Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Dead Celebrities and the Sainthood of Morrissey: A Survey

Julie Strano is a friend of mine from college who has a unique job which is totally 2016: running the Twitter account of a dead celebrity. She's got the humor, wit and the sass to be the ideal person to talk pop-culture with. While I can't tell you the dead celebrity she speaks for...well, tweets for I guess, I can give you insight into her thoughts on various topics. We covered social media, high fashion, music and the always controversial topic of Halloween costumes. Be sure to follow her @NotJulieStrano (Twitter AND Insta)

15 Random Questions:

You run the social media account of a dead celebrity. What's the toughest part of being the voice of the ghost of a famous person?

Finding a balance between honoring someone's memory and being totally hilarious. It's a fine line and everything needs to be approved by 2-3 people. Not offending the general public is a daily concern for me (both professionally and personally.)

Who would be the top 3-5 dead celebrity Twitter accounts you would want to run on their behalf?

Anna Nicole Smith, Kurt Cobain (just so I could say Fuck The Man™ like, 24/7), Amy Winehouse, Mary Magdalene. 

Which recent celebrity death (over the past year) hit you the hardest and how are you holding up?

Honestly - Paul Walker. I'm an OG The Fast & The Furious gal and just the irony of him dying in a fast and furious situation really got me. I spent the better half of the early 2000s wanting to be Mia Toretto.



Do you think Kylie Jenner is capable of bringing Von Dutch trucker hats back into style? Is it a slap in the face to Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake that they were not asked to help, since they put Von Dutch on the map?

I think Kylie Jenner is capable of bringing anything back if they pay her enough. Though it needs another 3-5 years before it can make a true resurgence - it's too early. OR are Ashton & Justin Punk-ing us?

Never forget.

Is Anna Wintour misunderstood, or do you think she is the closest thing to Satan in the fashion world?

Both. She's an icon and completely revitalized the magazine industry. She was the one who started putting celebrities (not models) on the cover of Vogue. I admire women who are synonymous with success. That said - I'd be fucking terrified to run into her in a dark alley. 

Can you explain the whole pumpkin spice fad to the general public?

Sure - if you don't like pumpkin get the fuck out of my life. Women are constantly shamed for their interests. We can't even like SQUASH without it being mocked. If men were obsessed with pumpkin spice, it wouldn't be a fad, it would just be like...covered under health insurance, like boner pills. Why is enjoying a warm beverage while stepping on a crunchy leaf "basic"? Fall-shamers are the anti-Christ.

PS: Most women I know don't drink pumpkin spice lattes because they have like 500 calories and we'd rather be skinny.
#topplethepatriarchy

Who is headlining your dream music festival and why?

Brand New if I can choose the set list. The original line up of Nirvana and One Direction. Basically men performing songs from all versions of myself (moody 90s kid, moody 2000s teen, ironically non-moody twenty-something.)

Should Morrissey be considered the patron saint of Emo music?

I pray to him every day. Elliott Smith is sulking by the pearly gates, just waiting to be canonized. 

Heaven knows I'm miserable now.

I'm starting the ultimate emo/pop punk Spotify playlist. What are the first 5 no-brainer songs to make the list?

Cute Without The "E" - Taking Back Sunday
Seventy Times Seven- Brand New
Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
Fat Lip - Sum 41

Can you believe Axl Rose and Slash buried that hatchet and the Guns n' Roses reunion tour actually happened?

Yes and thank God because I plan on being Slash for Halloween.

Do other countries hate us because The Big Bang Theory is the #1 rated comedy on TV?

The rise of The Big Bang Theory directly correlates to the rise of Donald Trump.

What is at the top of your "OMG you haven't seen that movie?!" list that you are willing to admit?

I've never seen Star Wars and I'm a-okay with that.

What fictional character would you most want to be friends with or date in real life?

Hermione Granger on both accounts. 

Absolutely agree.

Halloween is approaching. What are your go-to pop culture related costume ideas?

Instagram celeb Joanne the Scammer, Steven Avery from Making A Murderer (congrats to him on his recent engagement!)

Most importantly, what is your take on the Brangelina divorce?

I'm working on a theory that Brad Pitt is actually Tyler Durden and we are all suffering from a collective Fight Club based delusion. So in reality, this question doesn't even exist because Brad Pitt doesn't exist.



Word Association. Give me your deep yet brief thoughts on:

Lana Del Rey: Goddess whose first album was better.

Shia LaBeouf: Hot douche (see: Disturbia)

Perez Hilton: Used to be funny, then got skinny and a conscience. 

Lose all that weight yet still gain a conscience :-/

The Kardashian Krew: Kim K took a situation in which her trust was broken and turned it into millions. They're wildly over-exposed and I wouldn't have it any other way. Who else would people complain about?

Amy Schumer: Trainwreck was my life's documentary. I love her for putting sexism on blast and being fucking hilarious while doing it.

The Olsen Twins: ICONS.

MySpace: Aren't I taking a MySpace survey right now?

A friend to all!

Macaulay Culkin: Saw him on Bowery last winter and was like "lol remember when Mila Kunis dated him for a decade?"

Chrissy Teigen: Yes.

Lindsay Lohan: Protect at all costs.

This or That:

Douchebags or Fuckbois

Fuckbois are hotter.

Taking Back Sunday or Brand New

Brand New.

You chose wisely.

Clueless or Almost Famous

Ouch. Wow. Clueless was more influential to me in the 90s but Almost Famous ~opened my eyes to rock n roll~. Pass.

MTV with music videos and no reality shows or MTV with reality shows and no music videos

Music videos and no reality shows only because Jersey Shore is over (and what a gift it was)

T.Swift or Kanye

Beyonce because she had the best video of all time.

Winning the Bachelor or Being the Bachelorette

Being the Bachelorette - duh. I love making men cry.

Tinder or Meeting dudes at a bar

Projecting my romantic fantasies on celebrities I've never met.

Paris Hilton's Dj career or Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester

Leighton Meester was rude to me at an event once so, Paris Hilton.

That's right turn it UP!

Better Canadian: Drake or Bieber

Aubrey. Drake. Graham.

Courtney Love's style or Kurt Cobain's style

Courtney because it's Kurt's style with the addition of silk babydoll dresses. Iconic! Much love to her always. She's been looking great in Frances Bean's `grams lately. 

Quite fetch.

Big thanks to Julie for taking this Pop Culture survey. I plan on doing more of these in the future with various people from all sorts of different backgrounds. As always, keep on keepin' on, and tell all your friends.