This final round of presentations represented new levels of creative innovation and reflection. It also served to widen the separation between those of us that were touched or inspired by the lectures and readings and those of us that, not without a touch of disrespect, don't seem to care that much (for whatever reason). Perhaps it was just the last-day-of-class-I -don't-want-to-deal-with-it attitude that I noticed, which is, indeed, almost an excuse. But it was those presenters today that really put in some cerebral effort concerning the actual gravity of the subject matter that makes going to classes worthwhile. Its that whole widening of perspective thing... Group 1, though lacking slightly in coherence, drew some excellent parallels between current cinematic and musical themes and the songs of Dylan. It might have been better if the connection between the movie "Dangerous Minds" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" was futher developed beyond the obvious reference, however, and the plea to the bard for releif in "Piano Man", though explicit and directly related to Tambourine Man, could have been more creatively delivered. The Dylanesque interpretation of Cobain's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a great example of what I mean. Its too bad that he didn't have time to do the whole song, that would've been awesome. Sean Lavery's creative effort was extraordinary, as well. Not only was his rhythmical expertise noteworthy, but his lyrics were obviously well thought out, humerous, and insightful. ROCK and ROLL Group 2, I think, most likely had some trouble finding adequate time to prepare. Group 3 took an interesting approach that, through humor and tactical embarrassment of those unfortunate "baby boomer hippie-types" present, placed emphasis on the real barriers that do exist between generations. Our own "Generation X" (cringe) does indeed live in a different world than our predecessors, and the gap between the two can be wide and obscure. Certain bridges exist, though, like the songs of Bob Dylan, that unite the basic and inherent thoughts and desires of the human soul when faced with the transition from innocence to experience. Group 3's idea of calling attention to these feelings of alienation, unity, disillusionment, and rebellion was insightful and, I thought, effectively delivered. Some of the Jeapordy-like questions might have been a bit more along the lines of Dylan's poetic concepts, rather than the somewhat technical and trivial ones they gave, but pehaps that wouldn't have worked as well and thats being nit-picky anyway... Group 4 ran away with it. They took the previous group's ideas regarding the relationship between contemporary popular music and the themes of the Baby Boom generation of artists and combined them with a new perspective on how the gap between eras is relatively small, rather than insumountable. Cory, though endearingly nervous, very accurately drew the connection between the raspy voices of Holiday and Joplin, their realities of vulnerability and pain and addiction, as well as their unequalled and effective ways of conveying REAL emotions. James ingeniously related De la Rocha of Rage to Dylan in their similar and scathing commentaries on "the system." Both artists beg the common individual, through a curious and dynamic form of "white rap" (as described by Dr. Cushing), to avoid drugs and alcohol and wake up to the arrogance of politicians, the hypocrisy of modernity, and the lacksadaisically trite concerns of mainstream society. Brock compared Billy Corgan to Dylan and Fitzgerald, saying that the disillusionment that accompanies the loss of innocence is usually most effectivly described by introspective and confessional rock idols, who, whether they like it or not, accurately reflect the idealism of their generation. Group 4 obviously spent some time in thought and preparation (cory had her lines memorized, even!) and they delivered their material in a new and entertaining way. The whole sheet and candle thing was better than any other presentation yet. ROCK and ROLL FOREVER

Andrew Paiko

I'm not sure if it was because of the musicians we were learning about or if it was the hippie coming out in all of us, but something gave this group of presenters a little more pizzazz than the rest of us had in our projects. I was extremely impressed with the creativity that Group 1 and Group 4 demonstrated in their presentations. Group 1 used a lot of comparison to works from the present to show the similarities that Bob Dylan has with modern day people and music. I really liked how they compared Billy Joel's "The Piano Man" to "Mr. Tambourine Man". There were a lot of similarities between the two songs that I never would have noticed on my own. Because I have no musical talent whatsoever, I can't begin to say how impressed I was by Seans own personal interpretation of "Subterranean Homesick Blues". That took a lot of guts to play something so personal to the whole class. The idea to make his own video to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was very clever. It could've been something Bob Dylan would have done himself, were he alive today. Group 4 put a whole new spin to group presentations. They chose to speak on a few of my all time favorite bands or singers, so instantly they had my attention. The props were a great effect. The candles really set the mood and added to the dramatic overtones of the presentation. The green strobe was was a great contrast to snap you out of your hippie daze and back into the world of hard rock. Overall, I have to say that I was most impressed by this set of group presentations out of all that I have seen this quarter. They put a lot of time and creativity into their work and I was drawn in and captivated not only by their words but by their excellent use of drama and props. Well done!

Elizabeth Torok

Group 1 This group had many interesting things going on. I liked the reference to Dangerous Minds and the Piano Man. The rearanging of Subterranean Homesick Blues was original and very cool. The rap by Sean sounded professional and was impressive. He didn't sound half bad for a white boy!

Group 2 I was really overwhelmed by the complexities of emotions and depth of Billie Holliday's songs. It was interesting to see how this group interpreted the songs and to hear what they thought about them.

Group 3 This groups game show idea was fun and engaging. I like that fact that it got us involved and laughing. The short history before was done well and added to the presentation. But I really think that the judges were too easy on a certain two contestants.

Group 4 I appreciated the novel approach taken by this group. The theatrical performance really added to my enjoyment and kept me focused on what they had to say. The three musicians that group 4 chose to present on show how much effect that the music industry has on everyday life. It is amazing how much power a musician has with the shear size of the audience and a medium which can convey so much emotion. I personally am a great fan of Rage Against The Machine and their message to the youth of the world. Definately not your bubblegum rock band of the early sixties.

Jameson Amato

It was extremely difficult to select just one group from Thursday's presentations to discuss in this response. The projects had so many interesting links. Many of the presentations seemed to interpret the material from the last third of the quarter with a very modern outlook. The first group began the links to present-day life with a clip from the movie "Dangerous Minds." It was there that kids who were struggling with the everyday problems facing them in the 90's would discuss the meanings of Bob Dylan's music of the 60's. Then links were made between Dylan's and Billy Joel's music that occurred ten years later. Then three other group members did personal adaptations of the music of Bob Dylan. Lyrics were re-formatted for impact, and the modern song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was performed in a style like Dylan's music video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The group peaked with Sean's rap piece that he wrote and recorded. This was an excellent example showing how issues that youth face change with every passing decade. But, the ways in which young people confront the troubling events of their time - writing, poetry, and music - are in a sense timeless.

The fourth group continued to use interpretations of musical artists to better understand the role of music in people's life experiences. Janis Joplin and Billie Holliday were represented as women sharing many similarities. Not only did their voices share the same raspy, passionate strength, their lives also shared the abuse of heroin as a tool for escape. Next Rage Against the Machine was highlighted as a modern voice calling people to be proactive. Their style combining rap and alternative was as experimental as Dylan's style that combined rock with a white form of rap. And the final part of the presentation drew upon Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins. He was described as a "tortured genius" who also acted as the voice of suburban youth. His lyrics confronted real issues facing youth of the 90's head on. This entire presentation had a great creativity to it. It was wonderful to see these classmates pull the energy of a variety of artists from many decades together into one entertaining presentation.

-Darcy Johnson