10.16.19

October 16, 2019 | 34st.com

Fight mbrace E &

WITH ONE HAND

WITH THE OTHER

A Conversation with Chaz Howard, Penn’s University Chaplain

october16 16,,2019 OCTOBER 3 WORD ON THE STREET

Why I Went Back to Therapy

4 EGO

EOTW: KK Brooks, Joel Olujide

Annabelle Williams, Editor–in–Chief Dalton DeStefano, Managing Editor Daniel Bulpitt, Audience Engagement Director Lily Snider, Assignments Editor Ethan Wu, Media Director

Chelsey Zhu, Katie Bontje, Isabella Simonetti, Denali Sagner, Chris Schiller

Amanda Shen, Sudeep Bhargava, Adrianna Brusie, Kelly Chen, Eli Cohen

Style Beats: Diya Sethi, Karin Hananel, Sofia Heller, Mark Pino, Hannah Lonser, Hannah Gross

Video Staff: Sam Lee, Megan Kyne, Morgan Jones, Mikayla Golub

Sophie Burkholder, Special Issues Editor Allison Wu, Long–Term Features Editor Ryan McLaughlin, Word on the Street Editor Katie Bontje, Ego Editor Sam Kesler, Music Editor Srinidhi Ramakrishna, Developing Features Editor Bea Forman, Style Editor Shannon Zhang, Film & TV Editor Sophia DuRose, Arts Editor Sophia Dai & Eleanor Shemtov, Photo Editors Tahira Islam & Katie Steele, Copy Editors Kira Horowitz & Sarah Poss: Copy Editors

Film & TV Beats: Shriya Beesam, Samantha Sanders, Anna Collins, Jonah Charlton, Aashray Khanna, Deren Alanay

Copy Associates: Kate Poole, Serena Miniter, Erin Liebenberg, Lexie Shah, Carmina Hachenburg, Luisa Healey, Agatha Advincula

Arts Beats: Rema Hort, Sarah Yoon, Tsemone Ogbemi

Audience Engagment Associates: McKay Norton, Rachel Markowitz, Kat Ulich, Brittany Levy, Jessica Bachner, Maya Berardi, Stephanie Nam

Dean Jones & Jackson Parli, Video Editors Alice Heyeh, Print Director

7 MUSIC

Mannequin Pussy, Angel Olsen, Big Thief

Ego Beats: Amanpreet Singh, Sonali Deliwala, Katie Farrell, Amy Xiang, Ananya Muthukrishnan, Margaret Dunn, Fernanda Brizuela Music Beats: Mehek Boparai, Melannie Jay, Teresa Xie, Petyon Toups, Julia Davies, Keely Douglas Features Staff: Zoe Young, Hailey Noh, Katrina Janco,

11 STYLE

Eating Alone, Places to Watch the Game, Barbershop, Style/Sustainability

LOL

16 FEATURE Chaz Howard

LOL 21 FILM & TV

In the Tall Grass, Joker, Philly Movie Moments, Gemini Man, Ryan Murphy

29 ARTS

Fiction Podcasts, HerSpace

LOL 31 OVERHEARDS 2

Design Editors: Gillian Diebold, Lucy Ferry, Jess Tan, Tamsyn Brann Design Associates: Isabel Liang, Ava Cruz, Joy Lee, Sofia Heller, Gebran Abulhai, Sudeep Bhargava Staff Writers: Ana Hallman, Arjun Swaminathan, Tara OʼBrien, Hannah Yusuf, Sophia Schulz-Rusnacko, Jordan Waschman, Jessica Bao, Quinn Robinson, Layla Murphy, Anya Tullan, Hannah Sanders, Julia Esposito, Avery Johnston, Harshita Gupta Illustrators: Brad Hong, Catherine Liang, Jake Lem, Saranya Sampath, Christopher Kwok, Diane Lin, Jacqueline Lou, Isabel Liang, Sammie Yoon Staff Photographers: Hoyt Gong, Sophia Zhu, Diya Sethi, Adiel Izilov, Sally Chen, Mona Lee, Emma Boey,

Cover Shot by Ethan Wu & Designed by Ava Cruz "I heard they handle you like a piece of meat."

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 ©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.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR I

probably need to get off Twitter. I tweet maybe three times a week, but the lurking is a full–time job. I monitor culture, what people at the places where I’ve interned are up to, what people on P*nn Twitter are talking about.

I have entire imagined relationships with people that I’ve never met just because I keep up with their lives online. I’ve never been an Instagram person— Twitter gives me the information rush I need and, on some level, makes me feel in on the joke.

And I can justify the obsession to myself, easily. I do it every day when I open up Twitter in lecture or scroll through it on my walk to the office. I need to know what’s going on at all times, or at least I feel like I do. Job applications for journalism ask me to list my handle. I follow editors and can see what pitches they’re looking for, or if there’s a new job posting. It’s a weird conflating of personal and public, private and professional. And I just can’t quit it.

One part of Twitter that always makes me laugh is interacting with my mom. I joke that my mother is my Twitter “reply guy.” Anytime I tweet, well, anything, I can expect a response in record time.

When I reviewed The Politician for Street last week, she posted that she liked the review but wished I spent more time studying and less time on Netflix. Which is fair. When I post a Letter from the Editor, she’s always the first to comment on it. She’s actually often the only

3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

person to comment on it, and often via Twitter.

I love Twitter—I love seeing the conversation, sharing memes around Succession episodes, saving articles to read later or to recommend for the “Stories We Wish We Wrote” section of Street’s newsletter, The Toast, which you should be subscribing to if you aren’t already.

I should be more intentional about how I use it, but, hey, college is stressful and this stupid social media brings me a perverse amount of joy.

So, anyway, follow me. @annabelle_g_w.

Reese Berman | Illustrator Jess Tan | Design Editor

WORD ON THE STREET

Why I'm Going Back to Therapy No major life event needs to happen in order to start routinely checking up on yourself.

Eliana Doft I’m having one of the best semesters of my life being abroad in London, but my time here has made me realize something: I should probably be seeing a psychologist again. No, nothing happened; there was no “incident” or panic attack. I think I just need to take an inventory of my mental space.

Let me explain my analogy.

I used to think I was pretty good at storing away negative emotions. I was proud of it because I thought I was so tough. In fact, I was even a little bit flattered when someone told me that I wasn’t very sensitive or empathetic.

When dealing with a negative emotion, my strategy was to bottle it up and store it away, deep down in the back of my mind’s filing cabinets.

Rejected by a boy? Cry for a minute, then file those feelings away and concentrate on something else. Bad grade on a test? Complain for a day, then file under “fuck it.” I only exhibited stress around schoolwork and college ap-

Anne Marie Grudem | Illustrator

plications because in my pressure–cooker high school, that was what was perceived as an acceptable form of anxiety.

But everything changed when my close friend passed away during my gap year. I experienced feelings I could not possibly relegate to the filing cabinets. It was too much, too fast.

That’s when I first started to see a therapist. Boxes of tissues would accumulate by my feet as I talked through my good days and my bad days, my sleepless nights and little victories. While I was confused about what I felt, somehow my therapist was able to reflect what I was feeling back to me in a way that I could understand. Once I knew what I was feeling, the emotions felt less scary and overwhelming.

What surprised me the most though is that we didn’t just talk about the one traumatic incident.

My therapist led me to the back of my mind, to the old

files that were dusty and yellowed from lack of care. Together, we opened them up, took notes on them, and figured out what caused me to have those feelings, and how those feelings were causing me to react.

I realized that the trauma that I experienced wasn’t the only feeling worthy of investigation.

Family relationships were being unpacked. I started to work through questions that I never thought to ask myself. (Why did I get so uptight when someone commented on what I ate? Did I really need to get anxious three weeks in advance of an international flight?)

The next time those feelings popped up, I was able to recognize them and properly identify the tools that I needed to make them a little more bearable. Four months later, I started my first year at Penn, and my doctor closed her practice. I had a fun, challenging, and busy first semester, so I thought I didn’t

have the time or necessity to find someone else. I was smiling again. Wasn’t that the point? I was cured.

Three years later, I feel like I should take a look at those emotional files again. And I realize that I probably should have been paying more attention to them this entire time. Maybe it’s because I’m unsettled being away from home and Penn, or maybe it’s because I have a lot of free time that I normally devote to schoolwork, but I am starting to get anxious again for reasons I can’t identify or pinpoint.

I’ve noticed that sometimes when I’m out partying, on a nerdy literary tour, or even in class, sometimes my mind will wander and my face will go blank. I’ll get nervous for no reason, with thoughts of "I need to figure out why and why can’t I stop thinking about this" or "I’m supposed to be having fun, but I can't because I'm anxious, I’m stressed, I’m…" occupying my mind completely.

So, it’s definitely time for someone to step in and help me take inventory of what I’m feeling.

I’ve learned that I probably shouldn’t have waited for the death of a loved one to start evaluating my mental health. I was, and am, happy most of the time, but that doesn’t mean that I had to disregard the anxieties that I was feeling. Even though I’m healthy, I still go to a doctor whenever I get a virus or a minor ear infection. Why should mental health be any different?

I was conditioned to think that therapists were for working through trauma, or mental illness. But now I know that no major life event needs to happen in order to start routinely checking up on ourselves.

I’m excited to start seeing someone again when I get back from London. The mind is a complex and overwhelming place. There’s no shame in having someone else there to help guide you through it.

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E

3

EGO

Ego of the Week: Karekin "KK" Brooks Meet the football captain who leads the team by example.

Ananya Muthukrishnan 34th Street: What inspired you to begin playing football when you were younger?

I definitely was inspired to start playing football by my family, like my grandparents, my parents, and my brother.

My grandpa grew up playing football and so did my dad.

I have five brothers and they also all played football. So basically, I grew up around the game and because of that I enjoyed watching it a lot.

My family was a large part of the reason I began playing in the first place. I grew up watching football with them and that’s how I originally fell in love with it.

Street: What meaningful experiences has football brought you at Penn?

At Penn, there’s a big football network. I’ve gotten to meet so many different people and do so many amazing things with football.

Like, I’ve gone to the ESPN headquarters in Connecticut, which was pretty cool. My most meaningful experience through football was probably our team trip to China.

We had a game against the Chinese All–Star team, so we flew to China to play them.

But before the game, the Chinese All–Star football team asked us if we could teach a camp of six to 12–year–old kids play some football. All we did was talk to them and run them through a few drills because China was just beginning to pick up the game of football. But I thought it was so cool that our football team was selected to teach other kids that were trying to learn and understand the game. It 4

reminded me of when I was younger and just starting to play football and going to my first football games, so it was really fun to help out in the camp. If I had to choose my favorite moment actually playing football, it would definitely be our home game against Harvard my freshman year at Penn. That was my first big moment, big game, playing at Penn and it was even streamed on ESPN later.

Street: As captain of the football team at Penn, how do you lead the team?

I just tell myself and my teammates that football is a game and we should have fun playing it. It’s not about anything else. I also lead by example. I think that I set a good example for younger players by showing them what they should and should not be doing on and off the field. I show them how hard they should be working at improving themselves.

Street: What do you like the most about playing football?

My favorite thing about football is simple: just going out there onto the field with my boys and scoring touchdowns. It honestly can’t get better than that. About playing at Penn, I just think it’s super cool that I get to play with a bunch of different guys from all over the world.

It’s so different from high school, when I would play with the guys that I grew up with, so we were all very similar. But here, you’re forced to basically build new relationships with everybody—a bunch of different kinds of

3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia Major: Communications Activities: Football co–captain people, which I think is different but definitely meaningful.

Street: What was your biggest hardship adjusting to Penn?

I would say being away from home. My family has always been such a big part of my life, so that was one of the hardest things I had to adjust to when I got here. I definitely also chose to come to Penn so that I would be further away from where I grew up and so that I could get away from all of that, but I still had a difficult time once I got here.

Street: Why did you decide to major in communications?

I took my first communications class with Dr. Amy Jordan, and I took some other communications classes throughout the years that introduced me to some really good teachers and classes and made me realize what I wanted to major in. I chose communications just because I feel like the material that I learn about in my communications classes especially is very interesting and more relevant than other classes.

Street: What do you plan on doing after graduation?

