From The New York Observer, The Pisher Kings: With a dearth of fame-worthy men, overhyped youngsters like Shia LaBeouf and Pete Wentz are taking over our culture, our thoughts, our lives. Where are you, Johnny Depp? Simpson Family Values: A cartoon family whacked America's funny bone in 1989, eventually becoming the longest-running TV comedy ever. As The Simpsons jumps to the big screen this month, not everyone involved—including the writers, the voices, and Rupert Murdoch—agrees on what has made it a pop phenomenon. Life is Swell: An interview with Matt Groening his dreams, his alt-weekly past and, oh yeah, The Simpsons Movie.
Assimilation and its Discontents: Why Jews love hip-hop (and try so hard to befriend black people). Say It Loud! PopMatters picks the 65 Great Protest Songs. An article on Manu Chao as a: musical political upstart. Mann and his musical demons: Thomas Mann was all too aware of the ties between music and Nazi ideology, writes Wolfgang Schneider. Drowned in sound: A review of Manifesto for Silence: Confronting the Politics and Culture of Noise by Stuart Sim. In an era that devalues contact, silence is the new no: How passive refusal is quickly rendering outright rejection an anachronism.
The Rise of the Seventh Letter: Once you know what you’re looking for, your sixth (make that your seventh) sense will kick in and you’ll start seeing them everywhere — on empty walls surrounding vacant lots, on the ramparts of the L.A. River, along freeways, on billboards... everywhere. Just what the doctor ordered: Eclipsed by sneaker culture, Dr Martens' moment as a symbol of youth rebellion has long gone, but the company is fighting back with the biggest reboot in its history. Rebel with a cause: Why certain products are used as markers of difference. Breaking Away: In the ’70s, a time of freedom and openness, people felt an obligation to embrace new experiences: by going somewhere unknown you might discover who you were, or could be.
