March 20, 2014 | Volume 6, Issue 10 | Athens, GA
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THE THROWBACK ISSUE HOW TO PREPARE FOR THROWBACK THURSDAY PAGE 4
TAILGATING NOW VS. TAILGATING THEN PAGE 3 THE YEAR THE BRAVES BROUGHT IT HOME PAGE 7 BRINGING A CAPELLA BACK: AN INTERVIEW WITH PENTATONIX PAGE 11
LOOKING AT OLD PICTURES IS THE ULTIMATE THROWBACK. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DANIELLE WEINER DISCUSSES THE ART OF THE KODAK ON THE NEXT PAGE. Photo provided by: Danielle Weiner
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Editor's note
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OUR KODAK MOMENTS yard sales, or in donation bins, representing an end to a life or a new phase.
DANIELLE WEINER
Serving sentimental purposes, what is it that causes humans to reflect and imprint on mere material possessions -photographs? Letters and photos exist as mementos for a detailed record tracing our identity over the decades.
Phi Mu
Editor-in-Chief
Danielle is a junior studying English and history. You may contact her at dweiner@uga.edu.
Forming emotional bonds with inanimate objects, I believe that as creatures our archiving exists in order for us to reiterate our self worth. These possessions exist as a material record of who we were and what we have presently become. While letters and photos may exist as meaningless relics to one person, we display and store items as props for storytelling. These items provide the means of attaining and illustrating power, allowing us to solidify ties between friends and family, and even helping to acquire a meaning to the world around us. Reminiscent of our roots, Kodak photos remind us of easier times, or perhaps of loved ones lost. Believing in the lost art of photography, these throwbacks instill the nostalgic musing of my own Kodak moments.
It’s a hard thing to digest -- the ending of one’s childhood.
THE ODYSSEY AT UGA
Upon reading the headline, “Kodak To Stop Making Cameras,” I knew that in that singular moment I had reached the threshold of adulthood and couldn’t turn back.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Shockingly simple, I knew Kodak’s cut production carried with it a heavy burden as the the iconic cameras embody the spirit of any 2000’s summer or blow out birthday party.
President Poulomi Purkayastha Sigma Sigma Rho
Editor-In-Chief Danielle Weiner
Sales Executives Dilreet Kaur
Contributing Editor Giles Wasson
Rachel Hamil
Social Media Director Alex Iscaro
Hearing that satisfying click and zero photos was an exciting moment in one’s young life. It meant we could finally develop pictures from our schoolyard adventures. Twiddling my thumbs until Saturdays, my mother and I would take my sister and I to Rita’s Water Ice, while we killed some time waiting for our pictures to develop at our neighborhood Ritz Camera. While playing with negatives and flipping through my seemingly random pictures, I can truly say that my minor photographic career was always a highlight of my childhood. Yet tragically, this experience is not one that the new digital generation will be able appreciate.
Delta Gamma Delta Gamma
Phi Mu
Alpha Tau Omega
Phi Mu
Photographers Dilreet Kaur Delta Gamma
Dana Heyman
Sigma Delta Tau
Representing the voice of a generation, these photos exist as an end to an era that revolved entirely around film.
OLYMPIA MEDIA GROUP
There they stand, those dusty duct-taped boxes, full of years stacked high upon one another. A perfectly preserved time capsule, they remain untouched in open-air attics. Stored away, their existence is forgotten until their miraculous rediscovery, where they are unsealed and analyzed, serving as a reminder of the person we once were.
Brittany Binowski, Managing Editor | Grant Hohulin, Designer
The scent of mildew seeps into everything. Containing yellow-rimmed notes, art projects, trading cards, and photographs, they exist as concrete evidence of a packaged former life. When it comes to capturing the memories, all of our evidence lies scattered in boxes throughout our houses. These Kodak moments are neatly packed away into albums or faded frames. These seemingly worthless objects eventually appear at
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TAILGATING NOW VS. TAILGATING THEN
It wasn’t too long ago that our parents’ generation was Calling the Dawgs. Granted, most of them still do, but their recollection of what a Saturday in Athens meant is slightly different from what ours is today.
GRACIE PRESTON Kappa Delta
Gracie is a senior studying prebusiness. You may contact her at gp28@uga.edu.
