Author: Elizabeth Bacharach

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

After a week of the campus population wondering what that strange sound was coming from the Elaine Langone Center staircase, it was revealed to be the musical product of Mendi and Keith Obadike’s latest project, “American Cypher: Stereo Helix for Sally Hemings,” part of this semester’s lecture series about the Sally Hemings-Thomas Jefferson relationship, sponsored by the Griot Institute and in collaboration with the Samek Art Gallery.

The New York-based duo dabble in music, art and literature, collaborating using their various specializations to create unique works such as “The Sour Thunder” (an Internet opera), “Sexmachines” (a musical piece created with the sounds of sex toys) and “Four Electric Ghosts” (a combination of dance, narrative and musical pieces inspired by the Pac-Man video game and Amos Tutuola’s novel “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”).

“If we didn’t work together, I think we would still create art. It would just be of a very different kind,” Mendi Obadike said.

This newest artwork was inspired by the idea of coding, pertaining to racial identity as well as the secrecy Jefferson employed throughout his life, both of which are extremely relevant to the Sally Hemings story. The most exciting part of this exhibit is the use of Hemings’s real bell, a gift she received from the mistress of Monticello, Martha Jefferson. The bell has been distorted and changed electronically so that it can better embody the genetic material of Hemings and Jefferson, which is the pattern of the music itself.

“It was very interesting to learn about the thought process behind the unexplained music we’ve been hearing for the past week. It was especially exciting to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to the Hemings lecture series,” Kate Wilsterman ’14 said of the exhibit.

By Courtney Bottazzi

Staff Writer

The moment he started to speak, Robert A. Caro exuded easy humor and a personable speaking manner as he shared stories from his career as a journalist, where he began on the complete bottom of the totem pole.

Now a successful biographer, it quickly became apparent why Caro is 2011’s Janet Weis Fellow in Contemporary Letters. On Feb. 28, the University had the great honor of hearing from Caro in “Power in the Hands of a Master.”

From such a talented author who has won two Pulitzer Prizes and other prestigious literary awards for his works on Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert Moses, Caro’s speech was more like a conversation than a lecture.

“I thought Caro’s speech was really interesting and engaging. I liked how he didn’t talk down to the audience. I was amazed by how much work and detail went into his work to find even the most minute details. The amount of research and problems he had to do as an investigative journalist in his early years was really interesting,” Eric Brod ’13 said.

It was evident that Caro felt most comfortable when he was completely immersed in one of his investigative reporting projects; or, as he put it, one could feel “home amongst the files.” Caro offered much information about his journey in the researching field, recounting times he would never forget such as of finding four pages stuck together cataloging Johnson’s monetary interactions or discovering the contents of a telegraph that serve as tangible proof for a previously unsupported theory.

“There are moments in your life, that you never expect, that end up being really special,” Caro said.

Caro explained how it was the retracing of Johnson’s childhood that provided him with the context to fully understand the President’s motivations and point of view. David Moffat ’12 offered his opinion about Caro’s work on Johnson.

“It’s amazing how comprehensively Caro writes about Johnson’s life. You really get a full picture of a man who would come to such a powerful influence on the course of American history. From his pioneer ancestors to his inability to win fist fights, everything Caro writes about Johnson seems imbued with some greater significance in the story of his life. It’s empowering to imagine that every day the course of history is changed in mundane ways. Caro also immerses the reader in the Texas Hill Country. Before I started reading Caro, I didn’t even know it existed, now I feel like I know it as well as my own hometown,” Moffat said.

In the question-and-answer portion of the event, Caro explained how it was difficult to say how he felt about Johnson as a person.

“I’m not sure if ‘like’ is an applicable term,” Caro said. He decided he was rather “in awe,” a phrase that delicately highlighted the tension of the great leader and his legacy.

“He really illuminated the contradictory nature of Lyndon Johnson: how he was both a manipulative schemer obsessed with power and a genuine campaigner for minorities and the poor,” Moffat said.

When asked whether he was a political genius, Caro denied the claim.

“If someone could do it, I could try to figure it out and explain it,” Caro said.

Throughout his speech, Caro emphasized his search for this next move of political genius.

“I appreciated his broad perspective on today’s presidential campaign. He kept using that term ‘political genius’ to describe LBJ. Clearly we’re not seeing such a thing in today’s candidates. I was surprised how much he hesitated when asked to analyze our present crop of politicians. There’s a real intellectual modesty there, but I guess this hesitation also makes sense when you consider the historian’s stance, in which time and perspective are crucial. Caro was funny, brilliant and generous. An inspiring event,” said Robert Rosenberg, assistant professor of English.

The inspiring investigator recalled advice he had heard in his early career from his mentor at Newsday: “Don’t assume a damn thing, turn every goddamn page.”

Caro’s incredible career can serve as a reminder that regardless of past achievements, one must always approach a project as a student.

By Rob O’Donnell

Staff Writer

“Proof,” a play by David Auburn, is a fantastic read, even for those who don’t like theater. It is an interesting look at two sisters, their father and his student, and develops these characters in a heartbreaking but uplifting way. Auburn’s skill truly comes from his believable character development and dialogue.

The Walnut Street Theater, the oldest operating theatre in the United States, visited the University to perform the play on Feb. 24. Although the cast was made up of only four people, it definitely was not a small production. The backdrop, lighting and costumes made an impressive set to round out the production.

