tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271314252011-04-21T21:06:39.309-05:00This is no mere rejection of the latest fashion.<br> <br>Uncool is a call to embrace community, family, culture and belonging.<br> <br>This is about life unashamed.locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.comBlogger741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-54033269606213853822009-01-14T09:58:00.000-06:002009-01-14T09:59:25.678-06:00

I'm going to move Blessed are the Uncool to the garage for the known future, as I'm starting a new blog with Urbana.org.It's called All Things New: A Conversation about Who We're Becoming. I hope you join me there.Here's the introductory essay for ATN: All Things New is about exploring our world with an attitude of big-hearted curiosity. This blog grows out of three distinct

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-61051621167203695032008-07-15T09:01:00.006-05:002008-12-08T23:23:16.660-06:00

A new study shows what any fool could have told us: the majority of the Baby Boomer generation will outlive their savings.In other words, we their children and grandchildren will have to pay for them.The Baby Boomers, long ago nicknamed the "Me Generation," the people who brought us Woodstock and Yuppies, are now eligible for AARP membership. Millions of them are woefully unprepared for the

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-50964551684467937102008-03-31T08:30:00.002-05:002008-03-31T08:40:57.068-05:00

Jesus as Che Originally uploaded by Paul Grant.I was just corrected over at Flickr about my source material.I inaccurately named Che Guevara as the source for this picture; a user from the UK pointed out the original--a well-known passion-week painting.I do think, however, that Che Guevara or otherwise, the point of the image is to transform the popular image of Jesus from a weak and effeminate

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-53890916043208071452007-07-24T09:12:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:23:16.754-06:00

I love cross-cultural blunders, and this was one of the best ones I’ve seen, if for no other reason than that it involved millions of dollars.The final Harry Potter book went on sale on Saturday, in a globally coordinated release. There was incredibly tight security around the book, so the publishers were quite upset to find the New York Times reviewing the book on Thursday.Without threatening

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-12204609750848677952007-06-05T13:25:00.000-05:002007-06-06T09:10:41.981-05:00

The Onion's recently launched video series has been very good so far. I really think what they're doing signals the end of Youtube. What I mean is, Youtube's main quality is technology, not content. Technology can be copied, but good content can't. Anyway, take a look at this fake news clip, Al Qaeda Also Fed Up With Ground Zero Construction Delays.What is really interesting about the humor here

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-43427120044775650802007-05-17T17:00:00.000-05:002007-05-17T16:24:35.023-05:00

Somebody once said that everyone who came before us is naive and everyone after us is a phony. With that in mind, I just checked out two bands - one from the olden days before me, and one from today.Parliament's Mothership Connection is perhaps the high-water mark of seventies funk, right before disco came and swept it all aside. The album was released in 1974, and includes some songs you hear on

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-18886129713749808432007-05-10T11:08:00.001-05:002007-05-10T11:41:19.517-05:00

World's Largest McDonaldsOriginally uploaded by blueroot.I'm reading a book on consumerism and place, by a geographer interested in how consumerism shapes the spacial aspects of our minds. That may sound strange, but it's really straightforward. Look at a McDonald's restaurant along the highway, for example. When you exit and head for the golden arches, you're not in a particular place. You're

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-71229447921647430902007-05-09T11:35:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:23:16.878-06:00

I have been invited to speak at this year's Cornerstone Festival, something I am really excited about. I'll be in the Imaginarium, a sort of forum on the arts and culture. It'll be a three-day series of speakers, films and music, unified by the topic of coolness and community.Other speakers will address critical aspects of cool, like Elvis Presley, paranoia and youth rebellion, Japanese

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-40637372511688364832007-05-03T16:25:00.000-05:002007-05-03T16:29:31.662-05:00

I'm making improvements to my Myspace page, which is admittedly a little amateurish, compared with some of the nicer profiles. Check it out; friend me. I'd love to hear your opinions.anyway, I was also trying to plug my book through myspace, by creating a poster. Here's my first draft; do you think this works?

