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Happy Holidays from
THA DOCC POUND
November 9,1995
Senator Bob Dole
United States Senate
Washington D.C., 20510
Dear Sen. Dole,
Album Re\
Tha Docgg Pound
Dogg Food
Death Row Records
★ (out of five)
Hi Senator. I figured you were sitting around in your
mansion just looking for a new CD to put between De
La Soul and Eazy E in your "Alliums to criticize" section.
I bet you're waiting for the new Dogg Pound album to start World War III.
But calm down. Have a drink. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.
Dogg Food is not the first sign of the apocalypse, and it is not the end of the world as we know it.
Now we all know that you're not exactly a big fan of rap. Your efforts to silence the "mainstream
deviancy" of gangsta rappers are well known, and these efforts possibly even prompted Time
Warner's dumping of the rap-dominated label, Interscope Records.
We're sure we won't see you sipping coffee with Ice Cube, smoking blunts with Cypress Hill or
walking your dogs with Snoop Doggy Dogg.
But despite pressure from C. Delores Tucker, William Bennett and your bad self, rap is still alive
and well. It's not going anywhere.
Which brings us to Tha Dogg Pound. Ever since your rap tirade brigade started up in June,
speculation has run rampant about the duo's debut album.
And I'll have to agree wit'cha Senator. Dogg Food is a big disappointment. Instead of building on
their promising contributions on Snoop's "Doggy Dogg World," L)az and Kurupt rely too heavily on
the C-Funk sound of Dr. Dre.
The beats are there.
The lyrics and rhyme skills are not.
Of course, the formulated gangsta style is there. Daz and Kurupt promote themselves as the new
kingpins of misogyny, especially on the ultra-sexist "If We All F—" and "Some Bomb Azz P—y."
By subscribing to the 2 Live Crew method of treating women, they reduce the male intellect to the
lowest common denominator.
A bit tamer, but still Bob Packwood-ish is the first single, "Let's Play House." The song is perhaps
the best sounding track on Dogg Food. But that's not saying much. Even worse, the talents of Nate
Dogg and Michel'le are grossly misused on the unmelodic melodies. And the nursery rhyme
choruses miss the boat completely.
Ironically, a guest appearance by Snoop (Daz's cousin) on "Smooth" shows just how far behind
the Dogg Pound is in comparison to their mentor. Snoop's unique rhythmical drawl is a drastic
contrast to Daz and Kurupt's sleepy monotone vocals.
What is most interesting about the album is that despite the controversies surrounding its release,
it is surprisingly not as violent as expected from a gangsta rap album.
So you see Senator, there's really nothing to worry about. I doubt those evil fellows in Tha Dogg
Pound will invade your Kansan turf any time soon. Your pretentious bubble of white-bread America
probably won't be penetrated by those evil African-American males of gangsta rap.
Not yet anyway.
Best of luck in '96,
'7s
Rob Clark,
The Battalion
On the road again
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The Baitai ion
KssiS
Gwendolyn Struve,
Lalo Sanchez, a freshman mechanical engineering major, follows the A&M Motorcycle Club.
Motorcycle enthusiasts share their
hobby in new Motorcycle Club
By Amy Uptmor
The Battalion
T hey say there is a club for everyone at
A&M. And if riding around the state on a
motorcycle to unknown destinations is your
thing, then there is a motorcycle club for you.
In its first full year as an official club, its
members scoff at the idea of being A&M’s official
“motorcycle gang.”
“If you saw us, you’d see that we’re the far
thest thing from a gang,” Ronnie Hay, a senior
electrical engineering major and member of the
motorcycle club, said.
The club was organized last fall and was rec
ognized as an official university organization in
the spring. Most of the members found out about
the club through word of mouth.
The club’s activities range from meeting at
Sweet Eugene’s House of Java every Thursday to
taking rides across Texas together, including to
day’s trip to Houston for the Rice game.
The club has close to 100 members, about 40
of which are actively involved. The club also has
its own web page, which has a news group mem
bers use as a source to go on spontaneous rides.
“Sometimes we ride just to see where we can
go,” he said. “Then we find our way back.”
The club has taken road trips to small Texas
towns like Round Top, Carlos and Caldwell, and
it also rides to away games together.
“Going to away games is something we’d like
to make into an occurrence every time there’s an
away game if we could get the people together,”
he said.
Before the club leaves for the Rice game, it
will have a motorcycle show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
at Rudder Fountain. Some members will be pre
sent to talk with people about their motorcycles.
“There will be a good number of bikes out
there for people to see,” Clayton Mclnnis, presi
dent of the club and a senior business manage-
rnent major, said.
The club members have also worked as corner
workers at a motorcycle race at Texas World
Speedway.
Rick Boss, vice president of the club and a ju
nior finance major, said the job was a fund raiser
for the club, which is still in its beginning stages.
“We’re still young, but we’re trying to get a
core group of people together,” Boss said.
Mclnnis said the club would like to set its
sights on even bigger things.
“I want to see the club grow to have enough
people to make an impact,” he said. “We’re trying
to plan two big rides. There’s a Harley Davidson
Toys for Tots ride in December that some people
have shown an interest in, so we’ll see.”
Mclnnis also said he would like to see the club
participate in activities like Big Event.
The club is primarily composed of men, but
Mclnnis said many women have also joined so
they can go riding with the club.
“We call them our Aggie Bike Chicks,” he said.
The club members would like to re-establish a
Motorcycle Safety Foundation in College Station.
Boss said the foundation offers beginner’s training
courses that are required to get a motorcycle driver
license for those under 18. The course can now sub
stitute for a driving test.
"It's pretty nice to be able to leave
10 minutes before class and find a
close parking spot."
— Rick Boss
vice president of the A&M motorcycle club
“That’s something we’d like to get in the next
coming semester,” he said.
Mclnnis said the club is more about people
who like to go riding together than avid motorcy
cle collecting.
“We just got together to have other people to go
riding with,” he said. “Motorcyclists tend to be
strong individuals, but it’s good to get together with
others. We like to take off riding whenever the
weather’s good.”
Many of the members have been riding motor
cycles since they were young. Boss said he has
been riding since the age of 12. Such a young age
is not too young to start riding, since most mo
torcyclists start off riding dirt bikes and three
wheelers, Boss said.
But not everyone in the club is an experienced
motorcyclist.
Boss said some of the members do not yet have
motorcycles, or had them at one time and are hoping
to get one again. It’s not hard to wonder why some
one would want to have a motorcycle, Boss said.
“The benefit to a motorcycle is that it’s rather in
expensive compared to a car,” he said. “There’s usu
ally better parking than handicapped spots. It’s
pretty nice to be able to leave 10 minutes before
class and find a close parking spot.”
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Spirit of Aggieland inspires The Maroon Collection
By Jan Higginbotham
The Battalion
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he Aggie Spirit has inspired many people to
great works throughout the years, but now it
has inspired two artists to create an entire col
lection of works depicting Aggieland and its spirit.
The Maroon Collection, an exhibition of original
l )|)iC |^ or ks by Texas artists Tammie Bissett and Timothy
’ ! Vanya, is on display at Gallagher’s Gallery in Col
lege Station.
From images of Reveille and Bonfire to tributes to
The 8* Tie Corps of Cadets, the Aggie and and Parsons
Counted Cavalry, each work attempts to capture a
special part of the unique spirit and tradition of
sig Texas A&M.
Vanya said the camaraderie and spirit of A&M
lave been an inspiration to him.
“A&M is unique to any place I’ve ever been,” he
'aid. “My heart has just been captured by this
ichool. That innate quality that makes A&M what it
s is like the fountain that, I drink from.”
Vanya attended art slhool at the University of
Houston but said he has become a transplant Aggie.
“I had to study art at the University of Houston,”
he said, “but I came to A&M for my inspiration.”
Bissett did not attend Texas A&M, but she said
she has been caught up in the Aggie Spirit since her
husband entered school at A&M’s College of Veteri
nary Medicine two years ago. She said the school
and its students have provided an ideal subject for
her work.
“The traditions make A&M a great subject be
cause the Aggies are so supportive of the Universi
ty,” Bissett said. “That is a rare quality. You can see
it in everyone at A&M. It catches them in the heart.”
Bissett is licensed through the Norman Rockwell
foundation and is trying to bring Rockwell’s special
touch to her A&M pieces.
“I’m trying to bring the Rockwell flair and the
spirit of A&M together,” she said.
Bissett used the Rockwell flair in one of the pieces
on display at Gallagher's. “Anticipation” depicts a
member of the Corps of Cadets picturing himself in
his senior boots.
Vanya is working on a special piece depicting the
Singing Cadets. The piece attempts to show the
Singing Cadets of past and present.
“Home of the 12th Man” is a piece by Vanya
on display at Gallagher’s. The picture combines
fall and football in a special tribute to the 12th
Man, the Southwest Conference and the new Big
12 Conference.
“It’s a simple piece,” Vanya said, “but I think
there’s a lot of emotion in it.”
Kim Mallet, manager of Gallagher’s Gallery, said
the Maroon Collection has received a positive re
sponse from the community.
“The collection captures the true Spirit of Ag
gieland, and people appreciate that,” Mallet said.
James Phillips, a junior management major, said
the collection captures many of the qualities that
make A&M unique.
“The works are a special tribute to what it really
means to be an Aggie,” Phillips said. “You get a spe
cial feeling each time you look at any of the works
and realize what a wonderful school this is.”
Vanj^a and Bissett are both continuing to work
on more pieces depicting the Aggie Spirit. Vanya
Evan Zimmerman, The Battalion
Works by Texas artists Tammie Bissett and Timothy
Vanya are on display at Gallagher's Gallery.
said he has at least 15-20 drawings he would like
to do.
“I hope this is something that I’m doing when I’m
an old man,” Vanya said. “I’m just very thankful for
the opportunity to draw for A&M.”
Bissett also has several more A&M pieces in
mind for the future.
“Once it’s in your blood,” she said, “you feel like
an Aggie and get caught up in it.”