Vinyl’s

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Revolution
Vol. 45 Issue No. 22
Soaking in the sound p. 12

FARM FACES CUTS P.7 UCSC GYMNAST JUMPS INTO NATIONALS P.9 ANGELA DAVIS: LIFE ON FILM? P.21
2 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
 Public Discourse

Public Discourse
STAFF ABOUT US
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF City on a Hill Press is pro-
Ryan Ayers duced by and for UCSC students.
Julie Eng
Our primary goal is to report
and analyze issues affecting the
MANAGING EDITORS
Julia Reis If you had to distribute the budget cuts across student population and the Santa
Alejandro Trejo

COPY
UCSC, where would you cut from? Why? Cruz community.
We also serve to watchdog the
Molly Kossoff, chief politics of the UC administration.
Lauren Balian While we endeavor to present
Veronica Glover Compiled by Rosela Arce & Kyan Mahzouf
multiple sides of a story, we real-
Nicole Hardin
Alison Kern
ize our own outlooks influence
Rachel Singer the presentation of the news. The
“We need more money is the problem. CHP collective is dedicated to
PRODUCTION covering underreported events,
Tess Goodwin, design director I don’t think there’s a huge chunk
Rosa Castañeda of weight, really, anywhere. The ideas and voices. Our desks are
Hilli Ciavarello remodeling of the library and of Porter devoted to certain topics: campus
Breeze Kanikula
— I wish we hadn’t done that and paid and city news, sports, arts and
Samved Sangameswara entertainment and politics and
for professors [instead].”
CAMPUS NEWS
culture. CHP is a campus paper,
Ryan Mark-Griffin, editor RACHEL FAGUNDES but it also provides space for
Sarah Naugle, editor
FOURTH-YEAR, PORTER Santa Cruz residents to present
Laurel Fujii their views and interact with
Ana Nicasio LITERATURE
Arianna Vinion
the campus community. Ide-
Emiliano O’Flaherty-Vazquez ally, CHP’s pages will serve as an
arena for debate, challenge, and
CITY NEWS ultimately, change.
Nikki Pritchard, editor
Mikaela Todd, editor
City on a Hill Press is pub-
Chelsea Hawkins lished weekly by the City on a
Mark Rad “Parking enforcement. I’m sure they’re Hill Press publishing group from
Bruce Tran bringing in a lot of profit. If the money the last week of September to the
Rosela Arce is going back to school, money made first week of June, except during
SPORTS on campus should stay on campus.” Thanksgiving, winter and spring
Asa Hess-Matsumoto, editor quarter breaks.
Samved Sangameswara SAM COVINGTON The opinions expressed in this
Eli Wolfe THIRD-YEAR, CROWN paper do not necessarily reflect
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT MCD BIOLOGY the opinions of the staff at large,
Blair Stenvick, editor or the University of California.
Mitchell Bates
Hannah Toda

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE

Michael Mott, editor GENERAL EDITORIAL
Mikaela Todd, editor (831) 459-2430
Aysha Bilal
Tyler Maldonado
editors@cityonahillpress.com
“That’s a hard one. I guess I would cut
OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS
the people with the highest power, like ADVERTISING
Blair Stenvick, editor (831) 459-2444
the chancellor.”
WEB
advertising@cityonahillpress.com
Timothy Lindvall II, developer DANIELLE SHANK
Jenny Cain, editor
SECOND-YEAR, COWELL WEB
MCD BIOLOGY cityonahillpress.com
PHOTOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATION
Morgan Grana, editor
Louise Leong, editor FRIEND US ON FACEBOOK
Matt Boblet facebook.com/cityonahillpress
Rachel Edelstein
Sal Ingram
Muriel Gordon
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Kyan Mahzouf twitter.com/cityonahill
Bela Messex
Nick Paris BUSINESS
Toby Silverman
Molly Solomon
(831) 459-4350
Prescott Watson “Social sciences, because they get business@cityonahillpress.com
enough money already, and they don’t
ADVERTISING usually need that many supplies. The SEND LETTERS TO
Ryan Ayers, manager supplies are usually easier to find, City on a Hill Press
Malia Bradley
Alex Lattin and they are something that the music UCSC Press Center
Lenny Soberman department or the art department 1156 High St.
Prescott Watson would need, maybe even Santa Cruz, CA 95064
the science department.”
BUSINESS
Brittany Thompson, manager EMAIL LETTERS TO
Tommy Palmer, assistant manager JARVIN BAYONA letters@cityonahillpress.com
SECOND-YEAR, COLLEGE TEN
MARKETING MATHEMATICS
Rosie Spinks, manager

cityonahillpress.com | 3
Table of Contents

TABLE of CONTENTS

Nick Paris Sal Ingram Illustration by Matt Boblet Molly Solomon

P. 7 UCSC FARM P. 9 UCSC GYMNASTICS P. 14 LOW-BUDGET FILM P. 16 THROUGH

PREEMPTS GOES NATIONAL COMPANY PARODIES OUR LENS
FINANCIAL FAMINE by Samved Sangameswara RICH HOLLYWOOD by Molly Solomon
by Emiliano by Gareth Rees-White
O’Flaherty-Vazquez

P. 5 Event Calendar P. 11 The Sesnon Gallery P. 21 Revolutionary Woman P. 23 Slug Comics

Compiled by Laurel Fujii Invites Students to Reflect on Deserves Revolutionary by Muriel Gordon
40 Years of Art Portrayal
P. 6 Bill Monning Speaks on by Hannah Toda by Rosela Arce P. 24 Who the Hell
State Budget Asked You?!
by Arianna Vinion P. 12 Vinyl’s Revolution P. 22 Editorial: BP Not Compiled by Chelsea Hawkins
by Nikki Pritchard Deserving of Second Chance & Prescott Watson
P. 8 County Left with Big
Decisions and Empty Wallets P. 18 Professor Daniel Wirls Editorial: Painting a Picture of Cover photo illustration
by Chelsea Hawkins Explains His Start in Academia Fear: Politicians Exploit Art for by Molly Solomon
by Tyler Maldonado Votes
P. 10 UCSC Men’s Lacrosse
Builds Upon St. Mary’s Rivalry
by Eli Wolfe

