I think that this guy might be the greatest pop culture analyst of our time. A bon vivant of the wasteland that was and is television. A gadfly to geek dogma.
His name is Dan Meth and he is an animator. As perhaps a parergon to his main body of work, he has developed a series of pop culture charts and infographs. The link above will take you directly to his site where you can revel in enjoyment for yourself but just the same I’d like to point out a few of my own favorites here:
-Pooh Corner Rx, where the characters of A. A. Milne are given, rather fittingly in my opinion, prescription drugs for their corresponding psychological conditions. Geez, never did like any those characters. Like them even less as they belong to Disney. Do click the aside link Meth gives at the bottom of the graph to see the similarities between Pooh and Iron Man.
-A celebration of the font Cooper Black for its contribution to pop culture.
-A size comparison of movie sandworms accompanied by the astute observation that the 1980s were indeed a good time to be a sandworm.
-Check out the “Fantasy World Map.” Notice that Whoville is just on the other side of a mountain range from Mordor with an open valley to the south between the two. Imagine the wackiness that could ensue. After all, “one does not simply walk into Mordor.”
-A chart comparison of house layouts for sitcom families as to which side the kitchen and the living room were placed.
-Perhaps most impressive of all is the “U.S.A. Sitcom Map” which locates every sitcom geographically. The title is really a bit of a misnomer as Meth has far more than just sitcoms listed. Shows such as Magnum P.I., Twin Peaks, and Baywatch could hardly be termed “sitcoms.” Well, I suppose an argument could be made in the case of the latter.
If there is anything to be gleaned from these charts and graphs, it is that I spent entirely too much time in front of a television during my youth. Parents take heed and don’t let this happen to your children. Still, I am envious of Dan Meth’s work. It’s a beautiful collision of the highbrow with the lowbrow…exactly my kind of thing. Must have been a blast to put together. Not only that but love it or hate it, TV is an artifact of our culture. It says much about who we are as a people. Take that for what you will.
Follow me on Twitter: @Jntweets
On Facebook, Bernard said: "A couple of things...I didn't think I'd ever have to think about Sleepaway Camp again, so thanks for bringing back THAT nightmare, and while I was disappointed "One Day at a Time" with Valerie Bertinelli was left off, at least Rob Schneider's "Men Behaving Badly" was left off. Both were set in Indianapolis."
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