Tuesday, February 7 2012
Mitt Romney Can Reside at Today’s Proverbial ‘Downton Abbey’... Newt Gingrich Cannot
Downton Abbey reveals not only the play of chance that often confounds choice, but the power of social class to confine choice within established boundaries -- and we're comfortable with that.
Thursday, February 2 2012
After Cease to Exist: The Far-from-Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
After a British government official declared them "Wreckers of Civilization", Throbbing Gristle understood their mission -- to destroy the Control society.
Wednesday, January 25 2012
Circling the Sun Machine: Re-thinking David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’
Bowie's odd magnetism has long been interpreted as a function of his ambiguous sexuality, but could it be that he was transgressing more than just gender norms and heralding the rise of the man/machine?
Wednesday, January 18 2012
Writing the Story of the World (and Wearing It, Too!)
This is a force of energy with a lot of moving parts. The goal is to write the story of the world.
Tuesday, January 3 2012
Occupying Video: The Underbelly of Globalization Caught on Camera
Occupy Wall Street's strength might be how it enables diverse constituencies to seize upon its imagery and message to engage with social justice concerns, both on the ground and within the video.
Wednesday, November 23 2011
The Revolution Will Be Amplified: Is the Occupy Movement Liberating Music?
Forty years from now, people will be writing books on the art and music, literature and culture that came out of the Occupy Wall Street / Occupy Everything movements.
Tuesday, October 18 2011
‘Screamadelica’ and the Altered State
In the context of Primal Scream's prior and subsequent career, Screamadelica is a miracle.
Monday, October 17 2011
The Last Bullfight in Catalonia
The bullfighter, who only minutes beforehand faced death with grace and fearlessness, covers his face and begins to cry. He is the triumphant hero of a collective failure.
Tuesday, October 4 2011
20 Questions: William Shatner
William Shatner, Captain Kirk, Cultural Icon Extraordinaire. Shatner Rules. Like all great American actors – he’s not American. We’re not even sure he’s human. We’re certain, however, that he’s The Captain of Everything -- not least PopMatters 20 Questions.
Thursday, September 22 2011
Michael Has Issues: A Sad Sad Conversation with Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black -- of The State, Stella, and Michael & Michael Have Issues fame -- discusses his new album, Very Famous, and connecting to people through sad, sad conversations ...
Tuesday, September 20 2011
Five Ways to Kill a Hipster? A Critique of Anti-Hipsterism
When men and/or white people, with gender and racial power over their counterparts, ridicule these cultural acts with disregard for what they mean to the originators, then an anti-hipster response has the capacity to be racist and sexist.
Thursday, September 15 2011
With Our Help, You Can Have It All: The Depressing Rhetoric of Unemployment TV’s Commercials
Viewers of daytime TV are perceived to be losers in need of services (mostly legal), because they don't seem willing to make long-term decisions or capable of helping themselves.
Thursday, September 8 2011
The Contagious Age: Overwhelmed by Vampires, Viruses, and Zombies in the 21st Century
Contagion is the dominant horror of the 21st century, an era marked by epidemics of terror, war, and economic crisis.
Now Hear This!: Johnnyswim / Los Angeles
What happens when a Nashville-bred duo moves to Los Angeles? They conquer New York.
Friday, August 12 2011
It’s the Film at Work: Interview with Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan
"Whatever situation you are in," says Shamim Sarif, "there are opportunities for the human spirit to grow, and I like to have that possibility in the films and the work that we do."
Thursday, August 11 2011
Underground Music: A Day in the Life of a Chicago Subway Station
For most Chicagoans, the Jackson station downtown is little more than a fleeting backdrop for the daily grind. But for the musicians who spend hours, sometimes days, performing for the crowds, the station has a more vital significance. The subway is a place for commuters, tourists and transit workers. It's also a place for artists.
Friday, July 29 2011
Ashton Kutcher vs. The Village Voice: Looking for Real Men on the Internet
The feud between Ashton Kutcher and the Village Voice sparked a firestorm, and highlights a need for a greater understanding of sex trafficking -- and media representation of it -- across the board. How should the media and Hollywood approach this complicated subject?
Wednesday, July 20 2011
Rust Belt Visions: The 2011 Allied Media Conference
In Detroit, a cauldron where neoliberal experiments are tested and then unleashed upon the world, the Allied Media Conference reveals both the huge challenges facing community organizing and how media can assist the disenfranchised.
Monday, July 11 2011
“I Am Not the Defiant One”: Lt. Dan Choi and the Vital Need to Achieve Full Personhood
Outspoken LGBT activist Lt. Dan Choi has sacrificed much to help advance the gay rights movement, and insists that there is far more to go. He talks with PopMatters about the current state of LGBT rights, his unfiltered thoughts on President Obama, and the one piece of advice he regrets having followed ...
Wednesday, June 29 2011
Last Night a Trap Boy Saved My Life: T.I.‘s Urban Legend
I realized I couldn't seek comfort in the music me and Daddy shared. I needed something raw, music that would hit me in my chest where only natural, involuntary muscle movements indicated I was still, technically, alive.
