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lawrence welk: post-modernist?

Okay, I'll admit: I've never actually seen "Memories with Lawrence Welk." But I feel that I do know the man in a way, as his name has become a shorthand for a sort of funny yet pathetic cultural blandness. This article, entitled "Lawrence Welk, Post-Moderist," however, peels apart the layers of meaning in the show, with Welk's eyes (which can "focus on nothing"), and the "Lawrence Welk Village" (a "creepy" place you can visit "for a day, a weekend, or the rest of your life") among the objects of analysis. More than just a cynical young buck throwing irony-soaked darts at his elders, the article's author is clearly quite familiar with the midwestern bandleader's oeuvre, and offers a surprisingly persuasive (and highly accessible) argument as to the post-modern implications of Welk's show. If reading this piece arouses strong Welkian feelings in you, you're invited to post your comments in Lawrence Welk's Mailbox at the bottom of the page.

Fri, 10 Dec 1999 08:07:52 -0800