killerdwarf
Scooby
I got a reply from OLD MASTER 2.0 to a post I made , and it got me to thinking about what's cool...and what's not.
"Pop Culture" as we know it, has been a dominant force in North America, and to a lesser extent the rest of the world, for about 70 yrs now. It's growth can be mainly traced to the growth and penetration of television into people's lives. Pop culture is characterized by things gaining and losing popularity ("going in and out of style"). But there are some things that defy the winds of change that define pop culture, and what they are can be somewhat subjective. I'd like to ask, in your opinion, what people and/or things have weathered the storm and become true icons of "cool"?
My list includes:
The Rolling Stones. Formed in the late 1950's, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are indeed the leaders of the "World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Legendary partiers, their concerts draw people of all ages to hear music that defines rock.
Marilyn Monroe: The definitive blonde bombshell. She took the archetype and raised it to an ideal. Pammy Anderson and Madonna owe their careers to her blazing the path (well, maybe a bit overstated, but you get my drift!)
Frank Sinatra: Epitomizes the well-dressed, hang around the lounge guy. Singing, acting and partying, his Rat Pack is the group you want to be with 'cause they're always at the front table of the hippest place in town. And they don't care what you think is hip, they know they are!
Jimmy Dean: Leather jacket, fast car. His early death has left him forever the young rebel, scowling at the mainstream. Everyone wants to exude his "don't give a s**t" attitude, especially when wearing a leather jacket...
Kurt Cobain: Mix the Stones, and Jimmy Dean, and you get the godfather of grunge. Undeniable talent, a penchant for hard partying, and an early death leave him at the top of the rock renegade charts.
That's just a couple off the top of my head, but what do you think? Who is classically cool, in your opinion? Alternately, who do you think could be classically cool from today's crop of pop icons?
"Pop Culture" as we know it, has been a dominant force in North America, and to a lesser extent the rest of the world, for about 70 yrs now. It's growth can be mainly traced to the growth and penetration of television into people's lives. Pop culture is characterized by things gaining and losing popularity ("going in and out of style"). But there are some things that defy the winds of change that define pop culture, and what they are can be somewhat subjective. I'd like to ask, in your opinion, what people and/or things have weathered the storm and become true icons of "cool"?
My list includes:
The Rolling Stones. Formed in the late 1950's, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are indeed the leaders of the "World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Legendary partiers, their concerts draw people of all ages to hear music that defines rock.
Marilyn Monroe: The definitive blonde bombshell. She took the archetype and raised it to an ideal. Pammy Anderson and Madonna owe their careers to her blazing the path (well, maybe a bit overstated, but you get my drift!)
Frank Sinatra: Epitomizes the well-dressed, hang around the lounge guy. Singing, acting and partying, his Rat Pack is the group you want to be with 'cause they're always at the front table of the hippest place in town. And they don't care what you think is hip, they know they are!
Jimmy Dean: Leather jacket, fast car. His early death has left him forever the young rebel, scowling at the mainstream. Everyone wants to exude his "don't give a s**t" attitude, especially when wearing a leather jacket...
Kurt Cobain: Mix the Stones, and Jimmy Dean, and you get the godfather of grunge. Undeniable talent, a penchant for hard partying, and an early death leave him at the top of the rock renegade charts.
That's just a couple off the top of my head, but what do you think? Who is classically cool, in your opinion? Alternately, who do you think could be classically cool from today's crop of pop icons?
