AS Review - June 06, 2011

LAST ISSUE OF THE YEAR

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EVENTS from page 4 and he really takes print into a different direction that it usually doesn’t go into.”

The medium for McNett’s prints varied, which was a testimony to his creativity. His prints lined the bottom walls in curling waves, restored colorful life into Anti-Hero skateboards that hung on the walls and gave dimension to ceiling-to-floor silk tapestries.

His gallery also included a wooden Viking ship that was built inside the gallery with help from students prior to the exhibit opening. The ship’s sail contained an intricate print of skulls, goats, snakes and a set of forks. Prints of snarling wolves lined the hull of the ship. Allie Paul, VU Gallery coordinator, said the contrast between McNett’s gallery and previous artists is the perfect example of the diverse array of art the VU Gallery strives to show.

“The exhibit exemplifies how the VU Gallery is so versatile, going straight from a hanging cloud of PostSecrets to an overwhelming fantasy world that Dennis McNett creates with his intricate designs and creatures,” she said.

This event was not only fun for us to cover, but brought to light the uniqueness and variety that was the VU Gallery this year. From the PostSecrets exhibit to the free drawing board, the white gallery walls went through a variety of looks this year, all of which are memorable and creative in their own right.

SECOND RUNNER-UP: R ALLY TO RESTORE EDUC ATION It is hard to think of this year and not think of two words: budget cuts. When Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed another cut for higher education across the state in the range of $84.6 million, Western students and faculty weren’t going down without speaking up.

The rally was held on the National Day of Action to Defend Public Education, and was coordinated by a variety of organizations, including Western Votes!, Western United to Defend Education, local nonprofit organizations, veterans groups and Associated Students clubs.

The fight against budget cuts was a big one this year, and the fact that students went above and beyond to get their voices heard speaks volumes about our campus and the students that are part of it. ■

SUBMISSION

Time to revolt like it’s 1955!

Organize and make this campus the place it needs to be Submitted by Evan Knappenberger

“Ku Klux Klan tactics” is how a Western Washington College Dean described it to the student newspaper reporter. But dozens—maybe even hundreds—of riotous students were gathered outside, demanding answers with growing unrest.

The crowd milled in the murky December twilight, crew-cut guys and poodle-skirted girls, murmuring and growing agitated. “Boycott University Food!” someone yelled. A rope appeared out of nowhere, a noose was tied, and an effigy strung up from a tree, twisting in the breeze. A cheer erupted and fists pummeled the air.

It was early December 1955, in the era of McCarthy and Sputnik, when students were interested in little but cars, sports and rock ‘n’ roll.

Headlines throughout 1955 were focused on PromQueen politics and co-ed engagements; it was the time of the white (and heterosexual) “American Dream.” But trouble was stewing under the surface of it all, and the pent-up tensions of economic, racial and sexual inequality were waiting for the right catalyst to set them off. Thus, on a cold evening at the end of the year, the first wave of the cultural revolution played out in front of Old Main: a violent protest against the poor quality of campus food.

The symbolic lynching of President Haggard (some said the effigy was intended to be the campus dietitian, Miss Luva Baldwin,) was a turning point in the history of Western, and one can only imagine the consternation of the authorities when it happened. Haggard, whose favorite pastime was yelling at students to get off the grass, must have been shocked at the spontaneous outburst, and students must also have been shocked as well at the power of their newfound voices. One can imagine the major feeling of empowerment that such seemingly minor acts gave rise to. Ameliorating measures were taken by the college trustees to “fix” the student dining services, leading to the same privatization that lasts to this day under Sodexho, and beginning next fall, Aramark. But the damage had been done and could not be undone. Students had seen the effectiveness of social protest and would use it with increasing frequency.

Today, Western is struggling with many of the same issues. Students are an underrepresented and overcharged demographic. For-profit companies are capitalizing on every square inch of campus space, installing new smoothie stands and dining facilities in almost every building on campus. These result from the general lack of student political power.

