C.C. Reader
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Music Review
"Crimes Of Passion"
Hot Love For Sale
By Keith N. Gantz
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When you're hot, you're hot. But
when you're Pat Benatar, you cook!
Benatar, rock's latest overnight fe
male singing sensation, continues her "
streak, recording one hit after another
with the release of her latest album,
"Crimes of Passion."
Her latest effort does, like the title of
one of her current hits, "Hit Me With
Your Best Shot."
Influences such as Chrissie Hynde of
the Pretenders, and Jeff Beck infiltrate
Benatar's music. The result is a blend of
new wave, heavy metal and torch rock.
Her sensual, raw attitude on stage
combined with her finished voice is a
new and provocative approach to music.
Her appeal is indeed unique.
Benatar, 27, began singing at 17.
Strangely enough, her introduction to
music came through classical operatic
training at New York's Jiulliard School
of Music.
Unlike untrained, pure voices such as
Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and
Linda Ronstadt, Benatar's disciplined
soprano vocals are apparent throughout
her work.
World Research, Inc., the San Diego,
California-based non-profit, non-partisan
educational and research group, has
announced that it is sponsoring a nation
wide art competition among high school
and college students to find a new, bold,
indentifiable logo design, according to
Barbara Stevens, promotion director for
World Research. All entries must be
received by midnight, December 30,
1980 to be eligible for the $5OO First
Prize.
Stevens went on to say that "in
addition to the cash award, there will be
awards of excellence and honorable
mentions awarded to runners-up in the
competition."
World Research, Inc., since its incep
tion in 1969, has been developing unique
and innovative educational materials
designed to stimulate discussion of his
torical and current issues. Its primary
distribution for these materials has been
high schools, colleges and universities
and each mailing numbers into the tens
In "Crimes of Passion," Benatar
seems to be striving towards a sophisti
cation in her music in an attempt to
solidify her work as one of the top young
female vocalists.
The central theme of the album deals
with positive and negative aspects of
love. For instance, "Hell is for Children,"
boldly deals with child abuse.
"Treat Me Right" and the hard-rock
ing "You Better Run" best exemplify
Benatar's commanding sound. The latter
perfectly displays Benatar's exceptional
vocal range.
There is little variation in basic sound
and content throughout the album, and
there are no soft ballads to balance the
loud, upbeat guitar explosioni; yet
Benatar's work is interesting as well as
original.
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is all
Benatar. Here, her fiery, raspy voice
explodes. No radical change from her
first album, though it is a step forward in
Benatar's quest to create a distinct, rock
sound. The content of her music has gone
from sex to passion to love.
WORLD RESEARCH, INC.
SPONSORS STUDENT
ART CONTEST
of thousands. "We felt that since our
main objective has been reaching stu
dents, they should share in helping to
create and shape our look and image,"
added Stevens.
World Research produced the best
seller book and award-winning film --
"The Incredible Bread Machine." They
have also produced two other award
winning films "Libra," and more recently
"The Inflation File." World Research is
divided into two study areas -- The
Campus Studies Division, which re
searches and produces educational ma
terials and the Ocean Studies Division,
which is presently studying the preser
vation and propagation of the endanger
ed abalone species.
The art competition is open to all
high school and college students. Stu
dents interested in submitting a logo
design should write ART CONTEST,
World Research Institute, San Diego.
California 92121 for entry requirements
and contest details.
Thursday, November 20, 1980
Willie Nelson enjoys his movie success
Camps Digest News Service
AUSTIN, Texas--Not even Willie Nelson
finds it easy to accept Willie Nelson as a
romantic lead, a sex symbol.
"I'm still a little surprised sometimes," says
Willie.
But that's what he is these days, one must
believe, since two snappy ladies, Dyan Can
non and Amy Irving, fight for his affection in
"Honeysuckle Rose," the first movie to offer
Willie as leading man.
His age is uncertain, since his official
biography, handed out by the Warner Bros.
publicity department, claims he was born in
1933, while events cited in another publicity
release indicate that he was born in 1927.
Asked in which of these years he was born,
Nelson beams,"Both."
So, though Willie may be younger than
Paul Newman (and "may" is a critical word
here), he's not a contemporary of John
Travolta. Nor is he tall. Nor is he handsome.
Yet Nelson, talented as a singer, musician,
composer, generates some sort of magic which
has made him a movie star.