4 | Thursday, April 7, 2011


Event Calendar
Campus
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
• Living Writers: Chang-Rae Lee,
author of “Native Speaker” and
“A Gesture Life.” Humanities
Lecture Hall. 6 to 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
• Social Fiction Conference.
A transformative conference
exploring social justice through
the genres of science fiction,
gaming and fantasy. Cultural
Center at Merrill. 4 to 11 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
• Slug Ultimate presents April
Fools Ultimate Tournament.
Upper and Lower East Fields. 8
a.m. to 7 p.m. Free.
• Collegiate Water Polo Asso-
ciation Sierra Pacific League
Championship Games. East
Field Center Main Pool. 9 a.m.
to 9 p.m. Free.
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
• Collegiate Water Polo Asso-
ciation Sierra Pacific League
Championship Games. East
Field Center Main Pool. 9 a.m.
to 9 p.m. Free.
• Maccabiah Day-Santa Cruz
Hillel. College 8 Lawn, Out-
door Basketball Court and
Outdoor Sand Volleyball
Courts. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12
• Microbiology & Environmental
Toxicology, and the California
Center for Quantitative
Biosciences (QB3)
Distinguished Seminar.
Physical Sciences Building,
room 240. 12 to 1 p.m. Free.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
• “A History Mystery: Was J.
Robert Oppenheimer, ‘Fa-
ther of the Atomic Bomb,’ a
Soviet Spy?” Stevenson College
Distinguished Alumni Lecture,
visiting faculty Gregg Herken.
Stevenson Fireside Lounge. 4 to
5:30 p.m. Free.
• Florence Howe, founder of The
Feminist Press and author of
the memoir “A Life in Motion.”
Presented by Kresge Writer’s
House, Living Writers and
Feminist Studies. Humanities
1, room 202. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
City
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
• Aaron Glass & Friends, The
Mowgli’s, the Angry Oats. The
Crêpe Place. 9 p.m. $8.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
• Clan Dyken & Joshua Lowe
and the Juncos. Kuumbwa Jazz
Center. 8 p.m. $12 in advance,
$13 at door.
• “A Number” by Caryl
Churchill. A play about nature
versus nurture. Broadway Play-
house. 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
• Bellydance Community Show-
case. The Crêpe Place. 1:30
p.m. Free.
• Young Performers Showcase.
Benefit concert to raise money
to support music programs in
the Santa Cruz City Schools.
The Rio Theatre. 7:30 p.m. $8
for students, $20 adults, $40 for
Gold Circle seating.
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
• Antique Street Faire. Lincoln
St. (between Pacific and Cedar)
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• “Miral” Film Screening to ben-
efit the Middle East Program
of the Resource Center for
Nonviolence. Film follows four
women in conflict and war. Del
Mar Theatre. 11 a.m. $10 to $25
cityonahillpress.com | 5
Events
Compiled by Laurel Fujii
suggested donation.
• The 6th Annual Secret Film
Festival. Del Mar Theatre. 12
a.m.
MONDAY, APRIL 11
• Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Kuumbwa Jazz Center. 7 & 9
p.m. $25 advance, $28 at door.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12
• 7 Come 11. The Crêpe Place. 7
p.m. to 12 a.m. Free.
• Poets Richard Tillinghast and
Doren Robbins. Bookshop
Santa Cruz. 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
• CYH Presents: Zechs Marquise
(Members of Mars Volta)...
Time Machine Modulus
(UCSC). The Crêpe Place. 9
p.m. $8.
Check out more events at
cityonahillpress.com!
Campus
Local Politician Calls
for Student Activism
Assemblyman Bill Monning
seeks UC support for proposed budget
By Arianna Vinion
Campus Reporter
Assemblyman Bill Monning
(D-Carmel) spoke and initiated an open
discussion in the UC Santa Cruz Namaste
Lounge last Thursday. Monning addressed
how the state, the UC and students are all
affected by the state budget crisis.
“I hope we can use this afternoon not
just as a Q&A, but as a brainstorming
session on how we might best continue to
mobilize and work with students and the
community, and not just in Santa Cruz,
but in the state of California,” Monning
said to the group at the beginning of the
discussion.
Students, faculty, community mem-
bers and executive vice chancellor Alison
Galloway engaged in a lengthy discussion
after the Q&A session.
Although she felt Monning answered
some questions indirectly, “like a politi-
cian,” Tiffany Loftin, chair of the Student
Union Assembly (SUA), said the meeting
was informative and a beneficial venue
for addressing budgetary concerns. Loftin
also serves as the national people of color
student coalition chair of the United States
Student Association.
“All the questions we wanted to ask we
got to ask, and it increases shared gover-
nance when assembly members come to
us,” Loftin said. “When we come to them
we have 15 minutes, when he comes to us
we have two hours.”
Questions from the audience ranged
from the possible but unlikely advantage
of Democrats voting for an all-cuts budget
to the social and economic benefits of
criminal sentence reform.
The topic most frequently brought up
was a need to secure the four assembly
votes that would make an overall two-
thirds vote, and the governor’s signature,
which would pass the proposed budget.
The extent of the state budget's imple-
mentation of cuts to higher education
hinges on the passing of tax extensions at
the state level. Without the tax extensions
in the proposed budget, the UC system
faces an all-cuts budget that could lead to
a $1 billion cut instead of the proposed
$500 million.
Monning chided the actions of Repub-
licans who will not vote to pass the budget
nor present a budget of their own.
6 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
“The main problem is not the legisla- Though Loftin observed
tion or the regents,” said Jeremy Wolff, a large student presence,
immediate past president of the College she said there was a lack
Democrats at UCSC. “It’s the system itself, of students of color in at-
and as long as the officials we elect face tendance.
roadblocks like the two-thirds vote, we Students present at the
will continue seeing the degradation of the talk voiced their desire for
UC system.” action. College Nine SUA
President of the SUA Amanda representative Sasha Muce
Buchanan played an integral role in said it is time to demand
organizing the talk. Buchanan prefaced that elected officials “step
Monning’s talk with a speech. up.”
“Students in this room are here to April 11–15 is a week of
work,” she said to the group. “We are here action for Higher Educa-
to collaborate with faculty, staff, unions, tion, which some UCSC
community members and administra- student organizations will be observing.
tion to produce an outcome that meets A rally will be held on April 14 in front
Illustration by Bela Messex
the educational, social and cultural goals of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Los Angeles office.
of the UC. Give us something to fight for. UCSC’s SUA will be organizing buses to
Give us the issue that makes our power transport students who wish to attend.
come to life.”
Buchanan said students have already
begun to feel the cuts in larger class sizes,
longer wait lists, and discontinued majors,
and the impacts will only go deeper. Wolff
addressed this trend, saying that long-term
lack of revenue could take the form of
lowered student admission, increased fees,
cut classes, online classes and a physi-
cal deterioration of the campus that will
become apparent in about five years.
“As long as we continue to lose fund-
ing because the system doesn’t allow [us]
to get new revenue sources we will see the
UC system get weaker and more priva-
tized, and less accessible to the majority of
California,” Wolff said.
Monning spoke of the importance of
student activists teaming up with commu-
nity members and more disenfranchised
populations to get the proposed budget,
which includes the $500 million cut rather
than an all-cut budget, passed.
“I think our secret weapon is the activ-
ism on the campuses, from community
colleges to California State Universities to
UC all around the state,” Monning said.
Loftin said that Monning's presence
at UCSC was empowering to student
activists who often feel unheard by elected
officials.
“He came to us and said ‘I see what
you’re doing and it’s important,’” Loftin
said. “I feel like there were a lot of students
there and I felt very empowered by that,
because it’s not every day that an assembly
member comes to UCSC.”

Farm Preempts Cuts with Petition
THE FARM, NESTLED AWAY in the fields below campus, is an organization that teaches students about sustainable and organic farming. The
Farm runs the produce stand at the base of campus, promoting community supported agriculture.
By Emiliano
O’Flaherty-Vazquez
Campus Reporter
In anticipation of budget cuts,
students and faculty are taking
preemptive action to protect the
programs they deem important.
As talk of extensive cuts to the
UCSC farm and the CASFS cir-
culate, members of the commu-
nity take precautions to protect
the campus resource
An email petition is being
circulated by Christopher
Krohn, an environmental studies
internship program coordinator,
and second-year graduate
student in environmental
studies Michelle Glowa, urging
Chancellor Blumenthal and
dean of social sciences Sheldon
Kamieniecki to consider
the ramifications of issuing
extensive cuts to the Center for
Agroecology and Sustainable
Farm Systems (CASFS).
Kamieniecki, however, said
in an email that no final decision
has been made regarding any
cuts in the division of social sci-
ences, including CASFS.
The petition states that CASFS
is set to lose $1.4 million out of
its $2.3 million operating bud-
get — roughly 60 percent of its
funding.
Faculty, staff and students
are still uneasy about the impact
these potential cuts could have
on the program’s effectiveness.
“CASFS is an integral part
of the environmental stud-
ies department’s commitment
to experiential learning,” said
professor Karen Holl, chair of the
environmental studies program,
in a email regarding the potential
cuts to the program. “Assuming
CASFS continues to function, it
will have a substantially reduced
ability to support both course-
work and research. Depending
on how deep the cuts go, it is
questionable how long CASFS
will continue to be able to exist.”
The CASFS, which started off
as the Student Garden Project in
1967 and officially became the
Farm in 1974, supports a num-
ber of programs on its 25-acre
property located on the UCSC
campus, including apprenticeship
programs, the Farm Stand, and
various undergraduate classes.
The six-month apprenticeship
program at CASFS is a hallmark
of the center, and boasts over
1,400 graduates since 1967. Upon
completion, graduates of the
program receive a Certificate in
Ecological Horticulture.
“The environmental studies
department realizes that dif-
ficult choices must be made in
response to severe cuts in state
funding for higher education in
California,” said environmen-
tal studies professor Deborah
Letourneau in an email. “The
faculty is nevertheless extremely
Hallmark of campus life anticipates decrease in funding
concerned about the lasting
damage that these budget cuts
to CASFS will cause to a central
feature of the UCSC campus that
has attracted excellence and has
more than paid for itself in indi-
rect funds from federal research
grants and worldwide prestige for
over 30 years.”
Upper division courses in
environmental studies — such
as Ecophysiology, Integrated
Pest Management, Soils and
Entomology — depend on the
CASFS for the field portion of the
course curriculum. The ability
of the CASFS to adequately
provide for the student body has
also been called into question by
environmental studies faculty.
“Undergraduate education
in environmental studies relies
heavily on the CASFS in a
number of ways,” Letourneau
said. “Two core courses in
the agroecology emphasis —
ENVS 130A/L Introduction to
Agroecology, and ENVS 133B
Agroecology Practicum — rely
entirely on the farm for field
laboratories and hands-on
experiences.”
Ian Wilson, a second-year ap-
prentice for the CASFS who takes
part in the day-to-day routine of
the farm and mentors new ap-
prentices, emphasized the farm’s
relevance to the larger Santa
Cruz community.
“The farm and all of the
programs related to the farm are
important for the people on the
farm and also for the commu-
nity at large,” Wilson said. “We
provide academic internships
for students who are coming
“Assuming CASFS
continues to function,
it will have a
substantially reduced
ability to support
both coursework and
research. Depending
on how deep the cuts
go, it is questionable
how long CASFS will
continue to be able to
exist.”
—Karen Holl, chair
of the environmental
studies program
onto the farm and learning the
fundamentals of organic farming
and gardening. It seems really
clear to me that it’s a place that is
vital to the community and the
university.”
Members of the Santa Cruz
cityonahillpress.com | 7
Campus
Photos by Nick Paris
community are concerned about
the potential impact of such cuts
as well.
“It’s a jewel in the community,”
said Gail Harlamoff, executive
director of the Life Lab Science
Program, an agricultural non-
profit program that seeks to edu-
cate school-age children about
sustainable agricultural practices
and works with the CASFS. “I
think these cuts will have a ripple
effect,” she said. “It’s one of the
few organic research and training
farms in the country.”
According to their mission
statement, the CASFS’s autonomy
of research capability would also
be in question. As university
funding for the program decreas-
es, its dependence on external
sources of revenue increases,
which may lead to its research
focus being determined by the
agendas of those external sources
of funding.
“It’s sad,” Harlamoff said in
reference to the university. “If
they aren’t able to fund these pro-
grams, someone else will have to,
or it won’t get done.”
The Farm’s value for Wilson is
reflected in both the consistent
participants in the program, and
in infrequent visitors as well.
“We get regulars on a daily
basis,” he said, “but we also get
people who just wander in and
are enchanted by the space and
beauty of all the work that we’re
doing here.”
City
Community Projects Chopped
With budget of $75 million, Board of Supervisors struggles to narrow down 5-year plan
By Chelsea Hawkins
City Reporter
After several weeks of deliberation, the
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
finalized a list of projects to be completed
in unincorporated areas like Live Oak and
Soquel under the county’s redevelopment
agency.
Redevelopment agencies do a range of
work, from taking on building projects to
creating affordable housing to handling
basic infrastructure work. Board member
John Leopold of the First District said that
55 percent of the population in Santa Cruz
County live in unincorporated areas.
In 2009 the county held a hearing
to discuss the community projects they
wanted to see completed in the area. The
result was a five-year plan that consisted of
a list of projects tallying $600 million. Now
that Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget will result
in the closure of redevelopment agencies,
the county has been forced to reduce its
budget to $75 million.
Due to the closure of redevelopment
agencies throughout the state, the county
can only finish the projects it has agreed to
start. These projects are likely to be the last
to break ground under the organization.
Betsy Lynberg, director of the County
Redevelopment Agency, said many benefi-
cial projects will be halted.
“I think there are a lot of other impor-
tant, worthwhile projects and programs
that the agency is engaged in that have a
lot of interest and support in the commu-
nity that will not move forward,” Lynberg
said, “which includes a community center
in Soquel and a park associated with the
community center.”
The required supermajority, which
meant four out of the five board members
needed to agree in order to pass a motion,
complicated the vote on the final approved
projects.
Despite difficulties the board members
faced when slimming down the prospec-
tive projects, individuals like Ellen Pirie,
a board member representing the Second
District of Santa Cruz County, expressed
satisfaction with the final list.
“While it wouldn’t have been the list I
drew up, frankly, it wasn’t the list anyone
drew up,” Pirie said. “It was a series of
compromises.”
One project in particular took a large
portion of the redevelopment funds — the
new mid-county Sheriff ’s Office, which
was allocated $44 million out of the total
$75 million. Pirie said design consultants
originally estimated the Sheriff ’s Office
would cost $55 million.
Despite agreement that the Sheriff ’s
Office needs to be constructed in Live Oak
8 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
to tackle the high volume of calls from the obsolete.
area, Leopold said the price tag was too Addressing the reality that lies ahead
much. He also said the money he antici- of redevelopment agencies, Lynberg
pated would be allocated to the economic described their shutdown as sudden and
development project was instead directed “chaotic,” leaving the county “scrambling.”
toward the Sheriff ’s Office. “It’s going to be much more difficult for
“It was completely regrettable that we the county to secure funding on its own
had to sacrifice that for a project … which for even basic infrastructure.”
could clearly be built for significantly less
money as we see from other places across
the state,” Leopold said.
Because the board attempted to find
middle ground and approve projects pri-
oritized by the community, many projects
went to the chopping block.
One casualty was the economic devel-
opment project. The economic develop-
ment project, like all the projects under
consideration, was part of a long-term
plan constructed from the concerns and
wants of the community.
“I am deeply disappointed that we
had to give up the economic redevel-
opment program,” Leopold said. “This
is a program I fought to create here
after many discussions with the com-
Illustration by Rachel Edelstein
munity. There was a lot of potential for
it. I thought we had carved out a million
dollars to keep up that work.”
The economic development project
would have been a multifaceted venture
intended to expand upon existing busi-
nesses, assist businesses in marketing,
seek out new industries to introduce to
the county, and provide overall support
through networking.
As the county struggles with double-
digit unemployment, the economic
development project would have provided
businesses and individuals with resources.
Such a project is “woefully missing in the
tools we have” available, Leopold said.
Lynberg named the economic develop-
ment program as only one of many proj-
ects the county could no longer proceed
with because of depleted funds.
Other projects that did not cross the
finish line included the establishment of
several parks. One of them is Farm Park,
which was intended to go hand-in-hand
with an affordable housing project.
Board member Pirie said that she
would have liked to see the Farm Park
proceed as well as the economic develop-
ment project but reiterated that the deci-
sions boiled down to “compromises” on
everyone’s part.
While the finalized list of projects and
the immediate issues at hand are resolved,
there remains the task of closing rede-
velopment agencies. The concern now is
what that means for local government.
When redevelopment agencies no longer
possessed the purse or a clearly defined
future, such long-term plans — and many
projects tacked onto them — became
 Sports

