The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 05, 1981, Page Page 8, Image 8
Entertainnr
By SUSAN CARTWRIGHT
SUM Writer
Do you wear pink and
green at the same time? Do
you drink G and T (or even
know what it is)? Are you
into Attitude Adjustment?
Are you a faithful watcher of
B3Sw8yy
Lisa Birnbach signed co|
Bookstore Friday, before li
...Pla
~By SUSAN C/
SUH\
Honor graduate, columnist
ambitious, personable. Does 1
editor of The Preppy Handbo
that and much more.
She was born in Manhattan 2
very shy and very smart. Sh<
terested in writing. Coming
naturally attended a prep scl
her college years at Brown Ui
her sense of prep and acquired
Lisa graduated from Bro\
English. She worked in pub
"Scenes" for The Village Vo
approached about writing a
one-half months later the bool
her way to fame.
THE BOOK'S official publis
now in its 21st printing. At 1
copies and now has been pub
Japan. There is also a 1982 pr
r i
ror more preppy uwm viiiciuu
about The Preppy Handbook n
All this has amazed Lisa, w
not for money. "I was not exp?
by the people who are buying I
attributes the book's success
the new conservative politi<
across the country. Another
"People are no longer interesl
are interested in making mone
Many people use the book
warns. "It is totally tongue-ii
lent
mnWHBBBBBIHai
"Paper Chase"? Then you
are a preppy and you would
have loved Lisa Birnbach's
talk Friday night in the
riusseii nouse uauroom.
Birnbach is the queen of
prepdom and the editor of its
pies of her "Preppy Hand!
ecturing in the Russell House
ns Mor
iRTWRIGHT
Writer
for The Village Voice, shy,
that description sound like the
ok? Well, Lisa Birnbach is all
15 years ago. As a child she was
e observed people and was in
from a well-to-do family, she
jool. However, it was not until
liversity that she first realized
I the nickname Bunny.
vn in 1978 with a degree in
licity at one firm and wrote
ice. In May of 1980, she was
handbook for preps. Two and
i was finished, and Lisa was on
?hing date is Nov. 18, 1980. It is
ast count it had sold 1,100,000
lished in Canada Rritain anH
eppy diary and tentative plans
ling a how-to-do book). A movie
nay even be in the works,
ho originally did it for fun and
acting this at all. I'm fascinated
:he book, she said Friday. She
to two reasons. One reason is
:al feelings that have swepl
reason, according to Lisa, is
ted in writing poetry, now the)
sy"
almost as a bible, but Lis*
l-cheek. Don't misunderstand
Poke
bible, The Preppy Handbook.
She graduated from
Brown University with a
degree in English. Prior to
her book, she was writing a
column for The Village
Voice. Since the book's
initial publication in 1980,
r^rannHB
flE? - ' ":'C^^zL?^?r='>" : \
'i"i iinmim?i "iiiwB .. > . -. i
look" in the University
Ballroom.
e Books
every word is true. It is what a
She believes that there ha\
ween today's preps and the pn
and there are many more 4,c
changed. Purple is in, and thi
fachinn Hnp nf thn hi00pct Hi
anybody can be a prep. "It
families with a legacy and a
prep," Lisa said.
ANOTHER DIFFERENCE
preppies in the college ranks
on this for Rolling Stone entitli
when she was in school, "1
Republican. Daddy was, but
had a lot to do with the Viet
' 4'Watergate had just happene
1 Nixon went unpunished. I still
Some of today's famous [
i Chevy Chase, George Bush,
> Parker Stevenson, and Kathe
I says Lisa.
> The Great Gatsby is the
> Cntr>hor.in.iho.l} \to ic fho until
vyv? VVIIV V'?V At-r viiv TVMJ
The Great Gats by areconside
I Lisa is not sure what the fu
I will stay in vogue with the Rc
! it may go underground again.
some preps, she asserts.
t Her own future is a little m
novels and perhaps screenpla
' might even find a place in her
better writer. Someday, but n
i would like to marry and have
of prep.
Miss Birnbach has tourec
the countrv and am>eared 01
several talk shows such a!
Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas
To Tell the Truth and Joht
Davison.
Lisa, as she prefers to b
called, opened with i
description of her outfit. Sh
then proceeded to tell of he
two previous trips to Soutl
Carolina, one of which was t
Pink and Greenvill
(Greenville to all you nor
?-i 'in,k..ioit ...?
