tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56411593694517857442024-02-19T18:40:17.903-08:00News from Kevin MattsonKevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-1122631872450450332023-11-20T11:28:00.000-08:002023-11-20T11:28:23.932-08:00MTV get off the air<p> a recent interview I did with the Alarmist. It has been awhile...</p><p><a href="https://play.acast.com/s/alarmist/the-aftermath-did-video-kill-the-radio-star">Who killed the radio star?</a><br /></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-9796165918049985402022-09-27T14:08:00.002-07:002022-09-27T14:08:48.990-07:00Neil Jumonville R.I.P.<p> Sad that first thing I had to blog about for a while was the death of Neil Jumonville. </p><p>I write with a great sense of sadness about Neil’s passing. Though I don’t think I ever met Neil in person, ours was a relationship of the minds, with emails and phones serving as our points of communication. We discovered our shared interest in using (vulgar as that sounds) intellectual history as a means of political and social criticism. I had read his book on Henry Steele Commager, delighted to find his charge: “Historians must reach out and engage the wider public in a dialogue about historical issues if history as a field is to continue to have relevance in our national culture.”</p><p>Somehow we decided it would be a good idea to edit a book about the history and (hopefully) future of American liberalism. We both saw the history of ideas as the best approach to such a challenge. And it was while editing the book that I grew an admirer of Neil. I cherish the conversations we had, including our disagreements. We both worried about editing our heroes (or elders), like John Patrick Diggins and Alan Wolfe. We worked hard to make sure a range of views got into the book. At times difficult, Neil always kept us on the same page, figuring the best way to make the book cohere.</p><p>Neil dedicated himself to the life of the mind. A historian yes but also an intellectual. He knew his heritage – especially the New York Intellectuals (in his books <i>Critical Crossings: The New York Intellectuals in Postwar America</i> and <i>The New York Intellectuals Reader</i>). He believed the life of the mind could inform debates about the future of the nation. It was his optimism and realism in those hopes that I admired the most. He will be missed; he is already.</p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-50471213476826653792021-11-16T15:29:00.000-08:002021-11-16T15:29:07.093-08:00<p> Astroworld Disaster and thinking about the past</p><p><a href="https://slate.com/culture/2021/11/punk-response-to-deadly-huge-shows.html">Arena Rock Death</a><br /></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-87118383938447594002021-11-08T15:00:00.000-08:002021-11-08T15:00:12.385-08:00<p> The website for the book still exists and will announce soon the last online discussion hub. This includes a D.C. presentation that will hopefully be posted soon: </p><p><a href="https://notheretoentertain.wixsite.com/book">We're Not Here</a></p><p>But I'll go back to posting here things that go beyond the book.</p><p>That includes a recent piece I did for Slate:</p><p><a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/10/jimmy-carter-energy-crisis-malaise-speech-biden-supply-chain.html">Carter at Slate</a><br /></p><p>This led to an interview at:</p><p><a href="https://www.wlsam.com/john-howell/">Chicago radio</a><br /></p><p>A few sentences plucked out of context was done at Fox News:</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/ingraham-angle-on-media-embraces-lefts-dystopic-vision">Fox on Mattson</a><br /></p><p>Which led to phone messages that accused me of being both a Nazi and Commie. Go figure.</p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-77286906318424164632020-09-15T06:06:00.001-07:002020-09-15T06:06:18.373-07:00More explaining Trump<p> <a href="https://medium.com/vesto-review/explaining-trumpocracy-8b27d356b611">The Empire Trump Built</a></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-74375615818948962832020-09-08T12:37:00.000-07:002020-09-08T12:37:07.356-07:00something with no punk in it<p> Here's a story I wrote for Dissent: <a href="https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-long-trail-to-socialism">Trails to Socialism</a></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-65174387794388084362020-09-01T06:55:00.002-07:002020-09-01T06:55:23.621-07:00History News Network AND new website<p> Just to alert everyone to this piece for<i> History News Network</i>:<br /><br /><a href="https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/177126">HNN</a><br /></p><p>And the marvelous website designed by my great assistant Shalon. </p><p><a href="https://notheretoentertain.wixsite.com/book">we're not here to entertain</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Notice the blog at the new website. I'll be posting there more than here from now on...</p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-56842689773787371272020-08-20T10:08:00.002-07:002020-08-20T10:08:50.838-07:00This just in...