The Wake - Issue 10 - Spring 2023

Art by Kat Regas

Fortnightly Student Magazine

Volume 22 Issue 10

©2022 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 and 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 eic@ wakemag.org.

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Cities Editor

Voices Editor

Online Editor

Copy Editor

Music Reviews Editor

Multimedia Producer

Multimedia Editors

Srihita Raju

Sophia Goetz

Vishalli Alagappan

Carter Starkey

Quinn McClurg

Abby Vela

Peter Nomeland

Ben Villnow

Natalie Aue

Kailee Baumann

Cities Interns: Sydney Peshon

Voices Interns: Devna Panda, Goamaar Paul

Features Interns: Maddie Roth, Joshua Kloss

Online Interns: Bianca Llerena

Copy Editors: Vern Nowakowski, Hana Handzija

Music Reviews Interns: Shanna Sivakumar

Executive Director

Creative Director

Finance Manager

PR/Ad Manager

Social Media Manager

Art Director

Web Manager

Distribution Manager

Designers

Editorial Production This Issue

Writers

Srihita Raju, Alisha Wong, Jessy Rehmann, Vishalli

Alagappan, Sophia Goetz, Devna Panda, Gracie Kibort, Isabella Terzian, Quinn McClurg, Abby Vela, Rogan Isbell, Shanna Sivakumar, Natasha DeLion, Anthony Vystoropski, Lennon Gray, Peter Nomeland

Creative Submissions

Kat Regas, Zoe Meyer, Makenna Larson

Marie Ronnander

Laura Kuchar

Maggie Huang

Gracie Kibort

Makayla Hilluka

Natalie Williams

Brennan Neuser

Selam Gerezgiher

Makenna Larson

Mallory Paul

Kat Regas

PR/Ad Interns: Cheyney McKinney, Jacob Nelson

Art Interns: Sana Ikramuddin, Alex Kozak, Brooke Lambrecht

Art

1 Natalie Williams, 2 Alex Kozak, 3 Brooke Lambrecht

Cover and Feature Art: Sana Ikramuddin

Feature Spread Design: Laura Kuchar

10,000 gecs, JPEGMAFIA x Danny Borwn, Daisy Jones & The Six, Lana del Rey, Shadow and Bone, and Eras Tour images from original sources.

The Wake Student Magazine

126 Co man Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

wink! one page magazine

Obscure Campus Bucket List

The Wake sta reveal their weirdest can’t-miss campus experiences! Try them out today!

Sit in random lecture halls and attend classes you’d never have the chance to learn about

Host a meeting for your secret poetry club in the Middlebrook caves...

Try to eat at every single dining hall and rank them!

Perform at an open-mic night or alternatively get tickets to watch an obscure local artist perform at The Whole

In the middle of the night, take all of the plastic lawn chairs from the mall and place them in cryptic & suspicious formations (make sure to dodge the sprinklers)

Throw rocks o the Washington Avenue bridge and watch them fall into the Mississippi River

Share lunch w the turkeys travel down the blu s of Comstock and find a little pocket of beach on the Mississippi

Stargaze while laying in the Mall

Watch a showing of The Room (critically acclaimed worst movie of all time) in CMU Theatre and bring spoons to throw at the screen

literally stand under that statue that everyone says if you walk under you fail your finals. like don’t even just walk through it stand under it for a sec

Pre-game a Tate Hall observatory/ astronomy presentation

explore the mythical endless hallways / completely locked o rooms you can see into in the tunnels.

Find a random student group and go to one of their events. Alone.

Sleepover in Walter during 24hour availability (finals week)

Stroll through the Weismann during a break in one of your classes

See the Mayor of Como’s house in the Como Neighborhood.

Pull a calf out of a cow on st paul campus

Breaking into the abandoned kitchen in Nolte.

INSIDE UPCOMING EVENTS

4/11 - 4/16

5 at the Jungle Theater

Two friends who own a convenience store in a neighborhood that’s actively being gentrified. When a real estate agent o ers to buy them out, they go on a journey to a decision that will test their friendship and a ect their community.

2951 Lyndale Ave S

4/13 - 4-15

Indulge in some retail therapy at this vintage shopping fest for all your home decorating needs!

1100 Canterbury Rd

4/13 - 4/23

Royal Canadian International Circus

A show for all ages that includes trapeze artists, motorcycle thrill riders, aeralists, and a laser show! Get your tickets for this travelling circus’ visit to the Mall of America today!

60 E Broadway

4/13 - 4/27

Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

42nd annual film festival at the Main Cinema showcases 190+ films from veteran and up-an-coming filmmakers. Additional screenings at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis and Landmark Center in St. Paul.

115 SE Main St

4-15 @ 10 AM - 1 PM

Winter Market

Peruse the variety of fresh fruits and veggies at the Mill City Museum and support local farmers at the last winter market of the season!

704 S 2nd St

Letter from the Copy Editor

Dear unknown and ethereal reader,

Let it be known that this semester has been a ride for me in more ways than one. I think after this upcoming round of finals, I may deserve a title of saint, witch, or mythological creature that’s climbed out of the deepest corner of the earth in search of revenge or a hug—I accept all titles, as I’m sure that they’d be accurate. If I am a legend, then my Google Calendar is the weapon I use to incite fear and horror in anyone who dares to gaze upon it. The color coordination distracts the viewer from the time-consuming life of someone who, perhaps, bites o more than they can chew. But despite this constant state of stress and business, here I am at the Wake, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

This magazine was one of the first places I felt truly seen at the University. As an ickle first year, my new friend had (barely) convinced me to attend a pitch meeting as a freelance writer. Although I was not a shy person, the thought of sharing my writing with anyone other than my closest companions was a bit daunting. But the people there were so incredibly welcoming, both sta and freelancers; the editorial team gave the constructive feedback I craved as a writer, and I appreciated the opportunity to write on a normal basis— something that I couldn’t always find the time to do in the hectic nature of the first semester in college.

Now in my second year at the UofM, as the copy editor rather than a writer, I am even more grateful for both the Wake and the writers who create for us. I get the gift of reading each and every piece we publish through every stage of editing, and it’s apparent how much love and care our writers pour into their work. All of these writers take time out of their busy schedules to share their thoughts, stories, and experiences with the UMN community, and—I’m sure my fellow sta members would agree—it is an absolute pleasure to help make his avenue a reality.

