fortnightly student magazine
Speaking with SPEAK
p. 7
Breakfast at Midnight After DACA
volume 17 — issue 2
louie
p. 14
p. 10
Q&A: Ayvah
p. 16
p. 11
Death of a (Sex) Salesman
p. 19
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Kate Doyle From the series “Monster Parts”
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 EDITORIAL: Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Cities Editor Voices Editor Music Editor Online editor Copy editors Multimedia Editor Multimedia Producer
Emma Klingler Jake Steinberg Annie Burdick Kassidy Tarala Liv Martin Alex Wittenberg Chris Shea Kikki Boersma Carson Kaskel Olivia Heusinkveld
Editorial Interns: Abbie Clapp, Alexander Cain, Becca Most, Claire Becker, Ella Cashman, Emma Dill, George Miller, Hannah Haakenson, Jenny Felton, Luci Bischoff, Megan Hoff, Morgan Benth, Olivia Hultgren, Simon Batistich, Tala Alfoqaha
BMM EBZ
PRODUCTION: Executive Director Production Manager Creative Director Finance Manager PR/Ad Manager Social Media Manager PR and Advertising Associate Art Director Designers
Web Manager Distribution Manager
Holly Wilson Olivia Novotny Kate Doyle Rakshit Kalra Aaron Christianson Grace Steward Sophie Stephens Katie Heywood Andrew Tomten Kellen Renstrom Megan Smith Laurel Tieman Cassie Varrige
Production Interns: Darby Ottoson (PR), Jamie Rohlfing (PR), Lydia Crabtree (PR), Macie Rasmussen (PR) Art Interns: Emily Hill, Jade Mulcahy, Jaye Ahn, Lauren Smith, Mariah Crabb, Natalie Klemond, Peyton Garcia, Sophie Stephens, Stevie Lacher
THIS ISSUE: Š2017 The Wake Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for students at the University of Minnesota. The Wake was founded by Chrin Ruen & James DeLong. Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in which students can voice their opinions. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as a whole. To join the conversation email eklingler@wakemag.org . The Wake Student Magazine 126 Coffman Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455
Writers Alex Cain, Claire Becker, Claire Redell, Emma Dill, Emma Klingler, Hannah Haakenson, Jack Hedlund-Fay, Jacob Steinberg, Jamie Rohlfing, Karl Witkowiak, Katrina Pross, Liv Martin, Megan Hoff, Monica Hying, Noah Schminski, Olivia Hultgren, Paulo Darang, Taylor Pearson, Art 1 Maureen Amundson, 2,3 Will Hanson, 4 Stevie Lacher, 5 Katee Meindl, 6 Tessa Portuese, 7 Jade Mulcahy, 8 Mariah Crabb, 9 Paulo Darang, 10 Katie Heywood, 11 Kate Doyle, 12 Natalie Klemond, 13 Kate Doyle, 14 Jaye Ahn, 15 Jade Mulcahy, 16 Peyton Garcia, 17 Morgan Wittmers-Graves, 18 Stevie Lacher, 19 Stevie Lacher Cover by Olivia Novotny
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wink! one page magazine
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INSIDE
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Letter from the Editor
9/14 - 12/9
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Speaking with SPEAK
World of Matter: Mobilizing Materialities
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Art is Essential on Campus
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Breakfast at Midnight
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Art by Madeline Harpell
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After DACA
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louie
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Q&A: Ayvah
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Health Care: A Political Showdown
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Death of a (Sex) Salesman
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The Urban Myth of the Super Bowl and a Rise in Sex Trafficking
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10/28 - 2/4/18 A
Production from Theater Latté Da places the old tale in a contemporary context Nash Gallery
10/25
Aliza Nisenbaum
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Artist invited local Latino and Somali residents in the Whittier and Phillips neighborhoods to sit for large scale portraits MIA
10/29
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
A Choral Kaleidoscope
w/ the Sea Lice
University Singers, Chamber Singers and Women’s Chorus
Palace Theater
Tedd Mann Concert Hall
10/26 Not Your Token: Trans people of color voices in film and media B Programmed by Black Trans Media and Gender Reel Intermedia Arts
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10/27
New Coach, New Rules, New Team
Creature Feature
Six Reviews
HUGE Improv theater
Improvised monster movie
10/28
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Monica Laplante vinyl release w/ Catbath, Blaha Triple Rock Social Club
THE WAKE
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CITIES
Letter from the Editor Greeting readers, A big theme in this issue of The Wake Magazine is community. From interviews with a bookstore owner and a spoken word poet, to an analysis of the new football coach’s sexual assault prevention agenda, to a sparkling review of Al’s Breakfast’s late-night menu: you’ll get a taste of just a few of the characters and places that make up this dynamic and ever-changing community around campus and in the Twin Cities. Our community is important to all of us. Where national politics and partisanship can seem insurmountable at times, we can look to grassroots in our community to see examples of progressive campaigns surging forward, regardless of the tension and isolation on the national stage. And when tragedy strikes our nation in the form of natural disaster or gun violence, it is often communities coming together that are able to respond and offer support and resources most effectively. On November 7th, many of you will have an opportunity to speak for your community. Elections for the mayor of Minneapolis and the 13 members of the Minneapolis City Council are right around the corner, and it is imperative that you do your part to defend what it is you love about this community and push for what you want to see changed. You have a personal stake in the outcome of this election. And if you are of the belief that your vote doesn’t count for much, realize that these elections are much smaller, much more community-driven. Many district incumbents are seeing strong challengers from more progressive candidates of their own party. People see that more can be done in our community to forward justice and equity for all people, and they are taking the opportunity afforded by this election to call that out. If you are unable to vote due to disenfranchisement, it doesn’t mean that you are unable to use your voice to influence your community. Have conversations with people you feel comfortable, and explain why it’s crucial that we see change from the bottom up; right now, that is where change needs to start. And swaying others to see the value of their vote has the same impact as a ballot cast. So, between reading about a massive Super Bowl myth and new music from Florist, The Killers, and Wolf Alice, take a few minutes to look into who’s running in your district. For information on election day details, and for an explainer on how Ranked-Choice Voting works, visit vote. minneapolis.gov. Emma Klingler Editor-in-chief
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OCT 23—NOV 5
CITIES
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Speaking with SPEAK An Interview with University of Minnesota Slam Poet Juliana Q BY JAMIE ROHLFING SPEAK Poetry, formerly known as USlam, is the University of Minnesota’s Slam Poetry Organization. SPEAK Poetry hosts regular poetry slams, or three-minute performances of competitive poetry, judged by five volunteers from the audience. Each poet performs twice and is judged on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0. The top scorers qualify to participate in the grand slam in December, leading to the ability to join the team that will advance to the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, a poetry slam featuring colleges nationwide. In conjunction with the September Edition of the SPEAK Poetry Slam Series, we spoke with University of Minnesota student, SPEAK Poetry President, and slam poet Juliana Q. : Why did you decide to start performing slam poetry? Juliana Q: I was writing poetry ever since I was a tiny, little one, full of angst and dramatics. My first year of college (I am a fourth year now), I was talking to someone on the light rail actually and they said, Hey have you gone to the slam poetry group?” And I’m like, “What’s a ‘slam poetry’? That’s a poem, I like that.” I looked it up—I Googled “What is slam poetry”—the day before a slam, wrote something, and went to (at the time it was called USlam) and went to one of USlam’s events, and then I performed. And it was great. I loved it, and I fell in love with the community. And now I am the president.
