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4B - Thursday, February 7, 2008
BAND
From Page 1B
but this time out oft
line-fueled irony? It
ble. The audience ho
lasts and what fallsi
level seats, parachutists dropping from the In the 1980s, the
sky and full-blown circus floats maneuvering short-lived mascot
around the field. very offended Mic
The overall direction of halftime perfor- college mascots w
mances seems to be toward more clutter, more every other school
extravagance, more variety. And, in a way, this gan would have non
mentality takes a toll on how we listen to the was out of place wi
music. It's hard to listen to a military band and acy. So, instead of1
not think the sound is too sparse and outdated. stunt for the movie
We're used to full brass and percussion that have been brilliant
vibrate the metal bleachers. Flawed or not, the memory of Willy an
common perception is that show bands need to Another trend ti
be musically and visually stunning in order to band nickname. D
stay fresh and innovative. Playing Guitar Hero temporarily known
clips on the JumboTron isn't just an attempt to Band," but easily gr
connecting with a faction of the audience; it's a doesn'tplay showsa
determined effort to stay with the times. says there's a simp]
The historical glitz and fanfare of the pre- nickname: "We don
game show permit the band to do these kinds that we're the grea
of experiments during halftime. All it has to do world, everybody al
is bludgeon the audience with enough rendi- Even though the
tions of the fight song before moving on to the Jovi and Louis ElbE
untested material. It's amazing how resilient separates tradition
and untouched Michigan's pre-game show has not that obvious. Fo
remained. So many bands across the country only inhabits Satur
perform "The Victors" that you'd think it was But what it repre
the national anthem. Even John Philip Sousa greater. It shows ou
said it was the greatest college fight song ever and most of all, our
written. It's safe to say "The Victors" will never we normally take Ii
fall from prominence, but who's to say other our four years here-
songs won't rise to the same distinction? tion. Pleasing everyc
How can we be sure that 20 years from now when it's more than
we won't still be hearing "Livin' on a Prayer," the school's legacy.
tradition instead of adrena-
:t's completely, scarily possi-
as the power to decide what
into distantmemory.
University introduced the
"Willy the Wolverine" to a
higan crowd. Even though
ere a staple at practically
across the country, Michi-
e of it. A gimmick like Willy
th the school's historic leg-
passing it off as a publicity
"Red Dawn," which would
, the University buried the
.d hasn't looked back.
hat never caught on was a
ecades ago, the band was
n as "The Transcontinental
ew out of favor. What band
across the country? Boerma
ler reason for not having a
't need a silly logo to show
test marching band in the
ready knows it."
e differences between Bon
el are glaring, the line that
from phenomenon is really
r a lot of people, the MMB
day morning home games.
sents is something much
ur response, our enjoyment
participation in something
ghtly. It doesn't just define
- it helps define our institu-
one is impossible, especially
just a halftime at stake; it's
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
xA MEDIA
From Page 3B
egates are actually dolled out. This
general obfuscation cynically bal-
ances our need to know more about
the process than ever.
The public at large knows very
little about that good ol' doling pro-
cess. Without alluding to Barack
Obama, this election has turned out
unprecedented numbers and split
voting blocks on both sides of the
fence. At this pace, the nominees
from both parties might be cast only
once the forge burns through a lot of
agonizing red tape.
Or not. One candidate from each
party could neatly clinch victory
in the next few weeks. It's hard to
make the public care about 2000
again, unless the same thing hap-
pens at the primary level in 2008.
Exhibit C:
Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert
and Conan O'Brien all combined
their lukewarm acts on Monday.
Although there were a few laughs,
can we please get some money to
the people who make this stuff pal-
atable on a daily basis?
Klein confuses Anderson Cooper
and Stuart Scott because he can't
)TO decide who he'd rather be. E-mail
him at andresar@umich.edu
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The Michigan Marching Band gets the pageantry out of the way before the game.
GRAMMYS
Experimental From Page
" - t n l', BEST DANCE RECORDING
a rte t n0 l9 atT
L4LX L X kj u IJ V C.l i11J .l 1. ...J
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By PRIYA BALI
DailyArts Writer
In a world where ancient Greek
text is projected onto a floor and can
be read by pushing revolving doors, it
becomes clearthatartistakingaroad
less traveled. This is the world artist
Satoru Takahashi has created with
his internation-
ally recognized Satoru
installations.
Satoru Taka- Takahashi
hashi, a professor Tonight at
in the School of 5 p.m.
Art & Design, will At Michigan
bedeliveringatalk Theater
today at the Mich-
igan Theater as part of the Penny W.
Stamps Distinguished Visitors Series.
He will discuss how body movement,
memory and place all function in the
production of his works.
