Interview: Colin Hay

Topics: Back from Summer Vacay, Innis & Gunn Beer, Netflix: Mac to TV, Future of Album Cover Art?, Cracker Jack and Miracle Whip Stink, Classic Sports and Game Shows, Russ Introduces Food-based Shout Outs… Orange Marmalade!

Playlist: No Age, A Lull, Colin Hay, Daniel Johnston and The Very Best.

Preview: “Budweiser, it tastes like a beer burp.”

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast65.mp3

iTunes: Listen

Website: www.usedwigsradio.com

This Looks Fantastic: Patton Oswalt in “Big Fan”… “The life of a parking garage attendant is turned upside down after an altercation with his favorite player on the New York Giants.” More Here> (via @tedleo)

Not The Stupid TV Show: 10 Best Prison Breaks

Paste Saved by Readers: Sean Blanda reports, “Paste’s readers contributed more money than Purdy expected. By the end of June, 9,000 readers had donated over $240,000, putting the average donation at $26.67, more than the subscription rate of many magazines.” Read More>

We also discussed the Paste situation on our latest podcast.

Hollywood’s Dearth of Ideas Continues: Deja View: My Favorite Movie (Star Trek vs. Star Wars) (via Bryan)

Where’s My Yards Brawler! Where’s My Resurrection Ale! Find bars serving your favorite beers in Philly! (via @lotoole3)

Exclusive Dave Hill Photos! Another weekend without Kate and his 8 kids?! What’s Dave up to?

Hmmm, This Thing Might Just Take Off Now: Gmail no longer in Beta.

Geeking Out Your iPhone Camera: Factron iPhone Case Features Interchangeable Lenses

They Can’t Be All That Bad: North Korea’s first TV advertisement for beer

Cool PEN Camera Ad: “This is the PEN Story in stop motion. We shot 60.000 pictures, developed 9.600 prints and shot over 1.800 pictures again. No post production! ” (via neatorama)

Useless, But Fun: 7 Larger Than Life Giant Objects

No Argument Here: The 15 Creepiest Vintage Ads Of All Time

This Makes Me Very Very Happy: Pegboy & Face to Face – 2009 Tour Dates

After the ‘Hangover’: What Will Zach Galifianakis Do Next? I don’t know, make a shitload of money? (well deserved)

10 Things Gas Stations Won’t Tell You: Don’t use a debit card, don’t apply for a gas card and more gas filling dos and don’ts.

Attn: Hippies and Gentle Hipsters! XPoNential Music Festival looks pretty good, if you got rid of those Bacon Brother clowns: “Buy your tickets now and save. Lineup includes The Bacon Brothers, Aimee Mann, Peter Bjorn & John, Robert Cray, They Might Be Giants, Shemekia Copeland, Guster, Los Straitjackets, Steve Forbert and the Windfall Prophets, and many more”

Free Download: We Were Promised Jetpacks – “Quiet Little Voices” (MP3 via BrooklynVegan)

Pictured: (L to R) Sam Calagione, Todd-Todd, Russ and Fatface McGee.

Topics: Dogfish Head, Preteen Beer Making, Terry Gross Likes Nude Scenes, Esperanto, SXSW Overkill, Bishop Allen, Hottest Funny Woman? and Wiretapping.

Playlist: Beast, Cursive, Bishop Allen and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.

Preview: “It tastes like tongue kissing Laura Ashley…”

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast60.mp3

Website: www.usedwigsradio.com

Pictured: (L to R) Russ, Justin Rice of Bishop Allen and Todd-Todd.

Cantatstic! The Dieline has a great post about vintage beer packaging, highlighting the work of  Lance Wilson and  Dan Becker who photographed an extensive collection of old beer cans — some with lovely detail and design and some with a very scary “Repo Man” minimalist vibe. Either way, I’m pretty sure the beer inside these cans tasted like liquid poo.

See Them All: Beer!

It’s that time of year again when we dust off this old beer-drenched list and pay honor everyone’s favorite excuse to join a pub crawl. Slainte!

