5 — Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
LITERATURE COLUMN
Exploring ‘Jest’
T
he start of my enthrall-
ment with David Foster
Wallace would have
infuriated the deceased, reclu-
sive author — it began when
I watched
someone else
espouse his
ideas in a film
version of his
life. I found
his persona
fascinating
in “The End
of the Tour,”
the movie
adaptation
of last few days of the “Infinite
Jest” book tour. Upon further
research after viewing the film,
Foster’s magnetism drew me in
even more. I decided I had to
embark upon a literary journey
unlike any other I have previ-
ously contemplated — I had to
read “Infinite Jest.”
But to read “Infinite Jest” is
to voyeuristically look into Wal-
lace’s past, which provided much
of the backbone of the novel.
Wallace, born in 1962, attended
Amherst College and struggled
with depression and addiction
to drugs and alcohol throughout
much of his young life. After
writing “Infinite Jest,” which is
1,100 pages with 330 footnotes,
Wallace continued to write and
teach at Emerson College and
Illinois State University. On Sept.
12, 2008, Wallace committed sui-
cide in California. The few inter-
views with Wallace, who is such
a soft-spoken, fumbling neurotic,
are captivating and heartbreak-
ing.
The most difficult question
to answer about “Infinite Jest”
is: what is it about? Because the
answer is everything. There are
over 1,000 pages of content about
depression, loneliness, addiction,
tennis, familial relations and love
on which you can focus.
As Dave Eggers said in his
original review of the novel,
“Infinite Jest” is “more about
David Foster Wallace than any-
thing else.” Eggers, who wrote the
foreword for the most recent edi-
tion, is correct. It’s about Wallace’s
deep desires and secrets, but most
of all it’s about what he wanted for
the future of his craft. Wallace was
hell-bent on changing fiction
—and
he did. This book is confusing and
strange and downright disgust-
ing at times. But it is beautiful and
challenges its readers like nothing
else ever has.
It is set in the future in a uni-
fied North American superstate
called the Organization of North
American Nations, or O.N.A.N.
There is not a chronological plot
or a clear-cut conclusion — we
jump from location to location,
from characters we get to know
well to characters with agoniz-
ing secrets to whom we are only
exposed once.
There are two major loca-
tions in which the stories take
place: the prep school, Enfield
Tennis Academy and, down the
street, the Ennet House Drug and
Alcohol Recovery House. The
physical closeness of these two
locations leads to the intertwining
storylines. James O. Incandenza,
the patriarch of the Incandenza
Family, has recently committed
suicide. He was a filmmaker and
the founder of Enfield Tennis
Academy, and the plot somewhat
revolves around the missing mas-
ter copy of his last piece of work,
titled “Infinite Jest.” Canadian
separatists are attempting to
locate “Infinite Jest” to commit
terrorist acts against the United
States. The novel carefully exam-
ines the neuroses of the rest of
the Incandenza family and the
way that their insanity bleeds
into the school. But some of the
most jarring parts of “Infinite
Jest” come from the sections on
Ennet House, where Wallace
unforgivingly examines the gro-
tesque and disgusting parts of the
human psyche.
When I told people that I
was reading “Infinite Jest” for
my literature column, everyone
seemed to have a considerable
reaction. “Wow, but it’s so long!”
was a common one. A fellow Daily
Arts Writer warned me that she
heard it was a “bro book,” which
is valid, as the novel is mostly
concerned with the preoccupa-
tions and compulsions of its men.
But the most common reply was
“I haven’t read it yet.” In my life
full of predominantly English and
humanities majors and professors,
only one and a half people have
actually read “Infinite Jest” — one
friend has read the first 400 pages
three times but hasn’t gotten past
that point.
For all the novel’s glory and rec-
ognition, it seems impossible that
so many academics and students
still have not read it. I’ll admit it;
the sheer depth of it is intimidat-
ing. For the first few days after
buying it, it sat next to my bed
while I just admired it and tried
to wrap my head around the fact
that I would be reading over 1,000
of the most acclaimed pages ever.
