Thursday, March 5, 1987
Daily Nebraskan
Page 7
eJJll
By Stew Magnuson
Diversions
There are many ways we can
spend our entertainment dollars by
sticking quarters into a slot tri
ia machines, pool tables, pinball
machines and video games. But let's
not forget the good old jukebox, as
merican as apple pie, hot dogs and
crucifying presidents.
They're all over, sitting in the
corners of dark, dingy bars, in little
cafes and in laundromats.
So here's an incomplete, highly
opinionated review of the jukeboxes
around campus and my top three
songs on each box. My criteria for
what makes a good jukebox and
what doesn't should be apparent as
you read. We'll start with the worst
ones first. Unfortunately, there are a
lot of them. ,
Pizza Hut, 239 N. 14th St. The
only thing more bland than the
pizza here is the jukebox music. I
think the food is hard enough to
digest without having to listen to
Bruce Willis. This jukebox also wins
the "Most Madonna songs on a
jukebox in Lincoln" category. All
the songs on this machine are bad
pop, so I had to pick the top three
from that mostly boring genre. Top
three: "When I Think of You," Janet
Jackson; "The Bird," The Time; and
"The Future's So Bright I Gotta
Wear Shades," Timbuck Three.
The Spigot, 1624 0 St. All you
have to do to hear the top 10 hits in
the nation is turn on KFRX: they
play the junk every 30 minutes. So
who would pay a quarter to hear this
stuff again? That's the overwhelm
ing problem with most of the juke
boxes downtown. They're all the
same. I found a few oldies at The
Spigot among the depressing same
ness: "Whole Lot of Shaking Going
On," Jerry Lee Lewis; "Who'll Stop
The Rain," Credence Clearwater Re
vival; and "She's Not There," the
Zombies.
City Laundry, 1547 S. 17th St.
This is absolutely one of the worst
jukeboxes in town but I like its
location. It's one of the best, clean
est laundromats in town, and the
owners really want to keep their
patrons entertained. This is also the
cheapest jukebox five songs for a
quarter. So if you want to hear Marie
Osmond five times, that's your privi
lege. However, you might be in con
flict with some of the women watch
ing "Hour Magazine." Top three:
"Tuff Enough," The T-Birds. I couldn't
find two others.
Brass Rail, 1436 0 St. This is the
last of the really bad jukeboxes. I
promise. What can I say about it
that I haven't already said about all
the other top 40 machines. I did
manage to find three songs I like,
though, including the rare and elu
sive original, "Mr. Bojangles" by
Jerry Jeff Walker, worth atrip to this
bar in itself. Also, "Stand By Me,"
Ben E. King, "Keep Your Hands To
Yourself," the Georgia Satellites.
Harry's Wonder Bar, 1621 0 St.
This jukebox is more than 50 per
cent country-western, which I don't
like enough to have an opinion
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1
about. If you like C&W, this is the
jukebox for you. But this machine,
or any of the others I saw with
country-western music, didn't have
a single Johnny Cash or even a Hank
Williams song. And that is a shame
ful state of affairs. Top three: "Jun
gle Love," the Time; "I Knew The
Bride When She Used to Rock V
Roll," Nick Lowe; and "New York,
New York," Frankie Sinatra.
Barry's Tavern, 235 N. Ninth St. A
lot of the music on this machine is
bad top-40, but it does have a few
country-western and big-band picks.
Best three: "One O'clock Jump,"
Count Basie; "Perry Mason's Theme,"
the Blues Brothers; and "Would I Lie
to You," Eurythmics.
Green Frog, 1010 P St. I don't like
the majority of the songs on the
Green Frog's box, but the owners
don't seem to rotate them in with
the latest junk often, so a couple of
songs have improved with age. Top
three: "Erotic City," Prince; "Crazy
Circles," Bad Company; and "Peo
ple Are Strange," the Doors.
Stormie's Kitchen, 1640Holdrege
St. They've never changed the songs
on the jukebox as long as I've been
going to Stormie's. But this is still
an interesting machine. First of all,
it's the impressionist type. All over
the United States and Europe I've
seen these jukeboxes with impres
sionist paintings on the front. I've
never quite made the connection
between Monet, Manet, Renoir, Dok
ken, Madonna and Little Richard.
Also, when you come in at about
1:30 a.m., just after the bars have
closed, and most of the clients are
quite drunk, someone will punch in
the flip side of "Johnny B. Goode,"
and the whole restaurant will break
into a rousing chorus of Chuck Ber
ry's "My Ding-a-Ling." Also listen for
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folks pounding out the drum solo to
"Wipeout" on the tabletops. Top
three: "In the Mood," Glenn Miller;
"Whip It," Devo; and "Wipeout,"
The Surfaris.
The Zoo Bar, 146 N. 14th St. The
first runner-up for the best jukebox
in Lincoln has to be the Zoo Bar's.
Many of the greats who have played
there have also left singles for the
jukebox. Bugs Henderson, the Dyna
tones, James Harman and Charlie
Musselwhite can all be picked. The
only things that keep the Zoo from
sharing No. 1 are its smaller selec
tion and the fact that the barten
ders play plenty of great music on
the cassette deck, so why spend
money4? Top three: "Breathless," Jerry
Lee Lewis; "Dock of the Bay," Otis
Redding and "Check This ActionRock
ing Daddy," the LeRoi Brothers.
And finally, the No. 1 jukebox in
Lincoln, once again, is in O'Rourke's
Lounge, 121 N. 14th St. The newest
song I've ever seen on this machine
was from 1979, and that was rare.
What can I say about this machine
that hasn't been written before? I
could say it has turned me on to
many songs, 25 years old or more,
that I've never heard before. If you
want to find out why I hate the hits
of today, go punch some of the
numbers on the jukebox at
O'Rourke's and hear just why today's
music pales compared to the hits
and obscurities of yesteryear.
This is not only the greatest
jukebox in Lincoln, it's the greatest
jukebox in the free world! I just
can't imagine a machine getting any
better than this. Plus the songs are
rotated out every few weeks, so you
can never be bored. Top three:
"Shake Your Moneymaker," Elmore
James; "Juke," Little Walter; and
"I'm A Man," Spencer Davis Group.
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