Four Fab Friends

By: Alex

Art by Alex

While Britney and Christina dominated the music scene of wide eyed, drooling youth at the close of the 20^th century, I relaxed with a spinning record player next to me. The voices of metallic, crop topped pop stars remained fuzzy to me, no matter how I tuned the radio. Instead, in a clear field of vision I saw four men with shaggy haircuts looking down at me, wearing green jackets with wavy, musky writing off to the left of their heads. Ah, Rubber Soul. Yeah, I’m a Beatles fan.

That signature whiny voice of John Lennon, harmonizing with the attitude-inous voice of Paul McCartney (and ah, that precious congested voice of the darling George Harrison, and of course let’s not forget Ringo!) was the first music I fell in love with and the music I am still in love with today. For my eighth birthday all I wanted was the Beatles Revolver album. Instead I got a Britney Spears Barbie doll from one of my second grade classmates. Luckily, my grandma visited the next day, on my actually birthday, and brought me Revolver, a real birthday gift. I power played that thing.

Thus, second grade spawned the year of the beginning of me being truly misunderstood, in that awkward stage where people knew me as the girl who liked that band that wasn’t the Backstreet Boys. As time progressed, kids turned into teenagers, and suddenly it was cool to like (pretend to like) old bands that no one knew (that I knew very well) so you would seem so cool and unique (meanwhile, my life for the past 8 years). Mainstream stores started selling graphic tee shirts with John Lennon’s face on it, and I would see three girls in the same day at school wearing it.

Well, this sudden ‘interest’ in The Beatles was not gonna fly in my world. The Beatles were my thing. They weren’t for posers who wanted to buy the next ‘vintage style’ t shirt from Delia’s and pretend they were the trendsetters who suddenly made the Beatles cool again. NEWS FLASH: THE BEATLES WERE ALWAYS COOL. IN MY WORLD.

So, in middle school, I struggled with trying to keep my strong love for the Beatles prevalent without buying into the mass media and sporting merchandise that just anyone could wear. Because ironically, even though I was the Beatles fan before any of these tweens, it would look like I was the copycat because I didn’t have the social stats to back myself. It was a trap. I just wanted to be myself.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school when people got it straight. I had an English class where one of our huge assignments was to partner up and argue in a formal and intimidating debate, with the topic of our choice. I ended up getting into a conversation with my partner, arguing over who’s better, John Lennon or Paul McCartney. “That should be our topic,” I told her, sort of joking but also sort of hoping I could pull off a major English assignment using information I already knew. She actually went for it and so did our teacher. Slowly word got out about the ‘Honors English Beatles Debate’; it was the hottest ticket in town.

Midterms came, and my presentation day arrived. I dressed in traditional hippie garb (as if I didn’t already everyday of my life) for the occasion, and we debated on the accomplishments and attributes of two of the greatest men in history. The classroom was packed. Those girls who wore the graphic tees with John Lennon a few years before sat in the audience. They had grown up a little, but they still had no idea who the Beatles were. But they knew one thing. I was the boss. I knew everything about the Beatles, and I ruled that debate like a champ, and by the end, people knew that there was no bigger Beatles fan. I was so proud.

And so from then on, my name was literally associated with the Beatles. I became known as Alex, the girl who likes the Beatles. Which was a pretty good title to have in high school. But, what this experience helped me realize is that I would still be ‘me’ without the validation of others. The Beatles were (are) a huge part of my life, and I personally ached when I heard someone say they loved the Beatles when I knew there was no way they even understood my passion. Yes, this debate showed everyone that I was a force to be reckoned with when it came to Beatles knowledge. But I still would have been just as big of a fan and the Beatles still would have had just as much significance on my life if people didn’t realize that. And most importantly, I still would have been ‘me’ regardless of what happened. No one can take that away, not even the worst enemy you can have in high school: posers.

Granted, there are still a lot of people who say they know the Beatles when really, the extent of their knowledge comes from hearing ‘Hello Goodbye’ on a Target commercial. And that will always frustrate me. But, my job is not to defend the Beatles from the people who don’t know anything. It’s more my privilege to use the Beatles (among many other things) to help make me who I am. They’re just so good. And the fact that they have been with me for so much of my life says a lot about who I am. There will always be a special place in my heart for the ‘Fab Four’, and their music will never get old. But, one thing I disagree with the Beatles on is the fact that ‘money can’t be me love.’ Because money can buy me love, as long it’s buying me a Beatles album.

Why It's Time for the World to be Over Taylor Swift

By: Sarah
Yes, it's yet another article spreading Taylor Swift hate, but this time it's for a real reason. I'm not just one of those angsty hipsters posting Taylor hate from their blog (however, I do still make these types of posts on my tumblr page). Anyone can say that Taylor Swift has no talent, or that all of her songs sound the same, both opinions I hold. However, when I hear my eleven year old cousin idolizing this girl as a great role model, it makes me sick. Taylor Swift is one person with influence that doesn't deserve to have it, and here's my list of reasons why.

