dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə mˈɪd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z hiː dɪvˈɛləpt ɐ mˈiːdiːə pɜːsˈoʊnə baɪ pˈʌblɪʃɪŋ sˈɛlfˈɪntɚvjˌuːz wˌɪtʃ kˈɑːmɛntᵻd ɔnðə kəmˌɑːdɪfɪkˈeɪʃən ʌv kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi ˈɑːɹt, wˌɪtʃ lˈɛd tə θˈiəɹiz ˌɔn kəstˈɑːbiz kˈʌltʃɚɹəl ɹˈɛlᵻvəns ɪn vˈɛɹiəs sˌoʊsɪˈɑːlədʒi bˈʊks ɪŋklˈuːdɪŋ "lˈaɪf: ðə mˈuːvi: hˌaʊ ˌɛntɚtˈeɪnmənt kˈɑːŋkɚd ɹɪˈælᵻɾi" baɪ nˈiːl ɡˈeɪbəlɚɹ ænd "kˈʌltʃɚɹ ɔːɹ tɹˈæʃ?:
During the mid-1980s he developed a media persona by publishing self-interviews which commented on the commodification of contemporary art, which led to theories on Kostabi's cultural relevance in various sociology books including "Life: The Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality" by Neal Gabler and "Culture or Trash?: