MISC. WORLD for 6/24/99 Words About Pictures LOCAL PUBLICATION OF THE WEEK: A visual-art zine with no pictures should come as no surprise to anyone who's followed art criticism, which in its more perverse forms has become ever more long-winded and ideological, to the point where any discussion of the nominal topic's artworks is buried beneath incomprehensible presentations of the critic's sociopolitical beliefs (which may have absolutely nothing to do with the artist's beliefs, if the artist has any). Thankfully, 'tho, no such theorizin's to be found in the tightly-written pages of RedHeaded StepChild (email link here), whose first issue came out three weeks ago. Instead, you get some to-the-point statements about current "alternative space" exhibitions, and an obit for the closed-due-to-gentrification Project 416 (formerly Wonderful World of Art) studio/gallery. It's all tight, lively, and concerned with art as a creative endeavor, not as room decor or investment. (The second issue will be free at alterna-spaces around town starting July 1; subscriptions are promised "to follow.") ELSEWHERE IN PRINT-LAND: What's it with all these corporate magazines with first-name titles? First there was Marie Claire, then George, Jane, Milton, and at least two or three different Frank magazines. Now there's Joe, the new Starbucks Coffee in-store mag published under contract by Time Warner in NYC. As you might expect from a Starbucks-branded product, it's handsome in an overstatedly "understated" way. And as you might expect, it's "tasteful" to the point of upscale-suburban blandness, even when discussing such topics as the Unabomber and the bereavement of AIDS victims' loved ones. The mag's apparent concept, besides to define Starbucks customers as a demographically ideal target for Cadillac and Eddie Bauer ads, is to establish an image for Starbucks stores as what a current sociological buzzword calls "third places," neither-work-nor-home sites where folks can gather and discuss issues of the day in a "civil society" way. I doubt many lingering chats will form around the contents of Joe, which looks less like a food-for-thought stimulant and more like a more marketing-savvy version of the late-'80s mag Wigwag or one of the duller installments of Utne Reader. Tomorrow: Some important lengths and times for the pop-culture scholar. Recent highlights: Are Seattle singles too PC for their own good?; plus the Fremont parade's joyous exhibitionists. A U.K. social critic looks at "sexual liberation" and finds consumer-narcissism and fear of intimacy. Why Seattle loves being Dr. Evil's home in the new Austin Powers movie. More of our party roundup, the Insta-Poem contest. Our party roundup starts with the MISC.-O-Rama questionnaire. Introducing the daily MISC. World. The column's 13th anniversary inspires thoughts on changing views of popular culture. Wedgwood residents fuss about saving a small supermarket; plus Robert Hughes vs. the new Star Wars. The decline of softcore; plus Denny's new "diner" look. Another World nears soap-opera oblivion. Archives: 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, and 1986-94 Misc. columns Longer articles and essays Background info about Misc. Hints at some of my future projects

CLARK'S CULTURE CORRAL BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC, ETC. REVIEWED AND SOLD Currently Featured: Romantic and ethereal music from Rusty Willoughby, Marc Olsen, and Jeff Grienke and Anisa Romero. Archives: Literature and art Nonfiction and cultural criticism Movies and videos Music and noise Search: Books Popular Music Classical Music Video Enter keywords... (Support MISC. Media; make your Amazon.com purchases thru this link.) X-WORD PUZZLES (UPDATED FRIDAYS) This Week: Hooked On X-Word! MISC. TALK DISCUSSION BOARDS Does Seattle suck? Why/why not? Stake your case at our MISC. Talk discussion boards. SLIGHTLY WEIRD FICTION Currently Featured: 'Naked women and what they do.' THE BIG BOOK OF MISC. The 650 or so best Misc. items ever, now in one handy and way-fun collection. Read more about it here. Get it here. LOSER THE REAL SEATTLE MUSIC STORY How a subculture of misfits and scenesters turned 'indie rock' into a global craze, followed by media inaccuracies and industry backlashes. Pre-order your copy of the updated second edition. CYBER STUFF Hundreds of cool and/or useful news, arts, political, sociocultural, and just odd sites. THINGS I LIKE My favorite sites, foods, drinks, words, music, people, places, and things. Plus a few things I hate. FLY THE MISC. Media FLAG! Download a MISC. Media link button and wear it on your website. Eighteen varieties. MISC. MEDIA UPDATES As of June 14, 1999, your doses of pop-cult confusion are now titled MISC. World and come to you every weekday. The shorter "MISC." title lives on in The Big Book of MISC., now shipping. As of April 29, 1999, we've got a new URL. Re-set your bookmarks for http://www.miscmedia.com. To learn more about these and future changes, join the splendid Misc.-l mailing list. Send an email to Majordomo@lists.speakeasy.org. Leave the "subject" line blank, and in the body of the message write simply: SUBSCRIBE MISC-L (your email address) Thoughts? Questions? Suggested column topics? Email to clark@speakeasy.org. Joe Newton drew the caricature at the top of this page. Charlotte Quinn helped originally design the site.