The Wake - Issue 3 - Fall 2021

fortnightly student magazine

volume 21 — issue 3

Rave Culture in Minneapolis

p. 8

That’s News to Me

p. 17

Minneapolis Zine Culture

p. 11

New Heroics

p. 18

When We Were Just Girls

p. 13

Mothra Q&A

p. 22

ART

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Art by Katka Trachtova

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

©2021 The Wake Student Magazine.

Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in

All Rights Reserved.

which students can voice their opinions. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as

Established in 2002, The Wake is a

fortnightly student magazine

VOLUME 21 — ISSUE 3 EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Cities Editor Voices Editor Online Editor

Marley Richmond Jemma Keleher Ian Knoll Mitchell Levesque

Copy Editors

Na’Jai Wilson Autumn Sanders

Music Reviews Editor

Peter Nomeland Tosin Faseemo

Multimedia Editor Multimedia Producer

Linnea Baerenwald Noah Berghammer

Editorial Interns: Holly Gilvary, Marie Ronnander, Srihita Raju, Nina Afremov, Carly Quast, Veroninca Nowakowski, Anika Wilsnack, Erica Bouska Music and Review Interns: Avery Wageman, Griffin Jacobs

a whole. To join the conversation email eic@wakemag.org.

fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced

The Wake Student Magazine

by and for students at the University of

126 Coffman Memorial Union

Minnesota. The Wake was founded by

300 Washington Avenue SE

Chrin Ruen and James DeLong.

Minneapolis, MN 55455

PRODUCTION

THIS ISSUE

Executive Director

Esther Chan Chae Hong

Writers

Erin Krotz Hannnah Lundquist

Vela, KJ Inskeep, Srihita Raju, Nina Afremov, Sean Ericson,

Skylar Neuber Megan Bormann

Brault, Griffin Jacobs, Lukas Levin, Sanjali Roy, Megan

Creative Director Finance Manager PR/Ad Manager Social Media Manager Art Director Web Manager Distribution Manager Distribution Assistant Designers

Natalie Blum Shannon Brault

Marie Ronnander, Holly Gilvary, Alessandra Benitez, Abby Stella Melhoff, Quinn Mcclurg, Lydia Tallarini, Shannon Bormann, Mats Jacobsson, Tosin Faseemo Art

Emily Baude Gavin Schuster Makenna Larson

7 Jack Rahill, 8 Baqir Noor

Zoe Foster

Cover and Feature art by Katka Trachtova

Production Interns: Patrick Gagnon, Gracie Kibort, Renee Mottet Art Interns: Madison Kuehn, Natalie Yang, Katerina Trachtova

1 Megan Bormann, 2 Katka Trachtova, 3 Madison Kuehn, 4 Natalie Yang, 5 Simone Traband, 6 Katherine Regas,

Feature article spread designed by Zoe Foster and Chae Hong Toxic, Womanizer, Oops!... I Did It Again, Drugs, Life of a DON, No Time to Die, Love For Sale, Colourgrade images from original sources.

Multimedia Interns: Cecilia Harold, Natalie Aue

THE WAKE

Art by Chae Hong

Which Britney Spears Song Are You???

wink! one page magazine

Go!

Waffles or pancakes?

Pancakes

Summer

Waffles

Sort by price or by rating?

Rating

Tea

Coffee or tea?

Coffee

Sneakers or sandals?

Sandals

Pink or gold?

Gold

Price

Sneakers

Pink

Loofah or washcloth?

Love or Money?

TikTok or Instagram?

Loofah

Washcloth

Toxic

4

Fall

Summer or fall?

Money

Love

Womanizer

Instagram

TikTok

Oops!... I Did it Again

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

INSIDE 8

Rave Culture in MPLS

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All-Ages Fun at the MPLS Cider Company Day of the Dead: It’s Not the Mexican Halloween

UPCOMING EVENTS 11/5 @ 8pm

11/5–11/6 @ 8-11pm

Patton Oswalt: Who’s Ready to Laugh

Black Panther with the Minnesota Orchestra

Emmy and Grammy Award winning comedian

Join the Minnesota Orchestra as they perform the

Patton Oswalt (also known as the voice of “Remy”

Oscar and Grammy award-winning soundtrack to

from Ratatouille) brings stand-up with equal parts

Marvel’s Black Panther alongside the film.

politics, nerdy banter, frustration, and optimism to the State Theatre.

900 Hennepin Avenue

1111 Nichollet Mall

11/5–11/7

11/6 + 11/13 @ 7pm

Open Casket 2021 Art Event

Illusions: The Show

Hosted at the former Northwestern Casket

At Illusions, Minneapolis Drag Queens perform

When We Were Just Girls: A Widespread Culture of Sexploitation

Company and nearby Sculpture Gallery and Park,

a combo of burlesque and comedy while

Open Casket is a weekend of paintings, woodwork,

impersonating everyone from Tina Turner and

sculptures, certamics, and more from Casket Arts’s

Joan Rivers to Cardi B and Adele.

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Post-Psychiatric Diagnosis Depression

681 17th Ave NE

17

That’s News to Me

11/11 @ 3:30–5pm

11/11 @ 6–10pm

18

New Heroics

19

The Feelings of Fall in the Fables of Folk

Spotlight Series: Art as Protest and Patriotism

Magic at Modist

Collaborators with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane

For their next trick, local magicians perform an

Company discuss “Afterwardsness”, a recent

enchanting act at local experimental brewery

production reflecting on the twin pandemics of

Modist Brewing Company. First drink is free with

COVID-19 and violence against Black bodies, and

the ticket. Blink and you’ll miss it!

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11

Cutting People Off and Moving On: Is It Feasible?

Metropolitan Fossils MPLS Zine Culture

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locally and nationally renowned artists.

612-698 County Rd 35

Baseball’s New Balland-Strike System 20

Six Reviews

22

Mothra Q&A

THE WAKE

how creating art reflecting social issues is part protest and part patriotism.

Northrop (also available online)

505 North 3rd St

5

Letter from the Art Director Hello dear readers, Thanks for picking up Issue 3 of The Wake. This year we’ve gone back to bi-monthly issues and with more opportunities to showcase amazing art, I couldn’t be more excited!

My experience with The Wake has been different, to say the least. I joined my freshman year as a Music and Reviews Intern, moved to the art team as an Art Intern the following year, and this year, as a junior, I’ve been given the opportunity to serve as Art Director.

This fall, The Wake has had some very topical content, such as the violence of fraternity culture, Line 3, university vaccine mandates, and even the rise of pop star Olivia Rodrigo. Whatever you’re looking for, The Wake will provide. That’s what I love about working at this magazine. Everyone has a unique outlook on how the world works, which can make their articles and art incredibly thought-provoking. And by being a part of The Wake, I’ve met lifelong friends.

Lately, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about what success and happiness look like. Ever since I was a freshman in high school, I’ve had different ideas about who I wanted to be and what my future held. From marine biologist, to actress, to geneticist, to journalist, to whatever the hell strategic communication is, I know that college has provided the tools and experiences to figure out who I am. And hey, if I can’t, there’s always grad school, right? Kidding. Maybe?

