#extraordinary Pop Culture collectibles

[extrapopshop]

🌟 Check out this awesome find! 🌟

I’ve been a collector (or maybe a hoarder 😅) most of my life. This 2024 McDonald’s Collector’s Cup is from a McDonald’s near where I’ve worked in Manhattan’s Diamond District for the last 23 years. I support my family while dreaming of becoming an illustrator, drawing inspiration from many pop culture items.

I didn’t plan to get this cup, but it ended up in my hands during a lunch run. I love McDonald’s, but I can’t eat it as often anymore. Still, they’ve always had fun pop culture items. Is it fate, destiny, or just coincidence that it’s in my hands? I’ve become a curator of pop culture, guiding treasures to their next guardian. Someday, historians or archaeologists might look at these items and wonder about us.

Why drink out of a plain cup when you can have one decorated with colorful characters? Bid on it and be the next curator of this pop culture gem! 🛍️

[disneytva]

Disney Announces Jam-Packed D23 Fan Event Lineup With Many Animation, Muppets Panels And Screenings

With less than one month to go to the highly anticipated D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa, Disney today revealed details about what fans will be able to experience at the Anaheim Convention Center during this sold-out event, which will include an outstanding lineup of over 230 panels and presentations, show floor offerings and Talent Central interactions. This announcement builds upon plans previously shared about this year’s D23 gathering, which is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

Animation on Stage at D23

30 Years of Toy Story Celebrate 30 Years of Toy Story with filmmakers and Pixar Legends as they reflect on the making of the groundbreaking classic nearly 30 years ago and share never-before-heard anecdotes about how the historic film came to be. Exploring New Parts of the Mind: Behind the Design of Inside Out 2 + a Dreamy Surprise! Join Inside Out 2 production designer Jason Deamer as he gives an in-depth look at designing the new emotions joining Headquarters as Riley enters teenagehood. And stick around for a special dreamy sneak peek of an upcoming Pixar series! Marvel Animation Sneak Peek See what’s coming next to Disney+ from Marvel Animation, with special guests and first looks at hotly anticipated series including Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda, future seasons of What If…?, X-Men ’97, and more! The Animation Greats + Cast and Creator Sessions featuring Bob’s Burgers, Futurama and The Simpsons Presented by Hulu Animayhem & 20th Television Animation Four of the most influential creators in the world of animation — Matt Groening (The Simpsons, Futurama), Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad!), Mike Judge (King of the Hill) and Loren Bouchard (Bob’s Burgers, The Great North) — come together for a historic and extraordinary conversation you won’t want to miss. Then, the voice talent and creative teams behind Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, and The Simpsons take the stage to entertain with clips, conversation, and fan Q&A. Whether you’re a longtime fan or an aspiring animator, this is a must-see panel for all! Behind the Summer Shenanigans with the Phineas and Ferb Creators Join Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, the masterminds behind the beloved animated show Phineas and Ferb as they look back at the creation and legacy of this pop culture phenomenon. Hear behind-the-scenes stories and get ready to laugh! Making A Goofy Movie: The Road to Lake Destiny The creatives behind the A Goofy Movie phenomenon reunite, reminisce, and share clips from a new documentary about the incredible origin story of this beloved cult classic. Stay Tuned: You’re Watching Disney Channel Join beloved Disney Channel stars on the Walt Disney Archives Stage for a look at some of the iconic series and movies that have created generations of fans. Stay tuned for laughs, fun and moments you won’t want to miss! Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation Screening Blast off for a hilarious outer-space adventure with a screening of the animated comedy Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation, introduced by the talented creative team, including creators and executive producers Chris and Shane Houghton. Restoring Disney Animation Classics Director of Restoration Kevin Schaeffer and Disney Animation artists Eric Goldberg and Michael Giaimo will delve into the history of Disney’s preservation program, showcase before-and-after clips, and share how classic films are brought back to life. The Muppets 70: A Glamorous Miss Piggy Retrospective Join Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline and The Muppets Producer Dani Iglesias for a fabulous look back on the past 70 years of the Muppets, but mostly Miss Piggy! We will dive into the vaults to uncover nostalgic artifacts along with how we preserve this collection today! Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed – The Return of a Beloved Classic Wield the paintbrush once more in Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed out this fall! Join Disney Games, Epic Mickey Creative Director Warren Spector, and more special guests, for a conversation that delves into how this beloved classic adventure came to life.

[alainbm-mods]

Dreams & Nightmares Mod by AlainBM:

Hello, Simmers! I'm excited to announce the release of my new mod for The Sims 4 called "Dreams & Nightmares". This mod adds a whole new dimension to your Sims' lives by allowing them to experience dreams and nightmares in the form of buffs or moodlets. Let me walk you through the amazing features of this mod!

A Multitude of Dreamscapes and Nightmarish Adventures:

Experience the wonders of dreams and nightmares as your Sims' inner thoughts come to life. After waking up from a restful sleep of at least 30 minutes (in Sims time), your Sims will be graced with a buff or moodlet reflecting their dreams, adding depth and complexity to their emotional journey.

This mod offers an extensive collection of dreams and nightmares, catering to both kids and adults. Kids can explore over 30 unique dreams and 30 nightmares, while adults have access to more than 180 dreams and 110 nightmares. Get ready to be captivated by the diversity and creativity within these dreamscapes. And let me tell you, I had an absolute blast adding hidden pop culture Easter eggs throughout these extraordinary dreams!

Unique Experiences for Every Sim:

Every Sim is special, and "Dreams & Nightmares" celebrates their individuality. With traits, age, and life states taken into account, your Sims will receive dreams and nightmares that are distinct to their personality and circumstances.

Among the vast array of dreams available, there's one dream that I find particularly intriguing and noteworthy: the "Wet Dream" This dream provides a unique experience for teenage male Sims. They can further explore this topic by researching it on computers or discussing it with their parents or friends, adding a touch of realism to their lives.

The "Vanished Dream" Buff:

In the realm of dreams, even the most vivid experiences can slip away like a wisp of smoke, so just like in real life, Sims sometimes forget their dreams. If this happens, they will receive the "Vanished Dream" buff. This sad buff reflects the disappointment of forgetting a dream and it varies depending on the Sim's age.

Dream Sharing and New Interactions:

I've always been passionate about adding fresh interactions to my mods, and this one is no exception. Sims can now share their dreams with others. Engage in captivating conversations with friends, family, and loved ones on a deeper level by discussing their dreams. From animated conversations about the last dream to intriguing discussions about the latest nightmare, you'll discover a variety of unique responses and buffs, creating dynamic and immersive interactions each time.

DreamCatcher: Your Sims' Dream Companion:

Take control of your sims' dreams and nightmares with DreamCatcher, a website available on all in-game computers. Let's explore the features DreamCatcher has to offer!

Seeking Help from a Therapist: Embark on a therapeutic adventure as your Sims seek guidance and support from DreamCatcher's virtual therapists. This immersive experience allows Sims to process their troubling dreams, gain insights, and find solace in the waking world.

SleepGuard Tablets for Peaceful Nights: Discover the magic of SleepGuard Tablets, available through DreamCatcher's store. These tablets provide 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep, free from the disturbance of nightmares. Help your Sims enjoy serene and rejuvenating nights with this dream-enhancing solution.

Dreamland Diffusers for Nighttime Protection: Create a tranquil and protective atmosphere for your Sims' dream adventures with the Dreamland Diffusers. These essential oil diffusers not only guard against nightmares but also offer customizable lighting options. Set the perfect ambiance for dream-filled nights as your Sims bask in soothing scents and gentle illumination. (Note: The diffusers' effectiveness relies on the Sim being nearby or in the same room).

Unlocking New Social Interactions: Engage in captivating conversations with friends, family, and strangers about DreamCatcher. Unlock two new social interactions with unique and dynamic answers.

Two Brand New Reward Traits:

Eternal Dreamer:

Gameplay Impact:

- Sims with this trait will experience dreams more frequently, while nightmares are a rare occurrence.

- Since they have good dreams all the time, your Sim will improve the skills related to creativity 20% faster than those without the trait. It's like a creativity supercharge!

- They recharge their energy 50% faster and see a slower drain, losing it 30% slower than usual. It's a win-win for both night owls and early risers.

- If they have 5 good dreams in a row, they'll get a special buff that makes them learn creativity-related skills even faster—by 50%:

- But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Since they're so used to having dreams fuel their creativity, when a nightmare comes in, it hits them hard. Their creativity-related skills growth drops by 20%, and their energy drains 30% faster, making them function like a regular Sim for a bit:

- Sims with this trait can now perform a unique interaction: Gift a Night of Dreaming Harmony (usable once a day per sim). This interaction grants both the Eternal Dreamer and the sim receiving the gift a beneficial buff (with the buff description varying based on the recipient's age). The sims getting this Dreaming Harmony will enjoy 24 hours of nightmare-free dreams thanks to this interaction.

Tormented Sleeper:

Gameplay Impact:

- Sims with this trait will experience nightmares more frequently, while dreams are a rare occurrence.

- Since they have bad dreams all the time, your Sim will improve the skills related to creativity 20% slower than those without the trait. It's like their dreams are on a creativity strike!

- They recharge their energy 20% slower and see a faster drain, losing it 20% faster than usual. Night owls and early birds, prepare to struggle!

