Today In Pop Culture: What is “Ooga-Chaka?”
Published on January 11th, 2016 in: Music, Today In Pop Culture |
If you had an AM radio in the Sixties or Seventies, odds are that’s all you had because it was the Sixties or Seventies. Thank the gods for real technology, right? AM radio, with its predilection for programming soft rock and one hit wonders, was the place to hear American singer BJ Thomas. The guy had hit after hit. Thomas was the performer of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1970.*
[Do you know which movie “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was featured in? The answer is at the end of this article!]
Today in Pop Culture: David Bowie’s Blackstar Birthday
Published on January 8th, 2016 in: Culture Shock, Current Faves, Music, Science Fiction, Today In Pop Culture |
Today is David Bowie’s birthday and I don’t understand why anyone is at work or school. Why aren’t government offices closed? Why is this not a Federal holiday? We should all be in public parks, wearing body paint and having Aladdin Sane lookalike contests. We should put on our red shoes and dance the blues. We should be burning space capsules in effigy in the name of Major Tom.
David Bowie is 69 years old and is still cooler than everyone reading this article, combined.
Today in Pop Culture: Sing Along with History, Volume One
Published on January 7th, 2016 in: Music, Today In Pop Culture |
Some days just bring songs to mind. The historical events create their own playlist and allow us the opportunity to be educated and entertained. I call these phenomena “educationerments.” Let’s begin, shall we?
Today In Pop Culture: The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde
Published on January 6th, 2016 in: Movies, Music, Teh Sex, Today In Pop Culture |
When one is living a life of crime, some days don’t seem as bad as others. This is subjective, of course, because when a good day consists of only killing one human being, it might be time to reevaluate one’s priorities. So if the murder of Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis comes across as a minor event, it is only in comparison to the other deeds of the man who killed him: Clyde Barrow.
Today In Pop Culture: Better To Kurgan Out, Than To Fade Away
Published on January 5th, 2016 in: Movies, Today In Pop Culture, TV |
Today is actor Clancy Brown’s birthday. Some readers might wonder, “Who the heck is Clancy Brown?” Some folks might actually be insulted, for example, the Clancy Brown uberfan I met at Toronto’s Suspect Video a few years back (the same lady who referred to Mr. Brown as a “tall drink of water”). How could someone not know about the existence of Clancy Brown! Fear not, gentle reader. We’re here to help.
Today In Pop Culture: The First Snuff Film
Published on January 4th, 2016 in: Movies, Science and Technology, Today In Pop Culture |
There have been many alleged snuff films over the years. The term, defined as movies during which an actor is either murdered or commits suicide, was coined by Ed Sanders in The Family, his 1969 book about Charles Manson. However, there has never been any verifiable evidence of a snuff film existing. When you expand the scope outside of human mammals, things change drastically.
Today in Pop Culture: One Man, One Bike, One Dream
Published on January 1st, 2016 in: Sports, Today In Pop Culture |
As the New Year begins, let us speak of fallen heroes, those who dared to dream big and fail miserably. These are men among men, the ones who dare to straddle that line between heroism and stupidity, and we remember their successes as well as their failures.
Friends, I bring before you a man named Evel.
Today in Pop Culture: Lots Of Stuff!
Published on December 31st, 2015 in: Comics, Music, Today In Pop Culture |
It’s the end of the year and as we look back through pop culture history, this is a big day! Lots of things happened, and it’s hard to pick just one. Therefore, I’m not going to. Why do hard things? Ugh. So here’s a quick list of interesting things that happened on December 31st!
Today in Pop Culture: Paul, Frank, Elvis, And Sid
Published on December 30th, 2015 in: Music, Today In Pop Culture |
It is 1968, and at the end of the year, in the twilight of his singing career, Frank Sinatra steps into a recording studio and sings the song that would become his trademark, “My Way.”
The song was based on a French tune called “Comme d’habitude.” Songwriter Paul Anka, known mostly for being interchangeable with other songwriter Neil Sedaka, bought the rights to the song for a measly dollar, thinking he could take the tune and make something better out of it.
Today in Pop Culture: From Murder to Broadway
Published on December 29th, 2015 in: Music, Today In Pop Culture |
His name was Thomas Becket, and he was a well-respected man about town, as they say. Quick-witted, an eloquent speaker, Becket fell under the patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket was sent to law school in France and, when he returned, he was made the Archdeacon of Canterbury.
There are lots of Arches in this story. Do try to keep up.