W. David Marx
@wdavidmarx.bsky.social
Author of Blank Space, Ametora, and Status and Culture. Newsletter at http://culture.ghost.io. Tokyo, Japan.
Reposted by W. David Marx
"The biggest story of the last year is that Trump has, in a very short amount of time, squandered most of his political capital by running a belligerent, unlawful, and fascist regime. But the second biggest is that the right has squandered all of the cultural capital his election brought them."
The Hilarious Decline of MAGA’s Brief Cultural Relevance
A year ago, everyone was doing the “Trump dance.” Now the president is too scared to show his face at the Super Bowl, and the right’s “alternative” halftime show features the cringey, washed-up Kid Ro...
newrepublic.com
February 7, 2026 at 6:58 PM
"The biggest story of the last year is that Trump has, in a very short amount of time, squandered most of his political capital by running a belligerent, unlawful, and fascist regime. But the second biggest is that the right has squandered all of the cultural capital his election brought them."
Reposted by W. David Marx
Interestingly, a similar thesis was made by this book, though not as a positive thing: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769187...
The author's claim was that once you equate fame/wealth with success (above e.g. artistry, insightfulness) many things go to shit.
The author's claim was that once you equate fame/wealth with success (above e.g. artistry, insightfulness) many things go to shit.
February 7, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Interestingly, a similar thesis was made by this book, though not as a positive thing: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769187...
The author's claim was that once you equate fame/wealth with success (above e.g. artistry, insightfulness) many things go to shit.
The author's claim was that once you equate fame/wealth with success (above e.g. artistry, insightfulness) many things go to shit.
Robin Williams came into Tokion, and was looking at a shirt and I said we also have it in other sizes and he made a very animated WHUZAA sound and gesture and then bought something and left
One of my academic colleagues looks a bit like Bob Mortimer. One time near our labs I saw him walking towards me and I warmly said Hey Kevin. It was Bob Mortimer.
Please share your very low impact celebrity encounters here.
Please share your very low impact celebrity encounters here.
Fun low level anecdote: I once sat near Peter Mandelson in a theatre but I had a name blank and said rather too loudly ‘ooh look it’s Michael Portillo!’
He was visibly unamused.
He was visibly unamused.
February 5, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Robin Williams came into Tokion, and was looking at a shirt and I said we also have it in other sizes and he made a very animated WHUZAA sound and gesture and then bought something and left
Reposted by W. David Marx
Our virtual Literary Thursdays series brings you live conversations with amazing writers.
Learn More about our February guests: @wdavidmarx.bsky.social, @brianjoneseducator.bsky.social, @vluck89.bsky.social, and Brianna Holt!
queenslibrary.org/calendar?sea...
#BlackHistoryMonth
Learn More about our February guests: @wdavidmarx.bsky.social, @brianjoneseducator.bsky.social, @vluck89.bsky.social, and Brianna Holt!
queenslibrary.org/calendar?sea...
#BlackHistoryMonth
February 1, 2026 at 9:39 PM
Our virtual Literary Thursdays series brings you live conversations with amazing writers.
Learn More about our February guests: @wdavidmarx.bsky.social, @brianjoneseducator.bsky.social, @vluck89.bsky.social, and Brianna Holt!
queenslibrary.org/calendar?sea...
#BlackHistoryMonth
Learn More about our February guests: @wdavidmarx.bsky.social, @brianjoneseducator.bsky.social, @vluck89.bsky.social, and Brianna Holt!
queenslibrary.org/calendar?sea...
#BlackHistoryMonth
Reposted by W. David Marx
My new book Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers, and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984-94 is out in June on @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social . It's a love letter to the music of my youth and a flashback to the most exciting time of my writing life. Pre-order geni.us/StillInADream
January 29, 2026 at 7:12 PM
My new book Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers, and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984-94 is out in June on @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social . It's a love letter to the music of my youth and a flashback to the most exciting time of my writing life. Pre-order geni.us/StillInADream
The only good part of the first "Melania" film is the Wes Anderson-esque opening credits sequence where they got Paul Simon to sing a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings' "Mamunia" with every instance of "Mamunia" replaced with "Melania"
January 31, 2026 at 2:51 AM
The only good part of the first "Melania" film is the Wes Anderson-esque opening credits sequence where they got Paul Simon to sing a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings' "Mamunia" with every instance of "Mamunia" replaced with "Melania"
Reposted by W. David Marx
What do Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump have in common?
As cultural critic @wdavidmarx.bsky.social argues in his book Blank Space, they are all representatives of a single MONOCULTURE that has taken over the planet...
Full convo HERE 👇🏻
youtu.be/d_fwbtnUr5Y
As cultural critic @wdavidmarx.bsky.social argues in his book Blank Space, they are all representatives of a single MONOCULTURE that has taken over the planet...
Full convo HERE 👇🏻
youtu.be/d_fwbtnUr5Y
January 28, 2026 at 2:47 PM
What do Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump have in common?
As cultural critic @wdavidmarx.bsky.social argues in his book Blank Space, they are all representatives of a single MONOCULTURE that has taken over the planet...
Full convo HERE 👇🏻
youtu.be/d_fwbtnUr5Y
As cultural critic @wdavidmarx.bsky.social argues in his book Blank Space, they are all representatives of a single MONOCULTURE that has taken over the planet...
Full convo HERE 👇🏻
youtu.be/d_fwbtnUr5Y
Reposted by W. David Marx
meu deus o w david marx citando vampire weekend e pulp no mesmo parágrafo de análise cultural do capitalismo tardio estou assim
a blue background with the word chromastone10 in the middle
ALT: a blue background with the word chromastone10 in the middle
media.tenor.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:23 PM
meu deus o w david marx citando vampire weekend e pulp no mesmo parágrafo de análise cultural do capitalismo tardio estou assim
The Industry score is nice but the soundtrack declines to ever be more obscure than a high schooler's mixtape from 1998
Oh wow, how did you ever think to use Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary? Was it possiblely because it's already famous as the main theme in A Clockwork Orange?
Oh wow, how did you ever think to use Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary? Was it possiblely because it's already famous as the main theme in A Clockwork Orange?
The soundtrack from Industry, HBO's horniest show about finance, is clever and impeccably selected, reveling in icy synths that encapsulate the way money, sex, and drugs can intertwine into one nihilistic rush
The Sneaky Genius of Industry's Synthy Soundtrack
For four seasons, the HBO show has given us impeccable needle drops that subtly undermine its shady world of crypto-capitalism.
www.hearingthings.co
January 26, 2026 at 9:37 PM
The Industry score is nice but the soundtrack declines to ever be more obscure than a high schooler's mixtape from 1998
Oh wow, how did you ever think to use Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary? Was it possiblely because it's already famous as the main theme in A Clockwork Orange?
Oh wow, how did you ever think to use Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary? Was it possiblely because it's already famous as the main theme in A Clockwork Orange?
Reposted by W. David Marx
"If you watch an episode of Cheers, you might hear references to foreign filmmakers, to classical musicians, to Russian novelists. The level of assumed knowledge back then was far greater; now, TV is rarely adventurous in its allusions."
TV brain rot: The real reason television shows are getting stupider www.the-independent.com/arts-enterta...
TV brain rot: The real reason television shows are getting stupider
It’s crazy for streamers to prioritise ‘second-screen viewing’, writes Louis Chilton – but that’s not the only way TV seems to have lost faith in its audience
www.the-independent.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM
"If you watch an episode of Cheers, you might hear references to foreign filmmakers, to classical musicians, to Russian novelists. The level of assumed knowledge back then was far greater; now, TV is rarely adventurous in its allusions."
Reposted by W. David Marx
What used to require shame and ostracism is now baked into the internet’s economic infrastructure. The algorithmic reality of technology platforms has codified conformity into the human condition. And it is very profitable—the real late-stage capitalism.
Our Algorithmic Grey-Beige World
Made with OpenAi/ChatGPT I start my morning going through nearly 250 feeds that flow into my “reader” app. Today, two quotes stood out in my early morning reading. “The main purpo…
om.co
January 16, 2026 at 10:30 PM
What used to require shame and ostracism is now baked into the internet’s economic infrastructure. The algorithmic reality of technology platforms has codified conformity into the human condition. And it is very profitable—the real late-stage capitalism.
Reposted by W. David Marx
✒️ CHRONIQUE – La culture du 21e siècle est-elle nulle ? Pour l'essayiste américain W. David Marx, la culture du premier quart du siècle se déploie dans un « espace vide ». https://www.scienceshumaines.com/la-culture-du-21e-siecle-est-elle-nulle
January 10, 2026 at 9:30 AM
✒️ CHRONIQUE – La culture du 21e siècle est-elle nulle ? Pour l'essayiste américain W. David Marx, la culture du premier quart du siècle se déploie dans un « espace vide ». https://www.scienceshumaines.com/la-culture-du-21e-siecle-est-elle-nulle
And yet those monsters dare say culture is stagnating
And The Reason Is You: Hear Steve Aoki’s Remix of The Hoobastank Classic
And The Reason Is You: Hear Steve Aoki’s Remix of The Hoobastank Classic
Steve Aoki and Dutch hardstyle duo Sound Rush have remixed Hoobastank's Grammy nominated classic 'The Reason.'
bit.ly
January 9, 2026 at 9:22 PM
And yet those monsters dare say culture is stagnating
Reposted by W. David Marx
Some additional notes on my 2026 New York Times 52-Places to Go pick: Nagasaki
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
My 2026 New York Times Pick — Nagasaki
craigmod.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:58 AM
Some additional notes on my 2026 New York Times 52-Places to Go pick: Nagasaki
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
The series "M. Son of the Century" about Mussolini establishes that '99-era Electronica is the sound of fascism
January 3, 2026 at 2:31 AM
The series "M. Son of the Century" about Mussolini establishes that '99-era Electronica is the sound of fascism
Reposted by W. David Marx
new quarter century
more art
more good
more art
more good
January 1, 2026 at 1:23 PM
new quarter century
more art
more good
more art
more good
Reposted by W. David Marx
One year ago today, @slate.com published an excerpt from my essay collection Y2K, which came out in January 2025. It’s a braided narrative about Y2K pop culture, time capsules, and millennial disappointment, and I’d appreciate if you gave it a read. slate.com/life/2024/12...
