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marissapugliese · 4 years

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How Dance made me who I am today

For my entire life I have been a resident of New York. I was born and raised in Brooklyn; to be specific, a neighborhood located in South West of Brooklyn called Dyker Heights. I grew up being constantly surrounded by my huge Italian family. 85% of my family lives in the same neighborhood or just minutes away which I am fortunate for. I don't quite speak the language fluently but my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all can. For most of my family, Italian is their first language. Whenever my “Nonna” (italian term for Grandma. speak to me I understand what they are saying and can communicate back after having a second to think about it. Italians are known for their big Sunday dinners, which usually are held a bit earlier than usual dinner time. During these dinners you will eat pasta with tomato sauce, chicken cutlets, eggplant parmesan, meatballs, and everything you can imagine thrown together in a dinner with most of your family. Italians have an old school mentality and are big on learning how to take care of the house meaning cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, and etc. My Italian culture and background has influenced the way I was brought up, which was to always put family first, take care of your household, and eat delicious foods.

Dyker Heights is predominantly a residential neighborhood. Since most of the neighborhood is built up of housing, there is one main thoroughfare which is Dyker Heights Boulevard (13th Avenue). The boulevard is one of the only streets with businesses. As a young child all I really had to know was my neighborhood. My elementary school, dancing school, family, friends, dentist, doctor, and anything you could possibly imagine were just a few minutes away from me. When I was a child, most of the residents of Dyker Heights had come mainly from an Italian cultured background. My family’s culture is Italian as well, so I was mostly surrounded by individuals who grew up the same way I have or follow the same cultural aspects. I attended a Catholic school in Dyker Heights where most of the staff and students had come from the same Brooklyn/Italian culture as well. Although there were others of different races and backgrounds as well, predominantly most of us were similar. All students that attended this school had one thing in common and that was being raised following the Catholic religion. These similarities helped form bonds and friendships with the students at the school. Most of the students who attended the school lived in Dyker Heights or close to it. This made it easier for friendships to continue in and out of school. Along with knowing Dyker Heights well I also know the other neighborhoods that are “bridged” to it well like Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, and Gravesend.

At the age of four I began dancing at a local dance studio in Dyker Heights, Danceworks Dance Center. Dance has influenced my life tremendously. From an early age, I had found a passion so deep that has impacted me, and my journey of life. As I said the studio is located in my neighborhood so I was surrounded by similar faces and friends that made me feel safe. In the beginning of my life, dance was fun, it was a hobby, and I was good at it. I auditioned for a performing arts middle school Mark Twain, which I later attended after getting in. The school was located in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Transitioning between a small nonetheless Catholic School to a middle school of 500 students per grade year was a bit of a shock, culturally as well. I was surrounded by individuals with many different backgrounds, religions, and other talents like vocal or drama or athletics. This experience had broadened my perspectives of life. I was not limited to what my neighborhood of Dyker had to offer, but I was exposed to a melting pot of kids from all over the borough of Brooklyn who were just as talented and smart. I consistently had classes with the others in “dance talent” and made friendships that have lasted me up until today and that I know I will have forever. Not all these individuals were just like me, which was an Italian Catholic Dyker Heights girl, we were all different but bonded through dance. We shared a love, and passion for the art which created many mutual interests. We all loved watching Broadway shows or seeing any live dance. Most of us were a part of outside dance companies at our local studios that would compete friendly against one another in various locations. We all got to perform together at the end of every year for our showcase, and spent lots of hours rehearsing. These hours spent together along with our mutual interest allowed us to easily get along and create these friendships with one another.

As I was in middle school, dance got more serious and I decided to audition for my dream school which was LaGuardia High School aka the “Fame School”. This highschool was located in New York City just around the corner from Lincoln Center. It was a drastic change for me and shifted me into the person I am today. I was exposed to thousands of people who lived in completely different boroughs and also created friendships with them as well. I was also surrounded by the dance majors everyday for four years which made them a family to me. Having to be a student at LaGuardia took a lot of responsibility at a young age. My highschool was about an hour and fifteen minute train ride. Because of my decision to attend this school, it had welcomed the world of public transportation to me. Before attending LaGuardia I could probably count the amount of times I’ve taken the train or bus on one hand. At the time, little did I know how fortunate I was to be from a neighborhood that made it possible to get around in a car. The life of public transportation was completely eye opening, and something that enhanced my knowledge of what our city had to offer. Having to take the MTA every morning and afternoon of the week was a huge part of sheltering myself from just knowing my neighborhood only. Although I have had many crazy experiences on the train, for example, my friend almost got her hair lit on fire by a stranger on the train… I have gained many life lessons and memories shared with my friends from highschool. LaGuardia itself had hectic long days that had started from 8am to 4:15pm everyday (which is considered long for an average high schooler). In the process it was rough, but I always reminded myself that I was there to do what I loved doing, which was dance. The people who had attended my high school were filled with talent, and light. I would walk through the staircase and find a group of students singing and playing instruments in the staircase, or a group of dancers including myself hitting a 5,6,7,8 in the middle of the hallway. Moments like these were when I realized despite my crazy long days, or how exhausted I was, I was meant to be here. I spent about 75% of my day with dance majors due to our schedules, which helped me develop friendships that I still hold on to. We collaborated with different kinds of artists like singers, actors, or lighting designers to create shows and performances. This has expanded my knowledge of not only my talent but a glimpse of others as well. When I graduated LaGuardia I walked down the stage feeling accomplished, matured, and ready to take on what college had to offer, a glimpse of real life.

I attended dance at my local studio Danceworks while continuing my middle school, and high school education which meant a lot of dance. I was on their competitive team, and the studio was small. My mentors and classmates have been there for me for years, and have watched me grow as a dancer but a person as well. In my years at Danceworks Dance Center I learned what it truly meant to be a team member. I learned what it meant to be disciplined, what it meant to be prioritized, how to be a competitor and how it felt to be fulfilled. I learned what it meant to be disciplined by showing up to class in proper uniform, to do as I was asked to do respectfully, and show discipline in myself by never slacking and pushing myself to exceed my limits. I learned to prioritize dance and my team by working around my life schedule to make sure I was able to perform, rehearse, or compete with my team. It was senior year of highschool and my prom and my last dance showcase with Danceworks Dance Center fell on the same day. You bet I went to that recital and ran afterwards straight to prom, because I knew what it meant to be involved in something so genuine and real; I wanted to be there for my team for every occasion including my last recital. Danceworks Dance Center made me find fulfillment, and made me feel whole. I was so loved, supported, and appreciated; and I felt the same in return. Being a part of the studio has left me with lessons, and experiences that I will continue to carry out. When I graduated from LaGuardia High School, I graduated danceworks as well. I then was asked to come back and teach at Danceworks with some alumni friends as well. I was so honored to be a part of something that was significant in my own life, and ready to take on a teaching position in others lives the same way. The staff at Danceworks that I still currently work at are family, mentors, and bestfriends I will have for life. My experience at Danceworks has come full circle and I would not want it any other way. Till this day the dance studio of Danceworks is my sane place, and the place I feel most comfortable and myself in. I walk into the studio, plant my feet on the Marley, and I feel fulfilled. While teaching at the studio I feel safe, happy even when students stress me out, and grateful to be sharing my passion for the art with a younger generation. My senior year of highschool I had to decide what path I wanted to take. Did I wanna pursue a career in dance or take up a new hobby? I could not let dance go. It has made me who I am today, developed my most precious relationships, and has made me feel home. Dance has expanded my knowledge of New York City as a whole, and has introduced me to so many cultures through the art itself. I learned what responsibility is, how to be a part of something so real, and what it means to give back. So I chose to attend Long Island University as a Dance Major. I chose to attend LIU because of how vigorous, small, and mighty the dance department is. I know I would receive great training and one on one attention. Also, I would be just next door to the heart of New York City allowing me to travel easily to expand relationships for future jobs. I belong to the social group of LIU Students and most importantly the dance department. Dance has gotten me already so far and has opened several doors for me, I am in hopes it’ll continue to do so in the future as well

Glossary Terms:

Nonna: Grandma in Italian.

Sunday Dinner: Italians are known for having an earlier afternoon dinner on Sundays that includes the majority of family and lots of food.

Catholic: a Religion system of faith.

Mark Twain: Middle school located in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

LaGuardia High School “Fame School”: Performing Arts School for grades 9-12. Located in New York City.. Referred to as “Fame School” reflecting on a movie Fame that was inspired by the school LaGuardia itself.

Danceworks Dance Center: A dance studio located in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

Lincoln Center: A complex of buildings for the Performing Arts. Located in the Lincoln Sq area of Manhattan in New York City.

5,6,7,8: Dancers way of counting a phrase or routine. Can also be used as a preparation.

Marley: The type of floor most dance studios contain to allow dancers to move in a smooth and safe flooring space.

Long Island University: A college located in Downtown Brooklyn.

#Soc3

me :)

#soc3 #p1autoethnography #dance

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deanssexplorations · 5 years

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Unfinished Business

I broke up with my high school girlfriend spring of my senior year, which left me with a decision as to whom to take to the prom. Fortunately there was a girl in my class named Amy, who I had a bit of a crush on, and it turns out she kinda liked me too. She was a little shy, very serious, incredibly kind, and one of the most empathetic people I’ve ever known. And without a doubt, she was extremely cute. We had been on a flirting/friendly basis for quite a while, and since I was now on the market I decided to ask her out.

