Wednesday, April 2, 1986
Daily Nebraskan
Page 9
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By Charles Lieurance
Senior Reporter
At the risk of seeming unduly cranky,
has anyone noticed that the Roman
tics' omnipresent "What I Like About
You" is the second most shameless act
of riff thievery around today?
First prize goes toJohn "What feline
am I this week?" Mellencamp for
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." Sure rock is 90
percent plagiarism, but taking a bee
line back to The McCoys, The Dave
Clark Five and The Monkees seems like
an act so cynical that even human hye
nas like The Knack managed to avoid
it.
Concert Preview
Coming onto the rock scene in 1980,
when the music was honestly changing
and being revitalized after its decade
long throes in the 70s, The Romantics
represented nothing but a series of
unsuccessful career moves. Each LP
was a new haircut, new suit, now atti
tude and new demographics.
The ounce of passion the group
might possess somewhere inside those
dreadful pink suits is contained in
"What I Like About You." At least on
that song they seem to be enjoying
themselves, the utter lack of commit
ment to anything besides their own
care and grooming is evident on their
last hit, "Talking in Your Sleep," a hei
nous attempt to break out of the
underground status they should never
half held anyway.
One thing good the Finnsters have
done to Lincoln music is to point out
how much "What I Like About You"
sounds like every other piece of frat
Sensitive men need
their own magazine
I have a confession to make. 1 enjoy
reading Cosmopolitan magazine. Not
only Cosmo, but Bazaar, Glamour and
all those other so-called "women's
magazines."
Sure these magazines are for women,
but let's face it,, they're about men.
How to get men. How to look good for
men. How to deal with men in the work
force. How and where to touch men.
How to get men in the sack. How to
figure out if your man is no good. How
to get rid of your man. How to get over
your man.
Stew
Magnuson
As I was thumbing through the
latest Cosmo at the library the other
day, I came across many interesting
facts about men, women and relation
ships. Cosmo is always full of insightful
statistics.
For instance, a recent women's poll
said that 54 percent would not date a
man shorter than them. Well, I thought,
46 percent of the female population
isn't bad for a diminutive guy like me.
Then I realized that probably 95 per
cent of the women in the world are
taller than me. So I got out my calcula
tor and figured out that only one in
60,000 women would consider going
out with me. Depressed, I continued
reading.
I came across an article about find
ing a suitable mate for marriage. The
article suggested that a person should
go out with at least 10 people before
considering marriage. Great, I thought,
at the rate I'm going I should be ready
for matrimony by the time I'm 95. Oh,
who needs marriage? According to the
article, 50 percent of them end in
divorce anyway.
I guess I read these magazines so I
can get any kind of insight into the
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rock tripe recorded between 1965 and
1970.
Well, finally the Romantics have got
ten their due. They're so far out of the
undergroundTrouser Pressalternative
music scene that they're playing the
Royal Grove, home of such dinosaurs as
minds of women.
But suddenly, an idea hit me. What
men need is a magazine like Cosmo,
minus the make-up hints, etc. A maga
zine that will give us all those vital
statistics about women. We need those
insights about women that only the
latest psychological and sociological
statistics from respected universities
can reveal.
So I have found my calling in life. I
am going to be the founder and editor
of Sensitive Male of the '80s magazine,
or SME, for short. After all, I'm a sensi
tive male of the '80s. I read both Hite
Reports and and I never hold doors
open for women. I was so excited about
my new magazine that I sat down and
wrote my first article, which just
happens to be one of those fun quizzes.
So here it is.
Are you a Sensitive Male of the '80s?
Circle your answers.
1. When using my girlfriend's res
troom, I will:
A. Leave the toilet seat up after I'm
finished.
B. Not put the toilet seat up, but aim
carefully.
2. When inviting my girlfriend over
to dinner, I will prepare:
A. Macaroni and cheese with chopped
hot dog.
B. Hamburger Helper Potato Stroga
noff. C. Anything by Swanson.
D. Le Menu frozen Entrees, making
sure I hide the box.
3. Performance Anxiety is:
A. Something actors deal with.
B. No problem with me, baby!
4. The subject of birth control:
A. is best dealt with the morning
after.
B. is best discussed before asking a
woman out
C. is the woman's responsibility.
D. can be solved by consulting astro
logical charts.
If you circled any one of these
answers you failed. But go ahead and
cry if you want, sensitive males of the
'80s can do that.
The Romantics
Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet, BTO and
other musical annoyances on their way
through the "out" door.
OK, so here's the rub. You want to
have a good time, nothing heavy, do a
little dancing, dress a little funny, cut
loose a little Thursday night. "What I
Amy Grant 'crosses over'
in mission with her message
By James Sennett
Staff Reporter
There were very few Christian
rock 'n' rollers in the late 1970s.
