page 8
friday, January 25, 1980
daily nebraskan
Pink Floyd breaks barriers with LP
By Casey McCabe '
Many of the bands in recent years seem
to be content staying secure in the bound
aries of musical trends, and the result is
that rock music has been, in Pete Town
shend's words, "chewing a bone'.
If there is one successful band from the
last 10 years that has refused to follow
trends, or better yet shown an actual dis
gust for the industry's traditions, it would
be Pink Floyd.
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- J
(SJU
Their latest effort, The Wall, is a some
times beautiful sometimes razor-sharp, and
often disturbing two-record concept album
that deals with alienation and being pushed
to the brink of insanity as it's never been
dealt with before. It's not as if composers
have avoided the subject. While Burt
Bacharach and countless others have
penned songs that all say in effect "goin'
out of my head, over you" Pink Floyd
involves the listener with a hauntingly com
pelling look at the many internal and ex
ternal factors that make reality increasingly
harder to deal with, -
Eccentric penchant
They accomplish this using their well
known penchant for the eccentric when in
the recording studio, with strange back
ground noises, special effects, and overall
masterful production work. But the real
success comes from Roger Waters' power
ful vocals and story line which carries
through all four sides of the album.
The Wall is a ' minor masterpiece for
both similar and different reasons as Dark
Side Of The Moon, The comparison would
not be necessary except that the 1973 al
bum has been somewhat of a chain around
Pink Floyd's neck and the source of all ex
pectations put upon the band,
Dark Side Of The Moon was indeed
monumental. Besides being one of the
biggest selling albums of all time, it some.
how captured the music of the future as But this week, perched at number one
many people had always envisioned it, but on the charts after a debut at number two,
few had ever expected, is The Wall. It is attributable in good part
DSOTM's revolutionary recording to the loyal expectations of fans, but is
techniques also made it a musical sanctuary also due to the fact that it is Pink Floyd's
for those in drug-induced states. It became best work in years, Like DSOTM, it is a
a notorious album to be put on in a smoke- headphone-lover's dream, with an
filled room with the lights down low, while incredible display of effects and
the inhabitants crawled off in a corner and production work that require several listen
silently tried to achieve Nirvana, ings to fully discover, . -
Candy is boredom's answer
By Peg Sheldrick life. Namely-candy. And ice cream. And
popcorn. You're embarking on a journey
As yet another weekend looms through time, through space, and through
ominously on the bleak, snowcapped hori- calories. You are about to begin a Dieter's
zon, chances are you are wondering to Nightmare Tour of Downtown Lincoln,
yourself what you possibly could do this .
weekend that you haven't done at least six Palate-pleasers
times before.. Just imagine-instead of eating your
I've seen all the clothing stores, you say heart out, you can go downtown and eat
to yourself. I've been to every museum, its heart out. Within a mere seven blocks of
Twice. I've toured the Capitol so many campus lurk at 'least seven dens of dietetic
times, I know the buffaloes outside by inequity, pound-producing but palate
name. And I've visited so many bars I've pleasing pitstops guaranteed to turn a
developed an ingrown stool. galloping gourmet into a gargantuan glut
So what's to do on a frosty Saturday in ton if visited frequently enough.
Lincoln, Neb. for someone with money to Of course, this list of suggestions is by
burn, time to kill, and a taste for the no means complete. There are millions of
tern
.'- - I
It ' (""j
The band's follow up. album Wish You
Were Here, was easily as strong, though it
was not received as well critically or on the
sales charts. The album's most poignant
piece, "Have A Cigar" was a brilliantly
vengeful bite at the record company execs
who wished to cash in on Pink Floyd's
Dark Side Of The Moon success. The next
album, Animals went multi-platinum,
though it is rarely acknowledged by either
fans or radio stations.
A.
The band's fascination with insanity
goes back to their earliest days with leader
Syd Barrett, (whose LSD experimentation 1
eventually put him over the brink, to be re
placed by David Gilmour in 1968), through
Dark Side Of The Moon ("the lunatic is in
my head") until The Wall which is un
doubtedly the state-of-the-art message on
the subject.
Pulls no punches
The album also pulls no punches with
its social commentaries on the alienating
practices of: education ('The Happiest
Days Of Our Lives", "Another Brick In
The Wall part 2"), the government
("Mother," "Goodbye Blue Sky"), televi
sion, (various places throughout the al
bum), lust ("Young Lust"), and even a
Pink Floyd concert ("In The Flesh").
These, and the ever-present romantic frus
trations are added as bricks in the wall as
the album progresses until Waters has built
his own asylum by the end of side four.
What keeps The Wall cohesive is Waters'
lyrical and vocal portrayal of one man's
digression into insanity through the
album's four sides. If much of it comes off
as being autobiographical, it is no mistake.