I asked two UGA graduates what a day of tailgating entails today and what the usual was in the 1980s. The best part of this is that the two are a mother-daughter pair. What does a Tailgate entail?
1980s: Typically it was parents and close family friends that brought pre-game food and drink. It was fun to be invited to sit in a fraternity block of the game and go to their house for a pre-game meal. A boy would give you a ticket to come to their fraternity, and that was your Saturday plan. Now: Jump from tailgates to see everyone -- not just one fraternity for the day. Grab a few drinks and plenty to eat right before heading into the game to sit in either section 113 by the band or in the Greek section. Is downtown a component in post-game events? 1980s: Downtown was not as active -- mostly open frat parties with beer trucks or kegs. Students drank a lot of beer out of kegs. The drinking age was 19. It was much more relaxed. Now: Yes! Especially for night games! I swing by my parents tailgate to grab some food and to recuperate before heading out for the night. Sometimes after big games it’s so crowded it’s not even worth the walk. How’s the morale of the fans? 1980s: The student section has much more spirit today than in the 80s. We were so used to blowing everyone out. 55-0 was a common score with Herschel Walker. The crazy boys in the front were not there then! Now: UGA is in close competition with other SEC schools, so the games are a lot more competitive. The support from the student section always feeds into the players’ performance, and we love to see them play! And most importantly, what does one wear to the games? 1980s: Students got dressed up for games, but no cowboy boots. Country was not cool back then! However, we did have big hair! Now: Dresses and boots (often times from my friends’ closets) are my typical game day get up. Comfort is important, but I definitely take pride in dressing well for game day! History repeats itself and tradition never dies. Go Dawgs!
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4 THIRSTY THURSDAYS THROWBACK STYLE Scene on campus
2. Pick two friends and together dress up as the Tanner girls (DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle) from Full House. You can spend all night wandering downtown, looking for your own Uncle Jessie.
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MALLORY MOSKOVITZ Sigma Delta Tau
Mallory is a sophomore studying journalism. You may contact her at malmoss@uga.edu.
3. You and your best friend are always inseparable anyway, so why not literally tie yourselves together for the night and be CatDog. Throw on a yellow t-shirt, cat or dog ears, and make a simple, yet tight tail, so the costume doesn’t break, and you know you’ll have your go-to girl by your side all night. 4. The Spice Girls is such a typical TBT idea, but rarely do you see a group of girlfriends dressed up as the Fanta girls. The costume is so simple. All it requires is a dress or top and bottoms of the same color with the Fanta logo taped on your outfit, and you’re ready to go.
If you attend the University of Georgia, you know that Thursdays mean that the weekend has officially arrived. Most schools probably take their Friday and Saturday nights seriously, but here at UGA, nothing is greater than a Thursday night downtown. Teachers are just plain cruel if they schedule a Friday test. Thursday nights are widely popular because of a Greek Life social. A social is a themed mixer between a fraternity and sorority which generally begin with a “pregame” at the fraternity house and then move downtown to a bar. Walking downtown on a Thursday night, you’ll see people dressed in everything from togas, to ABC (Anything But Clothes), and camouflage. Yes, all of these silly social themes are fun, but nothing gets people more excited than a Throwback Thursday themed event. There are two approaches to the Throwback Thursday theme: 1. Take the “decades” approach and wear scrunchies and high wasted jean shorts with a flannel tied around your waist to represent the 90s, or break out the neon leggings and colorful sweatband to portray the 80s. 2. Dress up as your favorite childhood toy, game, or TV show. My favorite TBT social spotting has been Beanie Babies where each girl dressed up as a different animal and tied the recognizable red heart tag with white writing saying “TY” around her neck. Because this theme is so widely used and many of the same ideas are being constantly repeated, I’ve compiled a list of costumes that could win you the best-dressed award at your next Throwback Thursday social. 1. As I previously stated, the “decades” outfits are always visible at TBT socials, but most people stick to the 90s or 80s. Take a different approach and dress up in flapper dresses to represent the roaring 20s (and in case you have never experienced a Great Gatsby themed event).
