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Selections
from the PopCult mail room,
as chosen by Zippy McDuff, The Invisible Intern™.
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WARHOL
OR WARHOLIAN?
Although
you say no credits are given for this adult
LP, I can say with almost 100 percent certainty that the cover illustration
was done by (not-yet-famous) Andy Warhol. The style is identical to a
Johnny Griffin jazz LP I have–The Congregation, Blue Note
1580–from the time frame you guessed (late '50s to very early '60s).
Check here
for six Warhol covers in this style from the same time frame. There are
nuances of technique differences in them, but if you had seen any one
of them and remembered it as a Warhol you would instantly recognize the
others.
Terry
Hall
(e-mail address withheld)
Hmmm–an
interesting supposition. I do think the illustrations are similar in style,
though not identical. Warhol's drawing style on the Johnny Griffin cover
uses mostly thick–even globular–lines of ink, whereas the illustrator
of the Queen cover has an almost feathery touch, with lines that
turn into disconnected dots. But who knows? Readers: you decide!
–Ed.
AH,
THE MEMORIES…
In
the late '40s early '50s my brother and I enjoyed the nudes in Popular
Photography, I think it was… a legitimate magazine for camera
bugs that is still published, I believe. Every issue had some beautiful
breast shots in the service of Art,
you understand. Years later I concluded that much of their circulation
had to be propelled (!) by these shots. Much better than the notorious
National Geographic, which (racially?) freely published black natives
half or more undressed.
Roger
Lodger
(e-mail address withheld)
Right
you are! "Art photography" magazines did indeed sneak in nudes to drive
sales–a crafty technique still being practiced to this day by American
Photo magazine. Some things never change, particularly the publishing
equation of nude photos = magazine sales.
–Ed.
KARAOKE:
IT WILL NEVER LEAVE
Hi,
I am a high school student currently trying VERY hard to complete an assignment
on a pop culture of my choice. What my question for you is,"Karaoke: pop
culture or not?" Do you think that it would be classified as a popular
culture and do you know where I would be able to obtain information on
it? Any information would be incredibly helpful… thank you.
Cheryl
(e-mail address withheld)
Cheryl:
I tried to send this to you several times, but it kept getting bounced
back.
Ah,
that's a tricky one. When karaoke first started being practiced here in
the U.S. (my dim recollection is the mid- to late-'80s), I think most
people considered it to be a goof. There had been lots of news stories
about the phenomenon in Japan, so bars and restaurants here decided to
give it a go. I think people tried it just as a lark–something silly
to do that they saw on TV or read about in newspapers. So I believe at
that time it was just an imitation of a pop culture trend–not a truly
spontaneous phenomenon.
But
it still hasn't gone away. Karaoke is still very popular in different
parts of the country, from big cities to small. There are actual karaoke
machines being sold at your major department-store chains, and there are
karaoke CDs, studios, websites, books, etc. Therefore, I think it has
stood the test of time and now qualifies as a genuine pop-culture trend.
If something inspires a long-term obsession in people of all different
types–no matter how embarrassing it might be–then it's usually
a bona fide phenomenon.
As
for information, I'm sure you've probably already done a Google search—the
only non-commercial website I found after a quick search is http://www.karaokescene.com/
—so I won't go over that. What you really need to do is check out
some books on the subject, if you have the time. At Amazon, there are
several interesting ones–maybe you could see if your local library
carries them, or browse through them at a bookstore.
If
you really wanted to kick ass on it, you should do some primary research–in
other words, interview people who actually do it. In my opinion, the best
way to cover a subject is to let the people involved with it tell the
story. Or, you could try to find the authors of those books on the Internet,
then e-mail them questions to get their expert opinions.
–Ed.
BLESSED
BE THE MONEY GRABBERS
Robert
Tilton is back on TV. I was channel surfing my cable this morning
and here on channel 50, BET, there he is spouting his religious money
grabbing prayers. I thought the Feds were looking for this guy.
Alvin
C.
(e-mail address withheld)
Yes,
the good Reverend has returned to the airwaves! I watched some of his
BET proselytizing myself, and I must say that I was rather disappointed.
Although still money grubbing, he lacked the Las Vegas flamboyance that
once made him so entertaining. I didn't see any offers for sacred talismans,
either. Perhaps he is a low-budget prophet these days.
–Ed.
THE
NEVER-ENDING SHAMELESSNESS
Just
wanted to drop a line saying that you were a little ahead of the curve
by knowing that that brain dead movie reviewer, Sandie
Newton, is a suck-ass, as I didn't know who she was until I read that
Gigli is really supposed to be "Sexy and Fun."
It
is really astonishing what people will do these days…
Peace,
Grant
Canada,
Toronto
AND
NOW, YET ANOTHER FREAKIN' COPY-TOT LETTER
To
Whom it May Concern:
I sent in an order for Copy
Tot, waited a month and no response. I sent them a letter and
no response. If a company is no longer in business why keep advertising
for them? They had a great product but you can find the same thing
at Babies R Us for less. Maybe that is why they are no longer concerned
with the service possible customers receive.
kcq
(e-mail address withheld from my rage)
One
last time, and in caps: I POSTED THESE DIRECT MAIL ITEMS FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT,
NOT AS ADVERTISEMENTS. FOR GOD'S SAKE, STOP SENDING MONEY TO STUPID THINGS
YOU SEE ON THE INTERNET.
—Ed.
DRUNK?
WASTED? E-MAIL POPCULT IMMEDIATELY!
Yes,
I told my wife....to towards to the light Carole Anne>
I
am, like Pop Culture glad she chose to. She always had a problem
with the light. She didn't like Rush LImbaugh either, although she
found him handsome.
You
must all be drinking some LIMITED EDITION eggnawwwwwwwwg. I hope
so that would make me happy.
I
smile when I am happy. I don't frown when sad, because they always
charge more for that.
Can
I come back here and play sometime? That would be nice. I'm
pretty, in a way. Maybe not.
Jack
E. Jett
http://www.jackejett.com
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