The Battalion
LIFESTYLES
Students
find friends,
support in
12th
Man
By KRISTI LORSON
At least 86 Texas A&M students
plan to get wild this weekend in New
Orleans. Those 86 are members of
the Student Chapter of the 12th
Man Foundation.
To support the football team
when they play LSU in Baton
Rouge, two bus loads of students, in
cluding all Five yell leaders, are
headed to Fritzefs Bar on Bourbon
Street for midnight yell practice.
If they survive Bourbon Street,
the student have plans for a morn
ing trip to a plush Ramada Inn near
the Baton Rouge stadium and an
evening of (hopefully) beating the
hell outta LSU, organizer Steve Mc
Bride said.
"I think scoring on LSU is better
than scoring on t.u,” McBride said.
“We’re going to party that night un
til everyone falls asleep.”
Road trips to away games are only
one of the activities of the 12th
Man’s student chapter. A mem
bership fee of $12 lets the founda
tion provide opportunities to meet
influential people from A&M, enjoy
a fajita party with the 12th Man kick
off team and tour the football sta
dium press box.
Beginning with the “Fish Fiesta
Party” in G. Rollie White, events this
fall have already been successful,
Chapter President John Lauletta
said. The Aggie Band, mens’ basket
ball coach Kermit Davis, womens’
basketball coach Lynn Hickey and
Student Service Vice President Dr.
John Koldus entertained an enthu
siastic crowd of over 2,500 fresh
men.
The foundation also provides stu
dent support to non-profit sports
like softball and volleyball, Lauletta
said.
With a membership of over 600
students, the foundation keeps score
for the womens’ tennis team, forms
the hurdle crew during track meets,
times swim meets and helps out at
womens’ basketball games.
Leanne Parma, the director of the
12th Man swimming program said
they have made a big difference in
helping meets run smoothly.
“They used to have to pull people
out of the crowd to time meets,
which was really embarrassing to the
swim program,” she said. “Now we
have fun being down by the water
and getting splashed in the face.”
Students also get a chance to meet
athletes by participating in the pro
gram, Parma said.
“These athletes spend so much
time training and the rest of the time
studying,” she said. “This is a great
way to meet them and show them
our appreciation.”
Assistant swim team coach Jay
Holmes said the student 12th Man
program has helped both the coach
ing staff and the athletes.
“The posters they hang around
the pool let the swimmers know the
12th Man Foundation is there and
they’re supporting us,” he said. “It
also takes a lot of pressure off me to
know everything’s taken care of.”
Kevin Shireman, who started
working with the tennis team last
year through the student chapter, is
now the manager of the team.
“I enjoy being out there just to
watch the tennis,” he said. “If you
score the game as a 12th Man volun
teer, you get the best seat in the hou
se.”
Besides the Best seat hT the house
as a student, head football coach
R.C. Slocum said that by joining the
foundation as a student, you can be
gin to build up seniority in the
alumni chapter.
“Seventy-five percent of our living
graduates graduated in the last 20
years,” he said. “By joining the 12th
Man Foundation as a student, and
becoming a member of the alumni
chapter upon graduation, a person
can get in line right now for high-de-
mand ticket priorities down the
road.”
Helen Pugh, the wife of the late
national championship quarterback,
Marion Pugh, said if everyone would
join as soon as they can, they could
enjoy the benefits faster.
“We were members when it was
still called The Aggie Club, and now
I have first row, second section tick
ets,” she said.
T he student chapter has also en
tered a nationwide NCAA publicity
contest this fall in which thousands
of members formed the letters “N-
CAA” and “A&M” on Kyle Field.
Photos of the event are being com
pared to other school’s efforts to de
termine the $3000 award winner.
Another special event sponsored
by the foundation is the pre-game
“chalk talk” which alternates from
Duncan Dining Hall to Sbisa Dining
Hall every Wednesday before a
game at noon.
For 30 minutes, Slocum discusses
his game strategy for past and pre
sent football games, introduces a
varsity player from the team and an
swers questions for the audience.
The only cost is your lunch.
If meeting and working with the
big names on campus (like Halbouty
or Reed) is your goal, ask about the
12th Man Pipeline at the J2th Man
Foundation office or call director
Melody Morris at 846-8193. They
can tell you more about being a
member of one of the largest and
most spirited clubs on campus.
Photos Courtesy of Student Chapter of the 12th Man Foundatim
(Top) Members of the Student Chapter of the
12th Man Foundation spell out the letters “N-
CAA” and “A&M.” The event is part of an NCAA
publicity campaign. The school with the most
spirit will receive $3,000. (Above) The 12th Man
welcomes freshman to A&M at the Fish Fiesta
Party. The foundation wants all students to feel at
home in Aggieland.
‘Listen without prejudice’ to new release
By RUDY CORDOVA JR.
If you didn’t like Faith, you are al
most sure to enjoy Listen Without
Prejudice, Vol. 1.
That may be hard to believe, but
give George Michael a chance. His
new album spins away from the old
days of raw-singin’ and butt-shakin’.
It is a new decade, a new style and a
new George Michael. So, Listen
Without Prejudice.
For the most part, Michael has
thrown away his synthesizer on this
album. He mixes rhythm and blues,
rock’n’roll, jazz and j pop with simple
melodies. The soft strings of the pi
ano and guitar accentuate this style
along with his crisp, clear voice. With
this album, I suspect Michael is try
ing to make himself a legendary pop
star, not just “...every little hungry
schoolgirl’s pride and joy.”
Listen is Michael’s second solo re
lease. His first solo album, the
Grammy award-winning Faith, was
released in 1987 and sold 15 million
copies, making it one of the top- sell
ing albums of the decade. In 1985,
Michael had his first number- one
single with “Careless Whisper” while
he was with Wham!. He and Andrew
Ridgeley left Wham! to pursue their
own careers.
In just a few short weeks, the first
release from Listen is number 21 in
Billboard Magazines’s Hot 100.
“Praying for Time” is a song about
hopelessness. The song says that it’s
too late for us to hope that things,
meaning hunger, homelessness and
hatred, will get better.
“And it’s hard to love, there’s so
much to hate. Hanging on to hope.
When there is no hope to speak of.”
Our only solution is to pray for time.
The rest of the album brings out
some interesting points in Michael’s
life and career.
In “Freedom 90,” for example, he
explains his reasoning for this al
bum. He talks about having his free
dom from the people who have ob
viously controlled his career,
whether it be record producers or
managers. It’s time for him to make
his own decisions. He’s definitely
made some bold choices. I just hope
he sticks with them.
A song that probably hits home
for some people is “Mother’s Pride.”
This is about a mother who loses her
son to war after having lost her hus
band. It’s a wonderful song styled
with intensity. George Michael’s
voice is strong and clear, which helps
to bring out his point about war:
“And all the husbands, all the sons,
all the lovers gone. They make no
difference. No difference in the
end.”
Influences from the ’60s and ’70s
are prevelant in “Listen,” Michael
puts these influences to work will
his inspiring lyrics. He has muclil!
say about the world we live in
much to say about the world he lire
in.
T he last three songs on thealbuit
are about someone in his life. In
“Waiting,” the final song, he san
“Well there’s one year ofmylifeii
these songs. And some of them art
about you...Don’t people chanffi
here I am. Is it too late to try again!
Here 1 am.”
George Michael is definitely hen
in 1990. I suspect he’ll be here fori
long while. The follow-up, Volutt
Two, is scheduled for release nesi
June. It is supposed to contain more
dance-oriented tunes.
But for now, I’ll settle forhisne*
style. Just listen to this album anil
you’ll see what I’m talking about
And don’t forget to “Listen Without
Prejudice.”
Shelter gainspower from Krishna discipline
By JOHN RICHTER
Nothing in music makes me hap
pier than the evolution of a great
hardcore band into an even better
“alternative” band.
Ian MacKaye with Fugazi, 7Sec-
onds, Htisker Dti, Sonic Youth,
Henry Rollins, Meat Puppets, the
Replacements and countless others
have successfully disproved the no
tion that hardcore groups play hard
core out of necessity. Joe Strummer
and John Lydon had a lot more to
do with the expansion of hardcore
than William James and John Dewey
ever did, and thus teen-age angst
and uncertainty were transcribed
into three-chord blurs and vocifer
ous spiels.
... And a few even growled. Which
brings me to the latest crossover, Ray
Cappo and his new band, Shelter.
Cappo (a.k.a. Ray of Today) is the
former throat of New York’s Youth
of Today, one of the plethora of
straight-edge hardcore bands that
surfaced in the Big Apple in the
mid-’80s.
With the dismantling of Youth of
Today two years ago, Cappo pur
sued the religion and discipline of
Krishna, while other Today mem
bers formed the up-and-coming
band, Judge. Influenced by writer
and philosopher Satyaraj Das,
Cappo has focused Shelter on the
Krishna doctrine, powering his disci
pline via tape loops, varied, heavy
rhythms and his much improved vo
cals.
Shelter’s first release, Perfection
of Desire, is one of the more inter
esting albums I’ve come across.
Cappo fuses the spirituality of his
Krishna discipline with the intensity
of his hardcore Today roots. Perfec
tion is much too varied to be remo
tely considered a hardcore album
(sorry purists), but it does retain
Cappo’s aggressiveness and convic
tion (as well as an occasional growl).
comfort and equality, the happless
quest for materialism and the perfec
tion of desire.
An example precedes the song
“Shelter.”
“So everyone takes shelter in
something?” Cappo asks.
“But only a fool takes shelter in
something material,” Das explains.
“Matter is like sand running through
your fingers. It soon disappears. It’s
destined for destruction.”
Perfection contains a two-page
pullout that describes Cappo’s in
doctrination into Krishna and pro
vides a philosophical map to the al
bum. Cappo precedes each song
with a question answered by Das.
The question/answer sets the theme
for the following song, and from
there the album builds, developing
into a philosophical tale of spiritual
Das’ response is the theme of
“Shelter,” part Cappo prayer for
shelter from the pain and materia
lism (cause of his pain) and part
Krishna chant.
Following the discussion for “So
ciety Based on Bodies,” Cappo sings,
“Sexual liberation that is chaining us
down. Giving us the freedom to
spend our life chasing it around.
And the movies and the magazines
tell us we’re out of place if we don’t
have the fashion and the cash and a
pretty face.
“In my society...based on bodies,
judging bodies, killing bodies, chas
ing bodies, does anybody care?”
Cappo and Das also provide a ru
dimentary background of Krishna. I
wish I was more educated with the
Krishna religion to analyze their
precepts, but the minor insight does
help nurture Perfection's tone and
direction.
As I mentioned before, Perfection
of Desire is an unique album, con
structed as a philosophy to music.
Cappo is not the first (or last) of the
straight edgers to pursue the
Krishna discipline, as its indoctrina
tion has developed into a fad within
the straight-edge circle.
Musically, Perfection is a triumph
for Cappo. The album’s diversity
within direction, Cappo’s greatly im
proved vocal range and the intelli-
g ent use of samples and loops em-
ellish Perfection’s purpose and
originality.
inn
IIIVIII
Cappo has also successfully sepa
rated himself from Youth Of Today,
as well as added fuel to the post
hardcore fire. The hardcore spin
offs have evolved into today’s most
daring and original groups, while
maintaining the conviction and hon
esty of their roots.
My heart pounds with pride.
Central Park hosts folk fest
The 8th Annual Brazos Folk
Fest returns to College Station
Friday for a three-day stay.
The festival will be held at Col
lege Station’s Central Park at
1000 Krenek Tap Road between
Texas Ave. and Highway 6 E. By
pass.
Sponsored by the City of Col
lege Station Parks and Recreation
Department, activities range
from continuous live entertain
ment and horseback riding to a
petting zoo and children’s games.
There will also be concession
stands selling tacos, brautworst,
barbecue, soft drinks, beer and
wine coolers.
Sheila Walker, programs su
pervisor, said the festival idea
comes from the original Bohe
mian Festival started eight years
ago.
“It’s just a quality-of-life-type-
thing, to show off the parks and
the area,” she said.
Festival goers can dance under
the big tent throughout the week
end to live music by the Hall of
Fame Gang, Los Momentos, the
Brotherhood and Alpenfest.
Festival hours are:
•8 p.m. to midnight Friday,
• 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday
and
•2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Daily admission is $2 per per
son and $5 per family.
“The family price covers im
mediate family only - mom, dad
and the kids,” Walker said.
Money from the festival is de
posited into College Station’s gen
eral city fund, she said.
For more information call 764-
3486.
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