A&E

[Cultural Attachment]

Ice buckets and ‘Ultraviolence’: 2014 in popular culture

Image
Robin Williams
Smith Galtney

Too Many Cooks It’s rare that I click on videos in my Facebook feed, much less ones that are 11 minutes long. But after watching this bloody, brain-twisting parody of sitcom opening-credit sequences, my only thought was, “This is art.”

Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence The haters take this woman way too seriously. I hear a camped-up fantasy, sung by the aging bad girl next door who stole your mom’s painkillers and seduced your grandpa. Alter egos can backfire, however, so pray she ages more gracefully than Eminem.

Fosse, by Sam Wasson This came out last November, but I saved it for summer. Because nothing makes for better beach reading than a 723-page biography about a Broadway choreographer with a lethal appetite for chorus girls, Dexedrine and applause.

Finding Vivian Maier I had more fun at other movies (Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel), but this documentary about a mysterious, deceased nanny who just so happened to be a brilliant photographer was inspiring.

Frankie Knuckles The godfather of house music, Knuckles passed away suddenly on March 31, sending senior club kids like myself on a memorial listening binge, dancing with tears in our eyes.

Rolling Stone’s Kiss cover story As a band, Kiss has massively sucked for about 30 years now. (Last song I loved: 1985’s “Tears Are Falling.”) But Paul and Gene are still the best interviewees in rock. I actually felt sad when I finished this. So I read it again.

Solange’s “Losing You” In a year full of private moments made public, Solange’s elevator altercation with Jay Z, her brother-in-law, felt the ickiest. After watching the surveillance footage (many times, admittedly), I tried to cleanse and atone by returning to this 2012 track, the only Solange video that matters.

Prince After he settled his longtime beef with Warner Bros., there was suddenly a deluge: footage of an entire set from the Controversy tour landing online, a streamable music archive (I’m not telling where) that somehow didn’t get the ax, plus a book about the making of Purple Rain, which turned 30 this year. He also released two new albums, which I was admittedly too preoccupied to listen to.

Robin Williams The Five Stages of Social Media Grief: 1. Declaration (“RIP O Captain! My Captain!”); 2. Righteousness (“Depression is a very serious issue that affects us all”); 3. Anger (“Five firefighters also died this week, if anyone cares!”); 4. Gloom (“Williams’ daughter attacked on Twitter. What the hell is wrong with people!?”); 5. Acceptance (“This French bulldog can DJ. LOL!”)

Future Islands, “Seasons (Waiting on You)” I spent all of April alternating between listening to this single and watching the band perform it on Letterman. Hearing it now already makes me nostalgic for 2014.

Honorable Mentions: LCD Soundsystem, The Long Goodbye (five-LP collection of their final show that I paid a lot of money for); The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill (if this BBC documentary finally made me a believer, it also made me sad that I couldn’t fly overseas to see her live); Jon Stewart’s takedown of Fox News and its coverage of Obama’s latte salute; Donatella Versace’s Ice Bucket Challenge (it was all about her scream).

Share
  • The Tony Award-winning musical “Follies” will take the stage at Access Showroom at Aliante Casino & Hotel for six performances starting on April 11.

  • Since opening at the Linq Promenade in March 2014, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas has been a destination for some of the best and most under-appreciated ...

  • Sagittarius, for your own selfish sake, you need to pour out more adoration and care and compassion than you ever have before.

  • Get More A&E Stories
Top of Story