JANUARY 10 - 16, 1997 # BOSTON’S LARGEST WEEKLY © FOUR SECTIONS BJORK ¢ ALBERTA HUNTER ¢ MARY LOU LORD ° VERAGO-GO Ph THE BOSTON I7 C #7 ° A guide for } , | ON SALE the desperate BY THE BOOK Thomas Payzant leads a quiet | revolution BY YVONNE ABRAHAM We hold this truth to be self-evident: _ Boston’ S pamlic * “schools blow, » _How did the city’.s schools get this way? Maybe it was desegreg tion busing, or racism. Or perhaps the problem is apathetic teachers, or parents, or students. Or maybe the real ‘blame lies with the.| unions, school committees, city councils, or mayors. The truth is: Boston Schools Superintendent Thomas Payzant “5 = 'g aig eo a arvin’sR oom He just kn e | ei, eee er fix them. ‘eNge BOOKS THEATER ' Soe Novelist Paul West Joyce Carol Oates on the eros of genius explains her play 2 JANUARY 10, 1997 NEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX SKI PACKAGE Skis-Boots-Bindings from 3 closed rental shops. Reconditioned Skis Rossignol-Fischer-Atomic-Pre Premounted Bindings Marker-Salomon Ski Boots SPECIAL PURCHASE Raichie-Salomon (100 pairs from a West Coast distributor) Head-Atomic-Kazama $250-$400 List Price SKI BOOTS SKI PARKAS-PANTS YOUR CHOICE $79 Show Priced from $199 BIBS-ONE PIECE SUITS Sport Skis reg. $295-400 from $149 pete Penn pedo All Mtn Skis reg. $325-495 from $199 SNOWBOARD BOOTS CB-Nordica-Descente-Helley Hansen- | [High Performance reg. $425-650 from $249 Show Priced from $79 Peony ad doe ty sin sa OVER 50 MODELS Airwalk-Vans-Preston-Liquod orps-Couloir-Nordica One Piece Suits TO CHOOSE FROM CB-Nordica-Descente-Helley-Hansen- reg. $350 Show Priced $109 | SKI & SNOWBOARD Woolrich-Alpine Designs with Gortex C - ving 3a 3 $200 SKI BOOTS ACCESSORIES & other breathable fabrics iw Pric Show Priced from $59 Salomon & Volant Alpine DeSshigonw GPorrtiecxe d Sh$e1ll2 9r eg. $219 1000 TO CHOOSE FROM SkYiO-UBo otS-ACaVrEgo 5B0a%gs SHOW SPECIAL ScoSktiP tol es Buy a NEW SKI BOOT Mountain Bikes on oe eee eee (1000 pairs to choose from!) lrSohn owH orPsrei-cBeda rrfarcoumd a$-1R8o9s s SNOWBOARD WEAR Get A Halfpipe-Drift-Pilot-Cappel-Dinosaur- cRee P AIR 0] Skin-Shedog-Ride-Below Zero-Op Tech SAVE 20-50% OFF Suggested Retail NEW SKIS! pan Nordica-SunBuster-Roffe-CP-Descente- Helley Hansen-Black Diamond-Garbage Collection-Boulder Gear Choose from Vests, Jackets, Pants, Accessories SAVE UP TO 50% $35,000 in ski lift tickets CRANMORE to be given away! toe x & SkiMarket |} ° Algo res Ski Party: Sat., Ja m. 1 Tiree, yeti at the¢ CRraancmoere: PuSb un., Jan. 19th PRE-PAJD Jeep Come up for the Saturday WEFNK Apres ; Party and stick around for races THULE Vandi «em. wesmer’ ad free prizes on Sunday! smitrH TECHICA JANUARY 10, 1997 NEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX 3 conte a : THE BOSTON PHOENIX “That’s the most dramatic thing about him. You know at any moment he can drop in Founded in 1966 unannounced. ... We've never had that before.” — a school principal on Superintendent Thomas Payzant, News, page 10 news TJi COVER STORY: A history lesson for Patricia Smith, bullets over Boston Harbor, and then a short quiz: how alienated are you? Plus, five milestone cover songs. 6 AT THE MOVIES Phoenix Flashbacks In Arts, Burt Reynolds's family values, Argentinean beefs, the great Beastie Boys burglary, and other odds pages 8 through 10 and ends from the Phoenix's past. 8 It’s a great week in film. Un-Patriotic by Peter Kadzis Our critics take a closer The New England Patriots are on a roll, but the stadium is going nowhere. Massachusetts look at The People vs. politicians are showing why they're not-ready-for-prime-time players. 9 Larry Flynt, Marvin's Room, Mother, and Citizen Ruth. Class Struggles by Yvonne Abraham Just about everyone knows that Boston's public schools blow. What they don’t know is that Superintendent Thomas Payzant is quietly fixing them. 10 online this week DON’T QUOTE ME: Touchy Tom by Dan Kennedy Sometimes he yells. Sometimes he stamps. Sometimes Mayor Menino’s relationship with the press Some material published in the Boston Phoenix is available online with leaves something to be desired. 