Gymnast to Participate in National

Competition
By Samved Sangameswara founding, the College Gymnas-
Sports Reporter tics Club has grown into one of
It’s not every season that UC
Santa Cruz athletes get attention
at the national level. However,
this weekend Banana Slug athlet-
ics might be able to make a name
for itself in the gymnastics world
on the back of a 5'6” freshman.
This weekend, Julian Laguis-
ma will be competing in the Na-
tional Association of Intercolle-
giate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC)
championship tournament in
Richmond, Virginia. Laguisma
will be the sole representative
from the College Gymnastics
Club at UCSC this year, and the
third in the program’s history.
Founded in 2006 by UCSC
graduate Andrew McMartin, the
College Gymnastics Club fields
competitors on both the regional
and national level. McMartin cre-
ated the club with the intention
of it also being a recreational club
for people of all skill levels.
As the club is not entirely fo-
cused on competing, it does not
always send members to national
competitions. Laguisma, who
qualified by competing in two
club meets earlier this year, is the
first gymnast from the College
Gymnastics Club since 2009 to
attend nationals.
A competitive gymnast since
the age of 12, Laguisma joined
the club in fall quarter and has
since become one of its premier
gymnasts. Michelle Telegas,
owner of the Santa Cruz Sports
Central gym where the team
practices, has been watching
Lagusima and noted that his skill
level makes him stand out among
the other members of the club.
“He’s definitely one of the
strongest gymnasts in the UCSC
club program,” Telegas said. “He
makes his routines satisfy the
rules and play to his strengths.”
In the five years since its
UCSC freshman represents Gymnastics Club in
Richmond, Virginia this weekend
the bigger collegiate clubs on the
west coast. On Feb. 26 the club
hosted the fourth annual Banana
Slug Salto, a tournament that
outgrew the Santa Cruz Sports
Central gym this year. Drawing
teams from as far as Oregon State
University and UC San Diego,
the competition had to be moved
to a larger gym in south San
Francisco to accommodate the
number of entrants.
“The program has made a lot
of progress and exceeded my ex-
pectations,” McMartin said. “We
started years ago as this small
‘let’s get together’ thing and now
we are one of the biggest clubs on
the west coast.”
Laguisma placed third in the
all-around event at this year’s
Banana Slug Salto and has since
turned his attention to nation-
als. His demanding regimen —
practices about five times a week
at both the Santa Cruz Sports
Central gym and the Santa Cruz
Gymnastics Center — is neces-
sary for the challenges ahead.
He will be competing in every
category at nationals. This means
prepared routines for pommel
horse, rings, vault parallel bars,
horizontal bar and the floor.
While this is his first time at
nationals, Laguisma has high
hopes for his performance. The
Sal Ingram
tournament has six preliminary
round sections, with the top four FRESHMAN JULIAN LAGUISMA practices for the National Association of
from each section going on to a Intercollegiate Gymnastics Club’s national tournament this weekend in Richmond, Va.
final round. In addition to the
events that I focus on,” Laguisma take up a stronger tradition of both focusing on how Lagu-
individual event competitions
said. “If I could place top three sending athletes to the national isma will do in Richmond this
there is also an all-around event
in vault or floor that would be level,” McMartin said. “I also weekend. McMartin said that his
that combines all the different
great.” hope that UCSC will able to take competition will be stiff, noting
routines.
Laguisma’s success would not on a leadership level, not only that he will be going up against
After watching videos from
only be a personal achievement, on the west coast but across the the “big dogs in the country,” but
last year’s competition, Lagu-
but a definite step forward in country as well.” is still confident in Laguisma’s
isma feels confident that he can
bringing the gymnastics program Telegas, who is also a member ability.
achieve at least moderate success
further into the UCSC sports of USA Gymnastics, the govern- “A lot of these guys are
in the tournament this weekend.
consciousness. As of right now, ing body of gymnastics in the fielding competitors from very
“From what I saw, I could be
the team is not affiliated with United States, says that she, too, seasoned and matured programs,
competitive in floor and vault
the school on the NCAA or club would like to see the program so I think it’s going to be tough,”
because those are the two main level. Rather, the College Gym- grow. Telegas has allowed the McMartin said. “But my hopes

