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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1994)
Arts Entertainment Wednesday, August 31, 1994 Page 12 Jon Waller/DN Diana Lynch, owner of The Flicker Shoppe, poses in front of a store window that overlooks the Haymarket. Tne Flicker Shoppe specializes in unique and hand-dipped candles. Whiff of wicks, wax will work wonders By Paula Lavigne__ Senior Reporter Diana Lynch hasn’t bought a candle since 1978. Lynch has been a candle fanatic since she was 16 years old, and when retail candles didn’t meet her standards, she did the best thing she could. She created her own. “Now, the UPS man can smell my house from three blocks away,” she said. Lynch took her passion for wicks and wax and lit up The Flicker Shoppe, a candle specialty store inside theCreamery Building in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket. It’s hard not to find The Flicker. A mix ture of powerful aromas grabs passers-by by the nose. Inside, the walls of this antique building arc adorned with beeswax, taper, votive, silhouctte.starandfloatingcandlcs inunique shapes and vibrant colors, creating a sweetly hypnotic atmosphere. Carved candles by local artist Don Pitts and festive pumpkins, ghosts and witches sit across the room from “stained glass” can dles and sunflower-shaped Citronclla can dles. Trademark fragrances such as vanilla, honeysuckle, cranberry and coconut mix with specialty scents—“Rain Frcsh,”“Mown Hay,” “Berry Nilla” and “Sea Moss.” Of course, Lynch’s candles arc far from ordinary. A sign lacked to a column inside the store makes six claims — “Made in Lincoln. Triple scented to smell better. Indi vidually poured or dipped. Formulated to burn longer. Complimentary gift wrap. Tai lor made.” Lynch said the quality of her candles even made the Better Business Bureau take notice. “They told me 1 was making loo many claims, and they wouldn’t approve me until they tested my candles,” she said. But she received approval from the bu reau. and the sign still hangs. “I want a good product I can stand be hind.” she said, “and 1 have it.” While Lynch touts her products to her customers, her candles have been good to their creator as well. In the past few years. Lynch has had many personal struggles. She said she needed something physical to regain control. Candles soon became more than an obsession — they became her life. “Candles were our first utility,” she said. “1 like them because of the atmosphere they create. Candles add life and warmth.” Lynch started making the candles in her home and peddling them at art stores and markets. “1 went to the doctor’s office one day, and the people there told me to bring my candles with me,” she said. She refused at first, but she eventually accepted the offer and sold more than $73 worth of candles. Lynch, who always has been involved with sales marketing and research of some kind, said she finally decided to open her own retail store. And since then, she hasn’t gotten much sleep. The Flicker Shoppe has been busy since it opened June 1X. and Lynch has been working night and day with her “recipe” book at hand. According to Lynch, the essence of can dle-making— and the well-kept secrets — lie in the inciting point and wick size. The process involves creating a certain blend of waxes, melting itdown and adding color and scent. The wax is then poured into a mold. The FI ickcr Shoppe will “pour to please,” Lynch said. She makes custom candles for ' all occasions. And she makes sure people know how to lake care of their candles. “Education is the key,” she said. “There is not one person who comes into the store that we don’t talk to.” Lynch offers educational material on how to make candles last longer and burn belter. “Candles arc an impulse item. They have high visibility. They’re great presents,” she said. “People use them for light in an cmcr See FLICKER on 13 “Stoned and Dethroned” The Jesus and Mary Chain American Recordings Grade: B+ Jim and William Reid could make a trip to Hell as somber and melancholy as watching paint dry, but in some odd way, it’s beautiful. It’s incredibly beautiful. The Jesus and Mary Chain per formed a miracle with its new re lease, “Stoned and Dethroned.” “Stoned” is one of the best albums to emerge from the rubble of this year’s new music. Reid’s crooning voice gave “Stoned” a soulful core of a laid back kind of intensity. Yes, it’s a paradox, but it works. And what’s really amazing is that it works on every song. Seriously, it’s near to becoming the best thing since sliced bread and Mango Madness Snapplc. “Stoned,” true to its name, touch es every lobe in the brain and pen etrates the innermost sensory nerves. “Black as night black as life/ Hungry for some of that easy life/ Stoney cold and a twistin’ moon/ Live it fast you’re gonna get there soon/ Look out world ‘cause we know how to fight/ Someone’s gonna get shot tonight,” is a sam pling from “Bullet Lovers.” It sounds like it should corre spond with thrashing guitars and an emphatic vocalist emerging from an all-night acid trip. It’s not. It flows like the smoothest wind cur rent rippling through the night. The sweetly devilish voice of Hope Sandoval paired with the gnawing slur of Jim Reid makes “Sometimes Always” a dialog of persuasion and stinging truth. The Jesus and Mary Chain takes much of its credit from an interest ing mixture of musical talents. Ben Lurie plays bass, arpeggio guitar, 12-string guitar and harmon ica while Jim and William Reid trade off between vocals, 12-slring guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar and fuzz bass. Alas,poor Steve Monti is limited to drums and percussion, but he docs a good job of it. On “Never Saw it Coming,” The Chain features a plethoraof musical instruments with a slow strum beat paired with a harmonious drone of vocals and acoustic guitar. It’s an unglamorous look at life in a nebulous haze of despair, hope, hate and love. It’s truth in a box. “Stoned and Dethroned” gives The Jesus and Mary Chain its last supper with its “just desserts.” —Paula Lavigne “God Shuffled His Feet” Crash Test Dummies Arista Records Grade: A The Crash Test Dummies played a concert at the Nebraska State Fair on Friday. They made us feel sweet and marshmallowy inside. There fore, this band deserves an album review, dammit. Because “God Shuffled H is Feet” is wild, whimsical and just plain zany, it deserves a stream-of-con sciousness review. This will be much more pleasant to read than, say, a stream-of-flatulencc review. I enjoyed 1 istening to “God Shuf fled His Feet.” It’s happy music. It made me dance and shiver and shake. It made me want to rub the bellies of really fat guys to see whether I could hear the ocean. Crash Test Dummies have a unique sound, mostly because of Brad Roberts, the lead singer and guitarist. His low, croaky voice makes the music flow and gurgle. The group generally is thrown into that big, diverse college-rock barrel.Crash Test Dummies’ sound is more toward the easy-listening end of that barrel. The music isn’t heavy or thrashy or screechy; it is straightforward, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll. But Roberts’ frivolous lyrics are what make Crash Test Dummies stand out. The lyrics arc cool because they’re weird. They’re not laugh out-loud funny, but they make you smile and relax and think of tall trees. ) Here’s a sample from the title song: “The people sipped their wine/ And what with God there, they asked him questions/ Like do you have to eat/Or get your haircut in heaven?/ And i f your eye got poked out in th is I ife/ Would it be waiting up in heav en with your wife?” Now, when I listened to these lyrics, I felt cool and confident. I didn’t know what the lyrics meant. But I’m fairly certain no one else will, either. So no insecurities here. The most popular songs on the album arc “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” and “Afternoons and Cofleespoons.” These songs both have a robust, tangy flavor — like fish. Also, the title of “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” contains 12 ‘m’s. which is cool. Other huggablc highlights in clude “In The Days of the Cave man,”44! Think I’ll Disappear Now,” “The Psychic” and the title song. So the next time the moon is full, the lights arc low and the stomachs arc shiny, listen to “God Shuffled His Feet.” You’ll feel flippant and free. — Mike Lewis