Any insomniac knows the most unforgettable images of television viewing come from late-night commercials. What 4 a.m. channel surfer can forget the Crazy Gideon’s commercials, where the eponymous electronics shop owner shows how crazy his pricing is by taking a bat to his products, or the Tom Emanski Baseball Drills videos that have been running […]
Author Archives: Mark Humphrey
’90s-band-inspired AIM names show personal past
During a recent period of lounging on the couch in my apartment, I received an instant message from a Daily Bruin editor asking me an intriguing question. “Mark,” he said, “can you explain to me why you, as someone with pretty respectable musical tastes, would have one of the worst bands of the past decade […]
For band, 8 members are better than 1
During the evolution from an experimental, eight-piece studio project into a critically acclaimed live ensemble, one would expect a band to go through a great deal of changes. For Architecture in Helsinki, however, some things will always stay the same. “We got a chance to tour with one of our heroes, David Byrne, and like […]
Generations share bands, not music
During the summer of 2004, I worked with children at a summer camp. While I enjoyed this job, working with children eventually took its toll, and I decided to try something different this year. It’s only fitting then that while working at the Glendale News-Press this past summer, nearly half the stories I covered were […]
Defying the mainstream can be a hard day’s fight
Something I never really got involved with in high school was clubs. I didn’t take part in many, as I was more interested in stuffing my face with Mini Oreos and gawking at pretty girls at lunch. The lone exception was The Beatles Club, which was particularly amusing because I didn’t really listen to The […]
Vacation? Hardly, for Bruin Bash planners
Many UCLA students spent their summers relaxing or barely scraping by in summer school. Jason Kaminsky, Todd Hawkins and the Campus Events and Cultural Affairs commissions had more on their minds: providing a good first impression for incoming students and a memorable kick-off celebration for all of UCLA at this year’s Welcome Week concert during […]
“˜Reunion Period’ bands driven by pursuit of money
While watching Dinosaur Jr. play at the Avalon on Aug. 17, I thought to myself, “People have waited so long for these guys to play again. I’m lucky to have this opportunity.” Suddenly I snapped out of my self-congratulation and realized I have said this to myself many times recently. When rock historians classify 2004 […]