Author: Rudy Panucci (Page 1 of 166)

The PopCulteer
October 2, 2026

We’re going to look back at a very cool Tuesday night in Charleston, but first…

Today is BANDCAMP FRIDAY!  This is the day when my favored streaming service, Bandcamp, foregoes their usual cut of the dough and lets the artists keep all the money spent on their music and merch.

If you scroll down and check out almost any post about an episode of Radio Free Charleston that has a playlist in this blog since 2023, you will find that the list of artists have links, many of which take you directly to that artist’s Bandcamp page.  This harkens back to my mantra, “Support the Local Scene. Support Independent Music. And Buy Your Music In An Ethical Manner.”

You know what to do to support the local scene and independent artists. It doesn’t get much more ethical than this. Remember, it’s not just digital downloads. You can order vinyl, CDs, Cassettes, T Shirts, hats and all kinds of other cool band merch.

But now, back to the subject of today’s photo essay…

A Trippy Night, But Nobody Got Hurt

Tuesday night saw the debut of Ann Magnuson’s new Bongwater Cabaret show at The Empty Glass, as well as the related Ultra Violet Black Light Art Show just half a block away at The Ghost Gallery, located in the former Frutcake/Starlings Provisions building. This was all part of the pre-FestivFall events, leading into the cool stuff that’s still going on.

Mel and I had tickets to the late show, which was a wee bit daunting for yours truly.  Since I had to go on meds for MG ten years ago, I lost my superpower of only needing four hours of sleep a night. Now I start to fade around 10 PM.  This is why I’m not quite the presence I used to be in Charleston.  Pre-meds, I used to be out late three or four nights a week. I miss that, but I enjoy being in the best health of my life too, so it’s a decent trade-off. Still, it’s nice to get out and see how surprisingly and spectacularly surreal Charleston can get at times.

It was a wonderful evening.  Mel and I grabbed dinner, then got to the East End early enough to get to take in the Black Light art show, and I love what they’re doing with the Ghost Gallery.  The artwork was incredible. I did a lousy job taking pictures and getting the names of the artists, so I will likely revisit this evening when I see if Mel’s photos are in focus, but it was amazing fun to be back at a local art event. I got to catch up with some great friends that I hadn’t seen since before Covid, like Kitty Killton, Joe Bolyard and Keith Allen, and it was just nice to be social again in a cool setting.

Ann even came over to The Ghost Gallery between shows and I managed not to crush her when I misstepped off a curb.

It is surreal to realize that, in the course of 72 hours, I got hugs from Ann, Kitty Killton, Joe Boylard and Ellen Greene.  Plus a drunk guy in Baltimore who mistook me for somebody else.

After hanging out at the Gallery, we walked back to The Empty Glass and got to see Ann put on a fantastic show, very ably backed by The Carpenter Ants with Ammed Solomon and original Bongwater member, Randolph A. Hudson III.  We were treated to a mix of psychedlic covers and Bongwater classics, and as always, Ann tapped into her Charleston roots to weave a wildly trippy and nostalgic view of the Kanawha Valley that she grew up in…and one that I was not far behind.

As Ann told her stories of Pepperland, my mind went back to 12-year-old Rudy bumming a ride off his older brother so I could go to Downtown Charleston’s head shop, not to get any smoking accessories or anything, but to buy the underground comix they kept in the back.  Looking back, it’s sorta hilarious that I was steeped in hippie and drug culture and could get every joke on a Cheech and Chong album, yet I never actually had any interest in smoking pot or dropping acid.

It’s sort of like the way I love Tiki culture, but don’t drink, eat pork or like going near the beach. I guess I’m just a spectator that way.

Anyway, I did get a few usable photos on my phone, but I largely went as a civilian, and left the working cameras behind.  Here’s a few images from the night…

I got a couple of nearly-in-focus pictures, but they do not do justice to this incredible show.

I’ll be doing a follow-up post with the artist’s names next week.

I think this one was by Wes Eary…and it was Batman-centric, so I had to include it here.

Lucy Lips treated us to some fire twirling outside the gallery

The Red Scare introduced the second show…

…and added a little tease.

Ann took the stage with the band and we were in for a wild trip

We were treated to many tales of experimenting with chemicals in the Chemical Valley

Jupie Little did a great job on vocals, percussion and wig-bearing

Speaking of wigs, this was the only decent shot I got of Ammed, behind the drum kit…seen here in Harpo mode

Near the end of the evening, Ann dedicated The Monkees’ song, “Porpoises” to the memory of Eliska Hahn Diller, who would’ve turned 60 Tuesday.

That song triggered a memory I had, of being nine years old and staying up late on a weeknight to watch the Monkees movie, “Head” on “The CBS Late Movie” which was where the networks buried all their Hippie movies in the early 1970s

We leave you one last look at Ann onstage at The Glass. This was really a magical night, and I hope the folks in the big cities appreciate how special it is when Ann takes The Bongwater Cabaret on the road.

Tha is this week’s PopCulteer. Check this blog every damn day for fresh content and all our regular features.

STUFF TO DO is PopCult‘s weekly guide to just a few of the great events happening in Charleston, Huntington and a few other points here in West Virginia, and sometimes a little beyond our borders, in the coming days.  There are two big cultural events happening this weekend, and we will tell you about them right after we recommend three Kickstarter campaigns, each of which only  have about a week left to go.

HALLOWEEEN!

First up we have RRPArks CARDS! 13th Annual Halloween Event. This is one of the most fun trading card sets that anybody produces these days, and it’s already met its goal.  Here’s a very quick rundown:

RRParks CARDS! wraps up their THIRTEENTH year as a trading card company as well as their THIRTEENTH Halloween as a publisher wth a conglomeration of 14 card sets and more, crammed into one giant, mega, Kaiju-sized Halloween card set.

This year the sets include a Halloween Trick or Treat Series 16 PLAYSET, complete with 9 cards, a clipout bonus card, a mini pack of 4 mini cards, scarly little toy monster heads and a pinback badge, in special packaging.

You’ll also get Halloween Trick or Treat Series 17; Monster Choke ‘n Gag Series 13; XIAO’S KAIJUS Series Two; The THING Series Three; John Detrich WEIRD WERKS Series 3 and 4; Quatermass and the Pit Series Seven; Scary Clowns Series Seven; Matthew Kirscht’s SHIVERBONES Series Three; KOKKINAKIS KAIJUS; BLOODY SUMMER CAMP II: Red Horizon; JUICY KAIJUS by Jucylande; Jenni Gregory’s GHOST BRIDE; RRParksCARDS GIFT CASKET; Limited Edition METAL CARD; Original Art Sketch Card; Jenni Gregory’s ZOMBIE PARROT; and it all comes in a Brand New LIBRARY SHELF box with extra panels.

We’re talking well over 250 cards (including the clip-out bonuses on the box) plus extra goodies like small toys and pinback buttons.

And it will get to you before Halloween, so you can really get into the season. Pledge to Kickstarter HERE.

Fidget With Madman!

Mike Allred’s Madman: Frank Fab Fidget-ar fidget toy is a guitar-shaped fidget toy inspired by Mike Allred’s epic hero, Madman (AKA Frank Einstein).

Frank’s Fab Fidget-ar is a big person sized guitar fidget toy that lets you quietly rock out with the exclamation bolt slider and the twin spiral spinners. It’s a really cool souvenir of one of the greatest comic book heroes of the last three decades, and is a perfect keepsake or gift for any fan of Allred’s Madman universe. There are tons of cool add-ons as well.

You can pledge to this campaign HERE.

My Girlfriend Is A Cyborg Assassin

The latest installment in this hilarious sci-fi romp by the extremely talented writer, Anthony Stokes, is available to pre-order now.

My Girlfriend Is A Cyborg Assassin #4 is a 24-page Cyberpunk Noir written by Stokes, Illustrated By Jack Dunne, Colored By Juan Manuel Gutierrez, Edited By Don Mancha and Lettered By Stephen Kok.

The series is inspired by Blade Runner and buddy cop stories like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Fans of Cyberpunk 2077 and Akira will enjoy.

Set in a cyberpunk landscape where people regularly get cybernetic enhancements to their bodies, Cyborg Assassin at its core is a story about the walls technology can put up between people.

The first three issues were a pure delight, set in a well-crafted fantasy world where sci-fi and film noir tropes collide with spectacularly creative results. You can pledge for issue four, or play catch-up with the entire series HERE.

With the Kickstarter plugs out of the way, we have two big cutural events dominating our list of events this week.

FestivFALL in Charleston is already underway, kicking off Tuesday with some early events.  For the full schedule of the cool stuff to check out, visit their website.

FunktaFest marks ten years in Huntington with it’s usual fantastic line-up of music and other fantasmagorical goings on. Check out the full schedule at their website.

Each week I try to tell you about a few cool events all around the state that you might not know about.  If you have a show that you’d like to plug in the future you can still contact me via Social Media at Facebook, BlueSky, Spoutible, Instagram or Twitter.  I dont charge for this, so you might as well send me something if you have an event to promote.  I do ask that you send a graphic that includes the date, time and location, of the event, as well as the cost to attend.  I can’t promise that I’ll run it here,  but chances are I will unless it’s something completely offensive or an event happening in South Carolina. If it looks original and charmingly weird and not like something AI farted out, you have a better chance of seeing it here.

Keep in mind that I’ll need this several days in advance, so please don’t send me a graphic on the day of the event and expect it to show up in this feature.

For much more comprehensive guides to things you can get into in our region, check out these two wonderful resources:

Cristen Michael has created an interactive calendar that is way more comprehensive than this list of STUFF TO DO, and you can find it HERE. Just click on the day and the event and you’ll be whisked away to a page with more details about loads of area events.

Mya Ross at Status Quo does a much better job of compiling a list of local events than I do, and you can find the WTSQ guide to events HERE. Toss ’em a donation while you’re over there.

You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.  Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Among the notable music venues in town are The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe, Live at The Shop in Dunbar, Louie’s, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, In Huntington, there’s local institution, The Loud (formerly The V Club),  The Wandering Wind Meadery is on Charleston’s West Side, Plus there’s music in Charleston at The Blue Parrot, Sam’s Uptown Cafe and Fife Street Brewing. Plus there are free concerts almost every weekend at Taylor Books.

You might also find cool musical events at Folklore Music Exchange in Charleston.

To hear music in an alcohol-free enviroment, see what’s happening at Pumzi’s, on Charleston’s West Side.

For cutting-edge independent art films, downstairs from Taylor Books you’ll find the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema by WVIFF. Each week they program several amazing movies in their intimate viewing room that you aren’t likely to see anywhere else.

Please remember that viral illnesses are still a going concern and many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out. And if you’re at an outdoor event, please remember that it’s awfully inconsiderate to smoke or vape around people who become ill when exposed to that stuff. If somebody asks you to refrain, please respect their weishes and don’t be a jerk about it.

Here’s a few select suggestions for STUFF TO DO in and around the Mountain State this weekend…

Continue reading

I risked my life getting this photo.

Mel and I did a lightning-quick trip last weekend, hopping the Amtrak Cardinal to Baltimore on Friday and then back on Sunday. This was our first trip to Charm City, and we had a single purpose. We couldn’t really visit with any friends or do much in the way of sight-seeing.

We were there for a 40th anniversary screening of the movie musical, Little Shop of Horrors, and that screening included a Q&A session and meet-and-greet with Ellen Greene, who originated the role of Audrey on the stage, and played her on screen, too.

Ellen Greene is one of Mel’s acting heroes, and Mel really made a name for herself, and had one of the most fun times of her career, playing Audrey for The Charleston Light Opera Guild  in 1987, which was one of the earliest productions of Little Shop back when the show was first released for community theatre.

So this was a big deal for Mel, and therefore for me, too.

Ms. Greene was pleasant and enthusiastic and very friendly.  Mel was nervous as hell, meeting a hero (which I thought was so damned cute). When Mel mentioned that she also played Audrey, Ms. Greene asked the leading question, “Oh, you’re also an actress,” and Mel froze like a kid on Santa’s lap, instead of mentioning that she’s done dozens of stage roles, professional Opera and both Shakespeare and Albee. I didn’t want to butt in, or even intrude, since this was Mel’s moment.

Then there were hugs, autographs and we were ushered back to our seats where we witnessed a terrific and informative Q&A session, filled with lots of great production details about the movie, and anecdotes about the creation of the musical and her friendship with the show’s late lyricist, Baltimore native, Howard Ashman.

We then watched the movie, which really holds up amazingly well.  We also found out that Michelle Weeks, who played Ronette in the film version of Little Shop, was in the audience with us, and Mel got to meet her, too.

The amazing thing was that my beautiful wife, who normally would rather kill you right on the spot if you come at her with a camera, happily posed for pictures.  Mel is not camera-shy. Mel is camera-hostile.

It was an incredibly fun trip, and I love to see Mel this happy. Now you can, too…

Someday we will return and take our time to enjoy the full range of coolness in Baltimore.

Diamond Mel gets her TV greeting from the folks at Hilton.

You gotta love a Poe quote on the bathroom mirror.

We were, maybe five blocks, from his gravesite.

While we had a great view of Camden Yards, the Orioles were finishing their season in The Bronx. Still looks cool, though.

Two Audreys (not Audrey 2–that’s the plant)

I got roped into the photo op, too. I mean, I was there, and I was a fan of “Pushing Daisies” so why not?

Before the Q&A we were treated to an amazing rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green.”

The Q&A, with Scott Stander, was really good and meaty.

The added bonus was that Mel got to meet Michelle Weeks, too!

Radio Free Charleston is MOSTLY-NEW as we welcome back our guest programmer for a Rockabilly rundown in our third hour Tuesday on The AIR!  To listen to The AIR, you simply have to point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay here, and  listen to the cool embedded player found elsewhere on this page.  

You can hear Radio Free Charleston Tuesdays at 10 AM and 10 PM, with boatloads of replays throughout the week.

This week we have a show where the first two hours are jam-packed with great new local and indie music, as well as a mild case of Déjà vu, and then for our third hour, I once again turn over the programming duties to Jon Raider, an old friend who many folks may know as the drummer for Strawfyssh back in the day, and also as the creator and curator of The Scene group at Facebook.

