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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1992)
Arts & Entertainment Star Trek fans make contact with crew Dorn removes makeup and reveals identity to Omaha ‘Worf fans By MaLinda Hill Staff Reporter Michael Dorn strode proudly through the hotel lobby with a grin on his face. A strikingly tall, handsome man, Dorn can walk through a lobby or even down a street unnoticed by most people. Even on the streets of his hometown, Dorn could escape attention from fans with his un Worf-like smile. But if he were dressed in the costume of his character, Lt. Worf of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Dorn could not get away without being recognized. Dorn was bom in Luling, Texas, and was raised in Pasadena, Calif. He attended Pasadena Community College as a psychol ogy major, but later changed to radio and communication. He turned to acting in 1976. Two of his most notable television ap pearances before The Next Generation were “CHiPs” “Falcon Crest.” Since 1987, when he began playing the role of Lt. Worf, his job description has included speaking at conventions. Dorn was in Omaha for a “Star Trek” con vention at the end of March, on his last stop of a Midwest tour, when the Daily Nebraskan caught up with him. Hill: Where did you train as an actor, and who got you started? Dorn: I really didn’t train. The assistant direc tor of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” got me started in 1976. H: Tell me about paying your dues and the hard times before “Star Trek: The Next Gen eration.” Were the bill collectors ever at your door knocking? D: Oh, god, yeah! It was never easy. It is such a sporadic business. You know, all of a sudden you’re making a lot of money and then that money gets cut off. And you’re spending like you’re making a lot of money. Then it gets lough. So you must be really diligent about that. But when you say paying your dues, I think of a guy who has been working as a waiter for ten years and struggling, and then suddenly makes it. H: When did you feel financially secure and how does it feel? D: About a week ago. And it is scary. It could end anytime. Being financially secure is great, but I want to act. I want to continue to work. H: Someone told me that you can fly an airplane. D: I have always loved flying as far back as I can remember. When I was in nursery school, I was pretending that I was jumping out of an airplane with a parachute. I had these two sticks in my hand and fell on one of the sticks and injured my eye (the injury was so-severe that he was turned down by the draft board during the Vietnam War). While I was in the hospital, my mother bought me a toy helicop ter. But I put off learning to fly until 1988, which was the second year of the show. A friend, with whom I worked, encouraged me to try. So now the only place you can find me is at the airport. H: You arc familiar with Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. Would you ever consider Ml 111 \\w\m__^JMMHM Thefrese Goodiett/DN Michael Dorn, who plays Lt. Worf on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” responds to questions during an interview at his hotel before appearing at a “Star Trek” convention in Omaha at the end of March. making a film with them? D: Yes, of course I know of them. Geesh, I don’t know what type of film I would like to do with them. Perhaps, Benjamin O. Davis’ story. But there is a film remake that I would like to do called, “Brother John” with Sidney Poilier. In this film, Poitier goes around the world and visits people when their loved ones die. He just shows up. No one knows how he found out. It is an intellectual film. I enjoy such films. H: Do you fear being stereotyped by both black and white directors in roles similar to Worf or the good guy? D: With American directors and in television and movies, there is this certain mentality. I find with foreign directors and producers, it may be easier and that I have more of a chance. H: Are you more integrated? Do you prefer to work with certain people? D: I like to work with “good” people. I find that best. H: Let’s turn to your character, Lt Worf. Was it a conscious decision on the part of the direc tors, writers and producers to make Worf a single father and to say that fathers should do a belter job of raising their children? D: No, it wasn’t. It was something that fell on the producers. It started out to be just a story about, “Oh, I have a son,” and how strange that was. Then all of a sudden my mate dies. They could have left it at that, but they decided to pursue it Our producers arc very lucky. It is a great story line. H: There is a part where Worf s mother comes in and says that she is the grandmother and that Alexander needs his father, and as a father, Worf should take care of his responsibilities. D: The relationship he has with his mother — I like that part of acting. He is totally different with her (more patient and