Let’s get this out of the way: 
I write negative reviews about 
music because I hate music, and 

you should hate it too.
After all, what is music if 
it isn’t something to dump 
on? Taking what people love, 
analyzing it piece by piece 
and ripping it to shreds to 
invalidate their enjoyment is 
what I thrive on. I just want to 

take your favorite album and 
show you why it’s so terrible 
until you hate it yourself. What, 
you thought I listened to music 
because I like it?
Just kidding! I love music.
A lot of people know me 
for my notorious dislikes. I 
could aggravate K-pop fans in 
an instant with my sweeping 
criticisms of the genre. My 
friends would put J. Cole on 
the aux at my own party just 
to mess with me. If I want to 
turn a whole room against me, 
all I have to do is say “I think 
Lana Del Rey is kind of boring” 
— that’s always been a very 
unpopular take.
Talking 
about 
my 
dislikes 
was 
pretty exciting 
for 
me 
early 
in my music-
appreciating 
career. 
As 
soon 
as 
I 
crossed 
some 
threshold 
of 
having listened 
to enough hip 
hop, I felt like 
I was qualified 
to 
make 
assessments 
on big releases 
in 
the 
genre. 
At some point 
I found myself 
questioning: 
Why am I full 
of 
dislikes? 
Do I think so 
highly 
of 
my 
own 
opinion 
that I assume 
everyone 
else 
is wrong and 
I’m 
on 
some 
sort of mission 
to correct them? Can’t I just let 
people who like J. Cole live in 
peace?
Well, turns out there is joy to 
be had in saying: “Your favorite 
album 
sucks.” 
Last 
year 
I 

attended a few meetings for 
Hip Hop Congress, a rap music 
production 
and 
appreciation 
club 
at 
the 
University. 
If 
those meetings 
were 
any 
indicator, 
sharing 
hot 
takes 
and 
strong negative 
opinions 
is 
really prevalent 
in the hip-hop 
community. 
I 
was definitely 
partaking 
in 
the smack talk 
myself. 
But 
that experience 
helped 
me 
realize 
something: 
The 
joy 
isn’t 
in 
changing 
other people’s 
opinions 
or 
ruining 
their 
favorites 
for 
them. 
The 
fun is in the 
debate and the 
argument.
Maybe that’s 
why 
I 
like 
doing what I do 
so much. I can’t help but think 
critically about why I like and 
don’t like music — I’ll be doing 
that in my head whether I’m 
writing it down or not — but 
putting that opinion into words 

is a springboard for debate. 
Debate might be one of the most 
fulfilling ways to appreciate art.
Arguing is all fun and good. 
The hip-hop head in me is 
always ready to defend an 
unconventional Kanye album 
ranking. However, I want to be 
known for the music I love, not 
the music I hate. I don’t get joy 
out of making 
people dislike 
an album they 
previously 
liked. On the 
other 
hand, 
nothing 
matches 
the 
excitement 
of 
getting 
someone 
to 
take a chance 
on an album 
they 
never 
would 
have 
considered before.
A real passion has started 
to emerge for me in finding 
music that means something to 
other people. In 2019, I fell in 
love with slowthai, SOPHIE, 
JPEGMAFIA 
and 
so 
many 
more game-changing acts in 
music. The only joy greater 
than listening to those artists is 
introducing them to my friends.
The other night, I picked 
up my brother and his friends 
from the bar. The day before, 
I had introduced him to the 
unconventional music of 100 
gecs. I don’t know how to 

articulate the surrealness of 
four drunk frat bros rolling into 
my car at one in the morning 
demanding 
I 
play 
“money 
machine.”
That’s the kind of domino 
effect I want to start as a 
devoted appreciator of music. 
So I’ve started to focus on 
talking more about music I love.
Nowadays, when I 
run into friends at a 
party, they’ll ask my 
thoughts on the new 
BROCKHAMPTON 
album, 
the 
new 
Kero 
Kero 
Bonito 
EP or the new Rina 
Sawayama 
single. 
One pal of mine texts 
me artists I should 
try 
all 
the 
time. 
Many of my fellow 
music writers also 
love 
Rex 
Orange 
County, so when Pony came 
out, I didn’t want to call dibs 
on reviewing it — but it was my 
team on the Music beat that said 
I had to write about it.
At some point, three out 
of five songs on my Spotify 
top-five-most-listened 
being 
by Kero Kero Bonito became 
funnier 
than 
my 
mocking 
impression of J. Cole’s “Wet 
Dreamz.” That’s something I’m 
pretty okay with. Bad albums 
will still get no mercy from me. 
But my 2020 will be all about 
artists that are pushing music 
forward, not holding it back.

