Katy Perry’s “Roar”: Why This Song Sucks

[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times (and Katy Perry’s “Roar.”] History: Katy Perry was born in 1984, except back then people called her “Katy Hudson” because that’s her real name. In 2001, she was like, “You know…

Top 5 Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Art, cars, and The Devil’s Carnival round out this week’s must-attend events in Phoenix. “Steampunk: The Exquisite Adventure” @ Scottsdale Civic Center Library It isn’t hard to see the beauty of the world of steampunk, where retro-dreams meet futuristic imagination. Spanning literature, fashion, film, and art, the culture has taken…

Top 5 Must-See Phoenix Shows This Week

If you’re listening to Christmas music already and you don’t live or work inside a Macy’s, I believe very strongly that you’re doing something wrong. Nevertheless, it is not in the spirit of Christmas (music) for me to shun you until the day after Thanksgiving, when I literally transform into…

Top 5 Must-See Phoenix Shows This Weekend

Final Halloween costume-related update: At least one of these weekend shows will offer you a discounted ticket in exchange for coming in costume, which is a little like getting a free meal for dragging your Christmas tree somewhere in February. If you’d like to know which one, you can just…

Top 5 Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

From post-Halloween to-dos and sporting events to quirky conventions and artsy endeavors, here’s how to spend this weekend in and around Phoenix. Arizona Zombie Prom @ Fear Farm Who doesn’t remember their first prom? That magical night of dead flower corsages, zombies, and chipping in to rent a hearse with…

Kevin Devine: Kickstarter Success “Was Bonkers”

by Chris Parker “For a long time, you’re chasing being thought of as this terminally unique snowflake,” says Brooklyn singer/songwriter Kevin Devine. “And then you kind of realize you’re a worker among workers — and you put your boots on.” The 33-year-old musician is reflecting on the reverse metamorphosis that…

10 Best DJs in Metro Phoenix

Any time you go out to a club in Phoenix, you’re putting your night in the DJ’s hands. Sure: You’ll pick the style of music you’d like to hear, and the venue, and the drinks. But if the DJ’s having a bad night, it’ll take an industrial-strength pair of earplugs…

6 High School Reasons to Stop Dating a Girl

flickr.com/suzijaneNot me and not someone I dated, but it may as well have beenEditor’s note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times. I went running the other morning. I used to run all the time. I was in shape and…

Top 5 Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Not to crap all over your case of the Mondays, but here are five events, from zombie dance parties to artsy endeavors, that’ll turn around this drab weekday. Psycho @ FilmBar Psycho remains a horror classic — and no, we do not mean the 1998 Gus Van Sant version, which…

Top 5 Must-See Phoenix Shows This Week

Do you have a Halloween costume yet? Okay, okay. Do you have two Halloween costumes yet? Just keep your audience in mind if you plan on starting the evening handing Krackel bars to seven-year-olds and ending it dancing with somebody who’s also wearing an Anthony Weiner costume. (View our complete…

Lou Reed Is Dead (1942-2013)

Tragic news broke this morning of the death of venerated rock ‘n’ roll vanguard Lou Reed. He was 71 years old. Rolling Stone first reported the passing of the rock and pop legend, who died from unspecified causes, early today in New York. He had undergone a liver transplant earlier…

Bishop Thomas Olmsted Is Pursuing a Vendetta Against the ADL

With the challenges and dangers that young students face today (online bullying, offline bullying, gossip, hate, and the increasingly common school shooting) programs like the Anti-Defamation League’s “World of Difference” has arguably never been more important. But Phoenix Catholic Bishop Thomas Olmsted disagrees…