Volume 14, Issue 1 | sePT 29 - oCT 12Drama, Debate, and Date Rape Drug Detection PG. 12

Featured Students: The Seamstress and the Baker PG. 13Q&A: Joey Verskotzi PG. 16

Executive DirectorKelcie McKenney

Head DesignerKate Johnston

Graphic DesignersAmanda Gentle, Kayla Lutteke, Erin Slayton

Web ManagerSam Gordon

Public Relations/Advertising ManagerJordyn DiOrio

PhotographersEmily Mongan, Christina Collins, Emily Dueker

IllustratorsLizzie Goncharova, Peter Mariutto, Max Smith, Abigail Lynn Rommel, Cera Nelson

Contributing WritersErik Newland, Haley McCullum, Madison Bloomquist, Loreena St. Dennis, Kirsten Erickson, Kevin Beckman, Jonathan Tvedt, Kristen Wangsness, Aidan Hutt, Lillian Noonan, Olivia Riley, Aron Wolde, Cayla Cavey, Eathan Lauer, Emily Dueker, Sara Glesne, Russell Barnes, Abigail Lynn Rommel, Niqq Helgeson, Cera Skylar, Shawnna Stennes, Lianna Matt, Sam Schaust

LETTER FROM THE EDITORAnother year, another Wake.It’s here. My third year at the University of Minnesota. My third year at The Wake Magazine.

Since I began as a freelance writer, I’ve seen The Wake change styles, voices, and characters. But one thing has stayed the same — our purpose.

Our purpose, in my mind, is to give students a place to practice and perfect their chosen skills in a friendly and fun, yet vigorous environment filled with people who all want each other to succeed.

The Wake simply cannot exist without the student need to find niches, to create, to thrive. And as far as I’m concerned—those same needs wouldn’t have homes, or be able to exist, without places like The Wake.

It’s not holding the 24-page issue in my hands, but the little, overlooked moments I experience that make the significance of our purpose so apparent:

• The employees at the print shop expressing how much they are impressed by our redesign

• The glow on a writer’s face when they pick up their first story

• Gaining over 200 likes on our Facebook page over the summer

• Piloting our Intern Program and having a surge of interest immediately

• Sitting around our new conference table with an amazing team of editors — bouncing the craziest, smartest, weirdest ideas off of each other

• Rebooting The Wake Warriors, our street team

There’s no doubt in my mind that more instances like these will continue, and I cannot wait for each one to fill my heart and mind with pride and bliss.

The specialist of thanks to this amazing group of people I have the pleasure of working with. You all impress me every day.

Grace BirnstengelEditor-in-chief

THE WAKE STUDENT MAGAZINE | VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1

Editor-in-ChiefGrace Birnstengel

Managing EditorLauren Cutshall

Cities EditorEmily Mongan

Voices EditorKayla McCombs

Sound & Vision EditorsAlex Nelson, Sam Schaust

Public Relations/Advertising Assistant Jennifer Burns

Social Media ManagerAbby Richardson

Finance ManagerBen Larwa

DistributorsRyan Condron, Chris Roebber

Production InternKirsten Erickson

Art DirectorsLizzie Goncharova, Max Smith

Copy EditorsSara Glesne,Lindsey Pastrorek

Editorial InternsLianna Matt, Shawna Stennes

Faculty AdvisorShayla Thiel-Stern

Pitch Perfect Planning PG. 4

Land O’ Sports, Er, Lakes PG. 6

The NFL: A Game of Ignorance PG. 11Drama, Debate, and Date Rape Protection PG. 12

The Seamstress & The Baker PG. 13

Q&A: Joey Verskotzi PG. 16

Music & Fashion Collide at New York Fashion Week PG. 18

The Twin Cities: Unscripted PG. 19

www.wakemag.org

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©2014 The Wake Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for students at the University of Minnesota.

The Wake Student Magazine126 Coffman Memorial Union300 Washington Avenue SEMinneapolis, MN 55455

The Wake was founded by Chrin Ruen & James DeLong.

Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in which students can voice their opinions. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or universityas a whole. To join the conversation email gbirnstengel@wakemag.org.

EDITORIAL:

PRODUCTION:

THIS ISSUE:

By Kayla McCombs

The success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge campaign continues to impress; according to the ALS Association, over $114 million have been raised through the challenge alone. Despite some criticism, the spread of awareness and the unprecedented amount of money raised speak

volumes about the role of social media in philanthropy. In fact, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if more

charitable organizations decided to get creative with their social media campaigns. In honor of this summer’s chilly trend, here are three completely plausible future “challenges.”

1) The Puppy Breath Challenge: Let any pooch lick your face for ten seconds without stopping for air, and/or donate to your local Humane Society.

2) The Belieber Challenge: Record yourself dancing to a Justin Bieber song, and/or donate to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation or a similar organization to help fund music education.

3.) The Cereal-for-a-Day Challenge: Eat only cereal for a whole day, post pictures or videos of the experience, and/or donate to an anti-hunger organization such as Meals on Wheels, Action Against Hunger, or Feed the Children.

ONE-PAGEMAGAZINE

By Alex Nelson

Let’s face it; fall is essentially a myth at this point. One second we’re blasting the AC, and the next, we’re grasping at the last traces of temperatures in the low 50’s. Luckily, husband-and-wife indie pop outfit Tennis offer a discography of warm, surf-inspired tunes to comfortably usher you into this post-fall, pre-winter zone of unwelcome obscurity. Read up on the history of the 3-year-old band and you’ll find that the music was born after the couple sold their belongings and embarked on a seven-month sailing expedition. As a result, their song-writing and poetic lyricism reveal an affinity for nature that blooms into realization within each song. To producetheir new album, Ritual in Repeat, the couple employed Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, who took their simple, summery pop songs and baked them for 20 minutes at 350° until they turned a crispy golden-brown—perfect for fall listening. In the world that Tennis exists in, the air is dry and cold, the leaves still turn pretty colors and crunch beneath your feet, and you can carry that pumkin-spice latte around without your fingers freezing up. Leave Best Coast at the beach and let Tennis keep you cozy through the cold.

By Emily Mongan

Even when the majority of students are away soaking up the rays and relishing in a few months free from academia, life goes on at the U of M. Here are a few of the biggest campus news items you may have missed this summer, so take a few seconds and brush up on your current events – you can thank us later.

The Viking invasion: The Vikes have taken over TCF Bank Stadium while their new stadium is being built, so expect a sea of purple and gold to take over basically all of campus on game days.

Why is it that in a bar or club setting, a multitude of boys think it is okay or even desirable to simply grab my butt without asking? I’m here to enjoy myself, have a few drinks, and maybe dance with my girls, but without a complete intrusion of personal space. Um, excuse me; I am not here for your viewing or grabbing pleasure. Now don’t even start with “not all men,” because the number of times I get my cheek grabbed or an unwanted hand up my shirt is insane in the course of those few hours I dabble in night life. What miscommunication happened in the raising of boys to make them think women want to be groped unannounced? I’m sick of my body being treated like an all-you-can-touch buffet. Learn some respect and keep your hands to yourself. This butt is dancing without you.

For all you cyclists who think you are invincible, I have news for you. You’re not. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy you’re helping save Mother Earth for all of us with your green ways of life. But I’m never going to see a cleaner Earth if I get run down by a biker on the sidewalk, or plowed down by a biker who is adamant about not using the bike lane. If you’re going to be on the sidewalk, walk your bike. At the very least, you could give me a kind “On your left!” before you whiz past. And if you plan to be on the street with all of the other vehicles, take your headphones out of your ears. Being able to hear car horns generally plays a large role in not getting hit by them. Bikers have rules too. Get to know them.

WAKE RANTZRAPID REFREsh

FEATURED FOR FALL: TENNIs DROP ThE BUCKET

Breathe easy: Smoking, tobacco use and e-cigarettes are now prohibited on all areas of campus. With the ban, the U joins more than 1,000 universities across the U.S. that ban smoking, including four of the five University of Minnesota campuses.

Rolling right along: The light rail is up and running, so hop on for rides between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. Fares are the same as Metro Transit buses, and can be paid for with a U-Pass.

4 | sEPT 29 - OCT 12

ANNOyED WITh sOMEThING? Send your 10 to 150-word rant to rants@wakemag.org and yours might be in our next issue!

THE WAKE CITIES

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pitch pERfEct plAnninGThe process of landing big-name homecoming performers

By Erik newland

Ever wonder how the indie-rock band Walk the Moon and rapper Iggy Azalea were chosen to perform at the Homecoming Concert? The process of bringing big name artists to play at the University of Minnesota is a much longer one than you would expect. For eight months, beginning in January and going all the way up to the day of the concert, the Student Unions and Activities planning committee is hard at work surveying students, making budgets and calling agents.

According to Senior Ashley Herink, the marketing specialist coordinator at SUA and one of the six students in charge of planning Homecoming and Spring Jam, the committee makes a list of a few hundred artists based on student surveys done both on social media and in person. Any artist can be entered in the survey, and topping this list is solely a matter of popularity—not genre, costs, or availability. Many artists who earned the popular vote in the survey are not available due to the concert taking place on a non-flexible date, and the most popular artists often

cost more than the committee is willing to pay. The committee makes sure that admission stays well under $100 a person, capping student tickets at $50 in order to keep prices affordable for students.

Once availability and costs are determined and the list of artists has been narrowed down, the chair members of SUA along with the planning committee make a decision based not only on the original survey numbers, but on how popular the act is.

“It all depends too on if the artist is relevant,” said Nathan Waldvogel, SUA’s marketing manager.

Students have the opportunity to take part in the artist decision by answering a second survey sent by SUA to 10 percent of the university partway through the selection process, this time concerning a shortened list of artists that SUA could realistically get for the concert. Herink says that some people neglect to answer the questions, so they miss out on a lot of voices.

The administrative part of the planning process is done by the coordinators and chairpersons at SUA. These time-consuming student jobs involve continuous calls to artist managers, agents, and others in order to find the perfect fit for the budget and the venue.

The final choice involves picking artists from separate genres in order to appeal to more students. According to Waldvogel, the process takes into account “not only what artist you’d like to see but what genre… kind of balancing that, too.”

Waldvogel also said that in choosing artists they are “aiming for representing most of the population.” By choosing an indie rock band to perform before a rap artist, the Planning Committee can ensure the tickets are worth buying for those who aren’t fans of either Iggy or Walk the Moon.

Not a fan of this year’s Homecoming performers? Next year when the concert is planned, keep in mind that you do have a say in who the performers will be. Keep an eye out for SUA surveys, and take the chance to vote for your favorite artists! And if you really want to take part in the process, you can get a job with SUA and take part in this long and complicated process. lizziE GOnchAROvA

WEBSitE WOESSUA website issues complicated ticket saleThere are a lot of moving parts involved in Homecoming, and it’s no surprise that there are occasional problems. If you were one of the many students logged onto the Student Unions and Activities website to buy Homecoming tickets at 9 pm on September 9, you most likely noticed the website was plagued by problems. The website for purchasing was overloaded, and prevented many students from getting tickets. By the time the problems let up, most of the general admission seats were taken.

U of M senior Haley Egle was able to get tickets but the problem didn’t end there.

“I didn’t receive my email conformation for the tickets, which really worried me,” Egle said. “Apparently, the email went to everyone’s spam folder.”

David Litin, another student whose ticket buying was thrown off by the website glitches, was more irritated by the issue.

“SUA failed. They should’ve prepared for this much better,” Litin said. “Seriously, you get an artist who is making #1 hits around the world, you’re bound to get a lot of people going.”

SUA did acknowledge the issue, but the extent of their apology was a tweet on September 9 saying “Gophers, we are so sorry you all are struggling with the website. We are working our hardest to get it back up and running ASAP!” There was never a more formal apology, which might say that SUA did not realize the extent of the problem or the amount of trouble it caused students.

THE WAKE CITIES

the donation will help sponsor intercollegiate Gopher athletics and events.

The remaining money, a bit less than $4 million (or about 16 percent of the original donation), will fund various colleges and events within the U. The Carlson school will receive $2.5 million to establish an endowed Chair in Marketing, which gives money for salary and research, and will be awarded to professor Kathleen Vohs. The College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) will be given $1 million to assist with student scholarships and programming. $375,000 of the Land O’ Lakes donation will go to University-wide programs such as Welcome Week programming and an annual agricultural symposium. Finally, $87,500 will go to support programming in the College of Science and Engineering. Land O’ Lakes Inc. will bestow the $25,000,000 donation to the U between 2015 and 2024.

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lAnd O’ SpORtS, ER, lAKESUnivERSity REcEivES lAndMARK dOnAtiOn fROM lAnd O’ lAKESBy Olivia Riley

Land O’ Lakes Inc. recently donated $25,000,000 to the University of Minnesota, making it the single largest donation in the company’s history. The President and CEO of the company, Christopher Policinski, said of the donation in a press release, “We are pleased to be partnering with the University to help create a holistic student experience that equips graduates for a competitive marketplace, but also inspires the well-rounded talent necessary to meet the challenge of feeding a growing global population.”

University President Eric Kaler expressed the school’s enthusiasm and gratitude for the donation in a press release. “This new commitment and innovative model of support will advance our teaching, student support, athletic programs and research mission, and will further position the U as a continued leader in addressing society’s pressing challenges,” Kaler said.

But what exactly is going to be done with the

fAShiOnABly BROKEthRiftinG At GinA + WillBy haley Mccullum

Being a savvy penny pinching college girl with a shopping addiction ranging from mild to problematic, one could say I am a thrift store frequenter. Thanks to Macklemore and the general problem of little to no cash flow most college students experience, thrifting has become a new and popular way to fill a closet with the latest trends. To aid students in the pursuit of finding fashion on the cheap, thrift stores have been springing up around campus, the newest being Gina + Will on 14th St. in Dinkytown. Gina + Will is a branch of Goodwill, but the difference between the two is Gina + Will is more selective with the pieces they choose to sell. They look at the surrounding area and pick clothing that they believe would best fit their customers in that community.

Me being the shopaholic and Goodwill connoisseur that I am, I was all over this. I walked into the store wearing

my secondhand gray leather boots and my secondhand puffy black vest with my second hand oversized jean jacket with a second hand designer bag feeling very comfortable in my element. The store is spacious and brightly lit. Its neon pastel color scheme gives it a trendy feel. Most importantly the store is packed with racks and racks of cute, used clothes waiting to be loved again.

Thanks to my shopping addiction, I know a good deal when I see one. But like any thrift store experience, it can be something akin to an archeological dig to find that one coveted piece. Gina + Will has a lot to offer any borderline broke college kid. The store has labels from Target to Ralph Lauren at fairly reasonable prices, with shirts ranging from $4 to $22 and pants starting at $8. Gina + Will also has a supply of adorable shoes at reasonable prices. No outfit should go without accessories, either. To complete your look, check out their selection of jewelry and scarves.

The big question now is does Gina + Will have staying power? Thrift stores have made previous appearances in or near Dinkytown and have not stayed long. This store is in a prime location for what it is selling and is full of fashionable pieces at a low cost, so it might be safe to assume that Gina + Will is going to be sticking around to satisfy savvy thrift shoppers for a while.

EMily MOnGAn

unprecedented $25,000,000 Land O’ Lakes donation?

The majority of the money, about 84 percent, will go towards intercollegiate athletics. The lion’s share of the approximately $21 million set aside for intercollegiate athletics will go towards the new “Center for Excellence,” imagined as the $15 million metaphorical jewel in thecrown that will be the new Athletics Village. The Center,for which Land O’ Lakes has the naming rights, is expected to open in the fall of 2016, and will house academic, nutrition, and leadership development programs for students and student-athletes.

An additional $3.35 million will go towards activities in the Center for Excellence, with emphasis on the Student-Athlete Leadership Development Center and the Gopher Connect Program, which aims to connect the U’s student-athletes directly and efficiently with businesses for leadership, internship, and job opportu-nities. The last $2.7 million of the athletic portion of

THE WAKE CITIES

by lianna matt

Four dancers sat on Northrop’s warmly lit stage, listening to the Program Director of The McKnight Artist Fellowships for Dancers and Choreographers, Mary Ellen Childs, introduce them to the audience. Ashwini Ramaswamy, Tamara Ober, Stephen Schroeder and Kari Mosel, McKnight Artist Fellow Dancers from 2012-2013, all came to talk during the panel Dancer as Driver. The talk was a precursor to SOLO, a showcase of six world premiere pieces funded by The McKnight Foundation that will take place at Northrop in October.

Each year, The McKnight Foundation funds a wide array of art mediums from ceramics to writing. From a pool of applicants, three Dance Fellows receive career development opportunities, a retreat in rural Minnesota, $25,000 and the ability to commission a choreography piece. These dancers, picked by a panel of three local judges and two national judges, have chosen dance as their career and not only kept with it but have flourished over the years.

With this high caliber of dance amidst the Twin Cities, the idea of the Dancer as Driver panel was to unveil some of the mystery surrounding the creative process. However, the very name of the panel is deceiving. While The McKnight Foundation did give the six performers of SOLO freedom to choose their choreographers and influence the piece, the process seemed to give the dancers more of an equal, intimate relationship with their choreographers—not a superior one.

“[Choreographer Lane Gifford and I] started off with just a couple of phone calls of just getting to know one another,” Mosel said. They talked about Mosel’s background in sports and how she loved to get “rough and tough and play with the boys,” and how people

would perceive her as less feminine because of that. Mosel and Gifford’s conversations honed in on understanding “the idea of femininity and what it means to be a woman today,” which developed into Gifford and Mosel’s exploration of the concept through dance. Similar to Mosel, Ober expressed the desire to get to

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SOlO AffEctS MAnyMcKniGht ARtiSt fEllOW dAncERS tAlK ABOUt thE cREAtivE pROcESS

know her choreographer better. “Usually we work with choreographers for 2-3 weeks,” Ober said, “but I miss an all-encompassing experience… I wanted to know everything about [D.J. Mendel, choreographer].” She told him, “I wanted something honest and beautiful and life-changing, and I hope that’s not too much to ask.”

Schroeder, on the other hand, simply said to his friend and choreographer, “Hey, Jim (James Morrow), do you want to hang out in Minneapolis and do a piece for me?” Yet watching a video clip of Morrow and him dancing side by side, it is undeniable that while Schroeder’s outer approach may be more casual, hisart is just as “honest and beautiful and life-changing” as Ober’s piece.

The panel treated the audience with dance rehearsal footage, including Ramaswamy’s Bharatanatyam rehearsal with her choreographer, Alarmel Valli. Accompanied with the sound of traffic, an exotic- sounding cuckoo bird and Valli’s vocals, Ramaswamy repeated the same measures over and over. Each time, Valli would stop her to correct the placement of her arms by the slightest iota or the projection of her sternum to the sky by the minutest angle.

Ramaswamy said, “The changes are subtle… The material is kind of sacred, but once you really imbibe all those points, then you are free to communicate it in your own way.” Ramaswamy said the first time she got together with Valli, she learned the movement of the dance on the surface level – where to put her arms, her legs, her hands. The second time, she said, “What I realized was that I was dancing from the outside in… by the end of the process, I was feeling everything first.”

chRiStinA cOllinS

What i realized was that i was dancing from the outside in… by the end of the

process, i was feeling everything first.

While the dances may stem from some inspiration or idea, this does not mean that the message is always clear to the dancer. Mosel explained that it was only when Gifford left the Twin Cities that she fully understood what her dance meant to her, filling in the story with her own perspective. Additionally, Schroeder

said, “Sometimes if the dancer knows too much, we can over-present it. It kind of smacks you in the head instead of being revealed.”

Dance is a visual art, but according to Childs, everyone is a consumer of art whether they realize it or not. “Who doesn’t listen to music or have something beautiful?” Childs said. “It’s a piece of the fabric that makes the Twin Cities and MN such a great place to live… if it were missing from our daily lives, then we would really see what a tremendous impact that the arts have on all of this.”

SOLO and its world-premiere of the 2012-2013 McKnight Artist Fellowship performances takes the Carlson Family Stage at Northrop on October 4 at 8 p.m. and October 5 at 5 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit http://www.northrop.umn.edu/events/solo.

THE WAKE CITIES

8 | SEpt 29 - Oct 12

thE cOMfORtABlE clASSROOMhOW cAfé SciEntifiqUE iS chAnGinG thE pROcESS Of lEARninG

By Aron Wolde

Structure. Structure has been the war cry for academia in this country for as long as any student can remember. It is the process by which we study, educate and quantifyevery notion known to man. It is ingrained in our lined paper, assigned seating and even by the pieces of fiction we are instructed to read. It is also, for many students, the worst aspect of learning. Many students who love to learn find that doing it freely and openly is much more fulfilling than sitting in a room designed like a prison. For students like these, Café Scientifique is a welcome change.

Since it began in the U.K. in 1998, Café Scientifique has swept the globe, spreading to countries including Spain, France, South Africa, Iran, Italy, Ireland, Canada and Argentina. These open lectures with glasses of wine and coffee in-between have allowed for discussion of today’s most interesting and current scientific issues, from technology, biology, chemistry, physics and psychiatry. And while the premise of learning something new may seem daunting, Café Scientifique encourages questions, regardless of how “dumb” they may seem. The point is to learn something new in an open environment, surrounded by a community of peers.

Each Café Scientifique is comprised of a short half hour lecture by that month’s featured speaker, followed by conversation (and more drinks) shared by the audience and a final Q&A discussion with the speaker.

In Minnesota Café Scientifique’s home venue is Bryant Lake Bowl, a combination bowling alley, bar and theater located in the vibrant Uptown area. If you’re a student of the University of Minnesota you may recognize some of the speakers, as the program is

presented in part by the University’s Bell Museum of Natural History. September’s lecture was given by University of Minnesota fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology professor Andrew Simons. Professor Simons lectured on the biology and aquaculture of carp, including its presence in the Great Lakes and Mississippi, as well as its cultural significance in ours and other cultures. While the lecture was generally intriguing, the atmosphere of the event was all together lighthearted, even fun. Jokes were told, videos were shown and there were even observational pieces handed out to the audience to view.

Professor Simons, with a great deal of charm, enabled his lecture to blend the cultural history of carp, like their relevance to dragons, and biological understanding, like their phylum, skeletal structure and sub species. With a beer in one hand and a french fry in the other, one can see how Café Scientifique distinguishes itself as a worthwhile event. It isn’t just an ordinary lecture; it’s an exhibition. A show properly made for the naturally curious.

The carp lecture was Professor Simons first time lecturing or even attending a Café Scientifique event. When asked to compare a Café Scientifique crowd and a class of students, he happily explained the notable distinctions.

“University students are much harder to keep awake,” he joked. “This is an interesting crowd that may or may not have a background in science, but they’re inquisitive and have a curious interest in the world. That’s the best kind of audience to have.”

Professor Simons also went on to explain the joy that he feels when a group of students end the semester learning new and interesting things about the world. When asked how his usual lectures size up to the one he just gave for Café Scientifique he admitted to toning it down a bit.

“This is way less detailed. Not a lot of biology in this, but there are a lot more ancillary topics like culture and art. So in some ways it is a bit more interesting.”

The next Café Scientifique will be held on October 21, with University of Minnesota physics professor Michel Janssen presenting Einstein: The Old Sage Versus Young Turk. The lecture aims to explain “Einstein’s struggle to find satisfactory gravitational field equations in his quest to eliminate absolute motion and absolute space time from physics.”

If you’re interested in casual learning, Café Scientifique will be held at 6 p.m. on October 21 at Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 West Lake Street (keep in mind the venue is 21+). Tickets range from $5-12 and can be purchased online at http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/ and at the door. However, shows tend to sell out quickly, so get your tickets early!

EMily dUEKER

EMily dUEKER

THE WAKE VOICES

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WhAt I DID thIs suMMERFrom stressed to selFish (and happy)By Russell Barnes

This is the true story of fifteen strangers, picked to live in a duplex, work together, and have their lives changed forever. I was chosen alongside other foster youths to work for a nonprofit in Oregon that specialized in foster care advocacy. We prepared multiple workshops for youth conferences across Oregon and the U.S. and engaged in numerous conversations with key players in the child welfare system. I was honored to have the opportunity to advocate for the child welfare system at a national level and connect my work with my personal experiences. Being involved with multiple social justice groups in Minneapolis, I figured this would be a cakewalk. In reality, I’m sadly asking myself, “What the hell did I do with my summer?”

Don’t get me wrong, the job itself was not terrible. I enjoyed attending conferences and connecting with other youths who went through similar life experiencesas myself over the course of my seven weeks out west. The culture behind the scenes, on the other hand, was a freak show. For some time I’ve had questions about the social justice culture, in particular the lack of practicing self-care and its resulting consequences. It seems that,after investing 60-plus hours a week towards buildinga movement, many use partying as a coping mechanism.I’ve seen many social justice folks drink excessively, be involved in rape disguised as mutual consent, and take downward spirals with their mental health. Sadly, much of this proved to be true in Oregon. The long weeks took their toll before the first week was over. We stayed at work until 9 p.m. on the fourth night, telling our life stories. Emotionally exposed, tension rose at the duplex down the street, resulting in multiple verbal altercations between the interns and the first out of three physical threats made against me. The last time it happened my safety felt so jeopardized that I slept on the moldy floor of the company’s office. When I brought up my concerns to those higher up in the company, I felt brushed-off as they told me how important it is to preserve their reputation, making me feel more insecure about my security away from home and at work.

I remember that I celebrated Independence Day with a little personal independence, a little self-care in my book. I told the interns, as well as the staff, that I was more prone to sunburns due to my use of Retin-A. That was true, but I also didn’t want to be around some of my co-workers drunk, especially taking some of the physical threats made against me into account.

I wanted to keep my work life and personal life separate. That’s hard to do when you work down the street from where you live, let alone live with the same people you work with. I’m okay with meeting friends from work, and possibly going out with them, but I’m not okay with getting drunk with the entire staff. I’m not okay with publicizing behaviors in a social circle filled with people I don’t completely trust. If I were to become intoxicated around my co-workers, I do not want that becoming the subject of gossip within the workplace and putting myself at risk.

More importantly, alone time is self-care for me. I need “me time” to rehabilitate my mind, to recharge my batteries. I’m sure some of the interns saw this as me distancing myself from the group. This internship, however, was emotionally draining. Dealing with jokes that poked fun at my past suicide attempts and my non-heterosexuality didn’t help, either. I know that not everyone has prior knowledge of how oppressivelanguage can be. It’s important to educate them. However, it’s not efficient to talk to a brick wall that is stuck in its ways. It’s best to move on.

I mentioned earlier that I’m questioning what I want in life. I had a strong feeling I would have done some grassroots organizing or other nonprofit work. Now, I’m not really sure. I had hoped that the melodramatic, small-world drinking culture was truly just in my small circle, yet there it was out on the west coast.

The child welfare system is in need of change. There are a lot of causes that are in need of change. However, rUssell Barnes

advocating for social change can be taxing on the soul, and it’s okay to be selfish for your mental health. For those working in social justice, it’s not just a job; it’s a life dedicated to justice. As much as I care about social equity, self-care is my top priority, and practicing self-care may require me to remove myself from the movement.

the last time it happened, my safety felt so jeopardized that i slept on the moldy floor of the company’s office.

THE WAKE VOICES

10 | sept 29 - oCt 12

ameriCans shoUld still Care aBoUt soCCer the World CUp is over, BUt interest in soCCer shoUldn’t BeBy Kirsten erickson

Between “Tim Howard Can Save Anything”Twitter posts, memes of Luis Suarez as “Jaws,” and constant replays of John Brooks’ last-minute and game-winning goal against Ghana, it seemed there was a glorious moment when the United States cared about soccer.

Now that the World Cup in Brazil has ended, though,it appears we are back where we started, back to considering soccer a boring and low-scoring game. Recently I even witnessed someone’s disbelief that Minnesota had a professional soccer team.

