Tag: popular culture

A quiet life, a remarkable influence: On Bob Dylan’s English teacher, B.J. Rolfzen

December 5, 2016

Looking ahead to this weekend’s Nobel prize ceremony, in which Bob Dylan, the 2016 laureate in literature, will likely not attend but will provide a speech.BY COLLEEN SHEEHYPresident and executive director, Public Art St. Paul When I looked at my phone in the early morning of Thursday, October 13, I was stunned to discover that … More A quiet life, a remarkable influence: On Bob Dylan’s English teacher, B.J. Rolfzen

Cutting Class Nobly: Toby Thompson on Bob Dylan

October 17, 2016

BY TOBY THOMPSON My reaction to Bob Dylan’s being awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature is, oddly, less public than private. It’s public in that in 1971 I published the first serious book about Dylan’s life, and since 1969 have written of his work fairly regularly. It’s personal in that Dylan’s lyrics, poetry, and … More Cutting Class Nobly: Toby Thompson on Bob Dylan

The boombox on the bus: Erik Satie’s furniture music in 2016

February 25, 2016

BY PAUL ROQUETPostdoctoral fellow in global media and film studies at Brown University 2016 marks the 150th birth anniversary of the French composer Erik Satie (1866–1925). As far as musical ideas go, Satie is best known for his notion of “furniture music” (musique d’ameublement), first introduced nearly 100 years ago in 1917 and later popularized … More The boombox on the bus: Erik Satie’s furniture music in 2016

On global science fiction cinema and environmental catastrophe.

December 15, 2015

The French poster for the 2014 film Snowpiercer. Global science fiction cinemaand its common depiction of post-apocalyptic scenarios is increasingly resonatingwith current world events. BY JENNIFER FEELEY AND SARAH ANN WELLS Last week, Beijing resembled an apocalyptic scene from a science fiction film. Shrouded in thick smog, China’s capital city came to a standstill. For … More On global science fiction cinema and environmental catastrophe.

How early aviation inspired American utopianism

February 27, 2015

Frank Paul, “Flying Man,” on the cover of Amazing Stories 3, no. 5 (August 1928). BY ADNAN MORSHEDAssociate professor of architecture and architectural history at the Catholic University of America A hundred years have passed since the world’s first scheduled passenger airline service. In Florida, on January 1, 1914, a Benoist XIV airboat flew from … More How early aviation inspired American utopianism

Happiness, death, and a few of his favorite (and most loathed) things: Dery does the Proust Questionnaire

June 26, 2012

[Inspired by.] BY MARK DERY, cultural critic and author, most recently, of I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts What is your idea of earthly happiness? All the time in the world, all the books in the world, the creditors banished forever from my mailbox, the time clock stopped for all time, a pool of light … More Happiness, death, and a few of his favorite (and most loathed) things: Dery does the Proust Questionnaire

From Character Toys to Designer Toys (Or, How I Became a Toy Collector)

May 18, 2012

Dunny from artist Tara McPherson, a concert poster designer andformer production assistant on Matt Groening’s Futurama. This is the fourth in a series of posts about author and anime scholar Marc Steinberg’s personal collection of collectibles. See all posts here. BY MARC STEINBERGAssistant professor of film studies at Concordia University In criticisms of the shift … More From Character Toys to Designer Toys (Or, How I Became a Toy Collector)

Marc Steinberg: Print Culture and Tin Toys

May 4, 2012

This is the third in a series of posts about author and anime scholar Marc Steinberg’s personal collection of collectibles. See all posts here. BY MARC STEINBERGAssistant professor of film studies at Concordia University Scholarship meets serendipity in the practice of collecting.What is there to collect?What is there to find? All this depends on a … More Marc Steinberg: Print Culture and Tin Toys

Marc Steinberg: From "the" sticker craze to my sticker craze

April 27, 2012

This sticker of Atomu, which the author owns, dates back to 1963 or 1964. This is Part 2 of a multi-part series in which Marc Steinberg, author of Anime’s Media Mix, lets us into his own world of collectibles. Curious? Read the first part here. ——-BY MARC STEINBERGAssistant professor of film studies at Concordia University … More Marc Steinberg: From "the" sticker craze to my sticker craze