Page 8 — LION’S EYE — February 10, 1998 Executive members of BSL sing during a Martin Luther King Day presentation. —nterts Photo by Lea Anne McGoldrick Pearl Jam Debuts ‘Yield’ In Hopes of a Success By Rob Coyle The waves rolled around him as he laid on his board, humming a melody he had heard days before. His thoughts wandered back to his childhood, more specifically to the day he learned his true father was a deceased multiple sclerosis victim he had known only as a distant family friend. Tears welled up in his eyes as he paddled back to shore, his memories forming lyrics in his head (son, she said... have I got a little story for you). The lone surfer was Eddie Vedder, and the song he created that afternoon was “Alive,” one of the many singles from arguably the most successful band of this decade, Pearl Jam. On February 3, Pearl Jam debuted their fifth, and possibly last album, entitled Yield. The record comes after 1996's commercial disaster, No Code, which although critically acclaimed, was the band’s poorest selling album to date. Yield, marks a return to the formula that was such a success with Pearl Jam's earlier records. The band exploded onto the Seattle grunge scene in early 1991 with Ten, which spawned singles such as “Jeremy” and “Alive” that became the staple songs of the grunge era. The band’s furious guitar patterns along with Vedder's intense vocals made the band an overnight sensation, something none of the band members had experienced previously. . . . Havel got alittle story for you.” In 1993 came the highly successful follow up album Vs., which sold a record 950,000 copies in its first week and has sold an amazing 5.4 million to date. 1994 brought the highly anticipated Vitalogy, which boasted such singles as “Corduroy” and “Better Man,” and got the band a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Pearl Jam was at its peak, their concerts the hardest ticket to buy, and it appeared nothing could hold them down. 1995 almost tour the band apart, however, with the court battles with Ticketmaster and a canceled US tour taking center stage. Vedder and his music mates disappeared from public view, and rumors flew concerning everything from attempted suicides after Kurt Cobain’s death to the imminent break-up of the tormented band. Eddie Vedder's disappearance was later attributed to him battling a debilitating flu virus that landed him in the hospital, and the band put the break- up rumors to rest by surprising the music community with a single, entitled Merkinball, and its track “I Got Id.” “A new album was also on the way. No Code debuted #1 on the charts in September of ‘96, but sales were sluggish, mainly because the album was so different. The band had backed away from the heavy guitar inspired anthems of the past and put out a folkier, moodier album. Although it generated two singles (“Who You Are” and “Hail, Hail”), the critically acclaimed album was considered a commercial failure. 1997 saw the demise of the grunge genre, with bands such as Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots calling it quits. Rap and Techno bands, such as the Chemical Brothers, took center stage, and promising guitar bands like Live did not pan out. The Seattle rock scene was all but over, but Pearl Jam wasn’t ready to hang up the gloves yet. Always weary of MTV, Pearl Jam surprised a few people in early January of this year by announcing that “Given to Fly,” the first single off of Yield , would carry with ita new music video, PJ's first since “Jeremy” in ‘92. The surprising move could be credited to a new marketing push, designed to boost sales of the new album. Yield and its corresponding world tour will go a long way in determining the future of one of this decade’s most successful bands. But after a hugely entertaining stint of opening for the Rolling Stones, which had some critics remarking Pearl Jam outplayed the legendary band, and bootleg releases from their new album making waves, ~ the band appears ready to regain the spotlight they have always avoided. Just as Vedder proclaimed in his song, this band is still very much “Alive.” Yield is available at every major record store, right now. Mnnentss Behind-the-Scenes James Cameron’s ‘Titantic’ By Christine Heffernan Need a break from academic studies and you don’t want to take a chance on renting a movie with an inconclusive plot? Then get yourself to the nearest movie theater to view Titanic. It won four Golden Globe awards including best drama film in 1997. In the book James Cameron's Titanic the author/director summed up the film. “Some jump, some fall, each dotting the water’s surface like the period at the end of a sentence. Then the stern slips under the water, plunging everyone into coldness so intense it is indistinguishable from fire....The wail of fifteen hundred souls slowly fades to individual cries from the darkness....Seven hundred survivors stand by in lifeboats built for twelve hundred, afraid to act for fear of getting swamped. They tell themselves that the voices from the water do not belong to their husbands or their loved ones. They are merely the cries of the damned.” Five years ago Titanic was justa dream to Cameron, but within the last three years he conducted detailed research about the actual occurrences on that final voyage. HBO's behind the scenes of the Titanic tells how Cameron PEARL JAM _its destruction. reconstructed the crew, passengers, wardrobe, staterooms, the dining room, and the staircase as it would have been seen in 1912, but he adds the twist of the present reflecting on the past. Three and a half hours of intense plot convince the viewer that he or she is part of the story line and on the actual ship. Titanic is a fascinating story about the rich and the poor, their gender roles played out until their death, and the collective imagination of both the men who brought the ship to life and of the men who drove it to According to Cameron’s book, the special effects include model ships with computer- generated people, a near full-size exterior ship erected in a 17 million- gallon water tank, and replicated interior sets. As fascinating as this movie is there are people who chose not to see Titanic. According to Lisa Stefanide (mother of one and a Delaware housewife), “I'm sensitive to children’s issues. Therefore, I chose not to view the film Titanic knowing some children on board will plunge to their deaths.” To experience this voyage first hand and to understand the 1912 occurrences, locate the next available movie appearance. Then read James Cameron's Titanic for a behind-the- scenes look. Hits Penn State By James Conroy So, you're thinking of getting some culture? You want to get out of the house and see the arts? You could take a trip to New York and see Cats for the 300 millionth time, or try to get a ticket of the Broadway version of the Titanic. How about Riverdance, with all those people stomping their feet? But, if a trip up north doesn’t fit in your schedule, and Irish dancing isn’t your cup of tea, stay in Delaware County where you can see a 2000 year old play for free. Coming the end of April, the theatrical department of Penn State Delco will be bringing you a modern adaptation of the middle play in the With Modern Adaptations Oedipus Trilogy, “Antigone.” Originally written by the Greek playwright Sophocles, Antigone (as well as many other Sophoclean works) has been translated and updated for today’s world by Dr. Patricia Robinson, lecturer in Theater Arts at Delco, and her good friend, Lydia Ekinopoulous. Dr. Robinson is also director of the play “It’s something we have wanted to do for years,” Dr. Robinson said, referring to “the adaptation of Sophocles’ work. “We tried to get into Sophocles’ skin as a writer and a dramatist and see how he would do it for the modern stage.” (Continued on page 10)
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