- If they have 5 nightmares in a row, they'll get a special debuff that makes them learn creativity-related skills 50% slower:

- It's not all nightmares and cold sweats, though. Since these Sims are so used to the bad, a good dream really flips the script. When they have a good dream, their creativity-related skills grow 20% faster, and their energy drains 30% slower, leveling the playing field for a bit:

- Sims with this trait can now perform a unique interaction: Share a Night of Tormented Sleep (usable once a day per sim). This interaction gives both the Tormented Sleeper and the sim receiving the vibe a brand new buff (with the buff description varying based on the recipient's age). Sims experiencing Tormented Sleep will have nightmares if they go to bed within 24 hours.

Sims with any of these traits also gain the ability to sense whether another sim had a dream or a nightmare, allowing them to initiate conversations about it. These two interactions, "You Had a Dream, Right? Tell Me About It!" and "You Had a Nightmare, Didn't You? Let's Talk It Out," trigger a reaction in both the initiating and the targeted sim, reflected by a corresponding buff (the buff description for the recipient sim varies based on their age):

I've also implemented some rules around these new traits to balance the gameplay. Just a heads-up so you know they're part of the mix.

- Sims can't have both 'Eternal Dreamer' and 'Tormented Sleeper' traits at the same time. So if you purchase one of the traits in the Rewards Store while having one of them already, the new one will take the place of the old one.

- An Eternal Dreamer won't be able to gift a night of Dreaming Harmony to another Eternal Dreamer.

- A Tormented Sleeper won't be able to share a night of Tormented Sleep with another Tormented Sleeper.

- Sims can either share their latest nightmare or their most recent dream with others, but not both at the same time. Seems like their memories aren't too great—once they've moved onto a new dream or nightmare, the previous one's outta there! (Next update: Dream Diaries?👀)

- If a Sim has the 'Nightmares Protection' buff from SleepGuard Tablets, the 'Refreshing Aroma' buff from a diffuser, or the 'Disable Nightmares for This Sim' cheat enabled, then Tormented Sleep shared by a Tormented Sleeper won't touch 'em. They're basically sleep Teflon at that point! 😴

- Whether it's an Eternal Dreamer trying to gift a 'Night of Dreaming Harmony' to a Sim with a 'Night of Tormented Sleep,' or vice versa, the original buff holds its ground. Neither will override the other, and both the giver and receiver end up with a brand new moodlet (with the buff description varying based on the recipient's age). So yeah, don't expect any dreamy miracles here:

Upcoming Updates and Exciting Features:

I am constantly working to enhance the Sims' dream experiences with regular updates. Here's a sneak peek of what's to come:

- More dreams and nightmares with deeper impacts on gameplay and Sims' lives.

- In-person therapy sessions with the DreamCatcher feature.

- Expanded therapy options on DreamCatcher, addressing not only nightmares but other situations.

- New objects, including more diffusers, pills, and dream catchers.

- SleepGuard Tablets for kids, with adult supervision and half the effect.

- A new life state: The Dreamer

- A new type of death.

- New job options including Dream Interpreter.

- And much more!

***

Languages:

- English (Default)

- Spanish (Default)

- French (by Miyaji)

- Chinese (by Orchard Team)

- Russian (by Origamika Group)

***

Download Links:

- Beta Access: Patreon

- Early Access: Patreon

- Free Access: CurseForge

***

💖Support and Patreon💖

If you enjoy the Dreams & Nightmares Mod and want to support its ongoing development, consider joining my Patreon community. Your support enables me to dedicate more time and resources to improving and expanding my mods, ensuring an even more immersive experience for all Simmers. Thank you for joining me on this incredible journey into the realm of dreams and nightmares.

Let "Dreams & Nightmares" awaken your Sims' imaginations like never before. Happy dreaming!

[cynon777]

Lawrence Dennis: The Deracinated Man -- A Review of "The Color of Fascism"

The following was written by Twitter user Midnight_Dasher and reposted with permission. Please share this around if you found this review interesting.

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America today is gripped in the throes of a late capitalist crisis. As profitability becomes harder to realize many Americans are resorting to fascist ideas, albeit removed from their original context and without the full awareness of them, to try and resolve a crisis of liberalism's own making. The social panic this invites has created a confusing spectacle of contradictory claims & assertions, overblown fears of a fascist takeover, and the threat of a thousand years of vulgar hedonistic darkness. What's most perplexing about the present moment is how "fascism" gets treated a lot like the concept of pornography. Most people can't define it but they know it when they see it. This is primarily because people receive fascism as a pop cultural concept, with all of its complicating philosophies and ideology occluded to the historical layman.

Lawrence Dennis also received fascism second hand, although he read the actual material without the spectacle of historical revision, and would go on to redefine it in American terms as "America's fascist brain."

In "The Color of Fascism," Dr. Gerald Horne dives deep into the figure of Lawrence Dennis: a man now almost completely forgotten to American history and who Dr. Horne was reluctant to engage with in the first place. Why give a fascist his due? Surely there is nothing new under the Sun in this regard. As Horne and his readers discover though, Lawrence Dennis is in fact one of the most compelling American figures to ever live. A living breathing mass of contradictions, animated by resentment at being denied his rightful dues as a capable genius. Yet the greatest contradiction of all for this American fascist genius, was the fact that he was a white passing black man.

Before getting into the spoilery details about Dennis's life and his relevance, I should give a cursory review of the book: It's absolutely phenomenal. Dr. Horne was the perfect man to write on the subject of Lawrence Dennis. This book is an easy & breezy read, which is a real accomplishment for how dense it is with historical material. Horne's commentary is also always insightful, and often laugh out loud funny. It's absolutely criminal that such a brilliant book published in 2006 is still mostly unacknowledged, although when diving deep into the figure of Lawrence Dennis it's clear to see why. Buy & read this book RIGHT NOW!

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The Life of Lonnie

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Lawrence Dennis first came on to America's public stage as young Lonnie, a precocious "negro" child preacher being managed by his freed slave mother, and a white father who died early in Lonnie's childhood. Dennis's white father remains unknown to history. FBI investigations could conclusively demonstrate that Dennis's father was white, but they could never identify his actual person. This mixed race background likely afforded the Dennis family the extraordinary opportunity to purchase the services of a tutor, and give Lonnie an advanced education. Lonnie had a preternatural genius which chewed up & spit out his studies with an uncanny eloquence. This eerie gift made Lonnie a popular child preacher, spitting out the truth of God at demonstrations across the country. Dennis's mother proved to be a capable manager, and would constantly hector congregations for donations to Lonnie's ministry. Dennis was so famous that he and his mother were able to tour Europe to do ministries & collect donations in the old world. Traveling Europe also expanded Lonnie's linguistic skills while his brain was still plastic enough to absorb it all in record pace. His skill in speaking French & German would be an asset later in life.

Despite how successful Lawrence & his mother were in his ministries, he hit the hard ceiling of America's racist nadir. Although he had light skin and long curly hair that reporters commented on making him look like a girl, Dennis was unambiguously "black." No matter how many ministries he gave to both blacks & whites, or even to powerful American officials, the door to real fame & power was viciously slammed in his face. Child preachers were also a common phenomenon during the turn of the century, and as Dennis aged into pubescence he retired from this confidence game.

Dennis's experience as a child way too smart for his own good gave him a complex that would afflict him for the rest of his life. Dennis got a full taste of both fame & power, and the discrimination of white supremacy. He would spend the rest of his life trying to insinuate his way back into elite social circles. As a man whose African features were mostly muted, Dennis saw an opportunity for himself to "pass" in white society. To do this he abandoned his beloved mother and the rest of his extended family to live an alienated life making direct appeals to the masters of America. Despite being exposed as a black man during his trial in 1944-45, Dennis kept his racial secrets and carried them to the grave, never admitting even to his own kids that he was a black man.

Lawrence Dennis would resurface in the public posing as a white man while attending Exeter Academy. Most Exeter students came from wealthy backgrounds and could spend a small fortune just to dress themselves, but Dennis kept a healthy distance from his classmates to maintain the fiction of his whiteness. When the US joined in on WW1 Dennis joined the army, and passed as white into an MP unit that gave him a measure of authority even over white officers. Dennis got a full view of the social & sexual hypocrisy of upper class whites, and helped cover up their indiscretions to ease tensions and maintain his cover. The army was also where Dennis would begin networking with members of elite American families like the Roosevelts and Coolidges, and Dennis would continue namedropping his elite associations throughout his life. After the war Dennis transferred from Exeter to Harvard where his networking with white elites truly took off. Students thought Dennis was intelligent and capable but also aloof, socially distant, and arrogant.

After graduating from Harvard, Dennis joined the US State Department and was sent on a mission to Romania. Dennis enjoyed his time in Romania associating with everyone he could, both Jewish and antisemitic, but was shortly dispatched to Haiti to help manage the occupation there. After Smedley Butler's US marines had carried out a legislative coup, agents from the State Department were dispatched to help facilitate the looting of the country by American business interests. Dennis said that he enjoyed "crossing the color line" in Haiti between the black laboring classes and the mulatto elite who the Americans had selected to be their intermediaries. Dennis could cross this line where most Haitians could not, thanks to segregation enforced by the American-made Gendarmerie. Dennis's performance in Haiti impressed his superiors, who selected him for more dangerous missions in Honduras & Nicaragua. Dennis acted there as the point-man of American imperialism, and acting as the chargé d’affaires in Nicaragua proudly "brought the marines in." Dennis took pride in his achievements and enjoyed the adventure of being an economic hitman, but felt that he was being passed up for more privileged elite muckety-mucks like the man Washington had selected to be ambassador to Nicaragua. Dennis did all the hard work while a rich white man would claim the glory.

