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The Paper Vol. II No. 2 A Hard Day's Journey Into Night By STEPHEN BADRICH "His records are too Christian for me. But he's a good lad and his mother should be proud of him." --John Lennon, reviewing Cliff Richard in "Melody Maker" 1964 "Ernest, don't you think Al Jolson is greater than Jesus?" "I don't want to know anybody's religion, but. ." --Zelda Fitzgerald, quoted by Ernest Hemlng - --George Harrison, to the mother of the priest way in "A Movable Feast," p. 186 of the goddess Kalll who was going to disem­ Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum. bowel Ringo Starr, "Help" 1965 —Old. Saying There were no stormy petrels seen The three crucial paragraphs were more logical "shrink and vanish.") were perhaps not very important, but Qn March 4 of this year when John, something of a cloud no bigger than "We're more popular than Jesus they had, I think, a certain interest. Lennon's now-famous remarks to a man's hand in the 1600-word ar­ now," Lennon was quoted as contin­ The attacks on Lennon were inter­ Maureen Cleave, girl reporter, first ticle, but to me, at least, they seemed uing. "I don't know which will go esting in the vulgar way that political appeared in the London Evening Stan­ to brook no equivocation. Miss Cleave first—rock *n* roll or Christianity. pathology is usually interesting. The dard. Perhaps the British reading wrote of Lennon: "Experience has Jesus was all right, but his disciples various and contradictory arguments public had been immunized by the sown few .seeds of doubt in him\ Not were thick and ordinary. It's them advanced by his defenders had a more guardedly agnostic remarks of gen­ that his mind is closed, but it's twisting it that ruins it for me." complex fascination. In the biblio­ erations of public figures. Perhaps closed round whatever he believes at Miss Cleave then added: "He is graphical overkill below, for instance, it was the national sang-froid, or the the time." She then quoted him as reading extensively about religion." at least two distinct kinds of defense Hyde Park tradition, or something to saying: "Christianity will go. It will And that was all, although of course of Lennon may be seen. do with the settling of the sun on the vanish and shrink. I needn't argue that was enough. The series of events The first, perhaps widely held, but British Empire. Or perhaps it was about that. I'm right and I will be and non-events that followed (and it stated publicly only by a few coura­ felt, as their author later theorized, proved right." seems to me rather surprising that geous disc jockeys and constitutional that the remarks were merely "a bit (In passing: I think there is in­ anyone could have doubted that events lawyers, held that religious scep­ of loudmouth thing." At any rate, the ternal evidence for Lennon's later WOULD follow, at the very least some ticism, whatever else it may be, is article lay (no doubt slowly ticking) claim that his remarks were not cal­ kind of earth-tremor in teenage mass too widespread and politically harm­ in the paper's back files until late culated. A man weighing his words, culture; three such paragraphs would less to justify any abridgment of free­ July, when it was reprinted in Date- it seems to me, would not have easily disqualify any American for dom of speech (John Stuart Mill, book magazine. picked "vanish and shrink" over the national, or even statewide, office) continued on page 6 The Water Closet Let's Hear It for Baseball By W. C. BLANTON It's over. Sunday the speedy, spirit­ Way back when — in mid-February leaguers flocked to training camp, Now that's all over. We now are ed Los Angeles - Brooklyn Dodgers it was — the heroes of bubble gum getting "in shape" and otherwise at WORLD SERIES time. It's also reached their magic number. The companies everywhere began their preparing for the arduous thirty- time to congratualte Flash Gallinagh,. pennant has been won. It has been annual pilgrimage to such Spartan hour weeks ahead. And the result the Fighting Irish of Michigan State, five and one half months since the quarters as Vera Beach, Florida, and of this vigorous activity is hard- on his unbelievable display of blind­ chase for that coveted flag began in Phoenix, Arizona, for the long-a­ muscled, finely-honed athletes suf­ ing speed and shifty running last Sa­ earnest, but it seems as if it has waited Spring Practice. From all over fering groin injuries the first time turday against Illinois. been an eternity. America, Major Leaguers and minor they round first base. Yes, sports fans (and anybody else In April, however, the National who's reading this) soon the World Pastime (413 paid attendance for a Championship