Nathan Rabin: Difference between revisions

Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
	Nathan Rabin signs copies of his book The Big Rewind in 2009
Born	United States
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Occupations	Writer; film critic; music critic;
Spouse	Danya Maloon
Children	2

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 05:50, 12 May 2024

Nathan Rabin (/rɑːˈbiːn/) is an American film and music critic.^[1] Rabin was the first head writer for The A.V. Club,^[2] a position he held until he left the Onion organization in 2013.^[3] In 2013, Rabin became a staff writer for The Dissolve, a film website operated by Pitchfork Media.^[4] Two of his featured columns at The Dissolve were "Forgotbusters" (looking back at films that were among the top 25 box office earners in their release years but had not had cultural or popular endurance) and "Streaming University" (reviewing documentaries that were available through sites such as Netflix and Hulu).

On April 29, 2015, Rabin announced he had parted ways with The Dissolve.^[5] He later returned to The A.V. Club as a freelance writer.^[6]

In April 2017, Nathan announced that The AV Club had canceled his My World of Flops column, and that he was establishing his own Patreon-funded website, Nathan Rabin's Happy Place.^[7]

Early life and education[edit]

Rabin grew up on the north side of Chicago.^[8]

Career[edit]

He coined the phrase "manic pixie dream girl" as a cinematic archetype in 2007.^[9] He was a panelist on the short-lived basic cable show Movie Club with John Ridley on American Movie Classics. In 2007, he began My Year of Flops on The A.V. Club, where he reevaluated films that were shunned by critics, ignored by audiences, or both, at their time of release.^[10] As of January 2008, the year was finished, but he continued the project as a bimonthly feature. Other ongoing features Rabin wrote for The A.V. Club include Dispatches From Direct-To-DVD Purgatory, a tongue-in-cheek look at DVD premieres; reviews for TV shows like Louie; Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club,^[11] a humorous exploration of trashy books about entertainment, and Ephemereview, which offers critiques of sub-reviewable pop-culture detritus.

Rabin released his memoir in 2009, The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture, (2009) which was published by Scribner.^[12] The Washington Post gave the book a negative review, calling it a "...failed project brought to you by pop culture."^[13] while The New York Times wrote, "[Rabin] has packed [The Big Rewind] like a cannon, full of caustic wit and bruised feelings" in its more positive review.^[14] The book uses novels such as The Great Gatsby, musical recordings such as The Charm of the Highway Strip by The Magnetic Fields and other pop culture items as a springboard to discuss its author's tragi-comic adolescence as a guest of a mental hospital, a foster family whose patience and generosity he jokes "knew only strict, unyielding boundaries" and the Jewish Children's Bureau group home system, as well as his career with The A.V. Club and the short-lived film review show Movie Club With John Ridley on which he appeared.^[14] The book ends with a chapter about Rabin's unsuccessful audition to fill in for Roger Ebert as a guest critic on At the Movies. Scribner also published a book version of My Year of Flops (2010).^[15]

On April 23, 2013, The A.V. Club announced that Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Genevieve Koski, and Noel Murray would be leaving to start a new web-based project with former staffers Scott Tobias and Keith Phipps.^[3] On May 30, 2013, this project was revealed to be The Dissolve.^[4] In addition to criticism for The Dissolve, Rabin also wrote the biweekly feature Forgotbusters,^[16] a reexamination of now-culturally obscure Hollywood films whose box office grosses were among the top 25 of any film released in their year.

He has also written books on the Insane Clown Posse, Phish,^[17] and "Weird Al" Yankovic.^[18]^[19]

Personal life[edit]

Rabin is Jewish.^[20]^[21]^[22] He is married to Atlanta native Danya Maloon; they have two sons together.^[23]^[24] He lives in Marietta, Georgia with his family.^[23]

In a 2009 AV Club article about the 1996 baseball comedy film Ed, Rabin described himself as "a longtime Chicago White Sox super-fan",^[25] although in a 2021 blog post he confessed to having lost interest in following sports since his adolescence.^[26]

Books[edit]

