1994_10 Insight October 1994

              October 5,1994
LIFESTYLE
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY. FRE8NO
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INSIGHT
Four for the ageless '80s
Shahada Abdul-Karim     a classic by his adoring fans and is
INSIGHT worth its weight in gold to anyone
who knows anything about music history.
Every semester, some student from
some university on some day decides
that it's time to clean up that vortex
of light known as their bedroom.
In the process, it is almost inevitable that they will stumble
upon some once-loved music of their
past.
This discovery will evoke such
emotions as happiness, sadness and,
on occasion, total embarrassment
(how many folks are former New
Kids On The Block fans?).
To counter this assault of emotion,
the typical university student will do
the first thing that comes naturally:
pack and sell.
But wait!
Before eyes begin to flash dollar
signs, one should remember that
though the music of the past decade
was for the most part purely experimental, a few well-known artists rose
from the primordial muck to create
a sound that would carry them into
the 90s with a little dignity and few
regrets.
Artists such as Michael Jackson,
Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and
Madonna would eventually mature
and begin to produce a sound that
could be recognized and appreciated
by the masses.
Michael Jackson: Thriller.
Besides the fact lhat this album remained in the top 10 for 32 weeks in
a row — which is reason alone for
holding on to it — Thriller served as
tangible evidence that little Michael
was growing up.
No longer the darling of the Jackson Five, Jackson proved that he
could go solo at the risk of public
rejection.
Songs such as Human Nature,' The
Girl is Mine, and Thriller quickly became favorites and boosted his popularity to new heights.
The cassette is currently considered
Madonna: Like a Virgin
When discussing old music favorites of the 80s, who could forget the
original Material Girl?
Madonna Louise Ciccone-Penn
shocked the nation and the world with
her boy-toy mentality and funky (or
lack thereof) clothing.
With legs spread and head thrown,
she crooned such well-known favorites as Like a Virgin, Material Girl
and Borderline.
Named 'Artist of the Decade" by
People magazine. Madonna took the
80s by storm by re-opening hearts
and minds to the concept of sexual
liberation.
She pleased the masses by demonstrating oblivion to the rules of society and made a name for herself —
by herself — that is worthy of being
recognized and respected.
Knowing this, who would even consider selling one of her first attempts
at blatant disrespect?
A word of advice: anyone who currently owns this album should hold
on to it and possibly frame it for posterity.
Whitney Houston: The Greatest
Love of AIL
Standing 5'9" and weighing in at
120 pounds, Whitney Houston captivated audiences worldwide with the
re-release of the hit The Greatest
Love of All.
It seemed impossible thai a voice
rich with deep soul inflections could
come from such a small person.
Whitney belled out notes with the
ease of a professional but allowed the
world to see she was actually a very
fnglyened young woman.
Thisp>ovT5cTn{yc mixture of confidence and insecurity gained her the
fame of a long-standing artist in less
lhan two years' time.
The masses gravitated to such hits
as The Greatest Love of All and began to use her as the symbol for confidence and self-discovery.
Whitney quickly became a favorite, and, since her fame has currently
reached legendary status, one would
be a fool to let her first successful
album go.
Janet Jackson: Control
Like her famous brother, Janet
Jackson struck out alone to try and
make a name for herself.
Unlike Michael, however, Janet
made it known that she was no longer
a sweet-faced innocent and would go
to just about any length to prove it.
She surprised Jackson fans and her
family with the release of Nasty Girls
and declared her independence with
Control.
Not being one to jump into something feet-first, however, she curbed
her appetite for destruction with Lets
Wait a While.
This unique combination of innocence and rebellion enticed listeners,
made her the sweetheart of the industry and allowed her to carve her
personal niche without the attachment of the Jackson name.
Today, Jackson is recognized as one
of the better artists of the previous
decade.
To hold onto her first personal success is beneficial. To sell it is just
plain stupid.
These artists make up the foundation of the sounds of th ■ 80s.
Without them, the listening masses
would have missed out on sounds
and images that carried them from
the disco of the 70s into a new age a
new statement and a new way of
music.
