cultural commentary Archives - Postcards from The Pug Bus

Podcast graveyard illustration shows six defunct shows on tombstones, abandoned microphones, and an open grave awaiting the next failed podcast.

Six podcasts entered the cemetery. One is still broadcasting. Management has been notified.

The Cancelled Podcasts Graveyard: Six Losers That Discovered Silence

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 2 weeks

Explore the cancelled podcasts graveyard, the final resting place of six once-popular shows Archetypes, created by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, age 45, an American… Read More

Shane Gillis SNL satire depicts the comedian at a mandatory apology broadcast, surrounded by nervous NBC executives determined to prevent another controversy.

NBC has assured Shane Gillis that his apology will be accepted, pending review of its contents, delivery, and facial expressions.

Culture

Shane Gillis SNL Apology Goes Sideways

Chip Hilton cultural commentary 2 weeks

NEW YORK — The Shane Gillis SNL apology was supposed to include an appearance in which the comedian expressed remorse for his most recent SNL… Read More

British avoid discussing feelings. An elderly couple sip tea in separate armchairs, avoiding eye contact beneath their wedding portrait on a rainy day.

After thirty-eight years of marriage, the Webbs remain cautiously optimistic about one another.

Culture

British Successfully Avoid Discussing Feelings for Another Year

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 3 weeks

Britain’s ongoing national campaign to avoid discussing feelings has been declared a success. Officials confirm that millions of citizens completed another year without expressing an… Read More

Roadside memorial resembling a miniature mausoleum overflows with flowers, angels, candles, statues, solar lights, and lavish landscaping beside a Pennsylvania highway.

PennDOT became suspicious when the roadside memorial applied for its own ZIP code.

Culture

Some Roadside Memorials Now Require Zoning Approval

Biff Scuzzy cultural commentary 3 weeks

Pennsylvania transportation officials have enacted regulations for roadside memorials after determining that many have expanded beyond flowers and wooden crosses and are now technically improvements… Read More

Dummies books reach rock bottom with titles on breathing, standing around, making decisions, and remembering why you walked into a room.

A gripping new chapter in publishing: Chapter One explains how to open Chapter One.

Culture

Signs the Dummies Books Are Running Low on Ideas

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 3 weeks

The Dummies Books franchise, which has explained everything from astrophysics to choosing the correct Tupperware lid, appears to be running low on things to explain.… Read More

Roll the Calls illustration showing a Hollywood agent shouting into a desk phone while his assistant clutches a clipboard beside stacks of paperwork.

The call went well. The other party agreed to stop being wrong.

Culture

Roll the Calls Explains How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Ever Lowering Your Voice

Chip Hilton cultural commentary 1 month

Ari Emanuel’s new memoir, Roll the Calls (Knopf), explains how a dyslexic kid from Chicago rose from the Creative Artists Agency mailroom to become one… Read More

Quantum superposition collapses as a man opens his drawer and discovers a sock with a grapefruit-sized hole.

Observation confirms the sock is no longer under warranty.

Culture

Quantum Superposition Explains Household Phenomena

philmaggitti cultural commentary 2 months

Quantum superposition is the theory that a particle can occupy several states at once until somebody measures it, thereby forcing nature to stop being mysterious,… Read More

Winning at solitaire gets suspicious as a sly player manipulates real cards while keeping a digital solitaire game open on his computer.

Victory is sweeter when the appeals process is handled entirely in-house.

Culture

Underhanded Guide to Winning at Solitaire

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 2 months

Winning at solitaire, whether played with actual cards or on a screen, requires discipline, discretion, and the ability to think like both a criminal and… Read More

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