<p><a href="https://www.ohio.edu/news/2020/08/history-professor-kevin-mattson-examines-positive-impact-punk-rock-movement-new-book">we're not here to entertain</a><br /></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-80372080754129595422020-08-18T07:19:00.001-07:002020-08-18T07:19:16.818-07:00This just in from the AV Club<p> Short and sweet review of the book: <a href="https://aux.avclub.com/what-are-you-reading-in-august-1844712529">Summer Reading</a></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-13350729171109526802020-08-17T14:00:00.000-07:002020-08-17T14:00:03.579-07:00This just in...<p> Here's a great interview I did with the hosts of the 80its. Two smart and fun guys that I enjoyed conversing with: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-1980s-punk-w-kevin-mattson/id1470083138?i=1000487729229">Punk Rock in the 80s.</a></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-71933016557267784202020-08-17T07:04:00.001-07:002020-08-17T07:04:39.898-07:00SpeakEasy: An event you don't want to miss<p> Here is a fascinating program that I'll be participating in. The theme is "Those were the Days." My theme will be the bizarre nostalgia of the 1980s that we've witnessed recently. Check it out: <a href="https://www.crowdcast.io/e/thosewerethedays/register">SpeakEasy</a></p>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-49506442596553665412020-08-07T10:28:00.001-07:002020-08-07T10:28:58.025-07:00A fun interview on the day of the book's releaseEnjoy!: <a href="https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/65cfb29a-195e-4b44-91fb-9e855ad51e03/69feebe6-8f8a-4925-93e6-d6847ef4bfbd">https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/65cfb29a-195e-4b44-91fb-9e855ad51e03/69feebe6-8f8a-4925-93e6-d6847ef4bfbd</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-90408508987242368942020-08-03T14:23:00.002-07:002020-08-03T14:23:31.157-07:00Great description of what I researched to write the book.Here's a wonderful treatment of some of the zines I used for <i>We're Not Here to Entertain</i>: <a href="https://medium.com/vesto-review/the-10-greatest-punk-zines-of-the-eighties-1f9085614caa">Great Zines</a>.Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-2657354788250655402020-07-26T09:47:00.001-07:002020-07-26T09:47:19.509-07:00Do the right thing and subscribe to<i>Dissent</i> where you'll find my latest: <a href="https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-long-trail-to-socialism">Hiking as a means to get to... socialism</a><br />
<br />Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-90798467599764734082020-07-10T08:04:00.001-07:002020-07-10T08:04:57.829-07:00Trump like Carter (cont.) or like Nixon and a send out about punk rockYou can find all of that in the podcast that I link to below. A very fun and interesting discussion. The whole show's great, but if you want to skip to me, I come in later.<br />
<br />
Here you go: <a href="https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/blog">politics, politics, and well you know.</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-14702331428272841142020-06-04T09:14:00.000-07:002020-06-04T09:14:12.855-07:00Trump Like Carter???Very interesting story here that compares Carter to Trump. My book on Carter is mentioned, The punk book argues that Carter really hit the skids by 1980 -- declaring war for protecting oil You're watching the country move to the right just as a suburban punk movement started to gel.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/02/trumps-presidency-is-looking-whole-lot-like-jimmy-carters/">The "Carterization of Donald Trump"</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-38109892488636715672020-06-03T07:05:00.003-07:002020-06-03T07:05:48.230-07:00WITH THE HELP OF THOSE MUCH BETTER THAN ME...Please visit the "Top Ten Punk Songs" against the police here: <a href="https://vestopr.com/punk-songs-protesting-the-police-from-the-early-80s-a-playlist/">Punks vs. Police</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-70058261716096973592020-05-31T14:32:00.001-07:002020-05-31T14:32:01.879-07:00THE POLICE AND THE BOOK!!!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alright, the book long in the making -- <i>We're Not Here to Entertain</i> -- is about to come out, and I'm surveying the tragedies we're going through right now, and I'm thinking about how many 1980s punk songs focused on suspicions about the police. So I've gone ahead and made: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Top 10 Punk Songs
about Police<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dead Kennedys, “Police Truck”: One of the best. Not just
anti police but anti-macho.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Black Flag, “Police Story”: “A war we can’t win…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which was proven when the LAPD practically
shut down every show they could.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Dicks, “Anti-Klan,” with great opening line: “I see that
you’re a policeman, I know you’re in the Ku Klux Klan” (before they moved to
San Francisco, this band was from Texas!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During 1980s protests, I remember the chant: “The cops and the Klan go
hand in hand!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Dicks (yes they get two, because they were <i>the</i>
anti-police band, just as much if not more than MDC): “Dicks Hate the
Police.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one lasted, especially when
Mudhoney covered it later on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Red C, “Pressure’s On” (early political punk in D.C., with
