Pop Culture Entity

02:38 / 20.05.05

In the post modern magic thread it was mentioned that we should pick a pop culture entity and work with it for a while. So who's in and what/who you wanna work with?

23:04 / 20.05.05

I suppose the chosen figure would depend on what the group was trying to accomplish with the working. It's an intriguing idea, but I need to have a better idea of what the intended goal (if any) would be before I could make any suggestions.

LVX23

01:37 / 21.05.05

I suggest working with a figure of some depth and character - somebody who might have some power to affect real positive change within pop culture. Someone fittingly representative of a strong and transformative archetype. Hmm... Gandalf comes to mind but that might be a bit too obvious. Alas, my brains grasps at other examples and, shaking, falters.

01:58 / 21.05.05

Liber null

I suppose the chosen figure would depend on what the group was trying to accomplish with the working. It's an intriguing idea, but I need to have a better idea of what the intended goal (if any) would be before I could make any suggestions.

The intended goal has yet to be determined. It'll be determined through the type of entity picked out...

Lvx23

I suggest working with a figure of some depth and character - somebody who might have some power to affect real positive change within pop culture. Someone fittingly representative of a strong and transformative archetype. Hmm... Gandalf comes to mind but that might be a bit too obvious. Alas, my brains grasps at other examples and, shaking, falters.

Define real positive change in pop culture...what would constitute real positive change...Gandlaf would be a useful being to work with. Obviousness is soemtiems the best weapon to use.

09:29 / 21.05.05

Gandalf would also have the advantage of age, as he was created in the thirties. Not many other pop culture figures have that kind of staying power...

14:24 / 21.05.05

Liger Null,

Sorry about the misspelling your handle in my above post. I agree about the age factor. Gandalf is more established.

Unconditional Love

15:07 / 21.05.05

gandalf wikipedia

gandalf arda

two summaries of gandalfs character and some possible influences into gandalfs creation.

---

15:25 / 21.05.05

If you decide to go ahead with this choice I'll be able to help out a little with some history on Gandalf that I can write up here from Unfinished Tales. It has a chapter on the Istari (the five wizards that Gandalf was part of when he first went to middle earth.) and might contain some useful information for people wanting to know a little more about him.

16:48 / 21.05.05

Gandalf? no no no.

If you're going to go pomo, go pomo.

Hedwig.

really.

ta
pablo

Aertho

17:13 / 21.05.05

I second Hedwig over Gandalf. Who needs another Wise Old Man archetype? I certainly don't.

Neither Hedwig or Gandalf captures zeitgeist, as it were. I may have missed it: Are we going for a fictional entity here, or can we pick someone "real"?

Nietzsch E. Coyote

17:43 / 21.05.05

I've always had great results with the Looney Tunes characters.

But what is the purpose of the working?

18:01 / 21.05.05

I think Hedwig captures a certain spirit of the time. The resolution of polarisation, of seperation, of identity.

depends on what you want to work with.

Hedwig is perfect for antinomy.

Bug Bunny is perfect for stirring the pot, as any trickster figure worth their weight in carrots.

Gandalf is perfect for evoking hope.

what are we trying to embody? what type of work are we doing? to what end?

I'm for Hedwig.

Bugs Bunny already evokes himself as necessary (but not always as welcome - but such is his nature, popping out of the ground with hardly a "hello" before the "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque."

ta
pablo

---

18:11 / 21.05.05

If Gandalf's out then that's me done too, I'm still hoping to work with a character that doesn't want to be named and need to do it solo. I'd name him but he's a miserable, mean fuck and would only give me a barrage of crap for ages if I posted his name here. (these things really do not feel 'fictional' sometimes, maybe something to do with the amount of belief that you invest in them.)

18:40 / 21.05.05

creating a pop cultural entity, instead of glomming onto ones that are already developed or developing...

how about the child of Mercury and Silicon?

we call her the Internet.

does anyone need anything more pop cultural than that?

ta
pablo

mistress_swank

22:57 / 21.05.05

I've been having pretty phenomenal results working with/for (?) Hunter S. Thompson lately, but I'm not sure if y'all'd consider him "pop culture."

02:41 / 22.05.05

This might be helpful.

We could just close our collective eyes and point. Wherever the collective finger lands, that's our guy...or gal.

04:35 / 22.05.05

If we're going with magic types what about Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files...I guess we could use Hedgewige...Seems liek if we used him, or Gandalf, or Dresden that woudl go for a pop culture information entity.

Alex's Grandma

10:33 / 22.05.05

I have a feeling this is never going to be decided, but another vote for Bugs Bunny.

Or what about... what about Mr Nobody from The Doom Patrol - same difference really, and it'd be totally 'meta' !

Seth

20:54 / 22.05.05

How about working with Barbelith?

20:55 / 22.05.05

genius Seth. pure genius.

ta
pablo

gravitybitch

02:55 / 23.05.05

Yoda??

He's "cute", one of the good guys, and it'll be much too easy to find figurines to work with...

gravitybitch

02:57 / 23.05.05

But, ja, if that doesn't work for folks, I'll add another tick in the column for Hedwig. Me being a San Franciscan and all.

LVX23

19:57 / 23.05.05

Taylor, since you started this thread, what is the intent? I think we need to define this first before any concensus will be reached wrt which entity.

Unconditional Love

20:57 / 23.05.05

the alien queen? cthonic dark mother.....

Unconditional Love

20:59 / 23.05.05

chest bursters as a metaphor for kundalini?

eye landed

02:57 / 24.05.05

maybe we could do something with this guy. like gandalf, hes got sort of a pointy hat style going on-- and check out those trails of power coming out of his hands (which means we can touch him by touching anything on the grid). hes anonymous, hes world famous, he demonstrates masculinazation of women in power, hes a tragic victim of a bizarre love triangle, as well as your free market complacency, and he may or may not want to explode you to death if he ever gets out of there. and we might end up in his position if we talk about him too much.

LykeX

05:46 / 24.05.05

I don't know about the rest of you, but that suggestion is the first one that's made me go, "YES!"

13:08 / 24.05.05

Is there any way we can find out just who that person is? Like his name, personal history, etc. in order to build a convincing mythos?

ONLY NICE THINGS

13:59 / 24.05.05

You're going for a working centred around an iconographic representation of the abuse of state power and the humiliation of the individual? You're also transforming a flesh and blood person into "pop culture magic" just because they've been on television?

Is this really where you want to go here? Only, this way lies Rage and her Nick Berg art.

Sekhmet

14:29 / 24.05.05

Am I wrong to be really offended by this? It's pretty hard to offend me, but... gaaaaah.

trouser the trouserian

14:53 / 24.05.05

I concurr, Sekhmet. Hopefully, some pop-culture magician will be along sometime soon with a well-reasoned argument as to how this is reflective of Popular Culture and magic working together?

Frater Treinta

15:03 / 24.05.05

Can there be power in discomfort?

Gypsy Lantern

15:15 / 24.05.05

Can there be power in being a twat?

akira

15:53 / 24.05.05

Only a cock juggleing thunder one.