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friday, September 18, 1981
daily nebraskan
Fogelberg's Innocent Age' links past to present
By Cydney Wilson
Dan Fogelberg's long-awaited double album, The Inno
cent Age, was just released two weeks ago.
The album is well worth waiting for, as it seems to be
one of the most carefully planned albums that Fogelberg
has created.
With The Innocent Age, Fogelberg seems to weave a
time line into this effort, carrying it from birth to death.
Each side of the double album set seems to string this
time line into completion.
MuD reuicrj
The Innocent Age seems also to be a return to Fogel
berg's typical style of mellow, thoughtful compositions.
This constrast with his last release, Phoenix, seemed to
be a slight experiment into other styles of music.
Fogelberg, in this album, writes of nature and remini
scing of days gone by. He has a deep poetic sense in his
lyrics, forcing one to listen carefully to many of the cuts
on this album.
Autobiographical
This album seems to be more autobiographical than his
albums have been in the past. One example being, "Leader
of the Band," which is a terribly moving piece, dedicated
to his father. Fogelberg's lyrics remark that his father's
"song is in my soul." Fogelberg also says that he is the liv
ing legend of his father, as he is the only one of his bro
thers who is pursuing a career in music.
At the end of this piece, in the distance, a band (the
UCLA marching band to be specific) plays the "Wash
ington Post March" by John Philip Sousa, which was
arranged by Fogelberg's father, Leonard Fogelberg. This
"link" sounds as if the listener is about three blocks from
a band playing somewhere, and it adds a haunting element
to the song.
Another haunting selection is the final cut from the
double album set and is entitled, "Ghosts." The number
opens with an eerie repeating piano solo, leading into
Fogelberg's lyrics and a voice singing with seeming trepi
dation. Here Fogelberg's often used falsetto further
Homecoming Week includes Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg will make a Lincoln appearance as part
of his fall tour, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Nov. 1.
The concert is part of UNL Homecoming week activities,
even though it is on the Sunday after Homecoming.
The concert is being sponsored by the University Pro
gram Council, KFMQ and Contemporary Productions of
St. Louis.
"UPC as an organization puts up no actual money for
the concert," said Martin Wood, program coordinator at
the CAP office, "Although UPC will have top billing as a
sponsor." Wood also serves as an adviser to UPC.
Dennis Wheeler is the student chairman of the UPC
concerts committee.
"The program council has no actual decision," Wheeler
said. "A production company will simply call and ask
about dates, and if there are halls available, we see if there
is an interest on campus. The promoter does all of the
bidding for the performer. UPC is really at the mercy of
the promoters," Wheeler said.
"If we could, we would line up about five shows a
month, but there's just no place to have them. As of right
now it's really hard to get the sports complex, because of
all the sports events that are held there," he said.
"We're in a really lucky position," Wood said. "The
only cost to UPC is campus advertising. Plus, we do a lot
of footwork for the producer. There is really no risk in
volved for UPC."
Tickets for the Fogelberg concert will go on sale Sept.
20 at the Nebraska Union and the Brandeis ticket office
at Gateway. Ticket prices are $10.50, $9.50, and $8.50.
Sir ,- f ' i J
Photo courtesy of Full Moon Records
Dan Fogelberg
Kill small exception bugging us all
In the latter parts of the 20th century we here in the
United States have been fortunate enough to be exempt
from the perils of war and torture on our main land.That
is, with one small exception. That one small exception
touches every person, invades every home and sometimes
even changes lives. People, I'm typing about the war
declared on bugs.
Go mMM uos
In niy article I have carefully documented discoveries I
have discovered. To begin: bugs have been with us
throughout the ages. In 22 B.C. there was the bugosaur
ous. In 1942, the model bug. In 1973 . . .
July 4, 1973: 8:01 pjn. We sent a June bug to the
moon on a pop-bottle rocket.
July 4, 1973: 8:02 p.m. The rocket lodged itself in a
dead oak. The June bug lodged itself in the dead oak.
July 4, 1973: 8:04 p.m. We sent a June bug to the
moon on a Roman candle the mission was a success.
February 1979: A moth, throwing itself against the
inside wall of our living room lamp, captured the atten
tion of my younger sister Nicolette. After suffering two
100-watt light bulb burns, she successfully held the
brown-winged creature in her cupped hands. We cheered
her on . . . "KILL HIT!"
"Feed it to the cat."
"Here Puff . . . here kitty kitty. Wipe the dust off it's
wings."
"Yeah ... kill it."
But my little sister in the peace and love way that
somehow says, "Nicolette," pushed the summer screen
open and set the sweater-killer free.
September 1981: Standing under a street lamp one
late evening discussing igneous rock formations found
at the bottom of the Platte, I suddenly heard a high pitch
screaming shooting through the darkness, "May day . . .
may day."