I think we college students take for granted the comfort of structure. Of course, the freedom to stay out till the sun comes up, roaming the streets with our best friends in search of our next formative memory—this is part of the “college experience” many of us chase. But even more than this, I’ve found that my most memorable experiences have been in the everyday grind: The friends I make in my color-coded meetings, the conversations in the in-between, and the way I can count on these things day in and day out will forever be more crucial than those fleeting moments. Call me sappy, but the Wake has been a rock for me, no matter how overwhelming my life has been—a collection of people I can call home.

Keep close those you hold dear close, lovely readers. Cherish the time you spend with them and the dreaded in-betweens. Make space for your creative outlets. Your future self will thank you. And for the love of God, block out your lunch hour on your Google Calendar.

Yours most ardently,

Abby Vela Copy Editor

Art by Zoe Meyer

Smokey Creatures

There Are Deities in Wilson Library: A Fictitious but Not Untrue Story

Trying to live right is a sick game

BY SRIHITA RAJU

The Dakota people call the Mississippi River Haha Wakpa or Wakpa Tanka. I’ve lived here my whole life, but never had much of an appreciation for The Big River before coming to campus. Today my father called me to ask if I could file for an extension to pay this semester’s tuition fees. It was higher than we expected. He’s on a business trip this week, and doesn’t have a lot of time, so I said I’d deal with it all. He does something with computers, and thinks I should too. The walk to Bruininks is an anxious but familiar one. At least I get to look at the river.

My bed frame was built by a prisoner. I intern at a local museum, the same local museum I’ve been to many times throughout my childhood. My project today was calling donors to get funding for a community outreach program we want to do. The man who works at 3M donated enough to fund half of it. He didn’t even ask for the theme, which, for the record, was a “paint like Georgia O’Keefe night” for people of all ages. This internship is unpaid, and my parents don’t know about it. They’d be confused about why I’m spending so much time in a position that doesn’t pay me, and has nothing to do with my major. Well, it used to do with my major, but I recently switched from Art History to Economics. Truthfully, I do enjoy some of my new classes, and I’m still minoring in Art History, but I miss having my days consumed by it. Yet, even more truthfully, I have been much more at ease since switching.

Seattle, where the average house price is $750,000, has the third biggest homelessness population in the United States. My aunty lives there, and I visit her every summer. She’s the finance director for a tech start-up, and I think

her husband does something with real-estate. I’m planning on visiting them over winter break, so I’m working extra shifts every Tuesday now to try and save up. I was late today because our professor took too long to explain the assignment. But I’m here now, and luckily there aren’t too many customers, although, the tips would be nice.

There are deities in Wilson Library. After work I walked to Wilson Library, and headed down to the sub-basement. The South Asian statues, a part of Weisman Art Museum’s collection, is in an almost humanless room, save a janitor who was wiping down tables in the back. I wonder how they got here? Whoever said stones can’t swim has clearly never been to a museum, I think to myself, smiling in a way that tugs at my lips wrong. The statues are surrounded by books about everything there is to know about the subcontinent. Journals, documents, photographs. In glass, a statue of a Hindu Goddess, hailing from a now demolished temple in India, is captured. I pull out a chair from a nearby table and sit down near her. I used to dream about re-curating the South Asian Art exhibit at the MIA, but they don’t have too many South Asian pieces that aren’t on display. And no new ones, although that’s actually a good thing, I suppose.

I don’t think it is appropriate of me to ask a question for which I do not want to hear the answer to, but I persist.

“Am I a good person?”.

She doesn’t move. Not one way, nor the other

R/CollegeResults: Writer With Decent Stats and a Hook Applies to 18 Schools!

Attending

BY ALISHA WONG

Let me just preface this by saying: yes, the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota was an intended safety school for me in high school. No, I definitely did not want to come here, and yes, the title is akin to the subreddit taglines I would scour every day to enhance my college application.

My absolute dream school was Notre Dame. It was close to home, they had an excellent business school, the campus was lovely, and my favorite color was green—it was indescribably perfect. However, I was deferred to the regular decision cycle and then waitlisted on St. Patrick’s Day, so it was then I no longer believed in the Irish. (I was also waitlisted at Boston College, so maybe it was a Catholic thing, too.)

Even though I was one of those high school students who shotgunned over a dozen schools— who virtually built my whole identity on what college I would get into—I more or less got what I wanted. There were brilliant colleges I was accepted to that were on the top of my list: Wake Forest, Carleton, Washington & Lee, Davidson, University of Richmond.

So why didn’t I choose them? Financial aid. I hadn’t realized at the time that many students are forced to reject their dream schools after being slighted by FAFSA, and it’s rarely a controllable factor in the admissions process.

After weeks of mourning and contemplating, I wept while I clicked the “enroll” button and decided I was not going to pay $100K per year and sell my soul for a bachelor’s degree.

I was still grieving when I started at the U. My ambitions shattered. (I remember lamenting to my mother about how I will never try hard

again because I just don’t care anymore.) Other colleges had been so heavily romanticized that I envisioned the worst would happen here— ginormous class sizes, a horrendous roommate, and an altogether unremarkable undergraduate experience. I felt that I settled for a school I didn’t want; I worked so hard for something so attainable but still couldn’t entirely achieve it. And isn’t that what everyone ends up thinking from time to time? That there is something better out there had they just held on a little longer, clutched a little tighter?

So how do you reconcile your past self to this new you stuck in a university you didn’t want to enroll at? I really couldn’t tell you because you simply have to go through it. In the wise words of Junot Diaz, “The only way out is in.” But I do know that when I began to realize why I needed to come here, I didn’t lose anything at all. All the achievements and abilities I showed in my application didn’t suddenly disappear. Nothing I did or learned was ever wasted.

And the things that were truly important—my family, friends, character—stayed and pointed me in this direction. My family perpetually supported me while college-hunting, lavished me with hopes and prayers, and held me when I cried. While I stayed up all night penning poetry for publications or prepping for board meetings, my friends helped me balance my neuroticism. I didn’t apply to colleges I knew I wouldn’t be happy at, which made my applications more sincere and heartfelt. All these things persisted, which also means so much more is in store.

the way to be happy in college is to prepare yourself to be happy anywhere. The college I ended up choosing didn’t make me happy—it’s the perspectives I’ve gained, the skills I gathered, and the acceptance of change that did.