On side one he is a rock star who keeps a
disguise on stage, a disillusioned schoolboy,
and the victim of his mother's expecta
tions. On side two he develops into a horny
stranger in town, a violently possessive
boyfriend, and a devout pessimist.
On side three he is frightened, lonely,
and nostalgically romantic. By side four
Waters has put his emotions on trial which
lands him full subjued and alienated be
hind his wall.
Past work
Musically, Pink Floyd draws much from
past work in an effective support of
Waters' lyrics. Undoubtedly some of it will
be termed pretentious, or "cliche Pink
Floyd". But even considering the length of
the double album, the majority of the
.music is fascinatingly distinct. Guitarist
Gilmour is responsible for many of the best
moments.
Side three's beautiful acoustic guitar
and string arrangements offer an unchar
acteristic view of Floyd, but serve to make
the side the album's most effective.
Insanity is not a trendy subject in
today's music. Pink Floyd can make it
vaguely amusing on 'The Trial", or very
disturbing and difficult to listen to on
"Don't Leave Me Now."
With The Wall at number one, someone
should be noting that a good number of
people are willing to stray from the main
Film awards of fered for
student cinematographers
unique?
Well, adventure is there to be had, if
you are willing to expend a bit of energy
and ingenuity to pursue it. You may think
calories in the naked city, and these are just
a few thousand of them. But they're a
choice few,
Start at the Nebraska Union on R
you haveseen and done it all, that the city Street, with the candy counter in the bake
has no more to offer. But it just might be shop, where you can stimulate your sali-
that all you need is a change in perspective vary glands with everything from spicettes
to spark a new spirit of discovery, at 92 cents a pound to chocolate stars at
Just for an example of what can be $1.89 a pound. For a touch of internation-
done to make a silk purse ful of excitement al variety, try the French Burnt peanuts,
out of a sow's earful of boredom, you You may be a better person for it.
might want to try the following. While that digests,. make your way to
To truly appreciate the exercise describ- 12th Street and head south. Almost
ed below, you must cast aside your tradi- immediately you will encounter Baskin-
tional sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll orienta- Robbins and its legendary 31 flavors. In
tion You must get back to basics. You the spirit of the season, try Skating Pears
must adopt a questing spirit. For you-are (48 cents for a single scoop),
going out in pursuit of the sweet things in , Continued on page 9
By Scott Kleager
Want to make a thousand dollars? How
about a trip to Hollywood to rub shoulders
with the elite in the film industry?
It's time again for the annual Student
Film Awards competition sponsored by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci
ences and the Bell System, A chance each
year for students from accredited universit
ies, colleges, art schools and film schools;
the "Student Film Awards gives aspiring
young film directors, .writers, actors and
technicians an opportunity to gain recog
nition in a field normally dominated by big
names.
Before you run out with your home
movie camera, consider the entry require
ments. First, you must make a film in what
the. Academy calls "a student-teacher re
lationship within the curriculum of an
accredited school." Secondly, it must be
completed after April 2, 1979 and before
April 1, 1980 and be sent to a specified
regional jury to be judged. '
Six regions
The Academy has divided the country
into six regions, each of which represents
a preliminary judging site for the films.
Each film in each region will be analyzed
according to "originality, entertainment,
the resourcefulness of the filmmaker and
production quality, without regard to cost
of production or subject matter." All films
should be either animated, documentary,
dramatic or experimental in nature and
must be taken to this region's director, Dan
Ladely, Sheldon Film Theater director.
According to Ladely this is the Student'
Film Award's seventh contest and the first
year he has been regional director, .
"And I do it with some reservation," he
said. He said he has a basic mistrust of the
Academy; thinking that, like most of the
Academy's functions, the Student Film
Awards may be political in nature and
could, end up oppressing some of the
freedom of expression it's trying to pro
mote Not enough money
Ladely said he heard that the Bell
System hasn't come across with enough
money in past contests and that some of
the regional judging expenses had to be
paid for by the directors (and their depart
ments). He said that if it comes down to
putting money into the contest that's not
from either the Bell System or the .
Academy, he'll back out of the director
ship. But aside from his misgivings, he said
the contest is a great opportunity for a
young person to be artistically creative
through film. Steven Spielberg, for ex
ample, began shooting film in high school.
. Ladely advised those who are going to
enter to begin small, even though there's
no limit to the length of any film, because
the judges will r.otice quality more than
quantity. He added that, although he is the
regional director, all films must be sent to
Chicago and will be judged there.
The four regional winners' movies will
be screened for final voting by the
Academy s membership of leading film in
dustry professionals. The national awards
YSn p'escn!ed t0 lh winners on June 8,
1980 in Beverly Hills; all winning students
will be flown to Los Angeles for the ceremony.