Three songs into Bob Mould's set at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night, he sang, "The twentieth century has not been particularly kind to me." Actually, he more screamed it than sang it, cords standing out in his neck and palpable rage spilling out over the microphone. It almost seems odd now that Mould can still deliver this line from his self-titled 1996 record with such vitriol; whatever the twentieth century's transgressions, the twenty-first century seems to have been pretty kind indeed. He's found a niche here in D.C., a place that seems to allow him the balance and the leeway to be whatever he wants to, be it electronic experimentalist, DJ night impresario, or punk rock elder statesman. I've been going to Bob Mould shows for 14 years now, and I've never seen him as confident or comfortable in his own skin as on Saturday night. more ›

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.... more ›

Editors Note: We enjoyed the tour diaries J. Tom Hnatow wrote for us as part of These United States' last tour, so we asked him if he wouldn't mind doing it again as the band embark on their first ever intercontinental tour of the UK and Europe. He graciously agreed. This is the third installment of an ongoing series. Tuesday, October 23, 2007 A leisurely breakfast, then off to Bath. Bath is stunningly beautiful. And... more ›

Written by DCist Contributer Josh Kramer The Eagle – American University: >>AU students lamented losing their Hollywood Video this week, which is holding a giant closing sale and selling all of its movies. It's unclear what will become of the space, conveniently located next to the AU shuttle bus stop and the Tenleytown-AU Metro station. >>Sgt. Zachary Tellier, a 1998 AU graduate, was killed by enemy fire while fighting in Afghanistan on the 29th of... more ›

Would you be willing to pay $25 for a photograph of yourself standing next to someone who looks eerily similar to your favorite celebrity? That's the question you'll want to answer before venturing in to the new Madame Tussauds wax museum at 10th and F Streets NW, which opens to the public today. Last night, DCist attended the opening party for the attraction. We say attraction purposefully, because Madame Tussauds isn't a museum at... more ›

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and... more ›

This week at Overheard, we'd like to take a moment to give thanks for a segment of the population that we feel is unfairly maligned. That's right, we're talking about you, Mr. Stares Blatantly at Women's Breasts on the Metro. And you, sir, who just nearly walked into a pole while leering at the woman who just walked past. We raise our glasses to the guy surreptitiously taking pictures of girls' rear ends on the... more ›

As was predicted, early this morning D.C. residents were treated to a full lunar eclipse. Of course, most of us were too lazy to get up that early, but some of the city's intrepid photogs sacrificed sleep and got some great pictures. Check out our Flickr pool for a sampling. Picture snapped by Rachel Ariel... more ›

If anyone was worried that the crowds wouldn't come back to Eastern Market, fear not -- they're back, and in larger numbers than before. Today's inauguration of the East Hall -- the $1.5 million tent-like temporary structure that will house the displaced vendors until the South Hall is renovated -- saw a steady crowd of shoppers and gawkers alike, including Mayor Adrian Fenty. Meanwhile, across the street the South Hall remained boarded up and... more ›

Flickr user Eximious Pictures uploaded this mashup up of the famous WWII propaganda poster "He's Watching You" with, what else, the Capitol, home of our beloved U.S. Congress. Though considering the origins of warrantless domestic wiretapping, perhaps this would have been equally if not more appropriate with The White House? Thanks for your entry, and keep them coming by either emailing them to sommer (at) dcist.com or uploading them to Flickr with the tag... more ›

Editor's Note: J. Tom Hnatow from These United States is writing a tour diary for DCist chronicling the band's latest national tour. July 30, 2007 We take scenic route 1 up to Portsmouth, NH, skipping the interstate entirely. When we tour, we try to take as much local scenery as possible, from small roads to food to art. In this increasingly homogenized world, we have to work to find the differences. It's sad to me... more ›

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a... more ›

Editor's Note: J. Tom Hnatow from These United States is writing a tour diary for DCist chronicling the band's latest national tour. In this entry he discusses breaking in a new drummer with the same name as his last drummer, and the the importance of car insurance. July 23, 2007 We hit the road from Indy to Lexington, KY, making a brief stop to pick up Jesse's ladyfriend Kimberly from the Louisville airport. I'm normally... more ›

Poor Victor Reinoso. First the acting Deputy Mayor for Education gets caught up in a plagiarism scandal, then D.C. Council chairman Vincent Gray delays his confirmation vote, calling into question whether Reinoso should be in his job, or if anyone should have his job in the first place. The guy could only be more embattled if he had a sex scandal hanging over his head. What's that you say? The Examiner reports that one of... more ›

>> The Virgin Festival has added Panic! At the Disco, Explosions In the Sky and Baltimore-based electronic music composer/performer Dan Deacon for their Sunday lineup. >> You should probably get any sort of week night responsibilities out of the way this evening, so you can join us tomorrow night at Unbuckled 6. If you missed our interviews with the bands, Le Loup and The XYZ Affair, give them a gander. If we haven't already... more ›

Via the DCist Tipline, we get this photo and story from a reader who spotted D.C. Council chairman Vincent Gray running over to speak to a U.S. Park Police officer in the hopes of talking him out of towing his car Wednesday evening. While playing softball down by the FDR memorial this evening, my team was a little shocked when we saw a park policeman not only issue a ticket to an illegally parked... more ›

