still very proud of that record, but my interests have certainly drifted to new frontiers since then. I have more enduring memories touring the record than recording it. Recording was stressful in that Eric and I had no label, and we were financing the whole thing ourselves. Even worse, our scheduled studio time was often canceled when more important bands needed those time slots to record their hit songs. This will not be the case on the new record because our bandmate Joel Petersen will be engineering the record in his studio. We did two tracks with him last Fall and I prefer them sonically over Business Casual’. Was the name of the band taken from the Roadrunner series and, if so, didn’t you find the fact that he never really caught the damn thing frustrating? Eric: ‘I’m fascinated by the use of the phrase as a sassy yet meaningless feminine command in a variety of songs from decades past. It’s purely ridiculous, and that’s what I enjoy most about it’. Chris: ‘Technically, the Roadrunner says “meep meep” in the cartoon, and no, he was not the inspiration for the band name. He is a desert bird indigenous to North America. They are smaller than you’d expect. They run across the desert and eat lizards. I’ve only seen them in photographs’.
Also by ZOLTON
Maths explains the origin of superhero characters
I love the colours and simple reasoning in this clever series by Scottish illustrator Matt Cowen, which uses basic maths equations to explain how certain pop culture icons came to be. Read more
Star Wars Uncut: a fully crowdsourced version of Episode IV
The project of creative technologist, Casey Pugh, this full length version of the George Lucas masterpiece was created from multiple 15 second segments recreated from the original movie and submitted by thousands of Star Wars fans, which were then spliced together by editor Aaron Valdez to form the final product. Genius, as both a commentary on contemporary pop culture trends (there are references to LEGO, stop motion, memes and the like) and on the power of tapping your audience for quality material.
Filmmaker creates LEGO stop motion to propose to girlfriend
Now, this is one for the ages: back in 2010, Atlanta film-maker Walter Thompson created a jaw-dropping LEGO stop motion to propose to Nealey Dozier, his girlfriend of four years. The video took 22 hours of shooting and some 2,600 pictures to splice together, a small sacrifice to pay for years of happiness together. Right? Right! Oh, and she said yes. Bonus.
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For a good dose of morbid beauty it’s hard to go past artist-slash-taxidermist, Polly Morgan’s work. Each of her still life pieces are hauntingly delicate and dead clever, really.
Haha! This has potential to be our all-time favourite Tumblr. Why? Well, because it’s kinda reassuring to know that there are worse tippers out there. Ouch. Bite my tongue. Read more
I don’t care if Jimmy Hendrix was dragged kicking and screaming from where he lies, put through a torrid round of detox, and handed an invisible guitar – a Flying V carved out of the bones of Robert Johnson. It would still pale in comparison to this. Read more
Mexican architecture firm Senosiain Arquitectos recently designed a shell-shaped dwelling for a Mexico City couple. The owners are already living in their new abode with their two very happy children. The structure is maintenance-free and earthquake proof, and is full of soothing greenery and smooth, rounded surfaces. Read more
Every year we get a new one, every year we play it safe. So, this year, why not open your mind a little and get hold of one of these tasteless date makers. If nothing else, it’ll be a very good conversation starter. Read more
Cloud Control have just unravelled a newly recorded track, Gold Canary, from their forthcoming 2010 album. It’s straight up pastoral Blue Mountains goodness. I actually heard it live earlier this year and it sounded quite rad.
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These antler pendants are hand-crafted, made in sterling silver, and brought to you by the talented kids at Fuzz Design. They are revolutionizing the way we view hunting and taxidermy: it just got a whole lot more fashionable! Why not wear a piece of reindeer around your neck this Christmas?
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Baltimore Mural by Josh Van Horne
My friend Josh Van Horne, a local Baltimore artist, did this amazing mural in our neighborhood that depicts the history of this warehouse-laden area.
Mathematics? Leave me out. Fashematics? Now you’re talking! This gem of a site is a runway equation that adds up to a whole lot of wonderful.
Pencils made from recycled newspaper
The problem with awesome things like these pencils made out of recycled newspaper is that you almost don’t want to use them.
Christoph Niemann illustrates a nightmare flight
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Matthew Dear’s Black City album totem
Our friends at Ghostly International are releasing Matthew Dear’s Black City album as a limited edition ‘totem’. A what? A totem – a limited edition metal bar used to access a private music chamber. Cool! Read more
Inspired by the unique digital clock apps created by the designer, Sean Zoega, the i-toc watch is a colorful physical manifestation of digital ideas featuring bespoke two-disc Japan quartz movement. The outer gradient displays the minutes while the inner gradient shows the hours. The rings interact, creating an ever-changing pattern of design and colour. We have them for sale in our online store. Read more
If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
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