The location did hinder the performance a little, because the main theater of the Weis Center for the Performing Arts is clearly designed for musical performances, not live theater. It was perfect for John Legend, but not so much for “Proof.” There were times, especially at the beginning, when I could not hear what was being said on stage, and judging from the grumbling during intermission, many others could not either. The actors must have realized, because after intermission, it wasn’t a problem at all.

The music also sounded fantastic. It featured an ominous bass line for most of the performance and a lively rhythm for the rest. 

Emily Hooper ’14 called the performance “evocative,” and I absolutely agree. The actors clearly had great chemistry so they were able to make the lines come to life. They also amplified the comedic side of the play, which I missed when I originally read it. 

If you missed it, make sure to see the next play that comes to the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. I have yet to be disappointed and I’m sure you won’t be either.

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

Alison Espach’s “The Adults” represents yet another take on the ever-popular coming-of-age story. Set primarily in Fairfield County, Conn., it centers on the confusing and dramatic adolescence and young adulthood of Emily Vidal, whose sharp narration carries the novel throughout the twists and turns of her unusual life.

“The Adults” opens at a seemingly innocent cocktail party, hosted on the Vidal family patio in the mid-1990s, celebrating the 50th birthday of Emily’s father. Things seem normal for perhaps one page, but 15-year-old Emily reveals almost immediately that appearances are not always what they seem. Not only is Emily’s father taking a job in Prague, she and her childhood friends stumble upon him feeling up the Vidal’s next-door neighbor, who happens to be the mother of Emily’s longtime crush.

Next, the Vidal parents announce their impending divorce just as Emily’s first semester of high school begins. Struggling with upheaval at home and the cruel politics of the high school microcosm, Emily attempts to blend into the crowd of “the other girls,” all of whom are rail-thin and confident in both their bodies and their standing with the opposite sex. As her mother sinks into a post-divorce depression, Emily attempts to bring her back to life with new interior designs. She has trouble, however, separating her mother from her persistent glass of wine (an expensive bouquet, courtesy of alimony). Meanwhile, Emily inadvertently witnesses the suicide of the cuckolded neighbor and is informed that his widow is carrying her father’s lovechild. Throw in a relationship with her handsome young English teacher and the soap opera of Emily’s high school years still isn’t entirely mapped out.

Since Salinger’s seminal “The Catcher in the Rye” changed the rules of the coming-of-age novel in 1951, it seems nearly impossible for any writer to attempt the genre without being held up to the template of Holden Caulfield. Unfortunately, Emily Vidal, though an adept social observer and an undeniably entertaining narrator, does not measure up to her esteemed competition. American writers and their native audiences seem particularly enchanted with the genre, and perhaps “The Adults” might have stood a better chance without such great recent works as C. D. Payne’s “Youth in Revolt” or Victor Lodato’s “Mathilda Savitch” distracting from its legitimate merits.

Emily definitely speaks in a distinguishing voice, but the book might have worked better had Espach restrained herself to Emily’s high school years. Instead, she tells the story in uncomfortably irregular fits and starts, jumping over college almost entirely to get to young adulthood in Europe. Perhaps, in trying to make her heroine worthy of positive comparison to the infamous Holden, Espach goes a little too far, only failing to reinvent a genre as Salinger once did.

By Rob O’Donnell

Columnist

My favorite quote I’ve ever heard about Against Me! is, “This band makes cigarettes look healthy.” The singer describes himself in the song, “Baby, I’m an Anarchist” as “a Molotov cocktail.” And it is completely true. So, yes, this week’s artist is very different from the acoustic and folk bands that I’ve been reviewing. Against Me!’s album, “Reinventing Axl Rose,” is classified in the hardcore punk genre.

Some of you may have heard of Against Me! from their more recent, popular songs “Thrash Unreal” or “I Was a Teenage Anarchist.” Those songs have nothing to do with the sound of this album. This was their first album with a full band, released in 2002, back when they were still true punk. Unfortunately, they have recently moved away from that genre.

The music on this album is complex and entertaining. The sound of it is very gritty and there are even a few mistakes here and there, but it all adds to the overall feel of the album. It wasn’t made to be perfect, because that would strip it of its emotion and rawness. It shows their desire to be more than just another pop-rock band. The music has the raw energy of old Irish drinking songs, but every song drives home a point, either personal or political.

Against Me! is a very political band, but not every song on the album deals with their beliefs. While a few songs that are purely political, most are about heartbreak and other topics most people can relate to. The best lyrics are in the song “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong.” Apparently written about Tom Gabel’s grandparents, it tells the story about a man who died an alcoholic at 37, leaving behind a widow who loved him for the rest of her life. It is one of the most touching stories I’ve heard in a song, despite the fact that most people dismiss this band as too political or too radical to be personal.

Gabel’s voice is, well, an acquired taste. I honestly don’t know how he still has vocal chords after recording this album. He mixes screaming with softer vocals depending on the song and the emotion needed. Staying in tune and sounding nice isn’t a huge priority for him, so it can take awhile for listeners to appreciate the beauty of it. But trust me, once you listen to it enough, you can’t help but judge all other singers for their lack of true emotion.

So that’s why, if you like folk music, you shouldn’t dismiss this album just because it sounds different. Because when it comes down to it, they’re pretty similar genres. Both place an emphasis on lyrics and emotion rather than the aesthetic or prettiness of a song. The only difference is that punk is louder–much, much louder.