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Friday Fun Links: Geek Culture Edition
1. The Batman version of Crime and Punishment. Weird and hilarious. It originally appeared in the art-comics anthology Drawn and Quarterly 3, which also includes some lovely reprints of Frank King's Gasoline Alley Sunday strips of the '20s and '30s.
2. Prisoner-era Doctor Who. Or, strictly
speaking, some Doctor Who that came out a year before
The Prisoner but obviously was part of the same
acid trip cultural gestalt. It's pretty
awful, and I say that as a Prisoner fan with a high
tolerance for '60s sci-fi camp. But if you enjoy pop surrealism you
should check
it out anyway.
3. New England and the Bavarian Illuminati. You'll find no sunken cities, talking gorillas, or anarchist submarines here. Just the classic account of the Illuminati panic of the late eighteenth century, when prominent Federalists accused the Jeffersonians of being pawns of the secret order. Originally published in 1918, the book is now in the public domain and can be downloaded for free from the Internet Archive.
Episiarch|10.26.07 @ 9:08AM|#
I could never get into The Prisoner, and I tried. It
should have been something I loved, considering my tastes, but I
just couldn't get past certain aspects of it.
But I really liked Space: 1999. Strange.
|10.26.07 @ 9:31AM|#
I find that The Prisoner works better in theory than in
practice. As a self contained piece of dark surrealist art it is
second to none, especially compared to other TV at the time. It's
also full of the gimmicks and catch-phrases that feed the geek
hordes.
However as a dramatic narrative it just collapses.
When will the Nehru Jacket make a comeback?
VM|10.26.07 @ 9:33AM|#
cool, Jesse! thanks!
Jeff P.'s commentary fits for Napoleon Dynamite,
too.
[ducks. runs off]
[keed keed]
|10.26.07 @ 9:34AM|#
Episiarch: Space: 1999 posited a universe populated by women in
red cat suits.
http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/main/images/space/dp/spdpz0021.jpg
What's not to like?
|10.26.07 @ 9:37AM|#
I love 60's surrealism. Dr. Who, and The Prisoner are great. Space 1999 was the 70's, but it still captured the style, and of course there's Star Trek. But for my money the top of the list was The Avengers. Great camp, super surreal and chuck full of acid trippy goodness.
|10.26.07 @ 9:40AM|#
Space: 1999 posited a universe populated by women in red cat
suits.
WITH WHIPS Jeff, don't forget about the whips.
Rrrrreeeeooorrrrr
Episiarch|10.26.07 @ 9:41AM|#
What's not to like?
What a great time for cheesy sci-fi. Buck Rogers, Space: 1999,
original Battlestar, the Flash Gordon movie, and so on.
The Avengers was pretty fucking great. Like most good British
shows, though, it see-sawed between awesome and dull.
|10.26.07 @ 9:51AM|#
VM: Napoleon Dynamite hardly works as theory.
I can imagine the pitch to the studio:
Producer: "A cast of truly annoying people experience a pointless
series of episodic events that are both unfunny and
non-entertaining. It'll be like Seinfeld, only really bad."
Studio Exec: "And the hip kids will like this?"
Producer: "Like meth and blowjobs."
VM|10.26.07 @ 9:57AM|#
Jeff - that is most likely the pitch and the actual
conversation!! Well played!!
:)
Episiarch|10.26.07 @ 9:59AM|#
"And the hip kids will like this?"
Any movie which has a character that reminds the hipsters of
themselves and does it in a painfully ironic--yet strangely
complimentary--way gets them worked up "like meth and
blowjobs".
|10.26.07 @ 10:14AM|#
One of my favorite 60's moments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1pW7T7MbZQ
The only good thing that I can say about the current ironic hipster
culture of unfunny comedy, horrible music, and non-nourishing food
is that it will probably lead to adulthoods of unfulfilling careers
and dismal sex lives.
And I will watch them from my rocking chair and laugh, filling my
autumn years with mirth.
