Parody as Genre Entry Point

I.                     

Q: What do these books have in common: Murder on the Orient Express; Watchmen; The Colour of Magic; The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? 

A: They’re all, to varying degrees, parodies or deconstructions of the genre that they represent  - crime fiction; superhero comics/graphic novels¹; fantasy; and sci-fi, respectively. They are also, pretty much, the first of each of these genres that I encountered, certainly the first as non-kids’ books, and I've never looked back. 

I’ve been thinking about parody and deconstructions as a genre entry point for a while now, I even started writing a thing last year, but didn’t get very far. And then I saw Amanda Palmer’s blog on “Weird Al” Yankovic and discovering some music genres via his parodies, and it has kicked my arse into gear (I mean if she can finish her book, I can do a single essay, right?) 

The First What the Function? episode of the Brain Scoop, and the Confidence Gap

Scooping up the wrong brain

I just watched the The Brain Scoop “What the Function?” video with Destin from Smarter Every Day, and my reaction was along the lines of the very similar but swearier phrase that that is playing off. I was disappointed, and a bit confused.  

I love these videos and I love that Emily Graslie is getting out there making her name as a young, female science communicator with genuine knowledge and enthusiasm. I sympathised about, and wanted somehow to help with, the “Where my ladies at?” edition, which talks about the ongoing abusive comments and discussion of her appearance that she has to put up with as a woman, and rues the fact that there aren’t more women (and girls) out there doing these videos about science and engineering and getting watched. I agree, that would be great – and when there are, it will be because of people like her. 

And so I was disappointed that the most recent Brain Scoop video was mostly given over to letting a male guest, outside his field of expertise, bluster through guesses with corrections and hints from the more knowledgeable ladies, and then explain basic stuff they already knew! It seemed to be deliberately reinforcing the idea that “guys can come in and solve problems without knowing that much”. 

Not Really a Review of Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model

In which I find a difference between performance art and theatre, and family matters are discussed

I recently went to the Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model show by Bryony Kimmings in one of its last few performances, at the Soho Theatre. This is the show where Bryony Kimmings and her 9-year-old niece Taylor encounter the current media situation for young girls: the sexualisation of women in pop culture, the continuous onslaught of marketing messages and incidental exposure to violence and misogyny. After a terrified and terrifying reaction involving eye-gouging, [1] together they create a new popstar/palaeontologist, Catherine Bennett (performed by Kimmings), to be a better role model for girls. The show touches on themes of family, how to help young girls, and the meta-commentary on the development of this show and Taylor’s work with her aunt.

Expectations are Dangerous

I went to see CLSRM because, well, I will at least consider seeing whatever is recommended by all-round cultural influences Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, whose live-on-twitter ever-loving marriage meanders back and forth across the line between envy-inducing and inspirational. Even though I don’t like everything they recommend, I will at least have analytical fun-times[2] working out why, so it’s pretty much always a net win. In this case other reviews were positive too: lots of people mentioned tears, laughter, wonderfulness, etc. And even though I don’t have kids, it still seemed like an interesting take on culture.