Daily Bruin – Page 77

Second Take: With ‘Old Town Road’ the memes have won, but music quality has lost

Collaborations can do a lot for a track. For some artists, they add credibility; for others, diversity. For Lil Nas X, it created a record-breaking cultural phenomenon.

Currently in its sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus broke the one-week streaming record – previously held by Drake – with 143 million U.S. streams. At a time when collaborations between artists have been exploding – Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower” or the Justin Bieber-Ed Sheeran collab “I Don’t Care,” to name a few – “Old Town Road” takes the prize for most culturally relevant.

But being honest, “Old Town Road” is boring. It’s not particularly outstanding in any way. It uses a simple trap beat with a slight twang overlay, which sounds like it could’ve been made on GarageBand by an amateur producer. The lyrics are amusing given the context – it’s hard not to crack a smile at “I got the horses in the back”– but even the humor isn’t that memorable.

The collaboration was perhaps unexpected, but the shock of a 20-year-old rapper teaming up with a 57-year-old ’90s country star should’ve worn off by now. And Cyrus’ triumphant return to music could be the cause behind the song’s popularity, but other collaborations have also included artists involved with comebacks, such as Brendon Urie on Taylor Swift’s “ME!” or Eminem on Logic’s “Homicide,” and these didn’t garner nearly as much pop culture fame. The genre of commercialized, meme-able music that “Old Town Road” falls into is an increasingly popular and lucrative brand that arguably corresponds with a general decline in musical quality.

The popularity of “Old Town Road” is not a naturally occurring event. It was crafted by its creator, Lil Nas X. The rapper is skilled in creating online content primed to go viral, evidenced in the self-promoting techniques he used to advertise the single’s initial SoundCloud release. Using clips from “Red Dead Redemption 2” and capitalizing on the growing interest in the black cowboy aesthetic of the “yeehaw agenda,” Lil Nas X promoted his single as a dance challenge appearing on Instagram and the increasingly popular TikTok app.

Even now, the artist is ensuring relevance through incessant tweets – sometimes about the song, but often in connection to other culturally relevant topics like the Met Gala or Ellen DeGeneres. At times it feels like Lil Nas X’s Twitter exists solely to create content that could become a meme.

The “yeehaw agenda” is just another culturally relevant topic Lil Nas X has chosen to focus on. “Old Town Road” did not always have Cyrus’ star power and southern drawl – it took on new life when Cyrus agreed to the feature. The song had already received attention by the press and the public when it was removed from the Billboard country music chart, thus sparking a controversy regarding race in the predominantly white genre.

Originally a one-minute-53-second song with a borrowed beat from a Dutch producer, “Old Town Road” has now reached nearly unprecedented popularity. It also secured Lil Nas X a deal with Columbia Records – his average rapping and amateur meme-making skills seemed to have paid off.

The popularity of “Old Town Road” is an indicator of the direction popular music is going. Obviously, not all musicians are interested in making meme-able music. However, it seems there has been a recent increase in songs created with the intention to garner Internet attention. Kanye West has been a particularly potent figure in this trend. In April 2018, West released “Lift Yourself,” a song that ended with the memorable catalog of words that rhyme with “poop.” Then, later in the year, he released the collaboration with Lil Pump – a meme in his own right – “I Love It,” which had an equally meme-inducing music video. Who could forget the two rappers dressed as lego-like men and the wildly offensive and derogatory lyrics?

But the growth of meme-based music has, arguably, corresponded to a general decline in musical quality. The comedic commercialization of popular music tolerates a general pattern that creates songs that all sound similar. Further, it creates songs that generally demonstrate little musical ingenuity and diversity. Instead, artists follow a single prescription that makes a variety of songs that, ultimately, show little variety. One could be substituted for another at any time. Take, for example, any two songs classified as “SoundCloud rap.” For the most part, it’s all just midgrade trap beats and mildly amusing lyrics about money and girls.

