Wednesday
Page 4 • The Battalion
Aggielife
Wednesday • April 24,1996
Bryan: Theatre to open in January ‘97
Continued from Page 3
An example of the lack of
space to hold bigger bands
came two weeks ago when Deep
Blue Something had to play at
Denim and Diamonds, although
the Dixie Theatre sponsored
the show.
Bennett said they are using
the Dixie Theatre as a stepping
stone for the Queens Theatre,
and hopefully the Queens will be
able to attract larger bands.
“Right now, we are losing the
bigger shows,” Bennett said.
“Bands like Little Sister and
Ian Moore pack the places to
capacity right now, and if we
have a bigger venue, we could
get bigger shows.”
The Queens Theatre has not
been open in almost 30 years.
Bennett described it as “the
sleeping giant,” and said it will
be a $250,000 project. Bennett
and Williams are hoping to open
the theatre in January 1996,
and it will have the capacity to
hold 800 people.
“It is a basket case right
now,” Bennett said. “We have
to go in and redo basically
everything. The structure is
sound and the roof is good, but
we need a new ceiling with new
acoustic tiles.”
Perhaps one of the most
unique aspects of the theatre is
that it has a two-tier balcony
that is self-contained and can
hold 300 people.
With the same corporation
owning the three nightclubs in
downtown Bryan, Williams said
they will be able to attract dif
ferent types of music, people
and tastes.
“We will use the Queen for
bigger shows and the Dixie to
showcase new talent because
Willie (Bennett) knows so many
bands,” Williams said. “It will
help to bring more live music to
town because Willie is the king
of booking hard talent.”
The Main Street Project has
existed for five years and is in
volved with the economic devel
opment and special events in
the area.
Shannon Crockett, the Main
Street Project manager, said
revitalization has reached its
pinnacle.
She said the Carnegie Li
brary project will begin late
this summer.
“We also applied for a Sec
tion 108 loan to help restore
the LaSalle Hotel,” Crockett
said. “So the entire area will
be different.”
The project will restore the
LaSalle Hotel to 1920s style,
but it will have modern techno
logical amenities.
The Carnegie Library will
also be restored into a museum
by the Main Street Project. It is
one of the few libraries of its
kind left in Texas.
Crockett said this improve
ment, along with many others,
has already lead to increased
number of people roaming the
streets of downtown Bryan.
“This summer we will have a
Street Scraper program where
there will be more trash cans
and benches on the street,'
Crockett said. “We will also put
up new street signs at 26th
street and Main Street.
“It has raised our numbers
tremendously. The program has
been here for five years, and
now we have more of a crowd
than ever.”
Crockett said the Queens
Theatre will add nightlife to ths
area and help out other projects
at the same time.
“A lot of people in the commu
nity are helping out and reach
ing out to show what wecanot
fer,” Crockett said.
Q: Where Should You Be at 7:OOp.m. on
Wednesday, April 24th?
A: Rudder 504!
Why?
Because you can hear Debby Shaffer
speak about:
Charity Funded
Veterinary
Clinics of
England
For more information, call 845-8770 or
e-mail: ji-fellows@msc.tamu.edu
Sponsored by:
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International Awareness Fellows
Program
& Persons with disabilities please call 845-8770
to inform us of your special needs.
Nevermind the '905, the Sex Pistols are back
Remember the Sex Pistols,
that venerable menage A musi
cal genius, the group that
spawned the punk rock revolu
tion of the late ’70s?
Never mind the budget and
God save the Clintons, the Sex
Pistols are back.
This summer, the Sex Pistols
will return to the stage with its
original (pre-Sid Vicious) line up
in an all-out punk rock touring
assault on the nation. True to
their rebellious roots, the boys
refuse to rehearse before tour
ing, and this reunion will un
doubtedly carve its own niche
in evolutionary history.
But why? There will always
be a special place in my gut for
the Sex Pistols, but a bunch of
washed up punks have no busi-
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ness touring after so many years
of silence.
For one thing, it is about
time vocalist John “Johnny
Rotten” Lydon and his pals
grew up.
I’m not talking about their
poofy hair or stupid clothes.
I’m talking about their punk
rock mentality.
Rebelling against the “oppres
sive establishment” is normal as
a teenager. It’s immature and
pointless for older men to act
this way.
During a recent interview
gone bad, Lydon threatened a
smart-aleck MTV Europe re
porter with his big, bad self.
MTV represents the oppressive
establishment, Lydon said.
Yet a few years ago, a more
content Lydon hosted an alterna
tive music special on MTV. Very
punk, John. Very punk, indeed.
At this time, of course, Ly-
don’s band Public Image Limit
ed was on considerably better
footing, and he could afford to
be normal.
Now that Lydon needs money,
he’s pissed, and he publicly milks
his angst for all it is worth.
But Lydon, like his time-worn
attitude, is getting over the hill.
By definition, it would seem, he
cannot be a disaffected working-
class kid.
Middle age must be getting to
Lydon. He threatened that MTV
Europe guy when the young re
porter sarcastically speculated
that the Pistols’ summer shows
would draw mostly 40 year olds.
This is an insightful observa
tion. The familiar concert smells
of cigarettes and sweat will like
ly be overpowered by the odor of
Geritol at these shows.
But Lydon continues to try to
identify with the youth. He
claims the Pistols tour will give
our generation exposure to real
musical originality, as opposed
to “girly” bands like Rancid or
Green Day.
Lydon feels as though all
punk bands have ripped off the
Sex Pistols, and now he de
mands respect and money for
this infringement.
Lydon is hopelessly conceited
and off-base here. No matter
how many bands cite the Sex
Pistols as influences, it is proba
bly more accurate to label the
Pistols as a point of inspiration,
Most modern punk bands
have ripped off ’80s descen
dants of the early punk rock
bands, if anyone.
Lydon credits himself too
much as a revolutionary and
originator. Almost anyone can
learn three or four guitar chords,
mix them up a bit and bitch un
intelligibly about the queen.
But at least the Sex Pistols
will rake it in on this tour, and
Lydpn will have his money for
his troubles. Respect maybea
little harder to come by, at
least from me.
Lydon probably doesn’t give a
damn about me, but maybe I’ll
think of him differently in20
years when I take my kid to see
the Sex Pistols re-reunion tour.
I’m sure Lydon will beoutof
money again, and maybe then
I’ll be more willing to bank on
punk rock attitude and finance
his retirement.
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