jayplay
SPRING BREAK SPECIAL SECTION
Daily Kansan
Thursday March7,2002 1B
TALK TO US: Contact Kimberly Thompson or Meghan Bainum at (785) 864-4810 or jayplay@kansan.com
BIGGEST BALL OF TWINE, ANYONE? Kansas is full of wacky places to visit during your Spring Break. SEE PAGE 3B.
Swimsuit Edition
Find the skimpy something that suits you
By Louise Stauffer Jayplay writer
Just like hammer pants or mullets, wearing last year's bathing suit is unacceptable for the fashion conscious. Just like updated pants and a good haircut, newer, sleeker swimsuits will get the wearer more looks on the beach or by the pool than the dated styles, and will let people know that you're living in the now.
Buying a bathing suit is tricky: the pasty glow of winter skin is hard on the eyes, wallets are thin and the lighting of the dressing rooms is harsh. Never fear, guys and gals. Web sites and salespeople can help you find a suit you'll look forward to wearing.
The convenience of a Web site makes the choice attractive.
Victoria's Secret, Victoriassecret.com, includes suits from its new 2002 swimsuit catalog. According to the Web site from the Extra television show, extratv.warnerbros.com, the hot new trends for Victoria's
Secret include the colors black and white, preppy stripes and plaid, and retrofloral prints.
J. Crew, Jrew.com, has new styles and patterns as well, including paisley patterns, suits with laser cut designs, gingham patterns and many floral prints.
If a shopper wants to access different name brands of suits at one Web site, Bestswimwear.com, bestswimwear.com, had brands such as Blink, Sauvage and Jamaican Style.
Nottrying on the swimsuit youbuy is the downside to shopping online and many times a dressing room is needed to see if a style works for you.
Cassasndre Connolly, New York sophomore and employee at Urban Outfitters, 1013 Massachusetts St., said that customers found some styles in the store more flattering than others.
In the store many have learned that
"A lot of girls find the crochet
bathsuitings to be really flattered," she
said "blocks good laziness."
Connolly said that tube is slid.
SEE SWIMSUIT ON PAGE 6B
Meghan Bainum, Jayplay sex columnist and associate Jayplay editor, and Andy Gassaway, Rawk Snob columnist, gave up an afternoon in the sake of research to go to Shark's Surf Shop, 813 Massachusetts St., to check the comfort of current styles. Bainum said that she liked the cover-up pants she tried on.
AARON LERNER/KANSAN
"They rock. For someone who is hip- and thigh-conscious, they're great."
Gassaway tried on some popular styles of Hawaiian floral prints and a suit with a lot of pockets. He said he appreciated the extra space.
"There's a lot of room to store stuff in," he said, "I like the utility style.
RAWK SNOB
A good mix tape can liven up any road trip
Afternoon-long games of slug bug! Endless rounds of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat!"
Making a long-distance spring break pilgrimage in a car inadequately equipped with decent traveling music can put you at risk of experiencing any or all of these mind-numbing dangers of the open road.
Awkward, belabored conversation!
That is why I suggest taking some time to compile your best road music to help the hours pass painlessly.
While I get the feeling that most people, despite their seething player hate, actually enjoy the fresh, freestylin' rhymes I bust to the rhythm of the windshield wipers during long treks, my experience tells me that a mix tape truly wins out over any other form of vehicular entertainment.
Andy Gassaway agassaway@karisan.com
COMMENTARY
Just in case you've exhausted your collection of mixable material, here's a list of songs I have made a policy of never leaving out of the road trip equation:
"TV Party" — Black Flag, 1983.
Never before has the idea of wasting
time in front of a TV drinking beer sounded so gallant. This classic L.A. punk song from the earliest reaches of Henry Rollins' recorded oeuvre is perfect for driving, and the chant at the end hailing shows like Hill Street Blues and The Fall Guy is hilarious.
Quite possibly one of the coolest nighttime cruising songs of all time, this one makes expert use of an echoing, danceable drum beat with a shimmering guitar cascade that has become instantly recognizable, regardless of your stance on Morrisey.
"How Soon is Now?" — The Smiths, 1985.
"Player's Ball" - Outkast, 1994.