Bio Box nastics Club is a student organi-

zation that fields a team in these
Name: Julian Laguisma tournaments.
Year: Freshman McMartin, who now serves
Sport: Gymnastics on the board of directors for
Events: Pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel NAIGC, sees these national
bars, horizontal bar and floor competitions as opportunities to
Experience: Seven years of competitive strengthen UCSC’s presence in
gymnastics the gymnastics world.
“I would love to see UCSC
club to use her facilities since
its creations and thinks that
continued success could lead to
a further establishment of the
program at UCSC.
“I would love to see [UCSC
gymnastics] become completely
affiliated with the school, become
a full club sport,” Telegas said.
Telegas and McMartin are
cityonahillpress.com | 9
are quite high.”
Laguisma shares those hopes.
He said that the pressure is
on him for this event, but he
remains confident that he can
succeed on the collegiate level.
Laguisma said he is confident
that he’ll be successful if he has a
clean routine.
“I know I can do it.”
Sports
Slug Lacrosse Feeling the Pressure
ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON the Santa Cruz men’s lacrosse team played St. Mary’s on the upper east field. The Slugs lost the game, but are
motivated to work harder and compete against St. Mary’s again.
By Eli Wolfe
Sports Reporter
The UC Santa Cruz men’s
lacrosse team suffered a 2-6 loss
to St. Mary’s College on Saturday.
As the weary Slugs departed the
field, stripping off sweaty shirts
and tossing their sticks to the
ground, a lone St. Mary’s sup-
porter planted a St. Mary’s flag
on the side of the field, taunting
the Slugs, bellowing, “This is our
house now!”
Although it was officially only
one conference game of five, for
the players and coaches of the
UCSC team, losing to St. Mary’s
has been the hardest experience
they have had to endure in a
struggling season.
Midseason, UCSC stands
with two wins and eight losses,
a record that threatens to upset
their previous season’s record of
10 wins and five losses. The loss
also marks the second consecu-
tive conference game UCSC has
lost to St. Mary’s.
UCSC men’s lacrosse head
coach Jeremy Graves attributes
the bitterness of their loss to
the fierce competition growing
between St. Mary’s and UCSC.
“It’s built up and festered
over the years into a big rivalry,”
Graves said. “We play them in the
regular season and the [West-
ern Collegiate Lacrosse League]
conference. St. Mary’s and Santa
Cruz are the top two. We’re al-
ways the two top teams.”
UCSC men’s lacrosse is a club
10 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
UCSC loss to St. Mary’s heats up rivalry
sport that competes in Division
II of the WCLL, playing a regular
season in the spring with inter-
mittent conference games. From
2007 to 2009, UCSC won three
consecutive WCLL Division II
championship games.
Prior to Saturday’s game, team
president Samir Chaudry said
that the rivalry really intensified
following UCSC’s first-ever de-
feat at the hands of St. Mary’s in
the 2010 WCLL Championship.
“They make my fucking blood
boil,” Chaudry said. “They beat
us last year in the WCLL Cham-
pionship and took our spot.
This game is probably the most
meaningful game of the season
— we’ve waited so long to play
them again.”
Scowling as he repeatedly
hurled a lacrosse ball against the
OPERS gym wall after the game,
senior midfielder Jamie Merkler
said that defeat was especially
difficult to swallow because he
believes UCSC’s team is superior
to that of St. Mary’s.
“Last year we beat them in
the regular season, then won the
[WCLL] championship,” Merkler
said. “We’re definitely a better
team than them.”
The disappointment of Satur-
day’s loss was compounded by a
lackluster season for UCSC that
Chaudry ascribed to the season’s
unusually unbalanced schedule.
“We’re a Division II team, and
we’ve played a bunch of Divi-
sion I teams and all of them are
ranked,” Chaudry said. “And ev-
ery Division II team we’ve played
Photos by Morgan Grana
is also ranked.” to operate independently instead the team. Coach Graves has such
In 2009, the Slugs defeated of coordinating attacks among an incredible regimen system.
the St. Mary’s team in the WCLL the players. We’ll be zooming back into the
Division II championship game “Our defense was great, and national tournament.”
10-1, making it the third con- our offense too, but they didn’t Huddling together after the
secutive year UCSC went home put it in the net,” Merkler said. game, Coach Graves addressed
victorious. “We couldn’t produce like we his disappointed players in a
Chaudry credited the team’s should have.” loud, firm voice that drowned out
graduating seniors for building Despite Saturday’s setback, the jeering of the lone bearer of
up the team’s national reputation both coach and players expressed the St. Mary’s flag.
and prestige, as most, if not all unwavering confidence in the “We will see them again,”
of the players, were on the team strength of their team as a whole Graves said. “Put it on your
during the heydays of the Slug and their eagerness for the next calendar. We will see them again.
2007–2009 dynasty. match with St. Mary’s in the You will line up again with St.
With only one more possible regular season. Mary’s. I will see you that day.”
championship game in their “I think there’s a really bright
future, the seniors found Satur- future, especially because of the Wanna comment on the rivalry?
day’s loss to St. Mary’s especially freshman class we brought in,” Check out cityonahillpress.com!
unbearable. Chaudry said. “The younger kids
“This group of seniors kind of have an incredible passion for
defines UCSC lacrosse,” Chaudry
said. “When they were freshmen,
it was the first time we were na-
tionally ranked, the first time we
went to the national champion-
ship. We built the program.”
Head coach Graves said that
while the Slugs still have a shot at
making it to the WCLL Cham-
pionship, in light of Saturday’s
conference game, working on
offense will be essential in order
to win the necessary games.
“Offensively, we usually put
double digits on the board in any
game,” Graves said. “We have got
to secure the way we play offense.
If there’s anything we need to
change, it’s finding a system that’s
a little more productive [for of-
fense].”
Midfielder Jamie Merkler
agreed with this view, specifically
citing the tendency of the offense

A Glance through Art History
By Hannah Toda
Arts & Entertainment
Reporter
Four decades, endless bound-
aries of creative expression. The
Sesnon Gallery at UC Santa Cruz
celebrates its 40th anniversary
this month with an art exhibi-
tion, Time Lapse. To commemo-
rate the event, the gallery will
exhibit its vast
collection of art
pieces to the stu- “Art can really push your boundaries and make
dents of UCSC.
The show began
you figure out
April 5 and runs your judgment when you define ‘What is art.’”
through May 7,
showcasing a
range of artists —Shelby
from Ansel Ad-
ams to Jack Za-
jac. Decades of art are celebrated
dialogue with each work, and it’s
as the gallery takes its viewers
because they are curated to-
through years of its selection.
gether. Together they tell a story,” importance of the photographic,
The operation of Porter Col-
she said. “Anytime you curate
lege’s Sesnon Gallery is a joint
a show, it’s a new composition.
effort between volunteer students
Works have a dialogue with each
and Shelby Graham, the curator
and director of the gallery. Be-
cause it is an anniversary show,
the selection for this exhibition
is compiled from a list of artists
who are familiar to the gallery,
and the pieces are never-before-
seen.
Graham spoke about the
careful selection and curation
process.
“I like it when artworks have a decades, the Sesnon has evolved
what your stereotypes
Graham, Sesnon Gallery
Arts & Entertainment
The Sesnon Gallery celebrates its 40th anniversary
other when they’re in a gallery.
And that’s the beauty of a curated
exhibition.”
Designed in chronological
order, the pieces range from
the 1970s curated works of the
gallery’s first director, Philip
Brookman, to the present.
With the rapid advancement
of technology in the past four
as well.
“The biggest
changes have
been theoretical,
are or with the spark
of postmod-
ern thinking
blowing apart
director the tenets of
modernism that
we were taught
to embrace in
the early 1970s,” Brookman said
in an email. “And the shifting
technological image — along
with the exponential growth of
digital media — has introduced
entirely new definitions of art.”
While art majors are more
familiar with the Sesnon Gal-
lery and its exhibitions than
other students are, Graham em-
phasized that the gallery invites
students of all majors to stop Prescott Watson
and reflect for a minute.
“A goal of any art gallery or CURATOR SHELBY GRAHAM WATCHES as gallery
museum is to interrupt your manager Leah Hanson prepares to arrange a Picasso
day and remind you to either illustration on mat board. Volunteer Carly McGaugh said,
reflect, take a break, analyze or “I never really thought about how things are packaged
shift your thinking, because art and transported.” The careful creation of an exhibit is
can do that for you,” Graham itself a learning experience for students.
said. “It might make you appre-
ciate something, to understand study programs posed a chal- aware of art.”
something to a different level, lenge in curating the event. Brookman stressed the impor-
or just reflect on who you are.” “Budget cuts happened, and tance of the Sesnon Gallery in the
The gallery challenges then I made it as best as I could,” Santa Cruz community.
definitions and meanings of Graham said. “So that’s where “It’s so connected to the fabric
art as it displays a range of I felt like I could have done a of the university, and the Sesnon
pieces, from conceptual work lot more, but I did the perfect Gallery is one of the only places
all the way to paintings done by amount considering the space in Santa Cruz that students can
elephants. and time and budget that we have a firsthand experience with
“We can learn from his- had.” exceptional works of art,” said
tory. Just because there’s new While the curation of the Brookman, who is not only the
technology out there doesn’t gallery now depends on student first director of the gallery but also
mean it’s the end of the road,” volunteers due to budget cuts, a UCSC alumnus. “That’s so im-
Graham said. “Art can re- Graham has used the situation portant in learning about how to
ally push your boundaries and as a learning experience for stu- experience art and art history.”
make you figure out what your dents interested in curation.
stereotypes are, or your judg- “I never really thought about The exhibit will be on display
ment when you define ‘What how things are packaged and until Saturday, May 7. Directions
is art?’” transported. There’s a lot of to Sesnon Gallery are posted on
Like many campus resourc- bubble wrap, lots of tape,” said UCSC’s online campus map at
es, the gallery has not been fourth-year volunteer Carly http://maps.ucsc.edu/cdsesnonArt.
immune to UC budget cuts. McGaugh. “I think [the gallery] html.
Losing internship and work- helps students to be more
cityonahillpress.com | 11
Feature
by NIKKI PRITCHARD, city co-editor
R
each into your pocket.
It’s likely your hand is now in He said in an email that vinyl has a special
contact with a music player or audio
storage device. Whether it is an MP3 player,
a multimedia phone or a flash drive, music is
incredibly compact and portable in the 21st
century.
However, in the age of digital sound there
are still those who opt for the smooth, black
disc that has charmed audiophiles for decades
— the vinyl record.
While CD sales and digital downloads
constitute the majority of music purchases
today, vinyl has made its way back from rela-
tive obscurity to be the chosed medium of a
significant portion of listeners.
National vinyl record sales reached 2.8
million in 2010, more than tripling from the
858,000 sold in 2006, according to Nielsen
Soundscan, a sales tracking system that has
been tabulating music sales since 1991.
While the company does not track some
small music vendors, the sales leap reported
by 14,000 participating businesses indicates a
changing music culture.
Daniel Munoz, a Ph.D. student in
cross-cultural musicology at UC
Santa Cruz, is currently doing
field work for his dissertation on
12 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
photos by MOLLY SOLOMON
REVIVAL
IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, LABELS SELL
VINYL RECORDS AND CONSUMERS LOVE IT
noise music in Los Angeles.
connection to the human condition, which
makes it attractive.
“To make a vinyl record [is to] put a physi-
cal object back in the hands of the consum-
ers,” Munoz said. “It also says tacitly that this
music is going to die over the years. It will
not live forever, just like we won’t live forever.
Vinyl and magnetic tape (cassettes, 8-tracks,
etc.) deteriorate over time, while digital tech-
nologies don’t.”
In their recent history, vinyl records have
been subject to a cycle of popularity that is
influenced by new audio technologies and the
subcultures that react to them.
Vinyl made a comeback in the 1980s
when DJs sampled records to rap over or to
combine into a new song. CDs gained popu-
illustrations by RACHEL EDELSTEIN
larity in the 1990s, but critics claimed their “THE SOUND
compressed audio files produced a different,
more metallic sound. THAT VINYL HAS
Munoz said some youth embraced vinyl IS CLEAN, RASPY
records as an alternative to CDs that flooded
the music market. AND GRITTY.
“Some kids rebelled against CD distri- ALTHOUGH
bution on the grounds that records were
cheaper, cooler, sounded better, and that the DIGITAL IS CRISP,
cover art on vinyl records was superior since VINYL IS CLEAN.”
there was a larger space for the art,” Munoz
said.
Most vinyl records were cheap in the
1990s. Often you could find vinyl records at
flea markets or at Goodwill being sold for —MARK AUGUSTINE,
change. Vinyl record stores were stagnant, CO-FOUNDER OF
and the music world prepared for a digital
overload. ABIDE PRODUCTIONS
The illegal music pirating