THE WAKE
: How long have you been writing and performing? JQ: I have been writing since I was really little, I’d say first grade. I’ve been writing for a long time. I have been performing for I guess it would be about four years. Jamie: How did you feel leading up to your first performance? Juliana Q: I kept thinking “Man, was my one Google search on ‘what is slam’ correct?” I remember I had never really listened to slam poetry before coming to this event and everyone had a very different style of poetry than me. I was doing very lineated poetry and very traditional, I guess. I remember the feature of the slam I went to said, “Hey you’re doing lineated poetry, I can hear your line breaks which is cool and doesn’t happen much in slam,” and I was like “Oh wow, you can hear that difference.” I quickly learned that there is so much more to slam than I could have learned from one Google search. I grew to love it, and change and transform with the community. : How do you feel now when you perform? JQ: I feel like I am a decent performer now. I know that I love the community and the feel of the community and I feel like I belong, so then that makes me really excited to get on stage and share my story with everyone. Jamie: Do you have any rituals or a create process that you follow before events?
JQ: I write so much of my poetry right after attending a slam or another poetry event just because I get so inspired. But also I just write when I do and perform when it feels I am capable of it. I just go with the flow. The slam community feels like a very safe space so I don’t really have to think too much about things, I just jump in. : What do you think it takes to become a slam poet? JQ: I don’t think it really takes anything. We try to be very welcoming and open to anyone if you can write and you have a voice to speak with, or even not, there is ASL poetry, you don’t even need a voice, screw that. If you have things you want to write about and you want to perform for others, then you are a part of the community. Feeling moved to do some poetic justice yourself? Join the SPEAK Poetry student group and find them on Facebook for more information, upcoming involvement opportunities, and events.
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CITIES
Art is Essential on Campus Exploring the purpose of art in our academic lives BY ALEX CAIN What is the purpose of art? A long and inconclusive debate, the function of art in society has always been a hard question to answer. When famous writer Oscar Wilde once described its purpose as “art for art’s sake,” he implied that art serves no purpose; it is merely intended for the artist’s enjoyment. This is true for artists who simply look for a way to express themselves. It doesn’t need to serve some overarching purpose in the world, but can merely serve a person’s inner desire to create and enjoy. But let’s take a look at the question on a smaller, more micro scale and apply it to the University of Minnesota: What is the importance of art on a college campus? Katie Covey, Director of Student Engagement at the Weisman Art Museum, helps us delve into the topic of art and how it can teach, inform, encourage, and transform. The Weisman traces its origins back to 1935, and has since become a cornerstone of the U of M campus. “[The museum] has access to some of the most brilliant emerging scholars and leaders across different fields,” Covey says. This community fabric, along with the Twin Cities’ art community, makes the museum unique in so many aspects. Its permanent collection includes over 25,000 works of art, and is especially known for American modernism, ceramics, Mimbres pottery, and traditional Korean furniture. The museum also includes the Target Studio for Creative Collaboration, a permanent space designed for cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations. “The Weisman presents and interprets works of art and offers exhibitions that place art within relevant cultural, social, and historical contexts,” Covey says. Outside of the several exhibitions offered each year, the museum also holds symposia, tours, and special events focused upon educational themes. For example, the Weisman partners with The Ivory Tower, an arts and literary magazine on campus, for the ArtWords section and their launch party.
As an art museum located directly on campus, the Weisman differs from the traditional mold of museums. Being part of the University of Minnesota has given the Weisman opportunities to connect with students and engage with their learning process. Covey describes the mission of the Weisman: “Creating arts experiences that spark discovery, critical thinking and transformation, linking the University and the community.” Calling it a “teaching museum,”Covey talks about how education is central to the Weisman’s mission of making arts accessible to students and surrounding communities. The Weisman offers free admission as well as free programs and student membership. These accommodations emphasize the museum’s commitment to accessible art education for all. Because the Weisman’s main goal is to educate, it is important for students to recognize the power and potential art has to foster collaboration in learning. “Our exhibitions and programs bring together artists, researchers, activists, sociologists, writers and more to explore, question, and critique the world around us,” Covey says. Connecting artists with other experts across disciplines is important to solve critical issues in society. Covey emphasizes art’s ability to “connect humans across space and time to help us understand and appreciate our differences.” By using art as
a bridge between people, places, cultures, or fields, education becomes collaborative, and allows students to look at things through an interdisciplinary lens. Art’s fostering of community is another reason why it’s so important on campus. “Art acts as a platform for us to discuss hard issues
“’Our exhibitions and programs bring together artists, researchers, activists, sociologists, writers and more to explore, question, and critique the world around us,’ Covey says.” and topics in a safe space that promotes open discussion and respectful exchange,” Covey says. Art expands our existing ways of thinking in a way that transcends language and words. “This is something we think the world needs a lot more of,” Covey says. “The Weisman invites every University of Minnesota student to explore, reflect, connect and recharge within our galleries in our study spaces.” In the process, the museum hopes encourages you will to learn something new about the community around you – and something about yourself. Check out the Weisman’s upcoming exhibitions and other events at weisman.umn.edu.
