Sacred Disorder | Cliff Bostock's blog – 'Finally, I came to regard as sacred the disorder of my mind' (Rimbaud)
How I avoided the cosmetic surgery called tattooing
When I was a kid, I received almost weekly instruction from my mother never to get a tattoo. It was one of many things she deemed “hideous.” She most often issued the edict as we passed a trailer park on the way to her sister’s cabin on the Catawba River, not far from our home […]
Thoughts on fast-food architecture at Zesto, following a faux-heart attack
Around 1987, during my second stint as editor of Creative Loafing, I decided the paper needed an architecture critic. I’d returned to Atlanta after two years in Houston where I’d become fascinated with the subject. The magazine I edited there regularly ran architecture criticism. So I put out the word and received a good […]
‘Uncle’ Frank’s peaceable kingdom
I’m sitting on six or more unfinished posts for this blog, but had to upload these graphics as soon as I saw them. Actually, quite a few more are available on WryteStuff.com. I’ve long been fascinated with […]
Policing cyberspace, policing the psyche
I was recently referred by a client to a year-old New York Times article about images and the Internet. The article, “Policing the Web’s Lurid Precincts” by Brad Stone, specifically deals with how “depraved” images affect the people that sites like Facebook hire to constantly review their content. Patricia Laperal, a psychologist, interviewed members of […]
Charlie Sheen: cracking up with America
As I’ve explained many times, I don’t watch TV, so the Charlie Sheen brouhaha didn’t enter my awareness until a few days ago when I came across the above video. Then I Googled and found a zillion articles and video clips in which every mental health professional on the planet, like Dr. Drew, proffers an […]
‘Forrest Gump’ for lovable foodie pilgrims
It would be hard to find anyone for whom the title of “Eat Pray Love” doesn’t resonate. The degree of that resonance may differ, but the three words describe activities that support the basic calls to physical, spiritual and psychological wellbeing. Nonetheless, I have not read Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, which became a New York Times […]
Why do we act so dumb on the Internet?
I posted a video a few days ago on Creative Loafing’s Omnivore blog featuring a couple of Domino’s Pizza employees who exhibit some pretty disgusting behavior in the kitchen. One filmed the other while he inserted a sandwich’s cheese up his nose and farted on the meat. Having worked in concession stands at Six Flags […]
A chilling blast from the gay past
It was common practice in the 1950s for police departments to issue films to scare young people into appropriate behavior. Many of these, like the ones about marijuana use, were so obviously exaggerated that they likely created more curiosity than fear. Here is “Boys Beware,” one that typically equates pedophilia and homosexuality. Putting that absurd […]
Religious right cancels Japan vacation plans (I predict)
Little is as unscrutable as Japanese popular culture. But this — gay porn somewhat cleaned up and used as background for music videos — is the strangest yet. Apparently, thousands of these videos are circulating on the internets. Be warned: they are not for Americans of delicate sensibilities! (YouTube takes the videos down frequently, so […]