Puke Editor
Jacquelyn Lewis
jacquelynlewis@dailyemerald.com
Oregon Daily Emerald
On Tuesday
The White Stripes are still
rockin': checkout
the CD review
at www.dailyemerald.com
Thursday, April 24,2003
Bibliophiles of
the world mite
to celebrate books
this weekend
Ryan
Nyburg
Budget rack
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about used
book shopping that I love. I find the smell of piles of books
in an enclosed location simply intoxicating. I admit I feel
the same way about the smell of gasoline, but to each his
own. So, I was excited to learn that the Friends of the Li
brary will be holding the 25th annual book sale at the Lane
County Fairgrounds in the Wheeler Pavilion this week
end. Amazing how those annual
events can catch you by surprise.
I am, among other things, a total
book addict. I think the correct
term is bibliophile. When I don’t
have a book to flip through, I’ll
read practically anything. I once
spent 40 minutes on a “Right
Turn Only” sign. I’ll admit this
probably has something to do
with my fondness for the smell of
gasoline, but I must say, I was en
thralled. Sadly, the people in the
cars behind me did not feel the
same way and I was forced to
move on before I got to the climactic finish.
You might wonder how any dutiful college student can
find time to read for pleasure while balancing a heavy
workload of classes, studying and writing pithy newspaper
columns. It’s very simple. All I do is make a list of all my
classes, calculate the amount of time I need to study, add
the amount of time I need to work, write all this down on a
piece of paper, throw it in the trash and read the latest El
more Leonard novel. One must have priorities.
So I’ve got about $20 to blow this weekend on books.
Given that I have attended these big library sales before,
I generally know what to expect. There will be approxi
mately 20,000 copies of Bob Woodward’s “Veil.” This is
the kind of book that people use as building material. No
body ever actually reads it, or buys it, or devotes more
than half a neuron to thinking about it—but everyone at
some point has owned it. I own a copy, though I don’t
know how it got onto my bookshelf. I think it just formed
there, like certain species of bacteria.
There will also be the complete works of Nora Roberts.
People actually do read these books, though heaven
knows why. I once attempted to read something by this
woman. I don’t remember the title of the book, what the
story was or if I finished it. At some point I just put it down
and wandered off into the woods for a few days.
There will also be a table or two worth of books by Tom
Clancy and John Grisham. Sometimes when I’m out
there in the woods, I wonder how many trees have to die
in order to keep these two authors in print. Entire rain
forests have been wiped out just to keep “The Client” in
bookstores, despite the fact that it does not contain one
memorable sentence or a single original idea. I think it
has come to the point where supermarkets are giving
these books away with every purchase totaling more
than $50. “Here are your groceries, receipt and compli
mentary copy of ‘Rainbow Six.’”
There will be good stuff as well. Pulp horror novels will
appear in abundance, and I consume these by the dozen. I
know you’re probably wondering what the difference is be
tween these and the Nora Roberts pain-parade of cookie
cutter plots and fifth grade vocabulary words. The differ
ence is that in Nora Roberts novels, the irritating, one-sided
characters fall and love and lose themselves in sexual aban
don, whereas in horror novels they are devoured by flesh
eating zombies. It’s much more satisfying.
So for the next few weeks, I’ll be wrapped in aglorious blan
ket of bibliohysteria. There will more than likely be a few zom
bies involved. And if I’m not careful, Bob Woodward.
Contact the Pulse columnist
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com. His opinions do not
necessarily represent those of the Emerald.
On the Rocks to the Big Apple
The award-winning a capella
group will compete at the
International Championships
of Collegiate A capella
Mark Baylis
Pulse Reporter
New York, meet Eugene, Ore.
University a capella group On the
Rocks will head to New York City’s Broad
way Beacon Theater this weekend to
compete in the April 26 finals round of
the International Championships of Col
legiate A capella (ICCA). The 10-mem
ber award-winning ensemble received
the honor after placing first at the region
al semifinals in February.
“This year has been unbelievable,”
said Tyler Boeh, a vocal percussionist.
