6A — Monday, September 14, 2015
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘Go Set a Watchman’
is OK as a standalone
By ALEX BERNARD
Daily Community Culture Editor
All right, two things.
1. The publication of this book.
Harper Lee is a sight and hearing-
impaired
89-year-old
stroke victim.
In November
2014,
her
protector, her
sister
Alice,
passed
away.
Since
then,
her
accounts
have
been
taken over and seen after by the
same woman who “discovered”
the manuscript of “Go Set a
Watchman.”
Whether or not Ms. Lee
gave
publication
consent
or
was even in a position to give
definitive consent is unclear at
best. At worst, as Joe Nocera
of The New York Times wrote,
“...the publication of ‘Go Set a
Watchman’ constitutes one of
the epic money grabs in the
modern history of American
publishing.” You can read more
about the novel’s unsettling road
to publication in Nocera’s article
and by reading any review of the
book.
2. According to Ms. Lee’s
former editor, Tay Hohoff, “Go
Set a Watchman” is the first
draft of the book that would later
become the classic race novel,
“To Kill a Mockingbird.” In
fact, Hohoff described “Go Set a
Watchman” as “more a series of
anecdotes than a fully conceived
novel,” but that “the spark of a
true writer flashed in every line.”
Indeed, many passages from
“Mockingbird” are replicated in
“Watchman,” of which you can
read more about at qz.com.
With these facts in mind, we
belatedly review the book. Not
because we approve of the way
Ms. Lee’s work has been treated,
but because “Watchman” has two
covers and pages in the middle,
and so it should be discussed.
Onward.
“Watchman”
takes
place
during the civil rights movement
and follows Jean Louise “Scout”
Finch as she returns to Maycomb
two decades after the events of
“Mockingbird.” In the novel,
we’re re-introduced to Calpurnia,
Uncle Jack, Aunt Alexandra and
Atticus and meet Henry “Hank”
Clinton, a young 30-something
local lawyer/war hero/Maycomb
darling who’s been pining after
Jean Louise since his senior
dance. Immediately, the novel
adopts a grim tone when we learn
that Jem, Scout’s brother, passed
away some years ago.
Hohoff was exactly right when
she said that Ms. Lee showed
“the spark of a true writer” in
“Watchman.” What the novel
lacks in focus, it makes up for in
depth. Ms. Lee’s descriptions of
Maycomb, while ill-placed, are
specific and clever. Told through
a somewhat limited third person,
Jean Louise’s observations are a
bright spot, exhibiting glimmers
of
that
unique
perspective
from
which
“Mockingbird”
was written. Ms. Lee colors
Scout with a shade of cynicism,
carefully coated over a youthful
optimism that rings true in her
attitude and her humor:
“Her favorite game was golf
because its essential principles
consisted of a stick, a small ball,
and a state of mind.”
Unfortunately,
where
“Watchman” swerves off course
are the exact places where
“Mockingbird” earned its status
as a classic. Characters, while not
entirely flat, are predictable and
insincere. Like politicians, you
know what they’re going to say
and you know it’s (usually) going
to be condescending.
Not
to
suggest
that
an
unlikable character can’t be an
important or a well-developed
one,
though
most
of
the
characters in “Watchman” do
deserve a brick in the face. But
that fact alone doesn’t make the
book not-so-great.
What makes the book not-
so-great is a lack of cohesion
and a fumbled approach to a
significant question: How do you
deal with the fact that someone
you love has done (or is doing)
something utterly, unfathomably
unforgivable? Is it unforgivable?
Or is it merely reprehensible?
I’ll explain.
At the book’s halfway point,
Jean Louise sees her father
Atticus at the Maycomb County
Citizens’ Council, i.e. a white
supremacy meeting. Their goal:
Combat desegregation. Resist
the Supreme Court and the civil
rights movement.
This scene, perhaps above
any
other,
highlights
the
ocean of difference between
“Mockingbird” and “Watchman.”
Jean Louise, after seeing her
father
as
a
Council
board
member, mistily remembers how
he used to be, how she’d thought
of him before this moment:
“The one human being she had
ever fully and wholeheartedly
trusted.” To Jean Louise, Atticus
“had
betrayed
her,
publicly,
grossly, and shamelessly.”
But
before
you
too
take
up arms against a fictional
character, remember: This is
a different Atticus, a man who
no longer exists or acts in the
interest of a novel like “To Kill a
Mockingbird,” but exists in “Go
Set a Watchman” one moving
part in a machine with different
priorities.
Those
priorities
demand that a hero be villain.
But we lose that hero for the good
of a book we don’t love, and that
hurts.
