You could probably argue that fanwork is in the middle of that transition.

He says he doesn't like anything with "commercial or superficial intent." Oh fucking really? That's a broad damn brush.

So he grows, harvests, and cooks his own food all the time? Doesn't consume any media whatsoever? Because almost every book, song, play, movie, what have you, had SOME commercial intent behind it.

For that matter, if he doesn't like anything with "commercial intent", wtf is he doing on an internet dating site?

The opera riots back in the day may not have been as bloody as Altamont Speedway, but it could get pretty seedy and "popular" back then.

Here was my response to him:

I think that drawing a bright line between culture and pop culture is pretty bullshit. Is it automatically pop culture if you get paid for it? What's the defining line? Is pop culture what you personally don't like? Do you spurn a band if they become popular? Should artists not get paid for their work, or only paid directly? Is commissioned work permissible or selling one's artistic soul to the devil? "Commercial or superficial" is a pretty vague way to delineate pop culture, IMHO.

A lot of what we now call "culture" was the pop culture of its time; Dickens, Shakespeare, ballet, jazz, etc. Some pop culture goes pretty damn deep - you're talking to someone who has gone to academic conferences on pop culture. NB: my username is two pop culture references.

Still interested?

I just had to send an email to one of the admin assistants at the math department asking where I'm supposed to go to get a new campus parking permit. The one I have is expiring, and I can't remember where they sent me to get it last time, and parking section of the university website keeps directing me to "the Parking Office" without ever once giving a building name and room number for this office.

I feel like a horrible person-- I am doing costumes as a favor to a friend. He wants them in 1920's wear. He thinks we have a lot of money to spend ($300 on the whole show). There are 12 people in the cast, 10 of them men (5 of those robots). THREE of the men not playing robots are short, portly men (one has a 56 in waist). I do not have access to 1920's wear in this size (did I mention they each need 2 - 3 outfits!). I honestly would not mind this if I had money to spend on suits, the skill and time to build suits or was getting paid. I have come up with so many looks that can read 20's that don't involve suits, but the one man also has mobility issues and is completely pitched forward at the waist- he pretty much needs custom made dress pants, as they get pulled back tightly over his thighs, with wads of fabric balled up in his crotch.

I seriously don't even know what to do.\

Raymond Chandler, Philip K. Dick(whom I still don't like, but People do)

I seriously don't even know what to do.

Sophia, that sounds impossible on that budget. Does he think you can costumes from somewhere else?

I think he was thinking I could get costumes from the theatre, but we costume college boys, so we do not have anything this size. Also, since 2 of the men are small shouldered and just have big guts, the suits that fit their guts need MAJOR alterations in the shoulder area.

I know, for him, it is the trying that is important, not the success, but I do so little designing I really hate for people to see something that looks like crap. It is also just too late to scrap and start over.

I lost it last week when he wanted to add 4 more robots.

The robots/1920s mix is interesting, to say the least.

I think you have to be completely honest with him about the limitations.