Rufus Wainwright Releases "Out of the Game" Video

A trio of Rufuses step in to frustrate librarian
Helena Bonham Carter (and sing the choruses, as well).

With buzz already building for Rufus Wainwright's upcoming album "Out of the Game," the Canadian-born pop star released the video for the album's title track. The video follows frustrated librarian Helena Bonham Carter as she struggles to cope with her disheartening vocation and a trio of misbehaving Rufus Wainwrights. With a vaguely country/folk musical setting, with Wainwright's obvious penchant for operatic grandiosity, the track is (not surprisingly) a wonderful listen.

Bonnaroo Announces 2012 Comedy Lineup

A few short months after dropping a stellar list of bands for 2012's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (including Radiohead, the Beach Boys, Bon Iver, Phish, Skrillex, Das Racist, tUnE-yArDs, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers just to name a few), the folks behind the four-day affair in Manchester, TN announced their hotly anticipated comedy lineup, which has been a festival mainstay since 2005. This year's roster of funny folk does not disappoint. We already knew Aziz Ansari would be performing since his name was announced with the initial offering of bands, but he will now be joined by comedy greats such as Steven Wright, Brian Posehn, and "World Champion" Judah Friedlander (perhaps best known as supernerd Frank on 30 Rock). The festival's official website promises more names have yet to be announced, but be sure to check out the full list so far after the jump.

From the 'Net: Look At This Fucking Jeopardy Contestant

Image courtesy of http://lookatthisjeopardycontestant.tumblr.com/

If someone says "classic game show," the first thing that should come to mind is the timeless quiz show known as Jeopardy! (If you said Wheel of Fortune, get the hell out of my sight.) For over four decades, Jeopardy has been a regular fixture in American households and continues to enjoy regular viewership from every demographic.We here at the Myxem staff are huge fans; I've got my DVR set to record every episode and recently took a test to appear as a contestant (a lifelong dream of mine, wish me luck!).

Now, being the cynical sort of fellow that I am, I've been known to poke fun at contestans, pick favorites, and root for others to fail miserably. I laugh at their misfortunes and revel in their successes. As such, I was absolutely thrilled when I stumbled across a Tumblr page entitled "Look At This Fucking Jeopardy Contestant", updated regularly with pithy observations, anti-contestant rants (the blogger who runs the site is particularly concerned by contestants who don't dress up to appear on television), and hilarious/perfectly timed screen captures. It's all way funnier than I'm making it sound. Be sure to stop by at http://lookatthisjeopardycontestant.tumblr.com/ and check out a few of our favorite pictures after the jump.

Earl Scruggs, Banjo Pioneer, Passed Away at 88

Earl Scruggs, front, with long time partner Lester Flatt, rear

Out of Nashville Wednesday morning came the unfortunate news of banjo legend Earl Scruggs' passing at the age of 88. A true pioneer of the banjo, Scruggs not only popularized the instrument, but developed and perfected a playing style that was wholly his own. Known simply as "Scruggs Style," it uses the thumb, index and middle fingers to pick strings in rapid succession. While that may not sound revolutionary, it is important to bear in mind that Scruggs Style is credited with introducing the banjo to bluegrass music.

In 1945, when Scruggs joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, the banjo was seen as little more than a novelty instrument, a holdover from the antebellum south. When they hit the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, Scruggs' unique picking style would bring new life to the instrument and the Blue Grass Boys' lineup (upright bass, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo) would become the de facto standard for many bluegrass bands to follow.

In 1948, he and guitarist Lester Flatt split from Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys to form the Foggy Mountain Boys, later simply known as Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt and Scruggs recorded "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," whose syncopated banjo and soaring fiddle is immediately recognizable. Featured prominently in the 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde, the piece has been twice honored with a Grammy Award. In 1962, Flatt, Scruggs and vocalist Jerry Scoggins would record "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the story of a man named Jed, the rural mountaineer that winds up in the Hills of Beverly.

The duo would perform together until 1969, when Scruggs' open-mindedness, such as adding Bob Dylan songs to their repertoire, conflicted with Flatt's conservatism and the duo dissolved. The duo would go on to be inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1991 and '92, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in Kentucky and received the National Medal of the Arts, respectively. 


As a pioneer of the banjo, Scruggs' legacy is cemented in the rich musical heritage he helped to create. Bela Fleck, banjo virtuoso and newgrass pioneer, cites Scruggs as an influence. It's obvious to make the connection, Scruggs' pioneering work in changing the public perception of the banjo by changing the way it was played would obviously influence Fleck, whose genre-bending banjo playing has revolutionized the instrument again. Now, we can hear Scruggs' work even on Top 40 radio and through major national acts, as The Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, and The Carolina Chocolate Drops once again bring the syncopated Scruggs' style of banjo to a large national audience.