It took awhile, but finally some good footage of Die Antwoord’s hi-energy set at this year’s Austin City Limits popped up on the ‘net. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying that Ninja and Yolandi bring some fun to the party. Along with Neil Young, Barrington Levy and Iggy Pop, this was the highlight of ACL 2012 for me.
 

 
Leonard Cohen’s new album Old Ideas is being released next Tuesday. The critical reception has been ecstatic. Which thrills me because I have loved Cohen from the moment I heard “Suzanne” when I was 15 years old. He’s been a massive influence on my own music. My debt to him is deep.

Here’s something to hold you Cohen fans over until Old Ideas release: a brilliant performance by Mr. Cohen on Austin City Limits from 1988.
 

 
I attended Austin City Limits this year but somehow managed to miss Terrence Malick shooting footage with Christian Bale for a new film project.

Like most Malick projects, there is much mystery surrounding this film, virtually nothing is known about it, but that’s not surprising considering how private Malick is both in his personal and professional life. Seeing Malick in public is about as rare as seeing a white rhinoceros in Times Square.

Bale and Malick share similarly high standards in what they put on film so this has the potential to be very special. Malick’s last film Tree Of Life wasn’t perfect but what it lacked in narrative coherence it made up for in pure cinematic glory. No matter what Malick shoots you know its going to be extraordinary looking and occasionally consciousness-raising. How that translates to footage at a rock festival has me intrigued.

One thing that is known for certain about the movie is it ain’t the new Batman.
 

Via IndieWire