Thompson, Stephen; A.V. Club Staff (December 10, 2002). The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations With Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0609809914.
Rabin, Nathan (2009). The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture. Scribner. ISBN 978-1416556206.
A.V. Club Staff (October 13, 2009). Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists. Scribner. ISBN 978-1416594734.
Rabin, Nathan (October 19, 2010). My Year of Flops: The A.V. Presents One Man's Journey Deep Into the Heart of Cinematic Failure. New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-1439153123.
Rabin, Nathan; Yankovic, Al (October 1, 2012). Weird Al: The Book. Abrams Books. ISBN 978-1419704352.
Rabin, Nathan (2013). You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes. Scribner. ISBN 978-1451626889.
Rabin, Nathan (2020). The Weird Accordion to Al: Every "Weird Al" Yankovic Album Obsessively Analyzed by the Co-Author of Weird Al: The Book. Declan-Haven Publishing. ISBN 978-1658788472.
Rabin, Nathan (December 16, 2021). The Joy of Trash: Nathan Rabin's Happy Place's Definitive Guide to the Very Worst of Everything. Declan-Haven Publishing. ISBN 978-1419732478.

References[edit]

^ The Onion's Nathan Rabin Time
^ Articles by Nathan Rabin Archived June 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at The AV Club
^ ^a ^b An Update from the AV Club Archived April 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine The AV Club April 26, 2013
^ ^a ^b "Introducing The Dissolve, A New Film Site" Archived June 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Pitchfork Media, May 30, 2013
^ Facebook Post Regarding Rabin Leaving The Dissolve. Archived November 8, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Facebook, April 30, 2015
^ Rabin, Nathan (August 25, 2015). "Nathan Rabin • The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
^ "Tweet by Nathan Rabin announcing his new website". Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
^ Movie Critic Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club & The Dissolve Archived April 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine True to Me Too
^ Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge? Archived September 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine All Things Considered, October 9, 2008
^ 'Onion' writer Nathan Rabin rewinds big-time for memoir Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine USA Today, July 6, 2009
^ Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the AV Club
^ The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine promotional page at Simon & Schuster
^ The Layers of a Pungent Life Archived December 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post
^ ^a ^b Memories of a Train Wreck Diverted Archived May 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, July 21, 2009
^ "My Year of Flops" Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine promo page at Simon & Schuster
^ Forgotbusters Archived April 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at The Dissolve
^ Rabin, Nathan (June 11, 2013). "You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes". Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Amazon.
^ Rabin, Nathan; Yankovic, Al (October 1, 2012). Weird Al: The Book. ABRAMS Image. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Amazon.
^ "The Weird Accordion to Al". Amazon. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
^ Rabin, Nathan (November 6, 2019). "The Adorably Good Intentions of Hershel the Jewish Reindeer". nathanrabin.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. As the Jewish parent of a holiday, present and toy-obsessed five year old boy I've wrestled with the dilemma of how to handle Christmas.
^ Graubart, Hadara (July 7, 2009). "Peeling Back Layers". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. You talk about community and family being part of what you inherited from Judaism.
^ Rabin, Nathan (November 6, 2019). "The Adorably Misguided Good Intentions of Hershel the Jewish Reindeer". nathanrabin.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. As the Jewish parent of a holiday, present and toy-obsessed five year old boy II've wrestled with the dilemma of how to handle Christmas.
^ ^a ^b Serico, Chris (August 14, 2015). "Living in his in-laws' basement with baby: Why this dad was happy to downsize". Today.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
^ "Danya Maloon is the Camper Care Director for In the City Camps". inthecitycamps.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. She is a native Atlantan and alumna of Jewish Day Schools.
^ Rabin, Nathan (December 16, 2009). "I Watched This On Purpose: Ed". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
^ Rabin, Nathan (February 16, 2021). "Cut It With the Condescending "Sportsball" Crap". Nathan Rabin's Happy Place. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.

External links[edit]

[1] The Onion's Nathan Rabin Time

[2] Articles by Nathan Rabin Archived June 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at The AV Club

[update-3] An Update from the AV Club Archived April 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine The AV Club April 26, 2013

[dissolve-4] "Introducing The Dissolve, A New Film Site" Archived June 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Pitchfork Media, May 30, 2013

[5] Facebook Post Regarding Rabin Leaving The Dissolve. Archived November 8, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Facebook, April 30, 2015

[avclub_nathanrabin_archive-6] Rabin, Nathan (August 25, 2015). "Nathan Rabin • The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.