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THE REAL 8E’S AND 9D’S BARS
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For college students in the 80s there may not have been “power hour,” but they did have other promotions such as “bars serving penny beers and drinks starting at a certain hour. It lasted until someone went to use the bathroom.” Shire commented, “It was disgusting.” Nowadays, UGA students spread out to all different bars like Double Barrel, On The Rocks, or Generals, but back in the day, people usually had a certain bar they would go to each night of the week they went out. While the bars may not still be the same as they were back in 1980 or 1990, Athens has kept a little piece of home for the alums by creating 8e’s bar and 9d’s bar. Times are changing, but who says we can’t have a throwback night. Maybe pregaming at a bar and then going to a fraternity house until the wee hours of the morning isn’t such a bad idea.
It’s a Friday night and you want to go out, so you start at a fraternity house to pre-game and then head downtown for an evening filled with drunken shenanigans.
MORGAN OBERG Sigma Delta Tau
Morgan is a sophomore studying journalism. You may contact her at morganoberg@uga.edu.
You jump from bar to bar to find friends who conveniently move to a different bar once you get there. While you walk up and down the streets, you see people you never even knew went to UGA, but that’s half the fun of going downtown. It’s hard to believe that downtown hasn’t always been this way. Back in 1992, “Downtown was usually popular from around 8 or 9 to 11:30 p.m. Then, everyone would go to the band parties at the fraternity houses. We were able to have big fraternity parties back then, and that was a big part of the social scene,” states alumni Kevin Shires. Downtown Athens has changed immensely in the past twenty years, but what was the bar scene like when our parents went to the University of Georgia? Were there lines of people waiting to get into Whiskey Bent? Or people late night eating at Eat Hibachi or little Italy? Not exactly. Back in the early 1980’s, there were only about five main bars (excluding restaurants that did more in food). When asked what the downtown scene was like twenty years ago, Robert Stroup, who graduated in 1985, recalls, “We did most of our drinking at frat parties, socials, and football games.” However, Stroup comes back to Athens regularly and stated that “Yes, downtown Athens has changed extensively. Now there are crowds on the streets and in the bars.” Unless you hit up power hour to get your $1 drinks, a well drink is usually $4. Back in 1983, it cost $1.50 for a mixed drink and only $1.25 to $2.75 for a pitcher of beer.
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Lookbook fashion
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FASHION: THE ULTIMATE TIME CAPSULE
The eighties also brought forth trends that were entirely innovative, such as ripped clothing, sneakers, and androgynous outfits, which inevitably transformed into the fashion of the nineties most of us college students can still remember. It is easy to reminisce about days of layered clothing, jean mini skirts, and retro halter tops, while watching nostalgic reruns of Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Boy Meets World. The revelation that some actors in this show are in the same generation as we are proves just how quickly fashion trends change. Although the trends of the nineties are hardly ever seen anymore, it doesn’t mean they won’t make some sort of reappearance one day. The current theme of the fashion industry is a collaboration of all past decades, slightly tweaked in order to modernize the designs. High-waisted skirts and vintage articles of clothing have re-emerged on the runway and in clothing stores, and it’s not uncommon to see a shirtwaist dress resembling those of the 1940s hanging on a mannequin in Anthropologie. Torn clothing -- originally designed in the 80s -- is also popular among youth, while tailored suits from the forties are popular among business women. The beauty of fashion today is that there are so many unique options to choose from when designing one’s wardrobe. Since so many different fashion eras are represented in different articles of clothing found in stores today, individuals have a wider range of options to choose from.
We all have witnessed the subtle changes and the vast transformations that have defined the progression of the world we know today. The history of man-kind is characterized by a continuos stream of adaptation and survival that can be applied to various social aspects of society -- especially fashion trends.
MACKENZIE RANDOLPH Gamma Phi Beta
Mackenzie is a freshman studying finance & psychology. You may contact her at mjr924@uga.edu.
In more modern times individuals of westernized civilizations began to adapt emerging fashion trends in the pursuit of social “survival.” Fashion has surfaced as a defining characteristic of all the contemporary decades, and serves as its own unique time capsule. We’ll begin in the roaring twenties -- the infamous “Gatsby Era” -- marked by bold, rebellious fashion choices which represented the beginning of feminist freedom. Promiscuous short skirts, cloche hats, and T-strap shoes all added to the costume-like look that the women of the twenties embraced. As we enter the 1930s we see that it was characterized by more frugal fashion trends as a result of the Great Depression, which contrasted the forties -- an era that introduced mannish, tailored suits and padded shoulders. These new fashion trends parallel with the events of that time, such as the war and the fact that women were beginning to make an appearance in the world of employment. After the depression and the war, the economy greatly improved as well as the quality of life, allowing more extravagant fashion choices to emerge. The staple fashion trends of the fifties included shirtwaist, Stepford wife type dresses and sweater sets that created an innovative ivy-league look. The sixties and seventies are characterized by unique looks that are dramatically unconnected from any previous era. The clothes of these two decades -- extraordinary times of rock and roll and individual freedom -- all cater towards the experimental attitude of that era. Younger generations especially celebrated fashion and used it to express themselves as individuals and rebel against more conservative ways of behaving.