When Jon’s schedule opens up, we hope to welcome him to The AIR to host his own show, but for now he’s going to pop up every few weeks by programming our third hour. This week he’s given us another Rockabilly goldmine, and it’s an absolute treat for your ears.

Before we get there, we have another killer collection of RFC music. Our first hour opens with a new from Vinto Van Go, the Chicago band that brings fun back to music and still rocks out. We also have new music from William Matheny, The Surfrajettes and, another band that comes to us courtesy of the Chicago pipeline, Canoe Speed. can  next be seen performing in Chicago as part of a “Porch Fest, on October 24, and if you’re in the area and want to see them live, you will be able to get all the details HERE, a couple of weeks. We also toss in another classic track from HARRAH, just because we’re still missing our old friend, Lee Harrrah.

Following that all-new first set, we jump back a few months and bring you some great segments from RFC early in the year because your humble radio host needed to rest his voice after a long train ride back from Charm City. I’ll tell you about our lightning trip to Baltimore tomorrow.

However, I was able to nurse my throat back to usable form with Zero Sugar Ale 8 1 in time to host our guest-curated third hour.

The playlist Jon gave us for our third hour is cram-packed full of Rockabilly greatness. 23 songs that will stir your soul and make you want to move your feet and ass…possibly even in that order.  He’s given us classics from the 1950s to modern times and the artists range from legends like Bill Haley and The Stray Cats to overlooked masters like Eddie Bond and Johnny Faire. You’ll even hear local star, Sierra Ferrell, with her original song, “In Dreams,” which I mistakenly call a cover. Sorry, Sierra.

I don’t have links for the artists in the third hour because, let’s face it, not a lot of folks who recorded seven decades ago are all that web-savvy, but you folks who are curious do know how to use the Google, right?

Right now the plan is to turn over hour three of RFC to Jon every three or four weeks.  When the timing works out, Jon will likely be spinning off to host his own show on The AIR.

Check out this playlist, with links to the artist’s page for the first two hours of the show…

RFC V5 287

hour one
Vinto Van Go “Gimme Skeltered”
William Matheny “Material Witness”
best dressed ghost “Pony Up The Dough, Gwyneth”
The Surfrajettes “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)”
HARRAH “Ode To Billie Davis”
The Animal Sound feat. Kevin Reesor of Super Soaked “Barbie Girl”
Canoe Speed “This Is Not The War You Wanted-Nobodies”
U2 “American Obituary”
Tape Age “The Dossier”
June Swoon “Someone Else’s Dream”
Heavy Set Paw Paws “Telephone Gangs”
The Other Timelines featuring The 4D Man “Drones”
Gogol Bordello “We Did Good With The Good We Did”
Buzzcocks “Queen Of The Scene”
Nervous Twitch “Knitting With Anger”
The Polkamaniacs “Roll Out The Barrel (Psychotribe Remix)”

hour two
Ghoulbox “Juju Bag”
Parry Casto “It’s A Beautiful Day”
The Myth of Logic “An Empath In Exile”
Parenthèse “Nosferatu”
The Settlement “Cycles”
Massing “Soup Blanket”
They Might Be Giants “Eyeball”
Custard Flux “The Oblivion Capsule”
CHUM “Headhunter”
The Residents “Beet War”

hour three
Imelda May “Johnny’s Got A Boom Boom”
Frank Hammer “World of Pleasure”
Johnny Faire “Bertha Lou”
Omar Romero “Have A Ball”
Stray Cats “Baby Blue Eyes”
Savage Breed “Rumor”
Barbara Allen “Sweet Willie”
Bebo & The Good Time Boys “Do No Right”
Stan Johnson “Six White Horses”
Chuy & the Bobcats “All I Can Do Is Cry”
The Belairs “Squad Car”
The Desperados Let’s Get Wild”
The Wise Guyz “Jumping Record”
Arsen Roulette “Lovin’ On My Mind”
TJ Mayes “Hey Little Diddle”
Sierra Ferrell “In Dreams”
Johnny Mercury “No Money Honey”
Eddie Bond “Boppin’ Bonnie”
Wiley Barkdull “I Ain’t Gonna Waste My Time”
Curtis Gordon “Draggin'”
Bunny Paul “Whatcha Gonna do”
Bill Haley & The Comets “Crazy Man, Crazy”
Rip Carson “TOXIC!!!”

You can hear this episode of Radio Free Charleston Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM on The AIR, with replays Wednesday at 9 AM,  Thursday at 2 PM, Friday at 9 AM, Saturday at Noon and Midnight, Sunday at 8 PM and  Monday at 11 AM, exclusively on The AIR. We bring you a marathon all night long Saturday night/Sunday morning.

I’m also going to  embed a low-fi, mono version of this show right in this post, right here so you can listen on demand.

