The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - 5A
Media satire to
'18 Months' backed by
classic Harris sound
permeate 'Tragedy'
Basement Arts The 50-minute play's humor other props, DiUbaldo has chosen
has been compared to that of to observe Eno's written direc-
takes minimalist "The Daily Show," and explores tions of keeping a bare stage.
the absurdity of news media and "(It) lets the actors and the
approach to parody its tendency to create stories audience focus on the charac-
rather than follow them. ters, and their relationships, and
By MAX RADWIN "Tragedy" focuses on one their words," he said. "Which I
For the Daily central crisis: It's nighttime, the think is really important."
sun has set and no one knows if it For anyone unfamiliar with
This election cycle, Jon Stew- is ever going to rise again. Noth- Eno's work, this performance
art of "The Daily Show" has ing has happened to suggest that can serve as an opportunity to
pulled better it won't; nevertheless, reporters experience a comedy by one of
ratings from Igy A are there on the scene to capture America's rising playwrights.
young audi- the action and cover the story Among other achievements,
ences than any Tragedy as if it were really the end of the Eno's 2005 play "Thom Pain
major cable world. (based on nothing)" was a final-
news network. Thursday, Each member of the news ist for the Pulitzer Prize in
It's no surprise Friday and team seems to embody a differ- Drama.
considering the Saturday at 7 ent archetype of the media. Their "He really does have his own
frenzy of elec- p.m.and Friday names alone are a satirical com- genre of theater I think that he's
tion coverage at11 p.m., mentary on the industry: Michael starting to develop," he said.
coming from Walgreen the Legal Advisor is a know-it-all The chance to direct one of
24/7 media Drama Center who knows nothing, Frank in the Eno's shows isn't an opportunity
outlets. And Free Studio might remind older audi- DiUbaldo is taking for granted -
with the over- ence members of an aged Walter he's relishing the experience.
flow of infor- Cronkite and Constance at the Just like "The Daily Show,"
mation, political satire may feel Home serves as the token female Eno's "Tragedy: A Tragedy"
like a necessity. on staff in charge of special inter- can provide an intellectual and
Perhaps because of these sen- est stories. cultural experience for those
timents, Basement Arts director The show explores "how lan- in search of one. But it can also
Avery DiUbaldo chose to put on guage doesn't mean anything. provide the kind of lighthearted
"Tragedy: A Tragedy" by Pulit- It's just a pile of words that ends satire Stewart has so popular-
zer prize-nominated playwright up sinking down on itself," said ized as well.
Will Eno. DiUbaldo. "It's a really funny show,"
"(The play) is partially a sat- According to DiUbaldo, the DiUbaldo said. "People can get
ire- on the news media, but it source of the play's humor lies turned off by all that high-mind-
is also sort of a more probing in the struggle to extract impor- ed talk and the meaningless-
question into what gives a per- tant information from a situa- ness of one's life and existential
son's life meaning ... " DiUbaldo tion that is obviously devoid of it. wordplay, but (in) the very core
explained. Except for a desk and a few it's a really funny show."
By GREGORY HICKS
Daily Arts Writer
The average listener may
assume that 18 Months is Cal-
vin Harris's debut album, but it
will actually be
his third stu-
dio album -
and he's going Calvin Harris
stronger than
ever. As the 18 Months
lead producer of
Rihanna's "We
Found Love,"
Harris gained the attention need-
ed to become an even bigger inter-
COLUMBIA
Calvin Harris is confused today.
nationa
his Rea
Har
lighthe
was on
fans at
of '80s
twist."
to the;
listener
ris. Th
wiches
instrun
flooded
combin
and "Al
Th
To t
18 Mo
synthp:
laborat
with N
the Bo
Clearly
on the
past hi:
and "I'
1 sensation than he was in It wouldn't be a true electro-
dyfor the Weekend days. house album writhout a few lyr-
ris may not be the same ic-less tracks repetitive enough
arted, nu-disco style DJ he to use as a CIA torture device.
his first two albums, but "Awooga" begins as a relatively
e still getting a fair share musical piece but becomes two-
throwback with a modern and-a-half-minutes of (what
School" is a brief flashback sounds like) a semi-automatic
simple, quirky sounds that laser gun.
rs should expect from Har- "Iron" is Harris's experiment
e production quality sand- with heavy dubstep. With any
the song with cheap synth luck, it will be left as an experi-
aentation, but becomes ment. The intro track, "Green Val-
with soothing reverb ley," would be a simple, successful
ed with vocal "Oooo's" lead into the record if it weren't
hhh's" at midpoint. for the female vocalist, who con-
tributes no singing and merely
an "Oh" every seven seconds.
e British are Perhaps Calvin Harris has some
grudge against this woman and
wants his listeners to feel com-
pelled to loathe her monotonous
annoyance.
Promotionally speaking, how-
keep up with the times, ever, the collaborations are not
nths has harder-hitting America-friendly. Harris found
op, particularly in its col- success in American hits with
ive songs like "Let's Go" "Feel So Close," "We Found
e-Yo and "Drinking from Love" and "Let's Go" thanks to
ttle" with Tinie Tempah. the U.S. familiarity of the singers,
,Harris wanted to expand but America's xenophobic musi-
sound (and success) of his cal tendencies will do Harris no
ts "You Used to Hold Me" favors.
m Not Alone." Around these parts, Florence
Welch is the "Dog Days"lady,Ellie
Goulding is the "Lights" girl and
Kelis is the one that likes to sing
about her milkshakes - despite
having nine Top-10 singles in the
United Kingdom and two Gram-
mys. Good luck finding someone
who has even heard of Example
and Dizzee Rascal. Unfortunate-
ly, Europe's hit-makers are Amer,
icas one-hit wonders, and their
names aren't the best method to
grab attention.
With few exceptions, Harris
continually displays significant
talent in the field of composi-
tion, proving that he isn't merely
a sound junkie. Also, nearly every
featured artist is widely regarded
as a powerful lyricist - perfect
to compensate for the writing
aspect that Harris is known tobe
least skilled with. The teamwork
with these artists is what makes
18 Months a quality piece of work
and a guaranteed hit - at least in
Europe.
The record might be too radio-
friendly for his die-hard fans, but
his nu-disco sound still works its
way into the music, if not every-
where. Calvin Harris - the singer,
songwriter, producer and DJ - is
no one-trick pony.
TWEET-LE DEE, TWEET-LE DUM
FOLLOW US YOU LAZY BUM
@michdailyarts
THAT MATCHES YOUR
PASSION FOR SUCCESS.
Quinnipiac University's new Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine has all the resources you need to
become a culturally competent physician and change the way health care is delivered across the country.
Apply to become a member of our Fall 2013 charter class. Our students will enjoy:
- State-of-the-art facilities in a spacious new building
- Experienced faculty dedicated to teaching
- Early clinical experience and engagement withhealth care students and faculty from the Schools of Health
. Sciences and Nursing
. A respectful, diverse and inclusive community
Learn more at nettersom.quinnipiac.edu, call toll free 1-855-582-7766 or email medicine@quinnipiac.edu.
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY
1-855-582-7766 1 North Haven, Connecticut
4