17 hypertext annotations. Our online edition also features cross-indexed entertainment listings, reviews and features from back issues, and an extensive archive of restaurant reviews. Visit us on the World-Wide cityscape: Truth Healers by Sarah McNaught Web at http:/Avww.bostonphoenix.com/ — America Online users log Kids who witness horrifying crimes grow up believing in violent solutions. Now cops and therapists on to keyword “Boston Phoenix.” are working together to intervene before it's too late. 2O in styles in arts Radical Remedies, page 6 Joyce Carol Oates: An Interview, page 6 A guide to cold cures you haven't The prolific author talks about her play, Cry Me a tried — from acupuncture to the River, which makes its premiere at the Hasty 23rd Psalm. Pudding this week. Also: Urban Buy animates Japan, Also: in place of irony, dreaminess; instead of the men’s movement finds God, and anger, joy: the renaissance of Latin- and Euro- Dining Out enjoys high-end Italian edged club music. Plus, Bjork’s remix set gets a in the Back Bay. Plus, our thumbs-up and locals Verago-Go and La Peste. And comprehensive restaurant guide and don’t forget “Eight Days a Week” and Boston's other regular features. most comprehensive entertainment listings. ILLUSTRATION BY TONY MILLIONAIRE; PAYZANT PHOTO BY MARK OSTOW S«> kiat aroir Drabeit vaeoe FoSabret F2rteh e! 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SOULSHACK Senior Manaaina Eprror/PHoenx NEewsPAPER Group: Clit Garboden; Senior Eorror: Katherine Wolf; | FEATURING JACK Desian pinecton: Debbie Klein; Associate Desian omector: John Moss; Eprroniar Desianer: Kristen UPSTAIRS MACDOWELL OF DGoroodztdroiwesnkdi;; NAerwtss EEoorrrroorr:s : GaCraertohl ynC ooCkl;a y Ar(ttsh eatEeorr)r,o r:P etJeerf frKeye ouGagnht z; (filAm)s,s ocJioant eG arAenltisc k Eo(rmruosni:c ),T edM atEt. | DJ JUSTIN SPINS Ashare (events); Sty.es Error: Tom de Kay; Supptements Eorror: Susan Ryan-Volimar; Stare Eo | tors: Stephen Heuser, Elizabeth Manus; Starr Warrers: Yvonne Abraham, Ellen Barry, Michael | AN ECLECTIC MIX Crowley, Daniel D. Kennedy, Sarah McNaught, Tim Sandier, Tom Scocca; Listas Cooroiaton: Car- | TO KEEP YOUR ly Carioli; On-tiwe Content Coorowmators: Thor iverson, Theresa Regli; Assistant To THe Eprror: | BODY THUMPI', AND THE DEL MarCko ntBarziesru;T inEoer roEroirarotr :A sLsliosytda ntS:c hwCahrritsz W(rcilgahssti cal); Contrieutina Warrers: Amy Finch, Michael Freed- | MOVIN' AND FRI. LOJRADNS. 10 bsoenr,g , SCalalryo liSnaem pKsnoanp,p , HCaartvee y McSQiulvaeirdg,ia teB,r etTt heMai laSnion,g erR,o beRrotb erNta deDaauv,i d JaSunl liNviacnh,o lsGoan,r y CSautshmerainn,e CRhoabrelrets- | GROOVIN"! Taylor, Steve Vineberg, Stephanie Zacharek; Cartoonist: David Sipress GURSUIe, January 27 WBCN General SaLes MANAGER: Eric JSoahcnseosn ;D iTrreacrtFoicr : MAAN.A GWEiRl:l iaMmi keR isPtiaenetnig ini, Trarric Coorpwators: Ni- | amh Foley, Jennifer Price, Mary Ricciardi; CLassiiep Manacer: Surge Gojkovich; Assistant CLassiFieD DOWNSTAIRS Nocturnal Fridays LEixneecsu tiMvaensa:c erA:n drMeawr yeAlvilteanb ileS,h ielJdesf;f DPeesrtosno,n acSst acReeyp rGeisaennntaaritsi,v e:M atFta itMha ySrmaintdh,, CKLealslys ifSiheapu gLhinneess syA,c coMuanrtc | 8pm doors 9pm show DJ TYM RYAN WITH DJ MELISSA tSwheesp:p arJdo;n atCha.na ssCa#retap, DAinsdprrea y EliScahatlets, MMiacnhaacele r:R idDeeonutn;i s CoGraprvoerya:t e CrMausssiicf ieSpa teDsi spMtaanya ceAnc:c ouMnitc haEexle cAul-i- $20* 18+ SPINS THE BEST cong JAN. 11 berte; Corporate Music Saces Assistant: Alex Garcia-Rangel; Enrertaimment Sates Manacer: Sue | IN PROGRESSIVE Ot'aCno nnAeclclo;u nEtn teExnetcaumtmieven:t CSaartreise MAecacdoeu;n t ReEtxeacnu tiAvcecs:o unLta urEexne cuBteilivnefsa:n te,C heDrayvli d BraKeintdhawlali;t e,S enLiizoar MRee-- HOUSE WITH neades; Sxi Account Executive: Dan Kornteld; Couriers: Frank Ames, Dean Lynch, David Tan GUEST DJ NATIONAL SALES TERRY MULLEN musi 17 peop NaTionat Saves Director: Carola Cadley; NaTionat Sates Account Executives: Everett R. Finkel- | stein, Kristen Standish, William J. Wegman; NaTionat Sates Apmwistrator: Deborah Glassman Said CATALYST, CHICAGO sue DAY CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION Executive Assistant: Julie Bresnick; Recepnonists: Meaghan Agnew, Kate Kenney | hea ae ad ee ae eo) JAN. 12 Human Resources Dj TYM RYAN DUB STATION Corporate Human Resources