)ber 15;
Wednesday • October 15, 1997
L The Battalion
IFESTYLES
)men re,
school sp:
of the trail
e forbidi:
d to
puitarist Eric Johnson
erfects his music
By Rhonda Reinhart
Staff writer
ric Johnson is a poet, but his
pen is a guitar. The lofty lan
guage and flowery similes are
replaced with the passionate elec-
■cal sounds of a guitar hero.
I Johnson has been Guitai Player
magazine’s “Best Overall” guitarist
for four years in a row, and Musi-
f: cian magazine included him in its
r Whruarv 1993 issue as one of the
atest Guitarists of the 20th
tjentu ry.”
Johnson said these titles are not
veneres cl
g a hard, ta ] <en f or granted. The Austin musi-
ges, s : Qja n strives for perfection in the
1 wait a ' recording studio and onstage,
ined episi® “Sometimes when you do a
aw girlfr project, gravity is with you, and
sometimes it’s not,” he said. “If the
, magic comes, and it’s happening,
Jl*y tOl I don’t have to be as much of a per-
fectionist.”
mmm Johnson first decided he wanted
to be a musician when he was
ORCEBAB about 15. He joined a band that
)t the rif wrote its own music, and he real-
:he testpHed that he could make this cre-
id barrier, ative outlet a career.
sdayontW “If I could do this for a living, it
historic fl would be kind of a blessing,” he said,
jet fighter® i ^ n( -* that is exactly what he did.
;nt a son Johnson’s guitar-playing career
the MojaJ
to commel
: flight.
has spanned three decades. He
has toured with B.B King and
recorded with Dweezil Zappa and
Chet Atkins.
Johnson has been on the road
for a year, and when the final leg of
this tour wraps up, he will head
back to the studio to start working
on a new album.
He said he has a lot of new songs
and some blues pieces that he plans
to include on the album. He said he
would also like to intersperse some
live tracks on the recording.
Johnson said he is constantly
working on new songs in his head.
“I always have a working satchel
of ideas, and I work on them until
they become mature,” he said.
Aside from being a creative out
let, Johnson also believes that mu
sic has a healing power.
He said music is like a great
movie, and it gives audiences a
chance to experience something
they might never experience.
“If it’s (the movie) powerful and
has a positive vibe, it can pull you
up and take you somewhere,” he
said. “Music can do the same thing.
Any kind of art has the potential to
make us aware of the deeper im
portant things, and that there’s a
thread within us all.”
Johnson’s favorite part of being a
Johnson
musician is performing.
He said playing for an audience
can be a lot of fun.
“If people enjoy it, it makes you
more into it,” he said. “You respond
off each other.”
Johnson includes a variety of
styles in his music, including pop,
jazz and blues. He is working on de
veloping his vocal abilities, and he
also plays the piano.
Johnson’s musical diversity is
also evident in the guitarists he con
siders influences. The Texas musi
cian has found influences in musi
cians from Jerry Reed to Jimi
Hendrix, and he said he likes to
keep an open mind about different
styles of music.
Johnson said being from Texas
has affected his outlook on music.
“Texas music incorporates a lot
of different styles,” he said. “And I
feel like I’m a part of it.”
Johnson will be performing
Wednesday night at Hurricane
Harry’s.
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Kiss receives the Kiss of Death
e, 845lf
Kiss The Girls
Starring Morgan Freeman and
Ashley Judd
Directed by Gary Fleder
Rated R
Playing at Hollywood 16
★ ★ 1 /2 (out of five)
A fter seeing the thriller Kiss
the Girls, I have one ques
tion to ask: how many
psychopathic killers are in this
country?
While the addiction this
[country has to such movies is
considerable (see films such as
jSeven, Copycat, and the grand
paddy of all killer thrillers, Si
lence of the Lambs), there is not
a whole lot of new stuff under
the sun since Kevin Spacey gave
Brad Pitt that nice little present
at the end of Seven.
Girls opens with Morgan Free
man playing Dr. Alex Cross, a
forensic psychologist for the Wash
ington D.C. Police Department.
Cross is the typical “Clarise Star
ling” character, nothing more,
nothing less. Cross’ niece is myste
riously abducted and he decides
he is going to help investigate.
Enter our heroine, Ashley Judd,
playing med student Kate McTler-
nan. McTiernan is another kidnap
ping victim of the mysterious psy
cho who calls himself “Casanova.”
She escapes from this Don Juan
gone bad and helps Cross’ search.