(ji c)Jd ;. iiic uuici vioit wa
to Charleston, to which sh
pays homage once in a while
Her description o
Charleston was "it is just to
cute for words."
SHE THEN began to tell c
the life of a college prepp
and kept the audienc
laughing for almost an hou
and a half. First of all, a pre
must be in liberal arts an
taking anything that will nc
prepare him for a job. Prep
never do term papers unt
the night before they ar
due, or "may be cor
servative and do them tw
weeks late." They drag t
class and finagle notes fror
everybody. They fin
library-goers disturbing
?and never go to th
lihrarv unless it's Tin
Library. They never, eve
declare their major unt
their senior year, or aft
eight years, whicheve
comes first.
To be considered a tru
preppy, one must, of coursc
Perk
ach reader makes of it."
re been a few differences be
eps of the 50's. Girls drink be<
idd-a-beads." The drugs ha\
s is one of the only changes i
ifferences is the fact that no
used to be that only wealth
tradition of prep schools wei
is the number of conservatn
. She recently wrote an artic
jd "Scared Stiff." She says th
No kids admitted to being
we weren't." She believes th
nam era and with Watergat
d, and we were mad as hell th
am," she explained.
>reppies are quite surprisin
the Kennedys, Vincent Pric
rine Hepburn are all preppie
grown-up prep book and Tl
ng prep book. Caddv Shack ai
red preppy movies.
ture holds for prep, only that
:agan administration, and th?
There will always, however, I
tore certain. She hopes to wri
r? ~ j: -1 mi f
lys. jruiuio Miiu i v couimeniu
life. She would like to become
ot in the immeduate future, s
a family. Not bad for the que
mmmmmmmmmmmmmaammammmammm
i dress and act the part. Lisa
i shows slides to illustrate
5 this. The prep look is an
androgynous one (guys and
i girls look alike). The most
important fashion accessory
for the male or female is the
e beer can. It can also be used
a as an ashtray. Signet rings
e and pearls are two of the
r favored kinds of jewelry,
h Although in the South Add0
a-Beads are considered
e prep, in the Northeast, they
stand for each time a female
s prep has been "very une
prep." Layers of clothing
; are a must, as are no socks,
f Polo, rugby, and buttono
downs are the ultimate prep
shirts. The collars on the
polo and rugby shirts must
stand up. Ducks and
y crocodiles, not alligators,
e these are the ultimate
r symbols of prepdom.
p
Charleston, S.C. is "just
? too cute for words."
o Lisa Birnbach
,
ie The preppy never worries
ie about money, because he
'r always carries plastic. His
il favorite magazine is The
>r New Yorker, which, of
i course, ne manes a poini 01
never reading. He listens to
jazz, Boz Scaggs, Steve
e Miller, New Wave, and
Beach Music. To him the
aas A M
en Birnbach spoke cai
future in the world of pref
)$
... .... V
ultimate cute song is i\ew
York, New York," by Frank
Sinatra. He loves PBS,
reruns of Beverly Hillbillies
(for Jane Hathoway),
Gilligan's Island, I Love
Lucy, the old Dick van Dyke
Show, Mary Tyler Moore
and MASH. He watches
Dallas for trash value and
adores Animal House. He
never watches Chips,
Fantasy Island, or Love ^
Boat.
i ne great preppy movie
stars are Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers, Katherine
Hepburn, and Humphrey
Bogart. Preps drink G and T,
Cape Coders, Bloodys, wine,
and any kind of beer. If a
college prep has never
thrown-up or passed out in
public, he has been shamed.
His favorite season is
summer And to him.
England is Prep Heaven. %
LISA WAS able to trade
jokes and comments with the
audience. One particular
line that put the audience in
stitches occured as the
result to the question "Is
Rita Jenrette oreD?" To
which Lisa answered, "Rita
has a dress of Add-a-Beads."
Lisa Birnbach is a natural
speaker. She is able to
completely capture an %
audience and hold onto it
long after the speech has
ended. M of the audience
stayed behind to chat and get
autographs. Although she
had a long day, Lisa just
smiled and obliged each and
every one of them.
lovie
'?.- , jjjP|BBBBBWB|B^S8H^^^y^
ididly Friday about her
idom. SUH Photo* by CAPIRS HAMMOND