It would be cynical to say that the future of music is doomed to be nothing more than a never-ending loop of internet rappers making goofy soundtracks to TikTok videos. To be sure, sometimes it’s fun to listen to these internet-influenced tracks – ask any of UCLA’s fraternities. Moreover, there is still a viable and lively community of artists who are still striving to create new, exciting music. But it is undeniable that there is a growth of songs made to be hits on Twitter rather than on Spotify.

Reading of Whitman poem to honor his bicentennial before UCLA centennial kickoff

On a small stage near the top of Janss Steps, a group of students, professors and alumni will recite all 54 pages of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.”

Participants will celebrate the poet’s 200th birthday alongside UCLA’s centennial anniversary Saturday. Event organizer Amber West, a lecturer for UCLA Writing Programs, said she hopes bystanders on campus will catch some of the reading event while attending Alumni Day events and waiting for the centennial launch. West said she hopes utilizing different voices to deliver each of the poem’s 52 sections will adequately reflect the social efforts of Whitman’s works. His writing was meant to exhibit the beauty and complexity of people’s perspectives and experiences, she said.

“In some ways, we’re trying to have the reading be the embodiment of the spirit of (Whitman’s) work,” West said. “He was so ahead of his time, not only stylistically, but in terms of content.”

West said her idea for a marathon reading stemmed from a similar event in Brooklyn Bridge Park while she was living in New York City. After moving to Los Angeles in 2016 to work at UCLA, West said she realized Whitman’s birthday bicentennial coincided with the university’s centennial and she put together a series of events called “Whitmania.” One of the first of these events was “Whitman Dreams in Color” on April 29, at which students from local universities screen-printed bookmarks and wrote poems on manual typewriters.

West said these events are meant to highlight Whitman’s legacy and idea of radical optimism, which is often misunderstood. The term “radical” is typically used as a political put-down, but the definition refers to the fundamental nature of something – the root of a given issue or concept, West said. Optimism is the sense of what is good and possible in all people, so Whitman’s concept is ultimately about organic connection between human beings, she said.

“When I think about UCLA, … when we are at our best … we are embodying that same kind of radical optimism,” West said. “He was always about those connections and the power of art and expression to help embody that.”

West said she often thinks Whitman’s poetry is resonant with a student populace. Much of his work is about grappling with oneself, she said, and with one’s relation to both the universe and one’s own community. She said these are questions that are particularly significant to college students who are trying to find themselves.

Associate English professor Michael Cohen said Whitman’s radical optimism beliefs are fixed in hope. When the first edition of Whitman’s poetry collection – which included “Song of Myself” – was first published in 1855, the United States was in a dark decade socially and politically, leading to the Civil War. Cohen said Whitman was intensely critical of slavery and inequality, and believed in democracy and lasting human relationships. The ideas of reinvention and authentic happiness were central to the first version of Whitman’s poem, Cohen said, and the marathon reading will be another chance for readers to discover the poet’s resounding message.

“That’s where I see the hope of the text,” Cohen said. “It’s written from a very dark moment, but it’s imagining possibility out of that moment for a much lighter time to come.”

The image of a hopeful future is part of what drew third-year English student Elias Fulmer to participate in the marathon reading, he said. Fulmer will be reading from the sixth section of “Song of Myself” during the event, which he said he finds appealing due to its messages of social equality. This section features a metaphorical conversation between the author and an imaginary child, during which Whitman represents the grass growing beneath their feet as symbolic of all the possibilities of the future. While the text was written during a time of terrific social upheaval, Fulmer said it was an ideal opportunity for discussion and debate as to what America’s values truly are.

“If you look through a big enough text, you’re going to find a line that supports what you think or how you feel,” Fulmer said. “There’s a lot you can take from ‘Song of Myself,’ or the other pieces.”