We've been watching the Flickr discussion boards blow up lately about the banning of photography in supposedly public places. One user has posted in every D.C. related group with his recent story, and another user, katmere, has had so many confrontations with police and security guards that she started her own group last week called DC Photo Rights, where folks are asked to "[p]ost photos that you took in 'banned' locations, or photos when you... more ›

In late February of 2005, I found myself walking along a path in Central Park when, at dusk, a light snow began to fall. As the snow blanketed the landscape, it sucked up the sounds of the city, leaving only one thing audible: the sound of the saffron curtains over our heads lazily flapping in the breeze. Suddenly, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Gates stood out in brilliant contrast to the ear just as they popped... more ›

Henry Rollins once said of Glen E. Friedman, "...he was there at the beginning of so much cool stuff in so many different areas it's not funny." Too true. Friedman documented the genesis of the 1970s southern California skateboarding scene as a teenager, took pictures of pretty much any early American punk legend you can name, as well as most of the earliest and brightest hip-hop names of the 80s. But if ever there was... more ›

>> Black Cat plays host to Oakland's Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, who'll be pounding out their avant-rock on a few homemade instruments while performing puppet shows and giving pseudo-scientific scholarly presentations. What's not to like? Stinking Lizaveta, an intense experimental trio from Philly, will kick things off. $12, 8 p.m. >> Tonight is your last chance to stop by the Smithsonian American Art Museum to catch their lecture series on The Media Arts: A History.... more ›

Have you ever put off seeing a movie dealing with man’s inhumanity toward man, such as Hotel Rwanda or Life is Beautiful, know it will be shocking and sometimes painful, and will force you to confront the ugly reality that people often do very bad things to other people? That's how one might feel when approaching Mary Coble's new show, Aversion, at Conner Contemporary Art. Coble confronts the horrible effects of electro shock therapy prescribed... more ›

Opera is a serious musical genre, the summa of high dramatic art. For some serious thoughts about the season just concluded by Washington National Opera, you could read the Opera Season in Review from last week. In a less exalted but equally important way, opera is about ostentation, and in that vein, there is one more glittering event that always makes the end of the season final in Washington, and that is the annual Opera... more ›

Good morning, Washington! So c'mon: be honest. Did you bike to work today? With scattered showers predicted across the region, we suppose it's understandable if you didn't. We hope you feel at least a little guilty anyway, though -- particularly those of us who did end up biking through potential drizzle. We guess we'll give a pass to Paul Wolfowitz though -- even if he did ride his bike to work today, he won't... more ›

On Friday the Washington Post ran a story about the city's plans to step up their graffiti removal tasks after a recent rash of tagging in Wards 1, 2 and 4. The graffiti began appearing six to eight weeks ago, stretching from the Logan and Shaw neighborhoods to communities in upper Northwest along Georgia Avenue and 13th and 14th streets. Banneker Community Center near Howard University, under renovation, was among the places hit. But the... more ›

Summer is coming and so is one of our favorite pastimes: compiling our summer reading list. Remember back when you were in middle school and you were required to read a certain number of books on the school's list by the time classes were back in session? Yes, we realize some of you saw this as a chore. But if it weren't for those lists, we may never have picked up books that have become... more ›

There are, of course, many criteria by which one can judge a photograph: form, composition, color, subject matter, context, or the viewer’s emotional response. In viewing Harry Benson: Being There, currently on display at Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery, it is not Benson’s technical ability as a photographer that impresses, but his uncanny ability to be present when historic moments occur and then place himself... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Maria Flores Sometime in the early 1970s, when the photographs in Melody Maker, NME, and Rolling Stone were no longer enough to satiate his appetite, Claude Gassian swapped his guitar for a 35mm camera and took to the road with his finger on the shutter button. So began his photographic conquest to document the lives of some of his favorite musical artists. Over three decades later, his photographs stand alone as... more ›

We're always trying to think of ways to offer you, our lovely readers, a shot at some free entertainment, and today we've got another great opportunity for you. We've paired up with Landslide Pictures to host a special preview screening of Civic Duty at the Landmark E Street Cinema on Tuesday, May 1 at 7 p.m.. Here's a brief synopsis of the story: Angry and depressed over losing his job, accountant Terry Allen begins to... more ›

Part of my trek to Danny's Tindahan, a small Filipino-Japanese market in Tenleytown, was to satisfy my curiosity about whether or not the store sold balut eggs. Balut eggs are duck eggs that have been fertilized and incubated for about two weeks, so that when they are eaten there is a little duck embryo winking at you inside. At Danny's, balut eggs are in the refrigerator case and dyed pink. Definitely not for the squeamish,... more ›

Dear Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney: feel free to do embarrassing things in public today. D.C.'s celebrity (and we use that term loosely) photogs are probably following around real celebs -- well, at least Angelina Jolie. Yesterday the Examiner gave us the heads-up on a litany of famous-outside-the-Beltway folks traipsing around town this week. So if you're a little tired of running into Nicolas Cage filming National Treasure 2, keep your eyes peeled for these... more ›