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Michael J. Kramer

@michaeljkramer.bsky.social
937 followers 1.7K following 151 posts

Historian, SUNY Brockport Editor, The Carryall thecarryall.org Cultural criticism, culturerover.net The Republic of Rock (OUP, 2013), republicofrock.net Berkeley Folk Music Festival Project, bfmf.net Union, uupinfo.org More, michaeljkramer.net

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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
The Carryall @thecarryall.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New from *The Carryall*: James Cook on “John Kasson’s Cultural Turns.” thecarryall.org/john-kassons... cc: @susih.bsky.social @bunkhistory.bsky.social
thecarryall.org
John Kasson's Cultural Turns | The Carryall
Moving through the cultural turns in U.S. history with an underappreciated figure.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Language police here (which is to say, an editor) begging everyone, especially arts writers and press release writers, to ban the use of the word "impactful." Except for boxing matches.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
@citizense.bsky.social Thought this interest you if you haven’t seen it. Wondering how SUNY might lead the way: a robust comprehensive higher ed system as a public good. Down with the fancies, up with SUNY teacher-scholars and robust options for all citizens! washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/30/a...
washingtonmonthly.com
After the Closures
The universities that educate the majority of Americans are struggling. How college closures will reengineer America’s class system.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Vision of AI future, 1973. "Hi Fi Stereo, Color TV" by Putnam String County Band, lyrics by John Cohen and Jay Ungar. Great versions by Rosalie Sorrels and Larry Hanks out there in the world too. Let's hope kids today take the lesson from the end of the song? www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQzV...
youtube.com
Putnam String County Band – Home Grown (1973)
YouTube video by Jeremiah Ledbetter
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Imaginary concert dream #07 last night: Joao Gilberto performs bossa nova set of Woody Guthrie songs, half in Portuguese translation, half in English (hey, I thought in dream, if I am dreaming this, I am doing the translating).
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I wonder if the Navy personnel on board the USS Abraham Lincoln got to singing this song? Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, "The Battleship Of Maine (1927 Victor). youtu.be/DMrmO8XEs6Q?...
youtu.be
"The Battleship Of Maine" - Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers (1927 Victor)
YouTube video by Jason Madore
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Imaginary concert dream #06 last night: Bill Monroe, only his Bluegrass Boys were the Kronos Quartet.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Among the many moving pieces on the mighty Dolly Parton, this one by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is extraordinary for its keen analysis and perceptive sense of grace. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Loving Dolly Parton Was Easy. Understanding Her Was Hard. (Gift Article)
She didn’t see herself as a saint; she identified as something we needed even more: a writer.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
New #culturerover: Nobody’s Fool—Dolly Parton spoke for us, on the higher frequencies. www.michaeljkramer.net/nobodys-fool/
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
New #culturerover: Solidarity Forever—Can a revived & reimagined notion of solidarity help the left avoid being divided and conquered yet again by an increasingly authoritarian right? www.michaeljkramer.net/solidarity-f...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
History of the now thought: in the 2020s, Americans (perhaps even people around the world) are not fighting over the legacy of the 1960s, but rather the 1970s. That was the decade of leftwing insurgency, social history and also rightwing resurgence. The unresolved struggles of the 70s are the 2020s?
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Over at the @susih.bsky.social Book Review, my new review essay about Marc Stein’s *Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s*. s-usih.org/2026/08/phil...
s-usih.org
Philadelphia Freedom | Society for US Intellectual History
Oh, Philadelphia freedom, shine on me, I love ya… Philadelphia freedom, don't you know that I love you? Elton John/Bernie Taupin, “Philadelphia Freedom” Just in time for the semiquincentennial (or the...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Life should not be lived by listicles alone.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Vibe shift. 2010s, “bucket lists.” 2020s, “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Accountability & affordability. Is that too much to ask?