And we were worried.
The promising beginnings of con
temporary Christian music, captured
in the raucous styles of such super
stars as Larry Norman, Barry McGuire
and Randy Matthews, began to de
teriorate into orchestrated elevator
music that kept easy listening sta
tions alive but spoke little sub
stance to a maturing Christian pub
lic. We needed a new champion
someone who could right the course
and lead contemporary. Christian
music into the daylight of serious
production and state-of-the-art tech
nology. Record Review
Few of the die-hard rockers took
much notice of a teen-ager from the
mountains of Tennessee who cut
three albums during those years.
After all, on the surface they sounded
like just another contribution to the
empty-headed sentimentality by
which we were so appalled.
But some of us listened with
interest. We sensed in her voice, in
her style and in her delivery that she
was something special. We could
not help but feel that she was
holding back or being held back.
We waited with anticipation.
Then in 1982 she exploded onto
center stage with "Age to Age"
the first contemporary Christian
album to go platinum. It was an
unashamed display-of all that this
woman could be, it had rock, it had
soul-searching blues, it had worship
and praise. It was by far the best
that Christian artists had offered in
many years. And Amy Grant has
been No. 1 in the field ever since.
Like About You" is blaring out of the
Sigma Nu windows. Hey, what about
the Romantics? you think.
You should have spent the $1 1 when
UPC brought in the Replacements last
night, but you didn't. Your loss. Go see
the Romantics. See if I care. It's your
Two releases since this block
buster, "Straight Ahead" in 1983
and "Unguarded" in 1985, have only
added to her lead. With each new
album, she becomes more daring,
more experimental, better.
"Age to Age" established finally
that something harder than harmo
nized lullabyes genuinely could be
used to communicate.
"Straight Ahead" unveiled an
earthy Amy Grant who could speak .
eternal truths in a gutsy, Kim
Carnes-type growl. And "Unguarded"
has produced two top-40 hits and
shown us a Christian singer come of
age full of the confidence her
faith allows and ready to use whatever
means available to communicate
that faith to those who need to hear.
Among the most prevalent themes
of her music is the security she
finds as a child of God. "I Love a
Lonely Day," "Raining on the Inside,"
"Jehovah," "Open Arms" and
"Everywhere I Go" are primary ex
amples of this woman's confidence
in her Lord to care for her. She casts
her faith in very real human situa
tions, and has the ability with her
voice and expression to put us right
where she is right where we have
been ourselves a hundred times.
And she tells us, "The Father is here
with youDo not be afraid or down
hearted." Amy also sings of challenge. She
reveals in herself the need to grasp
more fully the idea of Christian
commitment, and she calls for the
same self-examination in others.
"Where Do You Hide Your Heart?"
"Got to Let It Go," "Tomorrow,"
"Wise Up," and "Who To Usten To"
all bring out the challenge captured
in the refrain of the first song listed:
"Leave the hurt behind you
Love has found you nowAnd
He'll never let you go!"
More than anything, Amy sings of
devotion. She is in love with Jesus
Courtesy Diversified Management Agency
night out, not mine.
Advance tickets for the show cost $7
(only $4 less than the Replacements,
mind you). The day of the show you get
them for $9 ($2 less than the Replace
ments). High Stakes will open the show
at 9 p.m.
Christ, and she is not afraid to show
it in her songs. "Sing Your Praise to
the Lord," "Straight Ahead," "Every
where I Go" and the simple yet
profound "Thy Word" all demonstrate
that, first and foremost, this woman
is a child of the King and a servant
of the Master.
But her leadership has not been
without controversy. As with all who
dare to make a difference, Amy has
been criticized by many who do not
understand the road she is taking.
Most prominent among her critics
are those who doubt the motives of
anyone who would dare "cross over"
from contemporary Christian music
to seek air time on top-40 stations
and exposure in "secular" record
stores.
Her latest album, "Unguarded,"
is mutually distributed by Word
Records and A&M, and is available
wherever records are sold. This dis
turbs many who understand the
temptations of worldly celebrity (the
temptations of religious celebrity
are bad enough!).
But the fact is that Amy is good
enough to cross over, she knows she
is good enough to cross over, and
she understands herself to have a
mission in crossing over. She wants
to offer an alternative message to
the self-indulgence and despair
offered by other artists, and an
alternative role model for young
women.
Her two top-40 hits, "Find a Way"
and "Wise Up ' present wholesome
messages of hope and challenge to a
generation used to unbridled pas
sion and undisciplined behavior.
The result is as uniquely refreshing
as it is badly needed. The Christian
music world will never be any more
than alternative entertainment un
less and until it is willing to take
the chance that Amy is taking with
its best and its brightest ,
See GRANT on 10