[7] "Tweet by Nathan Rabin announcing his new website". Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2017.

[8] Movie Critic Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club & The Dissolve Archived April 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine True to Me Too

[9] Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge? Archived September 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine All Things Considered, October 9, 2008

[10] 'Onion' writer Nathan Rabin rewinds big-time for memoir Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine USA Today, July 6, 2009

[11] Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the AV Club

[12] The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine promotional page at Simon & Schuster

[13] The Layers of a Pungent Life Archived December 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post

[nytimes-14] Memories of a Train Wreck Diverted Archived May 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, July 21, 2009

[15] "My Year of Flops" Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine promo page at Simon & Schuster

[16] Forgotbusters Archived April 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at The Dissolve

[17] Rabin, Nathan (June 11, 2013). "You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes". Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Amazon.

[18] Rabin, Nathan; Yankovic, Al (October 1, 2012). Weird Al: The Book. ABRAMS Image. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Amazon.

[19] "The Weird Accordion to Al". Amazon. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.

[20] Rabin, Nathan (November 6, 2019). "The Adorably Good Intentions of Hershel the Jewish Reindeer". nathanrabin.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. As the Jewish parent of a holiday, present and toy-obsessed five year old boy I've wrestled with the dilemma of how to handle Christmas.

[graubart1-21] Graubart, Hadara (July 7, 2009). "Peeling Back Layers". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. You talk about community and family being part of what you inherited from Judaism.

[22] Rabin, Nathan (November 6, 2019). "The Adorably Misguided Good Intentions of Hershel the Jewish Reindeer". nathanrabin.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. As the Jewish parent of a holiday, present and toy-obsessed five year old boy II've wrestled with the dilemma of how to handle Christmas.

[Serico-23] Serico, Chris (August 14, 2015). "Living in his in-laws' basement with baby: Why this dad was happy to downsize". Today.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.

[24] "Danya Maloon is the Camper Care Director for In the City Camps". inthecitycamps.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. She is a native Atlantan and alumna of Jewish Day Schools.

[25] Rabin, Nathan (December 16, 2009). "I Watched This On Purpose: Ed". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.

