Wednesday, March 7 2012
Fearful Symmetry: John Carter and the Struggle of the Individual
Is John Carter a simple action movie or an indication of continuous struggle over values in the United States?
The Music Playground Presents Wishes and Thieves Live on PopMatters
PopMatters, in conjunction with the Music Playground, kicks off our new monthly video feature highlighting up-and-coming new artists. As far as fledgling bands go, Wishes and Thieves are more poised and ready to take off than most of their peers.
Tuesday, March 6 2012
Gender and Corruption in ‘Boss’
The women of Boss are strong, smart and strategic, but can powerful women be happy too? How can they be mothers and leaders? Do they have to be cold and calculating?
The Only Boy in Town: An Interview with Stephin Merritt
After a trilogy of albums that slowly moved away from the synth-based sound that landed him on the map, Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt comes back in full force, and talks to PopMatters about dealing with record companies, the Future Bible Heroes, and introduces us to Hootie, the star of his new album's cover.
Monday, March 5 2012
Stacked Wax: The Vinyl Comeback
As music formats push inexorably towards convenience, compactness, digitization, who could have anticipated the resurgence of the clunky, fossilized LP?
20 Questions: Ellen Ullman
Technophile, humanist and storyteller Ellen Ullman is touring for her latest, By Blood. The cult classic Close to the Machine and runner-up for the PEN/Hemingway Award, The Bug, are enjoying a resurgence, as well. From the sterile environs of an airport terminal, Ullman recalls a glorious range of artists and intellectuals (and the work they have produced) that have shaped her.
Friday, March 2 2012
In Defense of Patrick Stump: Why Elitism and Teen Angst Is Killing Popular Music
Fall Out Boy have become the most recent reminder of exactly how fragile a life in music can be. That particular type of life's instability is so unique that it has become nearly impossible to fully invest in an existence in, of, or around music itself.
The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness
From gospel to soul, funk to freestyle, Kevin Young sifts through the shadows, the bootleg, the remix, the grey areas of our history, literature, and music.
Thursday, March 1 2012
POP Montréal: Ten Years on the Cutting Edge (Part 1)
POP Montréal. One part artist showcase, one part music appreciation lesson, and one part street party, POP, like other top destination events, is as much about a place and a time, as it is about the performances, creating a series of memorable moments.
Wednesday, February 29 2012
Another Season Darkens the Soul’s Hue: the Peter Milligan Exclusive
The recent storyarc of Hellblazer, "Another Season in Hell", returns Vertigo alumni Peter Milligan to one of his most enduring formative works in founding Vertigo title, Shade: the Changing Man. Some 20 years after, this is why Milligan's comics is still art.
Listening Ahead: Upcoming Releases for March
PopMatters previews some of March's most compelling new releases, including works from the Magnetic Fields, Julia Holter, Bowerbirds, and more.
Tuesday, February 28 2012
Bill Frisell on John Lennon: Talking About ‘All We Are Saying’
The unique jazz guitarist talks about All We Are Saying -- his recent cover album of 16 John Lennon tunes -- as well as how the Beatles changed his life, and how back in the day, owning an instrument meant you were automatically in a band.
Past Present Future: An Interview with the Carolina Chocolate Drops
"Our job is to tell everyday stories about what's happening with people on the ground. It's more effective to tell a great story than it is to try to be political."
Monday, February 27 2012
Learning From Vampires: High Stakes Vampire Literature
What does society's fascination with vampire tales tell us about men, women and relationships? It's time to take one more look.
20 Questions: Miriam Shor
Miriam Shor plays Cricket Caruth-Reilly, a hot powerful real estate agent in Dallas whose husband, Blake, is gay, in ABC’s new comedy, GCB, airing this Sunday, 4 March.
Friday, February 24 2012
The Best Non-Fiction of 2011
Books have a long shelf-life. A loved book may outlast its original owner by a generation – or more -- if well cared for. With that in mind, we recall our best loved books of 2011 here, well into 2012. Better late than never...
Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Last Holiday’
This posthumous memoir provides Scott-Heron’s keen insights into the music industry, the civil rights movement, modern America, governmental hypocrisy, and our wider place in the world.
Thursday, February 23 2012
Charles Dickens 200: Great Expectations: Bright Hope and Dark Resignation
Where we are now, in 2012, is on a darker plain especially for the large "Underclass". Perhaps Dickens can light our way?
Wednesday, February 22 2012
“Didn’t Think It Was Really Possible…”: The Manapul & Buccellato Exclusive
The Flash has always been, not so much about moving forward, but about how creative teams execute that vision of moving forward. In a PopMatters exclusive with writer-artists Francis Manapul and Brian Bucellato, we uncover exactly how this New 52 team is effecting this change.
Real Life Intensity: A Conversation with Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes is the greatest living practitioner of blues-based, soul-inspired rock ‘n’ roll music. We discussed his new album Man In Motion, his life on the road, and the magic of “real life intensity” in music.
