In this Emergency Roundtable, we survey the creative battle for the heart of America, discussing how pop stars, auteurs, and creative directors can’t seem to quit the American interior, with varying results from campy kitschy country-pop to anxietycore political absurdism. We dissect the Lana del Rey vs. Ethel Cain conflict as a generational allegory, the Chappell Roan smear campaign and the contradictions of her Midwest Princess persona, Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western empire and the fantasy of heartland wealth, and the Texas vs. California showdown over the soul of the American economy. We also review the viral Dinergoth prospectus, and Alexi and Sam report back from a Texas road trip with new personal stakes in all of the above.
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