Pop Culture Mondays/11.6.23
The “CHRISTMAS TREE” Edition
Happy Monday, my darling pop culture junkies. I am still trying to get my head back into the pop culture game, what with the world falling apart and all. I have written this intro a thousand times and deleted it a thousand times as I keep diving back into my feelings at the moment and the fact I have lost friends who believe my taking a stand against antisemitism and being outraged by the attacks of October 7th and calling for the return of the hostages, SOMEHOW makes me against the plight of the innocent civilians of Palestine…but look, I am here to write a pop culture newsletter that is an escape from all of that.
And I need an escape from all that! The world is not binary. But perhaps we see it that way due to social media and the constant news cycle of the world. So with that, I say…eat Gummy Bears and listen to your music loud and dance like no one is watching whenever you get the chance and enjoy this life we have as it is so precious and fleeting. And for me, diving into the pop culture moments each week is the very escape I am looking for.
SO is shopping, TBH, and right now, I am very much into my English Tea Party phase with floral dresses and puff sleeves…such as the ones my fave UK brand, O Pioneers, make…I hosted a tea party this weekend with proper English tea and NOT so proper SCONES (Sorry, Emma Freud…I tried baking them, but it was a disaster, so I bought them at a store, and well…they were NO EMMA FREUD SCONE.) Sigh. But for my girly girls out there…this is for you:
Anytime I can pivot from doomsday to food and shopping…I will take it.
So grab some scones and some tea, and your headphones…and enjoy.
🥰
WHAT IS TIME?
I suspect there are a lot of you who have listened to this song and are familiar with the story. I also guess there are a bunch of you who heard there was a new Beatles song but maybe are not aware of the fact that this includes John Lennon and George Harrison. And perhaps a few of you are like, WHAT NEW SONG?
So, I am here to ensure everyone is on the same page.
First, let’s take a moment to watch the video for their new song, “Now and Then”:
WHAT IS TIME?
I mean, this has been a question since the BEGINNING of time. But with technology, time literally means something else now. Being able to use the tools at our fingertips, which, of course, includes AI and other amazing things, we have all of the Beatles back together in a video and on a song.
According to THIS column in The New York Times:
“Now and Then” was not intended as a Beatles song. Well after the band’s breakup, Mr. Lennon wrote it at the piano sometime during his retreat from the public eye in the late 1970s. It was recorded on a tape machine and squirreled away. In 1994 his wife, Yoko Ono, uncovered a pair of cassettes of her husband’s demos and contributed them to the Beatles retrospective project “Anthology.” On the label of one, Mr. Lennon had scrawled “Now + Then,” as if to make a note of that song in particular. But because the sound quality was very poor (George Harrison called it “rubbish”), “Now and Then” didn’t get far.
Famed director Peter Jackson is the one responsible for using new technology to bring this all to life and directing the video. And we have to thank him for that. And something that many commenters have pointed out? The plot twist being that YOKO ONO is the one responsible for bringing the Beatles back together. Didn’t see that one coming!
Also…Ringo Starr…messes with the whole TIME narrative, too, because that is Ringo today who looks like Ringo from 40 years ago, and that’s NOT AI, and I am so confused. I love this guy’s whole analysis:
And all my fave memes together:
And listen to Paul tell the story of this song in this clip (also, this is a man who knows how to LAYER! I bow…)
And the song is currently number ONE in the UK…what a world we live in.
’TIS THE SEASON:
I have discussed my background here before…I was raised with Christmas and Easter and only found out I was Jewish later in life. THAT being said, any opportunity to give and receive presents I will take. I mean, I am not a mad woman; I LOVE GIFTS. But I also love the act of giving gifts…I love wrapping, and if I were rich, I would definitely have a WRAPPING ROOM like Tori Spelling’s mom has. I lose my mind with it. And I love Christmas decorations…I love ALL holiday decorations, but I am a Christmas Tree girl.
Now, I am a purist. I am a REAL Christmas tree kind of girl. I love the smell. I love finding new tricks to keep that tree alive (Add Sprite to your water…trust me). I love the whole process, even the maddening untabgling of lights, only to find they don't work. BUT THE SMELL!! I grew up in a house that would start decorating about the 10th of December…I thought that was normal, but I started seeing things happen right after Thanksgiving as I got older. But now? 2023? People start decorating for the holidays the day after Halloween. November 1, let the games begin.