Manacer: Suzanne Levine; Human Resources Manacen: Barry Ahem; EIN : Human Resources Representative: Jessica Zeigler ENTRANCES YOU WITH Director oF MarkeTina: Carola Cadley *V ics | A MYRIAD OF SONIC MON. JAN. 13 MARKETING Manacer: Tony Bennis; Promotions Manaaer: Chris Wooster, PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR: | — — fea | BEATS AND UPLIFTING Barbara Rosenberg Director oF Operations: Gib Fullerton RHYTHMS DOWNSTAIRS WXRV & NEWBURY Manaaine Eorror, Macazines ano Specia, Pusuicanions: Christopher Young; Anvernisinc Art Dinector: & SUPER Dj DAVID COMICS PRESENTS AMImSy MMaynraicake;r :A ssPiasutla nSth aron Jr.; R&DA ntM aDniancecetro/rN: ewBr etMte pCioah:e n;D enPnaicsi waGteliloenr ; CoAosrsnopcmiaattoer : MIKSe viMna naBcanekrs:; | ‘TODD Michael Adachi; Semon Sortware Enaween/intennet: David Kramer; UNIX Systems Apministrator: Heidi JAMES SPINS THE Schmidt; MacavrosH Manacer: Lee Stanford; MacwtosH Systems Aoministrator: David Kleinberg; MIS | MOST OUTRAGEOUS THIBAUD TTorra:m iSnaer ahS peWciilakuiinssto:n ; Griengr enPnawueltl ; ArFnisnannicci a,D esSiyosnt eSmpse ciAapuimsetu:s tPraotpopry: BroDdasnkiyel; IDeNcTaErRieN,E;T SOyPsEtReAmTsI ONASp miSnPiEsCTIRAAL-- | NEW WAVE ATROCITIES ist: Stephanie Eich; inrenner ProGrammers: Michael Genrich, Mikel Maron; GrapHic Annsts: Carianne | KEVIN CONNELLY Hnatowicz, Pamela Maiato, Brian McDermott, Christine Micciche; Facirmes Manaacer: John Nunziato. OF THE 80's UPSTAIRS. 10PM DOORS#19+ WED. JAN. 15 NewssTano Saces Manacer: DoCni mcBuuclmaatni;o n MeDricrneacntooirs:e r:E dwJoaerl d WhDitael;y Driver: Jack Thompson; Sus- | scripTION CoorpinaTon: Julie Bresnick SAT. JAN. 11 SUBHUMAN Director oF Corporate Finance: Charles A. Walter 10PM DOORS-21. PRIMATES Controtter: Michael Newman; MERCHANDISE AominisTRATOR: Alan Orlove; TRADE CoorpinaTor: Michael Bilotta; Senior Accountant: Darren Mcinnis; Stare Accountants: Nataliya Dzyuba, Kevin Ng; Corporate Creo Manacen: Gerard LeBlanc; Creo Supervisor: John Bertram; Senior Crepit Representative: Kathy Cardinale; Creo REPRESENTATIVE: Kary! Langill ParaGcon Concert COMPANY | Creative Director: Carl Tramontozzi; Trarric Coorpinator: Kim Weremey; Macintosh PropucTion Armists: David Dembowski, Kim Young | WORCESTER | » fJaugsst in phattest Associate PususHer: Gary Kurtz * MANAGING Eoitor: Melissa Houston ip hop egy: Events Eprror: Brian Gosiow; Contrisutinc Warters: Sally Cragin, Jim Johnson, Mark Edmonds, Chris Flisher, Doug Hanchett, Joe Longone, Leon Nigrosh, Ron Richardson, Myles Tronic, Steve Vineberg, Mark Wagner; ContrisuTiG PHotocrapHers: Chery! Richards, Paul Shoul,; Contrisutwa iLLusTRATor: Michelle Friday Jan.1 Barbera; Creor/Trarric Coornowator: Lois Millett; Proouction Manacer: Kimberly Pierce; GRapnic Arnst: Jon Carpenter; Semon Reta Account Executive: Michele Ferro; Account Executives: Debra Levesque, Jodi Ragusa, Dominic’ Serafini, Carrie Simpson; Recernonist/ApminisTRATOR: Lisa Koykka, STEVE PROVIDENCE WESTFIELD'S ALTERNATIVE Associate Pususier: Stephen k. Brown » Manaaing Epitor; Lou Papineau SLOW BAND News Eorror: Lisa Prevost Conrmisutina Epitor: Jim, Macnie (rusic); PHotoaraPnens; OmarB Bi pdley, } deru sTpehciael gDueastm aja WDIOTHW NMISKET AGIIOSRCSIA WITH RICH GILBERT CRPohedteererik gsu,Ge ozl,Td obmJe orhgGn;re itlltSoe,p orMRtioscd:hra ieglCu heizlp,a coYTbeobruoin, g S:cE hmiiSnldtylae frrL, iskWaPertrae n!m PhSitlJeloaigpdeeyr ,& EJSMotiregcveBe,on r >B oS CtyoPcniotcsrk,ia reduE,t. Li.n EelWai izdaWbmreeitrht; e rRsAo?cc kc,oR uundBityl l ||| & UPSTAIRS SAT. RESIDENCY Ejox, eGciunta esP;a loBmrbuoc;e TArlalernr,i c CyCnotohriap inBaltacokrw:e ll,R obiBinll HKeaomumg;h , CrSacsostit riMecnG iLninn,e s JRusetporne seMnetraciteirv,e : MoMnaircka PMoounlitoet-: | Propuction Manacer: Phil Maigret; Grapnic Artists: Stacy Astorino, Kathy Kohn; Contrisutina | DAVID JAMES JAN. 18 - FEB. 1 AAsrsnisstt:a ntS:h elKbayt hrFiinsak e;M cFCiurarnyc.e RMeacnearncieorn:i stS:u saDna wnG reKeenahballeg h; Creo MANaGeR: Anita Anderson; Finance | SPINS 80'S NEW ALMO REc. ARTIST OFFICES January 14 WAVE AND INDUSTRIAL Boston: 126 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215; Tel: (617) 536-5390 Advertising department fax: 536-1463 Editorial department fax 859-8201 