It also supports various arts and cultural student leaders through its student group, WAM Collective. This group offers students job opportunities and facilitates fellowships and internships between different disciplines. Covey describes the Weisman as a “portal to the wider arts community of the Twin Cities and beyond.” 6
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OCT 23—NOV 5
CITIES
Breakfast at Midnight My journey through the new late-night menu at Al’s Breakfast BY TAYLOR PEARSON I’ve been to Al’s for a quick, made-to-order breakfast more times than I can count. The food has always been magnificent, as is the experience of bellying up to one of only 14 stools in a diner as wide as an average hallway. When I heard that Al’s would start serving a new menu from 6 p.m. until- 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, I knew I had to try their new options right away. The first thing you should know about Al’s evening service is that you can’t actually go inside to eat—think of it as a food truck without wheels. To offset the lack of seating, Al’s made some menu items portable by wrapping meals into a burrito—or an “Al’s-Urrito,” as they affectionately call them. They’ve also added hot dogs to the menu, sticking with the ultra-portable theme. And while they’re not as easy to carry around, Al’s still serves their crowd-pleasing pancakes and waffles as well. I started my late- night Al’s feast with “The Gopher,” an all-beef hot dog topped with bacon, fried onions, and cheese sauce. The flavors mingle perfectly; the sweet onions complement the salty bacon, while the cheese blankets the entire dog with creamy goodness. As iIf that wasn’t enough, I also ordered the “José Al’s-Urrito,” a Chipotle-sized burrito packed full of scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, hash browns, and salsa. This was easily my favorite item of the night; the crispy hash browns combine with the copious amounts of cheese and salsa to produce a flavor explosion. I was so stuffed after the burrito that I was ready to tapout and go home, but my desire to provide a more comprehensive review pushed me forward to the last course. My gluttonous meal was finished perfectly with Al’s version of dessert. To be more precise, a A delicious waffle, to be precise, generously covered with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream. The food was absolutely delectable, and I highly recommend Al’s new late-night menu to everyone. I’ll be going back as soon as possible, but next time I’m wearing sweatpants. 7
THE WAKE
The Independent Bookstore’s Second Wave Because (thankfully) Amazon Prime isn’t your only option BY MONICA HYING When Borders closed its doors in 2011 after a solid 40 years in business, many thought it would mark the historic fall of all bookstores. After all, earlier that year some of the largest bookstore chains—Walden Books and B. Dalton— had already closed, and the future of bookstores seemed grim; Barnes and Noble remained one of the only bigname stores left. With the rise of electronic reading devices like Kindle, many believe that purchasing a physical book is less common and less appealing now that there are multiple technology devices to compete with. I, and many other literary lovers, believe the contrary.Just because the use of technology devices has risen and big-named bookstore chains have been disappearing in recent years doesn’t mean that bookstores aren’t a relevant option. Independent bookstores are still around, and many are even thriving in today’s economy. Independent bookstores are usually successful because they are often grounded in a sense of community, and are known for their “coziness.” You can just grab a friend and browse, or curl up in a corner to read for an hour. For example, right in the heart of Dinkytown is a charming used bookstore accurately named The Book House. Matt Hawbaker, co-owner and manager of the aforementioned shop, says “independent bookstores are important because they serve as hubs for literary and academic activity by keeping books (and the ideas within them) circulating throughout the community. They can also be places for the like-minded and not-so-like-minded to meet and engage with whatever is, well, on their mind.” The Book House continues to be a viable option in this neighborhood and today’s economy by curating their stock to reflect the desires of their customers, leaning “heavily toward academic fields” while maintaining great quality in other sections as well. They also maintain modern relevance by selling their books online, giving them the ability to ship books worldwide, a necessity in today’s Amazon-dominated environment. At the end of the day, niche stores like the The Book House are still able to survive (and even thrive) by knowing their market and catering to it as much as possible.
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For more information, you can visit The Book House at their Dinkytown storefront or online at bookhouseindinkytown.com.
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ART
Madeline Harpell
FEATURE
Pursuing the American Dream in a post-DACA country
BY JACOB STEINBERG 11
FEATURE
Isaac was lounging on the couch when he got the news. For weeks, there had been rumors that the Trump administration would act to throw his life into disarray, and he was preemptively drafting his backup plans. He’s a computer science major on the homestretch who’s poised to graduate a semester early and enter postgrad life with an internship-laden resume and a bevy of connections in his field. Isaac’s path seemed set before him, but now, his future has never been more uncertain. Isaac, whose last name has been withheld at his request, was born in Mexico, but has lived in America since he was 8 years old. He is one of thousands who sought protection under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program implemented by the Obama administration in 2012 that protected “Dreamers,” young immigrants who came into the country illegally as children, from deportation and allowed them to legally work in the United States. Following up on a campaign pledge, the Trump administration abruptly rescinded the program early last month and plunged the lives of thousands of DACA recipients who went to college, got jobs, and started families under the program into uncertainty. Isaac remembers the day DACA was announced. He was 16. It was a sweltering early summer day,
and he was sitting in French class when his phone buzzed to alert him his life was about to change. Riding home from school that day, his mind pulsated with the possibilities of what his life could now become. He could go to college. He could get a good job. “That was always my dream,” he said. “I’m the first in my family to go to college.” Like many other first-generation college students, for Isaac, going to college was repaying a debt that had been accruing for generations. His mother was born in El Salvador, but instability forced her family to immigrate to Mexico when she was a young child, also illegally. Isaac’s father would start his days at 3 a.m. to drive to Mexico City and deliver drywall material to provide for his family. He’d get home at 9 p.m., go to bed, and do it again the next day. That worked for a while, but eventually, hard times left his parents with no choice but to leave for America. Isaac’s parents hardly spoke English and barely made ends meet when they came to America, but there was still more opportunity than in Mexico. They worked at a hotel, and when they finished their shift, they’d take the bus to their other job at a fast food restaurant. After enough nights waiting at the bus stop in the rain or snow, they decided to save up for a car. Their father’s cousin knew a guy. They paid in cash. They got the car, but not the title. A few weeks later, there was a knock on the door. “I’m taking the car back,” the man said. He never gave them their money back, and they were too afraid to go to the police. “They had a lot of experiences like that,” Isaac said. These stories left an impact on Isaac. “They motivated me to work hard,” he said. College was something he’d been working toward his whole life, and when DACA was announced, Isaac could see his dreams materializing in front of him. His family hired an immigration attorney to help him apply for the program, and Isaac was so eager that he showed up to her office with a stack of documents he’d excitedly prepared ahead of time. “Oh, looks like you’ve already done my job for me,” she said. When it was time to apply for college, Ivy League schools across the country received applications with Isaac’s name on them. It was
