JAnuary January30, 30,2019 2019 Sabrina Aponte
4 EGO
EOTW: Keneally Phelan, Antarctica Trip
6 MUSIC
Maggie Rogers, Album Anniversaries, Record Stores in Philly
9 STYLE
Wax and Wine, Costar
LOL
10 FEATURE Shutdown
LOL 14 FILM & TV
Never-Ending Man, Sex Education, A Very English Scandal
17 ARTS
Robinson Printing Press at KWH, To the Lighthouse
LOL 19 OVERHEARDS 2
Annabelle Williams, Editor–in–Chief Dalton DeStefano, Managing Editor Daniel Bulpitt, Audience Engagement Director Lily Snider, Assignments Editor Ethan Wu, Media Director Sophie Burkholder, Word on the Street Editor Katie Bontje, Ego Editor Sam Kesler, Music Editor Eliana Doft, Special Features Editor Meerie Jesuthasan, Long–Term Features Editor Angie Lin, Developing Features Editor Bella Fertel, Style Editor Maryanne Koussa, Film & TV Editor Josephine Cheng, Arts Editor Emma Boey & Sophia Dai, Photo Editors Tahira Islam & Katie Steele, Copy Editors Ben Zhao, Print Director Ego Beats: Amanpreet Singh, Michelle Shen, Sophie Xi, Caroline Emma Moore Music Beats: Beatrice Forman, Arjun Swaminathan, Teresa Xie, Melannie Jay, Aleksei Kuryla Features Staff: Katrina Janco, Shinyoung Hailey Noh,
Allison Wu, Srinidhi Ramakrishna, Caroline Riise, Paige Fishman, Chris Schiller Style Beats: Karin Hananel, Allie Shapiro, Jen Cullen, Alice Goulding Film & TV Beats: Anna Collins, Shriya Beesam, Shannon Zhang, Zovinar Khrimian, Calista Lopez
Copy Deputies: Sarah Poss & Kira Horowitz Copy Associates: Kate Poole, Serena Miniter, Erin Liebenberg, Lexie Shah, Carmina Hachenburg, Luisa Healey, Agatha Advincula Audience Engagment Associates: Brittany Levy, McKay Norton, Kat Ulich, Emily Gelb, Ryan McLaughlin, Valentina Escudero
Arts Beats: Michelle Wan
Cover Photos by Ethan Wu
Design Editors: Gillian Diebold, Lucy Ferry, Alice Heyeh, Jess Tan, Tamsyn Brann Associates: Dannie Watson, Joy Lee, Ian Ong, Christy Qiu, Jackie Lou
Contacting 34th Street Magazine: If you have questions, comments, complaints or letters to the editor, email Annabelle Williams, Editor–in–Chief, at williams@34st.com. You can also call us at (215) 422–4640. www.34st.com
Staff Writers: Liz Kim, Jordan Waschman, Anjalee Bhuyan, Shunmel Syau, Bebe Hodges Illustrators: Anne Chen, Anne Marie Grudem, Brad Hong, Carly Ryan, Catherine Liang, Jake Lem, Reese Berman, Saranya Sampath, Jessi Olarsch, Christopher Kwok, Diane Lin, Cecelia Vieira, Jacqueline Lou Staff Photographers: Sophia Zhu, Eleanor Shemtov Video Staff: Jean Chapiro, Christina Piasecki, Anab Aidid
©2019 34th Street Magazine, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. No part may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express, written consent of the editors (but I bet we will give you the a–okay.) All rights reserved. 34th Street Magazine is published by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc., 4015 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19104, every Wednesday.
"You forgot about this." - Print Director
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR B
reaking news, Street readers—I actually did my homework this week. I wrote out a list of 100 fears. Turns out that when you take a class titled "The Art of Haunting," you have to get familiar with what's scary. You have to write it out and let it sit. But this assignment was starting to freak me out. I sat at my desk and experienced that familiar but still nauseating cocktail of writer’s block muddled with a splash of anxiety. I stared at a blank document and tried to write down, in no particular order, at least 100 things that scared me. Street's managing editor Dalton and I sprawled out in The Daily Pennsylvanian office around 1 a.m. on Sunday—Monday?—night. I had a blank Google Doc open in front of me, daring me to be anxious, as if I needed an invitation. And then Dalton and I started talking. Fast–forward to 3 a.m. We’d been shooting the shit for two hours about what scared us, Dalton pacing around the office like an old–timey therapist. We started with the banal—feeling awkward in conversation, oversleeping. We moved onto the Street–related, which I’ll pass on sharing here. We covered the unlikely—electroshock therapy, nuclear fallout, being buried alive. Then on to the creature feature—spiders, cockroaches, mice, centipedes. We talked about The Polar Express, and Dalton
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taught me about uncanny valley theory, which is the reason that movie scared me so much as a kid. The characters in it lived in that liminal space between real and not real, lifelike and just off–putting enough to not be. And we touched on the really dark—mine being that my family would all die in a plane crash without me and leave me to take care of the family affairs alone. Now the list numbers 116 and I have to print it out and give it to my professor—with a few redactions. And as helpful as this list will be in a class devoted to writing horror fiction, I think what’s more important is the process of getting there. Talking about things that scare you sucks. But talking about it with your friends isn’t so bad. I’m lucky to work with mine.
Jessi Olarsch | Illustrator
3 WORD ON THE STREET
WORD ON THE STREET
word on the
STREET
If you saw me walking down Locust today, you’d probably see me as a short, quiet, baby–faced, curly–haired, racially ambiguous woman with muscular legs and tattoos. But to the few people here on campus that know me beyond that, I’m also a first–generation, low–income, city kid from Chicago with social anxiety. My little sister and I grew up living in a different aunt's or grandma’s home every week until I was eight. During that time, we also often babysat the six younger cousins who lived with us. Sometimes, we would have sleepovers in the hospital break room where my mom worked overnights and go to play trial versions of video games the next morning at a Circuit City where my dad worked. In high school, I was one of the first girls to become a Junior Varsity wrestler on an all–boys team but got a lot of shit from my “teammates” daily for it. Throughout my junior year, I saved up my $10 worth of lunch money every week to pay for dance lessons, which later enabled me to compete three times in the International Salsa Congress. I didn’t realize that more than one college existed until my junior year of high school, because all my dad talked about was me going to a state school, one he wanted but was never able to attend. I think I was only the fourth person ever from my public high school to go to Penn, but I was hardly excited when I first received my acceptance, because my parents wanted me to take the full–ride engineering scholarship from my state school instead. Maybe they were right. Since being at Penn, I’ve always felt like an average, maybe even below-average, student. But I understand that “average” depends
ALL I DID AT PENN WAS GET BY. I'M OKAY WITH THAT. A soon–to–graduate Urban Studies major on defining her own success. Sabrina Aponte on the way we define success for ourselves. I am the Penn student who is absolutely afraid of each semester before it begins. I am the one who often has to catch up to even be on par with my classmates, the one who always tries to do the best that I can, even though it doesn’t always pay off. It’s for these reasons that I don’t necessarily consider myself to be an “academically smart”
adopting new and challenging material, it felt like I had to learn how to read, write, speak, and study all over again. Soon, my GPA tanked, and I considered transferring. Like a lot of my first–generation and/or low–income friends at Penn, and my urban public high school friends who decided to attend a selective university, I questioned whether or not I
to suggest I shouldn’t. When I told my advisor about the career paths I saw myself following in the future, she suggested I consider switching to something completely different—uban studies. I was reluctant, because I assumed it was one of those majors that wouldn’t land me a stable, well–paying job. Nonetheless, I took a few urban studies classes,
Anne Chen| Illustrator
student. My freshman year at Penn was far from easy. My childhood home foreclosed and my parents divorced in a matter of months. I used my refund from financial aid to help my dad pay his rent while he searched for a new job. Although my high school teachers praised my writing skills, my professors at college would sometimes refuse to grade my assignments at first, telling me I was writing them incorrectly without really helping me figure out how to fix them. Along with
deserved to be here. Maybe I had been too idealistic. Maybe I should’ve listened to people who told me I wouldn’t fit in at an Ivy League institution. Maybe it really wasn’t a place meant for people like me. Still, I decided to give it one more semester. Despite the darkness of those first few months, I found a shining light in my college advisor. Like many Penn students, I came in thinking I knew what major I wanted to pursue and was adamant about pursuing it, even if my grades started
and to my surprise, I fell in love. My grades were terrible, and classes I thought I would love, like "Intro to Ethics" and microeconomics, had an unhealthily competitive and unsupportive environment. But the encouraging, student–centered environment and passionate professors of the Urban Studies courses I began to take were invaluable, so I immediately declared my Urban Studies major at the end of my freshman year. I never really did learn how to navigate the Penn classroom,
and I still get intimidated by students who seem to know so much more and speak more eloquently than me. But I’m happy to know that somehow I was able to keep up, even if I usually found myself around the average in the end. I didn’t make a huge impact on campus, and I don’t think I’ll be remembered as superior or exceptional by any of my professors or peers. But I am thankful to have found my own kind of success at Penn: finishing my four years with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in majors I’m passionate about, getting an A on my senior thesis, forming a two– page–long resume, and—most importantly—having a better understanding of who I want to be in the world beyond college. Everyone thinks a Penn student is always this perfect kid with good grades who volunteers weekly, runs multiple clubs, launches start–ups, talks a lot in class, and speaks multiple languages. But we forget that even though we were all accepted into Penn, we don’t all stand on the same playing field when we enter. Some of us came from more humble beginnings, and when we first walk down Locust, each of us comes bearing weighty achievements and even weightier baggage. Evidently, there are students at Penn who know exactly how to thrive in the Ivy League environment, but there are also a lot of us who have to make sense of it on our own. The hyper–competitive Penn culture can make us feel that we need to be the best at everything and that we're always running out of time to figure out our lives. However, we have the power to choose to define ourselves and our achievements under our own standards, especially when they don’t match up with those of the “typical” Penn student.
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EGO
Ego of the Week
YEAR: Senior HOMETOWN: Mons, Belgium MAJOR/MINOR: Communications, French ACTIVITIES: ROTC, Alpha Phi, Alpha Iota Gamma, Pi Delta Phi French Honor Society, Kite and Key
Keneally’s double life as a Penn Senior and a Battalion Commander By Sophie Xi Street What does it mean to be the highest cadet?
Ethan Wu | Multimedia Director
Street: What’s your plan after Penn?
34th Street Magazine Why did you decide to join ROTC?
Keneally Phelan A part of the deal with my scholarship is they're paying for four years of undergraduate school, and then I'm going to serve when I graduate. It's kind of like paying off what they gave me. The job that I picked is military intelligence. So hopefully, I will be working with counterintelligence and then eventually I'd like to become a foreign areas officer, live abroad, and work with embassies and the connections between the US and other countries.
KP I joined the ROTC program for a couple of reasons. The military runs in my family. Somebody in my family served in every single war since the Revolutionary War. I competed and was awarded a four year Army ROTC scholarship from the government out of high school. I have three brothers and they're all in the military as well. My older brother and my youngest brother are graduated and going to West Point. And my younger brother's going to the Air Force Academy.
Street What's a typical day like for you? KP I wake up at 5:00 a.m., pack my bags, and get ready. Then I have a PT, which is physical training for about an hour to an hour and half. After PT, we have either military science class or military science lab, which is usually from two to three hours. I come back to Penn around 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. From there I take a shower, get ready for the day, and then go to my classes. I really have classes that go until 8:00 p.m. So then after 8:00 pm, I go home and have dinner. I have to go to bed before midnight because I have to wake up so early.
Street Why did you choose Penn when you were applying to college, rather than military academies? KP I actually applied to West Point and got accepted. But I thought I wanted to be a nurse. The small schools that I was applying to, I thought they weren’t reaching hard enough. I wanted to go to schools that are difficult. I googled “best nursing school in America” and Penn popped up as number one. So I applied and here I am. I'm no longer a Nursing student. But I absolutely love Penn.
LIGHTNING ROUND Favorite type of food? Favorite class at Penn? If you could have one superpower, would you prefer to fly or to be invisible? Two types of people at Penn… 4
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Tex-Mex. URBS 202 - Urban Education. Fly. I don’t like walking behind people.
People who like Distrito and people who like Copa.
KP We are called Military Scientists (MS). If you are a freshman, you are MS I, and it goes to II, III, and IV. All the MS IVs run the program. We have officers and noncommissioned officers who oversee us. But we're [MS IV] the people who are creating the curriculum, fundraising, and keeping track of everyone. So I'm the battalion commander. I'm in charge of making sure the cadets all have different missions and are doing what they need to be doing. Even though everyone has their own thing, if something messes up, it falls back to me because I'm their leader. Street Is it difficult to balance between school work and ROTC responsibilities? KP Trying to balance is a pretty significant challenge, because you are a cadet 24/7. Even though I have blocked time in my schedule for physical training and military science class, I'm also basically on call 24 hours. Right now, I am the battalion commander, which means I have the highest position out of six universities and five high schools. I have to approve everything that's going on. Everything I'm doing, I'm being watched. I have to uphold army values even when I'm not in uniform. We're full–time cadets and full– time students. They're not really segregated at all. Street How do you see yourself as a woman in military service? KP Being a female in the army, there’s definitely an added level of complication. The army is steeped in tradition and women aren't part of that tradition. We're trying to break our way into there. My battalion is pretty supportive. I was a point commander, which was a really big honor. But there's been a lot of harassments around campus. My other cadet friends and I, when we’re going back and forth between Drexel and Penn, we've been hit by cars and cursed at. There are people who told us we're gonna get raped. It's only the female cadets. I think traditionally they just don't expect females to be in the Army. My battalion is supportive, but sometimes if you walk into a new environment, you have to prove your worth and show that you're not just skating by on the gender excuse. You have to show that you are equally capable as the other guys.
EGO
A Very Wintery Break: Inside the Wharton Trip to Antarctica Kate Wattanavekin reminisces on her grueling but laughter–filled exploration of Antarctica over winter break. By Bebe Hodges
Photo courtesy of Kate Wattanavekin
“It was so great to come together with people I didn’t know in such a magical place that really opened my perspective and mind even more,” says Kate Wattanavekin (W '20), finishing our interview, and perfectly summing up her trip over winter break. Though she’s dressed in a cozy black sweater and denim, the most notable feature on Kate is her smile. She’s practically glowing as she talks about her week–long adventure to Antartica, which, unlike many of our Netflix–filled, couch–located breaks, was filled with rigid temperatures, miles and miles of hiking on pristine lands, and poop tubes. The 12–person trip began on Dec. 28, but for the junior from Bangkok the process started months prior. Scrolling through Facebook, she found an information session for the Wharton Leadership Ventures of the McNulty Leadership Program—a leadership initiative for both undergraduate and graduate
Wharton students—and the offering of a trip to Antarctica. When she discovered the opportunity early last semester, she didn't hesitate to sign up. Kate has essentially established her place on campus. She’s a PennQuest leader, a sister of Tri–Delt, a member of PennThai, on the social impact advisory board, and part of MUSE Consulting. Feeling so stable in the Penn bubble, she felt as if it was time for a change. And visiting a continent that only about 40,000 people visit a year was a fitting challenge. The trip team consisted of two professional guides and twelve undergraduate students, two of whom were venture fellows. The venture fellows, Greg Lim and Romie Boyd, sent out messages before the trip and gave feedback at the end of each day. The twelve students came from completely different backgrounds, such as being born in various countries like Singapore,
Canada, or Germany, or being part of a range of campus activities like soccer or PennQuest. But these differences made them closer. “The fact that we’re all spread out not just in activities but in our age and the year that we’re in really got us to bond over the different perspectives that we had [….] and the different priorities,” said Kate. From Dec. 28 to Jan. 5, the students were together, exploring the country of Chile and King George Island in Antarctica while blossoming into leaders, introspective thinkers, and banter–trading friends. Kate captured it all in her very own video documentation of the trip. Kate and her fellow adventurers arrived in Chile on Dec. 27 and 28. At first she only knew these strangers by their first name, but was shocked at how quickly everyone opened up. “I felt like we already knew each other for a year … everyone opened up so quickly and it
made me so thankful because I don’t think you get that here at Penn. Being at Penn, being at Wharton, I feel like it’s hard to know someone beyond the superficial level … so I guess it kind of hit all of us that we're about to spend a week together, so there’s no point holding back,” Kate reflects. The group’s bond strengthened as the trip ensued and many challenges were faced— the first being their flight to King George Island having to turn around because of extreme weather. The students spent the night at the airport until flying out again around 1 a.m. on Dec. 30, and then immediately started walking to a campsite to pitch tents. The trip was different from many of our breaks for a variety of reasons, but the 7 a.m. wake– up call every morning might have been one of the most stark contrasts, according to Wattanavekin. After two hours of cooking, packing up the campsite, and collecting water to boil and drink, the twelve students walked for at least six hours, split into two groups: Seal Team and Club Penguin. The hike was difficult—they carried backpacks of all their possessions and pulled sleds—but also beautiful, with miles of pristine white snow and visits from seals and penguins. The trip enabled individual growth, pushing your limits and becoming one with nature. Kate reflects on the opportunity to be introspective, each day ending with participants examining their high points and low points of the day. Every participant had the chance to be "Leader of the Day": the one who held the map, determined when to take breaks, gauged the morale of the team, and led the “After Action Report.” During this report, the members would give both a compliment and constructive criticism to the people on their respective teams. After all, when climbing up a glacier tied together, com-
munication is key. While the adventure had a handful of qualities that would look great on any resume, what really made the trip to Antarctica special for Kate were “the little things.” The lack of cell service led to deep, interpersonal connections in what felt like a completely different world. Everyone got to laugh even in the most unlikely times. For Kate, being attacked by giant birds—Skuas, to be exact— after accidentally stumbling on their nesting site was not a good memory. "They literally swooped down so low I had to lie on the ground and I was like ‘Oh, my God. I’m gonna cry,’" Kate recounts. But the support she received afterward mended the situation immediately. "Having [my group] there was so supportive and after that it was just like, 'Wow, what a great group of people.'" On the second to last night, the students ran into the ocean for a “Real" Polar Plunge. Initially, Kate was hesitant, but her group members reminded her that she would only regret not doing something, and as she retold the story to me weeks later, she said it was one of her favorite memories. The trip to Antarctica clearly had its fair share of challenges: getting lost, virtually no indoor spaces, no bathrooms, and having to poop into tubes because of the Island’s rule that no form of waste should be left behind. However, to Kate and the rest of her crew the trip was completely worth it. "A trip of a lifetime," as Kate coins it, has inspired her and those around her to reach out and be more open. She hopes to inspire you too. And of course, to give a “shoutout to all the participants on the group.” In the end, it was these people that made the trip for her. "Every person I met was just genuinely so inspiring," says Kate.
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MUSIC
the stars align with maggie rogers' 'heard it in a past life' With her first studio album, Maggie Rogers proves werself to be a bright new talent
SAM KESLER Maggie Rogers has had a rise to fame that feels ripped straight out of A Star Is Born. After a chance encounter with established artist/producer Pharrell Williams in 2016 that resulted in a viral video, she was thrown into indie pop stardom with her single, “Alaska.” The year after graduating from New York University, she released her debut EP, Now That The Light Is Fading. Now, two years later, she’s back with her debut full–length album, Heard It in a Past Life. The album leans more toward mass appeal, giving the world 12 songs that range from whip–your–hair to hold–your–
lighter–up. Despite a grand entrance into the world stage, Rogers has managed to release a comprehensive full–length album that, while disjointed at times, shows sincerity, passion, and ingenuity in her still–fresh style. Heard It in a Past Life had a slow build–up, with a steady trickle of singles released over the past year, beginning with “Fallingwater,” a piano ballad that shows off Rogers’ voice. It's a showstopping hit in an era of cheap sampling, masterfully composed with a mid–song tempo change. “Fallingwater” was followed by “Give A Little,”
a classic feel–good bop that adds layers of percussion, gang vocals, and a guitar solo to drag the listener in. “Light On” was the last single released prior to the full album, a torch–burning “it’s complicated” relationship song. The most heart–wrenching moment is the way Rogers sings the line, “Everything kept moving/And the noise got too loud/ With everyone around me saying/‘You should be so happy now’” in a tone that feels all too genuine. The album compiles singles steadily released over the past year, shedding all of the songs from Now That The Light Is Fad-
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ing, save for “AlasPhoto Credit: Olivia Bee. Provided by Capitol Records. ka” and fantastic “Split Stones” made “On + Off,” which fit neatly no appearance despite being into the new album. The singles released this past year. “Give A Little,” “Fallingwater,” and “Light On” are by no The magic of Rogers’ music is means where the dance hits end, found in her use of catharsis as a with new songs “The Knife” and tool for relatability and appeal. “Retrograde” bringing the heat The album dances around the that is necessary for concert–go- themes of closure, rebirth, and ers. The slow jam “Say It” has self–discovery, and brings the become a standard for her live listener along for Rogers’ pershows, but in studio becomes sonal journey. The whole album an electric blend of falsetto and feels post–incident; Rogers singshiny synths, giving off neon ing on “Retrograde,” “You bring vibes and deep–hitting lyrics. me in to help me/Let me get If it were not apparent from me out/I'm in retrograde” is a the song titles, the album kind of thesis statement for the throws hints at nature and album, existing in the moment astrology as inspirations for of recollection and damage asRogers’ songwriting. Though sessment, like the breath of fresh the lyrics make few direct conair after an argument. nections, the naturalistic echoes Rogers shows serious talent are heard in the idiosyncratic for giving each song its own life, nature of her instruments, as whether it's to get the audience she tosses bird calls, chirping moving or hanging onto every keys, and psychedelic guitars word. At times, she relies too together into a blend that keeps strongly on her voice to carry a the listener on their toes, no song with little else to hold onto matter how many times she dips (“Past Life,” “Fallingwater”), but back into that well. You can generally she finds a way to fill a tell from her discography that song with sounds that cannot be Rogers is the type to create, then found from any other musician, curate, rather than the other and couples it with a clear and way around. Despite having precise craft for songwriting. several singles to pick from Now Heard It in a Past Life is the That The Light Is Fading, she perfect encapsulation of her left many out that did not fit musical range in a field she’s so into Heard It in a Past Life. The perfectly suited for.
album MUSIC
THE MOST IMPORTANT
1999: The Year of BREAKOUTS Nobody in 1999 anticipated that an eighteen– year–old girl would become a worldwide sensation. However, Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (the song and debut album of the same name) started a craze. Not only was Spears’ own career launched, but so was the return of teen pop. Without Britney, there would be no Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez or Ariana Grande. Twenty years later, it’s still Britney, bitch. Then there was Eminem, whose major–label debut The Slim Shady LP came at the same year as ...Baby One More Time. Both had their own moral panics, from Britney’s scandalous sexuality to Eminem’s profanity and violence, but that may have contributed to their endurance: outrage provokes fame, and not only did The Slim Shady LP turn Eminem’s life around financially, but it also made him into a household name. While Enema of the State was blink-182’s third studio album, it might as well have been the first. Songs like “Dammit” and “All the Small Things” gave the band the radio play it had been lacking, allowing bands like Fall Out Boy and Paramore to follow, gaining commercial praise for the new genre of “pop punk.” If that genre were to have an image, it would be Janine Lindemulder dressed as a nurse, pulling on a rubber glove.
2009: The Year of AMBITION No list of influential 2009 albums would be complete without a discussion of Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster. Although 2008’s The Fame introduced audiences worldwide to Gaga, it was her Gothic second release that made her into a star, with perennial classics like “Bad Romance” and Beyoncé collaboration “Telephone.” One wonders if the acclaim around The Fame Monster took its toll on Gaga, whose popularity started to fall with 2011 release Born This Way and hit its nadir with 2013’s ARTPOP. Perhaps the little monsters are best left in the past, but for the time, they were inescapable. Meanwhile, Green Day was undertaking a new venture of its own: 21st Century Breakdown. Telling the story of fictional couple Christian and Gloria in three acts, the album was meant to be even bigger and bolder than previous rock opera American Idiot. Although the staying power of 21st Century Breakdown is hardly comparable to that of American Idiot, the sound is more mature and diverse than Idiot’s three– chords–and–the–truth schtick. Finally, there was the glorious rebirth of Jay–Z, whose The Blueprint 3 was an album several years in the making: The Blueprint 2 was released in 2002. The wait paid off critically and commercially, and guest appearances, from Alicia Keys on “Empire State of Mind” to Rihanna and Kanye West on “Run This Town,” definitely enhance the album. Hova was back.
Photo by carnivalridexx // CC BY 2.0
Who actually rocked the past five, ten, and twenty years?
ANNIVERSARIES THIS YEAR
MELANNIE JAY
2014: The Year of REINVENTION Love her or hate her, Taylor Swift’s 1989 was described by the artist as her “first documented official pop album,” as well as the most “sonically cohesive” album she has ever made. Although Taylor Swift was far from an unfamiliar name before 1989, it was this album that established her new status quo not as a country singer writing about her exes, but as a pop superstar. On the other side of the acoustic spectrum lies Royal Blood, whose self–titled LP debuted in August 2014. The two–piece band seemed to be the saviors that modern rock was looking for. They
continued the work of The White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age to provide heavy riffs and danceable beats, a marked departure from the more radio– friendly bands dominating the charts, like Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots. Against Me!’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues was the band’s first release after frontwoman Laura Jane Grace publicly came out as transgender in May 2012. From a purely musical perspective, the album offers little new: Against Me!’s classic heavy sound is there, and
intensely personal lyrics have always been part of the genre, but the subject matter itself was almost unheard of: when Grace came out, “Gender Identity Disorder” was still classified by the DSM as a mental disorder. Although queercore certainly existed prior to Against Me!, such an intimate account of the transgender experience could have ruined Grace’s career. Instead, it made her an icon.
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MUSIC
The Record Stores For Building Your Vinyl Collection Take your music taste for a spin with these classic stops
Newsflash: The album is dying, but the vinyl is gaining a whole new life. In 2018, vinyl sales increased by 12.6 percent, while tangible album sales plummeted by more than triple that. Whether you’re itching to live out an Empire Records–themed fantasy or put the latest Phoenix release on the needle, these stores have you covered. CREEP RECORDS
Think of Creep Records as the blink–182 of record stores—punk rock at heart, but welcoming enough for even your most Top 40–oriented friend to enjoy. Part record store, part smoke shop, and part makeshift concert hall, this Northern Liberties mainstay takes the concept of a record store and makes it communal. “I want to own a record store I’d want to hang out in,” said owner Arik Vic-
tor when asked why Creep Records extends past its utilitarian definition. Yes, you’ll find your find a fair share of subversive underground punk records and collectible editions of indie classics, but you’ll also find a space dedicated to encouraging music at every step. Location: Northern Liberties
| 1050 N Hancock St.
Hours: Mon – Sun: 11 a.m.
– 5 p.m.
LONG IN THE TOOTH
Known for being the tangible equivalent of the Pitchfork website, Long in the Tooth takes their pretension and turns it into a record store superpower. Even a cursory glance at their Yelp reviews reveals a dichotomy between vinyl purism and appreciation, where the owner will chastise
you about record handling while also dishing out nuggets of music trivia. Unlike most record stores, Long in the Tooth orders new stock every day, curating a rotation of new releases, storied classics, and local gems. They also have an impressive collection of memorabilia, including enough stacks of out–of–print books to make any bibliophile swoon. Location: Rittenhouse Square | 2027 Sansom St. Hours: Tues – Thurs: 12 – 7 p.m.; Fri – Sat: 12 – 8 p.m.; Sun: 12 – 6 p.m.
REPO RECORDS
Repo Records sells a trip in a dusty time machine, taking patrons back in time to Golden Age of record shops. Cassette tapes are scattered among rows of
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vinyls, and shirts advertising cornerstones of the punk scene decorate displays. It’s the details of Repo that make it feel like the record store of your 1980s fantasy, with eclectic regulars who work browsing into their routines, a neon storefront, and an owner with music taste spanning from Joy Division to Chvrches. Location: South Street | 506 South St. Hours: Mon – Fri: 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Say: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sun: 11:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. COMMON BEAT
Common Beat Records is the record store for the people, dedicated to making vinyl not just a luxury for music listeners, but the norm. Yes, Common Beat still houses good record store basics—new releases, limited editions, and rarities. But it does so differently, catering to West Philly shoppers who aren’t looking for represses too pretty to spin, but “for slightly more beat-up copies that are well loved but still sound good.” In other words, Common Beat is built for the college student/ vinyl addict. The storefront also doubles as a Genius Bar
for stereo equipment, selling everything necessary to start a DJing hobby or career. Common Beat offers repairs onsite, too, differentiating them from the run–of–the–mill record purveyor. Location: Cedar Park | 4916
Baltimore Ave. Hours: Tues — Sat: 12 — 7 p.m; Sun: 12 — 5 p.m PHILADELPHIA RECORD EXCHANGE
Philadelphia Record Exchange ties itself to the pillars of rock, with co–owner Greg Harris moonlighting as the founder of Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This record store basically invented Philadelphia’s unique sound, acting as the stage and stomping ground for a pre–Tonight Show Questlove and Roots Band. Come to Philadelphia Record Exchange for a shopping experience like no other. Touting an impressive 15,000 LPs and a history to match, this institution caters to the voracious music lover and the novice. Location: Fishtown | 1524
Frankford Ave. Hours: Sun —Fri: 11 a.m — 8 p.m; Sat: 11 a.m — 9 p.m
ST YLE
Get Tipsy and Artistic at Wax + Wine If you like painting with a twist, get ready for tipsy candle making By Jennifer Cullen Anab Aidid | Photographer
I’m a fan of wine and any activity where I get to drink it. And with the rise of wine and painting, pottery, etc., it’s painfully obvious that other people feel the same way. When I found out there was a new option in the world of drinking activities conveniently located in Center City, I knew I had to try it out. Wax + Wine is a candle making bar on 10th and Pine that makes for the perfect tipsy–slash–artsy activity. Walking into the shop, the first thing you’ll notice is either the adorable decorations or the plethora of scents. Upon entering I was warmly greeted by the staff and set up to start crafting. I was given the option of either making one of their pre–made candles or my own custom creation. With the custom option, you can choose one or two of over 75 different fragrances ranging from fruity to earthy to seasonal. After much deliberation and scent tests, I chose Honeysuckle and Red Radish. I was then given the oil of my ideal scents, which
I mixed into the perfect combination. Next, I poured my scent into a pot of hot wax and stirred it for 60 seconds. The next part of the candle– making is an hour-long wait for the candle to set. This was probably my favorite part of the experience, because I got to sip some wine from adorable Wax + Wine glasses and chat with my friends. Wax + Wine is BYO, so make sure to make a FroGro run beforehand to pick up your favorite bottle. Wax + Wine offers a variety of options for candle making to accommodate different budgets, although they are all a little pricey. The most cost–efficient option is the vintage package for $35 per person. In this option, you get to make one candle with reserved seating for 75 minutes. For $10 more, you can make a second candle. Perhaps the best part of the experience is that the candles made at the shop are actually useable and extremely aesthetically pleasing. As someone who’s made my fair share of eyesores at wine painting class, I was a pleasantly surprised.
The shop is also the perfect option for a larger group activity, like a birthday or girls' night out. The private party room accommodates 16 peo-
ple for 90 minutes or two hours. The group events run about $40–50 per person. Right after I got home from Wax + Wine, I lit my
delicious smelling candle, sipped my leftover wine, and told all my friends that we immediately had to make a plan to go back.
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n e . But p o s i Pen t n e n m st rn
The day before the government shutdown, Louis Lin (C ‘20) updated his voicemail: “Due to a lapse in appropriations, I am unavailable to answer your call for the duration of the government shutdown. Please leave a message and I will respond once we return to normal operation.”
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As a Management and Program Analyst at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Louis isn’t just a student at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s also a part–time federal employee. And when the longest government shutdown in United States history began on Dec. 22, 2018, the FAA was part of one of the nine federal departments which went unfunded. Suddenly, Louis was furloughed—prevented from working, and going without pay. On Jan. 25, President Trump announced he would temporarily reopen the government until Feb. 15. But during the shutdown, what Penn Political Science professor Marc Meredith calls a “unique distrust between Trump and Congressional Democrats” led approximately 420,000 federal employees to work without pay and another 380,000 to be furloughed. For 35 days, thousands of lives—including some of those within the Penn community—hung in the balance. From financial struggles to grant difficulties, the effects of the shutdown linger at Penn, and the stories left in its wake highlight what happens when the country’s leaders close their doors.
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A Waiting Game An electric skateboard propped up next to his legs, Louis talks with an easy smile across his face. His demeanor is surprisingly optimistic, considering this interview takes place in the midst of the shutdown. Because of his furlough, Louis missed two paychecks. “Earlier this year we had a shutdown that was three days, so [I thought] this won’t matter,” notes Louis, as incongruous coffee shop jazz plays in the background. “And then the days went on and on … I started thinking about how I’ll actually be missing full– on paychecks. I missed a
good amount of money that would’ve gone to my food or my bills or things like that.” Although Louis comes from a first–generation, low–income background, he recognizes that he was in a better place than most, having saved up since he started working months ago. “I don’t have children to support or things like a mortgage to pay. As of now I do have enough money,” he says. Lauren Snyder’s (N ’21) father is a federal employee who worked without pay during the shutdown. Due to privacy concerns, the specifics of her father’s job were
omitted from this story. Although Lauren’s on– campus job covered her personal costs, her family worried about expenses,
of spending. Like Louis, Lauren recognizes the struggles of federal employees living paycheck–to–paycheck.
“And then the days went on and on… I started thinking about how I’ll actually be missing full–on paychecks. I missed a good amount of money that would’ve gone to my food or my bills or things like that.” ~Louis Lin such as her tuition or their mortgage. They were vulnerable to sudden expenses and stuck to a “very fixed amount”
“I [wasn’t] in the worst position. My family is fortunate for sure,” she qualifies. Even so, “it’s frustrating because we
still have to go about our daily life and we still have to pay our bills, but without income.” For Louis and Lauren, the shutdown was a waiting game with personal stakes. With Louis describing its seemingly infinite nature as a “looming cloud,” he felt helpless in the days leading up to Trump's surprising announcement. After the government reopened on Jan. 25, work began to start up again. “The people who have been out of work for days [are getting their] lives back to normal,” Louis says, but from bill payments
to back pay processing, “there are obviously still ramifications of what happened.” As he notes, “the bill that was passed is only for 21 days ... we just have to see what happens.” Not Just The Paychecks The happenings on Capitol Hill can affect Penn in multiple ways. Many federal agencies that issue research grants to universities went unfunded because of the shutdown. Meredith explains that “while Penn is a private university, it relies a lot on governmental grants to pay for its expenses. Penn's bottom line [would] definitely be affected if federal agen-
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F E AT U R E
cies like the National Science Foundation shut down for an extended period of time.” Due to issues funding the Department of Agriculture, recipients of the federal food stamp program, SNAP, received their February benefits early, but the program would’ve paused in March. Aside from the budgetary problems associated with stretching benefits more than a month, the uncertainty with SNAP’s funding would have placed stress on food–insecure Penn students who rely on food stamps to eat. The current cohort of students studying in Washington, D.C. with the Penn in Washington program largely escaped the worst of the shutdown’s impact, with only one State Department student intern unable to work. However, Penn in Washington Executive Director and Political Science lecturer Deirdre Martinez speaks of the shutdown’s grim, con-
stant presence in her students’ lives. “They are certainly seeing on a daily basis the impact that this [had] on a lot of people,” she says. Penn’s Detachment The effects of this historic government shutdown have rippled across the United States, but indifference still seems to envelop campus. “I’m always a person that thinks that people should be conscious of what’s going on. But I also know that Penn students are busy. If something isn’t going to affect them directly, it might not be something that they actually worry about,” Louis notes. Similarly, Lauren brings up the ways talk of the shutdown often elicits forced, uncomfortable pity. “Every time I [told] someone that my dad’s not getting paid, they all [had] this same look of sympathy. They’re
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like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry ... that really sucks.’" Because politics is concerned, she says that “it’s kind of an awkward conversation to bring up.” With two government shutdowns in 2018 alone, it’s easy to grow apathetic and downplay their consequences. Louis, Lauren’s father, and the 800,000 other federal employees furloughed or working without pay are all guaranteed back pay now that the government is open. However, it’s clear that back pay doesn’t make up for the massive stress government closure placed on all affected. For Penn– affiliated students, families, or staff who rely on steady paychecks, the shutdown meant missed rent or mortgage payments, food insecurity, or struggles to pay tuition. Loss of research grants, missed career opportunities, travel issues, and more could have characterized it for the rest.
