Reporting live from my balcony, 

yet again, for another literary event 
coverage. This time it’s chef and author 
Bill Buford’s appearance in the “At 
Home with Literati” series, presenting 
his latest book “Dirt: Adventures in 
Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and 
Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French 
Cooking.” Today I’m not drinking 
Roiboos tea but matcha! This was my 
first time trying it, and it will most 
probably be the last. Apologies for any 
grass-tasting milk lovers, but I will 
stick to my former choice of drink.

Before tuning in on this April 5 

evening to Literati’s Zoom webinar, I 
did a fair bit of research on the author in 
question. Before I realized it, I had spent 
almost an hour watching his cooking 
videos on The New Yorker’s YouTube 
channel, such as this one, where he 
cooks a delicious apple pie with the help 

of his twin sons in his home kitchen.

The event began with a brief 

introduction by John Ganiard, the 
event director for Literati, who gave 
the audience a bit of background into 
how Buford’s “Dirt” came to be and 
the unanticipated abandonment of 
the chef’s life in New York City for 
a five-year adventure in Lyon, “the 
gastronomical capital of the world.” 
Then it was Buford’s turn to elaborate 
on the marvel of that voyage, and how 
a filthy bakery run by a man named 
Bob, as well as his apprenticeship in a 
storied Michelin-starred restaurant, 
broadened his culinary skills (and his 
archive of great anecdotes). 

Buford’s book, which serves as a 

sequel to “Heat” (2006), a memoir of 
how he left his position as editor of 
The New Yorker to dive into Italian 
restaurant kitchens, was described 
by Ganiard as more “conversational 
storytelling” than the actual heavy 
reflection normally associated with 
memoirs. Buford read the opening 

pages, and I could instantly tell what 
he had meant by that — it was written 
in a humorous conversational manner. 
I felt like I was at a dinner table and he 
was telling me an anecdote about his 
life — a vivid narrative situated in the 
heat and stress of a Michelin-starred 
kitchen, with smells and sounds 
accompanying his interactive way of 
depicting the scene. 

The anecdote was about artichokes 

— and I love artichokes — so I instantly 
drew my ear closer: Buford had 
botched the preparation of the green 
buds so badly that he had the whole 
staff in the kitchen buckle in laughter. 
All but the head chef, who was serious 
in the way French chefs are: “Arms 
crossed and frowning, because nobody 
smiles in kitchens.”

Buford explained his experience 

in two very different workspaces, a 
Michelin-starred restaurant and an 
eccentric bakery, both of which taught 
him a great deal about French cuisine 
and the important role it plays in the 

country’s culture. He emphasized 
his admiration for the farm-to-table 
custom that has proliferated in France 
and the emphasis on fresh, local and 
unprocessed food. The title of the book 
stems from this notion that it is the 
soil in which the food is growing — 
ingredients that haven’t been ruined by 
modern life — that makes it so special. 
Buford puts it beautifully: the marvel 
of the hundreds of different kinds of 
cheeses and the “poetry in every kind 
being tied to a place and not another.”

The webinar turned into a Q&A 

and I posed two questions, although 
I could have asked him many more. I 
wanted to know what dish, out of the 
ones he had learned in Lyon, had been 
his favorite. “Chicken,” he laughed. He 
also mentioned mastering (and loving) 
making sauces.

My second question, and the one 

which concluded the event, posed 
whether he ever thought of opening up 
his own restaurant and where he would 
locate it. Buford said he had a fantasy of 

going back to France and then opening 
up a restaurant with fellow chef Michel 
Richard upon his return to New York. 
Or maybe a pop-up restaurant in Lyon. 

A potential location he mentioned 

was Piedmont, the region bordering 
France and Italy, as a place where 
he could put his “love for the way 
in which the French and Italians 
conversed” into work — a place where 
his genius and his apprenticeship 
could come together. Additionally, he 
did say he loved Spanish cuisine as 
another potential future project — a 

completion of his Mediterranean trio. 
As a Spaniard, I would love to see that.

My stomach rumbles at the thought 

of Bob’s bread, of my grandma’s 
artichokes (which I like to believe are 
well-cooked) and of Buford’s pastas. 
Now I log off for the day, happy to have 
hopped, once again, into an Ann Arbor-
run literary event and extending the 
list of book recommendations that I 
will read when I have more time in 
my hands. Hopefully alongside some 
delicious apple pie and Rooibos tea (not 
matcha). 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 — 5

My least favorite subgenre of film and 

television doesn’t have a name, and I don’t 
think I would be able to give it one if I had 
to. I have to use a lot of words to describe 
it, something like “movies or shows with 
famous white people in prosthetics playing 
Republicans.” 

The films “Vice” and “Bombshell,” along 

with the Showtime miniseries “The Loudest 
Voice,” all came out within one year. They 
epitomize this strange genre phenomenon 
through their depictions of former Vice 
President Dick Cheney, various former 
Fox News anchors including Megyn Kelly 
and former head of Fox News Roger Ailes 
respectively. 

The three projects were released as if 

they were on a schedule, with almost exactly 
six months between each of them. It’s like 
Hollywood had a Republican biopic quota 
and was trying to fill it as quickly as possible.

It was quite the trend. I remember looking 

up at a massive billboard for “The Loudest 
Voice” in the summer of 2019 and thinking, 
“this is that Dick Cheney movie’s fault.” When 
I watched the first trailer for “Bombshell” 
later that year, I thought, “this is that Roger 
Ailes show’s fault.” It’s not that movies about 
Republicans hadn’t been made before (Oliver 
Stone’s “Nixon” and “W.” come to mind), but it 
was the first time that I’d seen them churned 
out so quickly.

The entertainment industry is liberal: 

Everyone knows that. When a movie or 
TV show is about American politics, the 

protagonists are usually Democrats, but no 
one really makes a big deal about their party 
affiliation. In “The West Wing,” President Jed 
Bartlet (Martin Sheen, “Judas and the Black 
Messiah”) and his successor are Democrats. In 
“The Ides of March,” George Clooney’s (“The 
Midnight Sky”) character is a Democratic 
nominee for president. Even in “Definitely, 
Maybe,” a romantic comedy, Ryan Reynolds’s 
(“Deadpool”) character is an enthusiastic 
volunteer for Bill Clinton’s presidential 
campaign.

Democratic politics are so casual in 

Hollywood that whenever someone makes 
a movie about Republicans, it really has to 
be about Republicans. There has to be a 
spectacle — i.e. putting actors like Christian 
Bale, Charlize Theron and Russell Crowe 
into heavy prosthetics to make them look like 
carbon copies of the people they’re portraying. 

It has to be something gimmicky that will 
win awards and underscore the inherent 
“otherness” of movies about conservatives, 
which stand out in an industry that so 
obviously leans left. And Hollywood usually 
takes the bait — Bale won a Golden Globe for 
“Vice,” and “Bombshell” won an Oscar for 
makeup and hairstyling.

It’s almost like movies about Republicans 

and conservative media are thought of as 
boundary-pushing. As far as turning politics 
into entertainment goes, I can understand 
why the Republican Party and the vast 
media empire that props it up might be more 
fun to write about than their Democratic 
counterparts. I’m pretty confident that no 
one is writing spec scripts about the lives of 
Al Gore, Rachel Maddow or whoever the 
head of MSNBC is. Republicans are just more 

entertaining, even if it’s not for good reasons.

But there’s something so insidious about 

making Republican politics seem subversive 
through film and TV. It’s not that “Vice,” 
“Bombshell” or “The Loudest Voice” are even 
particularly generous to their subjects — “Vice” 
blows up Cheney’s villainy into Shakespearean 
proportions at the end — but none of these 
attempted revelations actually reveal anything. 
Cheney’s warmongering and Ailes’s sexual 
misconduct are well-documented, and Kelly’s 
move from Fox News to NBC after Fox News’s 
#MeToo moment created a massive media 
stir. The people who care to see these stories 
fictionalized are most likely people who are 
already somewhat informed on the stories’ 
realities, not people who might be coming in as 
a blank slate.

So what is the value of retelling these 

stories on screen? Is there any at all?

The conservatives who might watch 

these movies will find that they’re perfect 
fodder for their perceived victimhood, 
something to point to and whine that 
they’re being oppressed by the liberal media. 
But they’re also great for feeding liberal 
superiority complexes, which thrive off all 
of the finger-wagging the movies do. They 
also allow a self-satisfied Adam McKay 
(“The Big Short”), the director of “Vice,” 
to comment directly on exactly how edgy 
and groundbreaking he thinks his movie is 
through an unnecessary, meta, mid-credit 
scene in which a focus group argues over the 
film’s political biases.

