______________________ 9_
WedNEsdAy, J anuary 26, 2000
TI he CI ac I< amas P rint
Growing up outside the norm
Women tell stories of growing up in the counterculture of America
SHELBI WESCOTT
Feature Editor
My parents, part of the baby
boomer generation, were not a
part of the counterculture of
Hippies that developed in the
1960s. They did not participate
in anti-war protests (my
dad had his draft num
ber pinned up on his
bedroom wall), they were
not vegetarians (my
mom worked at the Dairy
Queen) and they raised
their children (as most
parents do) to share in
their values, morals and
views on life.
The writers in Chelsea
Cain’s compilations of
short stories, Wild
Child: girlhoods in the
counterculture, would
define me as a “normie.”
A normie is a person
whose parents lived a
culturally-mainstream
life and brought up their
children to live a main
stream life as well.
Wild Child takes a
peek into the childhoods of
these “non-normies.” They are
children who grew up in com
munes, attended clothing-op
tional kindergarten and were
exposed to free love from an
early age.
“By the time I was six, I be
gan to notice that my family
was different,” wrote Moon
Zappa (daughter of legendary
rock star Frank Zappa) in her
foreword to the book. “My first
clue was a television show for
preschoolers called Romper
Room. The teacher... would say
goodbye to the children lucky
enough to be named Susan or
Kim or Debbie or Michael or
Billy. No mention of a Moon
Unit or a Dweezil.”
These women talk openly
about their struggle between
two conflicting worlds and
their love affair with main
stream ideologies.
While we "normies" balked
at our parents' rules and regu
lations, these kids begged for
guidelines and structure. While
we "normies" rebelled against
our parents by shoplifting gum
from Thriftway and buying
vending machine cigarettes,
these kids rebelled by eating
steak and becoming cheerlead
ers.
I found myself lost inside a
counterculture that I, despite all
my book knowledge, will never
be able to understand. I
will never know how it
feels to live out of a mail
truck, or not have to go
to school if I didn’t feel
like it, or have my or
ganic-goat’s-m ilk-yo
gurt spill out on to the
floor of the school bus.
These stories capture
this era through the
eyes of girls who had
upon their shoulders the
responsibility to carry
the torch of feminism
and become the first
generation of fully-liber
ated women. Their sto
ries are funny, touching,
engaging, poignant, but
above all, real, well writ
ten and eloquently com
municated.
An excellent addition
to any bookshelf, these stories
can be read again and again.
“Normies” will enjoy the
chance to live vicariously
through these authors’ memo
ries and “non-normies” may
find the hearts of their own
childhoods captured on these
pages.
So, sit back, put on a Bob
Dylan record and enjoy.
Theater dept, busy with plays, one-acts
JASON LINGEL
Staff Writer
Practice is underway for the
winter play, The Homecoming.
The Homecoming, by Harold
Pinter, is a study in family re
lations and dependencies.
After six years teaching phi
losophy at an American uni
versity, Teddy brings his wife
home to London to meet his ex
ceedingly bizarre family. Un
fortunately, she seems to fit
right in.
This classic “comedy of
menace” is from Britain’s mas
ter of the pause, and what goes
unsaid is often more important
than what is spoken.
Note: mature themes are ex
plored in this play; it is not
recommended for children un
der 15.
Performance dates and times
will be Feb. 24-26 at 8 p.m.,
Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m., March 2-4
at 8 p.m. and March 5 at 2:30
p.m.
The play will be directed by
Drama Instructor David Smith-
English. The cast will include
Michael James O’Connor as
Max, Jason Shanafelt as
Lenny, William Lee IV as Sam,
Eric Moler as Joey, Tyler
Currey as Teddy and Amanda
Jensen as Ruth. The stage
manager is Erin Adkisson and
the assistant director is
Michaela Foeller. Other crew
members are Jamie Anderson,
Kristi Mckenzie, Jeremy Ralls,
Tina Ekwall, Amber Dodgson
and Leah West.
End of term one-act perfor
mance dates are Mar. 7-9 at
noon and Mar. 9 at 8 p.m.
Among these are a comedy
improv by the Bi-Polar Bears,
Clackamas’ comedy improv
group, and a co-staff/student
play. The play is Laundry Bour
bon by James McLure. It will
be directed by Smith-English,
and will include as cast Alis
Nelson, Jane Rickenbaugh,
Micaela Fuller, Kristi McKenzie,
Tyler Currey and Josh Pollay.
Craig (Ice Cube) greets his cousin in the new sequel Next Friday.
Next Friday rolls in
SALENA DE LA CRUZ
Opinion Editor
It’s on! Ice Cube is at it again
and he’ll have viewers rolling in the
aisles with laughter in Next Friday,
the sequel to Friday.
Craig (Ice Cube) has left the
hood because the town bully Debo
(Tom “Tiny” Lister Jr.) has escaped
prison and he’s after Craig for
payback. Now, if you remember die
first Friday you’ 11 remember Craig
whooping some Debo ass. If you
haven’t watched it—What are you
waiting for? Get off your dead ass
and rent it. For those that have
seen Friday, you’ll remember the
hilarity in it, well you haven’t seen
anything yet. Next Friday has got
to be the funniest movie ever re
leased; I laughed so hard there
were tears rolling down my face as
I clutched my chest just waiting for
a heart attack.
So, Debo comes after Craig only
to find he’s moved to Rancho
Cucamunga to stay with his
cousin ‘til things cool down. His
relatives moved to the suburbs
after winning the lottery. His
uncle’s woman is an S & M fiend
who is forever trying to get it on
with Craig. His cousin is a differ
ent story entirely. His cousin’s
name is Daedae and he has got to
be the biggest wimp. He’s always
whining about one thing or an
other. He says he’s a player and
doesn’t need to do this or that,
however, he was highly .amusing
in his own right.
Also, in the flick is a group of
Hispanic gangsters that are so ex
aggerated that you’ll bust a gut
just watching the way they walk
and talk. A specific part in the
movie where this happens is when
the leader Joker, goes in a room
with a girl and they are going to
do it and he rips off his pants and
is standing in a pair of thong tux
edo underwear. Oh my God, I
never laughed so hard in my life.
If you’ve seen American Pie and
remember the strip tease done, this
one's got it beat. Though, Chico,
the Hispanics' pitbull, has a few
minor parts he deserves an award
for his acting skills.
The hilarity in this movie is non
stop. What would Next Friday
be without a little bit of pot smok
ing; in a cigar, in a joint, in a
brownie. In the beginning credits
a doobie is lit and the credits roll
in with a puff of smoke. Watch
carefully because the credits were
just as funny as the movie itself.
It’s well worth the ticket price and
the drive to go to the few theatres
playing it. Join the rest of us that
saw it over the weekend and laugh
it up for the most uproariously
funny movie of the year—Hey, it’s
less than a fiddie.
Chartwells
Dining at CCC Cafeteria
...would like to introduce
two new international menus:
Casa Ortega
5 Pacific Rim Marketplace
For a limited time:
Buy any one (1) Casa
Ortega or Pacific Rim
entree, and receive a
$.99 fountain drink FREE!
Valid only with coupon. Limited time offer expires on February 9,2000.