Everything is fleeting, so the things that remained with me through this big, perplexing, doleful transition have become so much more meaningful. And, look at that, I guess the writing “spike” from high school stayed, too.

a “safety school” to avoid the (financial) burdens of prestigious colleges

Remembering Philando Castile as MN Passes Universal Free School Meals

BY JESSY REHMANN

Before he was killed by a police o cer during a tra c stop in Falcon Heights on July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was known as a beloved cafeteria manager at a St. Paul elementary school.

Castile fostered a warm and caring community through his job at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul. He memorized the children’s names, remembered their allergies, and gave them high-fives in the lunch line.

He would also use his own money to pay for children’s meals when they couldn’t a ord it.

Following the enactment of the universal free meal law that guarantees free breakfast and lunch in Minnesota public schools in March, Castile’s lasting impact must be recognized and remembered.

After his death, his mother, Valerie Castile, founded the Philando Castile Relief Foundation to continue his legacy of compassion for vulnerable families. The non-profit has o ered funds and services to grieving families of gun violence victims and has also raised over $200,000 for donations toward reducing meal debt in Twin Cities metro-area schools.

“We don’t know the dynamics of everyone’s family. We don’t know if those two meals are the only two nutritious meals that they have per day. We don’t know that. But we can do our part, and make sure that they get fed,” Valerie Castile said to KARE11 after Minnesota became the fourth state with a law providing free meals in schools. The day that the bill passed in the state Senate,

Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten acknowledged the work of the Philando Castile Foundation in making school meals available to all on the Senate floor. The organization had recently made a $15,000 donation to alleviate lunch debt at Central Park Elementary School, where Oumou Verbeten was a student herself.

She also honored Castile’s memory by sharing his story of helping children at J.J. Hill. She urged senators to follow in his footsteps: “He was a beloved member of our community because he was known as ‘the lunch man’ or ‘Mr. Phil’ at J.J. Hill… he never let any of his kids go hungry. He would always step up and make sure that they had a meal. I think today we have an opportunity to step up as a state… it’s really on us to make sure that our students are fed and that they have those meals in schools.”

The new state legislation for universal school meals will replace the free and reduced-lunch programs that require families to apply for federal aid, which is granted based on annual household income. To qualify for federally-funded free lunch, a family’s income needs to meet or fall below 130% of the poverty level, or $31,980 for a family of four. For reduced-price lunch, it’s 185% of the poverty level, or $45,510 for a family of four.

In St. Paul, where Castile worked at J.J. Hill elementary school, one-third of households make under $45,000 a year, according to 2021 census data.

Many families who struggle to pay for their children’s meals fall through the cracks in the

free and reduced-lunch system. They might not meet the eligibility requirements. They may not understand the application process or forget to reapply annually. There can be language barriers, and undocumented immigrants can be hesitant to enroll in a federal program.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress implemented a policy that provided students with federally-funded free lunches. However this program ended in June 2022, hurting families dealing with food insecurity as they face rising food prices.

This new law ensures that Minesotan families will no longer have to face the financial burdens that come with school meals. Valerie Castile told the Sahan Journal that she was “over the moon” about the new law and that she felt that Philando was with her as the Senate passed the bill.

Valerie Castile told the Sahan Journal: “I’m just ecstatic that they were actually listening. This is something that was needed. It’s not a handout, it’s an investment. You’re investing in Minnesota’s children.”

Phillando Castile’s legacy will forever be memorialized in the universal free meal law and the kids who grow up healthy and strong, without concern for where their next meal comes from.

The legacy of a man who wouldn’t let kids go hungry.

A Play That Does Not Start With “Once Upon a Time”

BY VISHALLI ALAGAPPAN

I bundled myself up on a cold winter night to attend a performance of “5” at the Jungle Theater, and the show was worth the sweaty, hurried driving and procrastinating my cell biology studying. “5” is a play that centers the evolution of a friendship through the hardships of gentrification in a background of mysticism. Jay and Evan are childhood friends who own a corner store together in a neighborhood where yoga studios, chain grocery stores, and parking garages replace local shops that have been owned by community members for generations. Stacy Anderson, the face of the active yuppie colonization in the neighborhood, o ers to buy the store and rebrand it for a di erent market. The play develops through impassioned conflicts that unearth past resentments and fracture the foundation of their friendship.

The acting on display that night was truly impeccable. The fervor, rage, passion, and warmth permeated throughout the theater. My heart was in my throat for the entirety of the performance. I had never before encountered a production that presents the ugly reality so sincerely. The fights between Jay and Evan were written and staged exceptionally well. The actors did not restrain themselves, allowing the vulnerability and tenacity of each character to take frontstage. It is apparent that the actors relate with the characters and really understand the themes of the play because nothing else could explain such a splendid and moving performance.

The extraordinary acting, however, rides on the coattails of the ingenious writing of the playwright

and lead actor, Jucoby Johnson. Each character is multifaceted. There is no hero, and there is no villain. Although Stacy seems like a one-dimensional character representing the greed of American capitalism, she has a nuanced background that creates ambiguity and invites sympathy. June, Jay’s paramour, blossoms from a headstrong, unforgiving lover to a caring, thoughtful loved one. Walter, an eccentric pastor at the local church who frequents the convenience store, provides warmth, comic relief, and a foundation for the supernatural elements. The religious prophecies about the apocalypse and the recurring news about climate change complement the gentrification of the neighborhood. The destructive changes of gentrification parallels the disastrous flooding and proposes the end of the world. I don’t want to give away the clever, avant-garde ending, so I will merely say that this thematic undercurrent was simply brilliant.

Another aspect of the play that I could not stop gushing about was the exceptional set design. Everything occurs within the confines of three walls of the convenience store. From the digital clock to the sign on the front of the store, every component was intentional and integral to the show. I have a mind to watch the play again just to admire the set once more.

I’ve watched classics like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Twelfth Night” before, and although I thoroughly enjoyed them, watching “5” was like a breath of fresh air. A friend that accompanied me to the performance remarked on the accessibility of the

setting and themes of the piece. The play is novel in that it depicts the lives of ordinary people in an extraordinary way. It exhibits the everyday e ects of issues like gentrification and climate change that most of society thinks of in the abstract. The production of “5” at the Jungle Theater holds up a mirror to the gentrification of Uptown, Minneapolis. The once vibrant and artistic community is now populated with upscale eateries and apartment complexes, and the influx of whiteness has displaced the rich and diverse culture of Uptown. The erosion of local corner stores and other third spaces (places like parks, bakeries, and hair salons or barber shops where people congregate outside of work and home) threatens both the livelihoods of its people and a sense of community.