Dennis reacted to this perceived snubbing by publicly declaring his actions in Nicaragua, which the US State Department wanted to keep a secret to maintain the fiction that they weren't colonialist. He testified publicly that American claims of Sandino's followers representing a threat to America was nonsense. Dennis himself witnessed a firefight between guerillas and government security forces without any sense of himself being in personal danger, even as he was leading the American mission. Dennis was then thrown out of the corps. His experiences working on behalf of the US government would be the basis of his anti-imperialist critique, but there is also the very real possibility that if Dennis had received his just rewards he would have continued pursuing a career as an American viceroy.

Dennis transitioned from the State Department into being a different kind of economic hitman as an agent of J. & W. Seligman, a Jewish owned Wall Street firm. Dennis was their agent in Peru, and after witnessing the conditions there advised them that Peru was a bad country for further speculation. His bosses didn't like hearing this because they were already invested too much in the country and didn't want to take a hit. Therefore his bosses ignored him, taking a massive financial loss when the Peruvian economy declined as Dennis predicted.

His experiences as a Wall Street agent gave Dennis a paradoxically realistic view of American finance, in contrast to his fascist colleagues. Where most American fascists like Francis Parker Yockey identified Finance as a "Jewish institution" that parasitically drained the good capitalists in industry, Dennis recognized that financial elites were overwhelmingly white and (at the time) of Anglo descent. His Jewish bosses were not part of some secret ruling class, but rather represented the interests of their white investors. Moreover, Dennis identified these internationally connected financial interests as the real drivers of imperialist adventure. It was the interests of Wall Street and other powerful American businesses which had dispatched Dennis to the Caribbean & Central America.

Dennis correctly predicted the coming financial crash in 1929, and was praised as a kind of prophet. Dennis would continue milking this perception, making shockingly accurate predictions on the near future in many affairs, and using his predictive power to deny he was a fascist. To skeptical liberals and leftists, Dennis claimed he was merely a "predictor" of events guaranteed to happen. As any man with an overinflated ego eventually finds out though, nobody can prefigure the future.

Dennis became a vicious critic of American finance, and his book "Is Capitalism Doomed?" received praise from the Left. Dennis was one of many developing fascist thinkers who at the time were praised by leftists for their insightful anti-bourgeois critiques, but Dennis's critique was based more on his personal resentments than a commitment to human liberation. Despite his insightful critiques, Dennis's prescriptions were fanciful and impractical. In "Is Capitalism Doomed?" Dennis advocated for a fully isolationist America that would redistribute its way into a vision of Jeffersonian agriculturalism. In "The Coming American Fascism" Dennis proposed that a Fascist political economy would have to be debtless, and had many unrealistic proposals for achieving it.

Nonetheless, Dennis WAS seriously thinking about how a fascist political economy COULD work, which distinguished him as a genuine fascist intellectual in contrast to the demagogues who dominated the movement. Dennis would go on to engage with communist and leftist thinkers at publicly broadcasted debates in a strange kind of national dialogue that's unthinkable today. For reasons likely stemming from his need to maintain social distance for racial cover, Dennis was remarkably discursive compared to the vast majority of fascists who declared that the time for talk was over. In addition to all of his reactionary ties, Dennis also maintained friendships or at least healthy acquaintance with some communists and prominent Liberals. Despite his fascist sympathies, Dennis was not above drawing inspiration from anyone who seemed to have a good idea.

Dennis transitioned out of the Neo-Jeffersonianism of Is Capitalism Doomed to embrace fascism as a vehicle for revolutionary change. Dennis became a contributor to several fascist magazines, and published his own newsletter which had hundreds of subscriptions from elite whites. Dennis praised Marx as a modern prophet who was the first to seriously attempt to comprehend the current system and its injustices, but rejected the prescription of communism as being unrealistic. According to Dennis a classless society was impossible, and even socialist societies had "bosses." Despite this, Dennis also claimed that if he had been born in the Soviet Union he would have been a Bolshevik, and maintained a strange respect for the Soviets. Dennis was most likely thinking cynically, viewing communism as a movement that had no chance of purchase in a white supremacist nation like America. Therefore Fascism, which did not threaten but rather appealed to the bourgeois to let them rationalize the market, seemed to be the perfect vehicle for Dennis's technocratic ambitions.

Dennis's transition into Fascism was the boost to his profile he had always been seeking. With Fascism, Dennis was finally telling powerful White interests what they wanted to hear, and if they liked what they heard he could draw them into considering other, more unthinkable, ideas. Dennis's social skills enabled his meteoric rise to public notoriety. He maintained ties to almost every reactionary American movement that walked beneath the Sun. From the German American Bund, to William Dudley Pelley's Silver Shirts, to the Christian Identitarians – no reactionary movement was too big or too small or too wacky for Dennis to not have direct ties to. Dennis thus acted as an intermediary between different elements of American reaction, almost all of them White Nationalist in some form or another. Dennis was also directly engaged with America First, and its pilot celebrity leader Charles Lindbergh as his idea man and confidante. Lindbergh, like many other members of America's fascist or Nazi sympathizing political movements, could perceive that something was off about Dennis's racial presentation. Lindbergh himself supposed that Dennis might be Maltese, but ultimately did not dwell on it. It was these elite fascist & Nazi connections that got Dennis in touch with the Italians and Germans, who invited him on a tour of both states. To maintain the cover of his whiteness, Dennis would never allow anyone to get too close to him on a personal level. Only his white girlfriends and wives were allowed to know him intimately by any sense of the word.

Being America's leading fascist intellectual was a boon for the Dennis family. He and his wife possessed residencies across the country, as Dennis was earning a significant income from his book sales, investments, magazine contributions, and newsletter subscriptions. Dennis also received income from elite interests as many other fascists did and still do – through non-taxable cash-in-hand transfers. Dennis's receipt of undocumented donations from rich friends & sympathizers would be the subject of later FBI investigations into his links to the Nazis & Italian Fascists. The Dennises enjoyed the pleasurable company of influential people frequently. Dennis did not mince facts about what a fascist takeover of the United States would mean. To a crowded cocktail party in New York, Dennis described how the process would go. “You'd need only 15,000 men!” A generous increase from the 5,000 marines Dennis brought into Nicaragua. He then made machine gun sounds to the horrified faces of a rich white class, terrified at the thought of Dennis doing to Washington DC what he had already done on their behalf in the Caribbean & Central America.

Dennis was an enthusiastic fan of Mussolini and Hitler, although he admitted to being disappointed after meeting them in person (though he liked Goering and Goebbels as conversationalists). He was impressed by his tours of Italy and Germany, convinced that fascism had genuine transformative & modernizing power that could break the rut of American liberal malaise. Dennis was even photographed attending the Nazi rally at Nuremberg in 1936, which caused him a lot of trouble in the press.

Dennis's greatest admiration for the burgeoning Axis powers was that they were a foil to Anglo-dominated global imperialism. How could the established imperial powers criticize the fascists for merely attempting to do what they had already done? The Western powers had after all accumulated vast wealth and industrial power through a centuries long process of grand theft on a global scale. What right do Americans and Britishers have to criticize Hitler for following in their footsteps? Dennis made this same argument for the Japanese, who were merely following the European model of empire building. Moreover, the Japanese were an objective foil to white supremacy, after having defeated the European empire of Russia and engaging in direct imperial competition with Western powers. Dennis, like many Fascists, correctly identified the hypocrisy & criminality of the Western world, but leaned in to that logic of violence & force to resolve the Liberal crisis of the 30s. Dennis did however have reservations for Italian fascism & Nazism. Dennis advised against the pursuit of imperial adventure, and tried to advise the Nazis to go easy on the antisemitism. If the Nazis could simply be as hypocritical in their race laws as the Americans, then it would ease over tensions for Americans who were wary of Hitler's totalitarian hatred of Jews. The Nazis did not take his advice to heart. Dennis would rationalize Hitler's antisemitism to his readers as a ploy to the masses to get them on board the revolutionary ticket.

The outbreak of World War 2 would permanently disrupt the success and bourgeois lifestyle Dennis enjoyed during the 30s. Although Dennis openly declared his support for America to win the war, he maintained a critique of America's war goals. Continuing to speak out against the US drew the attention of the authorities down on his head. The American public no longer had any tolerance for fascists and Nazi sympathizers like Dennis, and many were demanding that the government punish these political criminals. The FBI began to more thoroughly investigate Dennis's associations and finances, trying to link him in some provable way to Nazi intelligence. It was FBI investigators who discovered most of what we know about Dennis's personal and early life. Although they discovered that Dennis was in fact half black and not the white man he presented as, the FBI chose not to reveal these compromising secrets. Some commentators recalled Dennis's past as a negro child preacher, but this historical memory ultimately did not stick. Dennis's value to the movement was too great for anyone to make it an issue.

Dennis was lumped in with several other fascist co-defendants, in a “Trial of the Century” that quickly degenerated into a procedural circus. The other defendants on the bench were not the sort of characters Dennis liked associating with. He commented on them all being killers, psychopaths, or too old and senile to even defend themselves. The FBI had intentionally chosen to prosecute the most unsympathetic freaks and weirdos in the American far right to put on a display of performative justice. Almost all of them to a man white nationalists. What marked Dennis as a weirdo worthy of prosecution, was his own curious stance on race. Dennis noted himself in public after the trial that the government had intentionally only gone after publicly known demagogues, agitators, and collaborators, because if they seriously investigated the finances of these men the FBI would find themselves investigating some of the most powerful capitalists in America. All critical contributors to America's war effort. Dennis and his co-defendants pursued a strategy of dragging out the proceedings to the end of the war, and they succeeded when the Roosevelt-appointed judge died of a heart attack due to stress and poor health. Although an effort was made to continue pursuing a trial, it ultimately wasn't followed through on for the simple reason that the war was already over and the government didn't want to implicate any influential people. Dennis would later remark that the McCarthyite show-trials were persecuting communists the same way he had been at the end of the war.

