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The Punk Ethos

Punk does not just pertain to music. According to authors Chris Sullivan and Stephen Colegrave , it is having  a do-it-your attitude, being creative, and rejecting authority. So Andy Warhol is a prime example, bringing consumer culture to galleries and directing a five-hour film of his sleeping boyfriend.  Colegrave and Sullivan's Punk-The-Last-Word (their precursor being Punk: A Life Apart in 2001, for which they interviewed musicians, managers, promoters, designers, and others) also says Warhol was a visionary. He foresaw artists like Banksy , selling the same picture in different colors, and perhaps even Instagram and TikTok with all of their selfies.  Even one of Andy's 'superstars' influenced punk's early look, with her close-cut hairdo, all-black attire, and dark eyeliner. Besides that, Edie Sedgwick had a unique way of dancing. It was kind of Egyptian with her head tilting in just the right way, according to Warhol himself. There was dancing--with w...
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Hollywood Vampires On The Road

It has been quite a while since the Hollywood-Vampires have been in the news.  So fans will be happy that their 2018 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival is being released (digitally next month; on CD and vinyl this fall). It includes covers of David Bowie 's Heroes and Motorhead ' s Ace Of Spades .  Now online is their performance of Raise the Dead from the aforementioned festival. The supergroup, consisting of Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp , and Tommy Henriksen , is also going on tour.  The first concert, on the 12th of August, is set for London's O2 arena. Other cities on the itinerary include Glasgow, Paris, Hamburg, and Budapest. 
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Birmingham's Salute to Ozzy

Ozzy Osbourne 's iconic throne is now on display at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery .  The free UK exhibit, titled Working-Class-Hero , runs through the 27th of September. It was extended because of public demand.  The throne, originally built for the star's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2024, was also used for Ozzy's final performance last summer with Black Sabbath in Birmingham. And it's not the only piece of memorabilia for visitors to check out. Also on view are the singer's gold and platinum records, MTV and Grammy awards, photographs, and tributes from fans. No booking is required. In addition, the museum has been offering related activities. They include a workshop on Sunday, in which people can create their own interpretations of Ozzy's famous cross pendant with recycled materials. Incidentally, a free photo exhibit from the aforementioned concert has just opened at Bullring (Grand Central) in Birmingham: Back to the Beginning ....
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Another Side of Tony Danza

Tony Danza is known for starring in TV's Taxi and Who's The Boss . But he is also a musician. In fact, the entertainer has a new show which pays homage to Frank Sinatra (with whom the actor was well acquainted). In February, he brought Tony Danza: Sinatra & Stories to 54 Below in New York City. He returns tonight, as well as July 2-3 and July 23-25, accompanied by his four-piece band and  his ukulele.    The 75-year-old has another show, which is called  Standards & Stories . Here he performs some of his favorite Great American Songbook selections and interweaves stories about his life and personal connection to the music.  The next Standards & Stories is set for Doc-s-Jazz-Club in Houston, Texas, on the 30th of July. 
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Crafts For Cats

Annika Hinds thinks her family helped fuel her creativity. If a new table, shed, doghouse or treehouse was needed, they built it themselves.  So when Annika adopted a kitten, she avoided overpriced stores and made Figgy 's toys and accessories herself--even a jungle gym and miniature cabin! The results appear in Chronicle Books ' Crafting For Your Cat .  Each craft is rated with a paw system which indicates the degree of difficulty. So five paws represent more challenges. The DIY guide is also fun for those who aren't handy. It's full of appealing photos with 'models'--including Figgy --posing with Annika's creations.  A couple of scratching posts, shaped like a giant strawberry and mushroom, resemble pop art. Other colorful projects include a crescent moon hammock, crochet bandana, floral tent, and sparkling name tag. There's even a tea party plate. It sounds elegant and complicated, but gets just one paw: All one needs to do is glue a saucer on top o...
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''The Man With The Golden Ear''

The Art And Music Guide was sorry to learn about the passing of Clive Davis . The record executive and producer, known for his ''golden ear,'' was 94 years old.  Clive was with Columbia Records before he started Arista.  This was where he signed up acts like Aretha F ranklin, Barry Manilow, and Patti Smith .  In 2000, he founded J Records , credited with the success of Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 . Clive, who also worked with Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Aerosmith , hosted an annual Grammy Week bash which Variety called ''the music business' most coveted social ducat.''
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A Chronicle of ''Nature's Wildest Weather''

We've all heard of photogenic people, but tornadoes? Storm chaser and author Hank-Schyma thinks they can be, although he is particularly fond of lightning. There are loads of such images in his book, Storm: Chasing Nature's Wildest Weather . There's even lightning-related phenomena: The most common, he says, are sprites. which often resemble jellyfish. They are among the book's best shots. So it's disappointing to learn that light-sensitive cameras are responsible, as sprites aren't too bright close up. When it comes to hail, Hank isn't eager to get up close--though they come in all sorts of odd shapes (even resembling the human heart in one depiction). He explains that storm chasers are not concerned so much about getting hurt. It is more about losing a vehicle window, then being forced off the road while trying to find another one. Hank has had his fill of hurricanes, though. After capturing damage from Ike , which made landfall not far from his home in ...
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