Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
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E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Tuesday
January 18,2000
Volume 101, Issue 77
Emerald
Stark raving
MAD
Tien I left for school in September, my
friends and I had this great plan. There
was a rave in Eugene on Oct. 2, and all of
us were going to go to it—the old group
back together again, all dancing and having fun.
And thus, I lost my “raverginity” at the rave “Care
A-Lot. ” I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was
certainly impressed. As a matter of fact, I was having
such a good time that I forgot to pay attention to what I
was doing, and I sprained my ankle. But in spite of my
gimpyness for the following few weeks, I was count
ing the days until I could go again.
More and more of my friends are going to raves.
Some come for curiosity; others are brought by
friends. However you get there, it seems to be hard to
get away. You just have such a good time, you get
hooked and want to share this joyous experience with
everyone else.
Let me try to define a rave. Basically, a rave is a
dance party—some people will call it simply “a par
ty” —with beat-thumping music and lots of visual
stimuli. But it is more than that. There are different
styles oi music, ainerem
types of DJs, different
themes and different
clothes. You may have seen
people with lots of colored
bracelets and huge pants
around campus. Though raves
have no dress code, this is an image
called “candy” that is associated with
raves. Even I bought some big pants.
Being at a rave is an experience. Ben Col
gan, a freshman pre-business administra
tion major, described the rave environment
as, “lots of kids, pretty smoky, pretty dirty;
it’s an overall good, happy atmosphere.”
Steve Sawada, a University student and
campus DJ, said that a rave, “transcends
what a normal good time is consid
ered.” Sawada will be performing
at a rave on campus called “Lo
The first thing you need
to have to go to a rave is a
love of dancing. At a
rave, whether you
go alone or with a
big group you
will find
yourself
dancing
alone
mass of people who are each lost in themselves and
the music. But all the individuals create one huge,
welcoming community.
I think that ravers are the modern-daf hippies. Or
perhaps that is just because I have only raved in Eu
gene. There is no judgment at a rave, just acceptance.
It is a step back from our daily lives, where we feel in
hibited to express ourselves openly.
“Around here people are great,” Colgan said. “If
you make eye contact with someone, you know
them.”
To have this much fun, somebody has to be work
ing overtime. I spoke with Crystal Walen, a member
of Real Kidz Productions about her role as a producer.
Walen puts on “Magical Thursday,” a rave once a
month at the WOW Hall. To
throw a rave, she has to book the
venue and the DJs, print fliers
and tickets, get the word out
and all the other gritty details
that we don’t know about.
“Every weekend I’m at a differ
ent party passing out fliers,”
said Walen.
To add to the difficulty, most
venues aren’t keen on hosting a
rave. The neighbors don’t want
MaSOTl the noise and the promoters
\*f a want venues that aren’t closed
_ to minors. Still, that doesn’t ac
count for many other places that
refuse to host raves. Walen said, “Venues don’t want
to be affiliated with kids because kids equal trouble. ”
Which brings me to the issue I’ve been dancing
around for the whole article: what about the drugs?
Yes, people use drugs at raves. GASP! The most pop
ular drug is called Ecstasy, and it leaves its user in a
state of happiness and makes the body very sensitive
to touch. At least, that’s what people tell me. Believe
what you want, but I haven’t done it. And the smoke
that Colgan referred to earlier is from cigarettes, al
though I don’t understand how you can smoke after
doing such rigorous cardiovascular work. There is ab
solutely no pressure to do drugs at a rave, however. I
just need a few Red Bulls to keep me moving until five
in the morning.
If you are looking to go to a rave, here are some up
coming events:
“Magical Thursday”—Jan. 20 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
at the WOW Hall. $6 at the door. For more informa
tion call 710-4668.
“Local Elements”—Jan. 28 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. in
the EMU Ballroom. $4 for students, $5 general admis- ■"
sion.
Fliers can usually be found at Face the Music on
860 E. 13th Ave.
So if you have some pants lying around that could
contain the population of an Indonesian island and
feel like having some fun, maybe you should give it
\ a try. You could even give me a call and I’ll give
you some pointers about how to walk away on
your own two feet.
Mason West is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emerald. His
views do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. He
can be reached via e-mail mwest1@gladstone.uoregon.edu
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44 Our soci
ety has made
certain ad
vances in
ideas he ex
pressed but
has a long way
to go to recog
nize every one
is equal/'
Angela Mart
In some
ways, people
have been
able to deal
with each oth
er. People
havealot
moretodoin
terms of race
and gender re
lations. ”
Ben Duncan
environmental
studies
{{in a way,
it's more
equal, but still
there are a lot
of issues that
need to be
dealt with.”
Chris Zeitner
undeclared
sophomore
(i They've
been real
ized. Our
past re
minds us of
the need we
have to
act."
Blaire Ottoboni
cfcemistry