Amy and I went on a few dates, which culminated in kissing, some heavy petting, and getting to third base on her parents’ couch and in my car. It was a lot of fun.

Amy agreed to go to the senior prom with me. I was thrilled, both to take her to prom, and also at the prospect of having sex with this lovely girl. Our school held its prom in San Francisco, which was about an hour’s drive from our home town, and most kids hit their parents up to get them a hotel room. We told them it was so we didn’t have to be on the road driving back so late, but we all hoping, or at least the guys were, that we would be getting lucky that night.

If you get the impression I’m horny now, you should have seen me at eighteen. And since the only girl I had ever had sex with was my prior girlfriend, I was beside myself with anticipation.

The only catch was she didn’t want to leave her friend Bonnie in a lurch, so we set Bonnie up with my friend Mark and the four of us double dated to the prom. All went well at first. Dinner was lovely and the dance itself was fun. Until Bonnie decided she had had enough of Mark and abducted Amy to spend the night in her hotel room, leaving Mark to spend the night in mine.

Definitely not what I was hoping for. Poor, horny, eighteen-year-old Dean.

Amy and I stayed in touch, but given that we were soon off to college, we sort of went our separate ways that summer. We kept in touch a bit in college, then drifted apart to lead our separate lives.

Fast forward twenty years or so. As Facebook adoption rolled through the middle-aged generation I reconnected with a number of my classmates, Amy included. She and I had a purely platonic lunch and caught up on each others’ lives. She had met a great guy, done some amazing social good/charitable work, and had a couple of lovely children. She even told me she still harbored regrets that she hadn’t spent the night with me at our prom.

Wow. Forty-three year old Dean certainly took note of that!

Nevertheless, my marriage wasn’t open at that time and she was happily married so that was the extent of that. We remained Facebook friends, occasionally liking or commenting on a picture of the kids or exciting work announcement, but nothing more.

Then about six months ago I was rifling through some old boxes in the attic, and I came across our high school prom picture. It was so much fun to see the two of us, so young and cute (and thin!!) and with so much promise ahead of us. I posted it for fun on my Facebook page, called her attention to it, and dared the rest my high school classmates to post theirs. Only a few of my so-called Facebook friends - and none from my high school - rose to the occasion but that’s a story for another forum...

With that as a spark, Amy and I decided to get together for lunch again, having been a good ten years or so since our last get together. Lunch was great; she was engaging and interesting, and just as sweet as before. She was still working with her charitable-type organization (can’t give away any potentially identifiable information!) and her sincere commitment to making the world a better place was just humbling to me.

I was having fun talking to her and decided to cause some trouble. I “worked in” a reference to my open marriage, which she definitely took note of. She had told me she and her husband Rick had experimented a bit years ago, so I suggested that if she/they were ever interested in experimenting again I was available. You know, to make up for the unconsummated prom date.

She seemed intrigued and said she might just have to bring it up with Rick.

A few weeks later, after (apparently) some interesting conversations in their household, she informed me that Rick was all in. Since my wife Kimber doesn’t play, it was going to be the three of us. I told her I was excited and would be happy to follow their lead, since I didn’t want to cause any ripples in their relationship.

It turns out Rick is a planner, so once we picked a date he booked a hotel room by the ocean, along with dinner reservations at a lovely sushi place nearby. We met at the prescribed time, and what could have been an awkward conversation quickly turned warm and engaging. Amy was seated between us but most of the conversation was between me and Rick (I think because she really wanted the guys to establish a good rapport). He is personable and generous, the consummate host. I enjoyed hearing his/their stories, and they showed interest in my replies.

After dinner we made our way to the hotel, where it turns out they (mostly Rick) had gone to town on the room, having checked in before heading to the restaurant. He had set up lights and music, and along with the champagne I had brought, the mood was perfect.

We sat on the couch for a while (the room had a couch and even a fireplace - Rick had picked very well!), again with Amy in the middle flanked by her two dates. A second moment of awkwardness flashed over me, with the knowledge that the two of them hadn’t played with anyone outside their marriage in a good ten years or so. It was so flattering that they had chosen me, but I also wanted to be triply careful not to do anything to damage the dynamic of their relationship in any way. So I took it slow and let them take the lead.

We talked about nothing in particular for a few minutes until Amy took the bull by the horns and started kissing me. Then kissing Rick. She then stood up, removed her top and her pants, and made her way to the bed, the two guys in tow.

Amy lay on her back, with a man on each side of her. We stroked her breasts and her stomach and took turns kissing her.

I was very excited to see her naked. Even when we had gotten to third base - 30 years before! - most of the action consisted of sticking hands deep up shirts and down pants. So seeing each other naked was a first for both of us.

Her breasts were amazing. They were ample in high school, and she had become even more voluptuous since. She has also been following a serious fitness regime lately and has lost noticeable weight since we had gotten together years before, and I enjoyed running my fingers down her thighs and over her smooth stomach.

Eventually we shifted positions and I went down on her. Her pussy was amazing and I felt her gyrating under me. The three of us sort of fell into a cycle in which Amy would suck one of our cocks while the other guy went down on her. Then we’d switch positions and do it all again.

Eventually I started fucking her. I took her in one of my favorite positions, with her lying on the bed with her ass at the edge, me standing on the floor, pounding away. I had a loud, vocal crescendo of an orgasm, and seemed to time what I guessed to be her third or fourth orgasm to it.

Rick watched approvingly. The three of us lay there for a while and shared open marriage thoughts and stories. I dressed shortly after that and the two of them stuck around a while longer for what I learned later was an equally impressive crescendo of their own.

And as I was driving home, my mind kept wandering back to what might have been my most memorable moment: Amy and I were laying together, gazing at each other, Rick having wandered off for a moment. And for one, fleeting moment I was transported to an alternate reality featuring the 18-year old versions of ourselves, laying in the same position on a different hotel bed, enjoying a sweet, innocent, moment. Right at the beginning of our respective sexual journeys.

We had missed that moment then. But I was so pleased to share it now, here at the apex of our respective sexual journeys.

#Prom date reunion #Finally bagged her 30 years later #Amy

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aili · 8 years

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Music Newsletter 11 / Happy Valentine’s Day 2017

Welcome to the 11th Music Newsletter!

Short intro for the newbies - I love music. I love sharing music with other people. In college I started a "music newsletter" email with some playlists (aka mixtapes) I've made and some song/band recommendations. Why Valentine's Day? Because I think this day should be about love in many ways - including for music!

That brings us to today - the first Valentine's Day mixtape I put together was actually a physical mix CD that I mailed to my home friends while I was away at college. That was in 2008. A lot has changed since then, but my love of music has not. While I feel sometimes too busy or too old or too out of touch to know what I'm even talking about, I hope you'll get some enjoyment out of this - as much as I've been enjoying listening to these songs and picking them for you!

I also have an email listserv with a special music bonus for anyone interested, please DM me to get on the list.

Click here to play Valentine's Day 2017 on Spotify!

1.) "Best to You" - Blood Orange

Starting off this year's mixtape with an incredible artist and song featuring singer Empress Of. Blood Orange is the project of Dev Hynes, who was a member of the British band Test Icicles. He's a songwriter and producer with a pretty epic list of artists on his resume, including Solange, Florence Welch, and Kylie Minogue. His album released last year, Freetown Sound, was a frequent flyer on the best of year lists and is mainly an R&B project featuring songs speaking out on prominent social justice issues.

2.) "Alaska" - Maggie Rogers

Thanks to my sister in law Anna for introducing me to Maggie Rogers, an indie singer-songwriter who's chart-climbing songs have crossed over into pop music's to-watch list. After presenting this track to Pharrell in her senior master class at NYU, their interaction went viral as he praised her work as something unheard before. Check out the video here.

3.) "I Need a Forest Fire" - James Blake feat. Bon Iver

While I enjoyed both Bon Iver and James Blake's latest albums released last year, it was their duo that seemed to encapsulate the sound growth I was looking for by both artists. This is, in my opinion, the best song either of them released last year. Together, the two artists were able to create something that apart was somehow a bit lacking. The combination of their voices is something not to miss.

4.) "Mothers" - Daughter

A beautiful and haunting song from the perspective of a mother on the drain, physically and emotionally, of having a child. The push/pull of loss and love is strong over the entire album, Not To Disappear, and lead singer/songwriter Elena Tonra has discussed the brutal and harsh themes that frequent her album and how she learned to uncensor herself from those sad places.

5.) "Strangers" - Psychic Twin

The title of this song along with the synths would make this a perfect addition to the Stranger Things TV soundtrack, don't you think? After Erin Fein's divorce, her debut album appropriately named Strange Diary, focuses her energy and emotions into a cohesive dark pop album.

6.) "Your Best American Girl" - Mitski

Mitski's fourth album, Puberty 2, is the one that sprang her to critical acclaim and popular success, with her punk-rock music discussing culture, race, identity, and belonging. This song in particular is poignant in a scene that doesn't hold much diversity in its popular spaces. Consistently selling out live shows and having a witty online presence, Mitski is not one to miss.

7.) "Foulbrood" - Two Inch Astronaut

Hailing from my hometown of Silver Spring, Maryland (with one member attending my high school), this band seriously caught my attention this year. There's something to be said about a specific D.C. area rock that is reminiscent of this kind of post-punk sound. One of the greatest influences of this sound was Ian MacKaye, co-founder Dischord, the label Two Inch Astronaut is on and the frontman of bands like Fugazi and Minor Threat. A lot of the local bands growing up had this kind of influence, but Two Inch Astronaut seems to get it right in a way that is all at once nostalgic of Maryland high school basement parties and paving the way for an innovative kind of genre-bending sound all together. Buy their latest album, Personal Life, here.

8.) "(I'd Rather Be) Anywhere But Here" - Honeyblood

Discovering Honeyblood last year was one of those moments where I instantly connected to their music and they catapulted to become one of my favorite bands. Honeyblood is a Scottish duo that could be described as a darker version of early Best Coast. I was lucky enough to see them live and the drummer, Cat Myers, is incredible. Their latest album, titled Babes Never Die, was released last year.

9.) "It Hurts Until It Doesn't" - Mothers

I debated putting Mothers' song "Daughter" on this playlist just to confuse everyone (see #4), but this song is just too good to ignore. The song comes to a slow down and instrumental build up about 3 minutes in that completely changes the tone but somehow manages to tell a consistent story. Mothers latest album When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired was released last year.

10.) "Never Meant" - American Football

I was too young to know the types of bands like American Football - the bands that a lot of people 5-10 years older than me consider real emo. Before heavy eyeliner and whining vocals and power chords came bands like American Football with their twinkly guitars and emotive lyrics. American Football and other 90's emo pioneers made punk risky by talking more openly about their feelings and they ended up creating incredible music because of it. This album is considered a classic among the 90's emo genre, and to fans surprise, the band released a new album last year, also self-titled, which can be found here. This song evokes a nostalgia for me because suddenly a lot of emo bands I liked in high school make sense because I can see how they were influenced to make the music the way they did.

11.) "Clay" - HANA

Hana is one of Grimes (Claire Boucher's) best friends and toured with her assisting on instruments and vocals this past year. Along with having a captivating and beautifully clear soprano voice, Hana brings out a lovelier, sweet side of nostalgic pop reminiscent of Carly Rae Jepsen.

12.) "Coconut Crab" - TTNG

This math rock song caught my attention because it evokes lo-fi indie surf rock style with some emo influences. TTNG has been around since 2004 and are from the U.K. Their latest full-length, Disappointment Island, was released last year.

13.) "Shut Up Kiss Me" - Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen's latest album, My Woman, topped charts and made many best of 2016's lists. The album was a turn from her previously labeled country-folk music into something she feels fits her personality and voice more.

14.) "Life Crisis" - River Whyless

A indie-folk pop group from Asheville, North Carolina that toured with Blind Pilot. Live in concert, lead singer Halli Anderson discussed how this song was written in part based on a bad break-up after a boyfriend went to visit his ex in NYC while she paced back in forth back home in Asheville. Check out a live performance of the song through NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, including creative choices such as using a typewriter for percussion here.

15.) "Jellyfish" - Laura Stevenson

I was able to see Laura Stevenson open for the Hold Steady in December which was so fun. Laura grew up on Long Island and did keys and vocals for Bomb the Music Industry. Jellyfish was released on the 2015 album, Cocksure.

16.) "Evening / Morning" - Bombay Bicycle Club

Throwback Tuesday can be dedicated to this song by Bombay Bicycle Club. An English indie rock band together since 2005, they consistently release rock bangers. This particular song was actually the first single they ever released. Currently, the band has essentially broken up, with the members saying they want to work on solo projects. Bassist Ed Nash released his solo album The Pace of the Passing earlier this year.

17.) "Black Leaf" - John Paul White

I have a deep love for the Civil Wars, a folk/country/americana duo consisting of John Paul White and Joy Williams. Like most of their fans, I was devastated to learn of their messy, drawn-out break-up official in 2014. They were two excellent artists who met through a musician's workshop and just seemed to click, winning four Grammys in their short time together. Their chemistry was electric, as can be viewed in their live videos like this one or this one. The thing was, they were both married. To other people. Joy's husband was their band manager. John's wife was at home in Alabama with their children. We may never know if a traditional affair happened, but it appeared that in one way or another, at least an emotional rift had opened. After their break-up, Joy Williams was fairly vocal with her feelings, explaining in interviews that "irreconcilable differences" were much more complicated than appeared on the surface. John Paul White was silent. He returned last year with an incredible solo album, Beulah, and rocketed back into success. While he remained silent in interviews about his former Civil Wars partner, almost like a divorced couple with the giant pink elephant in the room, he may have written about it. The lyrics on his album seem to me to easily be interpreted as the complicated emotions he felt while simultaneously losing Joy as a musical partner and friend, and potentially losing his wife for his lack of attention and focus on his family. It's important to note that John Paul White has said himself that his lyrics are meant for fans to interpret more into their own lives, than his. Privacy is important to him, and while we don't know what really happened between Joy and John Paul, maybe we can hope that just like in their song, 20 years from now we could see some sort of reconciliation.

18.) "No Way Out" - Warpaint

Warpaint are from Los Angeles and released their latest album, Heads Up, last year. Their sound is dreamy and especially this song features harmonic reverb as a major theme.

19.) "Left Handed Kisses" - Andrew Bird feat. Fiona Apple

Andrew Bird's feature with Fiona Apple is pretty much perfect. He is one of the most talented contemporary musicians and with his 2016 album, Are You Serious, he gets a little more personal, including writing a love song for his wife (swoon!). In an interview with NPR, he discussed major life changes - including marriage, a child, and his wife's battle with cancer.

20.) "Old Friends" - Pinegrove

Emo is making a comeback. While I've been spending time attending emo/pop punk live band karaoke events, Emo Night BK and Emo Nite LA have been touring the country with sold out events. I've been trying to reflect on this re-popularization of the genre of early to mid-00s bands that were made fun of and dismissed. My teenage years thrived on emo. The darkest lyrics spoke to me in a time when depression wasn't really talked about in the mainstream. Now, it does feel a bit silly to scream along to the same intense lyrics that I once cried over, but at the same time there is a sense of nostalgia. As a very drunk Adam Lazarra of Taking Back Sunday told the crowd at the 2015 Taste of Chaos tour, "I was there when you smoked your first cigarette."

But there's more to emo than 40-something majority white dudes screaming about their broken hearts. There are bands that hold a sense of authenticity and talent coming from 90s punk and post-punk influences.

Pinegrove is a band bringing it back to the start. A cross between the new, indie sound and the older, 90s/early 00s emo authenticity. Pinegrove is an incredibly unique band that not only hits indie and emo, but crosses over into folk and americana as well. This blending of genres is what is making artists really begin to stand out to me, as we cross over into the second half of this decade. Check out their 2016 album, Cardinal, here.

21.) "Radio" - Sylvan Esso

I always put a lot of thought into the order of songs on my playlist. What I love about this year's playlist is that Sylvan Esso's "Radio" can perfectly transition back into the first song on the playlist. So make sure your repeat all buttons are on, and I hope you've enjoyed this year's Valentine's Day newsletter!

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Don't forget to subscribe to my playlists on Spotify! And if you don't have Spotify yet, get on that shit, it's awesome. Here is the link to listen to this year's mixtape on Spotify

I try to add new songs at least once a week to this playlist. What I'm currently listening to a lot (updated frequently): currently lovin' (updated freq)

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I hope you guys enjoy the new music and feel free to send me recommendations of anything you like!

<3 aili

Previous Mixtapes:

Autumn Love Spotify

Copenhagen Spotify

Philadephia Spotify

New Crime Spotify

The City Spotify

Drive Spotify

VDay 2012 Spotify

King's Myth Spotify

Hold On Spotify

Vday 2013 Spotify

Vday 2014 Spotify

Vday 2015 Spotify

Vday 2016 Spotify

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hellofastestnewsfan · 5 years

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At the start of 2010, Barack Obama was just 11 months into his presidency. The recovery from the Great Recession was in its early stages. The Marvel cinematic universe consisted of Iron Man and Edward Norton’s Hulk. Less than 20 percent of Americans owned smartphones.

It’s been a long decade.

In three years at The Atlantic, in a role that often has me poking around our archive, I’ve come to understand American history through the stories told in the magazine as that history was unfolding. The 1850s focused readers’ attention on financial panic and standoffs over slavery; the 1880s aroused concerns about materialism and labor conditions; the 1910s were marked by contentious debates about the free press, women’s suffrage, and the nature of war.

How will the 2010s be remembered? Looking back through the articles The Atlantic published over the past 10 years—a period during which it dramatically expanded its web presence, meaning that for the first time in the publication’s history, the news was covered as it happened—I rediscovered a decade that shocked the world, both day by day and now, looking back.

The myth of a post-racial America has been shattered.

Obama’s election in 2008 prompted speculation from some academics and news analysts that American politics had transcended considerations of race and entered a new era. But by 2010, that idea had already been shaken by the vocal birther movement (prominently promoted by Donald Trump), and would be all but obliterated by the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin and the public outcry that followed.

In the September 2012 issue, Ta-Nehisi Coates explored the irony of the racial dynamics of Obama’s presidency. “Obama governs a nation enlightened enough to send an African American to the White House,” he observed, “but not enlightened enough to accept a black man as its president.”

Atlantic writers have since reported in-depth on the entrenched racial disparities in homicide rates, debt burdens, incarceration, and overall mortality in America. And the magazine has detailed the ascent of individual white supremacists—as well as a broader ethno-nationalist coalition that helped bring Donald Trump, in all his overt bigotry, to power in 2016.