What Now? Penn isn’t insulated from national politics. As Meredith states, the Penn community should take advantage of its ability to impact the government. “If the Senate felt pressure to vote on something that both parties could tolerate, the shutdown [would’ve been] over immediately,” he explains. Although the shutdown has ended, these statements ring true for student political participation in general. Within Philadelphia, Penn School of Dental Medicine took on an active role by offering free emergency care for furloughed government workers. As Philadelphia has one of the highest concentrations of government workers in the country, such a gesture is powerful. “If anything, I hope that this makes people more cognizant of the real effects
of who you vote for, how you contact your Congress members, or who you end up talking about issues with,” says Louis. Still, calling your representative can only do so much. Ultimately, it's up to lawmakers to fix this problem. Louis adds, “I value the work of federal employees. If you’re doing work, I think that you should be getting paid for it.” Capitol Hill may seem far removed from campus. For some students, the government shutdown meant no more than longer TSA checks and an onslaught of news alerts on their phones. But for others—people affiliated with Penn, people we know—the effects of the longest shutdown in government history will linger for longer than 35 days. Srinidhi Ramakrishna is a freshman in the College from Montgomery, New Jersey. She is a features staff writer for Street.
ST YLE
Written in the Co–Stars: The Astrology App Sweeping Campus By Shunmel Syau
Photo Courtesy of Co–Star
I don’t know much about astrology outside of the names of the signs, vague personality traits attached to each, and cool horoscope– inspired tattoos. But there was a brief period in my life when I, bored while eating breakfast, would scroll through the horoscope posts on Snapchat and try to convince myself that they’re either creepily applicable to myself or wildly inaccurate. I had never really looked into regular horoscopes until now, with Co–Star, an app that's growing in popularity. According to its website, Co–Star is a popular “AI– powered astrology app with horoscopes, personality analysis, and compatibility.” It launched in October of 2017 as the product of three friends and former co-workers at VFILES—Banu Guler, Ben Weitzman, and Anna Kopp—who wanted to “do something more important for the world than just making a fashion social media platform.” This, in turn, led to astrology and how it can “create a language for people
Street spoke to one of Co–Star's founders about its initial vision, current success, and future plans to talk about stuff that is usually kind of hard to say.” Guler recounts a time when she had a surprisingly personal chat with a stranger in an elevator all because she asked what sign the other person was. Astrology has been an interest of Guler's, as well as of her two co–founders, for years now. She believes that it not only “explains the world in a really effective way ... [and] has really practical uses for building the depth and density of social relations, but also feels like magic.” (I can attest to this whenever I see a relatable horoscope meme). Guler highlights that Co– Star isn’t “corny or weird,” but rather, focuses on what you may be feeling or what you should pay attention to or avoid. All of this information presented to the user is gathered from where and when you were born. Armed with this information, Co– Star calculates your natal chart using NASA data. Horoscopes are then transcribed from the location of
the sun, moon, and planets today versus their placement in your natal chart. Co–Star also includes “the 12 houses of the zodiac [which] each represents a different part of life, like relationships, work, and home.” In short, it’s a lot more thorough than typical horoscope apps. Much of Co–Star’s popularity can be attributed to how multifaceted and fun it is, but also to its sleek appearance. Guler describes Co–Star as the result of thinking, “let’s re–conceptualize what digital can look like, what your app can look like.” She says the app almost “feels like paper,” with “this sort of tactile richness and depth” to it. Co–Star is certainly aesthetically pleasing, with its minimalistic interface and black–and–white color theme. It’s clean-cut and sharp, letting its words be the major source of content rather than flashy colors or bold fonts. Its images— graphs depicting planets relative to the moon as an astrological explanation to
what you’re feeling and a seemingly random set of objects ranging from owls to stones—make for an interesting supplement to the writing. What’s next for Co–Star? Expansion. Guler talks about entering the Android app market soon as well as implementing more social features after the recent friend–compatibility update since “astrology fundamentally functions as social glue.” Wherever they're headed, it seems like it's in the right direction, given that college kids everywhere are becoming more and more interested in the app. As Sue Park (C '21) says, the app is “weirdly addictive” and its “pretty interface” only adds to its appeal. After checking Co–Star every morning for a couple of days now, I find myself really liking it. So, if you’re in any way interested in astrology and horoscopes—or if you just want to see what all the hype is about—maybe you should try out Co–Star
too.
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FILM & TV
‘Never–Ending Man’ and the Intimacy of a Smaller Theater A love letter to Hayao Miyazaki and PhilaMOCA By Shannon Zhang On the night of January 18, 2019, I took SEPTA up to the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (PhilaMOCA) and watched a heartfelt documentary about an old man and his undying need to create. Never–Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki follows the co–founder of Studio Ghibli as he struggles with the idleness of post–retirement life and, later, his decision to pick up a new project, Boro the Caterpillar. Objectively, Never–Ending Man is not a great docu-
mentary. Many of its shots are grainy and shaky, and the transitions used to separate the chapters of Miyazaki’s retirement—light text overlaid on a gray background are a bit ugly. The documentary isn’t always clear, and it ends abruptly, with Miyazaki working at his desk without finding a definitive conclusion to Boro or the feature–length film Miyazaki teases in sight. If Never–Ending Man was about any other filmmaker, I would have left PhilaMOCA that Friday night unsatisfied
and unhappy. But because it’s about Miyazaki, I’d pay another $12 to see it again. Studio Ghibli entered my life as a (probably bootlegged) box set of six DVDs circa kindergarten. Throughout elementary school, I watched the classics: My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, and Only Yesterday. I know the set came with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind too, but I lost that DVD somewhere in the fervor of childhood (and I still haven’t seen it).
