by Rick Mitz
There’s a new music—newer than
Joni Mitchell, American Pie, the
Taylor Family, and Mrs. King’s
rock Queen Carole.
There’s a new neon-lighted music-
that makes Janis Joplin seem like
just another pretty voice and makes
Frank Zappa the boy next door.
This new multi-dimensional music
is gaining impetus like the sound of
umbilical cords snapping all around
the country.
In an era of environmental health,
health foods and mental health, it’s
only natural that there should be
Health Music.
Music often has been used as a
means toward health. For hiore
than twenty years, psychologists
have used music as a tool in treat
ment of mentally handicapped
patients. Opera is well-known for
its Mad Scenes. And many songs—
from Deutschland Uber Alles to On,
Wisconsin — have provoked an
emotional reaction in their listeners.
But now, music is changing its tune.
Two new songwriters are writing
creatively cathartic music as they
revel and reveal through musically
“meaningful” experiences.
It all began about five years ago
with Arthur Janov’s controversial
Primal Scream therapy. Neurosis,
Janov says, is frozen childhood pain.
All neuroses are symptoms for re
leasing that Primal Pain, brought
about by unfulfilling childhood ex
periences relating to parents. He
points to a single cure: The neu
rotic person must dismantle his de
fenses and return to where he made
the decisions to act out expectations
of others rather than his own feel
ings. Janov’s theory is complex but,
briefly, the Primal patient must re
live pain to remove the “curse” in
order to understand his neurotic
tensions. Naturally, Mother and
Father are an integral part of the
therapy. The Primal patient is
urged to call out his parents and,
as he does so, the patient often
begins screaming long and sorrow
ful sobs. This is the Primal Scream.
But now. Primal Scream Mothers
and Fathers have found their way
to the phonograph. Dr. Janov’s
best-known patient is John Lennon,
former Beatle. Lennon’s latest two
albums underscore his therapeutic
involvements. In a song called
“Mother,” he musically writhes in
pain, screaming; “Mother, you had
me, but I never had you/I wanted
you, but you didn’t want me . . .
Good-byeee.” He ends the album
with a short and snappy song to
the tune of Three Blind Mice:
“My Mummy’s dead/I can’t get it
through my head/I can’t explain/
so much pain/my Mummy’s dead.”
In his album, Lennon has crea
tively attempted to work out his
Mother Thing, yelling at and for
her at the beginning of the record
• . . putting her to rest forever at
the end. There is a blurred photo
graph of Lennon as a young boy
on the album cover.
Dory Previn’s music is of the
same genre. When her husband,
Andre Previn, left her for Mia Far
row, Dory’s psyche cracked. She
was institutionalized. “While I was
in the hospital,” she has said, “I
started writing to get some order
out of chaos. What I’ve tried to
do is bring the madness out in the
open.”
And she’s succeeded. Maybe too
well. Her three albums contain
more Mad Songs than all opera
combined. In one song she relives
her four-month long sanitarium ex
perience. But mostly she sings
about her parents.
“Damn you. Mother/ how I hate
you/ you will never know how deep/
I must cling till you release m*/
I could kill you in your sleep/ I
would smile to watch your life blood
creep across your wretched hair yes,
or course I love you. Mother/ I’ll
never leave you ... I swear.”
But behind each element of
Dory’s madness is an element of
sadness that passes through the
listener’s ears and straight to the
heart.
This song is dedicated to her
father: “The telephone rang/ my
sister calling/ Dad is dead ?/ when
did it happen?/ six a.m. she said/
did he ask for me ?/ what did you
say?/ never mind . . . God is kind.”
Songs about parents have changed
somewhat since the days of “I want
a girl, just like the girl . . .”
Health Music affects the listener,
too. It’s easier to work out our
own problems through someone
else’s efforts. And sing along. We
can easily play audio voyeurs and
eavesdrop on other people working
out their neuroses. And some of
ours surely overlap. This Health
Music has been called names from
Freudian to Fraudulant — but it’s a
music that can teach us something.
Between Previn and Lennon, there
are five albums to show for it.
Might just be the perfect gift for
your parent’s anniversary.
