Pop Goes the Pop Cultural Influence Thread

[mrgreen]

In the early 90s, while conducting a class at Mount Holyoke, Nobel prize winner Joseph Brodsky proclaimed that the problem with young people today is, "They want to be cool, not wise."

He was addressing a roomful of Gen X'ers, but the phenomenon he was referring to was certainly older than anyone in the class.

So when did it start? Did it start with Humphrey Bogart? Marlon Brando? James Dean? Or was it simply always there?

Who was the first charactor, actor, etc. that defined cool for you?

[dino_electropolis]

do you mean "first" as in when that person effected my life, or "first" temporally in history:
i.e. a child born in 1990 could say bart simpson was the first, but as he gets older and discovers Kerouac, he then tips his vote toward him.

[A.J.]

http://inspireaction.mindandmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/fonzie.jpg

[jonyrotn]

0000--Jesus Christ--Pontius Pilate--Leonardo Devincci

1977 -- Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli--The Big Ragu

1987 --Michael Jordan--Mike Greenwell--The Gooch

1997 -- Brad Pitt--Will Smith--Denzel Washington

2007 -- Ron Bennington--Eminem--Benicio Del Toro

[Judge Smails]

http://www.ronfez.net/gallery//watermark.php?file=2762

[mrgreen]

do you mean "first" as in when that person effected my life, or "first" temporally in history:
i.e. a child born in 1990 could say bart simpson was the first, but as he gets older and discovers Kerouac, he then tips his vote toward him.

Very first. Like The Fonz or Motorcycle Boy from Rumble Fish or Stanley Kowalski, etc.

[mendyweiss]

1930's (Butch and Woim ) can't post pics from work anymore !!

[TheMojoPin]

http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=90671&rendTypeId=4

[dino_electropolis]

http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=90671&rendTypeId=4

oooh......cant honestly say Cagney was my first idea of cool (that would have to go to Bugs Bunny), but as i type here today, no one tops Cagney on the cool chart.

Grapefruit scene in "Public Enemy"...need i say anymore?