All I know as of right now is that I definitely want to play football. In the future, I want to get into TV production. I feel like being a part of the production industry is so cool and inspiring and I really think I could fit well and work well in that industry. I also really want to become a producer one day.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Sophia Dai | Photo Editor

LIGHTNING ROUND Street: Favorite class you’ve taken at Penn?

Probably negotiations.

Street: What kind of music do you listen to?

Mostly hip–hop, but honestly, I listen to all kinds of music. Like, right now, I even have country music on my phone.

Street: Favorite NFL team?

I don’t really have a favorite NFL team, but since I’m from Georgia, I’ll say the Falcons.

Street: Favorite TV show?

Game of Thrones.

Street: There are two types of people at Penn…

Those who do and those who don’t. Meaning there are people who take advantage of resources and opportunities and those who don’t.

EGO

Meet The Freshman Who Sells His Home– Cooked Meals Made in Hill’s Community Kitchen Joel Olujide (W '23) tells us how he found his passion for cooking, why he decided to start his business at Penn, and his hopes for the future.

Kelly Chen | Photographer

Fernanda Brizuela Joel Olujide (W '23) started his time at Penn a little differently from the rest—by activating Hill’s fire alarm on the first day of school.

“I set off the fire alarm and the whole dorm had to be evacuated,” Joel says. “I looked out the window and the whole building was flashing.” He laughs about the experience and assures me that everything was fine, saying that Hill’s smoke detectors are extremely sensitive.

In his spare time, Joel cooks some of his favorite dishes every Friday at the dorm’s fourth floor community kitchen, and sells this food to other students who are craving home cooked meals. He goes through the same process every week: He posts an order sheet on multiple student groups online to see how many people want to order a five–dollar plate. Based on those numbers, he goes to the grocery store to buy the necessary items for that week’s meal. Once he gets his ingredients, he cooks every Friday at around 5 p.m. and waits for people to pick up their orders a couple of hours later.

He cooks about twenty meals a week and is hoping to expand to around thirty, noting that even students from Drexel and Temple have been reaching out to purchase his

meals. So far, he has cooked dishes such as barbecue chicken drumsticks and tomato cream shrimp pasta.

When I ask why he decided to start this business at Penn, he tells me that it’s a great way to earn some extra money while doing something he enjoys. “This is the first time that I have ever sold my food and seeing the positive responses has been extremely humbling,” he says.

He has been cooking for around five years now, as he started the summer before eighth grade during a family vacation. “My mom just told me ‘you should start cooking,’ because I didn’t really have any talents,” he laughs. “I felt like I wanted to find something I really loved.”

Since then, he has taught himself how to cook by trying new, unique recipes every week. Each recipe requires different techniques, which Joel would mostly learn by watching videos and practicing at home. Besides a brief, three– week course on cooking basics that he attended in eighth grade, Joel is self–taught.

Most of his practice came from cooking for his family back home. He mentions that he can’t wait to see them during Thanksgiving break, which is his favorite holiday,

noting that his mom probably would have a really hard time making all the food without his help.

Joel is currently a student at Wharton and is exploring his career options in business, but one of his goals is to eventually do what he loves the most by exploring the restaurant industry. In the future, he hopes

to mix his Nigerian heritage with his passion for cooking to open a restaurant honoring the food he loves from back home.

“I really want to open a fine–dining West African restaurant chain; that’s my dream,” he says.

Based on his cooking background, I ask him what his ex-

PattayaRestaruant.com | 215.387.8533 4006 Chestnut Street

Dine-in, Catering & Delivery

perience has been with dining hall food. He mentions how every time he goes to the dining hall, no matter how hungry he is, he can never finish his food.

“It’s not terrible, but there’s something missing—I can’t do it,” he laughs. “The premium swipes at New College House are really good though.”

Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 5-7 Lunch Special: Mon-Fri $9.95 Early Bird: Sun-Thur $11.95

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E

5

Find your new place in University City.

OVER 80 LOCATIONS - STUDIOS TO 12 BEDROOM TOWNHOMES!

UNIVERSITYCITYHOUSING.COM (215) 222-2000 6

3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

MUSIC

Mannequin Pussy Aren't What You Expect // A conversation with Philadelphia's favorite iconoclasts. //

Sam Kesler When you hear a Mannequin Pussy song, you know exactly who it is. The energy is high, there's a distinct grind in the guitar, the bass is prominent, and bandleader Marisa Dabice's voice growls and croons all at once. The band has been a fixture in the Philly punk scene since the release of Romantic, their sophomore full–length album capping off at 17 minutes, full of irreplaceable hooks and sheer malice in every lick. Their latest album, Patience, combines their hardcore roots with classic rock and pop tropes that only dig their claws even deeper into your heart.

I spoke to the band, including singer/guitarist Dabice, guitarist Thanasi Paul, bassist Colins "Bear" Regisford, and drummer Kaleen Reading, ahead of their headlining set at the First Unitarian Church. The show, their first in Philly since the release of their record, coincided with Dabice's birthday, and was also their last with openers Ellis and Destroy Boys. We met in the green room of the basement venue, a repurposed classroom, complete with maps of America on the walls and paper cutouts hanging from the ceiling.

34th Street: Marisa, I wanted to start out talking about the video for “Drunk II.” You directed it, correct? Where did you film that?

Marisa Dabice: At Foto Club.

It’s in Philadelphia. What’s that neighborhood? Harrowgate. It’s past Port Richmond, in Philly.

Street: What was the inspiration for the idea behind it?

MD: Since the song itself is

such a narrative, it lended itself well to the story being told in the context of a music video. Once the song was recorded and we started talking about music videos, I had this idea that I’d been workshopping for months, this concept of going out every night, repeating these nights, meeting someone new, but still breaking down in tears every night. No matter how much you drink or how beautiful the people are you meet, you can’t stop thinking about the past. I wanted to blend that surrealist aspect where, when you’re out and really unhappy, it seems like everyone around you is in love.

Street: How did you convince a bunch of people to be extras to make out around you?

Thanasi Paul: It was so much easier than we expected.

MD: Yeah, it was really easy.

TP: And those poor bastards had to stay there for like 12 hours.

MD: Yeah being an extra is definitely not fun.

Colins “Bear” Regisford: I wouldn’t have done it.

Street: You worked with Adam Kolodny of House of Nod, who’s also worked with Japanese Breakfast and Diet Cig. How was that?

MD: Adam’s a genius. He’s just an incredibly hardworking and talented person. He’s very good at listening and seeing your vision through and giving constructive criticism when necessary. Working on a first project with him, I feel like I learned so much in one 14–hour shoot that maybe it would take a person going through film school to.

Street: Was that your guys’ first

music video?

MD: No, but like, kinda. It was the first music video that we had complete control over.

TP: The first one we had a real budget, which is probably more important.

Street: “Drunk II” has been referred to by some as the “song of the summer,” specifically by Jason Mantzoukas (of the podcast How Did This Get Made?). Did you set out to write an anthem?

MD: I don’t know if we set out to do anything.

TP: I feel like when the song was done, I thought this was

Sudeep Bhargava | Photographer

gonna be the song of the record.

I know I felt this way from pretty close to the beginning. Like, even when we were playing on the Stove tour, I was like, ‘this one’s definitely working.’ But I don’t know. I guess I can’t imagine you’re like, “alright, I’m gonna write a hit song now,” I guess unless you’re working for Motown.

Street: I can imagine, too, if you have to retake a shot, you’re constantly making out then diving back in.

MD: Well it was easier because I think all the extras were real couples. Like, we didn’t match them

up with a stranger. We asked specifically for couples to come and make out with their beloved or their friend or whoever. But yeah, it was very easy, one Twitter call and an Instagram post and we had like 50 people.

Street: It’s also very stylistically distinct from a lot of the other stuff you write. What inspired that departure?

MD: Admittedly, when I first wrote it, I was very hesitant to bring it to the band, because I was like, “I don’t know if this is a Mannequin Pussy song.” But the first time I felt that way about a song

ramenbarphilly.com DREXEL 3438-48 Lancaster Ave 215-921-5804

HAPPY HOUR Mon – Fri: 4:30pm – 6:30pm (food & drink specials)

Sat – Sun: 9:00pm – 11:00pm (drink specials only)

$4 Appetizers & Maki Rolls $2 Off Raw Apps $3 White Claw & Green Tea Shots $4 Draft Beers $5 Wines, Well Drinks & Sake Bombs $7 Ramen Bar Cocktails AVAILABLE FOR DELIVERY ON CAVIAR AND UBER EATS O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E

7

MUSIC

was when we recorded “Romantic,” and obviously that ended up being one of our most popular songs. So, I’ve realized it’s very limiting and just kinda plain stupid to say “Oh, this isn’t a Mannequin Pussy song," because the way that we all work together and the way that everyone brings their talents to a song, we can make anything a Mannequin Pussy song.

We haven’t cornered ourselves into one particular style. And that I think is a very happy accident for our band.

Street: You guys re–recorded your whole album—you had a working version which you scrapped and started over. I was wondering what was behind that decision?

TP: We did record almost the entire thing, I think all we were missing was some overdubs. I was definitely super hesitant to shelf that, because we spent so much time and money. But our budget ended up becoming much bigger, and I think we were not totally satisfied with how things turned out, and we got an opportunity to work with Will Yip [who has previously worked with La Dispute and The Menzingers]. We met with him, and then we came in and demoed some stuff with him. And after hearing what we did for the second time, it was pretty obvious, this is gonna be pretty stupid to not re–do the whole thing, even though it made me really frustrated at the time, it was totally the right call.

Street: About how long after that did it take you to finally get done with the album?

TP: We spent, I think it was, 14, or less than 20 days with Will.

(MD: “Not consecutively") It went faster than I thought it was going to, honestly. He was very easy to work with, super knowledgeable dude with a very good ear. And that definitely made it easier, and plus the fact that we had already recorded everything.

Street: I can imagine that already having a template set out, you just go from there.

MD: It’s like having expensive demos.

8

Street: Also talking about the different sounds that come out on Patience, there are a few more pop songs than Romantic. Do you think you’ll lean into that sound more on the next album or do you think you’ll go in a different direction completely?

MD: Hard to tell. We’ve talked about putting out a hardcore EP, of just straight hardcore songs.

Yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see what we write.

TP: Impossible to predict that.

Street: Your songs typically are two minutes or less. Any particular reason you avoid a typical song structure of three or four minutes?

TP: I feel like we just have short attention spans, at least I do. That’s probably the only thing that’s stayed consistent with the band since the beginning, is short, to-thepoint songs.

Just seems stupid to do something more than you need to.

MD: I mean, for me, I don’t like the idea of feeling like you’re beholden to a formula that someone else has set for you.

If we’re part of a new generation of music, why wouldn’t we make our own standard? This can be the standard that we set for ourselves and how we write songs. [We] don’t need anyone telling us “this is how a song’s supposed to be.”

Street: It’s also a sign of the technology. A lot of songs are getting shorter and shorter because it works better for streaming.

TP: Tierra Whack’s album, perfect example of that.

Street: Do you guys think about that when you’re recording?

MD: I don’t think we’ve really been paying attention to trends.

TP: But we also don’t really pay attention to the length of the

3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

songs. It usually becomes obvious when it’s done. If it happens to be a minute and a half, then so be it.

If it happens to be four and a half minutes, then that’s how long it took.

Street: Marisa, there was an article in the Dallas Observer where you called for fans to attend shows alone. What do you do to try to create a comfortable environment for all of your fans?

MD: I don’t really know what we do other than be ourselves and bring bands with us that have the same ethos of kindness and acceptance.

TP: Our fans are also super nice people.

MD: I think our fans are a really cool, diverse group of people.

There’s really no one kind of person. So, I think our shows tend to have this different energy than people might be used to at different kinds of punk shows. And that’s something that I think we have worked hard to cultivate, is that we want to have that kind of acceptance and comfortability at our shows. I get a lot of messages about people, who, their friends aren’t into Mannequin Pussy, and only they are and they wanna go, but they don’t wanna go to a show alone. So, once I started seeing

that again and again, I was like, you know, it’s actually kind of awesome to go to a show alone.

