I've never seen an episode of "American Idol" or "Jersey Shore," but I'm getting to be an authority on obscure Eastern European pop-culture--if pre-war animation and surreal art films count as "pop," I guess. I'm not sure what it is that's been attracting me to the art of Polish animators like Ladislaw Starewicz or Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer, but I find their work infinitely more interesting than the lifestyles of the tanned and self-important. Why the fascination with Eastern Europe? With these two artists, it's sheer coincidence--though based on what I've seen of Starewicz' shorts, I think it's safe to guess Švankmajer was heavily influenced by the weirdness and wonder in the former's work.
