CCM, Heavy Metal, and the Lure of Possibility
Just last week, I was reading Deena Weinstein’s landmark 1991 study Heavy Metal: A Cultural Sociology and I was nearly stopped in my tracks by the final chapter, which deals with metal’s “detractors” from across the political spectrum. While conservative criticisms of heavy metal are well-known through the work of groups like the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC)––most often centered on its lyrical proclivities for violence, sexuality, and images of Satanic ritual––the... Read More
On Mediation
The word “mediation” has a number of connotations relevant to the purpose of this blog. Firstly, mediation pertains to the concept of media, the plural of medium, a substance or channel through which a signal passes. A sound wave travels through the medium of air before reaching the ear; an image of a flower is reproduced via the medium of digital photography. The relationship between the medium (or form) a signal or message passes through and its content is hard to... Read More
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