I think you really nailed in with the Swift analysis. I think we've hit the point where this phenomenon will start to diverge from mainstream culture - very popular but less relevant all the time. She's not on a track similar to other pop stars, she's on the path of legacy rock bands. I think the best case scenario for her long term looks like Pearl Jam or The Rolling Stones, and the worst case scenario that's probably more likely looks like U2.
Thank you so much!!! 🫶 That's so true and brings up a very interesting point – Legacy rock bands don't have the trajectory they do because of the rock genre itself, but rather because rock was the dominant genre of the time. Now it's pop. So acts like TS can follow legacy artists' framework vs. "rock" bands like Coldplay, Maroon 5, etc. that will not be able to replicate that kind of longevity. I could write a whole other essay on how those bands really missed the mark on making great music for the sake of being palatable for Top 40.
Lmaooooo I do love it! For me, it's not so much about the celebrities themselves, or even about being entertained, as it is about *us* and how society's norms & conventions (and therefore our identities) are shaped because of culture.
Thank you for sharing my 13 Going on 30 piece, my queen! Also, I loved ANS and TANS when it first came out (during the time of the best reality shows IMO), so much that I wanted to go to the Italian restaurant here in LA and have an eating contest (it shut down). But it is SO sad to watch now. I have it on DVD and watch it once in a while but it's a bummer! Also the documentary made me depressed. Hoping the biopic is decent.
Of course! 💖 Omg I just watched the Italian restaurant episode. It was so sad. I haven't seen the doc for that reason. From the little I've read about the biopic, I really don't like the POV they're taking.
I think you really nailed in with the Swift analysis. I think we've hit the point where this phenomenon will start to diverge from mainstream culture - very popular but less relevant all the time. She's not on a track similar to other pop stars, she's on the path of legacy rock bands. I think the best case scenario for her long term looks like Pearl Jam or The Rolling Stones, and the worst case scenario that's probably more likely looks like U2.
Thank you so much!!! 🫶 That's so true and brings up a very interesting point – Legacy rock bands don't have the trajectory they do because of the rock genre itself, but rather because rock was the dominant genre of the time. Now it's pop. So acts like TS can follow legacy artists' framework vs. "rock" bands like Coldplay, Maroon 5, etc. that will not be able to replicate that kind of longevity. I could write a whole other essay on how those bands really missed the mark on making great music for the sake of being palatable for Top 40.
i also wish i loved popular culture this much
Lmaooooo I do love it! For me, it's not so much about the celebrities themselves, or even about being entertained, as it is about *us* and how society's norms & conventions (and therefore our identities) are shaped because of culture.
i truly wish i had your processing speed
Hahhah thank you!! Writing this newsletter helps me work ~with~ my brain instead of against it :)
Thank you for sharing my 13 Going on 30 piece, my queen! Also, I loved ANS and TANS when it first came out (during the time of the best reality shows IMO), so much that I wanted to go to the Italian restaurant here in LA and have an eating contest (it shut down). But it is SO sad to watch now. I have it on DVD and watch it once in a while but it's a bummer! Also the documentary made me depressed. Hoping the biopic is decent.
Of course! 💖 Omg I just watched the Italian restaurant episode. It was so sad. I haven't seen the doc for that reason. From the little I've read about the biopic, I really don't like the POV they're taking.