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
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