6A - Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

A playlist of advice
for freshmen

Lyrics to hit songs
can tell you how to
live life at the 'U'
ByJENDALL RUSS
OnlineArts Editor
You've arrived at Michigan.
You've enjoyed your first win
at the Big House, cheering rau-
cously as. you and thousands
of your neon Maize-clad peers
form a cowbell-and-lanyard-
fueled euphoria. You've stub-
bornly worn your freshman
lanyard to every single orienta-
tion event. You've decided to
frame your lanyard for the good
luck it brought you at UMix triv-
ia. You love your lanyard. You
look at your lanyard and think,
Oh, lanyard, can college possibly
get any better than this?
Now, I'm not here to answer
that admittedly difficult ques-
tion. And I am absolutely not
here to patronize you. I wore
my lanyard once, too. I'm merely
here to offer you some totally
unwarranted, probably unde-
sired and yet, perhaps, mar-
ginally helpful guidance on
approaching your college expe-
rience.
Since I usually write about
music, and since I lack author-
ity to speak on the matter on
any grounds other than the I've-
been-here-F O R E V E R-so-let-
me-tell-you-how-to-do-it angle,
I thought I'd invoke a muse, or
four, and try to spell out some
lessons I've learned - or wish I
had learned sooner - during my
three-plus years at Michigan.
Make of them what you will.
Animal Collective -
"College"
Relevant lyric: "You don't have
to go to college."

The question appears in
many forms, usually first in high
school. "Where are you going to
school?" Eventually, once you've
settled: "What school do you
go to?" When you near the fin-
ish line, it alters slightly: "What
kind of job are you looking
for?" The fundamental prem-
ise underlying these questions,
though, suggests there is a path
we must follow, a structure we
must fit in to, a game we have to
play. Today, the question is not,
"Do you want to go to college?"
It's "What college are you going
to?" There's an implied sense of
obligation, of having no viable
alternative.
I was asked the other day if I
went to school. It was refreshing
to hear, not least of all because
I'm tired of all the questions
about what my post-graduation
plans are. It was asked without
pretext, and it reminded me of
that Animal Collective lyric. You
don't have to go to college to be
successful, find your passion or
eat a lot of pizza (though it might
help for that last one).
Sometimes it feels like college
is somethingwe have to do. When
it does, it becomes alot less enjoy-
able. Don't go to college because
you think you have to. You don't.
Go to college because it offers you
the best resources for learning -
about yourself, about growing up,
about the world.
Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend"
Relevant lyric: "Call your girl-
friend/It's time you had the talk/
Give your reasons/Say it's not her
fault / But you just met somebody
new"
'Your brother is telling you to.
Your parents are telling you to.
Your friends are telling you to.
Even you're kinda telling you to.
And now I'm telling you to. Trust
me onthis one.

The National - "Slow Show"
Relevant lyric: "You know I've
dreamed aboutyou/For29 years/
BeforeIsawyou"
Don't wait 29 years like Matt
Berninger - go out and meet
people! Introduce yourself to that
cute boy or girl you always sit
next to in Statistics. Maybe you'll
get married on the spot. Join that
club you're interested in but over-
whelmed by. Be overwhelmed.
It's normal. Michigan is a huge
school. Make it smaller.
All orientation speak aside,
don't refuse a potentially great
thing by defeating yourself. If
someone's a jerk to you, they
aren't worth it anyway. Don't let a
jerk dictate your life. Nobodylikes
jerks anyway.
Pink Floyd - "Shine On You
Crazy Diamond"
Relevant lyric: "Shine on you
crazy diamond / Come on you
raver, you seer ofvisions/ Come on
youpainter,youpiperyouprisoner,
andshine!"
A lot of things are going to
happen to you in college. Some
of them will be really good, and
some will be truly awful. You're
going to make a lot of mistakes.
People (like me) will try to tell
you how to avoid making those
mistakes, but at the end of the day,
you're on the hook. Don't worry so
much about doingit right or doing
it wrong that you wind up doing
nothing at all. You'll end up learn-
ing a lot more about yourself if you
don't let other people's experienc-
es direct your own.
Do your thing. Don't take
yourself too seriously. Enjoy your
time at Michigan and shine on
like only a crazy diamond could.
Because you know what they
say: #YOLO - You Only Lanyard
Once..