Takahashi's artwork is anything
but flat. After all, the attempt to inves-
tigate how the self interacts in various
environments would be even more
challenging if we were restricted to
two-dimensional forms.
These questions are the seeds from
which multiple perspectives blos-
som through the use of multimedia.
Takahashi's multimedia approach
has given him the tools to investigate
rhetorical questions such as "who
are we?" and "Where are we going?"
through a modernlens.
The uniqueness of Takahashi's art-
work relies on the physical placement
of the installation. Inone of his earlier
projects, Takahashi usedbookshelves
to form a library in a forest, which
was later moved to a gallery space
and then transformed into an under-
ground library in an olive garden in
Japan. Geographical space as well
as interior versus exterior space are
all factors that alter the installation's
effect and reinforce the idea that his
work is site-specific.
"Each place has a very specific
connotation and meaning, automati-
cally people try to look at the piece in
connection with the context, the his-
tory and the story of that site," Taka-
hashi said.
Audience participation is also a
crucial component in shaping the
viewer's experience of the work.
Takahashi's installations are often
exhibited in large open spaces that
allow people to walk around.
"People can move, and people
can watch," he said. "People can feel
the movement of time, and the body
movement in space."
In 2007 Takahashi collaborated
with Japanese and German artists
and researchers at the Kyoto Art Cen-
ter in Japan. Installations were set up
throughout the center to create the
idea that art is a way to enclose mem-
ory. In one such installation, pictures
and passages from encyclopedias
were projected onto the area within
a corridor. Paintings by Alzheimer
patients were also put on display in
another area of the center. The idea
was to create a space full of accessible
memories.
"I was trying to change the way
of looking by inspiring people's past
perception," Takahashi said.
Takahashi's next project will
explore how memory can be
enhanced by forming concrete imag-
es from abstract patterns. The instal-
lation will allow Alzheimer patients
to visualize images using constella-
tion patterns and their own life story.
Inspiration from this came from the
16th century Italian architect Giulio
Camillo's who created a memory the-
ater that had architectural character-
istics.
If Takahashi's art takes a road less
traveled then it is only appropriate
that it remain unconventional and
that it continue to push the boundar-
ies around what we deem art.
"Do It Again" - The Chemical
Brothers
"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
"Love Today" - Mika
"Don't Stop the Music" - Rihanna
"LoveStoned/I Think She Knows"
- Justin Timberlake
Should Win: "D.A.N.C.E." - Jus-
tice
Will Win: "LoveStoned/I Think
She Knows" - Justin Timberlake
There's no clear standout here,
but it would be a travesty to look,
past the stunner by the upstart
Justice. The track has a slight disco
edge but is grounded by the slight-
ly comprehensible lyrics shouted
by what must be an 8-year-old
girl. However, there's a chance the
song didn't get much play outside
the underground sects, even if
MySpace is sponsoring its latest
tour. Timberlake is just too strong
and well known and will likely
repeat this year.
BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE
ALBUM
We Are The Night - The Chemical
Brothers
t - Justice
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsys-
tem
We Are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns
Elements OfLife - Tiesto
Should Win: Sound ofSilver - LCD
Soundsystem
Will Win: Sound of Silver - LCD
Soundsystem
This category always pits the
techno mainstays against the
year's best in indie dance. The
results? Well, this is only the cat-
egory's fourth year in existence.
The ChemicalBrothersgotthe win
two years ago, but Madonna won
last year. This one is a crapshoot.
But James Murphy and compa-
ny should really take this home.
Sound ofSilver was one of the best-
reviewed albums of the year, and
it's hard to think the Academy is
going to disagree. Maybe Silver
only had a few orgasmic tracks,
but, overall, it was still damn fun.
LCD is certainly more mainstream
than Tiesto, and it might be a few
more years before Justice proves
itself to the masses.
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH
VOCALS
"It's Not Over" - Daughtry
"Working Class Hero" - Green
Day
"If Everyone Cared" - Nickelback
"Instant Karma" - U2
"Icky Thump" - The White
Stripes
Should Win: "Icky Thump" - The
White Stripes
Will Win: "Instant Karma" - U2
The White Stripes should get
some love here. "Icky Thump" was
one of those tracks they released
before the rest of the album and
had everyone thinking they might
return to their rock roots. But
this time they delivered the rock.
More grating than usual, more
political and more of the same old
Meg, "Icky" was an understated
hell-raiser, aided by a bluesy kick
in the balls. Sadly, though, U2 and
the Academy have some sort of
affair before the show every year.
It's getting absurd how often they
win. But if Nickelback wins, we're
killing ourselves. Seriously.