I Uncovered My Fifth Grade Time-Capsule Essay About the New Millennium. It Put So Much Into Perspective.
A look back on the hopefulness and heartbreak of the new millennium.
slate.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:12 PM
One year ago today, @slate.com published an excerpt from my essay collection Y2K, which came out in January 2025. It’s a braided narrative about Y2K pop culture, time capsules, and millennial disappointment, and I’d appreciate if you gave it a read. slate.com/life/2024/12...
Reposted by W. David Marx
An interview with William Gibson on men's wear fashion in Japan of all things.
- Buzz Rickson collaborated with him because he included their brand in Pattern Recognition.
- He's apparently a fan of Acronym & Self Edge.
-A conversation on simulacra & authenticity
www.heddels.com/2015/03/will...
- Buzz Rickson collaborated with him because he included their brand in Pattern Recognition.
- He's apparently a fan of Acronym & Self Edge.
-A conversation on simulacra & authenticity
www.heddels.com/2015/03/will...
William Gibson Interview: His Buzz Rickson's Line, Tech Wear, and the Limits of Authenticity
We interview sci-fi author William Gibson about his line with Buzz Rickson's, vintage, and how the internet has changed men's fashion.
www.heddels.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
An interview with William Gibson on men's wear fashion in Japan of all things.
- Buzz Rickson collaborated with him because he included their brand in Pattern Recognition.
- He's apparently a fan of Acronym & Self Edge.
-A conversation on simulacra & authenticity
www.heddels.com/2015/03/will...
- Buzz Rickson collaborated with him because he included their brand in Pattern Recognition.
- He's apparently a fan of Acronym & Self Edge.
-A conversation on simulacra & authenticity
www.heddels.com/2015/03/will...
Reposted by W. David Marx
From “anything goes” to “something holds.” A culture that treats pluralism as an end becomes a monoculture of scale; only a constructive ideology can turn pluralism back into a path toward truth and the common good.
Read the Essay
thinkingprospectus.substack.com/p/beyond-sca...
Read the Essay
thinkingprospectus.substack.com/p/beyond-sca...
December 29, 2025 at 12:41 AM
From “anything goes” to “something holds.” A culture that treats pluralism as an end becomes a monoculture of scale; only a constructive ideology can turn pluralism back into a path toward truth and the common good.
Read the Essay
thinkingprospectus.substack.com/p/beyond-sca...
Read the Essay
thinkingprospectus.substack.com/p/beyond-sca...
Reposted by W. David Marx
Intervju med forfatter og kulturkritiker W. David Marx. (+)
https://www.europesays.com/no/117852/
W. David Marx Foto: Seishi Shirakawa «Det er vanskeligere å forestille seg slutten på Taylor Swift enn verdens…
https://www.europesays.com/no/117852/
W. David Marx Foto: Seishi Shirakawa «Det er vanskeligere å forestille seg slutten på Taylor Swift enn verdens…
Intervju med forfatter og kulturkritiker W. David Marx. (+) - Norge
Foto: Seishi Shirakawa
www.europesays.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Intervju med forfatter og kulturkritiker W. David Marx. (+)
https://www.europesays.com/no/117852/
W. David Marx Foto: Seishi Shirakawa «Det er vanskeligere å forestille seg slutten på Taylor Swift enn verdens…
https://www.europesays.com/no/117852/
W. David Marx Foto: Seishi Shirakawa «Det er vanskeligere å forestille seg slutten på Taylor Swift enn verdens…
Reposted by W. David Marx
In his new book, “Blank Space,” critic and historian W. David Marx argues that there's been a dramatic decline of creative innovation. But a number of works — songs and television shows, especially — might help shake us out of the malaise.
A pop culture skeptic on the 21st-century works that really matter
In ‘Blank Space,’ W. David Marx argues that we live in an age of declining creative innovation. He talked to The Post about art that’s still shaking things up.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM
In his new book, “Blank Space,” critic and historian W. David Marx argues that there's been a dramatic decline of creative innovation. But a number of works — songs and television shows, especially — might help shake us out of the malaise.
Reposted by W. David Marx
December 16, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Big year for The Pixies having the "Where is My Mind?" chord sequence power two big songs for other artists.
Liquidize removes the vi and goes straight to III before going to the IV, but still uses the same harmonic structure. But same key and guitar sound.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qr...
Liquidize removes the vi and goes straight to III before going to the IV, but still uses the same harmonic structure. But same key and guitar sound.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qr...
Wet Leg - liquidize (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Wet Leg
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Big year for The Pixies having the "Where is My Mind?" chord sequence power two big songs for other artists.
Liquidize removes the vi and goes straight to III before going to the IV, but still uses the same harmonic structure. But same key and guitar sound.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qr...
Liquidize removes the vi and goes straight to III before going to the IV, but still uses the same harmonic structure. But same key and guitar sound.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qr...