Lang continued from page 5 day slot is frequently filled with a rerun of “The Real World” or “Un dressed.” Now, Mr. Lang is quite re alistic and realizes his favorite bands will never rule the airwaves. But two late-night hours a week seem enough to give him the “I” he so desperately craves. As for good ol’ TRL, the show is hardly a mini-democracy. Al though viewers do “control” the countdown, MTV doesn’t give the viewers choices. So rarely does a non TRL-video air on the station, and with so little variety, it’s no wonder that the same small group of artists rules the countdown. The show also gives a percent of the votes, but it never reveals the number of votes, which are only tallied by phone during the hour before the show. The No. 10 video may get only 10 votes and, if Mr. Lang knew that, he’d round up nine of his friends to call and vote for Radiohead’s amazing new video for “Knives Out.” Then Ra diohead would be a TRL band, and wouldn’t that be something. It’s as though MTV has created a presidential election where every one gets to vote for four candidates, but MTV only tells the voters about two of them and only gives them one hour to cast a ballot. As a final side note, station pro grammers seriously need to make up their minds about Weezer’s “Hash Pipe” video. First, they titled it “H* * * Pipe,” bleeped out “hash” in the song, and had the VJs call it “Pipe.” Then the VJs started calling it “HalfPipe.” But MTV let the word stay when the band performed in June at the Movie Awards. But on Sunday night, MTV showed a five song concert set by the band and bleeped it out again. MTV has given Mr. Lang a num ber of fond memories, 99 percent of them based on great videos and live performances, but a deadbeat dad can’t secure his son’s love with fan cy toys alone. MTV needs to be around the house more often and provide for its family. Jeremy Lang is an associate editor of the Emerald. He can be reached at jlang@dailye rnerald.com. 1711 Willamette (next to Blockbuster) 343-3330 Vegas continued from page 5 corner, some as cheap as $2.99, pay attention to the customers as they leave the restaurant to ensure your stomach will be able to take the brunt of digesting large quan tities of lobster, shrimp and prime rib before noon. Tip three: As you make your way to any of the casinos, locate the nickel slots to make your dollar last. Cocktail waitresses will bring you free drinks while you gamble away, but be patient trying to flag one down. It’s cheaper than blowing money on $10 minimum black jack tables. When the money runs out, roam the casino looking for credits on slot machines and fall en $5 chips. It may seem pathetic, but it works. Tip Four: Go to a show to take a break from gambling away your life savings. Despite my unexplained sick desire to see Siegfried & Roy’s “Masters of The Impossible,” I stuck to our plan and joined the mass of hippies at the Aladdin Theater for Karl Den son’s Tiny Universe and The String Cheese Incident. Minus the few Ve gas freaks, it was almost like I never left Eugene — patchouli-scented air and all. Up Five: Find drink specials. I can't stress this enough. At the MGM Grand, Vegas’ largest casino, indulge in a yardstick-long margarita. For $13, its one hell of a way to get a buzz and start your day fresh. Apparent ly, the price of these suckers has gone up $4 in the last year, but blame that on the guava plant. Tip Six: The best thing to do on a budget in Vegas, by far, is sightseeing along The Strip Walk in New York-New York, my personal fa vorite casino. You actually feel like you’re in the Big Apple, com plete with a replica skyline, Grand Central Station and the New York Stock Exchange. So after a few mistakes and les sons learned, I realized that Vegas could be a weekend made from heaven — just not the kind where you join the players' club. 002965 To earn a 4*00 in Brewology all you need to know is STEELHEAD, n 9 Award-Winning Micro-Brews □ Soups, Salads n Ribs n Fresh Pizza □ Sandwiches □ Pastas n Burgers □ Spirits n Home-Made Rootbeer TAKE A BREW HOME IN STEELHEAD'S BOX O' BEER Steelhead Brewing Company 199 East 5th Avenue Eugene, OR Phone 680-2739 Eugene. OR - Burlingame, CA - Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, f A - Irvine, CA Tool continued from page 5 crowd and a smaller space.” Vintage rockers King Crimson will open for the band during August’s mini-tour. Tool’s tour comes on the heels of the release of their fourth full length album, “Lateralus.” The band was formed in 1991 in Los Angeles and quickly achieved stardom when they released “Undertow” in 1993. Dark, angry music coupled with mind-blowing claymation videos earned them legions of fans. After a huge first album, they seem to be on a three-year cycle for new material and tours, although lead singer Maynard James Keenan stopped in Portland twice last year with his side project, A Perfect Circle. “A Perfect Circle was great, but Tool is the real deal. I’ve waited a long time for this,” Tsiboukis said. According to Brubaker, the Hult Cen ter holds an equally optimistic view. “Tool could do well in a large ven ue, and I think it’s great that they chose us. It’s nice for the fans to get to be up close and personal. They made a lot of happy people,” she said. j" All Ways Travel "1 1200 High St. 1338-4199 ^Student Travel Experts Receive our weekly WefaPageUpdateT Movie reviews, (Owduting & contests. www.bijou-ctnemes.com BQou any momtno ot fWcnoon far pwa—,