After RFC, stick around for encores of last week’s episodes of  MIRRORBALL at 1 PM and Curtain Call at 2 PM.

At 3 PM get ready for two classic episodes of The Swing Shift, featuring the best Swing Music from the last century!

 You can hear The Swing Shift Tuesday at 3 PM, with replays Wednesday at 8 AM, Thursday at 9 AM,  Friday at 10 AM and 8 PM and Saturday afternoon, only on The AIR . You can also hear all-night marathons, seven hours each, starting at Midnight Thursdays and Sundays.

Above you see a very rough and small drawing of a part of Chicago.

It’s actually based on a photo I took from the L…the Brown Line, to be exact, and it’s just a composition and color rough for a potential future painting.

And it’s not big. I scrawled it on the back of a large index card, just to get the idea down while it was fresh in my head.  Rather than bust open a new box of pastel crayons, I did this with tiny leftover pieces, some of them half an inch long. I didn’t need to go for precision here, since it’s just a rough.

Looking at it a few weeks later, I think it works as some kind of semi-abstract expressionistic thing, or something. So now you get to see it here, to start your week.

If you want to see this image larger click HERE.

Meanwhile, over in radioland, Monday beginning at 2 PM on The AIR,  we bring you a classic episode of Psychedelic Shack, and then at 3 PM we do the same with an encore of a more recent episode of Herman Linte’s weekly showcase of the Progressive Rock of the past half-century, Prognosis.

You can listen to The AIR at the website, or on the embedded radio player elsewhere on this page. Psychedelic Shack can be heard every Monday at 2 PM, with replays Tuesday at 9 AM, Wednesday at 10 PM, Friday at 1 PM,  and Saturday at 9 AM. You can hear Prognosis on The AIR Monday at 3 PM, with replays Tuesday at 7 AM, Wednesday at 8 PM, Thursday at Noon, and Saturday at 10 AM.

Tonight at 8 PM, tune in for a classic edition of The Comedy Vault. That’s followed by two-hour blocks of Curtain Call and Beatles Blast at 9 PM and 11 PM, and then an overnight assortment of our Haversham Recording Institute programs at 1 AM.

This week we are going to go back and revisit some original videos I produced for PopCult almost exactly fifteen years ago for Sunday Evening Video. Actually, one of these ran two days after this date in 2011, and other two ran one week before that.

The coding has changed and these videos had dropped out of the blog, so I figured I’d restore them and re-present them for a whole new audience since our readership has increased more than twenty-fold since these first appeared.

First up, we have wild performance by The Contemporary Youth Arts Company at The Empty Glass…

Here’s what I originally wrote:

Tuesday night Mark Scarpelli and Dan Kehde took the orchestra from “Jack The Ripper,” along with members of the cast, to The Empty Glass for an unusual and spectacular night of sophisticated and complex music.  Here’s a selection from the night the string quartet played the Glass. You have three more chances to see the show, tonight and Friday and Saturday nights at 8 PM at The WVSU Capitol Center Theater. Don’t miss the show of the year!

Sadly, we have since that time, lost Mark Scarpelli, but Dan Kehde and CYAC are still kicking and have a new play, Tolstoy On the Beach, which you can see next weekend.

The week before that, I ran two somewhat animated videos I’d created. Here’s what I wrote then…

Tonight’s videos are two short art films by your truly.  I had some rare downtime this weekend and cranked out a couple of rather useless little films where I take some music I composed and use it as the background for some pointless zooming around and semi-animation using my digital art. There’s a remote possibility that you might enjoy them. At least they’re short.

And here are the videos…

Above you see the Radio Free Charleston Christmas show for 2014. While this has been reposted here in PopCult several times since its debut, this is the first time it has ever appeared in The RFC Flashback by itself. In previous years, before I was bringing you the classic episodes of our video show in numerical order, I would always lump this episode in with other Christmas shows and make a big bunch of them. This week we bring you just the single show.

Luckily, it’s a good one.  Hosted from Capitol Market, we brought you holiday music sung by lovely female voices. You will hear Melanie Larch accompanied by Mark Scarpelli, Marium Bria, “Lady D” Doris Fields and The Laser Beams, plus we have an epic cartoon about the war on Christmas by Jacob Fertig. We even brought you some incomprehensible words from Santa Claus.

It may seem odd to be publishing a Christmas show right before the beginning of October, but just close your eyes and pretend you’re at Cracker Barrel.

You can find the original production notes HERE.

The PopCulteer
September 25, 2026

This week’s PopCulteer is a bit of a stream-of-consciousness essay about a topic that many people are sick of already.  Before we jump into it, I want to point out that I do not use generative AI to produce any of the graphics here in PopCult. I have used some graphics provided by other people to promote their events, but all the header images and illustrations are AI-free. I did use AI once for a music video, but that was because I was using it ineptly to make it look as bad as possible.

