1/26/2004
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Ben, wow. Um, yeah, "CBS Sunday Morning" is one of my all-time faves, and I try to watch every week. It's so antithetical to our generation's News! Now! philosophy--well-thought and pleasantly paced features that go beyond the 7-second soundbite and 2-minute story. I liken it to NPR for television. (In fact the CBS crew calls it a Sunday paper on television.) In any event, it's wonderful. And if you like it, you'll also love PRI's "This American Life" on the radio. Have fun going through the archives. Ira Glass has become a kind of uber-radio-geek and has faced a bit of a backlash in certain sectors of "cool," but it's still a wonderful program, perhaps the best radio show out there.
Which brings me to a pet peeve. Some very quality things get dissed just because they become popular. It's the age-old question of the sell-out. Can things still be good once they are big? I'm currently reading "Live From New York" about SNL's history, and this debate was going on back then, too, and it's probably gone on as long as anything has been "cool" or "hip" or whatever. I reason that even if something gains popularity with the masses, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's lost its edge completely. SNL certainly has gotten less edgy as the years have gone on, but it's still remarkable that it's around and has the occasional ability to hit it out of the park.
Perhaps because "CBS Sunday Morning" is aimed at an older audience, it hasn't really been on the "hip" rollercoaster, but "This American Life" has to some degree, even when quality has remained the same. Sometimes the fickle winds of popularity need to get over themselves.
Which brings me to a pet peeve. Some very quality things get dissed just because they become popular. It's the age-old question of the sell-out. Can things still be good once they are big? I'm currently reading "Live From New York" about SNL's history, and this debate was going on back then, too, and it's probably gone on as long as anything has been "cool" or "hip" or whatever. I reason that even if something gains popularity with the masses, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's lost its edge completely. SNL certainly has gotten less edgy as the years have gone on, but it's still remarkable that it's around and has the occasional ability to hit it out of the park.
Perhaps because "CBS Sunday Morning" is aimed at an older audience, it hasn't really been on the "hip" rollercoaster, but "This American Life" has to some degree, even when quality has remained the same. Sometimes the fickle winds of popularity need to get over themselves.
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