COLUMN: "No Soul"

From Bill Madison's "Crackers In My Soup," Spring '92.From Bill Madison's "Crackers In My Soup," Spring '92.· We laughed about how the Ramones came to campus and systematically destroyed the Southern gentility of our conservative community. We remembered how our headmaster was blackmailed by Joey Ramone to partially pay the band in beer, a direct violation of our alcohol policy. We discussed how our school was involved in a bidding war to lure Sting to our campus for a one-night performance before he began his 1987 concerts at the Capital Centre. Sting never made it. But we did get the Four Tops and the Temptations. Our Fieldhouse was a very happening place whenever spring rolled around, and every effort was made to put on the best show possible. Eventually, my Princeton friend and I began to discuss the social aspects of our respective institutions, and I inquired into what events blue blood central had put on during his stay there. "Well, I know last year we had De La Soul." De La Soul, at Princeton? My mind was blown. Here I was at Penn, the party Ivy -- what's that supposed to mean? -- and all we've been able to muster over the past few years are the Indigo Girls (talented, but folk music at Penn appeals to a very small percentage of the students here), Meatloaf (which appeals to no one) and for my senior year, the chart-topping, world renown Blues Traveler. Oh yeah, with a special guest. Maybe Meatloaf's returning for an encore performance. One can only hope. Our conversation ended soon thereafter, with my friend uttering the remark, "That's what you get for going to a state school." We laughed, although mine was hollow. I couldn't help but wonder if Penn was actually that weak, or if this was just another example of how incompetent Spring Fling and Social Planning and Events Committee organizers really are. With Penn being an urban campus, attracting students from major metropolitan areas across the country -- specifically Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. -- I assumed it was not the problem of the party-goers, but rather the idiocy of those throwing the party. Take this year as an example. Hey, Mr. Perelman, why don't you read along? SPEC was quick to point out this year that Spring Fling's theme was Mardi Gras. Definitely a positive move. New Orleans during Mardi Gras represents the Spring Fling ideal. Good music, good food and, most importantly, a multicultural event offering something for everyone. Racial polarization during Mardi Gras is an oxymoron; it just doesn't exist. My friends and I viewed this year's Fling with genuine optimism. I mean, how can you screw up Mardi Gras? We hoped that maybe a Marsalis would come, or Dr. John. We could even get the Neville Brothers. A good New Orleans blues band would also be appreciated. I had my bets on the zydeco band that played at the Barbary near Penn's Landing. Yes, Spring Fling definitely had possibilities. But after much fanfare and secrecy on the part of SPEC and the Spring Fling planning committee, Penn laid another egg. Would someone please explain how Blues Traveler reflects the overall theme of Mardi Gras? This Grateful Dead-wanna be band should have been left wherever they were found. I don't know why, but for some reason SPEC planners have a hard time distinguishing between Penn and Wesleyan. I remember my freshman year when the black community at Penn expressed discontent with the planners of Spring Fling, arguing that there should be more of an effort to get bands that had a cross-cultural appeal, thereby making everyone feel involved in Spring Fling activities. The organizers of Fling balked. Blacks at Penn, they assumed, were separatist anyway, and their input was always diluted. This was the same year that Public Enemy played with Anthrax to a racially-mixed crowd at the Capital Centre in D.C. Surprise, we weren't just bitching -- Spring Fling's selection committee is a joke. Maybe by alienating the disparate tastes of blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, men and women, the planners will come to realize that minority views also speak for campus attitudes. How does that saying go, give someone enough rope? This year, maybe SPEC will find the noose too tight, and finally loosen up and listen to another viewpoint. Well, I can always go to the "other Fling" -- Penn Relays. Or maybe you'll see me at the Human Barbecue smoking . . . a cigarette, reflecting on what Fling might have been. Again. · Bill Madison is a senior International Relations major from Alexandria, Virginia. Crackers in My Soup appears alternate Tuesdays.

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