DANIEL CRAIG

Hello faithful cherubs! Are you all digging the new Joonbug website? New layout, new flow and new feel. If you haven’t already noticed, another change that has happened here is the renaming of my column. Favorite Tune Fridays is BEAT, y’all. Mixtape Mondays has taken over, crowned itself and, well...is basically going to do the same thing, but just under a new moniker. It’s cool, right? Please don’t make me break out Shakespearean quotes about roses to convince you otherwise...Onward!

Head Automatica – Brooklyn is Burning

Head Automatica came to me in my freshman year of high school. I was sitting in my sister’s car, waiting to see what the music would be for our ride to some unremembered errand. She was dating a skateboarder at the time, and her musical selection at times, much to my dismay, mirrored that. When she popped in Head Automatica, the first song that played was “Beating Hearts Baby” – which, I think, I initially was thinking, “Good God, more scream-y, whine-y punkish music? Really?” because that's totally not my scene, not my taste, and certainly something I have almost zero patience for. But by the end of the song I was slowly betraying my premature reluctance and noticed that, PERHAPS, my foot was tapping along to the beat. But when “Brooklyn is Burning” came on, I was so completely into it and, not wanting to seem overly-impressed with my sister’s music choice, (why do siblings do that?!) I casually asked her, “Who is this, again?” Head Automatica, ah, okay. Never heard of them…

Almost six years later, I’m still very much into the song. As I write this column while listening to it, I’m currently trying to keep myself from getting up and dancing around. Head Automatica has this very impressive ability to blend rock with punk and pop in a way that is not convoluted, annoying or unsuccessful. It’s a great way for me to get an eclectic mix of sounds and genres all within one song. Something like “Brooklyn is Burning” could be played in a club, bar or party. It has that mold-able sound that can fit anywhere. Will it fit for you?



Massive Attack – Inertia Creeps

Welcome to the first of many, many, many Massive Attack entries. They are one of my top five favorite artists, and so many of what I find to be the greatest songs in the world have been birthed by them. My first introduction to the band came from, I believe, randomly watching MTV one day and catching the middle part of the music video for “Teardrop”. Whoever I was watching television with at the time changed the channel before the end credits could show, so I had no idea what the name of the song was or whom it was by, but I remember the vocals, lyrics and sound start to etch their place in my head, igniting the flames of love that now burn with crazy fervor for this amazing band.

A few years later, the movie Go came out. My sister and I rented it one night and discovered another gem of theirs on the movie’s soundtrack – “Angel.” Although I didn’t run out and buy their album that night, I became aware of them as a band and their strength in alluring Trip Hop that kept latching its relentless hooks in my young and impressionable taste.

Around the same time, Victoria’s Secret aired a commercial that used “Inertia Creeps,” a sexy, drum-heavy song, pulsing with provocative lyrics, as a backdrop to one of their new lingerie ad campaigns. Once again, Massive Attack was inadvertently colliding with my ears and it was getting to the point where enough was enough: I WANTED IN.

It wasn’t until 2000 or 2001 that I actually bought their album, Mezzanine. It was one of the first CDs that I remember purchasing on my own. It was winter and a few days after my family and I had taken one of our much-anticipated trips into Manhattan to sightsee (i.e. be tourists), so I always associate Massive Attack – or, at least, that album - with my childhood craving to live in the city – even now, as I currently live here.

All the British women who have been salivating over Daniel Craig’s chiseled torso will now get a chance to satisfy their cravings. Sort of.

To celebrate Britain’s National Ice Cream Week (Why don’t we have that over here?), Del Monte Foods is putting a limited edition Daniel Craig Popsicle product on the market. Flavors include blueberry, pomegranate and cranberry.

007 has never been this cool. Or this tasty.

Just consider it another reason why New York is the best city in the world to live in. Though an official announcement hasn’t yet been made, it seems very likely that A Steady Rain, Keith Huff’s play about two troubled police officers, will be appearing on Broadway this fall starring none other than Wolverine and James Bond, also known as Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig.

While Jackman is an experienced stage actor (recall his stellar musical talents on display during the Oscars) having already performed at such illustrious venues like Britain’s National Theatre, Craig is new to the game. Interestingly, Bond-franchise producer Barbara Broccoli will also be producing A Steady Rain.

This meeting of thespian super hunks is naturally expected to be a smash hit at the box office.