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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1989)
Thursday, September 14,1989 The Battalion Page 13 )MA$ wcT G EM- mugs SUPERCUTS The Nation’s #1 Hair Styling Salon Now open in Culpepper Plaza! Supercut - $8 • Students & Professors with I.D.-$7 • Children 13 and under-$6 Introductory Offer for Texas A&M Students & Faculty Bennigan’s Texas Ave. Supercuts | Safeway $2.00 Harvey Rd. Mon.-Fri. 9-9 Sat. 9-8 Sun. 10-6 A Regular $8.00 Supercut with this coupon Expires Oct. 8,1989 CALL 696-1155 1519 S. Texas (Between Bennigans and Cowhop Junction) - Culpepper Plaza Jr, ! Free Introductory Lesson POWER READING • cut your reading time to a third. • increase your speed and comprehension • money back guaranteed course Thursday, Sept. 14 In Rm 402 Rudder 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. (Choose any one 1 hour class) For information phone 713-320-9671 Bryan $12^' College Station 822-1042 693-2627 JIM BEAM $13" 1.751 BACARDI RUM Amber it Silver 99 1.751 SMIRNOFF VODKA 80‘ $14" 1.751 SEAGRAM S WINE COOLERS ;9 4 pak All Flavors ISLAND TROPICS • NATURAL PEACH • GOLDEN WINE COOLER NATURAL CITRUS • ORIGINAL WILD BERRIES • EXTRA • LIMEMIST MILWAUKEE’S BEST $3 29 12 Pak I IjiSlj! Cash and checks only on sale items. Thurs.-Sat. Call battalion Classified 845-2611 If you don’t have cable, don’t turn on your TV set A new show will debut tonight that has made me realize that if you live in the Bryan-College Station and don’t have cable television, you might as well leave your television set turned off. The name of the program is “Rol- lergames,” and it will premiere at 8 tonight on local channel 28, which is the same thing as KWKT, channel 44 out of Waco. “Rollergames” seems to be trying to revive that sport of “Laverne & Shirley” mentality called roller derby. Only the ’80s version, thanks to the influence of wholesome enter tainment such as “Rambo” and “The A-Team,” features beefed-up vio lence and even the possibility of (gasp) death. Isn’t that what the television audi ence wants to see? It must be, because the “Rollerga mes” competitors are dressed in fla shy “Mad-Max”-style costumes and grunt and roar as prolifically as any World Wrestling Federation wres tler. They even must face utter doom at the hands of the roller derby track, which looks surprisingly like the “Star Search” set and fea tures the horrific “Wall of Death” and the nightmarish alligator pit. Tied in to all this excitement, in some bizarre way, is rock ’n’ roll, prompting the slogan, “Rock and ‘Rollergames.’ ” And all this information is con veyed in the program’s commercial — just imagine what sights you will see if you make through all two hours of fun and frolic. Right. The only fate I can think of worse than watching the show is hav f#t9( Chuck -I.. «= " Lovejoy Assistant Lifestyles Editor ing to stand less than four feet from the show’s “stars.” But I can’t decide which to be more frustrated about — the fact that such a useless show even exists, or the fact that the the Bryan-Col lege Station (non-cable) television market is a desert. And a desert it is — bone-dry and lifeless. In fact, the most entertaining channel we can receive in this area is KWKT — which, if you’ll recall, is a Waco television station. The independent channel distin guishes itself by being our local FOX network, bringing us such deli ciously trashy fare such as “Married . . . With Children” and other solid shows, including “21 Jumpstreet” and “The Tracey Ullman Show.” Their weekend movie matinees are also something to brag about. KWKT does have its faults, though, as it broadcasts reruns of “Silver Spoons” and “The Facts of Life” (not to mention airing “Roller- games”). The only other alternatives for the non-privileged couch potatoes of Aggieland are KBTX (channel 3) and KAMU (channel 15), although when Mercury is in line with Saturn or Scopio is in the fouth house of Aquarius, you can pick up a few Houston stations — but just barely. And that leaves plenty to be de sired. KBTX, a CBS affiliate, distin guishes itself by re-running episodes of “Night Court,” “Family Ties” and “The Cosby Show” on weekdays. Not that I can’t handle the reruns* I just can’t handle the re-reruns. For instance, there is one episode of “Night Court” in which Judge Stone falls in love with a witch. I swear I must have seen this partic ular episode three times this year, There is also the “Cosby Show” epi sode in which Rudy finds a snake in the basement, at least for the second (maybe third) time since January. And don’t think I am. slamming channel 3 as a whole — it was de clared Texas’ United Press Interna tional Station of the Year for 1988. But that accomplishment is mainly for news reporting — not for pro gramming. Then there’s A&M’s own KAMU, College Station public channel. I must admit they do a nice job, espe cially with the local “15 Magazine,” but there is only so much of “This Old House” or so many of “The Fru gal Gourmet” ’s vegetable jokes that I can stand. We need variety! We want inter esting programs! We want our MTV! Then again, I guess we could al ways forget television and study. Nah. '* Rolling Stones, Strait albums among latest musical releases By John Righter Of The Battalion Staff The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Columbia In what could be a last hurrah. Steel Wheels show cases one of the Rolling Stone’s best efforts in recent years. The album is more focused, reverting to a clearer, straightforward sound than the funkier, more soulful 1980s releases Emotional Rescue and Dirty Work, and tpiite honestly, Keith Richards sounds damn good, both singing and playing. Unfortunately, The Rolling Stones have a legacy to respond to, and unless you are completely blind with Stones mania, you have to feel let down. The album is not a bad album; it’s simply OK. “Mixed Emotions,” the album’s first single, is already an airplay hit, and one of the best “Glimmer Twin” (Jagger/Richards) pieces since Exile On Main Street was released. Three songs later, “Hold On To Your Hat,” is a raunchy rocker that has Jagger screaming over the recklessness of a friend. “Get out of the madhou- se/You’re getting loaded/I’ve had it all up to here.” And Richards’ “Slipping Away” is a moving ballad that ends Steel Wheels on a high note. “Here comes just another day/That’s drifting away/Every time I draw a breath/It’s dying away.” The rest of the album, though, kind of just sits there. “Rock and a Hard Place” is a rehash of “One Hit (To the Body)” with new lyrics. “Break The Spell” and “Hearts For Sale” lack the vitality that works so well in the harder hitting “Mixed Emotions” and “Hold On.” And “Continental Drift,” complete with African tempo, winds out way beyond its welcome. To put it in simpler terms, if you are a Stones faith ful, you certainly won’t be disappointed. I would gladly listen to this over Dirty Work or Emotional Rescue, and at times Steel Wheels is pretty good. But, it is hard to accept “OK” or “pretty good” from a band that is re sponsible for such classic albums as Let It Bleed and Exile On Main Street. George Strait Beyond The Blue Neon MCA There is no easy way around this one. It’s not that I don’t admire George Strait’s success, or acknowledge that he’s got a damn good voice, or even wish that I had all those women drooling over my behind. It’s just that I have a hard time with singers that don’t (or can’t) write their own songs, and don’t play any in struments on their albums (though Strait does play gui tar in concert). I can’t help but think that they must feel very detached from their music, at least in the studio. This has been a constant criticism of mine with Strait and once again not a single song credit bares the signa ture of Gourgeous George. Beyond The Blue Neon, the latest RCA release for Strait and company, is a very safe, consistent album. It’s his usual mix of catchy loops (“Hollywood Squares”) and barroom blues (“Angel, Angelina”) penned by a va riety of country authors. Apparently Strait and country fans are perfectly con tent with this stagnant relationship. Beyond moves very slowly, increasing in tempo on a few rare occasions, such as “What’s Going On In The World” and “Holly wood Squares,” but mostly showcases Straits indelible serenades of heartache and heartbreak. Beyond The Blue Neon will neither amaze nor disap point loyal Strait fans. It’s a predictable album, from a predictable industry, with amazingly predictable re sults. Special thanks to Record Bar at Post Oak Mall for use of The Rolling Stone’s Steel Wheels and George Strait’s Beyond The Blue Neon. Party (Continued from page 11) Station and The Hall of Fame. (Sorry cowboys, Coty’s lasted for all of about two months.) Graham’s most enviable asset is its parking lot, which even dwarfs the Zachry staff lot in comparison. Gra ham’s biggest problem is the number of patrons who come to the door without their T.D.L.s (yep, even 18- year-olds need them) and then have to jump back in their pick-up trucks to retrieve them. The Hall of Fame, having risen from its fiery grave, is for serious buckaroos only. Weekend Warriors who put on the pseudo-boots for fun can find themselves in pretty deep cow patties if they mosey into the path of an ongoing cotton-eyed-joe dance. The Multiple Personality Partier Floats from Zephyr’s to Graham’s to Carney’s so fast that the ink on their right hand looks only slightly more intelligble than that of the on- campus shuttle route. Where should they go? The latest hot spot in town — Sneakers. Located in the old Cashion Cain building on Harvey Road, the new est nightclub offers something for just about everyone. It’s amiable at mosphere, with no cover charge (whoop), should be a big draw in the near future. Besides its dance floor, pool tables, lunch specials and cozy corners. Sneakers has volleyball tournaments that literally brought the stands down on its first Sunday debut. If you happened to see some of the players, you might know why. The Avante-Garde Anarchist These are easy to spot, unless of course you are looking for them at night, in which case they are impos sible to see because they are wearing all black. These streamlined stu dents, who probably even surprised themselves by going to a school like A&M, are usually from Texas met- roplexes and wouldn’t be caught dead in the Chicken. Located on Harvey Road, about 500 feet from Zephyr’s, the Parthenon draws a loyal crowd with its video screens, fog-filled dance floors, and a music play list so random that some of the DJs don’t even know what’s going on. Where can they be found? The Parthenon. Located on Harvey Road, about 500 feet from Zephyr’s, the Parthe non draws a loyal crowd with its vi deo screens, fog-filled dance floors, and a music play list so random that some of the DJs don’t even know what’s going on. To the Parthenon’s credit, it pulls some of the best live acts in town. Some of its recent art ists: Charlie Sexton, Joe “King” Car rasco, and the Killer Bees. The Loyal Ag With the possible exception of the eclectics above, the loyal Ag is all over campus, and by 4 p.m. on Fri day afternoon, is located 50 feet north of Moses Hall. Where can they be found (if you haven’t already guessed)? The Dixie Chicken or Duddley’s Draw. Some caution should be used in spotting these students, however. Many of the patrons inside are only pseudo-students and are actually graduates of Class of ’49 who are liv^ ing out a Friday fantasy that their ring was dropped in the pitcher five minutes and not fifty years ago. However, these revelers should be looked upon with some benevolence just in case they posess your resume come May. Instead, extreme alarm should be placed on the participants seen spill ing onto University Drive, who are actually not A&M related at all, but have been found to be the under cover College Station police officers. They may be innocent enough, until you notice their steely gaze as they impatiendy wait to catch just one un suspecting biker climb onto his mo torcycle without the mandatory 50- pound helmet.