Girls is an attempt to cash in on
the thrill kill genre, just without the
kill. Based on a novel by James Pat
terson, the film is indicative of Pat
terson’s typical style. He starts with
a great premise and then drags it
Ashley Judd and Morgan Flreeman try to find a psychopathic kidnapper
named Casanova in the new film, Kiss the Girls
on for 300 pages.
For some reason, Cross and
McTiernan travel to California to
find a killer in North Carolina.
After this part of the film, the
rest of the realism in the story is
totally obliterated.
Quite often I have heard of vic
tims accompanying the police.
Yeah right.
The cast of Girls is terribly wast
ed on such drivel.
Freeman, one of the most
subtly powerful actors to grace
the screen, continues to prosti
tute his talent: After bombs such
as Moll Flanders and Chain Re
action, Freeman needs to get
back to roles such as in The
Shawshank Redemption.
Judd however has made a wise
career move with her turn in Girls.
Judd proves to be on a track for
stardom. This stepping stone role
proves that with every film she
makes, she is on the verge of great-
ness.Director Gary Fleder seems
to be trying to mix a motif of
Dracula meets Cape Fear. First
there is the dungeon — yes that’s
right, I said dungeon — Casano
va keeps his victims in is com
plete with Gothic pillar candles
with old wax layering the scene.
Then there is the little matter of
McTiernan’s house. Very few med
students I know can afford to live
in a huge house complete with de
signer couches and a complete
kitchen, all without a roommate.
In the end, Girls seems to be a
little more than a bad R.L. Stine
Goosebump’s version of Silence of
the Lambs. Somehow I don’t pic
ture Casanova, “having an old
friend for dinner.”
—Aaron Meier
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42 Domino Tournament
By Pi Sigma Epsilon
Grand Prize: $400 Free Air Fare from Continental
Door Prizes
Date: Saturday, October 18 th
Cost: $30/Team, $20/Person
(Includes: Double Daves Pizza, T-Shirt,
Entry to the concert followins the tournament)
Sign-up at: MSC, Wehner & MSC Box Office
Aggiebucks & Credit Cards Accepted
Call Courtney 693-5974 for Info.
How Would
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Take a 3-hour MCAT exam, proctored like the real test.
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Saturday, October 25 th • TAMU
Call today to reserve your seat!
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a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges
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and find out!
Take a 3-hour CPA exam, proctored like the real test.
Receive individual feedback. Get strategies that will help you pass the real exam.
Saturday, October 25 th • TAMU
Call today to reserve your seat!
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1998 Ski Package, March 14-18
4 Nights at Silvercreek Colorado
$449 00 Package Includes:
• Roundtrip Air from Houston Intercontinental
Airport to Denver Airport - On Continental Airlines
• Roundtrip Transfers to and from Ski area
• Hotel Accommodations at the Inn At Silvercreek
for 4 nights
• 3 day lift tickets to ski in Silvercreek (Option to Ski in
Winter Park for an additional $6.00 a day more.)
• 3 day ski rental to be used either in Silvercreek or Winter Park
• Insurance
• Deposit Due By - October 27, 1997
For more information call: Travel Designers 696-9229 or
Aggieland Super Travel 846-1 702,
The Travel Company 696-9774
Law School
Caravan
MSC Flag Room
Thursday, October 16 l
11 am to 3 pm
Over 83 of the nation’s top law schools will stop in
Aggieland on Thursday. Whether you are a fish or an
Old Ag, these directors and deans have applications,
advice and information for you! Don’t miss this event!
For more information, contact the Office of
Professional School Advising at ksevem@tamu.edu or
847-8938.
Investing in Success
The MSC Executive Lecture Series
Presents:
Michael ].C. Roth
President and CEO
USAA Investment Management Company
USAA
Wednesday, October 15th
MSC 206
7:30 PM
Free Admission
Reception to follow in the Forsyth Gallery
Produced by
Mountain Top Productions
Written by
Celeste Bedford Walker
Presented by
MSC Black Awareness Comm. &
Texas A&MUniu. Corps of Cadets
Ini JM 3 Mjfiii JjiijjfjjjijUijjj UJ3u;5'J
!M iil3 jjJuU L)!j ilainfllil ill
littp://bac.tamu.edu/camplogan.litml
For more information please contact the MSC Black Awareness Comm, at (409) 845-1515
Date: October 15
Time: 7 PM
Place: Rudder Theater
Q) MSIME
mmiwm @
Tickets arc now ON SALE in the MSC llox
Office located in the Rudder Complex.
j.lI
Trl
Persons with disabililies please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request three (3)
working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities.
Bivm I- Howell I'M?