Mar 9 2022 - Nonstop Nostalgia

 

Of course, with all those pictures, recordings, and movies, there is now a nonstop nostalgia market.  Nostalgia is evolving - it is now considered a shaping cultural force.  Looking back to a  "Golden Age" became a common experience in the 20th century.  It now is associated with the cherished notions of identity, rather than just the concept of place.   I found a website where I get to read the abstract or introduction of scholarly articles -  on the topic of Nostalgia.  The website is Taylor Francis Online.  It is a scholarly website for peer-reviewed journals and articles.  Too bad I can only read the beginning of things. Another article by Andrew Higson gives the sense of where nostalgia is heading: "Nostalgia is not a singular phenomenon; it is multi-layered, diversely experienced and variously exploited, as I demonstrate by briefly outlining the history of nostalgia, especially the recent shift from modern to post-modern versions of the experience. The modern, temporal version of nostalgia is founded on the unattainable distance between the past and the present; the post-modern, atemporal version erases this sense of distance. Central to the modern concept of nostalgia is the experience of wistfulness, a hopeless longing for something lost and irrecoverable.  But for post-modern nostalgics, the irrecoverable is now attainable, the difference between past and present flattened out. This is partly because post-modern nostalgia re-cycles images, objects and styles associated with the relatively recent past, a prime site of such re-cycling being the Internet."  Just casting one's gaze about, it is easy to find 5 vintage clothes trends for 2022 - I am expecting to see some psychedelic prints this summer.  And home decor has more vintage revival as well.  Architectural Digest is going way back in terms of vintage trends: think antique tapestries, furniture, upholstery and wallpaper.  It makes me think of Brideshead Revisited.   Don't forget classic car trends - the phrase is modern classics. Here's a great one for me.  This website features a series of images submitted by users who hold up an old photo against the same location in the present day.  It is Dear Photograph.  I really like the idea of this one - it can be downloaded for you to use,  or you might buy the book with people's photos in it.  You can scroll through the various submitted pictures.  Now that's a fine Nostalgia product. Check it out.

Another collage today. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Aug 17 2021 - Nostalgic Bobby Darrin

 

PBS is a master of music nostalgia for its fund-raising campaigns.  From 1999 to 2018 they have presented  music nostalgia fund-raisers that were produced by TJ Lubinsky.  There have been over 30 national television specials from PBS.  He must be a busy person.  He's produced lots of shows - The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show and even episodes of Dr. Who for the US market.   TJ Lubinsky's facebook page lists all his "former" jobs.  He has a sense of humour, as they include these: Former Waiting Staff and soda jerk at Irv's Flamingo Diner Former Soda jerk at Days Ice Cream & Bon Bons Former I worked counter #2 at The Jetty Joint aka "The Sand Bar" 2nd Ave Stand Last night's show was Folk Rewind.  What stood out? Bobby Darin was included and the clip - either late 1960s or early 1970s in a Las Vegas tuxedo singing his well-known hit "If I were a Carpenter".   He also wrote "Simple Song of Freedom."  Sadly, he died of heart failure at 37 years of age in 1973. What is Bobby Darin's strange fact? "His real mother was Nina Cassotto, the woman he grew up believing was his sister. Nina had gotten pregnant as an unwed teenager, and she and Polly(her mother)  decided that it would be better if Polly assumed the role of mother. While he later learned the truth about his mother, Darin never discovered who his father really was." We've given Olive Oyl the post-card treatment today.  Happy Birthday to Deb Osborne!

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April 30 2021 - GOP Thinking

 

My reaction to the the expression GOP - Good Old Party is negative.  I consider it a term of exclusion where those 'who count' are in the 'good old party'.  To me it gives rise to elitism and superiority - those who can be allowed in and those who are shunned.  Like the popular song from the 1960s "I'm in with the in crowd". How did this come about - this association with exclusion? I think that's because similar expressions speak to this nostalgia for what's past and so is exclusive an age group:  Good old days,  Good old fashioned,  Good old boy This last expression's definition is "usually white Southerner who conforms to the values, culture, or behavior of his peers,"  from Merriam-Webster.  So perhaps I have these things conflated.  On the other hand, the expression has its own issues. Even though GOP and Republican is used almost interchangeably, it doesn't mean everyone knows what the acronym stands for.  A 2011 poll showed almost half of Republicans didn't know what the letters stood for. Some of the guesses for those who weren't sure included "Government of the People," "Grumpy Old People," and "God's Own Party. That makes me wonder about GOP jokes  and a most repeated is the lightbulb joke: How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb? None. They're afraid of change- even if it makes the world a brighter place. How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb? None.  Trump just says it’s fixed and the rest of them sit in the dark and applaud How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb? Change? That’s socialism. How many Republican does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Twelve to investigate Obama’s involvement in the failure of the old bulb, 23 to deregulate the lightbulb industry and 51 to pass a tax credit for lightbulb changes.   Now, there's nostalgia for the 'good old days'  - a postcard with a steam locomotive! Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Mar 19 2021 - Nostalgic for Squishmallows

 

Yesterday's post ended with "Who owns the space behind your airline seat?"  Now that seems to segue into nostalgia such as remembering when there was space for one's legs on an airplane flight.  And then one could have nostalgia for when one was able to be on an airplane and take a flight.  How many degrees of nostalgia might there be? That will be a test of post-COVID times.  Will we be nostalgic over things that were taken for granted before 2020?  My vote is Yes. Supposedly nostalgia is good for you - a dip into the past. And the average person feels nostalgic several times a week - and that's young people too.  Older people more often.  And what about the expression that nostalgia makes one feel warm and fuzzy.   In one study, subjects spent time in a cold room. Some were instructed to nostalgize; some weren’t. The nostalgizers found the room warmer and more comfortable than the rest did. It seems that, to some extent, you can use nostalgia to help yourself tolerate a chilly environment. Some researchers suggest that might have had evolutionary value. So perhaps to start collecting the before and after things so as to be ready for great nostalgic experiences in the future that will make us feel warm and fuzzy. I guess that means we should buy a Squishmallow plush toy too. Here's the nostalgia joke: Why is nostalgia like grammar? We find the present tense and the past perfect. Here's the National Gallery through rose-coloured glasses. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca