INSIDEBEAT OCTOBER 29, 2009 • VOL. 27, NO. 9
THE WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE OF THE DAILY TARGUM
jack's mannequin Inside Beat delves into the legacy of this inspiring frontman who recently took over the College Ave Gym.
October 29, 2009
Column • Books
rant
Page 2 • Inside Beat
A Halloween Quiz BY MICHAEL MALVASIO FASHION EDITOR
Saturday is almost here and that means you only have a couple days left to decide on a costume. The pressure is on — especially for the girls on campus, faced each year with the same question: “How can I make this costume sexy?” In case you are still unsure, we decided to put together this little quiz to help you figure out what kind of sexy you were meant to be. Like Cady from Mean Girls said, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”
1) With your Halloween candy you will…? A. Eat it right away B. Give it to your sibling C. Put your Snicker bar in the toilet (ew!) D. Save it for later 2) This Saturday night, you will…? A. Visit a scary haunted house B. Give out candy to trick or treaters C. Throw eggs at people D. Stay at home and study 3) On Halloween, you will hand out…? A. Warheads B. Toothbrushes C. Laffy Taffy D. Apples
4) Your favorite thing to watch on Halloween is…? A. A scary horror film! B. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown C. The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” D. A documentary about the origin of Halloween 5) You will say to trick-or-treaters…? A. “Who wants seconds?!” B. “AAWWWWW! Those are such cute costumes!” C. Jump out and yell, “boo!” D. “One at a time, please.”
STAFF WRITER
Meet Lily Casey Smith. Born and raised in the frontier of America in Texas, this gal is no spring chicken. By the age of five, she began breaking wild horses. At fifteen, she became a schoolteacher. Also on her resume are racehorse jockey, bootlegger, and airplane pilot. She has survived everything from flash floods and tornadoes to city-slicking con artists and homelessness. This remarkable woman has so much inner strength that
when the world knocks her down, she ricochets right back up. Half Broke Horses is an extraordinary tale by Jeannette Walls, the granddaughter of Lily Casey Smith. The stories chronicled in this book are mostly oral history. It is more of a commemorative novel than a slice of history, Walls claims. Written in first person, the naturalistic voice and sharp humor reveals someone who was undeniably real. Lily, born in 1901, was raised in a homestead in west Texas. Lily’s father, Jim Smith, is a convicted
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Mostly B’s (A sexy nurse): “Hello Nurse!” You care for others at the party and don’t want them to feel uncomfortable while having a good time. Try a tight white leather dress, a pair of stretchy latex gloves, and perhaps a stethoscope to match. Knock, knock — the doctor is in! Mostly C’s (A sexy clown): You crack everyone up at the party; however, you’re no ordinary clown! You ditch the big red shoes for some seductive red pumps — making everyone envy you for your looks and your jokes. Mostly D’s (A sexy teacher): You are intelligent and tasteful in bringing sex appeal to your costume. A pleaded schoolgirl skirt matched with some black-rimmed glasses —very sexy!
Half Broke Horses BY ASHLEY PARK
Mostly A’s (A sexy superhero): It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait, it’s a super hot, super woman costume! You are strong and daring — completely ready to be the girl that swoops in and saves the party this Halloween.
murderer (supposedly on trumped up charges) and a “tough-as-nuts” rancher. On the other hand, her mother is, as Lily describes, a useless, corseted prissy, who lounges in the house while others work. This leaves young Lily with many responsibilities. She is in charge of selling the eggs, hiring and firing workers, and breaking wild horses to accept riders. Her no-fuss personality throughout it all is loveable and inspiring. At the age of thirteen, she begins her schooling at Sisters of Loretto Academy, where she be-
Jeanette Walls | A+
gins to love learning. Her education is cut short after a year when her father decides to splurge her tuition on imported Great Danes. But as Lily views it, when one door closes in life, another one opens. Soon, she finds a job as a teacher in Arizona and moves out to the American Southwest. Like tumbleweed, Lily travels from town to town, adopting a variety of different roles — maid, wife and mother, schoolmarm, and poker player. As she searches for her purpose in life, Lily makes the best of the cards she has been
dealt. Her astounding vitality and freedom of spirit keeps her moving ever forward in the story while her biting humor never fails to entertain the reader. She is like the western version of Scarlett O’Hara with lots of fiddle-dee-dee and a strong-hearted optimism. Fans of Jeannette Walls’s Glass Castle, a New York Times best-seller, will relish every word of Half Broke Horses. From beginning to end, her charismatic stor y is a testament to life itself and a memoir of a lost time in American history.