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THE YEAR THE BRAVES BROUGHT IT HOME
As baseball season approaches, let’s take a moment to look back at the Atlanta team that didn’t disappoint: the 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves.
ALFRED MILLS
Pi Kappa Alpha Alfred is a junior studying communication studies. You may contact him at amills@uga.edu.
It was the Braves’ 125th season, the 30th for Atlanta. Following a season shortened by a player’s strike, the 1995 Atlanta Braves, with a record of 9054, brought it home. If the Braves were destined to win one of their five World Series appearances in the 1990s, the 1995 season was the year. During that series with the Cleveland Indians, baby-faced future Hall of Famers, helmed by an unearthly starting rotation, came together to compose one of the most daunting teams in history. Ask any learned baseball fan who the best “one-two-three” pitching trio in history is, and the reply will always be Maddox-Glavine-Smoltz. Last year, both Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine were inducted on their first ballot into baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and John Smoltz will soon join them. Add pitcher Steve Avery and you have the highly-touted “Leo Mazzone’s Four Aces.” 1995 also marked the dawn of the “Jones Era.” Chipper Jones, another future first-ballot Hall of Famer, known as one of the top five third basemen of all time, an eight-time all star, the 1999 National League MVP, and the 2008 NL batting title winner–was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2013. He led the Braves to the World Series his rookie year with 23 home runs, 86 RBIs, .265 batting average, and .450 slugging percentage in 140 games. A true all star. The 1995 Series was a nail biter. It came down to six games, five of which were decided by one run. After losing two World Series already that decade, the Braves started this Series with a complete, two-hit game by Greg Maddox in his first World Series appearance. It was an encouraging start for a team used to losing. Manager Bobby Cox deployed another weapon from his arsenal of pitchers in the form of Tom Glavine, who pitched seven innings. Led by Glavine, Game Two was won by the Braves 4-3, a game marked by a home run from the young fan-favorite, catcher Javy Lopez. The Braves next win came in Game 4 in Cleveland when Cox made a controversial call, choosing the struggling, young pitcher Steve Avery to start rather than his ace Greg Maddox. Avery pitched five scoreless innings before allowing a solo home
run in the sixth. Javy Lopez drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double, and the Braves won 5-2. The final game of the series was a mark of perfection. Before the game began, the Atlanta news outlets carried stories of outfielder David Justice complaining about the lack of support from Atlanta fans. Braves fans across the Southeast were in an uproar until the sixth inning of Game 6 when Justice’s homerun shattered a 0-0 tie. In addition, the starting pitcher Tom Glavine only allowed one hit in eight innings and went on to earn the World Series MVP. Closer Mark Wohlers pitched a scoreless ninth to win the game and the Series. It was a World Series that re-awoke a nation’s baseball spirit, a spirit sorely tested by the previous year’s strike. An edge-of-your-seat series until the last pitch, it was a title the team and its city cherish to this day. It was the year the Braves “brought it home.”
SPRING IN THE SOUTH
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500 words on music
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SEX, DRUGS, AND… DUBSTEP? campus carrying backpacks emblazoned with The Grateful Dead patches, or donning pin hats that display the vast number of shows they’ve attended. Vintage stores and thrift shops have become the shopping destinations of choice. A decent number of people own vinyls, even if it’s only for the way they look on a wall. Above all, good vibes, good friends, and good music are paramount. Sound familiar? There were once hippies who probably closely resemble your festival going friends, but they’re armed with Instagram instead of Polaroids. They had the civil rights movement; we’re in the midst of the movement for gay rights and marriage equality. They had Vietnam; we had the War on Terror. There was, of course, the Summer of Love and the infamous Woodstock music and arts festival -- perhaps the model for all music festivals held in the 21st century. Though Woodstock itself may be highly romanticized, it has created a sense of longing in today’s youth culture. It almost seems as if it’s the sole event on which we base our current choices of leisure, music, and style.
