The Hoya: The Guide: March 29, 2019

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FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019

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Georgetown Psychics Offer Guidance, Entertainment YASMINE SALAM Hoya Staff Writer

Just beyond the front gates, Georgetown University students can find several psychic shops on neighboring Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. Within 3 miles of the Hilltop, students can find 12 locations for tarot card readings, palmistry and promises of connecting with those who have passed away.

From fortune tellers and frauds to clairvoyants and mediums, psychics are labelled differently depending on who you ask. They use crystal balls on our TV screens and promise us routes to another world for just $100, while also hearing about our deepest life concerns.

Some students are looking only for entertainment; others consult psychics for career or relationship advice. Though some customers leave feeling scammed, people continue to visit psychics because of life’s unpredictability, according to sociology professor Sarah Stiles.

“People are searching for answers, and when there is a time of uncertainty, especially among marginalized people who can’t find answers, they don’t have power and they are searching for something,” Stiles said in an interview with The Hoya.

PROFILING PSYCHICS

A wide range of psychics, with different specialties and practices, exists, according to Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. Radford has investigated psychics and paranormal activity for over 15 years, using scientific approaches to shed light on topics he labels pseudoscience, from ghosts and alternative medicine to astrology and aliens.

Certain psychics claim to predict the future or solve criminal cases, while others practice numerology, the belief in the mystical relationship between a number and coinciding events. Clairvoyants can connect with people who have died or are not physically present with the client. The average psychic storefront or medium is usually run by a woman who claims to have — and believes to have — special sensitivities, according to Radford.

While many people are tempted to label all psychics as scams, Radford cautioned against this stereotype.

“Most of these psychics are sincere. To be clear, there are hoaxers and scammers among psychics, but they are the exception rather than the rule,” Radford said in an interview with The Hoya. “The psychics that I have encountered both professionally and personally are sincere people. They genuinely believe they have these powers.”

Nabil Kapasi (SFS ’20), who recently visited Readings by Mrs. Jessica on M Street, did not doubt the intentions behind the psychic who told his fortune. (Full disclosure: Kapasi is a former member of The Hoya’s editorial board.)

“I got the sense that she believed in what she was doing,” Kapasi said. “It was not just a business but something she saw as an art almost and wanted to give people insights that would be helpful to them.”

But Danae Alogoskoufi (COL ’20), who visited the same psychic shop as Kapasi last year, was not convinced.

“The psychic said both general and specific things about me,” Alogoskoufi wrote in a message to The Hoya. “The general statements could be applied to anyone, so it felt pointless. The more specific predictions and inferences were completely inapplicable to my life. So overall, I left very unimpressed and felt scammed.”

Jessica declined to give an interview with The Hoya.

Charley, a psychic who has practiced spiritual healing in Washington, D.C., for over 30 years, called herself a “seventh-generation psychic healer,” as the tradition has run through her family for centuries.

Charley explained that she regularly encounters people who do not initially believe in her abilities.

“I actually love to read a skeptic because they usually walk out a believer. I’ve definitely read skeptics,” Charley said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I don’t force myself on people, because this is all based on energy.

So if you are very guarded, it’s harder to read, and I just believe that energy-wise you should not invade people’s personal space.”

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Charley runs The Psychic Shop in Dupont Circle, where she offers a range of different services, such as alternative medicine and ancient meditation practices.

“My shop is considered a wellness center,” Charley said. “I do reiki healing, chakra work, tarot card readings, palmistry and many more.”

The most popular readings at The Psychic Shop are closely tied between tarot cards and palm readings. While palm readings are more individualized to each client’s experiences, tarot cards focus on more of the social aspects of people’s lives, according to Charley.

“Palm reading is more personal and about yourself and your path,” Charley said. “Tarot

PINTEREST

Psychics use a number of different techniques to predict the future or offer advice, and these techniques can vary greatly from one psychic to another.

LADAWNA HOWARD/FACEBOOK

Psychics have a strong presence in the Georgetown area, with several shops just a short walk away on both Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. The shops offer services from tarot card readings to communicating with departed loved ones.

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Dupont, because I’m not far from Georgetown or GW,” Charley said. “Even here in Dupont we read some of the people that work in government since we’re in D.C.” Psychic shops’ locations are important for their business model to survive, according to Stiles.

“They wouldn’t be here if there weren’t a market. It’s a business,” Stiles said. “Every business you’ve got to make money and you’ve got to make enough money to stay in business. You’ve got a whole college population between GW and Georgetown who are up for something new, something interesting. It’s inexpensive: five bucks. It’s been five bucks forever, and that’s to get you in the door.”

POSITIONS OF POWER

LAST WEEK TONIGHT/YOUTUBE

Comedian John Oliver, above, alleged that modern media outlets have promoted the growing industry of psychics, healers and mediums. With psychics’ increased prominence, fears have grown about potential abuses by these professionals. card readings are going to give information about yourself but also significant people in your life: lovers, families, coworkers. So if people have relationship questions, we would suggest a tarot card reading. If you have more questions about your own path, like, for example, what kind of career you should follow or something like that, then we would probably do a palm reading.”

Both Kapasi and Alogoskoufi opted for palm readings at Readings by Mrs. Jessica because at $10 it was cheapest.

“She basically just asked to see my dominant hand and started saying things about my past and my future,” Kapasi said. “It was pretty interesting.”

Though it was Kapasi’s first time visiting a psychic, he said he would return because of the perspective he gained.

“I was curious; I thought it might be helpful to get an outsider perspective on my life, I guess, and just see,” Kapasi said. “I didn’t think there was any harm in trying and I’m glad I did it.”

PRIME LOCATION

CHELSEA C/YELP

Through something as simple as the palm of a hand or the draw of a card, psychics claim to offer a higher level of foresight and guidance.

About 25 psychic shops are scattered across D.C., according to Yelp, with many more lacking an online presence. Before working in Dupont Circle, Charley began performing readings near Capitol Hill in 1989.

“I started off near Capitol Hill, I had an office on Second and Penn. I stayed there for a few years and it got almost a little boring because I felt like I was reading the same types of people over and over again,” Charley said.

“And then I took a ride through Dupont and fell in love with the area and felt like it was such a melting pot and I’ve been in Dupont ever since.”

Charley is one of the capital’s top three fortune tellers, according to Washington City Paper. Being a psychic in the District means people ranging from politicians, young professionals, students from The George Washington University and older residents stop by to get a reading from Charley.

“It’s such a mix; that’s why I love being in

Last month, British comedian John Oliver called out the $2.2 billion psychic industry in his popular late-night show, blaming sensationalist media outlets for promoting an industry of psychics, mediums and healers that, in Oliver’s account, scam customers.

Approximately 40 percent of Americans believe psychics can give accurate readings, according to a 2018 poll by Pew Research Center.

As a psychologist and prominent U.S. skeptic, Radford echoed Oliver’s takedown of the psychic industry, blaming the rising social acceptance of a psychic’s abilities on the media and entertainment industry.

“People need to keep in mind that what you’re seeing on TV, it’s entertainment — it’s not informational. The goal of the show is to entertain you and make you believe that the psychic is real, but they are not telling you the other side of the story,” Radford said.

For some students, a trip to a local psychic is more of a way to pass time than genuine belief in such special powers. Julianna Hoff (SFS ’20) said both her visits to nearby Georgetown psychics were for entertainment.

“I went more for a laugh rather than to take it seriously,” Hoff said. “It was more something to do with my friends than me going seeking answers. The psychics were very interesting; I feel like they really played the role of psychics. They try to make themselves look more mysterious than they actually are.”

With many Americans believing in the ability to predict the future, some clients make serious life decisions based on a reading by a psychic. Radford said in certain cases people choose who to date or marry, what job to take or where to live based on a reading.

“There is this appeal to authority,” Radford said. “So you can look at the position that psychics have in society as similar to a priest or a rabbi or a witch doctor. Someone who is claiming to be a conduit to another world. In some cases it’s fine; in other cases it can be easily abused. It’s in some cases, the courses of people’s lives are being changed based upon information of psychics.”

Despite claims to special powers, psychics are generally harmless, according to Hoff.

“I think it’s part of the human psyche to want to know the future,” Hoff said. “There are some people that take it way too seriously and actually base their life decisions on these readings. I don’t see too much harm in it as long as you take everything they tell you with a grain of salt.”

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MOVIE REVIEW

MONKEY PAW PRODUCTIONS

Establishing Jordan Peele as one of the strongest directors of his generation, “Us” offers a scathing commentary on class and privilege without becoming pedantic. With standout performances by Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, “Us” will keep audiences thinking about its central metaphor even after the film ends.

‘Us’ Critiques Society Using Horror Genre Directed by: Jordan Peele Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss SEAN FULMER Hoya Staff Writer

The highly anticipated Jordan Peele film “Us” holds a mirror up to society, revealing the terrifying consequences of its actions.

This horror masterpiece crafts a brilliant rumination on the terrors that the oppressive forces of privilege create for others, bolstered by an Oscar-worthy performance

by Lupita Nyong’o. In the world that Peele creates, even the seemingly innocuous line “we are Americans,” will send shivers down audience members’ spines.

“Us” centers on a family vacationing in Santa Cruz, Calif., where the family matriarch, Adelaide Wilson, played by Nyong’o, had a traumatic experience as a child that would come back throughout her life.

The film shows a flashback younger Adelaide, played by Madison Curry, wanders away from her family at the boardwalk and ends up alone on the beach. The camera stays at the height of young Adelaide, who clutches a stark red candy apple to her chest as she stands staring at the intimidating storm clouds approaching before finding herself in an abandoned hall of mirrors.

Returning to that same beach on vacation with her husband Gabe and her children Zora, portrayed by Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Jason, played by Evan Alex, rightfully scares her. Gabe, played by Winston Duke, dismisses her fears, however, so they can meet up with family friends, the Tylers, portrayed by Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss. Despite her ominous memories, Adelaide’s fears go unrealized at the beach, and the family heads home for the night where the perfect second act kicks into gear.

That night, their son, Jason, points out that a family of four is standing eerily in the driveway. As Gabe attempts to drive the intruders off the property, the family rushes and forcefully enters the house. As the Wilsons huddle on the couch, the intruders reveal themselves to be the family’s perverse doppelgangers. The same actors who play the Wilsons play the doppelgangers called the Tethered, imbuing members of the family with sinister qualities and actions.

Although all of the performances are terrific, Nyong’o’s performance as Red is especially heartstopping and award-worthy.

Red is the leader of the Tethered family, and Nyong’o haunts as she haltingly croaks

her lines.

The performances of the entire cast are astounding, from Moss’ entitled housewife to Duke’s dorky dad. Nyong’o, however, shines brightest in “Us,” her first leading role in a feature film. Nyong’o masters the task of balancing her two roles to perfection.

Although the film terrifies, its humor also stands out among its generation of cinema. While Gabe functions as the typical comic relief throughout the film, he pulls off the trope in an unexpected fashion. Audiences will laugh and gasp in the same breath throughout the movie, as Peele never lets the viewer relax and get a hold of the proceedings.

The humorous elements fade away, however, in the complex third act, which devolves into some messy exposition of the movie’s themes. Despite this fallback, Peele truly surprises in his movie’s fitting ending.

Peele does not take shortcuts throughout this film, preventing the standard horror twists from feeling like cheap tropes.

Audiences will be tempted to compare “Us” with Peele’s directorial debut, “Get Out,” but they will enjoy “Us” much more if they consider it on its own. “Get Out”

 was a perfectly crafted script that innovatively commented on racial issues in America, leading to its deserved win of the 2018 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. “Us,” falls within the horrorthriller genre more straightforwardly. Unlike Peele’s previous film, he did not make “Us” to comment on racial politics again, according to The Guardian. “Us” deals with multiple themes and ideas that inspire rewatching, even if they sometimes become hard to follow.

“Us” is a cinematic masterpiece that cements Peele’s place among the greatest directors of our generation. Despite receiving almost five times the budget allotted to “Get Out,” Peele refuses to stray from discussing the difficult issues of the human condition in his films for more typical blockbuster themes.

While comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick are apt, Peele is a wholly original director with a cinematic flair and comedic sense like no other. Expect to see more movies like “Us” and “Get Out” gaining similar accolades, because Peele has seemingly revived the horror genre and brought it into the world of critical acclaim.

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ALBUM REVIEW

FLUME/FACEBOOK

In his first release since 2016, Australian producer Flume, above, explores a more experimental side of electronica on his mixtape “Hi This Is Flume.” Shying away from centering lyrics and other conventional elements of songwriting, Flume puts his usual aesthetic to the side as he focuses on edgy songs that challenge industry expectations.

‘Hi This Is Flume’ Pushes Limits of Electronica HI THIS IS FLUME

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Flume GABRIELLE IRWIN Hoya Staff Writer

Australian electronic music producer Flume is back with a new mixtape, titled “Hi This Is Flume.”

Ever since his 2012 hits “Holdin On” and “Sleepless,” Flume dove headfirst into the mainstream of electronic beats and has remained a key player in the electronica scene. However, it has been three years since his last album, “Skin,” which has left his listeners hungry for more.

“Hi This Is Flume” might not be what fans expected to hear. The album is a stand-alone in Flume’s discography as an extremely experimental creation.

The songs are hardly separate, blending smoothly, which almost forces the listener to go through the songs in order.

The vibe of the mixtape as a whole is quite abstract; the songs consist more of razor sharp beats and indistinct sounds than a melody and lyrics, a deviation from what Flume’s songs traditionally do.

The opening track alone is joltingly unfamiliar; it is 28 seconds of Flume’s voice saying, “Hi, this is Flume,” which

layers over itself and maniacally draws the listener into Flume’s mind. The rap verses on tracks such as “High Beams,” featuring slowthai, and “How to Build a Relationship,” featuring JPEGMAFIA, cut through the haze of the background noise nicely.

The two rappers deliver clean verses, which amplify the effects of the psychedelic sounds while tethering them to something concrete for the listener. The album as a whole fuses well despite the varying beats used in each of the songs, which creates a hectic and out-of-thisworld atmosphere.

His exploration into experimental beat mixing and sound incorporation is entrancing, with not all of his vibe lost in his newfound style. There is just enough of his distinct and dreamy synths in the tracks to appeal to his fans while still offering them something completely different.

Even the album cover artwork stands out in his discography; his other albums are in shades of blues, purples and grays.

Flume’s latest album cover, however, depicts the headlight of a bright orange and blue car with 1970s-era stickers and a man staring out over a cliff, and is just

as eclectic and abstract as its music.

Flume intended for this mixtape to stand in contrast with his previous ones, and its title decries that this is who he is as an artist, or at the very least, that this is the style he wishes to pursue. It is by no means a mixtape of hits, but the beauty is that it is not meant to be; it is countercultural in every way.

Even in its starkness, there is a mystique about “Hi This Is Flume” that does not get lost in the agressive beats. All of Flume’s emphasis is on his beats, and everything else is solely an accessory.

“Hi This Is Flume” stresses how important it is for artists to follow their creative process so that artistic integrity is maintained and listeners can be exposed to new audio experiences like this mixtape.

The few lyrics of the mixtape seem to reinforce the focal point of self establishment and originality while rejecting mainstream lifestyles that obsess over social media, money and ambition.

In “High Beams,” JPEGMAFIA raps, “Could be anyone / that wouldn’t be me” and “Need a safe line and a life in the caption / why you live for insta?” Flume addresses the dilemma between pursu-

ing yourself and fitting nicely into the aesthetic that society deems desirable.

The rest of the songs share the same edgy, rebellious impression, which promulgates the idea that his latest album is one meant to disrupt the status quo instead of buying into it. Flume even has an opera-like track, “Is it Cold in the Water?” which only accentuates the eerie mysticality of the world this album creates.

“Hi This Is Flume” almost sounds alien, with one of the songs titled completely in abstract symbols and with indistinguishable crooning throughout the track list.

It is surprising and exciting to listen to, because it walks a very thin line between absolute genius and madness.

Flume’s latest release certainly marks a new style for the talented artist. He craftily plays with sound to induce madness, wonder or both in his listeners, and creates a completely distinctive musical experience for them.

Is the album one to listen to over and over? Maybe not, but “Hi This Is Flume” should exist, should be experienced and should encourage other artists to swim against the mainstream as Flume successfully has.

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NOVEL IDEAS

‘The Quarry Wood’ Emphasizes the Power of Education Kathryn Baker At the beginning of March, I hit an academic wall. Having coasted through two months at St. Andrews with relative ease, I suddenly found myself bombarded by deadlines for essays, my thesis proposal and my application to Georgetown’s accelerated graduate program. I was floundering, and I couldn’t seem to shake the fear that my grades would plummet and never recover.

This fear sounds dramatic, I know. But as someone who has always loved attending school and writing essays, replacing my passion for English study with thoughts like “Why am I even trying?” or “Maybe I just can’t do this” shattered me. Having lost my drive, I wanted to call it quits and head home — almost.

