Classics
//
Classic on Classic
By
Elektrovideo .
08.30.09 //
Classics
// Classic on Classic
By
Elektrovideo .
08.30.09 //
Classics
Classic! from elektrovideo on Vimeo.
To determine if something is considered a classic, there are two simple questions that need first be answered:
1. Has it stood the test of time?
2. (And infinitely more difficult) Was it original enough to impact culture?
To me—and other 80’s babies like me—every piece of culture widely considered a classic either debuted before we were born or before we were old enough to really appreciate it as such.
But now we are older, able to see things better, clearer. So what about here and now? What about this decade? What will the people of the 2010’s and 20’s and 30’s and 40’s and beyond think about the culturally-relevant things of the 00′s after their initial release has faded? What albums will our grandkids still listen to after we’re gone? What books will they read? What films will they watch?
The following is a list of the top 75 pieces of pop culture created in the last decade (2000-2009) that, in my opinion, will become classics in due time. This is not a list of personal favorites, rather it’s one of things which I believe will be universally enjoyed and referred to by future generations.
They are without order nor explanation, as that would only up their subjectivity:
The film, The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan
The album, In Rainbows, by Radiohead (and while we’re at it….)
The album, Kid A, by Radiohead
The album, Hail to The Thief, by Radiohead
The album, Amnesiac, by Radiohead
The film, The Royal Tennenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson
The album, X and Y, Coldplay
The film, Lord Of the Rings (Trilogy), directed by Peter Jackson
The book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
The album, Wincing The Night Away, by The Shins
The album, Stankonia, by OutKast
The album, Yoshmi Battles The Pink Robots, by The Flaming Lips
The book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer
The film, Supertroopers, by Broken Lizard
The album, Vampire Weekend, by Vampire Weekend
The film, There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
The album, Hot Fuss, by The Killers
The book, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon
The album, Elephant, by The White Stripes
The film, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry
The album, For Emma Forever Ago, by Bon Iver
The book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
The film, Old School, directed by Todd Phillips
The album, The Marshall Mathers LP, by Eminiem
The book, The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
The album, The New Danger, by Mos Def
The book, And Then We Came to The End, by Joshua Ferris
The film, Brokeback Mountain, directed byAng Lee
The album, Illinoise, by Sufjan Stevenss
The film, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, directed by Judd Apatow
The book, Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
The book, Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
The film, Almost Famous, directed by Cameron Crowe
The album, The College Dropout, by Kanye West
The film, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, directed by Danny Leiner
The book, The Pact, by Jodi Picoult
The album, Silent Alarm, by Bloc Party
The film, Anchorman, directed by Adam McKay
The book, The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
The film, Zoolander, directed by Ben Stiller
The book, Under The Banner of Heaven, by John Krakaur
The film, Wet Hot American Summer, directed by David Wain
The book, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
The film, Traffic, directed by Steven Soderbergh
The album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, by Wilco
The book, John Adams, by David McCullough
The album, Feed The Animals, by Girl Talk
The film, Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott
The book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albon
The album, Chunk of Change, by Passion Pit
The film, Requiem For a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky
The book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers
The album, Takk, by Sigur Ros
The book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
The film, Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuaron
The album, Funeral, by Arcade Fire
The book series, Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling
The film, WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton
The book, The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Nighttime, by Mark Haddon
The album, Absolution, by Muse
The book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
The album, A Rush of Blood to The Head, by Coldplay
The book, No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
The film, O Brother Where Art Thou? directed by Joel & Ethan Cohen
The album, Tha Carter III, by Lil’ Wayne
The book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris
The film, Little Miss Sunshine, directed by Jonathan Fayton & Valeri Faris
The book, Running With Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs
The album, Is This It, by The Strokes
The film, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
The album, Dear Science, by TV on The Radio
The film, Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan
The album, Black Holes and Revelations, by Muse
The book, John Adams, by David McCullough
The film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, directed by Ang Lee
I’m curious what’s missing from this list (a lot), or what’s here that shouldn’t be (hey, fuck you, it’s my list).
Feel free to post your own list and/or comments on mine.
//
Oh, Jimmy.
By
Ben Cheney .
08.29.09 //
Classics
// Oh, Jimmy.
By
Ben Cheney .
08.29.09 //
Classics
Classics are, in my mind, nothing more than old things that are still culturally relevant. I mean, Plato is classic. Play-Doh is classic. Zeppelin is classic. And so are shoes. Although I did have a roommate in undergrad who never wore shoes. Ever. Except maybe if it was snowing or icing. Or wintry mixing, which was more likely to happen than the former two because I went to school in southeastern Virginia, where we were rarely gifted the right combination of freezing cold air and precipitation that births the miracle of snow. But enough about Gordon.
Classics are classic because they transcend time, in a Cindy Lauper kind of way. What I mean is that if a reel of It’s a Wonderful Life got into a time machine in 1946 and set the dial for 2009, when it stepped (or rolled in this case) out in 2009, it would be just as relevant, format forgiven, as it was back in the olden days.
