Newspaper Page Text
v
BEST BET
Run out and get your Robyn Hitchcock tickets at the 40 Watt to
night. He II be in town Thursday and Friday, May 3 and 4, ready
to arouse all of your five (or six) senses. Tickets are $6 and well
worth experiencing this master of mysterious melodies.
The Red and Black » Tuesday, May 1, 1990 » >
Rapper Benji K’s dreams coming true
fc
By RACHEL CURRY
Entertainment Writer
Last November I attended the
De La Soul concert at Georgia Hall
in the Tate Center and waB sur-
irised when the opening act was a
ocal rapper. Complete with his
own dancers and a hard line of tell-
it-to-you-straight rap, he grabbed
the audience’s attention and got it
moving.
Before then, I hadn’t been aware
that Athens had a rap artist, so I
was rather intrigued by the young
man on the stage who called him
self Benji K.
His real name is Ben Graham.
He’s a senior broadcast journalism
major who gets plenty of broad
casting practice by hosting
WUOG’s “Power of Soul’ program
every Tuesday at 10 p.m.
Benji’s been rapping for five
years, but just started performing
for large audiences last fall. He and
his BK Dancers opened for the
Groove Trolls at the 40 Watt Club
in March and played at Earth Day.
After he finished wowing the
crowd at Earth Day, Benji took
some time to talk to me about his
music, his beliefs and his plans for
the future.
“I would describe my music as
not as hard as Public Enemy, but
not as soft as Young MC, said
Benji, whose single, “Living the
Dream,’ is played regularly on
WUOG.
“ “Living the Dream’ is a combi
nation of my dream and The
Dream.' When I say “The Dream,’ I
mean Martin Luther King's dream
n bo lit everybody waking up and re
alizing that all people are equal,”
he said. ‘The dream to me is get
ting the most out of education.”
The need for education is a topic
that shows up often in Benji’s ly
rics. It’s something he takes very
seriously.
“I feel that if I could go big to
morrow, I would still seek my edu-
tion,’ he said. “It’s one thing to be
uneducated, but to be rich and un
educated is bad.”
BK Dancer Derrick Barrett, a ju
nior computer science major,
shares Benji’s determination to get
an education. “We always strive to
keep in perspective that even
INTERVIEW
though we’re dancing and he’s rap
ping, that we’re college students.
We’re primarily here for our educa
tion,’ he said.
This doesn’t mean that going to
school is all Benji K has on his
mind. He has big plans for himself
in the entertainment business, too.
Such big plans that he’s leaving for
Atlanta at the end of this quarter.
He will continue his education at
Georgia State and look at clubs
around the city in hopes of landing
steady gigs at one of them. He is re
locating so he may better market
his music.
One of the steps Benji has al
ready taken to promote his music
is starting his own label, BCG Pro
ductions. ‘Tm starting this new
label in hopes of having a major
label pick me up,” he said.
BK Dancer Eric WiBe, a sopho
more pre-journalism major, says
he thinks Benji starting his own
label is a smart move.
“It’s a good idea...the artist gets
more control so he doesn’t get used
by the record company,” he said.
Benji K is on his way to getting a
contract. Both Mercury and At
lantic Records are interested in
signing him.
Even after he moves to Atlanta,
Benji plans to continue playing
gigs in Athens while he works hard
to get his big break.
He has an album coming out at
the end of May on his BCG Produc
tions label. This will include all the
songs on his previously released
cassette plus several new tunes.
In addition, Benji will also film a
video for “Living the Dream.’ He
hopes to have that finished by the
end of June. The video will be shot
in both Athens and Atlanta
(around the Martin Luther King
Memorial Center). Benji plans to
shop the piece around to video
shows like "Yo! MTV Raps.”
There are also plans for the
rapper to perform on “Star
Search," the nationally-broadcast
talent show. The Star Search
talent scouts caught his act on
Earth Day and apparently loved
what they saw, because plans were
Academic Success Series
TODAY! STUDY SKILLS
Tuesday, May 1 3:30-5:00 p.m.
An overview of the many factors which can enhance
and inhibit successful studying.
NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION NECESSARY
Come to Clark Howell Hall Room 119, Lobby Area, 542-3183
COUNSELING
& TESTING CENTER
TRUST COMPANY
AT FIVE POINTS...
"DAWGGONE" GOOD
LOCATION
When it’s your night to howl, stop by the
T24 Avail machine at our newest branch
office at Five Points. And for full service
banking, come in or drive through
anytime. We’re on the way to just about
everywhere! foic
Trust Company
Bank
A SunTrust Bank
SunTrutt » SuntruV BW. Trial Compel, Bow «nO m. T Huey .■ M.M rW« « SufT.u.1 B«n» UK
W*yn« Jackson/* ne Red and Clack
Benji K: Local rapper living his dreams of stardom
made then and there for Benji to
compete on the show in the near fu
ture.
Given all this, it’s apparent that
Benji K is one busy young man.
But not too busy to play the
Human Rights Festival this
weekend.
Be sure to catch this energetic,
talented rapper’s act before he
leaves for the big city in June. With
all the excitement and well-de
served exposure, Benji K is fairly
confident about his future.
"Everything is looking pretty
good," he said.
HAIRCUTS
Free Shampoo & Bio Dry..
PERMS
SUNSTREAKING..
*8.'
*25.
