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University Daily Kansan, December 4, 1980
Opinion
This year in review
The year 1980 saw many things, both good and bad. There proved to be many worthwhile moments in the arts, movies, news, sports, etc.
During the next several days, the Kansan will take a look at this past year. With the help of an editorial writing class,
readers may gain insight to the year that has past before them.
The Kansan will examine the major news stories of 1980, both on the University and national levels. Glimpses into the world of sports, arts and music also will be provided. And more.
It was a memorable year. You may be amazed how quickly time passes.
The Bottom 20 newsmakers make many dubious headlines
By J. V. SMITH
Guest Columnist
In first place on the Bottom Twenty Newsmakers list (that is, the 19th runner-up) was the perennial favorable, Ramsey Clark. This year, Clark did not figure to make the BTN list, but he did offer himself a desperation move, Clark offered to exchange himself for one of the hostages. The attempt did not sway BTN judges, however, until the Iranians spanned Clark and his offer. One BTN judge said, "If the ayatolah can spurn Clark, we can do we can show him our contempt as well."
They battled it out to the end, setting aside their honor and dignity, wielding the driest of dirty tricks, clawing their way to the bottom of the barrel, striving for the inglorious title of Bottom Loser in the annual competition for a place on the Bottom Twenty Newsmakers list.
Wanda Brandstetter won the 18th runner-up
And it was a surprise finish at the bottom of the list where the newsmaker—crowned Bottom Looser—was an 11th hour enthronment who used a trick play (a dirty one) to upset the favorite of all the oddsmakers. But that story later. First, the runners-up.
A Bottom 20 newsmaker . . . BILLY CARTER
The 15th runner-up was the Social Security Administration, the only government agency to make the list this year, for sending relief checks to prison inmates, including "Son of Sam" killer David R. Berkowitz, who was convicted of murdering six people in New York City.
The Abscam defendants won the 16th position among runners-up. The prize money will be divided among the four categories of defendants: (1) those who were too drunk; (2) those who were entrapped; (3) those who were carrying on without real intention, but weren't really going to do anything for the briers. Defendants can be rewarded for participation in multiple categories.
spot in the balloting with her bribery conviction. She bought her way onto the list with an attempt to buy votes for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois. She was expected to achieve lower ranking on the list, but ERASam was overshadowed by Abscun in the late voting.
If the Founding Fathers had named a national religion in the Constitution, it would have been this year's 14th ordinary mortal's the practical news that earth's magnetic poles will reverse in 1,200 years, that there is a liquid beneath the surface of Mars, and that yellow clouds of gas surround Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Science also reported that Alexander the Great was an alcoholic and that mouse saliva can help heal wounds. And a computer picked Miss Kansas to win the Miss America pageant.
Sharing the 17th runner-up spot were five Explorer scouts from Wilmington, Del., who were charged with arson in 10 fires. The scouts, sponsored by a fire company, allegedly set the fires so they could assist firefighters in putting them out.
Rick Honeycutt, a Seattle Mariners baseball pitcher, grabbed the 13 runner-up position by becoming the only man in modern memory to get caught doctoring a baseball.
The team of Masters and Johnson, sex researchers, won the spot of 12th runner-up. Other researchers have called the team's work "flawed by methodical errors and slipshod mistakes," and they are awed by promises that Masters and Johnson would do it all over again to make things right.
Allan Vishoot sewed up the 11th runner-up set by amputating the right leg of a patient whose left leg had deteriorated. Ralph Ross, a director of the hospital where the surgery occurred,
assured Vishoot of his standing on the BTN by
expaining that the good leg probably would have
been there.
The bottom of the first 10 of the Bottom Twenty went to the University Daily Kansan editorial page on two counts. First, for the balanced, mature commentary on Campaign '80; and second, for going against the official on the KU banner policy, thus leaving the First Amendment unguarded.
Jane Byrne, mayor of Chicago, led off the final 10 of the bottom dwellers. Byrne, who also won the coveted "Ms. Congenitality" title for her relations with the Chicago press, revoked special police parking permits for journalists in (make no mistake about) it) her city.
Only a fraction of a percentage point separated Billy Carter from the seventen runner-up, Col. Moamar Khanadfay of Libya. The decisive thrust for Khadafy was struck in July when he announced that he would seize German, British and Italian assets in Libya unless those nations paid billions in reparations for battles fought on Libyan deserts in World War II.
Billy Carter was selected as eighth runner-up and named a winner of initiatives. He also was named "Mr. Congeniality."