Finally, as Art Director, I feel it is my responsibility to encourage everyone to keep creating. Whether it’s photography, painting, knitting, making TikToks, or making popsicle stick crafts, do what makes you happy.

Signing off, Megan Bormann Art Director

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NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

CREATIVE WRITING

Become What You Hate

BY MATTHEW SCHANK “Hey Google, Goodmorning” groaned Tony as he vomited into his rusted worn-down toilet from the massive overdose of Tequila from the night before.

Tony’s Google Nest Hub responded, “Good Morning, Tony Kotz. It’s 6:15 AM. Right now in Dinkytown, it is 45 degrees and sunny with a forecasted high of 52 degrees and low of 37. Today on your schedule, you have work at London Pet Hospital at 8:30 AM, drinking at 5 PM, and anxiety meds at 9 PM.” Tony spit the remains of his daily evening drink in the toilet and thought to himself, Sounds like another fantastic day ahead of me.

Because he was already in the bathroom, Tony decided he would bathe for the first time this week, and today was Thursday. Tony has never liked cleaning himself because he always wanted to be like the living beings that he always loved and adored most, animals. He grew his passion for animals ever since his parents bought him dinosaur action figures when he was little. But as of lately, the reason for Tony’s dirty cleaning habits are primarily because he does not have the willpower to properly present himself to society anymore.

Once Tony slid off his Fruit Of The Loom boxers, he took a look at himself in the mirror. His dirty blonde hair was lengthy and raggedy, so bad that it could be used as military rope. His face was smothered with zits and debris from the lack of showering, teeth were dark yellow, breath smelt like a dead rodent, and his beard has been getting too scruffy.

Scan the QR code to read the rest

THE WAKE

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CITIES

Rave Culture in Minneapolis At the Skyway Theater, you have to be higher than the amplitude of the music playing to enjoy yourself

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BY MARIE RONNANDER Flashes of green and purple outline the slacken faces in the crowd. They bob their heads offrhythm and stare into the distance. Blue light cracks across the stage as a man taps my shoulder and gargles, “You know honey, it’s okay to smile”. It’s in this moment that I feel as though this decision was a mistake.

The idea of going to a rave had been bounced around in our friend group for a couple weeks. To us, raves were an essential bucket list item. They seemed revelous. A night filled with exhilarating music and entrancing lights. When given the opportunity to finally check that box, we jumped.

The night before the event, we ventured to the Mall of America to pick out our outfits. This was the most exciting part and ramped up the anticipation for the event. Surrounded by neons and metallics, with only 40 minutes to decide, I picked out a combination of fishnets, holistic tulle, and silver.

The quintessential rave item is kandi. These beaded bracelets come in every color and design and symbolize the rave culture, PLURR (peace, love, unity, respect, and responsibility). After hearing about my rave intentions, one of my close friends made me five beautiful kandi bracelets to complete my dream.

Kandi trading comes with meaning. It commemorates a connection made with someone at a rave. Going into the Skyway Theater in

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downtown Minneapolis, this was my idea of what a rave would be: a place filled with loud music and a special atmosphere of unity.

in a grocery store, eyeing us over, trying to feel our ripeness. I’d never felt my gender and age as such vulnerabilities before.

The reality was very much not what I had idealized.

Walking onto the floor was a deafening experience, literally. The first five minutes were the most euphoric of my life -- then took an exponential nose-dive.

After an hour, all four of us jammed ourselves in a dilapidated 4x3 bathroom stall and made an exit plan. We were far too sober for the chaos around us and the rave was not at all the movie-moment we desired. We needed to binge Insomnia Cookies and sleep.

After breaking trance from the electric music, I realized how boring it was. The DJ playing had an evident god complex taller than the skyscraper surrounding us, yet somehow only knew how to blast the base. After subsequently blowing out our eardrums, the only relief was when the main performer, Mitis, came on stage. The room was still too small to find reprieve from the loudness.

Even standing in the back felt like my brain was being hijacked by the beat.

When I started to look around, I uneasily began to notice the ratio of men to women. Throngs of men stood in the back silently observing while much fewer girls danced seemingly disembodied.

A feeling of fear began to tighten my chest as I realized how outnumbered we were.

I was approached numerous times by older men asking me incoherent questions. When I didn’t respond, they’d drift over to the next group of girls and start the cycle over. They treated us like fruit

While I’m not warded off of raves completely, I don’t think I’ll be attending another one in the Twin Cities. The rave life in Minneapolis is nothing like the traditional EDM festivals like Mysteryland and Tomorrowland. There are a lot fewer people, with the attendees being mostly in their 30s. No one wore kandi, which was the most disappointing part, and there wasn’t any unity in the experience.

Above anything else, it made me realize my place in the world that I live in. It seems unjust that I had to fear so much for my safety in a crowd of 500 people simply because of my gender. The lack of security provided increased the anxiety-inducing factors. The fashion, the getting ready process, and the people made the night wonderful, but I could have done without the rave.

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

CITIES

All-Ages Fun at the Minneapolis Cider Company Minneapolis Cider Company’s Orchard Bash hosted a wonderfully autumnal festival that everyone could enjoy

Day of the Dead: It’s Not the Mexican Halloween

BY HOLLY GILVARY With the smell of hot cider and pumpkin spice crepes, the sight of bulky sweaters and knit caps, and pumpkins being carved left and right, fall was in the air on the crisp Saturday afternoon at the Minneapolis Cider Company.

On October 16th, Minneapolis Cider Company hosted Orchard Bash, a fall festival complete with autumnal activities such as pumpkin carving, an apple market, live music, bonfires, and s’mores, along with the cidery’s signature offerings of pickleball, ping pong, and of course, a wide variety of cider.

An important tradition in Mexican folklore, yet one that’s infamous in America

A 12-hour event stretching from noon to midnight, the cider company’s festival was truly as family-friendly and all-ages-welcome as a public event can get. The venue was packed as cider-lovers from all generations gathered to enjoy the day. Young families could be seen playing with their babies and dogs, elderly couples enjoyed delicious drinks together on the sun-lit couches next to the crepe station, and middle-aged friends dusted off their mean pickleball skills on the open courts.

BY ALESSANDRA BENITEZ For anyone who’s not of Mexican descent, the words “Day of the Dead” probably meant nothing until the Disney blockbuster “Coco.” Day of the Dead is one of the most important holidays for Mexican people, a tradition that started before the country was colonized and which has withstood countless centuries of political and social change.

As someone who’s celebrated this holiday her whole life, it never occurred to me how strange this tradition may seem from the outside. After all, we’re celebrating death, or rather those who died. It’s about celebrating their lives; it’s about understanding that death doesn’t have to be the end of life but rather a continuation of it. Day of the Dead is certainly an affair to remember; each year families spend whole days in cemeteries bringing offerings to their deceased loved ones and preparing altars that range from 2 to 7 levels. And much like life itself, everything in the altar has a purpose for being there. Every single aspect of it is designed with your deceased in mind, all their favorite foods, flowers to guide them, candles to light their way, and salt to protect them. The altars are such a pivotal part of the holiday because they serve as both a lighthouse for the spirits of your loved ones and a tangible thing you can express this love in. For me, Day of the Dead will always be one of my favorite traditions, making an altar with all my loved ones favorite foods and things, having a party with my family, and most importantly: remembering. Life is oftentimes so hectic that we rarely allow ourselves rest times in which we can look back on those we’ve lost; that’s why Day of the Dead offers us an opportunity to reflect on the things that have changed and allows us to express our grief in a fun and colorful way that makes it hurt just a little bit less.

