'. I-
tuesday, January 22, 1980
page 8
daily nebrasken
Eeedlfe wmk is scMsoplremic gemais
By Michael Zangari
In one of the more bizarre pairings of a couple of years
ago, Bob Seger and Lou Reed played within 300 yards of
each other on the same night. Omaha's rock community
turned out in force for the shows.
Seger was hot on the tail of his Night Moves LP. He
had no trouble selling out the Civic Auditorium. Some of
the spill-over crowd wandered next door to the Music
ly tense voice that quivers with an intensity one reviewer
described as "cutting with the fragile glass of genius.
Reed's lyrics dont read well on paper, but they can tear
you apart on record.
It is difficult to group Reed's albums with any sort
of continuity. If an anthology emerges from his career,
it is likely to be schizophrenic. Reed changes with every
album.
At times, he is detached enough to produce sterile
material, as well as wildy satirical songs. ,
In a fit of anger he released a double alburn of nothing
but tape hiss and grating noise as a comment on recording
companies and the rock V roll business, then sat back
and laughed as reviewers ineu iu wKv. ...........
it, then panned it. Reed's sardonic sense of humor and
honor make up the bulk of his best work.
Reed's offerings
The Transformer is not one of his better albums. It
contains lightweight songs which are pleasant and humor
ous enoui, but border on being camp and obvious. It
does contain one of the best singles of the last" 20 years
however, and Reed's only hit, "Walk on the Wild Side."
Continued on page 9
backtracks
Hall when it became obvious that Seger tickets were rarer
than teeny boppers who weren't stoned or drunk.-'
Backstage at the Music Hall, Lou Reed had worked
himself into a frenzy. His body tense with anger, he be
rated the promoters who had scheduled the shows, the
hall, his fans and the city in a clipped New York accent.
In 10 minutes the anger would spill onto the stage.
Next door, Seger egged his crowd on with practiced and
wooden excitement. It worked well enough. The crowd
moved on cue, and at the end would call Seger back for
several encores.
Encore call
Reed's crowd, somewhat dazed by the pure emotional
intensity of his performance, kept an encore call up for
nearly 10 minutes. When it seemed there was no hope
for one, Reed swaggered back and paced the length of the
stage.
Stopping abruptly and jamming his hands into his
pockets, he surveyed the audience. "Well, how about that,"
he said in wonder, and called the band back out.
It was like so much of his recording career. Placed
next to the affectations and sterility of commercial
rock 'n roll, Reed came on like a gunner. When he sur
vived, he was cynical and surprised, and vowed to do
it again.
Reed started his career writing brilliant and cutting
songs for the Velvet Underground. Songs like "Sweet
Jane" and "Heroin," both of which turned up later on his
solo Rock and Roll Animal album, touched on the deca
dence of loneliness and street life.
Glass of genius
Never a strong singer, Reed talksings in an emotional-
a Li ' y
Charles Darwin (Malcolm Stoddard), the 19th century naturalist whose observations led to present day
theories of evolution, is featured in The Voyage of Charles Darwin: The seven -part series, recounting
Darwin's journey aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, premieres on the Nebraska Educational Television Network
Sunday at 8 pjn.
Students should fight to
defeat boredom battles
By Peg SheMrick
It happens once every 27 seconds.
Someone somewhere in America is strick
en. It happens in the best of families, at the
worst of times. Suddenly, without warning,
every 27. seconds, it strikes: somebody
somewhere is bored.
Medical science can't explain it. The
cures are there, available to all, and yet this
loathsome crippler of young socialites is
reaching epidemic proportions.
Boredom is currently the ninth largest
time -killer known to humanity. (There are
statistics to back this up, but even men
tioning them raises ths boredom mortality
rate another 6J2 percent).
stages and may be curable if treated in
time. So read these Seven Early Warning
Signs of Boredom carefully. It could save
your day;
(QOflKfQOG'
. Anyone, anywhere can become its
victim. Persons living in the Midwest, parti
cularly in certain university oriented
towns, are especially susceptible to this in
sidious affliction. It preys on the lonely,
the lazy, the unchallenged. And even in
cases where a victim resorts to human
interaction, boredom can rear its ugly, con
tagious head.
No exceptions
You are bored if . . .
You are reading this newspaper during a
class in which you have decided that your
instructor reminds you of Francis the Talk
- ing Mule, and you are wondering what the
person in front of you would do if you
stuck your ball point pen in his or her left
ear.
You find yourself pondering important
questions such as: why joggers wear shorts
on top of sweat pants, what Joey Heather
ton is doing these days, and whether or not
you still have your Meet the Monhees al
bum. Bathroom tissue
You cheat yourself at solitaire and think
about Janislanalot.
like if there was a flood and the building
turned upside down and you were walking
around on the ceiling.
You have an overwhelming urge every
hour or so to call up an old flame and tell
him you never think about him any more.
You find yourself becoming engrossed
in Fantasy Island.
If you are suffering from any or all of
the above symptoms, seek help immediate
ly. You are desperately bored, and unless
something is done quickly you will lapse
into depression, and shock treatment such
as standing in the middle of O Street at 5
pjn., will be necessary.
Take action
Take action-before you find yourself
watching, with, more than casual interest
Tom Osborne Presents Highlights of the
Year's Best Instant Replay sPart II.
Even if you are not bored now, you
might be in the near future. Boredom
shows no mercy.
t ' .
ii you tor someone you love) are
bored, stoo whatever vnu ar Anina
v r t j vuig, it jruu
are doing anvthine. Run tn th
tory cafeteria and skinny dip in the soup
du jour. The temperature alone should
liven things up a bit.
Go to the nearest college newspaper
office and poll the staff about support
for LB221. Stand in a crowded theatre
lobby and begin singing "We Shall Over
come" in a loud voice.
' Must avoid
Whatever you do to combat your
boredom, there are two things you must
avoid at any cost: food and television.
A common but deadly reaction to bore
dom is to begin eating, or worse, to begin
eating in front of the television. Don't
start this vicious cycle.
A farmer in Tuscaloosa, Ala. who was
stricken with boredom while plowing,
devoured an entire field of turnips, a dozen
Twinkies and an overripe cantaloupe
before he was found six hours later, curled
in a fetal position in front of a television,
his mouth agape and his eyes glazed over
watching a GiUigan 's Island rerun.
It was not a pretty picture.
Youarenoexception.Evennow.asyou You fmd yourseif singing along with
read these words, you yourself may be or bathroorn commercials,
may become a victim of boredom. And, in
extreme cases, you may not even know it. ' . f ,
w r " Instead of listening to the person talking
to you, you are watching his or her nostrils
Boredom is easily detected in its early move and thinking about what it would be
Avoid boredom when you can, and if
you do contract the deadly malady, get
help quicklv. Mention Jan
bukeu! i m BUKtU! 1M BORED!" of a member of Y,n. a
Admitting your problem h half the battle, dom YotS Ve'fe Ida f'
uurcu, siop wnaiever you are doing, it you
ic uumg ojijruiuig. nun u me nearest
window, fling it open, and scream, "I'M
BORED! I'M BORED! IM BORED!"
Next, get out of the situation that is
boring you. Hasten to the nearest dormi-
to walte' afternoon is a terrible totoS
