4B - Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
'Watch the Throne'is
not the king of 2011
ByANDREW ECKHOUS
Daily Arts Writer
When the media's tectonic
plates form mountains of hype
and awards are handed out pre-
maturely, there looms the possi-
bility that expectations won't be
met. We can look at the 2011-12
Philadelphia Eagles as a caution-
ary tale. Dubbed the "Dream
Team" by trigger-happy writers
and players prior to the season,
they finished at a-a, missing
the playoffs and inspiring pure,
spring water fresh schaden-
freude among haters.
Watch the Throne was granted
the same "Dream Team" treat-
ment from the moment of its
conception. Honestly, I drank
the Kool-Aid. I was sure that
Watch the Throne would beam
rap into another galaxy and
begin a renaissance. I expected
the explosions of "Armaged-
don" mixed with Hitchcock
creativity. Unfortunately, what
I got was Michael Bay direct-
ing "Avatar." Kanye and Jay-Z
didn't change the game so much
as they just rubber-stamped
what 2011 gave them. You like
dubstep? They've got dubstep.
You like Frank Ocean and Lex
Luger beats? Look no further!
I'm not trying to completely
discredit WtT as an album. The
flashy lyrics are quality and the
bombastic production comple-
ments Ye-Z's penthouse boasts
nicely. But I just can't brood
silently as WtT earns album of
the year accolades over and over
and over again. It's a well-made
album, but lacks the innovation
that both artists are known for.
Kanye's rap-opera, My Beauti-
ful Dark Twisted Fantasy, had
an artistic vision rarely seen,
and Jay-Z is a legend, in musical
prowess and business acumen,
meaning they should be held
to a higher standard. The gold-
plated album cover is appropri-
ate, but more apt might have
been a picture of them patting
each other on the back.
GOLDBERG
From Page 3B
was Charlie Sheen has faded,
it's time he admits his faults
Students get hands-on experience casting molds for exhibitions at the University of Michigan Natural History Museum.
Mak ng museums
"I wear my sunglasses at night. But really.
Ma'
I kno
parad
WtT,8
the hi
Jay at
the lu
alty, i
Y
e
1
about
wearit
They
and in
a...) fa
once t
cow re
is an
been a
"N***o
straigI
is a d
like "N
liant, t
examp
sion of
Kanye
in the
they s:
ybe I'm just bitter because level excellence. Being an 8 is an
w they can do better. I unbelievable accomplishment,
oxically love and hate but they traded "best of all
acknowledging it as both time" (in a Kanye West voice)
gh and low point of rap. lists for "best of 2011" lists.
nd Ye penned an ode to I know I shouldn't penal-
xurious life of rap roy- ize Watch the Throne for not
n which you can rhyme meeting my Mt. Everest-level
'_ _ expectations, but did people
congratulate the - Miami Heat
e-Z's hailed for making it to the NBA finals?
No. A pairing of the (debat-
roduction is ably) best in the game should be
judged on a separate scale, and
Xpected, not for me, Watch the Throne fell
under "could've been better."
Innovative. Greatness comes easy to Ye-Z.
There's more creativity on any
one of their albums than most
rappers have in their entire cata-
life in the hood while log, but Watch the Throne is not
ng Louis Vuitton socks. fully developed. We get it, you
know they're the kings, guys live lives that Russian bil-
true DGAF (don't give lionaires envy, but get past that.
ashion, stopped working No denying that WtT was a top
hey knew they had a cash album of 2012 - I listened to
corded. Watch the Throne "H.A.M." about 100 times - but
8, but it could've easily that top spot should be reserved
110. Watching Kanye rap for musicians who are currently
as in Paris" nine times innovating, not just doing what's
ht while wearing a kilt expected of them. In a rap vac-
ecadent thrill, and songs uum, WtT might be the album
Why I Love You" a-e bril- of the year. But when factoring
but the entire album is an in my mammoth expectations,
le of a contradictory ver- artists like A$AP Rocky and
f complacency. Jay-Z and Big K.R.I.T stand higher on the
have become complacent podium.
ir greatness, and on WtT I hate to hate, but someone's
imply don't strive for top- gotta do it.
'U' course allows
students to design
original exhibits
By EDITH FREYER
DailyArts Writer
Most students don't normally
find themselves in laboratories
painting faux toads and casting
molds of vegetables for credit,
but the story is different for stu-
dents in an increasingly popu-
lar museum methods course. In
addition to reproducing objects
like these, students get to learn
about broader exhibit design
and even practice writing dis-
play labels.
Museum Methods 406, titled
"Special Problems in Museum
Methods," is a class more than
a quarter of a century old that
has become a University favor-
ite of many University students,
from freshmen anthropology
majors to postdoctoral students.
