April 7, 2004

Culture

e the other press ©

Guilt Show, The Get Up Kids

Simon Hatton OP Contributor

In a quest to segregate rock n’ roll even further, sometime in the dis- tant past critics and music fans alike embraced the term emo to describe a certain type of pos- punk music. For lack of a better explanation—a kinder, gentler punk rock. One of the bands to make this term a house- hold name was The Get Up Kids (TGUK).

While TGUK’s debut release Four Minute Mile gained them a respect- ful amount of notoriety, it was their 1999 release Something to Write Home About that had every baggy, faded-jean emo-core fan wearing their heart on their retro-ringer t- shirt sleeve. Something To Write Home About was a perfect pop-rock record laden with hooks and lyrics wrought with heartbreak and hope- lessness. I don’t know about you but to me that’s a pretty solid formula.

The much anticipated follow up to Something... came in 2002 with, what I consider TGUK’s finest release—On A Wire. Although this album seemed to alienate some of its fans by showcasing a more subtle approach to their songs, On a Wire also received much praise for its maturity and strength in songwrit- ing.

In what seems like an attempt to appease both critics and fans of their 2002 release, TGUK try and give us the best of both worlds with their latest effort Guilt Show. In what would seem like a recipe for a great rock n’ roll record, what we actually end up with are some great ideas trounced by an effort to fit into a genre that they have well outgrown.

Despite a few genuinely perfect pop songs, Guilt Show feels like it’s trying too hard to be the record the band thinks its fans want. In place of authentic energy, many of the songs fall back on decibels and speed— almost to the point of feeling rushed and loud—to achieve some kind of youthful oomph.

Guilt Show is definitely a good record, but far from great. It lacks the fluidity and assurance of TGUK’s previous records. Each song that feels like it is going to take you to that great place that only a great song can take you just seems to leave you content but somewhat unsatisfied.

Ten Years Later

Amanda Aikman Culture Editor Do you remember where you were when you heard John Lennon had been shot? How about Tupac Shakur? Personally, Lennon was before my time, and Tupac, well— no offence to his friends and fami- ly—but his passing had little effect on me.

I do, however, vividly recall what I was doing on April 9, 1994, when I first heard that Kurt Cobain had

| been found dead in his Seattle home

the day before. I was on my way to pay my tuition at the University of

Winnipeg when I got the bad news. I was shocked. Everyone was shocked. The voice of our genera- tion had been silenced just as it was finally speaking up.

I never got around to paying my tuition that day; I decided a trip to the mall would be more cathartic. (What kind of a city builds a University next to a mall, anyway? It's like they were forcing me to drop out.) So I spent the day buying CDs and shoes and asking myself, and anyone else who would listen, “why?”

Why did it happen? Sure, Cobain wasn't exactly the picture of men- tal/physical health and stability, but why did he have to take himself away? Why couldn't he have contin- ued to slug it out with the rest of us? Was it selfish of me to wish an

anguished life on him just so I could have a few more songs to listen to? Probably, but oh man, can you imagine how great those songs would have been?

Those of you under the age of 25,

and sadly there are many of you (when exactly did I get to be so old?), may not remember how Nirvana transformed the musical soundscape of the 90s—but believe me, it was monumental. They changed everything. They tran- scended musical boundaries, and redefined both rock “and” roll. As one of the founding fathers of the “grunge” phenomenon, Nirvana was also directly responsible for unleashing the chain of events that eventually led to an unfortunate mass affection for plaid shirts and Eddie Vedder. You may think you're tired of seeing Britney Spears and 50 Cent look-alikes at the mall these days, but that’s nothing. You should have seen how many people were sporting “Cobain Couture” in 1992. Oversized, moth-eaten cardi- gans, thermal underwear peeking out from torn-up jeans; converse sneakers, and dirty hair—these were the hallmarks of one of Kurt's Kids. What was it about this Seattle rock- er that had kids in Saskatchewan dressing up like him and lip-synch- ing along to his every song? It was likely a combination of his honesty, his style, his sincerity, his anger, and above all—his music.

Cobain’s music (particularly with

the mainstream success of Nirvana’s Nevermind album) spoke to, and for, a generation that was ready for him and his band. A generation that needed them as much as they want- ed them, if not more. Nirvana was so many things to so many people. It unified a generation of listeners who had, until then, never seen eye to eye. Or heard ear to ear. Nirvana was heavy. Nirvana was melodic. Nirvana was different. Nirvana was real.