6
6

An intimate game of Pacman.
Ponsoldt paints
'Spectacular' love story

By ANDREW MCCLURE
Daily Arts Writer
Amid all the superficialities of
high school, there's something
real and foretelling about those

four years:
the bullshit
classes, the
hard .classes;
the odd gym
teacher, the
cool one; the
druggies, the
straight-edges;
the sex, the
non-sex. It's
merely life in

The
Spectacular
Now
At State
A24


V t

SEND US A TWERK.

microcosmic form, where a line
of chalk distinguishes elite from
average, yet everyone's equally
flawed. For most, the epiphany
monsoons in around late junior
year, when it hits them - this
"future" shit sort of matters. In
the poignant "The Spectacular
Now," two unlikely sweethearts

cross b
son tha
Forl
release,
soldt
had a
self as
and dis
"Smash
ular." H
dy as a
in a ba
also to
their m
unadult
does th
paints'
"to care
loudmo
Sutte
"Footlo
homie,I
confide
coiffed
and un
clothier
confide
to shov
him fo
perfect
only clt
is thatl
the pr
he con
Unforti
someth
disguis
reliever
the abr
despair
alc(
be s

ut ignore the integral les- a belligerent mother. Unlike
t each offers the other. Sutter, she hasn't undergone a
his third feature-length recent hardship like breakups
filmmaker James Pon- because, frankly, her life's pret-
("Smashed") might've ty simple with few moving parts
drinking problem him- so emotional collision is rare for
we see booze integrate Aimee. They make the happiest,
integrate his leads from saddest, afflicted and entirely
ed" to his new "Spectac- unaware couple. And it's good.
3e uses scotch and bran- Film whiners love to bitch
link to connect people about believability in casting
isement-party sense but choices, but . for just reason.
peel back the layers of Some directors like to idealize
asks, to zoom in on their while others seem to strip off
terated sentiments. He the glitter so severely that we're
is particularly well as he left with skin and bones and a
vulnerability all over his quivering lip. Ponsoldt manages
e is to surrender" leading a happy medium where Sutter's
uth. cool, but not enviably so, and
r Keely (Miles Teller, Aimee's beautiful, but not in a
ose") is the man, the describable way. This allows us
the dude, the coolest. His to engross in the story, a story
nce in his car, naturally that can be told without second-
hair, blonde girlfriend guessing Aimee's chiseled facial
deserved job at a men's features or Sutter's alluring,
r balance his outward scratchy voice. You never have
nce. When push comes' to grimace in this coming-of-
'e, his girlfriend dumps ager. You're in the good hands of
r the jocky, otherwise- Ponsoldt.
class president. Sutter's Teen flicks usually tell viewers
ue to his recent dumping how to feel through sappy scores
he needs to look beyond or original soundtracks. You've
esent, a clear problem screened too many "American
siders his biggest asset. Pie"-like pics if the 6ldplay-
unately, that asset entails backed final scenes extract tears.
ing grimmer and in "Spectacular" skips the piano
e as an 80-proof stress and emo lyrics and instead deliv-
. Kid's got a problem, and ers slow, heartfelt moments.
upt trauma leaves him in During their drive back from
visiting Sutter's estranged father
for the first time, a loaded Sut-
ter swerves horribly into the left
1k e lane almost silencing Aimee and
himself. A voice-cracking Sutter
teenage demands Aimee getout of the car
because she can't see that he "is
)holics could bad for her." No song or church
organ would enhance this scene;
>o endearing? the longer the raw silence, the
better.

@michdailyarts

i iCall: #734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE- Wednesday, September 4, 2013
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Sometimes a small town can
spin a yarn better than Gotham.
Aimee Finecky (Shailene And that's preciselywhat "Spec-
Woodley, "The Descendants") tacular" sets out to do: use all
is the supreme foil of Sutter: She the core ingredients of a high-
has one friend, likes sci-fi books, school stew devoid of any super-
doesn't go to parties and is a vir- fluous salt, trans fat or sugar
gin. To boot,'her dad died and cubes. And Woodley provides
she lives in a one-story flat with the best bite.
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All mass meetings start at 7:30.
See you there!

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