6A — Wednesday, Janurary 8, 2020
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

By Robin Stears
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
01/08/20

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

01/08/20

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2020

ACROSS
1 Clemson’s NCAA 
div.
4 Thom of shoes
8 Preposterous
14 Mexican Mrs.
15 “__ that the 
truth!”
16 Bullpen ace
17 “Killing Eve” star
19 Remote
20 Cockpit figure
21 Award-winning “A 
Raisin in the Sun” 
actress
22 Yin partner
23 It’s a long story
25 Legal 
postponement
26 Terrific bargain
28 West with 21 
Grammys
31 Sugar suffix
32 Open __ night
34 Bathtub buildup
35 Spot for pillow 
talk
36 “Full Frontal” host
39 23-campus West 
Coast ed. system
41 General Bradley
42 Ariz. neighbor
43 Part of MYOB 
and BYOB
44 Justice 
Sotomayor
46 Big name in 
whisky
50 Wine quality
52 Long-running 
Mark Harmon 
military drama
54 Congregation 
area
55 First chief justice
58 Made a 
comeback
60 Synchronicity
61 “Take Good Care 
of My Baby” 
singer
62 Fame
63 Luminous glow
64 KC-to-NYC dir.
65 English Channel 
swimmer
66 Walk of Fame 
figure
67 CD-__

DOWN
1 Analyzes for 
purity
2 Decorative 
neckwear
3 Bloodhound, e.g.
4 Gas station store
5 They’re often 
exchanged in 
Venice
6 Hooded Arctic 
jacket
7 Unspecified 
degree
8 Org. with a 
“Speak Freely” 
blog
9 Gooey mass
10 Some HDTVs
11 Was
12 Turn loose
13 Unmoved
18 Portuguese 
explorer Vasco
21 Italian alternative
24 Stomach-related
27 Bridal party rides
29 Chinese currency
30 Insert into an 
email, as a video
33 Commando garb, 
for short

36 Pleasant forecast 
word
37 Live-in helper, 
perhaps
38 In equal shares
39 Cast a spell, say
40 Passed out
45 Freshen 
by opening 
windows
47 Written 
relinquishing of 
rights

48 “Skin Mind 
Balance” brand
49 Cash in
51 Former CNN 
journalist David
53 Hummus brand
56 Lower jaw
57 Pulitzer poet 
Sexton
59 Letter-shaped 
brace
61 English lit 
degrees
At some point 
I found myself 
questioning: 
Why am I full 
of dislikes? Do I 
think so highly 
of my own 
opinion that I 
assume everyone 
else is wrong 
and I’m on some 
sort of mission 
to correct them? 
Can’t I just let 

Your favorite album sucks 
and other musical insights

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

MUSIC NOTEBOOK
MUSIC NOTEBOOK

DYLAN YONO
Daily Arts Writer

I want to be 
known for the 
music I love, not 
the music I hate.

Three singles enter. One 
couple leaves. Yes, this is 
exactly how dystopian “Flirty 
Dancing” feels on a first 
viewing.
The American version of 
the popular UK reality series, 
“Flirty Dancing” follows two 
single people who are looking 
for love in the most traditional 
way: 
pre-choreographed, 
partnered 
dance 
routines. 
Each contestant learns two 
dances — one for each of their 
possible matches — and must 
perform the routines when 
they first meet their partner. 
After both dances are finished, 
the main contestant decides 
which of the two partners they 
want to go on a first date with. 
The series premiere featured 
Octavius (a choir teacher) 
and Erin (a hairdresser) as 
the main single contestants. 
Their 
professions, 
along 
with a few simple adjectives 
like “playful” or “cute,” are 
offered to introduce the two, 
as the show opts for likability 

over nuance or complexity. 
Their prospective suitors are 
described only briefly and 
have little say in choosing the 
specifics of the dance, even 
in one case where a female 
contestant expressed strong 
opposition 
to 
the 
amount 
of 
intimate 
touching 
the 

choreography required. This 
matter was quickly resolved, 
as “Flirty Dancing” does not 
dwell on the negative. There’s 
no crying in choreographed 
dance routines.
Hosted 
by 
celebrity 
dancer Jenna Dewan, “Flirty 

Dancing” seems sweet enough 
and even wholesome in its 
wildly optimistic premise. Can 
two people fall in love without 
knowing anything about each 
other? Can you know a person 
just from physical chemistry 
and prolonged eye contact? 
Where reality dating shows 
like “The Bachelor” or “Love 
Island” assume that people can 
find true love through short 
interactions in a group setting, 
“Flirty Dancing” emphasizes 
that one-on-one connections 
can bring couples together. 
Though the intentions of the 
show are good in theory, the 
actual end product seems more 
akin to weirdly staged dance 
propaganda 
than 
anything 
even 
slightly 
resembling 
genuine 
emotion. 
Each 
interview with the contestants 
feels highly scripted, footage 
of the dances is heavily edited 
and clearly shot in more than 
one take, and the sheer amount 
of eye contact is unnerving, no 
matter how “playful” or “cute” 
the contestants are. 
In a move that is both sadistic 
and a bit hilarious, the show 
stages the main contestant’s 
final choice of which partner 