You’re not trying to talk to anyone over loud fucking music, you’re just there having your own experience. You don’t have to check in with anyone, leave whenever you want to. I like doing a lot of stuff alone, though, so it’s easier for me to say “Oh, just do this” cuz it’s easy for me.

TP: I don’t like going to shows alone, makes me super uncomfortable.

Street: What does “F.U.C.A.W.” stand for?

MD: We’re not telling you. It’s an inner–band pettiness that’s just for us.

Street: You called for fans on Twitter to sing backup for your songs at concerts, has that been working out for you?

MD: I don’t know, I think most people have been taking the lead vocal.

TP: Yes, everyone has, but they’re making an effort.

MD: That’s the fun thing about studio magic.

I don’t think we’re the kind of band that’s ever gonna sound exactly like we do in the studio, because there’s the thing that you create that exists on records, and then there’s the live performance.

I certainly don’t think it’s a worse performance, but it’s a different experience.

TP: I personally never like when I go see a show and it sounds just like the record. It seems somehow disingenuous to me? Like, you have to be like, like either you’re trying way too hard or you’re doing a lot of trickery behind the scenes. I mean, you can do it if you want, I just think it’s cooler to go out as the band that made the record, and just do your thing on stage, instead of trying

meticulously to recreate every detail of the album.

MD: There are some aspects, after doing this tour, I think I’d like to figure out how we could translate that from the record to live, but, it’s kind of nice that it’s just the four of us still.

Street: Marisa, on Patience, you address abuse in relationships, like in “Fear /+/ Desire” or “High Horse.” What’s it been like singing those songs night after night?

MD: Well, we’re only performing “High Horse.” I don’t think “Fear /+/ Desire” is a song I had any desire to perform yet. It was the most difficult song for me to record, and I don’t really—it doesn’t make me feel good and it’s not a song I like to listen to. But I’ve had a lot of people who’ve come and talk to me about their shared experiences, and it’s uh—I don’t know, it’s hard to talk about.

But I know that there’s no such thing as a completely unique experience. Like, the things I’ve been through other people have been through, too. So like, adding that into the web of catharsis and power that can come from transforming that pain into something beautiful is something that I’ve seen really resonating with people.

And seeing those songs have a positive effect on people who have been through similar things has been really rewarding and easier to deal with.

Street: Do you ever regret putting “Fear /+/ Desire” out there?

MD: No, I don’t have very many regrets.

Street: What do you guys love about Philly?

Bear: There’s a lot of great bands.

MD: I used to like about Philly that it was really cheap, so if I have to really move again I’m kind of fucked. But I love this dirty-ass fucking city.

TP: It’s definitely been very kind to us from the very beginning, which I’m super thankful for.

This interview has been edited and condensend for clarity.

MUSIC

Angel Olsen Experiments with Her Image on 'A ll Mirrors' The critically acclaimed singer–songwriter explores angst and fury in her new album.

Julia Davies

Angel Olsen is the master of the angsty anthem. With unrestrained vocals and heavy guitar chords, she’s like a one–woman rock band. That energy and fury is back on her latest album, All Mirrors. Tempered with harmonious string arrangements and, at times, poppy synths, it’s an unexpected album that still maintains the confident vocals and honest lyricism of songs like “Unfucktheworld” and “Shut Up Kiss Me” that earned the artist her devoted following and critical acclaim.

The album’s title track “All Mirrors” opens slowly and quietly, taking its time to crescendo into the powerful ballad you expect from Olsen. At the climax of the song, she sings the line “standin’, facin’, all mirrors are erasin’,” suggesting a newfound transparency and authenticity.

This sentiment is reflected in the opening song “Lark,” a more than six–minute track that sounds like an unedited arrangement of various styles, fluctuating from quiet folk to bold rock–and–roll. The background sounds are at odds, clamoring and heavy, yet the final product surprisingly works well—the singer’s vocals and passion tie discordant lines and sections together.

One of the highlights of the album is the track “Spring,” which opens with the prophetic lines “Don’t take it for granted, love when you have it.” Uncharacteristically, it’s a happy song about falling in love and the desire to settle down despite the uncertain future of a relationship. Following in this theme, the songs “Too Easy” and “New Love Cassette” are tender and hopeful songs about devotion. On “What It Is,” Angel Olsen turns around and makes fun of herself, calling her

heart “full of shit.” Over upbeat synths, Angel Olsen playfully mocks prior feelings of love. It’s a reminder of the artist’s propensity for edginess.

On “Summer,” the singer's ability to balance disharmony and peace reaches its full form.

The song's arc is striking, as the artist’s raw, unaccompanied vocals are met with upbeat and dramatic old–western chords. The lyrics are introspective and honest as the singer questions “Was I becoming what I had to be? Was that the truth I was supposed to see?” Calling out these questions, Angel Olsen strays from her tough, self–assured image to someone who’s more nuanced and adaptive.

The final track, “Chance,” is bare–bones and beautiful. The strained vocals and lyrics suggest heartbreak, but the title of the song hints at hope. String instruments make up a particularly prominent part of the song’s musicality, making the whole endeavor theatrical and moving.

Throughout the album, this use of string arrangements signals that Angel Olsen means business. There's a clear and strong attempt to reflect seriously on her prior experiences and music style.

The majority of the lyrics are retrospective, looking back on past love and feelings with profound insight and maturity. As the album takes form, the listener joins the songstress in her moments of clarity and acuity. Cycling through love and heartbreak, cynicism and optimism, All Mirrors proves that Angel Olsen can experiment skillfully in her musicality, lyricism and image.

She purposefully avoids just one sound or theme in this album, so it instead reflects the work of a more multi–faceted artist.

BEST OF PHILLY

2019 BURGER PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE

3601 MARKET STREET • 215.310.9828 www.thecommonphl.com

STOP IN FOR YOUR FLU SHOT TODAY! 7 DAYS A WEEK, ACCEPT INSURANCE

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E

9

MUSIC

Big Thief's 'Two Hands' is Strikingly Human Big Thief has released one of the best albums of the year—again.

Julia Davies Five months ago, Brooklyn band Big Thief released the critically–acclaimed album U.F.O.F., which Pitchfork named not only one of the best albums of the year, but also one of the best of the entire decade. Now, Big Thief is already back with a new album titled Two Hands, recorded in the desert outside of El Paso just days after U.F.O.F. had been completed in the forests of Washington.

While U.F.O.F is lush, surreal, and psychedelic, Two Hands is a different companion—raw, dark and unguarded.

The opening track, “Rock and Sing,” is about vulnerability both in the lyrics and vocals, the band capturing a complete sense of being exposed. The vocals of the lead singer, Adrianne Lenker, are delicate and warm as the lines “Cry with me/Cry with me,” feel

like a quiet catharsis.

The following track, “Forgotten Eyes,” released as one of the album’s singles, is equally vulnerable and honest. Singing of the "forgotten eyes," "forgotten hands," and "forgotten tongues" that escape us, there’s an overwhelming sense of lost love and human connection. One of the last lines of the song “everybody needs a home and deserves protection” serves as a powerful reminder of the desire to belong, to be named and known.

In this album, individual characters are lost in the passage of time and in the feebleness of memory. It's not clear who Lenker is specifically referring to when she speaks of "hims" and "hers," but you get the sense that these characters represent personalities and experiences humanized. In

doing this, Big Thief amplifies the banalities of human life. Feelings of confusion and discomfort are not softened and sugar–coated, but embraced. In the album's short duration, the listener is invited to let their guard down and to just listen.

In “The Toy,” the meaning of the song is mysterious, wrapped up in metaphor and imagery, yet powerful emotions still remain.

Lenker maintains her ragged and raw vocals, and the lines are delivered in a way that's just as sincere as before. Crescendoing into the next track, “Two Hands,” the album’s title track, Lenker’s vocals come on stronger. If the previous songs capture vulnerability and openness, then this one is about defiance. Through all the ups and downs of human life and emotion, Big Thief reminds us

that “somehow we exist.”

The album takes a bit of a darker turn in “Those Girls” and “Shoulders.” These tracks zoom into the human experience of despair and trauma. The line “And the blood of the man who’s killing our mother with his hands is in me, it’s in me in my veins,” in “Shoulders” feels overwhelmingly violent and intense. Likely a reference to the environmental destruction of the earth at the hands of humans, this lyric serves as an effective, attention–grabbing line.

The album reaches its climax on “Not,” in which Lenker sounds almost breathless and her singing nearly turns into shouting. The background instrumentals are chaotic and clamorous.

The energy on this track builds perpetually until it crashes into

the next track. Opening with the lines "It’s not the energy reeling, nor the lines in your face, nor the clouds on the ceiling, nor the clouds in space, It’s not the phone on the table." After each line, the listener is left wondering what it is, if anything?

As the album reaches its resolution with the songs “Wolf,” “Replaced,” and “Cut My Hair,” there’s a return to the album’s original softer side. Feelings of anger, confusion, and fear are resigned to calmness and acceptance. The resulting tracks are inviting and warm, songs that could be sung around a campfire.

On Two Hands, Big Thief is as bare–bones as music can be. As U.F.O.F. connected the listener to the unknown and strange, Two Hands brings us back to earth.

University City

Special Penn Rates Available Just ask when making your reservation

• Fully Renovated Guest Suites • Complimentary Shuttle 4109 Walnut Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-382-1111 • www.universitypennhotel.com 1-800-CALL-HOME® • ©2013 Hilton Worldwide 1 0 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

ST YLE

DINING SOLO: The Best Places to Eat Alone Around Campus Treat yourself to a good meal and better company at these campus spots.

SOPHIA HELLER

Whether you want to sit down to a meal but none of your friends are around, or you’re looking for a quick bite before class, everyone has to eat by themselves sometimes. And while you shouldn't be afraid to eat alone, these places near campus make it easier to enjoy your own company.

Houston Market At Houston Market, choose from eight unique vendors, offering everything from Bento boxes to deep dish pizzas. With wide steps to sit on at the front and tables plentiful throughout, there's a spot for everyone. A quick look around the space reveals groups of people chatting over lunch and others catching up on mountains of readings by themselves. So if you need to grind through din-

ner or lunch, you'll be in good company by yourself at Houston Market.

Location: Lower level of Houston Hall McClelland Express Are you a freshman still learning how to love some alone time? Are you looking for a quick breakfast or dinner away from a clingy roommate without having to spend money? With options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, McClelland Express is a great place to go alone thanks to its mix of comfy chairs, tables, and grab–and– go options.

Location: Center of the Quad Pod While definitely on the pricier side, Pod is meant for treating yourself to the finer things

in life—premium sake, tasting menus, and fresh sushi. This sushi restaurant is a close walk from campus but will still allow you to take a break from Penn, if just for the length of a meal.

Enjoy lunch or dinner at the sushi bar without fear of asking for a table for one.

Location: 3636 Sansom St. Saxbys This cafe at the edge of Locust Walk is a Penn go–to for some quality coffee and study time. Grab a bagel, pastry, toast, sandwich, or smoothie and take a seat at one of the long, communal tables for a feeling of company that isn't invasive. If you really crave personal space, sit down at your own table and sip your latte solo.

Location: 4000 Locust St.

We’re The only bike shop on campus!

AND we have the largest selection of bikes in Philadelphia!

Safety first:

f

Sunlite headlight, tail light combo o r i g i n a l ly $ 3 9 9 . 9 9 Regular: $19.99 SALE: $17.99

BLackburn central 350 microclick, usb, light set S c w i n n s p e e d st e r Regular: $39.99 SALE: $35.99 Sunlite standard u-lock with bracket Regular: SALE:

$24.99 $22.99

Locks & lights on sale now

Kryptonite kryptolok combo u-lock Regular: SALE:

$47.99 $43.19

Kryptonite New york university city Fahgettaboudit mini

4040 locust street (215)$116.99 387-7433

Regular:

SALE:

$105.29

save while in school!

faculty gets 10% OFF non-sale bicycles and accessories with valid I.D. Students and Faculty sale

4040 Locust Street (at the end of locust walk)

get 10% OFF non-sale bicycles and accessories with valid school I.D.

$ 2 9 9 . 9 9@KeswickCycle (215) 387-7433

Greek Lady Greek Lady is Penn's equivalent to a classic diner, offering a diverse menu of breakfast favorites, like fluffy pancakes, Greek delicacies, and cheesesteaks. Sitting on the edge of campus, this is a convenient spot to indulge in a delicious meal while you savor some alone time. Take a number and sit down at a table where you

can spread out your books.

