‘Cheers’, Cosiness and the Illusion of Companionship
Cheers‘ characters float side-by-side as if suspended in a mug of amber-colored beer, going nowhere and befriending no one, least of all one another.
1980s
‘The Midnight: Shadows’ Renders Nostalgia’s Dangers in Neon
In their music and now their graphic novel, The Midnight: Shadows, this synthwave duo weaves a distinct emotional identity around the narcotic effects of nostalgia.
Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” Encapsulates Analog to Algorithmic Longing
In future generations, it is easy to see Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” inspiring the same sensual viscerality as humans being penetrated by their AI sex dolls.
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.
American Psycho’s Soundtrack to Duality and Deception
American Psycho‘s Patrick Bateman is the spiritual ancestor of the Rotten Tomatoes addict, the Metacritic worshipper, the Spotify listener who judges worth by stream count.
JoBoxers Pull No Punches in This Retrospective Interview
British new wave/ progressive soul band JoBoxers talk with PopMatters about cracking whips at lions and tigers and pulling no punches with their new box set of lost albums.
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.
20 Music Videos of the 1980s That Have Aged Terribly
These 1980s music videos have not aged well, bearing a distinctive look instantly tagging them as a product of their time
20 Overlooked 1980s Music Videos
From major artists like the Clash and David Bowie to less famous brethren like Haysi Fantayzee and Grandmaster Caz, these are overlooked videos from the 1980s.
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‘Free Party’ Director Aaron Trinder on Fighting for the Right to Party
When the New Age travelers and the newly emerging ravers met in the English countryside, they had to fight for the right to party together for free. They still do.
When 1980s Music Drama ‘Times Square’ Tried to Capture NYC Punk
It was not without admirable aplomb that Times Square attempted to capture the punk movement in its zeitgeist the way Saturday Night Fever did with disco.
The Future Is Funked by Future Funk
The “future” in future funk is removed from any historical sense of time, existing in a digital future that can be forever extended – and always out of reach.