Days have passed since I rose for the standing ovation at the end of the performance, and yet my thoughts are interrupted with unforgettable visuals of zealous acting and an immaculate set. I find myself trying to recall exactly what Walter said in his monologue and how that ties to the beckoning of the end, or how the passage of three months were creatively indicated through the lighting. Jungle Theater presents “5” until April 16. If you have the opportunity, I urge you to procrastinate whatever you have to do to go and watch this marvelous production.

“5” at the Jungle theater explores friendship in betrayal in the context of gentrification

The Role of Housing in Ending the HIV Epidemic

Where someone lives—both in terms of the stability, a ordability, and quality of housing, and the characteristics of their neighborhood—can have a profound impact on their health and wellbeing. Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the broader set of forces and systems that shape conditions of daily life. Housing acts as a social determinant of health; research tells us that where someone lives influences their health and wellbeing, and that stable housing is associated with better health outcomes. Powerful HIV prevention and treatment tools help keep people healthy and prevent HIV transmission, but nonmedical factors can certainly also influence HIV-related health outcomes.

In contrast to many other illnesses, HIV is unique. When one gets tested for other conditions, especially other communicable diseases, these complicated physical, emotional, social, and economic considerations do not surface. Although improvements in treatment have significantly improved the lives of many persons with HIV, knowledge and acceptability within American society have not changed as significantly. About 30 years after the HIV epidemic began, HIV stigma and prejudice still exist and have a significant negative impact on those who are a ected by the virus.

Today, in the United States, people with HIV are still denied employment, fired from their homes, told to limit contact with family, and subjected to numerous other forms of discriminationPerhaps most disturbingly, health care sta have been known to stigmatize individuals with HIV, in some cases refusing to treat them or delivering subpar care. Frequently, individuals find that even family and friends behave di erently around and toward

them after learning they have the virus. And while this stigma currently exists against those who are a ected by the virus, systemic prejudices toward underrepresented communities–such as indigenous people, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, and the homeless– inform a lack of access to care.

How do HIV and Homelessness Inform One Another?

HIV and homelessness are intricately related. The costs of health care and medications for people living with HIV are often too high for people to keep up with. In addition, a ected individuals are in danger of losing their jobs due to discrimination or as a result of frequent health-related absences. And as we live in a nation where the majority of working-class Americans are less than a couple of missed paychecks from abject poverty, it is no wonder that nearly half of all people a ected by

HIV in the United States stand at risk of becoming homeless.

In terms of its e ects on mental and physical health, homelessness already has dire consequences. The long term consequences are grave, with higher incidence and severity of illness and injury among people experiencing homelessness. According to a 2021 study done by the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council, chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart attacks are almost twice as prevalent among people experiencing homelessness than in the general population; substance use disorders are three times as prevalent; and depression and hepatitis C are more than six times as prevalent. Homelessness also has serious developmental e ects on children, and children experiencing homelessness have higher rates of mental distress, physical illness, and dental problems. Lacking stable housing makes treating every condition more di cult and further damages health. People who die on the streets on average live roughly 30 fewer years than the US life expectancy, and the age-adjusted death rate of the homeless population is at least twice that of the general population.

So how do HIV and homelessness in the United States inform one another? Stable housing is closely linked to successful HIV-related health outcomes. People experiencing homelessness or housing instability have higher rates of HIV than people with stable housing. Additionally, those experiencing homelessness or housing instability are also more likely to engage in activities associated with increased chances of HIV acquisition or transmission, including substance

use, and injection drug use —factors that can also contribute to higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and hepatitis. Individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV also experience greater risk for inadequate care and treatment due to unstable housing and housing loss. According to CDC data, in 2020, 17% of people with diagnosed HIV experienced homelessness or other forms of unstable housing.

What the Data Tells Us

Research shows that housing instability is a significant barrier to HIV care and is associated with higher rates of behaviors that may increase the chance of getting or transmitting HIV, such as substance use and condomless sex. According to a study done by AIDS Education Prevention in 2007, people with HIV experiencing homelessness are also more likely to delay entering HIV care, have reduced access to regular HIV care, and poorer adherence to antiretroviral treatment.

In terms of access to testing for HIV, data shows that people experiencing homelessness or housing instability are less likely to report having tested for HIV in the past year or ever, compared to people

with stable housing. One study found that gay and bisexual men experiencing homelessness are over fifteen times more likely to delay HIV testing than those with stable housing. Having access to general medical services is associated with higher likelihood of HIV testing, and recent access to any medical or dental services increases the likelihood of HIV testing among people experiencing homelessness. Meeting people where they are with the services they need can help overcome barriers posed by unstable housing and homelessness and support people to access and stay engaged in care.

Some populations are disproportionately a ected by both housing instability and HIV, highlighting persistent disparities in access to critical health and social services by race, ethnicity, age, and gender identity. Black people make up over 40% of the population experiencing homelessness in the United States, and 42% of new HIV diagnoses, despite making up only 14% of the population. Due to historical racial discrimination and residential segregation, some Black people live in communities with the highest social vulnerability, in which a number of factors, including poverty, lack of transportation access, and crowded housing,

increase vulnerability to negative health outcomes and make it harder to obtain HIV care services. In 2019, 11% of Black people with HIV reported homelessness in the past year.

Black adults who live in communities with high social vulnerability have increased chances of receiving an HIV diagnosis compared with Black adults in communities with the lowest social vulnerability.

Transgender and gender non-conforming people are also more likely to experience housing instability or homelessness than cisgender people. From 2016 to 2019, the number of adult transgender people experiencing homelessness in the United States increased 88%. One analysis of studies conducted between 2006 and 2017 found that 30% of transgender people reported unstable housing or homelessness. Transgender people are also a ected by HIV: in 2019, transgender people accounted for 2% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas, and HIV diagnoses among transgender people increased 7% between 2015 and 2019. Transgender women are disproportionately a ected by HIV, with prevalence estimated at 14%.

Ending the HIV epidemic in the United States requires implementing integrated solutions that address the comprehensive health, social services, and housing needs of people with HIV. And while the CDC is actively working with other federal agencies, people with HIV, and other community leaders to implement strategies that increase access to a ordable, high-quality housing and support national HIV prevention goals, policy changes cannot ultimately end stigmatization.

