Can Comedy Be an Antidote to Authoritarianism’s Poison?
Politically, the opposite of authoritarianism is democracy; cognitively, it is humor. Comedy may indeed be the best medicine for our seriously unwell era.
Features
Features, interviews, and commentary about popular culture related topics, including music, film, TV, books, games, and more.
Jazz Saxophonist David S. Ware Never Played It Twice
Years after his untimely departure, David S. Ware remains one of free jazz’s most versatile tenor saxophonists. We delve into his career by revisiting one of his last interviews.
Gilbert O’Sullivan Is ‘On the Record’ and Being Irish
British soft rock extraordinaire Gilbert O’Sullivan chats about his new album, collaborations, and staying Irish wherever he lays his head.
Thin Screens of Violence: ‘American Doctor’ and the Authority of Images
Poh Si Teng’s American Doctor works as emotionally charged hard news about trauma doctors in Gaza, but not as an analysis of the war or of how global powers should end the violence.
Jack White Takes San Francisco with a Dynamic Double Feature
Jack White adds an intimate Fillmore show before a bigger downtown show, blasting the City by the Bay with a double dose of fiery blues power.
Aaron Sorkin and the Politics of Being Right
The Social Reckoning falls into the Aaron Sorkin trap: the seductive belief that exposing a logical fallacy demonstrates not only superior reasoning, but superior moral standing.
ME. Invite Us to Do the Hard Thing on ‘All Good Things’
We chat with ME. to plumb the depths of this newborn band’s soul and see how the bitter experiences of adulthood can blossom into surprising transformation.
Nine Albums In, Russian Circles Are “Opening the Marriage”
PopMatters speaks with Russian Circles guitarist Mike Sullivan about what has kept the Chicago post-metal outfit going for two decades and nearly double-digit albums.
Venice Film Festival Comes with a Hammer to Crack Open Political Discourse
More than any season in recent memory, the films shown at the Venice Film Festival and other fall-circuit festivals crack open heated, necessary political discourse worldwide.
“Who’s Punk? What’s the Score?” On Authenticity, Subcultural Capital, and Scene Cops
Punk’s shorthand for deconstruction has always been: Who says? Yet, if we take that move seriously, we have to apply it to our own sacred binaries.
Duane Betts Blazes a Fresh Trail on the Isle of Hope Tour
Duane Betts’ sound conjures a musical sanctuary, highlighted in a festive two-night stand at the Bay Area’s Sweetwater Music Hall.
The Most Canadian Band of 2026 Is from Outer Space: Angine de Poitrine
At a moment of renewed Canadian self-definition, the country’s most celebrated musicians, Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine, insist they aren’t even from this planet.