Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Emily Esfahani Smith ·
October 11, 2012 at 8:45pm
Welcome to the inaugural Acculturated-Ricochet podcast on pop-culture! In our debut show, Ben Domenech and I interview art historian and literary critic Camille Paglia about her new book Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art From Egypt to Star Wars, which hits a bookstand near you on October 16. For those interested in why the art world is in crisis, how young people are being consumed by the machine world of technology, what the heck happened to feminism (and Naomi Wolf), and why George Lucas is the greatest living artist alive today--then you're in the right place.
Ricochet Podcast subscribers, you'll get this in your feed. Everyone else, listen in above. Direct link is here.
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Jul '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Great video, Blue Yeti! First time I saw it, I laughed, then I died a little inside again.
Oct '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Wait - Emily and Ben were on the podcast?
For (very NSFW) reviews of the Star Wars prequels you can't beat Mr Plinkett.
The People vs. George Lucas looks interesting, too.
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
What would you want covered in the high-culture podcast?
Nov '11
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Emily Esfahani Smith
What would you want covered in the high-culture podcast?
"Pop-culture" is a something of an oxymoron, isn't it? However, high-culture, as such, is not specific to any particular culture, but is by its nature trans-cultural. Thus, we can almost learn more about our own culture, and others, by examining the pop varieties than from examining the high variety, especially in this democratic age of mass production and mass consumption. Paglia's attempts to bridge the high culture and the low (pop) culture are admirable, good and useful, even if mostly ineffectual. We can learn much about culture, both high and low, by thinking about her observations.
Long ago, in another life, I wrote something very strange about how the America's "diversity culture," which ostensibly seeks to celebrate and preserve diverse cultures, is actually itself a "culture" that mummifies and entombs those cultures.
Dec '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Great work Emily and Ben. This was fascinating.
Dec '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Emily Esfahani Smith
What would you want covered in the high-culture podcast? · 6 hours ago
How about a conversation with your boss Mr. Kimball.
Sep '12
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Excellent podcast. Paglia always says interesting things. She would no doubt deny it, but I find her deeply conservative in some ways. She respects the foundations of western society, and you have to value that. She also warns against the feminist orthodoxy that sets traps for women.
great first podcast, and I look forward to more.
May '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Some random thoughts.
As an (amateur) artist, and Christian, and homeschooler I had to chuckle at Ms. Paglia's disquisition on Christian homeschooling moms (CHMs) as a target audience of her book. As if CHMs were some anthropologically distinct tribe. CHMs are maybe a lot more interested in the arts, and homeschooling curriculum a lot more arts-friendly than she might think.
I do think that her slim volume of art history will be a rather unlikely tome to be at the elbow of CHMs, unless she undertakes to promote it where they're likely to come across it, like in Practical Homeschooling magazine and homeschooling fairs. Imagine Camille Paglia at a table at a homeschooling fair in deepest, darkest flyover country. Would she wear a denim jumper as camoflage?
Hard to imagine Jackson Pollack on a spiritual quest. He seemed more like an obnoxious drunk (not against the law for artists, and not necessarily exclusive of a spiritual quest).
And yes, if she could possibly be cajoled into being a contributor, even a guest spot for a week, it would be great.
May '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Final random thought (for now)
For North American, Protestant, Evangelical Christianity, the visual arts are like a red-headed bastard stepchild.
Tens of thousands of dollars are spent on sound systems (to most scientifically amplify and mix some pretty banal stuff, but that's another post) but when it comes to the visual arts, the question is "why do we need that?" followed by "how cheap can we get it." This partially explains why so many Protestant churches are so devoid of any art or ornamentation (yeah, I know there are theological reasons, but money trumps theology every day of the week when the building committee is making decisions). It explains why so many suburban church buildings are such eyesores (and so tacky in materials as well).
Aug '10
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Ms Paglia is fascinating on this podcast. I'll have to see what I think of her book.
Mar '12
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Finally able to listen. Tons for comment, but will wait for book. The stuff about motherhood and teaching young women about motherhood about 25 minutes in—she is completely on target. The Globe and Mail article she referenced is good too, though she doesn't go far enough. The changes in women post childbirth cover more than physical stress and bonding with child.
Jul '11
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Emily Esfahani Smith
What would you want covered in the high-culture podcast? · Oct 12 at 8:40am
How about something along the lines of Peter's Uncommon Knowledge (although perhaps less Q & A than Q and let riff) except with artists, musicians and writers? To get things started, you could see if some of the New Criterion regulars would join you for a session. I for one would love to hear an hour or two's talk of, say, Joseph Epstein or Denis Donoghue or John Simon or Marco Grassi or Karen Wilken.
One writer I'd love to hear from (although I don't believe he's written for TNC) is the Scottish novelist and essayist Allan Massie.
What do you think?
[edit after post] I forgot to mention James Campbell, the hilarious and informative compiler of the "NB" column at the back of the TLS.
Edited on October 14, 2012 at 9:13amJan '12
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Another art historian you could interview is Donald Kuspit or Poet Fredrick Turner both have very interesting views from a traditional perspective.
Aug '12
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Paglia equals opposite of boring. I love the woman!
Sep '11
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Wow! Good thing my iPhone has a 1/2-speed function! I've been a fan of Camille's since introduced to her by Rush almost 2 decades ago. I've never heard her before. I felt perpetually on the verge of seizure.
Will listen again!
~Jimm
Sep '11
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
It's like someone gave Red Bull to a mouse.
Jun '11
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Wow, I loved listening to her! Fantastic podcast, can't wait for more - although as someone else said, this is going to be a tough act to follow! :)
Nov '11
Re: Welcome to The Acculturated-Ricochet Podcast!
Hopefully, the next guest will be from the Midwest - and let Emily get a word in edgewise - Whew!... Looking forward to future installments.