Location: 222 S. 40th St. We get it—eating alone can be daunting, especially when you're accustomed to spending lunch with a large group of friends in a drab, high school cafeteria or fellow interns on a corporate campus. But sometimes, it's necessary to unwind in silence and eat a meal with the best company—yourself.

Live music • Film • Dance • Theater Art Education • Community HATIWGxMenergy - Nightfall/The Ire/Chained Bliss/Alien Birth Oct 16 @ 6:30 PM A benefit gig hosted by Healing & Trauma Informed Working Group for the organization Menergy! MENERGY will be hosting a workshop at 7pm on how to best support survivors of abuse and assault in our community. There will be social workers and members of HATIWG to provide support during and after the workshop. $5-$10 suggested donation Philly Vegan Restaurant Week Food Court Oct 17 @ 6:00 PM A fun evening of vegan delights from local vegan caterers. At least one item at each vendor station will be $5 or less. A portion of vendor sales will be donated to Misfit Manor!

FREE ADMISSION! All are welcome!

Bowerbird pres. Laraaji with Chris Powell Oct 18 @ 8:00 PM Philadelphia-born, New Jersey-raised polymath Laraaji's music remains connected to cosmic African-American tradition, injecting ripples of tension and dissonance into his trance-inducing journeys.

Philadelphia’s Christopher Sean Powell is well known for his involvement in art- rock bands, but over the years he’s also developed a vibrant modular synthesizer practice.

Admission is FREE Touch of Classics! Entertainment pres. Gian-Carlo Menotti’s The Telephone and The Medium Oct 19 @ 7:30 PM AND Oct 20 @ 5:00 PM James R. Longacre and Dorothy Cardella bring these fully staged and costumed musical presentations this Halloween season.

(Due to the nature of the show, this production is not suitable for children under 13 years old) Tickets are $15, cash only at the door As an alcohol-free/smoke-free venue, The Rotunda provides an invaluable social alternative for all ages.

4014 Walnut • TheRotunda.org

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 1 1

ST YLE

The Best Places to Watch The Game This Weekend

You asked for it—the ultimate Philly sports bar roundup. diya sethi

Photo by Paul Joseph // CC BY 2.0

With the 2019–2020 NFL season finally in full swing, I can’t help but long for home.

Growing up, my father was relentless Giants fan, screaming through every touchdown, flag, and interception.

The TV blared into the night every Thursday and Sunday as we ate various fried foods.

Even as the stress of my junior year settled in, I could count on my dad to have all our family friends gathered around the living room, stuffing their faces with classic Mozzarella sticks, gooey nachos, and my mom’s famous homemade wings.

Coming to college, I’ve lost the excitement that used to accompany football games.

Beyond being scared to wear my Giants pride high, between coursework and clubs, I’ve run out of time to truly sit down and enjoy a proper game without being overwhelmed by stress.

But that's all about to change with this roundup of campus bars and classic Philly hot spots to take in the Thursday Night Lights.

Cavanaugh’s Cavanaugh’s is your typical bar scene. With the entire menu curated around bar foods, from chicken tenders to Tex Mex fries and the classic mac & cheese burger, you can’t go wrong with this campus institution. This local spot has deals going every day of the week, with 65–cent wings on Thursdays and happy hour prices until 10 p.m. on Sundays. The shop even has specials on beer during college games, satisfying all your football needs in one fell swoop.

With its proximity to Penn’s campus, walking over for a quick meal, beer on tap, and the 1 o’clock game has never been easier.

Location: 119 S. 39th St. City Tap House If you’re looking for a more upscale place to watch the game, check out City Tap House, located above the Radian. With its offering of artisanal flatbreads and specialty steaks, City Tap elevates the idea of a

1 2 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

typical pub. City Tap offers a range of drink options including wheat beers, IPAs, and cider. The TVs scattered around the bar and restaurant make it impossible not to watch and root alongside your Philly natives—even if you’re not an Eagles fan.

Location: 3924 Walnut St. New Deck Tavern It’s easy for people to overlook New Deck Tavern, Penn’s very own Irish pub next to White Dog Cafe.

However, New Deck Tavern wears its 'Eagles pride' boldly. On days the Eagles play, if you’re dressed in green, Miller Lite and Coors Light Buckets and pitchers are available at discounted price alongside their 60– cent wings. If you're looking for a pint in University City, you can't go wrong with New Deck Tavern.

Location: 3408 Sansom St. Xfinity Live Bar If you’re looking to get off–campus to watch the game, there’s no better spot

than the Xfinity Bar downtown. Equipped with a 24– foot wide LED video board outside and a 32–foot LED screen alongside over 100 regular–sized TVs on the inside, Xfinity was made for some serious sports– watching. Despite holding an 80,000 square feet wide space solely for dining and entertainment, the site is overwhelmed with guests on any Philly sports team’s game night. The arena has a Chickie’s and Pete’s, Geno’s, Lorenzo and Sons, three bars, and a Victory Beer Hall. There’s no other location as well–equipped as the Xfinity bar to spend your next football Sunday.

Location: 1100 Pattison Ave. O’Neals Pub You may have heard of O’Neals for its classic take on the old–school bar, however it's also the quintessential place to watch the game.

With an exterior Beer Garden patio, set with multiple TVs, one can enjoy the great breeze of the outdoors while

watching the game. O’Neals also has discounts on beers during NBA and NFL games both Thursdays and Sundays. O’Neals also buys into the wing deal found at the places above, with 50– cent wings from 6:30 p.m. to close.

Location: 611 S 3rd St. McGillin’s Olde Ale House As an avid Giants fan, I would be nervous to enter this Eagles territory. But if you find yourself shouting “Go Birds” on random occasions, this place may be the spot for you. The ale house is as old as the city itself; dated back to 1860, McGillin’s is centered right next to City Hall. With its $5 Eagles super mugs that can be refilled with Bud Light for only $2 the whole season, the beer game has never been stronger. Don’t worry, if your team loses—McGillin’s has Sunday night karaoke, made to sing your pain away.

Location: 1310 Drury St.

ST YLE

A Campus Barbershop Round–Up

A comprehensive guide to University City barbershops Quinn Robinson

MAKKAH BARBERSHOP $15 full cut. $10 for clippers on the sides. Cash only. No nonsense.

It sits above Makkah Market on 43rd Street, so it’s a little difficult to get out there. If you want any kind of complicated hard parts or sideburn art, you might not want to come here, but if you want a great cut for a low price point, this is your best bet in the area.

The barbers won’t force conversation with you, but they know their stuff. This is the truest neighborhood joint on this list.

Pricing: $ 4249 Walnut Street JOSEPH ANTHONY HAIRSTYLING Joseph Anthony has possibly the best location of any of these shops—right next to Huntsman on the Walnut Street side. However, it’s a little more expensive than the other locations ($23 for a cut). The outside decor is upscale, with flower pots and benches, and the inside has more of a salon look. That doesn’t mean they can’t cut men’s hair—they're solid for standard fades, undercuts, regular trims, and more.

Pricing: $$ 3743 Walnut Street

JEAN MADELINE AVEDA INSTITUTE While yes, this location is primarily for training new hairstylists and barbers, they still do offer haircuts to people looking for them.

Be ready for it to take a long time (think an hour), since the person will have a supervisor ensuring their work is good, but at the end of the day, the cut turns out great. You might not have a professional directly cutting your hair, but they’ll be making sure it turns

out nicely nonetheless. Because it’s a salon training location, you can opt for a hair wash and similar amenities, but don’t expect to pay the salon price—it’s much cheaper than you’d think.

Pricing: $ 3945 Chestnut Street SUPERCUTS Ah, the corporate stylings of Supercuts. Don’t expect anything beyond the basics, and your mileage may vary. Some people report great cuts for a fairly cheap price; others will rail on Supercuts’ failings for hours. It’s a bit of a hike, given that the store is by Drexel, but it’s not too expensive. Good for those who want to venture a little beyond Penn for their haircuts, or who might not have too complicated an order.

Pricing: $ 3200 Chestnut St MICHAEL’S CUSTOM CUTS Michael’s is the first place I went to in the city for a haircut, and it’s a fairly classic establishment, but with a bit of an upscale twist. The standard red–and–blue pole is outside, and the chairs are the same standard black stools as in every neighborhood joint, but the interior design is kicked up a notch. There's a receptionist to take appointments and walk–ins.

The experience itself, though, is evergreen—the barbers are more than willing to talk sports, politics, and rumblings around town with the locals. I was ushered right in, though I had no appointment, and my barber of the day sat me down post–haircut to fix a bit he wasn’t happy about in the back.

Pricing: $$ 4002 Spruce St

5-8 BR houses available for 2020-2021 school year!

Properties located at 40th & Locust, Sansom St, Baltimore Ave, 42nd & Osage Renovated kitchens and bathrooms, laundry facilities, decks!

Family-run business for over 54+ years in student housing!

“Your mother will be happy!”

UE

university enterprises

Apartments & Townhouses Serving the Penn community for OVER 50 YEARS!

(215) 222-5500 4019 Locust St. info@uerealestate.net

Catering DIM SUM HOUSE

NOW AVAILABLE

info@dimsum.house 484-300-1175

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 1 3

LAUNCH BASH Tuesday, October 15 | 4-8p Music | Food | Entertainment

plus

ONE DAY ONLY

SCAN OUR CODE Become an insider today!

215.222.4212 | TheRadian.com

1 4 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

ST YLE

Sophia Dai | Photo Editor

PHILLY'S HOTTEST NEW RESTAURANTS THIS FALL Searching for great new restaurants to explore this fall?

Look no further.

KARIN HANANEL This fall has been an exciting time for the Philadelphia restaurant scene. Whether it’s old favorites like Taco Taco going back to their roots, or established restaurateurs branching out into new concepts like with Condesa and Merkaz, you can’t go wrong with any of these new places. Here's a list of all the restaurant openings you missed while studying for midterms and decorating your dorm room.

Condesa Developed by the same people behind Fishtown favorites Suraya and Pizzeria Beddia, Condesa serves up Mexican fare, with a focus on stone–ground masa.

The all–day eatery is a laid–back cafe during the day that transforms into an upscale restaurant and bar at night. Come in the morning for conchas, alfajores, and breakfast tacos, and dine at night for a taste of upscale yet authentic tostadas, carnitas, and goat birria (and cocktails, of course). The expansive and trendy space is worth a visit if you’re into the Fishtown restaurant scene or just trying to get some quality Mexican food.

Location: 1830 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Forsythia As a restaurant with an emphasis on modern French cuisine, don’t expect to see the same croque–monsieurs or onion soups that are featured at Parc.

Instead of moules frites, Old City’s Forsythia has mussels escabeche with uni and paprika.

Crème brûlée? Add kettle corn.

With innovative takes on classic French favorites, Forsythia and Chef Christopher Kearse have shown that French food isn’t nearly as antiquated as many people think it is.

Location: 233 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 June BYOB With another French restaurant opening in Philly, it’s clear that French food is having a moment. Chef Richard Cusack has been behind some of Philadelphia’s most heralded French restaurants, such as Le Bec Fin, Bibou, and Parc. With this experience, Cusack cooks classic French dishes among more unusual recipes. Whether it’s Dover Sole ravioli or a classic roast duck, it’s sure to be an interesting and indulgent dining experience.

Location: 1911 E. Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148 Taco Taco Mexican Back and better than ever, Taco Taco Mexican takes the beloved dishes served up at Honest Tom’s before it went plant–based and brings them back. They still serve sweet potato and biff (a walnut–based beef alternative) in their tacos and burritos, but carnivores should be pleased to know that beef, chicken, and pork are back—and for good

this time. It’s simple, close, and, at this point, a campus institution. Head to Taco Taco as soon as you can for some wonderful (carnivorous or not) tacos.

Location: 261 S. 44th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Merkaz Okay, we got too excited.