"Honeysuckle Rose" wasn't written and
put- together for his benefit. It was a viable
project, aborning in Hollywood minds, before
Willie got so famous, grinning from the covers
of Time and Newsweek.
He was deliverately cast because producers
thought he'd bring crowds to theaters and
reality to the principal role.
At breakfast at the Hilton Inn near the
Austin airport, Willie was digesting events of
the preceding evening when "Honeysuckle
Rose" had been premiered at a nearby movie
house. Not only had stars of the picture at
tended, but so had Sissy Spacek.
The audience had given the movie a big
hand, though, in several cases, the person ap
plauding had been an extra in the film and
seemed to be applauding himself more than
Willie.
"Hey, did you see me there? I was all right,
wasn't I?" cried one to the other as crowd
scenes rolled off the reel.
Willie and Irving grew so close during the
filming that romance was rumored despite the
fact that Nelson is married, so at breakfast he
was asked about their relationship.
"We got to be real good friends," he said.
"And my wife? What did she think about the
rumors?
"Oh, she doesn't read those things.
"Amy and I had a real good time."
By Keith N. Gantz
Frank Herbert has written various
novels during his career. In this writer's
opinion, his "Dune" trilogy is by far the
best, and desc.cves to be read. 'fl'
trilogy includes the novels "Dune, '
"Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune."
The "Dune" series is one of the most
magnificent science fiction epics ever
written. Characters and scenarios are
complete and quite well developed by
Mr. Herbert. The story includes the
development of love interests among
characters, power struggles, monumen
tal battles and religious ritual.
The story follows the main character
from childhood to parenthood. There are
many elements, skillfully developed to a
point that will keep the reader in
sus • nse throu: hout this series.
Willie said that he would have become an
actor sooner, "but nobody asked me. I
thought I could have done 'One Flew Over
The Cuckoo's Nest.'"
Book Review
The author, Frank Herbert, was born
in 1920 in Tacoma, Washington. He has
worked as a photographer, televisior
cameraman, oyster diver, lay analyst.
and as a radio newsman. He was for
many years a newspaperman in west
coast cities from Los Angeles to Seattle.
including more than ten years on the San
Francisco Examiner. He lives with his
family in the northwest corner of the
state of Washington.
One of his major activities is turning
his six wooded acres into an ecological
demonstration project to show a high
quality of life can be maintained with a
minimum drain on the total energy
system. Herbert's interest in ecology is
very evident in this work.
His next picture will be a Western, "Bar
barosa," and sometime next year he thinks
he'll make "The Red Headed Stranger," bas
ed on one of his hit songs.
The current crop of Country-Western
musicals, kicked off by "Coal Miner's
Daughter," is the outgrowth of delayed
Hollywood insight, Nelson believes, explain
ing, "There's an audience out there, and
somebody finally realized it."
"The Cotton-Eyed Joe," he adds, mention
ing a high-spirited dance popular at Mickey
Gilley's club near Houston, "is probably go
ing to replace disco dancing."
After breakfast, Willie was going to his
eighth annual and final (he promised) Fourth
of July picnic, a beer-soaked bash expected to
attract more than 50,000 country music
adherents.
The year before, traffic had been tied up for
seven miles outside the picnic grounds as hot.
restive fans waited their turns to get in arid
hear favorite stars perform.
Willie said that this year's picnic was to be
his last, "because I've lost money every year.
This year, I may not lose more than
$300,000."
The cost in time also figured in his decision
not to have more picnics.
"It takes six months to put one together.
and another six months to get over it."
Willie's annual celebrations might have
been called music festivals except for
Woodstock.
"After Woodstock," Nelson explained.
"people were afraid of anything called a
festival, so that's why I've had picnics."
A man of contrasts who's made no secret of
his fondness for a joint, Nelson was a Sunday
school teacher at the Metropolitan Baptist
Church in Fort Worth until he was nudged
out, because he insisted on playing honky
tonk engagements.
He admits that he can't write well when he's
high on pot or booze, and adds, "I don't
think anybody can... Everybody writes--or
anything else--better when they are straight."
As the first picture in which he plays the
lead, "Honeysuckle Rose" is a Nelson dream
come true.
"I've always wanted to be a movie star,"
says Willie, "-ever since I saw Gene Autry
pickin' and singin'."
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