West has been orienting several of her general education writing classes around Whitman, and said doing so was the primary way she was able to get students involved in learning about the American poet. She said she has been pleased with how much her students have immersed themselves in the work and she is hoping to involve more people in honoring Whitman’s legacy through the poetry reading.

“I think once we had that context, people really got into it and it was exciting to see students understand the significance of his work, but also be able to question it,” West said.

Film explores Chinese culture, generation gap between immigrant parents and kids

This post was updated April 14 at 10:52 p.m.

When Lulu Wang first pitched a film about the real-life story of her Chinese family, no one would finance it, she said.

She set it aside for years and waited until she received the right offer, which led to a Sundance Film Festival debut, an A24 backing and a July 12 release date.

“The Farewell” writer and director attended a Bruin Film Society Q&A following a screening of her film Monday evening at the James Bridges Theater. The film depicts a family that, upon learning its matriarch Nai Nai has cancer, concocts a fake wedding to bring everyone together to say goodbye. Wang said the film is extremely close to her, as it reflects the emotions she faced when she learned of her own grandmother’s illness.

“I wanted to make this movie because as I was going through the experience … I never (knew) if I should laugh or cry. I’m like so frustrated, but then the next second, I’ll start laughing. I wanted to make this film to capture the proximity of the grief and the humor.”

Sammi Tsui, a third-year psychobiology student, said she was drawn in by the trailer because her family also experienced a similar scenario. Tsui’s grandmother in China developed cancer, and her relatives hid the cancer diagnosis. “The Farewell” allows Chinese people to engage in their culture without tailoring it to western standards, Tsui said.

“The movie doesn’t specifically talk about Chinese culture, but it makes people understand it by giving you clues,” Tsui said. “This is really new because I feel like sometimes, … (Chinese people) have to assimilate to other cultures, so this movie is really refreshing.”

Movies like “The Farewell” are important because they provide an authentic perspective about a culture that not everyone may be familiar with, said Kanak Das, a second-year psychobiology student who attended the event. Specifically, the movie is written and directed by a Chinese woman, and so she said she feels it is empathetic and true to the culture.

BFS events coordinator Kevin Yang, a fourth-year political science and economics student, echoed the same sentiment as he praised the film’s primarily Chinese dialogue in an introduction before the screening.

“This film is really incredible and we’re so excited to show this for you especially because it’s 80% in Mandarin. Representation isn’t just about what you see, but also getting used to what you hear on screen,” Yang said. “Movies like this can really help push that conversation forward.”

When it came to perfecting the translations in the script, Wang said her parents were very helpful. She said she would first think about the dialogue in Chinese, but then write it in English on the page, as she can’t write in Chinese. The hired translator then converted the English into Chinese. But when Wang had her parents read over the script, she said they felt it sounded inauthentic to their family, and adjusted the dialogue accordingly.

Though the story starts in New York, the majority of it takes place in China as Billi, played by Awkwafina, travels to her homeland along with her parents. Billi is reluctant to keep the secret from Nai Nai, as the two are extremely close. These deep familial bonds are a narrative focal point, Wang said, as the family wrestles with their conflicted feelings about telling Nai Nai the truth.

In addition to Wang’s parents, other family members also contributed to the film. The actress who played Nai Nai’s sister is Wang’s real-life grandaunt, Hong Lu. Wang said the production team underestimated the budget for the Chinese actors because they didn’t realize how expensive and in demand they were, which meant they had to cast nonactors. Wang said she faced some ethical concerns, as she didn’t want Lu to relive the pain and trauma, but said the role nonetheless became therapeutic for her grandaunt.

Moreover, she said she aimed to highlight the generational gaps between immigrant parents and their kids, which can be seen in arguments between Billi and her mother about her career and personal goals. This closely resembled Wang’s own experience, specifically as a Chinese woman wanting to pursue film and not disappoint her parents in the process, she said.

“I think every mother and daughter has a complicated relationship, every parent fears whether their child is going to succeed or not,” Wang said. “But there is this additional pressure when your family sacrificed everything for you, and you somehow have to validate those sacrifices.”

