Missing In Action: - The Wake

vol.2 issue.4
THE
www.wakenews.org
Wake
Student Magazine
Inside:
Students Go From Rural To Urban
Interview With Mason Jennings
Dos & Don’ts For Valentine’s Day
A Page With No Name
The U’s Underwater Divas
Poetry & Word Play
Missing In Action:
As war carries on, where have all
the student activists gone?
Februar y 11, 2004

From The Wake Archives:
should be wok, not walk!

vol.2 issue.4
THE
Wake
February 11, 2OO4
Cover Art By Albert Nguyen
The Wake
Established in 2002, The Wake is an independant
monthly magazine, produced by and for students
at the University of Minnesota. The Wake is a
registered student organization.
Student Magazine
WWW.WAKENEWS.ORG
Co-Publishers
James DeLong
Chris Ruen
Office Assistants
Julie Seebold
Heidi Frison
CONTENTS
[4] Campus
4
7
Opinions Editor
Sound & Vision Editor
Campus Editor
Literary Editor
Athletics Editor
Photo Editor
Art Director
Web Editor
Assistant Web Editors
Copy Editors
Courtney Lewis
Marvin Lin
Eric Magnuson
Mike Hastert
Chris Matt
Kathy Easthagen
Maria Dombrovskaia
Theresa Eagan
Annette Neist
Dennis Lui
Anna Cronk
Scott Dillon
[7]
[10]
Voices
Sound & Vision
10
16
Business Manager
Advertising Executive
PR Director
PR Assistant
Photography
John Storms
Anne Whitman
Chitra Vairavan
Emily Secor
Kathy Easthagen, Chris
Roberts, Jerret Rafferty,
Andy Tyra, Ryan
Dionne, Brie
Cohen, Alison Lorge
[16]
[18]
[19] TBA
Athletics
Literary
Letters.
Not Amused
we would greatly
appriciate the article written
about us by one Fredric Hanson
to be removed at once..we dont
mind if the guy dont like are
band but to talk all the sh!t he
did is very offending to us. he
didnt have to be there and if
he was a real fan of music he
wouldnt have wrote what he
did.he also was bashing Howie
Day the other guy performing
that night at the union...alot
of people had a really good
time at the show and we dont
need any bad press.guys that
dont sing or play in a band
and write stupid crap like that
should keep there opinions to
themselves....he should think
about who he writes about there
is 5 of us plus Chris Castino of
The Big Wu that are quite pissed
about this and that guy should
hope he never crosses paths
with any of us...............
Thank You,
Geeter Schwillbillie
19 18
corrections...
In Luke Engan’s
article, “Political
Activism a Must for
College Students”
(vol. 2, issue 3), it
is implied that Kate
Newberry-Gilin is a
member of Minnesota
College Republicans.
She is in fact a
member of Students
for Dean.
Graphic Design
Illustrations/Cartoons
Contributing Writers
Maria Dombrovskaia,
James DeLong, Chris
Ruen, Chris Roberts,
Brie Cohen, Mike Hastert,
Marissa Krzmarzick,
Annette Hanley
Jake Luck, Albert
Nguyen, Murphy Curran,
Zach and Sean,
Jesse Roesler, Chris
Ruen, Peri Riddel,
Michael Wilklow, Nick
Mueller, Chris Matt, Eric
Magnuson, Kay Stieger,
Nick Neaton, Richard
Kaleta, Nate Hill Courtney
Lewis, Anna Cronk,
Marvin Lin, Brant
Johnson, Brad
Spychalski, Frederic
Hanson, Morgan Mae
Schultz, Pat Armitage,
Alex Focke, Adrienne
Urbanski, Karen James,
Kim Gengler
The Wake
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© 2003 All Rights Reserved

Campus
February 11 2OO4
4
Where Are The Anti-war And Pro-war Movements Now?
By Eric Magnuson
Newspapers continue to announce
deaths of American soldiers on a daily
basis. Since President Bush declared an
end to the war in Iraq last May, at least
389 soldiers have been killed on duty.
Blaring headlines say “Weʼre Still At War”
across the Star Tribuneʼs front page. But
the anti-war and pro-war movements from
last spring have gone into seclusion.
Whether you agree with one
movementʼs stance or the other, one
might wonder where they have gone
when there is a consensus that the war
in Iraq, or at least on terrorism, continues
today.
Heavily active members of both
factions agree the war in Iraq has not
ended.
“I donʼt think thereʼs anyway to get
around it when people are dying on a
daily basis,” said Nathan Mittelstaedt,
member of Students Against War. “Itʼs
still a war.”
Chris Hill, regional director of the
conservative group Young Americans
for Freedom, which sponsored pro-war
demonstrations last spring, agreed.
“Obviously fighting is still going on,” he
said, “and I would say the end of fighting
is far from over.”
Although members from both sides
agree the war continues, neither of their
respective groups have been eventful on
campus for the past nine months.
Since 9-11, Students Against War
organized at least seven demonstrations
on campus and Young Americans for
Freedom had at least four of their own.
After the war was declared over, however,
neither group has held a major event.
Students Against War has focused on
other topics such as the war in Colombia
and the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees Local
3800 strike last fall. Young Americans
for Freedom has done nothing since last
spring, Hill said.
Mittelstaedt said demonstrations by
the anti-war movement faded out because
many of its members felt demoralized.
“A lot of people felt frustrated that
theyʼd go to these demonstrations over
and over again, say the same chants, and
it wouldnʼt change anything,” he said.
Anti-war supporters thought they
could change the Bush administrationʼs
foreign policy because they had grown
so large. When nothing changed, they
needed to take a break, Mittelstaedt
said.
“I think the pro-war movement has
subsided because the anti-war movement
has subsided,” Hill said.
The pro-war movement was a direct
response to the anti-war movement,
according to Hill, and wouldnʼt have
occurred had the anti-war movement
not formed. All of the pro-war events Hill
took part in, except for one, were counter
demonstrations to anti-war rallies.
Hill said that “anti-anti-war
movement” is a better title for the “prowar
movement” because he does not
advocate all wars, such as the war in
Kosovo in 1998. However, he believes
war is necessary when there is a threat
to national security. He opposes those
who are against all war.
Commentators such as comedian
David Cross said the massive
demonstrations last spring were just a
fad everybody wanted to be a part of.
Perhaps the fad ended abruptly, leaving
many in search of something new.
“I donʼt really buy into that,” said
Mittelstaedt. He mentioned how 15,000
people marched down Hennepin Avenue
against the war last winter in bitter cold.
“Standing out in the cold isnʼt something
you do just for fun for three or four
hours.”
Both Mittelstaedt and Hill were
undeterred by recent developments in
Iraq.
Former CIA weapons inspector, David
A. Kay, recently said the United States
will not find weapons of mass destruction
in Iraq, which was a major reason given
by the Bush administration for going to
war. Hill said this might affect those who
werenʼt sure whether they supported the
war in the first place. However, he said he
believes there is still enough evidence to
have justified the war.
Mittelstaedt said the capture of
Saddam Hussein last December has not
changed the antiwar
movementʼs
stance. “I think
there are plenty
of other ways the
$200 billion weʼve
spent on this
war could have
contained Hussein
and made the world
a much better place
than it is right
now,” he said.
Chants through
megaphones and
vehement signs of
support or angst may appear on campus
once again this spring.
Students Against War and the Iraq
Peace Action Coalition are planning a citywide
demonstration against the United
States occupation of Iraq on March 20.
It will be part of an international day of
protest with other events in Washington,
D.C., Chicago and San Francisco among
other cities.
Expect this to go hand-in-hand with
counter demonstrations.
If the anti-war movement holds
rallies on campus again, Hill said he thinks
there will be counter demonstrations by
Illustration by Albert Nguyen
the pro-war movement.
Between September 2001 and
December 2003, 75 University of
Minnesota students have been called
to military service, according to the
Department of Institutional Research
and Reporting. Although the war in Iraq
personally affects a small portion of
University students, both anti-war and
pro-war movements appear to be coming
back as presidential elections draw
nearer.
“I donʼt think weʼre dead,” said
Mittelstaedt, “I think thereʼs opportunity
to build yet.”

Death On The Plains, Hope On The Horizon?
Minnesota rural population loss and what some are doing to stop it
By Nick Neaton
Most of us will probably graduate and
leave the University of Minnesota one day,
heads held high, degrees tucked under our
arms. The world will be ours. Where will we
go? Chicago? New York? Paris?
How about Wheaton, Minnesota?
Most college students donʼt consider
rural areas when making post-academic
plans. Why should they? Jobs are sparse,
roads are often poor and the nightlife
leaves much to be desired. Still, wasteland
or not, itʼs sad to see rural counties fade
while the suburbs explode. Like so many
other aspects of life, large-scale farmers
are pushing out smaller operations and
big-box retail stores now even dominate
out-state cities like Brainerd and
Alexandria.
If the world is indeed becoming more
globalized, location shouldnʼt matter
as much anymore. Why, then, do most
people continue to move to urban and
suburban areas where they face traffic,
crime and anonymity? Why not choose a
safer small town where schools are more
intimate, crime is rare and land is cheap
and plentiful?
The biggest reason might be jobs.
Right now, rural areas arenʼt the best
market for young professionals to begin
careers. However, that could change.
Last session, the Minnesota Legislature
approved the Job Opportunity Building
Zones (JOBZ) program, an initiative
that gives tax breaks to businesses for
relocating to out-state Minnesota. The
program aims to bring high-paying jobs
to rural regions. Some have panned JOBZ,
calling it an open-ended spending trap,
but the criticism seems mostly partisan.
Itʼs too early to tell if JOBZ will change
rural out-migration, but it offers a chance
for a successful life outside the Twin Cities
area.
Other politicians are working to revive
interest in rural areas. North Dakota Sen.
Byron Dorganʼs New Homestead Act
would pay up to $10,000 in college loans
for college graduates who move to “high
out-migration counties” - those with a net
loss of more than 10 percent in the last
20 years (most of North Dakota). The
act would also give migrators a $5,000
tax credit for buying a house in one of
the affected counties. Minnesotaʼs Sen.
Norm Coleman also has an idea: the Rural
Renaissance Initiative, a one-time, $50
billion investment in the nationwide rural
infrastructure. Both bills are in the early
stages but have nonetheless created hope
for small-town America.
Since so much of Minnesotaʼs
attention focuses on the metro area, itʼs
easy to forget about the stateʼs outer
regions. Thus, most of rural Minnesota
becomes trapped in a perpetual paradox:
people move to the cities from rural
Minnesota because thereʼs nobody in the
area and few move out-state because
they think nobody lives in small towns.
A recent University study shows rural
Minnesota counties are losing people,
especially those ages 20 to 24. Counties
in northwestern and southwestern
Minnesota are hit hardest by outmigration.
Koochiching County, home of
International Falls in northern Minnesota,
lost more than 13 percent of its population
from 1990 to 2001. Lac qui Parle County,
in western Minnesota, lost 11 percent in
the same period. Overall, 24 of the stateʼs
87 counties lost people from 1990 to
2000. Comparatively,
Scott County, home
to Shakopee, Savage
and Prior Lake, saw its
population increase
about 65 percent.
While there are
no concrete statistics
showing who is moving,
Americans ages 25 to 39
are the most mobile age
bracket. Surveys show
most of these young
people move to the
metro area where they
start families. Hence,
the sprawl phenomenon
often attributed to
people leaving the
central city might
include out-state folks
moving to a smaller town
closer to the Twin Cities,
like Waconia, Farmington
or Lake Elmo.
Until change
happens, rural areas
will likely continue to
lose money and people.
People seem to be doing
everything they can
to attract newcomers. To call greater
Minnesota a rentersʼ market would be an
understatement - itʼs more a desperate
landlordsʼ market. A one-bedroom
apartment in Hancock, near Morris, costs
$275 per month (utilities included)! Want
to get a place with some friends? A 3-
bedroom in Fergus Falls will run you $500
a month. These places arenʼt dumps. Itʼs
just that nobody is moving out-state and
people are trying their hardest to make
their towns attractive.
It might be smarter to buy a home
in some of these places. One ad in the
Crookston newspaper posts a “2-story
fixer-upper. $6,000 - or best offer.” If
Crookston is too far out for you, try this
place in Wheaton: four-bedroom, twostory
house for $18,000. Some students
pay more for rent in Dinkytown!
Say you find a decent-paying job and
a nice place in a small town. Then thereʼs
the entertainment factor. True, the Mall
of America might offer more excitement
than Baudetteʼs Willie the Walleye statue
or Belle Plaineʼs two-story outhouse, but
bigger towns like Grand Forks, N.D., and
Bemidji have more options. If nothing else,
most towns have at least one bar. Letʼs
not forget about town festivals. Cuyana,
near Brainerd, has “nationally famous”
woodtick races every June. In winter, head
to Aitkin for the annual fish house parade.
Want to shake things up a bit? Whalen, in
southeast Minnesota, has the “Stand Still
Parade” where people walk up and down
the street looking at floats. For more
highbrow entertainment, look to New York
Mills, home of the Great American Think-
Off, a national contest where people
debate a topic (i.e., “Does God exist?”)
before an audience. The point is, thereʼs
more to do than you might imagine. You
just have to be more creative when youʼre
in a smaller town.
The countryside is losing people fast,
especially the young and educated. While
millions head to big cities for skyscrapers
and high-rise lives, small-town America
becomes more desolate. Politicians
and rural advocates are trying to get
people and businesses to move to small
towns, trying to break the stereotypes
of backwoods hicks, wintergreen Skoal
and illicit activities involving sheep. Will
these attempts curb the decline or is rural
America too far gone to save?
CampusS-
5
THE
Wake
February 11 2OO4