8pm doors 9pm show 18+ TUES. JAN. 14 CWvoaascse#setpesr:: 331248 WNaeswhbiunrgyt onSt ., St.B, oAstuobnu,m ,M AM A0 20111550;1 ; TelT:e l: (6(1570)8 ) 26873-21-9283040;; FFaxa:x : ((651078)) 482352--25657100 All tickets $12°°* Provwence: 150 Chestnut St., Providence, RI 02903; Tel: (401) 273-6397; Fax: (401) 273-0920 SUNDAY Worto-Wwe Wes sie: http://www.bostonphoenix.conv INFORMATION JAN. 19 Manuscripts: Manuscripts should be addressed to Katherine Wolff, Boston Phoenix, 126 Brookline VICTORY Ave., Boston, MA 02215. We assume no responsibility for returning manuscripts not accompanied by a CELEBRATION Lsettatmepresd , Tos eltfHe- adEdorrersosre:d Seennvde lotop e1 26 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215, fax to (617) 859-8201, or e- aaag ebraa sic with residents SHAKA BLACK mSauisls ctroi p/neitotnesr:s @pBhuxl.kc orma.te P$4l5e/a6s e moinnctlhusd,e $a 80d/a1y tiymeear ; teflierpsth-ocnleas s nurmatbee r$ 11fo0r/ 6v ermiofinctahtsi,on $200/1 year. Bulk- | ij bruno and rate postage paid, Boston, MA; allow 10 days for delivery. Send name and address with check and mon- justin hoffman ey order to: Subscription Department, Boston Phoenix, 126 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 DUB STATION Copyrricut: © 1997 by the Boston Phoenix, inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission spinning» by any method whatsoever, is prohibited uncompromising Printeo By: Mass Web Printing Co., Inc.; 314 Washington St.; Auburn, MA 01501 « (508) 832-5317 underground house MON. JAN. 20 THe Puoenix Menia/Communications Group ‘TODD Stephen M. Mindich H. Barry Morris WED. JAN. a CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT THIBAUD Arthur Fishelman Peter Kadzis DELUSIONS IN SALEM & Executive Vice-PRESIDENT Epiror SULES VERDONE Gib Fullerton Charles A. Walter DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Director OF CORPORATE FINANCE A. William Risteen David Bieber POINT OF ARES TUES. JAN. 21 DiREcTOR oF Newspaper Group Sates DinecTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS February 19 8pm doors 9pm show *10* 18+ THE BAILEY’S BAND PLASMA PROD. PRESENTS THE PHPOAERNAIGX ONN EwCsopnacreeprts ,C omSPtauArNFy ,M aTcEaLzEnPUeB,L ISWHFINNXG,, IMNCa.s, s INWSeTsAT RPArCi nTina, CHIN STRAP All tickets from the postponed Paradise performance, Nov 10 will be honored WED. JAN. 22 CALL FOR TICKETS 7exarZJ-asre= (617) 931-2000 WED. JAN. 22 Next Week Tickets available at Orpheum Theatre Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets EKG - available at Avalon night of show only.*An additional service charge will be paid to and in the Phoenix retained by ticket ee on all purchases at outlets or by phone. Please note: Date, time PA&N ticket pricTe subject to Echange withRout notice. THURS. JAN. 23 News This Tuesday! SKY HEROES Bye-Bye Bishop BOY WONDER INTRUDERS WSBi -e Friday Jan. 22 Stiyies THE PEECOCKS GIGOLO Recycling Chic ; a WALLACE SPM - 19+ Arts PELE CIVIC CENTER PRE X NIGHT MON. JAN. 27 Can Woody Allen Make a Musical? FREE SHOW TODD CHAINSUCK Fitchburg MA, forty miles west of Boston Plus: ya A MARKY AMSTERBERG & One in 10 JENNIFER KIMBALL Visit the axis web The Sex Issue CALL (617) 423-NEXT site at Friday Jan. 31 the NEXT website is www.tparty.com/tpc www.bSston -om/next TIX AVAILABLE AT ALL CURTAIN SOCIETY Tickets also available at the Orpheum Theatre Box Office without TICKETMASTER a service charge, and all NEXT outlets. Tickets available at OUTLETS OR CHARGE Wallace CDiavtiec C&e nttiemre sBuobxj eOcftf itcoe cnhiaghntg eo f wsihtohowu to nnloyt.i cPel.e ase note: paball.9 3 BY PHONE 931-2000 FOR INFO 421-9678 JANUARY 10, 1997 MEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX 5 CHRIS PORTER, MAMA KIN, AND WZBC PRESENT: AIR DUCT CLEANING UE MUSIC 1996 FALL “BLOWOUT” ed Foannce Homes a SERIES FOR ANY 1 FRI JAN 24 SUN FEB 2 FINAL AREA PERFORMANCE Allergy releif, healthier air, no mess, qualified tech, AN & MON FEB 3 100% guaranteed. Free dryer vent cleaning included. MEVEONINGE WIT H TICKETS ON SALE NOW Furnace and flue cleaning also avaiable. TWO NIGHTS Expires SAT JAN 25 THE CRYSTAL AiR Duct CLEANING INC. Fetes ST. pate a, (800) 338- -386 HARROD & FUNCK with LOW THURS JAN 30 Saturday, January 25 NIL LARA SOMERVILLE