For the past month, I have been reading Nan Shepherd’s 1928 novel “The Quarry

Wood,” which follows Martha Ironside on her quest to pursue higher education and gain independence despite the setbacks she faces. Martha is the black sheep in her family, who do not fully appreciate her desire to leave home and attend college.

In pursuing her passions, Martha must choose herself over her family.

While reading, I was struck not just by the lengths to which Martha goes to further her education, such as biking to and from her university in gruesome weather conditions, but also by her exuberant attitude toward learning. She has an insatiable curiosity, which Shepherd describes when she writes, “She had the control that comes of purpose; her purpose was the getting of knowledge. There was no end to the things that one could know.”

For Martha, the acquisition of knowledge is worth every sacrifice: every disparaging comment from her family, every bike ride and every lost love. At the beginning of the novel, Martha is trapped in a spiritual quarry that stifles her progress; in the end, she ascends from the quarry with a newfound maturity and intellect.

In light of International Women’s Day, which took place earlier this month, it is fitting that “The Quarry Wood” also tells

a story of feminine resilience in the face of social pressures. Martha was expected to take care of her family and get married, but she defied those expectations to seek what made her, not others, happy.

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to attend Georgetown University, which was not a fully coed institution until 1969, when there are women around the world who are still fighting for this opportunity.

I may be tired and dejected at times, but I am at least at university thanks to women like Martha and Shepherd, who fought for their seats.

Like Martha, I found myself trapped in a mental quarry earlier this month. I was stuck in a pit, and rather than search it for minerals or gems, I dwelled in its darkness. But Martha’s journey inspired me to stay curious and let the pursuit of knowledge guide me, rather than constructed measures of success.

She helped me once again see school as a place to explore my academic interests and not simply as a necessary stepping stone to financial security.

Once I ascended from my quarry, I could see that things were, and still are, perfectly fine. Later that week, I received marks on my first essay for my Renaissance litera-

ture course and breathed a huge sigh of relief because I did better than I had hoped.

I narrowed down my thesis topic and successfully submitted my proposal on time.

I wrote this column, after almost a month out of print.

Nan Shepherd’s 1928 novel portrays a woman who, above all else, will fight for the education that she knows she deserves and has earned.

I know my academic quarry, like any pit, will not disappear overnight, and I will likely fall into it again. However, “The Quarry Wood” reminds me that learning is exciting and knowledge is freeing. Like Shepherd writes, there is no end to what we can know, and I am realizing that college is only the beginning.

Kathryn Baker is a junior in the College.

NOVEL IDEAS appears in print every other Friday.

AFTER HOURS

Friendship Macaron Cafe Offers Cute, Tasty Sweets Ye Bin Won Strolling into Friendship Macaron Cafe, the first thing I saw was pink. It’s so aggressively pink everywhere — the alcove, the door, the chairs — that it took a minute for me to absorb it all. The untainted bright white walls and the smell of fresh paint made the 18th Street shop remind me of one word: unapologetic.

The menu charts a wide array of tarts, coffee, puddings and, of course, macarons.

The specialties of this store are impossible to miss — placed in the display case, the colors of the macarons are just as loud and opinionated as the store, with bright yellow, pink, green and blue dotting the display.

“The macarons we sell are from Korea!” the lady at the counter said. “Well, we make it, but our founder learned the technique there.”

To this, my little Korean ears perked up.

“Is the owner Korean?” I asked, and the lady confirmed. As my friends mulled over their macaron choices, I asked if I could chat

with the owner. “Sure,” the lady said before disappearing into the kitchen.

As I waited, I squinted at the menu on the wall and was immediately transported back to my favorite cafe in Gangbuk in Seoul, South Korea.

The owner and I immediately bonded, both of us giddy to be speaking in our native tongue. As we chatted over her mango yogurt and earl grey macarons, I learned that she immigrated to the United States after graduating college and meeting her husband here. She opened this restaurant in February 2019 with her husband’s encouragement to share her love for baking with the Washington, D.C., community.

“Honestly, I’m still really worried,” she said, looking down at her display. “We just opened, so there’s a lot still up in the air. I kept telling my husband, ‘Who would eat my food other than you and the kids?’ But he supported me when I went back to Korea to learn this technique of macarons and he supported me when I opened this shop.”

I take a bite and tell her how delicious it is, and it’s not because I’m trying to be polite; the macarons are just like the ones I’ve had in Korea. The earl grey macaron is buttery, crunchy and pleasantly true to its flavor, with pieces of earl grey tea leaves in the buttercream, which I found delightful, while the mango yogurt has a beautiful

color and an intense yet natural mango flavor.

Immediately, her face brightens up as she recounts how the flavor was a customer suggestion that she worked tirelessly to bring to fruition. She picked up her tongs and carefully rearranged the macarons in the display, the wild colors glaring at me under the unforgiving LED light.

Run by a Korean immigrant who wants to share her love of baking with Washington, D.C., Friendship Macaron Cafe infuses new, daring flavors into the classic sweet treat.

When I asked what her mission is for the shop, she replied that she wants to maintain the highest quality baking as each dessert feels like one of her children. On raising her actual children, the owner has been a stayat-home mom for over a decade.

In this, Friendship Macaron is a risk, a new chapter of her life that she is passionate yet frightened about, but she trusts in the quality of her macarons. As I bit into her

peanut butter macaron, with the light, buttery frosting bursting out, I vigorously nodded my head.

At the urging of the owner, I also tried the coffee offered on the menu. I ordered grapefruit coffee, which I chose simply because I was intrigued as to what its taste and aroma profile would be like. Would it taste like there was grapefruit juice squeezed in it? Or would the beans smell a bit of my Neutrogena grapefruit makeup wipes?

