anniversary

100 Years of Salinger

Online Lifestyle Editor, Emily Pirie, takes a look at how J.D. Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in The Rye’ has affected our society on his 100th anniversary.

Sep 9, 2019 – by Emily Pirie

Anxiety. We have all felt it; it manages to shake our senses into a frenzy and disorientate us from rationality. As they experience the jolt of puberty, it is particularly teenagers that feel this sense of angst. From the 1950s to the present day, thousands of teenagers have looked towards JD Salinger’s protagonist Holden Caulfield in ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ as a figure that represents these feelings of angst and alienation within society.

This year marks Salinger’s hundredth birthday. One hundred years on and his works are still keeping readers up at night as they lie gripped by his words. In particular, it is Salinger’s most famous novel, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ which still resonates with readers of the twenty-first century and has both positive and negative impacts.

“If you really want to know about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like”.
(Holden in The Catcher In The Rye)

This is the celebrated opening line that captivated readers and instantly gravitated them towards the sixteen year old alienated Holden. Ironically it was the release and success of the novel that appeared to make Salinger’s life more ‘lousy’. Upon the release of the text, the enigmatic Salinger quickly deserted the bright lights of New York in favour for the seclusion of New Hampshire. The once sociable figure soon became a hermit, rapidly decreasing his creative outpour of publications.

The reception of the novel was not only ‘lousy’ for Salinger but also for many innocent victims of crime. In late 1980 Mark David Chapman stuck a copy of ‘The Catcher of the Rye’ in his pocket as he stalked and then murdered John Lennon. Inside the book Chapman had chillingly written: ‘To Holden Caulfield, from Holden Caulfield, this is my statement’.

Salinger had the capability to enrapture the reader and make them see the world through the eyes of Holden. However, this clarly had detramental impacts, in the case of the death of John Lennon. Moments where Holden expresses his violent nature, stating that he would “rather push a guy out of the window or chop his head off with an ax than sock him in the jaw”, had the capability to drive some individuals to murder. The fact that the novel was censored in America from 1961 to 1982 highlights that people were shocked by its use of swear words and violent nature.

Salinger had the capability to enrapture the reader and make them see the world through the eyes of Holden.

However, Holden’s narrative has created a friend for thousands of readers. The novel discusses themes of grief, loss of innocence and the pain of transitioning into the adult world. Everyone on this planet was once a child and so can understand the heartache of being young and seeing how ‘phony’ adults can be. Through the eyes of Holden, we see his desperation to hold onto innocence.

The fact that we are discussing Salinger’s work on his 100th birthday proves what an important impact he has had on societies from the 1950s onwards. His themes of grief and loss of innocence will never get old, in the same way that Holden wants to remain forever young.

100 Years of Bauhaus

The Bauhaus movement, formed in the 20th century, was rooted in concerns over manufacturing and its soullessness; the movement aimed to unite the soul of fine art with more functional creations. It has stimulated rethinking the meaning of art, typically thought of as humanities, by fusing it together with more research-based science. The Bauhaus school existed during the Weimar period in Germany which combined fine art and crafts, publicising the movement.

The movement aimed to unite the soul of fine art with more functional creations

The movement became about stripping things down to their pure function, profoundly influencing typography. Bayer’s Bauhaus style font an exemplification as it removed serifs, creating a simple geometric form. This simplicity was also featured in the catalogues of Piet Zwart by stripping down conventional advertising material into more direct communication; using bold, diagonal lines coincided different messages within his designs. Bayer’s most notable design has been the 1925 Universal Alphabet with letters in their most simple form and with great distance between them so they are more legible and based on the clarity of speech itself. This could be easily adapted for technology, formed by typewriter machines and accessible. Tschichold’s penguin book cover designs in the late 1940s used the same sans-serif font – in a white block sandwiched between a block colour – and are still recognisable to this day as a trademark for classic texts.

Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian art theorist and painter, formed a Bauhaus motif: yellow triangle, red square, and blue circle. His Point and Line to Plane (1926) linked combinations of line, colour, tone to spiritual or psychological impacts. In terms of architecture, colour was not valued, and only really confined to art theory. Yet, his theories on shades of colour linking to produce visual music became highly influential to literature. For instance, he wrote many play scripts such as ‘The Yellow Sound’ which united words, colour, and sound as touching the human soul or psyche; this epitomising the Bauhaus notion of linking the soul of art to a more functional approach. In spite of this, the Bauhaus school itself was thought to be a Jewish Bolshevik conspiracy by the Nazis and after Hitler became chancellor it was dissolved. Yet, the movement still spread its influences across the world as staff began to emigrate and has proved to transcend time thus far – a quality akin to the notion of the soul of the movement.

The movement became about stripping things down to their pure function

With National Tea Day taking place on Easter Sunday this year, it is fitting to celebrate Marianne Brandt’s MT49 tea pot design; this epitomised the Bauhaus notion of ‘form follows function’. Despite its minimal decoration, its materials and shapes made it structural and high in its functionality. They are now considered rare with only around seven prototypes existing, most placed in museums and galleries as mass-production did not occur. Nonetheless, it is still a celebration of women existing in the man’s world of design as Brandt became the first woman to study at the Bauhaus metal workshop in 1924, escaping the constraints of women studying weaving and ceramics.

To celebrate the movement’s 100th anniversary, museums and galleries have been hosting exhibitions including the Tate Modern, in London. Also, earlier this year, there was a festival by the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin examining the relationship between the body and machine. Last summer, Great Big Story created a four-part video series on ‘Preserving the Soul of Bauhaus Design’, tracing its origins and its influences such as furniture, ballet, and even fashion. The Bauhaus movement has truly been preserved, despite very few companies replicating original pieces – it has been highly influential across the world in myriad mediums and has heavily influenced contemporary and modern art.

An ode to Labyrinth

When you ask many of our peers what their favourite childhood film is, you would expect to hear films like; James and the Giant Peach, The Page Master, The Lion King and so on. However, my clear favourite was the film Labyrinth.

For anyone that has seen the 1986 David Bowie classic, you might see how this is something of an odd choice for a three year old. Yet, I was the toddler that demanded the VHS be rewound the moment the credits started rolling.
To say that I found the whole world of the Labyrinth captivating would have been putting it lightly. I was completely mesmerised, and it is a fascination I still have to this day.

“you almost feel like you’re going on the journey with her”

The concept of the film is that Jennifer Connelly’s character becomes bored of her baby brother, and instead of simply having a little whine to her friends she decides to ask the Goblin King (whom she believes to be fictional) to take her brother away. The Goblin King (played by the entrancing Bowie) obliges her request and should she want her brother back then she is informed that she has just thirteen hours to find him. The film fully submerges you into the world of the Labyrinth and you almost feel like you’re going on the journey with her; at least it did when I was a kid. Growing up all of my imagined games included themes of ‘Labyrinth’ and I would force my friends to play them with me; I went on the adventure right alongside Sarah (Connelly’s character) and together we explored ‘The Bog of Eternal Stench’ on our way to the castle and I made all the friends that Sarah had. I even named the majority of my stuffed toys after the characters of the Labyrinth (I still have Hoggle to this day).

“you cannot help but fall in love with bowie”

This year marks thirty years since the iconic release of Labyrinth and, even though I wasn’t born for the release, it still gave me a wave of nostalgia as a film that means so much to me is reaching such a huge milestone. When I think back to my childhood I have come to realise that this film shaped not only my imagination at the time but it also led to the interests I have today. I believe that anyone who has seen this film will agree that you cannot help but fall in love with Bowie; I can remember the moment that I was told that David Bowie was not only my favourite character in my favourite film but he was also a legendary pop icon (thanks Mam). I think I was so pleased because I then had more than ‘Magic Dance’ to sing along to; but from that moment on it led to a (barely controllable) obsession. For me, Labyrinth is where the magic of Bowie really shines through and despite the bitter-sweet feelings when re-watching Labyrinth this year, the genius of Bowie lives on.

