The Battalion
II? ¥ IF
I. M.li i •
Page 3
Tuesday • April 8, 1997
he Boo Radleys
imitate Brit punk
By Brandon Truitt
The Battalion
ometimes it is difficult to
say what things influence
an album as it is recorded,
t the inspiration for The Boo
leys’ C’mon Kids is striking-
lear.
In the simplest words, the group
st another Bridsh pop band.
The few saving graces on the al-
come only when the band cre-
s an ambience and sound remi-
cent of Radiohead. The album’s
|nful sections come when the
id creates an irritating noise with
itruments that sounds like Oasis.
It seemed Oasis had disappeared
m the music scene for good, but
le Boo Radleys unfortunately have
■ided to recreate Oasis’ incredible
lack for purely annoying music.
JtMThe worst thing about the al-
t'bum is that the band thought they
fi: could imitate Radiohead, because
tc: it just can’t be done.
■The problem with imitating an-
|ther band is that The Boo Radleys
■i never be better than who they
■ imitating.
■ This statement almost proves
tiw|t|elf when one considers the fact
Jat the members of awful Oasis
f L and awesome Radiohead are mil
lionaires now, while The Boo
lidleys are lurking somewhere
fenind both bands with less mon-
|, less fame and a lot less talent.
I There is not even one original
sounding song on the album. There
p licks from Elton John here, Soul
lylum there and Guided By Voices
in between, but nothing that unique-
ly stands out as “The Boo Radleys.”
11 Of course imitation can lead to cre
ative genius when it is used correctly.
; The only thing that justifies giv-
ing this album two stars is the
sampled sound effects that show
I up in some of the songs.
I “Meltin’s Worm” and “Melodies
fthe Deaf (Colours for the Blind) ”
E ve quirky haunted house noises
icing in the background. The only
ison these noises are worth notic-
I * or worth any respect at all, is be-
rstif use they sound like samples from
The Boo
Radleys
C'mon Kids
Mercury
Records
★ ★
(out of five)
old ScoobyDoo cartoons.
To imitate the sounds of ghosts
off a childhood cartoon and then
lay psychedelic guitar melodies
over them seems like a fail-proof
method of song making. It is a mys
tery how any band could begin with
samples of Scooby Doo and end
making an album this bad.
Even though The Boo Radleys
send out the call C’mon Kids, the kids
aren’t listening because watching the
real ScoobyDoo is better than hear
ing some cheap imitation of it, lis
tening to Radiohead is better than
listening to a band that sounds like
it, and listening to Oasis is better
than listening to a band who is hying
to be just as bad as it.
Perhaps The Boo Radleys de
serve something for being worse
than Oasis. I can’t imagine what
sort of respect that deserves —
certainly not another star, but
maybe a Scooby Snack.
The Boo Radleys
Ut O
f th
Gay & lesbian Aggies share tales, troubles of hidden sexuality
By Melissa Price
The Battalion
he left me for another woman—next,
on Jerry Springer.”
Although outrageous stories concern
ing homosexuals and bisexuals run rampant on
daytime talk shows, such as Jerry Springer and
Jenny Jones, some gays and lesbians on the Texas
A&M campus say these shows do not paint an
accurate picture of a homosexual lifestyle. But
the struggles and triumphs of some homosexu
als searching for a haven from the harsh realities
of life are real.
Caryl, a lesbian and a se
nior psychology major,
came out to her friends less
than a month ago. Caryl
said she did not admit to
herself or others that she
was a lesbian until her
boyfriend of nine months
accused her of being at
tracted to women.
Although she had al
ways been attracted to fe
males, Caryl said she led
a heterosexual lifestyle
for 22 years because it
was the socially accept
able thing to do.
“I was always missing
something, so I kept on moving from guy to
guy, thinking I’d find ‘that something’ in the
next guy,” Caryl said. “After many failed het
erosexual relationships, I realized I had to
deal with this. I am not embarrassed to be a
lesbian — it is who I am.”
Caryl said some heterosexuals mistakenly
believe that homosexuality revolves around
sex. She said it really has nothing to do with
sex, but rather the emotional and mental
bond two people share. She said it is impor
tant to realize homosexuals are normal hu
man beings who are no different from anyone
else — except for their sexual preference.
Jacob Sterling (not his real name), a bisex-
“For those people who
think it is a choice, they
need to ask themselves
what day they decided
they were heterosexual
and how they came to
that decision.”
Dax Smith
Senior marketing major
ual and a sophomore finance major, prefers
to keep his bisexuality a secret. Sterling, who
said gays are often treated as a sub-culture in
our society, is cautious when disclosing his
sexual orientation.
“I first came out to my old roommate be
cause I thought he was my best friend and I
thought I could trust him,” Sterling said. “He
sold me out and proceeded to tell my parents I
was gay. He later told me he had secretly loved
me the whole time we had lived together.”
Dax Smith (not his real name), a senior mar
keting major, said he has known he was bisex
ual since the second grade. Smith said he was
physically attracted to
other boys, and always
felt he was different
from his classmates.
“It makes you feel
like there is something
wrong with you,”
Smith said. “I felt guilty
and ashamed and,
even though you’re
not, you feel like you’re
an outcast.”
Smith, who first dis
closed his sexuality to a
close friend in January
1995, said there is a
plethora of misconcep
tions about homosexu
als, especially for gay men. He said although
many people characterize homosexuals as
promiscuous individuals who act feminine
and come from broken homes, this is not
necessarily true.
Smith said he does not fit this gay stereotype
— he is athletic, has a deep voice and is in a
well-known fraternity. He hides his sexual ori
entation because he is afraid people will not ac
cept his lifestyle, he said.
The question of whether homosexuality is bi
ologically-based or not has divided people for
centuries. Wliile some contend that homosexu
als have a choice in whether to lead a gay lifestyle,
others insist homosexuality is biological.
But Smith said being bisexual was never a
choice for him.
“Who would wake up one morning and think, “
‘Hey, I want the whole world to hate me just be
cause I am attracted to a member of the same ,
sex?”’ Smith said. "For those people who think it
is a choice, they need to ask themselves what day
they decided they were heterosexual and how
drey came to that decision.’.’
Caryl said every homosexual has a choice'
when it comes to leading a gay lifestyle.
She said people can choose to be true to 1
themselves and live the life they know in their ^
heart to be true or choose to lie to themselves"
and be someone they are not.
Sterling said although homosexuals have
made great strides in efforts to achieve ac- ‘
ceptance, there is still a long way to go before
homosexuality is no longer perceived as
taboo. He said the gradual trend toward ac- •
cepting gays and lesbians is occurring be
cause more homosexuals are being open with
their sexuality. Many people perceive gays as
activists who are fighting for special rights
but, in actuality, homosexuals come in all
shapes and sizes and may be closer to home
than one might think, he said.
"People should realize that it’s their best
friends, neighbors and fraternity brothers,”
Sterling said. “We are not just a bunch of ac
tivist people who wear their pink triangle
shirts — we are just normal people.”
Smith said although he has received a posidve
reaction from most of the people he has come out
to, there was one instance when he was shunned.
After coming out to one of his fraternity
brothers, Smith said tfte brother was shocked
and ignored him the rest of the semester. The
following semester, the same brother called'
him and asked him out.
Caryl said she is relieved she has finally
“come out of the closet” and can be open
about her sexuality.
“I am me, finally,” Caryl said. “There are no'
more secrets to hide from myself — I am com-
pletely alive. It is my life and no one can take that'*
away from me.”
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