THEATRE Keep Informed with FRITAS All ages, reserved seating ies kee | 6, 6 ee $14advance, $15 day of SAFE & SOUND THURS FEB 6 55 DAVIS SQUARE SOMERVILLE THE MORNING LINE TBERNAECFIYT TICKETS AT SOMERVILLE THEATRE BOX OFFICE BONHAM | GORDON STONE ALL TICKETMASTER LOCATIONS 617-931-2000 | SCORES & SPREADS TANYA SAT FEB 8 and much, much more! DONELLY |BELIZBAHA 1-(900) 255-2600 Ext. 9605 WY, OANAO ae oSB a THURS FEB 13 $2.99 Per Min. Must Be 18 Years Music Hall it 36 Lansdowne St., & MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY “ Concert Info. eet |$5S162525 Find someone who's a cut above the rest Fri, Jan. 17 9pm $7 21+ Sat, Jan. 25 9pm $8 21+ te YOK Downtow comeenon |T OASTERS! Need to Make Business Decision Sat, Jan. 18 9pm $9/$10 21+ ? or Tell Your Future Today CALL ‘Nowr Live Psychics - 1 on 1 Sat, Feb. 8th $10/12 21+ HORTON HEAT f SOR OG 1-(900) 484-1020 Ext. 5705 BLEU Check out the ZYRAH’S ORANGE $3.99 Per Min. Must Be 18 Years Old Turn to the Styles section. Wed, Jan. 22 8pm $10/$12 21+ Eagle 93.7 Presents : W/N.Y. LOOSE Wed, Feb. 5th $10 21+ A TRIBUTE TO ABBA SCHOOL Thurs, Jan. 23 9pm $7/$8 21+ HOUSE ROCK < DASH RIP 1RRT.9 EJ9.Y 6N OLDS BOB DOROUGH & A | SPECIAL GUESTS Thurs, Feb. 20th $9/10 21+ Fri, Jan. 24 9pm $8 21+ DREAD FAT BAG CHUCK ZEPPELIN BIG LICK *% GENUINE Fiuicut JACKETS * FLAGS FROM EVERY STATE & NATION * ComBat Boots * Back PAcKS & BAGS PLUS... The largest selection of U.S. & European Military Surplus = in New England “The Army/Navy store on Newbury St. without Newbury St. prices.” | SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal 328 Newbury St. Boston Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight. _437- 1657 eo 6 JANUARY 10, 1997 NEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX SHELL GAME to upgrade the Moon Island Moon Island’s shore. rector of the Quincy-based Sea- shooting range. The public-com- “We're beginning a very excit- side Environmental Alliance and Menino goes ballistic ment period on that plan ends ing period of growth on the Har- an associate professor of man- this week. bor Islands,” says Bruce agement at MIT, says docu- Menino’s decision to move Berman, BayWatch program di- ments the Menino Administra- Picture this. It’s not long after site of an ew and improved forward on the plan in rector for Save the Harbor/Save tion submitted to the state the millennium, and the once no- shooting and demolition |__ a of the national-park the Bay. “It would be ironic that clearly show that the project is toriously polluted Boston Harbor range for the police. designation miffs environ- the first thing to grow would be an expansion. is bustling with activity. Boats The scenario is closer to mental activists and shoreline the city of Boston’s shooting The square footage for the pro- cruise lazily through the network reality than you might think. of island parks that form the new Today, as the official planning residents who are concerned range on Moon Island.” posed range is approximately about, among other things, stray And “grow” is the operative twice that of the original range, Boston Harbor Island National process is underway for the bullets, excessive noise, erosion, word here. State environmental Tyre says. The city’s new plan Recreation Area. Gray seals and new federally designated recre- sewage, and traces of lead (from secretary Trudy Coxe ruled last calls for a 300-foot-long rifle harbor porpoises rise through ation area, Menino remains un- bullets) that have been found off January that if Boston wants to range; there was no rifle range on the shimmering water. Relaxing shaken in his belief expand the shooting range — the original site. Moreover, the on the shoreline, families nibble that Moon Island is picnic lunches. the perfect place ior — eas:whi ch itw isttahrotuetd tthoe teraerq uidsoiwten paenrd- ciintgy ’osn pltahne sishloawnsd wtihlalt irneccrreuaiste trbayi n- Then a shot rings out. Then target practice. mits a few years ago — it must more than 100 percent. another, and another. This past November, as undergo a costly environmental Not an expansion? Call it But the gunfire echoing across President Clinton signed review process. Menino math, or maybe three- the water from Moon Island long-awaited