EDITORIAL BOARD M ARGARET D ARIAS ................................................. EDITOR T OM W RIGHT -P IERSANTI .................. ASSOCIATE EDITOR S TACY D OUEK ....................................................................................... ASSISTANT N IDHI S ARAIYA ........................................................................................... BOOKS A DRIENNE V OGT ........................................................................................... COPY M ICHAEL M ALVASIO ................................................................................ FASHION EMILY SCHACHTMAN...................................................................................................FILM JASON STIVES............................................................................................................MUSIC TOM WRIGHT-PIERSANTI........................................................................................TV
EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR
THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS TO INSIDE BEAT : Ariyeh Carni, Ciara Copell, Marc Mance, Ashley Park, Amy Rowe, Rosanna Volis, Tara L. Young. Cover photo by Angelica Bonus.
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Film • Books
October 29, 2009
Inside Beat • Page 3
CAPITALISM:A Love Story
next week
at the nj film fest:
The Street Stops Here Director Kevin Shaw’s stirring documentary, The Street Stops Here, follows successful high school basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr., who dedicated 35 years to keeping the doors of St. Anthony’s High School open and led its players to glory on and off the court. His methodical yet volatile style works miracles. This is a story about teenagers fighting their way out of Jersey City, armed with little more than a basketball and the hard wisdom of an uncompromising coach who demands perfection from kids who have known little success elsewhere. Mike Rosario, star of the Rutgers University basketball team, plays an important role in Hurley’s story. This film will be screened Nov. 1 and 6, at Scott Hall 123, with in-person appearances by Director Kevin Shaw. More information can be found at www.njfilmfest.com. — Emily Schachtman
BY TARA L. YOUNG STAFF WRITER
Capitalism: A Love Story opens with a comparison of ancient Rome’s decline and what is currently happening in America. The viewer takes a deep breath to brace for the possibly depressing scene to follow — but may be shocked into laughter when that scene depicts America’s decline as the popular YouTube clip of a cat flushing the toilet. This is stylistic of Michael Moore’s filmmaking: humor interjected into “serious” issues. Moore has a long-standing polarizing status in America, especially with Hollywood and Washington D.C. He uses extremist presentations of issues that need to be addressed in the nation — currently it is our economy and how it affects the working class. In Chicago, a grown man was reduced to tears because his factory shut down and the company went bankrupt, unable to even pay employees. When workers live paycheck to paycheck, it is unfathomable how they will survive. The film presents another minimum wage-earning group of people that one would never suspect — airline pilots. Several pilots speak about how they have second jobs and a massive amount of debt from school. One pilot even needs food stamps in order to eat and is amassing credit card debt in the range of
Michael Moore A-
$10,000 to pay his household bills. The question is then posed: Why do they put up with it? Answer: For the simple love of flying. The bank bailout is presented as a shady backroom deal. Moore visits Capitol Hill for answers, but the representatives have no clearer insight than he does. One good side to the bailout is shown, as the factory workers in Chicago protest with an old fashioned sit-in, and eventually Bank of America uses bailout money to pay the workers their wages and severance packages. Though a small amount, it is enough to sustain families until they find another job. The movie shows “the people” can make a difference and is thus a source of hope for Moore. He is enchanted with one man in particular from Illinois: President Barack Obama. Like many Americans, Moore holds the belief that with the election of Obama, social reform is on the horizon. Can we change? “Yes we can.” Moore’s presentation in Capitalism: A Love Story comes across as propagandistic, but when viewed with a critical eye, as most students are taught to do, the information presented cannot be ignored. Whether you love him or hate him, this film should be seen by everyone. For the many criticisms Moore receives, he at least achieves his objective by getting the viewer to think about the issues.
BY CIARA COPELL
COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM
STAFF WRITER
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assitant Paul Weitz| C
Cashing in on the recent vampire craze, The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the Cirque du Freak book series, is mediocre at best. Though John C. Reilly (Stepbrothers) delivers a solid performance as 200-yearold vampire Mr. Crepsley, newcomer Chris Massoglia, who stars as the young teenager Darren, lifelessly interprets his character. Directed by Paul Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy), the story revolves around Darren becoming half-vampire to save his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson, Kicking & Screaming). Darren is forced to join a freak show as Crepsley’s assistant. In a predictable plot “twist,” an enemy clan of vampires recruits Steve, and the two friends are pitted against each other. The movie seems to follow the trend (also seen in the Twilight saga) of making vampires conscientious of human life. Vampires only suck a little bit of human blood, leaving the humans they feed on completely unscathed and unaware of any attack because of a gas that they breathe on people to knock them out for a short period of time. The film is full of various unbelievable — even for a vampire movie — details such as this. The film has a very conventional plot line, including an awkward subplot of Darren falling in love with one of the girls in the freak show, Rebecca (Jessica Carlson). That said, The Vampire’s Assistant does a great job creating the freaks without looking cheesy. They include a snake boy (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock). Especially impressive is the graphic department’s ability to make the beautiful Salma Hayek (Frida) spontaneously sprout a beard. Along with the effects for the characters, the special effects for the action of the film are equally striking. Most notable is the interpretation of the vampires’ speed — blurs of colors are used to show them move across large spaces quickly. The Vampire’s Assistant leaves much to be desired by the end of the film, but it has its high points. Special effects and an interesting cast of characters advance the film, but it is not enough to save the uninspiring plot line.
With the release of a new Saw movie every Oct. 31 like clockwork, we know it is that time of year again. Halloween brings out our inner urge to sit through terrifying movies and experience those “jump-out-ofyour-seat” thrills. But no film can beat the mind’s ability to picture the worst, and a good horror writer knows just how to make thoughts of their disturbing tales linger in the imagination. Here are the book editor’s picks for classic and modern masters of macabre.
HEART-SHAPED BOX BY JOE HILL
DRACULA BY BRAM STOKER
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
BOOKS EDITOR
You really cannot have a list of They may not have a body of work as impresinfluential horror authors without sive as King or Poe, but these renowned authors including Stephen King. Love have earned praise from fans and critics alike. him or hate him, he has made a Check out: name for himself in the world of scary literature for 35 years, penning staples of the genre like The Shining, It and Pet Sematary. But his some of his most chilling works are hidden within the pages of his short story and novella collections. “Apt Pupil” and “The Body” from Different Seasons, “Survivor Type” from Skeleton Crew, “The Langoliers” from Four Past Midnight, and “Children of the Corn” from Night Shift are particularly memorable. Aside from the thrill factor, these stories confirm King’s ability to find the creepy side of just about anything. THE EXORCIST BY WILLIAM PETER BLATTY
BY NIDHI SARAIYA
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
HOUSE OF LEAVES BY MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI
M
Poe may be well-known for his verse, but both his poetr y and prose bring out that desperate side of human nature better left concealed. His celebrated poems, “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee,” tell of men driven to insanity over the loss of their lovers. His equally-acclaimed stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” bring the feelings of guilt, fear and death to the forefront of readers’ minds. It is impossible not to be engrossed in his sinister plots and haunting words.
STEPHEN KING
HEART-SHAPED BOX BY JOE HILL
asters of acabre
EDGAR ALLEN POE
the resolution of
ANDREW MCMAHON BY JASON STIVES • MUSIC EDITOR CONCERT PHOTOS BY ANGELICA BONUS • INTERVIEW PHOTO BY JOVELLE TOMAYO
pon first impression, Andrew McMahon looks like a different man from the youthful spirit he is. Bearded and weary in the eyes, the Jack’s Mannequin frontman looks like he has lived a lifetime. In the span of 10 years, the singer/songwriter has lived an extraordinary life on the road and in the studio. He has been able to get a second lease on living thanks to a life-changing experience. At 27, McMahon, a survivor of leukemia, is a well-rounded musician who, since he was a kid, has expressed his limitless talent to delve into the mind of the listener as well as the aspiring youth of his generation. In between his trek across the country on a solo tour, McMahon and Jack’s Mannequin crashed the College Avenue Gym on Oct. 21 for a concert presented by the Rutgers University Programming Association, bringing the heat and the energy that has been left out of his most recent shows to life once more. “The shows have been a lot quieter across the board. They have been more like a performance than a visceral ‘Let’s get up and get in each others business’ kind of show,” McMahon says. “That’s why the shows recently have been seated to give a more intimate experience. But the overall collective conscious changes from city to city, which was awesome for each show we did.” That “get up in each other’s business” that McMahon speaks of was given a full throttle approach when he took to the stage at the College Avenue gym. Gasping for air, the crowd in attendance engulfed McMahon’s every word and movement as he ran head-first through a set encompassing fan favorites from the band’s first release Everything in Transit (“Dark Blue,” “Rescued,” “Holiday From Real”) as well as tracks from the band’s most recent effort, 2008’s The Glass Passenger. While the band’s touring schedule in the past few years has been very scatterbrained, the change of pace in the scheduling and variety in the shows’ format makes for fresh experiences each time. “They are just different experiences, and touring as much as I do, you get bored so you switch up the kind of shows,” he says. “I keep myself from burning out by changing the format up. When we toured with the Fray this summer I was like, ‘I want to go back.’ So that’s why we do these college shows, and it’s great for the college crowds.” The majority of his recent touring has been in preparation for the release of a new documentary McMahon filmed chronicling his battle with leukemia in 2005, titled Dear Jack. However, the actual project didn’t start out as what the finished product became. “I didn’t intend for it to be that way. I had already been documenting my everyday life while making the album and then I got sick and the filming took on a whole new meaning,” he says. “I think I decided to do this documentary because what I filmed was very honest because it’s not just me, it’s my family, my friends, and it can be a very vulnerable experience to watch, but it says something about people who go through the same process.” While McMahon and company made for a great show running purely on energy, the somber touches of certain songs brought the show down to reality. It was during the per-
formances of Glass Passenger tracks like the “The Resolution,” “Swim” and “Crashing” that Rutgers students in attendance once again peeked into McMahon’s personal life. The album, which reached an impressive No. 8 its opening week on the Billboard charts, is a personal and in-depth view of McMahon’s life post recovery. While the documentary is the singer’s life in the moment of the discovery of his illness and the eventual treatment, the songs on Passenger present a liberating reality from what he has gone through and what he wants the fans to see about him now. “It’s a transitional thing really. The album was really about getting through the aftermath,” he says. “When you are in the care of others, they can help you get through the physical aspect, but you are not prepared for what comes afterwards, and that is what the album was really about.” Through it all, McMahon strives for some of the vivid storytelling songwriters like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Ben Folds create — an almost vivid representation of life told on simple everyday terms where the image is related back to the listener and the experiences are almost universally understood as something seen and lived in our youth and eventually in our adult hood. He never once shies away from relating to the fans and his life is simple and genuine even on a music sheet, something that has never changed in his songwriting through the years. “My process has more or less stayed the same. I mean the art changes, but since I started when I was 9, it has been the same for years,” he says. “But as you get older, there are more tools and things to aid in the process. There is that alchemy that is always saying ‘OK, let’s sit down and do something.’ Thematically, it’s elements of autobiography and some of it is story telling. The show came to a close after a blinding rendition of Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” with McMahon and company exiting the stage promising to see everyone again in the future. As his solo tour slowly begins to wind down, McMahon is ready to head back to the West Coast as the bitter fall frost settles in on the country. With the change in weather in mind, he says he has no immediate plans and that’s how he wants it to be. “My goal is to get to a place where I am making records and touring frequently, which is where I kind of am now, but I don’t project beyond that,” he says. “I don’t think we will ever stop touring because it’s so engrained in me. I love being home but being on the road is what I do; but we change it up because I can’t see a year where I’m not on the road in some form. While McMahon contends that he will take a little more time off than usual from the road in 2010, he will never give up his passion for writing music. With tentative plans to return home in November for a much-needed break, he plans to write some new material with the intent to enter the studio sometime in 2011. As for other options outside of music, McMahon jokes about the idea of an alternate career. “I could become a yoga instructor, that is one thing I do when I’m home,” he laughs. “But honestly I can’t see another option in my life. When I’m home, I just normally eat good food with my wife and see my friends, but at this moment I think music is my purpose and I will experiment in that format for as long as I can.”
“When you are in the care of others, they can help you get through the physical aspect, but you are not prepared for what comes afterwards,and that is what the album was really about.”
GUITARIST BOBBY "RAW" ANDERSON
MUSIC EDITOR JASON STIVES WITH FRONTMAN ANDREW MCMAHON
speaking about...
Something Corporate
ANDREW MCMAHON BASSIST JONATHAN “DR. J” SULLIVAN
COURTESY OF RHAPSODY.COM
While Andrew McMahon’s time in Jack’s Mannequin has been a productive and critically acclaimed period, he is never one to shy away from discussing his time before Jack’s, in particular as the front man for the piano rock fused band Something Corporate. For seven years, Something Corporate was one of the premiere alt rock acts to emanate from Orange County, Calif., delivering to sell out crowds and a large fan base that carried over into McMahon’s time in Jack’s Mannequin. Comparing the two bands is like comparing two different lives for McMahon but both very gratifying to say the least. “Jack’s is a little more of a self actualized thing—it’s headspace. Where as Something Corporate was blistering and intense experience and everything else all at once,” he says. “That experience was a real trip. Just seeing the road and the business for the first time with some great friends and band mates made for a lot of great firsts.” The early success Andrew received with Something Corporate was quite a journey and one that made the band stand out amongst a changing music industry. The band’s highest charting release, 2003’s North, reaching at an impressive #32 amongst a myriad of media coverage that saw the band make appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The rush of the band’s rise coupled with four impressive studio releases all came with the eventual lessons he would use in Jacks on how to handle the music industry. “I think that also came out of being a teenager in high school and then signed, it was tricky but with Jacks it was taking all those lessons, things that were done well things that weren’t and things we more sustained when we did Jack’s. Taking from Something Corporate and applying it to Jack’s.” Outside of a surprise appearance on the main stage at the Bamboozle Left in 2006, Something Corporate has remained on hiatus since Jack’s Mannequin’s formation, with fans clamoring for a possible reunion. However, McMahon isn’t shy about addressing reunion rumors even if those hopes are uncertain. “Concrete would be the wrong thing to say so that’s why I haven’t come out and said it,” he says. “Conversations exist and have been, and I think we are closer to the idea of maybe doing some shows. But until everything is laid out I’m not going to confirm anything, and when we know, you will know.”
Page 6 • Inside Beat
October 22, 2009
Fashion • TV
Fashion Of Film Some of the greatest movies of all time have the potential to inspire an entire wardrobe — from classic jackets to edgy accessories.
GREASE
Sexy, tight and totally “electrifyin’!” The iconic leather jacket has proven to be a timeless staple since Olivia Newton John rocked it in the classic 1978 film.
COURTESY OF COMEDY CENTRAL
BY MICHAEL MALVASIO • FASHION EDITOR
The Jeff Dunham Show Comedy Central, Thursdays 9 p.m. | F
BY TOM WRIGHT-PIERSANTI TV EDITOR
LEATHER PANTS: $36TOPSHOP; BELT: $50TOPSHOP; TOP: $17.80FOREVER 21; HEELS: $90- JESSICA SIMPSON; LEATHER COAT: $40- FOREVER 21
PRETTY IN PINK
Start looking like it’s 1986 with oversized blazers, old school suspenders and funky accessories.
A man takes a stage and spews racism, sexism and homophobia, as an enormous, raucous audience hoots and hollers at his every word. Contrary to what you might be thinking, this isn’t a description of a recent meeting of the Ku Klux Klan. It is the scene any time “comedian” Jeff Dunham takes the stage. Dunham’s ventriloquist dummies — that’s right, he’s a ventriloquist — have earned him a large and devoted fan base. Now his upsettingly popular act has been turned into a TV show where he and his puppets travel off the stage and into the real world, interacting with actual people. Audiences across the nation squeal with delight when, for example, Achmed the Dead Terrorist shouts his catch phrase: “I kill you!” And that’s about as deep as his material gets. His skeleton Muslim makes jokes demeaning Middle Eastern culture; cranky old man Walter hates blacks and gay people; the redneck Bubba J drinks beer and hates ever yone. And all the while, Dunham stands next to these characters, speaking the vile words without moving his lips and pretending to be shocked. He’s a coward. He’s a mass-appeal racist who profits off the fears of white, God and minority-fearing Americans while using some pieces of felt and a few puzzled looks to distance himself from his own hate speech. On the show’s first episode, a therapist admits that he is gay to the puppet Walter, and the audience groans and shrieks, because they know what’s coming next: Intolerance!
Meanwhile, Achmed takes the stage at a comedy club and makes jokes about having sex with goats and selling his wife. His impression of President Barack Obama consists of him saying, “I am not a Muslim, dawg.” Again, the audience gasps for air between uproarious belly laughs. Next we see Bubba J at a shooting range. He rests on Dunham’s arm as he stands behind a black man shooting a gun and asks, “Are you practicing to get drugs?” (The man’s ears are conveniently plugged.) Then Bubba meets a man who shares his love of guns, and we’re treated to a romantic montage — which is funny, because Bubba hates gay people. And in the rare instances where Dunham’s creations aren’t spewing bigotry, the jokes just fall flat. A segment where the hairy purple puppet Peanut meets Brooke Hogan lasts three dreadful, humorless minutes, but it feels like an eternity. It’s almost as if Dunham is physically incapable of writing jokes for a situation in which some group isn’t being derided. The audience is at fault here, too. They aren’t laughing because they think it’s absurd that someone would say such hateful things in this day and age. They’re not laughing at the puppets. They’re laughing with the puppets. They find him funny because he voices the underlying fears they all feel in a nation that’s slipping from their grasp. Jeff Dunham is the FOX News of comedy; he provides a haven where the elite can mock and deride a culture shifting toward equality and harmony. Comedy Central should be ashamed of themselves for airing this filth, as should audiences for tuning in (unsurprisingly, the premiere’s 5.3 million viewers was a record-high for the network). But is fame and fortune worth it if you get there by propagating fear and hatred?
DESIGNER DOUBLE TAKE BY ROSANNA VOLIS STAFF WRITER
TOP: $23- HERTIAGE; BLAZER: $42- HERTIAGE; BRACLETS: $8- TOPMAN; SUNGLASSES: $60TOPMAN; SUSPENDERS: $30- TOPMAN; WATCH: $50- TOPMAN
THE EDGE OF LOVE
Bring back the old and make it new again by pairing 1940s inspired floral blouses and chunky cardigans with baggy boots and pleated skirts.
CARDIGAN: $40- TOPSHOP; FEDORA: $44- TOPSHOP; TOP: $50- TOPSHOP; BOOTS: $188- TOPSHOP; SKIRT: $16FOREVER 21
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but what about when it comes to fashion? “To me, it’s the greatest compliment. Even when I see a copy, something that’s inspired by something I’ve done, it’s a rewarding feeling,” said fashion legend Marc Jacobs in an interview with Teen Vogue. As college students, not many of us have the cash to spend on a $1,000 Marc Jacobs bag. Luckily for us, we have stores like H&M, where an inspired piece can easily be found. Despite the thrill a shopper gets when she discovers a skirt comparable to a Prada at Target for a quarter of the price, not all designers consider it flattering when these chains rip off their hard work. In fact, most hate it when magazines draw attention to knock-offs in features that showcase high-end items next to cheaper pieces that are strikingly similar. The fashion-forward force that is Forever 21 has run into trouble with the law with almost 13 lawsuits a year according to Cocoperez.com. Designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Anna Sui and Gwen Stefani are outraged by the store’s blatant imitation of their designs. Forever 21’s most recent trouble has been with Trovata, a California-based company whose laid-back designs are praised in the industry. The company claimed back in 2007 that the store “willfully and intentionally copied its designs on seven garments,” and also accused
which one is which?
MCQUEEN
Forever 21 of “trade dress infringement.” This claim means that the look of a certain item reminds consumers of a particular brand. Forever 21 made $529,000 in sales from the copied garments. After two years of litigation, the two companies finally came to a settlement. Forever 21 isn’t the only brand that has had problems with infringement. Famous companies like Target and Steve Madden have recently endured the wrath of infuriated designers who feel as if they have been swindled of their money from the sales of these products. According to CNNmoney.com, handbag manufacturer Coach is seeking $1 million from Target for alleged trademark infringement, claiming that the discounter sold a counterfeit Coach bag in at least one of its stores. The bag carried the signature “C” logo of a genuine Coach bag, and copied other features such as the “Coach” tag. Target responded by saying they believed the bag was a genuine Coach product. In 2006, the two companies settled out of court for a different handbag. Since there is no copyright law as of yet for fashion, as mad as these designers get, there really isn’t much they can do. The best a designer trying to appease the thrifty masses can do is create a secondary cheaper line like Vera Wang for Kohl’s or Isaac Mizrahi for Target. For now, retailers will continue bragging about the $400 dress they carry that looks just like the one Angelina Jolie wore for three times the price, giving fashion lovers everywhere the ability to look fabulous at any price.
STEVE MADDEN
October 22, 2009
Inside Beat • Page 7
Music
Vintage Vital
Coconut Hotel by The Red Krayola
ASSISTANT EDITOR
The ultimate disappearing act and outstanding shape-shifters, The Red Krayola are not musicians, they are magicians. Emerging out of Texas’ University of St. Thomas, singer/guitarist and visual artist Mayo Thompson, along with drummer Frederick Barthelme (brother of novelist Donald Barthelme) and Steve Cunningham proved they were ahead of a plethora of eras and genres that would surface in the time to come. Avant-garde to the core, they epitomized the prevalent topic of the ’60s: experimentation. Shortly after signing with International Artists the band released the psychedelic Parable of Arable Land in 1967, an album described by Thompson as a “free-form freak-out.” The abstract lyrics wed to minimalist melodies revealed and emphasized their love of dissonant noise. The Red Krayola delved into a myriad of musical styles, including Tex-Mex, pop, blues, psychedelic rock, folk and country, but they always engrain a signature of cacophony that never lets the listener forget exactly whose music they are listening to. Harping on this attachment to atonal severity, The Red Krayola produces their sophomore album Coconut Hotel — only the album never saw the light of day until
1995 due to its lack of commercial appeal. Somehow the band has managed to weave in out of various decades with various albums, but the ghost of Coconut Hotel lurked in the background of their sporadic career. The record boasts a total of 44 tracks, but its length is deflated by the 35 tracks that only last a few seconds, all aptly titled “One-Second Pieces.” The remaining 12 tracks diverge in terms of meaning. Songs such as “Free Guitar,” “Vocal” and “Organ Buildup,” seem truly literal, while, contrastingly, “Water Pour” and “Boards” are excessively abstract and metaphorical; as if Jackson Pollack and Willem de Kooning were making music instead of paintings. This is the band that was paid $10 to stop performing at Berkeley. This is the band that made The Velvet Underground look mainstream. This is the band whose sanity you certainly doubt. Although most, if not all, of Coconut Hotel may seem like it has been ripped-off of GarageBand’s samples, the production timing certifies its originality and brilliance. Whether or not you remember The Red Krayola past this point, traces of these artists and Coconut Hotel will undoubtedly appear and re-appear in various locations and eras, trying to remind you that conformity is for the weak and creative control is paramount.