TYLER WARDWELL, KZSC’s
music director, picks out some of his
favorite records. KZSC’s library holds
an extensive vinyl collection that is
constantly growing.
boom beginning in the late 1990s produced
a generation with access to a multitude of
MP3s. Many old vinyl singles never made
it to MP3 format, and some music buyers
scoured newly reemerging record stores and
eBay to collect them.
KZSC music director Tyler Wardwell
said the unavailability of some recordings in
digital format has led UCSC’s radio station to
covet vinyl copies accumulated over the years.
“A lot of the material that we have was
acquired or sent to the station in the ’70s and
’80s,” he said. “A fair amount of it is hard to
find digitally. It wouldn’t make sense for us
to get rid of this vinyl because a lot of it isn’t
being pressed anymore.”
By 2006, music giant Tower Records filed
for bankruptcy and was forced to close its
doors after more than 45 years at the fore-
front of music distribution, though it still
maintains an online presence.
The early 2000s saw a rise of British
and American indie rock, which has been
marketed by labels that press vinyl. Recently,
a whole youth culture has sprung from the
“indie movement” that has commercialized
the novelty of vinyl records.
Munoz said the recent vinyl revival is
reminiscent of the youth CD resistance two
decades prior.
“Fast-forward to contemporary hipsters
pressing vinyl,” Munoz said. “This is much the
same phenomenon that started in the 1990s,
with a twist of course. Digital technologies
that are shared using a computer take the
object-hood out of the process of listening
to music. In other words, there is no longer a
physical object to hold in the hands.”
Nostalgia for a medium that provides a
tangible representation of music has en-
chanted young music buyers. For a sample of
commercialized “indie” culture, go to Urban
Outfitters on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz.
You’ll find a small display of vinyl records
on the left side of the store. Roughly 125 vinyl
records, the vast majority of them still in cel-
lophane, sit in the store.
“Urban” has framed “Pet Sounds” by The
Beach Boys and put it on display above the
rest, indicating that the aesthetic value of
older vinyl record covers fascinates some
consumers.
Other artists represented in the store
include She & Him, Belle and Sebastian, the
MC5 and re-pressings of Michael Jackson,
Bob Dylan and Jefferson Airplane albums.
This new generation of record collectors
is not generally looking for the authenticity
of an original pressing. Most of these albums
can be easily found digitally so access isn’t
the draw either; it is the novelty of the vinyl
record that entices them.
Of course, there is a market for vinyl be-
yond the trendy “Urban” consumer. It is one
that marks up older albums that once lived
in the 10-cent bin at De Anza Flea Market
in Cupertino, Calif. just over a decade ago. It
produces indie rock, metal and pop, among
other genres.
WHY DO LABELS
PRESS VINYL?
New vinyl records are comparable in cost
to CDs. Metavinyl Records, a store on Cedar
Street, is entirely dedicated to vinyl records.
Within its walls, new vinyl is mixed with the
old and alphabetized by genre.
On the right when you walk in there is a
wall for $1 albums, a new arrivals bin to your
left, and a classical bin in the far left corner.
The owner, Jonathan Schneiderman, said
he buys vinyl records from over 40 distribu-
tors internationally. Some are locally owned
in the Bay Area and others are operated
overseas.
Similarly, local radio stations receive and
purchase albums internationally. Indie rock
labels like Matador and Merge press singles
and full-length albums on vinyl and send
them around the world.
KZSC music director Wardwell said the
station frequently receives indie rock vinyl
singles.
“We get sent new vinyl from artists and
labels,” Wardwell said. “A fair amount of new
vinyl is from indie rock artists and they will
send us 7 inches with one song on each side.”
While indie labels may be best known for
pressing vinyl records, consumer demand has
encouraged labels that had seemingly moved
on from the medium to return to it. Schnei-
derman said small labels aren’t the only ones
cranking out vinyl.
“Even the major labels are pressing vinyl,”
he said. “There’s nothing that’s not available
Feature
NATIONAL
VINYL
RECORD
SALES
right now.”
Some music lovers note a difference in 2010:
2.8 million
intentions between small and large labels.
Zachary Watkins, a lecturer in the UCSC
music department, teaches History of
Electronic Music and lower division studio
courses. He writes for Foxy Digitalis, an 2009:
2.5 million
online music site where he reviews albums.
Watkins said money is a great influence on
large labels.
“Independent labels are more interested in
2008:
putting out music than profit,” Watkins said.
“Major labels don’t care about music. They
care about money.” 1.88 million
Watkins said choosing vinyl gives labels an
edge in the music market by setting them-
selves apart from other mediums.
“Right now there are so many labels out 2007:
noise of the output being created,” he said.990,000
there, and it’s kind of hard to break out of the
“Sometimes it takes spending money, mean-
ing putting effort into the design, packaging
of that.”
2006:
and creation of the object. Vinyl is the apex
858,000
The quality of new vinyl records is highly
regarded. Often pressed at 180 grams, thick,
new vinyl plays cleanly.
However, records deteriorate as the stylus, Source: Nielsen Soundscan,
or needle, wears down the grooves that hold a sales tracking system
information about the sound. Cross-cultural
Ph.D. student Munoz described the process
in terms of geologic erosion.
“For example, think about the Grand Can-
yon,” Munoz said. “The grooves in a record
are like a canyon, and the needle reads the
depths of the canyon, and then that informa-
tion is outputted to a speaker (or is amplified
and outputted to a speaker). But the needle
itself erodes the grooves. Thus, records dete-
riorate over time each time the needle reads
the information of the grooves.”
As Munoz points out, new vinyl records
cannot stay perfect forever if you play them
frequently. Many new record players have
USB capability, allowing for transfer of re-
cords to digital format.
“The old technology is so prevalent that
manufacturers have capitalized on it by mak-
ing the integration between analog and digital
media ever more easy,” Munoz said.
Many labels include MP3 downloads of
Continued on p. 19
cityonahillpress.com | 13
Feature
The
Maddening
World of
The Asylum
By Gareth Rees-White, Contributing Writer
Illustrations By Matt Boblet
“Transmorphers.” “Almighty Thor.” “Sherlock Holmes.”
These could be the titles of some of the biggest films of recent years. Then
follows a trio of more suspect titles:
“Megashark vs. Giant Octopus.” “Snakes on a Train.” “Titanic II.”
This is not mainstream Hollywood.
Based out of Burbank, Calif.,
The Asylum film production and
distribution company has been
mastering the mockbuster for the
past 14 years. David Latt is one
of the three founding partners of
the company. Prior to his career
in Hollywood, Latt worked in the
magazine publishing industry. He
first met his producing colleague
David Rimawi, then a Village
Roadshow Pictures Executive, at
a film festival in 1991.
“My colleague [Rimawi] had
always wanted to produce. I had
always wanted to direct,” Latt
said. “What we did then is what
we do today. We went out, found
what stars people wanted and
what genre they liked, found out
[what] people would pay … and
began working.”
Since its origins in 1995, the
company has never lost money
on a film, and is constantly grow-
ing, both in output and popular-
ity, despite constant criticism
from film reviewers and main-
stream consumers. The Asylum
both recognizes and relishes
its position as a niche market,
and isn’t discouraged by public
backlash. While not for everyone,
this style of film is recognized by
some within the film community
as still having merit. In addition,
their mockbuster films have be-
14 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
Production studio churns out
‘mockbusters,’ achieves popularity
come something of a litmus test
for Hollywood worthiness.
The mockbuster is a low-
budget film that uses a plot
similar to that of a currently
released blockbuster while
exploiting its publicity campaign.
As a result, Columbia
Pictures’ “Battle: Los Angeles”
becomes “Battle of Los Angeles,”
Marvel Studio’s “Thor” becomes
“The Amazing Thor,” and Dis-
ney’s “High School Musical” be-
comes “Sunday School Musical.”
Hollywood has been in a
downward spiral for some years,
and The Asylum perpetuates this
with cheap-to-make, cheap-to-
buy films. The existence and
success of The Asylum begs the
question, “Can a company that
profits at the expense of others be
truly successful?”
Director and star of The
Asylum’s “Titanic II,” Shane Van
Dyke, who has worked with the
company for a number of years,
says he has the answer.
“Sometimes people like to
watch a movie where they don’t
have to think too much,” Van
Dyke said. “Get a six-pack of
beer, sit down and enjoy a movie
that more likely than not will
have its fair share of fiery explo-
sions, giant monsters and good-
looking women.”
Since its inception, The
Asylum has produced over 100
films. A new film is released
every four weeks, during which
time another film begins produc-
tion. The studio’s average budget
ranges anywhere from $250,000
to $2 million per film. By com-
parison, the current average Hol-
lywood blockbuster budget is in
the ballpark of $60 million, while
production length runs between
six months to more than a year.
Latt is unapologetic about the
low budget and rapid output of
The Asylum.
“We run our company on cash
flow,” Latt said. “If we don’t make
money that week, people don’t
get paid.”
But they do get paid. The Asy-
lum reports an annual revenue of
around $5 million. As the films
are so cheap to make, and as
demand is high, all films make a
profit.
While The Asylum’s films are
made on lower budgets than
those of other companies, size of
production is growing. Latt said
that while the company primarily
films in Burbank, it has shot all
over the world.
“South Africa, Israel, Istanbul,
Iowa,” Latt said. “We’ve shot in
Belize three times. If the story
calls for it, we believe we should
go there.”
Long an inside joke to lovers
of so-bad-it’s-good cinema, The
Asylum found a modicum of
mainstream recognition with the
European cinematic release of
“Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus”
in 2009. The film only grossed
roughly $700 at the box office,
but made back the rest of its
$250,000 budget and more in
DVD sales, rentals and down-
loads. Netflix views were 70
percent higher for that title than
others The Asylum has released.
Noteworthy scenes include
whale suicide en masse, the giant
octopus venting its frustrations
on a Japanese oil rig, a character
who changes from American to
Australian and back again, and a
whole lot of submarine shaking.
However, the most notorious
scene involves the mega shark
eating a full-sized passenger
plane in mid-flight. This literal
example of jumping the shark has
received over a million views on
YouTube.
 Feature
sales and acquisitions at Santa ter, like all Asylum films, had a
Cruz’s Streetlight Records, has budget in the region of $250,000
past dealings with the company’s to $2 million.
distribution branch. Pannell has Both films involve Holmes
a self-described aversion to the attempting to prevent a terror-
company’s films. ist attack on London, but where
“[Mega Shark] is part of what’s Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law
popular right now. It’ll go away in were chasing down dastardly
a few months. Some other crazy criminals, The Asylum’s take
animal-type movie will take its included robots, dinosaurs and
place,” Pannell said in an email. dragons. With release dates so
“Since we’re a small record store close together, it might be easy to
we’ve got to order a limited num- confuse the two titles. The differ-
ber of B-movies [because] most ence becomes clear when reviews
of them do not sell well.” for the two are compared.
Prest had a different perspec- William Thomas of Empire
tive. Magazine described one as “a
“If you embrace the cheesiness fun, action-packed reintroduc-
going in, they are a lot of fun,” tion to Conan Doyle’s classic
Prest said. “If you go in with a characters.” By comparison,
‘well, that’s ridiculous’ attitude, Randy Yasenchak of Elder-Geek.
then you’re com said, “I can
not going to “We’re not really recommend this
like a lot of the movie for anyone
things they do.”
crossing any lines, who loves watch-
Other than we’re not doing any- ing bad movies
low-budget thing illegal. We’re while drunk (or
monster mash- otherwise) with
ups, most of not stealing from friends to laugh
The Asylum’s their pot of money. at.”
success has Despite these
been through
The studios appear to types of similari-
the “mockbust- recognize this. We’ve ties, The Asylum
er” sub-genre. never been through rarely gets into
“We don’t legal difficulties
do a lot of any civil action, be- concerning its
them any- cause there simply is films.
more,” produc-
ing partner
not anything action- we “At this point
are a brand,
Latt said. able about what we and people who
“[But] if a film do.” release bigger
Reviews ranged from the ciopolitical critique than they are they were doing mostly horror is going to films seem to
amused to the bemused. Kim in critiquing the overabundance films … I contacted producer generate a lot -David Latt, know this,” Latt
Newman of Empire Magazine, of computer-generated imagery David Latt, and it turned out our of attention or Asylum producer said. “If we don’t
Britain’s premier film journal, (special effects) in Hollywood. families had worked together in interest in the do a mockbuster
referred to the film as being “daft, Instead, the fun of watching the past. My involvement with public, we are interested in riding of their film, [the bigger studios]
plain daft. With a these films is the company grew from there. At that wave.” feel they must be doing some-
few daft but spec- in reveling in the end of the day, you’re making Latt was quick to point out thing wrong.”
tacular stunts.”
Film website
Rotten Tomatoes
Mock low produc-
tion values and
campy appeal.
movies, which is what I love.”
Van Dyke had no issue work-
ing within the constraints of The
that The Asylum is not copying

