Author: cocokeevan

A.V. Club: “Girls,” Episode 4 – “Hannah’s Diary”

in: viewing room

I’ve been enthralled with the media backlash surrounding HBO’s much-hyped new series, Girls, which just aired its fourth episode. The show, recently renewed for a second season, follows four (rather spoiled) twenty-somethings in the murky professionalism and personal lives of post-college existence. It started off as a bit of a tedious exercise in establishing privileged youth as an un-contemptible and relatable group of protagonists. In the first episode, Hannah, the primary protagonist, portrayed by series creator and writer Lena Dunham, is cut off financially by her parents. At 24, her parents are through supporting her New York quasi-hipster lifestyle, and, in the series pilot, force her to either demand pay from her unglamorous internship or find something with a real salary.

The show’s received an absurd amount of criticism from all sorts of sources, emphasizing the show’s lack of cast diversity, its narcissism and its niche-y plots – who cares about the plights of privileged white girls other than privileged white girls? While I can certainly understand the criticism, I also appreciate Dunham’s defense; she writes what she knows, and, frankly, this is what she knows. More than that, I find the show incredibly sincere. While the characters lament their sexual fever dreams and their continued unemployment, they’re frank, humorous and flawed.

Hannah Tells Adam What She Wants

The fourth episode, “Hannah’s Diary,” really sold me on the show. In one particular scene (link above, too frustrated to embed), Hannah asserts herself to her casual (and often retch-worthy) boyfriend-ish, Adam, and, in an unsuccessful attempt to end the relationship, she tells him what she wants. I have rewatched this particular scene no less than 12 times in the last three days; Dunham managed to capture precisely what I wished to say to my murky beau, The Teacher’s Pet, in the throes of a complicated week, and her touching and delicate performance really sold me on the agony her character felt. The last line, paired with a trembling lip and a tearful intonation, nearly bowled me over –

“I really care about you, and I don’t want to anymore because it feels too shitty for me.”

I don’t want to go too much into the particulars of my situation, but I like to think this performance inspired me, in even the most tenuous of ways, to demand more, and, truly, avoid the same sort of resolution Hannah finds at the conclusion of the clip. That sort of pained and earnest emotion is exceptionally trying, and I think Dunham played it so well. I think this show is really finding its stride and warrants, at the very least, a chance, criticism aside.

The Dunce Cap: Week of March 19, 2011

in: heavy rotation


The Dunce Cap, Vol. 44: Fall in love with a new thing every day. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks or play above)

1. “Cruel, Cruel World” – Ezra Furman
2. “Awkward Kisser” – Telekinesis
3. “Simple Girl” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
4. “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
5. “Got My Mind Set on You” – George Harrison
6. “Scared Straight” – The Long Winters
7. “Maggie May” – Blur
8. “If I Wanted Someone” – Dawes
9. “Hand Me Downs” – The Morning Benders
10. “Heartbreaker” – Girls

Well, damn. I’m, like, super-behind on posting this Dunce Cap; I’m so behind, in fact, that I’ve mostly forgotten what I planned to write about this one. Here are a few quick notes:

Ezra Furman, either with the Harpoons or solo, is pure genius. I’m really loving this track, the lead from his first solo album, The Year of No Returning, which is in regular rotation on Chicago’s WXRT. It’s great and awesome and really melodic, and I highly recommend you check Furman out; maybe try “Take Off Your Sunglasses,” from 2008’s Inside the Human Body.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s infectious “Call Me Maybe” was blowing up my stereo for awhile there; the video is positively cheeky and worth a watch (or ten).

George Harrison’s video for “Got My Mind Set On You” is also hysterical. There’s some weird shit with somersaults and taxidermy, and it’s pretty fun. My roommate in San Francisco and I watched that video in pretty constant rotation, and it’ll forever occupy a special place in my heart.

Blur covered Rod Stewart. For the love of Rod! Enough said.

And on a somewhat disappointing note, The Morning Benders have changed their name and rebranded themselves Pop Etc. My last.fm artist count is going to hate this.

Finally, the cover photo is from Bob Carey’s brilliant The Tutu Project. Make sure to check out the gorgeous prints, all for a good cause.

Happy listening.

About a Girl: When Yer Twenty-Two

on: the girl

Over the last two years with this li’l blog, I’ve expended countless words attempting to define and redefine my identity. It’s a tough go for a nomadic college kid – post-adolescence, coupled with the particulars of my familial situation, makes for a murky sense of self. But I keep chugging away, rattling off facts, quirks and circumstances as if, compiled, they’ll be able to make some decoupaged mannequin of me.

Last week, I turned 22. I was to have a college degree tucked tight beneath my belt, able to change my Facebook education status to the past tense re: Northwestern. Things got in the way – I’ll claim responsibility enough to say it was me – and the steps to my future seem a bit more formidable than they did four months ago, but it’s important to keep a few things in mind. A friend of mine suggested recently that I were wallowing (an interesting juxtaposition, it should be noted, to the suggestion from another friend that I was superb at hiding emotions in mixed company), and the idea greatly unsettled me. I’ve long prided myself on my unbridled (public face) of optimism, and I’ve truly got so much to be grateful for. I’m 22, healthy, living in one of the greatest cities in the world and privy (mostly) to an exceptional education in the field of my choice. This is the time of my life in which I am expected to be most carefree and happy consciously. When it’s most permissible that I don’t give a damn about much else other than frolicking and sunshine and friendship. It’s not as if I can hide from my dilemmas. I still have bills to pay, countless accounts and debts to settle before I can sit contentedly, but I’m young, and I’m mostly free, and it’s high time I start acting like it.

For the blissful past few weeks, I’ve resided in a (rat-free) new sublet, this gorgeous little place just a block from where I used to live. Charlie Conway, that beautiful piece of modern machinery, is back in Chicago, rebuilt and repositioned as my iron horse. Spring break, when Charlie finally reappeared, brought the perfect weather for cycling, too; warm, sunny, with the tiniest hint of a lake-induced wind. Just gorgeous (though it should be noted that the gorgeous weather turned fickle and cold and has yet to dissipate. Alas). I have, at minimum, three months with some of the greatest people I have ever known, and those three months will be replete with memories. It’s hard to be pessimistic about what lies ahead; I made it through the winter, and not to perpetuate the cliche, but, truly, there’s sunshine ahead.

This particular post sat untouched in my draft folder on WordPress for a few weeks; Harvey Danger (boo-yah, The Sextarines, I owned that shit at trivia) crooned that “Happiness Writes White,” and it certainly seems to hold true for me. Here’s a snippet of what I’d written:

“This week was Spring Break for Northwestern students, and I was a bit wary of its approach. Work was to be closed, and many of my friends were to jetset to exotic locales (or, if not exotic, to something comfortable and welcoming), and I was to be stuck in an empty apartment with nothing but time. It turned out, though, to be kind of great. I kept myself occupied preparing for the move and, too, enjoying the weather. There was one truly perfect afternoon, taking a good book (the new Jonah Lehrer) to the lakefill, sporting flip flops and shorts, gorging myself on Chipotle and eying the incredible Chicago skyline to the south. This particular afternoon – one that reminded me of the sheer beauty of life – was followed by a rollicking trip downtown to catch “Bring It On: The Musical” – yes, really – a hilarious monstrosity it’s hard to believe actually exists. The week wasn’t through with me yet, though. There was a drinking game set to Mario Kart drenched in debauchery, trivia dominance and a week in heaven spent with a boy I’ve really grown to admire.”

A few things have changed since, sure – not my affection for the boy (The Teacher’s Pet), certainly – and the weather has failed to stabilize or even truly warm, but I’m still right where I want and need to be. Twenty-two started out swimmingly, with a midnight bassoon surprise serenade and a real adult-like night on the town, and it’s been fairly fantastic since. I’m thrilled for what lies ahead; check back for an exciting official announcement in the next few weeks. I’m ironing out the details now and am itching to make a more public statement*!

Happy (almost) May,
The Girl

*Like my blog is public or viral. Guffaw.

A.V. Club: “Excuses” with the Echo Chamber Orchestra

in: viewing room

Let me preface this (ever-so-quick) post by saying that this particular song is one I’ve loved since it’s initial release. I’m not two years behind on the gravy train or anything that embarrassing, though I am just now stumbling upon this particular recording of it. The Morning Benders are one of my favorite bands out there right now, and this orchestral, Spector-esque Wall of Sound technique is really jiving with this track. It doesn’t hurt the band’s credibility that Girls frontman Christopher Owens makes an appearance. That makes me smile.

Also, Chris Chu’s explanation of the song’s meaning as the credits roll is positively adorable.

Happy watchin’ – hope you like this as much as I do.

xo,co

The Dunce Cap: Week of Feb. 21, 2012

in: heavy rotation

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 43: I should find someone better for me, but Mom says we’re born this way. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks or play above)

1. “Holland 1945” – Neutral Milk Hotel
2. “Dawned on Me” – Wilco
3. “Star Wars” – Ryan Adams
4. “Rubber Lover” – Marmaduke Duke
5. “Sweethearts” – Butch Walker & the Black Widows
6. “Girls and Boys in Love” – The Rumble Strips
7. “Range Life” – Pavement
8. “Holiday” – The Get Up Kids
9. “Glendora” – Rilo Kiley
10. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – Bon Iver

I’m sorry for the delay with this post, folks. I made the mix some time ago, but I’d forgotten to post the accompanying WordPress post. I’m sure you all were eagerly awaiting my return.

I’m stationed currently in one of the journalism labs at Northwestern, and I’m looking out the giant glass window, positively dismayed to find snow flurrying outside. What is this nonsense? Chicago weather is utterly fickle, and we’ll go from sunshine (see Wednesday’s love-for-global-warming-inducing midday 60s) to driving rain to snow. It’s days like this I revel in the idea of approaching Florida warmth.

For now, this playlist ought to rev up your desire, too, for something resembling spring. These ten tracks are fairly representative of what I’ve been listening to quite a bit lately. I’m sans iPod – and, really, reliable technology in general – but spending 40 hours a week in a moving vehicle, so I’ve started to slowly rebuild my music collection. Reckless Records and Second Hand Tunes, two local Chicago record stores, offer much in the way of cheap used CDs, and I’ve spent hours on end picking through their selections. The result is a car trip full of 90s nostalgia, from Pavement to the Get Up Kids to Jawbreaker to the Gin Blossoms, and, while Pavement’s getting quite a bit of play on my radio these days, it’s Neutral Milk Hotel which has really stolen my heart. I had the unique pleasure of catching NMH’s Jeff Mangum in Milwaukee last month, and it was truly transcendental. Both of the group’s full lengths have been in regular rotation as of late, and “Holland 1945” – rumored to be about Anne Frank – is likely my favorite tune from both releases.

The Pavement track here (“Range Life,” from their seminal album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain) is one of my favorites, with, it seems, frontman Stephen Malkmus cleverly employing a thesaurus to detail the comforts of laziness. The Get Up Kids’ “Holiday,” the lead track from their 1999 album Something to Write Home About, remains one of my very favorites, and I was thrilled to find a copy of the album after losing mine so many years ago. This mix also has a sweet Butch Walker track from his newest album, The Spade, and an excellent Bon Iver B-side, his haunting cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” as well as two of the catchiest tracks I’ve heard in some time, Marmaduke Duke‘s totally filthy “Rubber Lover” and the Rumble Strips‘ “Girls and Boys in Love.” These are ten I’m really loving, which, I suppose, has been my m.o. with these for a while now. Alas, alack.

Happy listening.

The Dunce Cap: Week of Feb. 1, 2012

in: heavy rotation

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 42: My city’s still breathing (but barely, it’s true). (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks or play above)

1. “No Action” – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
2. “Winter” – The Dodos
3. “Spit on a Stranger” – Nickel Creek
4. “Hearts and Minds” – Matt Pond PA
5. “Cotton” – The Mountain Goats
6. “Singing in My Sleep” – Semisonic
7. “I Think We’re Alone Now” – The Spinto Band
8. “I Already Miss You” – The Kooks
9. “Boys Don’t Cry” – Grant Lee Phillips
10. “Left and Leaving” – The Weakerthans

Elvis Costello, guys. I’ve recently rediscovered his 1978 album, This Year’s Model, and it’s been nothing but love for the original Napoleon Dynamite since. And Costello certainly knows how to start an album. So I took a page out of his book and launched this Dunce Cap with the same track Costello uses to start This Year’s Model. I think it was a good decision.

The rest of this mix has a few cover songs peppered throughout (an awesome Grant Lee Phillips cover of The Cure, as well as a cover of Tiffany’s ’80s hit – originally recorded by Tommy James & the Shondells – by The Spinto Band, and, of course, Nickel Creek’s excellent take on Pavement’s “Spit on a Stranger,” from their last album Terror Twilight), but I like to think the crowning jewels are the pair of tracks, The Mountain Goats’ “Cotton” and The Dodos’ “Winter.” Both have been spinnin’ round and round in my head for the last few weeks, and I’ve had a sticky note on this here computer to include them both on a mix. So, finally, I have!

Altogether, the result is a mix of heartbreak, sadness, bitterness and intrigue (and just in time for Valentine’s Day!), which may just suggest I’ve been watching a bit too much Gossip Girl during the day. Oops?

As always, happy listening.

A.V. Club: The Ballad of Liz Lemon

in: viewing room

Phillie Phanatic and Liz Lemon on NBC's "30 Rock"

I’ve never been one of those gals who gabs endlessly about my deep connection with Liz Lemon. I mean, the woman’s hilarious, a true comic heroine, but never before have I felt so tied to her. Until now.

Last night, NBC Thursday aired two “30 Rock” episodes, the first a continuation of last week’s plot and the second, the positively hysterical “The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell.” And it was, far and away, some of the best minutes of television I’ve seen in quite some time. Mostly, the latter had me rolling – actually rofl’ing – because of two key things.

First, Jack brought Phillie Phanatic to the office as part of the one year business-versary of Kabletown’s acquisition of GE Sheinhardt NBC Universal. Phillie Phanatic, y’all. If I were ever to get a major sports team’s mascot tattooed on my body, it would absolutely that guy (tramp stamp, tongue furled into the mouth-thing). I am so pleased that The Best Mascot in Sports had a cameo – with speech. PHILLIE PHANATIC SPEAKS!, though it’s a little disappointing he, it seems, is in fact a he. Sorry, Liz.

In the same two-minute clip, Jack rips on “TGS,” citing the show’s recent poor quality. The skit they cut to? TRACY MORGAN AS JUDGE ITO. The five-year-old version of me (and the stuffed animal I still sleep with named after the Simpson trial judge) is jumping up and down and clapping in utter joy.

Enjoy the clip at the link below, as I can’t get embedding to work right now, and I’m grumpy with it.
http://www.hulu.com/embed/reZz0x7xLakCTMd-mu6y5g/690/833

A.V. Club: All right, all right, all right

in: viewing room

If there’s one individual who has remained firmly rooted in the recesses of my heart for decades (seriously!), it’s Butch Walker. The musician/producer/songwriter/memoirist (squee!) has had an illustrious career spanning many years, and he’s now a go-to producer for any number of modern acts. The video for his newest single, “Synthesizers,” with the Black Widows, is downright hysterical. Matthew McConaughey reprises the role of David Wooderson from 1993’s “Dazed and Confused,” and the ‘hey is in true form here. He sports his trademark sleazy handlebar, the rolled-up sleeves and even a slight paunch, macking on the (underage) ladies. The part that had me rolling was the mini-piano playing – because tiny piano means party! -, but the whole thing is a fantastic complement to the track. Check it out below.

And, for good measure, be sure to check out Walker’s parody of the “Reading Rainbow” theme, released in October as a book trailer for his memoir, Drinking With Strangers. The video is embedded below, and the book, too, is a real treat. Here’s a teaser: Find out how Walker could have derailed the Creed train!

Happy watching/trumpet-playing.

The Dunce Cap: Week of Jan. 16, 2012

in: heavy rotation

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 41: You’ve been chosen as an extra in the movie adaptation of the sequel to your life. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks or play above)

1. “Shady Lane” – Pavement
2. “Modern Love” – The Last Town Chorus
3. “Dance Music” – The Mountain Goats
4. “I Still Remember” – Bloc Party
5. “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” – Iron & Wine
6. “Poison Oak” – Bright Eyes
7. “Round Here” – Counting Crows
8. “Honolulu Blues” – Craig Finn
9. “Heartbeats” – Jose Gonzalez
10. “Specks” – Matt Pond PA

Welcome back to the Interwebs, guys. It’s been a strange and winding road up ’til now, but I’m really starting to dig this reinvention thing. I know it’s become a bit of a cliche (though I prefer to term it a “mantra”), but I truly believe that, this time around, I woke up new. And what is Barney Stinson’s one rule? “New is always better.”

The site is looking more streamlined and – dare I say it? – professional, and I’m looking svelter, more confident and altogether happier. I’m getting back into the swing of this writing business, and I’m edging into that dangerously peppy territory wherein I just want to high-five everyone always. This mix isn’t really a reflection of that. It sort of is. Kind of. Okay, not all.