legisla- Menino’s office — which has card Menino. is not the handiwork of a tion officially des- never looked for an alternative “It’s silly and shortsighted,” deranged civil servant who ignating the is- site and has insisted that its says an incredulous Berman. has taken leave of his postal lands as a na- plan is a “reconstruction,” “Unfortunately, just being delivery boat. No, it is the lega¢y tional park, the not an expansion — de- «=~ a really bad idea doesn’t of another civil servant — Boston Menino Adminis- clined the Phoenix’s re- seem to be enough to mayor Tom Menino — who took tration was quietly quest for comment. stop this project.” leave of his senses when he insist- submitting to the But Marcie Tyre, di- — Tim Sandler ed that the 44-acre island be the state its latest plan NJJ OOHRND ELL FREE f INDEX Boston hosts One nation, under the weather which is only 49 percent alienat- its second ed, and whole educational cate- gories, such as people with Grammy i by Ellen Barry been taking the alienation poll, to an average of 52 in the 1970s. postgraduate degrees, who are that number has been creeping In the ’80s we nudged it up to only 45 percent alienated. Showcase The results are in, and Ameri- steadily toward the 100 mark — 57, and the average so far for the Though useful for a mass diag- cans can now pinpoint their na- the point at which, according to 1990s is a gloomy 64 percent. nosis, the Harris poll falls apart You might not think that an or- tional level of alienation. The an- Humphrey Taylor, chairman of Taylor says, “There’s no reason when applied to individual alien- ganization as formidable as the Na- swer? Sixty-two. We are 62 per- Louis Harris, society becomes it shouldn’t climb up into the ation — the poll crudely labels you tional Association of Recording cent in despair in this country, 62 “totally nonfunctioning.” 70s” over the next decade or so. as alienated or not alienated with- Arts & Sciences, better known as percent apathetic, 62 percent cut At this rate, it shouldn't take But don’t get down in the out regard to alienation nuances the group that administers the off from our fellow man. Which is much longer; we’re on a clear mouth. There are whole income such as table manners or taste in five points better than 1995. trajectory. In 1966, the first annu- brackets full of people who feel music. Toward that goal, the Grammy Awards, would have But over the 20 years that al Alienation Index came up with pretty darn engaged, such as the Phoenix has devised an ingenious much to offer to an unsigned rock Louis HarWris aind Azssoci ates has the magic number 29, which rose $75,001-plus income bracket, personal test. band. And up until last year, it real- ly didn’t. But with the inauguration of the Grammy Showcase competi- 7. A stranger on the street 9. You run into a friend in tears. tion — a nationwide battle of un- asks you for directions. You You say: signed bands — NARAS has be- a) give him directions. a) “You look like you need a gun to offer, as the event's project How Alienated Are You? b) walk by without making eye hug.” manager John Abt puts it, “a contact. b) “Your face is all puffed up.” unique opportunity for unsigned c) give him directions, and then c) “Now you know how | feel.” bands to get their music heard by For readers who missed (or were intentionally excluded from) the accompany him to his d) “It’s too late for that now.” industry decision-makers.” national alienation poll, we at the Phoenix have devised our own destination, and wherever he The-opening round of the sec- survey. Are you a jolly good fellow or a stranger in a strange land? goes after that. 10. You have your eye on an Take this simple test and find out. (Apologies to Cosmopolitan.) d) Mace. attractive coworker. You ond annual Grammy Showcase competition begins later this ENAANRA15e 8aE N ET N NR a) ask him/her to have lunch. 