‘Downtown Owl’ among who’s who of books
Andrew Chestnut
Editorial Columnist
“Downtown Owl” is the first fictional novel from writer and pseudo-cultural philosopher Chuck Klosterman, who in time will hopefully be regarded as an important thinker rather than a short-lived sensation within a subset of music junkies and young intellectuals.
You might see critics complain Klosterman’s works are overly gimmicky and referential, or witness young urban hipsters who laud him for being a genius, forging modern existentialism with pop culture.
You might also hear that his ideas are lofty, over-developed and often wrong. All of these opinions are more or less correct, so I won’t argue them. Instead, I will tell you how he has affected me:
I used to analyze culture in terms of good or bad. Everything I consumed was evaluated through a specific, subjective (and therefore trivial) set of criteria that existed in my brain as to what good and bad meant. To do this was, for the most part, futile.
Reading Klosterman has taught me that the polarity of good or bad is unimportant; in fact, it is boring and naive. Look for what is interesting in something. The foremost question to ask yourself is, “What does this mean?”
The central theme of Klosterman’s second book, “Sex, Drugs and Coco-Puffs,” is an over-zelaous analysis of pillars of “low-culture” such as “The Sims” and “When Harry Met Sally.” Through the lens of these pop-culture standouts, Klosterman asks the all-important question: What does this really mean?
In “Downtown Owl,” he asks the same question about rural life in a town with a population of 800.
“Owl” is superficially about a handful of people in a fictional town called Owl in rural South-Central North Dakota (the region where Klosterman was raised). Although not autobiographical, it is clear that the conditions of Owl— a place where “everyone knows all of the exact same things,” cable doesn’t exist and people begin to talk about and see “E.T.” a year after it was released— are not a lengthy departure from those in which he grew up.
Klosterman is certainly familiar with the logistical subtleties and strange particularities of the small-town life from which he came. The first 100 pages or so of the novel, which are expectedly devoted to character development, are hilarious descriptions of such particularities.
I don’t laugh out loud very often while reading, but found myself doing so frequently in the first half of “Owl.”
The events of the story (though you can’t really call it a “story” as much as a snapshot of a community) are seen through the eyes of three main characters.
Horace is a pleasant, close-minded septuagenarian who has lived in the town his whole life. He, in a sense, is the town— or at least an archetypal product of Owl. Everything makes sense to Horace, because he knows very little.
Mitch is a third-string quarterback at Owl High School, to whom nothing makes sense. He dislikes all that is popular. During his junior year in 1983 he is forced to read George Orwell’s “1984,” and concludes that living in Owl in 1983 is no different than Oceania in 1984 for reasons that are hard to refute.
Julia, a 25-year-old teacher of state history who recently moved to Owl from Milwaukee, is totally unprepared and unequipped for the isolation and cultural vacuum of rural living; and she instantly becomes the most beautiful person in town. She responds by getting wildly drunk on an almost-nightly basis, because there is nothing else to do besides drink.
But again, like most good books, what the story is about is not really what it’s about. Klosterman uses these people to pose, I am estimating, 130 different questions about people.
Is the distopia of “1984” necessarily terrible? Are we already living in one? What does it mean when everyone has the same thoughts and feelings about everything? Is it like that everywhere?
Is it bad that almost all relationships are predictable? Is living in a town of 800 really different than living in Manhattan? Does it matter where you live?
Who would win in a fight between a deranged psychopath with an impossibly high pain tolerance and a really, really big, strong, dumb guy?
Instead of answering these questions and defending the answers within the conventional framework most writers work within, Klosterman does something brilliant, necessary and refreshing: he leaves them up to us.
He lets us think about them for ourselves, to be discussed, debated and over-analyzed, rather than pound opinions and arguments down our throats. “Downtown Owl” is what he (and I) want in the culture we consume: something interesting.
“Owl” comes highly recommended, along with Klosterman’s non-fiction publications, “Sex, Drugs and Coco-Puffs,” “Killing Yourself to Live” and “IV.”
Java up with these local caffeine purveyors
Aroma's
6407 Bridgetown Rd.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45248
www.aromasgelato.com
If you are journeying to the West side, then check out Aroma’s, a coffee lover’s paradise. Not only does Aroma’s offer a wide variety of regular coffee blends and espresso, but it has a wide selection of delicious baked goods and gelato to pair with your drink of choice.
Try their nutty cinnamon hazelnut blend if you enjoy regular coffee, or if you’re serious about your espresso intake, then I recommend the Almond Joy Mocha Latte. Made with dark chocolate, almond, coconut, espresso and steamed milk, this drink is perfect for an afternoon perk-up or as a dessert on its own. If you can handle the sugar, pair the Almond Joy Mocha Latte with an Aroma’s homemade coconut cupcake for a match made in heaven.
Gelato is the Italian answer to ice cream, made with milk as opposed to cream. I recommend the Tiramisu variety, but you really can’t go wrong as Aroma’s constantly has new flavors to discover.