The moral of the story is this: if one
is fortunate enough to possess any of
these artisHs, one should hold onto
them for dear life and abstain from
the concept of barter and trade of any
kind.
Terese Fannen/INSIGHT
Ravers illegally groove in an abandoned Fresno parking lot
Riding the rave waves
Old Spaghetti Factory fills bill
for students with slow cash flow
Christine Malamanig
The Old Spaghetti Factory, located
al 2721 Ventura St., offers students
what they need: lots of food at a reasonable price — without the fast food
ambiance.
The Old Spaghetti Factory in
Fresno is one of 32 Old Spaghetti
Factory restaurants world-wide that
offers a complete meal for under $ 10
in a unique atmosphere.
The restaurant has the feel of a
wherehouse with its open pipes overhead, a high ceiling and the loud
clammering from the kitchen.
But the look is softened with
brightly-colored plush sofas, lamps
with fringed
lampshades   and
wallpaintings.
Other oddities include a large, broken scale in the
waiting area, a dining area in the interior of an indoor
full-sized trolley
and tables and
chairs resembling
beds.
The restaurant, which neighbors the
Cadillac Club, offers the usual variety of Italian dishes, including lasa-
gna. ravioli and spaghetti.
Those who love spaghetti and a
great bargain will appreciate the different sauces available: white clam
sauce, marinara, meat, mizathra
cheese and mushroom sauce.
For the indecisive diner, combination plates allow a sampling of two
sauces, and for the totally undecided,
the potpourri dinner tops spaghetti
noodles with four different kinds of
sauces.
The spaghetti dinners are filling,
but they aren't cuisine nor are they
as fast a food as Goomba's Pasta near
the CSUF campus.
The spaghetti dishes, which start at
$4.25 for the no-frills spaghtetti with
tomato sauce, include a salad, a loaf
of of fresh-baked bread and spumoni
ice cream.
The ice-cream which has the look
of ncopolitan ice "cream but which
has a taste similar to mint.
Dinners also come with a choice of    Amy Elliott, a Fresno
INSIGHT
The music throbs, discs spin and
hundreds of young adults, in beat ecstatic rhythm, bounce, spin and
groove to the pulsating vibrations.
Lights spin in strobe-like wonder as
monitors screen clips of spliced cartoons and psychedelic designs.
The entire festivity is like a collective conscience on an acid trip.
To the underground, this "trip" is
better known as a "rave," which is
generally considered illegal.
Many raves are held in abandoned
warehouses, parking lots or property
in the country.
These gatherings may be construed
as law violations, according to Fresno
police, because of trespassing and liability laws.
The rave, which originated in London, has filtered into large cities
across the United States, such as San
Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and has also found its place in
Fresno.
Many people believe
raves are important to _____
the Fresno community
for establishing a
means for young
people of varying
races, sexual preferences, age and gender
to congregate in a
peaceful, entertaining
atmosphere.
"It's a coming together of everyone,
Ramirez, a recent high school gradu-
ite.
Raves are also an alternative to
young adults for entertainment, said
DJ "Chach."
"Between the ages of 18 and 21,"
he said, "people have no place to go."
Naz Vartarian, a Fresnan, who has
hosted approximately 40 rave parties,
said the gatherings are relatively
peaceful.
"I think it's tough to do real good
things because of lack of venues, but
the parties are non-violent. We
haven't had one fight," he said.
Elliott said the music provides common ground for all participants.
"There's a big gang element and
section elements. It seems like it
would be hard to bring them together
to groove together," she said.
"Everyone likes the music, because
it's universal. Anyone can like it, no
matter how old. what color." she said.
Lloyd Turner, a Fresno City College
student and also a DJ. said he thinks
raves are good tension-releasers.
"People are having great times, gc-
"The spirit comes from within
and when vibe and spirit meet,
you have a community gathering
of people with smiles."
— Joe Lewis
coffee, milk or tea.
One must-try drink is the Italian
cream soda, which comes in a variety of flavors ranging from chocolate to raspberry.
The glass cup is yours to keep.
The service is usually good after
customers are seated.
The waiters and waitresses are
quick to refill drinks and to check to
see if anything else is needed.