When the piping cup of coffee arrived, I’d already arranged my Oreo cream cheese macaron, a true-to-original reincarnation, and the berrylicious, a very berry treat with blueberry-studded buttercream. The moment I sipped the coffee, I was surprised by its slight hint of citrus and clean, wellrounded finish that leaves none of the bitter aftertaste that one usually associates with citrus and bad coffee beans.

As I devoured the berrylicious macaron, my friends motioned to me that it was time to leave. Wiping the buttercream off of my lips, I bowed to the owner, wished her the best of luck, and left the shop still licking my lips.

Ye Bin Won is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service. AFTER HOURS appears in print every other Friday.

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CONCERT REVIEW

@GABIDEVEREAUX/INSTAGRAM

Peter Sagar, formerly Mac DeMarco’s guitarist, above, performed at the Black Cat and impressed audiences with his lo-fi synth sound and passionate, unapologetic personality. His music reflects his interest in experimentation, the avant-garde and surrealism, resulting in a hazy and dazed effect.

Despite Criticism, Homeshake’s Synth Sound Appeals MEGAN WEE

Hoya Staff Writer

Homeshake, the solo musical project by Peter Sagar, made its second performance in Washington, D.C., at the Black Cat on Sunday, March 24. Although Homeshake has lacked the support of critical validation recently, the negative responses have hardly shifted the fervor of his listeners, who continue to be drawn to his unchanging, synth sound for easy listening.

This performance follows last year’s show at U Street, and the release of his widely panned third album titled “Helium.” The album received a 3.5 rating

by Pitchfork and was described by critics as consisting largely of “tepid synths and limp beats.”

The show began abruptly with opener Yves Jarvis, who played a forgettable and seemingly never-ending set. The youthful crowd quickly diverted their attention to their phones to avoid listening to the indie singer, previously known as Un Blonde, whose latest album “The Same But By Different Means” was released in early March.

Even the Frank Ocean song that played

over the speakers in between sets garnered a warmer reception from the audience.

Finally, the former Mac DeMarco guitarist clambered on stage alongside his live band, opening with the track “Early” off “Helium,” to the crowd’s delight. The bare, makeshift stage set an organic, mellow mood, further proof that Homeshake’s fans did not need much to feel immersed in the show except for Sagar’s music.

The sheer bare-bones nature of the venue and stage complimented the minimalist but dreamlike tone of both Homeshake’s show and album, unlike his previous guitar-heavy works such as “In The Shower” and “Fresh Air.” Sagar claims that “Helium” was inspired by his binge-reading spree of Haruki Murakami’s works, a prolific Japanese author, which is reflected in the surrealism of his lyrics. Yet Homeshake’s lyrics seem to be just a small fraction of his appeal. The calming effect of virtually every song he puts out, rather, manages to ensnare the audience to chase his performance on a weed-induced high. Each track, nearly identical to the next, are all hazy and dazed.

Homeshake characterizes himself as a lofi band, meaning that he cultivates a lower quality, less produced sound. Despite the overwhelming rise of lo-fi artists with the same homogenous ambient sound, Homeshake still manages to amass and maintain a following. A listener may not be able to distinguish Homeshake from any other obscure artists of the genre on a “Chill Beats For Studying” playlist on Spotify, except that Homeshake has racked up millions of listens over the years. Yet the 20 million plays he has accumulated on his most popular song “Give It To Me” from his 2015 album “Midnight Snack” suggests the band offers something distinct as the visible forefront of his lo-fi-esque genre.

Although there exists the perception that the avant-garde music Homeshake claims to produce is not particularly groundbreaking, this farce does not mean he is an unsatisfying performer. In fact, the audience members found themselves thoroughly entertained. Even less familiar fans of his music seemed taken by his musical ability and onstage jokes alone. The Montreal native donned a red cowboy hat for the entirety of the show, but that did

not ever distract the crowd from his falsetto.

The crowd never faltered over a word during his set, which consisted of hits such as “Every Single Thing,” “Khmlwugh” and “Call Me Up”. They even oohed at appropriate moments, from Sagar’s comments on his engagement to an impressive electric guitar solo.

Listeners cannot deny that his easylistening music and the genre in general gets a reputation of background music to play while something minimally more important or exciting occurs, like taking a shower or working on math homework.

This reputation, though, does not mean that Homeshake is not worth listening to live in concert.

After his encore of “(Secret Track),” Sagar grabbed the microphone and said in deadpan, “This is the end of the show.”

In a way, the conclusion to his second concert in D.C. mirrors his approach to music thus far. Homeshake does not try to be anything more than it is, and Sagar lays out to his listeners and critics alike unabashedly that this product is the limits of what kind of sound he wants to make.

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What to Do in DC

MUSIC

NEW RELEASES

SARAH CAMMAROTA Hoya Staff Writer

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TIMOTHY MCNULTY Hoya Staff Writer

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

On March 29, Georgetown will host the East Regional Championship of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena. Capital One will be hosting two March Madness games this year, a Sweet Sixteen game on Friday, March 29, and Elite 8 game March 31. On Friday, the No. 3 seed Louisiana State will be taking on the No. 2 seed Michigan State for what will certainly be a hard-fought game. Tickets range from $157 to $395 and tipoff is at 7:09 p.m.

JLO AND BAD BUNNY

SUFJAN STEVENS

SKY FERREIRA

FLUME MUSIC

‘DOWNHILL LULLABY’ SKY FERREIRA

‘VOICES’ FLUME

Her first release in six years since her album “Night Time, My Time,” Sky Ferreira released the dark and brooding “Downhill Lullaby.” The track features dramatic strings and haunting vocals that make the half-a-decadelong wait for Ferreira’s new music worth it.

“Voices,” featuring SOPHIE and Kucka, comes off Flume’s surprise mixtape “Hi This Is Flume.” With a relentless and hectic industrial backing track that stutters and loops throughout the song, longtimec ollaborator Kucka’s voice gets warped to the point that it melts into the glimmering production.