Flight of the Conchords
Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, the geniuses behind musical comedy act Flight of the Conchords, struggled for years before breaking out with a hit television series in 2007. The duo has been at wo--rk ever since, releasing a six-song EP, The Distant Future, and a self-titled full-length album following season one. Season two’s set list, I Told You I Was Freaky, features 13 well-produced, hilarious new songs. Although a few jokes on the album
Logo | A-
BY AMY ROWE STAFF WRITER
Bradford Cox successfully delivers an extroverted shoegaze masterpiece with the release of his solo project, Atlas Sound’s sophomore album, Logos. The Deerhunter frontman has stated in interviews prior to its release that the album is “not about me,” a clear departure from his first album that featured autobiographical lyrics. Logos features other noted artists lending their vocals to two of the album’s most notable tracks. Noah Lennox, a.k.a Panda Bear from Animal Collective, accompanies Cox in the song “Walkabout,” a song that contains a funky retro keyboard sample playing throughout its entirety. The track is the most poppy song on the album and is quite accessible. Stereolab vocalist Laetitia Sadier wrote and sings the
BY MARC MANCE STAFF WRITER
relate to series plot lines, each song will keep first-time listeners cracking up all the way through. “Hur t Feelings,” begins the album with Bret and Jemaine explaining that, “Some people say that rappers don’t have feelings / we have feelings / some people say that we are not rappers / we’re rappers.” Bret and Jemaine navigate through genre and style, keeping their musical satire exciting, while rap and hip-hop provide their main influence. “Sugalumps,” is a clear play on “My Humps” (Black Eyed Peas) and “We’re Both in Love With A Sexy Lady,” contributes a comical take on R&B. “You Don’t Have to Be a Prostitute,” sets a reggae/island vibe as
lyrics of “Quick Canal,” a song that is brilliant even without her lyrics. Alone, “Quick Canal” floats along for nearly nine minutes of Cox’s distor ted dr ums and bass groove, paving the way for a delicious shoegaze-y few minutes reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless.” “Shelia” is one of the album’s catchiest tracks. It has an apparent ’60s pop influence, evident with the sappy lyrics “Shelia / you’ll be my wife / you’ll share my life / ’Cause no one wants to die alone.” However, it has a bit of a dark edge via Cox’s croon as he sings, “When we die we’ll bur y ourselves / we’ll die alone together.” All of the songs on the album are intriguing and worth a listen, for they are quite cohesive. This album commands much admiration for Cox. He plays ever y instrument, remixes and shapes each sound, and brings it all together for a ver y solid album.
Cycles | B+
COURTESY OF SUBPOP
STAFF WRITER
Atlas Sound
Car tel
I Told You I Was Freaky | B+
BY ARIYEH CARNI
COURTESY OF MYSPACE.COM/ATLASSOUND
BY STACY DOUEK
Bret tries to convince Jemaine to quit his night job, and Jemaine lists the all the crazy ways he has been dumped in the super-catchy “Carol Brown” (who took a “bus out of town.”) “Fashion Is Danger,” showcases Bowie-esque vocals and a synth line straight from the ’80s, as the duo spits out fashion clichés as fast as the disco inspired beat can carry them. If you have already seen the show, the album provides you with a catalogue of the songs from season two, but with increased production and value. If you haven’t, the album will definitely convert you into a Flight-head. Either way, the album will beg you to play it for your friends.
There is one word that the Georgia-based pop rock group Cartel’s newest album Cycles screams, and that’s “comeback.” “Let me reintroduce myself / As a man with a cause” lead singer Will Pugh sings in the opening lyrics of the album. These words foreshadow what is to come for the next 11 tracks, which are infectious melodies and sing-a-longs similar to the sound they had on their first album, Chroma. The band seems to acknowledge the fact that their last ef for t, 2007’s Car tel, was a disappointment, and that they are back on the right track. And it’s true — Cycles is the exact progression Cartel should have taken from Chroma. Right
from the start, they bust out the explosive choruses that hook on quickly, making you learn the words and sing along after a listen or two. And Pugh’s shining vocals are the ones to blame for the catchiness in his lyrics. With the energy and emotion he puts in songs like “The Perfect Mistake” or “Typical,” his voice sets him apart from the other pop rock acts out there. And that’s what made Cartel who they were on Chroma. Though it is a huge comeback from their self-titled album, Cycles is no Chroma Part 2. Their music has matured a little, but sometimes the lyrics sound tired and recycled. And toward the middle of the album, there are some tracks that seem like filler, but it quickly picks up the pace. At the end the album, Pugh states, “But I’ve done my best an undecided hear t makes such a mess.” Yes, they have done their best, and clearly show they put their all into Cycles.
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