Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Comedian Al Fran ken signs bool s, does stand-up ' ' • ' Ms McCain by Jacob Walker Al Franken ' s appearance at McCain Auditorium, Nov. 7, was not politically correct. Saturday Night Live ' s own political satirist did not spare a single word before starting his comedic attack. After being introduced, his first words were, Are there any Phelpses here? in reference to the leader of the God Hates Fags movement, Fred Phelps, who picketed his performance at the University of Kansas. Franken said Phelps admitted he thought Franken was funny, even if Phelps was against everything Franken stood for. In his methodical manner, Franken poked fun at everything from the possible usefulness of the elderly in military or space programs to the Christian Coalition and Jerry Falwell. Franken said Falwell saved his career in the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The best part was when he went over the plans for the elderly and the military, Chad Howard, junior in theater, said. It was so wrong, but just so funny. Franken also plugged his new book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and the lawsuit filed against him by the Fox News Network over his use of the Fair and Bal- anced slogan. Franken said the paperback edition of his book included the court case transcript. He said it should be titled A Lawyer ' s Nightmare, since the case was literally laughed out of the courtroom. One of Franken ' s strengths was his knowledge of politics and current events, Howard said. I ' ve always been a fan of his work, he said. But the thing about his stuff is how smart it is. He always knows what he ' s talking about and he never makes fun of you until he ' s done his research. The audience ' s reaction to Franken ' s material was enthusiastic — one reason he enjoyed visiting colleges, he said. I always prefer going to schools like this rather than a corporate function, Franken said. There, I have to follow different rules and kind of watch what 1 say. Here, I can do things with more freedom, and everyone enjoys it more. Here, it gets to be comedy, which everyone loves. Everyone loves to laugh. 20DStudentlife

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unlimited by Jenny Shoemaker I 1 I I I What was frequently off-limits became an opportunity for students younger than 21 to enter the bar scene. Opened in August, Shotz Bar Grill featured the band Ten Till Blue and allowed those 18 and older to enter for designated events. The fact that there was a band playing is what drew me into the bar, Alicia Davignon, freshman in modern languages, said. Also, the fact that they were letting 18 and older in, I figured it would be a good opportunity to go, whereas I wouldn ' t be able to go otherwise. The ahernate layout benefited patrons wanting to socialize, Davi- gnon said. I thought that it was a lot roomier than other bars — it wasn ' t cramped or anything, Davignon said. It was nice because they had the stage separated from the tables, so you could have room to sit down and talk if you wanted or join others at the stage without bothering those sitting down. Melanie Gruber, freshman in apparel marketing and design, said she liked the open design of the bar. It seemed a lot more advanced than other bars, not just a hole in the wall, Gruber said. They had a nice dance floor. It wasn ' t just a nasty bar. Shotz replaced the western themed Longhorn ' s Waydown Lounge. (Shotz) really was a neat atmosphere, Davignon said. It was really crowded, a popular place to go. It seemed like there were so many people. I think they have good entertainment there withought being cramped. I felt as if I could actually move around. The appearance was not the only appealing part about the bar, the entertainment also delighted students who stood in the front row and yelled for the band, Gruber said. For those of drinking age, non- traditional beverage containers dis- tinguished Shotz from other bars. I did notice that they had these shots in little test-tube glasses, which were kind of cool, and they passed them around, Davignon said. I thought that was really unique about the bar. After opening, Shotz experimented with parties where machines covered the bar area and patrons in foam. I ' ve heard about the foam parties, Grant Klingenberg, sophomore in agricultural economics, said. They sound wild. I ' ve heard the foam gets really high and you almost suffocate, but that ' s part of the fun, right? shotz 19

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1)1 ' j l ll l 1 nl UEflL I P pi J Mm I • ; « S., Comedian and author Al Frankcn shakes the hand of a fan during his book-signing session after the K-State fall comedy show sponsored by Union Program Council. Fronken signed posters and copies of his book, Lies And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, which sold out on campus. Photo by Chris Hanewinckel -.-Jv ' •r Sarah Bode, senior in theater, and Chad Howard junior in theater, laugh at comedian Al Fronken during his show at McCain Auditorium. The audi- ence particularly enjoyed Franken ' s finale, Stuart Smalley ' s Doily Affirma- tions, to which he added. we ' re gonna take this state for the Democrats. Photo by Chris Hanewinckel LI. r ■ 1 t 1. Li ' ' i 1 t .i.% V M 1 ' £m L ' SU Wf m (2 ■m