But no matter how much
we
think
about
reading
“Mockingbird” in eighth grade
or watching ol’ Gregory Peck
lean back in his rocking chair
to spin a monologue, Atticus’s
racism is not poor writing. It’s a
complication of something that
matters a great deal to a great
many. But it’s not inherently bad.
Other stuff is.
Where a later draft might’ve
navigated
Jean
Louise’s
corrupted
idolization
of
Atticus with a certain degree
of misdirection, “Watchman”
plows full steam ahead, like a
train hitting a brick wall. In
the final third, Jean Louise
has three separate, yet nearly
indistinguishable conversations
with Uncle Jack, Henry and
Atticus. The talks are harsh
and difficult. At one point, she
screams at Atticus for not raising
her like a bigot, for not bringing
her up in prejudice, for not letting
her be ignorant, dumb, happy. In
moments like these, one sees the
seeds of brilliance that would
later grow into “Mockingbird.”
But
these
climaxes
are
repetitive, full of ramblings
and intangible debates. The
result is a numbing series of
chapters that could’ve been
better spent with action and
concrete stakes.
Where
“To
Kill
a
Mockingbird” soars in its pace,
action and concision, “Go Set
a Watchman” is in need of
grounding, especially in its
final third. It’s got the pieces,
the wit and something to talk
about, but it’s too shapeless
to stand on its own legs.
“Watchman” is a compelling
read with a compelling voice,
but, ultimately, a first draft.
Worth reading, yes. Worth
re-reading, no.
But
can
“Watchman”
tarnish Harper Lee’s legacy?
I doubt it. It’s the first pass at
the work that would become
one of the capital-G Greatest
novels in American literature.
For that reason alone, “Go
Set a Watchman” is worth
every page, every word, every
moment of your time. It is an
artifact, and like any artifact, it
should be studied.
Go Set a
Watchman
Harper Lee
HarperCollins
July 14, 2015
Colbert off to smart
start in series debut
BOOK REVIEW
Comedy Central
host brings smart
humor to network
TV
By MATT BARNAUSKAS
Daily Arts Writer
In recent years, late night
TV has undergone a paradigm
shift,
with
longtime
hosts
departing and
new
blood
livening up the
landscape.
NBC
has
seen
Jimmy
Fallon,
with
his
open
demeanor and
viral-friendly
segments,
successfully
reinvigorate
“The
Tonight
Show”
after
taking
the
reins
from
Jay Leno in 2014, and Fallon’s
replacement, Seth Meyers, has
experienced
growing
pains
with a more traditional “Late
Night” format.
Meanwhile, Meyer’s 12:30
p.m. rival, “The Late Late
Show” ’s James Corden, only
took over for Craig Ferguson
six months ago. Taking a
page out of Fallon’s playbook,
Corden has adjusted well to
the position with a laid-back
persona and atmosphere.
Now with David Letterman’s
exit from “The Late Show,” the
world of late night variety has
been altered yet again with the
debut of Stephen Colbert as the
show’s new host.
Colbert is himself a part of
another late night exodus —
this time at Comedy Central —
that saw the departure of “The
Daily Show” ’s Jon Stewart and
the subsequent rise of Larry
Wilmore and Trevor Noah,
replacing Colbert and Stewart,
respectively.
Known
for
his
satirical
skewering
of
Republican
pundits
on
“The
Colbert
Report,”
there’s
been
speculation
about
how
Colbert will adjust his acerbic
personality to fit “The Late
Show.”
While
Colbert
has
removed some of the more
extreme elements of his former
shtick,
he
maintains
the
personality that endeared him
to so many on his former show.
The man’s played-up egomania
is readily apparent in the
renovated Ed Sullivan Theater
with Colbert’s face enshrined
in a faux-stained glass ceiling.
In
addition,
Colbert
still
isn’t afraid to throw punches
on political targets, jabbing
Donald Trump and Hillary
Clinton, in his first week on
the job.
Sketches and a surreally
comedic tone round out the
hour. In the first episode,
Colbert argues with a cursed
amulet over product placement.
While some of these segments
work and are mostly enjoyable,
there’s also timing issues with
some bits going far too long,
notably when Colbert makes
dictatorial declaration while
wearing
a
Genghis
Khan-
esque hat. More successful
was the shorter pre-filmed,
advertisement for “Yesterday’s
Coffee,” featuring Colbert and
Laura Linney (“The Truman
Show”).
Musically,
Colbert’s
house
band, Stay Human, led by Jon
Batiste, brings a dancing-on-
the-piano energy to the early
episodes. The big-name musical
acts have brought a usual variety
including Toby Keith, Paul Simon
and Kendrick Lamar (the week’s
highlight performance).
