Today In Pop Culture: The First Rock & Roll Concert

By Jeffery X Martin

They call Cleveland, Ohio, “The Mistake by the Lake.” It’s an unfortunate nickname, stemming from their wretched winters, a river that has a tendency to catch fire, and a seemingly permanent place on any Most Miserable Places to Live in America list. But for as much guff as Cleveland takes, it is a rock and roll town, perhaps the rock and roll town. There’s more than one reason the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, and today we celebrate one of them: the very first rock concert, held in 1952.

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Netflix Review: Pee-wee’s Big Holiday

By Jeffery X Martin

There’s a new Pee-wee Herman movie exclusively on Netflix, and I don’t know why either. I suppose it fits in with the nostalgia wave the network has been riding lately, but going with Pee-Wee seems an odd choice. The curiosity factor must be acknowledged, though, and a lot of people will tune in just to see what this movie could possibly offer.

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Today In Pop Culture: Caligula Takes Power And Rome Goes To Hell

By Jeffery X Martin

We made it through the Ides of March, which saw the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. But before Julius Caesar began his dictatorship, there was another leader of the Roman Empire who was as infamous as Caesar was famous. His full name was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. That’s a mouthful, so he was most often referred to by his nickname, Caligula. That very word still brings up images of debauchery and madness today. He came to power on this day in 37 BC.

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Today In Pop Culture: St. Patrick Was A Schmuck; Here’s Some Irish Music

By Jeffery X Martin

‘Tis the day of Saint Patrick, that old bastard, and as much as I would love to talk about how he single-handedly attempted to destroy Druidism and the rich heritage of Ireland’s pagan folk like the Great White Missionary he was, this is probably not the place for that.

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Today In Pop Culture: Wings Fills The Post-Beatles Void

By Jeffery X Martin

You can’t do a daily column about pop culture history without running into the Beatles. They are a constant. On this day, George Harrison blew his nose on Paris. On this day, Ringo Starr learned a new time signature. The entertainment calendar is dotted with such Beatles minutiae and who cares? Folks, it’s time for a stark confession.

I have always been a Paul McCartney fan, and I would rather listen to Wings than the Beatles.

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Movie Review: Baskin

By Jeffery X Martin

The new Turkish movie by Can Evrenol, Baskin, is one of the best horror movies of the decade so far. It intrigues, it horrifies, it disgusts, but it is never anything but an excellent example of how to make nightmares come to life on screen.

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Today In Pop Culture: I Only Have Ides For You

By Jeffery X Martin

Odds are high that somebody will come up to you today at work and say, “Beware the Ides of March.” Yeah, that’s creepy, but if you wheel right around and ask, “What’s an Ide, Todd, and why are you in my cubicle?” they probably won’t have an answer for either question.

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Today In Pop Culture: Como Goes Gold, But What Does That Mean?

By Jeffery X Martin

“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket/Never let it fade away…”

Scientifically and astronomically, this is a terrible idea. Not only will you get burned, but that thing could be radioactive. While these instructions are no way to treat a meteorite, they are enough to get you a gold record. “Catch A Falling Star” by Perry Como was the first single ever to be awarded the RIAA status of gold record, and it happened on this date in 1958.

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Today In Pop Culture: Barbie Movies Are A Thing, But Why?

By Jeffery X Martin

The Barbie doll was introduced on this date, back in 1959. That chick is 57 years old and, suffice it to say, she looks great. She looks even better now that Mattel has decided to make Barbies in different skin tones and body types. I can’t be the only one to see those wasp-waisted blonde Barbies and think, “Damn. Eat a toy sandwich or something.”

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Blu-Ray Review: In The Heart Of The Sea

By Jeffery X Martin

Ron Howard’s whaling adventure In the Heart of the Sea is an ambitious film, reaching into a few classic sub-genres, but ultimately, finding no purchase there. What remains is a pastiche of retreaded ideas and some weird-looking CGI. As the true story behind the novel Moby Dick, viewers have a good idea of what they’re getting into, but will wind up with less than they expected.

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