Before actually plucking up the
courage to start reading, I used
“Infinite Jest” as a small stand
for my computer and a weight for
my arm exercises. But the book is
incredible because even with so
much content, in the actual book,
it never felt like any of it was
unnecessary. Even the three hun-
dred or so footnotes are entirely
essential to understanding any of
the plots. Every page felt heavy
with the importance that Wallace
so delicately embedded in it.
“The truth will set you free.
But not until it is finished with
you.” This line stuck with me
until the end of the novel. But this
book has so much truth in it that
you would have it read it about 10
more times before you ever get
close to liberation. It seems the
only thing to do is pick it up and
start again.
Lerner is setting up a game
of eschaton. To join, e-mail
rebler@umich.edu.
REBECCA
LERNER
TV REVIEW
Triumphant ‘Dance’
By SAM ROSENBERG
For The Daily
Young adulthood can be one of
the most transformative periods
in a person’s life, as well as one of
the most chal-
lenging.
It’s
a time when
you
develop
relationships,
become
inde-
pendent
and
figure out what
you want to do
with the rest of
your life. How-
ever, being a
young
adult
also involves dealing with a lot of
angst and self-doubt. In her touch-
ing documentary “How to Dance
in Ohio,” filmmaker Alexandra
Shiva (“Stagedoor”) offers some
insight on this topic by focusing
on a group of teenagers and young
adults from Columbus, Ohio all of
whom are on the autism spectrum.
With the help of clinical psycholo-
gist Emilio Amigo at his family
counseling center, these individu-
als spend 12 weeks preparing for
their first spring formal dance,
learning how to improve their
social and communication skills —
and of course, how to dance.
Filmed in 2013 and premiered
at this year’s Sundance Film Fes-
tival, “How to Dance in Ohio”
gives more than a simple depiction
of people with autism. Through
Shiva’s sensitive direction and the
film’s unobtrusive cinematogra-
phy, “How to Dance in Ohio” high-
lights the daunting experience
of breaking out of your comfort
zone and how it can lead to per-
sonal growth. Nothing about this
film feels manipulative or exploit-
ative; rather, it offers viewers the
chance to see both the struggles
and triumphs of young people with
autism.
Although the film portrays the
sessions that take place at Ami-
go’s Family Counseling, it mostly
centers around the perspectives
of three young women from the
group: Marideth Bridges, 16; Car-
oline McKenzie, 19; and Jessica
Sullivan, 22. Regardless of their
different ages, they each encoun-
ter difficulties in learning how to
adapt to the world around them.
Marideth,
a
self-described
introvert, spends most of her time
on the computer and reading ran-
dom facts in world almanacs. She
also likes researching, but feels
uncomfortable explaining to the
camera what she is researching
exactly. Though Marideth’s perse-
verant habits and her reluctance to
interact with others are common
among people with autism, the
film conveys just how hard it can
be to live with such a condition. In
one of the film’s most heartbreak-
ing scenes, Marideth expresses to
her parents at a sit-down restau-
rant that she might not want to
have kids and wonders if she will
even get married some day. It’s
an emotionally stirring moment
that’s guaranteed to make view-
ers’ hearts drop, yet it reminds the
audience that Marideth’s autism
doesn’t need to hinder her from
living a normal life.
As a director and storyteller,
Shiva does a great job of showing
how people with autism are just as
ambitious and open to opportuni-
ties as anyone else. For example,
Caroline mentions her enrollment
as a student at Columbus State
Community College, her hopes
of becoming an early childhood
educator and her dream of trav-
eling to Japan. Early in the film,
Jessica negotiates a plan with her
parents to live on her own, and
she is later seen working at a bak-
ery called Food for Good Thought
for young adults on the spectrum.
