Comments on: Last Call for Sunday

By: Rob Grocholski

Rob Grocholski — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:19:27 +0000

What Ahmed said.
We’re all becoming curious to know if Mr. Hedges has convinced you to drive down to Anaheim and put Disney to the torch.

By: Ahmed

Ahmed — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:05:57 +0000

Dude let’s at least hear a report back about the debate and hopefully a podcast too

By: Brady Westwater

Brady Westwater — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:43:36 +0000

Nikki didn’t go any where. She still publishes the same she did before in the LA Weekly. Only her on-line blog is now hosted elsewhere.

By: Celeste fremon

Celeste fremon — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:49:32 +0000

Yes, Podcast! In any case, I hope they video it. They’d be silly not to.

It should be a great event! Have fun!

By: Rob Grocholski

Rob Grocholski — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:37:55 +0000

You know what? I just hit that ’submit comment’ while this horde of Kid Rock fans came marching down Jefferson Ave (Detroit). That vox poppy thingy can be some sappy weak shit…

By: Rob Grocholski

Rob Grocholski — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:31:34 +0000

Marc – Mr. Hedges has a strong essay, imho. It’s a good Marxist screamer, yet kind of fun to read . Most of his points strike their mark. He’s especially nailed down the damage done by corporations forces who trade in celebrity persona as commodities. However, his rhetorical flourishes also overstate his case. For instance, Mr. Hedges cites Neal Gabler, concluding “that celebrity culture is not a convergence of consumer culture and religion so much as a hostile takeover of religion by consumer culture.” Assuming the either/or choice as necessary (it’s not) one should gladly accept the rise of the consumer culture over the religious. Think of the counter: surely there’s many among the godly quite ready to play the role of centralized censoring who’d make sure we never suffer ‘too much Michael Jackson.’ That would be a much worse place to be than where we’re at with our bubble gum culture. Also, Mr. Hedges, at least rhetorically, seems to have little faith in the basic atomized US consumer’s ability to be selective. Or as George Carlin famously put it, “…you can actually change the channel…” Hedges noted that 31 million tuned into the spectacle of Jackson’s funeral. Apparently the other 269 million of us had more important things to do.

And what about a culture of bubble gum? Aren’t there some virtues? Among some of my most pro-feminist friends, they swear that a bubble gum song such as Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is very radical and empowering. Just think how much that tune would drive the mad mullahs nuts. Accessibility to art or culture is important too, no? Doesn’t art that appeals to the masses have some place? So what if democratizing art makes “the masters” cringe a little. Not everyone “gets” Mozart. A little vox populi is OK. Perhaps trying to do high art through populist vehicles like Disney ends up confusing more than it inspires. Fantasia, anyone? But isn’t risk and risky projects, such as Fantasia, necessary in order to achieve?

Just some thoughts. I’m sure you’ll think up a lot of better debating points yourself.
Have fun.

By: Rick Barkin'

Rick Barkin' — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:51:34 +0000

The above baiting quote is so transparently….whiff…..Rick Barrs.

Yep, smells like Team New Times Spirit.

By the way, LA Weekly’s looking rather thin these past weeks. Whatever summer diet the Weekly is on (dropped ads?), it sure beats whatever Valerie Bertinelli’s eating.

Too bad Laurie Ochoa and Nikki Finke had to go, the Weekly read likes a super-sized piece of New Times shit this week. Nothing left to read in it…..

By: Biff Larkin

Biff Larkin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:13:24 +0000

Marc Cooper says:

“Hedges is so so dark about the masses being bamboozled by bubble gum that to make this at all interesting I will have to pose as a defender of the Oprah show or something.”

Or perhaps, Cooper, you can just say what you honestly think.

Are you really as cynical and unprincipled as the above quote would lead many people to believe?

Cooper, how much are you getting paid for this performance and what are the terms of the agreement you entered into? How much do you make a year?

By: Sergio

Sergio — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:57:42 +0000

I’d go, but 75 bucks is a lot.
for $37.50, perhaps.

By: Ahmed

Ahmed — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:39:11 +0000

Or maybe you’d even have to pose as a defender of those grieving Michael Jackson. Given what transpired on this blog, that would surely be interesting. Without getting bogged down in a bunch of (interesting) theory from Adorno, Lipsitz or a consortium of others i tend to see both sides of the equation. Im genuinely interested in how people read, interact and create opop culture, see it as a kind of “text” from which people create their own meaning, and those interpretations can at times go against the grain. On other day I’m just down with what Hedges says. Good luck

By: Marc Cooper

Marc Cooper — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:12:11 +0000

I think it possible. Should be pretty funny. Hedges is so so dark about the masses being bamboozled by bubble gum that to make this at all interesting I will have to pose as a defender of the Oprah show or something,

By: Ahmed

Ahmed — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:56:35 +0000

If only I was a wee bit closer and had some spare time to go to this. I know you probably have little control over these sort of reuqests but PODCAST, PODCAST, PODCAST