What We Can Learn From Grunge Fashion

The grunge aesthetic—characterized by plaid flannel shirts, ripped jeans, and looser, oversized fits—was captured in Seattle and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Since the genre made its commercial debut in the early '90s, many have attempted to capture and recreate the look with personal interpretation, not least

Circling Back to "Motivational Business Music"

Nothing says Rock 'n' Roll quite like business executives leaning into their creative sides... which is exactly what Andrew Mason—founder of Groupon—did after being fired from his CEO position. Known for his "goofball antics" (as CNBC's Herb Greenberg described after naming Mason

The Internet's Most Exhaustive List of Unconventional Insurance Policies Underwritten by Lloyd's of London

If we lived in the Harry Potter universe, insurance would likely be the Dark Arts. Described by Severus Snape as "many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal," the Dark Arts has a way of offending many and delighting few, and although I'd like to think of myself

Color: A Screen Addiction Theory

Let's travel back in time to 1950. The world at large is functionally pretty similar. There are cars, furniture, televisions, magazines, and many other ordinary objects. The media we consume is entertaining, enlightening, depressing, enraging, and boring, and we can experience it via a screen or paper. If

Pizza: A Reflection of People

For many years, I have considered and interpreted a city's signature pizza style to be a reflection of the denizens of that respective city. From rich to poor and simple to bizarre, cities have a way of bringing their personalities, stereotypes, strengths, and weaknesses to the dish. In

The Significance of Nothing

The Perfect Noise Rock Formula

Art is not a math problem, but that doesn't stop me from observing it as one (or calculating it like one). As it pertains to music, we can approximate definitions for specific genres with generalized formulas. Pop? Under 4 minutes, hooky, predictable song structure. Bluegrass? Banjo/fiddle/guitar

The Charm of "High-Quantity, Low-Quality" Rappers

Despite living in a world that overwhelmingly rewards and acknowledges art focused on quality over quantity, there are always those who go against the grain and succeed. Most artists would be afraid that a poor output could besmirch their brand or sully their reputation, and they are correct to think

Colonel Sanders: An Underrated Fashion Icon

Made famous for bestowing the earth with finger lickin' good chicken, Colonel Sanders made a name for himself in his golden years as a restaurateur. We all know this story. However, I may be alone in thinking that the only thing more delicious than his drumsticks was his tasteful

Using Nonsense to Make Sense of a World That Doesn't Make Sense: Kurt Schwitters' Ursonate

We've all encountered the experience of trying to overstand something when all we needed to do was understand it. Sometimes, that's the result of interpreting a piece of literature or witnessing a movie with a bizarre ending. Other times, it feels like there's really

Three Lessons From Big Black: The Band That Stopped at Nothing to Talk About Everything

There are countless ways to describe Chicago-based proto-industrial group Big Black, but "shy" is not one of them. From 1981 until their split in 1987, they brought to light what was often swept under the mainstream rug. Among other topics, their songs discussed animal abuse, murder,