Culture Archives - Page 14 of 34 - Postcards from The Pug Bus

Postcards from The Pug Bus

Lifting a satirical leg on pop culture since 2004

Persons in the Ether

Question of the Week

Pasta or rice?

Judith Mercer, 64, retired dental-office receptionist

Allegedly twirling responsibly at 28 Rotini Lane, Scranton, PA

Pasta. Rice is perfectly respectable, but nobody has ever brought out a steaming bowl of rice and made me feel that the evening had suddenly improved. Pasta has occasion to it. Rice feels like somebody remembered we needed a side dish.

Raymond Givens, 57, commercial awning estimator

Allegedly measuring portions at 311 Long Grain Road, Tulsa, OK

Rice. It knows its job and doesn't make a production out of it. You put something on rice, and rice gets out of the way. Pasta wants sauce, cheese, garlic bread and everybody's attention. I already have relatives like that.

Brenda Kessler, 46, assistant manager at a self-storage facility

Allegedly keeping both options available at 9 Starch Crossing, Peoria, IL

Pasta on weekdays, rice on weekends. I realize most people would do that the other way around, but most people have never successfully managed three hundred and twelve storage units. Systems matter. Once you start improvising with carbohydrates, other standards begin to slip.

Solitaire card, the ace of spades, standing atop a globe.

"You talkin' to me?"

Culture

Solitaire: America’s Most Trusted Therapist

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 1 year

In the age of algorithmic surveillance and artisanal loneliness, one game has emerged as the silent savior of the modern psyche: Solitaire. Not the metaphorical… Read More

Snoop Dogg and his grandson sitting in a movie theater watching Lightyear, a movie with an LGBTQ undertone.

"I didn't come here to see this merde."

Culture

Snoop Dogg’s Crusade to Clean Up Confusing Movie Moments

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 1 year

Snoop Dogg and his grandson hit the movies expecting a mellow afternoon – just popcorn, Pixar, and intergalactic adventure courtesy of Lightyear. Instead, somewhere between… Read More

Joe Biden, Mick Jagger, and James Carville singing in a karoake bar.

"I can't get no satisfaction."

Culture

Outliving Aging Public Figures Like Biden, Jagger, and Carville

philmaggitti cultural commentary 1 year

At 82.5 years of age, I realize that one fine day the road will rise up to meet me only because I have face planted… Read More

Cartoon of Mike Love's latest album--Unleash the Love

"All you need isn't Love."

Culture

Mike Love: The Man, The Myth, The Me-Me-Me

philmaggitti cultural commentary, trump 1 year

Welcome to the latest Mike Love advertisements for himself, where the Beach Boys’ front man continues his tireless mission to transform narcissism into a religion.… Read More

Influencer: The New Deadliest Profession visual depicts an influencer lying on the ground with a knife in her back

"Maybe I should have gone to college."

Culture

Influencer: The New Deadliest Profession

philmaggitti cultural commentary 1 year

Once upon a much simpler time, the Deadliest Profession in America was something like crab fisherman, logger, junior-high school teacher, or Alaskan ice-road trucker–menacing gigs… Read More

A man sending a breakup text while sitting on the can dropping a deuce

"What the hell is her sign anyway?"

Culture

How to Write a Breakup Text

philmaggitti cultural commentary 1 year

Breaking up face-to-face is so 1990s. In 2025, sincerity is gauche, closure is a scam, and you can end relationships the way God intended: with… Read More

Adrian Dunbar singing at an old age home

"That bastard can't sing a lick, Emma."

Culture

Adrian Dunbar Sings the Beatles

philmaggitti cultural commentary 1 year

Adrian Dunbar, beloved for playing steely-eyed detectives in Ridley and Line of Duty, has finally unleashed the project nobody asked for: a Beatles cover album.… Read More