Newspaper Page Text
October 2, 1991 FLAGPOLE MAGAZINE Page 17
Ed’s Answers
by Ed Tant
“Much that we hug today as
knowledge is ignorance pure
snd simple," said Mahatma
Gandhi In a quest for knowl
edge about subjects from the
frivolous to the serious, readers
have sent in a variety of questions this week. Once
again this week this columnist will endeavor to
answer a sampling of queries from folks right here
in the Athens/Atlanta area. Other questions are
waiting in the wings to be answered — or at least
guessed at — in future editions of this column.
Keep those interrogatives coming, folks.
Just send 'em to 01' Answerin' Ed, here at the
Flagpole/P.O. Box 1027/Athens GA 30603..
Now here goes some of this week's 0 & A
1. What's the situation in El Savador all about?
The tiny and dirt-poor nation of El Salvador,
located on the Pacific Coast of Central America, is
home to more than five million people crammed into
an area slightly smaller than Massachusetts. Un
employment is at a high of about 30% while the
literacy rate is a low 69%.
El Salvador is a coffee republic in the same
sense that other countries in the region are banana
republics. Since the 1660's, coffee production has
been a dominant part of the country's economy.
Top coffee growers thus wound up controlling the
Salvadoran land and political clout while doing
nothing to aid the country's huge poor popu/atioh.
In 1931 a reformist president took power only to
be quickly ousted by the country's right-wing mili
tary. In a bloody revolt the next year, as many as
20,000Salvadoran peasants were killed by govern
ment and military forces. The history of the country
has since been one sleazy regime of government/
military types after another, the same sort of thugs
who were implicated in the horrific murder of six
Jesuit priests and human rights activists in the
capital city of San Salvador. Agrarian rebels in the
region have fought a long and violent civil war
against various U S backed Salvadoran rulers and
right-wing “death squads" have been formed by
police and federal military hombres to spread panic
among would-be dissidents.
Amnesty International never fails to give El Sal
vador poor marks on the human rights scorecard,
but the United States nevertheless continues to
side with the bloody-handedpowers-that-be in the
tiny country. Your tax dollars at work...For more
about the situation in El Salvador, read magazines
like The Progressive, The Nation, or Z Magazine, or
listen to the Rolling Stones song, “Undercover of the
Night". For more info write to the Committee in
Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES),
Box 12156, Washington, D C. 20005 or call (202)
265-0890.
3. Who is the most talented New Kid on the Block —
Donnie or Jordan?
With NKOTB it's gotta be NOTA — none of the
above. The alleged music of the New Kids can
cause the brain to turn into a hardened mass of
bubblegum. What has 100 legs an 10 of 20? The
front row at a New Kids concert. Seriously, if Donnie
doesn't quit getting into fights he might wind up as
just another new kid on the cell block.
Keep those questions coming, folks. If you have
any questions about anything send them to Ed’s
Answers, P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.
Fried Cajun Conversation
Bill Davis, singer/guitarist for Dash Rip Rock,
called the office the other day to chat about Dash's
new album, Boiled Alive on Mammoth Records,
Jalapeno vodka and Helen Reddy The guys are
from New Orleans and named their band after Ellie
Mae Clamper's movie star boyfriend. The Beverly
Hillbillies...remember that show?
Bill Davis: We've got our new live record out and
it's doin' o.k. It's something we recorded down
here, it's got all the wild
shit, all the jokes, the
belching, the farting.
But it actually came out
pretty good, and it's
doing well for a live
record.
Flagpole: So who
burps at the begin
ning?
BD: That's Hoaky
(Hickel.bass) We tried
to figure that out. I
wasn’t exactly sure, but
I’m pretty sure that it’s
Hoaky. It sounds like
his range and timbre. I know it’s probably not me
'cause I have manners, you know? I was raised
right, I don't go around belching all the time. It's
gotta be Hoaky. He's got the most gas build-up of
anyone. But it’s just a fun way to start the record I
know a lot of reviewers down here have said, "It
starts with a belch, and then we're off "
FP: It kinda sets the tone
BD: Yeah, it does.
FP: Your bio compares your music to a shot of
Jalapeno vodka. Have you actually had Jalapeno
vodka?
BD: Actually I had some the other day It’s no big
deal. It’s just as easy to put tabasco in your Bloody
Mary I don't know....! imagine I’ve tasted just about
every kind of liquor there is. I mean, even the weird
Greek stuff.
FP: Ya'II do some pretty strange covers. I mean,
“Delta Dawn" is probably one of the worst songs
ever written.
BD: I know, but we do it like the Ramones, so it’s
cool. It's cool because the audience sings the first
verse and then we launch into it. We change the
words around a little bit too. Instead of “she walked
downtown with a suitcase in her hand,' we sing,
“withadildoinherhand." Butyou’reright. Itisabad
song, but you know ..Helen Reddy — what else will
she be remembered
for? “I am woman, hear
me roar?*
FP: So what about the
next album?
BD: Well, we're pretty
much ready to record
it. I’ve been writing
some songs. I wrote
some with Fred
(LeBlanc), our old
drummer, and...I'm
just trying to get an
album of good songs
together. On our first
album there were
some really good songs, I thought, and on the
second one too. The third was kinda a throw-away.
It was kinda a party album, all these party songs, but
nothing real meaningful or anything. So we've been
putting a lot of time into these new ones, just trying
to get away from the frat-boy party thing and back
into being considered a band with something to say
instead of a band that just gets fucked up ail the
time. You know, we're not going to take it to an
extreme, but a little bit of partying goes a long way,
and we want to be remembered for more than that.
You can see Bill and the rest of Dash Rip Rock
belch their way through the show at the Georgia
Theatre on Thursday, Oct 3 Opening will be piano
player, Carl Leyland, from “N'awhns."
W M Overend
WEDNESDAY
TDance
— DJ —
Brain
"Lovo
Daddy"
Bone
THURSDAY
Night Uve
Call for Band
369-7315
FRIDAY
Dance Party
Ladies FREE
— DJ —
Mike
Church
SATURDAY
Beat the
Clock
Drink 'til
midnight
Dance'til Three
— DJ —
Brain
"Love
Daddy"
Bone
Call
369-7315
For Details
and Info on
Private Parties
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THURS: $1 Kamakazi &
Hawaiian Shooters
FRI: $3 Pitchers
SAT: Pre-Game Party
MON: $1 .50 Bar Brands
TUES: $2.75 Pitchers
Entertainment
Thurs., Oct. 3: Mona Lisa
Fri., Oct 4: Little Titains
Sat., Oct 5
Open at 11 am for Pre-Game Party
& that night: Little Titains
POOL TABLES
SHUFFLEBOARD
Cold Air & Good Times
Mon. thru Fri. / 4pm to 2am
Sat. / 4pm to 1 2am
— Drink Specials begin at 8pm —
On the corner or Doupherty
& Thomas in hlistory Village
353-9991
SUBLIMINAL SURGE
RECORDING STUDIO
$12.00 PER HOUR
8 TRACK OPEN-
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\ ATHENS, GA
354-8632
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Tequila Specials
Thurs: Battle of the Bands
Fri. & Sat: Kafe RacR
Mon: Monday Night Football
$1.75 Bar Drinks
Tkies: Exotic Dancers
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