Merkaz isn’t technically open yet, but it’s very highly anticipated as a result of the K’Far hype. Yep, you guessed it, an-

other Solomonov joint is opening up within the next month or so. This all–day Israeli sandwich shop is named after the Hebrew word that signifies a central meeting place; like K’Far, Merkaz also precedes many Israeli town, village, and neighborhood names. So far nothing concrete is known other than the expected opening month and that it’s going to focus on sandwiches, but that’s enough to get excited about when it comes

to one of Philly’s most important restaurant empires.

Location: 1218 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 So what are you waiting for?

Check out these restaurants for an experience steeped in hyped and elevated cuisine. Whether it's a couple blocks away or on the other side of town, make your next restaurant visit a real adventure.

beer springfield distributor

Studying too hard?

Take a break with us.

WE DELIVER

WE DELIVER! Corner of 27th and South St. 22nd East & Washington DIRECTIONS: on Chestnut, right on 23rd, right on Lombard

ave, Philadelphia

(215) 546-7301

(215) 546-7301

springfieldbeer.net

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 1 5

F E AT U R E

F E AT U R E

Fight mbrace E & WITH ONE HAND

WITH THE OTHER

A Conversation with Chaz Howard, Penn’s University Chaplain SOPHIE BURKHOLDER

There’s one story that Reverend Chaz Howard never gets tired of telling. Thirty years ago, when Howard was in middle school, he remembers playing basketball at an all–boys Jewish sports camp in Maine. “It was the best of times and the smelliest of times,” he says with a laugh.

In one game against a rival camp — “I had the same animosity towards them as I do toward Princeton” — he recalls feeling so in– the–zone in the game until the referee called four “ticky-tack, cheap, phantom fouls” on him. The coach wanted him to keep playing, but Howard benched himself “in full NBA prima donna fashion.” After a few minutes of sulking, the coach came over to Howard in an effort to motivate him to play again, saying, “Chaz, we need you out there. I know it’s unfair, I see that, but we need you out there.”

Howard likes to tell this story because he knows how unfair life is sometimes. Especially today, in the presence of so much rampant racism, sexism, homophobia, anti–Semitism, Islamophobia, and other iterations of hate, the temptation to leave, to “move to Canada, to Africa, to wherever else” is beyond tempting.

1 6 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

“I think about this story often, because I think so many of us feel defeated,” he adds.

“One of the most common things I hear from people in this room is ‘I just wanna give up,’ but we literally need you out there.”

As Penn’s University Chaplain since 2008, Howard acts as leader for the diverse religious life at Penn, helping to oversee student activities and official ceremonies. He began his chaplaincy here over ten years ago, when his office was “essentially in a closet in the Quad” – a stark contrast from the spacious room in Houston Hall where he now resides, comforted by dark leather armchairs, an antique chess set, and his blue Betta fish, Will Ferrell.

He often thinks about the way “religion at Penn has changed over time. We were once a militantly secular school, and now we see ourselves as a nonsectarian school with a vibrant religious and spiritual life that’s part of our celebrated diversity,” Howard remarks.

Though much of his role as chaplain involves overseeing the religious groups that comprise this vibrancy on campus and participating in official university ceremonies like Convocation, he also meets with many students individually for the purpose of men-

torship or as part of a counseling journey in conjunction with other on-campus resources like Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Conversations that begin with Howard acting as a friendly sounding board can evolve into ones of loneliness or troubles at home, for which his office’s amiability provides a haven.

That’s how Angelica Du (E ‘20) knows him these days. “My boyfriend used to work in the Chaplain’s Office, so I would do homework there every afternoon, and since Chaz worked there, we would have conversations from time to time,” she says.

Though she got to know Howard in these moments throughout her first two years at Penn, Angelica’s connections to him grew stronger after she joined the Christian Union in her junior year and started attending events where Howard spoke about race and racial reconciliation in the church.

“This past year, I was struggling a lot with mental health, and he reached out to me saying ‘Hey, do you want to start meeting with me regularly, so that I can help you through what’s going on?’” Angelica felt grateful for his offer, at first almost rejecting it because

she didn’t think these meetings were a part of his job. “Actually, it’s a big part of my job, to meet with students,” Howard replied.

But job is a tricky word for Howard. He often thinks about the difference between his profession and his vocation – or between what he wants to do and what he sees himself as called to do. He understands his calling as helping the homeless, and has spent a long time working with Project H.O.M.E., a local non-profit organization that looks to combat the cycle of homelessness in Philadelphia.

Even though being Penn’s Chaplain prevents him from directly working with the homeless as much anymore, he still tries to incorporate aspects of it into his job today.

“I think the 25-year-old me who was doing street outreach through Project H.O.M.E. was in a very different season of life than 47-year-old me, who physically just can’t stay up to do a night shift on the Parkway anymore,” he says.

Howard now pursues his vocation by using his platform to teach, write, and speak about the pandemic of homelessness that persists.

He’s working on a new book on the topic that’s slated to come out next fall.

"The feeling of not being seen, feelings of being isolated and alone—I see that on campus sometimes, on every campus."

Particularly, his vocation finds its foundation in both specific memories and ongoing education. “I remember walking to class when I was an undergrad and walking under the bridge near 1920 Commons, and seeing someone sleeping on the heat grate there,” Howard says with a look of raw emotion.

“That was probably the first time that I was really heartbroken here at Penn.”

Despite the perceived gap between working with the university and with local home-

less populations, Howard finds ways of incorporating principles of the latter into those of the former. “It’s maybe a stretch, but a Catholic author Henri Nouwen talked about how college students are the most homeless population out there,” he says.

Howard wants to be careful not to diminish the real homelessness of those forced to sleep on benches or struggle in the cold, “but the emotional vulnerability of life on the street mirrors emotional vulnerability of people who are in college.

The feeling of not being seen, feelings of being isolated and alone—I see that on campus sometimes, on every campus.”

The responsibilities of Howard’s job often mean that he has to help handle intense – and sometimes grave – emotional situations on campus. In the midst of a death or emergency at Penn, his voice is often the one that relatives will hear first as the bearer of bad news. “I think that’s far and away the most difficult thing to do,” Howard says, “to find out from Public Safety that someone’s died, and then we’ll call that person’s parents to tell them the thing that they feared the most in life has happened, and then to hear their parents scream and drop the phone.” He delivers these words slowly, attempting to control a fresh and heart-wrenching memory of this heavy pain in the recent death of Dr. Gregory Eells, the former Executive Director of CAPS. “Greg’s loss a few weeks back really, really hurt for several reasons.” With tragedies like this one, Howard believes there’s a temptation for Penn students to look for flaws in the administration’s handling of the news. “This sounds patronizing, and I don’t mean for it to, but there’s a base distrust of ‘the man’ that young people have, and should have—that I had, and still have a little bit.” He sees this distrust as the source of people’s anger with the way the administration sometimes handles times of suffering.

But after being on both sides of the story as a former student and now as an administrator, Howard wants to reassure today’s students that there lies a passionate care in Penn’s upper ranks for mental health and wellness that goes beyond merely wanting to improve the school’s reputation. “It’s not fair to say ‘I

Ethan Wu | Media Director

don’t trust Penn.’ There are 50-60,000 employees here, and a lot of us care,” Howard says. “A lot of us speak openly about our own vulnerability.”

This compassion extends beyond moments of tragedy. Though Howard espouses a communal increase in joy, peace, justice, and love, he knows that preaching those ideals is far easier than adopting them. One case that’s gained national attention is that of Amy Wax, a Penn Law professor notorious for her controversial comments regarding race and imO C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 17

F E AT U R E

migration. Calls for Wax’s termination have led to little action, due to the protection of her tenured status.

“I think as we engage just vitriolic, hateful, wrong stuff like Professor Wax’s comments that are literally white supremacist and are hateful—it’s easy to be hateful toward her too. And I think that’s dangerous,” says Howard. While he also wishes Wax weren’t employed at Penn after her comments, he still wants to respect her as a human.

Howard saw the same tension between love and hate exemplified in a social justice protest he participated in outside of the White House last summer with Penn’s former chaplain, Reverend William Gipson, and some other local clergy.

One thing led to another and “we got arrested,” says Howard. “But there was a Mexican-American priest or pastor right next to me, and as he was getting turned around to get cuffed, right in front of the White House, he turned to it and literally made the sign of the cross as a blessing, and started praying for President Trump and his marriage and his kids,” he recounts. “And he did it in Spanish.”

Howard takes this moment as an example of how to “fight with one hand and embrace with the other.” He sees this conflict as one of the ultimate challenges to humanity — one that’s “so much easier said than done.”

He applies this same attitude when thinking of how to react to the recent mass shootings at places of worship like those at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, and the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, to name only a few.

Howard acknowledges the terror that comes from these attacks, saying that “the great mark of our age right now is fear.”

As chaplain, he helps students, particularly those of affected religious communities, through these sorts of difficult times. Tafshena Khan (N ‘20), president of the Muslim Students Association, says that Howard played a big role in comforting Penn’s Muslim community after the New Zealand attacks at Christchurch. “We had to organize 1 8 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

a vigil overnight,” she says, “and he really played a key role in helping us do that, and making sure that there was a safe space for us on campus.”

But beyond wrestling with these darker questions, Howard still sees glimmers of hope in these horrific tragedies in the way they shed light on the balance between despair and prayer. The testimonies of faith that he saw in those religious communities who returned to services the following week after such chaotic violence were examples of unprecedented grace and courage to Howard, who believes that the only way to overturn fear is with love.

“Fear,” he says, “is the garden of sin.” He likes to use an image of a candle in a dark room to help explain the way that he understands the relationship between fear and love

"I’m interested now in really trying to solidify the foundation of religious life on campus and repair some of the holes that might be there."

in the world. “When you bring a candle to the room, you help to push back the darkness there. I think there’s a similar way we can dispel fear from society when we respond with love.”

Beyond giving talks and support for the different facets of religious life on campus, part of Howard’s job also involves teaching. Together with one of Penn’s associate chaplains, Steve Kocher, Howard helps lead a Graduate School of Education class and program called iBelieve, or formally, Interfaith Dialogue in Action. The program brings together students of diverse faith backgrounds, even atheism, with a mission to foster dialogue

and a commitment to service among them.

The class, which is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, includes trips “that we hope build on the dancing story Chaz loves to tell,” says Kocher, in reference to a TEDxPenn talk Howard gave about an interfaith service trip to New Orleans that ended with a group of Orthodox Jewish students and deeply observant Muslim students dancing together in a jazz club.

The goal of these classes and trips is not only to strengthen the connections between different religious communities on campus, but also part of a larger effort by the Chaplain’s Office to “make any student feel welcome,” says Kocher, who tries to make sure that the office does a good job of connecting to non-religious support networks as well.

Yasmina Ghadban (E ‘20), a member of Penn’s Reach-A-Peer Helpline (RAP-Line) who helps train new volunteers, says that of all the staff and faculty members that come to give advice on counseling, “Chaz and his lessons are by far the most memorable.”

Though Howard’s advice for new RAP-Line members mostly involves advice on how to engage with someone in issues of faith, Yasmina says “he also shares his own story, and shares ways we could do better in having a more faithful community at Penn.”

Howard hopes to improve upon this role of being both mentor and friend to everyone in the Penn community as he moves forward in his chaplaincy. “In the first several years of one’s career, one’s kind of climbing. I feel like I’ve stopped climbing,” he says, reflecting on his last eleven years as Penn’s youngest chaplain ever. “I’m interested now in really trying to solidify the foundation of religious life on campus and repair some of the holes that might be there.”

Until he fully sorts out where his next callings will lead him, Howard will continue to write and teach and pray and lead, using love as his guiding principle. He often speaks of a need for God in his work, “some sort of supernatural, divine underpinning,” that he prays to in the most difficult moments.

He calls out to say, “I need you. I cannot do this on my own.”

OPEN LATE & LATE NITE DELIVERY

R O F G N I K O O L K? R O W E M I T T FULL OR PARHIRING! WE’RE UR LOCAL STORE CONTACT YOR DETAILS! FO

Domino’s

TM

SUN-THURS: 10AM - 2AM • FRI-SAT: 10AM - 4AM

WE MAKE ORDERING EASY! CALL DIRECT OR CHOOSE YOUR ONLINE OR MOBILE DEVICE

215-662-1400

4438 Chestnut St.

Smart Tablets Phones

215-557-0940 401 N. 21st St.