GOOSEDOWN BAGS AND COATS - TRAIL FOOD - BLACK POWDER GUNS |
; ' . ' 1 =
o
X
lO
O
z
S
X
Qu
o
X
(/>
iU
X
w
3
o
Q
lU
s
I
z
s
oc
O
ea
a
mi
o
o
o
u
TATUM OUTFITTERS ^
I
Peters Creek Parkway, Behind Mr. Barbecue {2
O
Monday thru Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 9 to 6 Z
u
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING EQUIPMENT - KNIVES - SHEEP COATS - ARCHERY 1
©to
Volume Llll
Salem College, Winston-Salem, N. C., Monday, March 13, 1972
Number 20
CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT
Editor's note: All the candidates
for SGA offices were asked
to answer the following ques
tion: What do you consider
your qualifications for this
office; what do you consider
the true potential of this office
and how do you propose to
make this potential a reality
if elected to the office-
S.G.A. PRESIDENT
Christina Spence
If elected President of the Stu
dent Government Association I will
look forward to being my fellow
students’ mediator with the faculty
and administration in a new century
for our unique Salem. I will try to
be more than a mediator between
the student body and faculty and
administration in an effort to be a
channel through which students can
work more effectively with other
students. I would like to see com
pleted an accurate and complete
evaluation of the social, academic,
and organizational changes that
have become part of life at Salem
in the past year. The true poten
tial of this office lies in the ability
of the President to be THE in.
integral part of Student Govern
ment that will keep positive direc
tional action foremost in the minds
of her fellow students. I have seen
from a close vantage point many
of the problems of this year remed
ied and know that some of the same
problems that have not been solved
wilt be with us in the coming year
and that many new ones will arise.
I cannot solve all problems but do
believe that as a result of my ev-
perience as Interdorm Council
Chairman this year I will be able
to help avoid past pitfills. I hope
to see more student involvement
in campus organizations and activi
ties through an increase in the
number of freshmen and sopho
mores holding major offices. I
would ilke to see Legislative Board
become a more active body. I see
possibilities for the improvement
of our legislative body in the area
of an enlarged Leg. Board (ex.
more freshman representation). Stu
dent Government meetings can be
more effective in alleviating the
comunication breakdown among
and between students, faculty, a.id
administration. I support action to
ward student representation on the
Board of Trustees—without us there
would be no Board of Trustees
and vice versa. Change and growth
are inevitab.e and can be good for
Salem. I believe that we should
view and utilize more fully what
we have already. Let’s have fewer
meetings and more action (outward
and inward).
I can promise you that I would
find it a great privilege to be your
DETERMIi^,ED, OPTIMISTIC,
HARD WORKING, and OPEN-
MINDED mediator.
Sarah Dorrier
Two words sum up my conception
of the office of SGA President—
communication and coordination.
Students complain because they
“don’t know what’s going on.” Part
of this may be due to student
apathy but some of the fault must
lie with student government. Ad
vances have been made: for in
stance the calendar in the refec
tory. Other improvements are anti
cipated, such as printed notices
posted on each hall. The “trivia”
of student government should be
handled by methods such as these.
SGA meetings could then be used
not merely for endless announce
ments but for keeping the student
body abreast of current changes
and plans.
Communication must exist on
many levels in a community such
as Salem. Our smallness provides
the perfect opportunity for students,
faculty, administration, and trustees
to work as a cohesive unit. The
president of SGA could implement
this cohesion in many ways. Why
not have a general resume of fac
ulty meetings published in the
Salemite? It need not be detailed,
it need not tell everything, but on
matters concerning the whole Salem
community students would benefit
from faculty opinions and sugges
tions. I was really impressed with
Dr. Chandler’s “fireside chat” in
Babcock terrace last fall. Why not
continue something similar to this?
Traditionally, the trustees are an
omnipotent but unseen group. Why
not make them an even more vital
part of life at Salem by inviting
them to campus events or for in
formal discussions. Better yet, why
not have at least one student mem
ber of the board ?
I see the president of SGA not
as a power symbol but as a co
ordinator. She need not make the
decisions, she need not do all the
work; but by fulfilling her role as
executive she should see that the
decisions are made and that the
work is done. I liked Dr. Silber’s
idea of committees of one, and I
believe in streamlining the ma
chinery of SGA so that it will func
tion at maximum efficiency in both
the academic and social spheres.
My foremost qualification is de
sire. I would like the opportunity
to use whaoever executive and or
ganizational talents I may possess
to serve the student body as pre
sident of SGA. I have worked with
various phases of student govern
ment—in the dorm as house presi
dent, on student-faculty commit
tees, and as a member of Interdorm
Council. As a result, I believe
strongly that student government
can and should be a vital, moving
force within the Salem community.