RAWR or NAUR: SUMMER 2022 RECAP

Written by Jacob Swenson

With every beginning, comes an ending.

So, as a new year filled with hot takes starts for Priestly, let’s recap some of my personal highlights from this summer. Oh, and it’s going to be in the style of RAWR or NAUR. Why rawr and naur? Well, truthfully, I was going to do bop or flop but someone else is using that for this edition and I want to be *unique* (foreshadow intended, hehe). I also thought about doing ass or gas, but I think that might be a bit too vulgar to repeat throughout this article. (I also don’t want to promote fossil fuels). There’s also crack or whack, but that seems a bit politically incorrect… I even thought about slay or nay, but as someone involved in student theater at GW, I do not want to perpetuate the overuse of the word slay. While rawr may harken back to late 2000s/early 2010s emo culture, I am reclaiming the term as an ally to the emo community. Some may use rawr as a term of endearment, so I am adjacently using it as a synonym for “yes, love it.” Think of it like an animal making noise because they enjoy something so much, or a furry getting excited. I don’t think naur needs much explanation, it means *NO!* (More foreshadowing… look at me, a true writer). ANYWAYSSSS, “let’s get down to business” to quote that Mulan song.

Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 4 New York Premiere

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - MAY 14: (Top Row L-R) Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Shawn Levy, Matthew Modine, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Cara Buono, Brett Gelman, Charlie Heaton, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour, Dan Cohen, Joe Keery (Bottom Row L-R) Caleb Mclaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Bela Bajaria, Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Natalia Dyer, Priah Ferguson, Emily Morris, and Eduardo Franco attend Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 4 New York Premiere at Netflix Brooklyn on May 14, 2022 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

NAUR: Stranger Things Season 4

Alright, we’re starting off with a bang with what might be the most controversial take on this list. But there was just a lot going on during this recent season of Stranger Things. Once I would get invested in one plotline with a group of characters, they would suddenly cut to another group’s plotline that I completely forgot about. Additionally, I think there are just too many characters now. When I was watching, I had heard the finale would be sad, so I assumed one of the main characters would actually die, not a character that was just added to this season probably for the purpose of being able to have a death and an emotional finale. The death (and lack thereof) were just so… predictable.

I’ll say there are some redeeming characteristics to this season, one being the popularization of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Will being very… ya know (I had a coworker say “I didn’t know Will was fruity!” over the summer and everyone on that Zoom call gasped). That being said, I feel like the writers did not give Will any screen time, nor develop his storyline enough. Finally, the two part release kind of annoyed me. I could understand if they did it Euphoria style and just released an episode every week so the internet could come together and talk about each episode, but if you’re going to drop the episodes for binging purposes, release the whole season.

RAWR: Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj

Do I even need to explain why? Okay, I’ll bite: I would not rank “SFG” as high as “Anaconda” because “Anaconda” was one of the best bops of the 2010s. When that song comes on, I am hitting the floor and putting on a show. But still, SFG scratched a much needed itch for another banger to bust it down to. My only critique is that I wish it was released a bit sooner. A lot of artists are falling victim to going viral on TikTok and then waiting too long to drop the whole song for streaming (@ Jack Harlow @ Sam Smith & @Kim Petras). I would say Nicki did not wait so long that the song lost hype, but the music industry needs to learn that when your song starts blowing up on TikTok, you better release it ASAP.

NAUR: The Final Lip Sync of Drag Race All Stars 7 (aka All Winners)

RuPaul's Los Angeles DragCon

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 13: Jinkx Monsoon and Monet X Change attend the pink ribbon cutting during RuPaul's Los Angeles DragCon at Los Angeles Convention Center on May 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/FilmMagic)

GIVE US THE FULL Monét CUT!!! The final lip sync had some of the most crunchy editing in the show's history. Production tried to edit out Monét as much as possible, yet she still somehow assassinated Jinkx. Apparently, at the beginning of the lip sync, Monét revealed lipsticks with the names of each of her top 4 competitors (Ben DeLaCreme style), ending with Jinkx’s name on a lipstick that she then applied to her lips. I am furious because if we got to see that full gag, it would have been a MOMENT. They also showed Monét doing an awkward slow floss, but according to her she did speed it up after the first eight counts. Allegedly, the production crew congratulated Monét for her lip sync performance and Jinkx even started watching Monét during the actual lip sync.

All of this is to say, I am still happy that Jinkx won. She dominated this season. However, if the show is going to pretend like the final lip syncs have any stakes, then they should actually factor them into who wins the crown (and Monét obviously won that lip sync). Even if the producers knew they wanted Jinkx to win, I would have been fine with a format change. The lip sync for the crown in the past couple seasons has been underwhelming, so we could use a switchup.

RAWR: Lightyear

Am I too old to be watching children’s movies? Yes, probably. However, Lightyear is unironically such a good movie. Keke Palmer once again proves she’s a star, alongside that robotic cat which is my favorite animal companion from any Disney movie in recent memory. Not only was the cat immensely cute, BUT ITS HEAD SPINNING SAYING “MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW” REALLY GOT ME. I need a plushie of that cat immediately. The movie was overall very entertaining, it was like a mix of Star Wars and every other space movie ever made, but with an endearing Disney touch and a character that was an integral part of many millennials' and Gen Z’s childhoods.

