ABSTRACT
Joss Whedon, creator of the cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer describes his show as "a pop culture blender" the aim of which is to "talk about everything." In terms of the market domination of American television by the four big networks, Fox Television, NBC, CBS, and ABC, a certain fringe mentality also defines Buffy's two homes on network television, the fledgling Warner Bros. (WB) Network and United Paramount Network (UPN). The use of local independent bands on Buffy creates a distinct Californian sound. Californian indie-pop and related genres associated with independent music are often used in Buffy to convey the vibrancy and individualism of a confident youth culture. A cornerstone of Buffy is its self-deprecating "geek" humor, a humor laced with witty pop culture references. Much of the music used in Buffy illustrates how the darkness associated with Goth has come to permeate what is ostensibly more mainstream music in the pop/rock genres.
