Hello Heathens,

I’ve updated the theme so it fits more of the aesthetic of the website that I want, but I still have to move over old posts. Outside of slowly plugging away at updating this website I have a real job now. This means that I will be taking a year long break from doing the show on KSUA and moving to be on Overkill exclusively. For those that don’t know I’ve been working at KSUA since 2018 so I am taking a break from doing the show on KSUA so I am not some old ghost haunting the place now that I’m no longer a staffer.

With this move I am going to focus less on highlighting new releases and try to move more into written/prepared content. I’ve had a lot of fun the last few months talking about movies on air with Stefano. It really reminded me that having a co host makes the show go by a lot faster than doing the show solo.

Outside of that I’ve been enjoying being able to see movies regularly again. Not having homework or exams to prepare for has really opened up a lot of free time for activities I used to do before school. Recently we saw the new B. J. Novak film Vengeance. This was a Stefano pick and both of us walked in fairly blind. The first 15 minutes of the movie are the weakest part and do a fantastic job setting you up for a smarmy film about a Lib who goes to the country to make fun of some hicks. The remaining 90 minutes work to subvert the common (at least in Hollywood) idea that everyone outside of NYC and LA are uncultured losers. One of the most thought provoking moments of the movie comes about ⅓ of the way in when talking about why drug overdoses are so common in rural America.

The foil to B.J.’s character posits the idea that the reason the drug epidemic took off in small town America is that there are fewer opportunities for creative outlets in small towns. I know that we’ve all heard the idea that lack of economic opportunity or “cultural” events are part of what drives the drug problem in the rural US. While I’m sure both of those do contribute, the lack of artistic spaces outside of bars could also be part of it. It seems like more and more small towns are starting to do things like monthly art shows (First Friday in Fairbanks), farmers markets, and thanks to the internet it’s much easier to get your creative work out there.

I grew up in a “rural” Alaska community pre-internet and while I had a lot of kids in the neighborhood to spend time with I don’t remember getting to try any sort of artistic endeavor outside of what was presented in school. Sure, painting in class was fun, but at my elementary and middle school there was no writing club, the music programs were classical or jazz focused, and what we got for “traditional” art instruction was our homeroom teacher reading out of a teaching guide on how to paint. I can’t really say that I LOVE writing, but I do think blogging is a fun way to take an idea, write about it, polish it, and publish it. I don’t think I realized that I liked writing until I had a professor that encouraged me to write more because she likes my fairly straight forward style.

Another great point the movie makes is that people from rural America are much more culturally aware than coastal elites give them credit for. The main character makes several references to famous classical authors, playwrights, directors, and the folks around him with thick Texas accents and open carry handguns all understand the references he makes. Again, thanks to the internet it’s much easier for people to access these things outside of a library or school. Film discussion groups are easier to join now than any other time in the medium’s existence, and podcasts have also done a lot to drive more people to check out art. While we are all guilty of referencing (or quoting) a book we’ve never read, or a movie we’ve never watched, the barrier to watch those movies and read those books is lower now than it’s ever been.

While I do have issues with how the current internet functions (bloated webpages, social media replacing real social interactions, the Marvel-fication of fandoms) it has been a boon to people in more remote parts of the US. It certainly makes the world feel smaller, but cultural touchstones feel within reach for those of us who live in small towns.

8.2.22 Playlist

Keep heavy the Sabbath Day