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