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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1996)
larch 20,19% nat nputen ;r on the stil us are higher, ersions of the ately after the je will receive to four- to sil •GRE. ; process could dditional fees, mat can accel- aid. “Anything >f scores would not received ine if the com format. WEDNESDAY March 20, 1996 er on the that if er stu- MACKENZ1E gy graduate ai\w ,or of graduate ional company nd career ser- fferent method paper because n. Students are and their an- liable. \f begun imple he new testing the computer- 'tware prepara- ay seem like i us it’s just an- elopment that oxicated v motorist was ar- ed to the Brazos rtorist was arresled ie Brazos County n intoxicated mo ld incarcerated in - An intoxicj/ed and incarcerated ail. n intoxicated mo ld incarcerated in m intoxicated mo ld incarcerated in t - An intoxicated 1 and incarcerated thal Meat Scienct witnesses report- male holding ale- I. The responding ; subjects on the the building. The rquainted, did not sponse to a report i the fourth floor, ficer encountered e mark on his nd suspect were d the altercation hing match. The when he put the ock. Neither ict by Exposure Two subjects were i a parked vehicle. The Battalion GGIE Dave House, The Battalion "Flags and Banners: A Hundred Years of Student's Movements in China," by artist Xiaoze Xie, is on display in 1 20 Langford Architecture Center. An artistic history of protest Chinese artist combines history and art in ‘Flags and Banners' By Wes Swift The Battalion T he visages of protesters line the canvas, covering roads and buildings. Soldiers and civilians alike litter the space like army ants, while a large, flowing banner cuts through the air like a broadsword. This is “Flags and Banners: A Hundred Years of Student’s Movements in China” by Chinese artist Xiaoze Xie (pronounced Shoutza See-ay). The artwork, a series of large oil-on-canvas paintings, is on display with two other Xie works in 120 Langford Architecture Center. Another exhibit by Xie, “Chinese Library Series,” is on display at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley Local Color Gallery. “Flags and Banners” traces the history of student protest in China. Composed of nine panels, six of which are on exhibit at A&M, the work is filled with scenes of rallies, soldiers and flags that have marked the turbulent history of China, from the “Cultural Revolution” in the 1960s to the 1989 democracy movement and the Tienan- men Square massacre. The works are based in part on Xie’s own personal experiences in China. Xie said he remembers the 1989 protest vivid ly and the impact it had on him. “There was this kind of energy there,” Xie said. “The conflict that the people of that generation experienced. It was powerful.” Xie said those emotions are hard to bal ance in a painting with the different artis tic elements of each piece. “The question I always have to answer is, ‘How can I unify all the elements in a piece and create a delicate line between balance and variety?’” he said. Critics say Xie has indeed reached that line. His work has been lauded by Dallas art critic Wade Wilson for his “astute vi sion” and “highly developed and thought ful painting process and style.” “Flags and Banners” is painted using only black, white and gray with splashes of red. The paintings give the impression of photographs, not surprising since parts of the works were drawn from his torical photographs. Xie’s own artistic history began as a small child, when he discovered a love for drawing. Art, Xie found, was the only pursuit that interested him and could hold his attention. He became a professional artist in 1988, a year before the democracy movement and the Tienanmen Square massacre. Xie left China for the United States in 1992, searching for economic, social and artistic freedom. He earned a master’s degree in fine arts from the Central Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. The contrast between China and the United States, Xie said, is as stark as night and day. “I really enjoy the freedom of expres sion for the artist here,” he said. “The free dom is very refreshing.” Two other pieces accompany “Flags and Banners” at the exhibit on campus. “Unti tled,” a series of liquid light on sheet met al, depicts a Nazi flag in different posi tions flowing in the air. The third piece, “1949 or Dawn,” an oil and polyurethane painting on wood, close ly resembles “Flags and Banners,” with a flag taking up a lion’s share of the paint ing in white and black hues with heavy doses of red. With the powerful subject material Xie draws from, some viewers might expect that the artist is commenting on the struggle of protesters in his homeland. Xie, however, is quick to point out his works are historical paintings, not politi cal, and that he is not trying to pull a cer tain reaction from an audience. “It’s hard for me to say what people see in my work,” Xie said. “I think it depends on each piece. I think it also depends on each different individual.” Xie is equally reluctant to label his style, instead preferring to say each work takes on a style of its own. “I don’t think I can say that as an artist I have one set style,” he said. “In each work, I try to achieve a different ef fect. I don’t use the same style for differ ent pieces.” Night News Ewitf ife Editor -ports Editor ) Editor :h, Graphics Eurtoi hics Editor nela Benson, Elea:* 1 • Pace, Danielle PiA a Wiggins ?arry, Kristina Buffc r, lames ETancis, lii* k Alex Walters; PrS ephanie Chrislopi* 1 - :.ner: Jody Holley / axter, Rod Clark, Eri< , Elaine Mejia, Cl*!* & Kieran Watson ry Angkriwan, Cory Willis & Ei Deluca, )ody Hoi?- ohn Lemons, lennili , j rd & Chris Yung iy, Mandy Cater, as A&M Universiiyl] ; of Journalism, one: 845-3313; r endorsement by g, call 845-2696. in 015 Reed Md day. Fax: 845-2671 student to pick up a er, $40 per school f ■r or American Exp 1 ^ Friday during the l! j ae summer session* .&M University. raid Building, Texa*' oonliam draws from Zeppelin influence for musical style By John LeBas The Battalion Bonham A s the son of legendary Led Zep pelin drummer John Bonham, five-year-old Jason Bonham was often asked to impress his fa ther’s friends with his youthful per cussive abilities on the drums. “Sometimes, I would be woken up at two o’clock in the morning to come down and play that scaled- down kit,” Bonham said in a press release. “The audiences ranged from family friends to the biggest names in rock of that period.” Years later, Bonham is still play ing, but now for people who come to see his band play. He has come into his own right as an accomplished mu sician, and his current touring act. The Jason Bonham Band, is playing tonight at The Tap. Bonham decided to pursue a drum ming career while still a teenager. “It was a year after my father died when I decided to play drums,” he said. The elder Bonham taught his son how to play, and Jason Bon ham felt the personal effects of his father’s legacy. “After he died, I didn’t know what to do,” Bonham said. “I knew that I wanted to be like him. When some thing important to you is taken away, you want to replace it.” And so Bonham launched a pro fessional drumming career. He first recorded at the age of 17 with his band Air Race,and toured separately with Queen and Def Leppard. Bonham said he loved the excite ment of touring and playing live. “It just felt fantastic to play those big arenas,” he said. In 1988, Bonham sat in at his fa ther’s place as drummer for a Led Zeppelin reunion at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary party. He impressed bassist John Paul Jones with his playing ability. “It was uncanny. Jason had every nuance of his father’s approach to the group’s music,” Jones said in a press release. “It was though we had played together for years.” After that performance, Bonham played on Outrider, a 1989 album by Zeppelin vocalist Jimmy Page. That same year marked Bonham’s first solo effort, as well. “After the Atlantic 40th,” he said, “I got an offer to do an album, and I got Bonham (the band) together.” In 1990, he recorded his debut al bum, The Disregard of Time Keeping, which earned gold-record recognition. “It was nice to be established,” Bon ham said. “I was getting more recog nized as a musician in my own right.” Despite the commercial success of the album, extensive touring gave birth to a destructive stress on the band. “We took the next two and a half years to work on a new album,” Bon ham said, “and got a little big-headed.” In 1993, Bonham recorded Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters with Paul Rodgers, Slash, Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, Ritchie Sambora, Brian Setzer and other ac complished musicians. Then at Led Zeppelin’s 1995 Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction cere mony, Bonham again joined the group for a reunion performance. “Then about a year ago, I began getting together new material with the old bassist from Bonham,” Bon ham said. The band recruited a new gui tarist and a new singer, and The Ja son Bonham Band was bom. The band plays original music, collaborations of his with Paul Rodgers and Slash, and, of course. Led Zeppelin songs. “It’s a joy for me to be able to play a substantial number of these songs at every date,” Bonham said. After this tour, The Jason Bonham band will record the new material and hit the road again next year. Until then, Bonham will be awaiting the ar rival of his next baby and continue to do what he loves — play music. “It’s a great way to make a living and enjoy yourself at the same time,” he said. “If I wasn’t playing drums for a living, I’d still be doing it anyway.” Page 3 entertainment GLANCE jackson gets royal sponsor for world tour PARIS (AP) — The king of pop and a prince of Saudi Arabia are set- ting up their own realm. Michael Jackson and Prince Al- waleed Bin Talal Bin Ab- dulaziz Al Saud said Tuesday they're form ing a venture called King dom Enter- Jackson tainment to develop a va riety of entertainment activities. Financial details weren't released. The name comes from a world wide string of "Kingdom” entities through which Prince Alwaleed has invested in banks, theme parks and other ventures. Kingdom Entertainment will pursue activities including anima tion, theme parks, theme restau rants, TV programming and mo tion pictures. Its first project will be to sponsor Jackson's H/Sfory world tour. Grammy Awards return to New York NEW YORK (AP) — The Gram my Awards are returning to New York in a big way. Officials said Tuesday that next year's show will be held in the 20,000-seat Madi son Square Garden, where even people who aren't anybody might get in. The return to the Big Apple comes after two years in Los Ange les, and is a victory for Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who traded barbs last year with his L.A. coun terpart, Richard Riordan, over wmch city should host the awards. "We're very, very happy that the Grammys are coming home to New York again," Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. "There really is no other city, at least in America, that can celebrate a show like this quite the way that New York can." Since 1978, the show has been held at either the 6,000-seat Radio City Music Elall in Manhattan or the 6,300-seat Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Michael Greene, head of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, had said his group was looking for larger venues where the general public could join indus try people at the shows. Giuliani said it's his understand ing that Grammy officials intend to alternate shows each year between New York and Los Angeles. Riordan said his East Coast counterpart "thinks all great singing ended with Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald and has never heard of Guns 'N' Roses or Sheryl Crow." Giuliani responded by promis ing to bring the Oscars to New York as well. Sarandon finds new cause to fight racism NEW YORK (AP) — Susan Sarandon says her latest cause gets to the root of what's wrong with America. The actress and longtime social activist has donated $10,000 to the Wi11 iam Moses Kun- stler Fund for Racial Justice, established as a memorial to the late civil rights lawyer. "Racism is the underlying disease weakening this country," Sarandon said in an interview published Tuesday in The New York Times. Sarandon earned the money last week for a speaking engage ment at Loyola University in New Orleans, where she appeared with Sister Helen Prejean, the nun she plays in the movie Dead Man Walking. The Kunstler Fund will be used to hire lawyers for cases involving racial justice and to create an edu cational program called "Put the Spotlight on Racism." The fund is based at the Center for Constitutional Rights in Man hattan. Kunstler, who died on Sept. 4, was one of its founders. Sarandon