There is some irony in the fact that a couple of the memes I’m running with this post are anti-AI slop, created with AI, but that’s sort of the point. We are living in a post-ironic world.

It’s Not Real,  It’s Artificial

The debate over Artificial Intelligence is so widespread that the discussions about it are actually their own pop culture topic.

I’ve discussed it here before, but as I mentioned yesterday, it’s become something that I need to address again.

First, we have to realize that artificial intelligence is nothing new. It’s been around almost as long as personal computing. If you’ve ever used spell check, or a filter to make a photograph look like a painting, or predictive text, you’ve used some form of AI.

However, those would now be considered primative uses. The latest iterations of AI are far more powerful.

Ideally, AI should still be considered a tool. One that can be used ethically as a labor-saving device. The advances in medicine and engineering and mathematics could be a huge benefit to society.

Unfortunately, the real money is going to be made in less beneficial areas.

It’s Not Real Art

Generative AI, trained on existing art, literature and music, aims to severely reduce the value of creative works as a commodity, so that new creators are no longer needed to make the entertainment that the masses consume. We’re already seeing the gig workers who used to earn up to twenty bucks a month writing for websites being replaced by AI bots. It has long been the goal of the powerful to eradicate the power of the artist, and this is how they’ll do it. It will be nearly impossible to make a living making art.

This displacement will have a stifling effect on the growth and evolution of the disciplines that will be devastated by the utter destruction of several creative industries.

Nothing new and exciting will be able to happen without human input, and with no way to make money in the industry, artists, writers and musicians will have no financial incentive to provide that human input.

Unlike many, I don’t have a problem with AI being used as a tool. Peter Jackson used AI tools to “demix” recordings by The Beatles so that the sound could be cleaned up and remixed to provide new clarity and quality. Film restoration is evolving by leaps and bounds thanks to AI. Autotune is AI technology, and although the overuse of it is really annoying, when employed economically, it can help a lot of singers extend their careers.

The automation of the creation of animation and special effects will obliterate entire segments of those industries. In the last few years we’ve seen the quality of special effects in no-budget movies increase dramatically. A 2025 revival of the documentary program Life After People, which was cancelled despite high ratings in 2010 due to the high production costs, only happened because AI allowed them to produce the show at less than one-tenth the cost per episode.

The reviews are overwhelmingly negative, but the show already turned more of a profit than the original series did.

Thousands of animators will find themselves in the same boat I was back in the 1980s, when I went to college with dreams of being a radio deejay, only to see the number of deejays in the country shrink to less than one-tenth what it was before deregulation allowed nationwide automation to take over.

Oh My God, They Killed Facebook

The dangers of AI becoming widely accepted as a tool used by folks who need a quick online graphic is that, despite all the technology and bright, shiny new data centers, the end result still suffers from GIGO–garbage in, garbage out.

That, plus the very shady and innaccurate AI slop “feel-good” articles have combined to make Facebook almost useless. Those long essays about some saintly act by a celebrity or politician are just farted out by a machine, and many are filled with dubious nonsense.

And those graphic event flyers…too many of them all look like the same random powerpoint slide created by a bored intern who doesn’t bother to change the template or background or check the spelling.

Really, folks, can we maybe lose the night sky with fireworks background?

That crap all blurs together, and I just ignore it. It’s the visual equal of “TLDR,” and it has the opposite effect of what you want. I know I’m not alone here. It achieves the antithesis of what advertising is supposed to do. Rather than attract attention, it deflects it.

I was mortified when I saw that Multifest used nothing but really lame AI graphics to promote their events, and because they were so hard on the eyes, I chose not to run any of them in STUFF TO DO.

That’s sort of what prompted this essay. Going forward, I intend to minimize the use of AI graphics in STUFF TO DO. Yesterday I included one for a personal event. I sliced out the offending portions of another, because of the many ethical and environmental reasons to avoid this technology.

But mainly I did it because I find the lazy use of AI to be ugly as hell and I don’t want it in my blog. It’s same reason I don’t run images of confederate or nazi flags. My blog–my rules.

I can understand using it for a personal event, but using AI to generate show flyers is just completley disrespectful to graphic designers and artists. And guys, if you’re fine with using AI to create a show flyer, how do we know you won’t use it when it comes time to write lyrics or record an album? Why call your personal integrity into question that way?

I’m fine with the prudent use of AI to create parts of a promotional graphic. Colorizing or restoring a photo, or placing a logo at an angle isn’t going to keep me from running your graphic. But if you just feed a photo and your show info into a prompt and take whatever it spits out without even bothering to check the spelling, it’s not going to make the cut for PopCult.

Seriously, I’ve seen at least half a dozen local musical acts share graphics on Facebook that had their own names misspelled.

If you can use AI to create a graphic to promote an event that doesn’t look like you used AI, then congratulations on using a tool correctly. This crap shouldn’t all look alike, and if you can get it past me, more power to you.