Our board of trustees are not educators, they are business people whose work is inimical to organized student life. They are more interested in the profitability of Western than growing the maturity or knowledge of its students. If you don’t believe me, just look at their plans to increase tuition or to replace the Map Library with a new coffee shop. We need to look no further than our own free-speech code to discover their motives. Serious speech on real issues like war, women’s rights and the failure of capitalist society is heavily suppressed, while photogenic, “cute speech” (such as zombie games and free hugs) is accepted and encouraged. The basic rule of thumb for a Western administrator when deciding the time, place and manner of free speech on campus is: What do the tuition-paying parents find acceptable, and how can we get more of them from out of state? All of this boils down to the financial bottom line, which is monetary, not social or personal.

Now, like in 1955, Americans are facing a series of life-altering crises, and our university system is failing us. Not only are we facing food-service problems, such as the one that nearly sparked a riot back then, but we are also facing a cultural problem.

The solution is not more free-market capitalism, escalation of foreign wars, or settling down with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence to pay student loans and have barbeques. No, the answer today is the same as it was in 1955: Organize a cultural revolution and make this place what it needs to be.

We already have all the political power we need. We just haven’t realized it yet. ■ Evan Knappenberger is a Western junior and a veteran with a disability. Reach him at knappee@ students.wwu.edu.

June 6, 2011 • 11

INTERVIEWS from page 8 just hopped up onstage, it took like five minutes, two takes and that was it. Pretty easy.

Rashawn Scott: He wasn’t a diva at all.

Cox: He was just like, “How many views are you up to?” (laughs) That was the first thing he said so I knew he had seen it at least.

Review: Did you expect it to be such a smash hit?

Scott: No. Cox: No. Scott: I honestly thought it would be like, oh, a funny video that Nathan made, like a little “ha ha” between a small group of friends, but it’s gone above and beyond. I had no idea. When it was at 100,000 – no, when it was at 10,000 it was pretty surreal…and then it exceeded the population of Bellingham.

RUNNER-UP: DENG DUOT, WESTERN STUDENT FROM SOUTHERN SUDAN, ON C ASTING HIS BALLOT FOR SUDANESE SECESSION In January, the people of Southern Sudan made history by voting to secede from the northern part of the country and create their own nation. Sudan, which has the largest area of any country in Africa, has been entrenched in internal war for decades.

Western student Deng Duot, who was born in Southern Sudan and immigrated to the U.S. in 2006, cast a ballot in support of secession and spoke with Review writer Kirsten O’Brien about the future of the new nation. Duot was also recently elected as the Associated Students vice president for diversity for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Excerpts: Review: How has your life been affected by the conflict in Sudan?

Duot: I was born in Sudan, but because of war, my mom left and came to Kenya, and that’s where I grew up. In 2004, I had the opportunity to go home and I saw how beautiful the land was. And then in 2005, I went back to Sudan again. Over there, it’s like home, and home is wherever you feel free to do whatever you want to do. You are always happy because it is your home!

Review: How aware do you think people in the U.S. are of the situation in Sudan?

Duot: I don’t know. Sarah Palin was asked about Africa, and she did not even know where Africa was. And Sarah Palin was someone running for [vice] president. How come people in high positions do not know about what is going on in another part of the world? A few people might know, and I can’t say that the whole population doesn’t know. There are individuals who are interested in knowing what is going on in another part of the world, and they will know.

Review: Do you think the Southern Sudanese secession is something that people here should be talking about?

Duot: Well it’s not a matter of people talking, it’s a matter of people recognizing something that is new. There are a lot of things that are going on, and people seem to be interested in things for a short time, but after that they just forget. Back in the day, people were talking about the genocide in Darfur.

And I don’t know now, how many people are still interested in solving what’s happening in Darfur?

Obama was talking about solving the issues in Darfur, but I don’t know, is it still interesting? No. But there are a few individuals, like George Clooney who went to Southern Sudan and got malaria, who are still interested in solving those issues. So, a few people are still concerned.

Review: When the Southern Sudanese government officials are sworn in and Southern Sudan is recognized as a sovereign nation in July, how do you think you will feel?

Duot: It will be really good for me, because I’m looking forward to seeing what my future will be.

And also, I will know that I am a free citizen in my own country. I want to go and do whatever I can do to help people [in Sudan]…. Seeing myself as a person who has a country, I will express my views, and even stand for something if I want to.

