I really enjoyed this essay. I found this particularly interesting:
"We’ve lost something as a culture. We’ve cut ourselves off from an artistic and philosophical lineage that had been our birthright as heirs of Western civilization."
I wish you explored/explained this some more. I'm not sure I understand or necessarily agree, but it sounds like fodder for a Part 2!
As for whether a person has to "like" something to become a historian of it, I not only think a historian does not have to like their subject - I think they are compromised if they do. When you like something, you are more forgiving and give way to narrative.
I think of a Doris Kerns Goodwin who falls in love with every one of her leading men vs a Robert Caro, who approaches his subjects like the investigative journalist he was when working for Newsday. Both provide value and insight, but one is superior for the ability to be unflinching in presenting the facts.
I only saw AiC once (sort of). They opened for Van Halen in your neck of the woods (CapCentre) in 1991. We cut the pregame short to see them because my roommate was (and still is) Layne Staley's biggest fan. It was definitely not an ideal environment for AiC.
Bradley Nowell's death always struck me as especially tragic. I know Sublime had a following in SoCal, but he was already dead before the rest of the world discovered his music.
"The most effective strategy to fight these recalcitrants may actually be online campaigns. The Sunrise Movement and other climate change activist groups are enormously sensitive to social media campaigns. Some of these groups exist entirely on social media. They are comprised of young people who spend many hours of their days on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. These men and women are especially sensitive to social media campaigns and could easily be swayed by a sincere, thoughtful online push to call out their obstinance and push them to accept green construction."
***
Because Twitter mobs are known for their sincere, thoughtful attacks on those they disagree with?
I think K through 3 teachers are more than capable of fostering an inclusive, safe environment in the classroom without diving into specifics of sexuality, gender, etc. Any questions from small children unsolicited (and without the curriculum I've seen) should not be that frequent nor very hard to handle.
The activists who oppose the legislation pulled a brilliant maneuver by effectively renaming and reframing it "Don't Say Gay". The fact that isn't in the legislation is beside the point. It had the desired effect of galvanizing supporters around the rallying cry while annoying the hell out of the opposition because it's not really accurate. It's a mischaracterization of the bill.
The democrats have always have been better at naming things. Always.
So, now the bill's supporters start using the term "groomers" which also is a mischaracterization but achieves *their* political objectives. And without any sense of irony, the activists and their supporters are upset.
I like him best as the antagonist in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which is another movie where everyone loses in the end - except maybe the old man. Great flick.
And how did things turn out in the end for the protagonist in "Joker"?
That checks the boxes of "comic book movie" and "actual film". I guess could be argued that it is not a stand alone, even though they won't be making another w/ Joaquin Phoenix.
...and Goodfellas and French Connection and Gone With The Wind and Lawrence of Arabia and Chinatown and Network and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and The Maltese Falcon and Raging Bull and Annie Hall and Midnight Cowboy and West Side Story and King Kong (from my perspective the ape was the protagonist) and Taxi Driver and A Street Car Named Desire and Amadeus and The Manchurian Candidate and I'm tired of typing...
I'm pretty sure Sly Stallone and the creators of the Bad News Bears NEVER envisioned their respective scripts as a first part of a trilogy. Subsequent money grabs do not change the fact that they were originally stand alone stories.
And I'm just going to ignore what you said about Casablanca ...
Rocky lost the big fight. Sam lost the love of his life. The Bears lost the their hated tormentors (sorry for the spoiler). Obviously, something else had to be gained in the process. But the fact remains that they are examples of not having the "Hollywood Ending" that Russell so covets.
And while the losers have to gain something in order for the movie to work, in the films where the protagonist wins, they often lose something in the process. Some price must paid or the movie probably sucks.
"One-off stories where the protagonist doesn’t really win or even loses are adored by critics and largely hated by general audiences and promptly forgotten by both."
I think it tracks with whichever genre(s) you and your social circle(s) listened to, with an emphasis on the artists/sub-genres you enjoyed the most. I think it can be as specific or expansive as a person's taste.
I think that is typical of any era. If you look at the Billboard Top 100 of any given year, it's full of songs that were huge hits that are not at all *representative* of what 's perceived to be the dominant culture(s) of the time.
Smashing Pumpkins do sound fresher than the others in that cohort. Probably/maybe because they were not really grunge at all, but were often mischaracterized as such.
A song like "Drown" sounds like it could have been recorded last week.
On “Confessions of A Rock and Roll History Teacher”
I really enjoyed this essay. I found this particularly interesting:
"We’ve lost something as a culture. We’ve cut ourselves off from an artistic and philosophical lineage that had been our birthright as heirs of Western civilization."
I wish you explored/explained this some more. I'm not sure I understand or necessarily agree, but it sounds like fodder for a Part 2!
As for whether a person has to "like" something to become a historian of it, I not only think a historian does not have to like their subject - I think they are compromised if they do. When you like something, you are more forgiving and give way to narrative.
I think of a Doris Kerns Goodwin who falls in love with every one of her leading men vs a Robert Caro, who approaches his subjects like the investigative journalist he was when working for Newsday. Both provide value and insight, but one is superior for the ability to be unflinching in presenting the facts.
On “Well-Tuned: The Show Must Go On…Or Not”
That was good, thanks for sharing it.