tolerant). Only his mother can get away with something like that, or say, “Worf you are gelling a little gray.” It’s like, “Mom stop it!!!” It’s a nice relationship. H: In the second season, your character and Deanna Troi disliked each other. In the episode “The Child,” Worf stated that Troi should have an abortion to preserve the security of the ship. This started a conflict which has also spilled over into the Star Trek novels. Was this inten tional? See DORN on 10 Roddenberry widow draws many admirers By MaLinda Hill Staff Reporter . The autograph line snaked around the table ' for 30 feet and was three people wide. Majel Barrett, widow of Gene Roddenberry, the man behind the Star Trek phenomena, was signing autographs. Besides Tricia O ’ Neal, who portrayed Capt. Rachel Garrett in the episode, “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” Barrett was the only actress from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” who signed autographs at the Star Trek convention in Los Angeles March 27-29. Barrett first was seen on the 1966 “Star Trek” pilot as Number One. Her character wasn’t accepted by the the audience and pro ducers, however, because they questioned the believability of a woman character in a posi tion of power. This angered Barrett. “I was upset,” she said. “They took my part See BARRETT on 10 Trekkies ask actors about sex By MaLinda Hill Staff Reporter Let’s talk about sex, trckkies! The members of the cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” answered some racey questions about their charac ters at a convention in California during the last week in March. Fan: So, when will Geordi LaForge have a real relationship? LeVar Burton: I’m told it will be next year. I hope soon because I sure in the hell am tired of making love to a holodcck creation. Fan: So who’s Rikcr going to go after next? Jonathan Frakes: I refuse to talk about Riker’s buccaneering ways. Fan: When will you and Capl. Picard get together, and are you ever going to do it? Gates McFadden: When arc we going to do it? My question to you is, how do you know that we haven’t already done it? Fan: Between Rikcr and Troi, you’ve gone after almost every alien in the gal axy. Marina Sirtis: Excuse me. Don’t go coloring Troi with the same brush as Rikcr. Troi has had 2.5 relationships in five years. And we all know, no one takes their socks off faster than Rikcr! Fan: What do you and Data have in common? Brent Spiner: Well, Data’s fully func tional, and I’m fully functional, too. Fan: Will they ever clarify the relation ship between Capl. Picard and Guinan? Patrick Stewart: Well, she and I fanta size about it. And you know what fantasy can do for a person. Mixed styles make for unique country album By Sarah Duay Staff Reporter It isn’t the standard "twang" that one would think of with country music. In fact, the music on the Cowboy Junkies’ fourth album, "Black Eyed Man,” is a mixture of blues, rock V roll, Dixieland and country. This blend of various musical styles and its storytelling songs are what separates “Black Eyed Man” from the rest of the Junkies’ albums. ' The Junkies use classic instruments such as the guitar, piano, trombone, banjo and simple percussion instru ments to enhance the mellowness of the album. Sometimes a single guitar accompanies the lead singer. For other songs, these instruments combine to create a rich sound. Michael Timmins, the band’s gui tarist and sole producer of “Black Eyed Man,” is the author of 10 of the album’s 12 songs. Margo Timmins narrates her brother’s songs with a deep, clear, tranquil voice. “I’ve got a horse out in the coun try/I get to see him every second Sunday/He comes when I call, yea, he knows his name/Some day I’ll saddle up and the two of us will ride away,” are some lyrics from “A Horse in the Country.” Margo Timmins sings of a girl, who married at age 19, and the girl’s desire to leave her husband. “It’s not that 1 don’t love him anymore/it’s just that when I hear him coming though that front door/ my heart doesn’t race like it did once before.” Another short story is told in the song, “The Last Spike.” The guitar and Timmins’ voice paint a sad pic ture of how a small town’s dreams slowly have disappeared. Some love songs help make the album even more deep and meaning ful. One of the most fascinating songs, ‘‘If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man,” is a duet performed by Margo and John Prine, a songwriter. The piece is reminiscent of a 1950s ballad with its simple lyrics and ac companiment. The clarinet solo that ‘finishes the piece adds a touch of Dixieland jazz. The harmonica, piano, accordion and guitars create the swinging feel on “Oregon Hill.” This instrumenta tion is a nice change from the synthe sized sound of today's pop. Compared with the Junkies’ first album, “Trinity Session,” the new album has a different personality. Classics, such as “1 *m So Lonely I Could Die,” originally sung by Hank See COWBOY on 10