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC
ALBUM
Alright, Still... - Lily Allen
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Volta - Bjork
Wincing the Night Away - The
Shins
Icky Thump - The White Stripes
Should Win: Volta - Bjork
Will Win: Wincing the Night Away
- The Shins
The Academy has a way of
picking the most boring album in
the category against more origi-
nal selections. Don't expect any
change this year. They'll pass over
arguably the best female vocalist
of our generation: Bjork. Volta is
wispy, dense, sensual and childish
all at the same time. It packed a dif-
ferent punch with each new song
- "Innocence" mimicking a gut-
check, "Declare Independence"
throbbing of a platoon marching
and "My Juvenile" letting Bjork
show her chops. It's way too squir-
relly to be considered. That's why
the sheepish, almost-forgotten
Shins album will take it.
Will win: "Stronger" - Kanye
West
In a regular year, Common
would've taken down this catego-
ry. Fact of the matter is, 2007 was
no ordinary year for hipbhop. It saw
more incredible singles than ever
before, moving the embarrass-
ingly lethargic Common track into
the background. That said, Kanye
West - with the voice box freak-
outs of T-Pain accompanying him
- is a lock for this category. No
more hissy fits. He deserves this.
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BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH BEST. RAP PERFORMANCE
VOCALS BY A DUO OR GROUP
"Same Girl" - R. Kelly ft. Usher
"Disrespectful" - Chaka Khan ft.
Mary J. Blige
"Hate That I Love You" - Rihanna
ft. Ne-Yo
"Baby" - Angie Stone ft. Betty
Wright
"Bartender" - T-Pain ft. Akon
Should win: "Bartender" - T-Pain
ft. Akon or "Same Girl" - R. Kelly
ft. Usher
Will win: "Hate That I Love You"
- Rihanna ft. Ne-Yo
There's little to separate T-
Pain's "Bartender" and R. Kelly's
"Same Girl" besides Rihanna's
"Hate That I Love You" in what
seems like a dead heat. This
should-be two-horse race will be
unfortunately overcome by the
bombastic celebrity of Rihanna
and Ne-Yo. Both are experiencing
incredible amounts of mainstream
success while keeping -seemingly
most important for the Grammys
- somewhat wholesome values.
The explicit, though undeniably
great, R. Kelly and the heir to Kel's
pop R&B throne T-Pain will be
overlooked by the aforementioned
duo mainly for the aforementioned
image.
"Southside" - Common ft. Kanye
West
"Make It Rain" - Fat Joe ft. Lil
Wayne
"Party Like a Rockstar" - Shop
Boyz
"Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose
You)" - UGK ft. OutKast
"Better Than I've Ever Been" -
Kanye West, Nas and KRS-One
Should win: "Int'l Players Anthem
(I Choose You)" - UGK ft. Out-
Kast
Will win: "Int'l Players Anthem (I
Choose You)" - UGK ft. OutKast
With the recent passing of UGK
member Pimp C, "Int'l Players
Anthem" becomes the obvious
shoo-in for this category. Unfor-
tunately, most will attribute this
award to his death and overlook
the excellence of the track.In what
is one of the most highly-contested
awards of the night, UGK's South-
ern anthem avoids all the pitfalls it
could've encountered - bringing
together two drastically different
groups can often yield disastrous
effects - while producing a badass
beat and a few downright timeless
one-liners.
BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABO-
BEST RAP SOLO PERFOR- RATION
MANCE
Attention Students!
"The People" - Common
"I Get Money" - 50 Cent
"Show Me What You Got" - Jay-Z
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - T.I.
"Stronger" - Kanye West
Should win: Anything but "The
People" - Common
"I Wanna Love You" - Akon ft.
Snoop Dogg
"Kiss, Kiss" - Chris Brown ft. T-
Pain
"Let It Go" -Keyshia Cole ft. Missy
Elliott and Lil' Kim
"Umbrella"- Rihanna ft. Jay-Z
"Good Life" - Kanye West ft T-
Pain
Should win: "Good Life" - Kanye
West ft. T-Pain
Will win: "Good Life" - Kanye
West ft. T-Pain
Continuing his dominance of
this year's Grammys, Kanye will
take down yet another win for
"Good Life." This track is just so
fuckingcinematic.T-Pain'spanting
cries, the twitchy, chipmunk beat
and Kanye's smooth flows make
this a song that can't be touched.
All of its competitors are undeni-
ably qualified, namely "Kiss, Kiss"
and "Umbrella," but there's just
something about "Good Life."
BEST RAP ALBUM
Finding Forever - Common
Kingdom Come - Jay-Z
Hip HoplIs Dead - Nas
T. vs TIP. - T.L
Graduation - KanyeWest
Should win: Graduation - Kanye
West
Will win: Graduation - Kanye
West
He's going to win best album of
the year. He's going to win best rap
album of the year. He deserves it.
Maybe he'll shut up now.
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the perfect summer job
before other students do!
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* rStudentUniverse.com I