The pumpkins that guests could reserve for carving were already sold out by about 4 p.m. However, there was no shortage of activities for guests to enjoy. Next to the carving station, in the back of the cidery, was the Midwest staple of bag toss, and close by, a beautiful array of freshly picked apples from Aamodt’s Apple Farm. The apple market also included treats such as apple cider doughnuts (which understandably sold out by early afternoon), apple oatmeal cookies, and apple butter.

Orchard Bash truly embodied the spirit of fall in a way that people from all ages and backgrounds could enjoy, making for a successfully inclusive experience for all who came.

And if you missed Orchard Bash, don’t fret—Minneapolis Cider Company hosts smaller events every week, including college nights on Thursdays. So even without every festivity included at Orchard Bash, if you’re looking for a nice, autumnal experience, do yourself a favor and stop by the cider company.

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THE WAKE

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CITIES

Cutting People Off and Moving On: Is It Feasible?

Alienating toxic people is a step toward healing, but it’s not the whole journey

BY ABBY VELA It’s about that time in the semester when students begin to get a bit antsy, especially our first years.

Sure, the campus experience is welcoming and provides us with a community of our choosing, and life away from our guardians’ prying eyes still has that freeing feeling that it did the first week.

However, those positives don’t always beat out the longing for our mattresses, a home-cooked meal, or the incessant barking of the family dog you didn’t know you could miss. New experiences can be fantastic, but so can comfort, familiarity.

I’ve been home one weekend so far this semester, and I don’t plan on going back for a while. That being said, I enjoyed my time there; I went to my favorite coffee shop, record store, and brunch spot.

It was relaxing, escaping the hustle and bustle of our campus for 72 hours. Yet, it was unsettling to see all those people I thought were in a separate chapter of my life. When I decided to go out of state for college, I believed that I would never have to see all the people I disliked ever again. I thought that because my address changed, I would be a separate entity from the community.

That is, unfortunately, not the case.

Hometown trauma is a real experience. I’m a person of color coming from the middle of

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nowhere, Wisconsin. There’s a certain unease that doesn’t just dissipate the minute I leave. The racism and violence I experienced stuck with me and shaped not only the way I navigate life in Minneapolis but also how I navigate relationships within my hometown. I cut people off and out, but is this truly a feasible solution?

Moving forward is not a one-size-fits-all experience, and I don’t want to make it out to be.

It takes a lot of self-reflection and work even to begin moving forward, so to say that one way is the only way would be absurd. Alienation of individual people has worked for me in the past (let’s be honest, we all have that one friend in high school that needed to be cut off for some reason or another), but whole towns, communities, and memories? I don’t know how possible that is to do, especially if you have families, friends, and experiences still intertwined with it.

While the body moves away and it’s possible that you may never lay eyes on your hometown again, every single person you interact with leaves an impression, positive, negative, or neutral; none of that changes with an address. In a way, all seven billion people on this planet are just 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles of every person they’ve ever met and every experience they’ve ever had. Take a

piece of that puzzle out, and it’s incomplete, no matter how ugly or misshapen the piece may be.

That’s not to say that distance and time don’t heal, because they do. The physical act of blocking that number, unfollowing on social media, or burning those bridges is therapeutic and freeing in a sense.

Putting parts of your past in the past is a battle in and of itself, but perhaps it’s only part of the battle.

I think the other part may be coming to terms with the past’s effect on the present. It’s a part of me, it’s a part of you, and it’s a part of the people we try to forget.

Because no matter how hard we try to forget about those who hurt us, it sticks with you, perseveres.

Yet in the same breath, so do we. Can cutting people off be a feasible tool to move on? Of course, but with that, we have to learn to live with our experiences. So let’s forgive ourselves and all of our ugly and misshapen pieces, because even those pieces deserve new beginnings.

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

CITIES

Metropolitan Fossils In celebration of National Fossil Day, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area hosted a free event and showed attendees that fossils can be found anywhere, even in the middle of the Twin Cities

BY KJ INSKEEP “There’s something so healing about holding something from the past,” said Ann Nemitz-Gooijer as we stood on a shale fossil bed near the Mississippi River. Around us, other enthusiasts searched for fossils and identified them using paper guides and help from volunteers and a park ranger.

A small group of hikers and fossil enthusiasts of all ages met at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in St. Paul. We were greeted by a table of large fossils: petrified wood, conglomerates of crinoids, and even a fossilized sand dollar the size of my hand. Park Ranger Abby Olsen then told us about the geology of the Mississippi River and Twin Cities area and explained how the regions’ layers of sandstone, shale, and limestone allowed for fossils to form and then resurface for us to find. We then embarked on a short hike, which took us into “the entrance of the ‘Secret Garden,’” as Park Ranger Olsen called it, a hidden trail along a small spring encased by trees. Orange and red leaves littered the ground on the walk, and we spotted mushrooms and wasp nests along the trail.

Our final stop was a steep fossil bed, where we searched for fossils for the remainder of the event. Park Ranger Olsen and other volunteers passed out guides and helped identify fossils while also looking for themselves. We shared the most interesting of our finds with each other: brachiopods stuck to bryozoans, conglomerates of many fossils, and gear-shaped crinoids. Before hiking out of the fossil bed, all of the fossils we found did have to be returned, as St. Paul does not allow fossils to be collected without a permit. Not having a permit certainly didn’t keep this group from connecting with the past or with the nature around us.

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THE WAKE

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Minneapolis Zine Culture Learn about the world of zines with this Twin Cities exhibit, and get inspired to create your own

BY SRIHITA RAJU Zines, which typically come in the form of little staplebound booklets or folded pieces of paper, have long been a way for members of underground subcultures to communicate and share their ideas with each other. Zines can be collections of personal essays, poems, information about local protests, reviews of bands, and anything else that can be put onto paper.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art is currently showing the “Fly Zine Archive: A Chronicle of Punk, Queer, and Ararchist Counterculture” exhibit, which will be displayed until April 2022. The exhibit shows highlights from the artist Fly NYC’s zine collection, which are categorized into four main categories: punk rock, squatting, anarchism/protest, and anarcho-punk traveling. The zines on display in each section did an amazing job of highlighting what makes a zine a zine; it isn’t about the materials or form used, it is about the intention. One of my favorites was in the punk rock section. It was an essay about how the occult presence in punk rock music is attractive because people are looking for tools to improve their life, which help them not become tools for other people to use. Another from the protest section was flipped open to a page with a political cartoon about Fox News and brainwashing. There were so many more in different formats, topics, and sizes.

If you visit, you’ll definitely find something that’ll resonate with you.