What to read:

“Segregation Now,” by Nikole Hannah-Jones (May 2014 issue) “Black children in the South now attend majority-black schools at levels not seen in four decades,” Hannah-Jones reported.

“The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates (June 2014 issue) “An America that asks what it owes its most vulnerable citizens is improved and humane,” Coates wrote. “An America that looks away is ignoring not just the sins of the past but the sins of the present and the certain sins of the future.”

“Being Black in America Can Be Hazardous to Your Health,” by Olga Khazan (July/August 2018 issue) “Although the racial disparity in early death has narrowed in recent decades, black people have the life expectancy, nationwide, that white people had in the 1980s,” Khazan reported.

“The Nationalist’s Delusion,” by Adam Serwer (November 20, 2017) “Americans act with the understanding that Trump’s nationalism promises to restore traditional boundaries of race, gender, and sexuality,” Serwer argued. “The nature of that same nationalism is to deny its essence, the better to salve the conscience and spare the soul.”

The impact of climate change has become widely evident—and prompted collective action.

Since 2010, as Atlantic writers have detailed, climate change has given rise to the hottest years on record; to record drought; to more extreme hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding; to melting glaciers and ice sheets; and, maybe, to the reanimation of some zombie diseases. It’s also already claimed countless lives, taking a particular toll on poor communities and countries. These years have also given rise to international diplomacy (including, most important, the Paris Climate Agreement), dedicated activists such as Greta Thunberg, mass protests for further action, and greater collective belief in climate change and support for radical policies that could help combat it.

Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax,” and he has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement—but as Robinson Meyer wrote this month, dozens of states, in addition to almost every country in the world, still hope to meet their goals.

What to read:

“How to Talk About Climate Change So People Will Listen,” by Charles C. Mann (September 2014 issue) “On the one hand, the transformation of the Antarctic seems like an unfathomable disaster. On the other hand, the disaster will never affect me or anyone I know; nor, very probably, will it trouble my grandchildren,” Mann wrote. “How can we worry about such distant, hypothetical beings?”

“Welcome to Pleistocene Park,” by Ross Andersen (April 2017 issue) “It will be cute to have mammoths running around here, but I’m not doing this for them,” Andersen was told by the director of a Russian reserve where scientists hope to resurrect an Ice Age biome. “I am trying to solve the larger problem of climate change.”

“The Zombie Diseases of Climate Change,” by Robinson Meyer (November 6, 2017) “Climate change,” Meyer explained, “could awaken Earth’s forgotten pathogens. It is one of the most bizarre symptoms of global warming. And it has already begun to happen.”

“Climate Change Is Already Damaging American Democracy,” by Vann R. Newkirk II (October 24, 2018) “As Hurricane Sandy illustrated—like Katrina had years before—disasters and hostile climate conditions don’t create inequalities; they exacerbate them,” Newkirk observed. “If American society is already trending toward greater inequality, this all means that climate change will accelerate that trend.”

The United States has experienced horrific mass shootings over and over and over again.

They felt, in the early 2010s, like a series of isolated shocks: Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 17 others were shot at an Arizona Safeway in January 2011; a shooter killed 12 moviegoers and injured 70 more at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, in July 2012; 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.

But mass shootings have spread like a disease, becoming more frequent and, over time, less shocking and more expected. The coverage patterns, policy debates about gun rights and mental health, and post-shooting school reopenings have settled into something like a routine, while active-shooter drills have become a standard part of many school curricula—despite the harm they may be causing.

The calls for gun control have grown louder and louder over the same period, leading to a congressional sit-in in 2016 and the March for Our Lives two years later. “People always say, ‘Nothing changed after Sandy Hook,” a survivor of the shooting told Steven Johnson last year. But “what happened after Sandy Hook is that we, I think, came together and forced politicians to answer questions about guns. Small, simple things like that. And for five years, we’ve built that.”

What to read:

“The Secret History of Guns,” by Adam Winkler (September 2011 issue) “We’ve also always had gun control,” Winkler wrote. “While [the Founding Fathers] did not care to completely disarm the citizenry, the founding generation denied gun ownership to many people: not only slaves and free blacks, but law-abiding white men who refused to swear loyalty to the Revolution.”

“Americans Don’t Really Understand Gun Violence,” by David S. Bernstein (December 14, 2017) “Nonfatal gun violence has mostly been ignored,” Bernstein observed, and “as a result, survivors of gun violence are largely invisible, even to the people who work closely on the issue—including policy makers, academics, and medical professionals.”

“What I Saw Treating the Victims From Parkland Should Change the Debate on Guns,” by Heather Sher (February 22, 2018) “The bullet from an AR-15 passes through the body like a cigarette boat traveling at maximum speed through a tiny canal,” Sher, a radiologist, explained. “It does not have to actually hit an artery to damage it and cause catastrophic bleeding. Exit wounds can be the size of an orange.”

“America’s Unending Tragedy,” by Olga Khazan (March 24, 2018) “But, nearly 20 years later, not even people in Littleton can agree whether the best way to prevent another Columbine is more guns or fewer,” Khazan wrote. “Todd’s experience—a 15-year-old whose brush with death-by-gun led him to respect guns more—helps to explain why there have been so few new federal gun restrictions since Columbine.”

“The Children of the Children of Columbine,” by Ashley Fetters (April 16, 2019) “The [survivors of the Columbine High School shooting] who have become parents face an awful new reality,” Fetters wrote. “Twenty years later, they are being confronted with the idea that what happened to them could also happen to their children.”

The Republican Party has reconfigured itself around the Trump presidency.

The GOP began the decade without control over the White House or either chamber of Congress. President Obama had won the support of a new Democratic coalition of young people, people of color, and college-educated white people, along with enough working-class white voters to propel him to the presidency—and to do so again four years later. His victories left Republicans worried, despite the red waves in the 2010 and 2014 midterms, that the party couldn’t win with white voters alone and would have to change its strategy moving forward.

A shift in approach had already been set in motion in 2010 by the election of dozens of avowed Tea Party congresspeople, who worked to push the party to the right—and push out establishment figures and ideas along the way. Beyond Congress, the election of Republicans to local offices in the same wave enabled widespread gerrymandering and voter suppression.

In 2016, defying the messaging that followed the 2012 election, a Republican ticket headed by Donald Trump doubled down on the party’s white base, and won. Trump embraced a constituency of angry white Americans with his ethnonationalist and economic-populist rhetoric, ushering in a new era for the party and further alienating its more moderate adherents. The president’s support among Republican politicians has not wavered, even during his impeachment, suggesting that the party is now dedicated to following the president and his shrinking white base into the new decade.

What to read:

“The Great Republican Revolt,” by David Frum (January/February 2016 issue) “White Middle Americans express heavy mistrust of every institution in American society: not only government, but corporations, unions, even the political party they typically vote for—the Republican Party of Romney, Ryan, and McConnell, which they despise as a sad crew of weaklings and sellouts,” Frum reported. “They are pissed off.”

“The Republican Party’s White Strategy,” by Peter Beinart (July/August 2016 issue) “[Trump] is exploiting fears about Latino immigrants in ways that echo the ‘southern strategy’ through which Richard Nixon fueled and exploited a white backlash against African American civil rights,” Beinart wrote.

“The New GOP Coalition Is Emerging,” by Reihan Salam (November 14, 2018) “The GOP has yet to develop a cohort of policy professionals capable of reconciling egalitarian populism and market conservatism in an attractive program,” Salam argued, “and the result is that Trump’s taste for invective has filled a vacuum that might otherwise have been filled by a creative and unifying new nationalism.”

“How America Ends,” by Yoni Appelbaum (December 2019 issue) “When a group that has traditionally exercised power comes to believe that its eclipse is inevitable, and that the destruction of all it holds dear will follow, it will fight to preserve what it has—whatever the cost,” Appelbaum wrote.

Women have spoken up about ongoing inequities in the working world.

Early in 2010, for the first time in American history, women became the majority of the country’s workforce. Later that year, Hanna Rosin wondered if the milestone was evidence of a more sweeping economic role reversal. “It may be happening slowly and unevenly, but it’s unmistakably happening,” she wrote: “In the long view, the modern economy is becoming a place where women hold the cards.”

But in the years that followed, other writers addressed the obstacles working women continue to face, from the impossible riddle of professional-personal balance to the particular gender bias and discrimination of Silicon Valley to the persistent gender wage gap.

Then, in October 2017, the publication of sexual-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein ignited #MeToo into a viral movement and elevated the outcry against structural misogyny. The movement, Catherine A. MacKinnon wrote earlier this year, “is already changing everything”—though, other writers have argued, it is still not changing enough.

What to read:

“Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by Anne-Marie Slaughter (July/August 2012 issue) “I still strongly believe that women can ‘have it all’ (and that men can too). I believe that we can ‘have it all at the same time,’” Slaughter asserted. “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured.”

“Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women?,” by Liza Mundy (April 2017 issue) “The women I spoke with described a kind of gaslighting,” Mundy reported. “They find themselves in enviably modern workspaces, surrounded by right-thinking colleagues and much talk of meritocracy, yet feel disparaged in ways that are hard to articulate, let alone prove.”

“The Glaring Blind Spot of the ‘Me Too’ Movement,” by Gillian B. White (November 22, 2017) “Though women of all races suffer the trauma of sexual harassment and violence, it’s hard to argue that America treats alleged crimes committed against white women and women of color the same,” White wrote.

“The Phantom Reckoning,” by Megan Garber (September 16, 2018) “For #MeToo, for its part, the wraiths are emboldened each time abusers are welcomed back under the false pretenses of ‘redemption,’” Garber wrote. “This is how the status quo maintains its status. This is why the world, briefly shaken, so often settles back into its familiar grooves.”

The rise of ISIS reignited the global conflict against terrorism.

Early in the decade, the War on Terror as proclaimed by George W. Bush appeared to be winding down after years of active conflict in the Middle East. A Navy Seal team killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. The last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq seven months later. President Obama announced plans to withdraw forces from Afghanistan as well, and in 2013 he publicly redefined the fight against terrorism as “a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America,” rather than a war.

But the reemergence of the Islamic State ushered in a new wave of conflict. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group threw itself into the Syrian civil war in 2011, took control of Mosul, Iraq, and formed a self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria three years later. The group also claimed responsibility for the assassination of a number of journalists and aid workers and terrorist attacks in cities from Baghdad to Paris to Ottawa.

Following years of U.S.-led air campaigns, Kurdish and Arab offenses in Syria, and Iraqi efforts to reclaim lost ground, ISIS is concluding the decade without any territory left to its name and without Baghdadi’s leadership. But, our writers caution, that doesn’t mean it’s been defeated for good—it still has funding, and a mission.

What to read:

“What ISIS Really Wants,” by Graeme Wood (March 2015 issue) “Muslims can reject the Islamic State; nearly all do,” Wood wrote. “But pretending that it isn’t actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it.”

“The Obama Doctrine,” by Jeffrey Goldberg (April 2016 issue) “History may record August 30, 2013, as the day Obama prevented the U.S. from entering yet another disastrous Muslim civil war, and the day he removed the threat of a chemical attack on Israel, Turkey, or Jordan,” Goldberg wrote. “Or it could be remembered as the day he let the Middle East slip from America’s grasp, into the hands of Russia, Iran, and ISIS.”

“What ISIS Will Become,” by Kathy Gilsinan and Mike Giglio (November 22, 2019) “[ISIS’s leaders] see this as a battle of attrition, and that eventually they’re going to wear everyone out,” a veteran researcher of jihadist groups told Gilsinan and Giglio. “They’re not rigid in their thinking, and they’re willing to evolve.”

Smartphones and social media have changed how people connect with one another.

The devices and platforms themselves largely predate this decade: Facebook launched in 2004, and Apple released the first-generation iPhone in 2007. But in the 2010s they became closer to ubiquitous. In 2012, the proportion of Americans with smartphones passed 50 percent for the first time; by February 2019, that figure had climbed to 81 percent. Earlier this year, Facebook reported 2.7 billion monthly users across its properties.

The result is a new set of digital social experiences, particularly for the young: Kate Bolick learned about a friend’s death through Facebook; thanks to their parents’ social-media posts, more than 90 percent of 2-year-olds had an online presence in 2010; babies formed relationships with relatives through a mediating screen; older children stumbled across their own digital lives, curated by their parents.

At the same time, Jean M. Twenge argued in 2017, traditional forms of socialization appear to have declined and left a generation of young people, coming of age in an era of ever-present smartphones, feeling more isolated and left out.

What to read:

“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” by Jean M. Twenge (September 2017 issue) “Social-networking sites like Facebook promise to connect us to friends,” Twenge wrote. “But the portrait of iGen teens emerging from the data is one of a lonely, dislocated generation.”

“What It’s Like to Wallow in Your Own Facebook Data,” by Anna Wiener (September 2018 issue) “Here was the stuff of a life, and I had given it away to the internet,” Wiener reflected. “Much of it would likely be stored on Facebook’s servers ad infinitum, useful only to advertisers and algorithms.”

“The Dark Psychology of Social Networks,” by Jonathan Haidt and Tobias Rose-Stockwell (December 2019 issue) “Social media turns many of our most politically engaged citizens into [James] Madison’s nightmare: arsonists who compete to create the most inflammatory posts and images, which they can distribute across the country in an instant,” Haidt and Rose-Stockwell argued.

Class and racial wealth gaps have widened in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

“Three years after the crash of 2008, the rich and well educated are putting the recession behind them,” Don Peck wrote in September 2011. “The rest of America is stuck in neutral or reverse.”

That yawning gap in income and net worth divided Americans. On one side lies what Chrystia Freeland described in our January/February 2011 issue as “a new super-elite that consists, to a notable degree, of first- and second-generation wealth”—the kind of one-percenters (or is it 9.9 percenters?) who might flaunt their wine caves, debate how much money they can pass down to their kids without sapping their motivation, and harbor a number of secret anxieties.

On the other side of the divide is the rest of America: a savings-poor and debt-rich middle class, a white working class left struggling with unemployment, economically stunted young adults, and disproportionately affected black Americans still reeling from the loss of home equity. A decade after the crash, despite the overall recovery of the economy, the country remained “more unequal, less vibrant, less productive, poorer, and sicker than it would have been had the crisis been less severe,” Annie Lowrey summarized in 2017. The same month, Alana Semuels went deep on the lasting impact of foreclosures and Derek Thompson predicted that the new GOP tax cut would only exacerbate wealth inequalities.

What to read:

“Can the Middle Class Be Saved?,” by Don Peck (September 2011 issue) “One of the most salient features of severe downturns is that they tend to accelerate deep economic shifts that are already under way,” Peck wrote. “They typically allow us to see, with rare and brutal clarity, where society is heading—and what sorts of people and places it is leaving behind.”

“The Never-Ending Foreclosure,” by Alana Semuels (December 1, 2017) “While America prides itself on being a place where people can climb up the economic ladder, it’s also a place where people can fall fast, and far,” Semuels concluded.

“The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy,” by Matthew Stewart (June 2018 issue) “The meritocratic class has mastered the old trick of consolidating wealth and passing privilege along at the expense of other people’s children,” Stewart asserted.

Nationalist movements have become ascendent around the world, threatening modern democracy.

Strong-man leaders have ridden waves of right-wing populism to power around the world this decade. In 2013, Kurt Weyland described a “sustained, coordinated authoritarian threat” confronting Latin America after years of “democratic resilience.” Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has revived authoritarianism in Turkey since his election to the presidency in 2014, and Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 rise to the Philippines’ highest office has produced an oppressive and violent reign of “machismo populism.”

In Europe, nativist right-wing contingents have become more popular and more vocal in countries including Austria, Italy, and Hungary. Since the initial Brexit referendum, in June 2016, Britain has been navigating the terms of its own nationalist realignment. And Poland is deep in the grips of antidemocratic forces; in October 2018, Anne Applebaum took a deep dive into the polarized, conspiratorial, xenophobic, and “openly authoritarian” rule of the Law and Justice party in the country. “Given the right conditions, any society can turn against democracy,” she wrote. “Indeed, if history is anything to go by, all societies eventually will.”

The United States made its own turn toward nationalist right-wing populism with the election of Donald Trump in November 2016. Atlantic writers have since broken down the president’s autocratic tendencies, his racism and intolerance, and his supporters’ cognitive dissonance. His presidency has left Americans deeply divided, in some ways reminiscent of the lead-up to the Civil War. A special issue of the magazine published last month focused on how to reconcile those divisions—or not.

What to read:

“How to Build an Autocracy,” by David Frum (March 2017 issue) “And the way that liberty must be defended is not with amateur firearms, but with an unwearying insistence upon the honesty, integrity, and professionalism of American institutions and those who lead them,” Frum wrote. “We are living through the most dangerous challenge to the free government of the United States that anyone alive has encountered. What happens next is up to you and me.”

“It’s Putin’s World,” by Franklin Foer (March 2017 issue) “Right-wing populists have largely fed off the alienation of older white voters, who are angry about the erosion of traditional values,” Foer wrote, summarizing the results of a study into the roots of the new global populism. “These voters feel stigmatized as intolerant and bigoted for even entertaining such anger—and their rage grows.”

“A Warning From Europe: The Worst Is Yet to Come,” by Anne Applebaum (October 2018 issue) “Polarization is normal. Skepticism about liberal democracy is normal,” Applebaum observed. “And the appeal of authoritarianism is eternal.”

“The New Authoritarians Are Waging War on Women,” by Peter Beinart (January/February 2019 issue) “Besides their hostility to liberal democracy, the right-wing autocrats taking power across the world share one big thing, which often goes unrecognized in the U.S.,” Beinart noted. “They all want to subordinate women.”

from The Atlantic https://ift.tt/2MNyXHw

#Blogger

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itsfinancethings · 5 years

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November 14, 2019 at 07:01AM

It’s a brisk Saturday morning in November, and Amy Klobuchar is pondering the menu at a Sioux City, Iowa, diner where a dish of two buttermilk biscuits smothered in country-style gravy is listed among the “lite” breakfasts. The Minnesota Democrat usually goes for yogurt or a poached egg, she tells me, but today she orders two scrambled eggs with cheese, a side of toast with Smucker’s strawberry jam and a cup of coffee. She needs the extra fuel to get her through the next 12 hours: two campaign events, one caucus training, a three-hour drive back to Minnesota and some debate prep.

