Are We Branded for Life?
In our age of endless comparison, curated self-images and performativity, we willingly submit to the branding of our fickle identities.
Culture
Video Killed the Podcasting Star
Everything, it seems, is becoming a video podcast these days, but perhaps not everything was meant to be seen.
Gen X’s Nostalgia for 1980s Music Is a Memory Problem
Gen X nostalgia for 1980s music like Starship’s “We Built This City” and Toto’s “Africa” is built on old forgotten words and ancient melodies – and faulty memory.
Can “No Kings” Protest Humor Shrivel Away Authoritarianism?
Besides billionaires—and without needing to beg or bribe—comedians and No Kings jesters may be the next highest demographic that is thriving during these Trump-led authoritarian times.
How Vampires Became Rock Stars
The mythical creature of ancient folklore relentlessly feeds on our creative works, and through generations, we willingly succumb to the vampire made rock star.
Dickon Edwards of the Dandy Underground Surfaces
Dandy diarist extraordinaire Dickon Edwards talks about how his diary writing is a queer, articulate, and pointed retort to the pressures of conformity.
‘The Shining’ and the Power of Murderous Narratives
The Shining endures because it conveys all horror, real and imagined: Stephen King’s horror of the collapse of Man, and Stanley Kubrick’s collapse of History.
When Celebrity Spouses Go Off-Script
Fan obsession over celebrity spouses mirrors anxieties about our performative selves in the age of influencers.
Trump Country Music’s Dance of the Cowboy Boots
Trump country music has right-wing country stars and fans dancing to the beat of the authoritarian in their hard-heeled country boots… for now.
TikTok and the Murder of Long-Form Music Writing
When it comes to music criticism, which version is real? The serious opus or the TikTok goofy snippet?
Greil Marcus Tells His Stories About Others’ Stories
Greil Marcus talks with PopMatters about the art of listening not for what you want to hear, but for what is so richly there in others’ stories.
An Insane Clown Posse Hatchetman for Every Deathmatch
Loud, theatrical, defiant, and determined to be heard on their terms, Insane Clown Posse lived the same struggles as every deathmatch wrestling performer.