Zines are vessels for writers, poets, protestors, artists, and anyone else who has something that they want to say and wants full control over how they say it. They are accessible and don’t require the artist to have any expensive materials to be a part of the city’s zine scene. With a minimal barrier for entry, zine culture allows for many voices to be shared and amplified without approval or censorship from any larger entity. If you want to learn more about zines or be inspired to make your own, I’d highly recommend visiting the MIA’s exhibit.

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CREATIVE WRITING

sigh

BY ISRA HASSAN a bodice for your being an accordian for your presence when was the last time you thanked your lungs breathing our untimely friend air and I, could you tell we’re biological sisters shared umbilical cords and crawling space dispelled from the cavern of a woman who introduced love to us accompanying souls that will always find family in one another; a true ride or die operating under the same present tenses all tenses even the forgotten ones

extravaganza

BY ISRA HASSAN when people don’t want you to exist ping instigation receives a personalized e-vite your every movement erupts a recollection and any indication of your existence is a debut so bow and remember—they invited themselves to the show

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NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

FEATURE

When We Were Just Girls: A Widespread Culture of Sexploitation How Lolita media and Britney Spears’s past exemplify destructive media-driven pressure to be sexualized from a young age

BY NINA AFREMOV THE WAKE

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FEATURE

you in some ways of you. It isn’t the sex part that seems cool. It is the control and command over herself and her space that seems cool.”

September 29, 2021: the day the world was buzzing because Britney Spears was no longer under her father’s control as a result of a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008. Britney had been given the chance to choose her own representation. The entertainment media have been giving attention to the issue, creating the Free Britney Movement. For example, various streaming services have released documentaries about Britney’s career and the legal pressure that she has been under.

Like many college students, I took the liberty to educate myself by watching “Framing Britney Spears” on Hulu, searching to understand how America’s sweetheart came to be the object of such marked exploitation. But what I find most compelling about the story is what wasn’t said.

Within the first ten minutes, we see a clip of Britney as a child, singing onstage with a soulful growl.

Fast forward ten minutes later and there’s 16-year-old Britney, dancing in a high school hallway, singing in a baby voice, and wearing a full face of makeup and a sexy schoolgirl outfit that would never make dress code.

To me, this representation is a bit disturbing, especially considering that the target audience was tween and teenage girls; yet the interviewees glamorized this overtly sexual marketing. “New York Times” critic Wesley Morris said, “If you’re 12 or 13 years old, you’re seeing a person who reminds

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Jive Records’s marketer and Britney’s first marketer Kim Kaiman also said, “She just captured that dichotomy so well of what a teenage girl is.

Teenage girls want to be adult women, but they also are kids.” I found it curious how Britney’s marketer stated this as if it was coincidental rather than a calculated detail. Britney was intentionally sexualized as a young girl to gain fame and to make money for other people.

People first saw value in Britney’s “virginal but sexy” look, which later became the object of her earliest criticisms from parents and journalists.

In the Hulu documentary, we see clip after clip of journalists and parents berating her for her expression of sexuality; one middle-aged male interviewee takes the spotlight during a oneon-one with Britney to discuss her breasts. Even aside from that, what caught my attention was an interviewee comparing Britney to Lolita, which certainly coincides with the aesthetic in media that represents both sexiness and girliness.

The Lolita aesthetic that the interviewee alluded to is derived from the Vladimir Nabokov novel by the same name. “Lolita” follows a charming European emigree, Humbert Humbert, who falls in love with

“Britney was intentionally sexualized as a young girl to gain fame and to make money for other people.”

“It isn’t the sex part that seems cool. It is the control and command over herself and her space that seems cool.” the young Dolores, the daughter of his landlord, whom he gives various nicknames to such as “Dolly,” “nymphet,” and the book’s namesake, “Lolita.”

To delve deeper into the impact this book has had on our entertainment culture, I spoke with English department senior lecturer Chris Kamerbeek.

“One thing I think is absolutely central is the game the narration is playing, which is something like ‘what would the monster say?’” he said, regarding the style of the story. “Humbert’s story is a confession and his narration is anything but transparent or reliable; the close reader learns to read against or past what the narrator is telling us, to pay attention to how he justifies or obfuscates, how he might reveal what he’s attempting to conceal.”

In turn, readers must dissect the text with a critical eye to see past the abuser’s unreliable narration. “We can glimpse a version of Lolita (the character and the novel) through the cracks in the narration that subvert the fantasy and makes manifest the real human damage wreaked by Humbert’s predation.”

Kamerbeek and I came to the understanding that this novel is a cautionary tale in a sense; but it’s ambiguous whether the story specifically warns against child predation. There is one interpretation that Nabokov was quick to condemn: the idea that Humbert is the victim of a young temptress.

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

FEATURE

It is a sickening thought that the young girl is the orchestrator of her own fall from grace given the power dynamics between her and Humbert. Yet it is a sentiment that has prevailed in Lolita-esque media, particularly the 1997 film adaptation directed by Adrian Lyne, an infamous “sexpolitation” director. His work is essentially pornography—but don’t worry! They sometimes had a stunt double stand in for the underaged actress, Dominique Swain, during the sex scenes.

One of the aspects of this film adaptation that I find notable is that Dolores is sexualized in a way she wasn’t in the book or in the 1962 film adaptation. But what can you expect from a sexploitation director? As Kamerbeek said, “[It] is a pretty stark indication that the film is going to steer directly into a ‘sexploitation’ reading of the text.” Additionally, it has fed into the narrative that Humbert should be the object of sympathy and that “Lolita” is actually a love story. Ick. What’s most devastating to me is the effect that the 1997 film has had on young girls since its release. The romanticization of Lolita among young girls began on Tumblr but has moved to TikTok. If you search “Lolita” on Tiktok, you’ll find cosplays, romantic montages of the film draped in Lana Del Rey audio, and young women confessing their attraction to the novel and movies when they were Dolores’s age. They wanted to be her, just like how young girls wanted to be Britney. In a lot

“In a lot of ways, I see Lolita and Britney as one and the same. Lolita was controlled by Humbert, like how Britney’s father took away her liberty.” of ways, I see Lolita and Britney as one and the same. Lolita was controlled by Humbert, like how Britney’s father took away her liberty. And yet even with these famous examples, society turns a blind eye to the processes behind it all.

When we were girls, there was a societal pressure to be sexy that was driven by the media. Lolita and Britney are only two examples; how did this pressure affect women in our community?

According to a poll conducted by “The Wake,” 88% of the 26 respondents reported feeling pressure to be sexy starting from a young age. When asked where this pressure came from, respondents said that it was from Tumblr, boys and men, the media, and celebrities.

In regards to celebrity magazines, one respondent said, “I always felt like I should be on a beach with big beach waves in a provocative pose, even though I was like 14 and still had braces.” You want to know who else was 14 and had braces? Dolores from the 1997 adaptation.

But I digress. It is clear that the pressure to be sexy came from external forces.

the “sexiness” that girls are pressured to embody, there is the potential for empowerment; however, girls do not need to internalize this overarching societal message of sexiness to feel confident in themselves.

