Archived Features
A
Access Denied: The Bush Inauguaration | 01.22.01
Flak's correspondent goes to Washington to see the new president — and like most Americans, she's shut out. By Jessica Chapel
Allis on Allis | 10.03.07
23-year-old Ryan Allis says he will one day end world poverty. Flak got him on the phone to explain. By Cal Newport
And God Said, Let There Be Legos | 12.03.03
When you render the Bible's most violent, perplexing and salacious verses in Legos, you know you're in for a bright plastic bucket of controversy. By Andrew Harmon
Antrim, Donald: Interview | 04.01.00
A "pomo heavyweight" talks about doomed narrators and literary catharsis. By Eric Wittmershaus
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: It's Not What You Say | 03.30.05
The authoratative story behind how a talking meatball got his dangerous Southern drawl. By Kristen Elde
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Interview | 09.22.03
Two of Cartoon Network's überwriters take you behind the scenes of television's edgiest animated series. By James Norton
Arnoldy, Ben; In the Field With | 04.07.03
Csmonitor.com correspondent Benjamin Arnoldy emails Flak from Iraq to talk about gear, grunts, and the fine art of practicing online journalism in a warzone. By James Norton
Art, Inside and Out | 07.01.02
Pit a talented janitor against a society swinger and you get a good sense of what splits the world of art. By Martin Herbert
B
Battle of the Geeks | 04.11.03
Multiple Spocks and Darth Vaders challenge a legion of Mets fans for the title of "geekiest geeks." Who takes it? Whose maladjustment reigns supreme? By Doug Miller
Badly Drawn Boy | 12.04.00
An account of indie rocker Badly Drawn Boy's San Francisco show, and the oddities it featured. By Eric Wittmershaus
Boddingtons, In Defense Of | 12.20.04
An English community puts itself on the picket line in defense of a classic local brew. By Louis Cooke
Below the Beltway | 11.15.98
A (very) rough guide to interning in the nation's capital. By Jeff DeMartino
Berlin Love Parade | 05.04.99
Berlin's annual Love Parade combines booming techno, free love and major marketing. By Adam Lazar
Best Music of 1999 | 01.31.00
Three white guys reflect on the year's most indispensible albums. By Flak Staff
Best of the '90s: Books | 01.11.01
From cover to cover, Flak Magazine brings you the best in literature from the '90s - one piece at a time. By Flak Staff
Best of the '90s: Film | 01.03.01
Seven of the most influential — and worst — developments of film in the 1990s. By Flak Staff
Best of the '90s: Music | 01.29.01
A collection of cover tunes that rocked the decade. By Flak Staff
Best of the '90s: Politics | 02.02.01
The stories you remember, and the more important stories you probably missed. By Flak Staff
Best Music of 2001 | Gold Teeth and a Curse for this Town | 01.10.02
Flak's music writers put together Gold Teeth and a Curse for this Town, their very own mix CD of 2001's best music. By Flak Staff
Best Music of 2002 | Got No Songs on the Radio | 01.31.03
Like the 2001 one, but with mp3s for one month only. By Flak Staff
bissett, bill: unconventional words | 11.29.01
How do you interview a Canadian poet who pronounces the word "flower" with eleven distinct syllables? By David Silverberg
Blood, Murder and Redemption: Part 1 | 05.21.02
Looking on as the bloodiest chapter of the civil rights era is reopened, then closed for good. By Andrew Beck Grace
Blood, Murder and Redemption: Part 2 | 05.24.02
Courtroom ploys can't stop a guilty verdict, 38 years in the making. By Andrew Beck Grace
Board, Mykel: Interview | 10.27.05
Don't call Mykel Board's "Even a Daughter Is Better than Nothing" a "travel book." By James Norton
Bratwurst | For Better or Bratwurst | 09.23.03
An end-of-summer tribute to the peril and pleasure of meat in casing. By Flak Staff
Bud vs. Bud | 04.18.01
What happens when American brewing giant Anheuser-Busch is challenged by a distinguished little Czech upstart with a 600-year-old pedigree? By George Cerny
BuyaWar.com | 02.17.03
Happy Presidents Day, Mr. President. A plan to help fund the upcoming war with Iraq. By Flak Staff
C, D, E
California Dreaming | 08.15.07
In a monastery in the California desert, a group of Coptic Orthodox monks are dreaming of Egypt. By Mark Goldrup
Campbell, Bruce: Interview | 09.02.05
Cinema's most chiseled zombie slayer on imagining his way into the
Hollywood big time, the ascendance of the B movies and the 20 years it
took him to get a screaming brain out of his head. By Mark E. Hayes
Cartoonists of Flak: The Interviews | 2007
The artists of Flak's Comics page, interviewed. Includes:
Nicholas Gurewitch | Perry Bible Fellowship
Ian Stacey | Wet Paint
Kevin Forbes | Simulated Comic Product
Chickclick | 09.21.99
Grrrls have hit the Web, and they've built their own funhouse. By Sara Brenneis