I only saw AiC once (sort of). They opened for Van Halen in your neck of the woods (CapCentre) in 1991. We cut the pregame short to see them because my roommate was (and still is) Layne Staley's biggest fan. It was definitely not an ideal environment for AiC.
On “Words Have Meanings, Part Ten Thousand”
I really wish I knew why you're bringing up 1/6 here in relation to the topic, but i do not.
On “Well-Tuned: The Show Must Go On…Or Not”
Bradley Nowell's death always struck me as especially tragic. I know Sublime had a following in SoCal, but he was already dead before the rest of the world discovered his music.
On “Here’s Who You Should Be Mad at Online”
"The most effective strategy to fight these recalcitrants may actually be online campaigns. The Sunrise Movement and other climate change activist groups are enormously sensitive to social media campaigns. Some of these groups exist entirely on social media. They are comprised of young people who spend many hours of their days on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. These men and women are especially sensitive to social media campaigns and could easily be swayed by a sincere, thoughtful online push to call out their obstinance and push them to accept green construction."
***
Because Twitter mobs are known for their sincere, thoughtful attacks on those they disagree with?
On “Words Have Meanings, Part Ten Thousand”
Exactly.
(As and aside, I find that I agree with your comments more than anyone else on OT and you should probably be concerned about this.)
"
Honestly, if I heard the word "groomer" 2 weeks ago I would have thought it was in reference to the people who work with horses.
"
Dissent will be crushed!
Off with their heads!
Am I doing it right?
"
I think K through 3 teachers are more than capable of fostering an inclusive, safe environment in the classroom without diving into specifics of sexuality, gender, etc. Any questions from small children unsolicited (and without the curriculum I've seen) should not be that frequent nor very hard to handle.
We are all different. Be kind to one another.
"
The activists who oppose the legislation pulled a brilliant maneuver by effectively renaming and reframing it "Don't Say Gay". The fact that isn't in the legislation is beside the point. It had the desired effect of galvanizing supporters around the rallying cry while annoying the hell out of the opposition because it's not really accurate. It's a mischaracterization of the bill.
The democrats have always have been better at naming things. Always.
So, now the bill's supporters start using the term "groomers" which also is a mischaracterization but achieves *their* political objectives. And without any sense of irony, the activists and their supporters are upset.
Seems turnabout is fair play in this game.
On “The Mary Sue Problem And Giving The People What They Want”
I like him best as the antagonist in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which is another movie where everyone loses in the end - except maybe the old man. Great flick.
"
Coen Brother protagonists all wish they were in a Marvel movie.
"
Obviously.
Must have had Sam Spade in my head because it would be hard to confuse Bogey with the piano player. ...
"
Well they remade West Side Story.
And how did things turn out in the end for the protagonist in "Joker"?
That checks the boxes of "comic book movie" and "actual film". I guess could be argued that it is not a stand alone, even though they won't be making another w/ Joaquin Phoenix.
"
...and Goodfellas and French Connection and Gone With The Wind and Lawrence of Arabia and Chinatown and Network and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and The Maltese Falcon and Raging Bull and Annie Hall and Midnight Cowboy and West Side Story and King Kong (from my perspective the ape was the protagonist) and Taxi Driver and A Street Car Named Desire and Amadeus and The Manchurian Candidate and I'm tired of typing...
"
I'm pretty sure Sly Stallone and the creators of the Bad News Bears NEVER envisioned their respective scripts as a first part of a trilogy. Subsequent money grabs do not change the fact that they were originally stand alone stories.
And I'm just going to ignore what you said about Casablanca ...
"
You've never seen the Bad News Bears?!?!?
Rocky lost the big fight. Sam lost the love of his life. The Bears lost the their hated tormentors (sorry for the spoiler). Obviously, something else had to be gained in the process. But the fact remains that they are examples of not having the "Hollywood Ending" that Russell so covets.
And while the losers have to gain something in order for the movie to work, in the films where the protagonist wins, they often lose something in the process. Some price must paid or the movie probably sucks.
"
"One-off stories where the protagonist doesn’t really win or even loses are adored by critics and largely hated by general audiences and promptly forgotten by both."
Casablanca
Rocky
The Bad News Bears
Those are three off the top of my head.
On “Grunge Was the 90s Music Palate Cleanser, Not Its Highlight”
I think it tracks with whichever genre(s) you and your social circle(s) listened to, with an emphasis on the artists/sub-genres you enjoyed the most. I think it can be as specific or expansive as a person's taste.
"
Never heard it until this minute.
Sounds exactly like "A Boy Named Sue" but without the clever Shel Silverstein lyrics.
"
LOL. I wanted to knock him out. The dance floor emptied.
"
I was married in 1998.
I had a DO NOT PLAY list for the DJ.
This was the list:
Anything by Chumbawumba.
And he still played Tubthumping because, as he explained later, "I thought Anything was a song."
"
I'm sure someone, somewhere would argue to their death that "The Candy Man" by Sammy Davis Jr was a cultural touchstone.
But I'm definitely not that person.
"
I think that is typical of any era. If you look at the Billboard Top 100 of any given year, it's full of songs that were huge hits that are not at all *representative* of what 's perceived to be the dominant culture(s) of the time.
Here's 1972 for example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1972
"
Smashing Pumpkins do sound fresher than the others in that cohort. Probably/maybe because they were not really grunge at all, but were often mischaracterized as such.
A song like "Drown" sounds like it could have been recorded last week.