FEATURE
his chance to finally pay his family back for the sacrifices they made for him. He wanted “to show them that their efforts hadn’t been in vain.” He eventually decided on the University of Minnesota, due in part to the Minnesota Prosperity Act, which went into effect in 2013 and provided in-state tuition to students in the country illegally. Before DACA, coming into America illegally as a child left Isaac, along with thousands of other young immigrants, in a sort of purgatory. He belongs to a generation of immigrants who grew up alongside Americans, but did so feeling like there was always something to hide. Endemic to Isaac’s generation is the fear that you or those you love could be deported without warning. “It was always there,” he said. “We’d hear that soand-so person got deported. You hear stuff and you get a little scared.” Isaac’s memories of Mexico are scant, wispy little islands of a time and place that is familiar yet utterly foreign. Isaac remembers waving at his grandma as he drove away in the dirtcoated pickup truck that would take him and his sister to the border. He still has family there, his grandmother and the odd cousin, but he hasn’t seen any of them for most of his life. If he were forced to return to Mexico, he’s not sure what he’d do: “I have nothing where I come from. I know no one.” In person, Isaac comes off as a little timid, but if you throw a problem at him, he’ll spend hours wrestling with it just for the reward of finally solving it. He’s a math whiz who excites himself talking about troublesome code. When confronted with a challenge, his initial reaction is “how do I solve this?” After the numbness passed, he found himself thinking the same thing on a cold November night last year when Donald Trump was elected president. Like so many across the country, Isaac was dumbfounded: “I never imagined it was actually going to happen. It was always a joke.” He was scared, but also angry, though not so much at Trump himself and more so at the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment that propelled him
into office. He looks out at a country that he’s called home for most of his life and he’s met with frothing, blind indifference. “Most people don’t understand that for people with my status, there is no right way to become a citizen. There is no line to get into,” he said. Spend enough time around Isaac, and you’ll realize how relentlessly optimistic he is. He saw Trump urging Congress to come up with a solution for the void left by DACA as evidence that he actually does care, and that gives Isaac hope. Isaac was brought up learning about the same American Dream as everyone else. But what does the American Dream mean to someone living in the country illegally? Isaac says it’s the same dream: “graduate, get a good job, be able to start a family,” but with the added stipulation, “to be able to not live in the shadows.” Isaac lives with his sister who is four years his junior and just started at the U of M. She’s also a DACA student, and she shares Isaac’s ambition. She’s a devoted cross-country skier. She’s considering aerospace engineering, and has always been fascinated by planes. “I find it really interesting how you can just go from one place to another,” she said. “Maybe it comes from how I can’t do that.” Together, they live day-by-day, without a guarantee in the world about what things will be like in a year’s time. Isaac recently attended the College of Science & Engineering Career Fair, and spends a lot of his down time looking for jobs. He doesn’t know if it’ll be in vain, but all he can do is hope for the best and keep going. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said. ““All I’m trying to do is accomplish the American Dream.”
Art by Katie Heywood
CREATIVE WRITING
louie paulo darang
the nature of these first things of last things of lingering things the linger of her taste & his touch & of last call & of dirty dishes of last things. between made-to-last & ready to replace of stifled sobbing of current tenants of cigarette stains of non launderable stains & heroin spoons/ spilled instant coffee spoonsthis is discord. this is rhythm. this is crossed legs & crossed finger & poems of crossed staves, & late nights watching the boys play & later nights watching the men play. this is maddening. this is total absence. sweet nothings. this is whispered silence & half there & rough and tumble & 3 days of pork and beans & sunday mornings knelt at short toilets and rose again & monday mornings doubled over frantically furiously
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jacking off to a wrinkled page & a bookmarked webpage & stolen moments & storied nights & drunken tuesdays alone in the park & drunken wednesdays, a secret rendezvous squirreled away & my +1 thursdays & sloppy seconds in the unisex & thank god it’s friday morning & tied to the bed thrashing & hey are you okay in there & can you keep it down & the rhythmic thumping in time in kind from neighbors’ walls & sleepy saturdays sprawled out on the couch hallucinating nice to meet you good morning how are you & frail bodies and pale fingers curled and balled into tense nothings & Thank god I’m alive & praise god praise god praise god praise god & drunken sex w/ strangers. this is squaring the circle. this is the ditch song.
OCT 23—NOV 5
CREATIVE WRITING
this is the silent 9 pm scream sitting in the dark on the sofa illuminated by the flashing red and blue through dusty windows from bus stop muggings, & awkward silence of who are we, how have you been, what have we done? this is punk rock. this is folk pop. this is stuffed bodies and stuffed throw pillows & smashed plates and clinked glasses & dirty duvets, midnight showings of the dirty dozen to parcel out for drinking and singing & cool spring days & guitarists across the lawn. this is poverty & opportunity & inner city psychosis lower city cirrhosis & scheduled nights spent mourning and weeping & dancing and singing behind scratched lacquered doors; this is mononah. this is pedicord. this is ambitions sorrows sorrows love long lust tedium tedium tedium staining brick & plaster walls.
THE WAKE
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Q&A
AYVAH BY LIV MARTIN
I got the chance to sit down with four out of the five members of AYVAH, an energetic and down-to-earth Twin Cities-based band. AYVAH’s music is simultaneously funky, jazzy, soulful, rhythmic, and completely original. Read on to hear how these five talented, young musicians found each other, learned how to cultivate their own, unique sound, and became true friends in the process.