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 1 9

Negotiating Style with Sustainability ST YLE

A look at the groups at Penn trying to minimize the impact of clothing on the environment.

Karin Hananel

Isabel Liang | Illustrator

For Gen Z, sustainability is sexy. Metal straws and tote bags are plastered all over social media, and new eco– friendly innovations are popping up faster than ever. Part of this urgency stems from the impending climate crisis, but also because companies and influencers generate profits when everyone buys into the idea of sustainability. This begs the question—are sustainable products, specifically clothing, even sustainable to begin with?

It’s no secret that the fashion industry is a huge contributor to climate change.

Whether it’s through mass reproduction of textiles, shipping, or packaging, the waste generated by clothing companies has a massive impact on the environment.

It’s clear that large companies are harming the environment, but what about Penn students? With endless formals and nights out, accompanied by the pressure to always look presentable and the fact that most busy students aren’t buying their clothes from brick and mor-

tar stores anymore, Penn has a sustainability problem.

However, there are organizations on campus that are looking to encourage sustainability within the student body, especially when it comes to fashion. Whether it’s through giving students easy ways to recycle their textiles or helping them cut down on buying new clothes through rentals and thrifting, the possibilities are endless.

Madeline Lau (C, W ‘22) is a Rent the Runway campus ambassador, and while the group's message isn’t explicitly geared towards sustainability, their programs can help students curb their habit of buying new clothes for every event that comes up. Madeline explained both the personal and global effects of a clothing rental service, saying that for her, Rent the Runway has minimized the amount of money she spends on high–quality clothing that tends to be made more sustainably than cheaper fast fashion.

There’s also the all–impor-

2 0 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

tant aspect of packaging. Madeline said, “There’s less stuff that goes to the landfill…If I didn’t do Rent the Runway, I’d probably have like, 12 packages in my mailbox right now.”

Marina Dauer (C ‘22) and Caitlyn McCloskey (E ‘22) are the co–chairs of Penn Environmental Group, Penn’s oldest and largest student environmen-tal organization.

Marina explained that the club has spanned 50 years of student activism, with its scope beginning with the first Earth Day. Marina said, “It started with running Penn’s recycling service … It was all student– run by members of the club … Today we’re a broad interest group with different committees so people can focus on what they’re most passionate about.”

Among social outreach, education, and impact, Penn Environmental Group also houses a projects committee, which was the conduit through which a textile recycling initiative was organized. Caitlyn explained, “When you think of trash, you think of paper or plastic, but textiles actually

make up a large percentage of landfills. A lot of people don’t even know that it’s a problem.

They don’t know how to recycle them, or that they can even be recycled.”

As a part of this initiative, plastic bins appeared in laundry rooms in the Quad and the high rises, so any kind of fabric could be easily recycled.

Whether they were socks, clothes, towels, or curtains, it was important to the committee that these items—which often end up in landfills—were given a chance to be recycled, even in small quantities.

“We didn’t collect that many, maybe one bag total because we started the project at the end of the year.

There wasn’t as much publicity as we could have done, but it still was a good way to get the word out there," said Caitlyn.

Caitlyn emphasized expansion and the University’s role in giving students the option to be sustainable, saying, “I think another big problem at Penn is accessibility. We don’t know where to take our compost. We don’t know

where to take our recycling.

We don’t know where to take our textiles…Where is the clearly marked, very publicized compost pile? Where is the clearly marked, very publicized textile recycling center?”

Sure, students here have a huge problem with sustainability. Amazon packages, shipped clothing, plastic water bottles, mountains of single–use plastic from early morning coffees and late night Wawa runs litter campus, but student behavior could be enhanced with greater initiatives from the University as a whole.

If we want a more sustainable fashion industry or campus, we need to make an effort, but we need companies we patron to make an effort too. Small personal changes are great for altering behavior and working towards the greater goal of being more eco–friendly, but these new behavioral patterns will never be enough without changes on behalf of larger institutions and companies.

FILM & TV

'In the Tall Grass': Another Messy Netflix Original Watch another Stephen King tale brought to life, from the comfort of your own home.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

In the Tall Grass is an adaptation of a novella of the same name, written by Stephen King and Joe Hill. King is the face of the horror novel–turned–movie, a genre defined by either unoriginal adaptations of written horror (Pet Sematary), or beloved classics (The Shining). Due to King’s reputation, his name is often used to advertise horror movies that otherwise lack novelty, save for some jump scares. I expected In the Tall Grass to fall in this mediocre, half–watchable category, considering it was sold to audiences as original “Stephen King horror,” and it did—but it wasn’t all bad.

We have six main characters: the pregnant Becky (Laysla De Oliveira), Becky’s brother Cal (Avery Whitted), Becky’s estranged boyfriend Travis (Harrison Gilbertson), token scary child Tobin (Will Buie Jr.), Tobin’s mom Natalie (Rachel Wilson), and Tobin’s dad Ross (Patrick Wilson). The movie starts with Becky and Cal driving past a field of tall grass, from which they hear a child calling for help. They decide to enter the field in search of the child, but at some point, they get lost themselves. They realize they can’t leave the field unless the field lets them.

This first arc of the movie, in which we’re introduced to the bulk of our main characters and the demonic grass, is an awkward 20 minutes. Becky and Cal spend extensive amounts of time having unnatural sibling banter and running around the field suffering from increasing levels of fatigue and pain. Tobin makes an appearance featuring some cryptic statements: “The field doesn’t move dead things around,” and,

Shannon Zhang

“Becky…your sister…she’s gonna die soon.” In this introduction, In the Tall Grass attempts to generate fear and tension. What the movie does achieve is a slow– paced, almost comedic sequence in which our characters become one–dimensional and boring.

As the movie goes on, we watch Travis get lured into the field, and we see the other "thriller" elements of the movie: a time loop, a demonic rock at the center of America (and the grass field), and Ross, again, in his pink polo. The black rock with carvings in it controls space and time in the grass field and anybody who touches it. Ross touches the rock, and becomes, for the second half, our crazed, businessman antagonist.

The time loop in the movie remains, both during its introduction and after the movie ends, an unexplained plot pusher used to show everybody being killed by Ross multiple times, in gory detail. In the Tall Grass suffers from this time loop—the loops happen arbitrarily and have no beginning or end. But they aren't the main horror. The real horror lies in the field of grass itself.

In the middle of crushing his wife’s skull, Ross says, “It’s just flesh. And all flesh is grass.” For most of its runtime, In the Tall Grass is a clichéd, shock and jump scare dependent horror, but its last half hour is where it shines.

The movie finally falls apart into absurd, fever–dream sequences that involve cannibalism, grass– headed men, and for a moment, a horde of root people underneath the black rock.

I didn’t love all of it, but in surreal nightmare fuel, In the Tall Grass finds its artistic niche.

Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour

N O W AVA I L A B L E F O R

The Fresh Grocer Powered by

Instacart Shop now at Instacart.com/store/the-fresh-grocer

e t a r b e l e C ur special event you

at Fuji Karaoke Enjoy a night of singing with full bar & menu options in any of our large private rooms.

(Accommodates up to 40 people) Please contact us for special pricing.

215.751.0939 fujimt2030@gmail.com 2030 Chestnut St. O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 1

FILM & TV

'Joker' Collapses Under Its Own Weight

Lacking subtlety or a clear message, the controversial movie falls flat.

Anna Collins

You’ve probably heard something about Joker, the 2019 origin story of Batman’s famous arch–nemesis. Before it was even released, it already saw a handful of scandals, including its lead actor, Academy Award– nominated Joaquin Phoenix, reportedly walking out on set and cussing out his cinematographer, its director Todd Phillips insisting that he couldn’t make his Hangover series today because of “woke culture”, and a few audience concerns over a repeat of the Aurora shooting in 2012, which took place at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. However, all of these stories and the criticisms that have followed them are not based on the actual content of the film— only the media circus surrounding it. What, then, is Joker actually about? Does it warrant all this criticism?

The answer is: kind of. Joker

is a muddled mess of a movie, not for its technical elements, but for its writing. Is it a drama or a comedy? A critique of the wealthy or of the poor? Should we think that the Joker is justified or absolutely horrendous?

“Maybe,” it seems to say, masking its plot in heavy–handed “we live in a society” commentary, and hiding its genuine meaning in vague critiques of America.

The first issue with Joker is that Todd Phillips does not know how to write a drama.

The first thirty minutes of the movie are filled with heady grittiness, featuring not–yet– turned–Joker Arthur Fleck going about his dreadful daily life.

Fleck is a man beaten down by the system. The movie informs us, with the subtlety of a baseball bat, that Fleck is mentally ill, was previously housed in Arkham Asylum, and is not adjusting well to the world. He

works as a clown on the streets of Gotham—modeled from 1980s New York—where he gets unnecessarily pummeled by a group of teenagers. These moments of horror are played rightfully straight, but Phillips fears audience boredom and throws cheap laughs in—Leigh Gill, who is four feet tall, was cast entirely for a bit where his character can’t reach the lock on Fleck’s door. Humor, which is an important part of Joker— Fleck is an aspiring comedian— feels completely out of place within the movie. Are we supposed to be sympathizing with the horrors Fleck experiences or laughing at his blunders?

Other moments in Joker are just strange. At one point, Fleck’s coworker inexplicably hands him a gun, fully loaded, because apparently he needs to protect himself. Fleck fires that same gun on a whim at the wall inside his house, to which he comically collapses and scrambles to hide the evidence. On the subway home, three businessmen taunt Fleck by singing Stephen Sondheim’s "Send in the Clowns." Where they found the time to coordinate a musical theater tune, we may never know. The wealthy of Gotham

Photo by Niko Tavernise | © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved 2 2 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

attend a showing of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times dressed to the nines, which likely would have an interesting political implication if the movie cared to ruminate on it. These moments are just peculiar and oddly placed, taken seriously for some reason though they feel painfully contrived.

But this is far from Joker’s greatest sin. Unsurprisingly, the film ends up being political—how could it not, with the Joker’s corruption being spurred by society in this movie, rather than a result of being dumped into a vat of chemicals—but it fumbles. Fleck accidentally kills three wealthy young men on a subway and inspires a revolution led by the poor people of Gotham City. Yet, ultimately, he declares to talk–show host Murray Franklin (Robert de Niro) that “I’m not political.” The movement, defined by its vague anarchy, is a proto–Occupy Wall Street. The poor people of Gotham are rallying against the wealthy and income inequality, particularly targeting the iconic Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen), who is running for mayor.

The flaw with basing this revolution on the actual strifes of the oppressed? The poor people in this scenario are not just fighting for income equality—they’re literally supporting murder. Cold–blooded murder, at that. Fleck's murders have no political motivation, and still, a movement rallies on behind him. The implication that poor people would actively advocate for murder because it harmed the wealthy is not only ridiculous, but harmful. While an audience may spend the first section of the film sympathizing with the lower–class of Gotham, them rallying behind murder makes it nearly impossible to read their movement as anything other than ridiculous.

Beside those of the political movements, Fleck—in his descent—ends up murdering quite a few people, first complete strangers and then his

close associates. An important concern of viewers was whether these murders were presented as validated or not by the narrative. However, it is not really all that clear–cut. These deaths are filmed in an excessive, gory way, portraying Fleck as acting with overzealous violence.

On the other hand, the film always cares enough to present a reason for these murders.

This was a concern of many reviewers—why would the movie present Fleck as justified in killing people, even if he may have been wronged by them? Fleck is clearly oppressed by the system, but so are many of those around him.

Despite all this, there are some good parts of Joker. Its cinematography is well–done, its set design is atmospheric, and its soundtrack sounds lovely, peppered with Frank Sinatra’s "That’s Life" and other '50s and ‘60s songs to incredible effect. Phoenix’s performance is one for the ages—he apparently lost over 50 pounds for the part—and, even if the film doesn’t get any award season attention, it would be a surprise if Phoenix didn’t. However, one tweet rings alarmingly true for Joker: it's “what happens when you set out to make a college dorm room poster movie on purpose.” It's a film that already believes it’s going to be an indie hit, adored by male audiences and asserted by artistic posters plastered on their dorm walls.

The film’s aesthetics are lovely, but don’t feel entirely earnest. It makes grand, sweeping claims about society as a whole, the place of the impoverished within it, and the way people cope with these sufferings—but it all looks like it’s for show.

