“Sarah Palin’s Alaska” (Season 1, episode 1: “Mama Grizzly,” TLC)

These days TLC is overrun with obscenely large families, bizarre cakes, and police women battling odd criminals.  Now TLC is adding an equally as absurd eight week special about a maverick, grizzly ma from Alaska to their lineup. The ex-vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, already has her own book and correspondence gig with Fox but is now adding a TV show to her resume. Whether Palin got the show to get more political support or to denounce rumors about her family is unclear, but either way the show fails to keep the viewer interested.

The overplayed commercials promised a look into the everyday life of the Palin family who in reality barely spend time with one another. Palin graciously invites the viewer into her bear skin rugged, moose head filled home in Wasilla, Alaska but her family isn’t anywhere to be found. The first half of the hour long episode showed Palin, her husband, Todd, and youngest daughter, Piper, going on a salmon fishing trip. While on the plane ride into “Bear Country,” Plain spends more time interacting with her phone than her family. Piper even mentions how Palin is “addicted to her blackberry.” No familial bonding occurred on the plane ride and once the family got out onto the lake things didn’t change. As expected, a few bears showed up while the family tried to enjoy fishing. Afterwards, Piper expressed her enthusiasm for the bears but never thanked or said I love you to her family. {{Huddling in fear must count as familial bonding in the Palin household because Sarah couldn’t stop talking about it.}}

The second half of the episode the Palin family was going to climb a small part of Mt. McKinely together but Palin’s teenage daughter, Willow, decided not to go, Piper was too young, and Bristol was nowhere to be found. Only Palin and her eerily silent husband scaled the mountain. Palin mentions several times before getting to the mountain that she’s afraid of heights. Predictably, Palin begins complaining about her phobia while climbing. Her whining gets a full fifteen minutes of air time but the poor guide had to put up with it for forty five.

As the commercials foretold, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” is meant to be about family but Palin also incorporates her politics into the show. One of the first issues mentioned was the Palin’s new neighbor, who is writing a book about the family. The Palin’s built a fifteen foot fence so their neighbor couldn’t spy on them but Plain inserts her politics into the situation by saying, “This what we should be doing to our borders.” Throughout the program Palin can’t seem to separate political life from her family life.

Even if the viewer enjoys hearing Palin babble on about her political standpoint and how great her family is, besides seeing some bears fight nothing really happens.  The show fills the hour with aerial landscape shots that would have more meaning if shown on the Discovery channel. All the while, uplifting music fools the viewer into thinking something is going to happen, but besides Palin whining nothing ever does.

The Palin’s make for dull tour guides through the state that Palin “loves like she loves her family,” but she claims, “I’d rather be doing this than be in some stuffy political office. I’d rather be out here being free.” Well if you insist Mrs. Palin, just don’t bring the camera crew with you.

De Colores by Juan Pacheco, 2007, Labamba Print

Ten pairs of eyes stare across the white room of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, capturing the interest of any passersby. The eyes are a part of a series of photographs entitled De Colores by Juan Pacheco. Though it is the only piece this photographer had in the show, it was by far the most emotive.

The entire museum features photographs documenting the Hispanic community. Entire rooms are dedicated to chronicling Pilsen, border crossing, and Mexican nightlife. Though all of the pieces were meaningful most were meant to document rather than emote.  De Colores stood out from the other pieces featured at the museum because it emitted a sense of personal interaction. The viewer can feel the artist putting himself into the work.

            De Colores is a collection of ten pictures arranged in 2 vertical columns. When stacked on top of one other they easily reach over 6 feet tall. If the height alone wasn’t intimidating enough, the ten gleaming sets of men’s eyes set a tone of uneasiness with the audience. All the men in the photographs are of different ages and races. Since the photos were taken at such close range, the texture and tone of each man’s skin is emphasized.  Each wrinkle and crevice gives the viewer a sense of what each man has been through.

            De Colores examines the severity of racial profiling. Pacheco is Hispanic and has been wrongfully judged many times in his life because of his race. As the saying goes, eyes are the window into the soul and Pacheco has chosen to leave the men's other facial features out of his photographs. Though this choice was meant to be symbolic it also intensifies the men’s emotions. The passion that each man stares at the viewer with is so strong it makes the audience feel uncomfortable. A blued eyed man’s watery gaze begs the audience ‘why?’ while a set of dark brown eyes confronts the audience with a piercing stare. The audience interacts with all ten pairs of eyes. The viewer may avert their gaze but the men in De Colores stare back.

