Recent FeaturesMonday, June 29 2009
The Edge of Change: The Most Memorable Albums of 1999PopMatters is on our one-week summer publishing break, except for film and blogs. We return to our full publishing schedule on Monday, July 6. Meanwhile, explore the music of 1999 as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. [Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5]
2009 Silverdocs Documentary FestivalSilverdocs 2009 was a rewarding and refreshing event, offering classic and independent documentaries and previewing several that will crop up over the next year or two on TV and art house screens. Friday, June 26 2009
The Futility of Truth or Reconciliation in Waltz with BashirAlthough it examines culpability and responsibility in service of truth and reconciliation, this film fails to address the structures of power, and arguably perpetuates the very atrocities that it sets out to condemn.
Long Live the King: Remembering Michael JacksonAs the world mourns the passing of its definitive pop star, we must ask ourselves why his death means so much to us -- and where the legacy of one of the greatest entertainers of all time now stands. Wednesday, June 24 2009
Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain (Legacy Edition)The secret to creating music that stands the test of time is to create timeless music: Sketches of Spain was, and remains, quite unlike anything else created in the jazz idiom. Tuesday, June 23 2009
Aleksandar Hemon“Hell,” Hemon tells PopMatters 20 Questions, “is being stuck at an airport without a book, starving for thought, forced to watch CNN.” Heaven might be a bathtub full of Turkish coffee … Friday, June 19 2009
Bumming Smokes in Paris and London: George Orwell’s Obsession with TobaccoCigarette smoke so permeates George Orwell’s stories it almost leaves stains on one’s fingers when reading his books.
Primavera Sound: On the BeachProviding the perfect midway point between British and American festivals, Primavera Sound really is the best of both worlds. Thursday, June 18 2009
The New Games JournalismThe most useful moments for New Games Journalists are ones that occur in multiplayer, describing experiences that could never occur during just a general session of play.
The History of Comic ConventionsThis edition of "Iconographies" looks at the rise in popularity of the comics convention, and the pop-cultural changes conventions have brought to comics. Wednesday, June 17 2009
Dinosaur, Sr. or, Growing Old with (Prog) Rock and RollAs part of his own personal “See ‘em While They’re Still Standing” 2008-2009 Tour -- tracking how his old music heroes are aging -- one PopMatters writer checks in on Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. Tuesday, June 16 2009Pixelated Brains and New Media: Part TwoPixelated Brains continues... Today: “The Power of Story in the Digital Age” argues that the ancient art of storytelling emerges from the random bytes of factoids. “Screaming in Digital” asserts that we are permanently altering the DNA of communication.
Crayton RobeyThe Boys in the Band defined a moment in LGBT history. Crayton Robey explores that history in Making the Boys, which debuted at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Monday, June 15 2009
Like Tiny Bacteria Running Around: An Interview with the Dirty ProjectorsThe Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth discusses Bitte Orca, his recent collaborations with Björk and David Byrne and the art of discharging firearms in Canadian shopping malls. Friday, June 12 2009
Love Your Big Brother: What Orwell’s ‘1984’ Tells Us About 2009George Orwell’s seminal book can equip its readers with the intellectual apparatus necessary to see through the routine mendacity and stupefying barrage of euphemism that plagues contemporary political life.
Be Yourself and Be Free: An Interview with Patrick WolfThe Bachelor might be a lonely work, but family, fashion, politics, and even a little voyeurism are behind Patrick Wolf's new album. Thursday, June 11 2009
“I Am Mr. Right?”: The Manic Pixie Dream GuyWhere in the movies were the dreamy tropes who wanted to pull a girl from the depths of her post grad-school crisis and lived for nothing more than doing a silly dance for her?
Wheat: Medeiros / Hope and AdamsIt would be tremendously heartening to view the Rebel Group's reissues of these albums as a corrective measure to the attention and praise that eluded them at the time. Wednesday, June 10 2009
Bob Dylan’s Late StyleLateness, according to Edward Said, is characterized by a kind of artistic innovation in the midst of physical infirmity. Lateness is a denial of the unifying artistic gesture, the stubborn refusal to issue a final proclamation.
The Death of Captain America"The Iconographies" is a series of weekly features focusing on iconic moments, creators, characters or publications in the ongoing 'biography' of graphic literature. This edition looks at the 2007 death of Marvel superhero, Captain America. |
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