Finding An Internship While At The ʻUʼ
February 11 2OO4 Campus
Wake
THE
6
By Kay Steiger
Meg Finn walked into the
McNamara Alumni Center on January
27 and saw a sea of suits. Carlson
School of Management students
schmoozed their way around the
internship fair to hand out résumés
to more than 35 companies that
attended.
“I was a little freaked out,” Finn,
19, said. “I got there and I was like, I
donʼt know if Iʼm ready for this.”
Searching for an internship is
scary for just about any student
on campus. Carlson especially
emphasizes getting an internship
to aid the job search following
graduation, Finn said.
“I got to find out what interns do
on a daily basis,” Finn said. She spoke
with the McDonaldʼs Corporation,
based in Bloomington, and found out
interns there work only 60 percent of
their time in a mentor relationship in
the corporate office. The rest of the
time is spent learning every job in the
restaurant and helping the manager.
There are several resources
for anxious students available on
campus. The College of Liberal Arts
offers the Career and Community
Learning Center (CCLC), located
in 135 Johnston Hall, which aids
students by offering workshops for
résumé writing, job searching and
interviewing, according to Heidi
Perman, Career Services coordinator.
A peer or professional advisor
is always on hand at the CCLC to
help students proofread résumés or
practice interviewing skills. There
are several handouts, which students
can use to help compose that eye-
Searching for an internship:
Have a polished résumé thatʼs been read through by several people several times
printed on watermarked stock paper. The objective, if listed, should be specific to
the company receiving your résumé.
A cover letter, if included, should show you researched the company. Tailor it
specifically to the internship at hand.
Donʼt wait for a job listing to appear before sending out a résumé. Many companies
donʼt post them if theyʼve already received several résumés.
If writing skills are your thing, emphasize them.
Look for internships where you wouldnʼt expect them. Sometimes the glamoroussounding
ones donʼt get you the practical experience you need.
When attending an internship fair: dress professionally, walk independently, making
eye contact to show confidence, and be yourself.
Consider putting together a professional portfolio, which contains reference letters,
any examples of work or other credentials to back up what you have written on your
résumé.
When preparing for an interview, try to think of questions that may be asked and
prepare answers.
catching résumé, on the CCLC Web
site, www.cclc.umn.edu.
Once you score the interview, the
preparation shouldnʼt stop, Perman
said. She advises students to go
to the interviewing workshops and
think through questions that may be
asked. One of the scariest questions
may be an interviewer asking about
weaknesses.
“Try to stay positive,” Perman
said, “Donʼt say you donʼt have any
weaknesses, but maybe mention
what youʼve already done to make
progress on your weaknesses.”
Many colleges offer directed study
classes, which are internships that
can be taken for credit. The School of
Journalism and Mass Communication
offers an application class that is
basically an internship with the St.
Paul Pioneer Press. The political
science department offers internships
working directly with legislators on
both the state and national level.
“One advantage to internships is
a possible line to jobs,” said W. Phillip
Shively, professor of political science.
“You also begin to get engaged in the
world in which you will work.”
Each student should get one or
two internships before graduation,
Shively said, who directed the political
science internship program for one
year.
Another venue for internships is
the Learning Abroad Center, located
in 230 Heller Hall, to see what study
abroad internships are available for
your field of study, Shively said.
Despite the intimidation factors
in job-searching, internship fairs
are useful in gaining the experience
needed after graduation and, as Finn
found out, they can actually be kind
of fun.
“Iʼm excited to go again next
year,” Finn said, “If you can go early I
think itʼs a smart thing to do.”
Late-night Food For ʻParty Animalsʼ On Campus
By Peri Riddel
So itʼs Friday night, well, closer
to Saturday morning – youʼre hungry
and in between parties. At this point,
it may not be the smartest move to
go home to try lighting your gas oven,
or operate any kitchen appliance. And
why should you? There are plenty
of places near campus to cure the
munchies. From Chinese, to subs and
French fries, Dinkytown and Stadium
Village are filled with places to get
takeout, or sit and eat with your new
bar friends.
If youʼre looking for a relaxing
atmosphere to sit and talk with friends,
head to the Village Wok. They offer a
special late-night menu, served from
9 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring seafood
congee and chicken with egg, rice or
fun noodles. Prices range from $1.00
for plain congee (rice soup) to $6.35
for roast duck wonton with egg, rice,
or fun noodles. Service is quick and
they have a smoking section.
Directly next door lies Big 10, open
until 1 a.m. Their subs have satisfied
late-night college students for years.
Big 10 isnʼt only a place to find subs;
they also carry appetizers. Check
out the French fries, sandwiches,
burgers and more. You can head into
the restaurant to sit at a table and
drink a beer with your meal, or go
to the second entrance for take-out.
Employees are friendly and helpful in
this low-key collegiate atmosphere.
Directly across the street,
Applebeeʼs is open until 12 p.m. on
Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday and
Saturday nights. For those who just
dropped a bunch of cash at the bar,
Applebeeʼs is featuring two-for-one
appetizers from 9 p.m. to close. On a
Thursday night, the place was virtually
empty so you may have a lot of room
to relax with friends.
Heading over to another area of
campus, the Dinkytowner provides,
music, karaoke, food, and pool,
depending on the night. Theyʼre
open until 2 a.m. Sunday through
Wednesday, 3 a.m. on Thursdays, and
4 a.m. Friday and Saturday! The food
menu includes appetizer standards
such as chicken strips and French
fries as well as sandwiches. Depending
on when you drop in, there may be a
cover charge for the band playing.
And expect your ID to be checked.
Earlier in the night on weekdays, they
offer free pool between 4 and 7 p.m.
Thereʼs two-for-one beer specials
during those hours as well. The
atmosphere is unpretentious. Located
in the basement underneath Dubʼs,
the Dinkytowner is a great local bar to
catch up with friends, catch live music,
and shoot pool.
Around the block, the breakout
star of Dinkytown hangouts is The
Steak Knife. They have karaoke on
Monday nights, hip-hop on Tuesdays,
open-mic-nights on Wednesdays
and local bands Thursday through
Saturday. Itʼs open until 2:30 a.m.
Monday through Wednesday, and until
3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Patrons might find a diverse crowd of
customers, depending on which night
they attend. Post-students, trendsetters,
and artists intermingle in an
Photo by Brie Cohen
atmosphere for the music lovers. The
Steak Knifeʼs food selection ranges
from sandwiches to steak. Looking to
hear local bands and eat a hamburger
or T-bone? The Steak Knife provides
both atmosphere and eats.

Voices
February 11 2OO4
7
Dos and Donʼts for Valentineʼs Day Success
Illustration By Murphy Curran
In a Relationship?
DO: Make the night extra special by going out
of the way for your honey. Clean his or her
car and/or leave little notes telling the person
how you love the way they laugh, smell or
smile.
DONʼT: Buy flower(s) at the gas station. I
understand youʼre trying to be romantic, but
seriously, the gas station?!?! Stop at Target
and pick up a card instead of reaching for the
nearest thing in the checkout line at Super
America.
DO: Make a card! I know this may sound cheesy
and cliché, but it works. This is not just for
the crafty. Your partner will appreciate this
project even more if the hearts are pointy and
the letters crooked. This is the one time when
being inept will be endearing to your mate.
DONʼT: Sound like a greeting card. I once
dated a charming guy who had all the lines,
but the words that got me the most were
off-the-cuff remarks, which even took him
by surprise! Itʼs easy to see through the
“player” lines, which can be used with any
girl in almost any situation. If you care about
Whereʼs the Party?
By Peri Riddel
Aahh…February again. Out
come the pink hearts, red
flowers, squishy teddy bears
and enormous amounts of
stress for both the single and
the committed! What to do?
Where to go? And how to say
what you feel? Here are a few
guidelines to help you out on
the holiday:
the person you are out with, personalize your
compliments. Remark about the personʼs
personality or interest – the things that
inspire and amaze you.
DO: Spend the night on your best behavior. If
youʼre normally late, be extra punctual. Space
out during conversations? Diligently listen
to every word. If your partner wishes youʼd
wear a skirt/clean shirt/tie, put one on for at
least a little while. These gestures donʼt cost
money (you can borrow the clothes), but
they make a huge impact.
E-mail Peri Riddel at priddel@wakenews.org. Send
letters to the editor to letters@wakenews.org.
Check out more
Valentineʼs Day ideas at
www.wakenews.org
Single?
DO: Smile flirtatiously at your crush.
People are looking for love and/or booty
this week more than any other, so he or
she may be more apt to take the hint
and say hello. Wear something you feel
sexy in, whether it is a T-shirt and jeans,
or a cute skirt or slacks. Others will
notice your added confidence.
DONʼT: Stay at home and watch bad
romance movies by yourself. And please
donʼt go out with a complete jackass
just so you can say you had a date on
Valentineʼs Day.
DO: Have a party with your single friends,
or if youʼre 21, head downtown! This is
the one night when you (almost) donʼt
have to worry whether the attractive
person at the table next to you is single
or with someone else. Go over and talk
to the person, if they had a serious date
they wouldnʼt be at the bar.
DONʼT: Get sloshed and become an
emotional drunk. This screams late-night
phone calls to the ex, which you are sure
to regret in the a.m.
The Male Mind
DO: If you might bring someone home, clean
your house and your room! Dirty boxers and
empty food bags kinda ruin the mood. Light a
scented candle or at least use some Febreeze
to clear away bad smells and throw your
clothes in the closet.
DONʼT: Go to a restaurant if youʼre going to
get upset by watching happy couples and
PDA – itʼll be everywhere! Grab take-out with
friends.
Places to go?
A Guyʼs Take On
Valentineʼs Day
By Delane Cleveland
Valentineʼs Day is designed to
give guys an opportunity to show
they have a romantic side. Some
people actually plan this day months in
advance because they want the night
to be “perfect.” Even department
stores will get into the spirit of the
day by carrying romantic items such
as flowers, candy and massage oil,
or kinkier accessories like handcuffs,
chocolate body syrup and flavored
condoms.
After all the gifts have been
purchased and the reservations have
been made, guys will go all out to
make sure that their woman will have
an evening that she will never forget.
A typical date might consist of a guy
presenting a woman with flowers and
candy, dinner at a fancy restaurant,
and (if all goes as planned) a trip to
a hotel. But, for those guys that do
not have a significant other to treat
like a queen, the day brings feelings of
bitterness and jealousy.
For single guys, not many
options are made available to them
without being reminded of how Cupid
passed them over. Sure, people
throw anti-Valentineʼs Day parties
with the intent that men and women
If youʼre looking to meet people and
dance the night away, head to Fahrenheit,
Drink, The Saloon or Escape ($).
Need a place for a romantic date?
Check out the Loring Pasta Bar, Ciattiʼs,
or stay at home and have a candlelit
dinner and Village Wok takeout.
can get together with their good friend
Jack Daniels and proclaim that they are
happy living the single life and do not need
anyone to take them out anyway. However,
these parties are nothing but huge
contradictions. Everyone who goes to one
of these get-togethers tries to “hook up”
with someone and fill the void left over by
not having anyone to go out with in the
first place.
Sure, there are the guys out there
who claim that they have no problem being
single on Valentineʼs Day. They might even
go so far as to say that they donʼt want
to spend all of that money on dinner and
a hotel anyway when they can just go to
Deja Vu with the Gophers football team and
have just as much fun. Although these guys
may have convinced themselves that there
is nothing wrong with being bachelors on
Valentineʼs Day, theyʼll just remain single if
they continue with this thought process.
So, what can a single guy do to
avoid another Valentineʼs Day without
a woman by his side? First of all, he
should determine why heʼs single. Is it by
choice? If not, then he has some issues
that need to be addressed. Some answers
may be that he has confidence problems,
“Male Mind” on p 9

February 11 2OO4 Voices
Wake
THE
8
Liberal in London
Pawlentyʼs Choices Arenʼt Wise
Cutting programs defeats Minnesotaʼs purpose
By Nate Hill
Gov.
Tim Pawlenty
is not the sole
villain responsible
for continued
tuition hikes at
the University of
Minnesota, but
he definitely set
the trend of this
downward spiral.
The higher education system of our state
is facing a $170 million cut in the 2003-
2004 biennium thanks to Pawlentyʼs tax
policies. He refuses to raise taxes even
while his massive spending cuts are still
not enough to keep Minnesota in the black.
Pawlenty attributes the stateʼs
economic turmoil to a spending problem.
Examining the statistics reveals that
there may be another side to the story.
While in recent years, Minnesota has
only increased spending slightly over
the national average, Pawlentyʼs tax
cuts have given Minnesota the title of
the largest percentage of tax cuts in
the union. It appears the governorʼs
infatuation with tax cuts may be the
real budget problem, not overspending.
Facing the $4.2 billion deficit created
by this situation, Pawlenty decided not
to repeal the tax cuts, but to ravage
social programs and tap into the budget
reserve and the tobacco settlement
fund. Draining these resources is not
only a one-time deal, but also sets the
state on a course to future deficits
and ultimately higher tuition fees.
The damage to the stateʼs economic
well-being through these backward
policies has led a major bond house
to downgrade Minnesotaʼs borrowing
status. This will greatly affect interest
rates on future loans to the state.
The change could cost millions and
further compound the budget problem.
Cutting taxes is an ineffectual
way to keep citizens and businesses
in Minnesota, especially when the cuts
come with sacrificing the multitude of
social programs that make Minnesota
one of the most livable states in the
country. Minnesota has a long standing
of generous support for public schools
“Liberal” on p 9
Iʼm Right: A Conservative Viewpoint
Donʼt Blame Gov. Pawlenty
Board of Regents has upper hand in tuition hikes
By Richard
Kaleta
While
dining on my roast
beast over the
holiday break, I took
time to read over
the December issue
of The Wake in its
entirety. I came
across a column
that didnʼt have
kind words for the
governor of our state, Tim Pawlenty. The
author of the piece (“A Battle Cry Against
Tuition Hikes: Reflections on the Student
Protest Paradox”), Eric Magnuson,
opined that the majority of blame for
consistent tuition hikes the University
of Minnesota implements should rest
Whoʼs to Blame for
Tuition Hikes?
www.sportsmanspub.com
with our governor. Although Magnuson
acknowledged the Board of Regents does
make the ultimate decision on tuition
increases, Pawlenty is the villainous,
yuppie-loving, discriminatory politician
who recommended that the University
receive a $170 million cut for the 2004-
05 biennium, right?
Well, Pawlenty did recommend the
cut, yes, but the critical thinking skills
learned in our K-12 education are needed
to fully understand the situation at
hand. Iʼm glad I sat in the same seat and
location in the classroom every school
day back then, because that taught
discipline and consistency, and with that,
sound reasoning. So pick a seat, stick with
it, and read on my fellow columnist – you
just might learn something.
Pawlenty pledged not to raise state
taxes, attempting to keep businesses and
citizens from leaving our state. Having to
make due with the current tax brackets
forced all recipients of state funds to
prioritize their money and use it more
efficiently. Minnesota encountered a
revenue problem in which the state simply
could not collect enough revenue to keep
up with spending demands.
As long as the economy grows,
revenue will also, and we can spend,
spend and spend some more. But when
the economy falls from its apogee,
spending needs to be modified. For
example, from 2001 to 2002, state
“Conservative” on p 9

“Liberal” from p 8
and other valuable services that help
create the well-educated work force
that many businesses come here to
employ. These programs are under
attack by Pawlenty, and without them
we are likely to encounter greater
problems than we are facing right now.
The Board of Regents is in fact the
group who decided how to deal with the
insufficient funds allocated by the state,
but they are in that position by the
governorʼs policies. It is no surprise that
the Regents must pass the burden on to
students in the form of tuition hikes. In
fact, if one examines the minutes of the
Regentsʼ meetings, it becomes obvious
that increasing tuition is their primary
method of dealing with budget shortages.
Other options are equally bleak, like
delaying aspirations and investments
while eliminating faculty hires, or
reducing administration overhead.
These options are just as detrimental
to students and the academic process
as tuition increases. When the Regents
face these dire circumstances, there
is little hope for a positive resolution.
With all the Regentsʼ methods for
facing budget woes being so negative,
itʼs only fair to place some of the blame
on Pawlenty and his policies, particularly
when the slogans of greater “government
responsibility” and “matching
accountability and responsibility” are
splashed over his official Web site.
Why are Pawlenty and the Regents
so quick to pass budget problems on
to students? The answer may have
something to do with Wake writer Eric
Magnusonʼs article “A Battle Cry Against
Tuition Hikes: Reflections on the Student
Protest Paradox,” last month. We as a
student community are not too inclined
to stand up for ourselves. Whether it is
a lack of time and organization, or simply
indifference, there are an insufficient
number of students willing to challenge
those who enact these bunk policies.
A lesson can be taken from English
University students who nearly forced
Prime Minister Tony Blair to resign
after proposing an increase in variable
tuition fees (or Top-Up Fees) to £3,000.
The students invited Blair to discuss
the issue on a live television broadcast.
Blair accepted, and faced the panel
of irate students. During the course
of the program, he was thoroughly
chastised for the predicted effects of his
proposed fees. The students articulated
their views in a constructive manner
that brought out potential flaws in
the plan. They went on to explain how
the increased fees would restrict the
field of potential university students
simply because of monetary concerns.
This broadcast, and several other
large protests, caused many in Blairʼs
Labour party constituency (which holds
a majority in Parliament by nearly 180
votes) to defect from party lines. Even
with such a large constituency, the Top-
Up Fees passed by only a margin of 5
votes. This issue almost knocked the
Prime Minister of 6 years out of office. It
just goes to show the impact of political
activism by students, and the effects
it can produce if government officials
are held accountable for, and made
responsible to, the will of the people.
- - - - -
- - - w w w . w a k e n e w s . o r g - - -
- - - - -
Nate Hill is studying abroad during
spring semester, but answers e-mails
at hill0605@umn.edu. Send letters to
the editor to letters@wakenews.org.
“Conservative” from p 8
tax revenues decreased 4.4 percent.
And the forecast for fiscal year 2004-
2005 has revenues down $407 million!
Pawlentyʼs recommendations were
in the best interests for the long
term of our state because they were
focused on getting revenue growing.
So what other alternative is there
to decreasing spending? I suppose
the governor should have adapted the
Minnesota Democrats plan to just raise
taxes on the very wealthy. Thatʼs just what
we need. Letʼs accelerate the emigration
of more of our businesses and residents
to South Dakota. Minnesotans already
pay 38 percent more per capita in state
taxes than the national average, and South
Dakotans pay 34 percent fewer than the
countryʼs average. Minnesota currently
has the fifth highest taxed citizens in the
country and lost 64,000 jobs between
February 2001 and June 2003. The
Democratic platform would really help
increase our state revenue and jobs growth
by providing an environment conducive
to business attraction, wouldnʼt it?
In his operating budget
recommendations for 2004-2005,
Pawlenty said in his operating budget
document when referring to the University:
“…calls upon the Board of Regents to
closely examine the operations and
business processes…in order to find ways
to reduce duplication among its programs
and reallocate funds to protect its priorities
before resorting to increases in tuition.”
Instead of prioritizing its spending,
the Regents decided on tuition increases.
Instead of cutting some of the 30,900-
plus faculty and staff (which is a student
to administrator ratio of nearly 2:
1), students felt the burden. Instead
of carefully researching to anticipate
economic woes, the Regents approved
renovating Coffman Union and Walter
Library, and the construction of the
Molecular and Cellular Biology building,
which carried prices of $71.47 million,
$55.9 million and $79 million, respectively.
Were those upgrades necessary amid
the current economic conditions? Could
they have been postponed a few years?
University President Robert Bruinicks
had the courage to stand by a wage freeze
and deserves praise for that. The private
jobs sector suffered plenty and it is only
fair that public sector employees accepted
a modest pay cut in critical times.
The Taxpayers League of Minnesota
coined a phrase called “bureaucratic
blackmail,” which they define as: “…budget
cuts are legislatively mandated but do not
specify that essential… programs…are not
to be affected. Bureaucrats then cut back
these programs…and blame legislative
action for the cuts.” Bureaucratic
blackmail seems to be the definition of
the situation at hand, donʼt you think?
Tuition increases are not permanent
and could be alleviated and reduced in
the future if Minnesotaʼs economy is
stimulated, which is definitely a priority in
the administration. Until then, if we want
a college degree we have to work for one
and take out loans if need be. We have to
make sacrifices in our own lives by not
living above our means financially. The true
governor of all citizens is the economy and
we all have to adapt to it even under
the most devastating of circumstances.
You may be mad at tuition hikes like
me, Eric, but donʼt just regurgitate what
you hear from angry liberal professors
– itʼs just politics meant to confuse you.
E-mail Richard Kaleta at
rkaleta@wakenews.org. Send letters to
the editor to letters@wakenews.org.
wakenews.org
Interested in writing
for The Wakeʼs
Voices Section?
Contact Courtney Lewis at
clewis@wakenews.org
The Wake is the student
magazine of the
Univeristy of Minnesota.
STORM
“Male Mind” from p 7
Stand Together Organize Resist and Move
good female friend. That way, you can
get to the root of why it is that you
and a woman are not heading off to
a hotel with handcuffs and chocolate
body syrup.
In the end, there are no real
answers as to how guys can prevent a
lonely Valentineʼs Day. Perhaps it might
be best to remain bitter about the day
and look at it for what it actually is – a
commercial holiday in which restaurants,
hotels and department stores can profit
from a coupleʼs love (or lust) for one
another.
Delane Cleveland is perplexed with the
rituals of Valentineʼs Day, yet welcomes
perspective dates. Send letters to the
editor to letters@wakenews.org.
Against
WAR
at Home and Abroad
ONE-DAY CONFERENCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2004
10 am to 6 pm at the Humphrey Center
West Bank Campus, Univ. of Minnesota
301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis
What: Workshops, presentations and art about US
foreign policy, the domestic costs of war, & coalition
building and other ways to organize resistance.
Featuring: Local activist/ experts, poets and
musicians, and info tables by local organizations.
Registration: $10 (includes lunch, no one turned
away). Registration at 9:30, or pre-register on-line
at http://www.antiwarcommittee.org/Conference.htm
Sponsored by Anti-War Committee. Contact at
612.379.3899 or conference@antiwarcommittee.org
Voicesw
9
THE
Wake
February 11 2OO4

