Dr. Brian Cogan of Brooklyn, Associate Professor at Molloy University, passed away at his home on August 28th. Brian was raised in Staten Island, where he attended Monsignor Farrell High School and received his BA from St. John's University. Brian received his MA and PhD in Media Ecology at NYU under the mentorship of Neil Postman.
Dr. Cogan taught Media Studies/Communications at NYU, the College of Staten Island, and Molloy University, where he worked as an Associate Professor. Dr. Cogan authored and co-wrote more than 10 books, including The Encyclopedia of Punk Rock, Monty Python FAQ, Deconstructing South Park, The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal, and most recently, Six Seasons and a Movie: How Community Broke Television. He was also a creative fiction and screenplay writer. He was an avid reader and collector of books, including comic books.
Perhaps more importantly, he was a caring and engaging teacher, and became a mentor and lifelong friend to many of his students. His teaching philosophy was about engaging students in dialogue and teaching them how to think, not simply lecturing to them.
He was a member of several academic associations and is a former President of the Media Ecology Association. He wrote academic papers on a wide range of media and cultural topics and was on many panels at conferences held by the National Communications Association, Popular Culture Association, and the International Communications Association.
Brian was the drummer and singer in several punk bands including the Plaster Commandos, Fast Food, and finally In Crowd for over 30 years, playing shows at venues throughout New York City, including CBGB's, ABC No Rio, and Neri's Place. He also sang traditional Irish folk and Pogues songs with The Cogan Brothers and Mark Farley every St. Patrick's season, commemorating his Irish heritage.
He was a music fan of all genres, attending hundreds of live shows over the decades. He made friends wherever he went and will be remembered for his generosity, his kindness, his love of conversation, sense of humor and, last but not least, his love of the New York Mets.