Regarding the difficulties of being an Asian female director, Wang said she no longer has to make compromises on her artistic vision. She said she told the story that would become “The Farewell” on the podcast “This American Life” in 2016. Having the hosts ask her how she felt about this emotional experience with her family was striking, as she said Hollywood producers would have only discussed logistics and marketing strategies.

Shortly after the episode aired, she received offers from several producers, including from Disney. However, Wang said most offers distorted the story, including one which pitched the film as a Chinese version of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” where Billi is the one getting married. Wang said she turned down these big offers, as they weren’t true to her vision.

“With this film I said ‘No’ more than I said ‘Yes,’ which is really difficult when you are (a woman) and a minority, and you feel like you’re never going to get those opportunities,” Wang said. “But because this is my second film and such a personal story to me, I was like, ‘I’d rather not make the film if I can’t make it the right way.’”

The Quad: Examining effect of smartphone overuse, applications that measure screen time

If the first thing you did when you woke up this morning was check your phone, you’re not alone.

Nearly 70% of smartphone users begin using their devices within 15 minutes of their alarm going off. Coupled with the fact that the average college student spends around nine hours a day on their phone, the statistics can paint a scary picture.

Smartphones have quickly become integrated into every aspect of our lives by connecting us with transportation, food, resources and essentially, the world. The good news? Managing screen time is now simpler than ever with the assistance of built-in phone usage applications.

This is not a new concept – the App Store and Google Play Store have housed similar third-party applications for years. But now, technology companies are focusing on delivering accurate information about users’ smartphone habits without having to install a separate app.

Apple’s September 2018 system update introduced Screen Time, a feature designed to refocus users and make them aware of their digital habits. For Android users, Google is working on streamlining a feature originally released for the Pixel called Digital Wellbeing.

Accessing Screen Time through Settings allows users to set time limits for app categories, view a breakdown of their daily usage and schedule downtime away from their phone. Digital Wellbeing has similar features, however, usage statistics are compiled into a simple pie chart and time limits can be set for specific apps rather than categories.

As a part of Screen Time, iPhone users receive a weekly notification that displays their average phone usage for the past seven days. Digital Wellbeing weekly statistics can be accessed through Settings, though recent reports indicate the feature is slowing down phones.

First-year psychobiology student Nicolette Khalifian said although the Screen Time feature on her iPhone has made her more aware of her usage, she sees it as a futile attempt for college students who have no one to keep them in check.

“It’s like a positive feedback loop of addiction,” Khalifian said. “When everyone is on their phone, you also go on your phone since you react to people around you.”

Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not currently classify excessive screen usage as an addiction, the compulsion to use smartphones for hours every day could stem from other conditions, such as social anxiety. According to psychologists, the constant need to check one’s phone for notifications can be seen as more of an obsession than an addiction: It’s something to do that does not involve interaction with the real world.

Some smartphone users also feel a compulsion to use their phone because of a condition called phantom vibration syndrome, or “ringxiety.” Since our brains are wired to be attentive of every stimulus, setting your phone on silent can be the first step to curing the itch.

Unsurprisingly, smartphone overuse has also been linked to lower self-reported productivity. The typical student spends around 20% of class time on unrelated digital distractions, according to a study done at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For college students who are hoping to get as much out of their day as possible, these smartphone compulsions can act as a chronic obstacle to productivity.

Not only do applications like Screen Time raise awareness about smartphone overuse, but they also allow for self-intervention. An environmentally friendly way to curb overuse and increase productivity is by using an app like Forest that plants real trees in exchange for less screen time. Another simple way to resist the temptation is placing your phone across the room so it’s not within arm’s reach in the morning.

Some students worry that these applications are technology companies’ veiled attempts at gathering data on which applications are most addictive. Third-year English student Shayna Freedman said if her Samsung were to incorporate the Digital Wellbeing feature, she would not use it.