1. You’re at a party and some- 4. Your high-school yearbook 8. The last pair of shoes you b) start leaving your own lunch month, with bands from 12 US one asks you to put out your quote was: acquired were on his/her desk, along with a cities battling it out to win a slot at cigarette. You a) “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen a) Weejuns note saying “from an admirer. ” three regional semifinals in early a) put out your cigarette. rain.” b) Doc Martens Cc) start following him/her from a February. In Boston, five bands — b) put out your cigarette in his b) “This is the time to c) Tevas distance of two blocks on Jocobono, Mistle Thrush, Pound- eye. remember.” d) leg irons his/her lunchyhour. cake, Ramona Silver, and Splash- c) weep. c) “There’s a little black spot on d) eliminate your rivals. down — were chosen to compete d) You don’t smoke. the sun today.” on January 16 at the Middle East. d) “| feel stupid and The winner will go up against the 2. Your favorite TV show is contagious.” a) 227 *}?! 0} POSN jay “ooueN ‘peep “oyoyooye ue top picks from New York, b) Seinfeld 5. Your favorite poet is: S| POD “ADURN ONSIIUIN :Ob-ZE Ajqeqosd osje ese NOA Philadelphia, and Miami on Febru- c) Cybill a) Ogden Nash *ys1eHy1ez ey} ave NOA ‘eippy ‘Aoy ary 6 in Washington, DC. And ‘asja Apoqhuiene ayy] 3snf *ys1aHj1ezZ Oy} UO UI 81,NOA d) You just watch whatever's b) ee cummings whoever prevails in DC will then @/,NOA :AUOM 0} {OU Ing “eeAo;dwe ‘pues} seGue © jo ped e1,no0A on. c) yourself Jouuo} pejuruBsip & ‘4a}0A jse}O1d ‘enBoyeip eayonsysuoo e 0} Bul play the finals at Irving Plaza in d) Alfred, Lord Tennyson B 81,NOA “UOHNNIOS 94} Jo ped -}NQU}UOS as,NOA “Apesg Bluey New York City during the week of 3. A colleague from work in- JO wie;qold ey yo ed syinb you ueyy Sqnjo ei0W 0} Buojeq NoA the Grammy Awards. vites you to play touch football. 6. Hermann Hesse books read: G1, NOA “SIUUS PEIeYesiq >4 E-9% ‘Aued uwep ay} JO 341) oy} 81,no0A The Grammy Showcase show at You a) none ‘aippy ‘eippa pebebuz :84-o4 “UJYLN O A “NOK yNoUIM JeUUIp the Middle East on Thursday, Jan- a) show up stewed. b) Siddhartha b) show up, then panic and c) Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, ve}s 1,U0M Bueb ey) yng ‘yeu0y ‘qd yore uary 16, is free, but tickets are re- leave. Damien -OWe ay © 396 Aew NoA pue Ayye JO} NO} Puke ‘D YORE JO} 9Ouy} quired and available from the club; c) have jerseys printed up. d) All, in the original German. -uossed unoA sj yey UNS 94} SSOs9e ‘q YoBe 105 OM) “Y YORE 104 JuIOd call 864-EAST. d) You don’t have a colleague. Plus the diaries. YUP HIM PNojo e ‘eu, OF OUR euUOo YIM ‘suemsue JNOA dn ppe — Matt Ashare WOJ4 “SIUUOG SUuIePsOg *SZ-6b ‘*3HO90S YNOA ONILNdINOD ie ss outa tw us nent as Wi ch ta entee as ad ene ee ee JANUARY 10, 1997 MEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX 7 HISTORY LESSON Standard issue Hysterical and uninformed attacks on education O previous item, 2.3: “The student will compare the plans are usually associated with the right in this tribes of American Indians in Massachusetts with no- country, from fundamentalist struggles against sex madic (e.g., Sioux) and settled, agricultural tribes “SATISFACTION,” recorded by Devo. education to Lynne Cheney’s recent crusade against © (e.g., Pueblo) in other regions of America.” Then, far- This 1978 gem is a punk manifesto anda proposed national history standards that she felt paint- ther down the page, “The student will metric ton of fun. An ultrastiff lock-step beat ed an insufficiently glowing account of America’s past. ... describe settlers’ interactions with replaces the original’s affected But Globe columnist Patricia Smith demonstrates som, American Indians.” And still farther, “The slinkiness, while singer Mark that the left can be just as off-base. In a January 3 student will explain the .. . life of the Mothersbaugh recasts Mick column, Smith denounced the state Board of Ed- ip Massachusetts Bay Colony, with em- Jagger’s swaggery lyrics ucation’s proposed curriculum frameworks for phasis on its relationships with native as a neurotic blurt (“I language arts and history as monolithic, right- tribes, including causes and effects of can’t GET-me-no/sat- wing, and white-oriented. King Philip’s War.” is-FAC-tion”). By the In the history curriculum, she wrote, “pre- This is not to say that all the outraged time they get to the kindergarten to 4th-grade students are ex- multiculturalists Smith quoted in her “Babybabybabybaby pected to describe the European discovery of column were wrong. The document treats baby babybabybaby the