1. Take off slightly-stained B.U.M Equipment sweatshirt, put on very-stained Notre Dame sweatshirt.
2. Start off the special day right with McMuffin and Shamrock Shake.
3. Fill empty shake cup with whiskey and march in parade.
4. Leave parade after 10 minutes. Enter favorite Irish bar.
5. Call “Sully” & “Murph” to let them know just how wasted you already are.
6. Clap at the wrong times while singing along with “The Wild Rover.”
7. Aggressively tongue kiss fat drunk girl in between bites of corned beef sandwich.
8. Do “Cabbage Patch” dance over and over until somebody gets the Irish reference.
9. Keep your shtick going and bust out your funny “Riverdance” routine.
10. Due to exhaustion, pass out in alley behind bar, reappear in bar one hour later completely invigorated.
11. Strategically place “Kiss Me I’m Irish” pin on fly. Harass every female within 20-foot radius.
12. Instigate a donnybrook.
13. Nod your head as friends discuss Shane MacGowan and act like you know who the hell he is.
14. Acquire brogue. Pretend you’re from Ireland. Fool no one.
15. Not bat an eye at the plastered woman holding a 4-month-old in the smoky, crowded bar.
16. Hunt down actual Irish person, proceed to bore him to tears with your strikingly limited knowledge of the Emerald Isle, including the mispronounced names of the counties where your great great grandparents might have lived.
17. Spout anti-English sentiments and proclaim your admiration for the boys in “The I.R.S.” (you mean I.R.A.).
18. Act like bagpipes aren’t the worst sound you’ve ever heard.
19. Spill entire pint of Guinness on stranger. Get in fistfight with stranger. Hug stranger. Introduce stranger to everyone as your new best friend.
20. Wake up in puddle of puke (not your own) and realize its only 3:00pm. Leave Men’s room and continue drinking.

I hate to see beers fight, but this looks good:

Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs, Sam and Rhonda, battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.

Sam at Dogfish Head Brewery mentioned this movie in a tweet. He’s featured in the film with some other craft brewing luminaries, all telling their war stories about getting their product to the masses.  Most of these guys, like Sam, are good people who are passionate about their small-batch libations, and I like the David vs. Goliath angle, but some of these guys are a bit unbearable with their elitist “beer evangelism” shtick, “If you listen to your beer, it will tell you something.” No, it really won’t. Relax, Hoppy.

Nevertheless, those guys (and that camera-mugging dork from Sam Adams) won’t dissuade me from seeing it and enjoying a few 90 Minute IPAs afterwards… and well, probably before. Zum Wohl!

Opens: in movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, April 16th.

Website: www.beerwarsmovie.com

Topics: Philadelphia Podcasts Closures, Todd’s Amateur Beer, Expensive Ticket Prices, Mac & Cheese Contest, Food Network, Sad Guy Burrito Days, Epic Sicknesses, Comic Book Movies.

Playlist: Dartz, The Swimmers, The Get You, I’m From Barcelona, Mattowax.

Preview: “The beer?…it tastes like your basement.”

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast57.mp3

Subscribe: iTunes

Website: www.usedwigsradio.com

I just poured over a very interesting article in the latest New Yorker on “Extreme Brewing” (we touched on the topic in our latest podcast) and it features Delaware’s own beer nut Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. According to this piece, Sam is “the man” when it comes to producing exotic and powerful beers (hey there, 12% alcohol!), and has a cult following in the beer geek community.

Not all beer people drink from the “extreme” vat though, Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, an elder statesmen of craft brewing and more of a traditionalist, also chimes in and gives a pretty fair assessment of this growing trend in beer-making.

So, whether you’re always on the prowl for a growler of the strong stuff or you’re are a purist and content with the traditional brews, you should enjoy this little glimpse into the beer culture. Writer Burkhard Bilger gives a nice history of beer along the way and makes you want to visit your local beverage store posthaste.

Speaking of Dogfish Head, our friends The Afterschool Specialists made an award-winning “Zombie” commerical for the brewery, check it out!

Guest: Beer talk with John Ceccatti. Topics: Beer, What’s in Beer?, Cheap Beers vs. Quality Beers, Head Soccer, Czechs LOVE beer, Todd’s Wrong Beer Info, Session Beers, Beer Flights, Philly Breweries and Bars, Jeff’s blackout in Belgium, Eating bags of Barley and Malt. Playlist: The Actual Facts, Parts & Labor, Shugo Tokumaru, Auxes, Passion Pit.

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast54.mp3

Subscribe: iTunes

Featured Beers (imbibed and discussed):

• Tetley’s English Ale
• Boddingtons Pub Ale
• Pilsner Urquell
• Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
• Belhaven Wee Heavy
• Celis White
• St. Bernardus Wit
• Murphy’s Stout
• Lindemans Kriek Lambic
• Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
• Uerige Alt
• Aecht Schlenkerla Raucherbier
• Samuel Smith India Ale

Philly Area Beers and Bars:

• Dock Street
• Dogfish Head
• Flying Fish
• Nodding Head
• North 3rd
• Standard Tap
• Monks Cafe
• Earth Bread + Brewery
• The Foodery

Website: www.usedwigsradio.com

Super Bonus Video!

UsedWigs Radio Podcast 54: Beer Talk! from jeff lyons on Vimeo.

While doing a little research for our latest “Beer” podcast, I went to the website of the best bar in Philly and enjoyed a very funny video staring the North 3d staff, man o man, they are a fun bunch of folks. The vid was produced by woodshop films. Enjoy.