Slate's Culture Gabfest

You can be clever at Slate...just not tooooo clever...that'll get you smacked down...

Haven't listened to this week's show but can't wait now. I love Dahl but clearly I have a lot to learn about him.

The basic fun and pleasure are there, but the videos are telling a scarier story. Recalls Lucretius in de rerum natura--put a little bit of sweetener on the harsh truth.

I don't see anyone positing Paisley or Swift as PoMo culture critics, ironic semioticians or as a"visual artist" as some folks seem to regard Gaga.
And I suppose if we're supposed to just listen to the music and ignore the pretentious baloney, well then, why can't we find it subjectively boring and uninteresting?

It's Slate that's cracker for NY/INTELLECTUAL/ANGST...I agree with the author of the post. It's always funny hearing Stephen and Dana discussing the subtleties of rap and black culture....

It becomes "tokenism" when it's just for the sake of indulging identity politics and covering demographic lines across ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, etc.
Like last week's suggestion that they bring on Sapphire to discuss "Precious" because at many junctures the panelists blithely ignored some of the film's most loaded images, it's just a band-aid.

That several listeners have suggested that adding the "other" panelist would somehow correct the Gabfest's recent weaknesses, faltering and cop-outs, relies on several troubling assumptions. I imagine that the person they'd choose would be of similar educational background, as well as close in political and aesthetic sensitivities. Or should we expect the guest panelist's racial or sexual identity would prove so fundamental to their views that they'd offer radically different insights to everything?
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Case in point: this week the participation by Slate's black TV critic Troy Patterson, possibly paraded as damage control for the previous week's podcast. He waxed on about Lady Gaga, in a manner which complemented the tone and vocabulary of most Culture Gabfests. Did you assume he wasn't a person of color because he didn't signify a radically different perspective?

John in my book. George though proved quite a surprise right out of the gate. Paul i enjoyed but the treacle would just be a bit much sometimes.

I grew up a JOHN fan...but It's Paul by a longshot. I agree with David. Band on the Run is an absolute masterpiece, although ALL THINGS MUST PASS is pretty amazing as well so George is right there. I feel Lennon's post Beatle work with the exception of the first Plastic Ono Band album to be lacking...

I saw Johnny a bunch before he died. He used to play that joint DOWNTOWN at 666 Broadway. THis was in the elegant tramp period with the big band.
Also saw him a bit at the Continental Divide...L.A.M.F.....is a good one.

i was at a show of his in Ann Arbor where a syringe fell right out of his jacket and landed right in front of me on the stage. i gave it back to him between songs. later at an after gig party i saw him and Ron Aston of the Stooges shooting up in a bathroom. i felt then as i feel now How Pathetic, What a Waste!

Is Hurt Me the first one?

Hey guys. Just want to chime in to say I'm mortified we had the details wrong here. We got some bad information about the terms of the deal, and I'm very sorry to have oversold it on the 'fest. My apologies to you all. (JT)

Still a nice deal...

agree with you about Cameron (the son) as yet another terrible gay man stereotype... OTOH I enjoy Eric Stonestreet's character as a refreshing break from the "thin, single, and neat" cliche. Kind of a gay John Goodman.

Funny you should say that, Heather, since John Goodman did have his own sitcom a few years back in which he played a gay man. It was called Normal, Ohio.

missed that!