Cultural critics Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz explore summer obsessions on this episode. They discuss formative influences like Brandy's album 'Never Say Never' and Jim Morrison's music. Topics range from 'Heathers' to Elena Ferrante's novels, reflecting on how past obsessions shape our identities.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Christian Slater Obsession
In 1991, a listener became obsessed with Christian Slater after watching "Heathers" and "Pump Up the Volume".
The listener shared this obsession with friends at a sleepover, further solidifying Slater as the ultimate bad boy.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Secret Poetry Readings
At summer camp in the Soviet Union, a listener recited Pushkin and Yesenin poems after curfew.
This private reading became a shared experience, captivating other campers who secretly listened.
question_answer ANECDOTE
GoldenEye 007
A listener's summer obsession in 1997 was the Nintendo 64 game "GoldenEye 007".
This led to gatherings with friends, showcasing the social aspect of gaming.
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There’s arguably no better time for falling down a cultural rabbit hole than the languid, transitory summer months. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how the season allows us to foster a particular relationship with a work of art—whether it’s the soundtrack to a summer fling or a book that helps make sense of a new locale. Listeners divulge the texts that have consumed them over the years, and the hosts share their own formative obsessions, recalling how Brandy’s 1998 album, “Never Say Never,” defined a first experience at camp, and how a love of Jim Morrison’s music resulted in a teen-age pilgrimage to see his grave in Paris. But how do we square our past obsessions with our tastes and identities today? “Whatever we quote, whatever we make reference to, on so many levels is who we are,” Cunningham says. “It seems, to me, so precious.”