The palpable surrealism hung in the thick, warm air inside Northrop on November 4th, like a humid curtain all around us. The unforgettable text message from my sister read: “O got Ohio, it’s pretty much over.” The crowd was giddy with the knowledge that a once-in-a-generation moment was upon us. And we were seeing Bob Dylan!

Dylan, it’s sufficient to say, was Dylan.

A bad-ass fedora hat hid his face, but his voice and harmonica reverberated deep into the auditorium, sinking into our ears and echoing the pivotal significance of the …

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For all practical and fundamental purposes, punk rock is lifeless. Seriously. Joe Strummer’s optimism and socialistic glorifications have been stripped from all mediums. The misrepresented anarchy seen on Never Mind the Bullocks has been stomped to the ground by both militarized police (anybody else at the RNC?) and the docility following the promises made by our political leaders. Save the Buzzcocks’ DIY politics and the Ramones’ blissful naivety, it appears that punk’s remains are now artifacts cellophane wrapped in jewel cases and translated into a slew of zeros and ones.

On a pragmatic level it is quite easy to see truth …

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Barack Obama’s victory last week spread lots of optimism throughout the world, including the socialist countries of South and Latin America. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a leader widely hated by the U.S. government, released a statement after the victory:

“We are convinced that the time has come to establish new relations between our two countries and in our region, based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, equality and true co-operation. The historic election of an African descendant to the head of the most powerful nation in the world is …

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There’s a red elevator inside Elmer L. Andersen Library, tucked behind a door that only library staff can enter. It leads 83 feet below the ground, almost level with the riverbank. On the other side of the elevator door lies the university’s collection of rare, important documents spanning from last year’s Board of Regents minutes to books hundreds of years old. Nestled in two caverns, the archives are a hidden gem of the university’s and the world’s history.

“Most often, people’s first response is, …

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Jazz is one hell of a genre. A realm of music all its own, Jazz exists in a different dimension. One could get lost in its many subgenres and forget other music exists at all. Jazz can be as jarring as Metal or as smooth as the voice of Billy Holiday, as mathematical as Electronica or as chaotic as Noise.

Improvisational Jazz embraces freedom and creativity as much as the common drug addled jam band. The genre that redefines genre – its instrumentalists range from the …

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Fort Wilson Riot are stationing themselves at the Hexagon Bar tonight and next Thursday as part of a series of free shows. Though too busy getting fat and happy on Thanksgiving, every remaining Thursday in November belongs to FWR, as they bring along some of their friends to join them in bouts of old fashioned revelry. Riot brings a surprisingly unique sound to their conception of a rock band: Every song stands as an unexpected wonder, mixing a range of styles …

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After the election, my good Democrat demographic-mates, who were out “Barackin’ it for Obama” and drank “Jag-Obamas” upon his victory, are flush with happiness, hope, and idealism. For a week, I myself almost felt that our troubles were behind us and the best was yet to come.

Cut to Dateline – Washington. When I heard today Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson say on the radio today that there is still a very real danger of “systemic failures in the economy,” the peak-oil survivalist mentality that occasionally grips me like a fever took hold. My god, I thought. It’s going …

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Harvard Market East on Washington Avenue is unarguably a campus fixture. As the only convenience/grocery store in the Super Block area, it’s a destination for students seeking everything from cigarettes to light bulbs. But the store will be closing its doors for good this year, only a year after its sister business, the original Harvard Market, closed after 100 years of operation.

Brad Mateer, owner of Harvard Market East and the old Harvard Market, says that in contrast to the previous closing, which was motivated by rising costs and diminishing income, Harvard Market East is not closing for financial reasons. He …

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Oscar the Grouch lived every day in his garbage can, surrounded by filth, bird feces, cookie crumbs, Elmo and hypodermic needles (Snuffleupagus loved his smack!). But what if he and all of Sesame Street were covered with 245.7 million tons of trash, which is what the EPA estimated Americans generated in 2005?

Environmental studies, policy and management senior Alison Luedtke knows what life would be like, sort of. From Oct. 19 to Nov. 2, Luedtke carried around all the garbage she consumed …

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It was late night on Friday the 24th and the hushed whispers began permeating the packed house. “The cops are out there man, let’s get out of here.” As the word spread, people began to slip out the door and into the streets.

Driving home through Marcy-Holmes required weaving in and out of police vehicles which were blocking the road. “What’s going on? Is it okay to drive through here?” The sheer number of cop cars surrounding the area left me scared and convinced that something serious had gone down in the neighborhood. I was sure I’d open the newspaper the …

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Doubts about the efficacy of recycling are well documented. Certainly recycling shouldn’t be our only defense against the consumption devil within every one of us. Throwing the debris of our overactive consumerism into a plastic bin isn’t going to single-handedly preserve the world. Relying solely on recycling is just a convenient excuse not to change our lifestyle. Reusing invites us to think more creatively about how to be small-scale conservationists. It also is more effective than recycling because it helps dry up the waste stream. Furthermore, it preserves the energy originally used in creating an item. The following are eight …

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Hey everyone,

What is your favorite artist / album to compliment the fall atmosphere?

Personally, I dig me some Hold Steady and Neil Young, with a dash of Iron and Wine.
Cheers,
-Jerimiah
——————————–
From: Ben Lansky [photo editor]
Subject: Re: Staff Favorites
i’d say simon and garfunkel bridge over troubled water
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From: Lorna Hanson [staff writer]
Subject: Re: Staff Favorites
my favorite band: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION (yes, in all caps!). They’re Japanese, but I love their stuff anyway.
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From: Ben Alpert [ex-head designer]
Subject: Re: Staff Favorites
mark me down for nick drake/five leaves left. that shit is bomb for fall. and one more thing…GOBAMA!! australia is excited about the news too. woooo!
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From: …

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Two Sundays ago, I went to Columbia College in downtown Chicago to see a holy relic of the Beat generation: the mythic scroll manuscript of Jack Kerouac’s seminal American novel On the Road. Written in 1951, On the Road is Kerouac’s breakthrough tale of the freewheelin’ Sal Paradise and his outrageous friend Dean Moriarty rambling across the country. It’s a Beatnik bible, hailing the revered gods of sex, drugs, jazz, non-conformity and spontaneous creativity. It’s Kerouac’s push to reach the limits of free expression, a push that has inspired ten thousand road trips and just as many acid trips. Time …

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If high school is the best time of your life, then what is college? You go to class, go to the library, work if you have a job, stay up late, pass out from exhaustion then repeat it all. Everyday. The weekends offer a brief intermission–one where academia–more often than not, is replaced with raucous dance parties or impromptu beer fests. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary relief with detrimental effects to your well-being. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the warmth that a few good beers provide, but I also realize the importance of a …

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This past Saturday, the Sound Gallery Recording Studio and Warehouse held the Clapperclaw Festival, an independent music and arts festival showcasing a large array of local talent. I walked in just in time to catch the $5 ticket, as opposed to the $12 I would’ve had to pay after 7 PM. This was a pretty effective pricing technique, as it encouraged me to come early and take in the event in its entirety. As soon as I realized the promise of free drinks was not simply a marketing ploy, I proceeded to get in line for my first …

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