For anyone still in doubt, we do have a team, and they’re called Minnesota United FC. Why is it that Americans

can only seem to get behind soccer when it’s on as grand a scale as the World Cup? How is it that the

same people who pack bars to watch the US play won’t even consider attending an MLS

game? Should Americans even care about soccer? They should, if only because it’s a sport that inspires magical concepts, the biggest one being that it brings the world together. Soccer is the most played sport internationally, a fact that can be seen when everyonefrom Iran to Nigeria to Sweden has a national team. Players go on to

achieve international acclaim, many of whom started withnothing, especially in

developing countries.

It is also one of the easiest sports to get into at a young age. There is a reason everyone and their uncle played in a soccer league as a child. Just about anyone can pick up a ball and pass back and forth with friends.

Why not translate that initial love into a lifelong passion, then, and not just during the World Cup? Potential fans can take their pick between the ever-developing MLS, the cream of the crop English Premier League or the always-exciting “GOOOOL” of the Mexican league, among many others. This type of variety really can’t be found in any other sport.

In these leagues there’s plenty of room for drama in the 90 plus minutes of a game, whether it’s a beautiful header goal or a nasty slide tackle. We Americans just need to have the patience to wait for those moments, unlike an instant gratification game like basketball.

If we can learn to do so we can be a part of a sport that has inspired cult-like passions in other countries and be an isolationist country in the world of sports no longer. In the end, memes and Twitter posts during the World Cup are great, but it’s time for Americans to start caring about soccer year-round, if only for the increase in good Twitter posts.

By Kevin Beckman

“Yeah, that religious nut who was standing on the street corner damning people is a good buddy of mine,” said no one ever.

If one of the obnoxious, holier-than-thou protesters we’ve seen around campus happens to be reading this, I’d like them to step on down from their pedestal for just a quick second and meet me in the next paragraph. We’ll have ourselves a little heart-to-heart.

Listen, bud. You’re passionate about your religion. I can dig that; I was raised Catholic. But do you really think that the very best way to get people to see things from your perspective and join your cause is to shame them as much as possible? Say I’m an Army recruiter and I walk up to a kid and say, “Hey, Fatso. What you’re wearing makes you look like a potato. I bet you’re an all-around filthy scumbag. How would you like to join the Army, you nauseating excuse for a human being?” Do you think that kid’s going to want to hear more?

I doubt it. I hate to break it to you, friend, but this is almost exactly what you’re doing. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: everyone thinks you’re an asshole.

I like to hope I’d get through with that, but I think it might be like explaining basic politics to a dead frog and hoping he’ll run for office.

We can get mad, annoyed, offended and insulted, but we can’t force them to shut up. They’re simply exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and we should all be grateful that we live in a country where that right is given to us. That being said, the fact that they have the right to free speech also means that you have that very same right. If they can call you a slut and a sinner, you could probably think of some things that you’d have every right to say back. But you don’t have to insult them to have some fun. Know the Pokémon theme song by heart? Scream it at the top of your lungs as you walk past. Stand next to them and hold up your

own signs that say “Vote for Pedro” or “I <3 Nickelback”. Things like this are really all we can do to make these sorts of protesters a little more bearable. After all, it is a free country.

oh, For the love oF GodtoleratinG intoleranCe on the U oF m CampUs

peter mariUtto

THE WAKE VOICES

We have aimed our guns squarely at the NFL in the wake of the public release. Why wouldn’t we? The league apparently had all of the evidence from the get-go and still failed to provide just punishment. According the Associated Press’ Twitter account, law enforcement officials sent the evidence that has recently gone public to the NFL back in April. So what’s the deal? Did Rodger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, decide to not take a look at the evidence? Did he value keeping one of the league’s biggest stars out of harm’s way to im-prove the product of the NFL? We are left with more infuriating questions than we could possibly answer. One thing we do know is that Goodell’s image has taken a Ray Rice sucker punch to the throat. This one may alsobe a knock-out punch.

The Ravens have taken a media blow just as well. This would seem fair. The football club knew what transpired, addressed the media and still took a stance to keep their tailback within the organization. It wasn’t until the TMZ release that they were caught with their foot in their mouths, their guns blazing at their feet, and the higher-ups sweating through their suits that the release was forced.

domestic abuse results in a two game ban. This should be yet another resounding wake up call. Why do we let the NFL, the Ravens and Ray Rice get away with this? The NFL is playing a game of childish ignorance. The Ravens are acting as a double agent, attempting to appeal to both fan and player. NFL fans, those who

support the league, and those who put celebrities above

the law: wake up!

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the nFl: a Game oF iGnoranCe the reCent ray riCe sCandal BrinGs aBoUta maze oF ConFUsion and FinGer-pointinG

By Jonathan tvedt

The headlines have dominated the SportsCenter ticker for the past month and the plot only seems to thicken. Baltimore Ravens’ tailback Ray Rice knocked out his fiancée, Janay Palmer, in a casino elevator last February. The news was met with few headlines upon its initial reveal. A couple of the self-proclaimed NFL analysts at ESPN scratched their collective media mind and pondered what kind of fine would eventually be slapped down on the Ravens’ bite-sized stud. It would’ve been hard to imagine the scenario turning into what it is today, “the biggest black eye the league has ever had,” as Adam Schefter, voice and Twitter personality of the league, dubbed it. In recent weeks the plot has taken a public turn with the TMZ video release of the domestic abuse, showing exactly how severe the situation was. For those who have seen it, you’ll know the horrible, gut-wrenching feeling it inspires. Feminists, NFL fans and anyone with a basic sense of human compassion have in turn transformed this NFL-centric storm into a public typhoon of outrage, and for good reason.

The initial punishment drew heavy criticism. Rice was suspended for a mere two games to start the 2014 NFL season, a laughable punishment. The announcement spun heads and brought upon a wave of disdain toward America’s favorite child, the NFL. However, since the TMZ video release, Ray Rice has been dropped from

his team, suspended indefinitely from the league, and removed from the popular Madden 15 video game. But is that enough? What we are left with is a terrible case of double jeopardy. Rice was “dealt with” in the loosest possible way. With such a light punishment, the public is left to point its finger in every direction trying to find out who else is at fault for this travesty of justice. A social byproduct is created, asking why American society places their celebrities so high on the pedestal of law avoidance. But where is the blame directed now?

It’s easy to look at the situation and drop the weight of injustice squarely on the shoulders of the Ravens and NFL alike, but what role did we as a country of die-hard, tailgating, domestic abuse-hating NFL fans play in this tale of stardom and law avoidance? It’s the common train of thought. Celebrities and pro-athletes are given every opportunity to avoid the heavy hammer of the law. Justin Bieber can speed down neighborhood streets cranked out of his mind, Charlie Sheen continues to be Charlie Sheen, and in the NFL an instance of

this doesn’t speak as much to the nFl as it does to us fans.

peter mariUtto

Ray Rice got off the hook. This doesn’t speak as much to the NFL as it does to us fans. We didn’t get in the NFL’s face when the event occurred, which was last February, mind you. In turn, Rice escaped silently into the night, avoiding more drastic punishment and leaving the NFL and its fans sitting around to pick up the pieces. It’ll be interesting to see what happens going forward, but for now this doesn’t feel like a resolution.

THE WAKE VOICES

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drama, deBate, and DAtE rape drUG deteCtionneW deFensive nail polish is stirrinG Up Controversy

1point:We’ve all heard the rules: don’t accept drinks from strangers, always watch someone make your drink, and never ever set it down. The warnings are helpful, but the thought of someone drugging drinks makes going out feel risky, stressful, and scary. However, with a product like this nail polish, what if it weren’t like that? What if women had more control over what could happen to them?

Giving women a product that allows them to detect drugs on their own is incredibly empowering. If the polish turns out to be one hundred percent effective, women won’t have to be afraid every time someone hands them a drink. They have control, they have a say in what happens, and they can prevent unimaginably awful situations. No, it is not the woman’s job to prevent her own rape. However, the cold truth is that some people are still going to try to drug and rape them. Since that sad fact probably isn’t going to change anytime soon, women should have as much power and protection as they can give themselves.

This product could also invoke fear into potential rap-ists. The story became national news very quickly, and as the product is tested and advanced, it will get more and more coverage. It’s hard to not hear about it, which could turn out to be a very good thing. If potential assaulters know it’s possible that they will be detected and caught, they may not be as likely to drug others. This may be optimistic thinking, but it is possible.

At the very least, the nail polish invention is bringing more attention to the issue of date rape. The semester just started and parties are in full swing, which come with risks for nearly everyone. When around 300,000 college women are raped each year (according to One In Four USA), something clearly needs to change. Maybe the solution isn’t in a bottle of nail polish, but in awareness and education. If that’s the main thing we are getting out of Undercover Colors, the inventors have already done their job.

2CoUnterpoint:A bottle of nail polish that detects date rape drugs in drinks seems radical until you consider how little this changes the way we talk about sexual violence. Survivors of rape are often blamed for somehow contributing to their own rape. Instead of questioning the rapist’s actions, authority figures criticize the victim’s choices. What were you wearing? Were you drinking? Were you flirting with him? Did you invite him back to your room? What did you honestly expect to happen? Under-cover Colors adds to the culture which holds women accountable for the acts committed against them.

Women cannot instigate these attacks any more than they can prevent them. Yet we keep telling women to speak, drink, dress and act modestly—to make themselves invisible so as not to become targets of unwanted male attention. But making the rapist visible to the woman does not make the woman invisible to the rapist. I know a woman who was raped by a stranger while walking home from class by herself. I know a woman who was raped by a classmate while she was drunk at a party. I know a woman who was raped by her boyfriend in her own bed. We know that none of these women deserved this, so why do we automatically recognize the “mistakes” that they made?

We have been conditioned to blame the victim. We have been conditioned to believe that sexual violence is committed largely by strangers against intoxicated victims. However, the 2011 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey revealed that of the 23 million people who have experienced rape, only half were under the influence of alcohol or other substances at the time. Date rape drugs contributed to less than 1 percent of cases. My intent is not to dismiss the good this product could have done for the 1 million victims who were drugged, but to pose a question regarding these cases. If Undercover Colors had existed and been effective at the time these acts were committed, would we have expected the victims to wear it?

Maybe the solution isn’t in a bottle of nail polish, but in awareness and education.

By madison Bloomquist & loreena st. dennis

We all know the potential dangers of leaving a drink unattended, but what if there was a discreet way to determine its safety? Undercover Colors, a new type of nail polish, might be able to do just that. The goal of four young men at North Carolina State University was simple: to create a product women could use in a discreet way. The polish is made to change color in drinks containing common date rape drugs such as GHB, Rohypnol, or Xanax. Supporters appreciate the empowering nature of the product and the attention it brings to the issue of date rape. Opponents worry about the potential social implications of such a product.

THE SEAMSTRESS AND THE BAKER

FEATURED STUDENT ARTISTS:

By Staff

It’s well known that The Wake strives to give students of all backgrounds, majors, and talents a chance to have their voice heard in written form. This year, we’re pushing the envelope by also giving student artists a chance to have their work “heard” by being featured in the magazine.

“Featured Student Artists” is a way to connect what’s happening in the student art world with the rest of the student world and beyond. Our first featured artists are an apparel designer and a food blogger, and we couldn’t be more excited.

If you’re a student artist interested in having your work featured, email featured studentartists@wakemag.org with some examples of your work. We want to show you off!

THE WAKE FEATURE

THE WAKE: How long have you been working with apparel?MQ: I’ve always been interested in fashion and styling, but just started designing within the last year and a half.

THE WAKE: Why did you begin designing clothes?MQ: Fashion is something I have always been passionate about. I’ve always loved designing and styling in my head, but I never thought about it as a career option until I started applying for colleges and thinking about my future.

THE WAKE: Why did you choose to study at the University of Minnesota?MQ: I would have loved to attend an amazing fashion institute on the coast, but I also wanted to have that college experience with all of my friends. I wanted the best of both worlds, and I found that here at the U of M!

THE WAKE: What do you like about the apparel design program?MQ: I love being in a program where the class is so tightly knit. With the apparel design class size being only 15 to 20 students, we really get to know each other.

THE WAKE: What’s your favorite piece of yours and why?MQ: As of now, I don’t have a whole lot of finished pieces. I designed a piece last year inspired by Kate Middleton, and that is my favorite design by far. I created a skirt last year for which I designed the fabric. That was a very fun and rewarding experience!

THE WAKE: Where do you find inspiration for your work? Which designer(s) do you look up to?MQ: I’m very inspired by classic and feminine silhouettes and structured garments. Some of my favorite designers are Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, and Stella McCartney.

THE WAKE: Do you participate in any extracurricular activites related to fashion design?MQ: I am involved with FAB [Fashion and Business] on campus.

THE WAKE: What’s your dream career?MQ: I would love to be a senior designer for either a high-end fashion label or my own business.

THE WAKE: What’s the most challenging part of your work?MQ: It’s definitely a labor-intensive major, and is a lot more difficult than the average person may think! It is very rewarding, though, to have a tangible evidence of your hard work.

14 | SEPT 29 - OCT 12

I love being able to hear someone say that they would want to wear something I created.

MARINA QUALEY

MARINA QUALEYTHE WAKE: What’s the most rewarding part of your work?MQ: I love being able to hear someone say that they would want to wear something I created. It makes me feel like I could be successful in the business, even though it is such a competitive industry.

THE WAKE: Do you have a favorite style or articleof clothing to make?MQ: Dresses are my favorite thing to wear, which is maybe why it is my favorite thing to design!

THE WAKE: What’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to designing or wearing clothes?MQ: Designing for a client as opposed to designing for myself is a very real issue for me! I have a very particular style and it’s easy for me to get stuck making something that I would wear as opposed to someone else.

THE WAKE:Do you have any fashion advice for this upcoming fall/winter season?

MQ: The fall/winter runways showcased a lot of jackets and coats in fun textiles: retro anoraks in bright colors, parkas in animal print, and leather moto jackets.

THE WAKE: Do your finals ever make you feel like you’re on Project Runway? MQ: Absolutely! Last semester, I definitely pulled several all-nighters in the studio to get my pieces done.

THE WAKE: What advice would you give to someone struggling to find a style of his or her own?MQ: Don’t try and overdo your style or fit in to trend that you don’t feel confident in. Basics such as dark wash jeans, loafers, and a knit sweater or cotton knit tee are simple and easy to wear. My advice is to combine those basics with a third piece such as a statement necklace, scarf, or accent belt.

THE WAKE: What new designs are you looking forward to make?MQ: Right now I am working on a long gown inspired by Oscar de la Renta’s Spring 2015 show. I am excited to see how it turns out.

Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN Year: Sophomore Studying: Apparel Design and Retail Merchandising

THE WAKE FEATURE

Hometown: Holcombe, WI Year: Sophomore Studying: Graphic DesignTHE WAKE: Why did you begin baking? NF: I began baking out of curiosity. My mom used to have a stack of cake decorating magazines that I would flip through over and over again as a child. I love that you start with all these individual elements and put them together to create a finished product.

THE WAKE: When did you create Yes to Yum? NF: I published my first post in July of 2013, a month before I moved to Minnesota. When I first started, I had little knowledge on how to run a website and used my iPhone as a camera until I was able to save up for a DSLR. I shudder looking back at some of my first posts, but you have to start somewhere.

THE WAKE: Why did you decide to create a food blog?NF: I read food blogs for quite a while and was intrigued with the idea of writing one myself, but was sort of over-whelmed with all that it entailed. After a while, I decided

WWW.WAKEMAG.ORG | 15

NICOLE FOLGATEto just take the plunge and purchase a domain name. Food is always on my mind, so I thought it would be a good way to connect with others who share the same interests. It was interesting to go from making recipes that I found to actually developing and photographing them myself.

THE WAKE: What inspired you to combine your two interests of baking and graphic design? NF: It was natural. I use a lot of my graphic design knowledge for the design and photography aspects of my blog. Most bloggers don’t have a background in graphic design and have to pay for their website design, logo, and graphics that they use. I love having full cre-ative control of everything on my website.

THE WAKE: What are your favorite food blogs?NF: My top two favorites are Lindsay from Pinch of Yum (she’s based out of St. Paul!) and Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Lindsay has a great writing voice and as a former teacher, she has a lot of great resources for new bloggers. Sally inspires me to publish quality recipes that deliver great results each time.

WAKE: What’s your favorite dessert that you’ve created?NF: If I absolutely had to choose, I would pick my recipe for carrot cake bars. It’s one of those priceless family recipes that’s scribbled on a yellowed index card. The secret to its success is using baby food carrots instead of the shredded ones. Weird, right? My Nutella Iced Coffee Mini Cheesecakes are also a favorite; they were featured on BuzzFeed recently!

THE WAKE: What’s your dream career? NF: My dream career would probably be working as a designer for a food magazine. Writing a cookbook would be fun too. Check back in ten years for that.

THE WAKE: What’s the most challenging part of your work?

NF: Achieving a balance between school, work, and the blog. Sometimes it can be hard to step away from it all for a minute to make a batch of cookies just for fun or read a book. It’s also becoming quite challenging to find space for all my food props!

THE WAKE: What new project or new recipe do you plan on working on next?NF: Right now I’m working on a series called Small Batch Basics, where I recreate classics like chocolate chip cookies and scale the recipe down in size. I also have quite a few pumpkin recipes in the works to compete with the pumpkin spice trend. Later on down the road when I can set aside a bigger chunk of time, I’d like to create an eCookbook to sell on my blog.

THE WAKE: Do you have any plans to expand your blog with lunch and/or dinner recipes? NF: Actually, it’s the opposite! When I first started my blog, I posted all sorts of recipes, figuring that there would be something for everyone. However, I’ve found that developing a niche for my blog has led to increased readership. Rather than scrambling to try and appeal to everyone, I’m developing content for a smaller, more refined group. I may post a savory recipe here and there, but I like to keep things consistent.

I shudder looking back at some of my first posts, but you have to start somewhere.

NICOLE FOLGATE

YESTOYUM.COM

THE WAKE Q&A

16 | SEPT 29 - OCT 12

Q&A: JOEy VErSkOTzi

By Sam Schaust

Joey Verskotzi has been diving headfirst into the Minnesota music scene, meanwhile touring his band around the country. While confidently stretching his sound into the furthest corners, last year, Joey dropped his bittersweet album “Lemon Heart” and is now in the midst of mastering his next EP, “Waving.” The Wake sat down with him in studio to discuss the chaos of 2013, getting married, composingmusic for a mini documentary about a Twin Cities drag queen, booking a show at a bar from HBO’s show “Girls” and more.

THE WAKE: Well first off, I wanted to congratulate you on getting married recently – that’s such a big step in life. I was wondering, you know, there’s so much planning that goes into that, and yet last year you dropped “Lemon Heart.” So how was it planning the wedding while at the same time touring an album?JV: To add to that mix of things, I was actually graduatingfrom college. So I was getting my degree… and this wasall in the same months that it was all shaking out. So basically November 2 was the day that “Lemon Heart” dropped. December 17, if I’m not mistaken, was my graduation day. And then December 27 was my wedding.So it was all literally within two months. So it was bi-zarre. It was fucking crazy. But it just seems to be that that’s how I work really well, like, I have a ton of shit

going on. I can’t drop any balls. It was a lot to handle, but the planning of all of it went successfully. And then the honeymoon, it was like, I needed that break.

ThE WAkE: Part of me imagines you performing at your own wedding. Did that happen?JV: It didn’t, no. A lot of people asked me to do it. One specific person — I won’t name names — but they really pressured me to do it. For me, though, it feels like I don’t want to work at my wedding. And man, writing a love song is hard enough, but writing a love song that’s on yourwedding day…I just wanted to relax, man. No thank you.

ThE WAkE: I noticed from listening to your first EP “Lesson Learned” to “Lemon Heart” that there’s a leap in atmospheric tone that kind of sweeps you away. And I was wondering if you’ve been purposefully pushing your sound in that direction?JV: Everything about “Lemon Heart,” to me, and the way that album came together and the songwriting process specifically — it was all really natural. It never felt like I was trying to do something different or trying to evolve my sound, you know? I was listening to a lot of new music at the time. Like, I had just fallen in love with Wilco and was just Jeff Tweedy-mad.

ThE WAkE: Do you feel that folk-rock sound of Wilco made you twist your genre slightly? Because everybody seems to try new things as they go along.JV: I felt there was a lot of moodiness on “Lesson Learned.” And at that time in my life when I was writing for “Lemon Heart” I was really into the Beatles thing, the Beach Boys did it a lot and Conor Oberst, Elliott Smith was another…they do this great marriage of super sunny chords, sunny arrangements and beautiful melodies, but then the content is so sad. It’s kind of a folk thing I guess. It’s also a blues thing. That was really in my blood at that time.

ThE WAkE: So, for you, it’s as if the mood of your music almost swings to the music you’re listening to?JV: Absolutely. Because you can listen to David Bowie all you want, but you’re not going to sound like David Bowie. But the way that it hits as an artist, they’re going to take all of those influences and it’s going to makesomething that — although it’s not something quote- unquote new or original — it’s going to be its own little spin to make people go ohh! And that’s a very liberating thought to me. You know, I try not to put myself in a box, ever, because I think creatively that’s not a good idea.

GrETChEN BUrkhArT

THE WAKE Q&A

WWW.WAKEMAG.ORG | 17

ThE WAkE: Recently you did the music composition for a story about a Twin Cities drag queen that I watched on The Atlantic. Talk about that for a bit.JV: Sure, that was a job I did through a local director, Tony Franklin. Tony is a director of advertisements, of films and even music videos. He actually just directed a music video that’s gonna be coming out with my new EP. We shot the music video together and after that he said, “Hey, would you do me a favor and put some music to this little short documentary I just made?” I was like, “Fuck yeah, I’d love to!” So he sent me the cut over and I was instantly inspired by it. His style of filming, directing and editing is always so tasteful.

ThE WAkE: Not long after you get back from Nash-ville now, you’re going to be playing a bunch of shows in the Midwest. Are there any venues you’re looking forward in particular that you’ve enjoyed play-ing at in the past or haven’t yet been to?JV: Actually, right before you got here I confirmed a show in Brooklyn, New York. So I’m going out to Brooklyn for a show on the October 17 and I’m really excited about that. I was gonna plan a few dates leading up to it, but booking — I do all my own booking — and it’s really difficult getting routing to make sense. I wasn’t getting the dates leading up to it that I need, so I’m justgonna do a fly date and hang out in New York the nextday. I think that’s the most excited I’ve been for a showin a while because I’ve never played in New York before.

ThE WAkE: What venue is it you’ll be at?JV: It’s a little spot called Goodbye Blue Mondays. The capacity is like one hundred people so it’s going to be a really nice, intimate thing. And I know that the show Girls — there have been a few episodes — where Marnie

goes in there at some point. I could be wrong, but it’s either that or Pete’s Candy Store.

ThE WAkE: Wow, very cool. You’ve obviously been keeping yourself so busy, and then you recently worked with Minneapolis artist Lisa McGuire AKA Spirit of Orlando. How was that experience?

JV: That was a really fun record to work on. Looking at the creative proces it was a good way for me to take a step back from the artist seat and really take on the “big-picture” role. Lisa is a great artist to work with creatively because there’s never anything too weird orout of the box with her. I got to take her ideas and wewould run absolutely wild with them. I really dig producing.

ThE WAkE: I’ve noticed that you have a lot of differ-ent vents: solo stuff, scoring and these side projects. That’s awesome that you have such a great community surrounding you.

JV: Yeah, Minneapolis is awesome. I love this city.

ThE WAkE: I know it’s difficult to articulate one artist’s craft to another – but if you had to say, who are your major influences?

JV: At the end of the day, I think the flagship songwriter in my mind that I can’t get enough of is John Lennon. I think something about Lennon that I love so much is,well, earlier I was talking before about not putting yourself in a creative box, but that dude was always doing something different. He was like, “Whatever. Fuck it.I’m gonna write a song and it’s gonna sound like a gospelsong. Or now I’m gonna write a song that’s gonna soundlike a Buddy Holly-rockabilly thing.” He was always pulling stops and trying different things and experimenting with different sounds. It’s such a tragic thing that he’s

not around today to use technology. I think about this all the time. I mean, I think he would be a purist. My assumption is that he’d be more of an analog purist, but if he had the capability to take analog to digital…I don’t know. I just fantasize about John Lennon using Ableton. (Laughs) God, what the fuck is wrong with me?

ThE WAkE: (laughs) Any hopes or aspirations for the future? When “Lemon Heart” came out, you were perking some heads over in the U.K. Do you ever hope to branch out that direction?JV: It would be a dream come true. I hope that it’s a matter of when, not if. I just need the stars to align, you know? Just like anything else. A month ago I was thinking “ugh, I wish I could play in New York.” And now I’ve confirmed a show in New York. As for other future plans, this fall is going to be really busy. My new EP is called “Waving” and it’s being mastered and the artwork is underway.

ThE WAkE: Awesome news. Now, coming from the U of M, do you have any advice for anybody trying to break into a successful music career?JV: Of course. I did a minor in classical guitar, I took a ton of theory – all of that in saying the music school at the U is great. It’s phenomenally staffed. Their way of teaching theory is unique and they care deeply about classical training and integrity. That part of the U was great for me as a musician. As far as being in a band orbeing an independent artist, my two cents are that you’re probably not going to find how to do that at the school of music. That’s more about going out to clubs, getting to know people and booking your shows. For that, I got my major in advertising with an emphasis in marketing. That was, in my mind, me running my business which was my band. That’s been extremely helpful along the way.

ThE WAkE: Right, definitely.JV: The other thing, too, is the fact that you’re in Minneapolis. You live in the heart of this scene, so you just have to go out and do it. You have to figure out how to balance being a student and make music a full-timething. It’s not easy, but Minneapolis is such a fertile place — it’s insane. And it continues to give new opportunity after new opportunity after new opportunity… You’d think after being here for five years that you might tap out your resources, but shit keeps happening here. I think in the last five years I’ve seen the scene get better every year.

GrETChEN BUrkhArT GrETChEN BUrkhArT

THE WAKE SOUND & VISION

18 | SEPT 29 - OCT 12

MuSiC and faShiOn COllidE aT nEw yOrk faShiOn wEEk

JErEMy SCOTTJeremy Scott wins for the most playful eye candy of fashion week. The aesthetic of his new collection is most accurately described as a modern rave-going hippie. That said, the collection is actually rather wearable.

Scott is perhaps best known for his avant-garde collaborations with Adidas Originals, where he released everything from shoes with teddy bear faces as the tongues to winged tracksuits. He previewed several upcoming Adidas footwear collaborations in his show, most notably metallic and floral boots, high-heeled sneakers, and teddy bear flip-flops.

In spite of his over-the-top garments, most of the buzz around Scott’s fashion show had to do with the accessories made by the one and only Miley Cyrus. Models walked the runway wearing plastic bead friendship bracelets around their wrists and beanie babies in their hair. Lisa Frank would’ve been proud. The show ended with Jeremy and Miley walking the catwalk together and even sharing a smooch.

By Eathan lauer

New York Fashion Week: to some a brilliant display of creativity and beauty that celebrates the human form, and to others, a pathetic circle jerk of malnourished zombies parading around in silly, overpriced outfits? No matter what your view is, this year was certainly amusing to follow, even if you don’t care about high fashion. There was a lot of overlap between pop culture, music, and fashion, with designers like Jeremy Scott and Mark McNairy incorporating music icons into their shows.

Mark MCnairy nEw aMSTErdaMAmerican designer Mark McNairy presented an overall played-out and underwhelming collection. From tacky plaids to the dying trend of camouflage in formalwear, the collection was off the mark. While the runway lookswere by no means terrible, it looked more like an UrbanOutfitters sale rack than a fresh collection by a world-renowned designer. The most on-point aspect of the collection was the footwear. McNairy began as a shoe designer and it’s more than apparent that this is his specialty.

The only notable part of the show was McNairy’s use of rapper and producer Travi$ Scott as a model for the opening look and finale. Multiple reports from people in the crowd and behind the scenes at the show claimed that Scott was high out of his mind while he was on the runway. This seemed appropriate considering that you’d have to be on drugs to drop a hundred dollars on a t-shirt that says “SHITTY T-SHIRT.”

hOOd By airIn 2006, Shayne Oliver started the brand Hood By Airwith no formal fashion experience. His industrial, avant-garde aesthetic quickly caught the attention of rap icons like Kanye West and A$AP Rocky, as well as high fashion connoisseurs and retailers.

