My Pop Culture

By Ivan Struk

Pop Culture and Me

I, like most other people, am affected by pop culture, but most of the time for a short period of time. After it passed I would switch to another trend. Pop culture is all around us. Its even in technology as you will find out in this powerpoint.

What is pop culture?

Pop culture is a trend, style or way of living that is popular at the time and

is accepted by the public.

Musicin the past!

The Influence of Abba!

ABBA was the first band that I wanted to be like. It inspired my affinity to music and for the first time I could see the talent and the love towards what they were doing. For over two years I wanted to make my own group, but in the end gave up on the idea.

Flying Fingers

After my disappointment that I could not start up my own band, I fell in love with something else, also related to Abba. After I watched Abba’s music video “Gimme Gimme Gimme” I saw how the pianists fingers danced around on the keys of the piano producing an awing sound and beat. I told my mother that I wanted to learn the piano, and she agreed. That’s how I got inspired to learn to play the piano.

The fingers of the pianist in the music video “Gimme Gimme Gimme” were flying, dancing, and skipping on the keys.

Edvin Marton and the magical Stradivarius!

I first saw Edvin Marton on television, competing in the 2007 Eurovision competition along with Dima Bilan and Evgeni Plushenko in the single “Believe”. I was amazed at the way he handled his violin, it was practically singing. He was a true virtuoso with his violin, the magical Stradivarius, the worlds best violin and there are only eight in the world.

I told my mother that I now wanted to play the violin, but I was told that I had chosen the piano already and have to stick with it. So instead, I downloaded many of his pieces and bought many of his albums, and because I did not know how to play the violin I found transcripts of his pieces from violin to piano, which then I played.

Billy Joel and the Blues

Billy Joel introduced me to the realm of blues and boogie music. He also inspired me to buy a studio synthesizer with which I used my piano skills to improvise a bit and play some blues and boogie. I first heard him at the airport while I was waiting for my father to return from Russia, I went to Duty Free and asked if they had it and I bought the CD “Billy Joel Sings”.

Music

Now

THE KING OF POP!

Michael Jackson was a legend and died a legend and he still influences me. For Halloween, I dressed up as him, and learned some of his famous dance moves like the heel spin, moonwalk, and kick. I still listen to his music because no one put as much effort into “the show” as Michael Jackson. It was not only his career, it was his life, and the stage was his home.

After I heard Michael Jacksons home demo of “Billie Jean,” I realized what a good beat it had. Using a program I transcribed it into musical notes which I then inputted into my synth and could improvise and add on to that melody, which lead into my own composition.

THE KING OF POP!

DJ Armin van Buuren

It started when I heard some of his mixes on the radio, and other songs featuring him. I got interested into making remixes and editing different songs. So, I got Virtual DJ Pro with Internal Mixer and pulled out my Wacom Tablet and pumped up the volume on synth and started editing songs, and making remixes. Soon after that, I started to record them and store them. Soon I hope to put them up on YouTube.

Toto Cutugno

A great Italian singer that is has a great voice that calms me down or relaxes me anytime. He inspired me to go to Italy in the winter to Cortina de Ompezzio, a city in North Italy which lie in the mountains.

Movies t That Influenced

ME!

Bridge to Terrabithia

“Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Ann Patterson is a movie based on the novel “Bridge to Terabithia” is a movie about a 14 year old boy that finally finds a friend named Leslie. They find an abandoned tree house in the woods, in which they play and hang out. He gets a crush on his Music &Drama teacher. She invites him to go to a museum and when he returns he finds Leslie dead.This movie and book made me understand the true value of friendship and how important the people around you are.

Hotel For Dogs

Hotel For Dogs is a movie about two siblings that are orphaned in a car crash. They are then sent off to numerous foster homes and always get kicked out because of their lack of discipline. Yet when they find an abandoned hotel, they turn it into a hotel for dogs that are strays, been neglected or got lost.I am an animal lover and this movie inspired me to join the WWF as an online member.

Ace Ventura!

The two movies; “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” starring Jim Carey are about a man that seems to be lacking a few chromosomes , that rescues pets and solves mysteries concerning animals using his own wacky ways.This film showed me that you don’t have to be too smart or have that much logic to help people.

An Inconvenient

Truth

“An Inconvenient Truth” is a movie-lecture about how global warming affects the world, it’s main speaker is Al Gore. This movie really showed me the affects of global warming and inspired me to recycle much more. You should watch this one.

Fashion

and Moi!

The Samurai Look

When I was small, I constantly watched Japanese anime cartoons. I had an idol in one cartoon. It was a samurai. So I would take my orange robe and a stick and run around all day in it.

Steve Irwin

He was a wildlife explorer and one on the worlds most interesting TV hosts. His look made me nag on and on to my mom that I wanted shirts and pants just like his, and when I got them, I wouldn’t take them off.

Batman

Before he turned into a dark knight, he was my idol. He made me wear a Batman costume for three years straight, and I only stopped liking him a short time ago, when he became the DARK KNIGHT.

Rock Star

When my sister got into listening to rock, I also got in the mood for rock. Except, I liked dressing up as a rock star! I would try to, but my mom didn’t approve of that. So my sister helped me. I soon got over this fad.

People

That Affected

ME!

Mythbusters

The Mythbusters are a duo of scientists that try to prove famous myths wrong. They inspired me to try making my own experiments.

Aleksandrov Mastrov

He was a soldier that was part of the last stand on the outskirts of Moscow during the second world war. His group sacrificed their lives by rolling underneath the tanks of the Nazis with grenades attached to themselves.He inspired me to direct the movie Operation S.H.R.E.D.

Larry King

Larry King is the host of Larry King Live on CNN. He is a journalist that always get down to the facts and will just about make you admit to anything. He inspired me to be more persuasive and interrogative.

Evgeniy Rodin

My grandfather, Evgeniy Rodin, was an explorer of the seas. His ship got ice locked in the middle of the Arctic. He and his crew had to walk for miles and miles to reach civilization. He inspired my love for travel and the sea and also inspired me to write a book about his adventure, Just Snow And Ice.

Me at my grandfathers apartment in Russia.

Aleksander Cosic

Aleks is my tennis coach, He taught me a very important lesson; “Never give up, Ivan! Today its you! Tomorrow its them!” and “You fall! You get up! And kill him”, meaning you start getting worse, try 10 times more and gain even more progress than you lost.

Thanks For Watching!