The Power of Names

BY DEVNA PANDA

I have always felt conflicted between two di erent personalities– the one I take on with my family and the one I adopt in a school environment. These feelings of conflict are the reason I have always felt somewhat embarrassed about my name. I am so jealous of people who are able to maintain the same persona around everyone. And I often wonder if these are the people who have the ease of living in a world where Anglicized names are expected and accepted.

While growing up, my name always brought up feelings of discomfort for me. Ordinary occurrences, such as introducing myself to someone or having a substitute teacher, became events that filled me with dread as I nervously anticipated having to correct someone after they inevitably mispronounced my name. To this day, I hate seeing the raised eyebrows and looks of confusion people occasionally give me. As the daughter of immigrants, it was already challenging to identify with other kids while growing up. I experienced life di erently than they did—instead of going to baseball games or eating meatloaf for dinner, I watched my dad obsess over the Indian Premier League and ate dal bhat regularly. Having an ethnic name further distinguished me as “other”. The knowledge that, perhaps my peers perceived me this way as well, made me feel that I had to represent an ethnic group and culture that I was honestly no expert on. Given people’s pre-existing notions about Indian culture, I often found myself disingenuously adjusting the sharing of my culture to cater to

others’ expectations. Feeling an aversion to my name weakened my sense of self, making me feel unusual at times. I felt like a trapeze artist, analyzing my own movements as I carefully toed a tightrope while on display for an audience.

Although names are discussed as being of an arbitrary value (Shakespeare said it well), I think they carry a strong association with identity. The significance of assigning a name is designating a specific perception of that object or phenomenon. I was always so envious of people whose names have connotations—Maddie or Sarah. In my mind, Sarah seems to be the name of a girl who wears floral skirts. Girls named Maddie played soccer growing up and drank SunnyDs. My name, on the other hand, has no connotation. I did not know how to take ownership of something that did not remind me of anything else. My name didn’t seem to provide me with any sort of blueprint as to what type of personality I should adopt.

And yet I am starting to wonder if this may be a blessing. Even in the context of Indian names, my name is somewhat uncommon. In the lives of almost everyone I know, I may very well be the only Devna they ever meet. In a moment of uncharacteristic piety, my parents chose my name because of its meaning: godly. In doing so, they wished a certain type of persona on me—devoted and believing. Whether or not they were successful, this intent is not lost on me. It was the first gift I received from them in what has become a lifetime of receiving. Whenever I feel an aversion

toward my name, their facial expressions when I badmouth my name comes to mind. I can handle a million incorrect pronunciations if it means not causing that expression again.

If I had been given a more common name, I would likely have an easier time when meeting people, but it is also true that I would not have the appreciation for and sensitivity towards other unique names that I am incredibly grateful to have. Moreover, my name has blessed me with the ability to have a steadfast commonality with other South-Asian American adolescents who have had similar experiences. Though I sometimes forget, my name’s connection to my culture and the intent behind it is one that I am beyond thankful for.

For those of us whose names don’t have connotations in the Western world, consider it as an opportunity to proudly represent the cultural connection your name signifies. Though I still struggle with my name and its connection to my identity, I am working to solidify a paradigm shift— being proud of having a culture unique from that of the majority.

Home Body

BY GRACIE KIBORT

I’ve lived in the same house my entire life. Like any other, my home leaves much to be desired. The carpets need trimming, bedrooms redecorating, windows need to be shined. The mural on my bedroom wall, which has stood the test of time, often weasels its way to somehow deepen my dissatisfaction past a point I knew possible. Every so often, I note a crack in the ceiling, a chipped coat of paint, a split in the floorboard. I find my thoughts clouded by the things lacking care or detail, the boundless laundry list of maintenance projects. The low hum of aspirational and comparison-inducing HGTV never stopped for an instant. I feel embarrassed and ashamed, inadequate compared to those blessed with higher ceilings, updated aesthetics, and tiles twinkling with so much clarity and depth that the mirror of your reflection glistens. The neighbor’s grass is always greener. A ceaseless bite pushing you to renovate, because your neighbors always are.Yet, when I find myself knee-deep in a bout of self-criticism, chastising every design choice ever made, I’ll stumble upon a nugget of beauty: the deep lushness of the backyard in the summer, the colors of the notorious mural on my bedroom wall, the sun gleaming o of the kitchen floor. Soon, I’m flooded with emotion and memory; depth, mystery, and viability. My home is my body and my body is my home.

Like the scratched walls of a beloved childhood home, etched deeply into a coat of paint, I’ve endured comments about my body over the years

that have settled into the contours of my skin. At the ripe old age of eight, a close male friend teased me about the hair on my arms, claiming they resembled those of a man, or maybe even a monkey. Although I’m sure he has no recollection of the conversation circa 2009, as I never brought it up again, there hasn’t been a springtime where I have gone blissfully unaware of my so-called masculine, ape-like appendages. Then, after a health-related weight change when I was 20, there was the case of the pure-intended friend who complimented my new figure, squealing over my new size and how skinny I looked. She praised the fit of my turtleneck, not knowing that few of them still fit like before. What she didn’t know was how I woefully approached my closet each morning, on the verge of tears, mourning the fit of my dearest pairs of jeans. Though there was not an ounce of malice in her voice, her comment stuck to me like a tack to the wall. Tears are shed just as paint chips away. A big nose here, fat legs there. Her ass sure is getting big, they say. Turning a blind eye to the general wear and tear is simple until it’s blatantly obvious. On display for others to critique.

I live in a beautiful neighborhood. I often reflect on the sublimity of the women in my life, writing boundless essays on their interior and exterior profundity in the notebook of my mind. However, each of these women, along with their mothers and sisters, grapple with the tumultuous relationship with one’s body, and one’s home. There is never a gap in the lazy Susan’s incessant

rotation of internalized physical hyper-fixations existing in their consciousness playground. You may not know the demons your friends are constantly facing. Who can we blame? How do we fix it? These are questions with answers I do not possess, but we can start by ceasing our comments on the bodies of those in front of us, next door, our neighbors, and online.

A house is more than meets the eye. We are so much beyond our physicality, so why must we continue to criticize our own perceived flaws or those of others? Possibly minuscule at conception, the weight of harmful body language multiplies, deeply etching and carving into the foundation of our homes.

