Mount Hood

Everything in its right place

By: Darien Campo
Staff Writer

Last week, Radiohead’s manager Brian Message announced that the band’s ninth album would be released on June 11. Fans around the world collectively rejoiced.

A few days later Radiohead released a statement saying that “Brian Message is not Radiohead’s manager […] any quotes from last night’s event […] should not be attributed to RadiohScreen Shot 2016-04-25 at 6.57.05 PMead’s management.” And fans around the world collectively groaned.

As one of the groaning fans, I have no idea where we stand at this point. All I know for sure is that sometime in the near future (probably (hopefully)) Radiohead is releasing a brand new album.

In the meantime, I’ve been playing my all-time favorite Radiohead release, “Kid A,” on repeat.

Released almost 16 years ago, “Kid A” marked Radiohead’s first dramatic transition from guitar-driven rock to the more ambient/electronic vibes of their latter releases. It’s hard to have a middle-of-the-road opinion of this album. Fans either loved the drastic shift in composition from their previous release, 1997’s “OK Computer,” or they felt betrayed that Radiohead’s newest work tends to sound more like electronica and dance music instead of rock songs. Context made this album so groundbreaking in 2000, but even today the music holds up as strongly as ever.

Even with a new sound, “Kid A” faithfully continues the work left off with “OK Computer” with its tone of synthesized calm. The cover art shows a vast landscape of snow and mountains, and just over the horizon we can see a forest in the distance burning to the ground. Through these songs, we get the feeling that something terribly wrong is happening, but the lyrics attempt to put up a front of forceful serenity that comes off as almost more frightening.

If you haven’t listened to this record in a while, or even if you’ve never heard it before, now is a great time to pick it up. Songs like “Everything In Its Right Place” and “Idioteque” give me chills everytime I hear them. “Kid A” was a marvelous step forward for Radiohead, and is now considered a defining album in their collection. Radiohead has said that their last album, “King of Limbs,” was a transitional period for them. With what little we’ve heard from members of the band, Radiohead’s (possible) upcoming release just might be another gamechanger for the band.

Review: LEMONADE

By: Ben Bergerson and Brianna Bonham

Good art makes you feel something, great art makes you feel what the artist is feeling, which is something that few artists can do repeatedly. Beyoncé has delivered provocative, beautiful music for years, so don’t be surprised that her new project slays on a new level.

The global superstar has blown the world away with her release of “LEMONADE,” a powerful visual album about infidelity. The hour-long release on HBO and Tidal took us through the pop star’s process of recovering from Jay Z’s “betrayal,” and fans suspect that it is also about her parent’s relationship.

The video is amazing. An artistic portrayal of her emotions throughout the grieving process, it consists of the tracks from the accompanying album “LEMONADE,” and spoken word poetry. Words such as “denial,” “anger,” “apathy,” “emptiness,” and “resurrection” flash across the screen, corresponding to the next scene. Beyoncé is unafraid to show her emotions in the video which created a genuine and raw product that was, at some points, difficult to listen to.

As “PRAY YOU CATCH ME,” the first track on the album, is played, Beyoncé sings while she is crouched on a stage, dressed in black. After that scene, she is shown in a room filled with water, floating and using spoken word poetry. “You can taste the dishonesty, it’s all over your breath…” are the last words she speaks before changing to the next scene.

The whole visual album is built this way, a combination of spoken word, songs from the album, and illustrative video. All this builds up to the end of the scene where she says, “But still inside me was the need to know … Are you cheating on me?” Our jaws dropped as it quickly switched to the next scene, leaving us to digest the shocking information.

Throughout the video she consistently features black women. She uses the poetry of Warsan Shire as interludes, and is joined by famous black women such as Serena Williams, Zendaya, and Quvanzhené Wallis. Blue Ivy and Jay Z are also in the video.

Featuring strong, black women in the setting that this video does celebrates their beauty and power through stunning visuals and representation.

Wrapping up the whole project, the title “LEMONADE” comes from a quote from her grandmother, Agnez Dereon: “I had my ups and downs but I always found the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.”

Contact the authors at bebergerson13@wou.edu and bbonham15@wou.edu or on Twitter @ben_bergerson or @brianna_bonham.

No More Savages: Modern Ideals vs. Archaic Worldviews in Art

By: Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

With a new (pretty dope) film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” in theatres, it is time once again to face some difficult questions, presented by our rapidly changing world.

The problem is this: people have been making art since time immemorial. People have been imbuing that art with their personal worldviews for just as long. Some of those worldviews, while acceptable in their time, are … well, some are examples oScreen Shot 2016-04-25 at 6.49.33 PMf an outdated zeitgeist: relics of their time. Some are especially disgusting by modern standards, and others still were extreme even for their time. But a lot of the art that contains such reprehensible views is really great.

From my own experience: one of my favorite authors is H.P. Lovecraft, whom Stephen King called “the Twentieth Century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.” I totally agree: his tales of the unfathomable monstrosities that lie just outside of our comprehension bring me running back time and time again.

He was also really, really racist. Lovecraft was anti-immigration, highly xenophobic, and viewed Anglo-Saxon whites as superior (there are some interesting nuances to his racism if one wants to read up on him, like he was actively positive about Jews and Hispanics, but really didn’t like African-Americans or Irish Catholics). “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” my favorite story of his, has some pretty obvious subtext about the dangers of interracial breeding.

We run into similar problems with Kipling. While I love a lot of his work, it is undeniably steeped in late-19th Century imperialistic attitudes. While Kipling’s relationship with imperialism and Britain is a more complex one than most folks realize (yeah, we all read “The White Man’s Burden” in high school, good job), he did view darker-complexioned folks as generally inferior, and was absolutely for imperialism. But, it remains, he was great. He was massively influential, and I believe that his works still hold up artistically today.

So, what do we do about this stuff? How do we reconcile great art with the not-so-great attitudes beneath it? And if we want to adapt this stuff for a modern audience, how do we address it?

One of the best handlings of this I’ve ever seen came from Warner Bros. releasing a collection of “Tom and Jerry” classics, which features Tom’s owner, Mammy Two Shoes, alongside other Jim Crow caricatures of black people. WB included a disclaimer that said, basically, these depictions were/are/will continue to be wrong, but censorship would be the same as pretending that those prejudices never existed.

But what about new adaptations of these works? Do we ignore the themes? Do we run disclaimers? Do we just not adapt these works anymore?

I don’t know what the answer is. Personally, I’m for a responsibly laissez-faire attitude about it, but a more measured approach could be argued very reasonably. All we can do at this point is discuss and share our thoughts. It begins with accepting that sometimes great art doesn’t impart good ideas, but from there? I don’t know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalfuntimes

The un-Democratic party

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

What if I told you your favorite presidential candidate could lose in Oregon’s primary, even if they win by a large margin?

It’s entirely possible, at least in the Democratic primary elections, for a candidate to lose the delegate count while winning the popular vote. This undemocratic phenomenon has happened before, and it will continue to happen so long as the Democratic party continues its use of superdelegates.

In Wyoming, a state that has only 14 pledged delegates, Bernie Sanders won by 12 percentage points. Since the state had such little delegates to divide, Sanders and Clinton split them evenly. Despite this, Sanders lost the state because of Clinton’s support from its superdelegates.

This isn’t a rant about Sanders’ losses, but it is a rant about the Democratic party taking power away from voters.

28 percent of Wyoming’s delegates are superdelegates, meaning 28 percent of the state’s voice is taken from the people and given to party officials.

In Oregon, 13 of the 74 total delegates are superdelegates. In 2008, Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in Oregon and received 31 delegates to her 21. But if all of Oregon’s superdelegates had supported Clinton instead of Obama, she would have won the delegate count despite losing the popular vote by 18 percent.

The American people are deeply disenfranchised from the current political system, and it doesn’t take much digging to figure out why. At every turn, party officials can change the rules of the game to suit their agendas, and use their power to crush any candidate that goes against the grain.
On Feb. 11, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, admitted to CNN’s Jake Tapper that superdelegates were designed to keep grassroots organizers from winning primaries.

With systems such as the electoral college and superdelegates, it seems as though America’s political parties are trying to silence as many voters as possible—and it’s working.

For a party that gets its name from the word democracy, the Democratic party uses one of the most undemocratic processes possible to nominate its candidate for president.

Streaking Wolves earn playoff spot

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports editor

It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. With a record that teetered near the .500 mark all season, Western’s softball team pulled together a string of victories at the end of the season, and was the first team in the conference to clinch a prized spot in the GNAC Championships.

The playoff-bound Wolves finished the last of their regular season matchups in blistering fashion with three double headers in three consecutive days. Out of the six games played, Western finished with five victories and only one loss.

The first double header was on April 19, when the Wolves hosted the Beacons of Northwest Christian University.

Junior catcher Mercedes Green was the hero of the first game, belting two home runs. Green’s first homer came in the sixth inning which evened the score at 2-2. With neither team able to score in regulation, the game went into extra innings.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Green stepped up to the plate and worked the count to her favor with three balls and one strike. On the next pitch, Green belted a shot to left field which bounced off the wall and careened out of the park to give the Wolves the 3-2 victory.

The Beacons looked for revenge in second matchup of the day, but the Wolves’ pitching was extraordinary. Between three Western pitchers (junior Sammi Cadwallader, senior Stephanie Morgan, and freshman Haley Favian) the Wolves pitched their first no-hitter in 14 years and easily defeated the Beacons 6-0.

Western looked to continue to ride their momentum from their two emotional victories when the Wolves hosted Concordia University on the following day. The Wolves had extra pressure to produce victories because the games marked the last home games of the season and the last home games for the team’s seniors.

In game one, Green continued right where she left off the day before, batting a perfect three for three. Junior Emma Alfonso had two hits and two RBI’s, and the Wolves went on to defeat the Cavaliers by a score of 4-3.

In the second matchup of the day and the score even at 1-1 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, junior infielder Kelsie Gardner had a chance to be the hero when she stepped up to the plate. Gardner hit a ground ball up the middle which brought the go-ahead run home and gave the Wolves the 2-1 lead.

Then on Thursday, Western traveled to Portland for a double header rematch against the Cavaliers. In game one, the Wolves scored in a flurry late in the game and came away with a 4-2 victory. The second game of the day however, went in the Cavaliers’ favor as they blanked the Wolves 5-0.

Western’s late season streak propelled them up in the standings and they currently sit in the third spot in the conference. With the five victories, the Wolves clinched a spot in the GNAC Tournament which is set to begin on April 28. Check www.wouwolves.com for the time and opponent.

Who is the better team?

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Prior to this year’s NBA season, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls were considered to be the greatest team in NBA history. Led by Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, the Bulls dominated the league and set the benchmark in regular season wins, finishing the season with the record of 73-9.

Most sports analysts considered the Bull’s record to be unbreakable, but the unfathomable has happened: the Golden State Warriors bested the Bull’s record by one game and put the team at the top of the record books.

The Warriors’ record is an incredible achievement especially in the current NBA landscape; however, many sports analysts still believe that the 95-96 Bulls would get the nod as the best of all-time. So, which team is better, Stephen Curry’s Warriors or Jordan’s Bulls?

Starting lineups:

1995-96 Bulls

Position Starting 5 PTS RB AST
SF Scottie Pippen 19.4 6.9 5.9
PF Dennis Rodman 5.5 15.6 2.5
C Luke Longley 9.1 5.1 1.9
PG Ron Harper 7.4 2.7 2.6
SG Michael Jordan 30.4 6.6 4.3

 

2015-16 Warriors

Position Starting 5 PTS RB AST
SF Harrison Barnes 11.7 4.9 1.8
PF Draymond Green 14.0 9.5 7.4
C Andrew Bogut 5.4 7.0 2.3
PG Stephen Curry 30.1 5.4 6.7
SG Klay Thompson 22.1 3.8 2.1

 

The statistics of both teams’ starters are almost identical. Jordan led the Bulls in scoring with 30.4 points per game, and the Warriors were led by last year’s MVP, Curry, who averaged 30.1 points per game.

Pippen and Clay Thompson, the second best players of two teams, both averaged near the 20 point mark per game. Golden State had four out of five starters averaging double figures in scoring, whereas the Bulls only had Jordan and Pippen.

The rebounding edge would go to the Bulls, but the Warriors would have the edge in assists.

Overall, the Bulls have the better starting lineup because, well, they had the greatest player of all-time in Jordan.

Winner: Bulls

Bench:

Bull’s Key Rotation Players: Steve Kerr (8.4 PPG), Tony Kukoc (13.1 PPG), Jack Haley (5.0 PPG).

Warriors’ Key Rotation Players: Marreese Speights (7.1 PPG), Shaun Livingston (6.3 PPG), Andre Iguodala (7.0 PPG), Festus Ezeli (7.0 PPG).

There is no denying how much of an impact the bench players had on the Bull’s record setting season. Kerr and Kukoc were often in the end of games when the game was on the line. Both of the role players seemed to come off the bench and hit huge shots when it mattered, but beyond the duo, the Bulls lacked depth.

The Warriors bench is loaded. Iguodala and Livingston were both key starters on other teams before coming to the Warriors. The Warriors bench has come in and played meaningful minutes in games were starters got bit by the injury bug.

Winner: Warriors

Coach:

Kerr, the Warriors head coach, can boast about being on both record setting teams. When he was hired on as the head coach before the start of last year’s NBA season, many sports analysts were left scratching their heads when the Warrior’s front office fired Mark Jackson after a highly successful season.

Kerr took over and lead the Warriors to the Championship in his first year at the helm. Follow that up with beating the record of his former team and no one can deny his ability to lead.

The Bull’s head coach of the 1995-96 season was Phil Jackson. Jackson is the most decorated head coach of all-time, winning 11 championships as a coach and two as a player with the New York Knicks. As a coach of the Bulls, Jackson was able to lead the Bulls to six championships.

Winner: Bulls

It is unfortunate that we will never truly know who the better team was. Although the Bulls had a better starting lineup and coach, the Warriors have better depth, but overall the deciding factor was Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson.

Overall Winner: Bulls

Humans of Western

By: Joleen Braasch
Staff Writer

Lars Soderlund, Western’s newest Assistant Professor of English and Director of Professional Writing shares his thoughts on happiness, Oregon, and the students of Screen Shot 2016-04-24 at 2.49.59 PMWestern.

Lars:
Abraham Lincoln is sometimes quoted as saying, “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be,” and although the internet now tells me that he never said that, I think it’s good advice. I mean, telling yourself you’re happy through gritted teeth is pretty grim, but remembering that we do have some say over our attitude toward our lives seems important. So the moment I was most successful at saying that was when I was an MA grad student at the University of South Carolina and really had a pretty awesome life. But the moment I felt the most long-term happiness, like I had life figured out and I was confident in the decisions I had made up to that point, was marrying my wife on May 10, 2014.

…

Oregon totally rules. Growing up in Ohio was good, but Oregon is just better, from politics to weather to respect for nature. I would enjoy more local hiking paths, though.

…

My wife is even better than Oregon. We met in a bar with friends, some of whom included her very recent ex and a girl that Laurel insists was hoping to date me. After that night of awkwardness, it’s been pretty smooth sailing. I’m a big apologizer, and Laurel is also not afraid of apologizing, and that’s been key to our relationship: the point of our disagreements is never to win but to be self-effacing in admitting our part in whatever caused the tumult.

…

My favorite part about Western is the students. My students are dedicated, whip-smart, and very funny and enjoyable people. I can ask students how I could improve the class and they will tell me, and I can ask them to do creative work and they will impress me. I’m a writing professor because I really love to see students’ writing improve, and it’s such a hard process that I get to build a classroom of mutually supportive colleagues. Now that I’m teaching these new Professional Writing courses like Writing Across Media and Professional Concerns (i.e. the “Get a Job” class) and Grant Writing, I feel like I’m building up a community of students who are truly impressive writers.

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