“Most companies are not really out for your wellbeing,” Freedman said. “I think it’s just a fad to tell people how much time you spend on your phone.”

Smartphones tend to get a bad rap, but really, it’s up to the user to determine how much precious time they want to give to an aluminum rectangle. If you can’t remember the last time you introduced yourself to a stranger while waiting in line, try putting down your phone.

UCLA swim & dive coach retires after over three decades with Bruins

The Bruins will say goodbye to another long-term coach.

UCLA swimming and diving coach Cyndi Gallagher has announced that she will be retiring after 31 years as head coach, and 38 years total as a Bruin.

Gallagher came to UCLA first as a student-athlete, graduating in 1983. Gallagher set multiple school records during her time as a Bruin, and also represented the United States at the Olympic trials in 1976 and 1980.

Gallagher was hired as the head coach for the Bruins in 1988, and in her time has amassed a 202-107-2 win-loss record in dual meets. She has led the Bruins to two Pac-12 championships in 2001 and 2003, as well as to top-10 finishes at NCAAs in nine separate seasons.

“Being the head coach at UCLA was my first full-time job, and my only full-time job. I can honestly say that coaching at UCLA is the greatest job in the world,” Gallagher said in a statement. “Dreams come true at UCLA and they sure did for me.”

Over her three decades, Gallagher coached 11 Olympians, 21 conference champions and 91 All-Americans. She was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 1990 and 2003.

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said the search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Track and field sees success at Pac-12 championship, wins five individual titles

A lightning storm brought the events to a halt, but that didn’t prevent the Bruins from putting up points.

After two days of competition featuring a three-hour long storm delay Saturday, UCLA track and field saw five athletes take home individual titles at the Pac-12 championship in Tuscon, Arizona this weekend.

UCLA and Oregon were knotted at 133 points with four events left, but the Ducks pulled away with 40 more points to claim their 13th consecutive Pac-12 men’s championship.

“We knew chasing a Pac-12 title was going to be a big goal,” said junior distance runner Robert Brandt. “We obviously came up a little short, but I think everyone is happy with the effort we put in. … We were biting our nails until the end there with Oregon pulling away in the last few events of the meet.”

The men’s side of the team accumulated 140 points for second place – the Bruins’ highest point total since 2004 and its highest placing since 2005.

Brandt saw his 10,000-meter race get pushed back from 9:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday. Brandt added 10 points when he crossed a rain-soaked finish line early Sunday morning.

“After about 5 (kilometers), a few of the Colorado guys – (John Dressel and Ryan Forsyth) – started to pick up the pace (and I) just went with them,” Brandt said. “I was feeling pretty good and … about 700 meters to go I put in a strong surge on (Dressel) and got no response from him.”

Brandt’s time of 29:08.11 in the 10,000m made him the Bruins’ first victory in the event since 1982.

Due to a back injury after the NCAA indoor championships, freshman pole vaulter Sondre Guttormsen hadn’t attempted a pole vault in nine weeks and was forced to wait an extra day once the storm pushed the event back to Sunday.

On his first try at 5.12m on Sunday, Guttormsen qualified for the NCAA West Regionals.

“That was kind of what I wanted and hoped for,” Guttormsen said. “I wasn’t sure if I’d have a college season at all. … Even just to be able to compete there was good in itself.”

Guttormsen was the only pole vaulter left jumping with the 5.27m bar, racking up 10 points for the men’s team and a Pac-12 title with a final jump of 5.36 meters.

“After I (jumped the 5.12 bar), I was like ‘Yeah, I think it’s possible to jump some more and try to win it,’” Guttormsen said.

Redshirt senior pole vaulter Elleyse Garrett joined Guttormsen as a Pac-12 champion in the pole vault when she topped 4.36 meters – third place on UCLA’s all-time outdoor record list.