SECOND RUNNER-UP: KEEPING IT REAL WITH T-PIL As Review writer Kelly Sullivan wrote in her January interview with Western journalism professor Tim Pilgrim, hundreds of students file into the first-floor lecture halls of the Communications

Facility every year for one of Pilgrim’s most wellknown classes, “Journalism 190: Introduction to Mass Media.” There, students listen to Pilgrim lecture and view his film selections on a broad range of media topics, including explorations into the mass media’s role in social inequality and racism.

We wanted to know more about this long-time educator and part-time poet, so Sullivan sat down with him and gave us a brief glimpse into one of the more interesting and colorful professors here at Western.

Excerpts: The AS Review: Where did you grow up?

Pilgrim: I grew up in Montana, in Dillon, the southwestern corner quite near Yellowstone Park.

It’s sort of in a corner where Butte and Missoula are the closest big towns, and then Idaho Falls is a big town to the south.

Review: What inspires your poetry?

Pilgrim: A lot of it is imagination. I mean obviously if you look back a couple years at my stuff it comes out of some sort of personal turmoil.

Review: A lot of students take Journalism 190, what led to the development of that class?

Pilgrim: If you don’t have a class like Journalism 190, where you don’t have somewhere to learn that journalists serve a purpose in maintaining the status quo, they [students] internalize the values of the society. If they don’t take a class like 190 then they don’t become a little bit critical of the gathering of news….It’s really about media as a social force, and so I taught this class several places and the version that is here at Western is sort of my own development. I try to pick videos that bring in experts from around the country and they have good, although sometimes old, examples of support for the arguments that they make. Kids nowadays don’t learn by lecture…. Mass media are the solution, but my class is about the problem. How in a democracy, where all of the ideas are supposed to get out there, how do you get them out there if not through media? And if media are diverted to entertaining us and making profit for owners, then do all the ideas get out there? And if you don’t have all the ideas getting out there do you really have a democracy? ■

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COLUMN

The Om(last nom)nivore’s Dilemma

The Grand Finale Lindsay Kucera/ The AS Review

W

ell, everyone, I’m sorry to say that we’ve made it to the end. To finish off the year, I polled friends and readers to ask what they would want for the final Om(nom) and several people suggested I do a full meal. Wish granted!

This meal is rich, comforting and cheesy, just the way I like it! Ahem, I mean the way you like it.

I want to thank everyone for a wonderful year— readers, coworkers and friends alike. I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with all of you. I’m also pleased to announce that although The Om(nom) nivore’s Dilemma is leaving the Review, it’s not leaving you! This summer, we’ll be launching a website dedicated to bringing you delicious food on a reasonable budget. So stay tuned, and good luck with finals!

Total Cost: $26 Makes: Four to five servings C APRESE PENNE PASTA Ingredients: 1 pound penne pasta 1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce 1/3 cup half and half 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves Directions: Boil water and cook pasta according to directions, about 10-12 minutes for al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream and grated Parmesan. Once pasta is done, drain and pour into the sauce, mixing to coat and turning off heat. Fold in the mozzarella cubes and tomatoes, then chop three or four fresh basil leaves and add them. Once combined, spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire pasta mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F until cheese is golden and bubbly.Top with additional fresh basil and grated cheese. You can also add in chicken, steak or seafood for some protein.

College Budget Cooking

RUSTIC GRISSINI Ingredients: 3/4 cup warm milk 1 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon mixed dried Italian herbs freshly crushed black pepper white sesame seeds (black also optional) Directions: Add the sugar and yeast to the milk, mix and let the yeast dissolve. Put the flours, olive oil, salt and herbs in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture and mix until the dough is soft and elastic. Add more milk if required. Divide the dough in half and place in an oiled bowl, coating both balls of dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise, about one hour.

Remove one ball of dough and place on a lightly oiled surface. Roll out into a thin rectangle (as thin as you can comfortably roll out). Lightly dampen the top of the rectangle with water and sprinkle with crushed black pepper and sesame seeds. Lightly run a rolling pin over the dough rectangle to push the seeds into the dough. Using a pizza cutter cut the dough lengthwise into strips one third of an inch wide, twist and put on a baking sheet. Bake the grissini at 400 F for about 15 minutes until they are nice and golden brown.

