Grove
Continued from Page 8
down, go to the Grove. Nothing is
more exciting than watching Billy
Beergut stagger around a dance
floor with his underwear hanging
off him and his belly jiggling se
ductively.
Of course, plenty of meta 1 babes
seem to find this appealing.
But nothing rivals the slobber
ing he-men who scream for women
to dance to a LIVE HEAVY METAL
COVER BAND.
YYEEAAAHHHHH!!!!
AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
“Professional” dancers from The
Night Before and Peter McCue’s
like to run down to the Grove for a
few extra moonlighting bucks,
though the nervous, innocent, “I’ve
never done this before” types are
sure to garner the most applause.
And $200, of course, for the
winner.
I he Royal Grove is overflowing
in hormones from lhe moment the
Grizzy Adams look-alike bouncers
open the doors. By the time that
dance contest is over, hungry eyes
shielded by beer goggles begin to
rove the crotch areas of young and
old alike. The’ Grove’s manager,
known to most simply as ‘Tommy,”
stands around smiling a lot.
Man, is he fat.
Fashion is very important at the
Grove. Guys wear little earrings.
Girls wear as little as possible. Leather
miniskirts are great if they are short.
And dirty jean jackets never go out
of style.
But a sign at the door specifies
that there will be no ripped jeans in
the Grove. No ripped jeans. Nond.
It’s OK to bear your breasts,
ladies, but patch those knees, OK?
You’d think
most chicks would
know better, dude.
- Michael Deeds
Brass Rail
Everything is a little cramped at
the Brass Rail, 1436 O St.
Try to push the door open. It
goes the wrong way.
The guy who checks your ID
looks pretty cramped, too. Cramped
because his slick hair, tan skin,
mock turtleneck and jeans are
stretched taut on his body like an
all-over mask.
The clientele is very elite.
Even though there’s no dress
code, it’s easy to commit a social
faux pas by not wearing baggy
Girbauds and a smile. Tans are
mandatory for the women.
A few regulars — who don’t need
to study — drink and play pool in
the corner. They don’t seem to fit in
with the political activity that’s going
on in the rest of the bar.
That anyone fits in at the Rail is
a mystery. There is really no draw
ing card, except for the $1.50 Long
Island Ice Teas.
Maybe that’s the point. The dull
background makes Rail-goers’
clothes stand out that much brighter.
Make your way back toward the
bathroom and beer garden. But
watch out. All around you, people
are trotting by, practicing the one
second “hi.” It you blink, you’ll
miss it.
The door to the men’s room
opens properly. Make sure you’re
sober, though, if you plan to use
the sink and urinal, because both
are about chest-high.
Stick around for last call. That’s
when you really
find out how
cramped it can
get at the Rail.
- Uric Pfanner
Precinct
if you were one of those people
who wore “Disco Sucks” T-shirts
and burned Donna Sommers rec
ords in the 70s, you may be a bit
disturbed by the new-found popu
larity of dance music.
Maybe you should try to get in
touch with that small part of you
that always longed to wear lycra
and do the hustle. Talk to it - tell it
that dancin’ in the nineties can be
tastefully done.
The Precinct, 226 S. 9th St., is
Lincoln’s newest and most tasteful
dance club. The space is enormous
and the decor restrained. There are
no obnoxious floor-to-ceiling mir
rors and no flashing beer signs.
This place has understated style.
Soft purple and grey neon accents
the off-white brick walls. The dance
floor is surprisingly small, which
produces a feeling of intimacy.
The music mix ranges from The
Cure to the B-52s to Janet Jackson.
Even the most avid non-dancer
could find themselves tapping a
foot. On Tuesday nights, the Pre
cinct features live music. They
usually try to book top-40 bands
with good sound systems, accord
ing to ownersjody Luth and Becky
Smith.
Wednesdays through Saturdays,
the bar’s own amazing sound sys
tem blasts out a mix of the coun
try’s hottest dance tunes. Luth and
Smith belong to a music network
that provides them with the most
popular cuts from clubs nation
wide. There is a cover after 9 p m.
on Fridays and Saturdays.
