^’Jovember 24, 1969
The N.C. Essay
Page 3
MUSIC PLAYING IN MY HAIR
"I'm a space cowboy, bet you
weren't ready for that" - Steve Miller
Band
A new Byrds album is always rea
son for excitement among hard-core
rock freaks. There is a sense of ex
pectancy and joy that one feels, like
sitting down once again with old
friends. Just looking at the cover
starts the adrenalin running, brings
back tons of memories, and makes you
eager and anxious, because this is
the new Byrds album. It's like see
ing snow for the first time. Or
being a virgin again.
The Byrds were the first Ameri
can group of the rock/pop renaissance
(vintage '65). Their music was the
sounding call for a whole new genera
tion to emerge in this country, a
generation that made the Byrds'
version of Mr. Tanijourine Man their
national anthem (proven once again
this past summer at the Atlantic
City Pop Festival when 60,000 greeted
the song's opening notes with a long
standing ovation). The group has
changed since then, having shifted
their style and personnel (the
latest change has bassist John York
moving on, replaced by Skip Battyn,
once a member of Skip & Flip, of
It Was I and Cherry Pie short
lived fame).
The first student-administration
forum was held Wednesday, 19 Novem
ber. Ground rules were laid, these
being the following: one must be re
cognized before speaking; a three-
minute period will be the maximum for
one speaker; questions which cannot
be fully and/or accurately answered
by anyone at any given meeting will
be postponed until such qualified is
in attendance; questions which cannot
be answered due to time shortage will
have priority on the next meeting's
agenda.
Question: What is the admini
strative director?
Reply: He is the school's busi
ness manager, responsible for such
things as educational programs in
terms of finances.
Question: Why at the recent
dance performances was the public
given priority over students?
Reply: The purpose of admission
charges at the dance performances is
to balance the financial situation of
the dance department. Due to various
circumstances, no preview performance
was given. There was a large student
turn-out for these performances and
some students attended more than once.
Mr. Lindgren assured us that this
will not happen again. Several sug
gestions for remedying the situation
were the following: performances
given especially for a student audi
ence; a policy that students may have
any seat available after 8:00; and
that each student be given a ticket
Only founder Roger McGuinn has
remained a Byrd. But the group's
identity, while always in growth,
has kept highly formalized and
unique, as they have pioneered rock
Note: Since I first sou) Elvis on
TV about fourteen years ago^ I've
been on a power rook trip. Yet^ I
recognize the importance of more
"serious" music. However, I haven’t
the historical knowledge or the
technical background to deal with
this music in a critical sense. But
I would like to see these other
musical idioms covered in the Essays
as the range of interest and taste
at NCSA is indeed diverse. Thus, if
you ore interested in revieyiing
recordings or live performances on a
full or part-time basis, we 'd be most
appreciative. Come by and talk with
us.
Mike Ferguson
from their own particular context.
As always, the current Byrds are an
authentic American rock band,
possessed with a respectful sense
of the past, a hyper-awareness of
NOW, and a hawk's eye on the future.
They are a band conscious of their
own destiny.
which assures him a seat at at least
one performance.
What are the possibilities of an
off-campus retreat for the purpose
of bringing students and faculty
together on an informal basis?
One of our Foundation Board
members has a cabin in the mountains
which she has made available to us.
The Ward home is al^o open for such
activities. Neither of these facil
ities has been used previously due
to lack of organization of any
activity.
I'Jhat problems does the adminis
tration have? The students would
like to and should know.
Within what boundaries should
the S.G.A. constitution work? What
are the legal aspects of the situ
ation regarding the president,
trustees, and state?
Every aspect of the school is
in some way President Ward's respon
sibility, therefore he can be a
source for any such information. He
suggested that these answers can also
be found in the faculty manual, which
is being issued now.
Mr. Ward feels that the S.G.A.
is important to the school because
it makes a distinction between
generalized and localized problems.
Problems which are first brought to
the S.G.A. can be better understood
by the administration because the
relationship of any given situation
to all students will be clearer.
Can the S.G.A. be relatively
assured of a definite meeting time.
The new album. Ballad of Easy
Rider, like the Hopper/Fonda film,
is a trip through America today.
The music has the same kinetic flow
of all Byrds' music, stretching far
down the highway. CounttT^ air drifts
sweetly by, mixing with the exhaust
fumes of Apollo 11 and the smog of
New York and Los Angeles. And you
can see through it fot uiles and
miles and miles.
The songs are panoramas of
American landscapes. They open
up before you like an Andrew
Wyth painting. The Byrds take us
back to another America, curoiusly
Similar to its current brother:
deportee (written by Woody
Guthrie) and It’s All Over Now,
Baby Blue, a pre-rock Dylan poem.
America today is inspected: a
new anthem which may become an
epitath, the visionary Ballad of
Easy Rider and Gunga Din about
a New York rock and roll cowboy.
And the future, with a backward
glance: Armstrong, Aldrin and
Colltns. Other stops are made
along the way. Down from des
perate Tulsa county to hopeful
Mexican border; from West Texas
bars to black leather New York
City; and from the ghosts of old
sea harbors to Waycross, Georgia
revival tents.
The Byrds' Easy Rider is an
on the road hike through America;
at the end of a complex decade.
Contained are the dreams and the
failures of the new frontier which
was visualized at the beginning of
the Sixties - and a cautious, but
hopeful eye to the future. And the
dream, intrinsic from the start,
may just be flowering.
Like a precious handful of rock
and roll men, such as the Band from
Big Pink, Dylan, Stephen Stills and
Neil Young, John Fogarty, Sir
Douglas Sham, John Sebastian, and
Gram Parsons, Roger McGuinn and his
Byrds are creating realistic and
honest portraits of contemporary
America. "The highway is for gam
blers so you'd better use your
sense"* - accordingly, the Byrds have
followed their native instincts,
lifting the quality of American rock
music and their own insights about
the country they know so well. We
can ask little more of them,
except that there be another new
Byrds' Album.
*It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue" -
By Ian/Byrds
which is presently 1:00 on Wednesdays?
Rehearsals are not to be sched
uled at this time because it has been
set aside for convocations.
Can S.G.A, members be excused from
convocations?
This will be discussed.
(Cont. on page 4) ,
STUD.-ADMIN. FOI»lJM