The crowd at Aroma’s is often a mixed bag, from seniors to teens to grade-school kids during after-school hours. Great for an afternoon of caffeine and relaxing, but not a great weekend hang-out. Aroma’s is the low-key answer to overly angsty coffee-houses that take themselves and their image too seriously.
—Stephanie Metz
Mt. Lookout Coffee Roasters
3181 Linwood Ave.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208
(Mt. Lookout Square)
www.lookout-joe.com
The first sign of a good coffee house is what they recommend when you ask what is good. If they say anything other than “coffee,” you are in the wrong kind of place.
Thankfully I was recommended coffee upon inquiry of what is good, and my high expectations were expertly met. I suggest the Guatemalan blend, as especially bitter medium roast that was better than any coffee I have had in recent memory. It set me back $1.60.
If you aren’t in the mood for a six-hour coffee-addled hyper-psychotic caffeine binge, there are multitudinous other options typical of most coffee houses, but better. These include iced lattes (described by my friend as “okay”), to chai (described by a different friend as “very good”) to fresh-fruit smoothies (which came highly recommended), all of which sell for slightly cheaper than average coffee house fare.
The atmosphere is definitely a winner. It is cozy and smells like coffee beans, but doesn’t try too hard to be a coffee house in a LOOK-AT-ME-I’M-A-COFFEE-HOUSE! way that we are used to from Starbucks. Toned-down rock (such as Jack Johnson) emanates at the perfect volume, not so loud that you can’t hear the person next to you.
The place is ideal for meeting friends and spending a few hours catching up;
essentially, it is what a great coffee house should be, a place to hang out.
Free WiFi is offered for those that want to lounge around and study (which is
welcomed), and the couches are dangerously, even suspiciously comfortable. If
not for the need to write this article (as well as eat, shower, earn money,
see my family again, et cetera.), I might still be sitting there, sinking slowly
into its depths, forever and ever…
—Andrew Chestnut
Awakenings Coffee & Tea
2734 Erie Ave.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208
(Hyde Park Square)
www.awakeningscoffeeandwine.com
At first I couldn’t tell whether or not I liked Awakenings Coffee & Tea (and wine), situated very nicely at the northeastern corner of Hyde Park Square. The establishment is part coffee house and part wine bar, offering an impressively broad array of products from both fields.
Coffee from Awakenings was top-notch. The house blend comes highly recommended and is priced within a completely reasonable range ($1.60-$1.95). If you feel daring and don’t mind the subsequent jittery buzz, don’t be afraid of the small-but-potent espresso macchiato, an incredibly bitter cup of hot liquid motivation.
Awakenings’ preeminent cold beverage is “The Rage,” a blended coffee drink that runs for about four bucks. Though pricey, The Rage is very good: homogenously-blended and sweet while retaining elements of its coffee origins. The Rage is also available in the form of a fresh-fruit smoothie.
What I couldn’t decide I liked about Awakenings was that all-important aspect of coffee houses, the element that is far more important than coffee itself: atmosphere.
On the one hand, Awakenings is incredibly clean and well-decorated. Over 500 bottles of wine and a dozen or so pieces of art leave little dry-wall bare. The store exhibits works from two local artists each month.
On the other, perhaps Awakenings is a little too clean, a little too full of itself. The store was about half-full, but hardly anybody was talking. Music was barely noticeable: a light vocal-less light piano mix that would better suit a dentist’s office. Most importantly, there are no couches. There are no couches!
However, Awakenings is one of the few places left in the world where you can get coffee in a real cup, not a lidded paper thing ringed with cardboard. It is an underestimated factor that means a lot—it is nice to feel you are actually drinking coffee, the right way.
Awakenings gets my recommendation, but barely. It is a great place to show off your wine tastes or grab high-quality joe, but not an ideal hangout for college students.
—Andrew Chestnut
‘Grey Gardens’ brightens ETC stage
Stephanie Metz
Arts & Entertainment Editor
“Grey Gardens: the Musical” as performed by Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC), is an offbeat show composed of many opposites. It has the bright, bouncy wit and show tunes of a musical as well as the pathos of a Greek tragedy.
It shows the glamour and wealth of the Hamptons before WWII, and what happens when that wealth is replaced by poverty and youthful hopes by dreams too long deferred.
“Grey Gardens: the Musical” is partially based on the 1975 documentary of the same name. Both tell the story of Edith Ewing Bouvier and Edith Bouvier Beale’s fall from grace. The pair were the aunt and cousin of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and were once prominent in America’s highest social circles.
In the early 1970’s, the mother and daughter were cited by the Department of Health for inhabitable living conditions in their 28 room mansion named Grey Gardens.
The women’s social status, along with their connection to the former First Lady, captivated the American public when news of the health violation reached it.
While the documentary shows the mother and daughter in the crumbling Grey Gardens, the musical transports its audience further back in time to 1941.
Act I focuses on “Little” Edie’s broken engagement to Joseph Kennedy and Grey Gardens in its prime, while Act II is an adaptation of the “Grey Gardens” documentary, and depicts the later years of the women’s lives.
