Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 22, 1994 - 3



Better Nate Than Never

WEEKEND
Magnapop goes the avant garde, for your pleasure

amusements
"Hi. My name is Nate, and going
to Cedar Point was the most interest-
ing thing I did this summer."
Although it may sound like the
beginning of an Amusement Park-
oholics Anonymous meeting, that's
actually how I introduced myself in
the ever-popular first day of class
1me-and-irrelevant-fact routine.
But the trial of getting to Cedar
Point makes you wonder if it's all
worth it.
The average amusement park-
goer travels miles and miles of con-
struction-plagued roads, gets lost once
in Toledo, pays a hefty "causeway/
parking surcharge," walks 3.2 miles
from the "Blue Streak 26J" parking
section to the main gate and spends as
I ch on admission as on a Spanish
l cuaderno.
But one trip several years ago
came with an added "trial of life."
Five years old and easily amused,
I wandered toward the playground at
the Days Inn, where - out of no-
where - a flock of wild, toddler-
eating geese came running, no, flying
toward me. I turned away from the
w vage birds that were trying to peck
Wlegs off, only to see my family
tossing toiletry bags and racing down
the motel stairs with horrified looks
on their faces.
As with every quasi-tragedy in
my life, we can laugh about it now,
yet I still can't watch Alfred
Hitchcock's "The Birds."
But if you can conquer each ob-
stacle from the maze of orange con-
ction barrels to the fields of angry
ese, you then achieve the ultimate
rewards - Belgian waffles, funnel
cakes and blue raspberry slushies.
And rides.
There are basically three types of
rides. The first type is the "Low-
Impact Ride," such as the carousel,
the Ferris wheel and the train. These
are enjoyed by people under 48" tall,
ople with heart conditions, preg-
t women and the elderly.
The second kind is the "Sickness-
Inducing Ride," with names like "The
Vomitron." These work to make rid-
ers feel like a sock in the spin cycle.
It's easy to distinguish Vomitron rid-
ers, as they usually have green faces
and congregate near the drinking
fountain/restroom/lost child area.
The third and most popular type
ride is the "Rolling Speed Ride"
(aka roller coaster), which was de-
signed to test the velocity at which
the body and the stomach become
separated.
Per guidelines set up in 1991 by
the Federal Coaster Authority (FCA),
a subsidiary of HUD (Hills and Un-
planned Derailment), each new roller
coaster built must (a) take up more
ce, (b) go faster, (c) cost more to
ild, (d) go upside down more, and
(e) have a more threatening name
than any existing coaster.
Cedar Point's new "Raptor" meets
all five criteria, making it a roller
coaster I would only go on in a bad
dream, probably one that involved
my kindergarten teacher and geese.
Trips to The Point are usually
hampered by the fact that I am a low-
act rider and my friends - not
pregnant, geriatric, or under 48" -
fall into the rolling-speed riders cat-
egory.
Like a Suzanne Somers

infomercial, rolling speed riders' sole
purpose in Cedar Point is to sell their
product (roller coasters, not
Thighmaster).
Throughout the day, I used up all
my roller coaster avoidance tech-
ques ("I'll give you my Belgian
waffle if I don't have to go on the
Gemini") and by early evening was
begging for mercy as I was unwill-
ingly escorted to the Raptor.
The 1:20 wait seemed endless,

By Heather Phares
Magnapop are a fine indie post-
punk pop band. That should go with-
out saying. Unfortunately, it has to
be said, since the band is still barely
known outside of their hometown in
Athens, GA and in Europe. Though
their latest album, "Hot Boxing," is
definitely one of the best of the year,
the praises of this band and their
music still go largely unsung.
To remedy this, Magnapop are
on tour with the Fall in support of the
new album, hoping to visit veteran
fans they've never seen and possibly
win over a few converts. Despite the
hectic pace of life on tour, Magnapop
members Ruthie Morris (guitar),
David Mc Nair (drums) and Linda
Hopper (vocals) stopped to talk in
the Blind Pig's Eight-Ball Saloon
about touring with the Fall, music in
general and "Hot Boxing."
"We've never been up here be-
fore," sighed Hopper over a Coke.
"But (the tour's) going really well.
I'm enjoying myself," added Morris,
in a perfect example of just how
democratic a band Magnapop is -
they often finish each others' sen-
tences and fill in appropriate words.
Have their audiences seemed re-
ceptive? "No," said McNair bluntly,

"because in most of the places we've
been playing, they're coming to see
the Fall. In D. C., though, there were
a lot of people who were there to see
us, and we were pretty happy about
that. But we're big in Holland, Ger-
many, Belgium and England. We do
a lot of touring there."
Historically, the Fall are a notori-
ously difficult band to tour with. In
fact, Mark E. Smith, the band's leader,
fired two members of his group in the
middle of an Australian tour. But
fortunately, Magnapop have not ex-

perienced. any conflicts with the leg-
endary but moody band. At least, not
really: "No comment," said McNair,
laughing. "Actually, the Fall have
been really nice guys. We haven't
had any problems," Morris chimed in
firmly.
"Magnapop" is arguably one of
the more interesting, concise and apt
names that a band has had recently.
Surprisingly though, the band did not
spend huge amounts of time thinking
up the clever moniker. "One day we
See MAGNAPOP, page 5

Despite appearances,I
won't dog you.

Magnapop

1

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Circfe lnternationaf
WHAT: Mass Meeting
WHEN: Thursday, September 22
at 7:30 PM
WHERE: Michigan Union: Pond
Room (1st Floor)
WHY: Join in the fun and rewarding
experience of community service


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Where??
* the Student Publications Building (behind
Barbour/Newberry)
When??
" September 19-23
*9:00 am-5:00 pm
How??
" call 1-800-969-1338 for an appointment
* $10.00 Sitting Fee
Any Questions?? Call 764-9425 or 764-0561

,and yes
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665-4475


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