The ‘Paris is Burning’ director on its message: be yourself
Thirty-four years ago, a young, queer film student stopped to photograph two striking dancers in Washington Square Park in Manhattan and was captivated by their pose-oriented movements — known around the world today as vogueing. The performers encouraged the inspired student, who was eager to see more, to attend an event dedicated to the dance style: a ball. This exchange was […]
‘The Simple Life’ was an accidentally brilliant reflection on America’s political divide
Few people are more emblematic of pop culture in the Bush years than Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie — and their time captivating public interest is far from over. The original reality TV show socialites are making a comeback thanks to to a millennial induced wave of 00s nostalgia. Today they are mostly lauded for their generation-shaping fashion choices, […]
The heady Ibiza club that rivaled Studio 54
While foam parties, glow sticks, and celebrity DJ sets make it all too easy to dismiss the cultural validity of Ibizan nightlife, those partying on the island before it earned its reputation as Europe’s rowdy, raucous, and lawless party capital came to know a very different kind of celebration. Ibiza was once a place that offered unofficial […]
The forgotten story of Pure Hell, America’s first Black punk band
An essential part of learning history is questioning it, asking what has become part of our cultural memory and what might have been left out. When it comes to the history of punk music, there are few bands who have been as overlooked as Pure Hell. The band’s story began in West Philadelphia in 1974, when […]