But as the LA Times‘ Show Tracker blog points out, this was not the first time the song had appeared on TV. It actually showed up in an animated Beatles cartoon, which you can watch here, below. But do check out Show Tracker for more.

Adam Yauch — aka MCA — of the Beastie Boys has died

I can’t believe it either.

Small May 5 update: The story’s everywhere now. And then there’s this “News in Photos” gag from The Onion.

Not big news, just kinda cool.

From the "Mixtape" cover

The announcement I just saw about rapper A Cultivator (yes, that’s his name, “A Cultivator”) made a big deal like he’s the first person to bring rap and dharma together. But that’s hardly true — if you’ve been visiting the Horse for a while you know there’s been plenty of that. But that doesn’t make the idea any less worthwhile. Of course, with rap, so much is in the delivery, so you’ll have to see for yourself how A Cultivator stacks up, but you can do that by downloading his “Buddhist Hip Hop Mixtape” for free. Click here. From Skillful Methods Records, whose mission, they say, is “to build a movement based on the deepest values and meanings by which people live and contribute the art that will encourage and advance all toward the realization of enlightenment.”

Note: a little Googling seems to suggest that A Cultivator is down with Dorje Chang Buddha III, a spiritual teacher who’s been the subject of some notable controversy and criticism.

That’s right. It’s the sign for a Portuguese strip club called the Buda Bar. It came to my attention by way of Bruno Fernandes, who knows a thing or two about deftly blending Buddhist thought with modern approaches; Bruno is the vocalist and lyricist for the excellent metal band, The Firstborn, whose lyrical content is very much informed by Bruno’s Buddhist practice. (I’ve covered The Firstborn, who describe their music as “Extreme Metal with Oriental influences and a concept dealing with Buddhist philosophy” a few times before on The Worst Horse and in the Shambhala Sun magazine, too.)

Bruno sent me the above photo with a note: “Recently opened, right next door to our rehearsal room… Talk about karma!” So I asked him if it really is a strip club, and he answered, “That and much more, or so I’m told… I’ve never gone inside so I don’t know if there’s some sort of Buddhist theme in regards to interior design and decoration, but I can assure you the people don’t seem to come out enlightened, only lighter on their wallets!”

Like Bruno, I try to have a sense of humor about these things. Still, I’m left wondering: Why would they do this? It’s not even that it’s offensive — which, to many, it certainly is — it’s more that there’s nothing “sexy” about this at all. Just who are they trying to attract with this unusual signage?

And how do you react when you see this kind of thing?

(PS: The Firstborn have a new album coming out, called “Lions Among Men.” Check them out online, here.)

And The Cult’s weapon of choice? The dorje – in Buddhism, a symbol of enlightenment. In a new Rolling Stone article, we’re told the “shamanic figure” on the LP’s cover, seen here, is holding a dorje… but I must confess I’m not quite able to make it out. (Perhaps in full-size?) Anyway, Astbury talks about the dorje, and a lot more — really, worth the quick read — in the interview, here.

And if you wanna hear “Lucifer,” the lead single from the record, you preview it via the Rolling Stone link above, or download it via the band’s website.

You can listen to the band’s whole new LP online here.

There’s a video, too:

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN – COUNTING TRACK from LZKA on Vimeo.

More from Pitchfork:

I always wondered what happened to those guys. Well, now I have some answers, thanks to Marc Maron and the newest installation of his fantastic comedy-insider podcast, WTF, which features non-comedian Dr. Stephen Dansiger – psychotherapist, happy family man, and lifetime musician who’s played with some great bands, including Pianosaurus. So: why is this relevant to this blog? Well, Dansiger is also a Zen meditator now. (He’s friends, too, with Josh Korda of Dharma Punx.) And he talks about all of this, and how he’s gotten to the other side of some seriously rough times, on WTF. Click here to listen online. Or download via iTunes.

Warning: if you’re not comfortable with the word that the “F” in “WTF” represents, this won’t be easy listening for you. But it’s a good listen nonetheless.

Small mouths, bloated bellies, thin necks. No, this is not a description of our high school prom dates but of the fabled hungry ghost, a supernatural being often filled with more desire than one could possibly consume. Completely driven by unfulfilled cravings, they want nothing more than satisfaction that’s never quite enough. Sound familiar? Pittsburgh-based White Wives dive head first into this age-old yet always relevant theme in their video for “Hungry Ghost”, a garage-punk/alt-rock anthem that serves as the third track off their debut LP, Happeners.

Here’s the video — and head over to CoS for more info and White Wives tour dates.

White Wives – Hungry Ghost from Cluster 1 on Vimeo.

Barn Owl from auraloptic on Vimeo.

Another act that played SFZC was Date Palms. Click here for that.