1993_05 Insight May 1993

              Page 10
May 12,1993
Obscene and 'hate'
lyrics offend listeners
By Kevin Adler
radio station, he said he has a lot more
freedom in his music selection than a
commercial station, bul he still has to
refuse to play some music.
"The biggest thing rock bands exploit
is a person's religion. I think that's the
mosi obscene thing, it cuts to the hcan
Staff Writer
Rock lyrics have long been raunchy
and rebellious, bui in recent years, rockers and rappers have become noticeably
rawer.
2 Live Crew has a song entitled "S & of person," Batty said.
M." It contains 117 explicit references Ed Bove, who's in charge of the rap/
lo male genitals. Oral sex is mentioned hip-hop music al KFSR, said nearly all
87 times, the word "bitch" is used more of the music he receives contains ob-
than 100 times and "fuck" occurs no scene or hatred lyrics. Bove said he has
less than 226 limes. to wait for the radio version of songs io
Of course this song would never be come in before he can play them, limit-
heard on a commercial radio staiioa ing his playlisL
The Federal CommunicationsCommis- "With rap, its pan of the authenticity
sion, which regulates broadcasting, has of ihc music, it's pan of the image, ihc
noi allowed to record what they want, more acceptable to society. Others feci
thai would be downright censorship. thai the music promotes or inhibits indi-
"Il's life, you can't hide what's going viduals to adopt a criminal rrhavior, by
on,"   Batty said, although he disap- pulling ideas and messages into their
proves of many of the lyrics heard on thoughts,
songs today. Garcia believes thai it's not just ihe
Baity feels ihat ihc music should be music that affects the individual, there
available only in record siorcs. wiih arc many oiher factors including a pcr-
publicity being spread by word of moulh, sons family and living environment,
no air-play. At commercial radio station KRZR,
Joe Garcia, music director for com- Music Director E. Curtis Johnson, said
mcrcialradiosiationKSXY. 101.1 FM. it's rare lor him to receive music inatis
agrees. He feels that government and blatantly offensive He said since the
courts should not decide what people station must appeal to a mass audience,
can and cannot listen to or what they musicarusiswon'trccordobsccnemusic
should or should not buy. because they know it won't gel played.
"If you don't like what you're listening io. turn it off. If a product is in the
store, you don'i have to buy it," Garcia
said.
Batty sees music come across his desk
Bovcsaiditdocsn'tmatterifii'splaycd
on the air or not, artists will continue lo
record music thai is offensive to some
people, while acceptable to others.
"As long as wc continue
everyday, having io make the decision violent society, music will continue to
whether the music is too offensive to be a direct reflection of that violence,"
play on KFSR or noi. Being a college    Bove said.
Memories of Howard Brewer
♦ Popular Theatre
Arts professor will be
missed by many.
By Laura Deckard
Staff Writer
The door to Howard Brewer's office
in the Speech/Arts Building is closed
now, and those who pass by are sadly
reminded that Brewer is no longer
there.
They miss tnlVJ ng andl augh ing with
the smiling, dark-haired man who
would always brighten ihcir day.
Howard Brewer, professor of Theatre Arts and the department's scene
designer died on April 7 after a short
batde with Leukemia at 47.
The staff, faculty and students of
CSUF, as well as the community, lost
more lhan a smiling face, ihey lost a
talented man and a close friend.
Kim Morin, assistant professor in
the Theatre Arts Department, passed
by Brewer's office everyday and said
Brewer would greet her and invite her
to stop and chat
"He was more than a colleague,"
Morin said. "He was like everybody's
best friend."
Rita Alwood, professor of telecommunications, saw Brewer almost every moming as she passed his office
on the way lo hers.
"Coming into school and seeing
Howard would cheer you up for the
resi of the day," she said.
One of Brewer's closest friends was
Ron Johnson, chair of the Theatre
Arts Department,
The two mcl 16 years ago at a conference. Johnson encouraged Brewer
to apply for the technical director position at CSUF.
Brewer applied and began working
as the Theatre Arts Department's technical director in 1978. Since 1984,he
has served as the department's scenic
designer, designing the stage sets for
more lhan 100 CSUF Theatre Art
Department productions.
" Wc became very fast friends," Johnson said. "We had a lot professionally
in com mon, and wc liked music, boats,
sailing and just hanging oul together."
"He wascloscrthana brother," Johnson said. !To mc, he's still here. I
walk out the door and almost feel him
walking by mc."
As scenic designer. Brewer worked
with directors tocrcatcaproduclion's
stage set. Sometimes the directors
would have their own ideas, and sometimes Brewer came up with his own.
With wood, paint, colored pencils
and glue. Brewer designed and built
models for all the department's productions. The models, complete wiih
miniature figures and doll-house furniture, were used by those in the scene
shop who constructed the actual stage
"He was supportive of a director's
interpretations, but inventive in bringing iuo fruition," said Dr. Janet Loring,
professor of theatre arts.
For the play, "A Different Moon,"
Loring told Brewer she needed a setting that had a porch, a front yard, and
a playing area.
Brewer constructed a cut-away of a
living room that faced a wooden porch
and green lawn with one brown tree
stump sticking up.
On the porch, liny pieces of thin
wood were glued together io form a
bench and a chair.
Inside the living room, an oval
shaped piece of paper was colored to
look like a braided rug. Silting upon
the rug was a sofa and chair constructed of paper-thin strips of metal.
Pink, green and brown strokes of paint
covered the sofa, appearing to be a
floral fabric. Propped against the
sofa's back is a pillow die size of a
lifesaver.