Sound &
Music . Film . Art
1O
Vision
February 11, 2oo4
Successful on
His Own Terms
A conversation with Mason Jennings
By Morgon Mae Schultz
The story of Mason Jenningsʼ decade-long musical
start is the picture of indie rock perfection. Through
patience and restraint, he has nurtured a following all his
own with no help from major labels. While many artists
may stay as true to their artistic visions as Jennings,
theyʼre usually too busy waiting tables to be heard of by
the casual concert-goer.
Jennings grew up in Pittsburgh, but
when he was 19, he came to Minneapolis
as a high-school drop out to become part
of its local music scene. Record companies
offered him deals. Even a small label can
make an offer that would tempt most young
musicians to give up their artistic freedom.
But they wanted to control him, make him
sing with a band he didnʼt know and market
him as a young blues man. He passed up
those deals; that just wasnʼt for him. Even
as a teenager, Jennings had the foresight to
take it slow and stick to his own voice.
He strove to learn his craft of
songwriting, and Jonny Lang became their
blues man in his place.
“I played Jitters, that old place on
Nicollet Mall every Thursday,” said Jennings.
“And I had, like, a four-hour set, so I ended up
doing, like, 60 songs. That really helped.”
After about three years of hard work
and solitude, Jennings produced and
released an eight-song, self-titled, selfpressed
CD on which he sings original, often
autobiographical songs and plays all the
instruments.
Jenningsʼ initial fan base grew at the
West Bankʼs 400 Bar, where five years
ago he played a winterʼs worth of Thursday
nights. More and more people filled the bar
each week, and requests poured into Radio
K. Along with Jenningsʼ popularity grew the
reassurance that independent musicians can
survive and Minneapolis is one place they
can flourish. Local music pundits grappled
with his draw, chalking it up to a certain
indescribable something.
As an artist, Jennings told No Depression
magazine that “the purpose of music, of
art, is to try to make yourself the person
you want to be in the world. Iʼm singing to
try to heal, not to get a record deal.” As
a fan, I learned from Mason Jennings when
you witness a meaningful work of art, it
describes something inside of you that you
didnʼt know was there. Once that happens
to you, I donʼt care if youʼre a hardened
critic or an innocent ear, youʼre hooked for
life.
Every artist must decide how much soul
to bear. Doing easy work results in a lack of
depth and meaning but drawing from highly
personal joys and regrets might involve the
risk of alienating the audience. Jennings has
always taken the second option but, instead
of obscure lyrics, his are illuminating and the
themes nearly universal.
One example of the impact of Jenningsʼ
intuitive lyrics was when, in early December
2002, a sold-out crowd at First Avenue
experienced unexpected catharsis as he
eulogized Senator Wellstone and his wife in
“The Ballad of Paul and Sheila.” He started
out, “October morning, little plane on the
forest floor / Up on the TV between a
rerun and another war.” Silence fell over the
packed club. “Hey, Senator, I wanna say /
all the things you fought for did not die here
today.” A young audience stood in tears. As
his fourth album is released, that humble,
human connection is still the magic behind
Jenningsʼ loyal following.
Jennings encourages that and a lot
of downloading. “I think its cool, I mean,
Photo by Kathy Easthagen
Persistence has paid off for Mason Jennings as he has grown to become one of the more popular singer-song
writers in the Twin Cities. Jenningsʼ advice for aspiring musicians is they should, “just get out there and do it.
Nothing can happen if youʼre in your bedroom by yourself.”
full out,” he said. “Itʼs amazing to me,
because whatʼs happened with the radio
and television and magazines right now is
that itʼs owned by so few people. And itʼs so
homogenized, like everywhere in the country
itʼs exactly the same. But the Internet allows
you to hear new stuff. Thatʼs the only way
Iʼm able to do this for a living, is just if
people hear my stuff and can share it with
their friends. So Iʼm super thankful for it.”
He feels that, like eight-track tapes,
CDs are on the way out, and major record
labels with them. He has an almost Utopian
prediction of a world without deified,
“overblown” pop stars and a return of
regional flavor to music. “It brings it back to
the live shows being really important, and it
brings it down to actually relating to artists
as individuals,” he said. “In the next step itʼll
be about people from different cities kind
of rising up and just being like community
figures.”
In the mean time, Jennings is expanding
his reach nationally and globally. Heʼs toured
in Europe and Australia, and several times in
the United States. Attendance at his shows
continues to increase, and although heʼs
playing bigger and bigger venues, he tries to
maintain a simple, personal stage presence.
“I try not to think of it as any different. Like
at first, when I started doing that, Iʼm like,
ʻGod, I gotta do something different, like
play electric guitar or get, like, shiny shirts
or something,ʼ” Jennings said. “And then Iʼm
like, ʻThatʼs stupid. I should just be myself.
So I got over that really fast. I just gotta do
what I do and hope it works out.ʼ”
His advice to young musicians in
Minneapolis is just to get out there and do
it. “Nothing can happen if youʼre in your
bedroom by yourself. Even though youʼre
not perfected yet, just get out there and
practice and do it in front of people.”

11
Concert Review:
The Stills &
Ryan Adams
Sound & Vision
Live at First Avenue
December 2oo3
By Chris Ruen
I learned two valuable lessons from
the Stills/Ryan Adams show at First Avenue
last December: 1. Iʼm a weak person, at
least musically. 2. Ryan Adams is akin to a
coddled baby with one too many eight balls
of coke in his carriage.
The past couple of years have produced
band after band of ʻ80s revivalists borrowing
from The Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division.
Interpol, Hot Hot Heat and The Rapture
have all enjoyed critical buzz and indie-sized
success by infusing great songs with the
sounds of Johnny Marr and Ian Curtis. As
someone who spent a considerable amount
of his early music-listening life trying to
empathize with Robert Smith, Iʼve found it
difficult not to like these ʻ80s derivatives.
The Stills, I thought, would hopefully be the
first of these bands that I could stand up to
and say, “This is too much.”
The Stills are a young group of
Montreal natives who have made a name for
themselves with solid live shows and swirling
pop songs. Iʼd only heard that they were
overwhelmingly derivative, so I was prepping
myself to cast them aside as poseurs when I
first heard their album.
As much as I tried to fight it, they had
Q&A With The
Mountain Goats
By Nick Neaton
Since 1991, John Darnielle, the oneman
powerhouse behind the Mountain
Goats, has released more than 30 seveninches,
tapes and CDs. Self-recording
most of his music with an acoustic guitar
and a Panasonic boombox, Darnielle has
developed a cult-like following. Fans have
to search for the songs, too - most of
the Mountain Goats' albums came out
on a handful of obscure labels, many
now extinct. This homemade feel lends a
personal quality to the Mountain Goats'
folky yet often pissed-off songs, capturing
every flubbed guitar chord and voice
crack in a medium Darnielle compares to a
Polaroid snapshot - instant reflection.
In 2002, however, the band took a
different direction and released Tallahassee,
a polished, studio-recorded full-length
complete with a backing band and scores
me cold with the breakdown/bridge one and
a half minutes into “Lola With Stars and
Stripes,” the first song off of their LP, Logic
will Break Your Heart. Layered guitars and
synths drop out to reveal a delicate base line
and an inviting guitar riff, while the vocals
ride the listener happily to the dreamy, and
once again multilayered, chorus. In short, it
sounds just like a Smiths song – and I like
The Smiths. Waiting in a frigid line outside
First Avenueʼs doors, I knew I couldnʼt help
but like The Stills as well, but remained
curious about their live show. Perhaps they
would force me to hate them.
When they sauntered onstage, it
seemed as if they all were wearing hipster
denim jackets one size too small. Their
set was tight, professional and utterly
enjoyable. Iʼm sure the shot of Jäger Iʼd just
won in a game of pool didnʼt hurt, but mark
up another point for Canadian indie rock. I
didnʼt pay for the ticket, but if I had, The
Stills would have been worth the price. After
a 45 minute set, the honeymoon was over
and I was left to wait for, horror of horrors,
Ryan Adams.
The concert headliner was indeed
Mr. Adams, but he didnʼt act it. The ex-
of instruments. Though Tallahassee had a
different sound and came out on a larger
label (4AD), Darnielle's poignant, witty
lyrics about a relationship gone south
continued to drive the music.
We talked with Darnielle before his
upcoming tour supporting the Mountain
Goatsʼ new 4AD album, We Shall All Be
Healed.
First off, I've read you live in Iowa. It's a
great state, but kind of unusual. What do
The Stills (above) and Ryan Adams (below) perform for their audience at First Avenue in December.
Whiskeytown frontman and faux-Americana
icon of the moment threw a hissy fit (one
even my four-year-old nephew isnʼt capable
of) in the middle of his first set due to
feedback. As the audience painfully looked
on, he exclaimed, “This is fucking bullshit!”
many times to the nearest stagehand. It was
embarrassing to watch.
Mr. Adams disappointed, as did his
backing band, who resembled a crew of
ex-Bon Jovi cover band members. More
than one of these aging greasies donned
black sportcoats over black t-shirts, and
no one told the bassist that displaying an
orgasmic facial expression does not equal a
great performance. When they ended a song
via contrived hardcore meltdown, I politely
excused myself from the venue only to later
read that Adams went on to get even more
coked-up and lambast local rock icon Paul
Westerberg for having earlier stated that
Adams deserved to get “his teeth kicked
in.” All due respect Ryan, but Iʼm siding with
Paul.
The Stillsʼ popularity may rise, but
Adamsʼ will surely continue to fall if the
chance of missing another comical hissy
fit is the only reason he gives audiences
you think of it? Do you play
there often?
I actually don't live in Iowa
anymore! We moved to North
Carolina last month. I loved
Iowa a lot, but I have never
been a guy to play a lot
locally. I hole up indoors most
of the winter and only come
out if I see my shadow in the
spring.
You seem like an educated
guy. What's your college
experience?
B.A. from Pitzer College,
Claremont, CA. Double major:
English and Classical Studies. Completely
Psychiatric Technicians' Program, Mt. San
Antonio College, Walnut, CA. Devil Horns
cum Laude from South Texas School of
Doom Metal.
Tallahassee was your first all-studio
album and it's a different sound than your
previous work. What do you like about
studio recording versus the boombox? Do
you miss anything about the old methods?
The immediacy of it - that was the main
Photos by Kathy Easthagen
to labor through his utter lack of both
professionalism and respect for anything
other than his chic, coke-snorting, Parker
Posey-dating lifestyle.
thing and is still the appeal. When you
record an album in the studio, it takes
forever for everything to get done. When I
record on the boombox, I'm done as soon
as I have a take I'm satisfied with. But
the two are hardly comparable. They're
different things with their own advantages.
Any future boombox recordings?
Don't really know! Lately I've been
recording directly into the computer. This
may distress any analog cultists remaining,
but for me the way stuff sounds recorded
using SparkME live into an iMac pinhole mic
is pretty spooky and great.
You opened for Lifter Puller last summer
in Minneapolis. Both bands have cult
followings but different styles. How'd the
crowd react to your set?
I thought they liked it, but somebody near
the merch table told me there was a guy
grousing about how I got the gig. It's hard
for me to say how it went over since I
really, really love Lifter Puller, and so I got
fearsome drunk. I don't know how different
Lifter Puller and I really are,
“Goats” on p 13

