John Rockwell: “Pop culture is not necessarily interesting in itself: it’s merely an index of the state of the broader social culture, or a way to sell newspapers or CD’s or commercials. The trouble with that mercantile mindset is that the popular arena is indeed the source of some of the best art out there, and artistic excellence calls forth smart criticism. Even elitist criticism — the kind produced by critics who love popular art but scorn the populace as a bunch of Menckenesque rubes easily manipulated by commercial interests.”