Mid Century Pop Culture Examiner will serve as thee time-tunnel to vintage goods and new releases that display a deep connection to the curvy aesthetic groove of Modernist design. Books, documentaries, films, fashion, music, theatre and other pop paraphernalia will be explored in upcoming essays.
"Mid Century," "Modern" and "Popular Culture" are wide-ranging terms with discrete definitions. Mid Century Modern is an architectural concept, while the similarly derived Mod is at once a fashion movement, a style of music and a persona. The label of "Pop" has been applied to the art of Andy Warhol, or popular music released in the wake of the Beatles' phenomenon. To another person, Pop could mean where you’d file a Frank Sinatra or Nat "King" Cole record at a shop. Modern Jazz and the progressive nature of African-American popular culture at Mid Century could often be a catalyst for the Civil Rights movement.
Chrome or suede, baubles, bangles or beads, it's hard to imagine such identifiers of our common experience sans the idioms that make each simple element part of a larger thought. Good productions are a complete package, and like asteroids, they pass by or hit you randomly. The underlying trends they inspire can't be set to someone else's release schedule. Vivid representations today include echoes of the 1940s (Swing, Burlesque, Bebop), 1950s (Rhythm & Blues, Rockabilly, Film Noir), 1960s (Exotica, Lounge, Folk, Psychedelic and Soul) and early '70s (Blaxploitation Cinema, New Hollywood Cinema, Proto-Punk). What can be seen in the film Chicago or the television show Mad Men, heard in the White Stripes’ Elephant or reclined by at a W Hotel or The Standard hasn't materialized out of thin air. These are reconstructions culled from long-gone points of view.
Comments
Loved it - very cool!
Doms Dominion!. Excellent!
As far as architectural style, the term "mid-century modern" may be somewhat indigenous to Southern California. In Washington and Oregon, houses were built in the 50's and 60's in a similar style, with perhaps more use of natural-finished wood (because of the abundant forests nearby), and referred to as "northwest contemporary". No doubt other variants were common elsewhere in the country.
Dominic says it all and in between.
Write on...........
Dig it!
Truly a great work,as usual Domenic is a superb writer and researcher!
Looks cool, Dom. I'm on board.
Count me in.
I love the P.O.P. graphic. I'm in.
Katie's Mom- and pop culture enthusiast. Perhaps she can be of assistance to you. Will let my boomer friends know about it!
Groovy, Dominic, groovy!
Looks like fun.. I signed up!
Hi Dom -Love your work. Very cool. Sign me up.
Mahvelous, Dahlink!
Very cool, Domenic. I look forward to keeping up with your blog.
Incidentally we have a number of LA-style mid-century modern neighborhoods here in the Boston area, including my house in Lexington. Check out www.modernmass.com
I'm here to make the scene. Please continue to continue...keepin' on truckin' (on). Go man go.
Domenic,
This is fantastic. I am on board. If there is one person that can pull it all together, interpret it all together and get it right, and not miss it, not lose the groove, it's you.
I must say that over the years as we work trying to pull all this stuff together, it becomes hard for me to compartmentalize (which I have to do for technical purposes...on the job etc.) and I get anxious, and distracted. I lose patience because for me it is the larger picture. We seem to have to pull it apart artificially to analyze it, assess it...define it. As I drive and look out at the basin or the plains, the Valley etc. I get a visceral sense of our collective history and the physical environment where it's occurring as a total interconnected and integrated moment. What I call the psychedelic all-at-once-ness of it all.
Thanks again for your great contribution.
John
These Examiner folks are GENIUSES, to have realized the incredible value that this writer brings to their site. Way to go.
Great job Dominic!!!! Thanks for letting me know about it! LOVE LOVE LOVE Sabrina Saxon
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