will be decided. We'll recent Yankees - Athletics game) have .the answer to many burning opened its regular season. And the questions. Can Koufax go three more THE PAPER nation settled down for one thousand games with his tender arm? Is Frank six hundred twenty baseball games. Robinson really that good? Can pitch­ THE PAPER is published weekly during regular school terms by students Ah, the drama of a pitcher taking his ing overcome hitting? Can hitting of Michigan State University and a few of their off-campus friend.s. It is in­ cap off, wiping his brow, turning to overcome pitching? Who will win the tended as a channel for expression and communication of those ideas, events centerfield, scratching, looking for Corvette? Why didn't McCorrey'sline and creative impulses which makeof theuniversity community a fertile ground the Sign, looking for the catcher, play­ drive go two feet farther to the right? for the growth of human learning. THE PAPER hopes to help the university ing with the resin bag, spitting, step­ strive toward fulfillment of the highest ideals of learning and free inquiry, Will it go seven games? ping onto and off and back onto The But THE SERIES is not the end. by reporting and commenting on the university experience and encouraging Mound, and delivering The Pitch. If others to do so. There is still the off-season drama. The Batter is so inclined he may or Can the Yanks come back? Who will Correspondence should be addressed to: THE PAPER may not swing at The Pitch. Accord­ be the next Tiger "skipper"? Will Box 367 ing to a fantastic amount of printed Kalihe be traded? Will Sam McDowell East Lansing, Mich. 48823 matter that is the essence of the be recovered next year? Who is John game. I think it's basically designed Gait? What happened to Cincinnati? Offices are located at 217 Center St., East Lansing, Tel.: 517-351-7373. to sell beer for fifty cents and hot And then there is my question: dogs for forty-five. Who cares? THE PAPER is a member of the Underground Press Syndicate. Suffering Fools Gladly Award: "When­ let me help you carry that.' Because Editor and Resident Beatnik ,...•. Michael Kindman ever I see a protester carrying a President Johnson has carried that Assistant Editor and Culture Vulture . Laurence Tate sign that says, 'End the war in Viet­ sign into every capital in the world Bashful Secretary and Staff Writer Char Jolles nam,* I want to say to him, 'Here, . but the Communist aggressors Editorial Assistant and Sex Symbol Gregg Hill keep coming."--Dean Rusk, quoted on Graphics Engineer Carol Hurlbutt ABC News. Unbashful Staff Writer Stephen Badrich God and Man at Yale Douglas Lackey Squeamishness Award: Sentence from Staff Pornographer in Absentia Richard A. Ogar a news story headlined "GI Training Oft-Neglected Albany Correspondent Carol Schneider Film Tells Why We Fight in Viet­ Photographic Mastermind Dennis Trover nam" and sub-headed "LBJ's Mes­ Circulation Manager (funny, hey?) Jack Laks sage Loud and Clear": "Defense Office Manager and Free Spirit Judie Goldbaum sources wince at any suggestion that Frustrated Ad Salesmen Ann Barton , John Wooley the films could be tagged as propa­ And The Lounge as Himself ganda." Afternoon Verse In The By S.P..B. Pictures of the Gone World. Cum- read and which has apparently not mings inside the barbed wire. Dylan yet been published (although Ferling­ Thomas by his father's deathbed. hetti mentioned that-he may make it Ginsberg bathing in the Ganges. Law­ the title poem of a new collection). rence watching the snake slither away. It is set in San Francisco and uses And Monday, Lawrence Ferlinghetti Bay Area local color ("The Jef­ reading "After the Cries of the Birds ferson Airplane rock group takes off Have Stopped" before a capacity audi­ and circles heaven"), but it is less ence in the State Theater on Abbott concerned with the real, present San Road. Francisco than with some hypothe­ Gary Groat, Zeitgeist's editorial tical San Francisco of the future, a adviser, introduced the program with city caught in a kind of lyrical apoca­ a murmured, "I don't believe this" lypse where Chinese junks are land­ to the audience. (Zeitgeist, he later ing at Santa Monica and flame-throw­ explained, is a profit-making organ­ ing tanks roar out of Fort Ord to ization; "as of today.") In a gentle, meet them, where napalm sears the throw-away style, Groat briefly ex­ hillside and trees flower red. plained how the University had again In a single hearing, many of the covered itself with glory in with­ things in the poem seemed to go by drawing permission for Ferlinghetti like cars on a fast-mvoing train (the to read at the Arena Theater.
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