At the core of most late night
programs are guest interviews,
and glimmers of higher ambition
mark these segments. While there
are the usual celebrities (George
Clooney,
Scarlett
Johansson
and Amy Schumer), Colbert’s
opening week was marked by the
addition of writer Stephen King,
CEO’s Elon Musk and Travis
Kalanick, Presidential candidate
Jeb Bush and Vice President Joe
Biden. These guests bring a new
spectrum of opportunity for
Colbert, a chance to become the
thinking man’s Late Night talk
show.
Guests like these are rare
on other shows but Colbert is
making a point to have these
types of guests become regulars
as his show goes forward. But the
content of these interviews are
just as important as who Colbert
brings. Questions on Bush’s
political stances and the effect
Kalanick’s Uber has on the taxi
industry are necessary inquiries
that won’t necessarily be asked
by other network hosts. This
isn’t criticism of the rest of late
night television, but rather an
observed need that Colbert can
potentially fill.
Nowhere
is
this
more
apparent than Colbert’s must-
see
interview
with
Biden.
Touching on the tragedy of
the death of Biden’s son, Beau,
in June of this year, Colbert
exemplifies how to handle a
sensitive interview. As Biden
talks
about
his
son,
there
are a few moments when it
looks like Colbert is ready to
comment, holds back and let’s
the Biden continue, improving
the interview by, in a sense,
doing nothing. Colbert, who
lost his father and two brothers
in a plane crash at age 10, is an
empathetic host who still injects
humor into the conversation
when he asking Biden about his
future plans.
Late
night
television
is
changing, and mostly improving
— and Colbert’s new approach
will
hopefully
continue
to
grow as the years go on.
B+
Late Show
with
Stephen
Colbert
Series Pre-
miere
CBS
Weeknights
at 11:30 p.m.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Back-to-school jams
By CATHERINE BAKER
Daily Arts Writer
Welcome back, friends. While
those four months of lovely sum-
mer bliss were much appreciated,
I’m sure you’re just as thrilled as
I am to wheeze your way to the
fourth floor of Mason Hall or hunt
down that paper you printed in the
Fishbowl. The first few weeks of
school often dictate how the rest of
the semester goes, so let’s start this
year right (or at least with minimal
tears) with some new tunes to get
that pep in your step.
Over the course of the summer,
I have come across a few funky
fresh, hip artists whose music
make that walk to class just a bit
more bearable.
First up is Coleman Hell, a
Canadian
producer/singer/song-
writer whose sound has trans-
formed from default electronic
noise to alternative pop songs dur-
ing the last four years. By utiliz-
ing his raspy voice and weaving
in syncopated beats, Hell creates
an unconventional genre of dance
music that is sure to have you nod-
ding along as you write that paper
due in two hours. His most recent
singles, “Thumbalina,” “Take Me
Up” and “2 Heads,” embody this
new shift in Hell’s music and have
rightfully gained popularity on
social media with “2 Heads” com-
ing in second for Alt Nation’s Song
of the Summer.
Shifting away from the world
of alternative pop, Odessa is a
folk singer with little exposure
but a lot of personality. Perfect
for those rainy, overcast days
(much like Saturday’s game day),
Odessa’s bluesy introspective lyr-
ics transport you to a place far,
far away from responsibilities
and homework. After a near fatal
bike accident inspired the bud-
ding singer-songwriter to pursue
a solo career, Odessa has since
traveled the world as a musician
and part-time model and incor-
porates these experiences into
her music. Though she travels
now, most of her childhood was
spent near the ocean and the
swelling of the waves is evident
in her pulsating music. With
hushed reverb and echoing fal-
setto, Odessa is an artist to watch
and to admire.
Sticking with the indie and
adding some pop, Hippo Campus
(I see what you did there) dishes
out some nostalgic Sunday after-
noon music. Kick back, relax and
allow this Minnesotan “kinda
pop” band to clear your mind
and fill it with upbeat guitars
and catchy hooks. After receiv-
ing outpouring of support from
the Twin Cities, Hippo Campus’
debut EP, Bashful Creatures is
creeping its way onto Spotify
playlists across the nation.
Finally, Vinyl Theatre moves
back towards the same electronic
dance genre as Hell, but adds its
own ’80s twist to the sound. The
four-man band is based out of
Milwaukee and has been likened
to bands like Two Door Cinema
Club, Twenty One Pilots and the
Killers. With lyrics like “Passion
running wild / Dancing in denial
/ We are the sum / The lifeblood
of / The city’s lights,” Vinyl The-
atre creates a story of restless
youth and endless future.
And now, armed with this
music, I send you out into the
world of deadlines, pop quizzes
and essays. Get out there and get
educated.
Happy vibes, everyone. You’ve
got this.
“Like any
artifact, it should
be studied.”
CBS
“My kind smile belies racist immigration policies.”
Colbert delivers
emotional
interviews and
solid jokes.
TV REVIEW
“Glimmers of
high ambition.”