Clowes, Daniel: Interview | 08.10.05
Flak goes one-on-one with the creator of "Ice Haven," Ghost World and Art School Confidential. By James Norton
Coop: Interview | 01.21.02
The high priest of lowbrow art talks about band posters, Zippo lighters and the Church of Satan. By Mark Yarm
Czechs Just Want to Have Fun | 11.15.00
In Prague, it's always 1983, and the Bangles are just warmin' up. By George Cerny
Danielewski, Mark Z.: Profile | 05.06.00
A multimedia extravaganza exploring "House of Leaves" and its aggressively creative author. By Eric Wittmershaus
The Dead Wrestlers Society | 11.27.07
Peel away the mask of the professional wrestler and you stare into the face of death: by drugs, by violence, and by the ravages of The Sickness. By Michael Frissore
Devils We Know | 03.12.99
A pan-Flak look at some of our very favorite, most cuddly major corporations. By Flak Magazine
Dispatch From a Domesticated APE | 04.26.05
Fangirls, bodysuits, and Web comics. Oh my. By Eve Adams
The Droplift Project | 05.04.01
A form of consumer activism as absurd as it is subversive, droplifting has the potential to change the retail music climate, or at least provide a degree of strange personal amusement. By Susannah Felts
E-books: The Next Chapter | 11.02.00
Are small, portable electronic books going to be huge — or are they going the way of the Betamax? By Sean O'Neill
Eggers, Dave: Ironic Giant | 03.02.00
The founding father of McSweeney's and the author of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" gives a very special book reading. By Eric Wittmershaus
F, G, H
Fear and Loathing in Philadelphia | 07.29.00
A single helpless Flak reporter, swept up in the terror that is the Republican National Convention. By James Norton
Fighting for the Future | 01.30.02
Meet the dynamists and the stasists, the two groups journalist Virginia Postrel believes will define the future. By Edward B. Driscoll
Flak Transworld Express | 12.05.98
Americans abroad observe foreigners observing America. By Flak Staff
Dan Flavin: A Retrospective | 07.12.05
Minimalism and the power of pure light combine to create something profound. By Aemilia Scott
From Propaganda to Nostalgia: The Decaying Disneyland of Moscow | 01.25.05
An American in the Gaza Strip reports what it's like to be on the receiving end of Israeli airpower. By Matthew Davis
Gaza Diary | 04.05.02
An American in the Gaza Strip reports what it's like to be on the receiving end of Israeli airpower. By Benjamin Granby
Goad, Jim: Indie Media Darling | 06.13.01
He's a convicted domestic abuser whose most famous article is called "Let's Hear it for Violence Toward Women." Why has the independent arts and media community embraced Jim Goad as a brilliant, misunderstood satirist? By Julia Lipman
God: A Review | 10.07.00
Our higher power — or lack thereof — is reviewed, dismissed, embraced and contemplated. By Flak Staff
Gunn, James: Interview | 09.30.00
Author/screenwriter James Gunn talks about his comicbook world, and his upcoming film: The Specials. By Eric Wittmershaus
Gurewitch, Nicholas: Interview | 08.27.07
Nicholas Gurewitch talks about the upcoming Perry Bible Fellowship book, the evolution of his many artistic styles and the temptation to tinker with published work. By James Norton
The Hanging Garments of Baby-lon | 11.19.07
Why is no one talking about the fact that 99 percent of women's clothing right now makes us look pregnant? By J.D. Nordell and Darby Saxbe
How to Win Friends and Influence YouTube | 10.16.07
Tracking down the elusive secret of YouTube superstardom. By Jeremy Foster
A Hunt on the Run | 02.23.05
A tradition-friendly nation tries to decide whether the fox hunt ban is about animal rights or class warfare. By Louis Cooke
On the Ground in Haiti | 04.22.02
A journalist's first-person account of the final days of the Jean-Bertrand Aristide regime in Haiti. Part 1 of 3. By Carmen Gentile
Homestar Runner Breaks from the Pack | 11.07.02
One of the best animation sites on the Web is defiantly independent — and the size of its audience is shooting through the roof. By James Norton
Honesty is the Best Policy | 11.31.98
Is honesty really "the best policy"? A Flak reporter investigates. By Eric Wittmershaus
Horowitz, David: Interview | 03.21.01
David Horowitz has used a series of ads in campus newspapers to catapult himself — and his conservative causes — into a very bright public spotlight. By Julia Lipman
Hospitality of Ruins, The | 07.02.01
An American in Syria and Lebanon finds the wreckage of war and the warmth of people both battered and proud. By Benjamin Granby
I, J, K, L
Ironminds: Rust and Renewal | 09.26.00
An online magazine goes from blissfully poor to miserably well-off to... free. By Julia Lipman
Isay, David: Listening Closely | 02.24.01
David Isay's "anti-People magazine" approach to radio reportage paints unforgettable portaits in sound. By Sean O'Neill
Island Like No Other, An | 10.18.98
A long-lost Croatian island regains contact with the outside world. By Clay Risen
Candidate Kerry | 08.05.04
Everybody at the Democratic National Convention was all about John Kerry. But what about voters? By Peter Herrick
Kidd, Chip: Going Cover to Cover | 11.13.01
Chip Kidd's new novel, "The Cheese Monkeys," straddles the worlds of graphic design and fiction. By James Norton
Knight, Keith: Drawing Outside the Box | 11.06.03
The comics page, long the domain of the lily-white, is being stormed by a new generation of artists. Keith Knight is leading the charge. By Adam Finley
Legos, And God Said Let There Be | 12.03.03
When you render the Bible's most violent, perplexing and salacious verses in Legos, you know you're in for a bright plastic bucket of controversy. By Andrew Harmon
Lifehacker 2.0 | 08.13.07
Millions of people are embracing the idea that life is as easily and productively modifiable as a Dell computer. By Cal Newport
Living on Laughs | 04.12.01
Modern Humorist has an unusual trajectory for a commercial website: up. Includes an interview with "My First Presidentiary" co-authors Kevin Guilfoile and John Warner. By James Norton
M
MacFarlane, Seth | 11.30.03
Bouyed by explosive DVD sales and fan support, the creator of "Family Guy" is on the cusp of some epic new mischief.
By James Norton
Make Way for the Bulls | 11.07.00
A small, young group of insurgent Republicans wants to change their party from the inside. By Clay Risen
Marriage Meets Modem in Modern India | 12.11.00
Deciphering an Indian personals ad is tantamount to deciphering an entire culture. By Rohit Gupta
Martin and Me | 11.29.00
Dead German artist Martin Kippenberger follows a reporter on a trip across the world. By Clay Risen
Millionaire, Tony: Interview | 10.15.00
Cartoonist Tony Millionaire explores the twisted fruit of his imagination, and the blurry line between art and craft. By James Norton
Monkeyshines | 06.18.01
The search is on for the truth behind New Delhi's ferocious, elusive, man-sized monkey. By Rohit Gupta
Morris, Edmund: Interview | 07.11.99
An interview with the author of the controversial, semi-fictionalized memoir of Ronald Reagan. By Eric Wittmershaus
Mozie, Dana: You Down Wit' GOP? | 01.29.04
One of the country's rare "hip-hop Republicans" weighs in on politics, rap and the failure of black Democratic leaders. By Andy Behrens
Mumbai Reflections | 02.09.01
An Indian and an American discuss the sprawling city of Mumbai — better known in the West as Bombay. By Rohit Gupta and Benjamin Arnoldy
N, O, P, Q, R
Nostalgia Now: Hauntology's Specter | 12.10.07
Enter into the lexicon an unlikely buzzword — "hauntology" — and the musical contrarians it describes. By Andrew Stout
Our Nation's Elderly | 12.17.98
Are our nation's elderly getting the hook-up they need to stay super-high? By Brett La Frombois
Pierce, Charlie: Interview | 04.22.00
Author Charlie Pierce on the sorrow of losing one's mind. By Ben Welch
Pollack, Neal: Interview | 02.18.01
With a credit-card-financed book tour and an unconventional business model, Neal Pollack and McSweeney's Books quietly shake publishing's foundations. Story by Eric Wittmershaus, graphic by Jeff Avila
The Quarterlife Project | 06.19.07
Can the dreaded "quarterlife crisis" be conquered? Actually — does it even exist? Flak mounts a five-day investigation into the angst of being young. By Cal Newport
Rolling Thunder Democracy tour | 06.25.02
Add an excitable crowd of progressives to a Chicago park and you get a mind-blowing amount of organic food boosterism. Who knew? By Joshua Adams
Rural Stories, Urban Listeners | 12.11.02
How author Verlyn Klinkenborg raises pigs, ponders the complexity of rural living and writes editorials for one of the world's most powerful newspapers. By James Norton
Rudoren, Gary: An Interview | 07.17.07
The co-author of Comedy by the Numbers talks about improv, working with Bob Odenkirk, and his double life as an architect. By Aemilia Scott
S
Sahara Hotnights Professionals | 05.05.03
Sweden's cuter, worthier version of Wayne and Garth takes the US by storm. By Patricia O'Cone
The Satirist Next Door | 10.19.07
Fake celebrity blogs challenge the foundations of modern professional humor production. By Cal Newport
Schamus, James: Interview | 12.22.00
The screenwriter for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon talks about one of strangest collaborations in modern film, and how it produced an artistic and commercial sensation. By Eric Wittmershaus
The Secret History of Fark | 09.30.02
Fark.com brings 350,000 visitors a day. How? While some might argue that it's all about the  , creator Drew Curtis explains how an online house party ballooned into the online equivalent of Mardi Gras.