For those who haven’t seen the film/those who want a huge nostalgia trip I would definitely recommend Labyrinth. Enjoy all the characters, marvel at the costumes/crazy sets, and – perhaps most importantly — fall in love with the Goblin King.

Against the rock’n’roll aristocracy: an interview with Frank Turner

“there’s this higher class of rock star, who comes and delivers their songs to the people like breadcrumbs from a carriage and then fucks off again”

Sitting in the tiny backroom of the Cavern, Frank Turner seems far too big to be there. Not only is his height dwarfing anyone else in the vicinity, but this is a man who has sold out arenas, now sitting in an underground bunker in Exeter. It’s unusual to say the least. “That’s what annoys me about rock and roll as an idea,” he begins, dismissing any notions that he is too successful to play such a venue, “it’s quite aristocratic, there’s this higher class of rock star, who comes and delivers their songs to the people like breadcrumbs from a carriage and then fucks off again, I’m not really into that, it’s kind of boring and shitty.”

Frank Turner can’t be detached from rock and roll all that easily. His latest albums have shown more and more tendencies towards the genre which Turner himself describes as an “art form”. But, punk and folk are also intrinsic to Turner’s style and substance, and the egalitarianism they offer appeals to him. “The first time I went to a punk show”, Turner begins, “when the first band finished they jumped into the crowd over the barrier, and the second band jumped over onto the stage and started setting up their shit. That was such a big moment for me, because I realised fuck, the bands are the people.” This is why it makes sense for Turner to play Cavern. After ten albums and mainstream success, it still makes sense for him to return to a venue where the bar staff are also the bands and a community of live music lovers is very much alive and well.

“Everything is not enough, nothing is too much to bare”

Returning almost a decade after his first solo Cavern show, with far more tattoos, and a far bigger back catalogue, Turner acknowledges that things change. “I think songs are living breathing things, it’s why I’m not that keen on recording as an idea,” he says, “It’s clichéd but it’s like pinning a butterfly down.” He’s almost nostalgic about it at times, respecting the time capsule of his life that his music represents, “There’s a fresh-faced innocence which I love, and I couldn’t do now because I’ve written too many songs and done too much shit.”

Over the years, his style has changed with punk taking precedence over the folk. But he’s eager to discuss how his lyrical style has evolved. “When I was younger I was more impressed by verbosity. In Million Dead I was trying to show off how many words I could get into a song, or how many obscure Polish communists I could get into an album,” Turner reflects. “It was three for the record,” he adds, “arguably three too many”. Now he prefers a leaner style of writing. He admires the work of Townes van Zandt, even having the phrase “Everything is not enough, nothing is too much to bare” tattooed on his back. “That may be the most perfect couplet I know,” he says. “Every fucking syllable. There is not an ounce of fat on it, I love it,” Turner explains, punctuating the air.

“A great song happens by accident, you have to fall into it somehow, which is what makes the whole thing so fucking annoying.”

That snappy turn of phrase is present in Turner’s own music, and it’s part of what gives him such a wide appeal. His songs relate to people in a concise and poetic format. I ask him if he considers that when he writes his lyrics. “If you come at it trying to write a relatable song, it’s going to sound naff,” Turner replies, decisively. “A great song happens by accident, you have to fall into it somehow, which is what makes the whole thing so fucking annoying.”

What impresses most, is the love Turner clearly has for what he does. He could talk for hours, and he obviously puts immense thought into every element of writing and performing music. The word passion is overused in today’s society, but with Frank Turner it’s justified. He is a craftsman, and music is his vocation. When pushed, he cautiously admits that “it is a job”, and he relies on it to pay his bills, but he’s also quick to add, that “given the broader context of human experience, I think that for me to complain about feeling that anything I have to do is a chore would be pretty up my own arse.” It’s rare to find a musician so genuine, or one that would be better suited to play the 25^th anniversary of the most grassroots venue in town.