Then I saw it. A beetle. A small, black, shiny-backed,
hard-shelled beetle. It tumbled into the light of the street
lamp, down, down, down. . . flames surging from behind
its legs. ,
The beetle crashed into my friends blonde afro and
smoldered among the curls.
"Hold still Nancy, a small, black, shiny-backed,
hard-shelled beatle just landed in your blonde afro."
"GET IT OUT!! GET IT OUT!!"
My 24-year-old friend flaying her arms and twitching
about the side walk, jumped off the curb and went
screaming into the street. She was struck by a truck and
killed. In the words of Peg Sheldrick, "Another beetle
related death."
The beetle crawled out of the human wreckage and
moved down the street towards a sewer opening.
Bugs. . .the small exception that touches our lives.
The war and torture that must continue. Arm yourselves
with cleats, waffle stompers, mace, matches, newspapers,
hot coffee, etc.
Don't do it for yourselves, do it for Nancy. Now, get
out there and kill 'em.
creates a haunting illusion, with the repeating piano play
ing in a minor key. .
This final song alludes to death, and perhaps ties into
the cover photo, which shows a china doll resting against
a grave marker, tying the innocent age of childhood to
death. . . ,
"Ghosts" reminds us that: "Death is there to keep us
honest and constantly remind us we are free. A choir
sings behind Fogelberg, adding to this haunting melody.
The album begins with a piece entitled "Nexus." Nex
us means a connection or link, which is appropriate
since all of the numbers on the album seems to be inter
related. Fogelberg uses many different background effects on
this album, as mentioned previously in "Ghosts" and
"Leader of the Band." In "Nexus" there is a group that
chants throughout one of the bridges.
Regrets aging
Fogelberg seems to regret growing old and losing the
days of the "innocent age," and this is a feeling prevalent
through over half of the album.
In the record jacket he used a quotation by Thomas
Wolfe which seems to encompass the entire album:
Man 's youth is a wonderful thing:
It is so full of anguish and of magic
and he never comes to know it as it is, until
it has gone from him forever.
Fogelberg's music at first listen rings of simplicity, yet
the lyrics are'so complex. He is a pure poet. An example
of the analogies from nature which he uses to describe his
feelings is "The Sand and the Foam." In this cut he com
pares a life that he used to know to the disappearance of
the sand and the foam, which wash into the ocean. Illu
sions are quickly conjoured up in the mind of the lis
tener through such songs.
Throughout this album Fogelberg demonstrates his
musical talent, playing many instruments, ranging from
the piano to a moog synthesizer, from acoustic and elec
tric guitars to a coral electric sitar.
Continued on Page 1 3
UPC releases film schedule;
showings at Sheldort Theater
The University Program Council has announced this se
mester's schedule for the American Film Classics Series.
The films include:
Gone With the Wind, starring Clark Gable, Vivien
Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Haviland, will be
shown at 7 p m. and 9:45 p jn. Oct. 1 and 2.
The Gold Rush, starring Charlie Chaplin, will be shown
at 7 pjn. and 9 pjn. Oct. 15.
East of Eden, starring James Dean, Julie Harris and
Raymond Massey, will be shown at 7 pjn. and 9:15 pjn.
Oct. 29.
Ruggles of Red Gap, starring Charles Laughton and
Mary Boland, will be shown at 7 pjn. and 9:15 pjn. Nov.
12.
To Kill a Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck, will be
shown at 7 pjn. and 9:30 pjn. Dec. 10.
The films will be shown at Sheldon Film Theater. Tic
ket prices are $3 for general admission and $2.50 for
UNL students. Season tickets cost $12 for general admis
sion and $8 for UNL students, Tickets may be pruchased
at the Nebraska Union north desk.
American opera telecast
in encore performance
The Pulitzer Prize-winning American opera, "Vanessa,"
makes an encore appearance on Great Performances, Sept.
21, at 8 pjn. on the Nebraska Educational Television Net
work. Starring Johanna Meier, Katherine Ciesinski and Henry
Price, the opera is a tale of unrequited love and loneliness,
taped before a capacity .audience at the 1978 Spoleto
Festival.
For 20 years, Vanessa (Meier) has waited for her lover
to return. She maintains her silent vigil in a castle nestled
in the somber Scandinavian countryside. Her mother, an
old embittered woman, and her shy, oppressed niece Erika
(Ciesinski) share Vanessa's life and reflect her despair.
Finally, a handsome young man, Anatol (Price)
appears. Vanessa is shocked when she realizes this isn't
the man for whom she has waited so long. She orders him
from her sight, only to realize that Anatol is the son of
her now-dead lover.
Young Erika falls prey to Anatol, although he quickly
dismisses her in favor of Vanessa, whom he promptly
marries. Vanessa, now buoyant, departs to live in Paris
and leaves her estate to Erika, whose own time of silent
waiting has arrived.