[26] Rabin, Nathan (February 16, 2021). "Cut It With the Condescending "Sportsball" Crap". Nathan Rabin's Happy Place. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American film and music critic (born 1976)}}
 {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}}
 {{Infobox person
@@ Line 4: / Line 5: @@
 | image=Nathan Rabin at Chicago book signing.jpg
 | caption=Nathan Rabin signs copies of his book ''The Big Rewind'' in 2009
-| birth_date={{birth date and age|1976|4|24|mf=yes}}
 | birth_place=United States
 | alma_mater=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]
-| occupation=Writer, film critic, music critic
+| occupation={{flatlist|
+* Writer
+* film critic
+* music critic
+}}
+| spouse    = Danya Maloon
+| children  = 2
 }}
-'''Nathan Rabin''' ({{IPAc-en|r|ɑː|ˈ|b|iː|n}}; born April 24, 1976) is an American [[film critic|film]] and music critic.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1909930,00.html The Onion's Nathan Rabin] ''Time''</ref> Rabin was the first head writer for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'',<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/users/nathan-rabin,7/ Articles by Nathan Rabin] at ''The AV Club''</ref> a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.<ref name="update">[http://www.avclub.com/articles/an-update-from-the-av-club,97016/ An Update from the AV Club] ''The AV Club'' April 26, 2013</ref> In 2013, Rabin became a staff writer for ''[[The Dissolve]]'', a film website operated by [[Pitchfork Media]].<ref name="dissolve">[http://pitchfork.com/news/50949-introducing-the-dissolve-a-new-film-site/ "Introducing The Dissolve, A New Film Site"], Pitchfork Media, May 30, 2013</ref> Two of his featured columns at ''The Dissolve'' were "Forgotbusters" (looking back at films that were among the top 25 box office earners in their release years but had not had cultural or popular endurance) and "Streaming University" (reviewing documentaries that were available through sites such as [[Netflix]] and [[Hulu]]).
+'''Nathan Rabin''' ({{IPAc-en|r|ɑː|ˈ|b|iː|n}}) is an American [[film critic|film]] and music critic.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090716175846/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1909930,00.html The Onion's Nathan Rabin] ''Time''</ref> Rabin was the first head writer for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'',<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/users/nathan-rabin,7/ Articles by Nathan Rabin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611065459/http://www.avclub.com/users/nathan-rabin%2C7/ |date=June 11, 2012 }} at ''The AV Club''</ref> a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.<ref name="update">[http://www.avclub.com/articles/an-update-from-the-av-club,97016/ An Update from the AV Club] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429102116/http://www.avclub.com/articles/an-update-from-the-av-club,97016/ |date=April 29, 2013 }} ''The AV Club'' April 26, 2013</ref> In 2013, Rabin became a staff writer for ''[[The Dissolve]]'', a film website operated by [[Pitchfork Media]].<ref name="dissolve">[http://pitchfork.com/news/50949-introducing-the-dissolve-a-new-film-site/ "Introducing The Dissolve, A New Film Site"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603085452/http://pitchfork.com/news/50949-introducing-the-dissolve-a-new-film-site/ |date=June 3, 2013 }}, Pitchfork Media, May 30, 2013</ref> Two of his featured columns at ''The Dissolve'' were "Forgotbusters" (looking back at films that were among the top 25 box office earners in their release years but had not had cultural or popular endurance) and "Streaming University" (reviewing documentaries that were available through sites such as [[Netflix]] and [[Hulu]]).
-On April 29, 2015, Rabin announced he had parted ways with ''The Dissolve''.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/nathan.rabin/posts/10153293867362224?pnref=story Facebook Post Regarding Rabin Leaving The Dissolve.], Facebook, April 30, 2015</ref> He later returned to ''The A.V. Club'' as a freelance writer.<ref name="avclub_nathanrabin_archive">{{cite web
+On April 29, 2015, Rabin announced he had parted ways with ''The Dissolve''.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/nathan.rabin/posts/10153293867362224?pnref=story Facebook Post Regarding Rabin Leaving The Dissolve.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108041824/https://www.facebook.com/nathan.rabin/posts/10153293867362224?pnref=story |date=November 8, 2017 }}, Facebook, April 30, 2015</ref> He later returned to ''The A.V. Club'' as a freelance writer.<ref name="avclub_nathanrabin_archive">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.avclub.com/author/NathanRabin/
 | title=Nathan Rabin • The A.V. Club
@@ Line 20: / Line 26: @@
 | date=25 August 2015
 | access-date=25 August 2015
+| archive-date=October 25, 2015
-}}</ref>
+| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025073948/http://www.avclub.com/author/NathanRabin/
+| url-status=live
+}}</ref>
-In April 2017, Nathan announced that ''The AV Club'' had canceled his My World of Flops column, and that he was establishing his own [[Patreon]]-funded website, Nathan Rabin's Happy Place.<ref>[https://twitter.com/nathanrabin/status/856556260912750592 Tweet by Nathan Rabin announcing his new website]</ref>