Hood By Air’s latest collection stays true to Oliver’s sensibility. He had models limping along the runway with crutches, which could’ve easily turned tacky and gimmicky, but instead seemed to play with the overall mood of the clothing. Many looks left unexpected regions of the body exposed such as only the shoulders or only the stomach, with straps securing the clothing on covered parts of the body. Various models were adorned with restrictive plastic discs around their necks, which played into this fetishistic bondage aesthetic.

Now if you don’t think you could pull off a straightjacket, there were plenty of wearable, yet edgy pieces in the collection, such as embossed leather bomber jackets, screen printed denim, and high-top sneakers that are sureto make an appearance on Kanye’s feet in the near future.

THE WAKE SOUND & VISION

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lOrdE, lana, lykkE li andThEir lExiCOn Of lOvElOrn BalladS ThE “Sad aESThETiC” and why EvEryOnE ShOuld liSTEn TO kiMBraBy Cayla Cavey

The saying goes, attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? Let’s apply this idea to the effects sad music can have on someone’s attitude. Lately, the mournful sounds flooding our airwaves from Lana del Ray, Lorde, Lykke Li, and other starlets have caught popular attentionfrom listeners, resulting in a “sad aesthetic” that ispermeating its way through pop culture.

Lana Del Rey’s new album, “Ultraviolence” and most of her music is famous for its retro and sad sound. In a cut from her new album, the singer fantasizes, “We could go back to Woodstock. / Where they didn’t know who we are.” This sentimental lamenting of a bygone era is common throughout her music.

Another artist, the widely popular New Zealander Lorde, has a unique style that practically personifies the “sad aesthetic.” She gives off less of a vintage vibe and is more of an underdog with a dark, powerful voice.

What’s ironic about Lorde’s rise to fame is that her lyrics reject typical pop star values, though she has become a star herself. In a way, she is a voice of the same generation her lyrics of dissatisfaction scorn.

Lykke Li takes the sad aesthetic in a different direction. Her new album “I Never Learn” is full of her soulful voice belting out ballads about love and mistakes. All of the songs are beautiful, but it is hard to listen to them and not absorb her tragic sorrow.

These three aren’t the only artists to follow this new

Max SMiTh

ThE Twin CiTiES: unSCriPTEd

By Emily dueker

The size and location of Minneapolis has given the city a particularly special opportunity to develop an almost hyperactive performing arts scene. The plethora of venues has given way to many different styles of theater and has allowed a rich improvisational comedy culture to developwithin the last few decades. This fervor for improv seems only natural considering Minneapolis’ history with this exhilaratingly unscripted form of performance.

The fun began in 1958 with the establishment of Instant Comedy Theater, known today as Brave New Workshop. Its founder, Dudley Riggs, was originally a circus and vaudeville performer who recognized a desire for a new structure to comedic performances. By incorporating audience input and implementing a dynamic performance structure, or rather lack of structure, Riggs served as one of the creators of improvisational comedy.

The success of Brave New Workshop allowed Riggs to open a second theater, Experimental Theater Company (E.T.C.) in 1971. While E.T.C. has since closed, other venues for improv comedy have come on the scene.

Currently, the most improv activity is going on at HUGE Theater, which is located on Lyndale Avenue near the heartof Uptown Minneapolis. Opened in 2005, HUGE Theater is a nonprofit theater and work space that hosts a variety of improv shows. Specifically, HUGE focuses on a style of improvisation called “longform” which creates upwards of 30 minutes of improv from a single audience suggestion. Sitting down with Jill Bernard, a board member and one of the players responsible for founding HUGE Theater, lent a better understanding of the distinct world of improv.

“In a lot of ways it can be more like a play where you can spend a lot of time with a character, or a theme, and can really delve into it because it’s not just something quick that’s only three or four minutes long. It can last the entire evening so you leave with a full feeling,” Bernard said in considering how the two styles differed. “In shortform we tell you the games ahead of time and in longform, from scene to scene, the performers discover what the game is… We discover that together in the moment.”

Aside from the frequent and diverse shows held each week, HUGE is currently home to the annual Twin Cities Improv Festival which ran June 25-29 this year. The festival is the key time for performers from all different schools to come together and show off their talents. “HUGE was founded to support the community to make everyone successful so I love that people are mixing and matching from all the traditions,” Bernard said. “We never would have opened without help from other theaters… Nothing could have happened without their support.”

It seems that cooperation is a vital element of both improv and the city that has always been its home.

trend in music. MØ, a Danish musician with an electro-indie sound, also released an album this year with the same characteristics as the previously mentioned songstresses. She offers “No Mythologies to Follow,” another beautiful, quirky album with a sadness underlying it. This LP, by contrast, has a glimmer of optimism beneath the angst.

Which brings me to Kimbra. Those who haven’t heard of the (also) New Zealand-born pop singer definitely need to give her a listen. In contrast to the ever more widespread sorrowful music, she offers a funky, electric sound that is bound to makelisteners dance and smile. It is the sort of music you expect to hear playing in the happy montage of a movie, or at a chic club. Not only is Kimbra upbeat, she is just plain cool. If a bad day rolls around, as they tend to do, break out the Kimbra and spare yourself from the sad aesthetic.

a ThrivinG BuT undErSTaTEd iMPrOv SCEnE in MinnEaPOliS

EMily duEkEr

THE WAKE SOUND & VISION

20 | SEPT 29 - OCT 12

Mill CiTy niGhTS: a lOOk aT ThE SPaCE

MinnEaPOliS vEnuES: a lOOk aT TwOThE riChEST Of divES: ThE hExaGOn Bar By Sara Glesne

By day it’s a hockey bar filled with townies. By night it’s a hockey bar filled with Minneapolis’ worst and finest oddballs enjoying tunes from Twin Cities bands stretching across genres. Yes, the neon pink lights of the Hexagon Bar have drawn me in for as long as my ID has stated that I was over 21.

The space isn’t beautiful or ornate by any stretch of the imagination; it’s just easily digestible. Cheap wood accents edge along the walls, and a stage fills the corner of one room.

A moderate amount of floor space leaves room for the crowd to rock back and forth on its toes or churn into each other. The cover-free entry welcomes music fans with even the emptiest of wallets, and once inside free popcorn and relatively cheap billiards abound.

By abigail linn rommel

Looking over the balcony of Mill City Nights in downtown Minneapolis, everything that happens on the stage, at the bar, and in the pit is all in plain sight.

The main room is made up of chairless hardwood floors where the audience gathers to spill drinks, listen to music, and have a good time. Known as “the pit,” it rests comfortably above a stylish basement.

The basement gets more attention throughout the night as people come to check their coats or leave, but the use of the basement does not stop just there. No, thebasement includes a bar, tables, and a merchandise table.

While most venues, such as First Avenue and Varsity Theater, present a merchandise table on the same level as the stage, MCN is not architecturally designed to fit extra space separate from the pit without having

aBiGail linn rOMMEl

The setting serves its role, but the music is what makes the Hex worth anyone’s while. A rotating roster of local punk, metal, indie, noise and other acts along with the occasional touring guests makes this venue one of the most authentically Minneapolis DIY venues that can be found outside of a basement. But don’t worry, it’s still just a crappy dive bar too.

audience members walk up the stairs to the risers or down a flight of stairs to the basement.

Some may feel that this is an inconvenience for those who need to leave promptly after the show, but others might say it allows for a more intimate concert experience.

In the end, this venue was designed for the concert experience in mind first and the commercial part second.

THE WAKE SOUND & VISION

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afTEr rEnOvaTiOnS and rEPairS, ThE ClaSSiC ST. Paul danCETEria iS BaCk Turf CluB: rEOPEnEd and rEady TO rOCk

an iMPaSSiOnEd inquiry inTO ThiS yEar’S GrEaTEST fiGurE Of MuSiCal inTriGuE

lEwiS: ExTrOdinary Or illuSiOn?

By niqq helgeson

Can you hear that, mere mortal? It’s the scrawlings within the history books, and what a dulcet, synth-laden sound it is. Another album surfaced this past August from one of 2014’s most prolific musical artist: Lewis. This Mark Rothko of sound won over the Internet three decades after his time with his love-torn transgressive

synth-folk. Beloved by many but understood by few, the discovery of the album L’Amour marked his first appearance in the public eye since the 80s. But who is this flawlessly-quaffed man, draped in intrigue?

The year is 1983. A man under the guise of “Lewis” records and releases an album titled L’Amour. In it, fragile vocal runs melt into his meandering guitar pluckings, while feather-light piano chords enter and exit the background at will. Think Nick Drake on Quaalude, representing mankind at first contact with extraterrestrials as the track continues to record.

Despite each song’s virtuosity, the album initially goes altogether unnoticed. Two years later, another album by the same artist titled Romantic Times is released. The sleeve consists of Lewis adorned in a “Miami Vice”-era all-white suit, his white Mercedes convertible and private jet framing the background.

At this point the details turn opaque. Some claim he bolted from his inhabitance at the Beverly Hills Hilton

after his $250 check to the L’Amour cover photographerbounced. Others allege that relations with his long-term model girlfriend unexpectedly turned sour. Skeptics even speculate that all of this was a marketing ploy by Light inthe Attic, the label that currently holds rights to his music.