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
New essay by me on the international dimensions of the 1976 bicentennial up at @newlinesmag.bsky.social. Thanks to @dannypostel.bsky.social for the ace editing. newlinesmag.com/essays/how-t...
newlinesmag.com
How the World Celebrated America’s 200th Birthday
Countries around the world participated in the 1976 bicentennial, in a turning point for US soft power
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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The U.S. bicentennial in 1976 was an international affair, celebrated in diverse ways by countries around the world in a turning point for American soft power. Such a fun and illuminating read by historian @michaeljkramer.bsky.social at @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/how-t...
newlinesmag.com
How the World Celebrated America’s 200th Birthday
Countries around the world participated in the 1976 bicentennial, in a turning point for US soft power
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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
jesse jarnow @bourgwick.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
excited to be on a panel on july 18th at @gonzofest.bsky.social in nyc (with my pals/colleagues peter richardson & @michaeljkramer.bsky.social), speaking about when i profiled & hung with hunter s. thompson for a 2003 @relixmag.bsky.social feature & other topics. gonzofest.net#schedule
Hunter S Thompson on the cover of Relix with dagger
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Imaginary concert dream #05: Last night I dreamt that Pauline Oliveros and Garth Hudson were dueting on accordion. I wished, in my dream, that I had a way to record the event.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
New #culturerover #unfamiliarquotations: Surprise! Greil Marcus on the job of the critic. www.michaeljkramer.net/surprise/
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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
The Carryall @thecarryall.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
New at The Carryall: Wanda A. Hendricks and Brittney C. Cooper discuss the life, thinking, and social activism of Fannie Barrier Williams. thecarryall.org/fannie-barri...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Red Scare Hits the Silver Screen: Students in History 212 Modern America—US Since 1865 at @sunybrockport.bsky.social's Department of History imagine Cold War containment era film posters. www.michaeljkramer.net/red-scare-hi...
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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
The Carryall @thecarryall.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
This week at The Carryall: in the audio interview roundtable "Thinking Through the Black Panther Party," Joe Street discusses his book *Black Revolutionaries: A History of the Black Panther Party* with @randalljstephens.bsky.social and @julianchambliss.bsky.social. thecarryall.org/thinking-thr...
thecarryall.org
Thinking Through the Black Panther Party | Carryall
In this audio interview roundtable, Joe Street discusses his book Black Revolutionaries: A History of the Black Panther Party with Randall J. Stephens and Julian C. Chambliss.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
New #culturerover: Flipping—are federalism & localism reversing in the USA? www.michaeljkramer.net/flipping/
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
New #culturerover: Nothin’ On—does the Boss’s cable-tv era ennui still hold true? www.michaeljkramer.net/nothin-on/
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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
The Carryall @thecarryall.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We begin *The Carryall* Issue 02: Spring/Summer 2026 with Scott Saul (@scottsaul.bsky.social)'s essay "Learning From Jorge Drexler (@jorgedrexler.bsky.social)," which asks what Latin American humanism might offer US cultural and intellectual history. thecarryall.org/learning-fro...
thecarryall.org
Learning from Jorge Drexler | Carryall
“Al Otro Lado del Río” & the Possibilities of Latin American Humanism.
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Reposted by Michael J. Kramer
The Carryall @thecarryall.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The Carryall Issue 02: Spring/Summer 2026 begins. Editor's Note, Tortoise Defeats Hare, from @michaeljkramer.bsky.social. thecarryall.org/tortoise-def...
thecarryall.org
Tortoise Defeats Hare | Carryall
Welcome to Issue 02 of The Carryall, crawling out to you this spring and summer. Slowly But Surely I sometimes joke that The Carryall should have been
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
200 billion websites and nothin’ on.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Wait, did the Supreme Court schedule the birthright citizenship case on April Fool's Day on purpose?
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
"They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob." - FDR, 1936 millercenter.org/the-presiden...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Down with excellencies! Up with competencies!