The UCLA throwing unit compiled the most points for the men’s portion of the team. Ten points came from senior thrower Simon Litzell in the javelin with his final attempt of 74.23 meters that recaptured the Pac-12 javelin title. Redshirt senior Dotun Ogundeji led the Bruins in going 2-3-4 in the shot put and tacked on 16 points with two second-place finishes in the shot put and discus.

Sophomore thrower Alyssa Wilson logged 26 of the Bruins’ 55 points – the most by any athlete at the Pac-12 championship. In addition to two second-place finishes in the shot put and hammer throw, Wilson’s first-place discus toss of 56.93 meters gave her the first Pac-12 title of her UCLA career.

“I was crying tears of joy,” Wilson said. “I’ve always been doubted in the discus and have always felt the feeling of having to prove myself and others that I can compete well and excel in all three throwing events that I do.”

Wilson’s performances earned her Female Athlete of the Meet.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Wilson said. “But I’m the type of person that doesn’t like to brag much. I like to stay quiet and let the performances make the noise.”

The Bruins will travel to Sacramento to compete in the NCAA West Regionals hosted from May 23 to May 25.

Women’s water polo finishes season hopeful about program’s future

Although their season ended with a defeat, the Bruins’ improvements from last year may give the team hope for the next few seasons.

UCLA women’s water polo (24-7, 4-2 MPSF) ended its season with its second consecutive semifinal loss at the NCAA championship as it bowed out to Stanford by an 8-7 defeat.

UCLA failed to beat rivals Stanford and USC for the second straight season under coach Adam Wright. However, three of the Bruins’ six losses to those teams this year came by just one goal – whereas the closest they got in 2018 to either the Cardinal or the Trojans was two goals down.

Wright said the Bruins’ mentality has grown during his tenure as head coach, and this season he saw improvement, even if the end result was the same.

“From day one, I asked them to understand that no one person is more important than the next,” Wright said. “There’s no hierarchy. That first-year team was great, but the evolution that happened this season was really, really incredible.”

Junior attacker Maddie Musselman led the Bruins with 61 goals, eight more than she totaled across the 2018 season, and was named a member of the All-MPSF First Team. She was followed by freshman attacker Val Ayala with 35 goals and junior attacker Bronte Halligan with 34 goals.

Senior goalie Carlee Kapana finished the season with 234 saves in 27 starts, 41 more saves than her previous season-high. She was named an All-MPSF Honorable Mention, the third straight time she was named to an All-MPSF team.

Senior defender Rachel Whitelegge said the team is in good hands with next year’s returners carrying on Wright’s vision for the program.

“I have a feeling the group’s moving in the right direction,” Whitelegge said. “They’re going to keep pressing forward, and they’re only going to get better from here.”

The Bruins will see nine seniors graduate this year. Attacker Lizette Rozeboom led all seniors with 25 goals in her final season. Whitelegge, center Sarah Sheldon, redshirt attacker Grace Reego and defender Kelsey Blacker all finished with at least ten goals in their final season in Westwood.

Wright said the seniors helped the team transition through the coaching change and have left a big impact on UCLA water polo for future teams.

“This group will serve so huge through the future of UCLA water polo,” Wright said. “That’s why you begin to see trust. For our program moving forward, this senior class has completely changed our culture.”

Although the Bruins did not win their first title since 2009, the season saw improvements that Wright can carry over in his third season. UCLA only gave up double-digit goals in three games, none of which came after Feb. 23.

The Bruins also scored double-digit goals in 18 games this year compared to 14 in 2018 in the same amount of games. UCLA also took two out of three games against rival California after only winning one of three against the Golden Bears the season before.

Reego said the difference in the program from her freshman to her senior year is huge and she is confident in the Bruins’ ability to win the title soon.

“I can walk away being part of a group that was completely special,” Reego said. “Sure, the outcome looks similar, but the feeling that I walk away with is very different. I’m very proud of where the program has gone and where it’s going to continue to go.”