Editor’s Note: This transcript has been edited and
condensed for clarity. Remember sitting next
to a friend in the library and sharing earbuds
to introduce them to a new song? Or hearing
something unfamiliar at a party and immediately
looking up the lyrics to save it to your phone?
Since the days of easily experiencing music with
others are gone (for now), the music beat decided
to make up for some lost opportunities by holding
a virtual listening party last week. Writers were
asked to bring a love song to share with the
group over Zoom and then chat about what they
thought. Here’s what happened.
***
Katie Beekman, Senior Arts Editor: Who
wants to go first and introduce their song?
Madeleine
Virginia
Gannon,
Daily
Arts Writer: My song is “I’ve Heard that
Song Before.” It’s an old sort of ’20s jazz song
performed by Harry James, who was a swing
trumpeter, but it has vocals with it and the
reason I like it is even though it’s not inherently
romantic in the sense that it’s talking about
heartbreak or talking about falling in love, it has
this sort of deep, familiar, comforting nostalgia.
You’ll hear in the song that the main lyrics are:
“I’ve heard that song before,” and I thought, as
music writers, that would evoke a warm feeling
because we all know that sense of listening to an
album or a song and thinking, “We know that,
that’s familiar.” I think there is a certain sense
of romance to recognizing a song and a familiar
tune, and it certainly has a very romantic vibe,
I think, from the old-style instrumentation in
jazz.
Kaitlyn Fox, Music Beat Editor: It’s
refreshing to hear older music from when
people would have a variety of real instruments.
Nowadays, some artists can’t afford to bring in
anything outside of what their band members
can play. I was thinking about that when I was
hearing the song, and it was nice.
Gannon: Also, I swing dance, and this is the
sort of song that you would swing dance to, so it
also has that human companionship element.
Someone who knows how to dance to this style
of music will know exactly what steps to do — it
evokes a very romantic memory.
Drew Gadbois, Daily Arts Writer: With
songs like that, the recording equipment is older
and there’s this little hazy pop to it. It is kind of
hypnotic and it creates this almost wistful sort of
atmosphere that is really inviting.
Gadbois: I can probably go next. When I was
thinking about different ideas of what love is
and what love could be I was thinking of this
very whimsical, kind of childlike quality that’s
fully joyful. So I kept coming back to this song,
“Summertime Clothes” by Animal Collective.
There’s almost a lost in time sort of aspect to being
in love with someone or just having a moment
with someone and I think this song expresses it
really well.
Gadbois: I’m not going to lie, I hadn’t seen the
music video up until this point and it was a lot
more horrifying than I thought it would be, but
I also think it shows that there’s a point at which
you can love someone so much it’s crazy. You feel
like you’re going insane. I think that the lyrics
express that just absolute heightened state.
Beekman: I really liked that. I think the lyrics
that stuck out to me were, “I want to walk around
with you” and then at the end it continues, “with
you, with you, with you, with you.” It sounds so
simple, but especially with all the other stuff
going on in the song instrumentation-wise,
it stands out. I think those lyrics are a really
good encapsulation of being so enamored with
someone you just want to take a walk with them.
Gadbois: Yeah and there’s another line about
just frolicking in a fountain and that’s all they’re
doing, but you hear it and it sounds like someone
kind of running around in water.
Gannon: I really liked the song. The whole
time I had the most vivid imagery of an indie
coming-of-age movie set in the summertime.
It’s like a first love, but you’re about to
move on with your life so you
don’t know what to do with
it. And like Katie said,
“I just want to walk
around with you.”
I think it’s a really
well-chosen
song
for such a specific
feeling of growing
up.
Fox: That’s not a
genre I would have
thought
of
when
picking a love song,
but it totally makes
sense.
I
really
appreciated
that
the lyrics are pretty
simple, but the music is
so intense, so it’s a weird
contrast.
Gadbois: There’s a physicality, I think, that
ties together a lot of Animal Collective’s work.
There’s a simplicity to what they’re talking about,
but a lot of it gets fleshed out through what you’re
hearing. It’s funny, you mention coming-of-age
too because this song came out in 2009. So it did
come out at that age when you start to discover
music like that and it feels so fitting.
Nora Lewis, Daily Arts Writer: So I chose
“Do You Remember” by Jill Scott because when I
think of love songs, I gravitate toward ’90s R&B. I
like the narrative style of a lot of ’90s R&B and this
song, in particular, is a reflection of a childhood
love and how it’s grown over the years, which I
think is really sweet.
