Spencer Kornhaber

How Justin Bieber Finally Gave Us the Song of the Summer American listeners don’t want to party; they just want a break.

The summer of headphones-on, lala it's not happening, it's-all-I-can-take easy listening (thank you Bieber) — www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

The Human Side of Music’s Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne was an unruly chaos agent and a beloved family man alike.

Wrote about Ozzy Osbourne's antipathy for the devil—

www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Even as Diddy and his supporters celebrate his partial acquittal, the disturbing implications of his case grow, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social: https://theatln.tc/Ntp6gKsJ

Why Diddy Is Celebrating His Guilty Verdict The music mogul was acquitted of his most serious charges. What comes next?

@skornhaber.bsky.social: “The conversation about the case isn’t likely to focus on technical matters for very long. Popular culture loves martyrs; it loves comeback stories; frankly, it loves men.”

The Epitome of First-Person Pop Lorde changed the sound of modern music. With ‘Virgin’, she’s stuck in her own head.

Has the internet sucked all the fun out of the physical world, or has it merely concentrated it in Washington Square Park? @skornhaber.bsky.social on Lorde: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

The Epitome of First-Person Pop Lorde changed the sound of modern pop. WithVirgin, she’s stuck in her own head.

Yes to the yuck, yes the noise, hell yes to "Shapeshifter," but I fear we need to start moving on from memoir pop.

Lorde 'Virgin' review—
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

The New Old Sound of Adult Anxiety Haim has made a clever breakup album for a generation that’s wary of tying the knot.

"Down to Be Wrong"—feels so right!

(I think the Haim album's pretty good)

www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Trump’s Least Favorite Words, in One Terrifying Song How Kim Gordon turned lyrics about her packing list into a protest anthem.

I spoke with the great Kim Gordon about turning Trump's banned words into experimental rap metal www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Two Paths for the Pop Star Miley Cyrus and Addison Rae are taking their music very seriously, with different results.

The case for Addison Rae: Producers rock!

(This piece also includes a Miley review.)

www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

He Surfed a Different Kind of Wave Music wouldn’t be the same without Brian Wilson. That’s not an overstatement.

Have you ever really listened to “Surfer Girl”? Jeeeeeeez.

My Brian Wilson obit—

www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

See Friendship: A Novel A Novel

Hey, SEE FRIENDSHIP has been out for three months, during which it has been purchased in many airport bookstores and spotted on many "new and noteworthy American fiction" displays — thank you for the support, and PLEASE tap in if you haven't already bookshop.org/p/books/see-...

Diddy’s Trial Is Revealing a Conspiracy, but It’s Not the One People Expected The speculative guesswork distracts from the all-too-ordinary issues at the center of his case.

@skornhaber.bsky.social: “Demonic Hollywood cabals offer a simple, clear-cut narrative that doesn’t ask us to reflect on how domestic violence and sexual coercion really get perpetuated.”

The Truth About Diddy Might Be Darker Than the Rumors The conspiratorial guesswork distracts from the all-too-ordinary issues at the center of his case.

The sheer giddiness with which conspiracist thinking has eclipsed the details of Diddy’s case confirms some bleak realities about America’s psyche, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social:

‘What If I Don’t Keep Feeling Strident?’ For years, Ezra Furman’s music embraced protest and defiance. Now she’s striking a different chord.

"There’s a lot of fists in the air in our culture, and I’m a little fatigued in the arm area."

I spoke with Ezra Furman about protest music, defeat music, and life as a trans person right now: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

YouTube video by WHYY Is American pop culture dead? | Studio 2 from WHYY | 5/14/25

Today on Studio 2:

Does pop culture kinda suck now? Or has our nostalgic pessimism just been sent into overdrive?

We discuss with Spencer Kornhaber from the Atlantic (@skornhaber.bsky.social).

Tune in at noon on WHYY or You Tube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvPN...

