November 5, 2003 – By: Michael KaplanRemember Norm Macdonald? His sardonic delivery and O.J.Simpson-bashing spiels were the highlight of Saturday NightLive in the mid-'90s--until he got the boot when NBC exec (andO.J. pal) Don Ohlmeyer deemed him unfunny. After a short-lived ABCseries and a couple of lame film comedies, he's back on the air: Inhis surprisingly charming new show, A Minute With StanHooper (premiering October 29 on Fox), Macdonald stars as a TVcommentator who leaves Manhattan for rural Wisconsin. But thistime, it's Macdonald who's the sober straight man and the eccentrictownsfolk around him--from the diner owner to the local cheesemagnate--who land the punch lines. In person, though, the causticMacdonald can still spar like a champ. Your new show feels way gentler than the typical Fox fare. What's up with that?

November 3, 2003 – By: Adrienne DayBy its nature, emo refuses to be categorized, but in his debutbook, Spin senior contributing writer Andy Greenwald pinsdown the misunderstood genre and its teary-eyed, dedicatedlisteners. Taking its title from a Promise Ring song, NothingFeels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo is an enthusiasticand exhaustive journalistic account of the music's history, tracingits roots from D.C.

November 3, 2003 – By: Greg MilnerAll you really need to know about the way music affected a youngIggy Pop is that he had the same reaction to both Link Wray andJohn Coltrane: "What the fuck is this?" He's been inspiring thesame response in rock fans for more than three decades, first withlate-'60s/early-'70s punk legends the Stooges and later with hisinfluential solo albums. During a break in the recording of hislatest, Skull Ring, the indomitable Ig called from his MiamiBeach home raring to talk records: "Can I just take a deep breathand start going?" A. THE CHIFFONS "He's So Fine" (Laurie, 1963) "During my formativeyears ('64-'66), I was into the American-daydream 'emotionalistic' approach to youth music, as exemplified by the girl groups. 'He's So Fine' is basically ghetto music--this guy she's talking about is not a Ph.D. He's not even nine-to-five--he's just five.

October 31, 2003 – By: Spike JonzeBefore he was the acclaimed director of the mind-bending comediesBeing John Malkovich and Adaptation, Spike Jonze wasthe acclaimed director of mind-blowing videos for such artists asWeezer, Bjork, and Fatboy Slim. A new DVD, The Work of DirectorSpike Jonze, due out this month, crams 16 of his videos into asingle disc but offers no commentary from the 34-year-old boygenius himself. To make up for this omission, Jonze provided uswith his thoughts and reflections on some of his early efforts--andthen commented on his own commentary. BJORK - "IT'S OH SO QUIET" (The tiny songstress pirouettes her way through a city street.) "That was definitely the most complicated shoot I'd done to that point.

October 31, 2003 – By: Chuck KlostermanToday we are going to learn about the Strokes. We are going tolearn who the Strokes are—or at least who they are supposedto be. But this will not be easy: There will be holes. There willbe misdirection. And it will be up to you to fill in the gaps. Today we are going to learn about the Strokes. We are going to learn who the Strokes are—or at least who they are supposed to be. But this will not be easy: There will be holes. There will be misdirection. And it will be up to you to fill in the gaps. And this is intentional. "The one thing I've never understood about the media is this whole idea of the public's 'right to know.' Just because people want to know something does not mean they have a right to that information." Julian Casablancas is sitting in a diner in lower Manhattan, drinking a glass of water and considering how much he needs a cigarette.

October 30, 2003 – By: Andrew BeaujonUnless you skipped dinner, you probably didn't see Detroit nativeObie Trice on this summer's Rock the Mic tour--Eminem's latestprotege opened the shows at 6:30 P.M. "It's either this or the'hood," says former drug dealer Trice, stoically, minutes beforehis ten-minute set in Baltimore. Most people in the arena are stilllooking for their seats, but Trice, 25, hits the stage hard,barking his CD's release date every 20 seconds. After watchinglabelmate 50 Cent's album explode, he's ready. "It's time to go,"he says. "It's my time." Eminem (who had Trice record a vocal on "Without Me") executive-produced his Shady Records debut, Cheers, featuring the snaky single "Got Some Teeth," which is about going home with a less-than-fine young lady. Trice quickly points out that despite what happens in the song's video, he has never found his bedmate's choppers in a water glass.

October 30, 2003 – JULY 5: INDIANAPOLIS Andy Granelli: First day of the tour. We wereall really excited to play. We got ready: Istretched, Brody warmed up, Ryan drank abeer, and Tony smoked. Then God spat rainand wind from his anus, and they canceledour set.We cried like little babies. Actually, itwas okay, because we spent the day gettingused to everything. It's strange to be munchingon a tuna-and-potato-chipper and haveChris Cornell walk by with the Audioslaveguys in tow. It's even stranger to have themlook over and say "Hey." Brody Armstrong: First day of Lollapaloozaand we get rained out. I made friends withsome people from Indianapolis who broughtme moonshine, which makes your facepucker on the spot. It gets you drunk withinone minute.

October 27, 2003 – By: Alex PappademasIt's all about context. Genuine Jersey Shore hair-metal bands arekind of sad. But a group of New York City wiseacres pretending tobe a Jersey Shore hair-metal band? That's comedy gold. Or at leastcomedy bronze. In August, Satanicide--whose over-the-top songs anddim-witted stage demeanor flawlessly evoke heavy metal'sheyday--opened for Mr. Brownstone, a Guns N' Roses cover band, atManhattan's Tribeca Rock Club. Here's how they rocked. 11:10 P.M. "This is the best Zeppelin song!" a guy with a buzz cutexclaims. The song playing on the sound system is Heart's"Barracuda." The room is as hot and wet as the inside of a Crock-Pot. If I had a mullet, it would be sticking to the back of my neck. 11:15 P.M. Offstage, someone screams into a microphone: "NEWYORK CITY!

October 27, 2003 – By: Jason TanzTriumph the Insult Comic Dog has appeared on Late Night WithConan O'Brien, Hollywood Squares, and, infamously, onpast MTV Video Music Awards, where he begged to sniff J.Lo's buttand nearly came to blows with Eminem. This month, the trash-talkingrubber puppet (voiced by Saturday Night Live writer RobertSmigel) releases his debut CD, Come Poop With Me, whichfeatures such ditties as "Underage Bichon" and "Lick Myself." Wetook him out to a nearby dog run and got the straight poop. Triumph, every dog I've ever owned has died after a few years. How have you survived in this business for so long? The key is having dirt on everyone. A dog is like a four-legged fly on the wall. Your new album, Come Poop With Me, has taken longer to come out than David Gest. Why the delay? It takes me a long time to tune my guitar. Are the streets still feeling you?

October 24, 2003 – By: Ginny YangIn the midst of rising CD prices and RIAA lawsuits, Apple's iTuneshas been hailed as a ray of hope for the long-suffering musicindustry. The revolutionary music store recently celebrated its 10millionth download (at 99 cents a pop), offering a cheap and legalalternative for music-loving technophiles since debuting in April.However, the company's market has remained limited, since theservice did not reach the estimated 95 percent of computer userswho own PCs. As a result of the success of their Mac version,iTunes introduced an identical Windows format this past Thursday tothe increasingly competitive business of legal downloads. Despite being considered one of the best online music stores, Apple faces several rivals that threaten their Windows franchise. According to www.afternapster.com, there are still over 50 websites that offer illegal file sharing.