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I watched Princess Mononoke and Ponyo in China one middle school summer by borrowing our vacation rental’s DVDs, and The Secret World of Arrietty on Dad’s laptop during the plane ride home. I watched Whisper of the Heart, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, and From Up on Poppy Hill throughout middle and high school. Studio Ghibli was my Disney, and I love Miyazaki with everything my heart can hold. Nope, this is in no way an objective review of Never– Ending Man—it’s a love letter to Miyazaki and PhilaMOCA, the pseudo—theater, “multipurpose–art–space,” that gifted me with a sweet, unexpected viewing experience. On the way to PhilaMOCA from the 40th Street Trolley Portal, I missed a train, watched Google Maps flail about without GPS signal, and asked two different sets of strangers for directions. Housed in a short building labeled “FINNEY & SON” on one side and painted with Henry from Eraserhead on another, PhilaMOCA consists of one big room with a balcony. For Never–Ending Man, the venue was filled up with rows of chairs, and, by the time I arrived, adoring fans of Miyazaki. Behind me sat an older couple with a Totoro lunchbox and in front of me sat two dude–bros who shushed each other when the documentary started. When Miyazaki effectively roasted his CGI team
working on Boro, the audience I was with laughed, almost collectively, and when the music in the documentary turned jazzy, the guys in front of me whooped. The screening was loud, intimate, and fun; even though I had gone alone, I felt welcomed amongst these strangers who hung onto every one of Miyazaki’s words and works just like I did. Never–Ending Man is poorly shot—but the life it documents passionately yearns to create and uplift others through animation, giving the documentary an air of unrefined tenderness. The people at the screening exemplified the documentary’s message of maintaining a youthful zeal for life regardless of age, because doing so might touch hundreds of hearts even half a world away. There’s a reason I keep putting off seeing Nausicaä—there are only so many Ghibli films I haven’t seen, which means there are only so many more times I can newly experience Miyazaki’s magic. Cinemark University City is a five–minute walking distance from my dorm. It’s convenient and offers oftentimes great (sometimes awful) entertainment. But I’ll never be embraced with the same atmosphere of shared love for a film (or filmmaker) at Cinemark like I was at PhilaMOCA. It’s at the less sought–out, unmarked venues where you might find a closer sense of community, if even just for a few hours.
FILM & TV
British, Bawdy and Brilliant— ‘Sex Education’ is as Raunchy as it is Heartwarming Why this Netflix teen comedy–drama is so much better than the Birds and the Bees By Calista Lopez The Talk—we all know it, hate it, and under normal circumstances, would probably avoid revisiting the embarrassing, pubescent eras of our lives in which it was given to us. But Sex Education is The Talk revamped. This new Netflix Original is a witty, raunchy, and unexpectedly touching exploration of the confusing topics of teen sex and love, minus the awkward parental intervention. Set in an undisclosed location in the U.K., Sex Education follows the life of Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), an awkward, 16–year–old student who has an unconventionally candid relationship with his sex therapist mother, Dr. Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson). Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey), a highly intelligent yet troubled “bad girl," discovers Otis’ knack for guiding the sexually misled and convinces him to start an underground therapy clinic, charging the students of their school, Moordale Secondary, for Otis’ sex and relationship advice. Through the eight–episode series, Otis embarks on several misadventures with his black, openly gay best friend, Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa), and the school bully, Adam Groff (Connor Swindells). Sex Education could have easily been written and produced as just a British live– action version of Big Mouth,
or yet another boy–meets– girl story. But there are a few key factors that make this show a one of a kind, emotional, and–dare I say–educational experience. 1. The Setting As I mentioned, Sex Education is set somewhere in the U.K., as can be told from the characters’ British accents and slang. But the school, Moordale Secondary, is oddly American. None of the students are seen wearing school uniforms, but all have lockers and eat in a cafeteria with plastic trays. Jocks wear letterman jackets and there’s a strong emphasis on school sports, especially swimming. Additionally, I first assumed the show to be set in the 1970s or 80s, due to the retro—yet admittedly, wildly stylish—attire of the cast and the set’s muted color scheme, which is typical of 70s fashion and décor. But all the characters use smart phones and know what the internet and Google are. The ambiguous time and place of Sex Education is cool, and almost feels like magical realism. 2. Eric Effiong Eric, Otis’s best friend, is, by far, the best character of the series. Eric somehow breaks the bars of the stereotypical, sidekick ‘gay best friend’ that so many are confined to. He’s not the main protagonist of the program,
but his character is so complex and compelling that you’ll find yourself more emotionally invested in him than Otis or Maeve—at least I did. Throughout the series, he journeys through the ups and downs of sexual confusion, his identity as a proud gay, black man, support and love from a conservative African community, and most importantly, self–realization and acceptance. Eric is fierce, quick on his feet, lovable, and effortlessly hilarious all at the same time. Nctui Gatwa’s fearless portrayal of an openly gay teen from a religious British–Nigerian family is something we need to see more of.
3. Balance between Hilarity and Sincerity Sex Education does a great job of channeling the crude, juvenile humor characteristic of Big Mouth, while maintaining a serious and, at times, heart–wrenching reality. It touches on difficult topics such as abortion, internalized homophobia, toxic parent–child relationships, violence towards gay people of color, and "slut–shaming." Despite this heavy subject matter, though, the show lightens up with comic relief in the form of alien erotica. 4. An Intelligent, All– Too–Real Premise Despite Otis’s vast sexual
knowledge and talent for helping his peers through their sex lives, he is still plagued with one huge problem for the entirety of the show—he can’t masturbate (or wank, as the Brits call it). The premise of Sex Education is the ultimate paradox. Here you have this teenage virgin outcast, selling sex advice to classmates much more experienced than he is—and he’s actually amazing at it. This genius premise that propels Sex Education forward is an ironic reminder that no one—not even a sex therapist’s son—truly ever knows what the fuck they’re doing during their weird, terrifying and amazing teenage years.
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FILM & TV
'A very English scandal' is Scandalous indeed This Amazon Prime miniseries deftly explores the Thorpe Affair By Anna Collins
While the background of the Thorpe Affair is mostly unknown to Americans, the consequences of Jeremy Thorpe’s quiet affair with Norman Scott, a relationship that ended shortly after it began, had effects on both of their lives and certainly Thorpe’s political career. Ben Whishaw accepted a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Miniseries, marking his first American award and the only win for the show, A Very English Scandal. He thanks, in quick succession, his director, his writer, the surrounding cast, and then, in a slower tone, turns to dedicate
the award to the man he portrayed: Norman Scott. The fact that Whishaw won this award as a supporting actor is something of an anomaly. The show is about Jeremy Thorpe's attempts to maintain his position in Parliament and become the head of the Liberal Party after the 1961 affair with ex–model Norman Scott. On paper, yes, it is Hugh Grant’s Thorpe who is the main star in the Amazon Prime miniseries, yet the balance of the show is far less tilted in Thorpe's direction. Though Thorpe is the main character, Whishaw's portrayal of Scott
is humanized in a way that the real Norman Scott never was under the press’ spotlight. A Very English Scandal succeeds in depicting a newly uncovered humanity in both of its characters, no longer making them the shallow spectacles they were during their time. Here is what A Very English Scandal does so beautifully: neither is in the right. Thorpe is corrupt in many ways— he refuses to grant Scott a National Insurance card as it would concretely link the two together, and instead responds with a comical scheme to assassinate him. However, we
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also see Scott as a self–destructive, aimless man going to similar extremes to get what he wishes, sometimes at the cost of his dignity. Both are rather arrogant and unfortunately entangled with each other because of an affair ten years behind them. Their faults are their humanization. It's quite easy to portray both of them as awful— Thorpe as an evil, unrelenting politician and Scott as an idiotic layman—yet the show shines in the sympathy it encourages. Both men are driven by quite different things, but both are so obviously suffering under the homophobia of the time. Their strife is directly caused by the other, creating a fleshed out and justified narrative. Not only do we see the characters as people with complex internal lives, but it is impossible to separate the characters from the greater social situation. Thorpe is pressed on all sides by his lofty political goals, his internalized homophobia, and the pressure to embody the overemphasized masculinity characteristic of a political leader. Grant handles these sides of himself with beauty and delicacy, breaking free from the often one–dimensional rom–com heroes he plays and instead depicting a much more flawed central character. Scott, too, is hit with the homophobia of the time—first resorting to marrying a woman with whom he feels no connection, then eventually coming out, much to Thorpe’s frustra-
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tion. The quiet persistence of homophobia throughout the show is never thrown in your face, but it becomes increasingly obvious that its effects on the characters are almost as vital as Thorpe’s affair with Scott in the first place. Scott and Thorpe face off against each other in the courtroom in 1976. Despite knowing that it was Thorpe who threatened to murder Scott, it is hard to know who to root for. We know Thorpe is guilty, but the outcome of the trial is still as nail–biting as it would’ve been at the time. Here is Scott, a gay man standing up before a conservative court against one of the nation's up–and–coming political leaders. There is Thorpe, who we know is torn apart by expectations from his family, friends, and rivals. They are both so complex—so human—that such a face–off has one yearning for a happy ending that will never come. While it does make sense that Whishaw was nominated for best supporting actor, A Very English Scandal refuses to place either one of its main characters at its forefront. Its ability to pull off such a balancing act while also featuring Whishaw’s fantastic performance makes this miniseries a work of art. Wishaw manages to find humanity in a person whose actions might be considered a minor blip in history, a mere irritant to a man destined for greater. For this, Whishaw and all those involved with producing the show, deserve the utmost praise.