Loki|10.26.07 @ 10:29AM|#
That original Dr. Who opening sequence is without doubt one of the creepiest fucking things ever shown on television.
dhex|10.26.07 @ 10:40AM|#
[quote]It'll be like Seinfeld, only really bad."
[/quote]
thats all sorts of redundant.
robc|10.26.07 @ 10:45AM|#
Jeff P explained my view of Napoleon Dynamite better than I ever could. Could one of the hip kids explain its appeal to me (I get the appeal of meth and blow jobs)?
Episiarch|10.26.07 @ 10:50AM|#
Could one of the hip kids explain its appeal to me (I get
the appeal of meth and blow jobs)?
Its appeal to them is that you don't "get it". Not that they do,
but they can pretend they do, you don't, and therefore (hipster
logic) they are cooler than you.
Sorry, dude. Unattractive, mod-glasses-wearing, trying-way-too-hard
t-shirt wearing, unshowered, arrogant-yet-insecure dorks percieve
themselves to be cooler than you. Don't commit suicide using any of
my guns, please.
|10.26.07 @ 11:04AM|#
Gerry Anderson's UFO was possibly the best mod show ever. The
strange future world of 1980. Lots of white turtlenecks. Chicks
with purple wigs. White fishnet uniforms for both men and women.
Shiny technology. Spaceship interiors with wood panelling.
Slim-barreled guns.
Awesome theme, too.
|10.26.07 @ 11:06AM|#
Jesse-thanks for the batman link, that was great! Robin as Sonya
takes the cake...It really makes one think about the supposed gay
undertones of Batman and Robin. Jesse did you catch the discussion
of that in Slate?: http://www.slate.com/id/2176432/
Perhaps you've already commented on that, if so sorry. Thanks
again, and keep the comics links coming!
|10.26.07 @ 11:10AM|#
1: Science has proven that only the truly unhip can achieve
hipness.
2: Any attempt at moving towards hipness results in Xeno's
Paradox.
3: The answer to most philosophical questions is "The White
Stripes."
|10.26.07 @ 11:19AM|#
And yes, I mispelled "Zeno" on purpose. It is irony, see. The
fact that I cannot recognize let alone define "irony" is in itself
ironic.
Plebes. all of you!
|10.26.07 @ 11:29AM|#
Its appeal to them is that you don't "get it". Not that they do, but they can pretend they do, you don't,...
Oh, so it's like when some commie starts telling you how great
Das Kapital is?
|10.26.07 @ 11:41AM|#
Issac: Yes. The same principles applies to Grateful Dead fans, Buffy fans, people who blog about Dancing With the Stars, and anyone who has recently discovered Escher.
|10.26.07 @ 11:43AM|#
Jeff P.,
Don't forget new Dali appreciators.
I note that you properly excluded Firefly fans.
|10.26.07 @ 11:46AM|#
Could one of the hip kids explain its appeal to
me
I liked it because I grew up in a small rural town, and the take on
small town life and school life was dead on.
Ditto for my wife.
Plus, one of my good friends is so much like Uncle Rico that he now
goes by Uncle Rico whenever we get together.
|10.26.07 @ 11:49AM|#
Yes, Firefly fans are insular and vehement, a trait they learned
from Farscape fans.
But at least Firefly was watchable. Buffy wasn't.
Both Dali and Escher worshippers are fine when they're simply fans.
It's when they think they're art experts that the trouble
starts.
Which reminds me, Sister Wendy fans should be on that list.
|10.26.07 @ 11:56AM|#
Red Bull drinkers.
People who are WAY to into the Geico Gecko.
Anyone on the Kevin Trudeau mailing list.
|10.26.07 @ 12:02PM|#
Dali is gateway art. Ditto Escher. That's why you see it used by high school and college students, until they move to the harder stuff.
|10.26.07 @ 12:10PM|#
I thoroughly enjoyed Napoleon Dynamite. I am definitely NOT one of the hip set. Never have been, never will be. I think that's what appealed to me. Napoleon and his friends never "become hip" (except for the dancing) he and his pals triumph while remaining dorks.
|10.26.07 @ 12:14PM|#
Check my box for Grateful Dead and Sister Wendy too (also Escher and Dali, but have been for many years)
|10.26.07 @ 12:20PM|#
Special to Jeff P. re: Buffy hate.
You go to Hell! You go to Hell and you die!
Franklin Harris|10.26.07 @ 12:24PM|#
As much as I love "Doctor Who," the original version, especially during the '60s, is just embarrassingly cheap compared to the programs Lew Grade and ITC were producing at the same time: "The Prisoner," "The Saint," "UFO," etc.
robc|10.26.07 @ 12:53PM|#
Im with de stijl on the Buffy thing. I made fun of it for years
until I accidentally became hooked. I blame the BCS.
The beer I make for New Years Eve every year is called Black Frost.
I would say that about mid season 4 the show started down hill. I
just didnt buy the Willow lesbian thing. Didnt make any sense to
me. The last season was almost unwatchable - I kept hoping they
would kill off Faith so that the "official" slayer pointer would
jump to one of the potentials. Then I wanted an episode where about
3 slayers got whacked and the pointer kept jumping to new
characters. Sigh, such a good idea, I dont know why they didnt do
it.
Salvius|10.26.07 @ 1:09PM|#
"Napoleon Dynamite" was an indy-movie-lite, a toned-down "Welcome to the Dollhouse" seemingly designed for people who don't have the balls to venture all that far away from the mainstream.
robc|10.26.07 @ 1:11PM|#
At lunch I asked a 20-something friend of mine to explain Napoleon Dynamite. He said that it is liked by the "hipsters" whose moms wouldnt let them see R rated movies.
VM|10.26.07 @ 1:19PM|#
Salvius -
it's the U2, Offspring, Green Day, tv show 'Friends', etc. of
movies.
|10.26.07 @ 1:38PM|#
"Napoleon Dynamite" was an indy-movie-lite, a toned-down
"Welcome to the Dollhouse" seemingly designed for people who don't
have the balls to venture all that far away from the
mainstream.
Ahh, nothing says "indy cred" like sneering contempt for any work
that finds an audience bigger than will fit in your parent's
basement.
|10.26.07 @ 1:55PM|#
New England and the Bavarian Illuminati looks to be quite interesting. Thanks, Jesse.
|10.26.07 @ 1:56PM|#
Red bull drinkers are ok, as long as they don't proclaim that
they drink red bull. A nalgene bottle full of red bull and vodka is
a nice kick in the ass.
I was drinking that stuff in Ireland back in '99...
|10.26.07 @ 2:21PM|#
!Friday Fun Link New Wave Links!
Tying in geek and New Wave, may I offer...
A Flock Of Seagulls - "Telecommunication"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOFTO5XQn9w
A Flock Of Seagulls - "Space Age Love Song"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okbO3TAr3TU
OMD - "Genetic Engineering"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YkEBtFbOGg
I dig all 3 of em. Any other suggestions....?
|10.26.07 @ 2:29PM|#
Warren
"Napoleon and his friends never "become hip" (except for the
dancing) he and his pals triumph while remaining dorks."
But don't you see? That is why they are so hip. It is
because they don't try to be hip, that they are so hip and
worthy of adulation by hipsters.
Additionally, the surest sign of a hipster is vehement denial that
they are a hipster.
I should know, I'm not one either.
Episiarch|10.26.07 @ 2:30PM|#
Red bull drinkers are ok, as long as they don't proclaim
that they drink red bull.
I drink Rockstar so that I don't look like a poser. OH SHIT
Franklin Harris|10.26.07 @ 2:38PM|#
The Persuaders!!!!!!!
