cultural criticism - Casey Rae’s Apocrypha

Casey Rae’s Apocrypha

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cultural criticism

A collection of 8 posts

Main Title

In search of the greatest TV theme song of all time.

Authenticity in the Age of Slop

Authenticity in the Age of Slop

Even disposable culture used to require someone to give a shit.

Director Jim Jarmusch holds his Golden Lion award from the Venice Film Festival.

No Country for Weird Old Men

Jim Jarmusch is applying for French citizenship. David Cronenberg clings to Canadian funding. David Lynch saw the writing on the wall twenty years ago. Are the dinosaurs of indie cinema going extinct?

Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze on the beach in Point Break (1991).

The Zen Jock I Walked Out On

In ‘91, I walked out of Point Break during the RHCP beach battle scene. This week I watched the whole thing—and my aversion didn’t make it back to shore.

When is a Band a Cult?

When is a Band a Cult?

Having written a book about the Grateful Dead—and cult dynamics in music more broadly—I’ve been thinking seriously about what “cult following” actually means. Spoiler: it’s less pathology than anthropology.

Notes in the Paranoid Style: A Conversation with Elizabeth Nelson

Notes in the Paranoid Style: A Conversation with Elizabeth Nelson

Elizabeth Nelson writes about music the way a good lawyer argues a case—with total command of the record, genuine passion, and compelling arguments by the crate full. She’s also funny as hell, with excellent taste and a way with words that I’ve long admired. Elizabeth is also

Viewing In-Between: Films That Refuse to Be One Thing

Viewing In-Between: Films That Refuse to Be One Thing

Last week, I talked about “blended genre” flicks, with a promise to take a closer look the following Friday. Well, here we are—Friday the 13th, which also happens to be Dakini Day.* Fitting, given what I’ve come to realize about the films on this list, and their uncanny

Bergman Can Wait

Bergman Can Wait

Fridays are special. At least they’ve always felt that way to me. When I was a 9-5 working stiff, Fridays were the entrée to the weekend, before Saturday shenanigans gave way to Sunday Scaries. But the vibe was set well before that, in an ancient era marked by