One of the saddest 14 minutes of music I have listened to is “21 Chump Street” by Lin Manuel Miranda. This short musical cast recording tells the story of Operation D-Minus, a real police investigation that was showcased in “This American Life.” Grade A student Justin LeBoy falls in love with an undercover officer at his school and is willing to do anything for her. Over the course of the show, he makes an “irreversibly bad decision” that made me question what we do for love, and for justice. Find a video of the show on Youtube or listen to it on Spotify or Apple Music.
Pikes Pick: A musical look at a real-life drama
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2016 file photo, Lin-Manuel Miranda arrives at the 2016 Governors Awards in Los Angeles. Miranda and Thomas Kail will help choose the first recipient of the Wesleyan University Hamilton Prize for Creativity, which was announced in June. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Kate Powell
Kate Powell is a recent graduate from the University of Denver, having studied Journalism and Socio-Legal Studies. She self identifies as a writer and a pet mom, and joined the Gazette Features staff in 2019.