A Rheumatoid Descent into Villainy
From 19th-century fairy tale illustrations to Disney’s global empire, rheumatoid arthritis has evolved into a visual shorthand for evil—a medical condition transmuted into moral metaphor that resonates today.
Features
Features, interviews, and commentary about popular culture related topics, including music, film, TV, books, games, and more.
Okkervil River’s ‘Black Sheep Boy’ Is Still Brilliant at 20
Okkervil River’s complicated and flawed masterpiece, Black Sheep Boy, found inspiration in an unexpected place, ultimately becoming career-affirming.
Mick Jagger and James Fox’s Disorienting Fever Dream
Performance, starring Mick Jagger and James Fox, thrives on disorientations, making this time-capsule movie a timeless puzzle that resonates.
Kanye West’s Fandom Navigates the Crisis
Fans are struggling with how to separate Kanye West’s groundbreaking artistry from his troubling descent into white nationalism and hate speech.
‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ at 25 and the Power of Perception
While The Talented Mr. Ripley acknowledges that 1950s-era gay men lived in hiding, Ripley uses his perceived status as a privileged male shrewdly.
In New Directors/New Films Ideas Bubble from the Cultural Magma
New Directors/New Films presents a cross-section of ideas and styles bubbling from today’s cultural magma, and elements and themes resonate from film to film. It’s our zeitgeist, baby.
Jeffrey Martin: Emissary of Heartrending Songs
Jeffrey Martin doesn’t just sing a song; he unearths its pain. His songwriting is exhilarating in its honesty and grief, constantly storming forward like a tempest.
Guns N’ Roses’ Dragged High Art Through Primal Sleaze for ‘Appetite for Destruction’
The coiled intelligence and emotional impact of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction insists that humanity’s ugly reality is better than hypocrisy or quiescence.
The 50 Best Albums of 2005
Journey back 20 years, listen to the best albums of 2005, and hear the state of the art. It was an era of brilliant veterans and bold, new innovators.
Iran’s Farnaz Ohadi Reclaims Freedom Through Flamenco
“Flamenco allows that raw expression of emotion and anger that I’m constantly feeling, the need to express, the need to fight for those who cannot,” says Farnaz Ohadi.
What’s Behind Country Music’s Powerful Enduring Appeal
When you consider that country music is derived from a people who were fiercely independent, clan-like, and distrustful of authority, you begin to understand the genre at its core.
The 10 Quintessential Tame Impala Songs
Tame Impala’s deeply revealing songs disclose important details about Kevin Parker’s life and outlook and mark the cornerstones of his individuality.