In July of 1989, The University of Chicago hosted Spike Lee for a preview of his film Do The Right Thing. The film’s acclaim renewed interest in his earlier work, including Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, which he made as a student at NYU.
Category Archives: Chicago
Sitting at Home
Even before the pandemic forced us into isolation, some worried we faced a loneliness epidemic. Surveys have shown we have fewer close confidants, and some scholars argue that new media technology limits our ability to connect. Other research has challenged the handwringing about isolation and suggested the impact of social media is more complicated.
Mr. Girly Man
In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a guest appearance on the Saturday Night Live sketch Pumping Up with Hans and Franz. Charles Atlas, legendary bodybuilder from an earlier era, appealed to kids with a comic strip story of sandy revenge.
Good Night
In 1989, only one in four U.S. households owned an answering machine. A decade later, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me! began offer a prize of Carl Kasell’s voice on contestants’ answering machines.
I’ll Figure Something Out
In 1975 The Foundation for the Community of Artists published a Health Hazards Manual, an early effort to warn painters about the risks of poor ventilation. Another risk involved being stranded somewhere in Chicago after midnight without a ride home.
