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Yes There’s Such a Thing as American Culture
It’s a shame so many bigots, billionaires, and talent-free bastards have worked so hard ruining it
I think a lot about art and creativity. Now that I’m working with AI, it’s pushing me to think in ways I haven’t before. I like that, and I hope others can share the exhilaration of making something new.
There were great books in the 20th century, books that said something profound about our world and people, providing an American perspective, using American language. Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Toni Morrison’s Beloved.
There were gifted artists in the 20th century that reflected America, from Andy Warhol’s pop art to Edward Hopper’s lonely cityscapes to Andrew Wyeth’s evocative, yearning landscapes.
American music was great in the 1960s and 70s. Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, the Beach Boys.
The Golden Age of American film and television was probably the 50s and 60s, with a few notable film exceptions in the 70s.
Ever since I decided to start writing again in the mid-1990s, something has felt “off.” None of the artists, writers, or musicians I mentioned could be remotely described as “sell-outs” or people aiming only at a top-40, bestseller, cover of TIME Magazine, or big box…