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-5053275771423039962007-04-30T12:05:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:23:17.185-06:00

Yesterday my neighbor invited me to smoke some marijuana with him and another neighbor. That's the first time that's happened in a few years, so I was a little rusty as I politely declined. Back in college I was better at saying no without making the situation awkward.I've never smoked marijuana, but I've been around it plenty -- dorms, hockey games, construction jobs, and armchair intellectuals.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-48165661330760772552007-04-26T16:20:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:23:17.321-06:00

The New York Times feels that the hot thing this year is to wear antlers.this is not a joke. Today's fashion review explains:Judging by the direction of fashion ... you might mistake Manhattan for Montana. All this suggests to me just how isolated NYC is from mainstream America. Hunting Chic is a contradiction in terms for the vast majority of the country. Certainly nobody in a region where

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-8594588921019490262007-03-30T11:51:00.001-05:002007-03-30T12:11:43.286-05:00

T-Shirts in TonguesOriginally uploaded by Paul Grant.I ripped this picture from www.holyghosttees.com/. These people are selling an insider's joke: glossalia, or speaking in tongues. The intent is probably to provoke, while maintaining a posture of being an insider, in the know. This is cool Christianity 101: Christianity is very difficult to cool up, period. Accordingly, Christians committed to

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-46208265060848476272007-03-26T16:46:00.001-05:002007-03-26T16:58:52.193-05:00

ZOOT SUITOriginally uploaded by Taxi Lady Joann.I finally learned the truth about the Zoot Suits. A wonderful book appeared at the library—a book I would never have discovered on my own—called The Great Black Way. It’s a history of African-American Los Angeles in the 1940s.Author R.J. Smith’s main point is that a second Harlem Renaissance took place in black L.A. during the war years—an echo of

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-50637010283580221762007-03-21T12:03:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:23:17.529-06:00

Rain's Coming. That is, Korean superstar Rain is about to land in the US. He's got the looks, and the dance moves.Right: a 2006 video of Rain's--probably pirated, so won't be on youtube forever--called Sad Tango.My only question is: will (non-Asian-)Americans accept a non-English singing star? A related question is: can an Asian be cool enough for Americans--and is Rain even trying to be cool (or

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-31801184306376360932007-03-20T16:30:00.000-05:002007-03-20T16:36:14.684-05:00

Sometimes big ideas come from the same place as big mistakes: from talking without thinking.Last Sunday I was interviewed at church by Pastor Alex Gee about my book. Since it was a church service, I was able to talk about a sub-point of Blessed Are The Uncool: the parts about being a church together.Then it slipped out of my mouth:"A cool church can't possibly be a multi-ethnic church--which is

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-86237962832222363952007-03-19T16:13:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:23:17.660-06:00

I love and hate Jay-Z’s latest album Kingdom Come (iTunes link) in equal measure.Obsessing over the accumulation and spending of wealth, fame and celebrity (defined as celebrity in New York City and Hollywood circles), Jay-Z’s songs are entirely unseasoned with passion, life-giving joy, or anything sustainable. All that’s left is numbness and smallish worlds. To his credit, he doesn’t wallow or

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-23978582277058320102007-02-23T17:09:00.000-06:002007-02-24T16:40:50.874-06:00

Was Jesus really a rebel? I'd love to here people's opinions on this, because the answer is a little yes and a little no - but how much so is a fascinating question.This much I'm certain of: Jesus was not a cool rebel. He was a dutiful son and a loving friend, more than a rebel without a cause.But what do you think? To get your creative juices flowing, here's a little collection of Jesus-as-Che

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-69341862710833543752007-02-19T16:30:00.000-06:002007-02-19T16:42:35.195-06:00

This is one of the most surreal books I've ever read. It's by an advertising exec - someone paid to help companies make money. And it's about love.Love? Kevin Roberts seems to honestly feel that the new frontier in branding is getting people to love particular brands. He points out the rabid fans behind Apple computers, for instance, and concludes that a love relationship exists between Apple and

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-85109995139427634302007-02-16T16:52:00.000-06:002007-02-16T17:03:36.720-06:00

Here is the music I have out from the library this week. Go ahead and judge me all you want. I have my tastes.Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra. Grammy-winning Polka.Willie Nelson's newest, Songbird. Country.Megadeth, from 1987. Big Hair Metal.Jay-Z's Kingdom Come. Hip Hop.Black Eyed Peas. Hip Hop.What about y'all?