SICILIAN CHOCOL ATE GEL ATO Ingredients: 3 cups whole milk 2/3 cup sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Natural or Dutch-Process) 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch Directions: In a medium saucepan, bring two cups of the milk to a simmer over medium heat.

Lindsay Kucera/ The AS Review

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining one cup milk with the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in another bowl. Scrape the cocoa mixture into the hot milk.

Stirring constantly, cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles a little at the edges. Then boil gently, stirring, for two minutes longer. Scrape into a bowl and let cool. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly against the surface and chill overnight. Technically this requires an ice cream maker, but I made mine without one, and it was still super tasty. Just use high quality chocolate, and you’re set! ■

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OUR READERS ARE AMAZING. There are plenty of other publications out there for them to read, but they choose this one.

And that just makes our day.

The AS Review would not exist without the students who read it, support it and contribute to it.

Thank you for allowing us to make your life better, one page at a time.

COVER (Left to right starting in top left corner) Promo poster for the Vagina Memoirs, presented by the AS Women’s Center.

Issue #18, February 22. Austin Jansen/ The AS Review • An installation in the Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival in the Viking Union Gallery. Issue #26, May 2. Daniel Berman/ The AS Review • Photo illustration for article on Against Civilization, an Associated Students club. Issue #21, March 14. Joe Rudko/ The AS Review • Rally to Restore Education in Red Square. Issue #20, March 7. Daniel Berman/ The AS Review • The “bag monster” in Red Square. Issue #23, April 11. Joe Rudko/ The AS Review • Macklemore AS Productions Pop Music concert. Issue #3, October 4. Daniel Berman/ The AS Review • It is coming. Issue #6, October 25. Daniel Berman/ The AS Review. • Promo poster for Portugal. The Man with Kimya Dawson and The Courage concert, presented by ASP Pop Music. Issue #15, January 31. Austin Jansen/ AS Publicity Center • An art installation by Western sophomore Tyler Sant for Doug Loewen’s Art 230 Beginning Sculpture class. Issue #22, April 4. Joe Rudko/ The AS Review.

June 6, 2011 • 3

CORRECTIONS A story in our May 31 issue (“When Green is Gold: Five Green Fee projects awarded funding”) contained multiple errors. Greg Meyer, one of the students who was awarded funding, was incorrectly referred to as Greg Miller. Also, the majority of the money from the Green Energy Fee goes toward student-proposed projects, not renewable energy credits as the story stated. Finally, the story incorrectly reported that the Green Energy Fee Committee turned down a proposal to install a solar-power panel array on top of the amphitheater in The Outback Farm. The committee did reject a proposal for solar panels in the Outback, but the proposal did not involve placing them on top of the amphitheater.

We apologize for these errors.

Our new website is now live!

taoofjournalism.com

Editor in Chief Evan Marczynski

Assistant Editor Lindsay Kucera

Events Editor Olena Rypich

Lead Photographer Daniel Berman

Staff Writers Chelsea Asplund Matt Crowley Jordyn Kehle Kirsten O’Brien

Photographer Joe Rudko Accuracy Aide Alex Bacon Adviser Jeff Bates

Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, Wash. 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu Online:as.wwu.edu/asreview @theasreview facebook.com/theasreview ©2011. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University.

We are a student-produced, alternative campus weekly covering news and events that are of interest to the Western community. We support all programs, offices and clubs affiliated with the AS. We have a direct connection to the AS Board of Directors, and although we report on board actions objectively, our relationship should be made clear.

Submissions: We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions, or send them to the mailing address above.

They will be returned as long as you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Letters: We also welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words and include your name and phone number. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar, if necessary.

Calendar/Ads: We don’t sell ad space. Sorry. Email the Events Editor at as.pr@wwu.edu to have an event listed in the calendar.

as.wwu.edu/asreview

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STAFF FAVORITE: EVENT THE AS IN REVIEW PHOTO: Kitty Pond throws “blood” (actually a cranberry juice mixture) on herself during her performance in the “Vagina Memoirs,” Feb. 24. year’s cast,” said Lamb. “There was so much work before that that was put into the ‘Memoirs,’ and it’s not just the coordinators and not just the cast that are winning this award, it’s everybody. It’s really exciting and really humbling at the same time.”