advantage of current interests.

Executive producer Latt shed
the big studios, just trying to take some light on how The Asylum
addresses legal issues.
was even less
kind, stating that
“with shoddy
buster: Scott said
they “cater
to ironic,
Asylum — meaning quick shoots
at low budgets.
“Working with small budgets
“[We make] films that are

content-wise,” Latt said.

“The short answer is that we
similar to others thematically and always get the angry letter from
the studio [that The Asylum is
FX, acting and A low-budget postmodern pushes you to get creative and Latt has no qualms with what currently parodying], but we’re
directing, this isn’t film that uses modes of learn from your experiences,” he his studio does, saying, “It is not really crossing any lines,
so bad it’s good. spectatorship, said. nothing other studios don’t do. we’re not doing anything illegal.
It’s just so bad it’s
a plot similar and celebrate Unlike other studios, The We’re just a little more audacious We’re not stealing from their pot
terrible.” to that of the artifice and Asylum is also notable for offer- and obnoxious about it.” of money,” Latt said. “The studios
UC Santa spectacle of ing rapid on-the-job promotions. As an example, the producer appear to recognize this. We’ve
a currently recalled the release of the film never been through any civil ac-
Cruz film lecturer Hollywood’s Jude Gerard Prest began his
Suzanne Scott released output.” career with them as a bit-part on “The Da Vinci Code” five years tion, because there simply is not
commented on blockbuster All the cowboy film “Six Guns” before ago. anything actionable about what
the popularity actors and being promoted to a key role “Every other channel was we do.”
and purpose of
while exploiting producers after “another actor didn’t turn doing a documentary on the In most cases this mentality
these films in an its publicity interviewed up on set,” and is now one of the ‘real Da Vinci Code,’” Latt said. holds true. In 2008, however, Fox
email. agreed that company’s producers. “Everyone sees a blockbuster and Studios released its remake of the
campaign. sees a way to take advantage. It’s 1951 classic, “The Day the Earth
She discussed they enjoyed Van Dyke got to direct “Ti-
the fact that hor- making these tanic II” simply because he asked. no different from what we do.” Stood Still.” The Asylum, follow-
ror and science particular films Mary E. Brown, who has Warner Brothers released ing its usual strategy, released
fiction films generally echo the not despite the cheesy aspect, but worked with the company on six “Sherlock Holmes” in Dec. 2009. “The Day the Earth Stopped”
sociopolitical climate of their because of it. films, has held a different posi- The Asylum released its “Arthur three days before the Fox release.
time. In the case of The Asylum, “I’m a big fan of the horror tion on each film. She is currently Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes” Fox sent The Asylum a lengthy
Scott said their films seem to be genre,” Van Dyke said. “At the acting as line-producer. in Jan. 2010. The former had a
less interested in offering a so- time I first met with The Asylum, Wes Pannell, the head of DVD budget of $90 million. The lat- Continued on p. 20
cityonahillpress.com | 15
Photography

THROUGH Fishy Business

We arrive at Pier 38 and it’s still dark out. The crisp air of the refrigerated room makes me shiver. Men wearing down

OUR LENS
Words & Photographs by Molly Solomon
jackets and knee-high rubber boots shovel ice onto the fish being unloaded from the docks. A bell rings as the clock strikes
5:30 a.m. and a continuous stream of numbers and fast-talking negotiations ensue. I look around and think to myself,
where am I? Few would guess I’m vacationing in sunny Hawaii. On a whim, I decide to check out the Honolulu Fish
Auction, the only daily fish auction of its kind in the United States. Modeled after the famous Tsukiji fish auction in Japan,
the auction allows independent fishermen to sell their catch to the buyer with the highest bid. The buyers on this early
Saturday morning ranged from worldwide fish distributors to local restaurant chefs. Keeping up with the fast-paced crowd
of bidders while trying not to get run over by the dockworkers pushing pallets of 200-pound bigeye tuna was certainly an
adventure.

cityonahillpress.com | 13
16 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
 Photography

cityonahillpress.com | 17
Community & Culture
Illustration by Louise Leong
By Tyler Maldonado
Community & Culture
Reporter
In this series, City on a
Hill Press will be interviewing
community members who are
currently making a mark on
UC Santa Cruz’s campus.
Kicking off the series is
Daniel Wirls, a professor of
politics who has published two
books, “Irrational Security: The
Politics of Defense from Reagan
to Obama” and “The Invention
of the United States Senate.”
Currently he is teaching Politics
18 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
Community
Chest
A closer look at some
of UCSC’s finest
1, Politics: Power, Principle,
Process, and Policy.
City on a Hill Press: What do
you think of the level of politi-
cal activism at UCSC?
Wirls: I’d say that I’m happy
that there are a lot of students
involved in a lot of things. That
sometimes is a problem, though
— there isn’t so much a move-
ment around a few focal causes,
sort of a disadvantage when
everybody is standing in the
quarry soliciting their own indi-
vidual causes. So I’d say that you
certainly have more students
involved in different things than
you ever did. What this accom-
plishes is yet to be seen.
CHP: Teaching politics at
UCSC, what are the chal-
lenges you face in interpreting
the world of politics for your
students?
Wirls: Current events sort of
overwhelm the class — getting
across certain concepts and
making sure they relate to what’s
going on in the world.
CHP: How would you compare
teaching politics at UCSC with
other schools?
Wirls: Well this has been really
my one and only job teaching
politics. I arrived on campus
when I was 28, right out of
graduate school, so aside from
doing a little bit of teaching
as a grad student for Cornell,
my entire teaching experience
has been at UCSC. In effect, I
arrived here only seven or so
years older than the people I
was teaching. And of course I
was younger than a few of the
people I was teaching.
CHP: Did that factor disad-
vantage you in any way?
Wirls: No, I just thought it was
fun. There were a couple times
when the staff on campus would
mistake me for a student, but
that was just kind of funny.
CHP: You’ve often been de-
scribed to me by other stu-
dents as very passionate about
Nick Paris
what you teach — where does
that passion come from?
Wirls: I care deeply about what
goes on in the world and the
problems within it, but I don’t
intend to preach to everyone
about how they should care
about the world or stand on
particular issues. My main
goal is really to be passionate
about the political process itself.
Politics is rather difficult and
unsightly, but you have to stick
with it and learn how it works
to organize your passion as an
activist around it, using as a
foundation that knowledge of
how it works. In politics you’re
not just a student, but also a citi-
zen and active participant.

