We heart Iron Chef
The Fine Living Network (which honestly we’d never even noticed before) started replaying the original Iron Chef this week—as in the Japanese version, not the crappy American spin-off with bobblehead chefs Bobby Flay and that Italian dude. This is the real deal with Chairman Kaga in all his flamboyant glory in Kitchen Stadium. Back in the day, we spent many a Friday night watching this oddly mesmerizing show. Nothing says quality television like chefs in shiny colorful costumes rising on hydraulics. And the secret ingredient? It’s just too much. It’s like food theater!

That’s how we got hooked on Masaharu Morimoto, the Iron Chef of Japanese cooking. We have had the pleasure of meeting him twice at his restaurant in Philadelphia, where he was actually making our sushi. (And give the guy credit for launching his Rogue line of beer.) Anyway, if you’ve never seen Iron Chef, you must. Every night at 11pm. 
[photo: fineliving.com/Fuji Television Network]

Tom Waits playing in Knoxville
We picked up a Mountain Xpress yesterday and flipping through, out of nowhere, we see this big picture of Tom Waits. He’s touring. And playing Knoxville. The Glitter and Doom Tour went on sale at 9am this morning. The awesome hubby got us orchestra seats, though a credit card glitch bumped us from row C to row T. At $85 per ticket, it’s pricey, but being that he tours so infrequently—and we had a Tom Waits song as our non-traditional bridal dance—we would not miss it for the world. For more stuff on Tom, go to the Library.

“We’re going to the deep south where they still love a man who wears red pants and they make him feel welcome.”

We leave you with this fine performance of 1985’s Rain Dogs.

[someecards.com]

Find more photos like this on w.a.s.t.e. central

Radiohead rocks
We got a little break this weekend (whew!) with a trip to the old stomping grounds of Charlotte to see Radiohead kick some rock butt and have brunch for Mother’s Day. (Today is Mother’s Day.) While at the show, the other half was plowing through the sold-out crowd to find our friend, John, when he hears “Bruisin’ Ales! Bruisin’ Ales!” Wow. It might have been more appropriate to yell “Karma Police!” or something, but hey, we’re flattered. [Photostream: w.a.s.t.e./Jonny Greenwood]

It’s been some time since we’ve been to the amphitheater and could not believe the price of concessions. To go along with the outrageous food prices, try mustering the courage to spend $9 on a tall boy of Icehouse. Ugh. The alternative? Only $11 for draft of Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat, Newcastle Brown, Stella Artois, and some other stuff we had never even heard of.

Doodling on money
Found this on Boing Boing, which gave a good chuckle. JoeD! on flickr does characters of past presidents. We like Mr. Peanut Washington and Rainbow Bright Hamilton. Whole set.

Two movies we recommend
The Outdoorsmen: A wild scene of testerone and beer. A bunch of “responsible husbands, fathers, and co-workers” gather somewhere in the wilderness of Washington for just one weekend a year and partake in a self-stylized series of physically challenging events. All combined with beer. You must see to believe. Watch the trailer.

Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: A(nother) retrospective and tribute to our favorite Gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson’s wild ride of a life. With commentary from family, and celebs like Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Benecio del Toro, Sean Pean, as well as his long-time artist and friend, Ralph Steadman. Might be time to revisit The Rum Diary, which is also being made into a movie.

The upcoming election wearing you down? Mom R. sent us this parody today. We used to love the Three Stooges with Grandpa Earl while he ate popcorn and drank a beer, so we love this, too. Oh, the joys of Photoshop.

[DeesIllustration.com]

 

The Orange Peel rocks
How we missed this story is beyond us, but Ashvegas reports that the Orange Peel was just named one of the top five clubs in the U.S. by Rolling Stone. We love the new entrance there, by the way. It’s nice to have a place to hang and relax. And they have Asheville Pizza slices with Shiva on-tap!

Brixx Pizza coming to town
Brixx is coming to Long Shoal’s Road. We ate at the original Brixx in Charlotte some years ago and still love the place. They have good beer, too.

Brewgrass tickets are on sale now
Tickets for the ‘08 Brewgrass Festival are on sale now. Go get ‘em! They always sell out. You can keep up with the music line-up here. Our friends in Brushfire Stankgrass are playing.

Please don’t bring this beer to the U.S.
Gross. (second paragraph)