I feel asleep at the switch and never even noticed that this blog hit the five-year mark two weeks ago. Celebrate we must, even if belatedly.
I point you to my first post, which references my only piece of legitimate cred: once getting linked by Romenesko. In five years, this blog has never gotten close to such heights.
A lot of my initial posts seem pretty ephemeral, but a view are worth revisiting.
This post on Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room was really popular for a long time. This post on John Oswald may be my first analytical thoughts on hip-hop, a subject to which I would repeatedly return (like this defense of sampling; plus, see here and here). I remain pleased with this post on The Magnificent Ambersons; the film is overdue for another viewing by me.
Even though the accompanying songs can no longer be downloaded, I still remain absurdly fond of this post on Sinatra. I was captivated by this low-budget video from the band Group Sounds. I think they ruined it with this revised official version, but the original version is thankfully still available via YouTube. That same year, OK Go got a lot of attention for “A Million Ways,” but “Things Fall Apart” was also clever in its own way.
In August of 2005, I noted how crazy it was that the four-year-old video for the Avalanches “Frontier Psychiatrist” kept popping up, like it was a brand new thing. Just recently, I informed somebody via Twitter, that it was not a new thing. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Also, some thoughts on The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Wedding Date, and Shattered Glass (featuring a cameo appearance from Adam Penenberg).
That’s just a few highlights from the first few months of The Pop View, so I encourage you to browse the archives.