Tim Cavanaugh | July 10, 2009
If you haven't
read I'm Learning To Share's history of Jughead's hat — and especially if
you are searching for a story that links together juvenile
delinquency, automotive work, Hollywood tough priests, the decline
of cross-hatching and Jeff Goldblum's barely remembered portrayal
of "Freak #1" — you should go there right away and read the whole
thing.
For my money, Mr. Lodge is the true hero of the Archie universe. But the mechanism of turning inverted fedoras into safety beanies recalls what a saving and reusing society the United States once was. I believe the last thread of that couture-of-scarcity was clipped when cutoff shorts stopped having a minor bit of cheapskate élan. You may remember more recent examples of clothing détournement, and in any event, those days are back again.
Clothes-inversion may
rank up there with classical piano and killing people among the
small number of markets where the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics outperformed the United States. Once you get through with
Jughead, spend some time with the Mr. Svenson of the Reason
universe, Charles Paul Freund, whose great essay "In
Praise of Vulgarity" fits the story of the Stilyagi, Soviet zoot suiters of the 1950s, into
the larger history of low culture as a form of neverending protest
against The Man.
And though I refuse to believe there is not a Betty and Veronica Tijuana bible out there somewhere, this is the closest thing I've found.
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For my money, Mr. Lodge is the true hero of the Archie
universe.
For my money, when I was a kid and I rode my bike up to the
pharmacy and I bent over the comic section under the magazine rack,
there was always a better choice than Archie lying near by.
Tim, did you ever choose Archie over Aquaman? Choose wisely, your
prepubescent equivalent of manhood is at stake.
Jeff Goldblum's barely remembered portrayal of "Freak
#1"
Death Wish. A classic.
"... and Charles Bronson in Death Wish 9."
(Bronson lying in hospital bed): "I...wish I was dead."
"and Jeff Goldblum's barely remembered portrayal of "Freak #1"
-"
:in full Goldblumian fervor: "Shit man! We have business!"
This should be mandatory headgear for any politician who utters the words "for the children."
Waaaay too much time on your hands dude.
Seriously, I've gotta find me a gig with a non profit entity.
Because few of us right now have time to whine about attempts to
save jobs and "the mechanism of turning inverted fedoras into
safety beanies recalls what a saving and reusing society the United
States once was"
It must be sweet! And obviously the work has made substantial
inroads into not only policy, but political representation.
In a strange way, I think The Breakfast Club came pretty close to matching the spirit and aesthetic of the mythical Archie movie. Hell, a young Anthony Michael Hall and young Judd Nelson, pretty much look like Archie and Reggie, respectively.
Fun post. Pop culture trivia can be really interesting.
I never was an Archie fan, but Veronica was way hotter than
Betty.
Just sayin'.
Freak #1 was more interesting than Bronson's character. But my favorite Goldblum? The Life Aquatic.
I never was an Archie fan, but Veronica was way hotter than Betty.
You probably liked Jennifer over Bailey on WKRP, and
Ginger over Maryann on Gilligan's Island.
Philistine.
Okay, the anonymity bot has officially descended into the
uncanny valley.
He/She/It not only secularized a popular internets shorthand in
case our jeebus-loving friends also love anonymity, but also either
mistakenly capitalized in the middle of a word, or-much more likely
in my opinion-has usurped LoneWhacko's iconoclast rejection of the
SpaceBar.
When we can no longer distinguish spambots from pseudo-humanoid
spammer chuds, the Apokolips is truly at hand.
Tim, did you ever choose Archie over Aquaman? Choose wisely,
your prepubescent equivalent of manhood is at stake.
Is that a trick question? Aquaman's a stone homo, isn't he?
The spiritual csuccession goes:
George Raft--->Jughead--->Shaggy
I think you're missing Maynard G. Krebs in that list.
Hugh Akston, the apposite personal pronoun is she/he/it, elided.
Aquaman's a stone homo, isn't he?
Gay? I wish! If I were gay, there'd be no problem. What I have is a
romantic abnormality that is so bizarre it must be kept from the
public at all costs.
Is that a trick question? Aquaman's a stone homo, isn't
he?
Even if he knows the way of the porpoise more intimately that the
rest of us, he is still not as gay as Archie.
Gay? I wish! If I were gay, there'd be no problem. What I have
is a romantic abnormality that is so bizarre it must be kept from
the public at all costs.
Can we take a few guesses? I use to be abusive to foot fetishist in
the worse possible way because I thought it was the lamest excuse
for arousal possible. But, then Hayden
Panettiere comes along in the last year or so, and I realize
legs turn me on after all.
I owe all of you dysfunctional toe sucking creeps an
apology.
::sigh::
foot fetishist in the worse possible way
Probably mean 'worst' but it is a done deal and I'm committed,
fated even, to bad grammar until the furies of syntactical
rightness rip my flesh from my bones.
I think you're missing Maynard G. Krebs in that list.
Word...good catch.
BakedPenguin | July 11, 2009 "You probably liked Jennifer over
Bailey on WKRP, and Ginger over Maryann on Gilligan's Island.
Philistine."
Hahaha.
What can I say? I'm into over-the-top, completely transparent
sexuality. I'm just not smart enough for subtlety.
# BakedPenguin | July 11, 2009, 5:18pm | #
## KingShamus: I never was an Archie fan, but
## Veronica was way hotter than Betty.
# You probably liked Jennifer over Bailey on
# WKRP, and Ginger over Maryann on Gilligan's
# Island.
# Philistine.
That's KING Philistine to you, Happy Feet.
I preferred MaryAnn to Ginger, and Bailey WAY over Jennifer. But
sorry, KingShamus is right: Ronnie rules; Betty drools.
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