The ACUI is a nonprofit educational organization that brings together college unions and student activities professionals from hundreds of schools in seven countries. Within the ACUI, there are 25 institutions outside the United States and 557 intuitions total.

This event was a favorite of ours for many reasons.

The “Vagina Memoirs” has become a staple on Western’s campus as a truly unique experience, and now after this year, an award-winning experience.

Participants share their raw, vulnerable truths onstage, as the audience members bear witness. The event itself is inspiring to all who participate, it is loved by so many on campus.

Daniel Berman/ The AS Review

The Vagina Memoirs Powerful monologue performance dealt with tough issues

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Chelsea Asplund/ The AS Review

his year the fifth annual “Vagina Memoirs” was performed on campus, highlighting various issues faced by Western students and community members. Participants shared their reallife stories, memories and full-fledged experiences through powerfully written and memorized monologues.

An adaptation of Eve Ensler’s “Vagina Monologues,” “Vagina Memoirs” covers tough topics such as domestic violence and body image, as well as racial, sexual and religious issues.

Associated Students Women’s Center Coordinator Lizzie Lamb said that a large focus for this year’s production was to make sure the event was trans-

inclusive, including those who identify as queer or transgender.

“Women’s experience is so much more than what we look like and what’s between our legs,” Lamb said.

After a casting call in November, 15 participants were selected, all of whom spent the next several months in meetings and writing workshops.

In February, the 2010 production of “Memoirs” received the Student Driven Program of the Year award from the Association of College Unions International.

“It’s hard to pinpoint ‘Memoirs’ success on one person, even though nomination was based on last

RUNNER-UP: WHIRLING WAVES AND WOLFBATS In February, the Viking Union Gallery was transformed like never before. Artist Dennis McNett opened his exhibit, titled “Whirling Waves and Wolfbats.” The installation included elaborate and intricate woodblock prints, which McNett created by hand-carving designs into wood, then turning the designs into prints through stamping or rubbing techniques.

In preparation for his grand unveiling, McNett worked with students to build a large piñata referred to as the “Fire Eagle.” Students also built their own helmets and weapons, all of which they used to crack the piñata open after hanging it from the red sculpture in the Performing Arts Center plaza.

Senior Teresa Grasseschi, a gallery attendant and art major specializing in print-making, said she was not only thrilled to take part in the creation of art, but in the performing and destroying of it as well.

“Dennis is one of my very favorite artists that I’ve been hoping and hoping would come for a couple years now,” Grasseschi said. “His art is interactive,

EVENTS continue on page 10

June 6, 2011 • 5

STAFF FAVORITE: CONCERT THE AS IN REVIEW PHOTO: Mackelmore during his Sept. 25 show in the VU MPR. they wanted as he stripped off his jaguar-print vest and revealed a Boston Celtics jersey underneath.

With a large Irish flag in one hand and his mic in the other, Macklemore proved himself a sensational entertainer.

Daniel Berman/ The AS Review

Macklemore Seattle hip-hop star brought sell-out crowd

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Jordyn Kehle/ The AS Review

ith a Boston Celtics jersey and some “Irish Celebration,” it comes with little surprise that Macklemore gave us our favorite concert of the year.

On September 25, more than 800 students piled into the Viking Union Multipurpose Room expecting a great performance from the Seattle hip-hop artist Ben Haggerty, more commonly known by his stage name, Macklemore. The crowd experienced a two-hour set that kept them dancing and fist-pumping all night long.

Macklemore strutted back and forth across the stage swinging a sweat-soaked towel, which he sometimes left on top of a mic stand. “You know

you’re really performing when you sweat through your shirt,” he told the crowd.

Macklemore frequently mentioned that Bellingham was his favorite place in the country to perform. “But don’t tell Cornell that,” he joked, speaking of a past show.

Mackelmore was joined by producer/disc jockey Ryan Lewis as well as Seattle-based group The Physics, who opened the sold-out concert.