Addressing The Fears We Don’t Address

BY ISABELLA TERZIAN

It is human nature to fear the unknown and the unfamiliar. In contrast, what is known and familiar deep within ourselves can be the most intimidating. The fear of tangible anomalies such as the openwater oceans or the infinite galaxies that seem to contradict every construct we know can seem minuscule when compared to substantial selfevaluation. Self-reflective fear can exist in several vessels: Fear of not being good enough, fear of failure, fear of not being as great as we think we are, or maybe even the fear that we are incapable of genuine love. The fears we avoid addressing are often the most unforgiving reflections of parts of ourselves that we’re afraid to address, internally and externally.

The fears we don’t address often stem from elements of denial. It’s comfortable to exist in this state of denial and distract ourselves with noise to drown out the parts of ourselves that we’d rather not address. Denying the reality of a circumstance is a common defense mechanism that we use in an attempt to di use anxiety, resolve emotional conflict, and avoid unforgiving revelations. Denial relieves us of the guilt we may carry and the internal problems we cultivate. Frankly, it takes less e ort to ignore an issue than to deeply address it. Though denial may act as a crutch for a gradual adjustment into a healing process, the risk of self-sabotage stands proudly when using denial

as a coping mechanism. Eliminating this habit, at least when it’s being used alongside its toxicities, is a di cult process that may not immediately stick without slipping out of control. It’s important to be patient with yourself and always allow yourself to heal. Addressing the su ering we are putting ourselves or others through is going to allow us to create the best version of ourselves by giving up the resources we need to grow.

When we don’t physically or mentally address the fear that exists within ourselves, we are able to create a facade that veils the existence of these fears. Alongside the denial of certain fears even being there at all, simply avoiding addressing them in any way can take away the relevance that they may hold in your mind: If I can’t see them, they can’t see me, right? Ducking away from your fears only empowers them to be further manifested in the darker parts of yourself that resurface when facing a vulnerable situation. Pushing fears into an unheard-of area of the mind is another way to dissociate from reality while wedging parts of ourselves from each other, The behavior that refuses to acknowledge the fears that we hold inside of us alludes to states of selfloathing, insecurity, and eventual projection. Selfawareness is as daunting as it is unappeasable, but it carves a substantial path to overcoming the fear of addressing our fears.

There are several ways to overcome the polarizing repercussions of the defense mechanism, but an outstanding method of breaking the habit is to use silence as your superpower. Silence is a catalyst for thought- the absence of outside noise allows you to be still with yourself. Allowing yourself to become in tune with your body, considering the healthiness of your habits, and dignifying your emotions are steps to connecting to parts of yourself that will showcase the most honest version of yourself. A comforting aspect of unaddressed fear is the lack of self-depreciation that comes out protects our pride and ego. Battling your own ego is quite possibly one of the most di cult means of grounding there is, and the loss of (perhaps unfounded) pride can be devastating. However, when we shield the pride and ego we boast about, we further enable our insecurities with the underlying knowledge that there is more to what meets the eye. Addressing fear is how we grow; When we allow our fears to cultivate and seep into our growing inner perception of ourselves, we keep that fear above us and remain vulnerable. The fears we face are what keep us from prevailing; They keep us from growing. A part of growth is addressing what is hindering it faceto-face and with regard to all elements that may stand in its way. Fear is inevitable, but the e orts one may take to overcome are far from futile.

Growing Pains in Polyamory

BY QUINN MCCLURG

Much like coming out, transitioning, or otherwise infringing upon a social or cultural hegemony, acclimation to a polyamorous lifestyle requires deep unlearning, conditioning, and reinforcement. However, an individual new to polyamory may not be aware of how to locate these incorporated pressures and concepts within themselves. This, I believe, is where hurt comes in. Before we delve deeper, there’s three important factors to note:

1. Just like any other relationship, polyamorous relationships have potential for collateral damage (i.e. multiple people’s time and emotions [including yours]).

2. Just like any other relationship, polyamorous relationships will conjure experiences and influences (ex. potential traumas and insecurities) of previous relationships.

3. Polyamorous relationships are built on the foundations of trust, growth, and higher-thanusual levels of communication. Most importantly, this includes the negotiating and establishing of boundaries throughout the relationship.

For the purposes of this article, I assume all parties in a polyamorous relationship are decent, kind, and lovely people and are all intent on growth, communication, and vulnerability. However I understand that these things can be di cult and uncomfortable at first. If you are not in it for (or willing to do) these things in a polyamorous relationship, it’s best to take a step back to reevaluate your intentions / where you are at. Otherwise, when entering into a relationship, know your availability, communicate your intentions, define your boundaries, and jump in.

Now with the past pains and expected discomforts laid bare, we are still left with something

else, a present hurt that is not explicitly of the past. Occasionally this is felt when one new to polyamory is with their partner(s): some reactionary, unnameable panic will seep from the depths of somewhere, from beyond the cuts of memory and deeper still—it’s animalistic in its eyewidening, stomach-dropping speed and scale. This hurt may seem unwelcome, but I have found it an e ective means to locate unhelpful concepts, ingrained pressures, and incorporated attitudes that are unwelcome in the self or, at the very least, the polyamorous lifestyle.

But it is easy to forget this potential for growth when the hurt occurs: automatically, there is the easy desire to lash out, to run away, or to dismiss everything; but the best option is to stay calm and breathe. A feeling cannot kill you, so let your reason (and coping mechanisms) catch up with your emotion (this assumes this hurt is not warranted and does not infringe upon your boundaries). Then e ectively communicate what you are feeling with your partner, how you do not want to feel it, and how you do not believe it. These feelings do not make you a bad person, only human; hastily acting upon them or being consumed is what gets you in trouble.

From there, do not lock these feelings away, but make space to feel them fully in order to understand them in their complexity. This process is confusing and time-consuming, but it will always be worth it, as you will gradually become more comfortable and less driven by monolithic pressures.

An example: you are with your partner, and they are talking about how great the playlist their other partner made for them is, then—boom, a pang of hurt. Communicate this, take a moment to stop and breathe, then interrogate it. Where was

that from? Was it some latent jealousy? Was it a tendency toward ownership or control? Could it be an inferiority complex? Take another breath.

As previously mentioned, these reactionary feelings do not make you a bad person; even though you feel them, they are not you: you are the reason, the understanding, and the reassurance that says, “This has nothing to do with you or your music taste; someone else makes your partner happy? Good for both of them! You do that in your own ways too!” Write this down, repeat it, and return to it later for further internalizing. Then, continue communicating, moving on, and reinforcing until the next occurrence. Practice this to appreciate the good things too.

This process is never finished, as past understandings need current reinforcement to be truly known again; gradually, though, they will start to hurt less.