My friends who are really into hiphop tell me they like this because of its "flow." I don't really know enough about the genre to go tossing out lingo like that, but the slow, heavy beat and the gut-rumbling bass line makes my '92 Ford Ranger feel like a '77 DeVille every time.
Less new-wavey and more British than the Police, Paul Weller and The Jam was never able to catch a break in the States, but penned a few great garage rock songs nonetheless. This one, which is about a rugby team as far as I can tell, rocks no matter what they're talking about with subdued verses that explode into a guitar-driven war cry custom-made for running the roads.
"Eaton Rifles" — Paul Weller and the Iarn. 1979.
"Beat on the Brat" — The Ramones, 1976
It's not necessary to single out a specific Ramones song for a road trip, as most of this New York punk ensemble's catalog would probably fit the bill, but this one gets heavy air play on KJHK and is thus fresh on my mind. Anyway, it's
fast, the guitars are loud, and you can chant, "Oh, yeah!" along with it over and over again. What else do you need?
"Barnburner" — Split Lip Rayfield, 1998.
I never expected myself to become a bluegrass appreciator, but it's hard not to love this Wichita four-piece's marriage of traditional instrumentation and metallic lure. Like a tornado tearing a barn apart, this song appears, beats you senseless, then disappears, prompting repeated listens.
"Teenage Riot" — Sonic Youth, 1988.
Though their dreary guitar noise experimentation has been known to actually make driving difficult from time to time, this tune, from their 1988 Daydream Nation LP, is uncharacteristically sunny and optimistic. Dying to find the New York art-rock equivalent of "Fun, Fun, Fun?" Me neither, but you get the idea.
Finding the time to string together the best of your road rock takes time, but in the end, you'll definitely be glad you did. Remember: only you can prevent mundane car trips.
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
TODAY
Lied Center
Rock Chalk Revue presents
"Look Both Ways," 7 p.m.
Replay Lounge,
946 Massachusetts St.
Bardo Pond, The Capsules
The Blue Note in Columbia, 17 N. Ninth St., Columbia, Mo. The Dismemberment Plan, Death Cab for Cutie, Aveo
The Pub,
1727 McGee St., Kansas City, Mo.
Erfmen, the Bovine Arrival
Eighth Street Taproom,
801 New Hampshire,
live DJs spinning funk, reggae,
soul and hip-hop
TOMORROW
Lied Center
Rock Chaik Revue presents
"Look Both Ways," 7 p.m.
El Torreon, 3101 Gillham Plaza Kansas City, Mo. Role Models, Tanka Ray. The Stink, Foregone Conclusion
Grand Emporium,
3832 Main St., Kansas City, Mo.
Buckwheat Zydeco
Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire
Azure Ray, The Good Life, Twizt
The Pub, 1727 McGee St. Kansas City, Mo. namelessnumberheadman, Shadow Brigade, Leolo Ferone
SATURDAY
Lied Center
Rock Chalk Revue presents
"Look Both Ways," 7 p.m.
El Torreon, 3101 Gillham Plaza,
Kansas City, Mo.
Moring By Moring,
Nodes of Ranvier,
Forever Has Fallen,
Neiner's, 815 N. Noland Road,
Independence, Mo.
Origin, Opata, Dirt Nap
SUNDAY
Lied Center
Verdi's Rigoleto, 7 p.m.
Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire Local H, Chevelle, Burning Bridges
Fred P. Otts, 4
770 JC Nichol Parkway,
Kansas City, Mo.
FamousFM, February Stars
Raoul's Velvet Lounge,
7222 W. 119th St.
Shawnee Mission
namelessnumberheadman,
DJ Nitro, DJ Roland,
DJ Mike Scott, DJ Steve Thorell
MONDAY
Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire
Atom and His Package, AM/FM
TUESDAY
TUESDAY
Rainbow Dungeon of Rock,
4455 Rainbow Blvd.,
Kansas City, Kan.
The Blame Game, Airoes,
New Morning Changing Weather
and Crooked Grin
El Torreon, 3101 Gillham Plaza,
Kansas City, Mo.
Small Brown Bike,
Pretty Girls Make Graves,
last of the V8's Problems,
Perfection
Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire Further Seems Forever, Hot Rod Circuit