Continued from p. 13
the vinyl record purchased to
increase appeal and provide a
similar access to turntables with
USB ports.
Metavinyl Records owner
Schneiderman said the practice
of including an MP3 download
code is strategic to appealing to a
variety of consumers.
“Labels figure that if you’re
going to buy it then you should
only just have to buy it once,” he
said. “If you buy the record you
should get a free digital copy
because then there’s really no
reason not to buy it.”
WHY DO WE
LOVE TO
CONSUME VINYL?
Labels produce vinyl to meet
demand from music buyers. DJs,
radio stations and listeners with
private collections note many
reasons why vinyl is a great op-
tion.
Wardwell said vinyl records
are an important part of the
KZSC’s library.
“We maintain a vinyl col-
lection because we play it,” he
said. “Music purchases are split
between CDs and vinyl. We also
get donations, so our vinyl collec-
tion is always expanding.”
For Wardwell, the experience
of watching a vinyl record spin
into music is an enjoyable aspect
of the medium.
“I like the physicality of vinyl,
and that it’s all done in open
space,” he said. “The CD plays
behind a plastic shield and you
don’t really get to see what’s going
on. With vinyl, there’s a human
attraction where you lift that tone
R E V I V A L
arm and drop the needle down
into the groove, and as the plate
spins the disc, the 33 or 45 RPM,
you can experience that visual
cue of seeing motion become
sound.”
Wardwell said the station’s DJs
sometimes bring in vinyl records
from their “really extensive per-
sonal collections” to play on air.
Musicology student Munoz
said DJs of live events often
prefer vinyl, and have turned the
vinyl record into an instrument.
“DJs in the dance music scene
(and other genres) still tend to
prefer vinyl to spin at live events,
especially for scratching and
other purposes,” he said. “In this
way, vinyl records are more than
just a recording medium, but are
actually musical instruments.”
Mark Augustine, aka DJ Swift,
is co-founder of a music promo-
tion group based in Redwood
City called Abide Productions.
He DJs at weddings, events,
dances and birthday parties.
Augustine emphasized the
importance of gauging the audi-
ence’s idea of “the classics” in
terms of artists and songs. He
said he keeps anything consid-
ered a classic of its genre.
“As a DJ, I’m always hav-
ing the audience in mind. I
don’t know exactly who I come
across, so if it’s a record that I
think someone will want to hear
in the future I’ll keep it. You
have to keep the classics.”
While he does use MP3s
often, Augustine said vinyl
records are the most respected
medium to play among DJs. He
said there is nothing like the
feeling of a record under your
fingers.
“The sound that vinyl has is
clean, raspy and gritty,” he said.
“Although digital is crisp, vinyl
is clean. DJing is my drug. It’s
my addiction. And it’s a positive
addiction.”
The unanimous complaint
about vinyl records is their sta-
tionary status. Large and heavy
to pack around, vinyl records
are meant for in-home listening.
THE FUTURE OF
VINYL
Many think vinyl will never
go out of style. Augustine said
nostalgia and appreciation for
cityonahillpress.com | 19
Feature
predecessors will keep vinyl in
people’s collections.
“I think the record will always
be around,” he said. “Vinyl will
be the classic thing that people
have.”
Munoz predicts that vinyl
records’ appeal will end sooner
or later.
“My personal prediction,
which is really more of a gut
feeling, is that eventually vinyl
records will go out of style,” he
said. “Vinyl records are already
too big and heavy. Their one
sonic advantage, quality — that
the sounds are continuous rather
than discreet — will eventu-
ally fade as MP3s are replaced
by smaller files with broader
frequency responses.”
Some say they will always
want vinyl because it’s the best of
its kind. Watkins doesn’t foresee
anything getting in the way of
vinyl’s popularity.
“Culturally, people respect vi-
nyl as a medium and will always
seek vinyl, I think,” he said. “It’s
the best analog mass-media that
we have.”
Digital recordings have sur-
passed vinyl in convenience and
size. However, the warm vinyl
sound is still a priority for many.
For some serious audiophiles,
the further products get from the
physical mechanics of producing
sound, the worse music is going
to translate on a recording.
Metavinyl Records owner
Schneiderman said as long as
vinyl is top quality there will be a
demand for it.
“Vinyl will always have a cult
following,” he said. “Unless a
better format comes along and
surpasses its quality.”
Feature
World of the Asylum: CHP investigates the mockbuster
Continued from p. 15
cease-and-desist letter, in addi-
tion to attempting to get the low-
budget rival film removed from
the shelves. Fox was unsuccess-
ful. The Asylum’s film can still be
purchased from online retailers.
According to the official
press release issued through
Yahoo! News, Fox was particu-
larly enraged by the fact that The
Asylum took advantage of its
multi-million dollar advertising
campaign. Fox has also argued
that as it owns the rights to the
original film, The Asylum was
plagiarizing.
Neither studio was available to
comment on this particular issue.
Legal issues aside, the growing
success of The Asylum — in the
cult market, at least — does raise
questions about the state of Hol-
lywood.
“In some sense, [The Asylum
shows] that we haven’t yet moved
beyond the A/B movie paradigm
of the classical Hollywood studio
system,” film lecturer Scott wrote,
“except in this case, instead of a
20 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
double feature … The Asylum
simply creates a B-movie for
television out of whatever ‘A’/big
budget movie is currently in the-
aters. There isn’t economic
space for the production
of B-films in Hollywood
today. The emphasis is
on tent pole films and
franchises.”
“
Wes Pannell of
Streetlight Records
said in an email,
“Hollywood sucks The Asylum has
right now. They’re
desperate for any cheap its own market.
way to make a movie, be it We have a fan base of
through rehashing a title they
already own the rights to, or the types of projects
making a straight-to-DVD title.” that The Asylum is
So if it is just functioning like
about. They have a
all other Hollywood studios, why
does The Asylum not see more
mainstream success? Because it
does not need to, according to
just nationally but
“
huge following, not
Asylum line producer Brown.
“The Asylum has its own internationally.
market,” Brown said. “It has its
audience that looks for specific Illustration by Matt Boblet
- Mary E. Brown, Asylum line producer
Continued on p. 23
 Column

They Want Who to Play Angela?

Outside Looking In
Giving the proposed
Angela Davis movie
the benefit of the doubt

By Rosela Arce
City Reporter

I
learned recently that Rachid Bouchareb, a Franco-
Algerian producer-director, is taking on the biopic
about Angela Davis, political activist and professor
emerita of UC Santa Cruz.
His choice for the lead? Beyoncé Knowles.
I’m really interested in seeing what this will look like.
It’s a film about an African-American woman activist
during the ‘60s and ‘70s, directed by a man who wants
the role to go to a former Destiny’s Child member, with
a screenplay written by Mohammed Moulessehoul, a
former Algerian army officer.
Hearing about the film got me thinking about what
would be the best way to represent such an important
figure. Although Beyoncé is “ a whole lotta woman,” it
would be kind of a shame if images of Beyoncé with an
afro conjured up more associations with Foxxy Cleopatra
from “ Austin Powers in Goldmember” than Angela Davis
during the middle of the American civil rights movement.
I’m not knocking Beyoncé’s acting abilities. I also don’t
have a xenophobic suspicion of the creators’ motives for
the film. Just the opposite.
The movie will have an outsider’s perspective of Amer-
ican history, given that the filmmakers are Algerian. Some
might worry that this means less authenticity. However,
after learning about writer Moulessehoul’s life, I realized
that in the end it’s more about making a link or connec-
tion with others across international barriers.
You’re probably wondering, “ What could a former
Algerian army officer possibly have in common with an
ex-FBI fugitive who wants to abolish the prison system?”
Though Davis’ and Moulessehoul’s experiences with Illustration by Rachel Edelstein
prison fell on opposite sides of the line, Moulessehoul his work, including the Angela Davis script. is mightier than the sword.
dealt with a different type of incarceration in Algeria. It’s interesting that Moulessehoul would even choose to If Yasmina Khadra could have such an influence in the
After his father left him in a military academy at the write a screenplay about Davis’ life. literary world, why not ask the same of Angela Davis in
tender age of nine, Moulessehoul comforted himself Maybe Moulessehoul sees in Angela Davis the strong film?
and sought escape through literature. As a grown man, woman he envisions in Yasmina Khadra. When Mou- Maybe Bouchareb does want Beyoncé solely for
Mohammed Moulessehoul adopted the pen name lessehoul could not find the courage to speak out against her notoriety — entertainment is a big part of the film
Yasmina Khadra (Jasmine Green) to avoid censorship the brutality in Algeria, Yasmina was there to express her industry. The outsiders’ perspective that Bouchareb and
from the oppressive military regime during the civil war opinion in print. Moulessehoul could bring to this film has the potential to
in Algeria. Given her history of resistance and perseverance, show the human ties that transcend borders and time, and
While on the military man worked amid the brutality Angela Davis is the perfect model for strength in trying entertainment is a good vessel to carry messages.
of civil war, Yasmina Khadra wrote against the corrupt times. And Moulessehoul’s own story is all about strength, Davis will be at an event hosted by the Inside Out
and idle leaders of Algeria and the Islamists on the other as well as the power of art and entertainment as a way to Writing Project this Tuesday at 7 p.m. I wonder what she
side of the conflict. spread ideas. would have to say about Beyoncé playing her in a role.
“ The day was divided in two,” Moulessehoul said in an Though Moulessehoul was technically in a position of Either way, the film deserves a chance. Although
interview with The Guardian. “ Most of the time I was at power during his time in the Algerian army, these women Rachid Bouchareb should know that Halle Berry told Jet
war. The rest was for writing.” — Davis, a real life inspiring political figure, and Yasmina, magazine in January that she wants to play Angela Davis “
After revealing that he wasn’t an oppressed Muslim a fictional person with the power to move thousands of badly, so badly.”
woman, Moulessehoul exiled himself to France. readers — are much more powerful than the army officer Beyoncé isn’t the only African-American actress in the
He still uses the pen name Yasmina Khadra for most of could be on his own. As the old saying goes, the pen really world. Just saying.

