| EastWesterly
Review
|
The Mainly Annual
EastWesterly Review/Postmodern Village
13th Annual Conference
 Sid
Viscous: Extreme Unction in the Age of the Apotheosis of Popular
Culture
by John Lydown
As memorable as it was, Lydown’s paper was
not as memorable as his dramatic re-enactments of many of rock
and pop’s greasiest acts. His contention that “Rock
the Casbah” was as much about Brylcreem as the energy
crisis is slickly presented, but slippery logic. Pungent, cogent,
lubricated, and This Correspondent thinks he needs a shower.
Dick Cheney won’t li-ike it . . . |
 ALL
HAIL THE NODES: Virtual Glam Band Slam Bang Cyberpunque
by Pat E. Smith and the E-Node Collective
The thesis of this paper was drowned out by bad
speakers and the inevitable Window’s Media Player®
greebliness. It appears to have been about techno-triumphalism,
but Smith’s projection of tragic hipness failed to meld
with the E-Nodes’ equally tragic geekdom. Not everything
is better with a hip-hop beat.
|
 Slouching
Toward Byzantium: Yeats in the Age of Geographic Illiteracy
Syndrome
by Dinesh D’Souzaphone
D’Souzaphone has a point, but battling
GIS isn’t necessarily only the province of the neo-con.
One could easily argue his conservative position makes geographic
illiteracy even more of a problem, as actually knowing something
about Iraq might make students less likely to want to grow up
and bomb it. And Yeats’ oeuvre seems an unlikely partner.
Why couldn’t he have gone off Kipling and let Yeats stay
in his tower?
|
 The
Naked Brunch: Corporate Yuppiedom as Psycho-Social Subversion
by D. Lan Zimmerman
It may appear counter-intuitive, but as the Yuppim
trade in their Chevy Tahoes for Toyota Priuses and put down
their Big Macs for their Boca Burgers, counter culture has become
pop culture yet again. Of course, the hangings and anal rape
of Burroughs’ classic probably won’t turn up on
Desperate Housewives anytime soon, and Dylan is now
a DJ on satellite radio. Is it still a revolution if it’s
already bought and paid for and sponsored by Tide? |
 Pray
Dough: on the Malleability of Pop Theology as High Finance Dialectical
Capitalism
by Jessica H. Purgatorio
With PraySkool’s Mega Church Scripture
Factory slated to be this Christmas’s biggest toy, Purgatorio’s
paper seems particularly prophetic. Her contention that theological
precepts are a fungible commodity, much like oil, and that one
could think of one’s values as constituting a sort of
a market, is both plausible and has disturbing implications
for this Fall’s elections, especially considering which
party has cornered said market. But her conclusions are questionable:
the way for Democrats = a Holy Hedge Fund?
|
 Profound
Sexual Dimorphism as Reinforcement of Socio-Sexual Double Standards
in the American Sitcom
by Rose E. O’Don-El
Did you ever ask yourself “What’s
wrong with this picture?” as you flipped across The
King of Queens on TV? That’s right: What’s
that svelte little hottie doing married to that porky lump of
human dough? Not that this is new: Drew Carey’s girth
never seemed to impede his ability to land the cutest, thinnest
girl on the set. But then again, it was his show. The implied
message, contends O’Don-El, is that fat is sexy if you’re
male, but curves on women are not allowed. This Correspondent
is not sure that making all the men who attended the presentation
of her paper watch the whole thing from the StairMaster helped
prove her point intellectually, but it sure made us feel the
burn.
|
 Waffles
of Fun: the Gastronomical Downs and Ups of Theme Park Food,
a Marxist Perspective
by Igatz D. Trotskis
When you own the cotton candy machine, you own the tools of
production – at least that’s what Trotskis claims
– so the evolution of home versions of cotton candy machines
(and funnel cake mix, hot dog roasters and popcorn stands) means
the bourgeoisie are owning these tools too. The amusement park
food experience now needs no amusement park – and no workers!
What’s a carny to do? Trotskis had an interesting solution
we can’t reveal here, but let’s just say that it
involved an industrial-strength deep-fat fryer and the dark
corners of a “fun house.” |
 The
Sixgun Sange: Do Spaghetti Westerns Have Buddha Nature?
by P. Ma Chodown and Mary Coney
What is the sound of Ennio Morricone whistling outside a movie?
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Page 3 (papers continued)
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