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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2004)
Pulse Editor: Ryan Nyburg ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com Wednesday, August 18,2004 PULSE Hot Picks: Sonia Dada Saturday, August 21, 7 p.m. WOW Hall, 291 W. 8th Avenue $ 16.50 in advance, $ 18 at the door Students should take time to tour the Knight library The depths of the Knight Library warrant exploration by those new to campus RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR Seeing as there are a lot of new students coming to the Universi ty pretty soon, I thought I would take this opportunity to provide them with a much-needed tour of one of the most important buildings here on campus: The Knight Library and Health Spa. Actually it's not a health spa. I have no idea why I wrote that, but anyway, let us enter this vast temple of learning so that we may become familiar with its hallowed " walls and various but minor struc REPORIER S tural absurdities . DAA17 The front doors of the library are i n1 L;i>\ J v / IX large, steel behemoths that look like they were added as a first layer of de fense after the National Literacy Awareness Week Riot of 1987. The original purpose of the doors has been mostly forgotten, though if you look closely, you can still see the remains of what was once a machine-gun nest up on the roof, which is all that is Please see LIBRARY, page 14 I_. ..umiii i m i—i _ Tim Bobosky Interim Photo Editor The Knight Library houses the University’s collection of social science, humanities, music and business research materials as well as an interesting, if limited, selection of vending machines. a eoutcnoM ^'-iN'rtuvjtws 4<so ESSAYS s* T013U TAYIOR Courtesy Todd Taylor's debut collection, "Born to Rock,” is a compendium of interesting and occasionally moving interviews with players in the modern punk rock scene. ‘Drinkers and Thinkers' shares rockers' stories Author Todd Taylor's skillful interviews bring punk-rock artists into view RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR So punk rock is dead, it's been co-opt ed by the major record companies and mainstream culture in general, there's nothing left worth listening to, and if there ever was it's certainly gone now. Or at least that's how the argument goes. It's a popular notion. Now you're thinking that because I've D r\/i C\ a f dubbed it a "popular KI. V 11 , V v notion" I'm about to present some form of evidence to prove it completely erro neous, thus making myself look smarter than the average introverted, know-it-all music snot. If you're thinking that, then you're right, and as evidence I present you with punk journalist Todd Taylor's debut collection "Born to Rock: Heavy Drinkers and Thinkers." The book is a collection of interviews and essays spanning eight years of work ing for "fanzines" such as the punk stal wart Flipside or Taylor's own rag, Razor cake. The list of interviewees is a hardcore punk's wet dream of modem bands and current punk-rock heroes. The obscure sit alongside the nearly famous, while the topics of discussion range from the truth about the Civil War to whether or not it is artistically valid to write nothing but songs about science fiction authors to why Fat Mike isn't really fat. Taylor is an engaging interviewer, often keeping in the background while his subjects rant into the microphone for extended peri ods. His love of the subject matter, every thing punk rock, shines through as he questions bands that have been on the road for ages on what possesses them to keep going night after grueling night. The answer is often along the lines that they love it as much as the author. This is obviously not a book for everyone. Those uninterested in mod ern punk rock will find little of interest amid the stream of bizarrely named bands and eccentric personalities. But anyone already at least somewhat en gaged with the subject will find a treas ure trove of interesting sketches about the people who have shaped the face of modern punk. These aren't the snotty little trendsetters you see on MTV with their shirts off and their muscles bulging, but rather the bands that have Please see BOOK REVIEW, page 14 'Phantasm' adroitly shatters rules of horror Don Coscarelli directs an eerie but potent sci-fi horror classic RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR Of all film genres, horror is probably the one most concerned with form. Horror films tend to follow established rules for pacing, lighting and plot structure, with few variations and little ex perimentation. Different trends, rather than breeding new ideas, produce nothing but differ ent variations on old forms. It is rare that horror films break free from all preset structures, and when they do, the effects can often be felt for years. Films such as "Bride of Frankenstein," "Night of the Living Dead," "Hal loween" and the first two "Evil Dead" movies were completely FORGOTTEN FILM different from anything else be ing made when they came out, and as such they influenced a wide range of other films. But all that meant was that their techniques were imitat ed ad nauseum for decades to follow. But one horror film stands out among these as a complete break from nearly ever horror con vention, so much so that it would be nearly im possible to imitate. That film is Don Coscarelli's 1979 magnum opus "Phantasm." If you really want to understand how different this film is from everything before it you need to study it shot for shot (which I did once on a partic ularly boring weekend). It follows no known struc ture for building up thrills or getting big scares to pay off. All the standard building blocks are there: the spooky music the dark atmosphere the mor bid locations. But the parts are pieced together in Please see PHANTASM, page 16 Tragicomic Zach Brajj flick uneven, worthwhile What 'Garden State' lacks in tonal consistency, it makes up in winsome quirkiness RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR Andrew Largeman is a character who seems severely disconnected from what is going on around him. When he gets the message that his mother has died, he responds by slowly going back to sleep. Even in his dreams he is unconcerned with his surroundings. Played by Zack Braff, he is an interesting and recogniza ble character looking for some kind of emotional resonance, seeking desperate ly to attain some state beyond numbness. _ And what more perfect ltyir\\7Tr setting for such dis JVlvvV ltj connection could be REV! EW f°un<i t^ian state y_ New Jersey? "Garden State" is a film that isn't outlandish enough to be a comedy but is too quirky to be a straight drama. Instead, Braff, who also wrote and directed the film, attempts to find some middle ground between the two, often succeeding, often tripping over potholes of tone confusion. The script strikes plenty of false notes, occasionally reveling in its own quirky behavior for no other reason than because it can. When it works, it touches on many levels, finding and sus taining a feeling of tragicomic absurdity. I almost wish it had been an abject failure, because even that would be better than seeing a great film marred by the mistakes of a first-time filmmaker. The story begins with Andrew receiving the news of his mother's death and head ing out to New Jersey to attend the funeral. He goes back to his childhood Please see GARDEN STATE, page 15