Frank Turner celebrates the Cavern's 25th birthday — Frank Turner celebrates the Cavern’s 25th birthday, Image: Katie Costello

EXP: A Pokétastic 20th anniversary celebration

EXP this time is brought to you by your host Harry Shepherd and joined by Head of News Jonathan Land, Exeposé Games Correspondent Sam Woolf and Tournaments Officer of Exeter University’s Pokémon Society Michael Griffith-Dixon.

This week on EXP, we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise the only way we know how: we’re dedicating a whole show to it, including the very best Pokémon theme music. What gives the series its staying power? What are our favourite games and memories of the franchise? All this, alongside an Exeposé Games roundup and the latest gaming news to come in this week’s episode.

You can let us know what you thought of the show, suggest a topic you’d like us to discuss in future episodes and follow our gaming news coverage as it happens by finding us on Facebook, Twitter and email (xpressionEXP@gmail.com).

See you every Wednesday on www.xpression.fm from 6PM for more EXP!

Playstation: An appreciation

Happy birthday, dear PlayStation! Happy birthday to you!’ I sing, as I place my arm lovingly around my beloved console, ‘Oh PlayStation, my old friend, you’ve grown up so much. Wow, twenty years! Remember all those late night Tekken 3 sessions? Or how about that time I faked being sick so I didn’t have to go to school so I could improve on Gran Turismo 4? Or when you first showed me Jak and Daxter and I truly got interested in gaming? Yeah, we’ve had some good times.’ ‘Great times,’ he corrects me.

When I was young, my uncle, who was then a university student desperately looking for cash, sold his PlayStation console to my older brother and I. I vividly remember my dad bringing the grey box home and hooking it up to our old CRT TV. We saw the words ‘Sony Computer Entertainment’ accompanied by a small jingle, which will forever be ingrained in my soul. Hearing it now makes me severely nostalgic, in a very good way.

We saw the words ‘Sony Computer Entertainment’ accompanied by a small jingle, which will forever be ingrained in my soul.

We had one game with our PlayStation, and that was Tekken 3. A firm favourite now at pre-drinks, (the reason I assume my uncle had the game too), my brother and I fought for hours as various characters on the iconic, grey pads. We later invested in other games, such as Oddworld, Driver, and Crash Bandicoot, all classics in their own right. The PlayStation was released in Europe in September 1995. It was the first console to ship 100 million units worldwide and was highly acclaimed for the quality of its graphics.

Five years later, Sony released the PlayStation 2. It was sleek, black and sexy. Gaming had evolved. It went on to become the most successful home console of all time, having sold over 155 million units as of December 2012. A whole new library of games became available to me such as Ratchet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter, action platformers that involved playing as strange characters in magical universes, using a plethora of fun weapons and both captivated me in my youth. They were immersive and fun, something the Playstation has never failed to be. My brother was allowed to play TimeSplitters before me, much to my dismay, but eventually I got my hands on the controller and engaged in my first FPS.

After the success of the PlayStation 2 came the (wait for it) PlayStation 3, which I personally see as the ultimate console. Many think that the Xbox 360 was superior but I beg to differ. It was the first console to use motion-sensing technology through its six-axis wireless controller, it had a Blu-ray player and boasted a new, ‘fatter’, rounded design. As of November 2013, the PS3 has sold 80 million units worldwide. The amount of games I could list are endless, but those that stand out for me are Metal Gear Solid 4, the incredible Uncharted series, and the more recent The Last of Us.

Now we are in the age of the PlayStation 4, released in 2013. It’s another sleek device, combining the sexiness of the PS2 with a new slanted, two-tier design and a newly designed controller. I am not disappointed so far with the console, and doubt I ever will be with future PlayStations. I could write a whole extra list of other iterations, such as the Playstaion Portable devices. But to me, these just show that PlayStation is the ultimate console, continually evolving. And now in its twentieth year, and in my twentieth year, I can confidently say I want to grow old with PlayStation and remain the best of friends.