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Grunge, Nerds, and Gastropubs: A Mass Culture Odyssey

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Grunge, Nerds, and Gastropubs: A Mass Culture Odyssey

Written by: Kevin Craft
Narrated by: Matt Patterson
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About this listen

Ever wonder why glum rock à la Nirvana became popular in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, or why gastropubs that serve organic kumquat have replaced all-American chain restaurants like Applebee’s as the trendiest dining establishments? Can the tennis rivalry between John McEnroe and Björn Borg shed light on the type of sadness inherent to success? And what’s the connection between the music of the bands Weezer and the Presidents of the United States of America? (Hint: It has to do with the difference between pretending to be nerdy and actually being nerdy.)

©2015 Kevin Craft (P)2016 Audible, Inc. Popular Culture Social Sciences Sports
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This is a very though listen if you were a young adult in the early nighties. My understanding is that the author was even younger at the time so their views are obviously skewed by what mass media reported then more than what was actually going on. The impressions that Nirvana invented grunge or that Weezer are not really nerds are naive at best.
Anyone that paid a visit to Rivers' GitHub repositories can witness the nerdiness unfolding.

Besides being naive or misguided, the author bundles things together by association which may reflect anecdotal observations, but presenting them as generalized concepts hurt the overall credibility of the book.

I'd be lying if I did not say it's a waste of time.

Naive and opiniated impressions about the 1990s

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