On a few occasions every summer, your timeline is bombarded with photos of your friends who made the trek cross country to one of America’s massive, multiday music and art festivals: B o n n a r o o , Wa k a r u s a , Coachella, Burning Man and the like.
ANNA CAROLINE WATTS Delta Delta Delta
Anna is a freshman studying business. You may contact her at annawatts@uga.edu.
You are recounted tales of camping out in pastures under the stars amongst hundreds of thousands of other festival attendees, the establishment of lifelong friendships, copious drug use, strange encounters, truly amazing musical acts, and life changing experiences not meant for the faint of heart. Volkswagen busses are a vehicle of envy. Kids in Jimi Hendrix shirts walk around
Nearly every house on Greek Row has had a Woodstock social or two in recent years, and people arrive in an array of tie dye, vintage band tees, flowy pants, cut-off denim, and flower crowns -- things that aren’t too out of step with what you’ll see on campus any given day. Live music can be found anywhere in Athens nearly any night of the week. Music festivals, though no longer free, draw hundreds of thousands of those seeking to feel as if they’re a part of a bygone era. Though the times and the music have changed (and the people are probably a little bit cleaner), there are more similarities to be found between the sixties and now than there are differences. It isn’t the time to pine for the days of old, especially if you’re already dressed for the occasion. A new generation is prepared to take the place of its ancestors, and you’re part of it. The new hippie movement is alive and happening, and certainly ready to rock and roll.
500 words on music
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THE ODYSSEY PRESENTS: AN INTERVIEW WITH PENTATONIX
W h e n re m i n i s c i n g about Athens, GA one cannot help but recall of our long standing musical past. In the spirit of our issue’s throwback theme, it’s important that we celebrate our town talents such as the B 52’s and, of course, REM.
DANIELLE WEINER Phi Mu
Danielle is a junior studying English and history. You may contact her at dweiner@uga.edu.
In the spirit of continuing this tradition, this spring our humble little town will be fortunate enough to again host a skew of other ridiculously talented musicians. Within this wonderful jumble of artists, none other than Pentatonix! After a whirlwind experience of winning the 3rd season of NBC’s Sing off, they have amazingly decided to grace our Classic City stage. Selling out their first ever concert at the Ga Theatre, their March 26th concert will absolutely exist as one for the books! Brimming with questions, the writers at the The Odyssey were ecstatic to be provided with the amazing opportunity to conduct a short interview with band member Mitchell C. Grassi! Providing us with some inspiring advice, as well as a couple laughs, here’s what Pentatonix had to say:
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Q: So first off: While here in Athens, what are you looking most forward to, and why did you guys pick the GA Theatre as a performance venue? A: Well! We’ve never visited Athens before, so I’m excited to see what it has to offer! We picked the Georgia Theatre because we had heard wonderful things about it, and that it’s a beautiful venue! Q: Obviously you guys travel a TON. What’s your funniest road trip/tour story? A: I think the funniest memory I have is Kirstie hiding in random places on our bus and scaring our production manager! He would ALWAYS get scared, too. I felt bad for him but it was also hilarious. Q: What’s your advice to any college student struggling to follow their dreams? A: I would say just keep persevering and don’t give up if it gets tough. Be passionate, and dare to be different. Most importantly, don’t compare yourself to others. You’re on your own path. Q: If you could pick any spirit animal to represent your band, what would it be and why? A: I would say maybe a lion? Because we’re quite a force, and we make bold moves musically. We’re also very protective of each other. Q: How has being in a world famous A cappella group affected your Tinder matches? A: (Laughs) Well, I definitely get recognized more. But everyone is always really nice. You hear that, Athenians? Better get excited for March 26th, seeing as Pentatonix will no doubt blow the lid off the Georgia Theatre!
WHERE’S THE MUSIC IN MTV? Did you know that MTV actually stood for music television or that at one time MTV only showed music videos? It is hard to imagine MTV without the trashy reality shows such as Real World, Teen Mom or Jersey Shore.
provocative, innovative music videos and reality hits.