The real purposes, then, of productions 

like “Vice,” “Bombshell” and “The Loudest 
Voice” are first to employ every white 
actor in Hollywood, and second to indulge 
their creators and the misguided creative 
instincts that tell them what they’re making 
is somehow valuable to political discourse. 
In practice, they just end up either preaching 
to the choir or to a congregation with pre-
drawn conclusions, both of which render the 
sermon needless and empty.

As far as I know, nothing else has come out 

that fits the very specific criteria of famous 
white people, prosthetics and Republicans, 
so I’m hopeful that Hollywood has learned 
something from the fact that both “Vice” 
and “Bombshell” underperformed at the box 
office, if nothing else. I’m crossing my fingers 
that they represent a bygone era, because if I 
ever see a billboard advertising a biopic about 
Mitch McConnell, I might try to rip it down 
myself.

Lil 
Nas 
X’s 
latest 
single, 

“MONTERO (Call Me By Your 
Name),” is much more than a hollow 
pop song from an internet personality 
— it’s a statement. As the most 
musically and thematically complex 
song from the artist, whose given 
name is Montero Hill, “MONTERO” 
is a triumph in self-expression. The 
luscious production and danceable, 
Latin-inspired groove compliment 
Lil Nas X’s vocal performance, which 
ranges from lustful to pleading. Lil Nas 
X clearly sings from the heart as he 
meditates on codependency, sexuality 
and secrecy within relationships. 

The song has gained attention since 

it was released on March 26 in part due 
to its colorful, campy and controversial 
music video laden with riffs on biblical 
and literary allusions normally used to 
villainize queerness. Lil Nas X plays 
every single character in the video, and 
at one point, literally (lap) dances with 
the devil. 

In three tightly packed minutes, 

Lil Nas X plays a long-haired Adam 
in the garden of Eden. There, he is 
confronted by a snake, who seduces 
him with a third eye. After, a pink-
haired Adam is taken to a trial where 

he’s stoned to death (alluding to Plato’s 
“Symposium”). Lil Nas X then pole-
dances down to the deepest layer of 
hell, where he enters the devil’s palace, 
gives him a lap dance, snaps his neck, 
takes his horns and assumes his place 
on the dark throne.

In a Twitter statement, Hill opened 

up about the inspiration for the song 
and video: mainly, his feelings of 
religious self-loathing while in the 
closet. He publicly discussed the 
bigotry he’s experienced, especially 
from the religious right, which has told 
him he’ll burn in hell for his sexuality. 
In the music video, Lil Nas X bravely 
decides to silence his inner devil and 
embrace his sexual orientation; if he 
must go to hell, so be it. 

Alongside the song, Lil Nas X 

partnered with art collective MSCHF 
to create a limited number of “Satan 
Shoes.” These shoes, which were 
modified Nike Air Max 97’s, featured 
a bronze pentagram, were inscribed 
with “Luke 10:18” (which states, “I 
watched Satan fall from heaven like 
lightning”), and contained a drop of 
human blood. Nike, who played no part 
in manufacturing these shoes, filed a 
restraining order against MSCHF in 
response to widespread confusion over 
their role in the stunt. 

The video and the accompanying 

shoes sent shockwaves through the 
internet. Many internet conservatives 

took to Twitter to voice their concerns 
over the shoes and the video’s 
homoerotic 
and 
satanic 
content. 

Kaitlin Bennett — better known as 
the “Kent State gun girl” who became 
famous in 2018 for bringing an AR-10 to 
her graduation photoshoot — was very 
vocal about her outrage over the music 
video. A heated Twitter exchange 
broke out between Bennet and Hill 
which ended in Bennet’s bigoted 
tweet: “Do you still see your dad?” Lil 
Nas X responded: “yep and i might fuck 
yours.” 

Other right-wing commentators 

like Candace Owens, Gov. Kristi 
Loem, R-S.D., and Pastor Mark 
Burns were very outspoken with 
their condemnation of “MONTERO.” 
Celebrities 
like 
basketball 
player 

Nick Young and quarterback Trevor 
Lawrence publicly criticized the 
“Satan Shoes,” with Young stating, 
“My kids will never play Old Town 
road again.” Singer Joyner Lucas took 
issue with the influence Lil Nas X has 
on little kids, to which he responded, 
“i literally sing about lean & adultery 
in old town road. u decided to let your 
child listen. blame yourself.” 