How is it still relevant? I’m glad you asked. It’s not because Jimmy Stewart was a handsome devil, even though he was and still is in my opinion. It’s the thoughts of suicide, the family struggles, the Christmas, the bank foreclosures, the singing and walking under the unnaturally bright moonlight with someone who you are totally crushing on, and the greedy businessmen, among other things.
These common themes give It’s a Wonderful Life the ability to relate to every passing generation. From Boomers and their fond memories of pools under retractable basketball courts to Gen X and their fascination with rundown fixer uppers to Gen Y and their obsession with hard work and success.
And, being set in 1928 gives the movie even more relevance to current times. Although our situation isn’t as severe as the Great Depression, we are certainly experiencing our fair share of bank issues and money problems.
The original name of this movie was The Greatest Gift, signifying the gift of familial appreciation that was given to George by his guardian angel Clarence, and then amplified by the monetary gifts given to George at the end of the movie by all his friends and family.
Which brings me back to Gordon. I find myself wondering what the greatest gift I could have given Gordon would have been. And I imagine it wouldn’t have been a pair of shoes. He would have hated that. More than likely it would have been a jug of ink. For tie-dying. In his bath tub.
And, ironically, bathtubs are classic too.
//
New Coke
By
Sarah Pappalardo .
08.28.09 //
Classics
// New Coke
By
Sarah Pappalardo .
08.28.09 //
Classics
Nine days after I was born, a classic died. It was then reanimated and marketed as a high-fructose corn syrup zombie. New Coke was the biggest marketing failure in the existence of the brand, and proved that, contrary to popular belief, people are happy with things just the way they are.
What makes the failure of New Coke so interesting is that the re-introduction of Coca-Cola Classic Formula brought on unprecedented sales and a hold on the cola market. Like a child who has lost its mother at Wal-Mart, America (and by extension, the world) had found its sugar mama, more ‘Classic’ than ever before.
The sudden reversion back to the classic formula still had the same high-fructose corn syrup of New Coke, bearing the classic logo with only a modest update. With the high cost of cane sugar, Coca-Cola could save fractions of a penny for every ounce of corny Coke they sold. While you’ll still see cane sugar Coke at the bodega, most every Coke you drink is made from petroleum-dependent corn that, arguably, makes you even fatter/more likely to be diabetic than the original-original. Technically, the original-original did even more for your energy and stamina, but we Americans like to pick and choose our Classics.
//
Meta-Abacus
By
Jordan Childs .
08.28.09 //
Classics
// Meta-Abacus
By
Jordan Childs .
08.28.09 //
Classics
//
Undefeated in football since 2018
By
Tristan Smith .
08.26.09 //
Classics
// Undefeated in football since 2018
By
Tristan Smith .
08.26.09 //
Classics
It would have been a fine thing to major in classics.
A lot of schools have classics majors, but it’s not what I’m thinking of.
I’m thinking:
a major that examines the concept of being classic.
To be classic is a major label in our culture. A person can listen to the classics, read the classics, watch the classics, eat the classics.
I’m not totally sure what a person would go into after this major, what money they could make.
But that would probably make it a very small major. Which would make it a small department. Which would make it exclusive. Which would create demand. Which would bring business to the college which I am the dean at.
Go Prussians.
//
And there will be no place to hide
By
Charles Hodges .
08.25.09 //
Classics
// And there will be no place to hide
By
Charles Hodges .
08.25.09 //
Classics
A classic can’t be enjoyed by the current generation or the generation after that. It is contextually referential, which is a complicated way of saying that it can’t be a classic unless your great grandmother was alive when it was invented. And that is a complicated way of saying old things that last become classics. And that is a complicated way of saying some things are good and some things aren’t. And that is a complicated way of saying my kids won’t remember Lindsay Lohan. And that’s a complicated way of saying that I will keep some things from my kids. And that’s a complicated way of saying that my kids will never know that I was fan of the Charlotte Hornets. And that’s a complicated way of telling the truth, which, in the end, isn’t usually that complicated, but rather just a more difficult thing to say.
But I’ll say it because the internet will be around when I have kids and they will be able to see what their dad used to say back in the day (we never had this luxury, folks). But their pops would do it. He would proclaim himself a Charlotte Hornets fan. He would say he missed them (the Charlotte Hornets that is) because they represented his own youth. And his kids (my kids) will use this article as ammunition against me when I don’t/didn’t see them on their birthdays. But of course none of that has happened. And I’ve still got plenty of time to mess things up. And the Charlotte Hornets won’t be there. But that won’t matter. Because I will tell them all about them. About Kurt Rambis in the expansion draft. About the nachos. About my Starter jacket. And they’ll say, “but we know about that, we read your articles.” And I’ll say, “those old things?” And they’ll say, “yeah.” And I’ll say, “those weren’t articles – more like experiments.” And they’ll say, “fuck and shit.” And I’ll say, “where did you learn those words?” And they’ll say, “on the internet. From you.” And I’ll say, “where is your mother?” And they’ll leave the playroom and I’ll stare at the faded Mugsy Bogues poster on the wall above my son’s expensive robot toys. The piano coda of Layla will come on. And I’ll sit back and think to myself, “what else do they know?”
//
Classic Sick-Day Excuses
By
Joey Camire .
