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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1973)
weekend preview Hot dog! This has got to be the best weekend since God said “Let there be Saturday nights!” We got a whole bunch of stuff happening this weekend; events ranging from poetry readings, rock con certs, your faithful every-three-months demon stration, and good flicks. Starting with concerts, America will be performing in P-town this weekend. You’ve all hear of “Horse with no name?” well, the sang is by America. Even though the group is named “America” I’m sure there are no patriotic overtones. Anyway, the group will be gigging at Paramount Northwest in Portland Saturday. If you can’t make it, the group will be coming down to Corvallis and will be performing at the Gill Coliseum. Both performances will commence at 8 p.m. and tickets will be on sale at the usual places for $4.50, $4, and $3.50. If you feel that America is not good enough for you to get into, I suggest that you check out the Elvin Bishop Group. The group is into soulful-rock numbers that will make you want to do your favorite jig. What’s more, he has a sister backing him up. The sister is Jo Baker. She used to back up Ike & Tina Turner so you know she has got to have soul plus. The group will be performing at the Lane County Fairgrounds at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets will be on sale at the usual places for $3 advance and $3.50 at the door. If you don’t feel like dancing to big time folks get hip to this: There will be a White Bird Benefit tonight starting at 7 p.m. It’s not like these people are trying to rip you off, but that there is a need for them in the community. And in order for them to stay in the community it is necessary for them to have funds to support their establishment. Two groups will be performing at this gig: Big Sky (formerly Hot Rocks) and Lick, Slick, n Slide. The groups will be perfroming at W.O.W. Hall located on 8th and Lincoln. They’re askingfor $1.50 donation. “Molly Bloom” will be at Scarborough Faire Jan. 18, 19 k 20. This is probably the first major filing Scar borough Faire has gotten into since its creation, so community support is in order. The play was performed on the Oregon campus a few months ago, but the play will be different this time. Like it will be longer for one thing, they’re imparting an actor from Portland by the name of David English and a few other things. Eric Park will play some pre-show music starting at 8 p.m. The play will begin about 8:30 and it only cost a buck to get in. You really can’t beat that. Boy oh Boy! If this weekend lacks anything it sure isn’t variety. People are even coming out in the streets again to march against the war. There are a number of good Flicks flashing this weekend. “The Strong Man,” an old rag time silentgoodie will be showing at 8:00 p.m. Jan. 19 k 20. Playing directly afterwards will be “Long Pants,” beginning at 9:20. Last but not least in fins Frank (Capra) film festival flashing flick show will be “Lost Horizon.” This classic is sure to do it to you. The flick was made in 1937, a year that had to be heavy-duty. I say “Thank God for movie producers.” The Festival of Arts for 1973 is coming to an end and I am proud to say that this reporter will be a part of this historical event. More about that lata*. Poetry is what’s happening. Lawson Inada is a former graduate of Oregon and is presently teaching at Southern Oregon College. The man is good. A very fine poet. Inada grew up through the horrors of bong kept in a con centration camp—America-style. He’s a Japanese-American. He has a collection of poems called Before the War—poems as they happened, and will be reading some of his works in the Browsing Room (which is located right above the Post Office) at 8 p.m. Friday in the EMU. Break your neck to be there. I said earlier that I will be giving a poetry reading Sunday at 7:30 in the Browsing room It’s a weird situation trying to describe poetry especially if it’s your own. I get embarrassed easily. I just hope that you will all come and hear me read—one of these days I’ll be famous. The Chicano Task Force is sponsoring a conference for our benefit. A lotta people have sane weird concepts of Chicanos, Blacks, Native Americans, the list goes on. So what us “minorities” try to do is to educate you on the art of exposing stereotypes—you know, the record breaking kind? A number of good things are in store, like a Fashion show (Chicanos don’t always wear “American” clothes). That’s happening Thursday at 4:30. After the fashion show will be skits by Ballet Folkorico, and a Chicano dinner. If you want more information about the conference call: 686-3036 or 686-3508 or 686-4469. Gloria Wroten books Drifting through the youth culture Michener, James A. The Drifters Random House, Inc. 1971 Fawcett Publications, Inc. 1972. 7C8 pages. $1.75 In his novel, “The Drifters,” James Michener takes on the monumental task of trying to explain today’s youth culture. It’s a little difficult for anyone to lump an entire generation together, stand back, look at it, and say for certain what’s going on. Especially when you’re in the middle of it and can’t put it into historical perspective. But Michener tries, and whether he’s right or wrong, “The Drifters” is at least entertaining in its effort. It is both fascinating and far-fetched. The story concerns six young people who are all “trying to find themselves.” It isn’t clear whether Michener thinks these characters are a representative sample of today’s youth, but they come off more like “beautiful people.” They are certainly richer, smarter and better looking than any average bunch of kids. George Fairbanks, the character who narrates the story, seems even less typical of his generation. Fairbanks is a 60-year-old businessman who knows practically everybody and everything in the world. He jets around the globe making multi-million dollar deals here and there and spends his spare time checking up on these young people. He’s uncommonly curious about their lifestyle: their hopes and aspirations, political ideologies, drugs, music, their attitudes about sex. Michener evidently felt it was im portant to show the youth culture through the eyes of an older person. But be gets into so much trouble doing it, the reader begins to wonder why he didn’t just use the omniscient point of view. In the first six chapters of the book, the narrator describes the lives of the main characters and explains how each happened to end up in a small resort town in Spain by the name of Torremolino6. These young people from different parts of the world meet there as strangers and eventually travel around together. If it weren’t for the narrator, the plot would be fine. But Fairbanks is already intimately acquainted with FOUR of them, and well, the coin cidence of those four all being there together when be arrives is just too implausible to believe. Throughout the remainder of the book, Michener is faced with the problem of continually coming up with an excuse for Fairbanks to be in the same remote corner of the world as the six kids. This means that the reader has to suffer through all his big business deals with hotel developers in Bongo Bongo, etc. These detours are boring, and they don’t have anything to do with the six main characters, whose ad ventures through Europe and Africa are much more interesting. Frankly, Michener’s use of a narrator is just plain awkward. Not only does Michener stretch his credibility, he also lets his love of detail get way out of hand. Anyone who’s read “Hawaii” or “*n»e Source” knows that he is terrific at going back into historical detail about everything. That’s fine when it contributes to the story, but in “The Drifters” the reader has to wade through the history of English balladry, battle tactics of the Korean War, and i plot outline of practically every Bogart film ever made. The reader gets the impression that Michener felt absolutely compelled to include every morsel of information he collected while researching the book, no matter how irrelevant. It’s incredible, but with all its im plausibilities and irrelevant details, “The Drifters” is still a good book. In spite of his faults, Michener somehow manages to emerge as a master story teller. The places he describes come alive, and if anyone can get you fired up to see those exotic cities and sweeping white beaches, he can. Besides, when he isn’t too far off the subject, he gets into some pretty provocative issues. Maybe his secret lies in writing such long books. After 300 pages you get tired of noticing all the flaws and start enjoying the story. In the next 400 pages you become completely absorbed in the world he creates. And by the time you reach the last page, you may not want the book to end at all. LINDA WELCH Oregon Daily Emerald tagltfipi Warn gen^d thurs.800pml80plc $T«^S0N