Standing by the sofa isa blond haired
lady no taller than a toothpick. She is
wearing a green skirt, pleated by the
brush strokes of light brown paint.
Miniature framed pictures and
wooden shelves are hung on die faded
brown walls of the living room. On
the shelves are tiny clay pots the size
of pencil erasers.
Morin said Brewer could take a
director's ideas and expand them in
visual terms.
"Howard would always say, 'I'm
gonna make it nice," and he would tell
his students, 'In the end. you need to
make sure it's nice,'" Morin said.
The sketches and the models created by Brewer are on display in the
John Wright Theaue, where viewers
can witness his careful attention to
detail in making the production come
to life.
"The intricate things he had to do
were unbelievable," said Amelia
Hernandez, secretary of the Theatre
Arts Department.
Hernandez said that although Brewer
mainly designed the sets, he worked
closely with the carpenters and production supervisors, and "the stage
always looked cxacdy like the models."
Howard knew little things about the
theatre, like where lights should go
and where nails should go."
Johnson said, "We're a collaborative department. We all must by necessity work together. Howard was so
instrumental in making the chemistry
come together."
Dr. Ed EmanuEl, professor of theatre, has fond memories of the
department's 1985 trip to Washington D.C. to perform in the Kennedy
Center.
"I shared a hotel room with Howard
and all he talked aboul was what a
wonderful opportunity for ihc students io take ihc show there and receive the honors they had worked so
hard for and deserved," EmanuEl said.
"He never once said one of die reasons the show was there was due in
great part to his efforts."
Johnson said Brewer was modest
when it came to his creative talent,
"I can't think of anything Howard
couldn't get into," Johnson said. "If a
person asked, he would do. It was
never 'I don't have time or I've got
things to do.' Il was always no big
deal to him."
Brewer's ability to design and construct settings was not limited to theatrical productions.
For the past three years. Brewer
worked as a set designer for ihe CSUF
Alumni Association's Annual New
Year's Eve fundraiser.
"When he would bring his work to
the committee, I would get goose
bumps," said Linda Van Kirk, executive director of the CSUF Alumni
Association.
Van Kirk said the committee would
give Howard an idea of what it wanted
and he would start sketching. She
said he would sketch throughout the
meeting and when il was over, he
would hold up his paper and say, "Is
this whai you had in mind?"
Van Kirk said his ideas were always
exactly what the committee wanted.
One year the fund-raising ihcmc was
centered around a train. Brewer built
a train coming out of the wall and
constructed small train stations as table
centerpieces.
"He had a knack formaking you feci
like you were somewhere else," Van
Kirk said. "He put you into a situation, and you forgot about real life."
Luis Cosia, dean of Arts and Humanities, remembers the train set designed by Brewer and built by him
and his group of theatre design students.
"It was absolutely spectacular,"
Costa said. "You walked in and said
In 1986, Brewer began designing
and personally providing the matcri-
alsand labor for the Valley Children's
Hospital annual telethon.
"He wouldn't just write a check,"
said Johnson. "He would give of himself."
Jack Former, chair of the CSUF
Music Department, w ould often go io
Brewer's office just to hang out.
"When 1 think of Howard, the first
thing that comes lo mind is energy,"
Former said. "He had incredible energy and life force."
Fortncr described Brewer as a "humanitarian work horse."
"He would work over and above the
call of duty," Former said." It is hard
to find people who give of themselves."
Brewer also designed the sci for
Valley Press and Consumer Line for
KVPT.
"He had enormous talent as a theatre
set designer and technical director,"
said Oscar Spcacc, senior producer
and director of Valley Public Television.
Outside of working with Brewer on
the KVPT scls. Spcacc said Brewer
was a good friend.
"He was very easy to talk lo," Spcacc
said. "I learned a lot from him in terms
of ihc process of set design."
Brewer was an instrumental part in
the development of the John Wright
Theaue.
"He wanted to make it n theatre
Matt Soby/ Insicut
where he could work for the rest of his
life," Johnson said.
Johnson remembered talking with
Brewer two or three years ago, and
Brewer told him that if he won the
lottery, he wouldn't auit his ioh h*».
cause he couldn't think of anything
that he would enjoy more.
"His thing about life was living,"
Johnson said. "He was a warm, open,
present oriented individual who lived
life to die fullest in die here and now."
When Brewer became ill in mid-
January, he was involved in completing a home in Praihcr for he, his wife
and their son. Brewer had designed
ihe house and Johnson said he had
utilized very little hired help in its
construction.
The CSUF Theatre Arts Department
faculty joined together and finished
Ihc house for Brewer.
"They all just voluntarily went up
there and contributed as a family
would," Johnson said.
"Il shows this guy was a wonderful
person who made people want to help
him when he was in trouble."
After leaving the hospital. Brewer
was able to spend lOdaysinhishomc,
which Johnson said, "...were heaven
to him."
Atwood said, "The world is a liidc
bit sadder place to be without Howard,
bul I feel grateful that I did know
him."
Robert Ware, professor of ihcauc,
collaborated with Brewer when he
was a technical director, and remembers him as always having a smile and
a comfortable, relaxed style.
"It was impossible not to like him."
Ware said. "He was able to convey
even the worst information in a way
someone could work widi iL"
Instead of a funeral, an informal
gathering was held in Johnson's home
for Brewer's close friends and colleagues. Brewer told Johnson such a
gathering would be okay, but be added:
"...don't think of me because I don't
want anybody to feci bad."
Hernandez said, "We're still walking around shel 1 shocked, but the show
must go on. Howard would be mad if
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