: How did you come up with the name AYVAH? Ava: I wanted to start a band when I was at college and one of my friends was like, “If you keep the band your name you should spell it AYVAH.” I like it, and it’s a little more dynamic on paper, too. Joey: Yes, and it’s phonetic. A: It’s cool… It’s like the symbolism of the name being my name but longer, because that way it looks like an actual band name. : And there are five letters for each of the band members. A: What? Wow!!! That’s amazing. I never really thought about that but you’re so right!
: How did you guys find each other and
establish your group?
Sam: So, I met this guy Mike who went to St. Thomas and he was a producer who was making his own beats. And he was like, “Hey, there’s this really dope singer that goes to St. Thomas!” [referencing Ava] A: Yeah. At first, we did a couple shows just the three of us. S: Basically, Ava and I met DeCarlo, our former bassist, who knew Joey from high school. That’s
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Images courtesy of Ayvah
how it started. A: And, Andy, who is our new guitar player, and Sam have been best friends for a long long time. From there, it was like one phone call to Ethan and then “cha-ching.” And now we all sleep in the same bed every night. [laughing]
: How would you describe the genre of music you create? A: I say neo-soul with influence from jazz, hip-hop, R&B, indie. J: Like alternative R&B maybe… S: It’s always a hard question. A: Alt-Soul? S: I think really simply put it’s neo-soul rock with a little bit of indie. We have songs that tailor more towards one style than others. A: Like… Neo-soul rap? S: Hell yeah! A: That’s tight! Ethan: I think that the concept of genre was more prevalent in the record label industry. And, we’re in a new type of industry with younger people.
OCT 23—NOV 5
Q&A Everyone listens to everything now. S: The Internet kind of leveled the playing field. A: Yeah. We don’t limit ourselves to one genre. We take influence from everything. E: What’s really important are not the genres that we play, but the genres that we are influenced by.
: Do you ever get into silly fights with your band
mates? About what? J: Never…
A: Being in a band is like being in a tiny family. It’s like being with my brothers all the time. S: Most of them happen because we care. J: We all really like each other.
the lyrics for a song, I’ll do it all in one sitting. And it won’t make much sense to me right away, but then if I give it a week or so and revisit the lyrics again, it tells me exactly how I was feeling about something that I was kind of confused about. J: Sometimes it’s good for expressing feelings you can’t verbalize.
: Looking back, has AYVAH morphed at all from when you first started out? A: We’ve just grown. Like, we are on a really steady growth pattern and then Ethan joined the band and the line became exponential. It’s like we strapped on a rocket. S: It’s not that we were getting stuck, but the energy was different. When that change needed to happen and it did happen, then we were all like, “OK let’s go!” I mean, you mentioned that first
guitar players wanted to do was shred. And, just do whatever they wanted to do. We were really honing in on a really cool, relaxed vibe… I didn’t want a third party to just come in and be like Eeeeee [guitar noises]. But Andy came in and just threaded through our sound. E: Andy is in the elite group of talented musicians that have really good taste and make good choices while playing. A: Yeah, we have to like, convince him to solo.
: Where do you see the band in five years? What does the future of AYVAH look like? J: In five years it would be cool to play festivals! S: Ultimately, the goal is to just keep doing stuff that we’re proud of.
E: They’re never really that dramatic. They’re not what you’d see in a Metallica documentary. Like, we don’t need to call up a therapist or anything. S: I feel like a lot of people can’t call their band mates their friends. They don’t have that kind of relationship with their people. A: Yep. I’ve cried in front of everybody in this band. Like really sad tears. I’ve extra cried to Sam.
: What does your music writing process look like? Does one person mainly write the songs, or is it collaboration? S: It’s a bit of a hodgepodge. We have certain songs that people bring ideas in for and we fill the gaps. A: It’s collaboration heavy in my opinion. Sometimes I’ll bring in a melody and they’ll build. Sometimes someone will be like jamming in rehearsal and someone will start screaming because it was amazing, and we’ll end up building a song off of that. Once the song is right, we can put it together in like an hour and a half or less. And then we go through and edit, but the bulk of the song—if it’s right—it comes together really quickly.
: How often do you get together to rehearse? Is
the band full time—do the band mates have other jobs or is all of your energy going towards AYVAH? J: I wish all of my energy was going towards this project. A: Yeah, I wish! We all have jobs and we rehearse once a week at City Sound. We always go to the same bar, Sporty’s, after rehearsals.
: What directly inspires your music? … Art, people, events, memes? A: Lyrically, the things that I write about are the way that other people are making me feel. It’s kind of an expressive thing for me. Usually when I write
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rehearsal, and I think that’s when it really clicked. E: I felt awkward because I’d listened to their band before I joined. And I listened to their bass player and I really liked it, but I’m a totally different type of player. I kind of reinvented most of the bass parts. I let them know that I wasn’t really into trying to sound like someone else.
A: I don’t really think we think in terms of 5 years or 10 years… We’re really oriented with writing and performing and living in the moment! The more we just keep doing things that we’re proud of, the more things will keep falling into place. S: We’ve just been really true to our craft and doing our thing, and it has been working out.
J: Some of the bass parts got totally turned on their head.
A: We’ve been on bills for sold out shows and we don’t have any songs on the Internet.
A: And when Ethan came in and did that, it opened up the threshold for us to open up our minds and really make something good.
S: We live in a good city for music and community building around music. I feel like the reason artists like Prince were successful in this city is because they created a culture around their music that people were attracted to and wanted to be involved in. And, if we can do that, then we’re winning! It’s the goal.
S: It was similar when Andy joined in, too. A: And, I didn’t even want a guitar player for the longest time. I guess I just had this stigma that all
Check out wakemag.org for the full interview.