By Benjamin Arnoldy
Seth MacFarlane's Third Act | 11.30.03
Bouyed by explosive DVD sales and fan support, the creator of "Family Guy" is on the cusp of some epic new mischief.
By James Norton
South Africa AIDS Journal | 08.29.01
An American activist travels near the epicenter of the African AIDS epidemic, and gauges the gathering storm. By Benjamin Wikler
The Splog | 07.20.04
A blog concerning all things spam.
Sundance | 03.26.00
The grand old lady of American independent film festivals is withering into a batty, commercialized tart. By Stephanie Kuenn
Sunsets | 11.28.98
A co-founder of Giant Robot magazine makes the leap from editor to filmmaker. By Jeremy Richards
Spanish-American Movie War, The | 02.02.99
Spain's sharpest cinematic output — and why America can't seem to see it. By Sara Brenneis
T, U, V
Tatara, Paul! | 10.30.02
Banished from CNN.com, film critic Paul Tatara still speaks truth to Hollywood's copious schlock — and he caps it with an exclamation point. By Bob Cook
They Might Be Giants: Interview | 10.28.98
John Linnel, one of the clown princes of pop, weighs in on the new live album and the future of They Might Be Giants. By James Norton
A Tolkien of Our Affection | 12.19.01
A consideration of one of the 20th century's seminal works as it enters the 21st century … and the multiplexes. By Flak Staff
Tuk Tuk Ruse, The | 09.12.07
Think twice before accepting that invitation to the Bangkok gem expo. By Eric Hananoki
Unclaimed Baggage Center | 02.14.99
A taboo-defying trip to the secret land of missing baggage. By Clay Risen
Valentine's Day Massacre | 02.14.02
What's wrong with V-Day? Let us count the ways. By Flak Staff
The Venice Biennale | 09.07.05
The most interesting thing at the 102-year-old international art orgie isn't the art. By Aemilia Scott
The Venice Biennale, Pt. 2 | 09.21.05
Artists have to smash idols, while also epitomizing a time and place in their culture with the clarity of a roadmap. The problem is that it is almost impossible to do both at the same time. By Aemilia Scott
The Venice Biennale and Documenta | 08.20.07
A critical report from the art world's nexus of commerce, compromise and the passionate expression of deeply felt things. By Aemilia Scott
The Venice Biennale: The Art of Felix Gonzalez-Torres | 08.21.07
A closer look at a minimalist who gives meaning by taking away matter. By Aemilia Scott
Video Gaming as Spectator Sport | 12.08.04
Why play the game when you can sit back and watch? By Andrew LaVallee
W, X, Y, Z
Walker, Rob: Interview | 07.27.05
The author of "Letters From New Orleans" peels back the city's mask. By James Norton
Waters, John: Interview | 08.11.00
The professionally outrageous director of Cecil B. DeMented weighs in on gross-out effects, criminal filmmaking and the cult of movies. By Eric Wittmershaus
Welsh, Irvine: Curator of the Streets | 06.21.01
Fleshy dialogue and hard-edged morality from Scotland's reigning storyteller of the urban rabble. By Benjamin Arnoldy
Why They Hate Us Weblog | 03.15.02
An ongoing online chronicle of American culture: excess, ignorance and luxury. Huzzah! By Flak Staff
The Young and the Restless | 12.31.01
Life coaches. Quarterlife crises. Motivational speakers. It's never too early to hit the self-reassurance circuit. By Clay Risen
Zonday, Tay | 08.17.07
The YouTube hit "Chocolate Rain" may well be the most-listened to song of August 2007. Flak Radio lightly grills the man behind the music.
Disclaimer: All archive dates before 02.01.00 are estimated, not actual.
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