+In April 2017, Nathan announced that ''The AV Club'' had canceled his My World of Flops column, and that he was establishing his own [[Patreon]]-funded website, Nathan Rabin's Happy Place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/nathanrabin/status/856556260912750592|title=Tweet by Nathan Rabin announcing his new website|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415080216/https://twitter.com/nathanrabin/status/856556260912750592|url-status=live}}</ref>
-==Life and career==
+==Early life and education==
-Rabin is Jewish.<ref>[http://bygonebureau.com/2009/07/27/a-better-kind-of-scum-an-interview-with-nathan-rabin/ “A Better Kind of Scum”: An Interview with Nathan Rabin] The Bygone Bureau, July 27, 2009</ref> He grew up on the north side of Chicago<ref>[http://truetometoo.com/profiles/nathan-rabin/ Movie Critic Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club & The Dissolve] ''True to Me Too''</ref> and has described himself as "a longtime [[Chicago White Sox]] super-fan."<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/article/emedem-36397 I Watched This On Purpose: ''Ed''] ''The A.V. Club'', December 16, 2009</ref> He is a graduate of the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]].
+Rabin grew up on the north side of Chicago.<ref>[http://truetometoo.com/profiles/nathan-rabin/ Movie Critic Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club & The Dissolve] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090357/http://truetometoo.com/profiles/nathan-rabin/ |date=April 7, 2014 }} ''True to Me Too''</ref>
+==Career==
-He coined the phrase "[[manic pixie dream girl]]" as a [[stock character|cinematic type]] in 2007.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95507953 Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?] All Things Considered, October 9, 2008</ref> He was a panelist on the short-lived basic cable show "Movie Club with [[John Ridley]]" on [[American Movie Classics]]. In 2007, he began My Year of Flops on ''The A.V. Club'', where he reevaluated films that were shunned by critics, ignored by audiences, or both, at their time of release.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-07-06-nathan-rabin-the-big-rewind_N.htm 'Onion' writer Nathan Rabin rewinds big-time for memoir] ''[[USA Today]]'', July 6, 2009</ref> As of January 2008, the year was finished, but he continued the project as a bimonthly feature. Other ongoing features Rabin wrote for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' include Dispatches From Direct-To-DVD Purgatory, a tongue-in-cheek look at DVD premieres; reviews for TV shows like ''[[Louie (U.S. TV series)|Louie]]''; Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club,<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/features/silly-little-showbiz-book-club/ Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club] at the AV Club</ref> a humorous exploration of trashy books about entertainment, and Ephemereview, which offers critiques of sub-reviewable pop-culture detritus.
+He coined the phrase "[[manic pixie dream girl]]" as a [[stock character|cinematic archetype]] in 2007.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95507953 Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906021537/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95507953 |date=September 6, 2011 }} All Things Considered, October 9, 2008</ref> He was a panelist on the short-lived basic cable show ''Movie Club with John Ridley'' on [[American Movie Classics]]. In 2007, he began My Year of Flops on ''The A.V. Club'', where he reevaluated films that were shunned by critics, ignored by audiences, or both, at their time of release.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-07-06-nathan-rabin-the-big-rewind_N.htm 'Onion' writer Nathan Rabin rewinds big-time for memoir] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711154030/http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-07-06-nathan-rabin-the-big-rewind_N.htm |date=July 11, 2009 }} ''[[USA Today]]'', July 6, 2009</ref> As of January 2008, the year was finished, but he continued the project as a bimonthly feature. Other ongoing features Rabin wrote for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' include Dispatches From Direct-To-DVD Purgatory, a tongue-in-cheek look at DVD premieres; reviews for TV shows like ''[[Louie (U.S. TV series)|Louie]]''; Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club,<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/features/silly-little-showbiz-book-club/ Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207104155/http://www.avclub.com/features/silly-little-showbiz-book-club/ |date=February 7, 2009 }} at the AV Club</ref> a humorous exploration of trashy books about entertainment, and Ephemereview, which offers critiques of sub-reviewable pop-culture detritus.
-Rabin released his memoir in 2009, ''The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture'', (2009) which was published by [[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]].<ref>[http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nathan-Rabin/45083314 The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture] promotional page at Simon & Schuster</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' gave the book a negative review, calling it a "...failed project brought to you by pop culture."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803352.html?hpid=artsliving The Layers of a Pungent Life] The Washington Post</ref> while ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "[Rabin] has packed [The Big Rewind] like a cannon, full of caustic wit and bruised feelings" in its more positive review.