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-40955798635564280952007-02-15T16:31:00.001-06:002007-02-15T16:56:38.710-06:00

A lot of anti-tobacco crusaders these days talk about uncooling cigarettes. They are referring, of course, to the use of cool to sell cigarettes to young people. Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man. By "uncool", they mean "shame", as if rejecting cool is something to be ashamed of.But what no one is mentioning is that cigarettes were being pitched to young people long before cool conquered the

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-2548006776375571222007-02-14T17:03:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:17.828-06:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, of which I can't complain that it was once some beautiful and authentic holiday, because it never really was, let me offer these lines from Paradise Lost to my Babymama, because I love her but she'd hate for me to get sappy in front of a watching world:Hail, wedded Love, mysterious law, true sourceOf human offspring, sole proprietyIn Paradise, of all things

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-48152835196029761192007-02-12T15:11:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:17.978-06:00

I try not to be a cynic, but it seems to me that Newsweek is dishonest and hypocritical this week. Their cover feature on what they call misbehaved celebrity women is one big excuse to tell titillating stories and show risqué pictures.I've recently come to be a strong opponent of pornography, and the coolification of porn. Paris Hilton (whose famous video I have NOT seen) and the "Girls Gone Wild

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-22259004736767442202007-02-09T12:25:00.001-06:002007-02-09T12:26:15.336-06:00

Yesterday, when I came home from work, Josiah was busy playing with a block. When he saw me (about 10 feet away) he immediately crawled over, with a huge grin on his face.It was a big effort on his part, because he's not that expert at crawling, but man was that ever flattering.Ahhh.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-68006781777101048352007-02-08T10:10:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:18.105-06:00

I can't help linking to this one by Gwen Stefani. It's standard dance-hall ear candy and nothing more. But it's set to the tune of The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music. And it's got yodeling. Not very well done yodeling, but still!This happens to be Ms. Stefani's second hit song taken from a 1960s musical (after If I Were a Rich Girl from Fiddler on the Roof). One petty complaint: she's

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-73944439551915502912007-02-07T16:30:00.000-06:002007-02-08T16:37:03.300-06:00

One more thought on Snoop Dogg. I realized one thing I really like about his album, despite the gangster junk: It's very much rooted in place-Los Angeles.Music should be local, especially hip hop, which is the genre of "I have a story to tell". Snoop Dogg's song's are all about a real place. And that adds a sense of freshness and humaneness to all the bluster. Snoop Dogg at USCOriginally uploaded

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-57160359622576148212007-02-06T11:00:00.000-06:002007-02-06T12:20:23.261-06:00

Here's a line from Snoop Dogg's Vato:I wouldn't be the n_____ that I am if I didn't pop n____z in the mouth.Isn't that poetic? I listened to the whole CD. I checked it out from the library. Here's my assessment: Snoop Dogg manages to pull off an amazing feat. He makes sex, drugs and violence seem so ... boring. Before I commend him too effusively: even that has been done before. Last year Staind

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-54161850655119518382007-02-05T11:12:00.000-06:002007-02-06T12:07:09.014-06:00

I missed the Superbowl. The entire thing. I was driving the most boring stretch of highway in the cosmos: I-39 through central Illinois. So I missed things like this:The Superbowl is an annual parade for advertisements. This is where people who want our money try to get us to love them. But since I missed the show, what did y'all see?

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-7021082797723204142007-01-29T16:57:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:18.239-06:00

Do you ever make the uncanny discovery that people back in the olden days were just like us? That's been happening to me. I've been reading about the Romantic movement in the arts (roughly from the French revolution to the beginnings of Marxism). As it turns out, many of the leaders were young adults of the same age. In other words, this was a youth rebellion. The Romantics were the hippies of

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-4456918024383381482007-01-28T12:09:00.000-06:002007-01-29T16:16:04.242-06:00

My thought for the day: Jesus offers a full life, one that is infinitely open and exposed. In the context of faith, cool is nearly always a safe alternative: it allows us to hide behind a veil of cynicism or divisiveness.From a ministry perspective, the Jesus we give to people will be the Jesus they make their own, at least initially. So when we present a Revolutionary Jesus, or a white (or black

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-5055893512249378232007-01-25T15:20:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:18.520-06:00

The fashion world is taking a beating lately. First, the self-proclaimed God of Rap was caught wearing dog fur, and in Brazil, fashion is being blamed for the anorexia deaths of several teenage girls.The court of public opinion in that country seems to be fingering the fashion industry--for creating body image models that most girls cannot achieve. So Brazil's top model Gisele Bündchen, a tall

