J Wortham
Appearances
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
You know, Brittany, when I saw that news, I received it as a warning, right? Like this administration is clearly setting a political agenda that's trying to redefine an American national identity in a global landscape, right? And now they're making really clear strides on what the cultural agenda is going to be.
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
Joan pointed out sort of the interference with the National Archive and sort of this idea of messing with all of our notions of what history is, right? Like the history allegedly in the books, but then also like our pop cultural history, like our cultural understanding of who we are. I think it's a warning. And I think other big cultural institutions and industries should be scared.
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
I mean, Hollywood is already scared and responding to Trump and trying not to upset him. So then what's next after that?
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
Is Trump going to be able to shift the cultural agenda of America as much as he's able to shift the political agenda? And even that we're still kind of like TBD, right? We are seeing some of these things like these massive layoffs in the federal government. We are seeing the rollback of DEI. I do think that the Kennedy Center specifically is not like an arbiter of
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
global taste in even American culture the way that he thinks it might be. I mean, it's a little bit LOL in some ways because the Kennedy Center, they're not known for cutting edge programming. The Kennedy Center was on my radar growing up, but it was never on my radar in the sense of I'm going here to be radicalized. I'm going here to have my mind blown. That was happening in Black Cat.
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
That was happening at the 930 Club. That was happening in Sankofa or like the black owned coffee shops. Right. Shout out DC institutions. I love it. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's where consciousness was being raised. It wasn't happening in the Kennedy Center.
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
So I think, you know, there's a real conversation to be had about the importance of these really entrenched cultural institutions right now and their effectiveness. I mean, culture in a way that moves globally has always started at the margins and moved inward, right? But I do think in the most immediate sense, what we probably will start to see is Joe Rogan having a show at Kennedy Center.
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
Hmm. I would just add that I think there is a really big question about what culture is and what popular culture is. And I think that's why the Grammys end up mattering. I think that's why NFL halftime shows end up mattering because these are entry points that a lot of people have access to, right? If you aren't going to the movies anymore, if you're not reading books anymore, you're
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
Sure, you'll turn on the Super Bowl for a little bit, watch the commercials, watch the halftime show. I think those entry points become even more important in this time when the other kind of pillars of art and cultural engagement are...
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
But at the same time, I see things like Wicked, which is about fascism and it is about legislation being erected to exterminate otherness and all these themes that are directly linked to the moment that we're in being one of the most successful films of the year. Are people really thinking about those themes? Do we have the tools? Do we have the literacy?
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
Do we have the media criticism to be able to sit with these ideas and think about them? Probably not. A lot of that we outsource, I think, to scrolling on social media. So I do think that's the part that worries me the most.
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
You two, your levels of confidence about your past tweet history is admirable. I am shocked. I mean, it's the Kennedy Center Honors, so I would like Alice Coltrane to do a musical interpretation of my life on her harp. I don't want anything concrete tied to my actual existence, which is so embarrassing. So I just want the illusion of grandeur. Yes!
It's Been a Minute
Artists vs. the White House
I'll just say the 901. My brain can't do that math and I accept that reality. It's fine.