1992_03 Insight March 1992

              Night of rhythm & blues lacks soul
Perspective
By Stu Rosenberg
StaffWriter
Now did you really think I
could pass up the chance to
pick on the recording industry's
annual award show honoring me-
diocrity and commercialism
known for the past 34 years as the
Grammys? I'm not going to pick
on the the four-hour marathon itself — it was as hollow and predictable as ever — but rather the
nearly 80 categories and the
nominees.
First off, any award show that
presents the talent-devoid Michael
Bolton with any award other than
"Best Impression of a BarkingSeal
in Heat" is completely lacking in
credibility. I like to call him the
modern day Pat Boone for his
money-sniffing covers of American standards performed by Ray
Charles and the late Otis Redding
to name a couple. Each time
Bolton's annoying, constipated
voice attempts to ruin somebody
else's song, I developa new-found
respect for the original. I not only
feel insulted by the number of
classic records his soulless voice
mutilates, I get embarrassed for
those deprived listeners who see
redeeming value in his shallow,
minimalistic fluff.
Folks, there is a whole world of
quality musicout there. If you take
the time to open your eyes and
ears you will be pleasantly surprised by all the acts who put their
hearts and souls into every piece
they write and perform—in essence the people who struggle to
get by because they writeand perform for themselves and their fans,
not for industry approval.
Bryan Adams is another industry favorite who followed the pop
formula and scored a super-ultra-
mega hit with hisoffensively weak
and sappy "Everything I do (I Do
It for You)." Nominated for Song
of the Year honors, "Everything!
Do" is retentively safe, clean,
unimaginative and bland. People
bought it up like hotcakes, but
folks, come on now, should it be
rewarded forbeinganythingmore
than third grade poetry accompanied by unsophisticated instrumentation?
Have Americans stopped putting demands on the music they
listen to and spend their hard-
earned money on? Has American
taste degenerated beyond hope?
Not quite. Mainstream America
discovered R.E.M. in 1991.
The quartet from Athens, Ga.
has made its way into the mainstream, proving what dedicated
fans knew 10 years ago—that this
is a great band that appeals to both
the lyrically and musically demanding.
Theiralbum "Out of Time" sold
as many, if not more, records during the year as industry icons
Adams, Bolton and the squealing
Mariah Carey without sacrificing
quality and integrity in the process.
So why was it nominated in
both the "Ttecord of the Year" and
"Alternative Music Album" categories?
I'd like to see the day when
Bolton, Adams, Carey, and the
horrid Color Me Badd are labeled
alternative acts—alternatives for
people who, demanding nothing
BITE BACK
BITE BACK was recently asked: Why are cars
always parked in the fire zone north of
the North Gym?
"We do enforce that," Specialist Margie
Hemandez,campuspolice, said."If itdoesn'tget
done, ifsbecause we haven't had time to get there
yet, because our staff is busy — or we are short-
staffed that day.
"Usually, we have the help of staff in the North
Gym who call us if a car has been
there a long time.
"If it's a red zone, it is enforced."
When Insight double-
checked with Lt. Steven King,
he sai d, "We'll take a closer look
at that — tonight."
//TH"  verywhere you walk,
*-* a vehicle will soon pull
up behind you, forcingyou into
the mud. I would like a permit
to drive to class, too. How do you get a permit to
drive on the sidewalks?
BITE BACK took this question to Lt. Steven
King of the campus police department. King said
he, too, would like a permit to drive on the sidewalks.
"Those are construction permits," King said.
"Sidewalk permissions are given to those we feel
need them to conduct business for the campus."
King said that permits are presently issued
independently from both the campus police and
the facilities planning departments. The lack of
communication between departments is a source
of confusion which King hopes will be alleviated
by Rick Finden, who was recently hired to oversee parking administration.
"We're in transition right now. We just hired a
new parking administrator," King said.
"There might be some changes, but ifs too
soon to say."
Until Finden has had time to evaluate the situation and make suggestions, sidewalk driving
permits will remain a source of frustration.
"[Peoplel have to show us need in order to get
a permit. Personally, I feel that it should be
extremely limited," King said, indicating his preference for no sidewalk-driving permits.
Regarding   the   problem
raised in the Feb. 26
issue of Insight alleging
substandard work on concrete
walkways at CSUF:
"The concrete does not have
wire in it. It wasn't designed for
heavy vehicles. If it wasdesigned
for heavy vehicles, like fire trucks,
it would have doubled the cost
of the project. So they d etermined
it wasn't cost efficient," Susan Aldrich, director of
Facilities Planning, said.
Aldrich also commented on the work in
progress in front of the library:
'One is the si te of a steam leak in a heating line.
Theother, the fenced construction, is the site of
chilled water lines which will run south from the
library to Keats Ave., then east to serve the new
music building.
Got a gripe? Let Insight check it out for
you. Call or drop us a note at BITE BACK
— iNSiCHr, Mailstop 10; 278-2892.
■I-NS-IG-BH^
IHM* 16i CSU, taM / fntnss, CA M740
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of their music, do not take it seriously and will buy up whatever
the industry offers.
They might as well do away
with the Best New Artist category
because the award is the kiss of
death for whomever gets it.
Christopher Cross and the
Starland Vocal Band (of "Afternoon Delight" fame) arc just two
of the many one-hit-wonders who
disappeared after tasting initial
. Both have moved on to
become priceless answers to
Trivial Pursuitand Jeopardy questions.
