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‘X-Files’ premiere entices fans
By Sean McCarthy
Assignment Reporter
LINCOLN, Neb., 7:55 p.m., Nov. 2, 1997,
VARIOUS APARTMENTS, HOUSES and
DORMS
Unusual phenomena involving a show and a
rabid band of followers seems to be culminating
K into one event on Sunday night. The Fox net
... work-based show “The X-Files” has had an
^ almost hypnotic effect on viewers across the
nation and has amassed a growing number of
fans since it started its run almost five years ago.
Arguably the most anticipated television sea
P son-opener of the year, “The X-Files” last May
\ had millions of fans guessing the outcome of the
season finale.
In that episode, FBI agent Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny) apparently committed sui
cide. He was distraught when he found his dis
covery of alien life might have been a fraud engi
neered by a secretive government conspiracy. In
a subplot, fellow FBI agent Dana Scully (Gillian
Anderson) is dying of a tumor, which is related
to her earlier abduction by aliens a couple of sea
sons ago.
Justin Lewis, a senior fine arts major, said he
has watched “The X-Files” since it premiered in
1993. He plans on getting friends together to
watch the series’ season opener Sunday.
And he has a prediction of what will tran
spire.
“I think it’s all a set up with Skinner’s assis
tance to catch the Smoking Man,” Lewis said.
For the initiated, Walter Skinner (Mitch
Pileggi) is Mulder and Scully’s boss. And the
Smoking Man (William Davis) is considered to
be the series’ villain. Last season, the Smoking
Man had Skinner framed for a murder he didn’t
commit.
Shawn Damall, co-owner of Bodega’s Alley,
1418 0 St., said he planned to broadcast the sea
son opener at the bar. Though Damall isn’t a pro
fessed “X-Files” fan, he says he knows his bar
tenders are.
“They schedule their work hours around the
show,” he said.
More examples of this abnormal behavior
are evident and will clearly surface Sunday
night.
The truth is out there, and some of those
truths probably will have to wait for the series’
upcoming movie in order to be solved.
Halloween provides Wide usual spooky atmosphere
By Sean McCarthy
Assignment Reporter
Describing himself as the lead screamer -
not singer - of the local band Wide, Heath
Cole plans to scare up audiences tonight.
His band will play at 10 p.m. with
Cadmium and Mercy Ride at Knickerbockers
Bar & Grill, 9010 St.
Bassist Jimmy Webb and drummer
Smokey Anderson round out the trio. Cole -
also the guitarist and better known as “H” -
knew Anderson from Anderson’s former band,
Stew.
The two met each other from playing with
their respective bands at Knickerbockers.
After forming Wide in 1994, H said he needed
two musicians who would be willing to tour
with him. He found the answer with Anderson
and Webb.
“We’re kind of a lightly salted
Minutemen,” H said.
Stew shared one side of an LP that also
made up Wide’s first release. The LP, “The
Perfect Gift,” was released this year on -ismist
records. “The Perfect Gift” takes up side one
while Stew’s last release, “Karma Suture”
makes up side two. Bad news for compact disk
and cassette players though, the album is only
available on vinyl. -
Ron Albertson, drummer for the band
Mercy Rule, screened 300 copies of the cover
of the album. After those 300 are sold, H said
he doubted the group would reprint more.
Instead, members are working on a new album
that should come out in early 1998.
Despite his Halloween hype, H said the
band didn’t need to add anything to make the
holiday show special.
“We’re going to be spooky, as usual,” he
said.
Sitting back in H’s apartment, watching an
episode of “Beavis and Butthead,” the band
waxed about its favorite horror movies. Webb’s
favorite was “The Exorcist,” H was particular
ly fond of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
and Anderson’s pick was “Evil Dead 2.”
Morbid movies often yield a watershed of
writing materialfbut Wide’s influences for
writing is more varied than a slasher film.
Webb said his favorite topic for writing was
people who were “party machines.” H said he
liked writing about the butchering of corporate
business. Anderson’s muse was a tad simpler -
“People who are idiots,” he said.
Wide’s ideal environment for a Halloween
show would be underground, Webb said.
“We enjoy hot, sweaty, stinky rooms.”
Until that special “sub-genius” show hap
pens, fans should revel in tonight’s above
ground version. Tickets are $3.
_ Photo courtesy of Wide
WIDE (from left, Webb, H and Smokey) delivers its girthy, gritty reek *■’ rail eoaad tonight at
Knickerbocker’s Dar & Grill, 9010 St.