Although the case was dismissed, Dennis's reputation was permanently tarnished. After the war, when Dennis was justifiably hounded by Jewish organizations for his support of Hitler and Holocaust denial, and living with the objective failure of the Axis & Fascism, developed an even stronger anti-imperialist critique. The Axis experience was objective demonstration that imperialism was a trap that baits a polity into a self-destructive cycle of reactionary violence, until either the metropole or the colonies themselves are destroyed. Dennis correctly perceived that the Soviets weren't a threat, and post-war anticommunism was hysterical. The Soviets, after losing tens of millions of people to the war, had given up on world revolution and wanted peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world. The capitalist powers rejected this, of course, and Dennis would remain a vocal critic of the Cold War for the rest of his life, opposing both the "police action" in Korea and the American invasion of Vietnam.

By the time of his death in 1977 Dennis was relegated to relative obscurity. Although he had multiple divorces and struggled to make ends meet after the war, he was able to provide his daughters an elite education that enabled them to become accomplished women in their own right. Though Dennis never received a permanent residency in the culture's highest halls or the ear of power as a fascist vizier, he accomplished his ambition through his daughters, who were accepted into elite society in his stead.

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The Coming American Fascism

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It's worth taking a deeper overview of Dennis's “great” fascist work. Although Dennis often claimed he was merely making predictions about the future, a cursory reading of his book shows that he was not making mere predictions but was in fact giving his readers a crash course on political economy, and proposals for how a fascist society would actually work. He made the reasonable gamble that most people wouldn't read his book in order to call him on it. When Dennis was writing the book in 1935, he was fully invested into the fascist project at a time when it was still popular with American opinion makers. So although Dennis's positions would be moderated and revised over the years, “The Coming American Fascism” reveals the most about his core fascist beliefs.

After a general overview in his intro, Dennis's earliest chapters are an illustration of why the time of liberal market expansion is over. Here, Dennis is addressing what might be charitably called “liberal reactionaries,” who want a return to 19th century adventurism and the forceful opening up of new markets. Dennis explains to his readers that this period of time has already passed and there's no going back. The unsettled frontier which drew Europeans to pursue adventure & pillage for centuries had long since been colonized. Liberal capitalism could only function and guarantee the return of profit on investments for such a long time because it was filling in a void where capitalism did not exist. Rather than place the ultimate blame on his white readers and their thieving ancestors, Dennis uses dispassionate economic terminology to illustrate the problem. Dennis identifies the function of capitalism to be its realization of profit, and if profitability is not possible then capitalism has stopped working. He draws the reader's attention to population figures showing that European populations have begun to plateau, in a reversal of the exponential growth trend of the past two hundred years. Moreover, wages could only increase in this period so long as there was an abundance of new lands and resources to exploit, creating excesses which benefited working men. But not only was there no new land to discover, capitalism was also losing the constantly expanding labor force it required to maintain profitable returns. Dennis credits Mussolini, Hitler, and even Lenin for exposing the illusion of infinite growth. In contemporary terms, Dennis might call liberal capitalism a period of “exponential growth” capitalism, whereas Fascism would be a form of “de-growth” capitalism. In a period of objective market decline, it would be necessary to manage society's productive forces with the rationalizing power of central planning and state direction over the economy.

Dennis moves on to dismiss all liberal alternatives to Fascism. Can we continue financing consumption on credit? No, because the interest payments demanded will eventually overburden the economy and cause an even worse crisis. Can the system maintain the current depression? Not without declassing millions more of the middle class, and accelerating the demise of this skilled labor. The only way out of the depression would be a war (which Dennis wanted to avoid), and the demands of such a war would require a “military dictatorship” over the factors of production comparable to “communist Russia.” Dennis could not anticipate from the perspective of 1935 that the liberals under the Roosevelt administration would end up doing exactly that within the Liberal framework. Wartime demands necessitated central planning, wage and price controls, rationing, and state direction of production targets to provide the necessary materiel for a war in Europe. So long as there was an existential demand for these measures liberal and conservative doubters would not refuse them, and the rationalization of the wartime economy ultimately resolved the Depression. Dennis did not consider this a possibility because of the next question: can we reorganize under the current system? No, because the courts and other political interests will interfere with the necessary correctives by declaring them “unconstitutional” or blocking them in the legislature. This was why Dennis lost his enchantment with Roosevelt after the early period of the New Deal. Therefore fascism is the only alternative.

Dennis then moves on to outline his economic plan, which is largely lifted from Mussolini and other Italian fascist pitches for fascist political economy. A necessary reduction of debt would be followed up by the elimination of debt entirely, with finance being controlled by the fascist state. It would require central planning of the economy, with the implementation of a corporatist management model, directed by a popular “National Plan.” It's worth noting here that nowhere does Dennis make mention of “syndicates” or “corporations” in the Fascist corporatist sense, and only refers to bourgeois corporations. Although Dennis clearly advocates a corporatist model, he cannot use the socialist-inspired terminology of the Italian Fascists, many of whom including Mussolini himself, had backgrounds in socialism or national syndicalism and a familiarity with Marxism. The white capitalists who Dennis was making his appeal to, had an allergic reaction to all things “socialist” and “communist.” Although Dennis gives a lot of credit to Marx and other communists, he assures his readers that while Marxist critiques of capitalism are certainly valid their prescriptions will never work. A classless society would be impossible, and even a socialist society still has “bosses.” Why bother then with the pretensions of messianic thinking and communist utopia when one could be a fascistic realist?

To guarantee the reproduction of the fascist state would require the forging of “good” citizens with “right” values. It's at this point that Dennis leans in fully to the organizing logic of force & violence behind fascist social engineering. Despite all of his materialist and rationalist arguments, Dennis like most other fascists also makes naturalistic appeals. Many of his arguments are rooted in a notion of human “nature,” especially in regards to his sexist view of women and their proper gender roles, which Dennis declares to be necessitated by the realities of economy and reproduction. It's ironic then that this sexist pig would afford his daughters every means by which they could pursue their own interests, independent of men even if they so liked.

It's towards the end of the book though, where Dennis makes his most radical departure with European fascism. Not even Dennis's racial views, to be covered soon, would have made him seem odd to Italian fascists. Dennis's anti-imperialism and distaste for war, distinguishes him from all other fascists in his day. In the chapter on foreign policy objectives, Dennis says that the Monroe Doctrine is a convenient fiction meant to secure markets in the Americas for exploitation by US business interests. In contrast Dennis says that America should provide for a large army and navy, on the one hand to dissuade any foreign interventions into the US, but on the other to keep European powers out of the western hemisphere. Rather than using this navy to forcefully open up markets in Latin America & the Caribbean, Dennis imagined it as anti-colonialist and non-interventionist. If American interests would continue exploiting markets in its hemisphere, it would have to be on the terms of the locals. Even if a Latin American country went socialist, Dennis says that the United States should leave them alone. Even in the kind of fascist international anarchy Dennis advocates, nations have the right to self determination. Dennis was trying to thread an impossibly small needle by balancing the assertion that “might makes right” with the notion that imposing one's own national interests over others is folly, and that everyone should procure their own defense against that kind of foreign ambition. Dennis was a Realist in the terms of Cold War foreign policy, but where Realists applied their consequentialist thinking to advance American imperialism, Dennis wanted an American retreat from colonialism.

Dennis closes the chapter by saying that liberal states like France and the UK need to make colonial concessions to Italy and Germany in order to avoid a war. Dennis could not have known that this is exactly what they would do. Although there were protests in the League of Nations against Italian adventures in Africa, nothing was done to stop them. Though words of sympathy were issued to the Spanish Republic, France and the UK let them die of neglect, withdrawing financial and military support from a Republican cause that desperately needed them. While Nationalists enjoyed unlimited support from Italy and Nazi Germany, the Republicans were left to do what they could with Soviet support and their own internal divisions. While the Soviets were trying to organize an anti-Nazi alliance in defense of Czechoslovakia, the Western powers appeased Hitler's irredentism to avoid a war. They could live with the Anschluss and Sudetenland as concessions to German national injury. So long as Germany remained a potential core for an anti-communist alliance it was best to avoid war.

Dennis supposed that it would be a liberal allied intervention that triggered a war with Italy & Germany. He could not even imagine that not only would the Western imperial powers pursue his idea, it would be Nazi Germany's settler colonial ambitions that triggered another world war. Dennis was a lifelong opportunist and cynic. He supposed that the Nazis were just as cynical as he was. Dennis could not imagine that Hitler actually meant it. That anti-Bolshevism was anti-JUDEO Bolshevism. That the Nazis wouldn't just stop at reversing the impositions of Versailles, they were waging white race war on Jews and Slavs.

