The Daily Tar Heel Friday, February 13, 19877
Vi
Movie gives sympathetic; realistic account of punk-rock anti
Once upon a time, in faraway
F.ngland. there lived a couple named
Sid and Nancy. For one shining
moment, they reigned as the king and
queen of the punk scene but all
similarities between the classic fairy
tale and the film "Sid and Nancy"
end at that point.
Sid Vicious was the bassist for the
premiere punk band, the Sex Pistols,
and Nancy Spungeon was his drug
addled girlfriend. Although the
media had followed the two through
their connection with the vanguard
Sex Pistols, true notoriety struck
when Vicious stabbed Spungeon to
death and was himself dead of a drug
overdose two months later.
A prominent question involves
why Alex Cox, the successful direc
tor of the quirky classic "Repo
Man." would undertake such an
ambitious project as "Sid and
Nancy." Recreating this pair of
unlikely anti-heroes was no simple
task. He depicts the couple with all
their seamy realities intact, yet
manages to elicit a genuine sense of
understanding. The success of the
project lies in the fact that although
Sid was punk's most notorious
casualty, he was also its most
enduring symbol.
The movie follows the couple
through the course of their tumul
tuous relationship. Sid, dubbed "Boy
Outlaw" by the British press, was
more than happy to adopt the
nonconformist stance of the Sex
Pistols. When he met Nancy, an
erstwhile groupie from Pennsylva
nia, his amoral nature consolidated
completely. Together, the two fell
into a cliff-edged lifestyle of drugs
and desperation. Yet, in the strong
willed Nancy. Sid also found an
unexpected companion who shared
much with him.
RAs describe runniiig hall as toughest job they'll ever love
By ANGELA HAMPTON
Staff Writer
Have you suddenly been inspired
to become involved on campus? But
have book prices, telephone bills and
February sales that were too good
to pass up left you seeking employ
ment rather than searching for a club
to join? If the College Budget Blues
have you reading help-wanted ads.
then the University Department of
Housing may have an appealing
alternative to bussing tables or
washing dishes.
Each year, the Department of
Housing accepts applications for the
positions of Resident Assistants
from juniors and seniors maintaining
a 2.5 GPA. For several students,
working as RAs has proved reward
ing, both personally and financially.
Barbra Schaughency, a senior
business major, is an RA in Cobb
Residence Hall. She said that she
feels she has gained much practical
experience from her job. "I've
become a lot more assertive. 1 can
get my point across and can con
structively discipline."
Training sessions sponsored by the
housing department on listening and
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As their relationship developed, so ;
did its negative aspects. Sid and..
Nancy shared emotional immaturity,
violent tendencies and, eventually,
regression into heroin addiction. At
bottom level, they were kids whose
cravings were too intense to allow
them to ever grow up normally.
The film follows Sid and Nancy
through the streets of London and
New York, from vague "squats" and
hotel rooms to stages in countless
clubs. After the sudden demise of the
Sex Pistols, Sid had difficulty facing
the collapse of his own status. Nancy ;
faithfully followed him, attempting
to get him gigs. Yet they carried each ;
other further into the anonymous
world of drugs and apathy. In one
of the movie's most striking scenes,
Sid and Nancy go to a clinic in a.;
half-serious attempt to cure their
addiction. The clinic attendant
questions their alleged belief in
anarchy. How, he asks, can they;
shock a generation into change when,
they are too stupified to get out of
bed?
Their vision became increasingly
limited as they spent stagnant days
in the famous Hotel Chelsea in New
York City. The desperate love which
somehow held them together began
to manifest itself more violently.
Nancy's death-wish became increas
ingly apparent, and the eventual
outcome of the movie will surprise
no one.
The media headlines seemed to
make the final statement about Sid
Vicious, but director Cox had the
insight to consider their lives as
leadership, as well as on certain ;
responsibilities such as running hall J
meetings, have had an impact on
Schaughency. "It's really strange ;
when you know you're a person on
the hall that people will come to. It
makes you watch what you do in
front of other people."
Being an RA offers students a
great opportunity to become -involved
on-campus. For Amy
Flowers, a junior education major, v
becoming an RA in Ehringhaus
Residence Hall has given her. new
responsibilities and new people to
meet. "You're supposed to be a role
model," said Flowers. "It can be
really time-consuming, but . ; .(the
residents are) my friends."