Resolution arrives three decades later. The sole known vinyl copy of Romantic Times is discovered in Vancouver DJ Kevin “Sipreano” Howes’ private collection. With the aid of the Internet, Lewis suddenly vaults to his current cult-celebrity status (the copy sold on eBay for $1,825). It was just over a month ago that fans rejoiced as private detectives, on behalf of Light in the Attic Records, tracked down the man behind the name in Alberta, Canada. Living quietly as Randall Wulff, we find that his affinity for mystery is matched only by his unwavering humility: “I’m not looking into coin. I’m not looking into anything. I’m just strumming my guitar.” Devotees worldwide rest easy now with the confirmation of the prodigious musician’s material existence. However, as he parts from the success long due to him, a lone question dangles in the air: how real is Lewis?

By Cera Sylar

The first impression you get when you come upon the elusive Turf Club – after you pass the neighboring ‘adult only’ store dressed in graphic displays – is that it looks like a small town country bar betwixt the Twin Cities.

Middle-aged men in leather jackets loiter below the welcome sign, the word ‘DANCE,’ in old 1940s style bulbs hangs below. Comfortingly, a crescendo of sound emanates from the door.

MuSiCSt. Paul’s Turf Club, bought by First Avenue last year, reopened on August 28 after a summer of kitchen, bathroom and sound system repairs.

The line-up of bands—ranging across all styles of rock—are already stacked for months to come, according to the Star Tribune.

The venue boasts itself as “The best remnant of the ‘40s” on its welcome sign, as well as on a matching canvas inside. The music inside, however, is typically a collection of soft rock, indie and bluegrass. With live

shows nearly every night, you would be hard-pressed to not find your style in the lineup somewhere.

Yet, let the softhearted beware: with the new sound system in place, sitting in the upstairs bar is excruciatingly loud. The band, who plays in front of a rustic horseshoe tapestry, rocks so loud, hearing oneself think is absolutely impossible.

aTMOSPhErEThe look and feel of the restaurant in the front of house has not changed, reported the Star Tribune. Nonetheless, some areas have undergone major reconstruction. Thebathroom is one such area that had a complete makeover. “It was the scariest bathroom in all the Twin Cities!” one biker customer shouted emotionally across the Turf’s downstairs restaurant known as The Clown Room. “It waslike you were probably gonna get knifed in there before.”

Aside from the new bathroom and the relaxed feel of The Clown Room, the main bar has a smooth new wooden top boasting a vast array of tap beers.

Large neon orange speakers line the ceiling down the room’s entire length, giving the floor an expansive and rich feel. The eastern wall is covered in frames containing older Turf Club band posters.

For those seeking something new or fresh, whether it be music, food or a spot to kick back: the Turf Club is an excellent venue for relaxing in a low-key fashion, and also a cheap alternative to downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul.

CEra nElSOn

liGhTinThEaTTiC.nET

THE WAKE SOUND & VISION

22 | SEPT 29 - OCT 12

TranSfOrMinG SPOrT inTO SOnGJaMES MurPhy MakES OvEr 400 MuSiC TraCkS frOM uS OPEn TEnniS daTaBy Shawnna Stennes

After closing the curtains on one of the greatest electronic acts of the 2000s, former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy has been satisfying his craving for creativity through a number of unconventional projects. Some of his most famed endeavors include directing a short film, writing music for a Broadway production, creating his own brand of coffee, and attempt-ing to program the NYC subway system to generate its own music. His latest project however, transforming over 400 hours of tennis data from the US Open into music pieces, has undoubtedly confirmed his title as a musical mastermind.

In a partnership with IBM, Murphy has taken advantage of the natural rhythms that occur ineach US Open tennis match and translated them into computer-generated tunes that resemble video game music. In order to complete this transaction of raw tennis data into music, Murphyand IBM developers created an algorithm that identifies a certain action in the game—like a serveor a volley — and then links it to a specific synthesized sound. Although the algorithm is written in code (a skill not yet in Murphy’s repertoire), IBM was able to develop it in such a way that was comprehensible to someone more familiar with knobs on synthesizers and dials on guitar amps. This intersection of song and science has allowed the music to be virtually self-developed.

Murphy explained, “We’re gonna generate almost 400 hours worth of music, only I’m not gonna sithere and play 400 hours of music. I’m setting up a machine to do that. The primary music generatoris the algorithm– it’s not me. I’m not writing music. I’m generating probabilities for music.”

In addition to each match in the tournament producing its own unique real-time soundtrack, Murphy also created a number of remixes where he uses his divine musical touch to reshape the dynamics in order to portray the emotional ride of each match. In reference to “Match 104”, Murphy describes how he goes about this:

“When this match began, it could have been either player’s game. And like the match that inspired it, this track opens with beats that are balanced—intense but equal, just like the players—with no instrument clearly taking the lead. The music pulses steadily until the last half of the track, when the instruments start to break form as one player falls behind, andthe other takes the lead. The track ends with a soft, high-pitched whistle that ushers the defeated player off the court.”

If you wish to hear the real-time music of a specific tennis player or match, head to the official site of the US Open. Both the men’s and women’s matches are split up by date and round, as well as which court was played at and the scores by set. James Murphy’s remixes can be found on IBM’s SoundCloud stream.

nEwS.BEaTPOrT.COM

THE WAKE SOUND & VISION

SnowpiercerBy Aidan Hutt

A second ice age has wiped out life on Earth and the entire human species resides within the one thousand steel cars of a perpetual-motion train, set to travel around the world for eternity. Bong Joon-ho’s dystopiansci-fi action film “Snowpiercer” brings this chilling premise speeding to the silver screen, in an adaptation of the 1982 French graphic novel “La Transperceneige” by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. Bong is an internationally acclaimed South Korean director, who has brought audiences hits such as the crime mystery “Memories of Murder” and the monster blockbuster and cult classic “The Host.” “Snowpiercer” is Bong’s first English language production, which seems appropriate for the global themes of the film.

The sci-fi thriller follows Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) as he leads the oppressed community residing in the rear of the train on a revolution to the front. Curtis and other resistance fighters storm the front of the train, aiming for control of the almighty engine. They are befallen with twisted realizations about their conditions, as well as the evil of the upper class. The film has wonderful performances from Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, and Song Kang-ho, a long time collaborator of Bong’s. While Evans’ commercial success with his work as Captain America will bring attention to the film, his individual performance, especially at moments when the pacing of the film is slower, leaves a lot to be desired.

Bong Joon-ho’s filmmaking is on point in this movie, combining a fascinating premise and fantastic production design with important presentations of class warfare and social stratification. The film is brutal at times, with some phenomenal and severe fight scenes that really takeadvantage of the film’s entire world being one train. An intense plot, a killer set, and some damn good directing leads to “Snowpiercer” being another hit from the hot South Korean film market.

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BoyhoodBy Kristen wangsness

Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” is a movie of its own species. Filming took place for one week per year over twelve years, resulting in an unprecedented representation of childhood where the actors truly grow and mature in front of the audience’s eyes.

Watching the movie feels like growing up; it’s one milestone after another and looking back, it’s hard to believe so much could happen in what feels like such a short time. The quick pace punctuated by frequent, jarring life events is to be expected when condensing twelve years into two hours and forty five minutes. But even in the breaths between the ‘big things,’ there is nothing unimportant. Bickering between siblings, camping with dad, a bad haircut: the details are the small moments that make up our lives.

Certain elements of Boyhood are widely relatable, as growing up is a process everyone goes through. However, audience members who are currently close in age to Mason have a unique empathy, since the music, technology and fashion that surrounds Mason as he grows up reflects parts of their own childhood. Linklater attentively fine-tuned these cultural details. Nods were given to relevant events, from a Harry Potter release party to the war in Iraq and Obama’s campaign. Linklater met with panels of kids to ensure the soundtrack for each sceneauthentically matched with the year represented onscreen.

The big picture is so complex that it seems petty to nitpick at the flaws, which can mostly be excused by the fact that life is messy too. “Boyhood” is a remarkably crafted, poignant film that compacts twelve years of living into the three well-spent hours it takes to watch it.

3 reViewS

FiLMpLiciTy.coM

VArieTy.coMMAGic TricKSAnd Men in drAGThe Mystery of irma VeppBy Lillian noonan

The Jungle Theater’s relatively small proscenium takes the audience from Lord Edgar’s Mandacrest Estate to an ancient Egyptian tomb in “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” an absurdly hilarious tangle of a play. While the plot re-volves around the enigmatic death of the late bride of Lord Edgar, the real mystery is how two actors seamlessly juggle playing four characters each, both playing men, women, and supernatural beings, over three acts.

The traditional feel of “Irma Vep” initially tricks the audience into thinking this Victorian era comedy only contains highbrow humor tame enough to watch with grandma. Despite the old-fashioned theatre feel of

“Irma Vep,” however, it packs plenty of phallic jokes and innuendos, often delivered by men in petticoats and hoop skirts. The satirical script is a blow-after-blow sequence of clever wordplay and genius references for even the most scholarly of gothic literature experts. Actors Stephen Cartmell and Bradley Greenwald vigorously animate “Irma Vep” with cross-dressing and shamelessly ballsy performances, but the intricate technicalities of the production really steal the show. The duo takes turns switching from character to character,and from elaborate costume to costume, almost instantaneously. In some scenes, they even play two characters at once.

There’s no green screen or special effects when a man turns into a werewolf right before the audience’s eyes. Rather, the audience gets a chance to experience magic in the purest and most classic form: through perfectly executed theatrical gimmicks and stunts. From start to finish, “The Mystery of Irma Vep” is a spooky but silly treat, available just in time for the Halloween season.

TcdAiLy.neT

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