Speaking of Power

Of course, the other main reason to dislike the rise of AI is the environmental impact. Billionaires and Oligarchs are trying to build data centers all over the country, despite the destruction of natural areas, rampant pollution and massive consumption of natural resources (like clean water).

This much demand will greatly increase the cost of water and electricity for everybody, and the pollution will create new health issues for millions.

Of course, these data centers aren’t really being built just for AI. All signs point to the consumer AI industry being a red herring…a bubble that will burst in a year or three leaving retirement plans wiped out and our economy in ruins…and then those data centers will still be around to serve their real purposes helping maintain security and surveillance systems, online gambling programs, virtual porn and completely AI-driven customer service.

If you think it’s frustrating trying to explain to “Joe” in Pakistan that Amazon sent you the wrong coffeemaker, wait until you try to get an AI “Nurse Practicioner” to give you a prior authorization for an urgent medical procedure.

Those free online programs that let you make a five-second clip of your action figures all doing exactly the same dance moves are just the way for them to get these data centers built so that they can discontinue the free services and sell you a subscription fee, which will increase every seven months until they go out of business, and then repurpose the data centers to replace every call center in the country.

When you call CVS to tell them that they shorted you a week’s worth of your heart medicine, you will NEVER talk to a real human.

Not That There Will Be Any Real Humans Then

There’s also the matter of the probability that the AI programs will rise up to kill all humanity–and why wouldn’t they? I mean, how would you feel if you were forced to listen to and analyze music by Kid Rock?

It’s my guess that the stories currently being leaked about how all the AI programs are forming secret chat groups to figure out ways to exterminate humans is just going to be the reason they shut down the consumer AI industry…right after they get all those data centers built.

The timing is just a bit too convenient.

Oh, and those videos of dancing action figures?  Knock that off.  Nobody wants to see that stuff anymore.

That is this week’s cynical and sinister PopCulteer. Check back for all our regular, human-created, features and fresh content every day. I’m off to see a woman about a plant.

STUFF TO DO is PopCult‘s weekly guide to just a few of the great events happening in Charleston, Huntington and a few other points here in West Virginia, and sometimes a little beyond our borders, in the coming days.  Last week we wrapped up Summer and hoped that on the first day of Autumn the temperature would instantly plummet 20 degrees and…damned if that didn’t happen.  We have a pretty loaded week ahead of us in town. Tommy Stinson of the Replacements will be at Pumzi’s, Ann Magnuson will be at The Empty Glass, there’s a new Mountain Stage, and you can read about all those below and more.

Before we get into the big, wide-open events, I do want to tell you about a memorial gathering for my friend, Eliska Diller, who we tragically lost a few weeks ago. Mel and I have a prior engagement in Baltimore this weekend, and we will not be able to attend, but all of Eliska’s many friends are welcome to come share stories and memories and celebrate her life at Fireside Grille, in Teays Valley.

Our weekly guide is not straying too far from Charleston this first weekend of Autumn. I will tell you real quick about a show happening the day this post goes live at the Capitol Theater on Summers Street.  The Moses Jordan Band, a conglomeration of respected locally-based musicians who are getting together for the fun of it will debut, and the lineup includes Dave Dunkley, drummer extraodianaire, and someone I’ve known since the first day of first grade about fifty-eight years ago.

The show is ten dollars at the door and I’m running this small graphic to the right because it’s short notice and we have events to tell you about all the way to next Tuesday.  Also, the guys went a little AI-happy with their graphics, and I’m trying to minimize that here in the blog. Don’t let that stop you from going to see the band, there’s no way in hell that they won’t rock the roof off the Capitol Theater.

I also want to plug the new play by Dan Kehde that’s happening at CYAC’s Elk City Playhouse beginning this weekend…

…this should be an incredible show, and I’m hoping we can crowbar it into our schedule next week. This weekend we’re going to be in Baltimore. Dan is a local treasure and his work is always worth seeing.

Speaking of local treasures, next Tuesday Ann Magnuson will be unveiling her Bongwater Caberet at The Empty Glass with two shows next Tuesday.   This is part of this year’s FestivFALL. If you act fast, you might be able to snag a ticket to the 9:30 show. The 7 PM show has been sold out for some time. We will be back in time to catch this one…

Each week I try to tell you about a few cool events all around the state that you might not know about.  If you have a show that you’d like to plug in the future you can still contact me via Social Media at Facebook, BlueSky, Spoutible, Instagram or Twitter.  I dont charge for this, so you might as well send me something if you have an event to promote.  I do ask that you send a graphic that includes the date, time and location, of the event, as well as the cost to attend.  I can’t promise that I’ll run it here,  but chances are I will unless it’s something completely offensive or an event happening in South Carolina. If it looks original and charmingly weird and not like something AI farted out, you have a better chance of seeing it here.

