Newspaper Page Text
■ BEST BET
The Red and Black • Thursday, April 19, 1990 • 5
“Saturday Night,’’ a new book by Susan Orlean Is a catalogue of
things people do on Saturday nights. Orlean traveled coast-to-
coast and 'mined a rich untapped vein of living Americana. ‘ Look
for the neat paperback release from Knopf May 1,
Smash Fantastic: One of 12 local bands and solo artists
playing at The Station today
The Athens cause:
12 artists play for free
By BILL KENYON
Contributing Writer
Twelve local artists will perform
between one and 10 p.m. today out
side The Station, next to T.K.
Harty’s and the Flying Buffalo in
the first Classic Talent Showcase.
Steve Giddings, the owner of the
Classic Talent agency, said the free
performance includes both local
bands and solo artists playing a va
riety of music in an effort to gain
exposure in the Athens area.
Performing are Smash Fan
tastic, Plat Blue Eye, The Scat
tering, Steve Giddings, The
Common People Band, Athens
Rhythm, The Foils, Riverside,
Rules of Attraction, R&B Unlim
ited, Ralph Roddenbery and Tori
Pater.
“They'll play everything from
bluegrass to original rock and roll.
One band even plays country and
Southern rock,” Giddings said.
Station merchants, including
T.K. Harty’s, the Flying Buffalo
and The End are also offering food
and drink specials.
“It’s comparable to last year’s
Stationfest,” said Richard Mid
dleton, the owner of T.K. Harty’s,
"although our actual Stationfest
will take place this May.”
One of the performers, Walt
Reynolds, said that he would take
the opportunity to call attention to
the plight of the homeless in
Athens.
Reynolds said he worked as a
volunteer for Action, Inc., a com
munity service agency set up by
the government. He works for their
“Athens Full Plate” project, which
collects excess food from local res
taurants that they would ordi
narily throw away and takes it to
homeless shelters around the city.
Among the shelters benefitting
from the ‘Tull Plate” project are
the local Salvation Army, the
Homeless Center, the Bridgeway
Boys’ Home, the Athens Attention
Home for Girls, Project Safe and
Our Daily Bread, Reynolds said.
He also said that “Full Plate” is
“not the only feeding agency in
Athens, but they feed a great deal
of the homeless.”
SPLASH BASH 90!
SATURDAY APRIL 21
1-4 PM
“^eyaiten to- cvitt
a. tnifi to &utcun!
• Refreshments «Free Gifts
•Ed Saye & The Genteels
A&E
New comedy club hopes to make Athens laugh
By MAURA CORRIGAN
Contributing Writer,
Amateur comedians at the
University have come together in
an attempt to start a new trend
in Athens.
Founded by sophomore Mark
Gould, the Georgia Amateur Co
medians’ Society is open to
anyone interested in comedy,
particularly startup comedy.
Most membenjfiave had little
experience, but tney hope to en
hance their skills by being in the
new club.
The idea for the club origi
nated after the National Certs
Comedy Competition, held last
quarter at the University. Seven
teen students tried out their co
medic skills at the event, and
afterward 12 of them decided to
stick together.
“One of the main reasons this
club is starting is to get comedy
started up in Athens,” said
member Gilbert Lawson.
Stand-up comedy, he said, is
“exceedingly scary. Most of us
had never done it before the com
petition. Sometimes you have
bad audiences and no one
laughs.”
Some comedians in the club
use Eddie Murphy-like tactics —
injecting profanities in their dia
logue to get a laugh — while
others base their material only
on the substance of their words.
“Everybody has a different
style,” Lawson said. “Most of us
are very unpolished.”
Experienced or not, Gould,
president of the club, said
“anyone who thinks they are at
least remotely funny or have
gotten their friends to laugh be
fore should come out and see
what the club’s about and should
give stand-up comedy a shot.”
The Georgia Amateur Come
dians’ Club will perform for the
first time at 9:00 tonight at Club
Fred, downstairs from the Pizz«
Inn on Baxter Street.
Lawson said he hopes other
clubs in Athens will start offering
stand-up regularly.
Fur more information, call
Mark Gould at 354-4180, or Gil
bert Lawson at 548-8414
‘The Middle Kingdom’ : For ambitious readers
■ BOOK REVIEW
By JEFF RUTHERFORD
Entertainment Writer
A book review of “Chung Kuo:The
Middle Kingdom,* by David Win-
grove. Published in hardback by
Delacorte Press for $19.95, 592 pp.
“Chung Kuo: The Middle
Kingdom,” David Wingrove’s first
novel, is an ambitious work. It’s
the first in a seven novel mega-se
ries exploring the possibility of a
future dominated by the Chinese.
“Chung Kuo. The words mean
“Middle Kingdom,” and since 221
B.C., when the first emperor, Ch’in
Shih Huang Ti, unified the seven
Warring States, it is vwhat the
“black-haired people,” the Han, or
Chinese, have called their great
country.”
When this epic begins in the
year 2196, China has dominated
the Earth for more than a century.
To maintain their control they’ve
implemented a technological edict
“Chung Kuo,” has a
huge cast of
characters but
Wingrove successfully
handles the task of
coordinating these
characters and their
actions
which forbids unauthorized scien
tific experimentation, especially
experiments aimed at space travel.
Their method of keeping peace is to
maintain the status quo at all
costs.
