How Bad Can It Be? »
How Bad Can It Be?: “Batman Year 100”
My primary brief, with How Bad Can It Be?, is to look at media product that for whatever reason—an unpromising premise, a poisoned reputation, a creator’s track record—gives me no reason to expect that
Read More »How Bad Can It Be?: “The Hee Haw Collection”
I’m always amazed by the crap that people hold onto. I have a lot of enthusiasms — music, comics, film — but I’ve never had the urge to be a completist about any of
Read More »How Bad Can It Be?: “Johnny Cash Remixed”
A song isn’t necessarily “finished” just because it’s been recorded; any producer will tell you that the mixing is what really makes a record. Subtle tweaks and shifts in emphasis can bring new tones
Read More »How Bad Can It Be?: Britney Spears, “Circus”
What’s weird about the discourse surrounding popular culture is how quickly it becomes self-reflexive. That is, it becomes possible to engage in the discussion as an end in itself, without any reference to the
Read More »How Bad Can It Be?: “The Shack”
I will not cop to charges of snobbery; I find my pop-culture thrills wherever I can. I freely admit, though, that I’m selective. Any consumer of media has to be, I think. There are
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