<ref name="nytimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/books/22garner.html Memories of a Train Wreck Diverted] The New York Times, July 21, 2009</ref> The book uses novels such as ''[[The Great Gatsby]],'' musical recordings such as ''[[The Charm of the Highway Strip]]'' by [[The Magnetic Fields]] and other pop culture items as a springboard to discuss its author's tragi-comic adolescence as a guest of a mental hospital, a foster family whose patience and generosity he jokes "knew only strict, unyielding boundaries" and the Jewish Children's Bureau group home system, as well as his career with ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' and the short-lived film review show ''Movie Club With [[John Ridley]]'' on which he appeared.<ref name="nytimes"/> The book ends with a chapter about Rabin's unsuccessful audition to fill in for [[Roger Ebert]] as a guest critic on ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|At the Movies]].'' Scribner also published a book version of ''My Year of Flops'' (2010).<ref>[http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nathan-Rabin/45083314/author_revealed "My Year of Flops"] promo page at Simon & Schuster</ref>
+Rabin released his memoir in 2009, ''The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture'', (2009) which was published by [[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]].<ref>[http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nathan-Rabin/45083314 The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131230925/http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nathan-Rabin/45083314 |date=January 31, 2009 }} promotional page at Simon & Schuster</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' gave the book a negative review, calling it a "...failed project brought to you by pop culture."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803352.html?hpid=artsliving The Layers of a Pungent Life] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204130042/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803352.html?hpid=artsliving |date=December 4, 2016 }} The Washington Post</ref> while ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "[Rabin] has packed [The Big Rewind] like a cannon, full of caustic wit and bruised feelings" in its more positive review.<ref name="nytimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/books/22garner.html Memories of a Train Wreck Diverted] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501172601/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/books/22garner.html |date=May 1, 2017 }} The New York Times, July 21, 2009</ref> The book uses novels such as ''[[The Great Gatsby]],'' musical recordings such as ''[[The Charm of the Highway Strip]]'' by [[The Magnetic Fields]] and other pop culture items as a springboard to discuss its author's tragi-comic adolescence as a guest of a mental hospital, a foster family whose patience and generosity he jokes "knew only strict, unyielding boundaries" and the Jewish Children's Bureau group home system, as well as his career with ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' and the short-lived film review show ''Movie Club With [[John Ridley]]'' on which he appeared.<ref name="nytimes"/> The book ends with a chapter about Rabin's unsuccessful audition to fill in for [[Roger Ebert]] as a guest critic on ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|At the Movies]].'' Scribner also published a book version of ''[[My Year of Flops]]'' (2010).<ref>[http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nathan-Rabin/45083314/author_revealed "My Year of Flops"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131195220/http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nathan-Rabin/45083314/author_revealed |date=January 31, 2009 }} promo page at Simon & Schuster</ref>
-On April 23, 2013, ''The A.V. Club'' announced that Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Genevieve Koski, and Noel Murray would be leaving to start a new web-based project with former staffers Scott Tobias and Keith Phipps.<ref name="update"/> On May 30, 2013, this project was revealed to be ''The Dissolve''.<ref name="dissolve"/> In addition to criticism for ''The Dissolve'', Rabin also wrote the biweekly feature Forgotbusters,<ref>[http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/ Forgotbusters] at The Dissolve</ref> a reexamination of now-culturally obscure Hollywood films whose box office grosses were among the top 25 of any film released in their year.
+On April 23, 2013, ''The A.V. Club'' announced that Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Genevieve Koski, and Noel Murray would be leaving to start a new web-based project with former staffers Scott Tobias and Keith Phipps.<ref name="update"/> On May 30, 2013, this project was revealed to be ''The Dissolve''.<ref name="dissolve"/> In addition to criticism for ''The Dissolve'', Rabin also wrote the biweekly feature Forgotbusters,<ref>[http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/ Forgotbusters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406122929/http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/ |date=April 6, 2014 }} at The Dissolve</ref> a reexamination of now-culturally obscure Hollywood films whose box office grosses were among the top 25 of any film released in their year.