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VOICES
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Health Care: A Political Showdown Unpacking the GOP’s “repeal and replace” efforts
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BY EMMA DILL Obamacare, Better Care, Graham-Cassidy, the Skinny Repeal. The legislative titles churned the airwaves this summer as Republicans and Democrats alike debated the future of American health care, an increasingly divisive issue. With a Republican in the White House and Republican majorities in the House and Senate, “repeal and replace” should be easy. But this summer, Republicans tried not once, twice, or even three times to repeal the ACA; they proposed a total of four replacements, and each one failed. Some, like Graham-Cassidy—the most recent bill— didn’t even make it to a vote. Healthcare is undoubtedly complicated. It has to be because it affects each and every American. It took Democrats 18 months to pass the ACA, yet Republicans have tried to repeal and replace in a matter of weeks. This accelerated approach has left some Republicans nervous about voting for haphazard bills. How can they support something they have barely had time to read? But there are other issues too. Although separate, all “repeal and replace” bills so far have fit a similar mold. To illustrate this point, let’s unpack the most recent attempt: GrahamCassidy. Graham-Cassidy gets its name from the two senators sponsoring the bill: Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican. The bill aims to turn the ACA’s federal funding for healthcare into money that would be given to each state in a block grant. States would then be allowed to make their own rules about healthcare. Although this might seem like empowerment, states could save money by offering fewer benefits for residents, or by cutting funding for programs like Medicaid.
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Here are the three largest areas of concern: Medicaid Medicaid is important. This federal and state insurance program provides health care for 20 percent of all Americans, 40 percent of children, half of all births, 60 percent of nursing home expenses, and 25 percent of mental health care, according to National Public Radio. GrahamCassidy would change Medicaid’s structure by giving states control over how they spend its federal funding. The bill also cuts Medicaid funding over time. While this bodes well for states like Texas, which have reduced Medicaid programs, states with larger programs like California and New York will face cuts. Pre-existing conditions Pre-existing conditions (alcohol or drug abuse, cancer, mental disorders, diabetes, dementia, the list goes on and on) are at the heart of the healthcare debate. The ACA guarantees coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Although this has been one of the ACA’s most popular facets, the Republican bill would allow states to waive this requirement. This would bring healthcare back to a time before the ACA when insurers could refuse people with pre-existing conditions or charge them higher premiums.
confronting their constituents in 2018 elections without success or even progress on the “repeal and replace” front. For seven years, Republicans at all levels have been promising to dismantle the ACA. Now they have had their chance(s), and failed. Republicans need to remember that all good things take time. They need to incorporate voices and input from the American people, those who will be affected every day by the bill passed in Washington. The “repeal and replace” efforts affect all Americans. Although most college students (at least those younger than 26) would not be significantly affected by any of the proposed bills, they would raise costs for those older than 65. Plus, anyone with a pre-existing condition, disability, or mental illness would be at the mercy of a state government’s ruling on essential benefits and pre-existing conditions. All things considered, we all know someone who would be impacted by the GOP’s Better Care, Graham-Cassidy, or the Skinny Repeal. Nonetheless, health care does not need to be a partisan issue. Democrats and Republicans can reach across the widening political divide and work together to create a new and better solution that can help us all.
Essential health benefits While the ACA guarantees insurers will cover 10 “essential health benefits” ranging from maternity and emergency care to mental health, hospitalization, and prescription drugs, Republican proposals allow states to opt out of these requirements. Some Republicans recognize the drawbacks to their bills. However, they also worry about
OCT 23—NOV 5
VOICES
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Death of a (Sex) Salesman Stop giving Hugh Hefner credit where credit is not due BY CLAIRE BECKER A brief disclaimer: my intention here is certainly not to pile more undeserved attention onto the late Hugh Hefner. However, if I see one more article attempting to paint the affectionately nicknamed “Hef” as some kindly but mischievous grandpa who “just didn’t want to grow up,” I am going to absolutely vomit. It’s no secret that the media is prone to whitewashing the less... savory details of deceased celebrities’ lives, but they’re really taking it to a new level with Hugh Hefner. Among alleged “progressive” qualities cited in attempts to venerate Hugh Hefner in death are his support of gay marriage, his fights for abortion and contraceptive rights, his occasional publishing of female authors in “Playboy,” his frequent donations to the DFL, and, above all, the (in my opinion, ludicrous) assertion that Hefner not only contributed to but actually sparked a movement towards women’s sexual liberation. A “Fortune Magazine” sub-headline states, verbatim, that “Hefner helped usher in the 1960s sexual revolution with his groundbreaking men’s magazine.” Um, excuse me? Are we talking about the Hugh Hefner who sold female sexuality as a product? The man who pitted women against each other based on their superficial appearances? Who was accused of rape, assault, and abuse? Who, if iconic playmate Holly Madison is to be believed, drugged women on quaaludes to get them to “open their legs?” The very same Hugh Hefner who allegedly attempted to force Dorothy Stratten to perform acts of bestiality? Something’s wrong with this picture. We can’t let the urge to speak well of the dead blind us to the wickedness of the living. Hugh Hefner was a shrewd and successful businessman who made and spent his fortune objectifying and exploiting women. He wasn’t some harmless, dirty old man. He was a sexist millionaire who sold nudes and abused women. The last thing I want to make clear: Hugh Hefner didn’t start the sexual revolution, he exploited it for profit. “Hef” did not magically sexually liberate western women with his pornographic magazine—we did that ourselves, and our work isn’t done yet. Equality can’t be achieved by a billionaire in a velvet robe; it’s a collaborative effort, and one that I don’t believe the man in the robe had any desire to contribute to.
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VOICES
The Urban Myth of the Super Bowl and a Rise in Sex Trafficking With the Super Bowl coming to Minneapolis in 2018, the public worries that sex trafficking will increase BY KATRINA PROSS Former U.S. Attorney General Greg Abbott told USA Today in 2011 that the Super Bowl is the “single largest human trafficking incident in the United States.” The Super Bowl has been perceived for years as a breeding ground for sex traffickers and men seeking prostitutes. The increase of fans to one area is thought to enlarge the number of men looking for sex, draw in more prostitutes, and allow for pimps and victims to go unnoticed. However, while sex trafficking is indisputably a problem, especially in large cities, the association between sex trafficking and the Super Bowl has been overestimated and exaggerated to the point where it has become an urban myth. The amount of activity relating to sex trafficking in these areas is not any higher around the time of the Super Bowl. “We didn’t see a huge influx in prostitutes coming into Tampa. The arrests were not a lot higher. They were almost the same,” Tampa police spokeswoman, Andrea Davis, said after the 2009 Super Bowl. There is little evidence that demonstrates that it is the Super Bowl alone that causes increases in sex trafficking. The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, a non-governmental organization, published a report in 2011 researching the association between major sporting events like the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl and sex trafficking. Their report concluded, “Despite massive media attention, law enforcement measures and efforts by prostitution abolitionist groups, there is no empirical evidence that trafficking for prostitution increases around large sporting events.” The link between popular sporting events and sex trafficking has been created by insufficient data, misinformation, and the susceptibility to sensationalize. Nevertheless, this concept is still used as an appeal for advocacy groups, journalists, and politicians.