NAUR: Nope

Okay, this one hurts to give a naur. I so badly wanted to like this movie as I’m generally a big Jordan Peele fan. Get Out is one of my favorite movies, so maybe I just had expectations that were too high. Generally speaking, I did not find the moving exciting or thrilling. The cloud (or whatever it was, which I think is telling how unmemorable it was) was not scary or even visually interesting. The best part of Nope is Keke Palmer’s performance, but I would not have expected anything else since 2022 is the year of Keke Palmer.

RAWR: Normal Gossip Podcast

I had a coworker recommend this podcast to me early in the summer and it single-handedly got me through some of my work shifts. If you are someone who loves tea, especially random bits of hot goss in which you have no connection to, then this is the podcast for you. There were many times I had to pause and replay parts of an episode just to make sure I heard the whole story correctly. Even if you’re not a podcast person, I think you should give it a listen because it feels less like a podcast and more like you’re shooting the sh!t with a friend.

NAUR: Too Many Interviewers on TikTok

Okay, this may be very niche and I admit that I do enjoy some interviewers on TikTok, but we need to stop the epidemic that is white men who do random interviews with strangers and use their phone as microphones. I think the best way I can explain why they're a naur is because they emulate the same energy as people who when asked how they’re doing respond with, “living the dream.” If you drew a venn diagram with these interviewers and the living the dream folks, my hypothesis is that there would be a big circle of overlap.

The reason so many of these interviewers irk me is because they often have a sense of entitlement or superiority. There’s something about someone saying “smash or pass me” that’s just SO pick me. It often almost seems like the interviewers are purposefully trying to mock or make fun of the interviewees. Sometimes this can be funny, but often there’s power dynamics involved that just make me feel uncomfortable.

RAWR: Gaga’s Chromatica Ball

Lady Gaga The Chromatica Ball Tour - Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - JULY 21: (Exclusive Coverage) Lady Gaga performs on stage during The Chromatica Ball Summer Stadium Tour at Friends Arena on July 21, 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)

Gaga’s highly anticipated tour gave what needed to be given.

Everytime she yelled “PUT YOUR F****** HANDS UP,” my hands were up. I think overall the experience was so funny because the TikToks I saw before the show about the bathrooms killed me. (As an aside: you know you’re at a Gaga concert when all the stalls in the men’s restroom are being used for people to pee, HAHAHA.) Also, at one point Gaga said something along the lines of “there are some people in life who only wanna be around for the good times'' and the person next to me said to the person they were with, “oh, that’s you!” and I almost screamed. Seeing clips from later shows where security guards escorted a drag queen because they thought she was actually Gaga and the crowd at the last show singing rain on me followed by the loudest thunder ever made me tee-hee-hee.

RAWR XD: BEYONCÉ’S RENAISSANCE

Saving the best for last, obviously. While my rawr and naur ratio is now off, I am giving Beyoncé the very exclusive RAWR XD of the summer because Beyoncé’s Renaissance album is honestly life changing. I have been CRAVING an absolute no-skip, dance the haus down boots album for years now (that also has some powerful messages & sentimental value). And Beyoncé DELIVERED. She more than delivered actually, she devoured. In fact, I’ll bite: Renaissance is the best album I have heard in years. If she does not win every award she is eligible for, the Twitter streets better prepare themselves (jk). Also, when she announces that tour… goodbye bank account, it’s been nice knowing you.

94th Annual Academy Awards - Show

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 27: In this handout photo provided by A.M.P.A.S., Beyoncé performs during the ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® on Sunday, March 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mason Poole/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)

In case you are unaware, you may be asking why is this album so good? First, have you heard “Alien Superstar”? It is so dynamic and experimental, I can no longer say the word *UNIQUE* (now you understand my earlier reference lol) the same anymore and whenever she starts saying “I’m too classy to be touched,” I can not help but throw my hands in the air. Second, the lyrics are just immaculate. All the colors Bey lists in “Cozy” form the pride flag, “voting out 45, don’t get out of line” in “Energy” is perfection, and “only the radio can play me” in “Heated”… like, come on.

Moreover, the vocals are heaven. For example, the ending of “Plastic of the Sofa” is just delicioso. The transitions are also seamless and make the album feel cohesive. In summary, I just do not understand the people saying “this album just isn’t for me,” like you’re telling me you can sit still when you hear “drop it like a thotty” in “Church Girl”, or  “ass gettin’ bigga… he thought he was loving me good, I told him, ‘go harder’” in “Thique”, or “boy you can’t get no higher than this, NO!” in “America Has a Problem”, or the entirety of PURE/HONEY with its ballroom and vogue influences … The best way I can describe this album is simply an EXPERIENCE. I am truly transported to a new dimension when the album comes on. I’ve always liked Beyoncé, but Renaissance has made me a beyhive member. ✧