Pop(s) Culture
/Everything Old Is New Again…
In the simplest terms, pop culture can be defined as a blend of ideas, images, attitudes and perspectives that characterize a given culture or generation. Or if you prefer the snarkier translation as much as I do, the destruction of the human race.
Most, if not all of its consumption is via entertainment; movies, television, books, even music. The popularity of Ready Player One, Stranger Things, Guardians of The Galaxy and Deadpool have ignited a resurgence of enthusiasm with their treasure trove of gems lovingly served up for pop culture junkies and novices alike.
Some of the more elitist “art” critics frown at the use of such references. Claiming that they are lowbrow, which in turn I claim as flat out snobbery. The “pop” in pop culture stands for popular. And that level of acclaim is accomplished by reaching the masses. Let me break down some of the specific concerns.
1. They “date” the story.
·Some might call that a historical reference…
2. They create “in” and “out” groups.
·Spoiler alert…such is real life people!
3. They baffle future readers.
·Where to start with this one. I would argue not at all if wisely and appropriately used. And google’s probably not going anywhere!
Pop culture can offer us an indelible sense of nostalgia that in turn can provide us a kind of comfort in difficult times. They can be narratives sung or written and characters real or imagined that pull us backward to a moment or occasion that we perceive as sweeter. At least as far as the viewpoint we are looking from today.
Just for fun, below I am listing some of the most iconic of pop culture phenomena across all artistic mediums from the 1970’s, 1980’s and the 1990’s. And because this is after all, a blog about books and reading, a listing of the popular books published in those same decades.
I hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane! When it doesn’t remind you how old you are that is. Sorry about that…
The 1970’s
What People Were Watching…
Jaws
Rocky…unfortunate consumption of raw eggs occurred afterwards to prove I was worthy
Godfather…the story of my people…more my people’s people
Star Wars
Grease…is the word
Saturday Night Fever
All In The Family
Maude
6 Million Dollar Man
Welcome Back Kotter…oh the feathered hair
Who People Were Listening To…
The Bee Gees
Fleetwood Mac
David Bowie
Elton John
Led Zeppelin
Disco
What People Were Doing…
The Hustle
Playing Pac-Man
Going To Woodstock
Taping Up Their Farrah Fawcett Poster
Putting On Their Mood Rings
What People Were Reading…
The Stand-Stephen King
Princess Bride-William Goldman
World According to Garp-John Irving
The Lorax-Dr Seuss
Breakfast of Campions-Kurt Vonnegut
The Exorcist-William Peter Blatty
Helter Skelter-Vincent Bugliosi
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret-Judy Blume
Executioners Song-Norman Mailer
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy-Douglas Adams
Roots-Alex Haley
Go Ask Alice-Beatrice Sparks
Interview with A Vampire-Anne Rice
Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance-Robert M. Pirsig
The Joy of Sex-Alex Comfort
The 1980’s
What People Were Watching…
Scarface
E.T.
Gremlins
Ghostbusters
Footloose…Kevin Bacon in tight jeans
Back To The Future
Blade Runner
Ferris Buellers Day Off
The Shining
Die Hard…Alan Rickman R.I.P.
Cheers
The Simpsons
Dallas
After School Specials…may have had the opposite effect on me
Who People Were Listening To…
U2
Cyndi Lauper
Michael Jackson
Madonna
Hall & Oates
ACDC
Guns ‘N Roses
What People Were Doing…
It… according to Nike anyway
Solving the Rubix Cube
Hunting for A Cabbage Patch Doll
Buying A Walkman
Quoting… “I’ll have what she’s having”
What People Were Reading…
Satanic Verses-Salman Rushdie
Beloved-Toni Morrison
Confederacy of Dunces-John Kennedy Toole
The Color Purple-Alice Walker
The Handmaids Tale-Margaret Atwood
The Joy Luck Club-Amy Tan
The Bonfire of The Vanities-Tom Wolfe
Misery-Stephen King
Matilda-Roald Dahl
The Pillars of The Earth-Ken Follet
A Time to Kill-John Grisham
The Prince of Tides-Pat Conroy
Presumed Innocent-Scott Turow
A Brief History of Time-Stephen Hawking
The Stranger Beside Me-Ann Rule
The 1990’s
What People Were Watching…
Titanic
Austin Powers
Ghost…made me want to take up pottery
Jurassic Park
Pretty Woman
Pulp Fiction
Clerks
Dazed & Confused…Matthew McConaughey in tight jeans
Seinfeld
Twin Peaks…Pie parties
Who People Were Listening To…
George Michael
Boy Bands
Grunge
Radiohead
Nirvana
Weezer
Soundgarden
What People Were Doing…
The Macarena…get that image out of your head now
Quoting…” Talk To The Hand”
Gorging On The OJ Simpson Trail…I blame this for reality TV
Quoting…’There’s No Crying In Baseball”
What People Were Reading…
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus-John Gray
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone-J. K. Rowling
High Fidelity-Nick Hornby
Infinite Jest-David Foster Wallace
Angela’s Ashes-Frank McCourt
English Patient-Michael Ondaatje
Snow Falling on Cedars-David Guterson
Into Thin Air-Jon Krakauer
The Shipping News-Annie Proulx
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil-John Berendt
Fight Club-Chuck Palahniuk
The Secret History-Donna Tartt
The Notebook-Nicholas Sparks
A Fine Balance-Rohinton Mistry
American Psycho-Bret Easton Ellis
Chocolat-Joanne Harris
L.A. Confidential-James Ellroy
Practical Magic-Alice Hoffman