Being in a healthy relationship is not easy; neither is being poly nor undergoing deep unlearning and conditioning. However, the fact that polyamory is highly stigmatized by society does not help either; in fact, these incorporated stigmas are often the ones that need to be unlearned and reconditioned.

There is nothing shameful, superficial, or cowardly about polyamory; as demonstrated by this article, time, e ort, courage, and vulnerability are required for the growth, trust, and love that is integral to a polyamorous relationship—that doesn’t sound like a cowards’ game to me. So get out there, be kind, and keep hurting in productive ways.

The potential (internal) processes of your polyamorous debut

10,000 gecs by 100 gecs

Wait a minute, how many gecs?

BY ABBY VELA

While 100 gecs has never taken themselves too seriously, their recent album “10,000 gecs” takes the cake as their most chaotic masterpiece thus far. The hyper pop-electronic duo has created a playful yet complex sound that I cannot get enough of.

I still consider 100 gecs to be one of the foremost artists in mainstream hyper pop. However, I must say that “10,000 gecs” takes some unexpected turns to the quintessential 90s influences—anything from Less than Jake to Tribe Called Quest and even Rage Against the Machine—that transcend the deep-fried bass bumping of “1,000 gecs”. This album showcases a welcomed musical evolution for the duo and a mastery of many di erent sounds, which I think electronic artists have had a hard time with.

Some of the highlights from this album for me include “Billy Knows Jamie” for its fantastic old-school flow and insane industrial breakdown, as well as “The Most Wanted Person in The United States” for many of the same reasons. In addition, “Dumbest Girl Alive” and “757” have similar productions to their first album, which I appreciate for continuity purposes. And although I wasn’t sold on “Doritos & Fritos” when it first came out as a single, I can confidently say that its place in this album has completely redeemed it for me.

Please listen to this album if you haven’t already; it’s an unexpected delight. Or if you don’t have the time, just listen to “Frog On The Floor” or “I Got My Tooth Removed.” They’re about precisely what you’d think.

JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown

In their first highly-anticipated collaborative album, JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown rap about Twitter haters and more.

BY ROGAN ISBELL

“Scaring the hoes” is a term used on the Internet to describe an activity that may scare away women for its atypical nature. So rappers JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown teamed up to make an album that exemplifies just that.

The production is very dense and layered with heavy bass, distorted sound e ects, and more. It’s too loud and messy at times and could have been better mixed with the vocals, and it certainly would scare the average listener.

JPEGMAFIA and Brown seem to have a lot of fun in their performances, but Brown seems to be a secondary artist on most of the songs thrown on at the beginning or the end. There are many fun moments, but the album doesn’t equally play to their strengths.

Despite the record being fun, there are some cringe moments. JPEGMAFIA can’t stop rapping about negative Twitter interactions and calling his haters “incels” or “crackers.” He just sounds very bitter in certain parts without much substance.

Furthermore, two grown men making albums appealing to Internet memes and a niche part of the music community is somewhat corny. Something can be fun without being edgy or making jokes that could age poorly.

Despite some groan-worthy moments and technical issues, this is a mostly fun, innovative project that should satisfy fans of both. They advertised this as volume 1 of a supposed series, so hopefully volume 2 features more Danny Brown and more-inspired writing from JPEGMAFIA.

Daisy Jones & The Six

Fleetwood Mac fanfiction done right?

BY SHANNA SIVAKUMAR

If you’re looking for a drama-filled story about a fictional rock band, look no further. “Daisy Jones & The Six” has everything—love triangles, drug addiction, infidelity, lesbians, and an 11-track album full of original songs.

Adapted from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book of the same name, the 10-episode limited series follows the creation of the 70s band The Six, led by Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin), and their eventual fame after they join forces with singer-songwriter Daisy Jones (Riley Keough).

The original novel is loosely based on Fleetwood Mac and their fallout during the late 70s, as Reid grew up listening to the band. Their influence is clear within the show but even more obvious in the album “Aurora.” Track 5, “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb),” is almost a musical copy of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”—from the kick drum and acoustic guitar intro to the full-bodied and loud final chorus. The musical similarity is, however, no complaint. If anything, it’s helped bring the show to life and transport its audience back to the seventies.

The show leans into some overdone archetypes, such as the one-dimensional manic pixie dream girl and the drug-addled famous rockstar. But overall, the series keeps its audience hooked as each character adds another layer of secrets that are well-kept until the final episode. The plot is explosive, and the staggered episode release kept its viewers at the edge of their seats. If you’re a fan of the 70s or love a good band origin story, “Daisy Jones & The Six” is a must-watch.

Shadow and Bone Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey continues growing her discography of introspective and moody pop music.

BY NATASHA DELION

Lana Del Rey has always had her unique style, and it continues progressing with each album she releases. She is known for her moody sounds and ability to be very personal in her songs while remaining mysterious. The first two songs she released from this album consisted of “A&W” and the title track, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.” “A&W” is a 7-minute song that begins with her signature sound and transitions to a more upbeat sound with an extremely catchy bridge. The title track introduced the gospel sounds featured throughout the rest of the album while she sang about the impermanence of life.

Her latest release incorporates various gospel sounds, including a recording of a sermon from Judah Smith, for which Lana seems to be in attendance. The album has an overall eerie tone with various mentions of grief and loss. Lana seems to be navigating the emotions that come with that throughout the album, creating a soul-searching theme. It’s undeniable that her songwriting skills remain impeccable. Listening to this album almost feels like you are transported to an ethereal world full of peace and healing.

Whether it’s the spiritual interludes of Jon Batiste and Judah Smith or the hip-hop beats in “Peppers” and “Taco Truck x VB”—which brings back “Venice Bitch” from her album “Normal Fucking Rockwell!”— Lana’s introspectiveness and musical abilities will always create unique-yet-mesmerizing albums.

Strap in and get ready for this rollercoaster of an action-packed season

BY ANTHONY VYSTOROPSKI

Shadow and Bone has returned for its second season after we were left with the unexplainable plot twist after the first season. Our heroine, Alina, is in for the ride of her life this season with storylines, big adventures, and action-packed scenes.

The plot is structured in short stories accompanying the main development. This way, viewers gain insight into both the past and how it shapes the current situation that the characters find themselves. These short stories weave through the plot line and culminate in a result you must watch for yourself.