If you need a break from cuttin’
it up on the floor, there are two
pool tables, a dart board and an
impressive array of seating. You
can sink into comfy booths, or take
a table on a raisedplatform above
the dance area. Tne bar itself is
enormous, with stools all the way
around.
On Thursday nights, the Pre
cinct offers 50 cent draws. Drink
prices fall in the moderate range.
My Cuervo margarita at $2.75 was
very tasty and very large. There’s a
good selection of import and
domestic beers as well.
Smith and Luth are considering
opening the bar on Sunday or
Monday for ballroom dancing. They'
hope to attract the younger crowd
who are relearning thcdances their
parents loved. Maybe they’ll even
attract their parents.
- So, if you’re looking for a satis
fying night on the town, complete
with steady beat and eye-pleasing
See PRECINCT on 10
Statistics can t be ignored
Like most people, I’ve heard many
frightening statistics about alcohol.
Also, like most people, those statis
tics have gone in one ear and out the other
But those statistics, boring as they are,
cannot be ignored.
The National Highway Traffic Safely Ad
ministration estimates that:
• About two out of five Americans will be
involved in an alcohol-related crash.
• Each year, about 500,(XX) people are in
jured in alcohol-related crashes. That is an
average of one person every minute. About
40,000 of these arc serious injuries.
• In single vehicle fatal crashes occurring
on weekend nights in 1988, 64 percent of
the fatally injured drivers under 25 were in
toxicated.
The good news about these numbers is
that efforts to reduce drunk driving have
made an impact. The number of drunk driv
ers killed in traffic crashes dropped 22
percent from 1980 to 1988. Even if people
are ignoring the numbers, they arc acting
more responsibly.
Last month, I reached the legal drinking
age. I was finally an adult, at least in the eyes
of bars and liquor stores across the country.
I fell mature and responsible.
On the night of my 21st birthday, my
friends initiated me in the local bar scene. I
carried my drivers’ license in my pocket,
ready to flash it at a moment’s notice to any
one who doubted my maturity. 1 collected
my free birthday drinks proudly, although 1
tried to remain relatively sober.
The next morning, I woke up hangover
free. The previous evening was clear in my
mind, except for exactly what bars I’d been
in, how much I’d had to drink, who I’d
talked to -- so much for being relatively
sober.
I did remember that we had a designated
driver — except that driver kept changing
throughout the evening, dependingon who
was most sober at what lime. And everyone,
driving or not, had a few drinks in the.
birthday celebration.
By luck or the grace of God, my friends
and I were not involved in any of the ap
proximately 11,000 traffic fatalities that re
sult from the use of alcohol every year. But
we did put ourselves and others at risk.
A couple of drinks seemed innocent to
me and my friends. But driving after a
couple of drinks is not innocent, and it
certainly is not responsible.
I saw reaching the legal drinking age as
reaching a plateau in adulthood. But along
with gaining privileges, I gained responsi
bilities. Like the boring statistics, those re
sponsibilities | |1
cannot be ignored. i "J
Brayton is • junior news-editorial major and Daily
Nebraskan night news editor.
I-----—
Lancaster County
DWI arrests ’86^89
'86 *87 '88
Sources: Department of Motor Vrhides,
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Cornhusker Marching Band
FLAG CORPS
AUDITIONS
April 3, 4 and 5,1990
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Field House *
Use entrance off of Avery Avenue
i No previous experience required — clinic sessions will precede
the audition.
Auditions are open to academically eligible UNL students and
incomingfreshmen. Veteran corps members must re-audition.
If you have a conflict with the audition dates contact the Band
Office at 472-2505.
Dress for movement and wear tennis shoes.
Equipment will be provided, but bring a pike if you have one.
For more information call 472-2505.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not discriminate in its academic,
admissions, or employment programs and abides by all federal regulations
pertaining to same.