The fact of the matter is that if you do successfully pull off “sexiness,” the systems that convinced you that it was the key to success and empowerment will find a way to exploit you. And it won’t just stop when you turn 18 and it’s more accepted to express yourself sexually. People will still find ways to exploit you. Unfortunately, Britney could not protect herself in the face of sexual exploitation as a child nor as an adult because she was not able to make decisions for herself as a result of the conservatorship. We see Britney back then and today as an empowering woman in control of her body on stage, but her reality is the opposite Despite the celebrations over the end of the conservatorship, the fight is far from over. In reality, Britney’s father is suspended from being the conservator, but the conservatorship is still in place. I wonder if this could have been avoided if Britney was empowered from a young age for something other than marketed sexploitation.

Would she have received less criticism? Either way, her dance skills, her voice, her smile, and the glimmer in her eyes when she performed would have been enough to win over the hearts of millions of girls, I promise you that.

One respondent, who said she didn’t feel sexualized when she was a minor, said, “I was a follower of the original girl boss movement at the time so my mindset was ‘I don’t need to sexualize myself to be pretty.’” In the term “pretty” and in

THE WAKE

15

VOICES

Post-Psychiatric Diagnosis Depression Getting diagnosed is an important step, but definitely not the end of the road.

BY SRIHITA RAJU I don’t remember exactly when it started, but it was probably around the beginning of sophomore year of high school. Something shifted in me, and everything felt euphoric. The bad in life felt lighter, and the good was heightened. Everyone I talked to, everything I did, I loved. For the first time in my entire life, I loved being in my own skin.

This shift was felt by the people around me too. I was a bubbly social butterfly who talked a mile a minute, when just a semester before I was shy and, at times, a little cold. My parents noticed that I had become more active at school, especially since I couldn’t drive yet and they had to pick me up every day after my clubs were done. Though my friends could sometimes hardly get a word in, they laughed at the dumb impulsive things that I would say and do.

No one, especially me, thought that anything was wrong. I think we all just thought that I was growing up. At least that’s what I thought. I remember thinking, “This must be what it’s like to be a high schooler,” and thinking that I’d feel this way the rest of my life. What I didn’t know at the time was that the feeling, the euphoric high, would only last for about six months.

Much to my joy, it would come back once or twice during my junior year. But this time it was bookended by something new. A new type of low, a low that made me feel like I was wading through water. I had never felt anything like it before, because it wasn’t sadness. It was something closer to indifference. Despite this new heavy feeling, it was manageable and never felt disruptful so I didn’t think much of it. Again, I thought that this was just a part of becoming an adult. Plus, the lows were rare, and almost always accompanied

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by the highs. Most of my days were a normal balance in the middle, so I thought that it was fine.

Senior year was when I began to get more worried. The lows started to feel lower, and the highs were few and far apart. The drop from being in a high to being in a low was disorienting.

My senior year English teacher had us do a weekly assignment where we’d write a journal entry based on a prompt related to the book we were reading. Sometimes, instead of being related to class, the prompt would ask us about how we were doing. Most of these journal entries were just between us and her, and being an already open (maybe oversharing) person, I was honest.

I’d write about how I didn’t feel like one person, how sometimes my brain would “split,” and I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know what I meant by “split.” I just knew the word felt right.

Outside of these journals, I kept these feelings mostly to myself. Occasionally I tried to talk about it with my friends, but I could never get the words out. It wasn’t because I was worried what they’d think or that I was scared. I just had no idea what I was trying to say.

The last day of the semester, after most of my English class had filtered out the door, my teacher stopped me, put her hands on my shoulders, and brought me in closer so no one else would hear.

She said, “I thought about what you wrote in your journals every night, and I know that whatever this is, you’ll figure it out soon. Be strong.” That was when I realized I had a bigger problem on my hands than just being moody sometimes. I never thought too deeply about the things I wrote in my

English journals. I just wrote what I was feeling.

Hearing my teacher’s simultaneous hope and worry for me validated all my feelings.

Still, it was a busy time at school and in my life, so I put off thinking about it. Then the pandemic hit. My rollercoaster of emotions began growing deeper falls, building higher slopes, and increasing speed as the months dragged on. I grew more distant from everyone in my life, and my friends weren’t sure how to act around me. I lost interest in all of my hobbies. And at other times, I became so obsessed with my ideas and goals I forgot about everything else, including eating or sleeping.

Things were the worst in January. Looking back, I can’t actually remember what I did that month, but if I really concentrate I can recall some of the feelings. The chill hollowness, the pounding headaches, the near constant choke that at any moment threatened to unwind and force all my awful thoughts and feelings to crawl out of me.

Looking back, I can’t help but feel a little frustrated with myself for letting it get that bad before actually doing something about it.

I began to see a therapist in February, and I remember that when I told my friends and family, everyone was excited for me. Even my parents, who didn’t completely understand my mental health issues, were happy to hear that something seemed to be helping. I knew that it could only get better from there.

After my first couple of sessions, my therapist suspected that I had some type of mood disorder and guessed that it was likely bipolar type two. This wasn’t much of a shock to me. Self diagnosing mental health can be dangerous and counterintuitive, but I knew what the symptoms

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

VOICES

7

That’s News to Me

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In a world of competing perspectives and unprecedented access to information, how can we know that we’re getting the full story?

BY SEAN ERICSON

were for bipolar type two and felt that they aligned with what I was experiencing My therapist referred me to a psychiatric clinic around March, and I set up an appointment for May 28th to get tested. In the days leading up to the appointment, I remember looking forward to it. Having a professional put a name to the ghosts living inside my brain for years would be so validating. Everything would become so much more clear, and I’d be able to get back to my life.

The morning of the appointment, I woke up extra early, put on my comfort sweatshirt, got my comfort coffee order, and drove to St. Paul while listening to my comfort podcast. I needed all the emotional support I could get.

The tests were a series of cognitive exercises followed by a questionnaire about my behavior. Although I was anxious the entire time, I felt comfortable enough to be honest with my psychiatrist about everything I was experiencing. Before I knew it, we were finished. He stepped out of his office for about 20 minutes to retrieve the printouts of my report and go over my results. These twenty minutes were the most nerve wracking for me.

I felt like I was at a turning point in my life. Everything before that moment was over, and now I was on to brighter days, and an easier life. I felt proud of myself; I knew that diagnosis was a big step, and I had done it.

At the time, I thought the hardest part was over.

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THE WAKE

Last summer, in the relatively early days of the COVID pandemic, I was on a video call, talking with my cousin and her husband. My cousin asked me where I got my news about politics, and I realized it was mostly from Twitter. This concerned me: I thought of myself as a savvy consumer of news. What was I doing getting my information from social media? After all, we all know people who have been taken in by false information on the Internet. I had thought I was more media-literate than those people, but what if I wasn’t?

Our choice of news media can have a profound effect on our beliefs. A recent working paper from researchers at Princeton found that Twitter usage across Texas counties may have decreased the Republican vote share in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

The authors note that previous research has found even larger changes in vote share associated with “The Washington Post” and Fox News.