Since launching her presidential campaign in February, Klobuchar, 59, has run a workmanlike race. “I figure you do the job in front of you,” she says, describing her approach to campaigning. “You do the things you’re supposed to do, you go meet people, you get endorsements.” As other candidates have dropped out or surged ahead—her fellow Midwesterner, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., is now in first place in Iowa, according to a Nov. 12 Monmouth survey—Klobuchar has remained consistent: she’s been polling at 2% to 3% nationally since September. “You don’t expect some magic thing is going to happen, and they’re just going to give it to you with a silver spoon,” she says.

Her message to voters is similarly down to earth. While Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have proffered revolutionary proposals—-including free college tuition, nationwide student-debt cancellation and Medicare for All—Klobuchar has staked out a platform defined by pragmatism. Her higher-education plan centers on free in-state community college and higher Pell Grant caps, and her health care proposal offers a public option through which people could purchase access to Medicare or Medicaid. “The difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something that you can actually get done, and we can get this public option done,” she said at the Oct. 15 debate. As former Vice President Joe Biden has faded in some polls, Klobuchar has seized the opportunity to brand herself as the moderate alternative—a take-your-vitamins -realist in a field defined by idealism.

There’s some evidence her strategy is working. In the six days after the October debate in which she slapped down Warren’s multi-trillion-dollar health care plan, Klobuchar’s campaign raked in $2.1 million—more than 40% of what she’d raised in the entire third-quarter filing period. She has since become one of 10 candidates to qualify for the -November debate in Atlanta, and one of six to qualify for the December one in Los Angeles. Her support in the Hawkeye State has swelled too. She’s now at 5%, according to the Monmouth poll, edging out Senator Kamala Harris and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro and coming in fifth overall. “She just has sensible ideas,” says Carol Hallman, an -attorney who lives in Pocahontas, Iowa. Describing her aversion to some candidates’ higher–education proposals, Hallman says, “Many people I know have already paid their student loans. Why should there be free four-year college now?”

Former Vice President Walter Mondale, a longtime mentor, says the Senator’s message is powerful in a time of political turmoil. “We need to be reasonable, we need to cross party lines, try to unite the country,” he says. “She’s said that very clearly.” National Democrats increasingly attuned to the question of winning against an embattled President Trump agree it’s too soon to write off Klobuchar. “I think her time is about to come,” Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips says. As an experienced politician with a demonstrated ability to appeal to centrists, independents and moderate Republicans in a heartland state, she remains a viable VP pick. In 2016, Trump lost Minnesota to Hillary Clinton by less than 2%; Klobuchar won her 2018 re-election by 24%. That’s the kind of appeal Democrats should pay attention to if they want to best Trump, argues veteran GOP strategist and vocal Trump critic Rick Wilson. “You might want to have people that don’t scare the sh-t out of people on your ticket,” he says.

If Klobuchar’s version of Midwestern progressivism defines her approach to public policy, it is also core to who she is. Raised in a middle-class Minneapolis–area family, Klobuchar had a grand-father who was an iron-ore miner who saved money in a coffee can. Her mother was a second-grade teacher who retired at 70, and her father was a newspaper columnist who battled alcoholism. (Her father’s addiction came into public view at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, when the nominee asked if Klobuchar had ever blacked out from drinking. “I have no drinking problem, Judge,” she said, winning plaudits for her poise.)

Klobuchar’s entry into politics was also driven by practical concerns. When her daughter Abigail’s birth required a prolonged hospital stay, Klobuchar discovered insurance regulations that evicted her from the maternity ward after 24 hours. The new mother took the issue to the state, helping pass one of the nation’s first laws mandating that insurance companies provide 48-hour hospital stays for other moms. Two years later, she won her first election to a county attorney seat, and eight years after that, she became the first woman elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. From January 2017 to January 2019, Klobuchar introduced more bills than any other Democratic Senator.

But translating legislative success into national popularity has proved a harder nut to crack. Over breakfast, Klobuchar suggests that her gender and appearance might not help. “Compared to those people on that debate stage, I look short,” she says of her 5-ft. 4-in. stature. “I always knew that it’s a big deal in -politics—how you look and your hair and everything. But this is a whole different level.” The next day on CNN, Klobuchar insinuated that -Buttigieg, 37, would not be considered presidential material if he were a woman. “Do I think we would be standing on that stage if we had the experience that he had?” she said on Nov. 10, referencing two other women in the race, Warren and Harris. “No, I don’t. Maybe we’re held to a different standard.”

Klobuchar has also had to grapple with unforced errors. A February BuzzFeed article described her yelling at staffers over misplaced commas, threatening to fire them in front of their colleagues, and on one occasion, chucking a binder that accidentally hit an aide. Klobuchar had the highest staff–turnover rate among her Senate colleagues from fiscal years 2001 to 2018, according to data tracked by LegiStorm, a nonpartisan research firm. When I asked Klobuchar about the report, she pointed at her prolific legislative record, a testament, she says, to a supportive staff. But, she added, “you can always do better, and I will.”

A few days after our breakfast in Iowa, I caught up with Klobuchar in her unpretentious Capitol Hill apartment, where a $1.99 egg-poaching gadget adorns the kitchen and the sole flourish—a $10 bouquet of tulips—was purchased in anticipation of my visit. Klobuchar’s husband John Bessler, a law professor, joked that if my next stop was to interview billionaire Michael Bloomberg, “the furniture might look a little different.” But this down-home, kitchen–table pragmatism goes deeper than interior decor. It’s the heart of Klobuchar’s campaign. Her supporters aren’t looking for soaring proposals or revolutionary talk; they just want a voice in Washington who will show up and get something done.

#IFTTT #Blogger

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cutsliceddiced · 5 years

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New top story from Time: In the Democratic Primary, Amy Klobuchar Makes the Case for Pragmatism Over “Pipe Dreams”

via https://cutslicedanddiced.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/how-to-prevent-food-from-going-to-waste

#Time #top stories #IFTTT #news

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bangtantannie · 6 years

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Love Yourself Series

This is just a very personal post so there’s no need to stop and read if you don’t want to. But if you do take the time to read this, I hope that you y’all will reblog, reply or make your own post (and tag me because I would love to read it) about your own feelings about this series and what you were experiencing throughout the release of this series.

Also, this is a very touchy subject for me as well seeing as I touch on a topic that is still very sensitive to this day, it gets a bit detailed as well... since this is really my first time putting this story into writing.

I haven’t been an ARMY for long. It’s only been a year that I could officially call myself an ARMY. But a year was enough. It was enough to get to know 7 men trying to make a difference in the world through music. It was enough to realize that these men wanted to make more than just a catchy song that will help them reach their fame. It was enough to know that people aren’t kidding at when they say that BTS (and other musicians of course) saved their lives. Unfortunately, the story of how I became an ARMY isn’t exactly a happy one.

The very day BTS released Love Yourself: Her, my family was torn apart. I had just gotten home from an extensive shopping trip to prepare for moving into my college dorm. The minute my grandpa pulled my mother aside to talk in private, I could feel something was very wrong. Granted, I didn’t pay any mind to it that moment, since I was listening to LY:Her to test the waters and see if this was a group I was going to add to the list I already stan. But the thought of something being wrong just wouldn’t go away. That feeling only worsened when my mother called my brother and I to have a family meeting of sorts. The only thing is... we don’t have family meetings.

The meeting was to tell us that someone had threatened to take my grandpa’s life. That person being my father. Just the thought of my father hurting anyone is hard to believe, so naturally, I started to cry. It wasn’t scrunched up face, sobbing cry. But the expressionless, tears falling down silently kind of cry. I just absolutely couldn’t wrap my head around what my mother had just told me. My mother is the type to rush into things if it means protecting the ones she loves, so she called the police. Soon enough, an officer came to my house and told her the measures she could take to protect herself and our family. She had decided she would go to court and try to file a restraining order on my father.

Seeing as I had just became a legal adult at the time, my mother asked me if I wanted to be included as well, but I told her no. I wanted to hear my father’s side. I wanted him to call me and tell me he didn’t do it, I wanted him to reach out to me and tell me he was the man I always painted him to be. I wanted him to be the one to reach out because I was afraid to vocalize the thing that my grandpa claims my father threatened to do. Because saying those words out loud would make it feel even more real than it already was.

That night, I cried until 5 am. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was cry while I clung to the lyrics of Pied Piper playing quietly in my room like my life depended on it. I tried so hard to focus on the song to distract myself from the things I heard that I seriously hoped the music would just take over and just relax. I felt like my world was crumbling into pieces, a world that had been broken my entire life.

Fast forward to college starting a week later, two weeks later, three weeks later, maybe even four weeks later, not a single call from my father. Adjusting to a new living space and environment was already hard enough, watching what was left of a fragile family life turn to shambles only made it several times harder. Desperate to distract myself from what was or was not happening at home, I literally threw myself into my studies. It was also very hard to be alone if I wasn’t doing homework. I also struggled to socialize and make friends the first few weeks, and the lack of human interaction only made me fall deeper into my depression. I would silently cry on the phone while telling my mother that college was going well, and that I was having fun every night she called to check on me. I would skip meals if my roommate had already eaten, and when we did get to eat together (which was the usual case) I ate less than half of the plate that I created for myself, which consisted of a small scoop of about three food items being served. In the span of two weeks, I had lost about six pounds.