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-62036823968481756062007-01-23T08:52:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:18.610-06:00

Well, now that the book is beginning to show up in stores I need to get over my hangups and become the salesman I was born to be.IVP tells me that the author is the best salesperson for a book. That makes sense. But by nature I'd rather blog and talk with people over coffee.One thing that's been nice so far is meeting people I otherwise wouldn't have. This guy out of San Diego wrote me that he

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-49481424982161000902007-01-22T16:56:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:18.775-06:00

I’ve been doing some more thinking about Nas’s Hip Hop is Dead album.It’s really a sharp album, with a lot of content. I recently listened to Snoop Dogg’s latest – which I’ll get to later this week, but Nas has a lot more to say, with a lot more thought involved.Trouble is, he’s plain old wrong about hip hop’s revolutionary potential. Hip hop is no different than Rock and Roll in the 60s:

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-32481595231299840012007-01-18T16:48:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:18.928-06:00

Hip Hop Is Dead. That’s the title of one of the top-selling Hip Hop albums – by Nas, a 30-something rapper from New York.Of course hip hop isn’t dead. All you have to do is look at the emerging global golden age of hip hop. Even if, for argument’s sake, the music were dead in Nas’ provincial American world, an incredible level of creative ferment is taking place from Paris (MC Solaar, for example

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-43951695531431721422006-12-18T13:02:00.001-06:002006-12-19T10:33:31.301-06:00

Keith Richards turns 63 today. Happy Birthday, Keith! You're sure looking good!Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was/remains one of the finest novels ever written about the meaning of human action and morality. The story revolves around a young man and his portrait, taken in the flower of early adulthood. Dorian Gray (the man) remains ever young and beautiful, even as the painting changes

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-43284943406781389132006-12-13T16:33:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:19.274-06:00

... if the opinions of the teenagers on my morning bus count.This morning's commute was packed, and I had to sit waaayy at the back, where the trouble-makers sit and fight. It was strange. They didn't respond to my existence at all. They cared more about the middle-schoolers in the middle of the bus than about this 31-year old sitting right in the middle of their conversation.They actually had to

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-43148869248335891472006-12-07T15:42:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:23:19.657-06:00

I got my first real copy of my book yesterday. I guess they (InterVarsity Press) opened the first box and sent me the top book. So that's the only one in circulation. Since you're all lining up around the block to buy copies, you'll have to wait a while longer.How does it feel, you ask? I don't know. It feels nice, I guess. It's kind of surreal. When I got the contract, a year ago, it felt like

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-90115901809642136692006-11-28T11:54:00.000-06:002006-11-28T14:23:42.100-06:00

How else should an organization for retirees recruit the baby boomers—the first of whom began to turn 60 this year—than by affecting the spirit of Rock and Roll?The NY Times ran a big feature on Sunday on the AARP’s efforts to become cool for a generation that has spent its entire adulthood pining for the halcyon days of youth. (Link goes to the Herald Tribune, because of the NYT’s annoying habit

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-20515343675070470592006-11-21T15:19:00.000-06:002006-11-21T15:27:11.608-06:00

More on Borat. I was telling my supervisor about the movie, and about my conclusion (November 17) that Sacha Baron Cohen wasA brilliant comic and A cruel comic.What ensued was a very interesting conversation that left me confused and curious. I’d love to hear folks’ opinions on this one: What is/would be the foundation for Christian humor?We both agreed, probably unjustly, that we’d have very low

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-57495779841954490722006-11-20T15:50:00.000-06:002006-11-20T12:43:20.227-06:00

The nation's only maker of Limburger cheese is making a comeback, according to Myron Olson, the owner of Chalet Cheese factory. Which means sales are up by a third in recent years.Have any of you tried Limburger before? It is the worst-smelling thing in the universe. It can be quite tasty if you overpower it, in a horseradish mustard/raw onions/rye bread sandwich, with liver sausage on the side.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-37737827542475525272006-11-17T11:03:00.000-06:002006-11-17T11:48:32.385-06:00

Becca and I went to a motion picture last night. I remember those. It was the first time we’d gone since HE was born.Anyway. We saw Borat. Borat is a movie-length treatment of a stock character on a British comedy show. The titular character is a clueless Kazakh journalist roaming about the United States, or “the U. S. and A.” as he calls it. Borat is a fictional character, done by a very wise

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-37407463323638045362006-11-15T12:05:00.000-06:002006-11-17T15:52:16.576-06:00

As of this morning, Johnny Cash’s Myspace page has nearly 167,000 friends. That's more than the population of Tallahassee, Florida. Not bad for a man who died the summer Myspace was launched.One way of proving your hip credentials is claiming to have loved someone before he was big. Well, I have to admit that I loved Johnny Cash after seeing him in a packed arena. No hip-points for me.I am not

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-61853652475572581812006-11-09T12:00:00.000-06:002006-11-09T12:08:55.569-06:00

Waggis close-upOriginally uploaded by technicolor. Cool and its accompanying fashions are deceptive: What may appear to be wholesale cultural appropriation may be a more subtle egagement. People in other parts of the world adapting American styles, for instance, may ...1. Do so with little awareness of the nuances of the original;2. Be doing something entirely new, that those stuck in the

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-59596207970031312052006-11-08T13:52:00.000-06:002006-11-09T12:07:26.493-06:00

I love this kid. He's got a series of videos deconstructing cool--cool as it appears in his high school world. I mean it. Not just in an anti-cool sort of way. He's pretty insightful.This one is my favorite to date. Skip to around 2:45 for his entry on sunglasses.Now, I know better than to buy that Robert is who he says he is. Not that I doubt him, but after lonelygirl15 was exposed as a farce,

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1162918287333984952006-11-07T10:46:00.000-06:002006-11-07T14:32:42.686-06:00

I’ve been reading the best book I’ve ever found on cross-cultural belonging. Ekow Eshun is an Englishman of Ghanaian ancestry, and his book Black Gold of the Sun recounts a journey he took to Ghana, looking for … something. He spends half the trip trying to figure out exactly what it was he was looking for, and the other half learning things about his family he wasn’t expecting.What pushes Black

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1162248377837580502006-10-30T16:40:00.000-06:002006-11-07T11:53:49.660-06:00

map loading...Dave "loud-time" Zimmerman sent me this story: The Associated Press wants to know what kind of aliens are still playing accordions. In a profile of a school in remote Wishek, North Dakota (map above), we meet several high school students learning traditional German oompah music, accordions and all.The tone of the article is sort of ethnographic – like “check out these hillbillies”.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1161292948955516962006-10-19T16:12:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.541-06:00

Hip Hop remains black power cultural space. Ever since Vanilla Ice tried to rip off hip hop, the fathers of hip hop have aggressively asserted hip hop as black cultural space, such that non-black artists like Bubba Sparxxx, Jin, and of course Eminem must acknowledge black ownership of hip hop before they're welcome to participate. More importantly, coolness resides (in this line of thinking)

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1161023696021199512006-10-18T13:28:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.420-06:00

PICT0055Originally uploaded by LeeLee81.My Alma Mater is getting around to disciplining several members of the marching band for lewd behavior.At one level, this is not surprising. Everyone who has gone to Wisconsin knows the band is crazy. They're one of the most athletic bands I've ever seen. I'm sure many of them are in better shape than many varsity athletes. They work hard, and they party

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1161114768464553772006-10-17T14:52:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.478-06:00

This doesn't have anything to do with anything I'm trying to do on this website, but I can't resist.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1160776434732694182006-10-13T16:46:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.293-06:00

Once we get over our cool, new vistas open up for the enjoyment of life. We can sing. We can enjoy stupid games. We can get let ourselves be seen with more people - perhaps even the best people we'll ever meet.It's surreal. There are so many hours I wasted worrying how good I look. Who cares? An example: rejecting cool allowed me to dance at a great wedding I was at last week. More specifically,

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157939411765600842006-09-10T20:44:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.233-06:00

ClassroomOriginally uploaded by Obi-Akpere, ObiAkpere. Show and Tell! Cool - and Uncool - is too fun (and too important) a topic to be dealt with in my book alone. I would love to talk, and laugh, and debate, and explore with you. To that end, I've created several places to take this conversation further. Come on and join me!Join the Uncool group at Flickr - share your worst teenage moments and

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157939271535995342006-09-01T20:38:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.172-06:00

