Sad on Purpose

Composing Music for a Video Game About Depression Doesn't Sound Like Much Fun

'Depression Quest' is a a text-based role-playing game that, according to its website, is “not meant to be a fun or lighthearted experience.” Its objective is to simulate the misery of clinical depression, which probably qualifies it as the most masochistic video game of all time. Full story

Portland's Wildfang Wants to Clothe Hot Tomboys

Nestled closely to that reindeer Portland sign you see at the opening credits of Portlandia are the offices for the newest clothing collection you were destined to love: Wildfang. Full story

A Free Show on Skid Row

Sun Araw Hangs Out with the Homeless and We All Get Happy

Skid Row is not just a hack 80s hair band, or a fabled place of destitution. It’s an actual neighborhood in Los Angeles where real people live. Not that most of LA would know. Full story

The Gimp from 'Pulp Fiction' Applies for a Literary Internship

For the last several years, I have been employed as a gimp in a box in the basement of Zed's Pawn Shop in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. I am tethered. I sleep in a four by two foot storage locker. In all my years in this position (and I do hope you’ll excuse my vagueness on details,… Full story

Video Games Killed the Radio Star

A Decade of Computer Games

Ten years is basically a billion years in video games. In 1992, when Mortal Kombat came out on arcades, crowds would gather in the belief that they were seeing a duel from some far-flung nation—like China—where the natives were born with four arms and pixelated. Ten years later a… Full story

We Saw Death Grips and Some Other Bands in Montreal

Then Death Grips came on and did kind of the same thing as Mykki Blanco, but better: yelling, thrusting. I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Is he a good rapper? Everyone seemed to be really into whatever he was saying, so maybe. Death Grips looks like he works out. He ac… Full story

A Living Diary of a Dying Industry

The Sound Guy Who Really Needs You to Wind Those Cords Correctly

Audio engineer Jason Powers is a “cool guy" who works with Matthew Dear (among others), and owns/operates the studio Type Foundry in Portland. Full story

Paul Ryan: What Stupid People Think a Smart Guy Sounds Like

His popularity among voters isn't much of a surprise. Ryan's good-looking and articulate. Most importantly, he can convince people there's intellectual gravitas behind his words. It’s sort of like the Ross Perot phenomenon, a man for whom 20 million people voted in 1992. Since Pe… Full story

Supporting the Troops Through Sexting

There’s one subject that seems to get most military guys riled up, just like anybody else: penises. One soldier, whose profile says only, “Give me your porn,” responded to my “hi” with close-up photos of his hard cock, including one shot of himself wet in the shower and a close u… Full story

The Jerkoff Diaries

My back hurts. My eyes are dry. And my neck is tighter than my asshole. The only thing more embarrassing than blogging (BLOGGING!) about trying to stop masturbating is blogging about being constipated from not masturbating. Full story