Spinning Yarn with Borrowed Cotton
Curator's NoteIn January 2013, the internet erupted with consternation as FOX series Glee released a cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s 1992 song “Baby Got Back” that exactly copied independent artist Jonathan...
View ArticlePerformance and the Pursuit of Stardom in Anvil: The Story of Anvil
Curator's NoteSacha Gervasi’s Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008), about a Canadian metal band active from the late 1970s to present, covers a much less popular group than most rock-docs. Widespread fame...
View ArticleCross-Cultural Appropriation of Pop Songs
Curator's NoteNearly two decades ago, Next, a male R&B group, released a catchy song called “Too Close.” The song reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998. Today, in the right...
View ArticleIt's Not an Ad: "It's a Revolution"
Curator's NoteOn January 21, Bernie Sanders’ campaign released the most iconic video ad of the 2016 cycle. Entitled “America”, it visually extolled the values and virtues of rural life alongside a...
View ArticleThe Affective Behind-the-Scenes Paratexts
Curator's NoteOfficial paratexts usually serve a straightforward function: per Jonathan Gray (2010), they can hype a new work, provide legitimacy to authorial perspectives on the creative process,...
View ArticleSatanic Panic at Sleepaway Camp: Freeform's Dead of Summer
Curator's NoteThe resurgence of the Satanic Panic in media objects in 2016, whether in novels like Girls on Fire and My Best Friend’s Exorcism, or the topic under discussion here Dead of Summer, a 10...
View ArticleOff the Air and the History of Musical Cartoon Animation
Curator's NoteWalt Disney’s Silly Symphonies ran from 1929 to 1939 and are mostly remembered for their experimental value: the lack of narrative, lack of recurring characters, and the emphasis placed...
View Article“Darkness Falls Across the Land”: Pre-Existing Music and Strange Associations
Curator's NoteThroughout the first series of Netflix’s Stranger Things (2016) it is evident that three key features of the show are: its sci-fi/horror genre, 1980s popular culture, and 1980s popular...
View ArticleMerchandising Queens
Curator's NoteRuPaul’s Drag Race equates drag with pop stardom. I’ve previously built this argument around the show’s recording challenges. RuPaul elevates contestants with the skills to produce...
View ArticleFever Ray Takes the Plunge: Queer Rage and the Limits of Control
Curator's NoteEight years after the release of xyr eponymous album, Fever Ray (preferred pronoun: xe) has returned with Plunge. This album marks a noted shift from occult imagery to that of a more...
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