He performed every song in his repertoire, but saved the best for last. Throughout the show, concertgoers constantly requested he play “Irish Celebration,” one of his most popular tracks. At the end of the show, Macklemore finally gave them what

RUNNER-UP: PORTUGAL. THE MAN WITH KIMYA DAWSON AND THE COUR AGE On February 4, the Performing Arts Center filled with anxious students looking forward to a great show with Portugal. The Man, Kimya Dawson and The Courage. The concert proved to offer a little something for everyone lucky enough to attend.

Hailing from Wasilla, Alaska, Portugal. The Man could be one of the most accessible “experimental” rock groups around, bringing a mainstream sound with indie credibility. While to many a label like “mainstream” may mean “boring, bland and predictable,” Portugal. The Man was anything but.

Since their first release in January 2006, Portugal.

The Man has recorded and released six albums, and their seventh is expected to be released in July.

Sharing the stage with Portugal. The Man was Kimya Dawson, a singer-songwriter perhaps best known from her work in the movie “Juno.” However, way before “Juno” came out, Dawson made up one half of The Moldy Peaches, an indie group leading the anti-folk music scene.

Dawson’s sing-song attitude and longing lyrics speak to the adolescent in all of us. She has given a generation of fans a sonic time machine, transporting them back to days of riding bikes and wishing for summer.

Along with Portugal. The Man and Kimya Dawson was The Courage, which started as a brother-sister duo six years ago in Centralia, Wash.

From their small beginnings, the band’s popularity has skyrocketed with the addition of two members and the release of two albums. The Courage does a superb job of conveying emotion and isn’t afraid to bring religion into the mix as well.

This concert featuring these three acts proved to be an eclectic mix of music that took the runner-up spot for our favorite concert of the year. ■

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June 6, 2011 • 7

PHOTOS

DANIEL BERMAN/ THE AS REVIEW • JOE RUDKO/ THE AS REVIEW PAGE 6 (CLOCKWISE STARTING AT TOP): RED SQUARE INFO FAIR (BERMAN) • SUN THROUGH TREES ON OLD MAIN LAWN (BERMAN) • DEAD PARROTS SOCIETY (RUDKO) THE LONELY FOREST (RUDKO) PAGE 7: KIMYA DAWSON (RUDKO) • WHIRLING WAVES & WOLFBATS (RUDKO) CHICKENS! (BERMAN) • TIM PILGRIM (BERMAN)

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STAFF FAVORITE: INTERVIEW THE AS IN REVIEW PHOTO: Nathan Cox (left) and Rashawn Scott in their music video, “Bellingham State of Mind.” got plenty of character, it definitely deserves its own version.” So I just kind of decided on a whim one day to sit down and write it out, and I wrote the whole thing in about four hours. I was pretty happy with it and then just kind of started getting the ball slowly rolling on making it actually happen.

Review: How exactly did the writing process go, were there places and names you wanted to drop, or did you just go with it and see what you came up with?

Screenshot from Youtube.com

Creators of Bellingham State of Mind Western duo went viral in the “City of Subdued Excitement”

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Evan Marczynski/ The AS Review

hen the Western duo Nathan Cox and Rashawn Scott posted their music video, titled “Bellingham State of Mind,” on YouTube on September 13, neither one had any idea it would be so popular. The 4-minute, 42-second Jay-Z-inspired ode to the “City of Subdued Excitement” gives viewers a musical tour of the city and even includes a cameo by Bellingham’s resident celebrity Ryan Stiles.

Review writer Matt Crowley managed to track down Cox, a Western graduate, and Scott, a Western senior, back in October to ask them why they wrote the song and how it felt for their creation to receive so much attention. The video has racked up over 200,000 views since its release.

Excerpts: The AS Review: What originally inspired you to write the song?

Nathan Cox: I was in New York City last November, and it was right after [Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”] came out, and I just remember walking around Manhattan listening to the song and just thinking how much it made me feel a part of everything even though I wasn’t even from there.

So, I just kind of imagined how much more of an effect that would have on people who actually do live there, and I came back and I’d seen online that people had done other versions of the song for their hometown, so I thought to myself, “Bellingham’s

Cox: There’s definitely a few places that I’m really familiar with and that I love in Bellingham…I’m not gonna lie, I made sure I wasn’t omitting things too enormous. I hopped on Wikipedia (laughs) … or some other websites that have landmarks and stuff. But, for the most part I’m very familiar with the town and I just kind of went through and went piece-by-piece with Jay-Z’s lyrics and saw where different things would fit in at different places … He has the line, “Everywhere I’ve been cities filled with them,” and so I thought to myself, what matches that? And, it’s like, well there are hipsters everywhere, so that works.

