Toro y Moi Fans, Say Hello to Chaz Bear
A review of the “Goes by So Fast: a MAHAL Film” world premiere screening at Brain Dead Studios on 4/22/2022.
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Music and its Makers – An Closer Look at Artists, Profits, and the Music Industry
by Alik Shehadeh, Niklas Leet, and Matthew Barcellos Money and Music – An Introspective Lens on the Music Industry “So, what type of music do you like?” This universal get to know you question has emerged repeatedly in my time thus far at UCLA. An indication of someone’s cultural engagement, personal preferences, and social awareness,…
An Interview with Unite the People’s CEO, Ceasar McDowell
Listen to this interview on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. “Unite the People here, how can I help you?” 14 years into his prison sentence — three life sentences for a non-violent crime — Ceasar McDowell founded Unite the People, a non-profit organization providing legal services for low-income communities in California, right from his cell at…
Self Made – Shleggwear
It is no secret that crochet is back in style. Over the past 2 years, the influx of crochet content across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok has skyrocketed. From cute farm animal plushies to extravagant Harry Styles inspired cardigans, young adults are finding brighter ways to express themselves online. One of my favorite creators…
Self Made – love, laur
In an era of Instagram micro-trends and disposable fashion, UCLA student and Bay Area based designer Lauryn Ilasco is creating an online presence with her distinctive, sustainable designs. Full of asymmetric knits, chunky rings, and mixed fabrics, Lauryn’s brand love, laur (lovelaur.com) showcases her creativity through a number of collections, either archived or for…
AAPI Action: My Little Tibet
I met Dechen when I was 13 years old. She’s one of my sister’s best friends, and I’ve always seen her as another older sister. Despite seeing her as family, I never knew where Dechen came from or about her childhood. It wasn’t until years later when Dechen told me she was Tibetan. I never…
AAPI Action: East Asian Fetishization
There’s the hypersexual and cunning type who probably knows some form of martial arts – the “Dragon Lady” trope. Then, on the flip side, there is the submissive and innocent type, who needs a more powerful (often white) man to tell her what to do – the “Lotus Blossom” or “China Doll” trope.
Girls Don’t Like: Basketball
Despite the few pickup rounds of HORSE I played with my brother circa 2008 and my limited knowledge of Devin Booker and Kendall Jenner’s five minute relationship, my grasp on the game of basketball is scant. I’ve always been attracted to the sport, but I could never put my finger on why it seemed so…
Home Country Spotlight: Mexico
My mother never liked talking about her childhood. I grew up thinking she was from Los Reyes, Michoacan, Mexico; when I started writing this piece, I learned this was a lie. My mother is actually from Los Pallilos, Michoacan, in other words, el rancho. She describes this place as simple, a simple town with simple…
Girls Don’t Like: Songwriting
Music and songwriting are crucial pieces of my identity, but as a woman I have begun to feel out of place in the music world. Music did not always feel so gendered. In elementary school, writing songs felt natural; a childish burst of creativity stemming from the same place as the urge to throw mud…
AAPI Action: Myanmar Coup & Protests
As we enter Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, it is imperative that we turn our eyes to Myanmar and what they have been facing for months now. As we take this month to celebrate and educate ourselves about the histories and narratives of AAPI communities, we must act in solidarity with Myanmar…
Girls Don’t Like: Sneakers
When I was ten years old, I started noticing the shoes boys wore in my class. They wore a mixture of Jordan 3s and 4s and I was envious. I rushed home to ask my dad to buy me a pair, but he refused, claiming they were a boy’s shoe and didn’t suit me. So…
AAPI Action: St. Louis World Fair of 1904
My childhood dog’s name was Midnight. I adored her and would show her off to everyone in sight, but that soon changed when someone told me, “You should hide your dog from your dad, or he’ll eat it.” I did not understand what they meant by that until the comments continued. “Oh, you’re Filipino. You…
AAPI Action: Orientalism
When Disney’s Aladdin premiered in 1992, its opening theme, “Arabian Nights”, sang softly of a “far away place” that is “barbaric – but hey it’s home.” In these lines, the American audience is removed from the comforts of their movie theaters or suburban homes and immersed into a foreign, rugged land characterized by savagery. For…
Home Town Spotlight: Oceanside, California
Memories of my childhood feel sweet and hazy. I recall going to the beach for hours on end, collecting seashells and building flimsy sandcastles. I think of my neighborhood friends with whom I’d create elaborate fictional universes, all of us acting as characters in the quiet corners of our cul de sac. I remember the…
Home Country Spotlight: Taiwan
I love being Taiwanese. But I am exhausted by it. I want my existence to be known, not debated.
That’s Not What I Meant by Rock’n Roll High School
Photo of Lori Mattix (Right) and Sable Starr (Left) with Dave Hill of Slade by Michael Ochs Archives from Getty Images After the release of Leaving Neverland and Surviving R. Kelly, the downfall of Burger Records and affiliated bands, and most recently Marilyn Manson getting dropped from his label, it appears sexual abuse is finally…