February 11 2OO4 Sound & Vision
Wake
THE
12
Album Reviews
The Darkness
By Brad Spychalski
R a t i n g s :
Sting feat. Sean Paul
DMX feat. Insane Clown Posse
The Strokes feat. Aretha Franklin
Korn feat. Tito Puente
Dancing in a leotard, flaunting his fully-exposed chest to the likes of David Lee Roth and Freddie Mercury, lead
Permission to Land singer, Justin Hawkins, of The Darkness has re-established ʼ80s glam-rock. Hailing from England, the foursomeʼs
debut album Permission to Land has already gone four times platinum in the United Kingdom. Once a band struggling
(Atlantic Records)
for mainstream acceptance, The Darkness have now become a cult-like hit. And why not? With such rockinʼ hits like
“Growing on Me” and “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” they have made the theme of love a sexual escapade for all to
explore. “I believe in a thing called love / Just listen to the rhythm of my heart / Thereʼs a chance we could make it now
/ Weʼll be rocking ʼtil the sun goes down.” Their obsession with women, their over-exotic garb and their endless supply
of emotional charge give The Darkness a similar comparison to the band in Rob Reiner and Christopher Guestʼs rockumentary
/ mock-umentary This is Spinal Tap. Like Spinal Tap, The Darkness embodies elaborate stage set-ups, comical lyrics and eccentric body language. It is impossible not
to feel good about a band whose lead singer can become a soprano, hitting high notes without going into a falsetto voice. In all, The Darkness have landed, but so did Poison
in the ʼ80s.
Micranots
The Emperor & The Assassin
By Mike Hastert
The Micranots (I Self Divine and Dj Kool Akiem) have launched an album of social upheaval with The Emperor and The
(Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Assassin, full of messages of motivation, truth, inner-city life, love, and resilience. After waiting five years since their last
release Micranotsʼ fans will be glad to hear that I Self is back in full-stride with forceful, staccato, innovative, poetic form
and Kool Akiem has developed on the production side while still maintaining that original Micranots sound. The dynamic
duo wastes no time beating around the bush immediately hitting their listeners hard with the second track “Glorious,”
and never letting up after that.
As far as pseudo-underground rap artists go, local emcee I Self Divine of the Micranots is living the good life. In the last six months he has released two new full-length albums,
validating I Selfʼs status as a lyricist to be reckoned with. In the fall of 2003, I Self and DJ Abilities released the highly anticipated Semi-Official, an archetype of Rhymesayer
Entertainment music. If Semi-Official was I Selfʼs preemptive strike then The Emperor And The Assassin is the shock and awe. Warning: this album induces involuntary head
nodding and is therefore a neck-snapping hazard.
Igloo
By Marvin Lin
Igloo is a side-project of Adam Pierce and Doro Tachler of Mice Parade. With eight whimsical tracks delicately
Igloo
simmered with shimmering atmospherics, carefree counterpoints and the occasional vocal stint, the duoʼs self-titled
debut is one warm, modest mouse of an album. The album is so warm, in fact, that even the songs in the minor key evoke
(Bubblecore)
that fuzzy feeling. Picture a baby chimp with a bib, and youʼre halfway there. And it doesnʼt hurt that Igloo uses its tonal
charm like a flirtation device; you canʼt help but blush while listening to it. But you also canʼt shake the underlying feeling
that this album is essentially a tease. It seems Igloo is more content to practice restraint than go out on a limb and, as
such, offers only mere glimpses of brilliance. Their timid approach hinders themselves from making the leap from onetime
usage to essential status. There are far too many albums that rely on this acoustic-guitar/psychedelic engagement
for Igloo to truly stand out from the drove. With fade-outs and aimless, repetitive floundering, a sense of transience overrides any real lasting quality that the album may have
possessed. The potential is certainly there, but it remains at this point untapped. However, if youʼre looking for music that will make you reflect back on your childhood with
optimistic-goggles, this oneʼs for you.
Iced Earth
The Glorious Burden
(limited edition)
(SPV)
By Brant Johnson
With a new singer in tow (Tim Owens replacing Matt Barlow), Iced Earth has accomplished a masterwork. On The
Glorious Burden, band leader Jon Schaffer has put together a conceptual double album based on military history and his
love for the U.S.A. The album opens with a classy and respectful guitar version of “The Star Spangled Banner,” followed
by a power thrash track about the American Revolution (“Declaration Day”) and a somber ballad dedicated to victims of
the 9/11 attacks (“When the Eagle Cries”). My favorite track on the first disc is “Valley Forge,” another power thrash
masterwork that really delivers an emotional punch. The second disc for me is the absolute highlight of Iced Earthʼs
nineteen year career. This is the epic “Gettysburg,” clocking in at over thirty minutes. Schaffer has thought out every
movement in the three-part epic and in the lyric sheet includes explanations of the historical events after each segment
of music. This is epic metal at its finest, most powerful and moving form. The song almost brings the listener to tears,
as the three day battle claimed more American lives than in the entire Vietnam War. Overall, The Glorious Burden stands as a testament to Iced Earthʼs unique skill, with lyrics
and music that reflect interesting and inspiring moments in history. The Glorious Burden is truly an album of great magnitude.
Loco for Local:
Hanz Solo: Closet Pop
(self-released)
Hans Erickson knows
that thereʼs more to
a band than a catchy
name. His groupʼs latest,
Closet Pop, highlights a
brand of pop rock thatʼs
steeped in inescapable
melody. Released in
2003, the masterfully produced Pop is chock full oʼ
the acoustic-rock sound that catapulted Five-for-
Fighting and Jason Mraz to fame. Itʼs polished, bright
and squeaky clean -- itʼs the kind of music that Cities
97 would love to get their hands on. Check out “The
Endblock,” “Act” and the albumʼs fantastic artwork.
Best for fans of: John Mayer, Dave Matthews,
acoustic-rock, sunshine
How to get it? Talk to Hans at the Steak Knife,
he plays there often on Wednesday Open Mic
Night. If youʼre vegan, check out the website at
www.hanzsolo.com.
Four Fingers: Self
Titled (RPO-SUBACA)
(Unlikely Collabos)
An update on the local music scene
Listening to this album
gave me the impression
that Iʼd somehow
stumbled into a latenight,
opium-induced
Turkish escapade with a
back alley belly-dancer.
Self-Titled, the groupʼs
debut album, shakes with the kind of raw Moorish
sexual passion that youʼd expect to hear wafting
through a Moroccan street market. Employing
acoustic instruments to convey a multitude of
sounds, the members of Four Fingers passionately
rip through their wordly art-jazz, creating the closest
thing Iʼve ever heard to a recorded musical orgasm.
Best for fans of: Frankencense, Sitars, Tantric Sex
How to get it? Either buy it from them at a show or at
one of their late-night gigs on the streets of Dinkytown;
otherwise, email them at: MAXILANUS@hotmail.com
Cesto: Simneed in a Tin
(Last Minute Records)
by Freddie Hanson
They broke up a few months
ago, hail from Rochester,
and now distribute their
album solely through a
virtually defunct record label.
Regardless, Cesto is one of
the last remaining vestiges
of bona fide rock music.
Drawing on The Flaming
Lips, Weezer and Fountains of Wayne, the band plays
some of the most entrancing indie rock youʼll ever hear.
Their debut (and only) album, Simneed in a Tin is more
legit than a Replacements record, packs a bigger melodic
punch than a Weezer single and was put-to-tape before
any of them left high school. Check out “Twinkle,” “Cesto
Goes to Baghdad” and “St. David Travels to La-La Land.”
Best for fans of: good rock music, Weezer, wide-frame
eyeglasses, smoking pot
How to get it? Try www.lastminute-records.com and beg
MikeyT for one of the few remaining copies. Otherwise try
www.angelfire.com/mn/crusto/main.html.

Triplets Of Belleville, Not Your Average Cartoon
By Karen James
If shows like “Family Guy” and “The
Simpsons” have taught us anything, itʼs
cartoons are not just for kids anymore.
Anyone who says differently has
obviously never seen South Park: Bigger,
Longer, and Uncut. Cartoons have always
played on peopleʼs senses of whimsy
and humor, although some have more
fun exploring the seedier side of human
nature. The French animated film, The
Triplets of Belleville, certainly belongs in
the latter category.
Animated films have long been a
staple for adults as well as children and
Triplets is no exception. A good oldfashioned
tug-of-war between good and
evil, Triplets is a treat, but donʼt make
the mistake of lumping it with feel-goods
like Finding Nemo. This is not The Little
Mermaid. You wonʼt find any cliché
romance story or important morals here.
Triplets tells the story of Champion,
a cyclist rigorously trained by his
grandmother Madame Souza and portly
dog Bruno. As Champion peddles his
way through the Tour de France, he is
kidnapped by nefarious thugs and it is
up to Madame Souza to find him. Using
Brunoʼs keen nose, Madame Souza
traverses the ocean and enters Belleville
where she encounters three batty old
nightclub singers who take her under
their wings. Together they take on the
French Mafia to rescue Champion and
bring him home.
The plot is simple enough, but, aside
from that, it departs from the basic
childrenʼs cartoon. Triplets is virtually
devoid of dialogue, relying instead on
the imagery and character traits, as well
as Madame Souzaʼs training whistle, to
tell the story. The animation is so rich
that it is easy to overlook the lack of
conversation. Everything you need to
know is written on the charactersʼ faces
and in their actions. The sepia tones and
artistic style are reminiscent of vintage
Disney, circa 101 Dalmatians. Each
individual is a caricature, from the pencilthin
cyclists with mammoth thighs to
the box-like Mafia hit men. Everything is
over the top and each archetype is more
exaggerated than the last.
Triplets is director Sylvain Chometʼs
first feature-length film. He focuses on
movement to determine the characters
and their personalities. The cyclists
gasp for breath with dejected faces as
they peddle. Sinister
hit men walk in
sync, shouldert
o - s h o u l d e r ,
impenetrable as
brick walls. Madame
Souza clomps around
with her clubfoot,
ignoring Bruno who
stands knock-kneed
barking at passing
trains.
From the start,
it is clear Chomet
loves what he does.
The work and care
that went into the
project is obvious throughout. Triplets
was an excuse for Chomet to push
the boundaries of animation and move
away from a world limited by sugar-andspice
endings and life lessons. Although
appropriate for children, Triplets is
geared toward adults. The subtle and
nuanced animation could make the film
difficult for children to grasp and the
lack of dialogue might stretch young
attention spans. Clocking in at a mere 80
minutes, however, attention should not
be a problem for most people.
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures
Already a favorite for foreign
film awards, Triplets is definitely
groundbreaking in terms of visual depth
and beauty. The plot is simple, if a little
bizarre, but thatʼs not the point. It is
an original and captivating exploration
of human flaws, love and loyalty. Itʼs
not your average cartoon, but just as
delectable.
The Triplets of Belleville is playing at
the Lagoon Theater in Uptown.
Tackling Bigger Fish
By Brad Spychalski
Exaggeration, white
lies and stretching the
truth – all common ideas
associated with Tim
Burtonʼs latest film, Big
Fish.
A man who could
never be accused of
being unimaginative,
Burton has not only
matured with this
heartfelt story of family
ties but has also proved
to audiences that his
work is more than
simply something to
poke fun at.
Burton,who directed such films as
The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed
Wood, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice
and Batman, has been stuck in the ultraimaginary,
where the boundaries of the
surreal are stretched through exotic
settings and fantasy-like characters,
competing with storylines that could only
come true in dreams.
Big Fish is no exception to Burtonʼs
wackiness, yet it unfolds by telling the
tale of an average Joe with the heart of
a superhero.
The events and history of the life
of Edward Bloom is the focus of the
film, which is told through extremely
exaggerated stories that would make a
childʼs eyes brighten with excitement and
an adultʼs eyes roll in disbelief. “A man
tells his stories so many times that he
becomes his stories – and in that way, he
becomes immortal.”
A main theme Burton builds upon is
the relationship between father and son,
and the struggles each have in finding
acceptance.
Bloom (Albert Finney) is the orator,
who for years has told his stories over
and over, explaining that “the biggest
fish in the river gets that way by never
getting caught” – despite his son Willʼs
Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures
(Billy Crudup) pleas to end his unrealistic
fish stories. Following years without
communication between each other,
tragedy brings the two together again.
When reunited, Bloomʼs stories
continue; yet this time around, Burton
places us directly in those memories,
seen through the eyes of a younger big
fish (Ewan McGregor). His inconceivable
stories include working for a werewolf/
circus manager (Danny DeVito),
becoming friends with a giant named
Karl (Matthew McGrory), seeing his own
death through the eye of a witch (Helena
Bonham Carter), standing in a field of
yellow daffodils wooing the love of his
life, and jumping out of an airplane in a
covert World War II operation.
The culminating moment of the film
is the final connection between father
and son, which was salvaged by the
stories that have been told so many
times before. Instead of purely imagined
fairy tales, Bloom proves that no matter
how fishy they sound, the truth is only
stretched so far.
Burton has crafted a magical film
that is incomparable to his past work,
except in the fact that it is more than
obvious he himself has always been the
Big Fish.
Goats, from p. 11
though - cosmetically, sure, but we're
both mainly lyric-driven, obsessed with
the humor in dark situations and the
darkness in humorous situations, etc.
How would you describe your music
to someone who had never heard the
Mountain Goats?
"You remember that album of demos Boz
Scaggs made when he was detoxing? It
sounds kinda like that."
You write about a lot of exotic locales.
What's your favorite place you've never
been?
Either Tahiti or Tasmania. I've been pretty
close to Tasmania, though, which just
increased its allure. Know what the capital
of Tasmania is? Hobart. That's right,
Hobart. Jeez I really wanna play there.
What's your favorite city to play?
In the whole world? Probably Stockholm,
but it's really hard to pick one; Chicago,
New York, Portland, Tallahassee, London,
Paris are all great too. Stockholm gets the
nod though because of the total insanity
of the fanbase. They scream the lyrics
and they dance a lot. Good Christ do I love
it when the people start dancing.
Any future tour plans?
Oh yes - tour is endless and reoccurring -
leaving for tour in just a couple of weeks,
and then Europe and the UK after that!
You can travel to one time in history.
Where do you go and why?
Probably one of the Delta juke joints
where Robert Johnson played on one
of the nights he was playing. Just to
settle the are-the-records-sped-up-or-not
question, you know, and see some of the
myth up close. Of course that would kind
of ruin everything, too. Hmm.
One more - Who do you like in the
presidential race?
Kucinich seems like a good man, but I
don't trust anybody who actually wants
to be president. Since Kucinich is a vegan,
though, he's got my vote.
Sound & Vision
THE
Wake
February 11 2OO4
13