Joker should’ve been better. Its trailer was fantastic, its casting was perfection, and its premise showed promise. Instead, when facing the massive political implications of this new iteration of the character, the film stumbled, making this rendition hollow.

FILM & TV

Visit These Locations of Movie Moments in Philly Some of cinema's most iconic scenes were shot within walking distance of Penn's campus—here are some spots to check out.

Photo from @filmtourismus

Hannah Lonser

Philly is home to countless movie landmarks. There are plenty of locations around the city where you can recreate some classic cinema moments, and many of them are just a short walk away. So hit up some movie–watching buddies or your friends from out of town who are dying to see Philly, and head to these sites from your favorite films.

After all, with awards season coming up, there's no time like the present to make some movie magic.

The Rocky Steps—Rocky (1976) What movie–related Philly roundup would be complete without a mention of the Rocky Steps? Head on over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, blast “Gonna Fly Now” on your phone, run (or walk) up those stairs, and pump your fists in victory. Don’t pass up this opportunity to get a great photo for the ‘gram and get your steps in. Sylvester Stallone would be proud.

Llanerch Diner—Silver Linings Playbook (2012) In need of a fun date idea? Hit up Llanerch Diner—the scene of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper’s first date in Silver Linings Playbook—for a hot cup of coffee and some classic diner food. The scene features some of Lawrence's best acting in the movie, which won her an Oscar back in 2013. Fingers crossed that your date doesn’t end with one of you knocking the dishes off of your table, J–Law style.

The Philadelphia Zoo and 30th Street Station—Split (2016) This one's for all of the psychological thriller/horror fans out there.

Director M. Night Shyamalan is known for shooting his movies in and around Philadelphia, so most of his movies are perfect for this list. Stop by the Philadelphia Zoo and see Kevin Wendell Crumb’s place of work before heading over to the concourse of 30th Street Station. There you can buy a nice bouquet of flowers like Dennis, one of Kevin’s alternate personalities, does in Split.

Independence Hall, The Franklin Institute, and Reading Terminal Market—National Treasure (2004) These three locations featured in National Treasure offer a cinematic trip down memory lane and a history lesson in one fell swoop. Get together with your friends and walk the same path that Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) did as he decoded the Declaration of Independence on his search for the greatest treasure in the world.

A whole bunch of places—The Sixth Sense (1999) You may not be able to see dead people, but you can definitely see several locations from M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense here in Philly. You can snap a photo in St. Augustine Church, check out the exterior for Malcolm Crowe’s home at 20th and Delancey streets, stop

by Cole’s house at 2302 St. Alban’s Place, or visit the location of the film's famous car scene as you drive down 21st and Christian streets.

Welcome CLASS OF Exp.2/23/12 4/11/12 Exp.

2016

For Fast Delivery Call 215-386-1941

4004 chestnut street | (215) 386-1941 Exp.2/23/12 4/11/12 Exp.

For Fast Delivery Call 215-386-1941

All You Can Eat Buffet Every Day!

Welcome $2 beer special!

TAKE 10% OFF $3 beer! shots! wine!

Exp. 4/11/12 with your PennCard CLASS OF We Deliver!

Exp. 2/23/12

2016

For Fast Delivery Call 215-386-1941

order online @ newdehliweb.com | closed mondays

Exp.2/23/12 4/11/12 Exp.

For Fast Delivery Call 215-386-1941

IT’S BASICALLY A SALAD Plant-based food, right in University City.

214 S. 40th St | HipCityVeg.com

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 3

Large houses available for groups of any size.

Call today to schedule a tour.

!

Y L D N ET FRIE

P

215.222.0222 2 4 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

www.apartmentsatpenn.com

FILM & TV

'' GG ee min m i n ii Man M a n '' is A Rare Misstep For Ang Lee Not even Will Smith can make this movie good.

Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Ang Lee is a peculiar director.

While he perhaps garnered the most acclaim for his 2000 classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he is equally renowned for the touching Brokeback Mountain.

In many cases, Lee's films jolt back and forth between fast– paced action to tender drama, like in the critically adored Life of Pi. Lee’s most recent film, Gemini Man, leans in the action direction, but stops short of fully becoming a sci–fi flick, a comedic drama, or even a guns–blazing, nonsensical action, making it feel muddled and half–finished.

Anybody who knew anything about Gemini Man before walking into a theater knew two things: it stars Will Smith, and Will Smith has a clone. Smith acts as he always does in the part of Henry Brogan, with gruff yet comedic charm, bouncing off his fellow actors—mostly just Mary Elizabeth Winstead—admirably. The film, though, acts as if its audience isn't already aware of the fact that Will Smith has a clone—as if they didn't put that detail in every trailer leading up to the film's release. The characters spend the first fifteen minutes after seeing a de–aged Henry—sent as an assassin after the real Henry—deliberating over why, exactly, that guy looks so much like the real Henry.

Dani (Winstead) questions him a few times about any romances, believing the kid to be Henry's son, until she secretly does a blood test to discover, to the surprise of everyone, that he’s actually Henry’s clone.

This reveal would have made more of an impact if it were

scientifically explained, but no one really bats an eye at how precisely Henry's clone came to be. In vague terms, it is explained that Clay Varris (Clive Owen), a generic suspicious higher–up, secretly took Henry’s blood and used it to make an identical copy of Henry from birth, raising the clone as his own son. How precisely this blood held the genetic material to not only create another human being, but to make an identical copy, is questionable, but it seems that the writers were too afraid to delve into sci–fi territory and left it at that.

The resistance to lean into the sci–fi genre, which Gemini Man most neatly fits into, makes the movie read like a Star Trek plot, but worse—at least Star Trek knew what it was going for. Instead of analyzing culture by seeing what happens when science advances too far, the movie harps on and on about the importance of relationships, staying human, and not becoming a highly elite assassin for the government. See, Henry is basically James Bond— even the movie's opening scene on a train echoes Skyfall—but if government he worked for was bad. There must be some critique in here—Henry is getting chased down by his ex–bosses for learning that he killed an innocent man. Brogan and his associates are constantly having their conversations eavesdropped on by technology. Certainly this is a deep–layered critique of the American government; and yet, the Russians are still one–note bad guys, one of the men responsible for the attempted murder of Henry isn’t actually that evil, and

Dani even ends up staying with the pseudo–CIA that was trying to kill her for a week because she just loves her country so damn much.

Other odd tidbits about Gemini Man are the young Will Smith, who is basically just Will Smith without his smile lines and a different haircut. These minor difference doesn't make the two of them all that easy to differentiate. Though the effects are pretty good, his mouth doesn’t quite match up to the dialogue, which is endlessly irritating. Otherwise, characters in the film conveniently appear and

Anna Collins

disappear again with little care for how that works thematically.

The pacing feels jagged and the plot unsure of itself.

Gemini Man has been in development hell since 1997, with names like Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and even Sean Connery getting attached and unattached to the script. Even with the film firmly under Lee’s command, its release has seen media buzz about the film allegedly not getting “played correctly”: Lee insisted that it had to be played at a whopping 4K resolution, 120 FPS, in 3D. If Christopher Nolan’s suggestion that his films

were only meant to be played in theaters was a high task, Lee’s request goes above and beyond.

Still, Gemini Man is just not a very good film. Its writing is sloppy and often falls into bad action–movie tropes—including a woman stripping as an irrelevant plot device—and its tone is all over the place, like Lee himself was unsure whether you should be laughing or not. Despite this film being in development for 20 years, everyone seemed to forget that the first goal should not just be to get the film released: It should actually be good, too.

HavE YoUr NexT

fiESta wiTh US!

Authentic Mexican food Great for groups BYOB

426 W Girard Ave (215) 351-9144 lascazuelas.net O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 5

FILM & TV

An Excruciatingly Deep Dive Into

Ryan Murphy Canon From 'Nip/Tuck' to 'Glee' to 'Pose,' Murphy has been at the forefront of pop culture for nearly two decades.

Sam Sanders Ryan Murphy just might be the iconoclastic arbiter of taste that television needs. With his keen sense of style, tone, and comedic timing, the showrunner has definitively changed the industry over the past couple of decades. As the creator of series like Glee, American Horror Story, Pose, American Crime Story, Feud, 9–1–1, The New Normal, Scream Queens, and Nip/Tuck, Murphy is a veteran, a veritable powerhouse of pop culture.

And though each of the creator’s works are different, they all feel interconnected by Murphy’s singular vision. Looking back, Murphy’s career trajectory reads as exactly that: a career trajectory, in which every work is influenced by the one that came before and will have a part in what comes next. So, in honor of the release of Murphy’s latest series, The Politician, (the first of several projects to be released through his monumental Netflix deal), it’s time for a retrospective.

ma. The show was both a critical and commercial success, ending its run with 100 episodes and 45 Emmy nominations.

And, if Nip/Tuck is Murphy’s firstborn, The New Normal (2012–2013) is its ugly younger sister. This is not to say that The New Normal is bad—it had a certain charm and was mostly beloved amongst its viewers. The primetime network sitcom, was

So what do these two ostensibly disparate shows even have in common? Why list them together at all? The New Normal wasn’t the project that immediately followed Nip/Tuck and it, to some, may not seem a relevant part of Murphy’s career. But really, what makes these shows similar is their exclusion from the modern Murphy narrative. Both shows are instrumental to his journey,

rade of recurring characters and stars) but it’s also a significant push for diversity—not just on Murphy’s end, but for television as a whole. And though looking back, some of the show’s choices could be subject to criticism (hiring an able–bodied person to play Artie, playing deafness and other disabilities for laughs) at the time, it was really remarkable. The deftness with which Sammie Yoon | Illustrator

American Horror Story

Nip/Tuck and The New Normal Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), the first of Murphy’s shows to gain traction, is an early glimpse into his particular storytelling style. A satirical black–comedy thriller, Nip/Tuck is one part Dexter and one part Ugly Betty. The show features all the familiar benchmarks of Murphy’s works: an interesting cultural setting, lesser– known superstars in recurring guest spots, a latent class critique motif, camp, and, of course, dra-

relatable to high schoolers living the experiences shown on TV as well as adults looking back on how serious everything felt back then. And Murphy’s ability to showcase all this through a rag– tag group of show choir contestants was amazing.

On every re–watch, the show gets better. And on every re– watch I find myself wanting to defend the show from the haters it's amassed over the years.

This show was Murphy’s first concentrated foray into pushing the conversation forward and making people talk. Whether it be about diversity, body positivity, feminism, or LGBTQ rights, Glee was willing to talk about it.

like a different take on Modern Family. And it was good: it was campy, stylized, interesting, and funny. It wasn’t beloved by critics the way Nip/Tuck was, but sitcoms rarely are. Even still, the show was canceled after its first season due to poor ratings performance. So while it was a decent enough show, it’s fallen into relative obscurity, unknown, unreferenced and un-mourned by most.

2 6 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

and yet, neither are discussed that often or even remembered that well in public consciousness. While Nip/Tuck was actually a success, neither show gets the credit they’re due. And they are due some credit.

Glee

Glee (2009–2015) is Murphy’s magnum opus. It displays all of the familiar aspects of early Murphy (see: a never–ending pa-

he handled Becky’s character (a student with down syndrome who was both funny and complex), the inclusion of LGBTQ issues, sex education, and some (albeit broad) critical race theory, all whilst maintaining a cohesive narrative is laudable.

Glee was always funny as a sharp and satirical look at American high schools and the portrayal of teenagers on television.

It was joyful and musical. It was

American Horror Story (2011) was a totally different side to Murphy. In fact, if your main exposure to Murphy’s work was Glee, the horror anthology would seem a total departure from his previous work, as if he was breaking off from pop culture for good. And yet, the vision of Murphy is everywhere in this show: cultural references, idiosyncratic characters, drama, intrigue, satire—it is all there.

This is most evident in Roanoke, the series’ sixth season.

Split into two parts, Roanoke is set up as part–ghost story reenactment and part–aftermath.

The show is a critical breakdown of Hollywood and television itself, but it’s a horror story, too.