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It is particularly worrisome that politicians, such as the U.S. Attorney General, continue to state this idea as fact, repeating this claim on various instances despite the lack of evidence and support from researchers, antitrafficking advocates, and nongovernmental organizations. Kate Mogulescu, founder and supervising attorney of the Trafficking Victims Advocacy Project at the Legal Aid Society, said before the Super Bowl in 2014, “No data actually support the notion that increased sex trafficking accompanies the Super Bowl. Even with this lack of evidence, the myth has taken hold through sheer force of repetition, playing on desires to rescue trafficking victims and appear tough on crime.” Whether the Super Bowl is held in Dallas, New Orleans, or Minneapolis, the results are the same: local law enforcement pledges to put forward programs to prevent sex trafficking and hold news conferences to spread awareness. However, “the actual number of traffickers investigated or prosecuted hovers around zero,” Mogulescu says. These steps taken towards change and prevention are nothing more than illusion with aims to portray local law enforcement in a more positive light rather than protect victims and survivors. Minneapolis, like the cities where past Super Bowls have been held, is promising to crack down on sex trafficking during this highly publicized event. The Star Tribune reported that a group including representatives of counties and law enforcement revealed a $1 million campaign to combat sex trafficking during the Super Bowl in Minneapolis. However, the experts at the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and OutreachEngagement Center agree that the claims that the Super Bowl is the largest human trafficking event
are highly exaggerated. Yes, a slew of middleaged white men will flock to Minneapolis for the event, but local law enforcement and politicians are using the Super Bowl and its false association with an increase in sex trafficking as a strategy to appear that they are tough on crime and to improve their own reputations. Every year, the Super Bowl gets mass media attention as being a magnet for prostitutes and exponentially increasing sex trafficking despite there being no sufficient evidence. This leads to large amounts of money being put towards campaigns that aim to prevent something that isn’t happening on the scale that is being portrayed. This publicity is used to make politicians and local law enforcement seem more reputable, which is not only corrupt and fraudulent, but also unfair to victims in other areas where sex trafficking is a greater problem.
OCT 23—NOV 5
VOICES
New Coach, New Rules, New Team
Gopher football’s new head coach looks to move forward from last year’s boycott BY NOAH SCHMINSKI
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With a surprising winning record, catchy new slogan, and the youngest Big Ten football coach in history known for his inspiring pregame speeches, it’s tough not to be a Gopher football fan today. But with all of the hype surrounding the new head coach, P.J. Fleck, it seems that Gopher fans have forgotten why there was a need for a new coach in the first place. On January 3, 2017, the University of Minnesota fired former football head coach Tracy Claeys due to his support of his entire team’s two-day boycott of all football activities. This boycott was a response to ten players being suspended on charges of sexual assault that occurred on September 2, 2016 involving a female student. Since then, the sexual assault charges have been dropped, with five players having their suspensions overturned, four being expelled, and one receiving a one-year suspension. 12
With all eyes on the new coach, he’s doing exactly what a person in his position should do; he’s putting his foot down. Fleck responded to last year’s incident by telling his players that if anyone is ever involved in a similar incident, “there [will be] no place for you in this program.” He has instituted a type of “zero tolerance” policy which is popular among the NCAA, but doesn’t seem to be decreasing sexual assaults among their players at the rates they hoped for. Along with the zero-tolerance policy, Fleck has installed the “Gopher for Life” program, featuring sexual assault prevention professionals from the University of Minnesota’s Aurora Center, as well as more well-known speakers to educate athletes on prevention, bystander intervention, and understanding for the victim when it comes to sexual assault. This program is similar to the one under former head coaches Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys, who ranked among the nation’s best when it came to fewest arrests from 2011 to 2015. However, the former coaches only held about four sessions per year. Fleck wishes to increase the number of sessions in hopes of rebuilding a franchise that all Gopher fans can gladly cheer for.
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The Killers Battle of the Sexes
“Wonderful Wonderful” BY KARL WITKOWIAK
BY OLIVIA HULTGREN
Once one of the biggest bands of the last decade, The Killers have remained relatively quiet since the 2010s. However, with “Wonderful Wonderful,” The Killers make their big return… although it isn’t quite as momentous as expected.
More than just another sports film, “Battle of the Sexes” is an authentic depiction of the 1973 tennis match between female phenom Billie Jean King and former men’s world champion, Bobby Riggs. Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone portrays King as she wins a world championship title, only to be challenged by the superfluous and self-proclaimed “male chauvinist pig,” Bobby Riggs, played by Steve Carell. As Riggs puts it, “women should serve their roles in the kitchen and in the bedroom,” but clearly not on the same court as men. Stone is raw and honest as King, capturing the tennis legend’s determination, humor, and smart rhetoric. Pitted against the always exceptional Carell as her rival, the pair adequately demonstrates the back-and-forth tension apparent throughout the film. The film manages to expertly juxtapose gender politics with LGBTQ+ issues in a little over two hours. King and fellow women’s players fight for equal pay as the married King strikes up an affair with a female hairdresser, played by Andrea Riseborough. Moreover, the cinematography captivates, delivering a superb portrait of the events surrounding the match. “Battle of the Sexes” is more than King’s calm determination pitted against Riggs’ showboating and inflated ego. It is man versus woman in an ultimate testament of gender equity in professional tennis. It’s a very prominent issue that still remains in the modern world of tennis, and it’s one that this film tackles with both reason and taste.
