Category: A&E

Sports, believe it or not, are art forms, and athletes are artists. Golfers are some of the most artful athletes in the world, and the art of golf takes on many forms.

Most clearly, golf course architects are artists. They have a vision for the layout of the course and use the land around them to bring this vision to life. They possess the master craftsmanship to create fairways and greens that challenge the golfer yet reward good shots.

Nature’s art complements golf courses, adding to their beauty. Augusta National in Augusta, Ga. is likely the most naturally beautiful golf course. Stunning magnolias line the course in the springtime. Each hole is named after a different flower, some of which are found on that hole or right on the course.

The actual game of golf is quite artistic, too. It’s always said that it’s not you versus the other golfers; it’s you versus the course. A golfer must play the course to its advantages and avoid hitting the ball in a spot that will make the hole even tougher.

It takes artful skill to play different kinds of golf shots based on the ground you are on. A seemingly flat lie can be deceiving; your golf ball might be resting on a tiny piece of uneven land. It takes precision to make clean contact with the ball anywhere, not only in the fairway.

Sand bunker shots and punch-out shots (where you’re stuck behind some trees and you can’t hit the ball normally) require techniques that take years to learn, let alone perfect.

But no matter how much you think you’ve “perfected” each shot, golf will always surprise you with another bad break.

Perhaps my favorite part of golf, and the most artsy, is the style. Of course, I don’t have enough money to buy the nicest golf clothes. However, as a college golfer, I make do with what I have and, nonetheless, stick by my motto of “look good, play good.”

My favorite tournament day outfit is a black EU golf shirt, black pants, white EU golf hat and white shoes. It’s clean, it’s professional and it makes me feel like I’m on the Tour.

But, looking at professional golfers’ outfits, they know how to combine colors and match shoes and hats to look super spiffy on the golf course. Whether it be plaid or checkered pants, bright orange everything or red and black on Sundays, golfers all have their
signature styles.

Just as a painter has their signature style or era of art, a golfer adheres to their style of play (or style of dress). Golf, although a sport, is artsy and beautiful, especially to those who can appreciate it.

I can imagine that Inhaler’s leading man, Eli Hewson, hates hearing it, but during his concert at Irving Plaza — a venue that his father once graced — he sure resembled his dad. For those that don’t know, Eli is the son of U2’s frontman, Bono. Yes, the band that put an album on your iTunes account is now old enough to have children at the age that they started out. Inhaler, after
years of singles releases, finally put out a full album, titled “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” last summer (the CD is still in the first slot of my car’s player). Now they are embarking on their first headlining tour and have just wrapped up their North American dates. I was lucky enough to catch their show at Irving Plaza last Monday, and what a night it was.

When Inhaler took the stage, the energy in Irving Plaza rose exponentially when the opening synthesizer from“It Won’t Always Be Like This” — the titular track from their debut album — hit. Keeping the momentum going, the band went into the fast-paced “We Have to Move On,” a single that wasn’t on their debut album. The same goes for “Ice Cream Sundae,” which is one of
the band’s lighter songs.

The whole band is great, but shoutout to drummer Ryan McMahon, who deserves a lot of credit for keeping the beat steady. A drummer has one of the hardest jobs in the band, and McMahon never faltered. As a bass player, I also appreciated Robert Keating, whose bass line in “In My Sleep” is the best part of the song. Out of all of the band members, Keating is by far the most active on stage; standing close to the fans and interacting with McMahon on a few occasions.

Unlike some younger groups, Inhaler looks like a well-oiled machine on stage. They’ve been playing together for years, but an almost spotless performance is worth noting. Mistakes are kept to a minimum, and it’s impressive how much the band connects with the audience and each other. Eli has the audience in the palm of his hand — much like his father — and can have people hoppin’ and boppin’ to “Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House)” and lovers swaying to “Totally.” This is not a criticism of other young bands — being on stage is not an easy task — but you’d swear that Inhaler was as experienced as the Goo Goo Dolls if not for their babyfaces.

Perhaps the only criticism of their show is that it’s a bit short. The band plays for roughly an hour, and that’s including the entirety of their debut album (with the exception of “A Strange Time to Be Alive,” an interlude) and a couple of non-album singles (“We Have to Move On” and “Ice Cream Sundae”). They don’t have a lot of other released songs to play, but “Falling In” was
severely missed.

Just over 20 years ago, in anticipation of their new album, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” U2 played a promotional show at Irving Plaza. It’s now amazing to see Bono’s son, who was likely a toddler when his father played there, headline a show there with a crowd of rabid fans of his group. Bono was there in-person, and I’m still kicking myself for missing a chance to meet the Irish legend. And while Inhaler certainly benefits from having the Bono connection (Eli smartly goes by his real name and not “Bono Jr.”), they are talented with or without that connection. Greta Van Fleet is here to save the 70s rock and the spirits of Led Zeppelin; Inhaler is here to save the 80s punk rock scene and spirits of The Cure, The Smiths, and Joy Division. Inhaler is a band still on the rise, and their status as such will only last so long. As the name of their debut album and opening track on their album suggests, “it won’t always be like this,” and they’re going to become a household name sooner than later.

This is Arcane’s World now; we all just live in it, and I for one am fine with that. In case you haven’t heard, the Netflix series “Arcane” has exploded in popularity, gaining both general and critical acclaim. On the popular film and TV review site, Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% Average Tomatometer score, indicating the scores compiled from critics, and a 96% Average Audience Score, indicating the scores from everyday viewers. Additionally, the series won nine Annie Awards, which celebrate excellence in animation, on March 12; the episodes that won the most awards individually were episode six “When These Walls Come Tumbling Down” and episode nine “The Monster You Created,” who both won three awards each.

Originally, I was skeptical of the show. The show acts as a prequel story for the video game “League of Legends,” and I’ve never had much interest in the video game. However, I started to hear more and more about it; my side of Twitter was loving it, particularly a scene in which one of our main characters, Vi, leans in and tells the enemy she’s reluctantly working with, “You’re hot, cupcake.” I saw people screaming over the character designs, which diverged from the original “League of Legends” art in ways that made the characters more artistic than sexy. But Twitter alone wasn’t enough to convince me, though it piqued my interest.

No, it was our resident “League of Legends” expert and esports captain, Zack Wilson, that finally convinced me. I figured that if he and Twitter agreed on something, it must be exceptional, and boy was that right. 

Originally, the episodes were released in batches of three; since I was tardy to the party, I could binge-watch them all. I watched two episodes on the plane ride back to Arizona for spring break, and I mourned my lack of foresight in not downloading the entire show. I was hooked. I’ve never seen a TV show with such aesthetic appeal; the art is amazing, the music and soundtrack is addictive, the characters are gorgeous and well-crafted and absolutely bonkers, and the plot will keep your brain screaming long after you’ve finished (Exhibit A: me). 

I watched seven 40-45 minute episodes in one airplane ride from Arizona to Pennsylvania. And then I came home and started it all over again so I could show my roommate.

Watch Arcane. Do it. You won’t regret it.

If you’re concerned about jumping in with no knowledge of “League of Legends,” don’t worry. According to aforementioned Zack Wilson, “You don’t need any background to enjoy the show, or so I gather from those who have no background and subsequently enjoyed it. The show does a good job of not being for players only, but delivering an experience players and non-players both enjoy… for example, I get excited about Singed, since I know he’s a character from the game and know his deal, but to non-players, he’s just a creepy minor character.” 

For those already hooked, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re definitely getting a season two, and that you can watch the teaser on Twitter from the official Arcane account; the bad news is that we probably won’t see it until 2023 at the earliest. The first season took six years of hard work to make, so cross your fingers that season two won’t take that long. Art of that caliber takes time, unfortunately, but I for one am pretty convinced that the wait will be worth it. 

And in the interim, I can always rewatch it just one more time. 

Sources: Dot Esports, Rotten Tomatoes, Collider

Pursue the enjoyments which are of good repute; for pleasure attended by honor is the best thing in the world, but pleasure without honor is the worst. (Isocrates, Letter to Demonicus)

All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial. (the Apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 6.12; 10.23)

There are better and worse—wise and not-so-wise—ways to do many things, even those that are worth doing. Since time must be used—life must be lived—an aspect of prudence, which we follow Josef Pieper in defining as “the art of making the right decision based on the corresponding reality” (1989, 52), is learning to use time well, wisely, in better ways.

One aspect of time is that in order to live we must rest. We often think of rest in terms of “time off”, which to many means relaxing, often in front of a screen. A useful question to ask our selves, especially before a weekend or other “break” in the routine of work—those times that we think of as “off” or “restful”—is this:

Think about ways that you like to rest that are good for your body and your soul. How do you plan to spend your [weekend, vacation, break, time off] well? Think about this for five to eight minutes, then write a brief list of specific things that you can plan to do. (I am indebted to my friend Madeleine Hewitt for suggesting this)

Other images may help you think about how you might answer this question, e.g., restoration: “What restores (renews, rebuilds, re-creates) your body and soul?” Budziszewski (“Intermezzo”) might ask “What recalibrates your baloney-meter?”, a question that sounds different, but—read through the lens offered by Pieper—is essentially the same.

It may also be helpful to ask our spouse or a close friend how they would answer this question for us—they may have insights to which we are blind. Those blind spots tend to be habits, automatic patterns of behaviour that we do not recognize as patterns because they are “just what [we] do”. Stopping to think beforehand about how we might use what time we have can help us pre-organize our “breaks” so that they are truly rest-filled and restorative.

 

As of now, Marvel (MCU) has been dominating the superhero movie and TV genre as they continue to release movies and TV shows every few months. On the other hand, DC comic films (DCEU) have been struggling for a while. Some of their films have been mediocre like “Batman vs Superman” and “Suicide Squad;” while others have been successful like “Wonder Woman” and “The Suicide Squad.” It seems that the future of the DCEU could be bright. 

As of now, DC just released “The Batman,” which has seen tremendous success. With the ending of “The Batman,” it seems there is a high chance a sequel will be made. It was considered a different take on Batman and showed Batman and Bruce Wayne in his younger years. It is different and darker compared to the MCU films. As of now, DC has many movies and TV shows coming out in the next couple of years including: “Black Adam,” “Aquaman 2”, and “The Flash.” These are some of the biggest films that DC are releasing and this could change their future for the better. 

“The Flash” movie could be one of their bigger films. This one is based on the Flashpoint comic books, which rebooted the DC comic books. This film seems to be doing something similar to the comic books in that they want to reboot the DCEU and start something new and fresh to compete against Marvel. This movie will have Ezra Miller return as The Flash and will also include two previous Batman’s: Michael Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 film series and Ben Affleck’s Batman from “Batman vs Superman”. 

This means that they are starting their own multiverse like Marvel has been teasing/showing since Loki. They are focusing on their TV shows on HBO Max. They have released “Peacemaker,” which is the first DCEU show on HBO Max. Other HBO Max shows in the works include: “Justice League Dark,” a “Suicide Squad” spinoff and a “John Constantine” show. 

While I do love the MCU films and TV shows, I do feel that the quality has gotten worse in the past year or two. I find the TV shows to be a lot better than more recent films, minus “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Black Widow.” The issue for me with the films is that they try to put as much as they can within a two hour film and are unable to show the full story. I also find that the films tend to have massive CGI fests in the third act and this kind of ruins it. I think the TV shows have been better recently, my favorite being Hawkeye so far. The TV shows have given certain characters some much needed character development like Hawkeye, Falcon and Winter Soldier. 

After “The Batman” was released, director Matt Reeves announced that they were planning for a Penguin spinoff show on HBO Max and potentially an Arkham Asylum show as well. I am interested to see where the DC films will be in a couple years from now. Will DC surpass Marvel in quality, or will Marvel still be considered the best superhero films by many? 

Overall, I am very excited to see what the future of the DCEU holds and it will be interesting to see if DC can surpass Marvel in quality. I still like both Marvel and DC, but it seems DC will actually have a chance to compete against Marvel. This could create a friendly competition between the two companies and help both make quality superhero films and TV shows for everyone to see.

If you’re looking for a podcast that keeps you up to date with the latest news and offers multiple views on any given topic, then KCRW’s “Left, Right and Center” podcast may be right for you. This show, released every week on Friday afternoons, focuses on news and events from the previous week. The show’s format includes one host that holds down the center position on the political spectrum. Long time host Josh Barro recently left the show at the beginning of 2022 and the position for host is currently being filled by Kimberly Atikins Stohr. Each week, the show invites two guests, often from other news sources, that represent the conservative and liberal perspectives. 

The hour-long show covers multiple topics and provides opportunities for all sides to discuss current events and theorize about possible solutions to modern issues. In addition to the panel, the show also features a guest expert that is brought in to discuss the main issue in that week’s podcast. The show culminates with the weekly rant. This time is allocated for each member of that week’s panel to raise awareness about a topic they are passionate about. The topics range from light and funny, like the daylight savings bill, to more serious issues such as humanitarian aid in Ukraine. 

This podcast is a great way to get an overview of what is happening in the world. The show not only covers national topics of interest, but also is deliberate in discussing the issues within other nations. As the show is only an hour long once a week, it is very easy to make listening to this podcast part of your weekly habit. I highly recommend this podcast as it challenges commonly held political opinions and encourages dialogue between both sides of the aisle. 

If you find this podcast interesting, I also would recommend KCRW’s other podcasts such as “All the President’s Lawyers.” Previous host of the show, Josh Barro, has now created his own show “Very Serious.” This podcast takes the serious topics that are discussed on “Left, Right and Center” and makes an entire episode focusing on a singular topic rather than the weekly happenings. This podcast is a great option if there are specific social justice issues which you would like to be more thoroughly explored and examined. All of the above-mentioned podcasts are available for streaming on Spotify or on the KCRW website.

Philosopher and play-critic, Aristotle, defined acting in “Rhetoric” as “a matter of the right management of the voice to express the various emotions.” Aristotle goes on to say that “dramatic ability is a natural gift, and can hardly be systematically taught.” It would be dramatically difficult to not witness this definition of performing in Eastern University’s own Zach Wilson. 

Wilson has been performing since sophomore year of high school, and has been a part of Eastern’s performances from his Freshman year up until his final semester here with us this Spring. Wilson has also been a member of Eastern’s choir, Turning Point, and has served as the choir’s president this school year. Below is a brief summary of an interview this writer had the privilege of holding with Zach Wilson over a pleasant breakfast on the morning of the 31st of March.

“What have been some of your favorite pieces you have performed with Turning Point?”

“‘The Snow is Deep on the Ground’ by Katie Kring, [a cappella arrangement of the poem by Kenneth Patchen] that piece blew me away. We also performed ‘Only in Sleep’ by Ēriks Ešenvalds. We only performed that for a recital, but then I found myself humming it after.”

“‘Still Here!’ will be your last theater performance here at Eastern. Has there been a favorite show you’ve done here?”

“‘Into the Woods’ freshman year was a good experience. There was a big enough cast that a lot of people could be in the show so I could meet people and make friends, which is different than recently with the smaller shows we’ve had, so there is a bit of disappointment with people not getting in but that’s the nature of shows. I was the narrator and the mysterious man in ‘Into the Woods.’”

“Tell me a bit about the Turning Point concert and recording session coming up.”

“A couple weeks ago they were just like ‘hey we’re gonna put Turning Point in the recording studio.’ So we’re going to go and record two of our songs. I think its just the music department trying to increase what the music department is doing and being out there. I know there is a new building coming soon too. The concert is just the Spring music concert that happens every year. Lord willing, we won’t be performing with masks this time. We are also going to be performing during graduation.”

“Do you hope to keep singing and acting after you graduate? You’re going on to teach, will you be looking to keep up with your performing arts?”

“Last year when ‘Little Women’ was  canceled, a senior gave a really good speech about how this would be his last time on stage because he’s going into business. It hit me then, that won’t be me, but I really hope not, but I have no idea how scheduling will work. The short answer is no, I’d like it to not stop, but I recognize it might. Like [him] I am thankful for the opportunity in college to have fun. Well see if it stops or not.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to talk about? This is ultimately a story about you and your art, is there more you’d like to share?”

“Just a shout out to other choir members: Hailey, who is the vice president who has stepped up and done things for me I didn’t even know had to be done. Also Jessie, the other bass, just for being good friends and working with him in the choir. We’ve had 4 different choir directors these years, I’m glad we’ve been able to stick though it. Its been hard on us and the directors as well.”

Zach Wilson is a dedicated and talented performer, whose eloquence and dedication is reflected in all other aspects of his life. The Spring Music Festival will be on Saturday, April 9th. You can get tickets for the festival at http://easternarts.ticketleap.com/. 

Sources: Aristotle’s “Rhetoric” Book III Chapter I

For over fifty years, Elton John has been recording hits and touring the world, bringing audiences his wonderful music. But, like all things, it eventually has to come to an end. Not all can continue revolutionizing concert tours like U2, or have the happiness to play 40-song sets like Paul McCartney. That’s not to say Elton John isn’t a performer or on either of their levels. Rather, John has clearly reached a point of contention in his life, finally drug-free and yearning for more time with his young children. So, after nearly three years of waiting since I bought my ticket, Elton John finally made his way to the Barclays Center in my home of Brooklyn, New York for an epic two-and-a-half-hour show filled with hits, deep cuts, and some new material.

There was no opening act on this tour, so John made his way to the stage at 8:05 (great timing considering the official 8:00 start time). After the lights dim and a montage of snippets played over the loudspeaker, I heard “Pinball Wizard” in there somewhere, the opening chords of Bennie and the Jets blare from the speakers like the battle of the bands in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” 

The biggest deep cut of the set was “Have Mercy on the Criminal,” a track from “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.” When introducing the song, John mentioned “Daniel” and “Crocodile Rock,” the latter of which he did play, and perhaps adding “Daniel” to the setlist would have enhanced the night. Another unique track played was “Border Song,” which, due to John’s current age, his vocals are limited and as a result, a lot of the soul is sucked from the song. 

The middle of the set is a bit uneven, including some classic songs like “Levon” and “Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” but the tempos of “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” and “Burn Down The Mission” ran the risk of slowing the concert to a halt. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” definitely picked up this portion of the concert.

Things pick up once “The B***h is Back” kicks off a quarter of fast tempo songs, and the audience was loving it. You can’t help but dance to “I’m Still Standing,” and we were all “hoppin’ and boppin’” to “Crocodile Rock.” Almost everyone was singing the “la la la la la” refrain, but even louder was the repeated “Saturday’s” during, you guessed it, “Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting.” 

The encore opened up with “Cold Heart,” a strange remix of “Sacrifice and Rocketman (I Think It’s Gonna Be A Long, Long Time)” that John recorded with Dua Lipa. He sang the verses before letting a video projection of Dua Lipa play during the chorus. It was just an awkward way to get cheap applause from the younger audience members. But picking up the slack for it was “Your Song,” which is, in my opinion, right up there with “Maybe I’m Amazed” for the best love song ever. John can’t sing nearly as high as he used to, in fact, you can hear it wear down in the middle of his set, resulting in him practically shouting and barking out words, but this version of “Your Song” with his deeper tone is beautiful. 

Closing out the show was “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” after which John is taken up on an elevator to a “Truman Show”-like door as he waves his final goodbyes. There’s a finality to the show that felt satisfying and appropriate. No number of “One more song” chants could lure John back out to the stage; this was it, and the crowd knew it. 

Elton John is a legend and just seeing him sing these songs that have crossed numerous generations was special. They didn’t flow quite as well as a McCartney concert, which is a shame considering just how long they’ve been playing this set, but it’s a heartfelt goodbye filled with songs from his catalog that will generally satisfy lifelong diehard fans of John and those who just want to see a legend of the music industry on his farewell tour. 

Roses, wine and ladybugs: there is so much symbolism and nature to be discovered in the art of the color red. We see red everyday, it is the most noticeable color and yet it isn’t the color we think of first when we think of nature. And for good reason! 

