Lifelong Cleveland resident Peter Chakerian wants the world to know about Cleveland's influence on popular culture – so much so that he wrote the book on it. "I felt an obligation to collect as many of these stories and people in one place as possible," says Chakerian. "This region suffers greatly from the 'awww, shucks,' humble Midwestern mentality and underdog culture here, at least to some degree." Chakerian, for one, isn't buying it. "One could make the argument that northeast Ohio’s contributions to pop culture reveal our region as a sophisticated, complex place that belies the often one-sided, depressed, rustbelt wasteland it is portrayed to be."
In his book, Pop Goes Cleveland! The Impact of Cleveland (and Northeast Ohio) on Pop Culture, Chakerian details the people and phenomena that found their path to the world stage right here at home, including those notables that the author calls "downright iconic." Superman, Bob Hope, Alan Freed, Phil Donahue, Paul Newman, Chrissie Hynde, Drew Carey, Halle Berry and LeBron James are just a few of the big names that rated mention for Chakerian.
"To some degree, we are all a product of popular culture," he says, "and the subject has always fascinated me ... while there were many token 'they came from northeast Ohio' stories in the media – usually conjured in relation to a new Tom Hanks movie, or Nine Inch Nails album – the premise of pop culture emerging from northeast Ohio explored in full had never been tackled." Even as a student of pop culture, the author encountered some surprises, for instance, that Cadiz-born Clark Cable lived in Akron before his star turn in Gone With the Wind, and that Baby and Child Care author Dr. Benjamin Spock lived in Cleveland Heights.
Considering the influence northeast Ohio has over popular culture in regards to the arts, food, movies, music, literature, sports and television, it's tempting to wonder what American pop culture would look like without our contributions. "Hey, you like the National Football League?" says Chakerian. "Formed in Canton. Superman? Born in Cleveland. So, you're a big New York Yankees fan? Guess what, George Steinbrenner is from Cleveland ... The takeaway from Pop Goes Cleveland! is that northeast Ohio is an expressive, socially conscious, bootstrappingly clever, pioneering, intellectual, diverse, multicultural, spiritually engaged and affable region that has influenced the country and the world."
Pop Goes Cleveland is available from Cleveland Landmarks Press and local bookstores.
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