Wednesday, august 31, 1977
daily nebraskan
page 12
King of rock Yf roll
killed by America's
one-way flow of love
By Douglas R. Weil
Being a big rock V roll enthusiast I feel committed
to write about the death of the man that so many have
called "the king of rock V roll,' Elvis Presley.
But honestly 1 don't really know that much about .the
swivel-hipped truck driver-turned pop culture godmother
than the fact that he started out as a truck driver and later
became a pop culture god.
Sure 1 know some of the? songs-"Hound Dog' "Blue
Suede Shoes; "Love Me Tender," "Heartbreak Hotel",
and "Jailhouse Rock," just to name a handful.
One thing I do know about Elvis Presley is that he died
years and years ago. It wasn't an irregular heartbeat,
twisted colon, or drug abuse that drained life out of
Presley. It was America.
America kills Presley
That America killed Presley may sound extreme but it
makes sense if you give it some thought. Like so many
other pop culture heroes (Bob Dylan, Clark Gable, Roger
Maris, Judy Garland, ad infinitum), we track their every
move as if they are prized game. Magazines like Photo
play, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Time
and People are prime examples of the public's need to
gouge.
We want to know everything there is to know about
their lives, their art, their loves. What makes a good story
on this or that pop idol is the number of new things the
latest article tells us.
. And always, we demand to know more. Most times
more than we need to know. Always more than we know
about our neighbor or our best friend. To say that
journalists are to blame is far too simple. America wants
information, even if that information is the latest in
rehashed half-truths. If you doubt the truth of that state
ment just take a look at the circulation figures for
National Enquirer.
Eventually we sap every bit of identity, character and
strength from our heroes. In the end we leave them with
very little identity, just enough character to get out of bed
and not enough strength to allow them to leave the
asylum of their multi-walled mansion.
Because of love
Why do we do it? LOVE. We really do love these
people first because we admire their work, images or life
styles, usually all three.
But the root of our love lies in the fact that loving
someone we don't know allows us the comfort of know
ing we can't be hurt by them. We pry them for their
innermost feelings and thoughts yet weknow that in
order to love our hero nothing will be demanded from us
in return.
Eventually this one-way flow chart of love erodes the
hero into just another stereotype, more of an ideal than
a living and breathing human being.
And now we have Elvis, I suppose just as we want him.
Now he is just another figure in the wax museum of the
mind. Alive Presley was an idol, dead he is a myth. And
myths only are what you want them to be.
arts & entertainment
RAGUN
Lasers won ' t zap you at show
Its perfectly safe, said Jack Dunn, co-ordinator of the
Ralph Mueller Planetarium. There's no need to worry
about the planetarium program Oct. 7 and 8, even though
spectators sit in a room full of laser beams.
The laser light and sound concert, created by Lawrence
Goodridge, uses a low-power laser system.
"To my knowledge, this is the only low-power laser
light and sound system in the world, and it was designed
as such, said Goodridge, who teaches at the Art
Academy of Cincinnati,
Laser physicist James Rockwell built the laser system
for Goodridge. It uses a helium-neon laser to produce red
light and argon laser to produce blue and green light, A
four-channel tape deck controls mirrors that synchronize
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the laser display to recorded music, which ranges from
Mussorgsky to Santana. .
Goodridge said conventional laser-show systems use
complicated and expensive equipment that requires
special power supplies and water cooling. 1 lis system
needs no special hockups and fits in a station wagon.
Goodridge said he hopes planetariums will buy his
$29,000 system. The Great Plains Planetarium Association
will meet in Lincoln while the laser show is in town.
Dunn said laser shows have proved popular in cities like
Denver, where the Lasefium has had nearly 100 per cent
attendance for three years, Dunn said he hopes the laser
performance will interest people who usually ignore the
planetarium, '
Students will be admitted for $2 to one of the ten
45-minute performances, Dunn said, while general tickets
will cost $2.50, All ticket sales will be in advance, he said.
Since the planetarium seats only 100, he advised buying
tickets early,
Goodridge was trained as a painter, About eight years
ago he began making sculptures using light as a design
element. He said he became interested in laser shows while
working for a large company that put on traveling presen
.tations. He said he felt pressured to program moneymak
ing shows and had his own laser system built so he could
follow his own ideas,
"I guess I'm the only artist in the world who is indivi
dually using a (laser) system " Goodridge said,
Goodridge said that while most of the laser show is
recorded on tape, he can make changes in each per for
mance using switches and controls on a console,' making
each performance unique,
The laser show will run Oct, 7 through 9, times to be
announced.
Photo eourttsy of Ralph Mullr Planetarium
Jack Dunn, co-ordinator of the Ralph Mueller Planetarium, sits by the controls of the laser light and sound system.
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Correction
In the Monday Dailv Nebraskan Dnu-. Rttwi w..
incorrectly identified as tlw instructor for the On Vie
Sxt theatre class. Douglas Anderson, another UNL
graduate student of theatre, will be the instructor of
the class.
A salute to poets who teach in schools across the
country h the subject of the Anyone for Tennyum?
program on the Nebraska Educational Television Network
tonight at 10.
The First Poetry Quartet dedicates "Poets on Campus"
to persons who have successfully combined careers of
writing and teaching. The Quartet strolls the campus of a
typical rmJwestern university and gives an evening perfor
mance built around the words of teaching poets.
Nebraska ETV Network Program Manager Ron Hull
plays the guest dean and local actress Pat Dickeson
protrays Mrs. Fletcher, the faculty hostess. The program
was recorded on the UNL campus.
The series is produced for National Public Broadcasting
Service distribution by the Nebraska LTV Netwoik in
association with the Great Amwell Company, Inc. of New
Yoik.
The show will repeat Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m.