February 11 2OO4 Sound & Vision
Wake
THE
14
In Tenebris:
The Underground Metal Report
A Metal Primer for the Uninitiated
By Brant Johnson
It has been brought to my attention
that it may be necessary for me to explain
some things about underground metal.
I have decided to go through a quick
primer for you on metalʼs sub-genres.
The first topic I will touch on is the
style of DEATH METAL. Death metal
began in the early 1980s with bands such
as Possessed and Death. It became a
more extreme evolution of thrash metal.
Death metal consists of ultra-fast guitar
playing that is highly distorted and usually
very intricate. The playing is quite often
non-melodic. The vocals are a growled
style as pioneered by the late Chuck
Schuldiner (Death). At best, they sound
absolutely ferocious and commanding; at
worst, they resemble the cookie monster.
The drumming and bass playing, like the
guitars, are hyper-speed and intricate.
The sceneʼs best work, in my opinion,
came in the late 80s and early 90s in the
state of Florida, spearheaded by bands
like Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel.
Lyrics are centered on death; some bands
take a gory approach to this, while others
take an occult approach. In Gothenburg,
Sweden, there has developed a form of
death metal with highly melodic guitar
playing. Englandʼs Carcass spawned this,
but Swedes Arch Enemy and In Flames
are the most well known in this style
today.
The classics of death metal: Death-
Scream Bloody Gore, Cannibal Corpse
- Eaten Back To Life, Morbid Angel -
Blessed Are The Sick
2003ʼs best death metal: Macabre
- Murder Metal, Divine Empire -
Nostradamus, Putrid Pile - Collection of
Butchery
THRASH METAL was an offshoot of
the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
Mindstate Distribution
319a 14th Ave. Se Mpls.
612.331.MIND
CDs . Vinyl . Graff Mags
Clothing . DVDs/Videos
(NWOBHM). NWOBHM bands took Black
Sabbathʼs heavy distorted sound, but left
behind the doomy slowness. The thrash
sound came out of anger. The lyrics are
most typically highly charged raging
political rants. The playing is relentlessly
fast in many cases, although some bands
definitely incorporate a great amount of
tempo changes. The vocals range from a
high-pitched soaring approach (think Rob
Halford), to Metallicaʼs James Hetfield,
to a near death growl. The two greatest
hotbeds of thrash activity are Germany
and Californiaʼs Bay Area. From Germany,
legends such as Deathrow, Destruction,
Kreator and Sodom were spawned. The
Bay Area produced Death Angel, Exodus,
Metallica, Testament and Vio-Lence.
The style now often incorporates some
elements of death metal to create an
even more extreme sense of thrashing
rage.
The classics of thrash metal: Kreator-
Extreme Aggressions, Megadeth - Rust In
Piece, Slayer - Reign In Blood
The best thrash of 2003: Cyst
- Concussion Symphony, Dark Order
- The Violence Continuum, Metal Militia
- Perpetual State of Aggression
PROGRESSIVE METAL and POWER
METAL are the most musically indulgent
forms of metal. Progressive metal is
basically a heavier version of progressive
rock. Queensrÿche is the ultimate progmetal
band. Even the genreʼs best have,
obviously and in many ways, patterned
themselves after Queensrÿche. Both
prog and power utilize soaring vocals in
the vein of Rob Halford with epic song
structures. Most musicians in these
genres tend to be near virtuosic talents
and are classically trained. The songs
tend to range well over seven minutes
in this style of music. Often prog-power
bands will incorporate orchestral pieces.
New Music To Check Out:
Swollen Members:
“Heavy”
Apathy:
It’s the Bootleg Muthafuckas! vol. 1
What sets power metal apart from prog is
that it is often more aggressive and fast,
as well as its subject matter seems to
have a lot to do with swords and dragons.
The prime power metal bands include Iced
Earth, Blind Guardian and Manowar.
Prog-power classics: Dream Theater
- Images & Words, Helloween - Keeper of
the Seven Keys Pt. I & II, Queensrÿche -
Operation Mindcrime
Best prog-power of 2003: Ion Vein
- Reigning Memories, Rage - Soundchaser,
The Devin Townsend Band - Accelerated
Evolution
BLACK METAL was spawned in the
late 80s in Scandinavia. The music is
very dark and often themed around the
ancient myths of Scandinavia. There are
two camps of black metal. The first is
“True Black Metal,” which utilizes raw
production to arrive at a darker sound
and avoids the use of instruments outside
the basic four-piece. On the other end,
Random Vol. 3
Sad Clown Bad Dub 7
(Slug & Mr. Dibbs)
Project Blowed Presents:
The Good Brothers (feat. Aceyalone)
there is orchestral black metal which uses
great production and often employs, as
the name suggests, an orchestra and at
the very least keyboards. Both are ultrafast
forms and vary in musical capability
from rudimentary to virtuoso. The vocals
are similar to a death growl but are higher
and more painfully shrieked.
Black Metal Classics: Bathory
- Bathory, Darkthrone - Transilvanian
Hunger, Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin
at Dusk
Best Black Metal of 2003: Dimmu
Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon,
Tvangeste - Firestorm, Leviathan - The
Tenth Sub Level of Suicide
GRINDCORE is a form with roots in
metal and punk. This genre was born
out of Britain in the late 1980s, with
bands such as Carcass, Extreme Noise
Terror and Napalm Death. These bands
began with extreme left-wing politics as
their primary lyrical agenda, but as time
grew, gory lyrics became more prevalent.
The music is the fastest available. Songs
range from five seconds to three minutes
at the absolute longest. These are artfully
controlled blasts of sound. The vocals are
both low guttural growls and high raspy
shrieks. The drumming is centered on
the blast beat. The guitar and bass exist
simply for speed and heaviness, rarely
with virtuosity in mind.
Grindcore classics: Carcass -
Symphony of Sickness, Extreme Noise
Terror - Holocaust In Your Head, Napalm
Death - From Enslavement to Obliteration
Best grindcore of 2003: Exhumed
- Anatomy Is Destiny, Cripple Bastards
- Desperately Insensitive, Circle of Dead
Children - Human Harvest
NOTE! Go to the S&V section of
www.wakenews.org for quick reviews of
many of the yearʼs best, and some of its
worst metal albums!
To intern at The Wake contact:
office@wakenews.org
We will be hiring for positions later this spring!
Your Local Stop For
LRG Gear

Art & Cuisine
The Pulse Of Printmaking:
Exciting new art at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery
By Kim Gengler
Printmaking is beating and moving
in new directions. A glimpse of this is
currently at The 4 th Minnesota National
Print Biennial from January 13 to February
19 at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, which
is located in the Regis Center of Art. The
exhibit shows the vitality and evolvement
of printmaking in the United States
with the help of artists from across the
nation.
“The Minnesota Nation Print Biennial
is a very well respected exhibition
nationally, and weʼre very proud at
the Department of Art about that,”
commented Colleen Mullins, the director
for the show. “Every two years we
take the pulse of printmaking in the
United States, and it just keeps getting
stronger,” she explained. This is obvious
upon looking at the works selected from
1,200 magnificent submissions by 425
artists, who represented 48 states. Of
these works, 122 were chosen for the
exhibit by three jurors: Marjorie Devon
(Director, Tamarind Institute), Siri
Engberg (Curator, Walker Art Center)
and John Scott (Artist/Professor, Xavier
University).
Printmaking is an encompassing art
form. The biennial showcases traditional
techniques such as lithographs and
mezzotints. This confirms the importance
of conventional engraving and relief
ContemPLATE
By Anna Cronk
There are
hundreds of
restaurants in
the Twin Cities
that are ideal for
spending a special
Valentineʼs date.
One of them, right
in the Uʼs back
yard, is the Loring Pasta Bar.
The Loringʼs décor sets the
mood for romance. The main dining
roomʼs two plus-story ceiling opens
the room, allowing guests to view the
magnificent decoration; yet the seating
setup—oversized moon-shaped booths
and generously spaced tables—keeps
each partyʼs dining experience private.
Heavily dimmed lighting is set off by
disco balls reflecting teal and fuchsia
rays. Live trees, some 12 or 15 feet
tall, positioned throughout the room
cause diners to forget the universitybound
traffic outside.
The womenʼs bathroom itself is
reason enough to visit the Loring for
first-timers. Holes in the walls serve
as garbage bins, while French doors
and (for the not-so-modest) beaded
curtains cover the stalls. Asymmetrical
printing, but the show also has digital
techniques that are changing how prints
are made and evolving the art form.
The works selected have the touch
of different mediums to create vibrant
colors, contrasts and images. Technical
mastery, as well as expression and
compelling content, can be viewed in the
pieces. The subject matter is extensive,
ranging from landscape, religion, the
body, portraiture, science, history, the
environment and current events. Skill and
personality are at eye level as one travels
around the gallery. Images range from
solid to wispy, black and white to color,
realistic to fanciful. There is a strong
pulse indeed. Beauty, form and striking
messages are
found in the
validity of this
expanding art
form.
“Four Blue Angels” by Suzanne
Kosmalski, who is a winner of the Walker
Art Center Purchase Award and a lecturer
of arts at the University of Minnesota, is
a transcendent digital work. Movement
and inertia flow through the four images
as we get closer and closer to the “blue
angel.” Each of us can only assume what
or who she is. Kosmalskiʼs inspiration
for the print came from her collection
of images of film and stage performers
circa 1900-1930. “ʻFour Blue Angelsʼ
is from one of my favorite films of the
period, The Blue Angel,” says Komalski.
“The film is visually seedy, shot in black
and white, and is the story of a nightclub
singer, who convinces a professor to join
her in her forbidden lifestyle; hence, the
blue angel.”
Kosmalskiʼs piece was not the only
one to be recognized as exceptional.
A reception was held January 16 to
announce awards and special purchases.
A variety of sponsors, such as the
University of Minnesota, local museums
and art industries, recognized the
stunning and representative work of the
artists. A lecture by Siri Engberg was also
given, in which she praised the art form.
The Nash Gallery is open Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m.; Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 8:
00 p.m.; and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. Following the biennial is
another remarkable show, “Persian Silver,
Contemporary Photography from Iran,”
which runs February 24 until April 8.
Impressing Your Valentineʼs Date
At The Loring Pasta Bar
lines
and
patterns, common
throughout the
restaurant, keep
the ladies lingering
in the powder room
even longer than
usual.
T h e
employeesʼ service
contributes to the
atmosphere. When
I visited Loring,
my encounter
was friendly and
professional. While
our server appeared a little uneducated
about the menu, his willingness to
find the answers trumped his lack of
memorization.
And we havenʼt even gotten to the
food.
There was certainly not a lack of
choices or variety. The Artichoke Ramekin
($7.95), praised by the staff, the press,
and the owners, was phenomenal. Huge
artichoke chunks were plentiful in the
creamy, not-too-greasy sauce, and
served with warm, buttered French bread.
I was not so impressed with the Dynamite
Tuna Sushi
Roll ($6.95). It
included tuna
and it was sushi,
but it lacked
any dynamite.
The sushi itself
was bland, and
the edamame,
or steamed
s o y b e a n s ,
served on
the side were
Photo by Chris Roberts
overcooked.
Pastas of
every shape, size
and texture are available at the Loring.
Highly recommended is the Seafood
Linguini ($13.50), with generous
amounts of shrimp, mussels and scallops
tossed in a simple yet tasty olive oil.
For vegetarians, or those just
looking to eat lighter, the Asparagus and
Artichoke Heart Orzo ($10.50) is a good
choice. The bed of orzo, a short-grain
rice, is seasoned with aromatic truffle
oil. Whole artichokes and fresh asparagus
and tomatoes accompany the flavors
very well.
The cream and Parmesan sauce on
the Fettucini Carbonara ($9.95) needed
some more…something. But with the
addition of salt, this classic Italian dish
with bacon, peas and garlic was very
substantial and very satisfying.
My guest raved about the Szechuan
Salmon ($14.95) that came served
with shredded vegetables. The salmon
flaked at the touch of his fork, the heat
was not too fiery (but spicy enough)
and the veggies were complementing
and cooling.
The Loring Pasta Bar clearly
aspires to bring its customers a unique
and unforgettable dining experience
they wonʼt soon forget. They have
mastered the art of ambiance. They are
so close with their service. There are so
many incredible dishes it is hard to see
them be mediocre on ones that are a
stretch from their typical repertoire—
sure, sushi is trendy, but I recommend
sticking with the pastas.
And for diners that are not within
walking distance from the U, the Loring
Pasta Bar offers valet parking ($5.00).
Of course, pulling up to a restaurant
and getting a valet can only impress
that very special someone on a very
special Valentineʼs Day.
Sound & Vision
THE
Wake
February 11 2OO4
15

Athletics
February 11 2OO4
16
Underwater Divas Make A ʻSplashʼ
Photo by Andy Tyra
By Alex Focke
high-school state champ from Stillwater, Richardson, Kristin Barbieri, Hiat and Emily
The University of Minnesotaʼs
Minnesota, is performing the only solo Andersen all do very well in figures, they said.
synchronized swimming team can be seen
routine. She is also doing a duet with “This team is a lot of fun to be around,”
practicing on Mondays and Wednesdays
Maggie Neck, also a former state champ and Richardson said. “We are always having a
in the diving hole of the aquatic center.
freshman from St. Louis Park, Minnesota. great time together but, at the same time,
There are nine girls who all look alike,
Together they will swim to the music from when we need to, we get down to business
“Swim” on pg 17
dressed in very similar bathing suits,
The Matrix. For the team competition, Meghan and work hard to make each other better.”
wearing matching swim caps and twirling
in circles at the same time. It looks like
they are practicing for underwater foosball.
The synchronized swimmingʼs a-team
is made up of eight girls, coached by Sarah
Nelson and Jessica Kampa. They compete
against the other Big Ten schools throughout
the spring semester and, at each competition,
the team is judged upon two things: its
technical merit and artistic impression. These
are put on a ten-point scale and the team
with the most points brings home a victory.
The technical merit judges how synchronized
the team looks and the height during the
performance. The artistic merit is based on
the choreography and performance of the
routine. This year, the team is performing
its routine to “evil music.” It sounds like
a soundtrack from a scary thriller movie.
The swimmers can hear the music from an
underwater speaker while they perform.
Synchronized swimmers want the general
public to understand how difficult of a sport
it actually is. They are basically doing what
the dance team and cheerleaders do, except,
of course, they are treading water the entire
Photo by Jarret Rafferty
By Pat Armitage
time, which makes it much more difficult. The
difficulty level is raised even higher during a
Rugby isnʼt just bald, gap-toothed rugby programs and is participating in
performance when the swimmers are never hooligans the size of boxcars playing the national championship this spring.
allowed to touch the bottom of the pool. overseas. Women at the ʻUʼ have a lot These women could pass through
“The sport is much more difficult of that hooligan gene as well. But forget security posing as a gymnastic squad
than it appears,” current swimmer Kelly all that bald, gap-toothed, boxcar stuff. or even a basketball team. By the looks
Hiat said. “It requires lots of stamina
The University of Minnesota of them, it would be hard to imagine
and coordination to perform this sport.” Womenʼs Rugby Club is the No. 1 these same women engaging in one
Juliet Zawislak, senior and former team in the nation for Division II of the rawest forms of physical sport.
“Rugby” on pg 17
There are many people who are not
familiar with the sport, so here are a few
important terms and ideas that can be
tossed around in a conversation about
synchronized swimming. “Deck work,” is
Women Rugby Players Disregard Pain
Imagine getting in an 80-minute car
wreck without your seatbelt on. Rugby,
although slightly similar to American
football, has one distinct difference: no pads.
“While playing, the adrenaline is there so
I donʼt feel anything,” junior Jeni Messer said.
“Except if thereʼs an injury.” Messer, who has
played rugby for eight years, knows injuries.
She has suffered as many concussions as
retired San Francisco 49er quarterback Steve
Young (four) and separated both shoulders.
Messer blames the shoulder injuries on herself.
“I wasnʼt in shape,” she said. “If you
take care of yourself and play smart,
injuries wonʼt happen.” Has she ever
considered donning shoulder pads?
“No, but my mom wishes I would.”
Every gash, bruise and bump has been
worth it. The team has qualified for the
national tournament this April and continues
being the dominant force in the Midwest.
Senior Gina Schoeneberger expects
nothing but success. “I think we have a really
good shot.” Schoeneberger, who has suffered
two concussions and a chipped pelvis during
her tenure as a rugby player, predicts, “We will
at least get to the final game, if not win it all.”
Going into the national tournament this

Photo by Ryan Dioane
The University of Minnesota Dance Team proudly pose with their trophy.
Grooving into History
By Chris Matt
When Amber Struzyk was a
freshman on the University of Minnesota
Dance team, she witnessed the end
of a historical run of nine straight
championships by the University of
Memphis dance squad. Struzyk, now
in her third season as dance coach for
the Gophers, hopes her team can make
its own mark in the history books. So
far, things are going according to plan.
The team took first place in the
College Dance Division for the second
consecutive year and became the first
division I-A team in the last decade to
Rugby, continued
year, the team needs more players. The last
time they competed, only 17 were available. The
matches consist of 15 players to a side.
So who would want to participate in a
sport thatʼs so fierce it makes football look like a
schoolyard game of “Duck, Duck, Goose”?
Team president and player, Christy
Ringgenberg, remembers last fallʼs second
practice of the season when many new girls
Want Your
Sports Team
Covered In The
Wake?
If you aspire to achieve fame,
contact Chris Matt.
cmatt@wakenews.org
win back-to-back national championships.
An impressive feat,
especially when you
consider the team
had seven newcomers,
including six freshmen.
“The rookies were
excited and wanted
to win, and the vets
were hungry and
wanted to defend,”
Struzyk said. “Throughout the entire
year there was a ton of pressure, but
this team has competitors, and thatʼs
why they do as good as they do.”
Struzyk realizes that pressure comes
thought about joining the team. While playing,
one of the girls snagged her foot in the ground.
“She broke her ankle right across the top. We
lost a lot of new girls that practice,” Ringgenberg
said.
Despite reservations pertaining to playing
a new sport, Ringgenberg understands the
obstacles that meet a new member.
“Weʼve all been the new player,” said
Ringgenberg, now a junior. “To learn the game,
just play it. It might look like just a mess of
people but itʼs not so difficult once you get in
the game.”
“If you like contact sports and want to get at
somebody, rugbyʼs the game,” Raquel Booms
said.
Booms, a senior at the “U,” says rugby is safe
when a player knows what he or she is doing.
“Things are unsafe when youʼre cheating and not
tackling properly. Itʼs just like any other sport.”
Cheating involves anything from holding
Swim, continued
the pose that the swimmers assume
before jumping into the water to start
their routine. And, after they jump in,
they immediately do a “toss,” where a
girl is thrown into the air and another girl
behind comes up standing which is called
a “lift.” When the girls do a move under
water with their feet in the air itʼs called a
“hybrid.” For meets, the girls must wear
sequined suits and stage makeup. They
also gel their hair with clear Knox gelatin
with winning, and itʼs very hard to stay
on top after you win a championship,
especially with the changes each team
makes every year. But leadership and
experience from dancers like two-year
captain Lindsay Johnson help the rookies
along, making the transition from high
school to college competition much easier.
Johnson experienced the teamʼs
improvement and growth from seventh
place in her first year, fourth place
sophomore year and first the last two years.
When comparing the sweetness of both
championships, Johnson has no doubts
“Definitely the second one because
to do it two years in a row is awesome,
but then 30 seconds later. we heard
how it was the first time in ten years
to have a repeat,” Johnson said.
The magnitude of the competition
is so great because the dancers know
that if they do one thing wrong in
their routine, the competition could
be lost. This extreme pressure is
something new for the rookies who
never faced such a high-level of
competition with their high-school teams.
The reputation of the squad,
and the fact that they won the
championship last year, made freshman
Gina Becchetti even more excited to
try out for this yearʼs team. She credits
much of the teamʼs success to the
family-like atmosphere and support the
rookies receive from the older dancers.
“To work so hard at something for
five or six months and to put your heart
and soul into it every day working your
butt off and
to win, itʼs
“The rookies were excited
and wanted to win, and
the vets were hungry and
wanted to defend.”
a great
f e e l i n g , ”
B e c c h e t t i
said. “I canʼt
describe it
- it kind of
takes your
breath away.”
As a freshman, Struzyk saw the
end of a dancing dynasty and, now,
as head coach, she hopes itʼs only
the beginning for the back-to-back
national champion Gopher squad.
people in a scrum, an element in the game where
possession is won after a ball is thrown into a
colliding lineup of players, or the occasional blindsided
cheap shot, Ringgenberg says.
Forwards, who form the scrum line, can
elect to wear scrum caps to protect their ears,
if not, tape is the only deterrent protecting the
player from looking like Van Gogh.
Even without cheating or poor tackling,
the sport is notorious for its punishment on the
body.
Schoeneberger relishes the soreness
following a game. “There are days when I like
waking up and feeling sore. I know thatʼs when I
gave a 100 percent.”
As the season begins, soreness, scrapes
and cuts will all be part of the teamʼs dynamic.
“We work hard. We want [the
championship],” Booms said. “Itʼs going to be a
journey, but itʼs going to be great.”
that becomes hard and waterproof.
The sport of synchronized swimming
is gaining audience members across
the world and the swimmers hope the
interest spreads to the “U.” Come out
and support the synchronized swimming
team February 15 th in the aquatic
center at 11:30 a.m. The swimmersʼ
underwater dance moves will be on
display as they compete with other
featured teams like Iowa and Nebraska.
By Chris Matt
Photo by Kathy Easthagen
Meet The
Gophers
Lindsay
Whalen
And the list goes on and on
for Gophersʼ hoops star Lindsay
Whalen. The senior guard surpassed
Carol Ann Shudlickʼs career-scoring
record with one of her seven three
pointers in the Gopher womenʼs loss
against Michigan State January 25.
Whalen, a senior from Hutchinson,
MN, should be used to personal
accolades and achievements by this
point in her career. Before the start
of this season, Whalen was named
to the prestigious Wooden Womenʼs
Award Preseason All-American list
with the other top 29 women ball
players in the country. Last season,
she collected a Kodak first team
All-American honor along with a
second team AP All-American award.
The sports management major
also won a gold medal with the USA
Young Womenʼs Team in Croatia last
summer. But, like many stars, Whalen
doesnʼt let personal recognition
interfere with the success of the team.
In order to be a leader, players have
to be on the court. Whalen has played
in 102 consecutive games through
February 1st and leads the Gophers
in scoring at 21.4 points per contest,
according to gophersports.com.
The Gophers have a 17-3 record
and are looking to make a realistic run
at the Final Four. For this to happen,
Whalen and the Gophers have to
continue their consistent play against
a tough Big Ten conference into the
tournament. The combined record
of the remaining Gophersʼ Big Ten
opponents is 77-61 overall through
February 3, but each team comes
to play every night in the Big Ten, so
the Gophers canʼt sleep on anybody.
And, in college basketball,
senior leadership makes a difference
come tournament time. The Gophers
have no doubt where it comes
from on their team: Number 13.
Athletics
THE
Wake
February 11 2OO4
17