Not from the '60s (it started in 1971), but another fine example of
Lew Grade's ability to put together a great looking TV show while
the BBC was still shooting video of wobbly sets.
The Persuaders opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgLEdvRKAYI
Salvius|10.26.07 @ 2:42PM|#
Additionally, the surest sign of a hipster is vehement denial that they are a hipster.
RC Dean:
My last post was not about "indy cred" - I'll happily defend
Titanic as being a good movie. That was my honest attempt
to answer the question asked up-thread about what made Napoleon
Dynamite so well-liked. As far as I can tell, being an
"indy-movie-lite" is the very source of its appeal.
Yes, I do have sneering contempt for it, because my
opinion is that it's a not-very-good movie that
has been wildly overrated (and, yes, if it were less wildly
overrated, my contempt would probably be less sneering). But I'll
admit it serves a purpose - anything that gets
people to move out of their comfort zone, however slightly, is a
Good Thing. There are people who aren't ready (i.e., "don't have
the balls") to make the leap straight to something more daring, but
who might be willing to get out there eventually after being
prepared by something like Napoleon Dynamite first. And
it's handy as a conversation-starter, for opinionated, pretentious
film snobs like me to say, "If you thought that was a good
movie, you ought to see..." and thereby encourage people to see
other (read: better) movies that they would otherwise have never
even considered.
In other words, I may think the movie is lousy, but I think it's
usefully lousy, if that makes any sense.
Franklin Harris|10.26.07 @ 2:43PM|#
Additionally, the surest sign of a hipster is vehement denial that they are a hipster.
And the surest sign of a non-hipster is that he claims to be a
hipster, unless of course he actually is a hipster using reverse
psychology, in which case he is still a non-hipster for trying to
fool you into thinking he is a hipster. Ipso facto, there are no
actual hipsters.
VM|10.26.07 @ 2:45PM|#
true - but the Persuaders is a classic (we own it on dvd...),
and in good spirit!
:)
also, the 80s Bergerac is another goodie. As is "'allo 'allo"
(listen very carefully. I shall say this only once)
|10.26.07 @ 2:50PM|#
Speaking of hipsters, Napolean Dynamite and
blowjobs...
One evening I was hanging out at my local and struck up a convo
with a pyt hipsterette. Turns out I hadn't seen ND, she had the DVD
in her car, and I had a DVD player at my joint up the block.
Wackiness ensued, but alas no meth was involved.
I don't whether I'm a hipster or not.
|10.26.07 @ 3:53PM|#
Everybody hated Buffy season 7. I'm going back and
watching them all again with the Mrs. and season 6 isn't as good as
I remembered, either.
I'm an engineer (which should, almost by definition, exclude me
from any potential hipster groupification) but I kinda liked
Napoleon. Of course, I grew up in a small town and thought
it hit that mark pretty well.
|10.26.07 @ 4:12PM|#
Turns out I hadn't seen ND, she had the DVD in her car, and
I had a DVD player at my joint up the block. Wackiness ensued, but
alas no meth was involved.
I don't whether I'm a hipster or not.
Probably not. But you ARE a slut ;-)
|10.26.07 @ 4:12PM|#
No fair linking to that episode - it's a particularly lousy
example of 60s Doctor Who that even hardcore fans think is lame. If
you want to see excellent 60s Who, try An Unearthly Child, The
Aztecs, The Invasion, or The Mind Robber.
Or, just check out this 1967 title sequence, which is more
contemporary with The Prisoner and MUCH cooler and tripper than the
original in my opinion!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3pGxhHOY0U
Franklin Harris|10.26.07 @ 5:33PM|#
Or, just check out this 1967 title sequence, which is more contemporary with The Prisoner and MUCH cooler and tripper than the original in my opinion!
To say nothing of the 1975 title sequence:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=a2CBGeTlOFo
|10.27.07 @ 2:13AM|#
Surprise! Hi to you Ricky Barton and all your Reasonoid libertarian cyber friends. :)
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