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BLOSSOM KITE FESTIVAL AT THE NATIONAL MALL

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is holding one of its most beloved events this Saturday, March 30. The Blossom Kite Festival, held on the National Mall, will showcase amateurs and professionals alike as they take their kites to the sky and show off tricks and skills. The event features competitions between amateur kite makers, kite making demonstrations and much more. The event is free to attend and lasts from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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MARINA DIAMANDIS

SOLANGE KNOWLES

‘DREAMS’ SOLANGE

‘ORANGE TREES’ MARINA

From the surprise release of her album “When I Get Home,” an ode to her hometown of Houston, Solange Knowles’ “Dreams” utilizes her wistful and ethereal vocals to their full extent. By simply repeating the word “dreams” for much of the song, Solange artistically reflects on her childhood.

As a tribute to the Greek island she grew up on, MARINA released “Orange Trees” as the third track for her upcoming album. Despite a pop-friendly production that sounds like a track trying too hard to become the hit of the summer, “Orange Trees” still offers a new look at her unique island upbringing.

THE FAIRFAX

THE REDRESS PROJECT AT THE NMAI

This is the final weekend of the REDress Project at the National Museum of the American Indian. In honor of Women’s History Month, the outdoor art installation pays homage to missing or murdered indigenous women through empty red dresses placed on the north side of the building. The installation was created by Jaime Black, whose work highlights the injustice faced everyday by native women.

The event is free to attend from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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CAPITAL ONE ARENA

THE REDRESS PROJECT

LA GRANDE FÊTE AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Smithsonian at 8, the nighttime events arm of the larger Smithsonian Associates, will be hosting the closing ceremony to Washington, D.C.’s annual Francophonie Cultural Festival with a lively party at the French Embassy. The posh night features food, drink and music from all over the Francophone world. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample food and drink from over 30 embassies and dance to the music of Guinean singer-songwriter Natu Camara. Tickets cost $40, and the event will last from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, March 29.

SMITHSONIAN AT 8

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019

THE HOYA

B9

MOVIE REVIEW

BOSTON DIVA PRODUCTIONS

“Mapplethorpe,” based on the life and legacy of the subversive photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, played by Matt Smith, above, takes an overly conventional approach to retelling his story that fails to capture the radical and shocking nature of the photographer’s body of work, which troubled many of his contemporaries.

‘Mapplethorpe’ Misses Mark on Photographer’s Legacy Directed by: Andrea ‘Ondi’ Timoner Starring: Matt Smith, Marianne Rendón CHARLOTTE LINDSAY Hoya Staff Writer

The eponymous “Mapplethorpe” chronicles the adult life and artistic development of Robert Mapplethorpe, an U.S. photographer who rose to fame in New York City during the 1970s. The photographer was known for his uncensored artwork, most notably his black-and-white portraits of nude men and women.

Mapplethorpe’s erotic work is still considered provocative but was viewed at the time of its inception as transgressive and at times too graphic for a conservative audience. The film “Mapplethorpe,” however, fails to show how subversive the work — and the man behind it — truly was.

Mapplethorpe has long been perceived as photography’s bad boy, and this understanding was not limited to the art world.

Former Republican Sen. Jesse Helms, for example, dismissed the work as “morally reprehensible” in 1989.

An art museum and its director were even taken to court in 1990 and later acquitted on charges of obscenity following an exhibition of Mapplethorpe’s photography. Despite the lawsuit, both of these stories were relegated to postscripts of the film, flashing briefly across the screen after the closing scene, leaving the audience barely enough time to digest.

The only other indications of just how subversive the work was came in short se-

quences showing Mapplethorpe’s work being rejected by art galleries and occasional brief glimpses of his artwork on the screen, barely allowing viewers to see for themselves the graphic nature of his work.

“Mapplethorpe” was co-written and directed by Andrea “Ondi” Timoner, who is known for her documentaries and the only two-time winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Her directing of the movie was only slightly better than the film’s less-thanthrilling writing but still fell short.

For the most part, the film reduced the rise of Mapplethorpe to a cliche tale of a self-taught, starving artist becoming successful through his own determination, despite all of the hardships he faces along the way.

The scenes in which Mapplethorpe takes some of his most famous photos are oversimplified and underwhelming, giving the impression that Mapplethorpe created these photos without much thought or skill. The shock factor of Mapplethorpe’s work and creative process is reduced and made boring through the filmmaker’s vision.

Timoner shot the movie on 16mm color film, giving some of the scenes a grainy appearance that felt authentic to the time in which it was set and added some excitement to the otherwise banal and tame script.

Furthermore, old film reel depicting iconic historical and cultural moments of

 the 1970s and 1980s was integrated with the contemporary shots. This choice, however, did not serve any obvious purpose to understanding the photographer’s journey and was more of a distraction than an asset.

The film, which begins in 1969 with Mapplethorpe dropping out of the Pratt Institute, a private art school in New York, also jumps forward randomly and awkwardly.

For the first portion of the movie, viewers watch Mapplethorpe and his girlfriend, singer Patti Smith, struggle to make ends meet while living in the Chelsea Hotel.

Their relationship falls apart when Mapplethorpe reveals his struggles with his sexuality, and suddenly viewers are launched forward to the beginning of Mapplethorpe’s fame.

Matt Smith, who plays Robert Mapplethorpe, offers some redemption to the film. Though he receives little support from the writing, Smith is able to capture Mapplethorpe’s charm and frenzied commitment to his work.

Smith also does an excellent job showing Mapplethorpe’s mysteriousness, both through his delivery of lines and the way he carries himself. The best displays of this element of Mapplethorpe’s character are in the scenes where he interacts with his unsupportive and rigid parents who are so different from the photographer that it is almost comical.