Literary
“If I sleep too long the visions start/
Weaving memory and imagination/
Cross patterns from my feet to the top of the arc/
Playing a part that is a part of me/
Things I canʼt understand flash behind eyelids/
causing bombardments to see/
The Interlocking pieces that produce emotions
unleashing the pure white light/
That fuels the fluid motion every time I write...”
-Frizzell
State of Emergency
by Michael Wilklow/wilk0214@umn.edu
“An intruder. An intruder.”
A little girl standing next to a bed in a dark
room. She wears a long skirt, white with red polka
dots, and a red pullover sweater. She is 4ʼ2. She has
high heels. “An intruder.” she says. “An intruder.”
A naked man rips the sheets off and leaps out of
bed. “Where is he!? Is he armed!?” Blonde hairs
cover his belly like an afghan. Tattooed on his
shoulder, a B-52 bombing a zoo. He reaches under
his pillow and snatches an orange revolver.
“In the living room,” the girl says. “Stealing the
forty-two inch television and the surround sound
stereo system.”
“No! Not the forty-two inch television and the
surround sound stereo system!” The man takes
two quick steps towards the door, trips over a dog,
collapses to the floor.
The dog, a Dalmatian, yelps.
“Quiet damnit!” the man yells. “Heʼll hear us!
Do you want him to hear us? Do you?”
The dog, a Dalmatian, howls.
“Christie, calm Frank!”
The girl steps around the man and begins
stroking the dog. She hums “God Bless America.”
The man marches out of the room.
A woman sleeps on a loveseat. Over her, a blue
afghan. In front of her, a forty-two inch television
blaring FOX News in surround sound.
“Freeze!” a naked man says. “In the name of
America the beautiful!”
The woman raises her head. “Frank?”
The man spins twice, waving an orange
revolver blindly. “An accomplice? Where? Speak!
Iʼll explode you!”
The woman sits up and removes the afghan.
She wears a blue two-piece suit with a blue tie. A
duct tape cast encases her ankle. “Frank. Get a grip.
Youʼll wake the neighbors.”
“Get out of my house! I know my rights!”
“Frank youʼre drunk and tired and clinically
insane. Hand me the firearm.”
“Intruder! Iʼll call the authorities! Theyʼll
surround the house with snipers and infantry and
tanks and dogs.” The man pauses, mouth hanging
open. “Big dogs.”
“Oh go call the police Frank. See what I care.
Just leave me be. Canʼt you see Iʼm watching a
movie?”
The man considers the forty-two inch television
blaring FOX News in surround sound. He taps the
revolver on his head, thinking. “Could be,” he says.
“Could be. Iʼm going to bed.”
“Good.”
“Iʼm drunk and tired and clinically insane.”
“Yes.”
The man drops the revolver onto the corner
table under the lamp. He slaps his hairy belly and
chuckles. “Well I ought to go to bed, Christie. Iʼm
drunk and tired and clinically insane.” He marches
out of the room, up the stairs.
A teenage boy crouching behind a forty-two
inch television blaring FOX News in surround
sound. The boy wears black leather pants black
leather gloves a black ski mask and a black leather
jacket, on the back of which is written “Fuck
Eztablishment.” His pants are soaked and smell of
urine. He has acne.
The boy peers above the television. He considers
both the woman on the loveseat sleeping under the
blue afghan and the orange revolver next to her.
The boy shakes; his knees feel weak. He lights a
cigarette, a Main Street. Disgusting, he thinks. The
boy puts out the Main Street and lights a Camel,
Turkish blend. Better.
An explosion. The boy collapses behind the
forty-two inch television. Glass and blood all over
his Fuck Eztablishment jacket.
A dog howls.
Stomping upstairs.
A woman lying on a loveseat under a blue
afghan, an orange smoking revolver in her hand.
She is singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
A naked man rolls like a cannonball down the
stairs. He stands up. “Woman! What have you
done!?”
The woman considers the naked man who has
rolled like a cannonball down the stairs. “The
television was smoking. We do not allow smoking
in this house.”
“We do not allow smoking in this house?”
“We do not allow smoking in this house. This is
a no smoking house.”
“This is a no smoking house.”
“Go to bed Frank. Youʼre drunk and tired and
clinically insane.”
“I am?”
“You are.”
The man considers the fact that he is drunk and
tired and clinically insane. “Well so are you, bitch.”
The man flees upstairs. Gunshots downstairs.
A little girl in long skirt, white with red polka
dots, and a red pullover sweater. She is smoking a
Main Street.
A dog whines.
“Is it safe now?” the girl asks.
A naked man with a hairy belly. “Safe!? That
some kind of sick joke!? This is America! And this
is a no smoking house!”
The little girl puts out the Main Street and
lights a Camel, Turkish blend.
The man, who is drunk and tired and clinically
insane, smiles at the girl. “Best to sleep with the
duct tape under your pillow tonight, Christie.”
Everyone goes to sleep, one eye open.
February 11 2OO4
18
Making it Through the Day
By Adrienne Urbanski
She woke up ahead of the alarm, like she always did; caught with the paradox of not
wanting to get up yet, yet there not being enough time to drift back into sleep. So she would like
awake for the remaining twenty minutes running over the day’s events in her head, trying to make
sure she didn’t forget anything.
She had never been able to handle all of the necessary tasks of being an adult: some bill
always wound up arriving late or some assignment at work had slipped her mind. She had tried
planners, but they just wound up lost or unused. She was sure if she found the willpower she would
be able to force her mind back into shape.
She couldn’t think of anything she had to do that day, so she simply lay awake waiting for
the red digits of the clock to blink 6:30. When she had found the strength to pull herself out bed she
went straight to the coffee maker, and clicked the on button. She stood there willing the heavy brown
drops to come trickling down. But nothing happened; the orange on light of the appliance remained
lit, taunting her. The front door was so much more menacing in the morning without at least one
cup of the bitter potion. Once she gulped down enough of it her body became alive with false
ambition. She would suddenly find the energy to walk down the city street with her arms swinging
like she knew where she was going.
She threw her empty cup in the sink with dismay, not caring when she heard the handle
shatter against the dripping faucet. She marched into her jungle of the bedroom and tried to find
something resembling professional attire. She peeked under the bed and found a rumpled miniskirt
and a pair of pantyhose covered in runs. She put them on anyway. It was the best she could do. She
had done her best to look like a girl with more ambition, but the look never came out quite right.
She walked through the gray city to the office complex amongst the swarm of professionals;
she was sure that at any minute she might trip and fall suddenly alerting everyone that she didn’t
really belong there.
She stopped at the small office café to buy a black coffee. The customers and barista stared at her in
wonder as she dug through her overflowing purse to locate a few crumpled bills. She blushed under
her veil of black bangs and walked quickly, gulping down the coffee.
At her tiny desk she found a stack of mail waiting for her, envelopes and packages from
places pathetic enough to attempt to be on the arts calendar of the ridiculously unknown paper. She
was bad at her job and she knew it, she was sure everyone else knew it too. It was a miracle they had
even hired her. As she walked to the main office in search of more mail she could feel them staring at
her crumpled skirt and hair in disdain. She couldn’t keep all her flaws below the surface, they always
came jutting out as if to tell the world she wasn’t quite together.
She fetched a heavy stack of manila envelopes from the front office, this was the only
pleasure she managed to derive from her job. She secretly hoped that in one of the envelopes or
packages there would be something so amazing it would forever alter her. Of course all she ever
found were hand labeled slides of mildly talented artists having shows in someone’s basement, or
word that some unknown musician would be playing in the back of yet another coffee shop. But
still, in those few seconds between her ripping open the mail and finding what was actually inside
she felt excited.
Once she had opened all the mail, she spread its contents across her desk to try to see if
there was anything salvageable for the calendar. Soon she gave up trying and decided to put her
mind elsewhere while she carefully popped each slide out of its cardboard frame. She had finished
almost all of them when she heard the heavy steps of the editor round the corner. She feared the
editor and her perpetually annoyed face and condescending tone, it only made matters worse that
the editor seemed to be aware of this. She couldn’t understand how she was supposed to constantly
be working, and constantly summarizing every event they caught word of into a tidy sentence. She
needed to think, to place herself before she could go on. She could not understand the auto pilot her
editor seemed to function on.
The editor stared at her. “How’s everything coming along?”
“Great!” she said grabbing the papers in front of her pretending to be fascinated by their
contents. She could tell by the editor’s expression that her job was hanging by a thread. For a second
she imagined quitting, imagined abandoning the sad office and her unease forever. But of course she
couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen next, just that she wouldn’t be here.
She needed the structure that her job gave her. It helped her swing from one calendar
square to the next. Without work the days didn’t matter, they all seemed to blur together. She would
fall into a hibernation where reading and sleeping helped her pretend that her life wasn’t her own.
The thought of being alone in her dark little apartment, not knowing where the next day
would take her was too much. She clicked on the computer and blindly typed words, plunking out
the generic blurb. Maybe if she hurried she could hold onto her job.
dem-o-cracy
by Mike Hastert
The War is far from over and Resistance is fertile,
so plant random acts of activism.
Because even if we back-out of Iraq today
(we) are still 530 Lives short of a logical solution
which no end seems capable of justifying the means.
One life lost for a lost cause is One too many.
Peace is not achieved by War,
and even the Prey can learn to love the Predator.

February 11 2OO4 TBA
Wake
THE
19
Name Me!
Help me beloved students. I am a page with no name. As the sidebar notes, my name is “To Be
Announced.” I may as well not even exist. This is due to the apparent inability of this publication’s
“editors” to handle the relatively simple task of giving me a title fitting for my section’s
entertaining and often irreverent content. Please help me escape my present depression. If you
can give me an adequate title, I will personally present you with a $5 gift certificate to Chipotle.
Find another sixty cents, and you’ve got yourself a free burrito. Send your suggestions to
letters@wakenews.org. Free my spirit.
Across
1. Guitarist Clapton
5. Hoof sound
9. Ancient class system
14. “Cars” composer Newman
15. Molten rock
16. Despise
17. A small buffalo of the Celebes
18. Prayer ender
19. Falling bits of water
20. A coupleʼs valentineʼs plans
23. Acorns, eventually
24. Altoʼs time to shine
25. Not much in England?
28. Fiscal plan
32. Descriptor for past times
33. Not a literal phrase
36. Hearing appendage
37. Percipitation
38. Drummer Ringo
39. We + have
40. Dined
41. Kindergarden snack?
42. Lessens
43. Relating to the nervous
system
45. Strain at the office
46. Thin sea weed genus
48. Persian gulf missile
49. The single guyʼs valentineʼs
plans
56. Semi precious stone
57. Paper measurement
58. Ring of light
59. Sublease
60. Kingston number
61. ___ be a cold day in Hades
62. Food, shelter and clothing
63. Diarist Frank
64. Mountain top
Down
1. My Goodness!
2. The wife of a rajah
3. Golf club metal
4. Colorless gas used as a rocket
propellant
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey author
6. Buddhist leaders
7. Kitchen appliance
8. Chinese Bear
9. Element #48
10. Travel across the ocean
11. Prison weapon
12. Pith helmet
13. Dialect of Celts in the
Highlands of Scotland
21. Bring in the dough
22. April honoree
25. Gangster ʻBugsʼ
26. More than please
27. French farewell
29. Canadian flyers
30. House edges
31. Lock of hair
33. Possessive form of it
34. Recording medium (abbr)
35. Emerald Isle (abbr)
38. Soothing balm
39. The state of being a guardian
41. Warehouse bases
42. Ornamental case
44. Furrowed
45. Obnoxious person
47. Major route
48. Obsolete term for a beau
49. Horse house
50. Pointed arch
51. Story about dragons
52. Leafy plant
53. Crappy musical “Kiss me
_____”
54. Queen of scat
55. Yellow part of an egg
The Wake asks...
How Does Valentine’s Day
Make You Feel?
Angela Cortese- grad
student, pharmacy (blue
shirt)
“I personally think it’s a
very commercial holiday
that makes single people
feel like crap.”
Beth Hancock- 4 th year (pic
description – orange back pack
strap)
“I think its sweet but really
overrated.”
Ashwak Hassan
soph , history and German
“ I think not appropriate
to set a day for couples
and lovers to celebrate
on. There are 365 days
to celebrate your love; it
doesn’t only have to be
Valentine’s Day.”
Chris Brummund
jr, marketing
“Its kind of a non-existent holiday to
me mainly because I’m single. But
even if you do have a significant
other shouldn’t you be celebrating
everyday? Everyday should be
Valentines Day!”
Jordan Jones
jr, ICP
Kelly Nichols
sr, poli. sci.
“Valentine’s day makes it easy for guys
who just don’t get it.”
Brian Whitson,
backwoods casanova
“I don’t know...an
expensive romantic
evening that really
interferes with my dream
of buying a mansion in
Amsterdam.”
High Class with Zach and Sean
The Wake Crossword
Provided by the Northeast Xword Collective
Fantasmo! Conqueror of Galaxies
Questions? Concerns? Loneliness?
email: northeastcrosswordcollective@hotmail.com
by Jake Luck
why

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