In the past, many people were guided in part by a sense of something being “current”, but also because it was really hard to find anything else. But today we have the ability to pick and choose from all precedents like it is one big buffet. Any element of the past is readily available, either genuine or a close-enough facsimile. Besides the effect of technology, I think the situation is strongly reinforced by the fact that we have not had a tangible name for “our time” for over a decade (such as “the sixties”), and we will not have one for another 9 years. There is no common term to refer to the years 2000-2009 or 2010-2019. A fairly shocking turn of events after 80 years of having fierce decade identities.
May 10, 2011
This wouldn’t be a problem if we all could just go home again.
May 10, 2011
The recent run of Cat and Girl seems to be putting my own ‘Something Happened’ to shame. Luckily Donation Derby is fantastic
May 10, 2011
culture is dead. long live culture!
May 10, 2011
I spent this morning studying the cover of Raphael Saadiq’s latest album very closely.
May 10, 2011
So I wonder if “dark girl” from the mirror is actually supposed to be from the unsatisfactorily realized future?
May 10, 2011
It’s been done.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/us-dept-of-retro-warns-we-may-be-running-out-of-pa,873/
May 10, 2011
Loving the shadow work! And especially that it’s shared.
May 11, 2011
Good one :)
May 11, 2011
I love Cat’s line in panel 7. (I assume he pronounces “appropriate” differently each time, once as an adjective and once as a verb.)
May 11, 2011
Erika: Girl’s “recreation of the past…define our present,” then, also gives me two pronunciations hence moanings of “recreation”. Thank you!
May 11, 2011
And yet, no matter what, we will always shimmy away from the leisure suit. Nobody’s bringing back the leisure suit.
May 12, 2011
In the past, many people were guided in part by a sense of something being “current”, but also because it was really hard to find anything else. But today we have the ability to pick and choose from all precedents like it is one big buffet. Any element of the past is readily available, either genuine or a close-enough facsimile. Besides the effect of technology, I think the situation is strongly reinforced by the fact that we have not had a tangible name for “our time” for over a decade (such as “the sixties”), and we will not have one for another 9 years. There is no common term to refer to the years 2000-2009 or 2010-2019. A fairly shocking turn of events after 80 years of having fierce decade identities.
May 12, 2011
I think Urge Overkill tried to bring back the leisure suit. Their failure may indict all of us, or just the 90s.
May 14, 2011
Some of the clothes sold today can be worn to 80’s trips…