Last year, the Army undertook a war crimes probe, with, as evidence, some 4000 photos and videos from Afghanistan. Which sound in some cases really bad, and in some cases, in extremely poor taste: posing next to dead bodies alone seems like a gross way to pass the time. Apparently people really get into this: “Soldiers have told investigators that such photos of dead bodies were passed around like trading cards on thumb drives and other digital storage devices.” 12 soldiers in all have been charged, most of them for lesser crimes; five were charged regarding “premeditated murder.” Now Der Spiegel has just published three of the photographs, but apparently has access to a large number of them. And now, what will happen? “Commanders in Afghanistan are bracing themselves for possible riots and public fury triggered by the publication of ‘trophy’ photographs of US soldiers posing with the dead bodies of defenceless Afghan civilians they killed.” The first court martial will result in a guilty plea to murder — and evidence against the others involved.

What to even say? There’s more on this vitally important story here, but I am mostly surprised that they call it “pop” out in the Emerald City. I thought that was just a midwestern thing. Anyway… what a world. [Via]

Happy spring, everybody! There’s some snow on the way. Because, you know, why wouldn’t there be?

So, despite our advice, you just couldn’t help yourself. You HAD TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE MOON THIS WEEKEND, didn’t you? Even NASA got in on the act. I am sorely disappointed with all of you, but particularly NY1 mainstay Pat Kiernan, who put aside his initial skepticism and helped validate the satellite’s attention-seeking ways. Bad show, everyone.

“I have ugly news for you. The dinner napkin today is a fraction of its former self. And it matters less and less where you eat or shop. What seemed reasonably gigantic to me is becoming a thing of the past.”

The British bass guitarist Terence “Jet” Harris died of cancer on Friday at the age of 71. I had never heard his name before, I don’t think (and what an awesome name it is!) Though I’d heard and enjoyed some of his music — and, even more so, a lot of music that was made out of other recordings and samplings of music that he recorded first. And his life, I’ve learned over the past couple days, was a story of both great victory and sadness.

Harris, who was super good-looking, earned his nickname with his speed on the sprinter’s track at his North London high school. But he became famous a few years later, as the ’50s turned into the ’60s, playing bass in the Shadows, the back-up band for England’s biggest pre-Beatles rock star, Cliff Richard. Richard’s name I knew well, but mostly from the ’80s BBC sitcom The Young Ones. Because Rik, the hilariously annoying character played by the show’s creator Rik Mayal, was obsessed with him to the point of reciting poetic odes.

The Young Ones was about my favorite thing in the world in 1986, when MTV broadcast it stateside. But again, Rik was not a sympathetic character, so I never went out and bought any Cliff Richard records. In fact, I didn’t even know back then that song that played during The Young Ones’ opening credits was a cover of a Cliff Richard and the Shadows song — the title song from a 1961 movie in which Richard had starred.

But it’s another song that Jet Harris played on that has had the most profound historical impact. In June 1960 the Shadows, with Cliff Richard playing minor percussion, recorded an instrumental track written by composer Jerry Lordon. “Apache,” it was called.

“Apache” has been recorded by many other artists over the years: Jorgen Ingmann, the Ventures. Most importantly, in 1973, by Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band.

The Incredible Bongo Band version is so important because it became a favorite of DJ Kool Herc, who would spin it at the original hip-hop parties in the mid-70s Bronx. Herc has called “Apache” “the national anthem of hip-hop.” In 1981, the early rap group the Sugarhill Gang sampled the record and used it in a new song, also called “Apache,” that Native Americans would be forgiven for not liking.

This led to many, many further samplings by rap artists, from the Beastie Boys to Missy Elliott to Sir Mix-a-Lot.

To Nas, who used just a snippet to great effect on his 2003 hit, “Made You Look.”

