Tag Archives: Culture
The Hi-Riser On The Hill
Each day I drive past this hi-riser on my daily commute through Western Pennsylvania’s Monongahela Valley. In three years, it’s never moved, yet somehow it retains a shine — like the owner still regularly washes and waxes it even though he stopped driving it long ago.
Read or Regret, Vol. I: Hard Truths and Unshakable Horrors
A month or so back, for example, I unearthed a copy of The Soul of America (1986) — Esquire’s state-by-state look at life in 1980s America. A Ken Kesey essay on rodeo culture in Kansas is what prompted me to buy the book, but after paging through the table of contents some more, I discovered a story written by Lynn Darling titled “True Blue.”
Postcards from America: Rochester, New York
A year ago we did a project called Postcards From America. It was a groundbreaking experiment. Rather than waiting to be commissioned, we just made a decision to do something and hit the road. We drove from San Antonio to Oakland. It was really thrilling. But it was also pretty chaotic.
Scene From The Suburban Slums: ‘This Is All Gone Now’
For the last several months, I’ve been researching the topic of suburban decline for a series of nonfiction stories I’m working on. I’m looking at what is traditionally viewed as first-ring suburbs, or the first wave of planned communities beyond the city limits. My focus is on the eastern suburbs outside of Pittsburgh, an area I’ve lived nearly all my life.
New York City’s Faded Ethos in Colson Whitehead’s ‘Zone One’
I was not surprised when the “occupation” of Zucotti Park was cleared out last November by the NYPD. What surprised me was that it could persist for nearly two months in a place as spatially constricted as Manhattan. New York City is not particularly hospitable to those who wish to live off-the-grid or create autonomous spaces for themselves — artistic,…
The Last Night Of The Year
My uncle used to refer to New Year’s Eve as amateur night. That was because, well, he was a high-functioning alcoholic, and most social drinkers are not as well-versed in the dubious art of driving under the influence.
The Brilliance and Racism of Soul Man
Can we start a serious discussion on how inadvertently brilliant and terribly racist this film is?
In the Tunnels Beneath Las Vegas
Back in November 2010, Austin Hargrave wrote about his experience photographing the homeless who live in the tunnels beneath Las Vegas. His photographs appeared in Matthew O’Brien’s book, Beneath the Neon, which documents the people who live (for a variety of reasons) in the drainage tunnels beneath the city. With homelessness numbers in Las Vegas tripling since 2009, it makes you wonder if the tunnels have seen an influx of residents in the last year.
Alice Cooper and the ‘Chicken Incident’ of 1969
After an unrehearsed stage routine involving Cooper and a live chicken garnered attention from the press, the band decided to capitalize on tabloid sensationalism, creating in the process a new subgenre, shock rock. Cooper claims that the infamous ‘Chicken Incident’, which took place at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival concert in September 1969, was in fact an accident.
Public Service: Preaching The Evils Of Comic Books
When I was a boy and played with the gang we did a lot of things. We roasted potatoes and went on expeditions, we tipped over garbage cans now and then, we wrote nasty remarks about the teacher on the sidewalk. We never spent our afternoons like this, reading.
Augmented Reality: June 20th, New York City
A dispatch from the ‘uncanny valley’.
The first time I ever actually saw augmented reality, I was living in Albany, NY. My friend loaded LAYAR onto his phone and we walked around our neighborhood, watching real estate data instantiate alongside buildings.
In Search Of Hanni El Khatib
Garage-rock revivalism holds a certain amount of sway over me, especially the type Hanni El Khatib has assembled on Will The Guns Come Out (Innovative Leisure). Most likely my interest has something to do with an adolescence steeped in power-chord worship.
Call For Submissions: Death Of A Good Job
Looking for personal stories from individuals who lost a job in the months and/or years following the stock market crash of 2008. The submissions will be edited and published in the epilogue to Death of a Good Job, a zine/micro memoir that will be independently published sometime in 2012.
When Slugs Rule The World
Walmart needs to adopt Slug CEO (pictured) as their corporate mascot. This yellow-skinned, pipe-smoking millionaire is adorable.
The Social Contract Between Citizens And Police
I’ve been reading criminal defense lawyer blogs for years now. It’s an important perspective to have, and it’s a useful reminder about things that have come to the national consciousness lately have long been important issues for people in the trenches.
Skinemax: The Lure Of Adolescent Nostalgia
In the description for this hyper-nostalgic audio-video mix, Smash TV explains that “Skinemax is Koyaanisqatsi for a generation raised on late night television and B-movie VHS tapes. It’s long form entertainment for short attention spans.”
Death At The Demolition Derby
The loss of a father, husband, and friend.
In Logan, Ohio, on September 12, 2006. Dave Cosper passed away after winning his demolition derby heats at the Hocking County Fair. His son Brandon took his place the following week.
Daniel Clowes’ Unaired Ad Spot For Apple
It’s hard not to be entranced by this 2004 Apple advertisement starring cartoonist Daniel Clowes (click to view). It was part of the largely unsuccessful “Switch” campaign created by Errol Morris. The ads star mostly unknown “citizens” (including Morris’s son), as well as some b-list celebrities and cult figures like Clowes.