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Florist “If Blue Could Be Happiness” BY HANNAH HAAKENSON A few weeks ago, Florist released their new album, “If Blue Could Be Happiness,” and it is nothing short of amazing. The band has found a way to strip their music down to the sounds of gentle guitar strings, softly sung words, and a collection of quiet drum beats. This simple combination makes the album feel intimate and conjures up feelings of nostalgia for the listener. The lead singer, Emily Sprague, is open and raw, shamelessly laying out her thoughts and feelings for the world to see. Sprague reveals beauty in the simple things when she sings of light beams, a lover’s eyes, and cherished memories that continue to live on. The album keeps an underlying tone of empathy as Sprague sings of difficult times following the death of her mother. Her profound lyrics pair perfectly with the subtle instruments in the background, and the album as a whole gives off a peaceful, comforting vibe that makes the listener want to wrap up in a warm blanket with a hot cup of cocoa and reminisce about the good times. While some may think this music is too minimalist, Florist demonstrates that good music does not need to include dozens of instruments, hundreds of hours in production, or lots of editing. In only 10 songs, this album captures both the heart and mind of the listener and brings light to the beautiful tragedies that can occur in life.
The Killers are known for their rock swagger and grandiosity. Tracks “Out Of My Mind” and “Tyson vs Douglas” return to that almost over-the-top sound, but other songs on the album seem to lack the same sense of power in terms of instrumentation. This could be due to the fact that the songs seldom build in intensity and never quite end with a punch, like in “Life To Come” or “Have All The Songs Been Written?” As a vocalist, Brandon Flowers is still as energetic and charismatic behind the microphone as ever. The theme of empathy is consistent throughout the album. Songs such as the title track and “Rut” express Flowers staying by his wife’s side while she suffers from PTSD. “The Man” comes across as a bold statement and accentuates the type of flashy lifestyle the band promotes. There are definitely strong themes in this album, although it isn’t as solid lyrically. This is mostly due to some poorly written lines, such as “he’s fake news” on “Run for Cover,” or “dropkick the shame” on “Life To Come.” Brandon Flowers himself stated that he writes “a lot of solid 6s and 7s” out of 10, and “Wonderful Wonderful” feels like an album full of such songs. Though nowhere near a bad record, The Killers’ big comeback leaves more to be desired.
OCT 23—NOV 5
SIX REVIEWS
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Mother! BY MEGAN HOFF Critics have been describing the movie “Mother!” in a variety of ways: horrific, mysterious, confusing, and even stupid. Jennifer Lawrence stars alongside Javier Bardem in director Darren Aronofsky’s twisted take on the Book of Genesis, an allegory of the Bible like no one has ever seen before. Aronofsky also directed “Black Swan” and “Requiem for a Dream,” so it was no surprise that this movie was filled with dark characters and recurring symbols. The story opens with Lawrence and Bardem living in a big house in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. Their peaceful existence is quickly interrupted by two strangers who invade the house and the couple’s privacy. As the intruders begin to make themselves a little too at home, tension gives way to violence. In a deafening crescendo of a climax, humanity appears at its worst: screaming, crying, and literally tearing the house apart. In the audience, hands were glued to mouths in awe of the horror. Some of the scenes were so intense that people had to look away. Though the plot is biblical, the film is also a larger metaphor for the destruction humans are wreaking on the environment. The graphic display of what will happen if we continue to take until there is nothing left but chaos is a warning. It is disturbing. “Mother!” is hard to watch because the reality it portrays could be our future if we do not stop harming our planet. This prophetic feature draws audiences in and leaves them with a sense of dread rising in the pits of their stomachs.
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Wolf Alice “Visions of a Life” BY CLAIRE REDELL Just as British alt-rock group Wolf Alice started climbing up the Billboard charts while touring across the pond over the past two years, they stepped out of the spotlight. Since then, grunge vocalist Ellie Rowsell and her bandmates have been at work on their next project. In September, the shoegaze-inspired quartet released their highly anticipated sophomore album, “Visions of a Life,” after their first wildly successful 2015 album, “My Love Is Cool.” Over the summer, they gave fans a preview of their new album with the release of their angst-fueled single “Yuk Foo,” which perfectly captures the essence of their vehement punk rock style. Some were skeptical of the future album’s cohesiveness due to Roswell’s bold, foul-mouthed lyrics, such as “I wanna f*** all the people I meet… no, I don’t give a s***.” However, Wolf Alice’s recent transition into stardom did not prevent them from impressively balancing ethereal, whispery tracks such as “Don’t Delete The Kisses” and “After The Zero Hour” with more traditional rock sounds from guitar-heavy “Formidable Cool” and “Space & Time.” The juxtaposition they present between adolescence and the transition into adulthood mirrors the growing pains and uncertainty felt by their audience members, who can relate to their authentic and occasionally explicit tunes.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) BY JACK HEDLUND-FAY “Big Trouble in Little China” should be on everyone’s list of cult-classic films. John Carpenter’s 1986 fantasy martial arts film is fantastic on a number of levels. It reminds one of more current films like “Mad Max: Fury Road” with its non-stop action and mayhem. It leaves most aspects of its storyline unexplained: a villain shoots lightning from his hands, a henchman explodes, a giant monster pops out of a wall—you must simply accept these things. The film subverts expecta-tions, resulting in a lot of unexpectedly intense scenes even for those familiar with martial arts genre tropes. Some scenes seem to contribute nothing to the coherence of the film, but they are a part of the shaggy-dog approach of the filmmakers. This film is also revolutionary. The protagonist, Jack Burton, differs strikingly from other male action film heroes of the era. In films like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” the white protagonist is cool and capable, saving the day whatever the crazy scenario, while the Asian supporting cast is relegated to goofy stereotypes. This film reverses that structure. But, based on its poor box-office performance, this went largely unnoticed. Satirizing the average action he-ro, Burton spends most of the movie being confused, not understanding Chinese culture or the strange happenings occurring around him while his supporting cast actually performs the majori-ty of the badass action moments in the film. In this way, it’s a very interesting film in the martial arts genre, and is definitely worth a watch.
The diminuendo at the end of their seven-minute closing track, “Visions of a Life,” is a respectable end to their roller coaster of an album. Wolf Alice has proven their ability to take risks and adhere to their unique creative direction. Ultimately, it is no question that “Visions of a Life” will only accelerate the group’s journey to global success in the coming months.
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JOIN US Come to the next meeting in Folwell 4 on Monday, October 30th at 8 pm.