There’s something so interesting

FILM & TV

about the way Murphy works, in- one to be in on the joke, and as tertwining every factoid and de- a result, the joke’s not that funny. tail he wants without ever over– doing it. American Horror Story Pose might be the first time he strikes the perfect balance between the narrative he wants to tell and the One of Murphy’s newer projway he wants to tell it. ects, Pose is an ode to Paris Is Burning with the heart of Glee and the Scream Queens head of American Psycho (or even American Crime Story). Murphy’s Scream Queens (2015–2016) deep love of LGBTQ culture and functions as a hybrid of Glee and music is most evident in this seAmerican Horror Story. Billed a ries. The show is deeply steeped genre–bending horror–comedy, in the late ’80s, featuring Patrick the show is probably the clear- Bateman–types in suits, the black est example of how Murphy uses and brown faces of ball culture, each project to inform his next and the rise of HIV/AIDS. Pose, ones. Scream Queens even stars like many of Murphy’s projects, a number of audience favorites is mainly concerned with culture from both Glee and AHS: Coven. and subculture, how they conBut it’s more than just the actors: nect and play off of each other.

The whole show is as if Murphy It is here where Murphy’s comstitched together Rachel Berry ex- mitment to diversity, incisive claiming that she “needs applause wit, and love of music is clearest. to live” with Frances Conroy Beautifully complex, the show shouting out “Balenciaga!” right refuses to be bogged down by before she burns at the stake. the stylized side of Murphy—it’s Scream Queens followed Ameri- present, but, for a large portion can Horror Story: Coven, one of of the show, it takes the backseat. the anthology’s most beloved sea- Only when we go to a ball does sons. And it’s difficult to imagine Murphy’s eclecticism comes out: that the success of AHS: Coven quick cuts, bright colors, campy didn’t play a part in the forma- close–ups. It is unabashedly tion of Scream Queens at least a "Ryan Murphy" and, to many, is little bit. All of the parts are there: his best show yet. a house full of women facing Ryan Murphy's mastery of death and destruction in highly the form becomes evident once aestheticized costumes and set- you look back on his projects in tings, attempting to survive while sequence. The showrunner has simultaneously being bogged demonstrated a keen ability to down by petty arguments and both admonish and admire the feuds. world’s banalities, but he is also But Scream Queens is more intent on showing us something than just horror: it’s a fun and through that. Beyond the incampy romp about the young, at- terconnected minutiae of each tractive, and extremely dramatic. show, Murphy’s work is for the And Glee was too. Scream Queens' audience through his eyes. Each brightly colored palettes and sa- program feels like a message to us tirical slant, for example, are clas- specifically, telling us something sic Glee. But everything in Scream different.

Queens feels a little more extreme.

Towards the end of The PoliThe influence of Glee feels almost tician, Georgina, played by the corrective in Scream Queens—as ever–iconic Gwyneth Paltrow, if Murphy felt he needed to make coaxes Payton (Ben Platt) to the satire abundantly clear (after “find a way to bring music into some missed the satire in Glee). [his] life.” This seems to be MurScream Queens never forgets to phy’s singular goal: bringing muremind you that it’s “just joking.” sic, harmony, some kind of meThis is perhaps its greatest down- lodic joy, really, into audiences' fall—it desperately wants every- lives. And he never fails to do so.

CAPS Counseling & Psychological Services

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 7

S H OPSATPE N N .COM

Calling all Movers Shakers + Quakers With more than 30 shops, 40 restaurants, and 15 sports and culture venues, we’re giving you 85+ reasons to stay on campus this semester.

Wants Needs + Musthaves

Pick up your must-haves, find the latest trends, discover something new, & sample our tastes from sweet to savory.

Shop smarter.

Shop Penn. #S HOPPE N N @S HOPSATPE N N

2 8 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

Scones Phones + Ice Cream Cones

ARTS

Why You Should Listen to Fiction Podcasts

Podcasts are on the rise, but many listeners have yet to dive into the immersive fictional worlds that the medium has to offer.

HARSHITA GUPTA

Isabel Liang | Illustrator

I absolutely love podcasts.

While working in a lab last summer, I listened to podcasts for nearly 7–8 hours every day.

Most of what I listen to are fiction podcasts—everything from spellbinding, serialized narratives to the ever–growing selection of Dungeons & Dragons– based podcasts. However, I'm continuously surprised by how few people in my life know anything about the wide world of fiction podcasts.

When perusing through lists of the most downloaded podcasts, it's easy to observe trends in genre and content. Apple’s list of the top downloaded podcasts of 2018 is dominated by daily news podcasts (The Daily, Fresh Air, Up First), commentary podcasts (The Joe Rogan Experience, The Dave Ramsey Show, Chelsea Handler: Life Will be the Death of Me, Office Ladies), educational podcasts (Stuff You Should Know, Ted Talks Daily, This American Life), politics (The Ben Shapiro Show, Pod Save America), and true crime podcasts (My Favorite Murder, Crime Junkie, The Thing About Pam, Dateline NBC). All of these are in some way rooted in nonfiction. Even when I checked the “Top Shows” list on the Apple Podcasts app while writing this article, there was not a single fiction podcast to be found.

Fiction podcasts harken back to the advent of radio dramas, popularized in the 1930s.

However, they also represent a new form of storytelling, with its own form and genre conventions. Oftentimes, fiction podcasts become well–known because they are adapted for mainstream media, like film or television. Gimlet Media’s podcast Homecoming became the Amazon Prime television series starring Julia Roberts. The original podcast starred Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, and David Schwimmer.

Two–Up Productions’ podcast Limetown will soon be adapted into a Facebook Watch series starring Jessica Biel. Even Welcome to Night Vale, a veritable behemoth within the fiction podcast industry, has expanded to side novels, live shows, and is set to become an FX television series. While it's exciting that these podcasts are successful enough to warrant adaptations, it's a shame that people rarely appreciate them in their original audio forms. Their virtues are not appreciated until they have “broken free” into television, novels, or film. The goal of this creative medium should not be to ultimately escape the podcast format.

Fiction podcasts make creative use of an audio–only medium. Radiotopia’s Passenger List, which was the top fiction podcast on Apple Podcasts at the time of writing this article, is recorded on iPhone and phone lines to give it a distorted and

disorienting effect. Passenger List also has a star–studded cast, featuring Kelly Marie Tran of Star Wars fame and Broadway legend Patti LuPone.

Welcome to Night Vale deals with surrealism, absurdism, and conspiracy in a way that is compounded by the lack of a visual reference. Similarly, Rusty Quill’s The Magnus Archives, a horror podcast, explores themes of cosmic horror and eldritch beings. These creatures are unfathomable to the human eye, which works very well in an audio–only medium. Hello from the Magic Tavern is a comedy podcast featuring interviews with fictional magical characters. Fantasy shows such as the Dungeons & Dragons–inspired The Adventure Zone, thrive in this audio–only medium because fans can visualize the

fantasy in their heads. Fantasy thrives off of audience imagination, and these podcasts take advantage of that.

These podcasts also feature diverse representation. Many characters on podcasts like Welcome To Night Vale or The Adventure Zone identify as LGBTQ. The narrator and main character of Welcome to Night Vale, radio host Cecil, is gay, and much of the show follows his infatuation and relationship with his eventual husband Carlos. Similarly, the creators of The Adventure Zone, the McElroy family, feature multiple LGBT couples and characters. This feels refreshing, as this type of representation is still rare in mainstream film and television.

Fiction podcasts may not have the largest audiences, but the fans they have are deeply

loyal and passionate. Many podcasts such as The Adventure Zone and Welcome to Night Vale got their audience through word of mouth and fan work. The spin– off novels for these podcasts were New York Times Best Sellers. The acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons–based podcast Critical Role started a Kickstarter for an animated project, and it raised nearly nine million dollars in just five weeks, breaking Kickstarter’s record for the most funded film or TV project.

Clearly, audiences are invested in these shows.

It’s time for podcast listeners to give the fictional world a try. It’s full of diversity, amazing voice actors, and beautifully crafted stories. Scroll through the fiction genre on your podcast app—you never know what world you may end up in.

Palmer Properties www.PalmerProperties.net

41st & Pine 42nd & Spruce

Available for June Lease 8-9 Bedroom Houses From $815/person + utilities • Large living rooms • Modern kitchens & bath • Private Backyard • Lots of Storage • Washer & Dryer • 3+ bathrooms

Contact us today to get on the house waiting list

215-990-5152 | palmerapartments27@gmail.com O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 9

ARTS

Philadelphia's HERspace Art Festival Gives Female Artists a Platform Anya Tullman On the first Saturday of each month, the exhibit gives women a forum to break into the local art scene.

On the first Saturday evening of every month, the Philly Art Collective hosts the HERspace Women's Art Festival. HERspace’s goal is to provide female artists with a space to share and celebrate their artwork.

Founded by artist Martell Oliver in 2014, the Philly Art Collective’s mission is to give local artists a platform through which they can gain exposure for their artwork. While the idea for HERspace was originally Oliver’s, female curator Liyan Smith has recently taken over the project. Smith is in charge of recruiting artists for HERspace

and ensuring that the event runs smoothly. Smith believes that her position as a female curator gives her unique insight into the struggles that female artists face daily.

“The whole point of HERspace, and honestly the gallery in general, is to give a voice to people who usually don’t have a voice,” Smith said. “And that includes women because, of course, women are marginalized, and especially in today’s political climate a lot of us feel like our voices aren’t heard.”

The artwork featured at HERspace this month stretched far beyond that of a typical muse-

um gallery. From the center of the exhibit, a display of flowers shaped like a uterus hung on the back wall. On the left wall, moss and shrubbery had been molded into a frame to convey a message of peace. Many of the pieces of art have deeply feminist implications.

To the left of the moss art, bras were hung on the wall.

However, these weren’t ordinary bras—they were bedazzled with beautiful beads of gold and decorated with white lace. The artist, Christina Patterson, has been making bras and other garments since March, and she wants every

WEDNESDAYS 11:30AM - 4PM 1/2 PRICE BURGERS

THURSDAYS 5PM - 10PM $9.99 FAJITAS 40th & Spruce St., University city • 215-382-1330 • copauc.com 3 0 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9

Photos by Anya Tullman

woman to have the chance to feel bold.

“I’m all about body positivity,” Patterson said. “I feel like every woman has the chance to go out and feel sexy, so why not? Or not even just sexy, just feel good about yourself.”

Deeper into the galleries hung a collection of paintings. Reminiscent of the pop art movement of the '60s, these pieces looked like advertisements at first glance.

However, upon further examination, it became clear that the artwork served to warn viewers about the dangers of drugs seen in pop culture today. Artist Ava Lledo used a vintage approach to address the normalization of drug use in modern culture.

“I think history a lot of the time repeats itself,” Lledo said.

“So that’s why I try to fall back on things with the aesthetics of it and bring it into now.”

On the wall opposite the hanging bras, there was a vendor table advertising candles, face spritzes, and something called “magic breast growth oil.”

The vendor, Nikki Cowthran, explained that, as someone who had always been flat–

chested, she created the oil to help her boobs “grow and keep them perky and firm. And yes, she said, “it actually works.”

Cowthran’s company, Candles With Purpose, also sells candles and linen and room sprays.

“I was inspired by just seeing all the violence and stuff on TV,” Cowthran said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what can I do? I feel like I’m one person.’ So I just started making peace candles and mailing them to all my friends all over the U.S. just so we all could manifest peace, and from there my company just grew.”

Every aspect of HERspace worked towards the exhibit's overall theme: female empowerment. Smith worked to foster a uniquely safe and supportive forum for the artists as well as the attendees.

“Our voices are just as valuable as anyone else’s voices,” Smith said. “We deserve to have a space for ourselves where we’re uplifted, where our art is appreciated instead of depreciated as it often is, and where we can come together and have fun.”

Future HERspace exhibits will take place on Nov. 2 and Dec. 7.

EGO

Now Leasing 4+ Bedroom Houses for FALL 2020 Properties Located Within Walking Distance to the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill, and University of the Sciences.

Complimentary Shuttle Service Pet Friendly Options Laundry On-Site Steps from Campus 24/7 Emergency Maintenance Variety of Floor Plans Upgraded Apartments Available

APPLY NOW 4104 Walnut Street

(215) 839-3518

LiveAtUCA.com

O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 3 1

3 2 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 16 , 2 01 9