But much like Marideth, Caroline
and Jessica undergo the stresses
of social anxiety and the pressures
of being perceived by others in a
negative way. Caroline agonizes
over dancing well at the formal
and what to do if she becomes too
overwhelmed to ride the public
bus to class. Jessica becomes frus-
trated when the bakery’s owner,
a psychologist named Dr. Audrey
Todd, tells her that Jessica has
developed a superior attitude
towards her co-workers. Despite
Jessica, Caroline and Marideth’s
ongoing difficulties with fitting
into the mainstream, the film
presents their situations in a hon-
est and respectful light. In addi-
tion, the interviews with their
families showcase both the con-
cern and support that they have
for their children who go through
this difficult journey every day.
While the film can be very
emotional at times, there are some
humorous and sweet moments as
well. In one scene, Marideth and
her younger sister discuss Chief
Keef, the irrelevance of Soulja
Boy, the turbulence of Miley
Cyrus’s career and long-haired
men. The sequence where Caro-
line and Jessica go shopping for
formal dresses with their mothers
is also particularly heartwarm-
ing. Not only do these clips give
the documentary heart and depth,
but they also illustrate how young
adults with autism have the same
interests and goals as any other
young adult. At the actual for-
mal, the climax of “How to Dance
in Ohio,” you can see how this
group has developed so quickly
and overcome their initial fears in
such a short amount of time. The
only arguably flawed moment in
this film is the inclusion of Katy
Perry’s pop hit “Firework” in the
credits scene. But even though
“Firework” makes the ending
slightly cheesy, you can’t help but
feel overjoyed to watch these indi-
viduals do something that most
people with autism don’t get the
chance to do.
A-
How to
Dance in
Ohio
HBO
Documentary
Films
FESTIVAL REPORT
Killers’ classic debut
By REGAN DETWILER and
RACHEL KERR
Daily Arts Writers
This week, Daily Music Writ-
ers are looking back on the first
albums they ever loved. Today,
Regan Detwiler and Rachel Kerr
remember The Killers’ Hot Fuss.
I first heard “Mr. Brightside”
when I was nine years old, on my
home town’s locally owned alter-
native station. It quickly became
a car ride highlight, and soon my
mom bought the Hot Fuss CD
from Barnes & Noble. Months
later when I heard it on the local
pop station, I felt that first twinge
of angry dejection at the injustice
of hearing a song that you dis-
covered out for the whole world
to hear. (Thus began my life as
an obnoxious alternative music
snob.)
My nine years of life thus far
had been fairly — OK, incred-
ibly — innocent. I was that kid
who wasn’t allowed to watch PG
movies (don’t even think about
PG-13). It’s no surprise that “Mr.
Brightside” sparked my excit-
able curiosity: I didn’t know
what “taking a drag” was — dare
I guess? This, and lines like “But
she’s touching his chest now”
and “He takes off her dress now,
letting me go” made my imagina-
tion wander to places I had never
been.
This mysteriously and darkly
ambiguous lyrical style paired
with
The
Killers’
perfume-
stained
velvet
rock
carries
through the whole album, which
I listened to religiously well into
the next couple of years. Memo-
rizing every word and every
melody, I indulged myself in
imaginative gymnastics in an
effort to decode the messages
waiting behind the shadowy
phrases, like in “Believe Me
Natalie”: “Forget what they said
in SoHo, leave the oh-no’s out”
— what could they have said in
SoHo? What were the oh-no’s?
As a sort of musical coming-of-
age, Hot Fuss not only appealed
to more explorative aspects of
this stage in life, but also to the
turbulent emotions character-
istic of pre-adolescence. Lying
alone in my room, a pathetic
puddle of self-pity after my first
real fights with my parents, I
must have listened to “Every-
thing Will Be Alright” a million
times over the course of about
two years. But at least I had “All
These Things That I’ve Done” to
pick me back up.
This was also my best friend’s
favorite album at the time, so
when our families made the
13-hour drive to South Carolina
that summer, you know what
was in the CD player. We drove
through the Rockies with the
sun up and the windows down
and let Hot Fuss play three times
through. Now when I hear a song
from this album on the radio, I
can start singing the next track
on the album as soon as that one
ends.
— Regan Detwiler
It’s December 2004 in Las
Vegas. I’m at the Rubio’s, six min-
utes away from my house with
my grandma, eating a chicken
burrito off the kids’ menu. At the
table next to me is Ronnie Van-
nucci, eating a quesadilla, alone.