Flowers has been pleased with her
location at Ehringhaus because she
has been able to meet many out-of-state
students as well as athletes. "I
love it," she said. "There's a good
mixture of people."
' Doug Schmidt, a senior business
major and an RA in Hinton James
Residence Hall, wanted a chance to
share some of the knowledge and ";
experiences the University has given
him. "The best four years of my life ;
to yomt vMemme? t )
7
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February 28
something more than pathetic cari
catures. "Sid and Nancy really hung
together like a decadent Romeo and
Juliet,'' Cox said. "They were doing
something really stupid, but they
were in love."
"Sid and Nancy" brings out
parallels between the collapse of the
punk scene, the pair of lovers and
the band. The Sex Pistols may have
been the first and last punk band,
unleashing a nihilistic energy onto
the pop scene of 1977. Yet that
energy quickly lost its power as a
revolutionary Wcc, becoming the
battle-cry of bored middle-class kids.
This world of crumbled idealism
is portrayed with grim determinism.
Gary Oldham and Chloe Webb arc
exceptionally strong in their roles as
Sid and Nancy. Both characteriza
tions were physically and emotion
ally demanding. Johnny Rotten, the
true visionary of the Sex Pistols, is
played by Drew Schofield. Although
Schofield gives a decent perfor
mance, he does not convey much of
Rotten's cynical intelligence. The
musical soundtrack is very good,
with re-recordings of many Sex
. Pistols songs, as well as incidental
music by Joe Strummer. the Pogues
and Pray for Rain. ,
All things considered. Cox and his
production team have done a great
service by so accurately portraying
Sid and Nancy. It was time for
someone to get to the bottom of their
status as cultural anti-heroes. Cox
commented, "1 think (the film)
romanticizes Sid and Nancy. I don't
think it glorifies them. They had big
fantasies thai they would go out in
a blaze of glory together, and yet
they never did." Importantly, the
movie shows them realistically while
imparting a sense of emotional
depth. ..
have been here. I wanted to give back
some of the knowledge UNC has
given me.
"About 70 percent of the residents
that Schmidt oversees are freshmen.
Schmidt said he likes helping the new
students become more adapted to
" university life. "An RA acts as a
liaison between the administration
and students," he said. Schmidt, who
:is also a Clef Hanger and a coach
' for a community basketball team,
said that he "has to be doing
something all the time." However,
he added, "Ie learned through
experience how to not over-commit
myself."
r Schaughency, Flowers, and
Schmidt all agreed that despite the
many advantages of their jobs, being
: an RA can have its pitfalls. "IVe
become friends with everyone," said
Flowers. "It4s hard to tellvfriends
they're doing something wrong."
Schaughency added, "It's hard to
' enforce rules that you don't really
agree with or other people don't
understand. Like visitation it's
completely for security reasons."
RAs are assigned to residence
halls, which can be good or bad.
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One-time Sex Pistols member, Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) re-records his version of "My Way"
depending on the R A. "The roughest
things about James," said Schmidt,
"are the noise, because it's a high rise,
and the walk which I remedy with
a Moped."
There are many responsibilities
involved in being an RA as well.
Counseling, keeping residents
informed, being on duty, and pro
viding three social and educational
programs each semester for students
are the main duties.
However, these RAs definitely felt
that the benefits outweigh the hard
ships. Along with the personal and
social advantages, being an RA pays
off economically. The University
pays RAs a salary every other week
and offers them a single room for
the price of a double room as well
as free telephone installation.
Granville Towers operates a little
differently by offering free room and
board, a free meal plan and free
telephone installation rather than a
paid salary.
Being an RA has many advan
tages, but it may not be the job for
everyone. Creativity, dedication and
objectivity are three important
requirements for the job. "You have
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to let your residents know that you
can be counted on," said Flowers.
Schaughency added, "Being an
active listener, having the time to be
on the hall and being assertive
Elections
Although somewhat disappointed
about being disqualified, Doepner
says that he does not plan to appeal
the Elections Board's decision.
Doepner said. "I've looked at the
situation and I've decided that 111
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- hero
enough to confront situations that
you'd rather not confront all enter
into being an effective R A. But to
people who are willing to sacrifice
a few things, it's really worth it." '
from page 1
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