The fashionista in question, far right, wearing the Antagonizing Brooklyn Vegan collection

Pic by Mackenzie Schmidt

​Not making this up. Heems now ranks among the "most stylish New Yorkers." His style: "Taliban street chic." Likes: Lizzie Owens, the Duke of Windsor, "My mom's closet." Dislikes: "Those kaffiyehs everyone wears. Dead that y'all." Apocalypse: Right on schedule.

​Here is a link to five-year-old music blog Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, which you will notice doesn't work, because Blogspot apparently wiped it out, much to PTST mastermind Patrick Duffy's public dismay. Reached out to him just now: He's waiting for an official explanation from Blogspot but has his suspicions:

​Here we have the young lady who just last week rapped "Money in the air/It's the best of all/'Cause I ball ball ball ball ball/No testicles" on David Letterman announcing a 50K bounty for her lost pink stuffed monkey. His nickname is "Osk." No idea why knowing the nickname of the lost pink stuffed monkey would be particularly useful, in terms of finding him, but hey, 50 Gs of young money, yours for the taking. (More info from our Miami cohorts here.)

Here we have the video (dirty version!) for "Enter the Ninja," from burgeoning Internet happening Die Antwoord, who deftly combine Flight of the Conchords, the creepier Aphex Twin videos, the Icy Hot Stuntaz, David Lynch, and a bunch of other stuff The Fader's probably big into that I personally know fuck-all about. Here is more information, complete with Google-trends charts and live Twitter updates. This is the world we live in.

Admittedly the chart is pretty rad

​So this lengthy, multimedia screed (thesis: "The rush to exalt Swift is (I believe) a desperate attempt to infuse our allegedly apocalypse-bound country with a palatable conservative ideology in the form of a complacent, repressed feminine ideal") is making the rounds. Ms. Swift is lambasted for a) blatantly promoting abstinence, b) overusing hackneyed lyrical themes (great chart for that, actually), c) not being as visually/sexually provocative as Lady Gaga, etc. Her lyrics lean on lazy high school tropes even though she was home-schooled and so forth. There's a strange "when I have kids, they'll listen to cool stuff" undertone, which, well, good luck. But here's the most notable problem:

​Here we have the Dean taking on our Rancid-covering, (briefly) chart-topping heroes, and of course, their haters. "This is all still privilege. But it's no closer to ruling-class power than it is to the affluence of the average American geekboy who gets to insult music he resents online." SHAZAM. As the guy who knows more about the music VW is allegedly stealing than anyone accusing them of stealing it, it's good to have Bob involved. Let's just say he has a way of dominating the conversation.

Here we have the gala Simon Cowell-produced R.E.M. cover, starring Susan Boyle, Mariah Carey, Michael Buble, Leona Lewis, Rod Stewart, and a gaggle of not-as-famous people. Not a good look. I don't have any problems until James Blunt shows up, and no major problems until Jon Bon Jovi starts howling the "Don't throw your hand" part, whereupon I have several major problems indeed. The Quietus, too, is not amused. Please leave Haitian release efforts to the experts, folks. Like Wyclef Jean.

​Courtesy of MySpace, but of course. Free Energy are SOTC-approved party-starters ("The most fun I'll see a room have all week," Zach once averred, and that was CMJ week, and Hot Chip's imminent One Night Stand is reliably excellent "Flight of the Conchords but (kind of) serious" electro-pop. Dress warm and be prepared to wait in line.

​From the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "Autopsy results released this morning in the death of Memphis musician Jay Reatard reveal that he died from 'cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death,' according to Shelby County Medical Examiner Karen E. Chancellor."

​Def Jux boss El-P has posted an open letter in response to widespread reports that the venerable underground hip-hop label was poised to shut down, announcing that that's not exactly what's happening. What is happening: El-P personally is "stepping away from my duties as artistic director for the label to concentrate on what I love most: being a producer and an artist full time." Def Jux will be put "on hiatus. We are not closing, but we are changing." What it's changing into is left pretty vague, other than the hoopty-into-a-hovercraft thing. Read the whole thing (a lotta wistful thank-yous ahoy) here.