daily nebrcskan
monday, September 15, 1980
The Chief another feather
in Clearwater's headdress
page 10
By Dili Graf
and Pat Higgins
"I love it here. Every time I come to
Lincoln it's a happy occasion.
Every time Chicago bluesman Eddy
Clearwater comes to town it's a happy
occasion for all involved, but this time he
brought Lincoln blues fans something
extra.
Clearwater not only fired up the crowd
with his broad-based Chicago blues style,
but also had the pleasurable task of
promoting his new album, The Chief.
With the exception of Ike Turner's and
Ralph Bass's rework of "I'm Tore Up," the
album is a collection of Clearwater
originals that reflect influences of West
side blues, R and B, cooking mambo and
Chuck Berry.
Clearwater has played on countless
recordings during the last quarter century,
but The Chief is the first release he
considers to be totally his own.
No-Nukes tune
Reflecting the freedom he experienced
in recording The Chief Clearwater
included a No-Nukes tune entitled "One
Day At A Time," which he calls, "semi
folk song and protest."
Clearwater has been playing the blues
since the early 50s. But while growing up in
Macon, Miss., Country and Western stars
were his trrst idols.
"The first people 1 remember listening
to were Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Red
Foley, Chet Atkins. They're the ones that
inspired me to play guitar," he explained.
Even today, Clearwater said, some of
his favority recording artists include Kenny
Rogers and Willie Nelson. However, he
doesn't see his love for country music as
strange.
"Country music and the blues are very
closely related," he said.
Another tie to the old west is Clear
water's full-length Indian headdress, which
has become his trademark on his posters
and most recently on the cover of The
Chief.
Clearwater, whose given name is Eddy
Harrington, said the headdress was a gift
from a friend in Chicago.
Headdress part of collection
Following a show in Chicago, he met
and later became a good friend of Pat
Sweet. Her hushand collected Indian
jewelry and other Indian relics. He had
died just before they met, and she was
holding onto his collection, he said.
"She had this Indian headdress, I
thought it was really beautiful. I asked if I
could buy it. She replied, ill never sell it,
but IU give it to you provided you never
part with it.' Now it's sort of my good luck
piece," he said.
The Chief is his first album on the
Rooster Blues Label and also his first re
cording to be released both in the United
States and England.
Clearwater explained that American
jazz and blues artists are enjoying great
popularity in Europe.
During earlier European tours, he said
he was amazed at the response of the fans.
"They know more about me than I
know about me." Ill do an interview and
they 11 know all about it."
European concert tour
Later this month Clearwater will travel
to Europe to play concert halls in England,
Germany and Switerland.
Clearwater will make the trip to Europe
without his band "The Untouchables."
However two days after his return, he and
the band are off to Mexico to play to
crowds so large that a bull fighting arena
has been rented for the concert.
Although it appears that foreign crowds
are crazier about American blues than
Americans, Clearwater said the movie The
Blues Brothers has helped that some.
He said he wasn't thrilled that blues
newcomers John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd
made several million on what started as a
joke.
But he added, "It could be a blessing in
disguise. Blues have been around all along,
out tne movie, I trunk, has helped awaken
the public," he said.
But' even if The Blues Brothers don't
help Clearwater and the blues, at the age of
45, Clearwater said things have never been
better.
"I've become aware of both the music
and business ends of business. I'm more
seasoned. My eyes have been opened but
that all goes with more experience."
Ridiculous plot proves enjoyable
By Pat Higgins .
Oh Heavenly Dog's premise may strike
cynical observers as being a trifle ridicul
ous. After all, what is Chevy Chase doing in
a movie with Benji, the wonder dog?
ooQdj reus
Surprise, the movie is quite entertaining,
if only on a superficial level. We're not
talking art here, but good clean fun. The
credit for this must be given to a hereto
fore unknow, Joe Camp, who wrote,
directed and produced Oh Heavenly Dog.
He probably will make quite a bundle of
cash off this epic because it should be the
sleeper success of the fall.
Oh Heavenly Dog is a mixture of styles.
Mystery, comedy, light romance and poli
tical intrigue are brewed together along
with references to Heaven Can Wait and
Star Wars.