When my father finally reached out to me... I quickly realized I wouldn’t be hearing any explanation from him whatsoever. He only called because wanted me to testify for him, to render my grandfather a source that was not credible. Torn between deeply wanting to help my father but being strongly reluctant to testify as a witness against my own mother and grandfather, I just couldn’t handle the pressure I was creating for myself. With a few calls every few hours coming from my father asking to be a witness for him in court to nightly phone calls of my mother recalling memories that would tarnish my image of my father, I almost dreaded every single phone call that came from my family. I had reached a point where seeing my father’s contact made me breathless. I even purposely missed calls to put off the only conversation that would happening, with the excuse that I was in class. I felt so bad every time saying I couldn’t testify in court because I had class that day, and the only thing that made it worse was hearing him say I need you over the phone. But the thing that only broke my heart even more was the thought that echoed in my mind, and where were you when I needed you?

Every single day, I listened to LY:Her. Sometimes I would listen to other albums, but I always found comfort in LY:Her. When I was feeling particularly anxious, Jimin’s soft voice would bring my blurring vision back into sharpness. Taehyung’s deep voice would quiet the overwhelming thought that I was a failure of a daughter. Jungkook’s smooth voice would comfort me when I thought I was a pathetic human being for running away from my problems and simply watching as events unfolded. Jin’s clear voice would bring my scattered brain into focus. Namjoon’s poetic raps would keep me going, stopping me from just giving up, reminding that I had a purpose. Yoongi’s raps would bring me back to the present instead of dwelling on the past in search of things I could’ve done to prevent such an event from happening. Hoseok’s energetic raps took off some of the heaviness in my chest and quelled the frown when it felt the most overpowering.

Love Yourself:Tear had some of the songs that I really needed at the time. Watching my friends (which I had made a bit before our first break) struggle under mountains of schoolwork while I was off to the side playing SuperStar BTS because my workload was something I considered significantly lighter and not nearly as challenging is what my friends seemed to have, I felt a bit lost on my purpose at school once again. Hearing that it was okay not to have a dream, that it was okay to take a break, that I would be fine and I would have a safe space listening to BTS’ music was something I really needed to hear the second portion of the school year.

And now we’re here, with Love Yourself: Answer, the end of the Love Yourself series. This album brings me back to each portion of the school year, all the ups and downs, ghosts of the feelings I had at the time, leading me to who I am now. A young woman aware of her flaws. And someone with hope, that it will get better. Although the issue within my family has been brushed under the rug, it is still something I know I will need to get closure on. I’ve gone from seeing my father five times a week to being lucky if he even messages me once every three weeks or seeing him once in a few months. One day I will gain the courage to reach out to my father and not go along with him when he briefly mentions the situation that had happened without even uttering a single detail of his side of the story.

Although I am far from truly being able to love myself, I’ve come a long way from the girl that would not hesitate to call herself an absolute failure. I’ve learned to put my needs first, instead of sacrificing my mental and physical health trying to help everyone else. I haven’t quite gotten around to opening up to my college friends about my personal life, but I feel like being able to post this semi anonymously to a social media website for countless strangers to scrutinize, empathize, or criticize is the first step to opening up to my friends in person about my struggles and hardship. I know I handled this situation very badly, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that what’s done is done, and all I can do is focus on the present and work toward making a better future.

Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook, thank you. Thank you for coming into my life and changing it for the better, thank you for making a very painful part of my life exponentially less painful than it would’ve been if the Love Yourself series hadn’t started then. Thank you, for saving me, because I truly do not know where I would be right now if it hadn’t been for you. Although it saddens me to see this series conclude, all good things must come to an end, even if I don’t want it to. I could only dream of doing this in person, but I could never thank you enough for creating the Love Yourself series. I do not know what will be following the Love Yourself series, but I will be there every step of the way, as a fellow ARMY until the end.

#personal #bts #ly:answer #ly:tear #ly:her #love yourself

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yaysehun · 7 years

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something abt exo i guess

I don’t know where this will go or what this even is, but I just need to rant about these nine men. These nine men include Kim Junmyeon (Suho), Kim Jongin (Kai), Byun Baekhyun (Baekhyun), Park Chanyeol (Chanyeol), Do Kyungsoo (D.O.), Oh Sehun (Sehun), Kim Jongdae (Chen), Kim Minseok (Xiumin), and last but most definitely not least, Zhang Yixing (Lay). Some others might count three more men, all from China, as well as Yixing—Wu Yifan (Kris), Lu Han (Luhan), and Huang Zitao (Tao). I’ll talk about those three later. Otherwise, you could say all twelve had made me happy and changed my life, but for now, we’ll address the current nine.

It was a normal night. February 8, 2017. I had just come home from my piano lesson, and I was bored, and decided to watch an online series called “Youtubers React.” The particular episode I had been watching was youtubers reacting to K-Pop. As you can probably guess, the first video shown was EXO’s “Monster.” The production and vocal of the song immediately caught my attention, for it sounded somewhat like the electronic music I had enjoyed at the time. I added it to my playlist, became in love with it, and it stayed on that playlist for a month.

A month went by, and during those thirty days, I had been in love with BTS, or Bangtan Sonyeondan. They are another K-Pop group, one that is often compared to EXO. With that, I had become biased towards Bangtan, often having bitter thoughts about EXO. I would tell myself, “They’re nothing next to BTS,” or “I’d never stan them.” Boy, was I wrong.

The amazing song that is Monster almost forced me to listen to more of their songs. I checked out their most recent album, “Ex’act.” I listened to “Lucky One” and I fell in love. Then, I clicked on more songs that were intriguing just by their name. I listened to “Artificial Love”, which turned out to be another hit with me due to its deep-house vibe. It immediately reminded me of something Disclosure or Oliver Heldens would produce—two EDM artists I had loved (and still do). Then, I listened to tracks “Heaven” and “Stronger.” As you could expect, they both impressed me. So I figured I’d just listen to the whole album.

That led me to the repackage of Ex’act, “Lotto.” I listened to the title track—Lotto—and didn’t like it. But, I still went on and listened to the rest of the album. I remember songs “They Never Know” and “Can’t Bring Me Down” sticking out to me. Over time, I got familiar with those seven songs that I really enjoyed.

The next couple weeks consisted of me trying to learn each member’s name and their appearance. I will not lie—that was quite a task. I remember always mixing up Suho and D.O., along with Lay and Baekhyun. But eventually, I got it down. I declared Chanyeol as my bias, for he is a rapper (I always love the rappers most), and you can’t resist his adorable eyes and smile. He just stuck out to me.

More and more days turned into weeks, that resulted in me learning each member’s names and distinguishing their faces. That’s when a certain someone began to stick out to me—none other than EXO’s maknae, Sehun. I seemed to fall in love with him. With his somewhat closed-off personality, which eventually turns into a bright and outgoing soul, along with absolutely perfect face, I fell head over heels. He kind of trapped me. That’s a very true statement, for I still love him to death, and he always seems to be the one catching my eye. Every time I see him, I just get a warm and fuzzy feeling, I can’t help but smile, because that’s just what he does.

Not only him, but the group’s one and only leader, Junmyeon. I always had a soft spot for him, for he is the leader, and I’ve always thought he was not only cute/attractive, but I could just sense something about his morals and the love he has for his members. I could sense that it was passionate and genuine. I found myself falling in love with him more and more each day, and this feeling is quite fresh, for I still don’t know if I consider him an ult-bias or not. You could probably say that I can, because I appreciate him more than anyone else.

Over the past four/five months, you could easily say that a large majority of these 150+ days have consisted of me listening to EXO. I don’t think I have ever listened to a single artist as intensely as I have been with EXO. This is mainly because their music has come so far. They have a wide variety of styles when it comes to their music. With their very first album, “MAMA”, we got your normal upbeat pop, along with a hardcore title song, and more relaxed ballads.

With “XOXO”/”Growl”, we heard more upbeat pop.

Their next mini-album had one of their first electronic styled songs, “Overdose.” We also heard R&B styles with “Thunder.” After the release of this mini-album, we’d have to continue to hear more music from EXO without two members, Kris and Luhan. Their lawsuit against SM Entertainment put a big weight on not only the shoulders of the EXO members, but the fandom as well.

We move on with the ten remaining members with more relaxed R&B sounds. Their next album, “Exodus”/”Love Me Right” also had some dark and heavy songs on this album, such as “Hurt”, “Transformer”, and “El Dorado.” The variety of music on this particular album is what makes it my favorite out of the ten they have released.

Soon, Tao would file a lawsuit, joining Luhan and Kris. At this point, EXO had become stronger than ever. They lost ¼ of their group. On another group of people, losing even one member could break them down. Not EXO.

Months later, they release their second Christmas album, “Sing For You.” This is probably one of my favorite EXO albums of all time. I personally believe that the title track, “Sing For You”, is one of EXO’s best songs ever. The musicality is graceful and just beautiful. Also, we got to hear all nine members sing. That includes Sehun. Every time I hear his voice in this song particularly, I get that same warm and fuzzy feeling. His voice is so soothing and warm, I wish I could listen to it forever.

The next year, they released their third full-length album, “Ex’act.” Their lead single, “Monster”, absolutely changed me. This song became an addiction. I could ramble on about this song for hours. From the musicality to the production to the vocals, it seemed to indulge my entire being. I still am addicted to this song. This is the first time I’ve been so obsessed with a song. Monster has been on my playlist since I first heard it, and still, I don’t ever skip it. I will even listen to it more than once in a row. Otherwise, Ex’act will really hold a special place in my heart, for it gave me a dosage of the music I’ve loved for four years—there were so many songs that had the production of a electronic/deep house song. “White Noise”, “Monster”, and “Artificial Love” specifically gave me EDM vibes.

