--Men Without Hats
People don't tend to value pop culture, the way that they claim to value other things that
fall under the heading of "culture."
In Istanbul a few summers ago, my traveling companion and I
were speaking to a Turkish man in front of his Backgammon board shop in the Grand Bazaar.
As most of the Turks we had
encountered on our trip up the Aegean coast, he was friendly, gregarious, and
genuinely interested in talking to us.
He asked us what we were studying in college. When I told him I was majoring
in American Culture, he got a quizzical look on his face.
He thought I was joking. He couldn't believe there was such a field of study, and when I insisted there was, he
started laughing, and said he had a joke to tell us.
"What's the difference between yogurt and America?" he asked.
We thought about it for a few moments, anticipating some sort of disparaging remark, though
not entirely sure what this particular put-down was going to be. Finally, we shook
our heads and indicated we were ready for him to deliver his punch line.
"Yogurt has more culture," he said with a broad smile.
We laughed. We didn't consider ourselves overwhelmingly patriotic, and we often agreed
with the Turks' criticisms of our home country.
In a way, we knew he had a right to make fun of the U.S.
which as a relatively young nation, des not possess nearly as rich or for that matter
as old a history and culture as Turkey
or Greece (another destination of ours on the trip).
But, at the same time, we couldn't help to notice
that during our weeks traveling through Turkey and Greece we saw more then a few Turkish and Greek teenagers
wearing Kurt Cobain t-shirts, Levis jeans, and Converse sneakers. Furthermore,
all the teens that we spoke to asked us hundreds of questions
about Beverly Hills 90210 and Baywatch
(two shows they all watched religiously, to our surprise). They were obsessed with Hollywood
and couldn't believe it when we told them that we had never been there ourselves.
Because America is a country with religiously, ethnically, and racially diverse citizens,
the part of our culture that we all share is our popular culture. Our
fashions, movies, cars, music, TV shows, malls, mass media, and even fast-food restaurants
make up American Culture.
Unfortunately, most higher-brow-than-thou intellectuals look upon these life
aspects as tacky, trivial, and not worth talking about.
That's where I come onto your monitor. I'm a Pop Vulture. I spend my time attending to the
dirty little details of popular culture that many people trample over like roadkill under their
speeding tires. For this Vulture on the other hand, pop culture supplies the staple diet. You'll find
me down on the road in front of the cars, picking at the messy carrion the media has left behind.
I'll regurgitate for you the most tasty things I'm currently obsessing over. Aren't you lucky?
Pianoman -- Ben Folds Five, a threesome led
Ben Folds Five's music is some of
the most innovative stuff played on Alt rock stations right now. Their music is melodic, and
the lyrics are interesting, funny, and emotionally honest. These are not predictable, boring songs
like the majority of stuff on so-called "alternative" radio. "Song for the Dumped" is a particular
favorite with it's angry boy lyrics:
Trent Makes Bowie Even More "Afraid" -- When I bought
David Bowie's Earthling last year I was excited to hear more of the edgy electronica
he had successfully played around with on 1995's Outside. The songs on Earthling
have a quick, jagged jungle beat to them. I was a bit disappointed in the track "I'm afraid of Americans;"
I liked the lyrics and what the song was attempting to do musically, but I just felt that it fell short of
grabbing me entirely. Enter, Trent Reznor, who has worked with Bowie before on remixes of Outside's
"The Heart's Filthy Lesson" with amazing success. Reznor has again pushed Bowie over the top with
his remix of "I'm Afraid of Americans," which is only available on the CD single. I don't usually
buy singles, but this is a case where it's absolutely necessary.
JESSICA BARRON, jessb@poprocks.com is Purr's Managing Editor. She lives Providence, RI, and also works as the Managing Editor for CollegeBeat. Jess collects plastic Pez dispensers, watches Sci Fi shows, and drinks lots of red wine. Her homepage, Dangerous Candy, has all the sugar and twice the caffeine.
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ReinCARnation -- Yes, I've been stung by the new re-vamped Volkswagen Beetle. I saw it in person
at The Northeast International Auto Show in Providence. This car is amazing! It has
both an avante-garde and retro visual appeal. It makes you just want to reach out and hug it.
Furthermore, the Volkswagen folks' attention to details
on the (interior and exterior) design of this car as well as in the advertising copy to
promote the New Beetle, are certain to make it an incredibly popular car.
The rounded shape of the Beetle's shell make it look like the space cruisers from The Jetsons. And get
this, there's a bud vase built into the dashboard so you can always keep fresh flowers in the car!
One brochure reads, "If you were really good in a past life...you came back as something better."
Another ad says, "You sold your soul in the 80's, now it's time to buy it back."
They're clearly going for that 60's flower-power nostalgia love-peace-n-happiness feeling.
This car is certain to have a widespread emotional appeal.
by Ben Folds, the piano playing leader/singer released their third album
Naked Baby Pictures last month. You may know them from their
strong second album, last year's Whatever and Ever Amen or their
performances
on Saturday Night Live, MTV Live, and
Late Night With David Letterman. The singles off of Whatever and Ever Amen,
particularly "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" and the cross-over ballad "Brick," have recently
received a huge amount of airplay. There are more than a few quirky things about this band.
Most obvious, they're called Ben Folds Five, but there are only three guys in the band.
Furthermore, they've got a strong alternative rock following, but they don't have a guitarist
(that's right, just a drummer, a bassist, and a pianoman).
And let's not forget "Brick," which I don't like to hear on the radio for some reason; I'd rather listen
to it alone in my apartment. It's a raw, gloomy song about a high school boy bringing his girlfriend to
an abortion clinic. The chorus, "She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly/ off the coast and I'm headed nowhere,"
is haunting. And the line "Now that I have found someone, I'm feeling more alone, than I ever have before,"
is capable of making even a cynical Vulture like myself break down and cry. "The Battle of Who Could Care Less,"
on the other hand, is just a fun anthem for the "whatever" generation, as I fondly call
today's twentysomethings. Ben sings:
