Monday, November 9, 2009

Hipster Pick of the Day: Dirty Projectors! / And the Boys' Consider the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street

With New York's pompous darlings of the experimental art-rock scene slated to take the stage tonight, Richard has spent most of the day with Bitte Orca on repeat and practicing some commentary that might impress the uber-hipster chicks who are sure to be in attendance tonight:

"Bitte Orca is a good record--very good, in fact--but there's just something to be said for 2007's Rise Above, their effort to reimagine Black Flag's Damaged supposedly without actually having listened to that record in many years. Don't you think it makes a powerful point about how our memory of one's formative pop culture influences is far more relevant than the actual concrete nature of those artifacts?"

By the end of that little speech, surely any hipster girl will be ready to put down her PBR and make out with him.

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The boys' are suckers for pop-culture milestones and this week brings an important one: the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. Are the boys still fans?

Chip: "So many children's shows these days seem targeted just as much at the stoner crowd, such as Spongebob Squarepants, so I do like the fact that Sesame Street has remained resolutely 'square' and didactic. But the messages it sends are still disturbing. According to yesterday's NY-Times piece on the anniversary, the emphasis on the importance of diversity, disturbing enough, has now given way to screeds about issues of health: 'Sesame Street” [now] takes the Muppets, rhymes and visual verve that were developed to instill tolerance, racial pride and equality, to preach exercise and healthy eating.'" (NY-Times)

The NY-Times piece points out that even Cookie Monster has learned a few important things about nutrition:

"...Cookie Monster’s palate was refined during Season 36 as part of the show’s “healthy habits for life” campaign. He now also gobbles fruits and vegetables, which are labeled by the show as “anytime” foods while cookies are held in reserve as “sometime” food. And almost every episode has a subliminal message about exercise and nutrition, along with a fruit bowl."

Chip: "For some of us, cookies remain an 'anytime' food. Even so, I suppose I'd still let my children watch it, but I'd make it very clear to them that Bert and Ernie are not gay. They just enjoy each other's company, much like The Sherriff and Coll.ns."

5 comments:

Dr. C said...

Apparently, the NYT has forgotten that all aspects of living a "good life" have always been a part of Sesame Street. If you've forgotten, too, refresh yourself with Captain Vegetable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmjLqddPqZQ

Dr. C's science corner will return someday soon, I think, but I keep telling myself it'll happen, and then it doesn't.

Dr. C said...

PS--good luck with the hipster chicks.

captain vegetable said...

The NY-Times also believes that Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" might well become a new New York anthem to rival "New York, New York."

Sometimes they are sillier than the LJ-World!

Anonymous said...

First, Dr. Nog stole that fuckin Dirty Proj review straight from NY magazine today. So fuck that and them, too. Also, the mention of Empire State of Mind is a bit of a dilemma for me. The song is bomb; I admit that it's one of those bullshit songs that plays to New Yorkers egoism. And it gives me mild wood to consider myself in that group. However, why is that one of the richest motherfuckers in the entire City gets to tell me how fucking uplifting it is to be here? He's banging Beyonce and other skanks on a day-to-day, smoking great weed and drinking his own goddamn vodka. Fuck him. Empire State of Mind is really an anthem to himself. So I guess, yes; I wish I were Jay-Z and New York would be awesome if I were Jay-Z. Not if I were Dirty Projectors though. Because they are pussy asshole hipsters.

santana dvx said...

Jay-Z is the new Sinatra.

Well, of course I have to borrow the hipster way of thinking regarding the Projectors' "re-imagined album." I've never even actually heard that shit! I only listen to Transmittens.