I wouldn't normally wish this
award on my worst enemy but it
would have been nice if CMB
would have come away a winner
this year—and then fallen into the
abyss of musical obscurity.
I'll always have a soft spot in
my heart for Milli Vanilli because
I think they got a bad rap. Rob and
Fav didn't do anything but fool
buyers and industry types into
thinking they were legitimate artists. They paid more for lip-
synching than the industry did in
awarding themaGrammy for their
efforts.
It looks as though the only criteria used in the nomination process is the almighty dollar. The
industry asks the question, "How
many did you sell?" and says, "OK
let's pump out as many clones as
we can pull from our sleeves."
Many of the categories them-
sclvesare more than questionable.
Among my favorites are "Best
Polka Album," "Best Spoken Word
orNon-musical Album"and "Best
Song Written Specifically for a
Motion Picture or Television."
There are now 79 Grammy categories, which is one reason the
annual event drags its heels and
has become a colossal bore.
But how important is a
Grammy? Are they yardsticks for
measuring musical influence, success, and achievement? If so, then
don't tell Mick,Keith, Bill,Charlie,
or Ron because the Rolling Stones,
in nearly 30 years of recording,
have yet to win one. Something
tells me they don't consider themselves to be failures.
Having Metallica, the Will
Rogers Follies, Queensryche and
Johnny Mathis perform on the
same stage was a feeble attempt to
add diversity to a program lacking spontaneity.
Trie Grammy's have become a
self-parody of the recording
industry and an award ceremony
for those undeserving of critical
acclaim and unable to win
anywhere else. o
Too many tongues?
They only babble on
# "TT* oda la gente sera especial con Dios!
^ JL Los Angeles was the last place I ever
dreamed of living. Freeways and smog were
practically swear words in the mountain community where 1 went to high school. My dreams included rustic cabins by streams of pure water with
cyan-blue skies perfectly framed with the whitest of
clouds.
M y pi a n s t o go back a nd tea ch i n those hills were
hijacked by the sweetest three- and four-year-old
facesduringa summer youthoutreach in the ghetto.
The children lied in singing and crafts at Hoover
Park near USC didn't
speak a word of English.     	
They didn't need to. The ™™^^^^^^^
lilt of their Spanish voices
and their eagerness for
knowledge inspired me to
leam their language. Because of them, I stayed in
L.A.I thoughtof those children because former U.S.
Senator S.I. Hayakawa
died this week.
One of Hayakawa's pet projects was English
First—an effort to make English the official language of the United States. The bill would have had
serious" implications for those children, and all the
others I taught and loved.
I remember Hayakawa from the '60s. He was a
most unlikely folk hero, but Califomians with a
mainstream mind-set admired his stand against
student protest and elected him to the U.S. Senate.
And I agrecwithhisargument that language can
unite us as a country. i
I have known too many children who were unable to comprehend what the public school teacher
said in English. They were frustrated by teacher's
aides who spoke their language but had no expertise in communicating the subject. The children
learned to pass rime^uthout learning. Had they
been required to learnB&lish in order to be in class,
they would have been^etter equipped for college
and a corporate career.
I studied how to teach English as a second language. I d rilled child ren in phonics and vocabulary.
I like to think they were better students for the time
I spent with them, one-on-one.
At times I lapsed into Spanish to convey a difficult concept. But I tried to use English first
We don't require students to
be literate in even one
language."
When groups of girls from different racial backgrounds came together, I watched the mistrust grow
when cliques began speaking in another language. It
wasn't a matter of being ill-equipped to communicate; these were usually teenagers who had spent
most of their lives in the U.S. and had a good handle
on both languages. It was a matter of wanting to
exclude others.
Historically, literacy was a tool of the ruling class.
Southern land owners perpetrated a second class by
withholding education from freed slaves.
Hayakawa's contention was that speaking a common language will bring people together.
One must assume that the common good — the
opportunities and freedoms granted by our Constitution — draws people to our nation. However,
unless there is unity among the members of a society,
there cannot be a "common good."
No one is suggesting that people be forced to give
up their cultural heritage. Diversity enriches us all.
But the suspicion and
^^^^^^^^^^^ mistrust generated by
"unknown" languages
place barriers to appreciating that diversity
It is ironic that we
hesitate to require a
common language for
those who share our
land and government.
For years we have lamented that we are be-
ind Europeans in language skills. Most European
students are familiar with three to five languages,
includinga national language,by the time they graduate from high-school. Many Japanese study English
because it makes good business sense.
Yet we do not require US. students to be literate in
even one language.
Sc>rp&-Trught argue that a Native American language would be more appropriate for a national
language. However, sheer numbers suggest that
English is a more logical choice.
The Bible tells of a time when all people spoke one
language. Their ability to cooperate because of the
ease of communication was a powerful tool in affecting their world. The Bible says that they became
so proud, God humbled them by introducing different languages. Their work came to a halt and many
left for far comers of the world.
The United States is faced with a challenge if it is
to remain one nation under God, indivisible: we
must find and use a common language.
Encourage our members to leam the languages of
their neighbors as well. Stretch our horizons so that
we can say, "Mi casa es tu casa" in many tongues.
But designate one language for all Americans to
speak and understand. o
i     hii
Oversight
Insight regrets relocating Goomba's restaurant In our Feb. 19 Issue. We are pleased
to announce that our staff has moved Goomba's back to Its original location at Cedar
& Barstow.
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