Actress Marianne Rendón, who plays

Smith, also brings some life to the otherwise uninspired film. Her character, though underdeveloped by the writers, is charming and amiable. Although her role in the film is relatively small, she captures the attention and gains the sympathy of viewers.

The connection between Mapplethorpe and Smith is apparent in the film, but unfortunately, the two are not written in a way that reflects their true relationship.

Smith plays a large role in the beginning of the movie but completely disappears after the characters break up until the end of the film.

She is replaced by Sam Wagstaff, played

by John Benjamin Hickey, the older, wealthy art curator who begins a romantic relationship and a professional relationship with Mapplethorpe.

In reality, however, Smith did not disappear, as she also had a relationship with Wagstaff. In fact, Wagstaff financed some of Patti Smith’s own artistic endeavors. While films are not beholden to historical accuracy in the same way as documentaries, this plot change seemed to take away from the film’s story rather than elevate it.

The failure of “Mapplethorpe” to capture the complexities of these relationships is perhaps the film’s most disappointing aspect. With the lead actors’ strong performances not able to compensate for the movie’s flaws, the film fails to capture all that is cinematic — both personally and professionally — about photography’s bad boy.

B10

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019

THE HOYA

PLAY REVIEW

‘Vanity Fair’ Adaptation Stays True to Heart of Play

Directed by: Jessica Stone Starring: Rebekah Brockman, Maribel Martinez, Dan Hiatt ANASTASIA ARMENDARIZ Hoya Staff Writer

“I never blush,” declares the smirking Becky Sharp, the principal character of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Vanity Fair.”

Between scholarship, film and even a 2018 Amazon Studios miniseries, the character from William Makepeace Thackeray’s midVictorian era novel has been treated as both a plucky heroine and a relentlessly ambitious antiheroine.

This production of “Vanity Fair,” held in the Lansburgh Theatre, features a fresh take on Becky with pointed reminders of the work’s relevance for contemporary audiences.

In interpretive tradition, the play follows Becky Sharp, played by Rebekah Brockman, as she is befriended by sweet, wealthy Amelia Sedley, portrayed by Maribel Martinez.

Becky’s life is then entwined with the turbulent fortunes and lives of those in Amelia’s social circle and her own aristocratic employers.

The adaptation put on by the Shakespeare Theatre Company deviates from its source material at times, but the heart of the play remains the same. The piece’s opening moments allow those in the ensemble to voice their motivations for the spectacle awaiting

the viewers: money, power, love and vanity, to name a few.

Becky, a governess who is motivated rather than dejected by her lack of fortune and social status, wants absolutely everything she can get in the play’s two acts. These acts are poetically divided by the Battle of Waterloo, which brims with death, marriage, affairs and conniving. Becky’s low position, her drive and society’s warped treatment of good and bad are also updated with inescapable contemporary stakes and this adaptation’s alternative context.

Playwright Kate Hamill, a renowned adaptor of female-driven stories, including the 2016 production of “Sense and Sensibility” at the Folger Theatre, enables actors to share the biting social commentary of the lengthy source material. The rapid exchange of dialogue evokes the excess of Victorian theater and the reckless gambling of all sorts that compose each character’s individual rise and fall from grace. As a testament to Hamill’s creative focus, all actors but Brockman and Martinez play dual roles.

Each woman delivers a complex and sympathetic performance of characters who could be written and played as “whore” and “Madonna” types. The young women are not foils to each other, but rather to their context.

The male and wealthy female characters have interchangeable roles in the play. The actors swap jewel-toned period costumes on stage and even operate puppets in rapid yet clear succession. The identity changes testify to the play’s broader themes of the tension between imitation and authenticity as characters strive for what they want above all else in life.

Verbal intercuts of dialogue at different positions on the stage were so heavily relied upon that they did more to shorten the play’s 2½ hour run time than emphasize the unity of internal conflicts between characters in distinct situations. Still, through the combined talents of director Jessica Stone and choreographer Connor Gallagher, the play demonstrated musicality even in moments without dialogue.

An early dining room scene in the Sedley family’s London townhome is staged as a farcical dance of social manners. The scene powerfully emphasized the internal character, and by extension absurdities, of each person around the table.

The judgement invited by the exaggerated performativity of these characters is complicated by Hamill’s creation of the manager character, played by Dan Hiatt.

From the beginning, the character breaks the fourth wall to challenge audience mem-

 bers through jibes directed toward audience members in their “comfortable seats.”

The direct address to the audience by other characters continued to incorporate the viewers into the play and complicated the motivations of individual characters. Brockman’s knowing line, “I know I’m a nasty woman,” received applause from the audience.

More subtly, Martinez’s Amelia presented a heartfelt speech from the stage: “I am trying to be good; I know you think I’m stupid.” Her love for the undeserving George Osborne, played by Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan, and obliviousness to the machinations and even emotions of those around her reflect the tragedy and comedy of all our emotions.

So far as the manager wonders aloud what future generations might think of the audience’s actions and lives if they were staged, the production succeeds in its aim of directly connecting the work on the stage to its 21stcentury audience.

Perhaps indulging in this fresh adaptation of a literary classic by the Shakespeare Theatre Company does not mean vanity. At the very least, the play itself will not let a guest to the fair forget how the situations playing across the stage, despite the context, are not so different from one’s own.

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

Dobbin, played by Michael Lopez, left, and Jos, played by Vincent Randazzo, peer over a Victorian balcony with astonished expression, holding decorative masks.

Meanwhile, Becky Sharp, played by Rebekah Brockman, right, wears a bold red dress in a passionate encounter with Rawdon, played by Adam Magill.