The producers of "That's incredible" won the undisputed six runner-up position for showing the mayhem of failed stunts in all their glory — and that is why their replay replays — over and over and over . . .
The fifth runner-up spot went to animals and their lovers. The San Clemente Island goats held up the U. Navy. The Grand Canyon burrows held up the National Park Service. The沙师 dartners held up construction of the Tellico Dam (and were discovered in another "final habitat" in 1980). Finally, there was the deadly knuckle, the snake snake that bit its handler and died—of stress.
Among his other deeds, Khomeini left in exile in Iraq without paying his rent and utility bills, leading many analysts to believe that his welching was the spark that set off the war between Iran and Iraq. Khomeini also won the "Mr. Photogenic" award.
Abbie Hoffman led off the final five, just for coming back from anonymity at the very moment his autobiography was published. Hoffman also won the "Mr. Credibility" award for his claim that the two events were coincidental.
The third place runners-up, George Brett's celebrated hemorrhoids, barely edged out Abie Hoffman, but were substantially behind the Ayatollah Khomeini, the second place runner-up.
loser, Roberto Duran. The champ lost his stomach for the charade that professional wrestling and boxing demand. He quit fighting in the eight round of his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, blaming his loss of heart on stomach cramps.
First runner-up was Jimmy Carter. Carter also came in second in another important race. He was heavily favored to win in the BTN competition until the final moments of the campaign when the eventual Bottom Loser pulled off his upset.
Which brings us to the newly crowned bottom
JIMMY CARTER ... The Bottom newsmaker
Duran also threw a quick and popular fighter's verbal combination on successive days after the fight—he retired and then unretired. Leonard was left wondering whether he should retire. The fight promoters were left counting their million. Boxing fans were left holding the bag.
Jimmy Carter was left in a very important position. If the Bottom Loser, Duran, should be unable to perform the functions of his office, owing to *tummychee* or whatever, Carter would have been activated and to carry the Bottom Twenty Newsmakers torch held forever low.
No musical trend dominates 1980
By DANNY TORCHIA
Guest Columnist
The biggest musical trend of 1980 was that there was no big music trend.
Guest Columnist
Disco didn't die completely. New Wave was not the 1800 edition of the British Invasion, mainstream rock still held its ground and hybrid forms of popular music—jazz-rock, musical-rich and anything else that could be combined—found a place in the musical scene.
The recession had an enormous effect on music. As album prices rose because of inflation and increasing petroleum prices, it became more selective in their buying habits.
People rarely bought two or three albums at one time as in the past and they rarely took chances with unknown artists. Established performers established track record albums sold well.
Music in 1980 reflected the state of things in general—jumbled and confused. The industry seemed to be waiting for that revolutionary performer who would wipe the slate clean and change the whole scene, as Elvis and the Beatles did.
A New Wave act eventually might do this, but not this year. The giant sales, predicted for a couple of years, didn't materialize. As in the case of "The Cure," music that not a lot of airplay did but did not.
There were exceptions. Talking Heads and the Clash, two groups that represent the best of American and English New Wave, each had albums that sold well. More importantly, both groups had hit singles, which is the only way New Wave will find a mass audience.
There were other New Wave hits on the charts. Gary Neuman had "Cars," Pat Benatar, while not really a New Wave fan. He was one of the "Hear-breaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot."
Aside from these exceptions, New Wave stayed on the album-oriented stations. At its worst, New Wave was merely an excuse for poor musicianship and dumb lyrics. At its best, its short songs with good beats and catchy melodies were a wonderful change from the empty indulgences by many rock stars.
Disco, while fading, still showed some signs of life. Most of the disco groups dealing in one chord monotonism and a beat that would turn your brain to mush are nowhere to be heard. Where were the latest hits from Foxy, Almee McKinnon, or a few of the top disco acts of a few years age?
Disco went back into rhythm and blues, where it came from originally. Established R&B performers such as Diana Ross, the Commodores and Earth, Wind and Fire had albums that featured danceable music, but were not necessarily disco.
But despite the fading of disco music, there was still at least one outreight disc hit, "Funky Town." by Lipps Inc., a group that wanted to judge judging from the name, a one-hit wonder.
What the public was buying was the music of mainstream rock performers. This included anything from Ted Nugent, whose brand of heavy metal still sold well, to Jackson Browne, whose soft style has evolved somewhat to a harder sound.
Seger, Boz Scaggs, the Rolling Stones, Peter Jackson, the Doobie Brothers and John Lennon.
