Monday, November 9 2009
The Magical Mystery Four: The Beatles As a Successful System of Archetypes
The Beatles were the first band comprised of four distinct personas. This aspect would take them on a long and winding road that would eventually splinter them in four separate directions. The very thing that made them so special was what ultimately deigned their end.
Let Me Tell You How This Will Be…
In 20 years, we've seen Revolver replace Sgt. Peppers as The Beatles' greatest statement. How long before it gets replaced?
Ayn Rand and the World She Made
Ayn Rand set out to remake reality as if it were an ill-fitting dress: by sheer will, she tried to fashion a Balenciaga gown from a housedress.
Friday, November 6 2009
Fast Food TV
The Next Iron Chef is not a show about cooking. It is a show about people freaking out; cooking just happens to be what they’re doing while they’re freaking out.
Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir
These five films from the golden-era of the legendary Nikkatsu studio shows off the never-ending ways Japanese filmmakers were able to combine the best elements of pulp and epic Japanese storytelling.
Thursday, November 5 2009
Nirvana: Bleach
Starting with Nevermind, Kurt Cobain intentionally simplified his compositions in order to emphasize their pop components. Less song-focused than later Nirvana works, Bleach acts as an interesting showcase of the band’s musical chops.
Wednesday, November 4 2009
Leaving Las Vegas and Leaving for Good
Using Ben in Leaving Las Vegas as a gauge to measure myself against, my life wasn’t anywhere close to as bad as it could be, but people who thought they had better control of their drinking than me still fuck their lives right up, so....
Nicholson Baker’s Enthusiasms and Passionate Obsessions
Nicholson Baker writes from his enthusiasms, which are many and ever changing. Among other things, his books have focused on sex, John Updike, public libraries, and pacifism and World War II. His latest, The Anthologist, is his love letter to poetry.
Tuesday, November 3 2009
Celebrating the Death of the Dark Knight – and His Rebirth
With the recent passing of Bruce Wayne, can the Batman character escape the tragedy of Bruce Wayne's life that originally birthed it?
Get Holy: An Interview With John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats
Upon the release of the Mountain Goats' latest album, the band's founder and songwriter talks about the literary influences on his prolific output and the biblical theme of his latest opus.
Monday, November 2 2009
10 Rules on How to Sink or Swim at CMJ
Though several bands demanded double-takes, and many impressed, there were no obvious standouts at this year's CMJ. Instead, our writers found bands that exemplified standards for success, and failure, putting together ten rules on how to sink or swim at CMJ.
How Far Is Too Far?: Navigating the World of Young Adult Fiction
In the world of "edgy" young adult fiction, there's a tendency to either bury real world consequences, or exploit the darker material for all it's worth. But where does that leave the young readers grappling with the content?
Sunday, November 1 2009
20 Questions: Old Canes
Stealing Kurt Vonnegut books? Getting choked up during M*A*S*H? Appleseed Cast frontman Chris Crisci talks about all of these things and more as his folk-affected side-project releases their second album.
Friday, October 30 2009
Agonies of an ‘Antichrist’: Lars von Trier in the Forest of Unreason
Despite the efforts of some to dismiss it as a prank, Antichrist is a serious film and its disturbing extremes speak of broad and deeply felt moral, social, and ultimately, political anxieties.
Thursday, October 29 2009
Syfy ‘Ghost Hunters’: Living Normally Within Paranormal Pop Culture
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of Ghost Hunters have transcended the paranormal entertainment niche, become lasting pop-culture mainstays, and are busiest men in the ghost business.
Wonder: The Photos of Stephanie Chernikowski
Chernikowski's 35mm black-and-white stills (a sampling of which is included in the Museum of Modern Art’s Looking at Music: Side 2 exhibit this fall) exude more than just an appreciation for the magnetic personalities they capture, but also a sense of discovery.
Wednesday, October 28 2009
20 Questions: Fuck Buttons
Stealing penguins! A secret connection with Garfield! Dropping fruit pastille in the primordial ooze! Experimental UK noise duo Fuck Buttons discuss this and more.
Running the Voodoo Down: An Interview with Meshell Ndegeocello
With a new understanding of herself (and a new album to go with), the innovative singer Meshell Ndegeocello freely talks about some of her controversial lyrics, her deepest inspirations, and how she's reached a point where she doesn't need to prove anything anymore ...
Tuesday, October 27 2009
20 Questions: Barb Johnson
From a balcony overlooking the flood of New Orleans to 'The Bubble' laundromat, where the city's characters come to wash it all out, award-winning author Barb Johnson talks with PopMatters 20 Questions.
The Deafening Quiet of Kings of Convenience
Erlend Øye chats with PopMatters about the influence of French house music, his hatred of flutes, and why his dashing musical partner is such a hit with teenage Korean girls.