ALEX EVERHART Alpha Omicron Pi
Alex is a sophomore studying p re - j o u r n a l i s m a n d p u b l i c relations. You may contact her at abe1993@uga.edu.
MTV first aired on April 1, 1981 on a mission to revolutionize the music industry. The first video to be shown on the television network was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” It originally only aired in New Jersey, and it can now be seen on almost every cable provider in the country.
Shows such as “Teen Mom” are now on their third season, and “The Real World” is still around. At first, this network was praised for its originality and entertainment. Now, the network turns off most college students. MTV is now known as “trash TV,” displaying drugs, sex and alcohol. Although back in the glory days, the music videos were known for these controversial topics, but now the network pushes these things onto our generation. “I’m not a fan. It was a lot cooler when it wasn’t completely trash TV,” Erin Gish, sophomore, said. When asked about the network, most students agreed that it was known as “trash TV.” Most students have a guilty pleasure for a few of the shows, but most agreed that we have outgrown the targeted audience. “It’s irrelevant. There is no music on MTV,” Lacey Jones, sophomore, said.
As MTV exploded to expand the music industry, music videos became more popular and thus created a new form of entertainment. Video Jockeys (VJs) introduced the music videos, which played for hours each day. Soon MTV was seen as a huge promotional outlet, and by the 90’s reality TV shows hit the air.
Although most reality TV stars range from 18-25 years of age, MTV has a large presence among high school students.
In 1992, the famous TV reality show, “The Real World” aired, soon followed by “My Super Sweet 16,” “Laguna Beach,” and “The Hills.” MTV sought to bring pop culture to our world and reach out to a young demographic.
College students already have enough on their plates, let alone time to keep track of Snooki’s new family or “True Life.”
In 1984, MTV created the first annual MTV Music Awards to celebrate artists around the world, and in 1992 created the MTV Movie Awards.
MTV set out to change the way we see music, but it has been taken over by silly entertainment. Luckily we still have YouTube and Spotify to enjoy all our music pleasures.
Has MTV gone to far? MTV has always been known to push the envelope with
“It’s kind of crappy,” Cameron Mercer, sophomore, said.
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500 words on music
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WE JUST OL’ SCHOOL LIKE THAT streets their backyard. Dr. Dre. The Chronic. 1992 Dre’s first solo album, the aptly named Chronic was a shout-out to the dope fiends and busters. Popularizing that G-Funk sound, it was innovative, ground breaking, and at the same time often disturbing. Dre has a knack for horrifying social realism, but somehow he makes it sound so damn good. Nas. Illmatic. 1994 Nas’ debut album, Illmatic is a certified landmark of East Coast hip-hop as well as a much needed shot of adrenaline to the then stagnant New York hip-hop scene. Nas, undoubtedly one of the greatest straight up lyricists of all time, burst on the stage with a profound first-hand account of the gang rivalries and ravages of urban poverty. Truly one for the ages and a must listen for any socially conscious human. Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die. 1994 Biggie’s first effort exploded onto the scene and went quadruple platinum, attacking the West Coast commercial dominance of the time. His raps flow easy and smooth but play like a scene of a movie with an unrivaled ability of transporting the listener to the mean streets of Brooklyn. The lyrics deal with drug dealing, violence, women chasing, and the strife of the inner city black man, but he delivers it with an emotional honesty that to this day, no rapper can touch.
When I think of the often misused term “Old School,” one topic immediately comes to mind. Of course, I speak of late 80s and 90s rap, often called the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.
THOMAS WASSON
Alpha Tau Omega Thomas is a senior studying accounting. You may contact him at gtwasson@gmail.com.
Some of the greatest lyricists and producers ever emerged during this era. It was a ratchet time, a period of East Coast and West Coast rap beefs and glorification of gang violence and drug use. However, the rap music America produced during this time contributed immensely to the emerging culture of mainstream hip-hop. It seemed that nearly every single dropped was innovative and ground-breaking, and the artists during this time contributed significantly to the rap music we enjoy today. Without further ado, here is my collection of rap albums that I feel typify the Golden Age. So, let’s bop our heads to some gangsta beats. Beastie Boys. License to Ill. 1986 The first album to top the Billboard, License showed the music industry and the world that rap music had mass appeal and serious commercial viability. A punk-rap-rock fusion, the likes of which the world had never seen, had both blacks and whites groovin’ to the new new. Incredibly significant for the genre as a whole. NWA. Straight Outta’ Compton. 1988 Compton became the capital of West Coast hip-hop in no small part due to this angry as hell album. Depicting the grittiness, injustice, and straight up brutality of hood life, this album provided a voice for an entire generation of inner city kids that called the
500 words on movies
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GLORY DAYS FILMS
We grew up in the digital era. We were raised by our television sets. A few movies stick out amongst the rest that truly aged us. Though not all of them came out during our lifetime, these four movies taught us about with an apple pie.