For all of you who weren’t obses-
sively in to The Killers, Ronnie
Vannucci is their drummer and
for all of you who grew up east of
the Rocky Mountains, Rubio’s is
a Mexican fast food chain.
“That’s the drummer of the
band that sings ‘Mr. Brightside!!!’ ”
I whispered to my grandma. And
of course, she knew what I was
referring too because, in 2004,
even 60-year-old women couldn’t
avoid that song. She urged me to
say something to him — “tell him
how much you like his band!”
— but she didn’t understand. I
didn’t like his band, I loved his
band. And would I even say?
Should I start by apologiz-
ing for even recognizing him? I
mean, how often does the drum-
mer of an up-and-coming band
get stopped in public places? And
by a nine-year-old, no less? How
did I explain that’d I memorized
all their faces and that Brandon
Flowers, the lead singer, was my
first real crush?
Or do I just begin by thank-
ing him for Hot Fuss, the band’s
debut album, my first favor-
ite album, full of Joy Division
decadence and Depeche Mode
moods? Or even further, for my
yet realized love of ’80s pop-rock
music, whose origin could only
later be traced back to years of
listening to Hot Fuss and their
follow up album, Sam’s Town, on
repeat?
Do I mention that I, like the
band, am also from Las Vegas?
Or maybe explain that I noticed
the influence the city had had
on the album, from its grandi-
ose production to its lush lyrics,
and wanted to thank them for
capturing how it feels to live in
Las Vegas in a sound? Could I
tell him that I really identified
with the “Sin City” cynicism of
the album, despite being in ele-
mentary school and not having
any idea what that even meant
yet?
Was it weird to tell him that
my dad had cried to “All These
Things That I’ve Done?” To
explain
that
the
otherwise
tough guy who openly discussed
his atheism with his 10-year-
old daughter had been deeply
affected by the line “I got soul
but I’m not a soldier” because
it explained how he felt about
grappling with faith and moral-
ity and the meaning of life.
Or did I just tell him that I
liked his shirt because it was a
really pretty shade of blue?
No, I couldn’t say any of these
things to him, so I panicked and
decided to say nothing. I let him
continue to eat his quesadilla,
while I nervously continued to
gawk at him eating his quesa-
dilla. When I got home, I went
straight to my room and let Hot
Fuss play over and over and over
again, because how many times
do you get to see the drummer
of your favorite band at Rubio’s?
Probably only once. And how
many times to you get to have a
first favorite album? Definitely
only once.
— Rachel Kerr
YouT
ube all grown up
By KAREN HUA
Daily TV/New Media Editor
Last weekend, the third annu-
al Buffer Festival welcomed You-
Tube filmmakers from across to
globe to Toronto. The familiar
videos we usually watch on our
personal mobile devices and
laptops streamed in front of live
audiences in the extravagant
theaters of Toronto’s historic
entertainment district. And the
familiar YouTubers we connect-
ed with through a screen graced
a red carpet before us, discussing
their work with us personally.
Less chaotic than the fan-
crazed Playlist Live, less uptight
than the business venture Vid-
Con has become, the humble
Canadian Buffer Fest empha-
sizes not the lucrative business
behind YouTube, but the struc-
tured,
scripted,
high-quality
content emerging on the plat-
form. Spread over three days,
videos were screened in catego-
ries: short films, comedy sketch-
es, travel and adventure, gaming
and animation, among others.
“YouTube is moving toward
a direction of professionalism,”
said Corrado Coia of Apprenti-
ceA Productions, one of the four
co-founders of Buffer. “Some of
these YouTubers have feature-
length films in episodic format,
and they do actually rival Holly-
wood quality. So they need to get
the proper treatment — get them
in a nice theater.”
Events
like
Buffer
also
encourage creators to experi-
ment beyond new media — to
work with podcasts, long-form
scripted film, TV pilots — to mix
other mediums with YouTube.