Peter Hollens, On the Rocks’ co
founder and president, agreed.
“The competition at semifinals was so
stiff,” Hollens said. “When they called out
we won, I think all our jaws hit the floor.”
On the Rocks will vie for tops in the com
petition with five other regional winners
from across the nation and Canada. Each
group will be given a strict 15-minute time
frame to impress the judges. First prize of
fers $1,000 and second prize is $500.
“It’s the end-all competition for any col
lege group,” Hollens said, adding that “any
of the six groups that are going could win. ”
On the Rocks was launched in 1999,
marking the first time in 45 years that an
a capella group had called the University
home. Since then, two additional a capel
la groups have formed on campus.
On the Rocks released a self-titled CD,
which once topped the best-seller chart
at local music store Face the Music. The
ensemble has also won a handful of acco
lades, some from this year’s ICCA compe
tition. Hollens was the runner-up for Best
Soloist and Boeh won Best Percussion.
The group’s new CD, “Backgammon Ses
sions,” is due for release May 17.
This year marks the second On the
Rocks appearance at the ICCA finals.
The group finished in third place last
year, barely missing prize money, but
members said they had an incredible
time nonetheless. The group competed
in New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center
and appeared on a local morning TV
show, where they gave an interview and
performed a song. Boeh said it was in
credible to be recognized while walking
Jessica Waters for the Emerald
University a capella group On the Rocks performs most Fridays at the EMU Amphitheater.
down the street by well-wishers who had
seen the broadcast.
New York residents were not the only
ones to congratulate members of On the
Rocks. University President Dave Frohn
mayer has given the group an open invita
tion to use his home as a practice space.
“For a while, every Tuesday we were
practicing at his house,” Boeh said,
adding with a grin that “every time, his
wife gave us milk and brownies. ”
The group plays a capella reworkings of
well-known modem cuts, typically fa
vorites from artists such as Guster and
Dave Matthews Band as well as a few oldies
and traditional tunes for good measure.
“(Audiences) eat that stuff up,” Boeh
said of their choreographed renditions of
vintage classics.
On the Rocks members cite every
thing from soul to rock to hip-hop as mu
sical influences — a testament to the
malleable nature of the genre.
“If you have a good voice and a good
command over your instrument, (a capel
la) is the ultimate versatility,” Boeh said.
Hollens said a capella’s vocal focus
makes the music stand out.
“There’s something special about just voic
es,’’Hollens said. “A capella can definitely be
the truest art form there is. The human voice
is the most beautiful gem we’ve been given.”
On the Rocks performs every Friday at
4 p.m. at the EMU Amphitheater, unless
the group is away at competitions. The
group will host a spring concert at Beall
Hall on May 17 at 8 p.m.
In addition to Hollens and Boeh, On the
Rocks members include students Jeremy
Tu rn to A capella, page 6
‘Wild’ puts comedy on wheels
Jonathan Demmes
‘Something Wild* brings
two people together in a
film that escapes cliche
Movie review
Ryan Bornheimer
Senior Pulse Reporter
From the moment Lula
spots three-piece-suit Char
lie skipping out on his bill
at a New York diner, she has
him pegged: “You’re a clos
et rebel.” From here on out,
“Something Wild” avoids
pause for any such succinct
explanations of character
or action, moving with its
own free-wheeling logic
from one unexpected turn
to another.
“Something Wild,” released
in 1986, is the kind of movie
that seems predictable at first:
Crazy urban party girl
(Melanie Griffith) shows tight
ly wound yuppie (Jeff
Daniels) how to cut loose.
And indeed she does. But the
road there is far more intrigu
ing than you can imagine —
and the levels on which the
movie works are far more
rich. Ultimately, however, the
charm of the movie rests in
director Jonathan Demme’s
unfailing instincts.
After the incident at the
diner, Lula and Charlie em
bark on a road trip from the
Big Apple to Lula’s hometown
in Pennsylvania. We see that
Charlie does have a wild side.
Turn to Wild, page 7
Cpyrtesy