they’d like to date by having 
both dancers show up at a 
restaurant. While this creates 
a sweet moment for the reveal 
of their choice, it implies the 
unchosen dancer is stood up 
and never given an explanation 
for why. Despite this, everyone 
featured on “Flirty Dancing” 
constantly praises the show 
and 
assures 
the 
audience 
that 
their 
experience 
was 
overwhelmingly 
positive. 
Their 
confessionals, 
which 
are 
usually 
opportunities 
for reality shows to directly 
connect with audiences and 
deliver genuine commentary, 
are so robotic and saccharine 
that you begin to wonder 
whether they’re hostages in 
this dance-fueled utopia they 
claim to love so much.
“Flirty Dancing” fundamentally 
assumes it has already won the 
viewers over. By hitting all 
the baseline requirements of a 
dating show with little effort 
or nuance, “Flirty Dancing” 
figures the appearance of utter 

perfection translates to quality 
television. Unfortunately for 
the new FOX series, this is 
simply not true. In pretending 
everyone 
and 
everything 
is picture-perfect from the 
start, “Flirty Dancing” fails 
to deliver the reality of reality 
TV.

‘Flirty Dancing’ guilty of 
missteps in its premiere

“Flirty 
Dancing”

Series Premiere

Fox Searchlight 
Pictures

Wednesdays at 
8 p.m. EST

TV REVIEW
TV REVIEW

ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARD

Over the years, returning 
home for break has seemed 
to feel more and more like 
returning to a state of limbo. At 
first, my homecoming felt like 
a return to form, or something 
familiar. I was only out of 
high school for a few months, 
and home still felt the way it 
should. But, after spending 
most of my time in Ann Arbor 
for 
the 
past 
three 
years, 
something about going back 
to my hometown feels slightly 
off. Either way, after a long fall 
semester, having two weeks 
to do nothing in particular 
sounded pretty nice.
So, for the first few days of 
winter break, I did just that. 
But then came the inevitable 
stress that comes with being 
around your family during the 
holiday season. I started to 
become dissatisfied with doing 
nothing for so many days in a 
row (something that’s all too 
common among people my age, 
unfortunately), 
and 
needed 
to do something to clear my 
headspace. I needed a creative 
outlet.
But all of my instruments 
were back in Ann Arbor — how 
was I supposed to manifest 
these 
creative 
desires? 
I 
journaled regularly, but I felt a 
need for something else. Then 
I recalled just a few months 
prior, when my housemates and 
I tried something that I had 
never done before: painting.
I reached out to a few of my 
remaining hometown friends 
and asked them if they wanted 
to paint. With some cheap 
supplies leftover from our arts 
and crafts days, some snacks, 
and music, we were ready 

to search for our muse. This 
proved to be quite hard for 
a few indecisive people that 
don’t regularly paint. So I went 
to the place I usually went to 
for inspiration: the internet. 
On that particular day, I saw 
that dictionary.com’s word of 
the day was “splore - a frolic; 
revel; carousel;.” With that, we 
were off — painting whatever 
came to our minds and showing 
off our progress along the way.
This was easily one of the 
most refreshing things I did 
over this past winter break. 
It can often be uncomfortable 
to try to express your ideas 
in a medium that you’re not 
technically 
proficient 
in 
because 
of 
the 
underlying 
desire 
to 
make 
something 
perfect. 
This 
perfectionism 
is something that stops many 
from creating or sharing their 
work, and something that I 
struggled with for a while. 
However, DIY has helped me 
shrug off that feeling that 
my art needs to be perfect. 
Creating 
art 
for 
the 
sole 
purpose of creating is one of 
the most liberating you can do 
not only as an artist, but as a 
person. Surrounding myself 
with supportive peers in an 
environment 
that 
supports 
even the most unfinished art 
has completely changed my 
originally unhealthy thoughts 
on artistry.
Bringing an idea into this 
world can be an incredibly 
therapeutic 
experience. 
It 
helps me clear my head, even 
when it’s been exceptionally 
cloudy. 
Thinking 
back 
to 
my break freshman year, I 
don’t think I would have ever 
gone outside and painted my 
interpretation of the word 
“splore.” After being shown 
the 
beauty 
of 
abandoning 
perfectionism, here we are.

Cox’s Corner: On 
perfectionism

DAILY DIY COLUMN

ANYA SOLLER
Daily Arts Writer

Three singles 
enter. One 
couple leaves. 
Yes, this is 
exactly how 
dystopian 
“Flirty Dancing” 
feels on a first 
viewing.

RYAN COX
Daily DIY Columnist