On a different note, throughout my discovery of my love and passion for EXO, I was finishing my final year of middle school. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—throughout the past three years, I’ve felt shittier than ever. Sixth grade was probably the worst. I fell into depression and my anxiety spiked. You’d probably think that’s a young age to be diagnosed with such illnesses, but, I was a year older than everybody in my class, and I always will be. Maybe even throughout college. That’s because I have severe social anxiety. It’s so severe that my mother held back a year in school. I didn’t have friends for a long time. Around second/third grade, I made a few friends. Those are people I’m still friends with today, for I just can’t talk to people because of my anxiety. Throughout the past three years in particular, I’ve felt so alone. But since February of this year, eighth grade, I stopped feeling so alone. Because I had EXO.

I don’t know if this will ever resolve. But honestly, I’m not scared. I’ve made so many friends in the EXO fandom who are there to remind me that I’m cared for. If I don’t make any new friends in real life, I may not be okay mentally, but at the end of the day, there’s an entire playlist full of EXO, Kris Wu, Z.Tao, and Luhan waiting for me. They can take my mind off of just about anything.

The final part of this letter is somewhat hard to write due to the unknown.

Tomorrow, EXO is releasing their next song, “Ko Ko Bop”/”The War.” This will be the first comeback I get to witness with EXO and all my EXO-L friends. I can’t wait. This comeback is already so special to me, mainly because it’s the first time I’ll get to look forward to hearing new music, the first time I get to watch the clock turn 11:00, the first time I get to feel giddy and excited for EXO. I didn’t think my love for their music would reach to this extent, but it did. Who knows if I’ll like EXO at the end of the year. Either way, they will definitely be a group that I hold near and dear to my heart. This is special, for the list of bands/DJs/singers/groups I listen to is endless. My love for music varies from alternative, to EDM, to singer-songwriter, and of course, K-Pop. And it’s easy for me to say that EXO have impressed me more than any other musician I listen to, and are definitely my favorite of all time.

Another thing I want to say is something that I’ve learned over the past five months. That is, it does not matter at all how long you’ve been into a musician/group. I’ve seen fans who have been here as long as I have, then there are some who have been an EXO-L for years. Sometimes, I feel guilty because I’ve only been here for 150 days. But, I’ve learned that time is just another component in life. Seconds continue to pass, and those seconds turn into days, and those days turn into months. Which is what I’ve learned since discovering EXO. Time doesn’t matter. Because a passion larger than life can grow within those months.

Thank you EXO for becoming my best friends, thank you for your amazing music which has healed me in more ways than ever, thank you for sharing your beautiful personalities with us, thank you for being strong. Most of all, thank you for being you—Kim Junmyeon, Kim Jongin, Byun Bakehyun, Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo, Oh Sehun, Kim Jongdae, Kim Minseok, and Zhang Yixing.

#i love exo

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wtburadio · 8 years

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INTERVIEW: Chris Tomson of Dams of the West

Photo by Caroline Barry

You may know him from such works as “A-Punk,” “Diane Young,” and “Oxford Comma,” but this time, he’s gone solo. Chris Tomson, drummer of internationally-famed band Vampire Weekend, took the group’s four-year hiatus as an opportunity to make his own way in the music industry under the name Dams of the West. The solo project’s debut album, Youngish American, is full of Tomson’s perspective on maturity, self-assessment, and retrospection—it’s definitely worth a listen through. Dams of the West opened for Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears at the Middle East Downstairs on February 24.

Despite Tomson’s opening disclaimer that his voice was unintentionally rough, he performed a great set. The show also served as a release party for the new album. After the show, WTBU DJ Caroline Barry talked to Tomson about influences, growing as a musician, and being on the road.

Caroline Barry: First of all, I’d like to acknowledge that your album is really, really good.

Chris Tomson: Thank you!

CB: What genre would you put Dams of the West in?

CT: I don’t know. I guess there was no explicit goal to be in any one or another. So I think it’s generally rock. I would say a smattering of all of the stuff that that means. But it was important to me not to be any one thing or too much of one thing.

CB: Who are some musical influences that you drew from for the album?

CT: Again, and I assure you this is not a cop out answer, there was nothing too specific. I was purposely trying not to overthink it, because when I overthink things, they’re bad in most areas of my life, not just musically. But for sure, I can say all the touchtone stuff—which I’ve subsumed and digested and now is just sort of part of how I think about music—is definitely there, which is The Band which is my favorite band, The Beatles—it’s sort of a boring one, but sure—Elvis Costello, and Reel Big Fish—that’s not a joke. Everything that was important to me, everything—also Phish—and stuff from some of these things ,I actively went towards and some of these things I avoided. Similar to the genre question, when I think something is like, “Oh, that sounds exactly like Bowie in the mid-seventies,” that’s also sort of bad. And I think that would have been extra bad if it had been, “Oh that sounds like Vampire Weekend.” That would have been extra bad.

CB: How important has your wife Emily been in the promotion and creation of Dams of the West? Didn’t she direct some of the videos?

CT: She’s been part of the whole album, including some emotional maturity in a personal sense that fed into the music sense. We’ve been together for five plus years, but I think we have a deep understanding, which is not always on a creative tip. And we also vibe. But I think that we have both grown to trust ourselves through trusting each other. That’s very corny, but I think that’s her biggest influence more than the videos. I also think that with her video ideas, I think she’s very talented in general, and in all the ways she might approach things. Specifically, when she was thinking of positions to put me in, her understanding of me is far greater than almost anyone, including myself. So I think her ideas were incredibly well-informed.

CB: So I’ve seen you and [Chris] Baio live and I honestly didn’t know you both had vocal talent as well as musical talents. Do you think there’s a chance that, or do you already know if, you’ll be featured vocally on the next Vampire Weekend album?

CT: Unclear. And actually I think—that’s a good sneaky question, trying to get some info about LP4. I can’t speak for Baio, but for myself, I’m still figuring it out. I sort of said it on stage, but I think I’m doing well. I think I’m learning and getting better, but I think it’s still a process for me to figure this stuff out. I’m not saying all, but a lot of things I’ve learned working on the record and doing the shows and stuff, I didn’t know before when we were working on the last album. So when I contribute, I will have a greater context from which I am coming from, but in terms of LP4, that’s all I can say.

CB: I think it’s interesting that a lot of people would consider you a professional musician based on the success of Vampire Weekend, but you keep saying that you’re still learning.

CT: Well I think that’s a dangerous attitude to be like, “I’m there. I’m done.” But I think it would be kind of a bummer if you weren’t picking stuff up. I think that’s what makes it interesting. If you had one idea and did it that way tens of thousands of times, that would get boring probably around the 8,607 time.

CB: It seems that between the three Vampire Weekend albums and Youngish American, you tend to write music that’s about one stage of your life and maturing. So what do you see in the future? Albums? Kids? More pizza?

CT: You know what, I don't know. I think that it was true of this record and it will be true of whenever another Dams one comes out. I don't want to go into anything with a preconceived notion of like, “Oh, I’m gonna write a record about bananas. It’s gonna be great, man. We’re gonna talk about the peel, have one song about when they’re black inside and such a bummer.” You know what I mean? Actually, that’s not bad…I know I want it to be good and meaningful to me, which will then hopefully translate into it being meaningful for other people—not necessarily in the way it’s meaningful to me. That doesn’t always have to be the same exact meaning. But I couldn’t say, and I actually kind of don’t want to say.

CB: How has touring with Dams of the West been different from touring with Vampire Weekend?

CT: It’s more similar to touring with Vampire Weekend circa 2007 than circa 2014. There were busses involved, and we’re back in the mini van. I purposely chose to tour with women, because after a decade with dudes I thought that would be an interesting change for me and to learn more.

CB: Are you actually a lizard king as the “Tell The Truth” music video suggests?

CT: Much like LP4, I’m not at liberty to say.

CB: You’ve come a long way from Columbia [University], and you’ve learned a lot, college-wise and life-wise. So what advice would you give to college students who want to pursue music, academically or outside of class?

CT: Oh boy. I can say some stuff, but I should give a little preamble. And that would be, I have one very specific, very thin, and very weird set of experiences. I always feel weird doing the advice thing, because it’s like, “I don’t fucking know!” It’s just I joined a band with some buds, and it was good, and people like it. That’s the magic part of it. No, I think that one of the consistent and constant things in Vampire Weekend which, I tried my hardest to continue with Dams of the West, was to make sure everything you do, there’s some care put into it; there’s some thought put into it. And this is not the academic stuff; this is more of the personal stuff. When you go on stage, think about what you’re gonna wear because concerts are a visual medium too. You can make bad choices like wearing Nets jerseys, or you can look cool. But it’s not nothing. When you think about visuals, you think about the guitar part. Say, you really just want a strummer in the background; does that make sense? Or are you just doing that because you’re not thinking about it? I think that at every point and level of the thing you’re doing, just put some thought into it. Make sure that you’re saying what you want to say. If that’s strumming the guitar, strum the goddamn guitar. But I think just don’t leave things unexamined.

CB: For my last question, what is your favorite Vampire Weekend song?

CT: Woah. The next one.

#interview #college radio #wtbu #chris tomson #dams of the west #vampire weekend #boston

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