Customers dining-in can expect to
spend about an hour in the restau-
The only drawbacks are that reservations cannot be made, the wait can
be long and the noise can be loud and
distracting.
The wait to be seated can sometimes last half an hour, depending on
how many tables are available for the
number in the waiting party.
Customers can also order their food
ogo.
The Old Spaghetti Factory is open
5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p. m. Friday and Saturday and 4 to 9 p. m. on Sunday.
City College student and disc jockey
said.
"There's so many different kinds of
people who go to raves,"she said.
The different people who attend
raves include gang members, "hippies," "Dead-Heads," "groupies," college students, high school students,
"pot heads," "head bangers," business
men and, on occassion, off-duty policemen.
People say they attend raves for several reasons: the positive atmosphere,
a good time, as an alternative to
sneaking into 21-and-over clubs and
to release tensions.
Joe Lewis, a rave frequenter from
Fresno, said he enjoys the positive
atmosphere the raves create.
"The spirit comes from within and
when vibe and spirit meet, you have
a community gathering of people with
smiles," he said.
Many people said they have ventured to raves purely for the fun.
"I went to the rave to enjoy the experience, to get the feel, to see how
people dance there," said Randy
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INSIGHT
No, we are not
the Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday
paper.
(What more can we say?)
ing crazy — people exploding with
energy overcome everything collected over the weeks," he said.
Because of legality, raves have been
banned in London, said Turner, who
considers himself an expert on the
underground scene.
According to the law, three or more
people in London "cannot gather to
listen to music with repetitive beats."
he said.
The scene, however, flourishes in a
more liberal San Francisco, Turner
said.
Many of the raves host such events
as smart bars, which are bars that
serve non-alcoholic beverages, hair
salons, virtual reality booths, professional masseuses and puff-pastry distribution.
Ron Hults, public information officer for the Fresno police, said raves
are regarded the same as large parties in the Fresno area.
If the participants are violating tres-.
passing, noise, underage drinking or
drug usage laws, then the police have
the right to interfere.
"A gathering of individuals who are
breaking the law by their actions
could be cause for them to have a
brush with the law," Hults said.
Otherwise, the police are unlikely
to intervene if there is no reason.
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In Fresno, within the last couple of
years, the DJ Pied Piper threw parties through the dance club Metropolis, and DJ Funkin' Groovin' has also
hosted a few raves.
Recently, a group of ravers gathered in the outskirts west of Fresno.
A few hundred people showed,
which, according to the rave organizer, was about only one-third the
size of most raves in Fresno.
Occasionally, people have purchased tickets at the now-closed
nightclub Metropolis and were then
bused to a hidden location in downtown Fresno, said Elliott.
Other raves have been held in more
rural parts of Fresno where the closest neighbors are miles away and in
old abandoned warehouses.
Some feel the underground dance
scene is only in its infant stages and
will explode along with computer
technology.
Presently, raves are organized
through word-of-mouth, through fliers and with the telephone.
In the near future, electronic mail
and computer net-
_^_^—_      working will be ac-
=     cessible for spreading   the   word.
Turner said.
Raves generated
through computer
networking are already in existence.
About a year ago.
Turner said he at-
— tended a rave at
Great America.
The entire
amusement park was rented out to
accommodate the huge crowd.
'The whole park became a playground of people trippin' to the music," Turner said. "People traveled
from all over."
Raves have been criticized for their
association with the drug world and
earlier forms of music geared to accompany drug trips with songs such
as "Mushroom Jazz" and "Acid
House."
"Rico," who requested anonymity
because he is a frequent drug-user,
said he goes to raves for the drugs.
"So many people on acid and pot,
shroomin.' It's the feel good," he
said.
"There's no fights 'cause
everyone's frying and trippin.'God,
I love raves," he added.
Lewis said drugs are prominent in
the scene, but people should ignore
that and be themselves.
"With being yourself and a positive vibe, drugs aren't needed," he
said.
Turner said in some cases people
dance so hard and long to the music
that they pass out
"People forget to breathe." he said.
"They leave, go off into the music
and dance so hard they pass out, forget arid stop breathing sometimes."