Beekman: Another great choice. To me, that
felt like a sunny afternoon drive home on the
school bus.
Gadbois: It’s interesting you say it’s sunny,
because I felt the exact opposite. I was thinking
about a moonlit walk under street lights. I think
’90s R&B production has some of the most
mysterious and alluring sounds. It’s insane
because it immediately sucks you in and you have
to sway your head. It’s so good.
Gannon: I feel like I lost time listening to that
song because I was so hypnotized. It completely
took over every one of my senses. I was suspended
while I was listening to it and then when it ended
it let me go. I was out of it for the whole time, in a
good way. It was comforting and warm — I felt
enveloped by the music.
Lewis: I feel like it’s a good mixture of what
Katie and Drew said. I think it’s supposed to
be a reflection on a childhood love, so Scott
reflects on the past, which is the sunny,
childhood part, and she sings about where
they are now, like they are catching up on a
nighttime stroll.
Gadbois: Regardless, it’s definitely a warm
feeling. I think you’re totally right and I don’t
think of a nighttime stroll as anything other than
warm as well.
Beekman: To finish the party, I chose a
country song: “Just to See You Smile” by Tim
McGraw.
Gadbois: There’s an awesome
rhythm to that that I really
enjoyed.
Gannon: I thoroughly
enjoyed that. There’s
something
about
country music and
the instrumentation
of the fiddle and
banjo
and
the
vulnerable
vocals
that make it feel very
“every man.” It feels
more relatable than the
average song just because
it feels so pared down
musically. It feels as if someone
is just sitting there on their porch,
singing about seeing you smile. I thought it
was a really great romantic song, probably one of
the most vulnerable and emotionally accessible
of the songs we listened to. Mine was very old-
fashioned and Drew’s song evoked an intense
emotional nostalgia. But I feel like the Tim
McGraw song is one that anyone of any musical
taste could relate to.
Lewis: I’m not really like a country fan
generally, but I feel like the word to describe the
song is jovial. It’s very upbeat and fun and it works
well as a love song. Like Madeleine said, anyone
can kind of relate to it, which is nice.
Beekman: Does anyone have anything to say
about our choices overall?
Gadbois: I think they reflect the music beat
entirely.
Gannon: I think the songs make a lot of sense.
Love is different for everyone, it’s not just one
thing. There’s a lot of different ways to love and
a lot of different kinds of love so I think it makes
sense that none of our songs are very similar.
Beekman: Well, thanks for coming to the
party, y’all. I hope you had a good time.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
8 — Wednesday, March 3, 2021
It’s no secret that FOX has been,
for better or worse, one of the most
influential producers of animated
television. From “The Simpsons” to
“American Dad!” to “Family Guy,” the
studio has been carving the landscape
of adult animation for generations. But
as a proud member of Gen Z, none of
these programs have resonated with
me nearly as much as the relatively
recent “Bob’s Burgers.” Its style of
character-driven
humor,
which
combines weirdness with heartfelt
sincerity, has resulted in one of the
most beloved TV families of the past
decade.
Now, “Bob’s Burgers” writers and
executive producers Wendy and
Lizzie Molyneux have teamed up
with Minty Lewis (“Close Enough”)
to produce “The Great North,” a show
with all the winning ingredients of its
predecessor.
“Parks and Recreation” star Nick
Offerman plays Beef Tobin (yes, his
name is Beef): a single father of four
(along with a soon-to-be daughter-
in-law). Among these children is
Judy (Jenny Slate, “Big Mouth”), a
fantastically-cast, artistic teenager
who seeks to experience life outside of
the frozen forests.
Along with the same niche humor
and family focus, the new series also
features the same animation style
as “Bob’s Burgers.” It’s simple and
goofy, and it embraces the colorful
landscapes and starry skies of the
“Great North.” Finding beauty within
simple animation is something these
shows excel at.
After the sporadic release dates
of the last two episodes, the latest
marks the start of a regular schedule.
This one follows Wolf Tobin (Will
Forte, “Scoob!”) as he travels across
the sea to find avocados for his
fiancée Honeybee (Dulcé Sloan, “The
Daily Show with Trevor Noah”), all
because she had a few dreams about
guacamole. Meanwhile, Beef and
Ham (Paul Rust, “Love”) try throwing
a Shrek-themed party based on Ham’s
memory of Shrek being gray and a big
fan of beaches.