-He has also been associated with articles on the [[Insane Clown Posse]], [[Phish]],<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451626886/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 Amazon.com: You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes]</ref> and [["Weird Al" Yankovic]].<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5H4VMW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Amazon.com: Weird Al: The Book]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Weird Accordion to Al |url=https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Accordion-Al-Obsessively-Co-Author-ebook/dp/B083QSSG6G/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?keywords=world+accordion+to+al&qid=1579701483&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr2 |publisher=[[Amazon.com]] |access-date=January 22, 2020}}</ref>
+He has also written books on the [[Insane Clown Posse]], [[Phish]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451626886/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0|title=You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes|first=Nathan|last=Rabin|date=June 11, 2013|via=Amazon|access-date=October 23, 2019|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415075944/https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451626886/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0|url-status=live}}</ref> and [["Weird Al" Yankovic]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5H4VMW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1|title=Weird Al: The Book|first1=Nathan|last1=Rabin|first2=Al|last2=Yankovic|date=October 1, 2012|publisher=ABRAMS Image |via=Amazon|access-date=October 23, 2019|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415075805/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5H4VMW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Weird Accordion to Al |website=Amazon |url=https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Accordion-Al-Obsessively-Co-Author-ebook/dp/B083QSSG6G/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?keywords=world+accordion+to+al&qid=1579701483&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr2 |access-date=January 22, 2020 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415075619/https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Accordion-Al-Obsessively-Co-Author-ebook/dp/B083QSSG6G/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?keywords=world+accordion+to+al&qid=1579701483&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
+==Personal life==
+Rabin is [[American Jews|Jewish]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Nathan|last=Rabin|authorlink=|title=The Adorably Good Intentions of Hershel the Jewish Reindeer|website=nathanrabin.com|date=November 6, 2019|url=https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/11/5/the-adorably-misguided-good-intentions-of-hershel-the-jewish-reindeer|accessdate=October 6, 2021|quote=As the Jewish parent of a holiday, present and toy-obsessed five year old boy I’ve wrestled with the dilemma of how to handle Christmas.|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006160848/https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/11/5/the-adorably-misguided-good-intentions-of-hershel-the-jewish-reindeer|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="graubart1">{{Cite news|first=Hadara |last=Graubart |authorlink=   |title= Peeling Back Layers   |newspaper=[[Tablet Magazine]]|date=July 7, 2009 |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/9273/this-boy%E2%80%99s-life   |accessdate=| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210160819/https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/9273/this-boy%E2%80%99s-life | archive-date=February 10, 2018|quote=You talk about community and family being part of what you inherited from Judaism. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Nathan|last=Rabin|authorlink=|title=The Adorably Misguided Good Intentions of Hershel the Jewish Reindeer|website=nathanrabin.com|date=November 6, 2019|url=https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/11/5/the-adorably-misguided-good-intentions-of-hershel-the-jewish-reindeer|accessdate=October 6, 2021|quote=As the Jewish parent of a holiday, present and toy-obsessed five year old boy II’ve wrestled with the dilemma of how to handle Christmas.|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006160848/https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/11/5/the-adorably-misguided-good-intentions-of-hershel-the-jewish-reindeer|url-status=live}}</ref> He is married to Atlanta native Danya Maloon; they have two sons together.<ref name=Serico>{{Cite news|first=Chris|last=Serico|authorlink=|title=Living in his in-laws' basement with baby: Why this dad was happy to downsize|newspaper=Today.com|date=August 14, 2015|url=https://www.today.com/parents/living-his-laws-basement-baby-why-dad-was-happy-downsize-t38761|accessdate=|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006161433/https://www.today.com/parents/living-his-laws-basement-baby-why-dad-was-happy-downsize-t38761|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web   |first=   |last=   |authorlink=   |title=Danya Maloon is the Camper Care Director for In the City Camps.   |website=inthecitycamps.org   |date=   |url=https://inthecitycamps.org/support-staff/   |accessdate=   |quote=She is a native Atlantan and alumna of Jewish Day Schools.   |archive-date=October 6, 2021   |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006161905/https://inthecitycamps.org/support-staff/   |url-status=live   }}</ref> He lives in [[Marietta, Georgia]] with his family.<ref name=Serico/>