And this year, there is a viral star of the holiday season. ALREADY. November 6th, and here we are. It is the pre-lit fake Christmas tree from Home Depot. I am going to bombard you with TikToks, but it seems, in general, Gen Z is into fake Christmas trees. From an ease-of-use perspective? From an environmental perspective? Who is to say? They are not cheap! I mean, when I was in my 20s, I MAYBE had a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree on a windowsill, so props to the kids for really going full Martha Stewart.
I mean SHE is pretty and bright and has a remote control so you can control the light settings.
And at first, the reviews are like this:
But soon, became like this (same creator as above):
BRIGHT WHITE LIGHTS? No no…we have a neighbor in our little canyon who insists on decorating their house in bright white lights and it is horrifying. When all the other neighbors have soft white…it is a big difference. And this is why I decorate my trees with SOFT PINK lights…because…PINK!
But I do find these videos addicting:
I have to say, my curiosity MIGHT get the best of me. Who doesn't need a couple of trees??? I can use a bright white light tree SOMEWHERE!
This sucker costs a LOT, though:
A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT:
Wow, I am in a much better mood at the moment. The Beatles? Christmas decorations? I am FEELING it, my darlings. What else is happening in pop culture land??
Teenage Dirtbag…AGAIN:
So we had a TEENAGE DIRTBAG trend back in August of 2022, which I covered then. It was videos where people would show themselves as a teenage dirtbag, basically. Like here:
BUT…we are BACK AGAIN. Because the TikTok world (ok me too) found out that the girl part, which was memorialized in Wheatus’ music video back in 2000 and starring American Pie stars Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari here:
IS ACTUALLY SUNG BY THE MALE LEAD SINGER:
THE MINDS ARE BLOWN.
But I love the fun the kids are having with it:
BUT WHO knew the genesis of the song? It is about a story from the 80’s around the whole SATANIC PANIC period of time that if you did not live through well…READ UP!!
Watch the whole masterpiece of the video here:
Have you heard this one yet?
This may have crept into your consciousness…and if so, you MIGHT be confused. And for those who have not heard this yet….well, not that I have opened this Pandora’s Box…you will. TRUST me. You will.
DELUSION IS NOT THE SOLUTION.
OBVS, in Gen Z speak is…delulu is not the solulu. And this has arisen, from what I can tell, on TikTok. In this new age Gen Z TikTok moment. This term I THINK started around dating TikTok…like when you need to realize that maybe…he’s JUST not that into you. But the meaning has grown into other things…and now there are people who are saying that the expectations people have set for themselves like:
- Being a billionaire
- Being in the NBA
- Being famous
- Making the person fall in love with you
These set you up for a life of disappointment. SO the idea is being delusional DOES NOT HELP YOU:
BUT of course, there is a counter to this happening on TikTok where they believe that being DELULU IS the SOLULU. Lols, when do I get my fucking PULITZER???
You’re welcome.
BYU & TikTok:
Y’all go after Scientology, but to me, the weirdest religion of them all is MORMONISM. This is a religion that basically says pre-marital sex, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar are the WORST THINGS IN THE WORLD. This is why I nearly OD’d on JOLT soda when I was 13 because my friend was Mormon, and she and her siblings would sneak out to the woods behind their house and smoke and chug JOLTS. BECAUSE THE LORD SAID IT WAS FORBIDDEN. Okay, so I had bad friends. But the majority of Mormon kids apparently would rather kill a puppy than drink booze. I cannot.
OK, so we still have some sinners out there. But I do love the spoofs on these videos:
AND the viral video of the week belongs to this creator who has told a bananas story that has led to lots of reaction videos. But the point is, we are INVESTED in HOCKEY GUY. And to be fair, I was once ghosted by a guy who had just confessed his love for me and told me after a long off-and-on period of time that he was finally ready to commit and we were going to have the rest of our lives together. ONLY for him to kiss me goodbye, get on a plane, and reconnect with a girl he is now married to and has kids with SO…I can relate.
THAT IS IT, my darlings…
Hopefully, this brought you a few laughs. I left out the bad news this week because we all need a little giggle. BUT, if you still want a little unhinged in your life and you want to hear my REAL thoughts on what’s happening at the moment, then check out my latest pod, please!!
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Xx,
Brooke