The Dispersionists, a political
group of angry young Europeans,
have begun to slowly fight the
edict. Against this backdrop, Win-
grove weaves a massive tale of
court intrigue, power struggles and
violent conflict.
“Chung Kuo,” has a huge cast of
characters but Wingrove success
fully handles the task of coordi
nating these characters and their
actions without completely con
fusing the reader. But still, “Chung
Kuo,” isn’t an easy read. The sheer
number of characters (many of
them with Oriental names), the
unfamiliar terminology of Win-
grove’s futuristic world and the po
litical intrigue result in a baffling
maze for the first 200 pages. But
after that the pieces start falling in
to place and the reader has a sense
of what’s going on.
Within this large epic, Wingrove
focuses on several main characters:
Li Yuan, the son of the ‘T’ang” or
king, who will be the sole ruler of
Chung Kuo by the age of 25; De
vore, a ruthless European, who will
not rest until the Chinese have
been overthrown; Ben Shepherd, a
talented artistic genius, who cre
ates a new art form, the Shell; and
Kim Ward, a gifted scientist who
creates the Web which is a revolu
tionary communications device
linking the stars.
With “Chung Kuo,” Wingrove
has written an auspicious begin
ning to what promises to be an in
teresting science fiction epic. But
David Wingrove: The
Middle Kingdom’ Is the first
of the Chung Kuo' novels.
this epic length limits the scope of
his first novel. It works well as an
introduction to the series but it
lacks the depth of a single, uncon
nected novel.
Despite the problems. “Chung
Kuo,” is an interesting and compel
ling novel. Wingrove interweaves
the l.arge cast, the unfamiliar back
ground and the political intrigue
with a practiced hand. This intri
cate plot would have gone awry
with most writers but Wingrove
handles it with east*, building ten
sion throughout the novel.
If the “Chung Kuo,” epic builds
upon this first novel without fal
tering, Wingrove will certainly be a
science fiction writer to watch in
the 1990s.
POSTERCONTEST
1990 UGA! UGA! GIRL
$ 1,000.00 contract to winner
If you look great in a two piece
bathing suit, this could be your chance
to win $1,000.00 and representation
with an Atlanta modeling agency.
Call 1 -800-866-6976 for pre-screening appointment
or stop by The Odyssey to pick up registration form.
Pre-lease Now
For Summer or Fall
142 Baxter Dr. 549-4884
Get a real t-shirt design and
get more dates^
We create the boldest, funnest, most original (and sometimes
controversial) designs for your Spring events and print them
on 100% cotton Hanes "Beefy-T" t-shirts.
• Be DARING. Don't be generic...
Bold, Creative, Custom designs.
< Feel GOOD. Don't wear "poly"...
Cotton makes America comfortable.
And Hanes "Beefy-T's" look the best,
feel the best, and last forever.
• Save CASH. Don't pay more...
That's right-the design you want, on
the shirt you want, when you want it...
all for ten bucks* a shirt.
Price based on number of colors
GIVE US A CALL...
For your next T-shirt or just to talk.
And ask about our boxer shorts.
(404) 521-6874
Sovkev and Huck Funwear • 541 Hascai Rd. • Atlanta. GA 30309 • Fax (404) 3KM718
A Thought to Ponder
SPARKEY AND HUCK SAY: Don’t procrastinate now. do it later
353-3158
(SHAWS)
Ladies Mens
$.1 A 99
Every
Item
in
Stock!!
19
99
OR
LESS
SPRING WORKSHOPS
Counseling and Testing Center
ADULT CHILDREN OF DIVORCE
Tuesdays. 3 30-5 00 p m . begins April 24 tor 6 weeks
COPING WITH STRESS AND ANXIETY
Tuesdays. 3 30-5 00 p m . begins April 24 for 4 weeks
RELATIONSHIPS: IS LOVE ENOUGH?
Wednesdays. 3:30-5:00 p.m . begins April 25 (or 4 weeks
BEING A WOMAN IN THE 90's
Wednesdays, 3 00-4:30 p.m.. begins April 18 for 5 weeks
ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING
Thursdays. 3:30-5 00 pm, begins April 26 (or 4 weeks
ADVANCE REGISTRATION AND
$5.00 REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT REQUIRED
W
The University of Georgia
Counseling and Testing Center. Clark Howell Hall
542-3183
Division of Student Affairs
S
Secretaries
Week
April 23rd - 28th
Don't forget to
Order Early!
Call Today!
DOWNTOWN
’j 174 E. Clayton St.
/ Athens, Ga. 30601
' (404)354-8010
SPEEDY RESEARCH
RFJ*ORTS S5.00 per page.
Over 50,000 paper* and reports Material*
for relearch av.istjncr only*
f»S46 Hollywood Blvd /2nd Floor. Rm. 290
1-os Anaele*. CA 90028
Hourv M-F llfa(F630. Sat 1100-4 !*)
Cuatom Research Available VlSA/MC
Call Today'! *00 V*-9001
We need you.
0
American Heart
Association
©
ATHENS IMPORT
AUTO REPAIR
VOLVO ^
353-3880
We specialize in
Japanese Auto Service
1733 Lexington Rd.
(Near Putt-Putt Golf)
Tonight at TK's
John Berry
50 Draft
$1 cover with ad
...THE END
Jay Memory
50<? Draft
$1.50 Mixed. Drinks