Partisanship isn’t the only form of media bias. One study found that exposure to network TV news increased agreement with racial stereotypes. Another found that women are overrepresented in news stories about lifestyle and healthcare, while men are overrepresented in stories about business and politics. And a third paper found that news reports on the economy closely track the fortunes of the richest Americans, while the financial fate of the poorest households hardly factors in at all.

All of these biases and bubbles can make the task of getting a complete view of the world seem impossible. It probably is, but I think we can at least try to make things better. I recommend seeking out news sources that come from a different point of view than your own, whether that be political persuasion or social background. I don’t claim to be perfect about this, of course—in many ways, I think I’m still stuck in my bubble.

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VOICES

New Heroics Masculinity, femininity, and a new wave of political leadership

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BY STELLA MEHLHOFF When I was little, I was convinced that one day I would be some kind of hero. I distinctly remember going to see one of the Narnia movies in the theater. During the huge, climactic battle at the end, I stood up on my chair, raised my arm, and shouted “CHARGE!” at the top of my four-yearold lungs. But, as with many childhood dreams, I was taught as I got older that I would probably never be the one carrying the sword. Often being described as “sweet” and “sensitive,” I could never fit into the “man-in-charge” archetype we expect from our real-life leaders. My characteristics, and those associated with femininity as a whole, have always come with the assumption that leadership, and by extension politics, are beyond me. For a while, I let this weigh me down, but then I began to realize: maybe I’m not the side of this equation that needs to change. As a society, we have an outdated set of criteria for leaders—and the men we pick are destined to be our downfall.

To gain further insight, we can look to research conducted by professors Andrea Vial and Jamie Naiper of Yale University and New York University Abu Dhabi, respectively. In a recent study, participants were asked to design their ideal leader by ranking the traits they valued most. Most participants valued traditionally masculine traits, like confidence, competition, and aggression, over traditionally feminine traits, like communiality and compassion. In other words, concern for others was deemed disposable. Some saw this as proof that women who want to be leaders should cater

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to these expectations. I see it as evidence that, in our leaders, most are willing to sacrifice decency for the appearance of strength.

And while I wish it wasn’t true, our recent political climate supports my interpretation. Consider the pattern of leadership failures we’ve experienced.

Donald Trump: a man keen on projecting a tough, invincible image—even at the expense of sacrificing lives. Andrew Cuomo: a charismatic man who got the attention of the nation during COVID-19, but failed over and over again to show real respect for women behind the scenes. Brett Kavanaugh: who as a Supreme Court Justice is supposed to be a symbol of balance and fairness, but instead is an all too familiar representation of how much a man can get away with. Remember, these people did not come upon positions of power by chance. From Trump, to Cuomo, to Kavanaugh… Masculinity. Aggression. Domination.

These are the values that have defined a generation of leaders. As the American public, I hope we’ve learned our lesson.

role model. In her New York Times article, “What Makes a Good Leader, and Who Gets to Be One,” Francesca Donner helps us define this new ideal of leadership, one that, in her words, “is about listening, not talking. It’s about compassion, empathy and humility. It’s about understanding that power is amplified when it’s shared.” I don’t know about you, but to me, that sounds pretty damn good.

This past year, I was captain of my high school speech team. It may seem like a small thing, but it made an impact. This role gave me an opportunity to not only shape a respectful community, but also to dismantle my own misunderstandings of leadership. And if I was lucky enough to give someone else permission to see their power, like Ardern did for me, then my little victory is a sign of larger progress. All this to say, as a generation, let it be our obligation to trust ourselves more than the status quo—and redefine what a hero is to us.

The good news is that change is coming. We can look to the success and public recognition earned by Jacinda Ardern. An unconventionally calm, compassionate leader, Ardern has demonstrated that softness isn’t just fluff, but rather an essential way to connect in times of crisis. Her blend of competence and sensitivity in response to COVID-19, crime, and climate change have introduced to the world stage a refreshing

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

VOICES

The Feelings of Fall in the Fables of Folk

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A dive into autumn through the eyes of a folk music fan

BY QUINN MCCLURG Ah, the first days of fall. The first of cold winds, falling leaves, and heavy sweaters. The air is perfumed with the papery smell of leaves, the sweetness of the cold, and the spices of our warm lattes; it’s hard to deny the magic of fall. And I, for one, believe there isn’t a genre that captures these feelings better than folk music.

Every fall, I find myself returning to a specific album: Good Morning Bedlam’s “Like Kings.” Released in 2018, the 10-track album has themes of fall woven into every track, themes of death, nature, and tradition. Stories are told of the quiet love in new beginnings in “Like Kings,” of persistence in bitter ends in “The Orchard,” of revelry in the face of death in “Devil’s Waltz,” and of love in the art of tradition in “St. James Infirmary.” All of these stories mirror the core themes of fall and make the album all the more impactful.

These themes are not only found in the album’s lyricism; they are also present in the album’s auditory aesthetic. The guitar is the amber of harvest, the violin is the melancholic beauty of falling leaves, the banjo is the unabashedness of festival and feast, and the vocals are the communal sanctity of singing around a bonfire and how precious we find that warmth in the presence of cold winds.

The storied lyricism and cozy melodies of “Like Kings” combine to summon fervent images and feelings of fall. Although folk music may be enjoyed at any time, there is no time like the present, so be sure to revel in these autumnal stories as they come and bask in these autumnal moods before they fade. After all, you may find a new appreciation for music, for fall, and for life.

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THE WAKE

Baseball’s New Ball-and-Strike System Eliminating nuance for the sake of fairness

BY LYDIA TALLARINI In Major League Baseball, umpires call 97% of pitches correctly. The remaining 3% are mistakes, sometimes obvious, sometimes not—but mistakes nonetheless. And they cause problems. Maybe some fans enjoy the resulting arguments on the field, but it’s certain that managers do not.

Enter the electronic ball-and-strike system. With this new technology, cameras, not the umpire, determine if the pitch was in the strike zone, and a voice says “ball” or “strike” into the umpire’s ear for them to repeat aloud.

This “robo-ump” system removes the possibility of error or bias against a hitter or pitcher, a benefit obvious even to someone who doesn’t watch baseball.

Although there are still some kinks that need to be worked out, the ball-and-strike system and the way it equalizes the standards for pitches has been working decently in some Minor League testing grounds. One practical problem is that the system is calibrated to each hitter, making it difficult for pitchers to know where exactly to aim.

Aside from implementation issues, the most concerning complaint I’ve heard is that robo-umps will change the very game of baseball. With the sudden introduction of technology to a sport, there’s an incentive to game the system. Pitchers will have to adapt. Some might not be able to use their favorite pitches because of the new, inflexible strikezone, while others will find it easy to go for high fastballs, since the system is usually more generous with those.

Is that alright? Is baseball, America’s favorite pastime, going to change just like that? Once we accept this relatively innocuous technology, it could clear the path for more substantial changes, like a pitching timer to speed up games. But even that isn’t necessarily bad: this choice would update the sport to keep pace with the modern definition of entertainment while preserving the integrity of the game. Little leagues and backyard games don’t need to have timers or camera-defined strike zones, but in pro leagues, these technologies can make the game both more fair and more fun.

