by Dyske Suematsu • February 1, 2001
I believe that the best way to learn a different culture is through a specific field of interest. Rather than trying to see anything and everything, I like focusing on one thing, whether music, art, architecture, or literature. I am more interested in depth of things than I am in a variety. In general, when you dig deep into anything, you find the same wisdom. As a tourist, I find that the most effective and convenient way to learn a culture is through food. You have to eat three times a day anyway. (It is not practically possible to see three operas in a day.) Read »
by Dyske Suematsu • March 5, 1995
For some reason the name Debbie Gibson became a paradigm of naive music. This has much do with the way she was produced and marketed, as well as what she represented. Marketing in our age is a science, incorporating everything from psychology to semiotics, employed by everyone from the president of the United States to pop singers. We are all suckers for them, and we hate our own vain selves that fall for these clever marketing ploys. If a marketing strategy is sophisticated enough, it works transparently. While we all want to deny that we are suckers, somewhere in our sub/unconscious we are aware that we have been taken advantage of. Read »
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