Dennis's experience of Europe as a child was a stark contrast to his life in America. In Europe the white people were chauvinist sure, racist yes, but to each other as much as any colored person in the world. Compared to the deprivations of Jim Crow, in Europe nothing was denied him. By comparison it was a revelation of rationality and tolerance. It was easy then for Dennis to accept Italian national chauvinism at face value. At least, he could suppose, it was not racist. Dennis did not know the wartime experiences of Germany and Italy, he could not understand the national injuries which motivated their irredentism. Dennis's ideological blindness masked him to the realities of the Atlantic interchange. The Nazis were influenced by the United States just as much as the Americans had inherited their racist and imperialist chauvinism from the English. By pursuing Fascism as an avenue for his ideas, Dennis was investing himself into the goriest conflagration of European race war the world has ever seen. This fact was not lost on Dennis. Although he took narcissistic injury from his Jewish critics and their demands for justice, Dennis was self aware enough to admit it was his fault for associating with antisemites. Dennis's genius and cunning were ultimately weapons deployed against the peoples he sympathized with the most, while advancing his own oppressors. He had betrayed the oppressed peoples of the world.

It is impossible to say what Dennis believed in his heart of hearts. Fascists often lie as a praxis. They omit inconvenient truths if they think it will advance their agendas. Yet Dennis does have consistencies. Although he never sold out his antiracist and anti-imperialist convictions, he made common cause with the vilest of racial colonialists. As a lifelong confidence man, he casts a ton of doubt on his ideological work. As a Fascist book Dennis's work is almost bereft of the vulgar chauvinism which characterized European & American fascism. His focus was almost solely on the technocratic problems of managing a capitalism in decline. Dennis was not an obligate anticommunist either. Where every other fascist takes on a genocidal conviction against communism in all its forms, Dennis was willing to co-exist with a communist world which he did not even see as an existential threat. Was Dennis a Technocrat or a Futurist who claimed the mantle of fascism to market his ideas directly to the American bourgeois? The problem with this question is that it doesn't change the material and political consequences of Dennis's activities. Whatever intellectual confidence game Dennis was playing, at extreme danger to himself should he ever be exposed, in the end he was an instrument of the white man's imperialism. Although liberal capitalists made concessions to the Soviets in eastern Europe, they would not give up the colonialist ambitions which they had just defeated in their Axis antagonists. The world's greatest inter-imperialist war heralded the dawn of an age of colonialism in anticommunist form. Dennis would die in a United States which was still committed to the global empire of capitalist finance.

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The Deracinated Man

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A concept that Horne doesn't touch upon but could have been edifying, is the concept of "Deracination." To be deracinated means to remove oneself from their natural element, whether by will or by force. Every aspect of Dennis's life was deracinated both by force and his own initiative. Both family backgrounds were removed from their original context - the one fleeing Europe for opportunities in the New World, and the other stolen from their home in Africa to serve cruel masters. Dennis abandoned both his Christianity and racial presentation to become a public intellectual. He left his family to maintain his white presentation, which he likely resented for his entire life. Dennis received fascism second hand, without any personal experience with the Italian or German context. Dennis did not truly understand what Fascists actually wanted, because he couldn't comprehend the national injuries that motivated Fascist irredentism.

Fully removed from his original context, but never forgetting his essential blackness, Dennis stood outside of American society and was able to take an objective measure of it, in contrast to all other American fascists who were to a man White Nationalist imbeciles. It was that blackness that formed the basis of Dennis's most significant contributions: his antiracist critique.

Dennis was obviously not unique in his antiracism, but what was remarkable was the audience he delivered it to. Dennis expressed his imperial and race skepticism to groups like the Council on Foreign Relations, and the German American Bund. Dennis's vision of fascism was a truly, uniquely American one, in which racial resentments would be overcome through a national reconciliation and fascist political economy. Dennis would even propose the formation of an African republic in the Black Belt, where blacks could develop within their own means free of Jim Crow persecutions.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Dennis's racial critique fell on deaf ears. Dennis's sympathizers valued him for his eloquence and technocratic acumen, but selectively dispensed with his more meaningful critiques of White America. Pat Buchanan credits Dennis as being the main inspiration for Paleoconservative isolation. Barry Goldwater told Dennis personally that he was an "inspiration," despite the fact that Goldwater ran on a maximalist anti-communist platform that pushed for a "winnable" nuclear war. In contrast to being a "useful idiot," Dennis was a useful brain to American fascism. A font of good ideas that could be cherry picked to suit the interests of his white clientele, while his critique of whiteness and imperialism was left on the table. Dennis's readers valued his financial critiques because it informed them on how to manipulate markets, and his antiracist critique helped them conceal their true sentiments behind false propriety. Even his anti-imperialism was surely weaponized against the victims of imperialism, recast as the “political slaves” of a Soviet empire.

Horne goes the extra mile in emphasizing that this occlusion of Dennis's anti-imperialism and antiracism was not just done by his fellow travelers. Everyone has occluded these inconvenient facts of Dennis's ideology, both liberal and leftist alike. When liberal and leftist scholars engage with Dennis, it's often to highlight his fascism while ignoring his anti-Americanism. Are Dennis's critiques of White America so dangerous that nobody will admit to them? It's remarkable that these critiques are still relevant today, despite the liberal pretension that America is a "colorblind" society which only needs to wrap up the vestiges of institutional racism. They do not even comprehend that they dispensed with racism to substitute it with a twisted form of race realism. It's for this antiracist critique primarily that Dennis was prosecuted by the federal government, and eventually conveniently forgotten to American historical memory.

Dennis led one of the most quintessentially American lives ever lived. He was a confidence man par excellence, and an ideological hustler. His opportunistic instincts led him into the halls of power, where his true face could only be suspected. He afflicted his radical views on a horrified white elite with enthusiastic gusto, never revealing to their skeptical faces his true identity. Dennis's ideas gave an intellectual backbone to the American fascist movement, and many of those ideas persist today without attribution to Dennis. Dennis is the linchpin for American fascism, concealed so that we cannot uncouple those wretched cars from our train. The continued occlusion of Dennis from our historical memory weakens our understanding of American racism & imperialism. An intentional occlusion of both the liberal and conservative white bourgeois, who have perpetuated fascism materially if not rhetorically.

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The Deracinated Fascism of the Present

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The ceremonies at the 2024 Olympics in Paris opened up with a beheaded Marie Antoinette introducing Gojira performing a metal version of La Cira, a French revolutionary song praising the massacre of aristocrats. The ceremonies then leaned in to stereotypical depictions of French culture, including portrayals of French philosophy, sexuality, and queerness. According to the creative director, this was an embodiment of France's republican and liberal values. The message was clear: in France we have completed the Liberal revolutionary cycle. In France we are truly free to pursue the promise of human happiness & liberty.

To put on this display of liberal triumphalism, Paris had its streets emptied of the homeless, and Muslim athletes were banned from wearing the hijab to enforce France's sense of European modernity. These unsolvable contradictions of liberal hegemony are the seedbed from which fascism grows. If undesirable elements can be repressed in the name of our "free" expression, why not lean in to the hypocrisy? Why not rip the mask off to expose the unvarnished barbarism? We face this crisis now as Israel, a nominally liberal and gay-loving Jewish nation state, carries out a genocide in Gaza where the western-supported IDF is targeting children. At the reveal of systemic torture and rape of Palestinians at the Sde Temain prison camp, Israeli police attempted to arrest those accused to perform an investigation. In response, the most reactionary elements of Israeli politics rioted to free them, and succeeded. All in the defense of rape committed against alleged “Nukhbas.” The liberal response to this crisis is not to demand its immediate halt, but to accommodate the genocide in their electoralism or even deny that it's happening. What's truly "overblown" about the fears of a fascist takeover, is that the fascism is already here. It's always been here. It's within everyone who passively accepts the assumptions of liberal ideology and the European “enlightenment” which birthed it.

It's partly because we ignore men like Lawrence Dennis that we perpetuate the tragedies of history as a gory farce. Because we do not take Fascism seriously and comprehend all of its failures, and in this case Dennis's personal failures, we reproduce it unwittingly as the "common sense" of an aggrieved class. Chances are that we will continue not seriously engaging with the occluded past. This is likely because the only probable solution to the unsolvable crisis of Liberalism, is a communist one. We live in a time for the Lawrence Dennises of the world. Political adventurism is at an all time high, just as it was 100 years ago in Dennis's time; when a revolutionary moment gripped the world in the wake of inter-imperialist war. Now that I've read Dr. Horne, I see Lawrence Dennis everywhere.

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[todays-just-a-daydream]

Beyond all the noise about chart battles, sibling rivalry and Cool Britannia, the Oasis narrative was such a powerful one because it pointed to how a valuable new form of “oceanic feeling” – Sigmund Freud’s term for an all-embracing mass consciousness – might emerge in Britain in the dying days of the 20th century. For all its broadness and frequent crudeness, the collective mood that Oasis inspired was at heart an inclusive one, based on the desire to advocate a more demotic, more democratic way of national being, rooted in the lived reality of working-class experience.

Indeed, it is class more than anything else that shaped who Oasis were and what they meant to the wider public. While they were nothing like a definitive summary of working-class culture in its entirety (how could they have been?), Oasis summarised and celebrated a specific modern British working-class culture based on traditions of collectivity and uncovering the extraordinary in the everyday. The best early Oasis songs (Rock ’n’ Roll Star, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Don’t Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova) channelled the sense of communitarian empowerment that had been embodied in the best working-class pop music of post-60s Britain: the jukebox idealism of glam rock, the expressive howl of punk, the “chase the sun” euphoria of rave and, yes, the melodic humanism and collective scope of the Beatles.