These ten really excellent tracks are a mish-mash of things I’ve loved recently. A handful of them (notably “Poison Oak,” “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” and “Heartbeats”) are rediscoveries, while some have been round n’ round my repertoire for years. There’s a more somber note to a number of these songs, but there remains a definite beauty to each one. The Last Town Chorus‘s take on David Bowie’s “Modern Love” is a sweetly feminine, muted departure from the original, but it retains the earnest sting of heartache. And, I’m starting to see a pattern, in that a fair number of the songs I listen to discuss finding god and losing ‘im, but that’s a topic for another time. For now, there’s also the excellent danceabilly-esque lead track from Craig Finn’s upcoming solo album; the lead singer from The Hold Steady named his album, out Jan. 24, “Clear Heart Full Eyes” after the television show “Friday Night Lights.” Such win. There’s also a great single from Pavement‘s 1997 album, Brighten the Corners, as well as truly exceptional Mountain Goats tune that I still can’t quite understand (though I suspect it involves alcoholism, domestic violence and euthanasia, with that last one a bit fuzzier and more ambitious).

As always, happy listening. And don’t you dare judge me for that Iron & Wine jam. It’s on a “Twilight” soundtrack, yes, but it’s also just really damn good.

Oh, and, Luke Perry, ♥, forever n’ always.

Dunce Flash: On Love, In Happiness

in: the press, on: tap

Hey, folks, and welcome to 2012!

I promised you guys a fresh start a while back, and, as you can tell from the total redesign, I’m attempting to make good on that. I’ve redesigned almost the entire site to function primarily as a personal website and professional portfolio for me, but there is still the added bonus jonas! of the Girl With the Dunce Cap as a blog.

Much will remain the same: I’m hoping to get back in the game of mix-making oh-so-soon, though that endeavor hit a snag when the entirety of my music library was swiftly seized. I’m beginning to rebuild but find myself still without a computer, so it may be a slow return. I will continue a sort of steady posting now that I have more regular access to a bank of computers, and, while much of the content on this site will remain my inane musings on popular culture, I will also try to pepper in some short-form fiction and long-form (strongform!) literary nonfiction. This quarter, I aim to wrap up the very last bit of my collegiate experience, and I will be launching an exciting literary endeavor TBA with a good friend. All in all, I will be seeped in the written word, and there should be quite a bit of content to keep your eyes peeled for in the coming weeks. There’s a great deal of external stress currently pummeling me, but I’m confident that, somewhere inside, is an impending happiness.

As always, I’m nearly constantly in transit, so, while I am currently situated in Chicago, that could change rather quickly. I will attempt to keep you, my loyal (and burgeoning) readership up-to-date with my geographical whereabouts. For now, enjoy the new site, and please let me know if you have any suggestions to improve the reader experience.

And, from the news, just a few quick things:

Image credits: AP

1958 Letter from John Steinbeck on Love

John Steinbeck remains one of my very favorite authors – if you have yet to read East of Eden, minimize this window, walk, nay, run, to your nearest library and check it out. Immediately. – and his private correspondences, culled in a 1989 collection, display in beautiful and quaint prose the author’s takes on matters of the head and heart. Perhaps most poignant is a 1958 letter from Steinbeck to his eldest son, Thom, featured this week on The Atlantic. In the letter, Steinbeck offers words of wisdom to his son, who has confessed to a deep crush on a boarding school classmate.

“And don’t worry about losing,” Steinbeck writes. “If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.”

This letter and nearly 850 others to family, friends and professional acquaintances can be found in Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, out now from Penguin.

Stay Calm, Scotty

I’ve mentioned previously my dear friend and journalistic peer, Scott, and he has a new blog up that y’all ought to check out. Scott is conquering the newspaper market in coastal Maryland (see his story on the passage of same-sex civil unions in Delaware), but, mark my words – his is a name you’ll hear again and again. His new site includes an essay on why he decided to pursue writing as a profession; the essay is generous on both the laughs and the sincere, and it is surely an indication of what lies ahead. Check it out here.

Protest SOPA/PIPA

That’s pretty straightforward, no? These bills, currently in the house and senate, respectively, will cripple the Internet as we know it, and as an avid Internet user, I am participating in the Internet blackout, scheduled for today, Jan. 18, 2012. My wee li’l blog will be blacked out from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow (I think that’s right) in protest. What you’ll see if you visit is a link to sign the petition to tell Congress just what you think of SOPA and PIPA. I’ll see you all back on the web in a day or so.