Beastie Boys
“Licensed To 111”
Def Jam/Columbia Records
1986
It may have been a joke, but it was a
good one.
“Licensed To 111” was released in
1986 as a satirical jab at the rappers of
the day. Much to the Beastie Boys’
surprise, though, it quickly rose in sales
and became one of the hottest-selling
rap albums of all time.
I contributed; It was the first tape I
ever bought. It was fifth or sixth grade.
I didn’t know much about music except
for the light rock my mom blasted in our
station wagon, but I knew I had to have
this album (after all, all my friends had
it).
I played it in the shower, I played it
in my Walkman, I played it everywhere
I could.
“Fight For Your Right (To Party)”
was the anthem for the 1980s. Lyrics
like “Your mom threw away your best
porno mag” were hard-core nasty. Ah,
how sheltered we were; this was before
Luther Campbell and his 2 Live Crew
appeared on the scene.
Mike D, MCA and the King Adrock
became music idols. We didn’t under
stand their references to White Castle,
Brass Monkey or all the “girlies” who
were “cattin’,” but we liked how it
sounded. The lyrics were easy to sing,
and we didn’t even consider that funny
lines like “Girls: to do the dishes” might
be sexist. We even memorized the words
to “Paul Revere.”
And we didn’t know that if we held
the album cover up to a mirror, the
lettering on the front would read, “EAT
ME.”
Now I have “License to 111” on com
pact disc. And the album, joke or not, is
still one of the funkiest examples of
excellence in rap, sampling and pure
wit.
But some things never change. The
Beastie Boys played Lollapalooza ’94
last summer, and my best friend and I
were there, way up close. They asked
the crowd to help them sing “Paul Re
vere.” And naturally, the two of us still
knew all the words.
— Josh Wimmer, freshman news-editorial
major and Dally Nebraskan Staff Reporter
Send your “Deja Vu” to the Daily Nebras
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Blues Brother
Travis Heylng/DN
Matt “Guitar” Murphy performs at the Zoo Bar Monday night. He will appear at the bar each night this week
through Saturday.
‘Guitar’ Murphy spends week at the Zoo
By Melissa Dunne
Staff Reporter ’ ~
Matt Murphy can’t remember when he
first started playing guitar.
“I was a little guy,” he said.
But when he did get the chance to pound
on one, he said, something about its sound
kept him playing. Influenced by blues and
jazz greats like? T-Bone Walker and Wes
Montgomery, he developed his own unique
style. -
Today the instrument has become part of
his name. Known as Matt “Guitar” Murphy,
he has performed for more than 10 years
both nationally and internationally.
Fans of “The Blues Brothers” may re
member Murphy for his portrayal of Aretha
Franklin’s husband in the film. Murphy
also performed with the Blues Brothers
band.
Murphy, bom in Mississippi and now
living in Boston, said in an interview Mon
day afternoon that appearing in the movie
and performing with the band were two of
his career highlights.
And, he said, he doesn’t mind that people
frequently associate him with the two.
“It doesn’t hurt at all,” he said. “It’s set
me up stronger in business. It’s given me a
reputation.”
Murphy said he began performing be
cause he had to do something in life.
“People work for a living,” he said. “I
decided that this would be my way.”
However, Murphy said, performing can
be very, very hard work.
“You have to find the work. You have to
hire guys willing to go out and play ...”
And making music your career can be
scary, he said.
Performers can end up stranded on the
road with no place to go, Muiphy said. The
guy in charge of the band can run off with
the money. Musicians can fall asleep at the
wheel.
Many performers spend a few years in
the field then turn to booking, he said,
because it’s easier.
Murphy, however, would prefer to play.
And he wouldn’t play, he said, if he
didn’t enjoy it.
“I enjoy it because it’s a challenge. I
practice really hard and see if I can do what
I practice when I get on stage.”
Once he gets on stage, he said, he impro
vises.
Murphy began his most recent tour Janu
ary in Buffalo and plans to stay on the road
through March. His tour has taken him
through Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Kansas
City, Omaha ... and now Lincoln.
“Lincoln is one of my favorite places to
play,” he said. “I love the Zoo Bar. They’re
becoming good friends.”
Murphy began his stint at the Zoo Bar,
136 N. 14th St., Monday night and will
appear nightly through Saturday. Admis
sion is $4 through Wednesday and $5 Thurs
day through Saturday. Although the music
begins around 9:30 p.m., early birds get the
tables.
Film scores with net dreams
By Trevor Parks
Film Critic
“Hoop Dreams” offers a look at
the lives of two athletes who take
different routes trying to fulfill
their dreams of someday playing
in the National Basketball Asso
ciation.
This documentary — by film
makers Steve James, Frederick
Marx and Peter Gilbert — may
seem a little long, but seeing it is
well worth the 2 hours and 49
minutes.
James, Gilbert and Marx did an
excellent job of cutting the film
down from the original 250 hours
of interviews and footage.
“Hoop Dreams” begins in 1986
when the directors intrude chi the
lives of two potential basketball
stars, William Gates and Arthur
Film: “Hoop Dreams”
Director: Steve James
Stars: William Gates,
Arthur Agee
Rating: PG-13
Five Words: Dreams
encounter some tough
shots.
Grade: B+
Agee.
The camera follows Gates and
Agee constantly from practice to
games to their sometimes troubled
home lives.These two begin their
basketball careers as friends, but
through the years become sepa
rated and take different paths.
Interviews are used to probe the
feelings of Gates and Agee in vari
ous situations. Their family,
friends, coaches and other outside
influences are also interviewed in
the film. The interviews are con
ducted so the audience understands
what each person means and feels.
The frequent use of close shots
helps bring out the emotion of
everyone involved with the two
players. This technique gives in
sight into the characters’ feelings.
Gates and Agee are sweet-talked
early in their basketball careers.
As the documentary goes on,
they find out that many of the
promises they were made don’t
benefit them, much like basketball
stardom.
See DREAMS on 16
Unique brand of music
second nature to flutist
By John Fulwider
Staff Reporter
Robert Mirabal is a man of
many influences.
He is influenced by his Taos
Pueblo heritage. He is influenced
by non-American Indian culture.
And he is influenced by music
from around the world.
Mirabal, a world-renowned
flutist from Taos Pueblo, N.M.,
is in residency at the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Mirabal said his life was de
fined by music. It has surrounded
him throughout his life as part of
his culture. He has played instru
ments ranging from the piano to
the xylophone, but he said he felt
complete when he got his first
flute at a powwow when he was
18. He said he felt a spiritual
connection to the flute.
“It gives me life more than
any other instrument,” he said.
Mirabal makes a living doing
concert tours around the world.
He plays what he describes as “a
Native American world sound;”
Senegalese singing, Japanese
drumming, American rock and
roll and Cherokee stomp dances
all have influenced his sound.
Mirabal said his music was a
way to let his audience see and
feel his life. He said he didn’t try
to influence his audience by
teaching them.
“I’m not going to pound my
See MIRABEL on 17