The plotlines are so strange, yet
they are completely grounded by
the characters’ innocence and love
for each other. The best part about
any good family, blood-related or
otherwise, is the acceptance and even
nourishment found in its weirdest
quirks. In fact, one could argue that
the thesis of this show, as well as its
predecessor, might be that this is the
only thing that makes a good family, as
the members possess few other traits
that are traditionally admirable.
Even Beef, the father and leader
of the pack, tells his kids that their
mother was mauled to death by a bear
so that he doesn’t have to face the fact
that she left him. The writers give
sympathy to everyone. We all have
issues that we need to work out, and
rarely do we manage them in ways
that make us look sane.
It’s also worth mentioning how
great it is to have a comedy about a
rural Alaskan family that isn’t just
a bunch of stereotypical rednecks.
There’s an increasingly problematic
notion within progressive circles that
people in red states are all bad, and
this show serves to challenge that
idea, especially in its admiration for
the outdoors.
“The Great North” finds maturity
and humanity within the awkward
and the ridiculous. There’s a heart to
these characters that you don’t often
find in adult comedy shows. “The
Great North” is nothing we haven’t
seen before from the Molyneux
sisters, but that’s not a bad thing.
The Tobin family is fresh, lovable
and loads of fun. I can’t wait to get to
know them.
“Supernova”
opens
in
total
darkness. Slowly, stars emerge. One
shines brightly, then disappears.
Tusker, Stanley Tucci’s character
(“Spotlight”), later explains that
everything is made from dying stars,
which turn into supernovas that spew
“star stuff,” the building blocks for life,
through space. With a gigantic flash,
these interstellar explosions create
the universe as we know it.
There is a vitality to destruction. A
beauty, even.
That’s why “Supernova” is a
beautiful film. Its subject matter,
Tusker’s worsening dementia and
its effects on his partner Sam (Colin
Firth, “The King’s Speech”) are
upsetting, even gruesome at times.
The
relationship
between
Tusker and Sam, who are first
shown nude and in bed together,
is unflinchingly real. Their love’s
complete believability makes the
film heartbreaking when dementia
escalates its attack. The couple has
decided to take one last vacation
through the English countryside,
staying in an RV with their dog
Ruby. They drive through locations
important to their relationship, like
a quiet lake where they spent their
first night together, under the stars.
Speaking of stars, the illness works
like a supernova in reverse, flashing
through lives that have already been
lived, eating them away and leaving
emptiness in its wake. Maybe it’s more
of a black hole.
The film is a day-to-day portrait
of Tusker and Sam’s relationship,
showing both what makes the men
perfect for one another — nights spent
stargazing and days bickering like an
old married couple, as their van sails
through verdant English hills — and
the horror of the imminent illness,
the far-off look in Tusker’s eyes as the
fog of memory continues its inevitable
descent.
Tucci exhibits a deep sadness in
every scene, sometimes understated,
sometimes blazingly tragic, that
shows the viewer the heartbreaking
reality of losing oneself as the days go
by. Firth will also leave most viewers
reaching for the tissue box. Sam is
mourning his lover while the man is
still alive, simultaneously bottling the
terrible despair so he doesn’t make
Tusker feel even worse.
“Supernova” is patient, portraying
the gradual tragedy that accumulates
because of this dreadful disease.
The film’s slow pace doesn’t make its
conclusion less tragic, though, only
more brutally real.
What makes the film unique is that,
while the couple depicted are in a gay
relationship, there is no discussion
of persecution or even gay identity
in general. “Supernova” could be
about any couple. This itself is sort of
radical. Most gay-centered dramas
focus on prejudice, a “coming out”
story or some combination of the two.
The question, though, is this: Should
homosexuality be performed by
heterosexual actors?
Speaking from my subjective gay
experience, I think the era where
this is unquestionably fine has
passed. Ten years ago, when most
producers wouldn’t touch a mass-
market gay-themed movie like “Love,
Simon,” I would have said that queer
representation was so necessary that,
if it took heterosexual actors to get the
story told, then fine.
Yet, in 2021, queer representation
has become mainstream. Stories
as diverse as “Ammonite” to
Pixar’s “Onward” are including
LGBTQ+ characters and telling all
sorts of stories. This flourishing
in the topic hasn’t come with a
proportionate rise in LGBTQ+
performers, however. The queer
leading characters in “Ammonite,”
for example, were played by
heterosexual actresses. Maybe this
just takes time.