+In a 2009 ''AV Club'' article about the 1996 baseball comedy film ''[[Ed (film)|Ed]]'', Rabin described himself as "a longtime [[Chicago White Sox]] super-fan",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/emedem-36397|title=I Watched This On Purpose: ''Ed''|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|website=The A.V. Club|date=December 16, 2009|access-date=March 22, 2014|archive-date=March 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322073926/http://www.avclub.com/article/emedem-36397|url-status=live}}</ref> although in a 2021 blog post he confessed to having lost interest in following sports since his adolescence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2021/2/16/cut-it-with-the-condescending-sportsball-crap|title=Cut It With the Condescending "Sportsball" Crap|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|website=Nathan Rabin's Happy Place|date=February 16, 2021|accessdate=August 7, 2022|archive-date=February 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216202101/https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2021/2/16/cut-it-with-the-condescending-sportsball-crap|url-status=live}}</ref>
 ==Books==
 * {{cite book
-| first=Stephen
+| first1=Stephen
-| last=Thompson
+| last1=Thompson
 | author2=A.V. Club Staff
-| date=2004
+| date=December 10, 2002
 | title=The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations With Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders
-| publisher=Three Rivers Press
+| publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]]
-| isbn=9780609809914
+| isbn=978-0609809914
 | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780609809914
 }}
 * {{cite book
-| first=Nathan
+| first1=Nathan
-| last=Rabin
+| last1=Rabin
 | date=2009
 | title=The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture
 | publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]]
-| isbn=9781416556206
+| isbn=978-1416556206
 | url=https://archive.org/details/bigrewindmemoir00rabi
 }}
 * {{cite book
-| author=A.V. Club Staff
+| author1=A.V. Club Staff
-| date=2009
+| date=October 13, 2009
 | title=Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists
+| publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]]
+| isbn=978-1416594734
 | url=https://archive.org/details/inventory16films00avcl_0
-| publisher=Scribner
-| isbn=1416594736
 }}
 * {{cite book
-| author=Rabin, Nathan
+| first1=Nathan
-| date=2010
+| last1=Rabin
+| date=October 19, 2010
 | title=My Year of Flops: The A.V. Presents One Man's Journey Deep Into the Heart of Cinematic Failure
 | url=https://archive.org/details/myyearofflopsavc0000rabi
 | location=New York
-| publisher=Scribner
+| publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]]
-| isbn=9781439153123
+| isbn=978-1439153123
 }}
 * {{cite book
-| first=Nathan
+| first1=Nathan
-| last=Rabin
+| last1=Rabin
 | first2=Al
 | last2=Yankovic
-| date=2012
+| date=October 1, 2012
 | title=Weird Al: The Book
 | url=https://www.weirdal.com/catalog/weird-al-the-book/
-| publisher=Harry N. Abrams
+| publisher=[[Harry N. Abrams|Abrams Books]]
-| isbn=1419704354
+| isbn=978-1419704352
-| access-date=14 June 2015
 }}
 * {{cite book
-| first=Nathan
+| first1=Nathan
-| last=Rabin
+| last1=Rabin
 | date=2013
 | title=You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes
-| publisher=Scribner
+| publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]]
 | isbn=978-1451626889
 | url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/You-Dont-Know-Me-but-You-Dont-Like-Me/Nathan-Rabin/9781451626902
 }}
 * {{cite book
-| first=Nathan
+| first1=Nathan
-| last=Rabin
+| last1=Rabin
 | date=2020
 | title=The Weird Accordion to Al: Every "Weird Al" Yankovic Album Obsessively Analyzed by the Co-Author of Weird Al: The Book
 | publisher=Declan-Haven Publishing
 | isbn=978-1658788472
-| url=https://www.nathanrabin.com/the-weird-accordion-to-al
 }}
+* {{cite book
+| first1=Nathan
-==References==
+| last1=Rabin
-{{Reflist}}
+| date=December 16, 2021
+| title=The Joy of Trash: Nathan Rabin's Happy Place's Definitive Guide to the Very Worst of Everything
+| location=
+| language=English
+| publisher=Declan-Haven Publishing
+| isbn=978-1419732478
+}}
 ==See also==
@@ Line 111: / Line 132: @@
 * [[Golden Raspberry Awards]]
 * [[List of films considered the worst]]
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
 ==External links==
@@ Line 116: / Line 140: @@
 * [http://www.nathanrabin.com Nathan Rabin's Happy Place ]
 * {{IMDb name|1934151}}
-* {{Worldcat id|lccn-n2008052340}}
 {{The Onion}}
@@ Line 134: / Line 157: @@
 [[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni]]
 [[Category:Jewish American journalists]]
+[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]

v t e The Onion
Main projects	The Onion
Former projects	The A.V. Club ClickHole StarWipe
Video productions	Onion SportsDome Onion News Network The Onion Movie
Books	Our Dumb Century Our Dumb World The Onion Book of Known Knowledge
Podcasts	A Very Fatal Murder
The Onion people	Rich Dahm Scott Dikkers Megan Ganz Joe Garden Todd Hanson Tim Harrod David Javerbaum Ellie Kemper Peter Koechley Carol Kolb Maria Schneider Robert D. Siegel Ward Sutton Jack Szwergold
AV Club people	Max Cannon Amelie Gillette Nathan Rabin Stephen Thompson Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Claire Zulkey
Articles and other content	Joe Biden (The Onion) "'No Way to Prevent This', Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens" "Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point"
Related	G/O Media Univision Communications (former parent) Fusion Media Group (former owner) Novak v. City of Parma

Authority control databases
International	FAST ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany United States