After studying each face and taking in every small detail, the audience begins to break through to each man’s true feelings. Each set of eyes, behind the initial emotion, has an intense sense of hurt.  The feelings of being watched wash away and the viewer can begin to feel empathy for these men.

Eyes are the window into the soul and Pacheco’s piece, De Colores, brings this saying to life. The intense emotions and play between viewer and the viewed is intimate in way that other pieces in the gallery were not.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, “The Dust of Retreat” (Artemis Records, 2006) *REVAMPED*

On its debut album “The Dust of Retreat,” the Indiana octet Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s blend Bright Eyes’ sense of hopelessness with Arcade Fire style upbeat orchestrations. Unlike its many indie rock predecessors, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s bring a refreshing sense of honesty to their music, which is rare in today’s world of pretentious indie rock bands.  

             Richard Edwards, vocalist and guitarist, writes lyrics that read like a diary entry. He cites specific places and events to invite the listener into his life. Instead of complicating his songs with overbearing themes or lyrics with double or even triple meanings like other indie bands, Edwards keeps his lyrics straight forward. For instance, “On a Freezing Chicago Street” combines his simple lyrics with cheerfully cold music, like a sunny January afternoon, biting and sharp. As the guitar happily strums away, Edwards croons, “On a freezing Chicago street we shook/Your hands were trembling from all those pills you took/And we got drunk on cheap red wine in paper cups.” Edwards doesn’t rely on vague name dropping or fictionalized stories to keep his lyrics interesting. The places and people he mentions seem of the utmost importance to him and help the songs come off as honest and heartfelt. The level of intimacy felt between Edwards and his listeners grows stronger as the album continues and the lyrics become more revealing.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s has not reached the masses the way other big name indie bands have. The lack of fame and notoriety has allowed the band to take risks that other more pretentious indie rock bands would not. The band ventures away from the complex melodies of previous songs in favor of simple distorted chords on “Barfight Revolution, Power Violence.”The song surprises the listener with its more traditional rock sound. The opening guitar riff is the soundtrack for a night spent crawling through dark city alleyways. Edward’s voice starts as a whisper and quickly crescendos into a yell as the song abruptly hits the chorus. Edward slams on the guitar repeating several chords which all in turn blend together. A second guitar yo-yo’s betweens chords and sounds more like a low hum in the background. Other indie bands wouldn’t want to stray from their characteristic sound but Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s are willing to take risks and expand their musical horizons.

Though “Barfight Revolution, Power Violence” is a unique addition to the album, heartfelt tracks such as, “Jen is Bringing the Drugs” bring the sincerity found throughout the album to the forefront. The sense of honesty not only comes from the lyrics but also from the way Edwards sings them. “Jen is Bringing the Drugs” abandons the regular octet and focuses on Edwards alone. He strums his acoustic guitar, caressing each note. Edward’s lyrics are sung in a gravelly whisper, a perfect mirror for the lyrics of the song, as both are beautiful yet flawed. Instead of intentionally making his voice sound gimmicky and pathetic to fit the song’s theme, Edwards begins the song with a normal tone but breaks down at end. His voice cracks and wavers as the song reaches it emotional climax as he sings, “Love is an inkless pen/It’s a tavern/It’s sin/It’s a horrible way to begin.” Edwards spits the lyrics out passionately as if revealing a long kept secret.  

            Without the publicity of a major label or an all star producer, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s have managed to make an outstanding album with a greater sense of honesty and completeness that other indie bands seem to be too “hip” for. Though worldwide recognition is a goal for many bands, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s is perfect right where they are.

OUTLINE

1. Back story/Sense of genre

2. Thesis

Unlike their many indie rock predecessors, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s bring a refreshing array of honest lyrics that are usually few and far between in today’s world of pretentious indie rock bands. 

3. Examples

                Sense that lyrics are from real life events

                                Freezing Chicago Street

                               

Not afraid to take risks

                                Barfight Revolutions

                                Many other indie rock bands stick to same sound

               

Way they are sung/orchestrated (not rehearsed)

                                Jen is bringing the Drugs

                                Other bands intentionally sound pathetic

5. Summation

                Many bands want fame and fortune but Margot is perfect exactly where they are