The belief that Lil Nas X lost his 

kid-friendly appeal by embracing 
his sexuality has parallels to the 
public backlash over Miley Cyrus’s 
“Wrecking Ball.” However, while 
Cyrus took a full beating of hate in 

2013, Lil Nas X has been clapping back 
with just as much shade as what’s been 
thrown at him. Even before “Old Town 
Road,” Lil Nas X has been an expert 
at playing the internet game — his 
internet persona is just as important as 
the music he has released. The success 
of his songs can partly be attributed 
to their virality on TikTok, where his 
extremely online presence allows him 
to engage with millions of fans. 

On TikTok, where Lil Nas X began 

his career, he reposts hilarious fan 
“MONTERO”-themed 
TikToks 

multiple times a day. He contributed to 
this content by starting a TikTok trend 
where people pretend to be stuck at 
the gates of heaven or hell, as Lil Nas X 
quickly slides past on his pole, causing 
them to confusedly hear a fraction of a 
second of “MONTERO.” Additionally, 
Lil Nas X used TikTok to promote 
his free browser game called “Twerk 
Hero,” which challenges the player to 
twerk along with the avatar on-screen. 
It’s clear that Lil Nas X understands 
how to game social media with a fresh 
sense of humor; his TikToks receive 
hundreds of thousands of likes and are 
often reposted to other social media 
platforms. Many people may not be 
familiar with “MONTERO” by name, 
but have tangential knowledge of the 
song from the explosion of memes, 
tweets and TikToks strewn about the 
internet.

This isn’t a happy coincidence — 

“MONTERO’s” publicity explosion 
on the internet is by design. It’s how 
“Old Town Road” went viral, and 
how so many people are familiar 
with “MONTERO.” In contrast to the 
genuine, raw nature of the song, Lil 
Nas X uses cheeky social media humor 
to publicize his work. In addition to his 
many social media exchanges, Lil Nas 
X posted a video titled “MONTERO 
but ur in the bathroom of hell while lil 
nas is giving Satan a lap dance in the 
other room,” following the popular 
YouTube meme format.

In the comments, many noted they 

were surprised to see that Lil Nas 
X himself posted the video — many 
stated that much of the content that Lil 
Nas X posts aren’t reminiscent of an 
advertising campaign, but instead, that 
of a viral meme page. With his excellent 
marketing skills, Lil Nas X might be 
one of the few artists who understand 
the psychology behind Gen Z internet 
usage: make people laugh, and you 
have their attention. 

For Lil Nas X, who has yet to release 

a full album, the divisive release of 
“MONTERO” at this point in his 
career is a testament to his bravery. 
It’s worth noting that the backlash 
he has faced is disproportional to that 
of other artists who’ve used satanic 
imagery, like Madonna, AC/DC or 
literally any rock band. As a Black, gay 

man who tells his story honestly, Lil 
Nas X is targeted by right-wing media 
for not staying within the “acceptable” 
boxes created by the music industry 
and beyond.

A certified bop like “Old Town 

Road” appeals to everyone — many 
of Lil Nas X’s original fans come 
from across the world and political 
spectrum, even many who harbor 
hateful views towards the queer 
community. Lil Nas X is aware, yet 
doesn’t shy away from unapologetically 
celebrating his identity.

He uses his wide platform for good 

by normalizing content that empowers 
queer people of color in a world that 
seems to despise both groups. Lil Nas 
X knew he would make a polarizing 
statement, but to him, it was worth 
others feeling less of the self-loathing 
he did growing up. Statements like the 
video of “MONTERO” spur important 
discussions about the acceptance of 
queerness. Through “MONTERO,” 
Lil Nas X displays boundary-breaking, 
society-shaping artistry in its truest 
form. 

Make no mistake: Lil Nas X isn’t a 

passive product of internet algorithms 
— he’s a social media master. With 
“MONTERO,” Lil Nas X uses his 
platform, artistic talent and playful 
nature to celebrate queerness with a 
video that’s sure to go down in internet 
history.

As a little kid, Jimmy Neutron was always 

one of my favorite characters, thanks to the 2001 
cinematic experience “Jimmy Neutron: Boy 
Genius.” At the age of four, I even recommended 
that my parents name my little brother, Sacha, 
“Jimmy.”

Yes, the television show, “The Adventures of 

Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius” was great, and I 
remember enjoying the reruns, but it finished 
airing when I wasn’t even old enough to read. 
Thus, episodes of the show were not easily 
accessible. On the other hand, the movie was 
readily available via DVD anytime I wanted it.