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Does anyone know more about the band Butter Swamp? Boise, Idaho to Medellin, Colombia?! h/t @saving-throw.bsky.social @thewiremagazine.bsky.social @resonancefm.bsky.social butterswamp69.bandcamp.com/track/the-at...
butterswamp69.bandcamp.com
Butter Swamp
Butter Swamp formed in 2022, butter swamp is this somehow devocore lo-fi "music" machine, now settled in colombia. MEET THE BUTTER SWAMP!!!!!!! - Silas Grayson/Crazy Horse: all fuggin instruments and those hideous vocals hope you find it interesting or at least horrid fangz
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Hey fuzzy face! youtu.be/AGsKPE3dk4k?...
youtu.be
Sesame Street: Up and Down
YouTube video by Sesame Street
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Will always remember Madeleine Grynsztejn walking by my cubicle at the @mcachicago.bsky.social publishing dept on the way to the elevator & I overheard her say to an older, male, white-haired donor, "Well you just have to give the museum $10 million!" Strong! www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/17/m...
chicagotribune.com
MCA leader Madeleine Grynsztejn will step down after nearly 20 years
After nearly two decades at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, director Madeleine Grynsztejn is stepping down
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
New #culturerover: One Cartoon After Another, history gets untethered in One Battle After Another & we are left with the problems of caricature. www.michaeljkramer.net/one-cartoon-...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
New #culturerover: The Flimsiest, the cynical faux-realism of The Brutalist. www.michaeljkramer.net/the-flimsiest/
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
youtu.be/jUAbx-Blnjs?...
youtu.be
Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag (Live at the Berkeley Community Theater, 4/25/1981)
YouTube video by Country Joe McDonald - Topic
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
youtu.be/8tA8PVrcVfc?...
youtu.be
Brilliant Mistake (2024 Remaster)
YouTube video by Elvis Costello - Topic
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
New review essay: Hearing Thinking—What Musicology Can Offer Intellectual History, on Brigid Cohen’s *Musical Migration and Imperial New York* & Michael Gallope’s *The Musician as Philosopher,* @susih.bsky.social s-usih.org/2026/02/hear...
s-usih.org
Hearing, Thinking: What Musicology Can Offer Intellectual History: Michael J. Kramer on Brigid Cohen’s *Musical Migration and Imperial New York: Early Cold War Scenes. New Material Histories of Music*...
Over the last decades, musicologists faced a growing problem. The artistic and social significance of music beyond the walls of the conservatory and concert hall became obvious, but the field largely ...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
@sunybrockport.bsky.social Spring 2026 Public History Webinar Series. sunybrockporthistorydept.net/sunyhistoryl...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
youtu.be/-jj-PaqFrBc?...
youtu.be
Charlie Chaplin - Complete Globe Scene - The Great Dictator
YouTube video by Charlie Chaplin
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Does anyone know the name of this Civil Rights activist who appears in the Eyes on the Prize documentary being interviewed by a reporter. "My freedom is very much entangled with the freedom of every other man. So, I’m fighting for my own freedom here," he remarks. But he is not named in transcripts.
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
New #culturerover: The Play of Levels, hypothesizing cultural criticism in US intellectual history. www.michaeljkramer.net/the-play-of-...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Not the bots!
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Why are there so few (none?) news stories about individual ICE agents themselves? Who they are, what motivates them, any moral dilemmas they face? Why aren’t protesters trying to get some to speak out?
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
New #culturerover: The Dissonance of Dissidence—Theater Apparatus, Václav Havel’s Protest @ MuCCC/Rochester Fringe Festival @rochesterfringe.bsky.social, 10 september 2025. www.michaeljkramer.net/the-dissonan...
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
New #culturerover: Outstretched—Commotion Dance reaches out in Opus @ MuCC/Rochester Fringe Festival @rochesterfringe.bsky.social, 9 September 2025. www.michaeljkramer.net/outstretched/
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
New #culturerover: Those Times of Revolution—In Los Lobos’s 1996 “Revolution,” the words say one thing, the music another. www.michaeljkramer.net/those-times
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Michael J. Kramer @michaeljkramer.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
youtu.be/7p9uqRf6Klo?...
youtu.be
Revolution
YouTube video by Los Lobos - Topic
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