Tomas who would later lead the very political band, Beefeater.) This is a great one with its shredded vocals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Circle Jerks, “Back Against the Wall”: The futility of
rebellion, much like “Police Story.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Crucifucks, “Cops for Fertilizer” and get a hold of the
album where there’s a recording of the police talking to the band’s leader
about an upcoming show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It ends with the
following skirmish, “You guys… shouldn’t go so far out of your way to make
fools of yourselves.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To which, the authority
figure on the other side retorts: “Well, that’s a matter of opinion.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The band’s retort?: “It’s a matter of
intelligence.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Vandals, “The Legend of Pat Brown” about a punk arrested
for trying to run the cops down in his car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also featured in the movie <i>Suburbia</i>, the quasi-realistic
depiction of suburban punk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SS Decontrol, “Police Beat”: Slightly obvious, like much of
the band’s releases.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
MDC, “Dead Cops”: Even more blunt than SS Decontrol and
clocks in below thirty seconds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /><br />
All of these angry songs can be found on youtube. I'm not sure it's right to say "enjoy," maybe flex your anger muscles.Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-60096509469978466352019-12-08T10:01:00.002-08:002019-12-08T10:12:48.604-08:00once more trump/nixonThe latest of this on-going history. Yours truly is here...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2019/11/45-years-after-nixon-another-us-president-faces-impeachment/">trump nixon again</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-88929743818347585672019-10-12T08:00:00.001-07:002019-10-12T08:01:24.418-07:00The first interview about the next bookThe first and hopefully not the last discussion of the forthcoming book, <i>We're Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America.</i> Appropriately on a podcast dealing with 1980s pop culture. You can listen here (I come in after a beginning segment):<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIFiTTLoF4BpL3sntkCg7qA">The 80its</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-17845291105358736222019-10-12T07:54:00.001-07:002019-10-12T07:54:57.952-07:00Alaska finally...Evidence: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SHzFCKoJCIrC1FcJtxz1T2heztz26mE0KrYzdu49cezLDm85GwdvEctBowA3AawKXE3KMV_H5S_uH0hckkB3CwY-Jmz-O3j5qj9HbCcAlHnDWq4F9B5tQ5CxiJ8VJ96fVJfMsClXxag7/s1600/DSCF2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SHzFCKoJCIrC1FcJtxz1T2heztz26mE0KrYzdu49cezLDm85GwdvEctBowA3AawKXE3KMV_H5S_uH0hckkB3CwY-Jmz-O3j5qj9HbCcAlHnDWq4F9B5tQ5CxiJ8VJ96fVJfMsClXxag7/s320/DSCF2521.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-71597881770157225822019-04-23T07:04:00.002-07:002019-04-23T07:04:48.633-07:00Punk Rock Research now takes fruit...I've been in the archives a long time now. What I link to here is an article that I wrote for <i>The Sixties Journal</i>. It's about Detroit as the geographical root for punk during the long sixties (and it's a long piece). Presently, I'm revising the book about 1980s punk... For now check this out: <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17541328.2019.1603930">Leather Jackets for Flowers...</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-27997086416422697962019-01-11T11:03:00.004-08:002019-01-11T11:03:58.580-08:00a good readYours truly has a piece in this recent book (about Bernie Sanders versus Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama). But I post this because it's also a really smart book of essays. Who would have thought that a bunch of intellectual historians could produce such a fine collection? Check it out: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Labyrinth-Intellectual-History-Complicated/dp/1501730983/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1547233193&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=ray+haberski">American Labyrinth</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-62905111902646643502018-12-12T09:54:00.003-08:002018-12-12T09:54:40.190-08:00a sweeping conversation about populism's fate in contemporary political cultureI post here a conversation with Burt Cohen about the fate of populism today (on the very important show "Keeping Democracy Alive"). It was a great conversation and hope you enjoy: <a href="http://keepingdemocracyalive.com/populism-aint-what-it-used-to-be/">Populism ain't what it used to be</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641159369451785744.post-92116895522450992502018-09-12T12:12:00.001-07:002018-09-12T12:12:08.232-07:00latest on the "malaise speech": It's now a play!Check out here an interview I did with two very interesting folks who have turned the "malaise speech" into a play. Yes indeed: <a href="http://www.wfae.org/post/charlotte-talks-crisis-confidence-speech-reimagined-charlotte-play">Confidence.</a>Kevin Mattsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05293143149689592238noreply@blogger.com0