The film follows Jimmy Neutron, a brilliant 

inventor, and his elementary school friends, as 
they attempt to rescue their abducted parents 
from a planet of gooey aliens. The parent-
napping was made possible by Jimmy himself, 
as he sent the coordinates of Earth into space in 
hopes of making contact with friendly aliens. 
Before the kids find out why their parents 
are missing, they partake in a heinous darty 
and wake up with massive kid hangovers, 
which include tummy aches, boo-boos and a 
desperate need for lunch. They subsequently 
realize the value of quality parenting and, led 
by Jimmy, orchestrate a plan to fly to space to 
save their folks from the throes of the gooey 
aliens and their chicken monster-god, who has 
an appetite for humans. 

Before re-watching the movie, the moments 

that had stuck in my mind were the silliest 
ones, such as Jimmy’s friend Sheen peeing in 
the shower (and proclaiming it to no one in 
particular), and Jimmy’s accidental shrinking 
of the shrill teacher Mrs. Fowl. However, upon 
rewatching, I realized that the movie offers 
several valuable and wise lessons for kids that 
are still exceedingly relevant for children today. 

In the animated TV realm of the 2000s, 

most protagonists were extraordinary because 
of some sort of supernatural power. Whether 
it be Timmy Turner with his fairy godparents, 
Danny Phantom with his ghost powers or Aang 
with his bending powers, all of these characters 
benefit from otherworldly abilities. Conversely, 
“Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” introduced a 
hero whose only superpower is his intellect 
and ambition. Many of Jimmy’s inventions fail, 
such as his bubble transportation device and 
jetpack. However, he never gives up and keeps 
working on new devices and strategies until his 

goal of saving his parents is complete. Jimmy’s 
work ethic and self-made nature is inspiring 
for kids who are used to seeing characters with 
unreal powers.

And during times of adversity, Jimmy 

demonstrates the value of perseverance and 
searching for a solution instead of sulking. In his 
lowest moments of the movie, Jimmy has the 
two most groundbreaking realizations of the 
film (the first being that all the kids’ parents have 
been abducted, the second being a strategy to 
escape an alien dungeon). This may be an overly 
simplistic way of looking at the world, but it is 
a usefully optimistic portrayal of struggle and 
redemption for kids, who will undoubtedly face 
misfortune at certain points in the future.

Jimmy also exemplifies the adage “with 

great power, comes great responsibility.” He is 
a genius, but he does not let his greatness get to 
his head. He remains humble and treats his less 
intelligent friends, Carl and Sheen, with respect. 
Through his creation of silly inventions, such as 
burping soda, Jimmy maintains that he is not 
above his friends or audience.

Several lessons from “Jimmy Neutron: Boy 

Genius” feel ahead of their time. For example, 
the importance of privacy and not sharing 
personal information is made clear through 
Jimmy’s blunder of sending his coordinates 
to space. This lesson is pertinent to kids today, 
many of whom have smartphones and are on 
social media by the age of 11. 

Similarly, the issue of actively seeking out 

popularity, or clout chasing, has worsened with 
this increase in social media use by kids. One of 
Jimmy’s classmates, Cindy, originally falls into 
this trap by obsessing over the class’s cool guy, 
Nick, even though she and Jimmy share more 
in common, such as an adoration of space. By the 
end of the movie, Cindy becomes disinterested 
in Nick, and a future relationship with Jimmy 
is alluded to, which emphasizes the importance 
of finding a relationship based on the right fit as 
opposed to popularity.

It may seem like this analysis is too in-depth 

for a kid’s movie. However, while I may not 
have been able to point out all of these hidden 
values at the age of four, it does not mean that 
I was not subconsciously absorbing them. 
You don’t always need to be aware of why 
you are drawn to great art. This is the beauty 
of good child entertainment in particular. 
Like “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” it should 
impact its audience in ways they cannot even 
fully comprehend at the time of first viewing 
it.

The place where prosthetics and Republicans meet

‘MONTERO’ makes Lil Nas X one of the defining artists of our generation

The TV beat talks Nickelodeon: The lasting 

value of ‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius’

KATRINA STEBBINS

Daily Arts Writer
AIDAN HARRIS
Daily Arts Writer

MEERA KUMAR & 

KAI BARTOL
Daily Arts Writers

Design by Brianna Manzor

Design by Brianna Manzor

Lyon, artichokes and filthy boulangeries: Chef Bill Buford for ‘At Home with Literati’

CECILIA DURAN

Daily Arts Writer

