VIEWS ( cont ) America has always been a beacon of freedom and hope throughout the world. Ever since the early 19th Century, people from all corners of the globe have journeyed to the United States in search for a better life. Almost every single person reading this article probably has ancestors who came to this country for the same reason: opportunity. Without immigrants, America would not be the bustling metropolis it is today. Yet, every time a new wave comes in, people are extremely nasty towards newcomers who just want a safe place to call home. This hypocrisy, which has existed since the first Irish immigrants fled to America from famine in the 1800’s, is the problem that clouds everyone’s judgement, not the Syrian refugees. Immigrants have always been and still are an essential part to the story of this country; why should they be turned away when they are running from the same terrorists that everybody supposedly hates? Overall, the issue of the Middle East and the Syrian Civil War is a tricky subject, but barring these refugees from entering the country will not the make the United States any safer than it is right now. The truth is that the people who wish to restrict immigration of Syrians are simply reacting in fear much like the American people following the 9/11 attacks. Instead of thinking logically about the situation, they let fear and the media dictate their opinions on matters they will never quite understand. The last time the country responded in fear, the government decided
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to invade Iraq, a mistake that a majority of the country now regrets. Before the American people decide to react because of the Paris attacks, everyone should start identifying the real issues that are responsible for the worldwide “war on terror.” As for the refugees, they flee from a life that most people here could not even imagine. What right do people have to send them back to a life of persecution and violence?
J anuar y 12, 2016
DAVIE BOWIE: A STAR UNTIL THE END B y James Mason S�����, J������ 10�� brought the sad news that one of music’s greatest, David Bowie, had died after an 18 month battle with cancer. This came as a shock for many, as the artist had A) kept his condition
under close wraps, B) had just turned 69 two days prior and C) had just release his 25th album Blackstar that same day. It seemed that Bowie was turning another stone and reaching another high point in his career. While most musicians his age had either stopped producing new material or made subpar material in an effort to
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relive the past, Bowie was different. He was still branching out and covering new ground just like in the 60’s and 70’s. His output still felt as fresh as it did 30 years ago. Very few artists can say they’ve tried various musical styles and genres. Even fewer can say that their ventures into new musical territories were successful. Bowie was one of the few. To give an idea of how his career was going, his aforementioned album Blackstar came 48 years and 24 albums after his debut, sounded nothing like what he’s ever done, and received as much acclaim as anything he’s done before. Even if this was his only album, he’d still be mentioned and beloved in the history books. But this wasn’t his only album. He first made his leap into the music scene in 1967 with the self-titled David Bowie. From there he made Space Oddity (1969), an acoustic album. The Man Who Sold the World (1970), a hard rock album. Hunky Dory (1971) saw Bowie covering multiple pop styles without missing a beat. However, it was with 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars that Bowie had reached his artistic best with the glam rock sound, a sound he would stick with for most of the 70’s and the sound he’s most commonly associated with. Ziggy Stardust may be his best album, but his career was far from over. After that, he released great album after great album: Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, The Berlin Trilogy (Low, “Heroes”, and Lodger), Scary Monsters, Black Tie White Noise, Earthling, Heathen, Reality, and The Next Day are all proof that the many could do little wrong. It was through these albums that he released his best known songs – songs like “Space Oddity”, “Changes”, “Starman”, “Rebel Rebel”,
“Young Americans”, “Fame”, “Golden Years”, “Suffragette City”, and “Heroes” are just a few of many that continue to receive airplay on modern radio stations. He can even say he had one of the most famous duets in rock history when he teamed up with Queen to record “Under Pressure”. His success rate is nearly immaculate. Even his lesser efforts were just a drop in a bucket with his legacy. A legacy that isn’t limited to just music. Many people seem to forget he actually had a pretty respectable acting career, with roles ranging from The Man Who Fell to Earth in 1976 to Labyrinth (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, in a role that was ironically casted for Sting), Twin Peaks (1992), and The Prestige (2006). But at the end of the day, it’s his music and flashy stage appearances that he’ll be best remembered by. It’s not often we get a person as talented and influential as David Bowie, which is why he’ll be missed. Only a man as beloved as him could make a 50-plus year career seem brief. The Thin White Duke may be gone, but his music will live on forever. Heaven will be cooler place now that Bowie’s there.
“He didn’t pass away. He went back to his home planet. He will be missed.” – Shawn Corcoran “I don’t like to think about it, it makes me sad. My favorite song was ‘Magic Dance’ from Labyrinth.” – Skyeler O’Brien “When I used to play hockey, I used to listen to ‘Rebel Rebel’ before every practice.” – Mason Lucas “He wrote weird but beautiful music. I liked it.” – Ademir Malagic
May 3, 2016
PROLIFIC PRINCE REMEMBERED B y J a m es Mas o n A� ��� �� ��� ��������� go, none seemed to get bigger than Prince. He was an icon and a wunderkind, getting signed to a record contract when he was just 17. He was one of his generation’s most beloved
RIP DAVID BOWIE
J������ 8�� 1947 – J������ 10�� 2016
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“I grew up listening to him more than anyone else. I always admired how innovative and risky he was as a musician. He was the face of alternative.” – Alex Jacobs “I didn’t listen to him much, but I really liked Space Oddity.” – Avery McKnight
“My dad was really upset about his death. He has a lot of his records that he plays a lot in our house.” – Haley Hnatuk
musicians, which is why it came as such a shock to find out that on Thursday, April 21st, Prince had died in his home at Paisley Park. He was only 57 years old. Prince’s life may have been cut short, but his career was anything but. Something Prince rarely gets
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credit for is how much material he put out in his lifetime. He released his first album, For You, in 1978. He continued to release albums at a steady pace of about one per year and had a tour for almost every single one of them. By the time he died, he’d released 39 studio albums and toured for 39 years. But the quantity of his output isn’t why people loved him — it was the quality of it. Next to Michael Jackson, he was the defining pop musician of the 80’s. But where Jackson had two huge albums in the 80’s (Thriller and Bad), Prince had six (Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign o’ the Times, and the Batman soundtrack). He was also one of the first people to have explicit lyrics in their songs. In fact, it was his song, “Darling Nikki”, that caused Tipper Gore to found the Parents Music Resource Center, which led to the “Parental Advisory” sticker you see on album covers (for better or worse). He may be gone, but Prince has left a huge legacy behind him, one that will live on long into the future. He will be missed.