THE DAKIN CUT
Written and visual media on film, culture, history, war, and memory.
When the Future Felt Human
Synthwave, 80’s Nostalgia, and Longing for a Time That Never Was
A sports car races toward a glowing city in the distance as the sun dips below an infinite neon plane. The journey is scored by analog synthesizers, punchy drum machines and cinematic melodies. Welcome (back) to the world of synthwave, a music genre and aesthetic that reconstructs the sounds and images of 80s music, movies, video games, and technology. But rather than simply reconstructing the decade itself, synthwave brings us back to the future that 80s pop culture taught people to anticipate when technology was still promising and alluring. It is effectively synthesizing 80s pop culture and media references into a reimagined, futuristic version of the decade.
Oppenheimer is a Moral Failure
What Nolan refused to show.
That Funny Feeling Reimagined
This song needed a music video, so I made one with a little bit of everything all of the time.
They Were Only 19
Danger Close, the real Battle of Long Tan, and how Australia remembers its wars.
California Dreamin' in Baghdad
On such a winter's day.
Now That I’ve Turned 30
Bo Burnham’s Inside, closed doors, and the strange clarity of growing up.
Before You Enlist, Watch Combat Obscura
Ever fantasized about donning those sharp dress blues and becoming a hero? Before you do, watch Combat Obscura.
The Tragedy of Sam Harris: Israel & Gaza
Sam Harris’s essay is not just an intellectual failure; it is a moral failure.
Looking to History as Disaster Looms
The Great War. The Depression. World War II. The Cold War. Will COVID-19 join their ranks?