Longreads

Rethinking the legacy of one of the most ridiculed hair bands of our time:

"I have no insight into the goings-on of Jon Bon Jovi's headspace, but I like to imagine him having a 'Once in a Lifetime' moment during the Springsteen duet: 'This is not my classic-rock staple, this is not my classic-rock backing band. Well, how did I get here?' Maybe I'm projecting: In many people's minds (certainly many critics' minds), perceptions of Bon Jovi will forever be fixed in the late '80s, the band's most commercially successful period, when Slippery When Wet and 1988's New Jersey spun off seven top-10 singles — an unprecedented run for what's ostensibly a hard-rock band — including four no. 1's. 'Blaze of Glory,' the breakout song from Jon Bon Jovi's 'solo' soundtrack for Young Guns II, also hit the top of the charts during this period.

"Susan Orlean's1 1987 profile of Bon Jovi for Rolling Stone was typical of how the press treated the band at the time. The piece begins with an extended, oddly reverential treatise on Jon Bon's 'fourteen inches' of hair: 'Its color is somewhere between chestnut and auburn, and the frosty streaks in it give it a sizzling golden sheen,' Orlean writes. 'Truth is, it would be safe to say that Jon Bon Jovi has the most wonderful hair in rock & roll today.' Orlean describes Jon Bon's locks as an oedipal metaphor for rebellion against his dad, a hairdresser, though her poker face doesn't quite hold. She doesn't really take this guy seriously, and the implication is that we shouldn't either."

A movie trailer for this year's eagerly awaited update of the Superman story contains a moment which appears to subvert one of the most famous characters in the American cultural landscape. At first…

This is not real. Photo: JD Hancock/Flickr I’m walking through the dark woods with three strangers. They’re all carrying knives. A sliver of white moon hangs between the black, bare…

Kathryn Johnston was doing pretty well until the night the police showed up. Ever since her sister died, Johnston, 92, had lived alone in a rough part of Atlanta called the Bluff. A niece checked in…

He's aggressive, controversial and a threat to a growing number of big-name corporations. But is lawyer Tony Merchant becoming a class action king or risking the title? Regina lawyer Tony Merchant is…

NOAH ISENBERGon Billy Wilder (on the tenth anniversary of his passing). Photograph Thomas Hawk, cc Some rights reservedNoël SimsoloMasters of Cinema: Billy Wilder Phaidon / Cahiers du…

BRIAN KIM STEFANSon the rediscovery of a modernist innovator. Irene Gammel and Suzanne Zelazo, editorsBody Sweats: The Uncensored Writings of Elsa Baroness von Freytag-Loringhoven The MIT Press,…

For the Occupy movement, this has been the week of evictions and confrontations – the most visible sign that the international demonstration against economic inequality has reached a turning…

"Dock," she said. "You're supposed to pitch today." Ellis focused his mind. No. Friday. He wasn't pitching until Friday. He was sure. "Baby," she replied. "It is Friday. You slept through Thursday." Ellis remained calm. The game would start late. Ample time for the acid to wear off. Then it struck him: doubleheader. The Pirates had a doubleheader. And he was pitching the first game. He had four hours to get to San Diego, warm up and pitch.