Many musicians believe that Spotify’s business model is predatory, forcing artists to participate in a system in which they make only a fraction of a penny whenever a song is played. Brooks agrees, but her concern runs deeper than the money itself; she argues that music’s role in society has been corrupted. Streaming encourages artists to play an enervating game of scale: The more songs they release, the more chance they have of going viral and turning pittances into real income. Artists are thus motivated to record as quickly and cheaply as possible. All of this, Brooks believes, has led to a glut of music—both popular and obscure—that is plainly bad: less distinct, less soulful, and less skillfully made than the minimal standards of previous eras. “Nobody can get the resources to develop their craft,” she said.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

An emerging critical consensus argues that we’ve entered a cultural dark age—but @skornhaber.bsky.social isn’t so sure.

Kornhaber surveyed a number of prominent critics who believe popular culture is at an all-time low point. He thinks there’s another story to be told: https://theatln.tc/m7lOysa0

Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture? Meet the critics who believe the arts are in terminal decline.

Last year, @skornhaber.bsky.social visited the music historian Ted Gioia to talk about civilization’s death. “Music is turning into a rights-management business,” he told Kornhaber—and it’s destroying true artistry.

Has America’s creative energy really been sapped?

Shoutout to @javierjaen.bsky.social for the sick illustrations, and to the mighty critics who let me into their worlds.

Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture? Meet the critics who believe the arts are in terminal decline.

I’ve never believed in cultural decline! But throughout the 2020s, the arts have been in a strange state that does look a lot like malaise.

I spent the last year learning the causes for pessimism, trying to see if another story could be told.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Benson Boone, the latest of pop music’s anointed It Boys, seems to be learning the limits of his charm in real time, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social: https://theatln.tc/yhYLkr9i

‘All We Wanted to Do Was Play Video Games’ Streamers such as Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt have more influence than ever. What are they really saying?

Trump’s second term has made it even clearer how video-game culture is bleeding into everyday politics, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social:

Hip-Hop for the Infinite Scroll Playboi Carti sounds like he isn’t saying much. But there’s a story to his music.

Playboi Carti, the most influential rapper of his generation, sounds like he isn’t saying much. But there’s a story to his music, @skornhaber.bsky.social writes:

America Is Divided. It Makes for Tremendous Content. Jubilee Media mines the nation’s deepest disagreements for rowdy viral videos. But is all the arguing changing anyone’s mind?

I went inside Jubilee Media, whose empire of hot-topic debate videos explain the cultural realignment we're living through: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Lady Gaga Sounds Like Herself Again The artist’s latest album is an ode to her early career—and a powerful demonstration of growth.

I did *not* describe Lady Gaga's Mayhem as a 'Proustian pop opus'—but I could have!
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Cling to Your Disgust The artist formerly known as Kanye West thinks this is a great time for a comeback. He might be right.

The artist formerly known as Kanye West thinks this is a great time for a comeback—and he may be right, Spencer Kornhaber writes. Ye is testing how numb America has become to shock tactics:

The Game That Shows We’re Thinking About History All Wrong A radical tweak makes Civilization more realistic—and more depressing.

Civilization 7: same addiction, with all new dread! www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

The layers behind Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance Kendrick Lamar is the first solo rap artist and Pulitzer Prize winner to headline a Super Bowl halftime show.

Staff writer @skornhaber.bsky.social joined @wbur.org's Here & Now to discuss the Super Bowl halftime show and his piece, “What Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show Said.” Listen here: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

What Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show Said The rapper insists he’s a musician, not a messiah—a message reinforced by his Super Bowl performance.

Interesting halftime show! Picked through what Kendrick Lamar was definitely saying, and only sorta saying, and definitely not saying: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

What Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show Said The rapper insists he’s a musician, not a messiah—a message reinforced by his Super Bowl performance.

Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance signaled protest and patriotism at once, provoking without necessarily saying much, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social: theatln.tc/m5OFksUA