Scott Saul

Pop Culture

Expertise:
1960s & '70s Pop Culture

Available for in-person lectures in:
South FL (weekends only)

Available via Zoom?
No

To book Scott, e-mail:
dan@hudakonhollywood.com

I’m a lawyer by profession and pop culture aficionado by heart. I treat pop culture like it is a vital aspect of information worthy of serious debate. It can be loads of fun since there really are no definitive answers…or are there?

My formative years were in the ‘60s and ‘70s where I was inundated with the pop culture. Perhaps more than I would like to admit, the living room entertainment console was my mentor, babysitter and companion. Through electronic osmosis, a lot seeped in: monster movies, comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, professional wrestling, risqué magazines, the Three Stooges, Mad Magazine, baseball Slurpee cups, merry melodies, double albums...these are some of the molecules that make up my DNA.

I can’t wait to share and relive these nostalgic memories with all of you.

Lectures include:

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How To Rank The Greatness Of Musicians

Ranking artists…is it a science, a skill or utter silliness? In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the 250 greatest guitar players. It was a nice try but it resembled a popularity contest rather than truly judging artistic merit. Granted, art can never be akin to a quantitative comparison process like athletics. However, it is obvious that some musicians have more talent than others. But what is the best way to rate and rank a musician? Let’s dig deep in this lecture, get all opinionated and try to come up with an empirical formula for how musical greatness should be evaluated.

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Is The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Too Inclusive?

Should a hardcore music fan embrace or shun the annual Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductions? When it started, the true icons of the genre were inducted but now…has too much mediocrity been enshrined? If The Zombies are in the same corridor as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, does that sit well with you? In this lecture we’ll look at the pros and cons of the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame. This lecture will honor those who’ve undeniably earned their way into the Hall, and also cast doubt about some questionable entries.

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Classic Rock: They Don’t Make ‘em Like They Used To

Are the 1960’s and ‘70s the zenith of pop music creativity? If so, why? Surely, the majority of music is derivative. However, while today’s artists get to learn from 70 years of rock n’ roll history, the elite artists from the past seemed to be much more creative and innovative…or am I imagining things? Have there been significant innovations since the classic era? The classic rock artists’ songs are timeless – are today’s stars also creating timeless songs? This lecture is a fascinating look at how the pop music of then compares to the pop music of now.

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Rock Stars That Are Nice, Rock Stars That Are Not Nice

There is an adage, “be careful when meeting your heroes,” and it can be an accurate truism. Many entertainers are tortured artists. To be able to make a living in the arts may be akin to winning the lottery. I have had casual encounters with some rock stars and can tell you some may not be what you expected or hoped for. In this lecture we’ll look at what contributes to a performer’s attitude and personality, and share good – and not so good – about encounters with famous rock stars.

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Should A Controversial Artist Be Canceled?

Sometimes it is impossible to separate an artist’s creative output from who they are in real life. Woody Allen, Roger Waters, Ted Nugent, Roseanne Barr…all artists that can be incredibly divisive, but should they be “canceled,” i.e., exiled from showbusiness because of their personal life behavior? This question naturally leads to another: Should you evaluate an artist by their body of work…or who they are in real life, even if you don’t know them personally? This lecture will attempt to answer those highly subjective, unanswerable questions with a thoughtful discussion of the pros and cons of each.

Are you ready to bring Hudak On Hollywood to your community?

Please e-mail dan@hudakonhollywood.com for additional information. We look forward to hearing from you!

dan@hudakonhollywood.com