But the Oasis sound and identity was also provoked into being by more antagonistic influences. Living in south Manchester in the Thatcherite 80s, the teenage Gallagher brothers would build up a deep store of anger at the savagely anti-working-class policies of a Conservative government intent on dismantling the welfare state and restoring the power of British elites who had been disenfranchised in the postwar years. Hence the angry, accusatory tone in so many of the best early Oasis songs, from the raging “outcast” and “underclass” of Bring It on Down to the “they” who will never see the things “we” see in Live Forever. This more melancholic, oppositional form of commonality is embodied in Noel Gallagher’s recollection that the Thatcher years were defined by the image of everyone he knew going to the dole office with their dads. Gallagher’s response, as Oasis biographer Paolo Hewitt once put it, was to create the sound of a council estate singing its heart out.

The great genius – some might say the great fortune – of Oasis was that they were able, in the heady, possibility-filled mid-90s, to take this combined experience of working-class pride and rage and suggest that it might become the dominant cultural influence in British society. Though the band are often shoehorned into discussions of Britpop (with an image of Noel Gallagher’s rarely used union jack guitar as convenient illustration), we should be clear that the kind of Britishness they embodied was – before the cliches and the branding took over – very much an alternative or outsider variation. This was a sensibility based mainly on loathing for the Tory establishment, a love of football and pop music, and, crucially, the fact that the Gallagher brothers were the children of immigrants and felt themselves to be Irish in any case.

[mybeingthere]

“Interior of a Hindu House - I”, Bhupen Khakhar, 1965. Oil, mirror, collage and mixed media on canvas.

Renowned for his unique figurative style and incisive observations of class and sexuality, Bhupen Khakhar (1934-2003) played a central role in modern Indian art and was a key international figure in 20th century painting. This landmark exhibition showcases vivid works on canvas, luminous watercolour paintings and experimental ceramics.

An accountant-turned-artist, Bhupen Khakhar demonstrated a commitment to representing his world with unflinching honesty. High and low merged in narrative paintings with influences ranging from devotional aesthetics and street culture to European painting and pop art. He confronted provocative themes, particularly his sexuality, with rare sensitivity and wit. Haunting portraits of ordinary men and last works describing his struggle with cancer express a rare humanity.

Bringing together Khakhar’s work from across five decades and collections around the world for the first time since his death, this is a unique opportunity to discover his extraordinary work and inspirational story.

[underthecitysky]

Oct 19, 2011

McCartney letter offering Beatles audition heads to auction

A 51-year-old handwritten letter by Paul McCartney inviting an unknown drummer to audition for The Beatles will be featured at Christie's Popular Culture: Rock and Pop Memorabilia Auction on Nov. 15, 2011 at the auction house's South Kensington, U.K., location.

By Goldmine staff

By Susan Sliwicki

A 51-year-old handwritten letter by Paul McCartney inviting an unknown drummer to audition for The Beatles will be featured at Christie's Popular Culture: Rock and Pop Memorabilia Auction on Nov. 15, 2011 at the auction house's South Kensington, U.K., location.

This handwritten letter by Paul McCartney of The Beatles to an anonymous musician will head to auction at Christie's auction house Nov. 15, 2011. It is expected to bring $11,000 to $14,100. All photos courtesy Christie's.

Dated Aug. 12, 1960, the letter is one of the earliest occasions that the band referred to itself as The Beatles, according to a news release issued by Christie's auction house. It's expected to fetch between $11,000 and $14,100. (Click here to view the auction catalog.)

McCartney's letter was a response to an Aug. 8, 1960, ad in the Liverpool Echo (Box KP 60) that read "Drummer — Young — Free." It's unknown who placed the ad, to whom McCartney's note was addressed, or whether an audition ever took place. The letter was dated four days after McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe had verbally committed to travel to Hamburg on 15th August as a five-piece band. Before the discovery of this letter, it was not known that The Beatles were searching for a fifth member so close to the band's departure for Hamburg, and it was thought that Pete Best was the only option they considered, through their associations with the Jacaranda Club, according to the news release. Ringo Starr replaced Best two years later.

The story behind the letter's discovery is every collector's dream. A Liverpool man, who wishes to remain anonymous, found the letter tucked inside of a collectibles price guide he purchased in early 2011 at a sale in Bootle, near The Beatles' hometown of Liverpool. Although he focuses on antique coins, this collector regularly attends local car boot sales, where he scours the stalls for hidden treasures and is in the habit of buying all manner of collector’s guides — which really paid off.

“One of the best aspects of my work is the rare occasion when, out of the blue, you are made aware of the existence of something so extraordinary, it alters the knowledge of your specialist field. This letter has proved to be such a case," said Neil Roberts, Christie's director of popular culture. "My initial reaction was one of disbelief, but on seeing the item and being able to research the significance of the date and its content as well as conferring with renowned Beatles historians, it has turned out to be much more significant than mere words on paper. It is exciting to be able to offer to market a newly discovered important item of Beatles memorabilia, on behalf of an individual who was fortunate enough to find it folded up in a book at a car boot sale.”

From an historical perspective, the letter also indicates that The Beatles knew more about their forthcoming trip than previously believed. McCartney’s note refers to the approximate level of expenses they would be paid, as well as the duration of the contract: “expenses paid £18 per week (approx.) for 2 months.” The band signed its contract Aug. 15, 1960; before now, it was not known that The Beatles were aware of the duration of their stay before heading to Hamburg.

Goldmine Magazine (x)

[ancientcosmicsecrets]

Unraveling the Myth of Snake and Lizard People Through History

The enigmatic myth of snake and lizard people has captivated cultures worldwide throughout history, leaving behind a trail of intriguing stories and legends. Rooted in ancient mythology, these tales, shrouded in mystery, have been passed down through generations and may hold a connection to the reptilian references in today's pop culture and conspiracy theories. In ancient civilizations, serpent-like beings held positions of power and influence, adding to the allure of their mystery.

For example, in Hindu mythology, the Nāga were revered as half-human, half-snake beings believed to reside underground and interact with humans on the surface. Similarly, in Chinese mythology, figures like Fu Xi and Nüwa were depicted as serpentine founding figures, representing the harmonious duality of nature and civilization. The Greeks also contributed to this serpent narrative with characters like Cecrops I, the mythical first King of Athens, who was said to be half man, half snake. Echidna, the wife of Typhon, was another notable figure, depicted as half woman, half snake.

These depictions highlighted the serpent's dual symbolism of wisdom and danger. In the Americas, the Maya civilization's rain god, Chaac, and the Aztec deity Tlaloc, were both depicted with serpentine features, showcasing the reptilian motif's deep roots in Mesoamerican culture. This theme of divine or semi-divine beings bearing reptilian traits is a common thread in global mythology. The fascination with reptilian humanoids has persisted into modern times through fringe theories and conspiracy narratives, spinning tales of hidden societies and underground dwellings where these beings continue to exist, influencing human affairs from the shadows.

While mainstream scholarship often dismisses these stories, they are a testament to the enduring human curiosity about the unknown and the allure of the mysterious. The prevalence of these myths, however, does not necessarily imply the existence of actual reptilian humanoids. Anthropomorphic representations in art and literature, while abundant, are generally regarded as symbolic or metaphorical, representing deeper aspects of human culture and psychology rather than literal accounts of history.

The legacy of snake and lizard people in mythology and folklore continues to resonate in our modern world, inspiring literature, film, and other forms of media. This enduring influence serves as a testament to humanity's fascination with the enigmatic and the extraordinary. Whether as an ancient deity or a modern-day myth, the serpent figure remains a vital part of our collective storytelling, symbolizing a profound mystery that continues to intrigue the human spirit.

In conclusion, the tales of naga and reptilian people from history are not just rich with cultural significance but also carry a profound imaginative appeal. The search for proof of their existence today remains a journey through myth and legend. The stories endure, however, as a captivating element of our shared human heritage, inviting us to respect and explore the depths of our ancestral imaginations and the mysteries that have yet to be unraveled.

[demifiendrsa]

Microsoft has officially completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King first announced in January 2022.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick confirms on his message on the acquisition that he will step down as CEO at the end of 2023.