RACHEL HAMIL
Delta Gamma
Rachel is a junior studying English education and English. You may contact her at rhamil@uga.edu.
life, love, and what not to do
Animal House (1978) My fratastic father first showed me this movie at such a young age, child services should have come pick me up. Regardless, this movie represents everything that is college and Greek life (even if it isn’t the most accurate representation). When in doubt about which movie to watch, this is always a crowd pleaser.
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The Breakfast Club (1985) This movie makes me both proud and disappointed to be consistently compared to Molly Ringwald (I claim it’s just the red hair). The John Hughes classic has been referenced over and over proving its iconic standing. The film gave us so many great quotes and new party tricks to try out. The Breakfast Club taught us about accepting others regardless of your initial impression of them all while trying to make it through high school. But now, it mostly just makes me happy to be out of there. American Pie (1999) “This one time at band camp…” Mostly American Pie gave us sex ed. packed into 95 minutes. Through all the laughs and jeers, occasionally girls can find a cute love story or two to appeal to them. Every time I catch it on Comedy Central, I get a feeling of nostalgia. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) Okay, so clearly this was a good year for movies. Nowadays, I get choked up whenever Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace) sings “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” complete with the marching band ensemble. I will never love a Julia Stiles movie more than this one, mostly because she has done nothing of substance since.
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500 words on nostalgia
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YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT ‘TIL IT’S GONE I don’t like change. Unless it’s an iPhone update, a new flavor at Menchie’s, or drop-add week, most of the time I like things to stay just how they are. I guess it’s true that you really don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.
MADELINE WEEKMAN Gamma Phi Beta
Madeline is a sophomore studying public relations. You may reach her at madelinew315@gmail.com.
Everyone will agree with me: Disney Channel has steadily gone downhill from the days of the late 90s and early 00s. If you ever have the time, turn on Disney Channel and be prepared to lose some brain cells. I have no idea why Disney execs think those shows would ever pass as funny to the elementary/middle school crowd, but I tried to watch “Good Luck Charlie,” and that is certainly thirty minutes I’ll never get back. Where is Lizzie McGuire? Hilary seems to be the only one who hasn’t gone off the deep end, but I’ll always have a spot in my heart for Ethan Craft. And, why does Taylor Swift keep winning awards for country music? You. Are. Not. A. Country. Singer. I wish you still were, but you’re not, and now you have to lie in that bubble gum pop music bed you made for yourself.
Taylor’s old music (“Teardrops on my Guitar” era) is exponentially better than any of the stuff she seems to be releasing these days. There’s still a couple songs on her recent albums that hint the old Taylor is still in there, but for the most part, her music will never ever ever be the same. Every once in a while, fast food chains add menu items that are life-changing (Chick-fil-a Grilled Chicken Wrap for one). But other times, chains will take away perfectly good menu items -- and the change is certainly not for the best. Okay, McDonald’s isn’t exactly my favorite fast food joint, but there was a period where I was quite the groupie for Chicken Selects. When I went to McDonald’s one day and was informed they were no longer being sold, a little part of me died. Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I was just a little bit upset. In the words of the almighty Drake, nothing was the same. Admit it or not, everyone has their favorite celebrity couple. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams? Angelina and Brad? Personally, I was rooting for Khloe and Lamar. When they were first married, I never thought it would last. As the show and the tabloids progressed, I really began to get into their love story. They were adorable and the whole world was eating it up. This is one celebrity couple I really didn’t want to change. Khloe, being the best Kardashian, had finally found love, but unfortunately it didn’t last. RIP Khloe and Lamar’s marriage. Be it celebrities, TV shows, or food, things we love are going to be changing whether we like it or not. Lets just enjoy while we can, and hope McDonald’s will never take away their McFlurries.
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