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SIX REVIEWS

No Time to Die Life of a DON Drugs My love for Tyler Posey grew and evolved

BY SHANNON BRAULT A friend of mine sent me a song believing that I would really like it. I sat there and listened to it on repeat for about 20 minutes before sending him a message back saying that I loved it. At that moment, I looked at the artist again, and it sunk in that it was Tyler Posey. It was Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey. That’s when I knew I was going to have a new obsession that could have only ended with an intervention.

I truly have no idea how it took me so long to find out that Tyler Posey made music, let alone punk music! Ten years ago, my sister and I used to binge-watch Teen Wolf every day together. My love for him has always been deep, but it grew even deeper with the release of his new EP “Drugs.” From “Someone Else’s Dream” to “Past Life,” I think there is at least one lyric everyone can relate to.

A lot of the EP is about him becoming sober and the experiences he had in the Hollywood world. He took the topic of sobriety—something not typically thought of as hardcore—into his punk music. The juxtaposition feels seamless, and despite our lives being very different, the EP still spoke to me. Maybe it’s my 12-yearold crush on him, or maybe it’s because pain is a universal language. Whatever it is, the EP is worth listening to at least once, even if you aren’t a punk fan.

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Don Toliver

BY GRIFFIN JACOBS Don Toliver has released his second album, “Life of a DON,” and it’s a major sophomore slump. Toliver had a great lead-up to this album, with solid features on the summer smash “Lemonade” and Kanye West’s “Moon.”

This felt like it should have been a coming-out party for Toliver, allowing him to distinguish himself and assert his place among hip-hop’s heavy hitters.

Instead, this feels like a lazy rip-off of Toliver’s colleagues, which lacks any semblance of an interesting or unique musical idea. There is no reason to listen to this instead of SahBabii, Gunna, Rae Sremmurd, or Toliver’s big brother Travis Scott, as Toliver cannot differentiate himself from other auto-crooners.

After listening to this for a week straight, I’ve noticed absolutely nothing memorable about this album besides a handful of repetitive hooks like on “5X” and “2 AM.” Every song seems to lie between a club anthem and a moody R&B record. The result is an album full of filler which can only be used to indicate the death of a party. It’s a nothing album, which I find more offensive than an album that dares to be terrible in an interesting way.

The album is frustrating because Toliver clearly has potential, explaining its initial hype. He shows it on unique and solid tracks like the dark, Latin-inspired intro and the bubbly and fun “Crossfaded,” although it’s clear that for the most part, “Life of a DON” puts artistry on the back burner to chase bland commercial appeal.

What “No Time to Die” lacks in writing it makes up for in action

BY LUKAS LEVIN No Time to Die is that mindless fun. Of course, it’s laden with its blatant misogyny, plot holefilled writing, and alcoholism. Despite these issues, it manages to maintain itself as an enthralling action flick.

The film follows the story after Spectre (2015), as Bond has retired from a life of espionage and action to somehow be roped back in by some ambiguous villain with a physical deformity. This film follows the last installment of Daniel Craig’s James Bond, as he’s foreshadowed in many interviews prior.

Although consisting of a writing team of six men and one Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the film still manages to leave a lot of holes that don’t seem to be answered. For example, Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin is motivated by another nebulous issue that he ultimately uses to compare himself to Bond to point out the classic cliché that “they’re not so different after all.” Nor is he menacing or convincing as a villain and more so just odd and creepy.

The script itself lacks strong female characters while highlighting the most women I’ve seen in a Bond film to date. None of these women, including those with no romantic relationship to Bond, exist outside the male gaze or without first being sexualized by Bond himself.

With all of this said, if you can turn off your brain and look past the inherent structures of the Bond genre, you will be able to immerse yourself in a movie with some of the coolest action and set pieces to date.

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

SIX REVIEWS

Love For Sale Gaga and Bennett put together a nostalgic tribute to Cole Porter

BY SANJALI ROY “Love for Sale” is a collaborative album between Tony Bennett (who is 95 years old!) and Lady Gaga. The album is a time machine that transports you to the 1930s. The jazz record is a tribute to composer and songwriter Cole Porter; all the songs are covers.

The album starts off with the lively “It’s DeLovely,” which is full of tempo changes and trumpets. The title track starts with an upbeat melody that contrasts with the commentary on how love is used as a commodity in our society. “So In Love” is the closest to sounding sinister in this album—it talks about love that borders on obsessive. The following “Let’s Do It” stands in sharp contrast because it’s hilarious, light-hearted, and reckless. Its witty lyrics are characteristic of Bennett: “Birds do it, bees do it / Even educated fleas do it.” The album ends with “Dream Dancing,” which sounds exactly as it should: it paints a picture of a couple swaying back and forth slowly “between a sky serene / and fields of green.”

I think the reason behind the album title is that every song represents a different kind of love. When taken all together, they represent a market of different kinds of romantic relationships—from flings like in “Just One of Those Things” to the kind where the other person is phenomenal, like in “You’re the Top.” Gaga and Bennett prove that age isn’t a barrier. True love connects us all—and it’s the only kind that’s not for sale.

THE WAKE

SNL Kim K.

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Defying the expectations of literally everyone

BY MEGAN BORMANN I think we all had low expectations of Kim Kardashian hosting “Saturday Night Live.” As entertaining and influential as she is, it seems as a society we’re always rooting for her to fail.

However, with a self-deprecating and roast-like monologue, well-written scenes, and strategic cameos, Kim’s talent as a host surprised me.

SNL made a smart decision in showcasing Kim Kardashian’s talent for comedic timing and knack for making fun of herself and her family.

You could also get a sense of how powerful the Kardashian influence is. With cameos such as Jesse Williams, Tyler Cameron, and John Cena, you couldn’t help but be impressed with the weight of the name she carries. Personally, I enjoyed when she poked fun at her family.

During “The People’s Kourt” she hit the nail on the head, making fun of Kourtney Kardashian and her boyfriend Travis Barker’s public displays of affection.

The only criticism I have is that I wish she had given us more. People love to say that Kim Kardashian has no talent, but she definitely embraced her role as host and comic relief of the night. It seemed like no topic was off-limits, which was a breath of fresh air. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this was the first time in years that episode two “has outdrawn the season premiere” of the show. With “Saturday Night Live” becoming lesser known with the younger generations, I’d say it was time that someone like Kim came to shake it up.

Colourgrade Tirzah

BY MATS JACOBSSON Upon hearing “Colourgrade” by Tirzah, I couldn’t help but feel alienated and confused.

Throughout the album, there was a sense of chaos and incomprehensibility. This was due to the bizarre sounds in her music, although her voice did evoke a suggestive and mysterious tone. She incorporated static sounds that reminded me of old television sets as a kid.

Tie that with a basic 808 beat and random phrases strewn about and you’ve gotten the gist of the album without even hearing it. So I was unimpressed. Only 3 songs caught my attention and merited a full listen. They were “Hivemind,” “Beating,” and “Hips.” The sound of “Hips” drew me in because she emphasized a strong melody and quaint futuristic synth. She may have had success in the rest of the album if she had centered around this motif. But who knows, maybe echo, reverb, and autotune are mainstays for Tirzah.