The writing of the musical itself is excellent. The dialogue and songs of the first act parodied similar high-society musicals of the 1940’s by Cole Porter. The second half retained the musical’s humor, but delved into the psychological depths of both women.
The actors at Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati embodied each character and were exemplary overall. However, Neva Rae Powers stole both acts with her performance. She also had the most challenging role as she portrayed Edith Bouvier Beale in the first half, and then her character’s daughter, “Little” Edie in the second. Her comedic timing was wonderful, and she also flawlessly demonstrated “Little” Edie’s vulnerability.
Actress Dale Hodges also mined both the humor and sorrow in mother Edith Bouvier Beale’s character during the second act through her singing and line delivery.
Unfortunately, Ashley Kate Adams did not find the proper balance for her portrayal of “Little” Edie in the first half. While she nailed Edie’s fierce strength and independence, her performance lacked subtler nuances that could have added layers to both her character and performance.
Despite the small stage ETC had to work with, the scenery was fabulous. The stage was well-designed so that the actors were able to use every inch of space, from small porches to the staircase representing Grey Gardens.
The accumulated debris onstage during the second act also gave the audience a sense of the women’s literal and figurative baggage.
Another deft touch of scenery was a tilted eave of the house serving as the stage’s background, which not only hid the orchestra, but symbolized the psychological turmoil within the home.
The musical’s costumes were also an essential part of the show’s success. “Little” Edie is dedicated to ‘cutting-edge’ fashion. She wears skirts as capes, scarfs as turbans and finishes it all off with vintage pumps and fishnet stockings.
Her outfits never fail to disappoint and are a key part of her character as a fallen debutante.
“Grey Gardens: the Musical” was a unqiue theater experience; part musical, part psychological drama, leaving the audience with even more questions about the real Beale women.
True gems to be found at Midpoint Music Fest
Felipe Garcia-Wasnich
Staff Writer
The gruff and grisly Chuck Cleaver is more than the most undesirable back-alley companion ever. He co-fronts Wussy, one of Cincinnati’s strongest local acts with fellow guitarist and vocalist Lisa Walker.
The former frontman of Ass Ponys and his fellow bandmates plowed through a set at the Aronoff Fifth Third Theatre during Cincinnati’s annual Midpoint Music Festival from Sept. 25-27.
The Midpoint Music Festival started in 2002 and in this, its seventh year, has blossomed into a huge event that features over 180 local, national and international acts playing at 16 different venues in the downtown area, Over-the -Rhine and Newport, Ky.
The Festival truly showcases the best of Cincinnati, displaying the Queen City’s own local talent alongside traveling acts as well as other, more recognizable names.
Headlining the event on Southgate House’s main stage was the established indie rock band, Mates of State, and Boston Spaceships, the new band of indie rock giant and former Guided By Voices singer, Robert Pollard.
It would be wrong to assume, however, that indie rock was the only item on the docket at Midpoint.
Bands that dabbled in genres as diverse as Latin jazz, hip-hop, blues, folk, funk, electro, reggae, soul and shoegaze played their music in Cincinnati last weekend.
Diversity does not always indicate quality, as several of the acts featured during Midpoint were not the most musically talented.
In some cases, audiences were welcomed by whiney, teenage poetry, badly screeched, over poorly-arranged or sometimes even computer-generated instrumentals.
Still, Midpoint can’t be expected to be any better than the dozens of other music festivals that pop up all across the country.
Music lovers must search through mountains of coal to find the diamond acts, and at Midpoint, these diamonds certainly existed.
Not only did the bigger names pull in crowds to the Southgate House, but smaller, lesser-known acts proved their merit to the few listeners who happened upon them.
One such diamond act was the Champaign, Ill. indie pop act, Headlights.
The quintet enticed their audience with catchy, yet elaborate, atmospheres as backbeats and eloquent guitar to please even the most non-pop-friendly listeners.
From heartfelt crooning to danceable jams, Headlights proved that music doesn’t have to be extremely innovative to be cool or overly popular to be enjoyable.
Midpoint hosted some sub-par acts, but some above par ones too. Although it may not be a perfect festival, it had its moments of greatness.
Catherine Stahl
Diversions Editor
“Sex & the City” Discussion
As part of the (thinking) outside the (lunch)BOX series, the The Women’s Center presents “The Sex and the City Era: Contemporary Feminisms” from 12-1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2 in the Women’s Center. A DVD of “Sex and the City: the Movie” will be raffled off.
Multicultural Potluck
From 3-5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, the Office of Multicultural Affairs will host their monthly first Friday potluck in GSC 280.Bring your appetite to an afternoon of food and fun.
FLiX Friday Night
At 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, catch “40-Year-Old Virgin” in the FliX store on the ground level of GSC as part of the FliX Friday Night Movie Series.
European Study
There will be an information session from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1 and Thursday, Oct. 2 in Albers103 to learn more about trips to Rome, London, Paris and Greece. For more information about London, visit www.xavierlondon.com.Contact Darleen Frickman, at x2009 or email frickman@xavier.edu for more information.
