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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2004)
F eature 6 • T he C lackamas P rint M ay 26, j Tabloid writer reveals the trut “If you see anything, call us Enquirer editor told Faucher. Clackamas Instructor Eric Faucher tells of his life as a writer for The National Enquirer Joel Gaynor T he C lackamas P rint Long before arriving at Clackamas, instructor Eric Faucher was like many read ers: he was a poor college student; that all changed one summer when he found him self writing for the infamous tabloid, The National Enquirer. “It’s 1977. I’m a student at California State University. I’m trying to get my degree in marriage and family counseling. I don’t have a job,” said Faucher. “I decided that, for my own information, and probably because I needed it, too, I wanted to go to a group therapy session.” Faucher thought the experience might help him with his intended career path. “I met a guy there,” he said, “who [was] a writer, arid after the session he pulled me over and said ‘Hey, are you really interested in writing? I know this really wacky place where you can write stories as a stringer (correspondent), send them off and get paid lots of money.’” The man asked for Faucher’s phone num ber and said an editor from The Enquirer would call him if they needed someone to write a story, but Faucher wasn’t convinced. “I [thought], ‘This sounds great,”’ he said, “‘but this guy is in therapy. It can’t be great.’” Not expecting a call, Faucher ilAM Cftllilll_ P hoto I llustration gave the man his phone number. “I didn’t think anything of it.” A week later, Faucher’s skepticism was erased when he received a phone call from an editor at Enquirer. The caller said he had heard that Faucher was interested in writing for the tabloid. by JESSE LAMOND C lackamas P rint “I really didn’t know what to say,” Faucher recalled, “and he didri’t wait for an answer.” According to Faucher, the editor told him they'needed someone to check on a lead about actor Telly Savalas dating a 19-year-old French girl. He would be paid $150 a day. Faucher still thought it must be but he took a chance and, in the received $600 for his time. Thus be trek with The National Enquirer. Faucher spent four years on stj The Enquirer, two as a writer and t, editor, after which he continued t tribute as a freelance writer. “Actually, I worked up until I working here,” he said. “In fact, I thii a few stories the first [year] I was h working for The Enquirer” Of all the stories he’s written ever outlandish, Faucher sweat, were fabricated. “I never had to make up a story. 1 I ever worked with [did],” he said; often, we had stories about celebt unbelievable we couldn’t print them. Faucher also wrote about allege sightings. One example he gave was cle about a UFO that rose out of a I small Indian reservation. “I was asked to sit at that lake witi era and wait,” he said. “The people s and down that they had seen thi saucer coming out of the lake at i times, and so they sent me out the couple weeks. It was pretty creepy.” Faucher said his job was merely these often incredible stories to the [ written form. “Those stories we didn’t have i up,” said Faucher, “because the pc interviewed believed what they saw. I these people were concerned, thi telling the truth. All we did as £ writers was simply tell their story.” Local band preps for Rose Festival performance at the 'Schn students at CCC. Drummer Rob Deagle of Gladstone and bassist Josh Rose are currently not A phone call from Rose attending school; guitarist Nick Festival coordinator Greg Tablyn Dorvweiler of Oregon City is a and the words “Schnitzer” and student at The University of “televised” was all it took to bring Oregon. the split members of local band Bell' was asked to join the The Last Five to the realization band, at the request of Tablyn, that, musical differences aside, who expressed a need for key this was a gig too big to pass up. boards during the performance. Winning last spring’s Battle of According to Barclay, Bell has the Bands presented The Last had no trouble sliding into the Five with the opportunity to play groove of the band. with the band The Gin Blossoms, “[Bell] is one of the greatest at Waterfront Park as part of the musicians I’ve ever heard,” said Rose Festival last June. This year, Barclay. “He’s a great addition.” The Last Five will return, except The alternative rock band split this time,-they’ll be performing at last October over “musical differ the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall ences,” according to Barclay, who for the Queen’s Coronation pre considers the breakup inevitable. sented by Portland’s WB, airing “Bands break up more often live on June 3. than people die,” he said. “We heard the word ‘Schnitz’ Despite their falling out, the and our eyes just lit up,” said, lead band expressed only a slight hesi singer and CCC student Sean tancy over reconvening to play at Barclay of Gladstone. the event The band consists of Barclay, “I’m excited to get that much guitarist Mike Roche of exposure,” said Roche Damascus and recently recruited “It’s awesome that we get a keyboardist David Bell of chance to do this,” Oregon City, both of whom are. Dorvweiler added. Karen Hill F eature E ditor KAREN HILL C lackamas P rint Together again: The Last Five get back in the groove for their up coming performance. Barclay confessed thfc transi tion back into playing music with the band again was effortless. “We had our first practice after eight months and we just looked around at each other and said, This just kind of fits,”’ said Barclay. “As for what’s going to happen [after the gig], whether or not we’re going to show up for practice—I think we will.” Pordand State University music director Jon Newton has been working with the band t on Phil Collins’ “Welcome” from the Walt Disney motion picture “Brother Bear,” which the band will be performing for the event ‘The song is kind of cheesy” said Dorvweiler, “but it’s fun.” During commercials, ‘The Last Five” will have the opportu nity to play their choice of music, which will include cover songs and originals. “They’re going to have a lot of trouble putting vocals between the commercials, so I’m not going to be able to sing,” said Barclay. “I’m just going to pick up a guitar and we’re going to jam ... knowing [Bell and Dorvweiler] there’s going to be sot some solos.” The band was also s opportunity to perform music (prior to the start event, which they app will last 30 to 40 minutes Huge crowds and lari aren’t unfamiliar to this I Barclay has high expecta the upcoming performar “I have a lot of confi these guys,” he said. “Being in front of tl people,” said Bell, “is go a rush, to say the least.” Last October they w to perform before an aui 11,000 at- the Michael event, held in the It Coliseum. Barclay cons: experience invaluable. “You don’t know i going to be able to hanc said. “Having that ex behind us is worth ten ft experience before that.” The event will be tele Thursday, June 3, at 8 p.i WB. Tickets to the Coronation are available www.ticketmaster.com. Bands gather at concert to promote peace, voter registrat t Ben Maras T he C lackamas P rint Beneath a sparse white back- drop with the concert’s slogan sten ciled in black spray paint, four bands gathered under one message: a plea for peace. Founded in 1999 by Asian^Man Records owner Mike Park, the Plea for Peace. Foundation is a non profit organization with the goal to “promote the ideas of peace through the power of music.” The goal of this year’s tour was to get college-age students regis tered to vote. Their reasoning behind the registration push was eloquently cited, by performer Saul Williams, saying that, if every col lege-age student voted in the 2004 election, they alone could decide the presidency. The line-up for the tour’s stop in Portland featured head liners' Cursive, along with Saul Williams, Mike Park and San Francisco band EE. EE kicked'the tour off with a prise. Rather than perform a more hypnotizing set of melodic indie traditional set, Williams opted to rock in the vein of Nada Surf and talk abpqtthg shape pf the country Sigur Ros. Most songs were nearly and read passages from his new instrumental, blending the disjoint book (an epic poem) “Said the ed sounds of pre-recorded mum Shotgun to the Head.” bling with the haunting howl of .“Wouldn’t, yout, parents be singer Tobin Mori’s guitar. After a proud?” Williams joked. “You’re all short set, EE left the stage to-intro- at a f***ing poetry reading!” It was possibly Williams’ set that duce Mike Park. It would be hard to imagine the the audience reacted to the best, minimalist solo artist Park follow standing spellbound as Williams ing up EE, but what Park lacked in i spoke on the state of the nation complexity, he made up for in his with cutting wit. • Last on the bill was Cursive, the message. Park is anything but the typical “middle-aged guy who Omaha band with a nationwide fol strums on an acoustic guitar and lowing. As usual, vocalist and front whines about his life;” his lyrics man Tim Kasher seemed intoxicat focus on tip? social critique of ed)but that didn’t put a damper on humanity on a social and global their performance, as they tore level. Park kept with his famous* through songs from their two tongue-and-cheek: satire, with such releases, “Domestica” and “The lines as “Palestine is free; we just Ugly Organ,” as well as new songs, forgot to tell Israel.” led by Kasher’s signature unapolo- getically out-of-tunc vocals. After an energizing arid inspir Kasher also took time out to ing set, Park introduced the tour’s black sheep, rapper Saul Williams, show his support for the cause and but concert-goers were in for a sur his disgust for the President. “All you people who are vot ing against Kerry,” Kasher said. “Do you really want four more years of Bush?” Cursive’s set ended with five (yes, five) encores, beginning with “A Gentleman Caller,” its whispering outro lyrics amended for the politically charged envi ronment. They then moved into the catchy “Art is Hard” and later closed with the energized “Some Red-Handed Sleight of Hand,” which was gr< raised fists and peace sii As Cursive took their there was a feeling in tl feeling of unity, sometl transcended all bounds ai the audience and the bar one cause. Powerful mus powerful message, wh could one ask for? For more informatioi Plea for Peace Foundat www.pleaforpeace.com. ri 11 BUY ANY ENTREE WICHITA —BAR & GRILL— (of equal or lesser valui Any Day of the Week 19140 S. Molalla Ave. Oregon City 503-557-0277 1 3/4 mile north of CCC BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER Not Valid on Specials or with Any Other Offe Only With Coupon. Dine-in Expires: 6-1-04