Adrianna
DiLonardo
and
Sarah Rotella of the Gay Women
Channel are the writer and
director, respectively, of “Almost
Adults,” a coming-of-age LGBTQ
feature film that was funded on
Kickstarter.
“(YouTubers are) using new
media and their fan base to
launch them into what they
want to be doing outside of new
media.” Rotella said. “Everyone
is making their own content, but
all of these YouTubers are get-
ting books and doing movies,
too.”
The effect of their film has had
a trickle-down effect. Firstly,
they have integrated their exist-
ing YouTube fan base into view-
ership for their film. Secondly,
their loyal subscribers have
become devoted to the movie’s
actors, who have their own up-
and-coming channels. Winny
Clarke, a budding actress who
plays Elliot in “Almost Adults,”
just launched her own channel
in October and plans to produce
weekly comedy sketches.
“The traffic that the Gay
Women Channel has is amaz-
ing, so every time I do something
with them, it just sends traffic my
way, as well,” Clark said.
The best part though, as
DiLondardo noted, is that “it’s
nice being your own boss.”
Similarly, Louis Cole, who has
gained a following of over 1.6 mil-
lion subscribers with his travel
videos, mentioned how he’s ready
to experiment beyond vlogging.
Next year, he’s scheduled to cir-
cumnavigate the world in a plane
with fellow YouTuber, JP.
“I’d love to explore partnering
with someone and creating long-
form content, like a documenta-
ry, would be fun,” he said.
Cole predicts the future of new
media will look quite different.
“I think everything will over-
lap, but there’ll be specific con-
tent on different platforms,” Cole
said. “So there’s still gonna be the
very homemade relatable content
on YouTube. There’ll also be the
high-end content other sites put
out like with their subscription
service. I don’t think that’s gonna
replace the homemade content.”
However,
Cole’s
sentiment
about homemade content may be
challenged by the very platform
that encourages him to experi-
ment. On Oct. 21, just two days
prior to Buffer Fest, YouTube
Chief Business Officer, Robert
Kyncl,
announced
“YouTube
Red” — a $9.99 monthly sub-
scription service that that allows
for ad-free, offline streaming.
Red will also feature exclusive
original content from the most
popular YouTubers. Felix Kjell-
berg (PewDiePie) has already
unveiled a reality-horror series,
produced
by
“The
Walking
Dead” creators. A Lilly Singh
(||Superwoman||)
world
tour
documentary is also projected.
Thus, Red will prompt creators
to strive for high-quality, high
production-value content, much
like the material screened at Buf-
fer Fest.
On the other hand, many at
Buffer Fest wondered if, in the
aim for higher quality, YouTube
is trying too hard to be the love-
child of Netflix and Spotify pre-
mium – trying too hard to become
the “future of television.”
“I’m not sure I want You-
Tube to look like cable TV when
it grows up,” said author John
Green in a recent vlog explaining
the pros and cons of Red. “You-
Tube isn’t something you watch —
it’s something you’re part of.”
While Red protects all con-
tent creators (especially small
up-and-comers) from AdBlock,
which restricts advertising and
thus their main stream of rev-
enue, Red arguably creates more
inequality than the level play-
ing field it intends to. Before,
YouTube was a flat, universal
platform of equal opportunity;
anyone with Internet had just
as much potential to reach an
audience as anyone else. How-
ever, Red will create two class-
es of viewers: those who can
pay and those who can’t. Now,
regular YouTube users will be
without access to the high-end
content that events like Buffer
Fest emphasize and celebrate.
One petition to stop Red
already has over 16,000 signa-
tures in just 10 days. YouTube is
supposed to be an equalizer; a
platform that anyone, regardless
of age, nationality, experience, or
socioeconomic status — can both
consume and create on. I have
the same opportunity to make a
viral video just the same as Jenna
Marbles once did with her web-
cam. Furthermore, YouTube as
become a gateway to branch off
into a variety of other mediums
– films, podcasts, etc. To create
inequality at the basic consumer
level now is to restrict the con-
tent creators of the future. We all
started as consumers, subscrib-
ers and fans.
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