Culture Writing
Ever wondered the creative processes of Pink Floyd? Or how Bob Ross became the king of ASMR?
Or if Bella Swan is just like one of us? I did too! So I wrote some essays on them.
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Coming off the success of The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd had some reconciling to do. Firstly, it became increasingly obvious that the removal of Syd Barrett, one of the original members of Pink Floyd, would not solve the looming issue that he was losing his mind. Despite being ousted from the band in 1968 before the release of The Dark Side of the Moon, the band was still plagued with the results of his erratic behavior years after. There have been rumors that schizophrenia coupled with his frequent use of LSD acted as the catalyst that set Barrett on an inevitable path of tragedy, although only the drug use is confirmed. Secondly, the members of Pink Floyd were grappling with fame, and the very institution of it. Peter Jenner, Pink Floyd’s first manager, has said that the band was feeling particularly agitated as the demands for huge venues and crowds confined them into a lifestyle that prevented them from playing music at their will.
Bob Ross is memorialized through more than just his paintings. An annual Bob Ross bar crawl takes place in Chicago every year, and his company, Bob Ross Inc., sells merchandise like ornaments and bobble heads to adorning fans. For his fans, Bob Ross wasn’t just an artist and art teacher. He was their daily motivation and encouragement, materialized into 25 minute painting episodes filled with “happy little accidents.” For example, in a 2018 Artsy article, photography professor Krista Svalbonas said that despite her poor painting skills, Ross made her feel like she could accomplish anything. Ross’ voice, which at points in his episodes was no louder than a whisper, has become a source of modern-day ASMR, only adding to his list of accomplishments.
Being a parent in 2008 couldn’t have been easy. In addition to the already awkward talks of dating and sex they must have with their teenage children, there was the issue of navigating the new dating craze: dating a vampire. My own parents decided that I, at the ripe age of 8, was too young to see Twilight, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, in theaters. By the time I turned 11 though, all bets were off. Sliding the disc into my television’s DVD player, I prepared for a gothic enlightenment.