Immigration is traumatic. Slavery is traumatic. Human history overall is traumatic. The story of cool is, to a significant extent, the story of young people burying the stories of their families.But the God who leaps out of the pages of the Bible is not afraid of the suffering of life: in fact, Jesus was God choosing to take on the human condition and live with us--and ultimately, to save us.As

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1156284575678781612006-08-22T17:04:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:48.546-06:00

Hard Rock LegendsOriginally uploaded by NyteByter. Culture Theft is a significant accusation that is highly relevant to the issue of cool.These are the facts: African Americans, then and now, felt that rock and roll was stolen from them.What white musicians created was, however, new. Elements of Rock came from black music. But other elements came from white music.White rockers made way more money

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1155922989174101982006-08-18T12:38:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:48.422-06:00

Life comes at you fastOriginally uploaded by GenoG. This may be a little opportunistic, but the fall of Maurice Clarett highlights a key aspect of cool: yesterday doesn't matter a hill of beans. Cool is as fair-weather a friend as could be imagined. Maurice Clarett was - and presumably still is - one of the best athletes in the United States. He fell in with the wrong crowd, and after getting cut

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1155593120321351992006-08-14T17:03:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:48.357-06:00

New Glarus HotelOriginally uploaded by mizidymizark. We are so jaded, we living in the regime of cool, that we suspect phoniness whenever we encounter joyful authenticity.I recently read a review of a favorite restaurant of mine - where the New World's best fondue is to be found - accusing the place of being "kitchy".I've been to that restaurant many times, and I've never found a trace of kitch

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1155154071150147712006-08-09T15:02:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:48.095-06:00

Rape of the Sabines IIIOriginally uploaded by storem. For those new to this project – the website and the book – I should say up front: I believe cool is a bad phenomenon in our culture. We will live healthier lives the sooner we rid ourselves of coolness. So when I ask “Is Rape Cool?” I am exploring cool’s implications for rape. I am not being callous or crass.Cool is the performance of

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1154989949472216882006-08-07T17:27:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:47.970-06:00

IMG_2464Originally uploaded by six times mighty.The nation's newpaper of record continues its flirtation with cool today: a feature on last weekend's Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. The headline read: A Restless Spirit, but Hold the Rage.The idea was that Lollapalooza has lost its edge, as compared with the festivals of the same name in the early nineties. True cool, at least as author

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157938603415259292006-08-01T20:33:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.111-06:00

Along with Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, cool is a missionary religion: it seeks to propagate. But Cool's message is one of profound individualism and endless rebellion - hardly the message of the gospel.People around the world are inevitably initially drawn to cool. That doesn't mean it's a healthy device for the church. In my opinion, cool belongs nowhere near the church as we look to be

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1153775845033664282006-07-24T16:16:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:47.514-06:00

Global Cool is no longer Global Americanisation. It may have started that way, but in the same way that having appropriated/absorbed black rock music, whites took it in entirely new directions, the same is true at a broader level with Global cool. Here is an example.This is quintessential German cool: Love Parade 2006 in Berlin. It has nothing at all to do with casting an eye across the Atlantic,

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1154391177539165962006-07-20T19:12:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:47.635-06:00

Cool emerged several decades ago at the crossroads of black and white America, as an African value of performance met the European value of individualism. In the context of a violently oppressive racial climate, cool was the expression of rebellion for rebellion’s sake.Cool projected mastery of circumstance, naming itself an insider in a sea of outsiders. In our current climate, cool projects

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1153174203083244632006-07-17T17:09:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:46.972-06:00

map loading...Here is an aerial shot of Platzspitz Park in Zurich, Switzerland. It was the site of Europe's largest heroin scene in the early 1990s. Here is a picture from the scene in its heyday.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1152054132791088342006-07-04T17:41:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:46.422-06:00

So I've been tagged. My editor, who is a pretty interesting man in his own way, challenged me toList seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether theyhave words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you'rereally enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7songs. Then tag 6 other people to see what they're listening to.I thought

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157938309924647282006-07-01T20:30:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:49.051-06:00

Compassion is the true opposite of cool. Discuss.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1155158821635572012006-06-27T16:19:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:48.167-06:00

