Someone doesn't like "Mad Men"

In the current edition of “Artforum” Greil Marcus writes a pretty critical piece about the TV show “Mad Men”. It’s a rare exception in the sea of extremely positive reviews of the show. Unfortunately it’s not accessible free online, so you need to try to read it wherever you can get a hard copy. It’s worth a read. 

Marcus’ key point is that there is strong emptiness in the TV show below the surface of outstanding actors and 1960ies furniture. It’s close to the emptiness of today’s ambiguous and mostly self ironic and self referential promotion of products and services in today’s advertising world. The advertising of the 1960 were much more naïve but honest in their belief to improve people’s life. Unfortunately advertising plays only a minor role in the "Mad Men".