Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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LE TO THE EDITOR: In response to Mr. Fred Mer ritt's venemous assault on my editorial advocating a return to the ACC, let me begin by saying that I was totally unprepared for his display of immaturity and shallowness. Merritt's arguments are flimsy at best and his ad Hominem tactics are uncalled for. Mr. Merritt, assuming that his future plans include know ing everything, should first learn to avoid self-imposed con tradictions. "Not only do we have a nationally powerful bas ketball team..." is preceeded by his attribution to empty Coliseum seats as "...an off year for Carolina basketball com pared to previous seasons." In defense of my original stan dpoint, how can this squad pos sibly match the Roche-Owens team? If one were to completely ignore the basketball and foot ball titles that USC captured during its last five conference membership years, Mr. Mer ritt's whining that"...the ACC always was, has been, and will be a jinx to Carolina athletics," would still be amusingly absurd. Perhaps we should can cel all games scheduled for the 13th of each month, also. I can understand his desire to re schedule more local teams and I only wish we could revitalize national border rivalries. But then, we must allow for the also rans on our powerful schedule. When I referred to the athle tic program as a whole, one should remember that success is also based upon student attendance, and box office receipts. Being realistic, foot ball and basketball are the athletic department's main sources of revenue, and success is measured on the progress of these sports. Regardless of record, student apathy can dim the luster of intercollegiate achievement, especially in minor sports. Incidently, bow ling, wrestling, rugby, sailing, and soccer are interest clubs, 10 sI BICY Quality European B~ Manufactured By: Paris-Sport, Falcon-) In C.! C AT E'S I Cedar Terrace 6420 Sumte P1 774 1:15 to 8p.m. A Itters to the ec rather than A. D. controlled. How much pride can one take in these sports if he never bothers to attend the events? Mr. Merritt has also taken the liberty of quoting me out of con text to stress his final point. No matter. But when one blindly and viciously flails away at con structive criticism to exhibit his machismo for the Univer sity, he is of little use to anyone. Nevertheless, since Mr. Mer ritt is "not in the habit of taking Gamecock editorials seri ously," perhaps we can be excused from taking him seri ously. BILLY COX TO THE EDITOR: I'm afraid that the latest gathering of culture vultures who perched with guano glee to hear Klaus Hellwig and Masumi Arai at the piano(s) in Fraser Hall must have detected a leath ery pterdactyl amongst 'em-the critic. Well, let me tell you, we pterdactyls have clever ears of the sort that spend most of their time slowly engulfing stereo headphones and so it was no wonder that I kept ruffling my wings and wincing through out the Hellwig-Arai concert. For Columbia-that rancid tuna sandwich with the wrapper loose-it was a good concert and everyone should have been there. For Hellwig-Arai, espe cially Arai, it was not really there night. I will say the bad first, as is my custom. One thing not going for the couple was that the pianos were not matched-one concert grand and the other just grand. That's more than just gauche as anyone with ears can tell you. I think two matched grands would have been far better for the Hellwigs and a hall that size rather than to use such a mons ter with Hellwig the pounder that he is. I know that after Schubert's 'Fantasy in f minor, Op. 103' my ears were bleeding. It was most passionately and compellingly done-for one piano, four hands you can't help PEED CLES icycles From $95.00 Giltane, Bottecchia, M1aino, Cinelli, Colnago umbia See: O0T TAG E 9342 Shopping Center r Hwy. (29209) t0ne: -1209 Aon. through Sat. litor but be together. Mozart's 'Adagio in b minor' suffered a little more, however, as Hellwig used more of a Bavarian touch rather than a Viennese one or even Austrian. As passionately as Hellwig plays, he has a tendency to fall a little too sharply on the ear to be comfortable or moved. As far as Brahm's 'Variations on a theme of Haydn' is con cerned one can only remark, as Johnson did of 'Paradise Los t'-none wished it longer. It is the great, white elephant of pieces for two pianos-Brahams goes to great lengths to trample Haydn into sticky crepe suzettes. The Hellwig-Arai rendition was fine but Robert Phillips and Franco Renzulli did a much better job when they were here with less pause, awkwardness, and a lot more grandeur. 'Ma Mere l'Oye' by Ravel was dreamy and good and properly impressionistic but...ahl lacked a certain feeling. Certainly our own John Kenneth Adams-en fant terrible of Debussy-could have given the Hellwigs a les son in control and depth. I think only in 'Scaramouche' by Darius Milhaud did the Hel lwigs strike fire again and end on a pyrotechnical display of what they are really capable of. Klaus Hellwig and Masumi Arai are a young, pretty duo with a great deal going for them-=obvious enough or they wouldn't be on tour-but-I think they still have a long way to go to forge themselves into a paramount concert experience. It's good to see Columbians come out of their adolescence. Now, if they will only loosen up a little with the money and support their own deserving artists...the able but gaunt Columbia - Philharmonic Orchestra...the very superb but starving Columbia String Quar tet...etc. etc.. WAGNER HALSELLE ROBERTS St WANTED: Waiters And Waitresse . GAMECOCK Although The Gamecock is a publication of the students of the University of South Carolina, it is not an official publication of the university. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily rep resent those of the university, the student body or all staff members of The Gamecock. Editor ....................... Jerelyn Eddings Managing Editor .............. Sybil Norwood Editorial Page Editor ........ Linda C. Owens News Editor ................... Patrick Tyler Copy Desk Chief .................. Bill Grant Sports Editor ................... Steve Parker Asst. Sports Editor .............. Jim Hersh Advertising Manager .............. Art Frank Copy Editors ................................. Val McDonald Mary Myers Chere Cope Photo Editor ........................................ Tom Price Letters Welcome Letters to the editor on topics of local interest are encour aged by the Gamecock. The letters are subject to editing and condensation to meet style and space requirements. All letters must be typed and must be signed with the full name, address and phone number of the author. Unsigned letters or those with pseudonyms will not be printed. Letters should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, The Gamecock, Drawer A, USC, Columbia, S. C. 29208. Send the Gamecock home to mother! [onday Night udent Special *2.99 U.S. Choice Sirloin Choice of Potato B Salad Bar Please s ".741 SALUDA AVE. - FIVE POINTS COLUMBIA. SOUTH CAROL INA 29205