Tuesday, July 13 2010
Temporal Warp and Your Brain: Side Effects of Classics Hits Radio
Classic hits radio is a manifestation of the ancient oral cultural practices which never go away but rather interpenetrate modern literate culture in all kinds of ways: children's superstitions and playground rhymes; urban legends; chain letters and emails.
Friday, April 16 2010
Backyard Fiction a.k.a. the Great American Myth of Suburbia
Suburban discontent in Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road, John Updike's Couples and Richard Ford's Independence Day. The idea or myth of suburbia is just as real as the actual shopping centers, schools, etc.
Monday, March 22 2010
Georges Melies: The Most Important Filmmaker You’ve (Probably) Never Seen
It’s tempting to say that without Melies, there would be no Avatar, no vampire movies, no Star Wars or Star Trek, no special-effects extravaganzas, no docu-drama like Erin Brockovich, no animation, no Walt Disney, and no porn.
Friday, February 12 2010
The Velvet Underground’s Lost Chapter
Putting aside the music, the history of the Velvet Underground is marked not by innovation or inspiration, but by frustration and disappointment.
Thursday, June 25 2009
Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation and Advancing an Independent Black Cinema
In recent history, the myriad commercial and social reactions to so-called Blaxploitation films made feasible the rise of a robust, intelligent, and independent black cinema in the US.
Wednesday, September 24 2008
Living in Ghost World: Washington, DC
With US Presidential candidates vying for the best seat in the White House in mind, we revist an essay on what living in DC is like for the common man.
Tuesday, July 8 2008
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
The DVD of this title releases today. In memory of Strummer, Pop Past revists this special feature, Joe Strummer 1952-2002, originally published in December 2002.
Friday, May 9 2008
Godzilla: The Biggest Blockbuster
This summer's blockbusters got nothin' over the biggest, beastiest blockbuster of all...