One of the most hopeful developments in recent hip-hop is Soldier Rap, the stuff bubbling forth from the barracks in Iraq.Soldiers have always had their own music, but never before have they been so able to share their songs with the rest of the world. Today they're on myspace and youtube.Two Soldier Rap acts get some treatment in my book: 4th25 ("Fourth Quarter") and Corner Pocket. The latter

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1149452154983050952006-06-04T15:13:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:46.303-06:00

Maturity is the ultimate uncool. Mature literally means ripe, but in the eyes of cool it means old. And old means outdated, irrelevant and not cool.Very few people manage to maintain a cool in their maturity. Johnny Cash was one. For some reason hipsters clung to the septuagenarian Cash like they never did in his prime. One reason maturity is not cool is because mature people no longer care about

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1149262548222779842006-06-02T10:34:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:46.250-06:00

At the time, in the early 1990s, I didn’t realize just how unique was the Zurich heroin scene I witnessed close-up. In the mid-eighties, Zurich, in Switzerland, more or less legalized heroin in a downtown park. The idea was to control the spread of addictions and overdoses, as well as control HIV infections. In most respects it was a disaster.Heroin users flocked to the park from around Europe,

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157938165427618822006-06-01T20:28:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:48.993-06:00

Belonging to the church is harder in practice than in theory. How can we reconcile with our parents and clueless local churches? Share your story with us.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1149175547387827702006-06-01T10:11:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:46.191-06:00

Senegalese Rappers Daara J have an infectious song out about Hip Hop returning to its homeland in Africa. "Boomerang" [here's the iTunes URL] says the music we now know as Hip Hop derives directly from West African griot singing, and the song celebrates its return "home".It's a brilliant twist on Hip Hop's endless battles for authenticity - instead of saying, "I'm more of a criminal than you,

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1148597000003712502006-05-25T17:41:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:46.079-06:00

Playboy Magazine recently named my alma mater the top party school in America. That's no surprise; The neighborhoods around campus are world-class fiestas three nights a week. Of course Wisconsin is among the top party schools.But who is the judge? Why would we deem Playboy qualified to judge collegiate bacchanalia? Hugh Hefner’s pornographic empire is embarking on a long-range strategic project

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1153247223733166912006-05-01T13:26:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:53:47.089-06:00

A significant decision for me in college came when I walked home from a party at 10 S. Orchard Street, as a young man was treating a young woman fairly roughly. The party (at 10. S. Orchard St, in Madison - icon at bottom left) was full of people, most of whom were drunk to one degree or another. They were making out in the hallway. He was groping her all over; She was way too drunk to consent in

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157937962531916142006-04-01T20:25:00.000-06:002006-11-07T11:53:48.931-06:00

Was Jesus really a rebel?Discuss.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157937860897571572006-03-01T20:23:00.000-06:002006-11-07T11:53:48.865-06:00

Cool is all about broken relationships, from race to gender to generation gaps. Christianity is about reconciliation, which exposes us to pain. Share your story with the uncool community - click below to comment.

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157937489427069252006-02-01T20:12:00.000-06:002006-11-07T11:53:48.801-06:00

Are you talking to me?Originally uploaded by Kodiak Yellow. One of the main uses of the word Uncool is a cynical anti-cool. When hipsters deem cool to be mainstream, conventional or capitalist, imperialist, patriarchal, homophobic or racist, they often defect from the cool tribe and create another one in the same mold. It’s still about the private performance of rebellion, rebellion for its own

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157937128809869652006-01-02T20:06:00.000-06:002006-11-07T11:53:48.730-06:00

The Nadir of my Cool QuestOriginally uploaded by Paul Grant. Yes, that was me. The very nadir of my youth. This was perhaps my boldest attempt at trying to be cool. I was 17.The trouble is, this kind of haircut is supposed to shock, and cool is about rebellion. But I did this the night before going on a youth group canoe trip - not exactly the destination for a real rebel. There was no risk

locutus esthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17407151607703542979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27131425.post-1157936952525355632006-01-01T20:07:00.000-06:002006-12-13T15:53:09.221-06:00

Throughout the book I mentioned artists and historical events many people might not be familiar with. Hopefully you’re curious to find out more! Explore my primary sources, plus videos, pictures and more. Stay tuned this fall as I add feature articles, interviews and other supporting materials.Chapter 1 - You Got To Wear Your SunglassesChapter 2 - Rebellion On StageChapter 3 - The Caucasian

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