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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1995)
le so much... d several ol s’ excuses ws. ie United ; ignorant of did not have ailable to i helping ed the war Cohen, he Holocaust )ry that 1 can still be oxworthy brings redneck humor to B—CS ielife The Battalion • Page 3 ■ ittention cause it i e said. r > ( only Bosnia is ) w the •nment ignei s. ippening presj i is not so ,ype of hypoc 50 years ago.' y easy for gou give a damn Jy Amy Collier Ie Battalion icy 50 years 1 today.” ed student nions on lem. By Michael Landauer The Battalion Y ou might be Jeff Foxworthy if you have created a national craze of self-effacing humor born out of a redneck past... and if you’re performing at Wolf Pen Creek tomorrow night. Foxworthy, a veteran comedian from Georgia, is enjoying the success of his plat inum album. You Might Be A Redneck If... It is the first comedy album to reach that milestone in 10 years. Foxworthy has also built a cult-like fan base with his Showtime specials, books, numerous appearances on late-night talk shows, and 48 weeks of touring every year. He has gained popularity by telling sto ries about his life and his family rather than by belittling others or being crude. “Lord knows I’ve fallen on the floor laughin’ at (Sam) Kinison,” he said. “But I always thought that was the art of this thing — to be funny without being dirty.” Fox worthy quit his job at IBM and gave up a $30,000 salary to devote himself to comedy 10 years ago. He said he and his wife had no idea of what they were getting into — he just had one goal on his mind. “When I first started this, all I wanted to do was sit next to Johnny Carson,” he said. He has since appeared on the “The Tonight Show” 10 times. Increased exposure for stand-up comics on cable television has changed the way young comedians come up through the ranks. “Before cable, there were only a couple of places you could see stand-up comedy,” Foxworthy said. “When you saw someone on those shows, they were good. There’s an abundance of funny people on TV, but there are some that aren’t funny and shouldn’t be on there.” Foxworthy is trying his hand at television with his pitch to ABC for a new sitcom. The pilot was filmed Tuesday night, but Foxwor thy, who wrote much of the script, said he will not know if it will air until the middle of next month. “I thought it went great,” he said. “I told ’em, ‘Just put it after ‘Home Improvement’ and send me the check.’ I got to write a lot of it and it pretty much comes across like I do * s lH§Si C % . i "Poor ol' Aggies. Any joke that's run around other schools ends up bein' an Aggie joke. They're like the collecting point." — Jeff Foxworthy on stage.” Foxworthy said people who can laugh at themselves are happier and have more friends — and that Aggies should under stand this. “Poor ol’ Aggies,” he said. “You could take any kind of joke and turn it around and put it on a redneck or an Aggie. Ag gies have it worse than any school in the country. Any joke that’s run around other schools ends up bein’ an Aggie joke — they’re like the collecting point.” Foxworthy said he likes Aggies and Tex ans because they have a bit of a cocky atti tude about their state. “Texas realizes that if we ever break out in another war between the states, they’ll kick everyone’s ass,” he said. A good example of this attitude, Foxwor thy said, is the fact that Texans voted down a referendum that would have put the state motto, “The Friendship State,” on license plates. “That’s just a little too candy-ass for Texas,” he said. “Texas needs a license plate that says, ‘Texas — What the hell are you lookin’ at?”’ Foxworthy, who lives in California now, said he he tours so often that he has not lost touch with “the normal country.” “Everybody thinks we live a couple of blocks from the Clampitts or something, and that’s not true,” he said. “They live a few miles from our house.” Foxworthy’s appeal is not due entirely to his “redneck” humor. He said crowds can re late to his comedy, and he subscribes to his wife’s theory about his popularity. “People come out to hear the redneck stuff, but that’s not what brings ’em back,” he said. “People come up to me afterwards saying, ‘You’ve been in my house — you know my family.’” Many comedians are said to be crying be hind the laughter, but Foxworthy says this is not true of him. He said he has had a good life, and that he tries not to let things bring him down. “The world is full of such negative stuff that, if you took it all seriously, you’d be bummed out in a day,” he said. “Hell, we’re all stupid and goofy, so you just have to laugh at it.” ioone leading last song Saturday after 35 years as Singing Cadets’ director fter 35 years of hard work and dedication. Bob Boone will give his final performance as .the director of the Singing Cadets in its annu- ‘arent’s Weekend concert Saturday in Rudder lave a presU® torium at 7 p - m - nd several i«B^ oone re ti re i n August and said he still has •i mixed emotions. n to sneak > “Thirty-five years is a long time,” Boone said. 1 vou to dos a ^ Iri no ^ tired of the job, but I think it’s time to get ■ y ’ |oine new blood in here. I’m going to surely miss it. life been working for 35 years for a great institution pith terrific and very special people.” 'Gone took over as director of the Singing Cadets 960 after teaching public school in El Campo at A&M Consolidated High School. A lot has ged in the Singing Cadets in 35 years, Boone d. [Since membership in the Corps of Cadets was datory until 1965, the entire choir was com- sed of cadets when Boone took over as director, ay, out of 62 members, only three are in the |rps. [One thing that hasn’t changed is that the mem- s of the Singing Cadets still do not receive acade- The victim i annoying ne calls, ice Apartmet intoxicated nic credit for all of the time they spend practicing, victim sevfiraveling and performing, Boone said, im could notJS“The guys put in a lot of extra time to do what the subject ihey do, but they do it because they love it,” Boone ly unpluggedBd. “They don’t get a thing except the satisfaction he calls. ppm what they’re doing. That’s what makes it ex- ing for me. I don’t have to coerce people into do- something.” The Singing Cadets perform an average of 50 certs a year at functions ranging from Muster to ventions and conferences. Boone said 50 percent Itheir time is spent traveling across the country to • perform. XtlOIl ; “It seems like every year we go to a place we’ve ~~ Iver been before,” Boone said. The victim j harassing! hone calls fri asband.. Performing has been his favorite part of direct ing the Singing Cadets, Boone said “I’m a ham,” Boone said. “I love applause. When the guys get it, I think, ‘Gee, they deserve that so much for all they do.’” Boone said he has also enjoyed watching the members mature through the years and said he has always tried to influence them in a positive way. Ross Theilen, a senior agricultural engineering major and president of the Singing Cadets, said Boone has taught him a great deal during his four years of membership. “It’s like he’s taught me that it’s OK to be com passionate and to show emotion,” he said. “If you can’t show your true emotions, then you can’t per form.” Theilen said he has mixed emotions about Boone’s retirement. “I’m excited for Mr. Boone because I feel like this is the completion of a life-long project for him,” he said. “I’m also sad to see him go because the guys who join in the future won’t know him.” Jason Jones, a junior biomedical science major, has been in the Singing Cadets for three years and said he has learned valuable leadership skills from Boone. “He basically turns boys into men,” Jones said. “He’s been here 35 years and has made the organi zation what it is today.” Currently, there is a nationwide search for Boone’s replacement. Boone said he is concerned about having no control over who gets the job. “I hope that whoever takes over will continue the organizational attitude of the Singing Cadets,” Boone said. “He’s going to have to quickly learn Ag gie traditions. If he will let that guide him, it will give him some idea of where we’ve been. I hope that the same spirit that has been there will continue.” A great deal of self-satisfaction and pride have been the rewards of knowing that he has done a good job the past 35 years, Boone said. “Our job is that we are a public relations instru- ' ' j tssa { i 1 [ * # Nick Rodnicki/THE Battalion Bob Boone, director of the Singing Cadets, conducts rehearsal Thursday afternoon. ment for the University and music is our tool,” Boone said. “We feel that we’ve done a good job with that.” Boone said he will never forget his years at A&M and will still be in town watching the Singing Cadets. “It’s just been grand,” he said. “I tell everybody, T probably have the best job in the world.’ I will miss it, but I will get on with new things in my life. They will always be a part of me.” iod for the cr- ed in a stoh ednesday’s i >rrect. The?" e been a rom Septeir.- lollywood lights fade to black for weekend dance performance , Opinion ediW e editor Sports editor ts editor oto editor :ssler, Lisa Mess? ocha, Libe Go#, d Eddy Wylie, Bait opkins and Jay aert Rodriguez llefield, a, David Taylor ; the fall and 5^1 niversity holiday''! Station, TX 77W jilding, Texas AS niversity in the a I offices are in U rone number is ^ j ient by The Balia; I advertising, ca' 1 8 a.m. toSp.m- int to pick up a sl year and S50pe ,t l X Battalion File Photo Umbers of the dance troupe Fade to Black perform at Whoopstock ’95. By Amber Clark The Battalion W hat began as a trio of women expressing themselves through dance has now be come an entourage of dancers sharing a culture through movement. The dance troupe Fade to Black, which will be performing its annual spring show this week end, formed in early 1991. Natasha Hudspeth, a junior psychology major and Fade to Black’s di rector of dance, said the dancers continue to up hold their original purpose. “A group of African-American female students wanted to form a dance group to uplift the African-American spirit,” Hudspeth said. “They thought the campus could benefit from the tech niques based in primarily African dance styles.” Over the years, membership has increased to 22 women. Although dancers were originally al lowed to join the troupe without any previous training, Hudspeth said a strict auditioning process began in the fall of 1992. Hudspeth said the auditions become more stringent every year and the group is seeking dedicated individuals with artistic potential. Hudspeth said the process of selecting dancers allows the group to improve its technical and artistic skills. Holly Lee, a senior sociology major and the di rector of programming, said the dancers consid er their work both art and entertainment. Choreography is done by the dancers them selves, Lee said, and the troupe is continually trying to achieve the highest technical quality. Lee said the group choreographs new routines at the beginning of each semester, although they continue to use the old routines. Hudspeth’s po sition generally requires her to choreograph rou tines, but Lee said the other members are often asked to provide additional choreography. “We perform hip hop, tap, modern and several other dance styles,” Lee said. “We seek variety and we ask the women to contribute. We feel very confident in their ability to dance as well as choreograph routines.” Hudspeth said dancers practice three to four hour each week, and the hours are often ex tended for major performances. Each member is not required to dance at each performance, Hudspeth said, and dancers always work to gether to schedule performances around school schedules. The community has been positive in response to Fade to Black, Lee said. The group continual ly receives invitations from local organizations and they have also been invited to perform in Houston and Austin. Hudspeth said the performance scheduled for this weekend should draw a large crowd of both students and people from the community. The show, titled “Hollywood Matinee: An Afternoon of Lights, Camera and Action,” focuses on inter pretive dance using songs from movie sound tracks. “We’re using jazz and other dances with movie songs involving comedy and African- American issues,” Hudspeth said. “We re trying to focus on a lot of variety so the audience won’t get bored.” Lee said the dancers were broken in to sepa rate teams and asked to submit their own choreography. This gave room for different in terpretations and created between 10 and 12 separate original acts. Hudspeth said the show will serve as a pre-fi nal event for cultural experience and relaxation. “Some of the dances will make you think,” Hudspeth said. “But some parts of it will make you roll over laughing.”