ARTS
What to Expect From Philly Theater Week
With accessible tickets and diverse performances, why miss out on the chance to see some new shows? By Allie Shapiro Philadelphia is grossly underrated as an arts city. I mean, how often do you think about the fact that we just so happen to have a Van Gogh sunflower painting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or that the walls of the Barnes Foundation are dripping with Matisse and Cézanne paintings. Moreover, the City of Brotherly Love is a nebula for the performing arts as well, with comedy clubs and small theaters galore. In order to celebrate the theater scene of Philly and the tri–state area, Theater Philadelphia is bringing back Philly Theater Week, which aims to make theater more accessible to the local community. From Feb. 7 to Feb. 17, Theatre Philadelphia will host its second annual Philly Theater Week. This ten–day festival showcases more than 315 performances, showcasing a wide range of talent performing a diverse collection of world premiers, cherished classics, lavish productions, low–budget readings, and more. In addition to full performances, the event will also include panels and experimental workshops, as well as guest appearances from local and award–winning actors. Participating acts range from professional regional theaters, to local community theaters, to self–producing artists, and everything in between. Tickets are extremely accessible. Entry is either free, or costs $15 or $30, and can be purchased on the Theater Week website. “Theatre Philadelphia wanted to create a new signature program that would draw even more attention to the region’s theatre organizations and artists,” Executive Direc-
Jackie Lou | Illustrator
tor Leigh Goldenberg explains. “We wanted to make a big and impactful statement about the importance of theatre in our city and region, and bring artists together in a collaborative and equitable format. Like Philly Beer Week, Center City Restaurant Week, or Philly Tech Week, this festival celebrated theatre alongside our city’s other flagship events that are nationally known and recognized.” Philly Theater Week aims to highlight not only the diversity of the Philadelphia theatre scene, but also the diversity of the city itself. There are shows for those who are looking for a way to celebrate Black History Month, for those who enjoy music, for students who love food and drinks, and for those who are looking for a special way to celebrate Valentine's Day. For those not very into traditional theater, there are improv performances, jazz cocktail hours, and Disney–based events. In preparation for the event, Theatre Philadelphia is previewing two free public events at
Cherry Street Pier, 121 N. Columbus Blvd. The first, taking place Friday, Feb. 1 from 5 p.m.
to 8 p.m., includes a gallery tour of 14 artists and sneak peeks of the theatre performances of the
upcoming week. The next big preview event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 1–4 p.m., and will include previews of the upcoming shows and an open house event with the participating actors and actresses. A continually updated schedule of events and performances is available on the Theater Week website. “Last year’s ten–day event generated over $250,000 in revenue for the theatre community, and we know this year’s impact will be even bigger,” added Goldenberg. “Our region’s residents and visitors alike will see exactly why greater Philadelphia is a world–class region.”
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ARTS
Find Out How ‘Time Passes’ for You in this Eight–Hour Performance of 'To the Lighthouse'
The entrance fee: a potluck item and a willingness to commit By Liz Kim Transform your lazy Sunday by heading to Old City and immersing yourself in Time Passes, an unusual performance piece of Virgina Woolf ’s To the Lighthouse. Yes, it is actually eight hours long—a little over the length of the novel’s audiobook. While the idea of being in the audience for such a long performance sounds daunting, Penn theater arts professor Brooke O’Harra, performing alongside her partner, fine arts professor Sharon Hayes, promises a thought–provoking experience for anybody who is willing to invest their time in, well, the study of time. O’Harra a n d
Hayes perform all the speaking parts and inner thoughts of the main characters— Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe—and their seven–year– old child performs as the children in the novel. When asked about the purpose of putting on such a laborious performance, O’Harra momentarily struggled to find the words that would fully encompass the depth of her reasoning. “What is interesting about this book is that so much of what happens is internal to the women,” she finally said. “They’re experiencing this world and time in a super active, animated, conversational way, but it’s interior. So we’re dealing with gender, how women inhabit space over time, and how they hold power inside of their internal machinations of world–making." If you plan to attend, you can look forward to an analysis of “how the
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women negotiate their relationships with men, their relationships to art, and their relationships to power.” A simple read of the book is enhanced by having “those pieces actually embodied and spoken,” which “pulls something out of the novel and fills the life of these women.” It’s worth noting that the event is free of charge—they do ask, however, for attendees to bring a potluck food item to share. Besides a plethora of free food and a coffee delivery every couple of hours, expect a relaxed seating arrangement of scattered chairs and risers to lie down on. The atmosphere is intended to be freeing, in that audience members can get up at any time and walk around the room. According to O’Harra, there will be “a bunch of activities” and “a huge art piece that is built across the floor.” A continuous, eight–hour recording of a tide will serve as a calming backdrop on a wall. O’Harra and Hayes want the audience to in-
tera c t with the book (copies of which will be lying around the room) and the performance. O’Harra said, “The space is changing and it’s like building an archive of your experience as you’re there.” And having everyone in the same room for such an extensive period of time is a unique experiment itself. “Something happens,” O’Harra said. “We’ve done it in New York and people were like, what? But after the third hour, they felt like, ‘I can just stay here for the rest of my life.’ There’s something happening just by being present together and experiencing a certain kind of time that isn’t sitting in a seat in an audience, but rather, being present to the experience.” Some people eat, some people knit, some people sit and follow along with their own copy of the novel. Although people are often “super focused at first,” O’Harra said that over time, “they build a relationship” with the live performance a n d f e e l
more open to searching for opportunities in the room for new perspectives. Expect between 60 and 80 people in the room, but don’t expect everyone to come in with the same level of investment in the book. In fact, you don’t even have to have read To the Lighthouse to enjoy the performance. “The experience for each and every person is literally going to be unique to your own relationship to the novel, to reading, and to gender,” O’Harra said. But, she adds, “It’s interesting asking people to commit to the whole eight hours, because you’re already inviting an audience that’s invested and has a willingness to just be there.” If this sounds like you— and if you're interested in enjoying endless coffee and food while experiencing To the Lighthouse come to life—you can RSVP here.
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