Chevy Chase has the main role here as a
soft-boiled private detective stationed in
London. He continues to hone his persona
of a suave klutz into a very likeable
character. Chase has some cute twists on
the Phillip Marlowe tradition of private
eyes-he carries a bottle with him at all
tines, only it is cold medicine that he
hospitably offers to viators.
The beginning of the movie features
Chase in his speciality of physically orient
ed, slapstick humor that he does better
than anyone else working today. This
movie is more along the lines of Foul Play
rather than that of Caddy shack, which
enables Chase to play a more sympathetic
character.
Chase has a chance meeting with the
striking Jane Seymour by (literally) run
ning right into her. Sparks immediately fly
between the two and one settles down
expecting a little romance, but fate inter
venes in the form of a plot twist that sends
Chevy to meet his n aker.
Chevy is less than happy about beginning
his afterlife (remember Heaven Can Wait?)
and proceeds to make a deal with the
powers that be. This scene doesn't really
tit in with the rest of the movie, but since
it is quite funny, it is forgivable.
The afterlife resembles general registra
tion for classes, with interminable standing
in line, bureaucrats and plenty of red tape
to trip up the unwary. Chevy finally makes
his return to the land of the living but, in
a rare case of Teutonic inefficiency, he is
put into the body of (you guessed it) cute
and cuddly Benji.
Surprisingly enough, this works very
effectively as the inconguity of watching
Benji wagging his tail while Chevy spins a
typically sarcastic monologue make the
Continued on Page 1 1
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
Chicago bluesman Eddy Clearwater promoted his new album, The Chief while in
Lincoln.
Big band-bar Kilroy's
strikes a few sour notes
By Carl Sjulin
The graffiti "Kilroy was Here" lined
America's walls during the 40's and 50's.
Well, Kilroy has returned to Lincoln in the
form of a new bar that specializes in the
big land era.
Kilroy's, 360 No. 48th St., represents a
new trend that has been sweeping the
nation and revitalizing the music and
atmosphere of the 1940's. Unfortunately,
dining out
even though the basic theme and structure
of Kilroy's fit into this epoch, there are
several rough edges that need to be ironed
out before it can truly portray this period
the way it deserves to be represented.
Kilroy's is owned by Robert Potter,
who also owns Pickle Bill's Ribaria located
in the adjoining building. Kilroy's serves as
the waiting room- lounge for Pcikle Bill's
and is also open to the public as a bar.
Something different
The bar manager, Kim Marbac, said
"Robert Potter has always been a big band
fan. He saw the success of similar places in
other cities and decided Lincoln needed
something different."
She said that since they opened two
weeks ago, business has been steady.
"We have been getting a lot of lookers
and are pleased to find that many of them
are returning."
What they are returning to is an old
storeroom that has been remodeled into a
narrow trip down memory lane. The walls
are adorned with musical instruments that
range from antique bugles to snare drums.
The other walls display several intersting
murals that depict some of the spirit that
earmarked this period. Vaudeville chorus
lines and a sketch of a small jazz combo
are highlighted by a hanging crystal ball.
Along the back wall are the words and
music to the hit song "In the Mood."
The music is provided by large speakers
that play assorted big band tunes at a
moderate listening level. The seating is
taken care of by small tables and booths.
There is a small dance floor, but relatively
few people use it.
General manager Sydne Mosen said
several innovations are planned.
Attitude adjustment
"We are planning on having a happy
hour that we will call our 'attitude
adjustment' period that will run from 4 to
6 pjn. We are also opening at 10 ajn. on
football Saturdays."
"We are also thinking about bringing
in some small jazz bands and combos that
would be featured several times a month."
AD of this could make for a really
able evening, except for a few minor (yet
irritable)details.
For starters, the prices aren't exactly
cheap, with mixed drinks around $130
and beer running at $1 .
If the service reflected it, these prices
wouldn't be so bad.
The lighting in general is too bright and
some tables and chairs on the main floor,
are small wooden booths elevated several
feet. They must be designed for people
who are seven feet tall because at 6-4, my
feet couldbarely touch the floor.
However, the bar has a lot of potential
once the rough edges are ironed out. This
type of variation is needed in Lincoln, but
Kilroy's doesntyet give the Glen Miller
craze the vehicle it deserves.