Whether participants are inter-
ested in museum work as a
potential career or just taking
the class for filler credits, the
course is popular as a means of
understanding a distinct art-sci-
ence hybrid.
John Klausmeyer, the senior
exhibit preparator for the Uni-
versity of Michigan Museum of
Natural History, has been the
course's instructor since 1986.
Though he initially planned to be
a medical illustrator, after taking
the original museum methods
course himself he decided to pur-
sue museum work.
"(Museum work is) a mix of
using art to teach science. And
medical illustration is kind of the
same; you're using art to teach telling, and then working with
medicine," Klausmeyer said in a the faculty and curators who are
phone interview. involved in that."
Inthe mid-'80s, he was offered The course also grants su-
the chance to take over the dents behind-the-scenes access
instruction of the course and to the inner workings of the
jumped at the opportunity. He Museum of Natural History.
said his diverse training helps Even as a docent, Lewandowski
him connect with the many dif- was enlightened by the inside
ferent kinds of students who take view that the course offered.
the class. "It was really cool - so we got
"My background in biology, to see all these specimens of birds
anatomy and design really has and fish and mammals, and it was
come into use here," Klausmeyer really extraordinary. I had no
said. idea that all that stuff was there,"
Naomi Lewandowski, a 2011 Lewandowski said.
graduate of the Ecology and Evo- To ensure a high level of indi-
lutionary Biology program and vidual attention from Klausmey-
former student of Klausmeyer, er, the popular class is capped at
described the course's structure. 12 students, making it somewhat
"There are two major com- difficult to get into. In addition,
ponents of the class, and one is there are no prerequisites for the
the projects that we did, and the course, so the range of student
other is just learning about how makeup is vast.
museums work and what they "I think that's one of the rea-
involve," Lewandowski said in a sons why it's popular - it's a
phone interview. chance for people that are fresh-
Lewandowski discovered the men and sophomores to meet
course through her work as a grad students in a situation
docent at the Museum of Natural where they're on the same level,"
History, and was grouped with a Klausmeyer said.
wide variety of students. Lewandowski said she isn't
"There were a few other surprised bythe popularityofthe
docents, and then some random course.
kids, mostly people who are inter- "Bringing things to life that
ested in museums - (anthro- you normally wouldn't get to see
pology) majors or people with in front of you, getting a more in-
museum studies minors and MFA depth view of that, is something
students," Lewandowski said, that would appeal to a lot of peo-
One of the notable elements ple," Lewandowski said.
of the course is the high level of Since the class is meant to suit
hands-on activity, a wide variety of skill sets, the
"A lot of the class is just the projects are structured so that a
basics in doing molding and cast- large range of students can suc-
ing of the kind of objects you ceed.
might have in a natural history "Very often, we'll have people
exhibit," Klausmeyer said. in the class who have never paint-
"It took us weeks to get it per- ed before, and they do really, real-
fectly right. It totally opened my ly well," Klausmeyer said.
eyes to how much work these He noted that one of the most
guys actually put into the stuff in rewarding components of the
the museum," Lewandowski said. class is witnessing the progress
Klausmeyer explained that the of those students who are less
hands-on work is imperative to familiar with the coursework to
understanding a typical career in begin with.
the field. "They always start out very
"We do a cast of a fossil ver- unsure of themselves, and watch-
tebrate, and I have them do a ing them get excited as the
fruit or a vegetable just to get semester goes by, that makes it
experience using fresh biologi- worth it for me. The ones who are
cal materials," Klausmeyer said. shaky at first, but then get better
"There's also a paper they write and better - that makes my day
on aspects of educational design when that happens."
theory, and with that, they work Students who do well in the
with our person here who's in class leave with some of the
charge of the educational pro- portfolio pieces necessary for
grams." pursuing museum work. Klaus-
In relation to exhibit design,. meyer noted that undergradu-
Klausmeyer explained that the ate students who want to pursue
most important aspect involves museum studies further are now
deciding the specific story that able to do so thanks to the minor
is being conveyed to visitors. program, which was established
"With ;us, that's very much in 2009.
determined through being the "I would say, maybe if not
public face of U of M science, every year, every other year, at
especially as it relates to natural least one person from the class
history." Klausmeyer said. "But gets into museum work as a
mostly, it's what's the story we're career," Klausmeyer said.
and the madness he portrayed
in 2011. If Sheen can recreate
himself as crazy in one year,
let's hope he can reverse his
tarnished image in 2012. Hope-
fully, Sheen can see from 2011
that "winning" has never been
such a loss.
Goldberg is writing all of the
headlines for 2012. To help her,
e-mail hsgold@umich.edu.
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ALLISON KRUSKE/Daily
LSA senior Vicki Moses works on a frog sculpture for Museum Methods 406.