Features and columns on the world of popular culture. 2008-05-10T16:19:59Z Copyright (c) 2008, PopMatters.com ExpressionEngine tag:popmatters.com-think,2008:05:09 tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.58363 2008-05-09T07:00:00Z 2008-05-09T07:00:00Z Mike Ward This summer's blockbusters got nothin' over the biggest, beastiest blockbuster of all... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57021 2008-05-09T07:00:00Z 2008-05-09T07:00:00Z Claudia Grinnell In pursuing the convenience of a Web 2.0 world, we are consenting to being incorporated into a finely tuned marketing machine, with ever more subtly adapted gears, to our meet our needs -- manufactured and otherwise. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.58261 2008-05-09T06:59:00Z 2008-05-09T06:59:00Z Drew Hinshaw While Barack Obama's candidacy has sparked new political interest within the United States, perhaps the best indication of his foreign policy advantage may be found in the music praising Obama coming from other countries around the world. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.58374 2008-05-08T07:00:00Z 2008-05-08T07:00:00Z Bill Reagan US presidential elections are suspiciously like high school popularity contests, er, elections -- it's not who you know, it's who knows you. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57378 2008-05-08T07:00:00Z 2008-05-08T07:00:00Z Evan Sawdey Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters' Mark Kozelek explains his unlikely inspiration, reflects on aging, and chooses beauty over catharsis. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.55170 2008-05-08T06:59:00Z 2008-05-08T06:59:00Z Ellise Fuchs "Cinemabiente means films that reflect the world, or act like a mirror of society. At the same time, they cause the viewer to reflect." ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.58324 2008-05-07T07:00:00Z 2008-05-07T07:00:00Z George Reisch Is Ben Stein taking a page from Michael Moore? No, from Borat is more like it. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.56461 2008-05-07T07:00:00Z 2008-05-07T07:00:00Z L.B. Jeffries Many of the people who make the video games you play don't like having a plot at all, much less a good one. It constrains their designs and forces them to sacrifice player freedom for something that the player should be doing themselves. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57754 2008-05-07T06:59:00Z 2008-05-07T06:59:00Z Kirthana Ramisetti Ramisetti realizes that a simple love and appreciation for a song is all that matters in the end -- how it finds you, and how it moves you -- even when it comes from a random YouTube video. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57800 2008-05-06T07:00:01Z 2008-05-06T07:00:01Z Mikita Brottman Like a cyber séance, of sorts, these Internet services have become a means for the dead to speak to the living. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.58160 2008-05-06T07:00:00Z 2008-05-06T07:00:00Z David Tatasciore In his account of the nation's premier techno festival, David Tatasciore captures the good, the bad, and the ugly that made the Winter Music Conference such an unforgettable experience. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57807 2008-05-05T07:00:00Z 2008-05-05T07:00:00Z Ben Rubenstein What will some of today's most well-known hip-hop artists be doing in 2035? Maybe they won't be running the music world, but they'll probably be doing something beyond applying Fixodent to their grills. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.58157 2008-05-05T07:00:00Z 2008-05-05T07:00:00Z Christian John Wikane Tall and tan and still very lovely, Carly Simon takes a cue from Antonio Carlos Jobim on her new album. So why does All About Eve make a cameo? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57512 2008-05-05T06:59:00Z 2008-05-05T06:59:00Z PopMatters Staff The compassionate, prolific writer and traveler, Pico Iyer, talks with PopMatters 20 Questions, about the Dalai Lama, Benji, Keith Richards, and Paddington Bear. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57130 2008-05-02T07:00:00Z 2008-05-02T07:00:00Z Chadwick Jenkins John Cage replaces the comforting order of the cosmos with the recalcitrant, indecipherable organization of a part of the universe. Each sound, radically set off from the others, demands that we hear it in isolation. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.58072 2008-05-02T07:00:00Z 2008-05-02T07:00:00Z Bill Gibron When I look back at my 40 years at the Cineplex, I recall hundreds of singular scenes or sequences, characters whose wisdom (or wit) I keep with me all these years later. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57796 2008-05-02T06:59:00Z 2008-05-02T06:59:00Z Emily Popek In the unlikely form of a Snap! album, Popek reveals how an ephemeral dance track helped her discover both hip-hop and the understanding that all music is for everyone. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57783 2008-05-01T07:00:01Z 2008-05-01T07:00:01Z Adrien Begrand Though lumped in with post-punk acts, Killing Joke were considerably less edgy than their peers, their blunt, pulverizing music echoing the rage and cynicism expressed in the songs making them somewhat of an anomaly. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57793 2008-05-01T07:00:00Z 2008-05-01T07:00:00Z Mike Schiller "Interfacing" is Moving Pixels' way of taking a look at the tenuous relationship between the gaming world and the real world, and the awkwardness and enlightenment that the intersections between the two can achieve. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57957 2008-05-01T06:59:00Z 2008-05-01T06:59:00Z Bill Gibron Talk about a crowded schedule. There are more offerings scheduled this month than in the previous two combined. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57775 2008-04-30T07:00:00Z 2008-04-30T07:00:00Z Chris Justice Creels contain volumes of wonderfully imaginative “catches” that, unlike the box’s contents in the myth, unleash a swarm of positive stories and memories that continue life’s flow. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57892 2008-04-30T07:00:00Z 2008-04-30T07:00:00Z Bill Gibron And it just doesn't stop. If part two in this three-ring play was packed with well hyped product, July just keeps the receipt treats coming. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57798 2008-04-29T07:00:00Z 2008-04-29T07:00:00Z Meta Wagner Broads can only thrive under certain social conditions, and those conditions, alas, no longer exist. But a new species has emerged... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57713 2008-04-29T07:00:00Z 2008-04-29T07:00:00Z Matt Mazur On her newest CD, Hard Candy, the legend sounds stronger and more confident -- pushed into the new directions by her posse of guest producers and musicians. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57849 2008-04-29T06:59:00Z 2008-04-29T06:59:00Z Bill Gibron If May almost tent-poled itself out of existence, June will be even worse. After all, are audiences really ready for 13 major release in less than two months -- with more to come? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57819 2008-04-28T07:00:00Z 2008-04-28T07:00:00Z Tobias Peterson The Olympic torch should remain a beacon to those who can appreciate the true power that sports have in forcing us to consider the political reality of the world we all, athletes included, share. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57797 2008-04-28T07:00:00Z 2008-04-28T07:00:00Z Bill Gibron In the first act of this four-part production, Tinsel Town decides to do some unbelievable front loading. Will there be room for independent offerings, or former HBO carnal comedy divas? Who knows? Without a doubt, it's an interesting way to start the season. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57429 2008-04-28T06:59:01Z 2008-04-28T06:59:01Z PopMatters Staff Songwriter Ike Reilly tells PopMatters 20 Questions about firm abs and buttocks and the best sitcom, ever. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57776 2008-04-25T07:00:00Z 2008-04-25T07:00:00Z Bill Gibron Serling began his career as one of the most celebrated writers of his generation. But it only took one trip to a particularly troubled 'gallery' to undermine his importance and influence within the entertainment industry. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.54161 2008-04-25T07:00:00Z 2008-04-25T07:00:00Z Colin Fleming Onan rejoices. Dionysus despairs. Robert Frank, the Rolling Stones, and Cocksucker Blues -- a polarizing document for upwards of 35-years, now -- unreleased, and perhaps unreleasable. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57821 2008-04-25T06:59:00Z 2008-04-25T06:59:00Z Ian Mathers The frightening, wonderful world of Mark E. Smith and the Fall offers decades of music and dozens of albums to sift through for the one that best represents what they are all about. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57786 2008-04-24T07:00:00Z 2008-04-24T07:00:00Z Jennifer Byrne Have 'REPLY ALL' emails become the latest outlet for the modern obsession with self-expression and fame? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.56392 2008-04-24T07:00:00Z 2008-04-24T07:00:00Z Michael E. Ross Like any sound biographer, Blake is the fly on the wall — but one careful not to breathe the smoke in the air. What could have been Pink Floyd hagiography has the weight and distance of clear-headed scholarship, charitable but candid. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.55833 2008-04-24T06:59:00Z 2008-04-24T06:59:00Z G. Christopher Williams With the rise of the metrosexual and the fall of the patriarchal society, some men, lost in a gray zone, compensate by joining Gold’s Gym, screaming at Packers games, and driving big-ass Hummers ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57323 2008-04-23T07:00:00Z 2008-04-23T07:00:00Z Robert Collins Gather round children, and I’ll tell a tale tragic yet true of the demise of the sport old timers once called Formula One. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57113 2008-04-23T07:00:00Z 2008-04-23T07:00:00Z Jenny Carlson In this illuminating work, critic David Hajdu revisits the boycotts, bans, and congressional hearings that disenfranchised hundreds of artists and ended the golden days of the comic book industry. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.56961 2008-04-22T07:00:01Z 2008-04-22T07:00:01Z Zeth Lundy With four albums for the independent Minneapolis label Twin/Tone, the 'Mats rendered the hierarchies and caste system of the rock world irrelevant by remaking rock 'n' roll as an anonymous force. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57681 2008-04-22T07:00:00Z 2008-04-22T07:00:00Z Monte Williams Is he strumming your face with his fingers? And singing your life with his words? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57557 2008-04-21T07:00:00Z 2008-04-21T07:00:00Z Jennifer Makowsky Technology may have changed the way we obtain music, but as Nick Hornby's High Fidelity reminds us, it can never alter our love affair with the medium. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.56742 2008-04-21T07:00:00Z 2008-04-21T07:00:00Z Pablo Amor Only one band survived the highs and lows of the Britpop era. We talked about this endurance, a sixth album, and other lifespan issues with Danny Goffey, the one and only drummer for... yes, Supergrass. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57515 2008-04-21T06:59:00Z 2008-04-21T06:59:00Z PopMatters Staff Bruce Campbell, that handsome man (when he's not wearing horror film make-up) with that incredible chin whom you know you've seen before -- you've seen just about everywhere -- appears here, too, in PopMatters' 20 Questions. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57425 2008-04-18T07:00:01Z 2008-04-18T07:00:01Z Jyllian Gunther, Kevin Greer and Isaac Miller Full Frame’s exclusive focus on documentary films makes it gravitate toward academic and humanitarian affiliations, providing badly needed brain-stimulation for our otherwise comatose democracy. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57120 2008-04-18T07:00:00Z 2008-04-18T07:00:00Z Adrien Begrand Begrand dives into metal fandom with the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, who discusses the Mighty Riff, the uneasy relationship between indie and metal camps, and the life experiences behind his new book on Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57005 2008-04-18T06:59:00Z 2008-04-18T06:59:00Z Matthew Fiander Their first album, Psychocandy, was a classic. And as new reissues of the Jesus and Mary Chain's first five records are released, we see the story of a band proving there is life after a masterpiece. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.56880 2008-04-17T07:00:00Z 2008-04-17T07:00:00Z Will Layman With two of the US' major "smooth jazz" radio stations defunct to the fickleness of format change, the time to mourn the cheesy sub-genre is now. But what made Smooth Jazz not really jazz at all? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57377 2008-04-17T07:00:00Z 2008-04-17T07:00:00Z Erik Hinton While video games will always adopt varying levels of verisimilitude, the Wii presents a novel challenge to the conventional consciousness, and that is an attack on realism. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57298 2008-04-17T06:59:00Z 2008-04-17T06:59:00Z Dan Raper Unlike many of his fellow Brooklynites, whose boundary-pushing is an aesthetic in and of itself, Alan Wilkis has no fear of pop. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57439 2008-04-16T09:01:00Z 2008-04-16T09:01:00Z Stephen Graham Jones Author Stephen Graham Jones looks into the disappointments of the Prom Night remake, finds pause to reflect back on the past of the slasher film, and sees a glimmer of hope for the future. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57045 2008-04-16T07:00:01Z 2008-04-16T07:00:01Z Lara Killian Quiet, Please author Scott Douglas speaks out about the future of libraries, being played by Oprah in the movie version, and his recent library-themed wedding. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57321 2008-04-16T07:00:00Z 2008-04-16T07:00:00Z Ryan Smith As I walked into the payday loan company's office I wondered, Did any of the union welders on the Death Star walk out once they realized what "Project DS" stood for? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57271 2008-04-15T07:00:00Z 2008-04-15T07:00:00Z Marco Lanzagorta As a pivotal year of social change and as a cultural stepping stone, 1968 saw the radicalization of American society, and an accompanying revolution in the realm of horror genre filmmaking. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.56791 2008-04-15T07:00:00Z 2008-04-15T07:00:00Z Chris Harnick As cancellations force more alpha female characters off the air, the question arises: Are we seeing television audiences and studios turn away from strong women as leads? ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57185 2008-04-14T07:00:01Z 2008-04-14T07:00:01Z Derek Beres There is little in this world as beautiful as the female voice. Sometimes it’s necessary to stop and remind ourselves of this. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57164 2008-04-14T07:00:00Z 2008-04-14T07:00:00Z Mitchell Bandur As we near the summer music festival season, throngs of sunblock-wielding concertgoers prepare to once again brave hot temperatures and crowded venues. PopMatters sifts through the myriad happenings to offer a primer for the summer. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57162 2008-04-14T06:59:00Z 2008-04-14T06:59:00Z PopMatters Staff Best-selling author David Baldacci talks with PopMatters 20 Questions about the importance of hallucinogens, hit men, and Herman Munster -- and yeah, other important things, too. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.56839 2008-04-11T07:00:01Z 2008-04-11T07:00:01Z Quentin B. Huff Hip-hop fights haters, record labels, rival emcees, and even the law. Time, however, has proven to be a formidable opponent. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.57161 2008-04-11T07:00:00Z 2008-04-11T07:00:00Z Matt Mazur In her new documentary, Jenny Phillips frames the daily, shackled grind of prisoners' lives with social injustices, but also investigates what it is like to be a prisoner doing hard time in the South choosing to practice guided Buddhist meditation techniques. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.56473 2008-04-11T06:59:01Z 2008-04-11T06:59:01Z Dave Heaton Anderson is a distinctive country music artist whose ample, if intermittent, hits have not given him the hallowed stature or name recognition of many of his contemporaries. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/columns/19.57076 2008-04-10T07:00:00Z 2008-04-10T07:00:00Z Raphaël Costambeys-Kempczynski If punk’s message was ‘destroy’, then inevitably wrapped up in its own scream of existence was its dying breath. No sooner was 1977 declared the year of punk than the death of punk was in the cards. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/features/21.52755 2008-04-10T07:00:00Z 2008-04-10T07:00:00Z Christian John Wikane A superstar in Europe, an unknown in America. Kevin Grivois (aka Ké) remembers the "strange world" of his major label ascent and why an election year is bringing him back to the spotlight. ]]>