Message from Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO

We love gaming. We play games, create games, and know first-hand how much gaming means to all of us as individuals and collectively, as a community. And today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history across console, PC and mobile. From Pitfall to Call of Duty, World of Warcraft to Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga to Farm Heroes Super Saga, their studios have pushed the boundaries of gaming for players around the world. I’ve long admired the work of Activision, Blizzard, and King, and the impact they’ve had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture. Whether it was late nights spent playing the Diablo IV campaign with friends from start to finish, gathering the entire family in the rec room for our weekly Guitar Hero night, or going on an epic streak in Candy Crush, some of my most memorable gaming moments came from experiences their studios have created. It is incredible to welcome such legendary teams to Xbox. As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone. We are intentional about inclusion in everything we do at Xbox—from our team to the products we make and the stories we tell, to the way our players interact and engage as a wider gaming community. Together, we’ll create new worlds and stories, bring your favorite games to more places so more players can join in, and we’ll engage with and delight players in new, innovative ways in the places they love to play including mobile, cloud streaming and more. Players have always been at the center of everything we do. And as we grow, we’ll continue to keep players at the heart of it all. We’ll continue to listen to your feedback, build a community where you can be yourself, where developers can do their best work, and continue to make really fun games. As promised, we will also continue to make more games available in more places—and that begins now by enabling cloud streaming providers and players to stream Activision Blizzard games in the European Economic Area, a commitment made to the European Commission. Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited—and we are too. For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard, and King games, we want you to know that today is a good day to play. You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, or mobile, you are welcome here—and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win. We believe our news today will unlock a world of possibilities for more ways to play. Thank you for the ongoing support. We have so much more to come in the months ahead—I’m excited for the future and cannot wait to share it with you. —Phil Spencer

Message from Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard CEO

Team, Today marks a milestone in our company’s celebrated history. Combining with Microsoft will bring new resources and new opportunities to our extraordinary teams worldwide. It will also enable us to deliver more fun, more joy, and more connection to more players than ever before. This moment is possible because of your efforts over four decades to innovate, inspire, and achieve. When Brian Kelly and I began this journey in 1991, we intended to build a company that would have great impact and lasting value. Your tireless work and unwavering commitment to excellence enabled us to do just that. In the 1980s, we pioneered independent, third-party game development with Pitfall, River Raid, and Kaboom. In the 1990s, we united the world with online multiplayer games like MechWarrior, Warcraft, and StarCraft. In the 2000s, we introduced Call of Duty, which became one of the most successful entertainment franchises in history. We also introduced Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which entered popular culture in ways few videogames ever have. In the 2010s, we debuted Candy Crush Saga, which to date has been downloaded more than five billion times and contributed to our total worldwide players being fifty percent female. Your dedication is what makes it possible for us to continually push envelopes, break records, and delight players. Amid the uncertainty of the last 21 months, you’ve remained focused, as always, on serving our players and supporting each other. I have long said that I am fully committed to helping with the transition. Phil has asked me to stay on as CEO of Activision Blizzard King, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023. We both look forward to working together on a smooth integration for our teams and players. Brian and I couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter for Activision Blizzard King. We now join one of the most successful global companies, poised for unprecedented opportunities to connect the world through our games. As a part of Microsoft, we will be even better, together. —Bobby Kotick

Activision Blizzard King Joins Xbox - Official Trailer

[cooledtured]

The Netflix Effect: Gen Z's Netflix Obsession

In the age of streaming, Netflix has emerged as a prominent player in molding Gen-Z's entertainment preferences. With a massive library of binge-worthy series and movies at their disposal, Gen-Z viewers have adopted the site as their primary source of entertainment and cultural impact. Netflix's content ranges from captivating dramas to quirky comedies, catering to the preferences and interests of the younger generation. In this article, we'll look at some of the popular shows and anime on Netflix that characterize Gen-Z entertainment.Popular shows on Netflix

Netflix has an abundance of binge-worthy shows that have won the hearts and minds of Generation Z fans. One major hit is "Stranger Things," a nostalgic sci-fi series set in the 1980s about a group of teenagers who discover supernatural secrets in their small town. "Stranger Things" has become a cultural phenomenon, receiving global recognition and a devoted fan following among Generation Z viewers all throughout TikTok and Twitter.

Another popular series is "The End of the Fing World" a dark comedy-drama about two teenage outcasts who go on a road journey full of unexpected twists and turns. "The End of the Fing World" has captivated Gen-Z audiences with its unusual comedy, advanced visuals, and heartbreaking storytelling, keeping the younger generation on the edge of their seats.

In the world of superhero dramas, "The Umbrella Academy" has been established as a fan favourite among younger viewers. Based on Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá's comic book series, the program follows a dysfunctional family of adopted siblings with extraordinary abilities as they try to solve the mystery of their father's death and avoid an oncoming catastrophe. "The Umbrella Academy" has received critical acclaim for its varied cast and imaginative storytelling, which combines action, humour, and dysfunctional family dynamics.

Nostalgic anime classics

Anime has seen a comeback in popularity among Generation Z viewers, thanks in part to Netflix's huge catalog of classic and modern releases. One legendary series that has won the hearts of fans is "Naruto," a coming-of-age narrative about a teenage ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who sets out on a journey to become the strongest ninja in his village and earn the admiration of his peers. With its mix of action and touching moments, "Naruto" has become a cultural touchstone for older Gen-Z viewers who grew up watching the show.

Another great anime that has been given new life on Netflix is "Death Note," a thriller about a high school student who has the ability to kill anyone whose name he writes in a mysterious notebook. As he struggles with the moral consequences of his newfound ability, he gets involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a clever detective out to stop him. Known for its dense plot, and captivating characters such as Light, "Death Note" has a devoted fanbase and is a revered classic among Gen-Z fans.

Ultimately, Netflix has established itself as a cultural powerhouse in shaping Generation Z's entertainment scene. With a wide range of binge-worthy shows and anime classics, the platform caters to the diverse tastes and interests of today's youth. From intriguing dramas and  to nostalgic anime classics, Netflix continues to define Gen-Z entertainment by providing a platform for creativity, variety, and narrative that appeals to viewers all around the world. 

Parleen Kaur | Writer POP-COOLEDTURED SPECIALIST cooledtured.com |  GROW YOUR COLLECTION

[imagine-organization-xiii]

What "coffee table books" would they have/ what would they read at a doctor's office?

Xemnas - Bob Willoughby: A Cinematic Life - This comprehensive large-format monograph on renowned photographer Bob Willoughby's extraordinary, cinematic life is a tribute to his remarkable career. From the 1950s through the 1970s, Willoughby photographed many of the most significant stars of the era in film and jazz. 

Xigbar - Terry O'Neill: The A-Z of Rock 'N' Roll - A chronicle of rock 'n' roll history as seen through the lens of master photographer Terry O'Neill.

Xaldin - VHS: Absurd, Odd, and Ridiculous Relics from the Videotape Era - Comedy writers Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher have spent the last 20 years collecting the best odd and unintentionally hilarious videotapes ever produced. Since 2004, they've resurrected them for sold-out audiences across the country as part of their touring show, the Found Footage Festival. Now, for the very first time, they've collected the greatest VHS covers into one handsome compendium -- along with their priceless snarky commentary throughout.

Vexen - Evolution: A Visual Record - Stunning images to reawaken us to the scientific process that drives the amazing diversity of life on earth.

Lexaeus - The Art of the Cheese Plate: Pairings, Recipes, Style, Attitude - A perfect gift for any host or cheese lover, The Art of the Cheese Plate offers clear directions and expert tips for perfect cheese plates and creative condiments.

Zexion - The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos From Bookworms World Wide - A beautifully packaged full-color collection of literary tattoos and short personal essays, The Word Made Flesh is an intimate but anonymous confessional book, in the vein of thought-provoking anthologies like PostSecret and Not Quite What I Was Planning.

Saix - United States Coinage: A Study By Type - A definitive work on American history as illustrated by United States coinage.

Axel - Stuck Up!: 100 Objects Inserted and Ingested in Places They Shouldn’t Be - A very funny collection of 100 X-ray images showing foreign objects ingested or inserted into human bodies, accidentally or on purpose.

Demyx - Underwater Dogs - The exuberant, exhilarating photographs of dogs underwater that have become a sensation.

Luxord - Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found - Milk, Eggs, Vodka is a celebration of the humble grocery list. Almost anyone will find themselves engrossed in this voyeuristic look into everyday life—less than healthy lists, lists for parties, lists with personal and often odd annotations on them...and the list of lists goes on. Besides over 150 found lists, the book also includes short essays on collecting, shopping, eating, and list making. 

Marluxia - Queer Maximalism - Machine Dazzle is the much-in-demand designer and artist behind popular cabaret, drag, and performance stars such as Taylor Mac and transgender icon Mx. Justin Vivian Bond. For the first time, his over-the-top stage creations, made for himself and others, are collected here alongside stage environments, ephemera, and photos from his career.

Larxene - Women Before 10 AM - Following up on her highly praised bestseller Men Before 10 a.m., celebrity photographer Veronique Vial completes her wonderfully intimate and revealing portrait of the sexes with Women Before 10 a.m., a captivating collection of your favorite fashion, cinematic, and pop culture beauties, starlets, and models before ten o'clock in the morning.

Roxas - The Great American Cereal Book: How Breakfast Got Its Crunch - The Great American Cereal Book is the definitive compendium of breakfast cereal history and lore, celebrating the most recognizable brands and packaging, such as Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes, Grape-Nuts, and Trix.

Xion - Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak - The most comprehensive survey of the work of Maurice Sendak, the most celebrated picture book artist of all time―with previously unpublished archival materials.

[extrapopshop]

📚 Unleashing the quirky charm of Sex Criminals! 🚀 Selling issues #1 and #2 from my private collection – a treasure trove of pop culture magic! ✨ Dive into the mind-bending world crafted by the genius creative team, Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, (neither of those names are the actual names of the creators but their pen names! What are the odds?) explore the wild reviews, and discover why it’s been deemed too hot for certain stores and Apple Books 🔥. Rumor has it, it’s Prime time for this comic with talks of a TV show in the works 🎬. Who’s in your fan cast? I see Kat Dennings and Andy Samberg!

We’re all just temporary custodians of these gems, passing on the torch of extraordinary collectibles to their next adventure. Let the bidding commence! 💼

https://www.ebay.com/usr/extraordinarypopculturecollectibles

#SexCriminals #ComicsForSale #ExtraordinaryPopCultureCollectebles #ExtraPopShop #ComicBookCollectibles

[fabdivinedecor]

Discover the Timeless Beauty of Block Print Pillow Covers

Are you ready to add a touch of artistic elegance to your home decor? Dive into the enchanting world of block print pillow covers and elevate your space with timeless beauty and intricate designs.