Review: So … how did you get Ryan Stiles?

Cox: (laughs) Since I’m an Upfront member, he comes and does shows on Thursday nights occasionally, he’ll drop by and play with some of the other people. Since I became a member in June, I would see him fairly often and kind of had casual conversations with him, and I was sitting next to him on a couch in the back room and when there was a lull in conversation I said, “Hey, I’m filming this music video, do you know the song ‘Empire State of Mind’ by Jay-Z?” and he was just like, “I’m 50. No, no I don’t.” I was like, “Alright, it’s a music video, I mention you in the name, it’s about Bellingham, and I was wondering if you would be in it?” He said, “Do I have to do anything?” and I said, “You just have to stand there.” So after the show we

INTERVIEWS continue on page 11

June 6, 2011 • 9

STAFF FAVORITE: REVIEW THE AS IN REVIEW PHOTO: The Pickford’s new location on Bay Street in downtown Bellingham opened April 7. enjoy the Pickford each year, they’ve come to love, respect and hold the organization dear to their movie-going hearts and it is clear to see why.”

The Pickford Cinema has become a Bellingham icon and a favorite destination of Bellingham locals, so it only makes sense that Asplund’s review of it was our favorite as well.

Joe Rudko/ The AS Review

The Pickford Film Center Indie cinema found new home on Bay Street

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Kirsten O’Brien/ The AS Review

was raised in the generation of big-box multiplexes, writes Chelsea Asplund in her May 2 review of the new Pickford Cinema location on Bay Street. “The kind of theaters wedged inside shopping malls, where you have the pleasure of sharing the movie with obnoxious pre-teens who throw popcorn and laugh far too long and too loud.”

I too grew up with the same huge, multi-floored theatres, and I think many of us did. Small, nonprofit theaters are hard to come by these days, and when you have a unique theatre like the Pickford, it’s best to take full advantage of it. That’s why we as a staff chose Asplund’s review as our favorite for the year. The Pickford is a refreshing change from the monster movie theatres of today,

and the substantial upgrade to its new home on Bay Street is a huge accomplishment for a little cinema that was started by volunteers in 1998.

[The Pickford] has become a Bellingham icon...it was our favorite as well.

Sure, there were some drawbacks, which Asplund noted, such as the sound being too quiet and the theater’s penchant for showing “subtitled foreign films, Sundance winners or political documentaries.”

But overall, Asplund’s review was positive. She wrote, “for the approximately 50,000 people who

RUNNER UP: THE SHAKEDOWN I lied a little bit in my review of The Shakedown, a bar and music venue located 1212 N. State St. I actually really enjoy Lemon Drops: a sugary, sweet drink that mixes vodka, sugar and lemon juice into a lip-puckering way to get a buzz. I guess this would directly contradict my declarative rage against any drink that is a “fancy concoction with an exoticsounding name,” as I said in my original review. I was feeling harsh that day, apparently. I wish that I could say that I have visited The Shakedown since, but I have not. But not on purpose! Sure, the first time I was not too happy about paying a one-dollar cover charge on a Tuesday night, but that’s not enough to keep me from coming back. After all, they do have great food (Tofu candies, I’m looking at you!) and a packed music calendar.

Lately this thing called “college” has greatly hampered my ability to go out and drink on weekends (or weekdays, no shame), which results in me not being able to attend the “Revenge of the 80’s” themed DJ sets held every Thursday. But as the quarter winds down, I’m sure I’ll be spending a lot more time in the bars, particularly The Shakedown.

On June 11, they’ll be throwing a free “Graduation Party” featuring 90’s music and drink specials all night long. A night of listening to Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind and hopefully some Spice Girls while sipping a beer? Sign me up!

As I said in the original review, “the food was hot, the drinks were strong and the staff was friendly,” and I’m going to assume that all of those things are still true. While I could do without the “Tom Waits Mondays,” The Shakedown still has a lot to offer. Just like my beloved Lemon Drop, you just have to take the sour with the sweet. ■