The overarching plot line consists of the populous thinking that the heroine, Alina, the Sun Summoner, and the main antagonist, General Kirigan, the Darkling, conspire to expand the fold. However, Alina’s true goal is to bring down the Shadow fold, a dark swath of land dividing the east and the west lands, nevertheless making things di cult because there is major distrust amongst the Grisha, those endowed with supernatural abilities, and those without. We are given antagonists to hate, protagonists, to love, and your choice of characters to swoon over. No matter your cup of tea, there is tea to be found in every episode.

This is a fast-paced season that will have you at the edge of your seat, but there are scenes of intimacy and care between friends and loved ones that allow you to relax and indulge between the action. The tones, moods, and feelings evoked by the plot, setting, and costumes all contribute to a masterful season as if a director in a symphony orchestrated it.

Eras Tour

Taylor Swift embarks on her highly-anticipated Eras Tour. Best believe she’s still bejeweled.

BY LENNON GRAY

After a highly unfortunate six-year hiatus from touring (primarily the fault of the COVID-19 pandemic), Taylor Swift returns to the stage to deliver her highly anticipated Eras Tour with even the most casual of Swifties excited and vying to get tickets. She began her tour with a first stop in Glendale, Arizona—or temporarily, “Swift City.”

The tour boasts a setlist of 44 songs lasting three hours, thoroughly satisfying a record-breaking crowd of over 69,000 attendees, beating out Madonna’s previous 36-year-old record of 62,000. It truly is an endurance test, and how Swift can maintain energy for three hours for so many shows is beyond most artists.

After only being able to interact with Swift through social media, fans were happy to hear Swift’s rumored disdain for her ninth album “Evermore” was nothing more than a TikTok fad, as she proclaimed her love for her work. However fans of her third album, “Speak Now,” seemed to be left hanging with only the track “Enchanted” being performed. But given the show’s length, most fans should be left extremely satisfied.

Already having broken several records just a few nights in, Swift’s tour could stand to break a multitude more. She has even broken her own record for the biggest streaming day on Spotify. This just goes to show how much of a powerhouse Swift is. Every career move she makes seems to break records and attract millions of fans. It is still easy to say that Taylor Swift is the music industry

Murray A. Lightburn

BY PETER NOMELAND

Murray A. Lightburn is a Canadian musician, best known for his work as frontman of the Montreal chamber rock band The Dears, alongside his wife Natalia Yanchak. His newest project “Once Upon a Time in Montreal,” is a solo record described as “an audio version of a biopic” of his late father. Murray sat down with the Wake to talk about the digital takeover of music, being an English-speaking band in French Montreal, and what happened when the often described “Black Morrisey,” due to their similar voices, met the man himself.

: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the music industry since you started?

Murray: It’s all related to technology. You can go back to Michelangelo’s painting the Sistine Chapel, and now people years in the future are taking pictures of it and posting them on Instagram. I mean, that’s insane, you know? So really, it boils down to technology. When I was first making and writing music and making recordings, it was all on cassettes or four-track tapes. And then the first recordings we did as a band were on eight-track tape reel-to-reel kind of thing and was the only technology. Then, slowly, digital technology started to creep into our world, and our full digital album was our second album. But even then, we didn’t know what that meant. And right around then, things like Napster were happening, and MP3s were making a way forward, which launched forward where we are today.

: What was coming up in the music scene in Canada, particularly in French-speaking Montreal like?

M: I think it’s important to acknowledge the French culture here, and you can’t escape it. But it definitely informs a lot about living here and being a band here. Coming up in the scene in Montreal, your opportunities are pretty bottlenecked as an anglophone English singing band. You have to immediately go national, whereas if you’re a French band in Montreal, you can have a full career and a top-selling album in the country by selling records in Quebec. We didn’t start re-selling records in Canada until Rolling Stone and Enemy Magazine started talking about us. And then people in Canada would pick up international magazines and see this band, the Dears, and say, oh, they’re Canadian, I better go out and buy this record. I better start playing this album. And that’s what happens in Canada: you must get approval elsewhere.

A perfect example was like, you know, we were making splashes here and there because we were this weird Montreal band, but then the first time we played David Letterman, all of a sudden, all the newspapers in Canada wanted to talk to us about playing the David Letterman show. And it’s just like how this is, what is this Shelbyville? This is the most small-town thing I’ve ever heard. So now you want to talk to us, but only about playing network TV in America. You don’t want to talk about our music? That’s hilarious to me, but that is quintessential Canada and quintessential Quebec.

: What made you want to make this project?

M: For this album in particular, I was grappling with my old man’s passing, which was a lifealtering event as an adult man in his mid-fifties with two children with quite a few things in the rearview mirror already. So this was a new frontier for me—something I’d never had to grapple with. I didn’t know how I was going to deal with it. So then, once the dust had settled, and it was just me alone in my studio and my instruments, I just started to write what was happening in the things that I wanted to, I guess, get o my chest as, almost as if I was on the couch, you know, with. It shaped itself into a conversation I wish we had with my old man. You know, because he kept his cards pretty close to his chest, as that generation of men did.

So I developed this conversation with him, then I let the old man and his perspective take the microphone halfway through the record. And so, I explain my position in the first three songs and then let him explain his position for the rest of the album from the only one I want to hear. And from there, it’s all him talking, and I’m just listening, and it’s imaginary. So it’s what I believe, though I think it would be close if he could say anything.

:What’s the di erence between doing a solo project and a project with The Dears?

M: The Dears have been around for so long that I don’t even feel like it’s my band anymore. Honestly, it feels like I’m just punching my card when it’s time to work on that project. And that project is very much its own thing. It’s like a conscious AI being at this point, like what goes into making those records and writing those songs is a completely di erent animal from what I do on a personal level. And these records that I make under my own name are much more personal and much more selfish in a way. Sonically, it’s what I want to hear; it’s what I want to sing; it’s what I want to perform, whereas thematically, with The Dears, it’s more about collective ideas and collective consciousness type of subject matter and how we relate to each other in the world, whereas the stu that I’m doing is really personal stories.

: You’ve been dubbed “the black Morrissey” due to your similar-sounding voice. Do you have any stories about him?

M: The only time I ever met him, I wore my sunglasses the entire time and told his manager that I never took o my sunglasses. And what he did not know was that underneath my sunglasses, and by the time we finished the meeting, I had little tears coming out of my eyes that just, and I was, the glasses were like this big. So by the time they got down to the edge of the sunglasses, he never saw them come out from underneath (laughs).