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019

B11

INTERVIEW

Pete Holmes Reflects on Sharing His Story Through Television ELFRIEDA NWABUNNIA Hoya Staff Writer

In an age of increasing interest in comedy, Pete Holmes continues to solidify his place among the best of the generation. His show on HBO, “Crashing,” which ended its final season March 10, chronicles a fictionalized version of Holmes’ own bumpy ride to comedic success. The show explores many of the holdups, hijinks and barriers associated with the journey of becoming a successful stand-up comedian.

Executive produced by Judd Apatow and starring Holmes among a cast of hilarious comedians, including Jamie Lee, Zach Cherry and Lauren Lapkus, “Crashing” has tackled topics ranging from the #MeToo movement to divorce in smart, topical and witty tones.

The Hoya sat down with Holmes to discuss the show, his inspiration and the future of comedy in an increasingly conscious world.

What was your process for creating “Crashing”? Just how much of the series feels real to your life and your experiences still?

It’s still about 60 percent real now. It’s always real to somebody in the writers room; it might be Judd … or Jamie Lee — it happened to somebody for the most part. And season one, I might have put more like 80 percent, but every season we go down a little bit because we broaden it to the room. I start running out of literal things that were interesting that happened to me and start branching out to the other writers in the room.

The process is just what you might imagine we talk about — let’s say we’re talking about college shows or corporate shows or relationships. And we just sort of open it up to the room … and really if anyone watched it, would look like we weren’t working at all.

Like we were just sort of hanging out and talking and wasting time and eating. It’s a really good job. And then at some point someone writes something down and maybe eventually someone breaks off and writes a script or an outline to show Judd.

Considering names like Louis C.K and Aziz Ansari that have fallen [in the wake of the #MeToo movement], how do you approach the two worlds of comedy colliding?

I’m glad you asked that, because it gives a little glimpse into how organic and freeform the process can be. We knew we wanted to address what was going on, but we didn’t necessarily know how. We looked at the pieces we had in play.

This being the third season, Judd thought it would be really funny if Pete and Jason [played by Dov Davidoff] were on the road together and in a situation where they’re stuck together because Pete is trying to be of the moment and Jason is — I like to call him a dinosaur, not without talent, but he refuses to evolve. We wanted to get those two guys together.

Jamie Lee brilliantly suggested what

PETE HOLMES

In his HBO comedy “Crashing,” based on his own comedic career, Pete Holmes, above, portrays the ups and downs of trying to make it big in an uninviting industry. Holmes hopes other comedians will find comfort in seeing his own failures on the way to success. would make the stakes interesting is if they worked a weekend and not only is there tension between Pete and Ali [played by Lee] because they used to date, but we can use that opportunity to show how things are different for women in comedy clubs. The initial idea was Pete and Jason and then we can should how women are treated differently in comedy clubs and then that idea continued to snowball into the worst ways.

It happened very organically — we did want to address what was going on, but we always wanted to do an episode about gender issues and sexuality issues. But we always look for the idea first and then we attach the message. We opened it up to the room, and it’s sad but everyone had a story about a small aggression they’d witnessed or something larger like what Jason does.

Is there a memorable stand-up performance of yours that has taught you a major lesson about your own comedic style or how you direct the audience that found its way into this season of “Crashing” or a past episode?

In this season, Pete had to audition for the Comedy Cellar, and he had to do something really tricky, where he had to do well but he had to do well in the wrong way. Not even in a bad way, like an offensive way or a tonedeaf way, just sort of like, what would happen is when I did colleges I would sometimes do broader material because you’d end up doing colleges that were like the parents’ weekend or something.

As a comedian you’re like, “How do I write a joke that the mom and the dad and the student are gonna like?” And that’s where you start getting jokes like my joke about peeing in the pool. It’s just sort of like … anybody can laugh at that; it’s not great, but anybody can laugh at that.

In fact, I did that joke for 10 years — I probably did that joke a thousand times at inumerable colleges. We were like let’s do that on the show to show that even when your doing well there still remains some growth that needs to happen.

The set that came to mind when you asked is that the first time I went up I think I was doing 15 minutes or something, and I was just loose. There’s something that clicks in a comedian when you realize it’s not about the words; it’s about sharing your presence, your “thereness” — just being with them and being a funny person.

I think that’s what my character on the show is starting to realize. At a certain point five or six years in, you realize it’s not about the jokes: It’s about using the jokes to communicate your natural humor. It’s a hard lesson to learn and a lesson you can only learn by doing it over and over. I remember where I was when that happened to me, and hopefully that’ll start happening more for my character as well.

Was there a central lesson or theme that you wanted to bring to “Crashing” when you first began, and how has that evolved over the past three seasons?

The joke I often make is that we call the show “Crashing,” not “Flourishing.”

Obviously he crashes on other people’s couches during the first two seasons, but the main message that I wanted to share not just with comedians, but with anyone pursuing a dream, is a message of solidarity. If it’s really difficult and you’re scared and you want to quit, that actually means you’re doing it right. And it’s something I would tell myself when I was starting.

And every once in a while, I would run into someone that was handing out flyers in the cold or driving to a terrible refrigeration repair technical school in the upper peninsula of Michigan to do a show at noon and just do so poorly. I would occasionally meet other comedians who were like, “I did that, too,” comedians that I admired who were like, “Yeah, we all did that.”

Yeah, there are other shows about standup, but they always either have already been established or their coming up is just like a montage; it’s just like a 15-second dissolve-heavy musical montage that shows them becoming good, and I was like, “I think that’s the most interesting part.”

My life now is pretty interesting, but it’s not as interesting as when I was starting — which is funny because when I was starting, nobody cared about me at all. That’s when the stories were the best; the stakes were the highest; I was the most uncertain and scared. That’s good TV.

ILLUSTRATION BY: ELOISE OWEN/THE HOYA