Each block print pillow cover is a masterpiece crafted by skilled artisans, showcasing traditional techniques passed down through generations. The process involves hand-carved wooden blocks dipped in natural dyes, creating stunning patterns that reflect cultural heritage and artistic flair.

From mesmerizing floral motifs to geometric wonders, our collection of block print pillow covers offers a diverse range of designs to suit every style and mood. Whether you prefer vibrant colors that pop or subtle tones that soothe, there's a perfect match waiting for you.

But it's not just about aesthetics; block print pillow covers also tell a story of craftsmanship, sustainability, and authenticity. By choosing these artisanal pieces, you contribute to preserving traditional art forms and supporting local communities.

So, why settle for ordinary when you can embrace the extraordinary? Explore our block print pillow covers today and add a touch of artistry and charm to your living spaces. #BlockPrint

#ArtisanCraftsmanship #HomeDecor #TimelessBeauty

[mykpoplovers]

'B★VERSE' EXHIBITION: BTS TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM WITH EXCLUSIVE STOP IN MALAYSIA

Proudly presented by Seni Jaya, THE FACT 'B★VERSE’ (BTS, Singing the Stars) exhibition world tour - a spectacular treat for K-POP enthusiasts worldwide is now happening in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 NOVEMBER 2023 – Brace yourselves, ARMYS! The highly anticipated 'B★VERSE' (BTS, Singing the Stars). Exhibition is set to dazzle Malaysian fans as it makes its first stop in the world at Pavilion Bukit Jalil from 1 December 2023 to 10 March 2024.

Hosted by THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS and expertly crafted by APOLLON STUDIO, 'B★VERSE' is not just an exhibition; it's a mesmerising journey through BTS's electrifying years from 2020 to 2022, inspired by the legendary 'THE FACT BTS PHOTOBOOK SPECIAL EDITION' unveiled alongside the prestigious THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS.

The exhibition is set to guide visitors through eight exclusive sessions, each offering a treasure trove of visuals and activities – including the VR Room, Orbital Tunnel, BTS Universe, 7 Planets, ARMY Way, Immersive Projection Mapping, Merchandise, and Photo Zone. Both VR and Immersive Projection Mapping Rooms are equipped with concert-like sound systems to amplify BTS’s popular songs to further elevate the immersive experience. While 7 Planets offers an immersive experience where each room represents a distinct universe of a BTS member, allowing visitors to explore the diverse worlds and artistic expressions that contribute to the group's collective identity.

Following the recent announcement of Seni Jaya Media Utama Sdn Bhd (SJMU), a subsidiary of Seni Jaya Corporation Berhad as the official intellectual property owner for the groundbreaking B★VERSE' Exhibition in Malaysia and Singapore, Mr. Jeff Cheah See Heong, CEO of Seni Jaya Corporation Berhad, expressed his enthusiasm for bringing this one-of-a-kind experience to all Malaysians especially BTS fans, marking a significant stride into the world of immersive entertainment for the company.

"We are immensely excited to witness the 'B★VERSE' Exhibition captivates the hearts of BTS fans in Malaysia. This unique journey through the BTS universe promises to be a milestone event, and we are thrilled to play a part in bringing this extraordinary experience to the vibrant cultural landscape of Malaysia," said Mr Cheah at the launch of the 'B★VERSE' Exhibition.

With tickets in hot demand, fans of all ages are racing to secure their spot in the BTS Universe. Secure your tickets now and join us for an unforgettable experience! Available now on their official ticket agent, Ticket2u, ARMYs and fans alike can soar through the BTS Universe for as low as RM88 on regular weekday tickets and RM98 on regular weekend tickets. This exclusive pricing is applicable only during the promotional period from 1 December 2023 until 17 December 2023.

Not only that, fans who purchase the tickets will also receive complimentary gifts including a Ziplock pouch, battery-operated ARMY Star badge, and a randomly picked Photocard. To complete the one-of-a-kind B★VERSE experience, ARMYs can also purchase the must-have limited-edition merchandise at the exhibition, such as BTS Inspired Clear Files, BTS Postcards, 2024 Calendar, Brochure, Tote Bags and T-Shirts.

For more information, updates, or to join in on the ARMY celebration, visit: Ticket2u Site: https://www.ticket2u.com.my/bstarverse Instagram: https://instagram.com/bversemalaysia?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Twitter: https://twitter.com/bversemalaysia?s=21 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bversemalaysia?_t=8fqUlUVLoOe&_r=1 Seni Jaya Official Website: https://www.senijayacorp.com/

[fashionbooksmilano]

Mondrian Dress Yves Saint Laurent, Piet Mondrian and Pop Art

Nancy J.Troy, Ann Marguerite Tartsinis

MITPress, Cambridge, MA 2023, 192 pages, 25,25x31.9cm, Hardcover, ISBN 9780262048354

euro 54,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

An extraordinary look at how the style of Piet Mondrian's abstract paintings was posthumously appropriated by 1960s fashion, Pop art, and consumer culture.

Yves Saint Laurent's 1965 Mondrian dresses are among the twentieth century's most celebrated and recognizable fashions, but the context of their creation involves much more than meets the eye. In Mondrian's Dress, Nancy J. Troy and Ann Marguerite Tartsinis offer a fresh approach to the coupling of Piet Mondrian's interwar paintings with Saint Laurent's couture designs by exposing the rampant merchandising and commodification that these works experienced in the 1960s. The authors situate the consolidation of Saint Laurent's fashion brand alongside the work of such Pop artists as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Tom Wesselmann, and show how conventional understandings of Mondrian's avant-garde abstractions were transformed by the mass circulation of his signature style.

Beyond its attention to 1960s fashion, Pop art, and consumer culture, Mondrian's Dress offers critical assessments of Saint Laurent's so-called dialogue with art, the remarkable art collection that he built with his partner Pierre Berge, and the crucial role that photography plays in the marketing of couture. The first book-length study of its kind, Mondrian's Dress is a provocative reevaluation of how art, commerce, and fashion became fundamentally intertwined in the postwar period.

03/12/23

[mystery-moose]

Reading more and more Gonchposts (and enjoying the vast majority of them) and it’s starting to pull together a lot of feelings in my head about art and experience and analysis and stuff, and the big one is that I wish that the collection of ideas the collective tumblr consciousness was pulling from to create Goncharov was based more in… like, actual knowledge and experience and history and critical thought of the thing they’re building, rather than the vaguely defined and perpetually regurgitated cultural assumptions of what that thing is.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s fascinating to watch all this bubble up and sort of collect into a meaningful “canon.” It’s especially wild seeing tropes and ideas pop up that are absolutely based in trends within the genre and even from within Scorsese’s own filmography, knowing that most people aren’t even aware that they’re being that insightful! All that kind of shit is incredible and creative and cool and probably needs at least one good academic treatise written about it.

But at the same time, I can’t help but keep coming back to the thought that people should experience art itself and not be satisfied with vagueries and preconceptions about that art.

Like I’m becoming a broken record about this but… please watch great movies! Please engage with great art! I’m not saying you have to love it, I’m not even saying it’s by necessity “great,” really (I got some thoughts about a lot of so-called classics in a lot of mediums) but I am saying there’s value in seeing it and forming your own opinion on it. Not just ignoring it because you think it’s dumb, or boring, or ugly, or ignorant, or overrated. If you are way into Goncharov right now, and I know we all are, I am begging you to watch The Irishman! Or Gomorrah! Or Heat or The Sting or Goodfellas or The Godfather or… whatever you want, really!

And I know, I KNOW what the culture around those sorts of movies has been like, I’ve been on fuckin’ Letterboxd, the film bro is real and exists. But the unfortunate part is that sometimes he’s onto something! And if you let him stop you from enriching your life, if you let him gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss you from watching great movies? Then the film bro has truly defeated you.

None of this is to say that “important” art isn’t often problematic, for the record! Or that “important” art should distract you from art that is, by some circumstance or another, ignored and marginalized but no less meaningful. But I think we must be mature enough to admit that, sometimes, the cultural consensus (however warped and twisted by systemic and historical forces it may be) can highlight some pretty extraordinary works. And taking the time to experience these things, to examine them and think critically about them, is an incredibly valuable experience that more people should have! Even if that ends with you deciding you hate it, that it’s not that important, or that the things it is important to are totally worthy of your dismissal.

To be perfectly honest I think the reason this is frustrating me is that the core idea of “Goncharov” as a bit? It’s really very simple: it’s a great mafia movie by a great filmmaker with themes and symbolism and nuanced performances and memorable sequences and artful composition and much to think about, that no one has seen because it’s so obscure. But that movie exists! It exists a thousand times over! If the joke for you is that you would ever take an interest in such a thing, like “imagine me watching a three hour long Scorsese movie with a focus on male relationships and tons of lapsed Catholic themes, ha ha couldn’t be me”, then I encourage you to think of it as more than a joke. Who knows, you might find something that strikes you, challenges you, makes you reconsider your preconceptions, changes your mind in some tiny but meaningful way! Or maybe it won’t and your preconceptions will be reinforced. But even then, those ideas will be more meaningful to you, more solid, because you have genuine experience and analysis and thought to buttress them!

I don’t know, I’m rambling, it’s late, I’m tired and hungry and worn out after a long day. Maybe none of this bothers anyone but my dumb ass. Maybe I’m frustrated over nothing, or picking up on vibes that aren’t really there. But I gotta vent my guts out somewhere and it sure as shit can’t be twitter anymore, y’know?