IN WHICH the Force is strong in some sneakers, and an Andrew W.K. record finally gets a U.S. release.Briana’s pick: Star Wars Adidas
I am very picky about my kicks. In fact I pretty much stick to two brands of sneakers, one of which is adidas. It’s more than just an aesthetic thing with Adidas, it’s sentimental. RUN DMC prompted me to put that first pair on my feet, and now Star Wars is gonna make me go out and get a new pair. Believe it.
Fresh for 2010, it’s the Adidas Star Wars Collection. Adidas have gone and designed some outrageously cool shoes based on characters and vehicles from the film series. There’s the mid-top Stormtrooper, the orange and black Skywalker (my personal favorite), the Samba X-Wing, a mid-top At-At (seriously), and a hi-top Tie Fighter just to name a few. They also have companion apparel.
You HAVE GOT to see the collection. And you can do so by clicking here.
James’ pick: “Close Calls With Brick Walls”
For four years, fans of the one and only Andrew WK have yearned for a US release of 2006's Japanese release, "Close Calls With Brick Walls." Import copies have been crazy expensive – but as of last week, this amazing piece of rock and roll is finally available at normal retail price in the U.S.
I find myself absolutely fascinated by Andrew. At first blush (especially if one's first exposure was "I Get Wet"), he appears to be just really manic, dumb-guy rock. But there's a bunch more going on under the surface. He's an amazing musician. He writes really interesting, positive lyrics. And the musical progression on this disc is just astonishing.
[podcast]http://archive.wfpk.org/Podcasts/20100326-nerdy.mp3[/podcast]