Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 25, 1994 TAG: 9411250010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS BANKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
His work has been called loud, angry, fast, excessive, emotional, awe-inspiring and - occasionally - just plain awful.
You can call him the rebel with a cause.
His cause, he says, is making movies matter.
"The world is spinning much faster than my camera and myself," Stone has said. "I think movies have to break through the three dimensions, close as you can get."
Consider the movies Stone has directed, written or produced:
"Midnight Express," "Platoon," "Wall Street," "Born on the Fourth of July," "JFK," "The Doors," "Natural Born Killers," and the list goes on.
True to his cause, Stone doesn't do fluff.
He was born in New York in 1946, studied at Yale, taught in the Far East, voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army and was twice wounded in battle during the Vietnam War. He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for heroism in combat.
In 1971, Stone completed his undergraduate studies in film at New York University. For a while, he drove a taxi and worked as a messenger to support his writing career. He wrote 11 unproduced screenplays before he hit it big with "Midnight Express" in 1978.
Now, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker says he's at his "mid-life journey" and he's looking forward to the ride.
"I feel often like a neophyte on the road," he was quoted as saying in a recent Rolling Stone interview. "I don't say that immodestly. I still feel very innocent, in many ways."
Stone will speak about his work Thursday at Virginia Tech. The talk, sponsored by the university's Speakers and Issues Committee, starts at 7:30 p.m. in Burruss Hall.
Tickets, on sale now at the ticket office in Squires Student Center, are $7 for the public or $4 for Virginia Tech students. Call 231-5615 to order them.
HARRY'S HOME: Harry Lester was born and raised in Christiansburg and educated at Radford University. In 1988, he headed south to pursue the love of his life - music.
Lester ended up in Atlanta where he works as a performer and songwriter. Most recently, he played with Plane Chastain, a pop and alternative rock group that produced one album. When the group disbanded last spring, Lester went to work on his own album. "Watching the Rain," named for the title cut, was recently released.
All songs on the album were written or co-written by Lester. Dede Vogt, former bassist for the Indigo Girls, was involved in engineering and producing the album.
Lester will visit Maxwell's in Blacksburg Saturday for a 9 p.m. concert. This is the first time he has performed locally since 1989.
Lester, who studied classical guitar, voice and piano while he was at Radford University, plays an acoustic blend of rock and folk. His songs deal with modern social issues and relationships.
"Watching the Rain" is available on cassette at Disc Jockey in the New River Valley Mall and the Record Exchange in downtown Blacksburg.
Admission to Saturday's show at Maxwell's is free.
FA-LA-LA-LA-LA: It's time to bring on the cheerful music!
"Holiday Cheer" is the series of concerts offered at the Virginia Tech Memorial Chapel this week. The free concerts, part of the "Bach's Lunch" program, all run from noon to 1 p.m. Here's the schedule:
Tuesday - The Virginia Tech Concert Choir with director Craig Fields
Wednesday - The Virginia Tech Horn Ensemble with director Wallace Easter
Thursday - The Blacksburg High School Madrigals and the Virginia Tech Meistersingers directed by Keitha Lucas and Jan Blumenthal
Dec. 2 - An old-fashioned sing-along around the piano with Jay Stipes
Other musical programs are planned through Dec. 15. You're invited to bring a lunch to any of the concerts.
SOCIAL CALENDAR: Your social calendar is probably filling up fast, but don't forget about the annual dance to benefit the Montgomery County Christmas Store.
It's happening Dec. 10 from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Commonwealth Ballroom of Virginia Tech's Squires Student Center. Sponsors are the German Club, the NRV chapter of the American Culinary Federation and the Y Dance Club.
The dress is black tie optional. The music is by the Ken Epperly Band. The treats include a dessert buffet and cash bar.
Tickets are $40 per couple with a $10 discount for student couples. For reservations, make checks payable to "Christmas Store Dance" and send them to Joan Nelson, 405 Landsdowne St., Blacksburg 24060. Requests must be postmarked by Dec. 2.
Questions? Call 552-2923 or 951-3849.
WHAT'S NEW? Two Virginia Tech English instructors recently became published authors.
Simone Poirier-Bures' first novel, "Candyman," and LuAnn Keener's first book of poetry, "Color Documentary," are at the bookstands now. The two authors will read from their works Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Virginia Tech's University Club. The event is free and open to the public.
"Candyman" is set in postwar Nova Scotia and revolves around the struggles of a poor Acadian couple as they try to hold their family together. Poirier-Bures, who was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, now teaches writing at Virginia Tech.
Keener's poems focus on relationships within the natural world and explore the dominant role of humans and the endangerment of all life. Poet Susan Ludvigson describes Keener's verse as a meeting of "the personal and the political - in fine lyric intensity."
On Dec. 3, the writers will sign books from noon to 3 p.m. at Books Strings & Things in downtown Blacksburg.
by CNB