cityonahillpress.com | 21
Editorial
BP: A Long Way from Forgiveness
Global oil company’s recent request to drill after largest spill in history is appalling
Illustration by Muriel Gordon
E
leven people died in vain because of BP’s
Macondo well blowout on April 20 last year.
For 86 days, 4.9 million gallons of oil gushed
from BP’s stores and polluted the Gulf of Mexico.
The accident slowly became the world’s largest oil spill
as BP failed to get the leak under control.
Marine life was decimated, fishing economies de-
stroyed. With assistance from the Coast Guard and
Land of the Censored, Home of the Constrained
Smithsonian removes controversial piece of art because of Washington scare tactics
C
ensorship is never acceptable. It makes for an
uninformed and ignorant public, easy for those
in power to deceive and manipulate. But censor-
ship used specifically to divide and distract a nation is
especially toxic. And that’s the type of censorship that’s
happening right now in our nation’s capital.
On Dec. 2 of last year, a memo was leaked revealing
that G. Wayne Clough, secretary of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, had chosen to remove a video called “A Fire in My
Belly” by artist David Wojnarowicz from the museum.
Clough’s decision came after many religious groups
and conservative politicians called for its removal. The
video, which was part of an exhibit about the gay and
lesbian experience in the 1980s and ’90s called “Hide/
Seek,” featured graphic images, including one of a crucifix
covered in ants.
One politician in particular, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-
Ga.), voiced his concern to Fox News.
“Absolutely, we should look at [the Smithsonian’s]
funds,” said Kingston, who is a member of the House
Appropriations Committee. “If they’ve got money to
squander like this — of a crucifix being eaten by ants, of
Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts, men in chains,
naked brothers kissing — then I think we should look at
their budget.”
It was this sort of threat — the possibility of losing
funds — that drove Clough to remove the video. He saw it
as a compromise, taking down one controversial piece so
the entire museum could still exist.
However, letting politicians push him around was the
worst thing Clough could have done in the interest of
publicly funded art.
It’s obvious to anyone who isn’t living under a rock that
the country is in serious financial trouble, and cuts to the
Smithsonian at a time like this might be understandable.
22 | Thursday, April 7, 2011
volunteers, the self-proclaimed leader in
sustainability hung its head and got to work.
The company’s efforts to reform safety
practices and compensate affected com-
munities are a step to “[earn] back the trust
that was lost and build a sustainable BP,” ac-
cording to a public letter penned by group
chief executive Bob Dudley. Paying for the
2012 Olympic energy bill is a nice gesture,
but may be more representative of their
political prowess than anything else.
Now BP has applied for permission
to resume drilling in the Gulf. While
the company’s rhetoric is remorseful,
the oil spill and its ghastly environ-
mental and community impacts
overshadow the sentiment.
The fact of the matter is BP has not made
amends for the spill.
The federal government should not permit BP to
drill oil in the Gulf because it has not earned the trust of
impacted communities. It is still paying for costs related
to the oil spill, cleanup and ongoing civil and criminal
investigations into the incident.
Illustration by Louise Leong
But letting the threat of those cuts dictate the content of
the museum is a grave mistake. The state of the economy
should be used as a reminder to be responsible, not an
excuse for allowing discrimination in taxpayer-supported
institutions.
And what’s more is that politicians like Kingston did
not even bother to learn what “A Fire in My Belly” really
meant. The crucifixion was not meant as an affront on
religion but as a symbol. The plight of people with AIDS
was alluded to with the cross, which is a well-known sym-
bol of strength in suffering.
Targeting a work of art with queer and AIDS-related
themes smacks of the culture wars of the 1980s and ’90s.
During this time, politicians used wedge issues and scare
tactics as a way of dividing people and driving them to the
polls.
Moreover, the United States needs to protect its envi-
ronmental health and faltering economy. It is contradicto-
ry for the United States to allow BP to drill in light of the
administration’s commitment to rigorous safety standards
and punishment of those in poor compliance.
BP has claimed that it would be unable to repay the
rest of the reparations without drilling in the Gulf. Some
congresspeople and more oil company officials insist that
getting back in the Gulf is necessary to reestablishing
economic success. However, numerous companies lost a
lot of money because of last year’s spill, not just BP.
It is not the responsibility of the United States to
pull international corporations out of financial trouble,
especially those who brought their woes upon themselves.
The relationship between BP and countless Americans
affected by the spill is deeply damaged beyond repair. The
U.S. government should demand the rest of the repara-
tions and disallow BP’s request for permission to drill. It
is the federal government’s responsibility to protect the
environmental health of the nation. Drilling oil is not a
sustainable enterprise.
Energy companies should set their sights on clean
energies like solar and wind power. Not on the oil below
American waters.
The Reagan administration was painfully hesitant to
acknowledge the AIDS crisis when it first surfaced in the
’80s. That the government is still using its influence to
suppress rather than spread information and ideas is a
sobering reminder that we as a country are not as evolved
as we may think we are.
Republicans know that the Smithsonian will con-
tinue to receive some amount of funding and that it was
entirely legal to have an exhibit with supposedly contro-
versial themes. They just use the fear of the other as a way
to get votes and as a way to distract the American public
from the general ineffectiveness they have in Washington.
These politicians aren’t brave soldiers, jour-
neying off into culture wars on behalf of their
frightened constituents. They’re a mess of
bumbling Don Quixotes, engaging in outra-
geous political theater for personal gain.
Art is often seen as dispensable. Art programs are
being cut from public schools across the country. But the
truth is that it is as important to a society as books. Art
is a way of expressing new ideas and actively opposing
the status quo, and key struggles and concepts are often
brought up in the art world before they become part of
the mainstream. Losing public support for certain types
of art is as serious as when people try to ban specific
books in libraries.
Clough will face artists later this month in an attempt
to make amends. Hopefully the conference will end in
restoration of the video in the museum and the restora-
tion of public faith in the Smithsonian.
We as students stress the importance of opposing
censorship of all kinds. Write your congresspeople, start a
dialogue about the importance of publicly funded art, or
even make your own art with that theme in mind. Don’t
be a casualty in the latest culture war.
 Slug Comic

Slug Comics By Muriel Gordon

World of the Asylum

Illustration by Matt Boblet

Continued from p. 20
material. We have a fan base of Channel.”
the types of projects that The Perhaps one day it will be
Asylum is about. They have a showing alongside “The Room” at
huge following, not just nation- the Del Mar in downtown Santa
ally, but internationally.” Cruz. Asylum critics like Pannell,
The ultimate test for The Asy- however, do not agree.
lum is time. Other cheaply made “Cult does not mean schlock,
films have gained a strong cult which is what The Asylums
following over the years. Perhaps folks make,” Pannell said. “What
the ultimate example is Tommy makes something a cult classic?
Wiseau’s “The The cult does.”
Room.” Despite Film lecturer
being regarded Scott took a similar
by critics as one “If you embrace approach to the
of the worst the cheesiness go- issue.
films ever made, “Can [some-
“The Room”
ing in, they are a thing] truly be
still sells out in lot of fun. If you ‘cult’ if it is self-
theaters across go in with a ‘well, consciously de-
America. This signed to appeal to
happened that’s ridiculous’ a ‘cult’ demograph-
recently when attitude, then ic … When we
Santa Cruz’s Del think of classic cult
Mar Theatre
you’re not going properties … there
chose the film to like a lot of the is a distinct pat-
for its weekly things they do.” tern,” Scott wrote.
midnight “Each of the films
movie, on the — Jude Gerard was released to
weekend of Feb. Prest, actor minimal (or non-
18th–19th. existent) commer-
A story told cial success, and
by actor Prest “Cult does not built up a small,
suggests that devoted fan base
The Asylum’s
mean schlock, over time. Now we
move towards which is what have networks like
the cult may The Asylum folks SyFy that design
have already their program-
begun. make. What makes ming around ‘cult’
“It was the something a cult demographics.
gift that kept on If anything, the
giving,” Prest
classic? The cult success of the films
said, discussing does.” being churned out
the 2010 film by The Asylum
“Mega Piranha.” — Wes Pannell, would seem to
The monster indicate that cult is
film, which pre- head of DVD sales the new mass.”
miered on the and acquisitions at Whatever the
SyFy Channel future holds for
in April of last
Streetlight Records The Asylum, it can
year, became be sure that it will
the most viewed continue rapidly
original movie of 2010, with ap- making films. Asylum actor and
proximately 2.2 million viewers. director Van Dyke, for one, feels
“After that, it played at mid- it is time they be recognized for
night at Comic-Con. There was a this.
line around the block,” Prest said. “Asylum films should be cred-
“It’s since played at a number of ited for the work they do, on the
other festivals and become a cult budget they do it, and in the time
hit, both online and on the SyFy they do it.”

cityonahillpress.com | 23
Who the Hell?!

Who the
Hell Asked
“Where I get to snuggle with puppies.” “Where plants will surround me and I can
bike through them.”
NOELLE STEARNS RYAN HEGSTAD
FOURTH-YEAR, PORTER SECOND-YEAR, STEVENSON
PSYCHOLOGY PLANT SCIENCES

You?!
Fill in the blank:
Home is where you _______.

Compiled by Chelsea Hawkins & Prescott Watson

“...cry yourself to sleep. Where else could “Home is something I don’t have.”
you do it?”
MATILDA MORRISON CAITLIN ELAM
SECOND-YEAR, MERRILL SECOND-YEAR, STEVENSON
LINGUISTICS/LITERATURE ANTHROPOLOGY

24 | Thursday, April 7, 2011