CRIMPERS
hair salon
PHONE
353-2293
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
OPEN
Mon.-Fri. 11-7
Sat. 9-5
BEECHWOOD
SHOPPING CENTER
190 Alps Road
Behind BenmgarYs
Baxter Optical Labs
1077 Baxter Street
549-7758
* Contact Lenses
c£>
/MNT-G4RDE®
[RJBerDel®
Soft
New Custom Tints
Daily Wear
Extended Wear
Astigmatic
Hard
Gas Permeable
Flex
* Student discount
* Licensed Optician
* Frame Stylist
* Prescriptions filled
Our Prices Bring You In
And Our Service Brings You Back
- Oil Change -
Special
Ig’S
GRAN AM
;o RADIAL wnm
s 45 76 tfT ™
176 70*13
PISS 70RIJ 50.57
PI VS 70H13 52.6*
P18S/70R14 52.94
P19S 70R14 54.27
P20S.70RI4 57.8 7
P21S.70R14 61.74
P22S/70R14 65.06
P225/70R15 67.36
P255.701*15. 75.08
NEW TIRE SPECIALS ^
Pneumjnf
Steel Helled fiedlAlt
Blackwell
1S5R13
27.95
16S R13
29.95
1 75 R14
35.95
16SR1S
33.95
Multi Mile Stretoi Steel
Belted fledlelt Mfhltexejll
PISS sonis
30.95
P165 80R13
32.95
PI 75 son13
33.95
P185 80R13
34.95
PI85 75R14
37.95
PI 95 75R1 4
39.95
P20S 7SR14
40.95
P215 7SR15
41.95
P205 75R15
42.95
P2157SR15
43.95
P22S/75R1 5
44.95
P23S75II1S
45.95
Michelin XZX
SIX*
15SR13
44.63
49.71
18SR14
62.39
Michelin MXL
175 70R13
58.74
185 70R13
64.66
185 70R14
70.09
Michelin XHWW
PUS 80R13
64.25
P18S80R13
67.57
P18S.75R14
73.66
P19S/75R14
77.36
P20S 75R14
82.58
P21S-75R15
87.96
P225/7SR15
90.90
P23S/75R1S
95.78
up to $1000 Instant Credit
90 Days Same As Cash
for qualified applicants
1
w i ---*
Monday-Frlday 8 AM-6 PM
Saturday 8 AM-1 PM
2410 Atlanta Hwy. • Athens
543-6725
Feast eyes on art
at Lyndon House
By MAURA CORRIGAN
Contributing Writer
Ceramics, a chicken Buit, pho
tographs and prints are all feasts
for the eye at the 17th Annual
Lyndon House Juried Art Exhibi
tion showing there through May
31.
The juried exhibition of 54
works, chosen from more than
500 submissions by local artists,
was picked by juror Neal Ben-
ezra, Curator of 20th Century
Painting and Sculpture at the
Art Institute of Chicago. The
competition was held in mid-
April and the winners were an
nounced at a reception at the
Lyndon House on April 22.
Merit awards ot $300 were
S ven to Susy McLaughlin, Brad
avis and Will Brown. Honorable
Mention awards were given to
Pat Staub, Harold Howe, Robert
Scott Lowery and Garrett Y.
Speirs.
The competition, held an
nually, is open to all adult artists
from the Athens area working in
any visual medium, said Nancy
Lukasiewicz, director of the
Lyndon House.
Junior crafts major Susy Mc
Laughlin, one of the three merit
award winners, wasn’t expecting
her work, entitled “Chalice from
the Church of Cycling,” to be
chosen. She said, “I was thrilled.
I was screaming.”
Benezra answered random
questions submitted by the art
ists, with topics ranging from his
opinion on art to his eating
habits. He said that when ju
rying, “You can only pick from
the work that is submitted; there
can be no common theme.” He
also stated that a work speaks to
him through “visual instincts
which are developed with a lot of
looking.”
Rosemary Mendicino, a senior
ceramics and sculpture major
whose chicken suit is on display,
said, ‘You never know what the
juror’s taste is going to be. I think
it’s good to nave a different
person jurying every year. It
brings someone in from the out
side.”
Mendicino said that she de
cided to make a chicken suit be
cause “I have chickens in my
backyard and I really like
them...it was my favorite.” She
was excited about having her
work selected because of the
amount of competition. “The
Athens community has a lot of
artists and so many people don’t
have a chance to get their things
shown,” she said.
The Lyndon House display of
fers a variety of art forms created
by many local artists. The exhibit
is being shown at the Lyndon
House Art Center, located at the
comer of Jackson and Hoyt
Streets and will be running
through May 31. The house is
open from 12—5 p.m. Monday
through Friday, and 12—8 p.m.
on Tuesdays. For more informa
tion, call the Lyndon House at
357-6076.
The American College in London
•Interior Design □ • Commercial Art
•Fashion Design KS • Business
•Merchandising Administration
The director will be on campus to talk
with interested students tomorrow. May 2,
2:00-3:30, Office of International Services
and Programs, 210 Memorial Hall, a42-155 <.
NOW LEASING FOR FALL
STOP
REMEMBER...RIVER MILL APTS.^
V /
Fun times, Great location next to UGA
ROOMMATE REFERRAL SERVICE
GREAT CLUBHOUSE OPEN
NIGHTLY
POOL 199 Stone Mill Run
PLANNED SOCIAL PARTIES Athens, Georgia 30605
24 HR. COURTESY GUARDS Office: (404) 548-1188
NEWLY REMODELED
Great New Look
Same Great Food
WEEKDAY EXPRESS BREAKFAST
Served Monday thru Friday 6 a.m. - 11 a m.
1. One egg any style, hash
browns and toast only *1
2. Four triangles of French Toast, one
egg any style and two bacon strips only *2. 49
3. Two eggs any style, with two bacon
strips, hash browns and toast only *3. 29
4. Two buttermilk pancakes, two eggs
any style, and two bacon strips. only ®3. 29
No other discounts apply.
INTERNATIONAL
HOUSE
RESTAURANT
INTERNATIONAL
HOUSE OF PANCAKES
1180 Baxter Street
354-1356
Open 24 Hours
Personal Checks & Major Credit Cards Welcome
f