There is such an overwhelming amount of green and brown in nature. But I am here to tell you about the symbolic, natural and beautiful power of red. When it comes to symbolism, there is no better color. 

Roses are used to symbolize love; blood is used to symbolize suffering; red lightsabers are used to symbolize sith. Red is used for symbolism precisely because it is such a striking color that can evoke so many emotions. Though perhaps the most well-known red symbol is wine.

Wine is used in literature to symbolize stature as well as bloodshed. Charles Dickens uses wine in his novel “A Tale of Two Cities” to symbolize the flowing of blood in the French revolution. In history, wine is spoken of as a luxury. And in Christianity, wine is heavily tied to the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross. 

The color red has been, and continues to be, a symbol of a vast range of things, from love, to death. But the color red isn’t just symbolic. Red is more of a natural color than most people realize. Berries, flowers, bugs, rocks, wood, leaves, animals, fire, the sun: the color red is painted all over our world, if you know where and when to look for it. 

Red is one of the hardest colors to see in the most common forms of color-blindness: red-green color blindness. There is so much power in the nature of red, exhibited best in the burning colors of fire. But there is also so much innocence and meekness in the nature of red, exhibited best by the peaceful ladybug. 

Just like words, colors have power, and knowing how to handle the power of the color red is essential for those using symbols but also for those who study the beauty of our world. Red has the power of unity, the power of sacrifice, the power of meekness, the power of gentleness, the power of luxury, the power of life and the power of death.

How many times have you taken a required course only to discover that after summer you forgot pretty much everything? I suspect everyone has had such an experience at least once. If not, you’re either lying, or you’re a genius with impeccable memory who should be on “Jeopardy.”

The unfortunate part about learning so many things in school is that the more you learn, the more there is to forget. Students aren’t the only ones familiar with this problem: it’s an unending struggle for teachers to find ways to make their courses engaging and memorable, to overcome the forgetfulness of our overstuffed brains.

Addressing this problem is the focus of Joshua Gibbs’s book “Something They will Not Forget: A Handbook for Classical Teachers.” Gibbs is a teacher at a classical Christian school in Virginia, where he teaches the great books in sophomore humanities courses. As a teacher of history and literature–subjects packed with names, dates, plot summaries and all the other things students are prone to forget–he is particularly interested in finding ways to teach things that his students will remember for more than just one test.

“Something They will Not Forget” makes two key suggestions. First, it argues for asking students moral questions rather than practical ones. As he says in the introduction, instead of asking students for a list of names in the Stuart line on a test, ask how Edmund Burke makes you want to change the way you watch television or how Victor Frankenstein is a negative example of a satisfying life.

Gibbs’s second and more striking proposal, is the catechism: a collection of notable passages from texts covered in the course, read aloud by the students at the beginning of every class. Lasting around seven minutes, the catechism is given in a question-and-answer format, where students recite answers to questions posed by the teacher. Though importantly never assigned for a grade in any way, the sheer repetition of the catechism means students inevitably memorize long passages of prose. It contains not names and dates but beautiful reflections on virtue and vice, the nature of humanity and the art of living well.

The catechism is unusual, for opening every class with a standing, group recitation of the same text seems like an odd way to run a classroom. But it is also quite intriguing for teachers, because it suggests that the perennial problem of forgetfulness is solvable simply by group recitation. Memorization is nothing new–teachers have been handing out study guides and administering tests for years. But the catechism posits that there is a distinct difference between memorizing things sporadically on your own and memorizing them as a group. Group recitation, Gibbs believes, is far more robust. And because the catechism is composed of scripture and other passages from famous classical authors, by the end of the course, students will have committed to heart some of the greatest writings of the Western canon.

“Something They Will Not Forget” is a much needed book for an education system plagued by grade inflation, tedious study guides and dull tests. His classically inspired catechisms are a noble solution to our forgetfulness. In holding his students to a standard of moral excellence and piety, rather than fruitless memorization of names and dates, Gibbs has presented an inspiring example of teaching the good, the true and the beautiful.