08.25.09 //
Classics
// Classic Sick-Day Excuses
By
Joey Camire .
08.25.09 //
Classics
People in the world get sick. This is obviously undeniable if you’ve ever had the sniffles. The question is how many people who claim to be sick when they call in from work, actually are? The answer is an astonishing 13%. I actually have no way to support that at all. But in my head, when I’m reading emails explaining sicknesses, only 13% of people who call in sick actually are.
There are a billion ways to get out of work. You probably have your own personal arsenal of sick day excuses on the back burner. Sitting patiently waiting to be used. But sick day excuses are one of those few things, because they are lies, that creativity doesn’t always pay off. Fear not. There are always the classics to fall back on. Some are better than others, but all require some level of follow through on your part. The following is an explanation of what you need to know when using all of the classics.
1) Menstruation – The beauty of this excuse is that it actually exists. You lady folks get a flare up in your lady parts on a monthly basis. No one can deny that. All it requires is a little fudging of your cycle. No male boss in his right mind is going to question you when you say you have “Feminine Issues.” And every female boss will commiserate. Don’t cry guys, you can use this one too, just say you have all of the symptoms, it’s bound to strike a chord. “I’m cramping, bloated, tired, anemic and potentially violent!”
Pitfall: For the ladies, when you actually have your following period, you have to stay tight lipped. And every guy knows you have trouble doing that.
2) Food Poisoning – Anyone who has ever had undercooked seafood, or eaten at a Taco Bell understands this and can relate. The violent vomiting and diarrhea are awful, and you’d have no place going in to work. The beauty is this can strike at any time. You can even plan ahead by casually saying you are going for seafood the day before you need to call in.
Pitfall: This one is entirely overused. People have abused it. For that reason, if you really need to sell it, you have to act squeamish the following day at work. Pack a bland lunch. And make frequent bathroom trips. Worth it?
3) Swine Flu – Everyone is absolutely terrified of swine flu. No one would ever suspect someone to be so audacious as to fake swine flu. But you are, ’cause you’re a bad mother fucker.
Pitfall: You’re going to have to miss more than a day of work. If you need a vacation, this works great, but not suitable for a day at the beach.
4) The Web-MD – The Web-MD is simple to execute. Go online and start adding up symptoms. I used dizziness and looked for something I would assume my boss had never heard of. Boom. Cryptococcosis. Act confused about what it means, then proceed to tell them you are on meds and will be fine to come back soon. They don’t know that it is a fungal infection that is potentially life threatening.
Pitfall: Don’t accidentally use a chronic or untreatable disease. Chances are you boss won’t look things up, but if he/she does, you want it to be curable at the very least.
5) Crabs – Honestly, no one wants crabs. It’s that simple. Your boss will gladly give you as much time as you need. People will risk infection with the common cold, no one fucks with STDs. They just don’t. And, as far as STDs go, it’s pretty much the best one to get. Or least awful.
Pitfall: You have to tell your boss you have crabs. As much as it is a guaranteed day off, it is the most detrimental to your reputation. It also means you were walking around with a huge raging bush, which doesn’t really do much for you either.
//
I Hate You Tyler Perry
By
Alex Aloise .
08.23.09 //
Classics
// I Hate You Tyler Perry
By
Alex Aloise .
08.23.09 //
Classics
Tyler Perry, to some, has already created a handful of “modern classics.” You know, those timeless works of art like Diary of a Mad Black Woman, The Family That Preys, and his magnum opus Madea Goes to Jail (so did Earnest. Let’s greenlight that crossover, Hollywood). His next “film” is I Can Do Bad All By Myself. And by the grace of the millions of certified morons who watch his garbage, he has ascended to a position where he now feels that he can start blatantly ripping off genuine film classics.
The poster for ICDBABM is a carbon copy of the one for Sam Peckinpah’s brilliant Straw Dogs. While the latter is a brutal look at the extremes human beings will go to in order to protect the things they love, the former won’t be much more than a bad actor in worse drag playing an old woman who “just don’t get what go on in these kids’ heads today.”
It’s insulting to the greater work. It’s disrespectful to the artists involved in the original. Most of all, it’s just fucking lazy, much like the rest of Perry’s oeuvre. But, as I said, to some it’s a classic. It leads me to wonder: if Tyler Perry is, albeit in marketing only, this “classic” generation’s Peckinpah, to whom and what will the new classics be compared?
There are the obvious ones:
High School Musical is the new Grease.
Old School is the new Animal House.
The Hangover is the new Old School.
DiCaprio is the new Brando.
The Notebook is the new Titanic.
There are the more debated ones:
The Dark Knight is the new The Godfather.
Judd Apatow is the new John Hughes (RIP).
Twilight is the new Harry Potter.
Anne Hathaway is the new Julia Roberts.
The Lord of the Rings is the new Star Wars.
Then there are the ones that make you go, “Tyler Perry? Straw Dogs? Really?”:
Michael Bay is the new Orson Wells.
The Boondock Saints is the new Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The Happening is the new Jaws.
Katherine Heigl is the new Judi Dench.
Judi Dench is the new Megan Fox.
Loading ...
