3.09.2008

The awful feeling of electric heat...


My Politics in Pop Culture course is pretty amazing, and one particularly great thing about taking it is my professor's selections of topical links for the week's readings.

This week, our class will focus on the representations of Latinos in modern pop culture, especially in the context of the political scapegoat issue of immigration. Susana (my prof) has some choice links for the topic, two of the best appearing on the MediaMatters website:

Boortz: Non-English-speaking Latinos are "the ones with sombreros" and "bandoliers full of bullets across their chest"

Savage called Latino advocacy group "the Ku Klux Klan of the Hispanic people"

I don't read MediaMatters enough, but I think I'm gonna start checking in there more often. Seems like they've got some articles to really get a gentleman's gorge risen high on up there.

(Speaking of the whole "makes my gorge rise" turn of phrase: the first few times I ever heard the term, it was being used to refer to sexual criminals or pedophiles, so I also thought that the speakers were saying that pedophilia rocked their world. Funny, huh?)

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So, tonight, hopefully, I will have my review of the series finale of The Wire. I might just save it for tomorrow, though. I don't want to accidentally spoil something for both of you guys reading this. I also plan to do some major Lost writing.

As for my non-TV blog plans, I want to do a brief review of Persepolis soon, as well as a look at The Best Years of Our Lives (which I'm watching for da SOMB). I am also considering some retrospective looks at the 2000-2007 movie era. Some greatest performances stuff, maybe. Who knows?

I also want to start posting more new, more up to date, music stuff...maybe even a podcast?

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There are also some upcoming projects of mine that are based in, get this...the real, physical world. Not the internet!

What could these ventures outside of the USS Blog possibly include?

I am glad you ventured to question my truth voice. My responsibilities are as such...

I should have a music column in the upcoming issue of the school paper, The Climax. That means that this week, both The Climax and Nick's Blunder Bust shall be stained a putrid shade of awesome by my pen. I am considering submitting some photography to The Omen as well. Might as well get some of my stuff out there.

In one of my first LJ posts ever (I have looked back through em a few times...they date back to 2002 or 2003), I declared my intentions to spread across this great globe like a charming, red(-headed) death. I just want my longterm fans to know that the whole project is still in the works. No worries.

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In another case of an awesome heads up from a friend: a few weeks ago, my mom pointed my towards the National Portrait Gallery's new Hip-Hop portrait exhibition/showcase, the interestingly (not sure how I feel) named Recognize!

This is why I rule so hard. In case you've been wondering. I got raised by that lady.

The exhibit is definitely worth looking at.

So do it.

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I just remembered about a fun time waster I read about maybe a week ago. It's called The Black Cab Recordings. It's a British internet venture in which a strange (but awesome) assortment of lesser known artists ride around in the back of a British taxi cab. Playing their strange assortment of lesser known hits. The passenger/singers include Daniel Johnston, Spoon, Okkervil River, St. Vincent, Bill Callahan (Mr. Joanna Newsom, formerly Smog), Langhorne Slim, The New Pornographers, and a myriad of really not famous British artists who seem like they could be neat.

I have yet to watch any of the videos on the site, but if I discover in the future that one of these is particularly awesome, I will let y'all know.

I don't know about ch'all, but I know that I'm excited to see the St. Vincent one the most.

Nathaniel Tyson

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