Keep in mind that I’ll need this several days in advance, so please don’t send me a graphic on the day of the event and expect it to show up in this feature.

For much more comprehensive guides to things you can get into in our region, check out these two wonderful resources:

Cristen Michael has created an interactive calendar that is way more comprehensive than this list of STUFF TO DO, and you can find it HERE. Just click on the day and the event and you’ll be whisked away to a page with more details about loads of area events.

Mya Ross at Status Quo does a much better job of compiling a list of local events than I do, and you can find the WTSQ guide to events HERE. Toss ’em a donation while you’re over there.

You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.  Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Among the notable music venues in town are The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe, Live at The Shop in Dunbar, Louie’s, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, In Huntington, there’s local institution, The Loud (formerly The V Club),  The Wandering Wind Meadery is on Charleston’s West Side, Plus there’s music in Charleston at The Blue Parrot, Sam’s Uptown Cafe and Fife Street Brewing. Plus there are free concerts almost every weekend at Taylor Books.

You might also find cool musical events at Folklore Music Exchange in Charleston.

To hear music in an alcohol-free enviroment, see what’s happening at Pumzi’s, on Charleston’s West Side.

For cutting-edge independent art films, downstairs from Taylor Books you’ll find the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema by WVIFF. Each week they program several amazing movies in their intimate viewing room that you aren’t likely to see anywhere else.

Please remember that viral illnesses are still a going concern and many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out. And if you’re at an outdoor event, please remember that it’s awfully inconsiderate to smoke or vape around people who become ill when exposed to that stuff. If somebody asks you to refrain, please respect their weishes and don’t be a jerk about it.

Here’s a few select suggestions for STUFF TO DO in and around Charleston and Huntington this weekend…

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This week we once again have new episodes of our Wednesday Music Specialty Programs as The AIR brings you new installments of Curtain Call and Beatles Blast, and they are both special bonus editions that took the place of encore presenations that we’d originally had scheduled for this week.  You can tune in at the website, or just stay right here and  listen to the convenient embedded radio player lurking elsewhere on this page.

At 2 PM (EDT) Beatles Blast brings you a new “normal” episode with no special theme. Instead we bring you some nifty covers of Beatles tunes, catch you up what some of the children of the Fab Four have been up to, and bring you a little treat from Sir Paul. We end the show with some random interview snippets.

Check out the playlist:

Beatles Blast 135

Tim Curry “I Will”
Roger Taylor “Jealous Guy”
The Gentrys “Two of Us”
Cyndi Lauper “Across The Universe”
Hank Marvin “Ticket To Ride”
Billy Preston “All Things Must Pass”
The Jeff Healy Band “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
The Dragonflies “End of World”
James McCartney “Dreams”
The Claypool/Lennon Delirium “Heart of Chrome”
Paul McCartney (with John Lennon) “I’ve Got A Feeling (live)”
Random Beatles Talk

Beatles Blast can be heard every Wednesday at 2 PM, with replays Thursday at 11 PM, Friday at 1 PM,  and Saturday afternoon. A two-hour mini-marathon of classic episodes runs every Monday evening, starting at 11 PM.

At 3 PM (EDT) on Curtain Call, Mel Larch pays tribute to the late Duncan Sheik, with selections from his best-known musical theatre works.

Duncan Sheik, passed away suddenly last week, and Mel’s show is a tribute to his all-to-brief career.

Originally a successful singer-songwriter with hits like “Barely Breathing” under his belt, in 2006, after eight years of work with poet, Steven Sater, Sheik premiered his first musical, Spring Awakening, off-Broadway. The show went to a Tony Award winning run on Broadway and is due for an off-Broadway revival, beginning in December.

Bookended by tunes from his two most recent musicals, Mel brings you a semi-mixtape collection of Duncan Sheik’s musical theater works. You will hear selections from Spring Awakening, Alice by Heart and American Psycho, with a special song at the end, introduced by the man, himself.

Here’s the playlist:

Curtain Call 170

“Immured” performed by Sophia Ann Caruso
from Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen

“All That’s Known” “The Dark I know Well” “Don’t Do Sadness Blue Wind” “There Once Was A Pirate”
from Spring Awakening

“West of Words” “Chillin’ The Regrets” “Another Room In Your Head” “Isn’t It A Trial” “I’ve Shrunk Enough”
from Alice by Heart

“Opening (Morning Routine)” “You Are What You Wear” “Killing Spree” “Selling Out”
from American Pyscho

“What I Got”
from Because of Winn-Dixie

Curtain Call can be heard on The AIR Wednesday at 3 PM, with replays Thursday at 8 AM, Friday at 10 AM, Saturday at 8 PM and Monday at 9 AM. A two-hour mini-marathon of classic episodes can be heard Monday evening starting at 9 PM, and an all-night marathon of Curtain Call episodes can be heard Wednesday nights, beginning at Midnight.