But regardless of what Nirvana was, we'll never know what Nirvana could have been. When Kurt Cobain committed suicide ten years

Courtney Love

ago, he left behind an amazing lega- cy (and a crazy, strung-out spouse), but he took with him the future of one of rock and roll’s most innova- tive and creative bands.

That sucks. But who knows, per- haps his brief tenure at the top of the pops was not as fleeting as it seemed. After all, there is always the possibility that those legions of fans he inspired could rise up one day and create something as beautiful and perfect as Cobain himself once did. Don’t make that face, it could happen. And if it does, I'll even spring for a congratulatory gun-cab- inet lock—just in case.

Welcome to

Reality

(And how to avoid it for a little while longer)

Amanda Aikman Culture Editor

Congratulations! You have survived (hopefully) another school year. Many of you will even be graduat- ing from your programs at Douglas this spring. Your father and I are so proud.

Now, I don’t know how long you have been toiling/hiding away in school, but let me tell you—the real world ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

For one thing, if you stay out late indulging at a student union pub night, you can’t just “skip” the first hour or two of an actual “job.” And get this—in the real world they don’t even have pub nights. You have to pay full price for your drinks at these places they call “bars.” I know, it’s sick.

So before you rush out to join the rat race, why not take a week or 12 to celebrate/mourn your academic passing and acclimatize yourself to the real world and its real ways. I find the best way to do this is from the comfort of your couch. Your couch is always there for you— never judging, always welcoming.

Your couch doesn’t want to inter- view you for an entry-level position; it doesn’t expect you to dress in appropriate business attire; and it isn't looking to start collection on

the shocking student loan debt you have managed to rack up in the past two years. Your couch is going to help you through this period of transition.

“But what is the best way to make use of my couch time?” you ask. Well silly, that’s easy—watching tel- evision. Or more specifically, watch- ing movies on your television.

Since you are new to the real world, we'll take it slowly. How about we start out by watching movies about graduating? There are many fine films about people just like you—graduates. So why not give it the old college try and check out some of these educational flicks? Ir'll be great, you can trust me—I’ve got a Masters in procrastination and a Ph.D. in laziness.

Reality Bites

Crazy slackers shake off the shackles of their post-secondary educations and spend their days smoking, dancing, and watching old televi- sion programs. But they are watch- ing them “ironically,” so it’s cool, not pathetic. It’s a fine line, kind of like you watching this movie instead of getting out there and looking for a real job.

Graduation Day Nothing says “school’s out for sum-

mer” like kickin’ back and watching a bunch of small-town high school kids being systematically slaugh- tered on their big day.

Filmed in 1981, this classic slash- er film features a young Vanna White. What, you didn’t think she was an educated woman? Right, and I suppose you thought those vowels just pointed to themselves, college boy.

Say Anything

Hands down, the best film ever made about graduating from high school. As Lloyd Dobbler, John Cusack is the embodiment of the sensitive, charming, cool guy you always wish you had had the nerve to talk to in math class.

When asked what he wants to do with his life, Dobbler gives one of the greatest speeches ever uttered by an idealistic graduate, “I don’t want to buy anything, sell anything or process anything. I don’t want to buy anything sold or processed, sell anything bought or processed or process anything bought or sold....” Wow, why is it that all the good men are either gay or fictitious film characters from the late 80s?

The Muppets take Manhattan In this classic film, the muppet gang graduate from college and decide to

take their stage show to Manhattan. Unfortunately, even muppets have a hard time making a go of it on Broadway, and they are forced to split up and get regular jobs to sur- vive.

It’s your typical bittersweet com- ing-of-age story. You know the type where characters realize the true meaning of friendship while singing rats back up a cameo by Liza Minelli.

The Graduate And finally we have the granddaddy of all graduation films, The Graduate.

In this hilarious 1967 social satire, Dustin Hoffman plays the befuddled Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate trying to cope with the realities of his future. With options such as a mind- numbing career in “plastics,” it’s no wonder the depressed young man turns instead to an illicit affair with a seductive, older family friend.

Problem is, the older family friend is also the mother of the girl Ben falls in love with. Don't you hate it when that happens?

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