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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1995)
r ednesday • April 19, 1995 IltWfllpWS SS® . 1 j t-elife The Battalion • Page 3 Rememberin Ixhibit features campus through, student eyes By Amy Collier The Battalion "magine returning to Texas A&M after a 20-year absence to find it has completely . changed. For students in a design communication i majof. [OB ach? ng back >ed sor is a gt 1 ill that emeh suicide. >sentfe edicati jnt Coit esource hologi s : le to b i to mi ion, th f minut doner® Eddy Wylie/ The Battalion class, the preservation of campus buildings has become a reality through artistic recre ation. The results are being displayed in “Re membering A&M” in the J. Wayne Stark University Center Gallery until May 13. The exhibit features original drawings and computer models by 54 first-year architec ture students of various buildings and sculp tures around campus. Mary Saslow, professor of the class, said the exhibit is a gift from her students to the University that will benefit everyone. “What my very talented students are do ing is providing a show by students for stu dents,” Saslow said. “This is a window on to undergraduate life.” When she assigned the three-week project, Saslow said she gave her students the liberty to choose what site on campus they wanted to draw. “I said to my students, ‘Why invest all of this time and energy for three weeks of your precious life to draw a place you don’t care about?’ This is our show, done by our own talented students, with their love of our Uni versity as the subject,” she said. This is the first time the Stark Gallery has displayed work by A&M students, and Saslow said there were several reasons why she wanted this to be a first. “We needed to honor our talented stu dents,” she said. “We needed the rest of the University to know that the architecture col lege is here, and we wanted to have a show on our campus that was about our campus to attract people into the museum,” Saslow Albritton Tower portrayals by Michael architecture students in J. Wayne Stark said. Saslow said the students were brave to display their skills. “You have to see what is actually in front of you, which is not easy,” Saslow said. “The first thing I tell my students is, Tf you don’t know how to draw, then you’re in the right place.’ Before they know it, they can draw an entire place.” Chris Cashion, a sophomore environmen tal design major, has a drawing of the Eter nal Flame in the exhibition. Cashion said he drew this sculpture be cause it symbolizes what Texas A&M is all about. “It’s probably my favorite thing at A&M,” Cashion said. “To me, it’s really neat to show the traditions at A&M.” Cashion said he hopes the exhibit will broaden student’s perspectives about A&M. “Hopefully, people will be inspired and want to do more art and also see more things on campus,” Cashion said. “People will hopefully Eddy Wylie/ The Battalion Fearl (upper left) and other pieces from first-year ’s presentation of “Remembering A&M.” see all of the different views of campus.” Robert Oldfather, a sophomore environ mental design major, drew a picture of the Administration Building for the exhibit. “I like the area out there,” he said. “It’s a good place to sit and study.” Oldfather said he thinks it is fascinating to see the different interpretations of the campus. “I always appreciate what other students do, no matter what it is,” Oldfather said. “It’s always interesting to see what other people your age do.” Saslow said she has high expectations for the exhibit. “I expect to see this museum full the next time I’m here,” Saslow said. “If students don’t come for this show, then there’s no hope.” Mediocre romantic comedy revives tale of a mythical lover By Amy Collier The Battalion Don Juan DeMarco Starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway and Bob Dishy Directed by Jeremy Leven Rated PG-13 Playing at Hollywood Cinema 16 ★★★ (out of five) Life would be full of love and pleasure if it was lived like the world’s greatest lover Don Juan. Set in Queens, N.Y., Don Juan DeMarco is a romantic comedy about a 21-year-old man (Johnny Depp) who believes he is the title character but is met by opposition in today’s society. After seducing over 1,500 women, DeMarco is distraught over the loss of his one true love and feels there is no longer a reason to live. He is discovered by the police while balancing on top of a bill board high above a street. The masked, cloaked man with a raised sword tells the police he is Don Juan, and he demands to be killed in a sword fight. Dr. Jack Mickler, played by movie veteran Marlon Brando, is cho sen to be the doctor to persuade this deranged character to live. Mickler is a burned-out psychiatrist who planning on retiring. But he is intrigued by DeMarco’s case, has him committed and is al lowed to examine his new patient. During these long days, Don Juan recounts his magnificent tales of adventure and romance, slowly convincing his doctor that only the real person could recount such realistic and historical stories. Don Juan’s attitude and outlook on life slowly rubs off on Mick ler. The psychiatrist realizes how important love is and rekindles a long-lost romance with his wife, Marilyn (Faye Dunaway). The movie is light-hearted and cute, but ends up missing the point. Most of the movie is filled with scenes of Don Juan scoring with women all over the world, making it extremely repetitive. The constant flashbacks between the past and the present are tiring, and make the movie seem tedious. Saving the movie are the performances by Brando, Dunaway and Depp. They each have a great talent to play convincingly unrealis tic characters without laughing. Brando is great as a tired husband and psychiatrist. Adding to his tired look was the pound of makeup covering his face. His chem istry with Depp and Dunaway make his scenes entertaining. Although the movie is about a man who believes he is someone who no longer exists, the movie also tells the effective story of a couple who can still find love after years of marriage. Johnny Depp stars as Don Juan DeMarco (above). Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway (left) star as a mar ried couple who rediscover the meaning of romance. A. New Generation of Codntry Music editor jitor Mess*- Goad. Bart Jay jez iylor d sp« ,lidays jn 77840' asA& M the . e in O'] sr is 8^ Battal' 0 ' 1 2 cal' ip a sW,, ;0per> uil Herndon plows path to success By David Taylor The Battadon Ty Herndon What Mattered Most Epic Records ★ (out of five) Every once in a while, an artist comes on the radio who you are pretty sure to hear from again. Here is a name for you that probably fits the bill. Ty Herndon’s debut album. What Mattered Most, has just hit the stores. There is already a buzz surrounding the title track, the first single from the album. Herndon claims that his strong first effort comes from his own personal experiences. In a press release, Herndon said, “There isn’t a song on this album that I haven’t lived in some way or another.” Herndon says the title track and “Hat Full of Rain” hit especially close to home. Ty Herndon was raised in Alabama and spent time in Nashville, but like many new country artists, he came to Texas to make it big. Hern don has been playing Texas honky tonks for sev eral years while spending most of his time in Dallas. Herndon’s album includes several uptempo cuts like the Jim Croce classic "Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” “I Want My Goodbye Back,’’and “Love At 90 Miles an Hour.” Each of these are solid and well suited to Ty’s voice. Herndon’s real strength, however, is in his ballads. “What Mattered Most” only scratches the surface of his ability to convey feelings and relate them to his listeners. Such cuts as “Summer Was A Bummer,” “You Just Get One True Love,” and especially, “Heart Half Empty” are all great examples that will probably do well on country radio. Herndon has both a good voice and strong musical skills. And Herndon’s stage presence compares with Garth Brooks in his early days. Brooks revolutionized country music with his high energy concert style. Herndon is similar in his ability to get the audience involved with his emotional style. This strong performance ability, combined with Ty’s emotional voice, resulted in his being honored as the 1993 Texas Entertainer of the Year. Herndon’s story includes a lesson to ambi tious young performers. After being rejected many times in Nashville, one person went so far as to recommend, “Son, you go back to Alabama, get on your little red tractor and stay there.” Herndon decided to believe in his family rather than this cynical critic and, as a result, stuck with learning his trade. What Mattered Most is proof that this road was the correct one. Old Enough reflects real life By David Taylor The Battalion Wade Hayes Old Enough To Know Better Columbia Records ★ ★★ (out of five) If country music owes its strong appeal to the real-life stories found in its songs, Wade Hayes has a bright future. Country music demands that new talents bring their own expe riences into each song. Hayes is no exception. His unique style comes from his upbringing in a strong musical fam ily. Hayes’ father was a professional musician who played in clubs all over Oklahoma. This, combined with \| some rock and blues, makes Hayes T one of the new generation of country talent who are pushing the borders of the genre. Good music has to be matched to the voice. It naturally follows that Hayes’ strongest songs on the CD are the three written with his co-writer. Chick Rains. These in clude his first two singles and “It’s Gonna’ Take a Miracle.” Many of the other songs do not seem appropri ate to Hayes’ style. The exception being Hayes’ remake of the late Keith Whitley’s “Kentucky Bluebird,” recorded with Patty Loveless. Hayes seems to have a gift for relating to many real-life situations. For example, any senior who has gone out on Thursday despite having an exam on Friday can see themselves in “Old Enough To Know Better.” “Old enough to know better / But I’m still too young to care.” he sings. Hayes hits the rebound scene in “I’m Still Dancing With You.” He sings, “I could hold her in my arms for the rest of the night / But I’d just be leading her on.” He concludes, “Even when I’m holding someone new / I’m still dancing with you.” Country music traditional ists will appreciate Hayes’ heavy use of slide guitars, pedal steel guitars and fid dles throughout the album, not to mention his tribute to Keith Whitley. Those who enjoy “new coun will be able to hear Hayes’ rock and blues influences in songs like “Don’t Make Me Com£ to Tulsa” and “Steady as She Goes,” which was written by Brooks and Dunn. Hayes’ strong style propels Old Enough To Know Better into an album that represents a fine first effort from an artist with an extremely bright future.