Undoubtedly, the biggest event to shake the music industry was the Who concert tragedy in Cincinnati last Dec. 7, included here and released after most of the music roundups for 1979.
Several performers like Browne, perhaps feeling some pressure from New Wave, changed their styles and added some of the pared-down sounds that characterize New Wave. Some who did this were Linda Ronstadt. Chicago and Billy Joel.
Major artists release albums during the year were Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, Bob
Though investigations failed to make clear exactly who was at fault, most authorities blamed a combination of inadequate security and lack of vigilance. None of some of the survivors and relatives of the 11
killed will tie the case up in court for some time.
musical milestones during the year were the 15th anniversary of the Grateful Dead, the 18th anniversary of the Rolling Stones and the 18th anniversary of the death of jazz great, Charlie Parker.
Deaths of notable music figures included lyricist Richard Rodgers (who actually died Dec. 30 of last year), Annunziu Panlo Manovani, 74; the master of music joy; jazz pianist Bill Evans, 51; and John Bonham, the drummer of Led Zeppelin.
Picasso art show highlight of 1980 arts
By DAVID STIPP
The biggest art show of 1890 was a retrospective of the works of Pablo Picasso, which opened in May at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Guest Columnist
Hailed as the greatest show of the greatest artist in the greatest museum of modern art in the 20th century, "Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective" brought together 1,000 works displayed along three miles of corridors. The entire museum was given over to Picasso. As the most widely publicized artist of the second half of the years ago, the Picasso retrospective represented a kind of farewell to the master by the first American museum to recognize his genius.
When he died in 1973, Picasso left behind seven decades of painting and sculpture. His work, which represents the whole range of modern expression, was displayed in chronological order in the New York show, from his early sentimental imitations of Burne-Jones, through the blue, rose, Cubist, classical and surrealistic periods.
Another massive retrospective show this year was presented at the Royal Academy of Arts in London for the works of Stanley Spencer. Long considered an idiosyncratic footnote in the history of 20th century art, Spencer has been increasingly appreciated since his death in 1969 and is now regarded by many as the most important English painter of the century.
Spencer was influenced early in his career at the Slade School of Fine Arts by the Renaissance masters he studied there. He returned to his native village of Cookham, he adapted the themes of the Renaissance with a new interest in his early works was a portraital of the birth of Christ in the fields near Cookham, a rendering of Christ carrying the cross through the streets of Cookham and
The works of a very different artist, Isamu Noguchi, were celebrated on the artist's birthday in March in three simultaneous New York exhibits. Noguchi, considered the pre-eminent American sculptor, has become famous for his ballet and theatre sets, monumental fountains, playground pieces and most of all for his city plazas. In the plazas he has combined the careful use of space characteristic of the Japanese with the vigorous modern Western art that he is a highly accomplished craftsman, Noguchi prefers a light touch—his goal is often to create sculptures in which the least possible amount of change has been imposed on his material natural form.
There were two large exhibitions of non-native art in the United States in 1880—an exhibit of 16th century Persian painting at the National Gallery in Washington and an exhibit of Chinese bronzeage art at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"The Last Superior," showing Christ and his disciples in a Cockburn pub.
The Persian exhibit featured miniatures commissioned by the Safavid dynasty, mostly in Tatrib. Called by critics the greatest period for miniature painting in history, 18th century Persia produced portraits so tiny and exquisite that National Gallery curators were forced to supply magnifying glasses to its visitors who wanted to explore the miniatures in detail.
The most remarkable part of the Chinese exhibit was six life-size tera cotta warriors discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well in the Shaanix province. These warriors were part of a 7,000-man army of such figures buried with Emperor Qin Qin Shuhuangchi in 210 B.C. Shihuangchi, who was always grandiose, reigned over the completion of the Great Wall.
Another international art event in 1980 was the awarding of the International Pritzker Architecture Prize to Mexican architect Luis Barragan. The prize, which is equivalent to a Nobel Prize in architecture and includes a cash award of $100,000 was given to Barragan for his
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creation of what the award committee called "unforgettable gardens, plazas and fountains—all magical places for meditation and compassion." Barragan's specialty is the walled garden, and he explains his preference for small structures that emphasize the beauty of the interiors' work with the credo that "Any work of architecture that does not express serenity is a mistake."
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Some of the other notable stories in the world of art in 1890 were the opening of an American wing after five years of construction at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the opening of a museum devoted to the history of glass by Corning Glass Works in Corning, N.Y., a retrospective on Edward Hopper at the Whitney Museum in New York and the largest art auction in history in New York, in which $55.4 million of art was sold in five days.
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