Ashbery Honored

After months puzzling over the literal meaning and possible implications of Fat Joe’s “I make it rain,” mtvU fans are moving on to even more challenging artists. John Ashbery, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, a MacArthur Fellowship and numerous other prizes, has finally gained the prestigious title of “mtvU Poet Laureate.” Selections of his poems appear in commercials as well as the online site. According to the New York Times, mtvU worked with Ashbery’s business manager to pick the most “catchy” lines. Apparently, the verses that resonated most with the youth were ones with “sort of raunchy references,” Kermani said.