THE RACONTEURS CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY After the White Stripes had to cut their last tour short (allegedly due to Meg White developing a stress disorder), I figured that it wouldn’t be long until Jack White’s other band, The Raconteurs, released a follow-up to their smash-hit debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers. But | was stunned to find out the album was already on store shelves without any announcement. It turns out they wrote and recorded the album in a mere week and chose to release it without any promotion. Very fitting for a band that harkens back to the era of pawnshops, saloons, and cowboys. The strongest songs on this album are the ones where they fully dive into the olden-day themes, and mix them with their chaotic musical talents. Songs like “Hold Up,” “The Switch and the Spur,” and “Rich Kid Blues” are instantly addictive. Trust me, this record is far more than a consolation prize! AS sel : eC ean > ad SAN PELLEGRINO CHINOTTO San Pellegrion’s Chinotto, pronounced “kee-nawt-toe,” is a sparkling beverage made from a combination of herbs and the small, bitter citrus fruit of the Italian chinotto tree. The same fruit is used as the primary ingredient in Campari liqueur, and San Pellgrion’s version has a similar flavour. Most people find it an acquired taste, but personally I find it addictive. Since moving to Commercial Drive—Vancouver’s version of Little Italy—I’ve probably been going through at least a six-pack every week. Traditionally, chinotto is consumed prior to a meal, as its bitter sweet flavour helps open up the palate to enhance taste during a meal. Anyway, in addition to San Pellgrino, chinotto is sold under the Brio brand name in Canada, and there’s also a chinotto version of Fanta floating around out there somewhere. Give it a try, and find out if you’re up for its unique flavour. - Luke Simcoe - Mark Fisher CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 Clowns can teach, as well as amuse The white-face type is what most people associate with the word “clown.” They are the most intelligent of the clowns and tend to be the ringleader of any clown gangs. In a pair, the white-face clown would be the straight clown while the auguste clown would act as the fool. But clowning is about more than just entertainment. Teaching clowning (or clownology if you will) at his studio, Fantastic Spaces Enterprises, David MacMurray- Smith, like Lebrun, takes clowning very seriously. “I don’t think kids need clowns anyways,” says MacMurray-Smith. “They need playmates. Adults need clowns.” To MacMurray-Smith, who is also a theatre professor at SFU, clowning is about confronting the myths surrounding reality. “Clowns can challenge you to think,” he says. “We can’t be all about civil order—we have to relax.” One class where MacMurray-Smith teaches his theories is called “Creative character development and personal transformation through clown.” He feels his studio is a place for studying the nature of human performance and likes to use clowning as a way for performers to investigate themselves. As one of David’s former students, Voth also views clowning as an exploration of the human condition. She does not associate clowns with the costumes, balloons and makeup, and instead views clowning as a new way to approach things and interact with the world. Voth agrees that clowns explore aspects of people that they don’t necessarily explore themselves. She feels this is in essence why people are afraid of clowns. Many of us don’t want to explore certain parts of ourselves. The dislike comes from the way a clown is a provocateur, says MacMurray- Smith. Even just a clown drawing attention to itself can be provoking to some people. MacMurray-Smith explains that those people don’t want the clown to come close because then other people will notice them through the clown’s interaction. MacMurray-Smith explains that “when you’re seen publicly, you’re given the challenge of looking at yourself through other people’s eyes because you’re often judging yourself through what you think other people are seeing.” MacMurray-Smith believes it is appropriate to fear clowns and says, “It’s a scary thing to be asked to readjust your perception of your reality.” But, by readjusting your perceptions, he also argues that the clown plays an important role. Clowns can help break down social images. And let’s not forget that for many, clowns make us laugh. ‘ People who react to clowns with fear are missing the point, MacMurray-Smith feels. According to him, we all live in our own realities and clowns are a necessary tool to help us explore that reality. “If you can’t laugh at yourself,” he says, “you are missing the biggest joke of your life.” NINTENDO WII SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL The third title in Nintendo’s Smash Bros. franchise offers more of the same—and that might be the highest praise of all. The simple play control and level design of the N64 and Game Cube incarnations remain intact in Brawl, creating yet another fast-paced, highly addictive, pick-up-and-play button-mashing romp. The Wii graphics are simply stunning, though sometimes to the point of distraction, especially in certain levels, which feature extremely busy backgrounds. Despite heavy hype, the dozen-or-so new characters are a mixed lot. Some are confusingly gimmicky (such as “Pokemon Trainer” who allows you to control three separate Pokemon, and Olimar, who does the same for a team of Pikmin) while others are just dull (such as Lucas and Wolf, who are basically just clones of Ness and Fox, respectively). -J.J. McCullough THURSDAY se iS STUDENT NIGHT! April 7, 2008 DOUGLAS COLLEGE THE OTHER PRESS A decent college newspaper, as far as such things go. Now entering its 32™ year of print, the Other Press doesn’t have much to show for its longevity. Distributed on all three campuses of Douglas College, on any given week the paper offers up uninspired undergraduate journalism on 24 pages of muddy newsprint. You’ve got your articles about campus politics, editorials about vegetarianism, rants about the Canucks, sleazy ads for local pubs, etc. Highlights include a weekly Soduku puzzle and the whimsical “Take Eight” reviews section (recently downgraded to a mere “Take Four’’) while lowlights include hideous back page advertisements and a clueless editor-in- chief’s nauseatingly rambling weekly letters. Honestly, what a douchebag. -J.J. McCullough BROOKIYN PUB WATERFRONT LOUNGE 250 Columbia St. 604.517.2966 w ww.brooklyn.ca “TUNE TWISTER