Jet Harris’s time with the Shadows was short. Believing that his wife had had an affair with Cliff Richard, he left the band in 1962 to pursue a solo career — one that was very successful at the outset. He scored hits with a cover of the title theme from Otto Preminger’s 1955 film, The Man With the Golden Arm, and, joined by former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan, similarly twangy, atmospheric instrumental numbers like “Besame Mucho” and “Diamonds” and “Applejack.” His career came to an early end, though, effectively, in late 1963, after he sustained head injuries in a car accident. As the Telegraph reports,

Not long afterwards Harris stormed out of a television studio where he and Meehan were appearing on Ready, Steady, Go, went home and smashed all his guitars. He turned to drink, his career foundered, and after Applejack he made only three further singles, including Theme For A Fallen Idol (1975). A solo comeback in 1966 failed, and for 30 years he was prey to alcoholism. When his money ran out he took a series of temporary jobs — bus conductor, hospital porter, cockle-picker, bricklayer — to make ends meet.

Sad. But it’s nice to think that in 1964, even as the Beatles were upending the British music scene, and relegating the musical styles and stars that came before them to nostalgia bins and sitcom jokes, Jet Harris won a New Musical Express readers poll award, and he and his band the Innocents rocked the house at the attendant celebratory concert.

You know, when the house organs of the right started attacking teachers, I figured it was only a matter of time before they started going after the cops. I just didn’t reckon that it would happen so quickly.

Yesterday was Thursday! Forwards means backwards, and left is right. What a jerk this guy was, right?

He’s about as hard as Darth Vader, in his sweat shirt, khakis and Chuck Taylors. Like the Twitter of Valdis Zatlers. And I will never stand naked in front of you, or if I do, it won’t be for a long time. They are people who sometimes have strange obsessions and really cool cars.

And the weather wasn’t barely hot — did I mention that the sweater was a Jeremy Scott? “If they don’t consent to it, then it’s murder and not good.”

You’re hilarious, thanks for all the laughs — you’re garbage so I’m taking out the trash. Begin sketching thoughts about John Ashbery’s translation of Rimbaud into moleskin notebook. Saturday, wait! And Sunday always comes too late.

That is some headline: “Wildlife officials: Bears will be hungry in spring.” Sadly, this article is so focused on the pressing issue of bears awakening from hibernation with a hearty appetite that it fails to inform of the location in which the bears perform their defecatory routines, but I’m sure the industrious reporters at the Bennington Banner are pounding the pavement to solve that mystery as we speak.

Speaking of Lou Reed, when I first saw the title of Jim Jones’ new song, I fervently hoped he might be covering the symphonically depressing classic Danny Boyle used so effectively to soundtrack the overdose scene in Trainspotting. It turns out that the truth is even more odd than one man’s fervent hope.

A pretty blatant recasting of the Black Eyed Peas’ world-ruining “I Gotta Feelin’” (which has been watched 70 million times on YouTube) replete with autotune and not-very-good rapping that takes cues from Ice Cube’s “Today Was a Good Day,” Jones song has something about it, something I can’t quite put my finger on, that I like. Maybe it’s how gentle and friendly he sounds? Or maybe it’s the video, which is totally confusing and all-the-over-the-place. (A perfect day is spent visiting an old woman dying in a hospital? Or even stranger, providing medical treatment? I’m pretty sure this is the world’s first depiction of a rapping oncologist.) But still, in the end, it is somehow actually engendering of honest good feeling. Maybe it’s the fact Jim delivers his chorus in sign-language. Or that the video is dedicated to Jim’s aunt, Sally Jones, along with anyone else who has been affected by cancer. And to the United States soldiers overseas. And also to anyone with a hearing disability! This might be the greatest casting of a wide-net shout-out since ODB showed love to Suge Knight, Eskimos, the babies and schoolteachers, among others, at the end of “I Can’t Wait” (which is strangely not available in its original form on YouTube.) And so in Jones’ spirit, here’s wishing everybody a perfect weekend. It sure is nice outside.