An interesting conversation with Herbert Marcuse, who, being one of its key figures, talks about the history, thought and personnel of the Frankfurt School. He explains the changes in western societies that led to the groups revision and reexamination of Marx´theory and especially traditional marxism, and exhibits in which way the Frankfurt School further developed, expanded and revised it.
Download via Audioarchiv (0:44h; 15 MB)
In this panel discussion on Popular Culture, held at Michigan State University in April 2010, Christian Lotz, David Stowe and Diane Wakoski discuss Adornos theses and how they are to be interpreted today.
Lotz gives a short outline of Adornos Critique of Culture Industry as he unfolded it in the famous chapter of his „Dialectic of Enlightenment“ and the historical background in which he developed it.
David Stowe criticizes some aspects of Adornos argumentation, claiming for example that he didn’t really try to look at what he experienced as american mass culture in its peculiarity, but rather judged it from the narrow-minded viewpoint of a traditional-educated european (as can be seen in his condemnation of jazz).
Diane Wakoski, a poet, refutes adornos well-known sentence that one should not make art after the Holocaust.
The discussion that follows their statements is particularly interesting, dealing with the question how the internet affects Culture Industry in these days and what Adorno might have thought about this development.
They also talk about some movies that had a big influence on recent Popular Culture, for example „Fight Club“.
Download: via Audioarchiv (technically reworked*, 1:19 h, 27 MB); original file via MSU (72 MB)
* We tried to remove some noise and to adapt the volume, but the sound quality isn’t that good, though.
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