Still, gay identity isn’t a costume
that can be slipped on. Even if
Supreme
Court
Justice
Amy
Coney Barret says so, it’s not a
“preference.” It’s an identity, a
community.
It is vital to include LGBTQ+ voices
behind and in front of the camera,
especially when the films themselves
are
about
LGBTQ+
characters.
While Firth and Tucci are great,
there are also plenty of gay actors,
like Ian McKellen (“The Hobbit:
an Unexpected Journey”) and B.D.
Wong (“Nora From Queens”), who
have lived as gay men in the 20th
century, experiencing traumas like
Section 28 and the AIDS crisis, and
have grown old and loved and lost.
This was their story to tell.
The music beat has a party
‘The Great North’ is weird, lovable and very Alaskan
Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci
are stellar in ‘Supernova.’ But...
ANDREW WARRICK
Daily Arts Writer
BEN SERVETAH
Daily Arts Writer
StudioCanal
DAILY MUSIC WRITERS
Taylor Swift released her self-
titled debut album in 2006 at
only 16 years old. In a way that
no one could have predicted,
Swift emerged as the ruler of the
pop and country music charts
for the next fifteen years, all
the way up to her most recent
release, evermore, in December
2020. In the past two years or
so, especially since the release
of Lover in 2019, I have been
finding myself wondering how I
have been able to so consistently
enjoy Swift’s music, as far back
as “Should’ve Said No” and as
recent as “willow.” What is it
about her or her music that
makes her stand out so vividly
from all her contemporaries?
Swift knows how to keep
people interested, not only in
the music she’s releasing but
also in her personal life. From
her earliest albums, speculation
about who she writes her songs
about
(e.g.,
“All
Too
Well”
and
the
now-infamous
Jake
Gyllenhaal scarf) has circulated
around each album. The world,
regardless of whether they hate
or love her, knows about her and
who she surrounds herself with.
From
new
boyfriends
and
heartbreak to best friends and
betrayals, Swift’s life has been
aggressively public for as long
as she’s been a part of the music
industry. Many would argue
that her public relationships
and feuds are what keeps her
so relevant. As Kanye West so
famously stated, “I made that
bitch famous.” But I disagree.
Strongly. So many prominent
musicians
have
maintained
relevance due to their publicity
stunts, but so many of those
artists don’t continue to get
bigger. With every album Swift
releases, her fanbase and critical
acclaim grow.
I’ve realized that Taylor Swift
is the perfect example of an artist
who changes with her audience.
I’m now 19, but when “Love
Story” came out, eight-year-
old me couldn’t have been more
obsessed. And while I still listen
back to tracks like “Love Story”
and “You Belong With Me,” even
11 years later those songs are
filled with nostalgia. Swift not
only matures with every release,
but she changes her entire image.
Taylor Swift was her country
girl debut release, clean and
fun. Fearless was a slightly
matured version of that, and
Speak Now was her ballad-
filled heartbreaker, where Swift
became the music industry’s
princess. Red was her subtle
transition
into
pop
music,
marked by the iconic red lipstick.
1989, in my opinion, redefined
pop as Swift fully pulled away
from her country roots. I also
believe
that
Reputation
was
the most important comeback
in
21st-century
music,
and
she fully committed to the
bad-girl persona. Lover was a
complete 180, in which Swift
became a pastel martyr for true
love (minus her usual side of
heartbreak), and sister albums
folklore and evermore showed
the most raw, artsy and matured
version that anyone had ever
seen from her.
While not every era of Swift
has been widely loved by fans,
they were at least all appreciated.
Her constant changes, not only in
the sound of her music but also
in her public image as it relates
to each era, are what has allowed
her to continue flourishing well
past what would be most artists’
prime.
Something about Taylor Swift
has stuck with me for years.
From the 8-year-old who loved
her early singles to the 19-year-
old me sitting here now writing
this article, she has maintained
a place in my mind and heart
that no other artist has ever
done. I find myself constantly
floored by the intricacy of her
lyrics combined with the ever-
changing sound of her music. She
has made a song for every single
tough or beautiful moment in
my life, whether it be my first
heartbreak, growing up, moving
out or being in love. When people
say Taylor Swift is their mother,
it’s not an exaggeration. We’ve
grown up with her and she
continues to nurture us through
music in ways I didn’t think were
possible.
Taylor Swift’s evolution is
what makes her timeless
GIGI CIULLA
Daily Arts Writer