I loved Mad and it introduced me, via its parodies, to a lot of films I might otherwise not have known about. There was also a decent biography of William Gaines that I was given as a Christmas gift. (Although, to be clear, I read that as a pretty uncritical 13-year-old.)
My mother begged and pleaded that I read more literature and high-minded prose, but it's MAD that helped my critical thinking skills when I was a young pup.
Solo museum visits are one of my favorite things. Bands I like rarely play where I live, so once or twice a year I’ll make a one-night trip to a real city, see a concert, and then spend the next day wandering around a museum until I have to leave. It’s bliiiiiiiiss.
This Boomer agrees with you about Mad Magazine. My brother and I saved up our nickels and bought copies at the local drugstore (yes, back when drugstores sold magazines, sold us cigarettes for our Mom, and also had lunch counters.) As little kids we didn't always understand the satire, but the magazine taught us that there are no sacred cows, and also - very important - that life will take its own course no matter what voodoo you do to forestall the future. Nuclear war, communists, assassins, riots, all out of our control. To this day, my very different brother and I still share a view of the world that was brought to us by Mad Magazine: What, me worry?
There's nothing wrong with your approach to visiting museums. I don't double back, but I do cherry pick which parts to visit and just jog through the rest on my way to those parts.
I loved Mad and it introduced me, via its parodies, to a lot of films I might otherwise not have known about. There was also a decent biography of William Gaines that I was given as a Christmas gift. (Although, to be clear, I read that as a pretty uncritical 13-year-old.)
Same. I think I didn’t quite *get* the parodies but then a few years later when The Simpsons started I was primed and ready.
MAD was my first magazine subscription.
My mother begged and pleaded that I read more literature and high-minded prose, but it's MAD that helped my critical thinking skills when I was a young pup.
Solo museum visits are one of my favorite things. Bands I like rarely play where I live, so once or twice a year I’ll make a one-night trip to a real city, see a concert, and then spend the next day wandering around a museum until I have to leave. It’s bliiiiiiiiss.
This Boomer agrees with you about Mad Magazine. My brother and I saved up our nickels and bought copies at the local drugstore (yes, back when drugstores sold magazines, sold us cigarettes for our Mom, and also had lunch counters.) As little kids we didn't always understand the satire, but the magazine taught us that there are no sacred cows, and also - very important - that life will take its own course no matter what voodoo you do to forestall the future. Nuclear war, communists, assassins, riots, all out of our control. To this day, my very different brother and I still share a view of the world that was brought to us by Mad Magazine: What, me worry?
There's nothing wrong with your approach to visiting museums. I don't double back, but I do cherry pick which parts to visit and just jog through the rest on my way to those parts.