This is strange because upon reading the reviews that had been written about “Colourgrade,” I learned that many critics had praised it and held it in high regard. They used words like “stunning” and “avant-garde” to describe what could be the worst album that I have ever listened to. Granted, this is her sophomore album and it has been nearly 8 years since her first album “No Romance” debuted. As much as critics praise her new sound and deviation from what pop has to offer, it’s unfamiliar and the fringe elements could intimidate potential fans.

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Q&A

Mothra

BY TOSIN FASEEMO Mothra is a Twin Cities-based noise rock band composed of drummer Matthew Wellen, guitarist Jack Foley, trumpeter Alex Hilde, guitarist Daniel Watahan, and bassist Tony Miller. Keep reading to find out about their creative process, live performances, and more.

: How did you guys decide on a band name?

D: We had a different name at first. We originally had a very long name. We were called Spaghetto and the Donkey Boys. ‘Spaghetto’ like, singular spaghetti. Then we shortened it to The Donkey Boys to be a little less silly, but we would tell it to people and they would laugh. And so we changed it. We settled on Mothra I guess, because we like moths and we like Godzilla movies.

J: It’s kind of a reference to the post-rock band Rodan also because they’re named after a Godzilla character.

: What genre of music would you say your music is?

: Do you guys all live together?

M: No. They all live together. I am separate because they’re two years ahead of me, collegewise. I live in St. Paul; they all live together. So it’s been pretty easy for band practice.

T: We’ve lived together for the past two years.

D: This is our third year.

: How does it influence your creative process?

M: Noise.

D: We’re all pretty busy with school and work.

D: Noise rock, definitely. Maybe alt-rock.

T: But we’re always talking about the band in passing.

M: And then just DIY in general.

M: We never go a week without meeting for practice at least once or twice. So it’s always very consistent for us. I think the majority of us, we

D: Garage rock would be a good catch-all term.

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Noise rock or garage rock. When we first got together we were definitely more of a punk band.

But now, we definitely have a more atmospheric and melodic sound.

NOVEMBER 1 — NOVEMBER 14

Q&A usually work on music in our own time. Then we bring those ideas to our band practice, usually after we’re done running through the things that we need to do. We just like to set some time to just work through things and write new songs, which has been a pretty good for us. We’ve had a couple new ones come out lately from sessions like that.

D: Our fifth housemate is also a musician, so there’s definitely always music here at the house, but it’s not always Mothra music. There’s definitely a lot of creativity going on all the time here.

A: If someone’s home there’s pretty much always music playing. You can almost always hear someone listening to music.

J: A lot of times also it’s not planned. Sometimes, I’ll just be playing guitar and then, Alex will come in and like start jamming with me. So, sometimes it happens more organically, rather than scheduled.

: What inspires you guys to make music?

M: I’m always thinking of new drum parts and new guitar parts for myself and for the band.

D: Both of my jobs are pretty music-adjacent. I work at the Student Union as an audio-visual technician.

So I work in the different venues at Coffman. Also, I work at First Avenue, at the various venues. Just last night, I was at a show. I didn’t buy a ticket. I was being paid to be there, but I still got to listen to the music. So even when I’m working, the band is on my mind; performing live is on my mind.

I was in high school. I never had the chance since I never got to be in the city often. I guess it’s just a dream come true for me.

D: I think my favorite thing is the history of great Minneapolis bands. I love The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Prince... I love all the Minneapolis record stores. I love all the Minneapolis music venues. More than anything, that’s what makes it worth it for me. All that stuff is so interesting and inspiring.

A: I just have fun playing. It feels good to make music, not just by myself, but in a group. It makes me happy.

M: It’s odd being in the Twin Cities. It feels like there’s two different scenes that come together to meld as one and it’s very interesting. If you go to a show, you can tell which kids are Minneapolis kids and which kids are St. Paul kids. I feel like we’ve always had that ability to just come together and love music. There’s always been a strong scene, as Daniel was talking about, since the 80s.

D: And we listen to a lot of music together.

D: Even earlier.

T: I think if any of us weren’t in this band, we’d probably be making music, some way or another.

M: There’s just been non-stop noise coming from Minnesota. It feels good that, for however long we are a band, we’re going to leave our own little imprint on that long history.

: Who would you guys say is your dream collaboration?

J: I want to work with the Minnesota Orchestra.

M: There’s this band is hardcore band called While God Sleeps. Shout out to them. My friend Blake is the bassist. They rock hard. I’ve always wanted to do some kind of noise rock-hardcore-hybrid festival, and then at the end of the night have a bunch of the artists come up on stage and jam together. That’s something that I’ve always wanted to do: incorporate other musicians into our sound.

D: I think my dream collab would be to have an album produced by Steve Albini.

A: I think my dream collab is along similar lines, like to have a legendary producer like Brian Eno produce a record for us. That’d be so cool.

: What’s it like being part of the Twin Cities music scene?

T: I love it. I’ve been wanting to be a part of it since

THE WAKE

: What do you guys love about performing live?

M: How it doesn’t really go as we planned. I don’t think it ever does. For a lot of our songs, we’ll have this idea of how we want to end it, but I don’t know what it is. We all just seem to groove out at the end and just go into this long jam. I really like this about these guys. It’s not too often that you can find a group of people that, while you’re playing a song, you can just change it up and they’ll immediately follow you and just know what’s going on. I think as a band dynamic, that is one of our greatest strengths: we’re always able to play off of what the other person is playing.

J: I do like when we go off script..

practicing, you’re really just playing songs to try to work out mistakes, work out transition problems from section to section. But when you feed off the energy of a live audience, it’s much more a performance. When I was in high school I did a lot of theater, all the way back to elementary school. And so I’m definitely very interested in the performance aspect, beyond just the playing of the music.

J: We’re also trying to incorporate the audience into the performance, rather than it just being that there’s a band playing and there’s an audience, and the audience is watching them. We don’t want it to be so divided; there needs to be more interaction. So we’re trying to bridge that gap.

M: Mothra isn’t Mothra if we don’t have an audience.

A: A lot of our music, we make it with the intention of people dancing to it. So, it’s really nice to see people dancing when we play. And there also is an interesting kind of relationship between the performers and the audience where, we’re performing but the audience, in a way is also performing.

D: The best shows are the ones where we can see the audience having the best time, like when we played a show in Acadia a month or so ago. The best part about it was just seeing how excited people were.

J: We played at The Whole at the U of M. And there was this part where I was playing a guitar solo, and then our friends in the audience were gesturing for me to give them the guitar, so I just gave them the guitar in the middle of it. If you’re on stage you shouldn’t be like, “I’m on stage. It’s my time to shine,” because they’re here to have a good time. You should incorporate them into having a good time.

T: I like meeting other artists, other performers, and getting to know people by doing shows with them.

D: For me, having an audience in the room changes everything. Because when you’re

Mothra will be performing at the Walker Art Center on November 12.

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