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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1979)
m Rape by Instrumentality Preliminary hearings were recently held in the case of composer/producer/ musician Jack Nitzsche, who was charged with rape by instrumentality, burglary; assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon and false im prisonment, all stemming from his alleged June 29 visit to actress Carrie Snodgress, who says she and her son zeke, 7 (by Neil Young), were asleep when Nitzsche arrived at 2 a.m., brandishing a handgun. Guest Paul Williams (the director, not the song w riter) fled into the night while Nitzsche reportedly pistol-whipped Snodgress, threatened her son, and then committed rape with the barrel of his revolver. Snod gress suffered a fractured cheekbone, bruises and abrasins, and had an 18-stitches cut on her thumb. This case will be one of the first to apply a new California statute which outlaws rape by instrumentality — using an object other than sexual organs. (The new rape law is sometimes called the Born Innocent law ; a 9-year-old San Fran cisco girl was raped with a beer bottle by four kids who were inspired by a similar assault in that TV movie). Nitzsche, 42, pleaded not guilty to all counts. Nitzsche worked w ith Neil Ybung and Crazy Horse during the six years that Snodgress lived with Young; Nitzsche did the music for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Sest and Performance. Earlier in his career, Nitzsche worked as an arranger for Phil Spector, had a 1963 hit single, “ The Lonely Surfer,” and appeared as pianist and arranger on a few Rolling Stones album. Snodgress, 33, was nomi nated for anOscar for her performance in Diary of a Mud Housewife, and recently ap peared in The Fury Whatever Happened to ... Paul Simon who hasn’t released an album since Still Crazy After All These Years in 1975, is now at work on his First movie (still unti tled). He wrote it and he stars in it, playing a contemporary musician “in conflict w ith changing times”; other cast members are Blair Brown as his wife and Dan Stern (who plaved Cyril in Breaking ,4awy). There w ill be concert footage of various big name acts of the Sixties — such as Peter, Paul & Mary, the Byrds, Sly Stone — but none of these has actually been signet! (yes, there will be new Simon tunes, at last, and a soundtrack album). Director is Robert M. V>ung, who did Ruh Kids, and filming started a few weeks ago in ... Cleveland. Cleveland! Short people got no reason. No Knack for Humor Every Saturday in Hollywood there is a post-midnight musical memorabilia swap meet in the parking lot across from Capitol Records’ Vine Street headquarters. Until recently, San Francisco artist Hugh Brown had the hottest items on the lot — an array of “Knuke the Knack” shirts, bumpier stic kers and buttons ridiculing the well-hypied Capitol “new wave” group. One hilarious night, leader Doug Fieger and other Knack members grinningly purchased armloads of Brown’s satiric goodies, but the joke was referred to the Knack's legal eagles soon after “Honk if You’ve Slept with Sharona” bumper stickers became Brow n’s top seller. Under a salvo of charges — “trademark infringement, copyright infringement, unfair competi tion, defamation and invasion of privacy” — Brown has knuckled under. Thus Saturday night collectors are dep rived forever of what was to be Brown's next comment on the Knack phenomenon — little voodoo dolls of everyone in the group, pins included. Energy' Drain Estimated receipts from the MUSE. (Musicians United for Safe Energy) ton cert, held September 19-23 at Madison Square Garden, have dropped from $750,000 to “less than half a million,” according to concert spokesman David Fenton. Spearheaded by John Hall, former leader of Orleans anti now a solo artist, the MUSE shows were brightened by a hot Bruce Springsteen performance, along with appearances by James Taylor, Carly Simon, the Doobie Brothers,-Ry CotxJer, Chaka Khan, lorn Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Peter losh and others. What went wrong is that the concert went so right: overtime fees to the huge Garden staff were necessary because the shows cooked on till 1:30 some nights. However, notes Fenton, a film of the event and a soundtrack alburn may boost the take back up. Flektra-Asylum, which has the record rights, has not yet set a release date. An outdoor rally near the World Trade Center, held on the last day of the concert series, drew approximately 200,000 anti nuke demonstrators. But what about the lonely pro-nuke de monstrators? A pair of them was recently Black Sabbath has <ancetled its tall lour; in fact, the group ha1* cancelled hall its members, with guitarist 'lorry lomrni and drummer Bill Ward remaining. Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has been replaced by Ronnie James Dio (formerly with Rain bow), and bassist Geezer Butler was re sighted at Ins Angeles International Air port, separately, of course. One, a young woman reminiscent of Gilda Rad net's I.isa Uoopner character, wore a sign that read “More People Have Died in led Kennedy’s Car Than in Nuclear Accidents." A few days later het place had Ireen taken by a blond and pudgy young man whose slogan was “Nuclear Plants Are Built Better I ban Jane Fonda.” Big Deals Alan Alda and Jane Fonda (build or no build) are both much richer these days; Alda signed a deal with Universal that gives him total atiistit control of any film hr wants to make, providing he stays under a $7 million budget. His fust project, TAeFour Seasons (which he wrote), traces the friend ships of three couples in a one year period. Only Woody Allen has su<h a good deal, at UA. Fonda, meanwhile, gets $2 million from Columbia, her biggest salary yet, for Her Hr other's Keeper, about a woman prison guard. The Illustrated George Carlin is the comedian's first starring/producing film venture, for whit h Carlin sent out this call for supporting players: “male, varied age, 300-400 lbs, femme, varied age, 300-400 lbs; males (2) and femme, varied age, midgets.” Ken Russell, the British director who gave us Lisztomania, The Devils, Valentino and others, will next make I he Monster of Loch Ness, no less, in which said monster plac ed by (aaig (.ruber lommi repot trdly wants to make more polished noise, like Queen or Foreigner, while < Hbourne — in I.os Angeles auditioning musicians recently —claims he’ll carry on with the pulverizing tiffs and a new hand. SaMiath hopes to re-schedule for mid Frbtuary. emerges as a mutant victim of radiation fallout — just like all those- ants, frlolis, and I lungs of the Fifties. More bad news: screenwriter is John Bytum, who wrote the vs tetc lied Xinhogrin} John Contardo, after nine years as Sha Na Nia s ballad specialist, has scored a solo album deal. Plans call lot a touch of disco, a heavy serving of romantic balladry and absolutely no “oldies but goodies,' of whic h tHe- handsome (amtaido seems to have become pretty sic k. But he won’t hang up the gold lame pantsuit just yet. "Sha,” as he c alls the durable ae t, still makes tidy sums from its louts and television show lucrative KbvvOff As HER MARRIAGE to Kiss’ c uddly Petet (aiss veered toward the rocks, Lydia (aiss did as so many of today’s smai t women do: site- hired attorney Marvin Mitehelson, mouthpiece of choice in several recent celebrity alimony and living-togcther no-longer settlements, Mic belle Frieda Marvin’s and Britt Ekland’s among them. How did the former Mis. (aiss make out? “All I can say,” gloated Mitehelson, “is that she’s glad to be a millionaire.” Don’t Fall In Disney Studios is sending Dr. William J Raid maim III on a ten-university lecture (Continued on page 22)