1. This girl is so anti-feminism it's not even laughable. She sings the praises of finding a man, falling in love, or bashing another woman who she thinks stole he man, but never once has she written a song about just going out with the girls. In fact, I would argue that Taylor places all of her self-validation in relationships. It would make sense why she hasn't truly been single since she first burst onto the A-list scene. When she's constantly preaching about finding love in her music, her young and impressionable fans are going to think that it's what they're supposed to do once they hit a certain age. We need someone to to be telling our girls that they don't need a relationship to make them happy, and that self-worth comes from within.
2. She's made an entire career out of playing a victim. It all started with the famous Kanye West stage crashing moment, and ever since then, Taylor's been making every moment all about her. If you think about it, almost all of her songs are about how someone did her wrong. And she starts a feud with just about anyone, just to keep the attention on her. Her most recent ones include Carrie Underwood, and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. She really thinks she can win a fight with Tina frickin Fey?
3. Taylor has completely deviated from her roots. This isn't nearly as bad as the first two, but is still worth mentioning. She came in as a country artist, and now she's a faux-hipster pop princess that has a little too much fun bashing her exes. Experimenting is one thing, but Taylor is trying to be something she isn't, and the fans have definitely taken notice.
4. She has to be the worst ex-girlfriend ever. I truly do not understand how she still has suitors. Do these guys not listen to her lyrics? And even without having heard her music, it's hard to miss the way she publicly calls out many of the guys she's dated, or my personal favorite, works the humiliation into a stage performance. It's one thing to be sad or hurt over an ex, but Taylor is teaching girls that it's okay to be completely rude to someone because they didn't share the same feelings. In the real world- this is the kind of behavior that alienates people and gets you on a "do not date" list.
5. She's a giant hypocrite. Taylor talks constantly about the horrors of bullying, when in actuality she's probably the biggest bully in Hollywood. From the unkind words to John Mayer in her song "Dear John", to the lyric that basically calls Camilla Belle a man stealing whore in "Better Than Revenge", Taylor has insulted just about everyone she's come on contact with. Back to the feud with Amy and Tina, Taylor is quoted as saying "there's a special place in hell for women who don't support other women." Yet Taylor probably didn't consider supporting Camilla's womanhood when she wrote those lyrics about her. A friend of mine actually went to grade school with her, and said that she was the type of girl that talked a lot about others, and when someone finally called her out on her bullshit, she considered it bullying. I wonder what her tween fans would think of that.
6. She has the mentality (And song writing ability) of a middle schooler. I feel like this girl literally just bought a rhyming dictionary, linked simple words together that sort of rhymed, and somehow won a Grammy for it. The subject matter and complexity (or lack thereof) of her song writing hasn't changed since her first album, and she's 23 now. And the most nit picky thing that bothers me about her music is the lyrics to "Love Story". She sings about a prince coming to save her so they can be together forever, and specifically mentions Romeo and Juliet. Did Taylor ever actually read Romeo and Juliet? Because if she did she would know that wasn't really a romantic play to reference. After all, the two leads die in the end. Nothing says "Hit Love Song" like singing about poisoning yourself to death. These are probably just the qualms of a frustrated English major, but I truly feel as if my vocabulary narrows whenever I hear her music.

 So after all of this, what would I like to happen? Well in a perfect world, Taylor would disappear completely, but I know this isn't realistic. What I hope will happen is that you'll think about what I said and realize that Taylor's actions are not something to be revered. She's your typical mean girl still stuck in high school, and she's telling her young fans that they can be just like her. I know whenever I see my cousin, I try to encourage self-confidence and kind actions and words. Try doing the same with your young T-swift fans. Hopefully we can break the cycle of hate Taylor started, and make her irrelevant all together.

Kitchen Talk

By: Alex 

Art by Alex 

I once learned about someone’s entire college career in less than an hour. That person was my best friend’s mother, and she told me all about the challenges of med classes, homesickness, and independence all while chopping vegetables and taking chicken in and out of the oven as I sat in her kitchen during her daughter’s graduation party.

I had the privilege to this information because of a phenomenon I call ‘kitchen talk.’ Kitchen talk is when you find yourself sitting in the kitchen with the host of a party, talking as they prepare food for the guests, all while there is much more activity going on elsewhere in the house. But you just feel like the kitchen is the place to be.

In any instance, kitchen talk always results in two great things: super stories that you would never hear if you would have stayed in the basement or on the patio for the whole party AND first picks on any/all the food the host prepares for the guests. Great stories and good food-- two of my favorite things!

Kitchen talk has never failed me. It’s super helpful because I love creating stories. But sometimes I find that many of my stories are about the same thing—growing up. And that’s fine because I think growing up is such an important part of life. But the thing is, there’s so much more to life than growing up. And since I haven’t even finished that stage of my life, it’s sometimes hard to broaden my range of storytelling.

This is where my hours of kitchen talk come in. I’ve heard stories about marriage, family, tragedy, crime, careers, and triumphs in my time in the kitchen. All of these experiences that I hear about don’t just entertain me; they educate me. I’ve never experienced most of what I hear about, but listening to someone else’s life helps me write from a different perspective. It gives me more of a voice and insight towards something I wouldn’t otherwise understand.

As a seasoned kitchen talker, I’ve learned, to get the most out of my experience, ask questions. I’m totally interested and wrapped up in a story that anyone will tell me. But if I’m completely touched or moved by something, I’ll ask the storyteller more questions, so they can elaborate on something I want to know so much more about. 

A life is so interesting to me. And without doing extensive research and interviews, the kitchen is the best place I can get these candid moments. I love finding stories in unexpected places. It’s got to be my favorite part of life. Everyone has a story—no matter if you know it or not. Kitchen talk gives you the chance to realize that; people can touch you in unexpected ways if you just get to know them a little better, even if it’s only for less than an hour. The kitchen is the first place I go when I arrive at a gathering. The kitchen is where the real party is.