Americas, without a mention of “American Indian” and “Native ...” part, they’ve the fact that natives were already . American” as interchangeable overthrown the Rolling settled there.” Pm terms, and its world-history Stones and everything else Smith ended the column by giving section fails to mention any the Woodstock generation the Department of Education’s Web ancient civilizations south of agreed was cool. address, so that readers could see Egypt or on the Indian sub- the offending documents for them- continent — both suggesting “THAT’S ALL RIGHT,” recorded by Elvis Presley. selves. And sure enough, a visit to a troubling narrowness of Hey, the idea was to geta - the site turned up Item 3.2, which perspective. But if Smith white guy who could sing asks students to discuss European wants to combat such igno- like he was black, not exploration and settlement without rance, she ought to make one who could write mentioning Americans (or, for sure she knows what she’s songs like he was some reason, the Dutch). talking about. black. So a certain But then the eye wanders to the — Tom Scocca young truck driver stretched his lungs around a song by WEB WATCH Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, and the The Globe’s sheer drop result, released in the summer of 1954, drove Memphis wild. With the World-Wide Web evolving faster than a (www.globe.com, instead of www.boston.com). parasitic virus, a year can encompass the birth, But Eric Meyer, who wrote about the survey results “WALK THIS WAY,” recorded by Run-D.M.C. maturation, and death of several technological for NewsLink, points out that entering True, it hasn’t held up as well as “My Adidas” generations. www.globe.com takes the user directly to the top lev- or “It’s Tricky.” And it’s to Which is as good an explanation as any for why the el of Boston.com, so the error results in no harm. As blame for reviving Boston Globe's megasite, Boston.com, plunged into for whether the Globe should have been listed sepa- Aerosmith. But this the abyss in a widely publicized (though rately, he notes that NewsLink merely re- See cross-genre track admittedly unscientific) survey of the Web’s peated what it did last year. bbs marked the last great best news sites. Meyer does concede that, despite efforts moment in American Nearly 33,000 readers last month partic- to prevent it, a considerable amount of bal- popular music when ipated in a poll conducted by NewsLink lot-stuffing took place, and that black and white kids (www.newslink.org), a popular webzine Boston.com — which, unlike many web- could listen to the published by the American Journalism Re- sites, did not build in a link to NewsLink so same hit songs, view. And Boston.com came in 51st, just that readers could vote for it — was at a before honky missing a spot in the Top 50, despite finish- disadvantage. alternative radio came ing fourth in the inaugural survey a year ago. The first Then, too, some of the luster has faded from Bos- along and resegregated five choices this year: CNN Interactive, the winner for ton.com since its debut in the fall of 1995. Widely everything. the second year in a row; the Washington Post; USA judged at the time to be one of the best media web- Today; the New York Times; and the NandO Times, sites in the country, its slow loading speed and its “| STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT 1’M LOOKING published by the Raleigh News & Observer. failure to include the entire day’s Globe now make it FOR (RADIO MIX),” recorded by Negativland. Gina Maniscalico, Boston.com’s executive director, look a bit worn. Bono may yelp about freedom, but protests that since NewsLink was rating news sites, it Maniscalco, though, is having none of that, as- in 1990 U2’s record label used should have listed the Globe serting that Boston.com attracts 10 times the traf- all its might to suppress this (www.boston.com/globe) instead of the top level of fic it did a year ago, and that, according to a rough track. The official Boston.com, which encompasses some 30 media estimate, 30,000 to 50,000 users log on every day. complaint: that the partners, including magazines and broadcast-news “| judge our popularity by what our own statistics recording’s title, “U2,” operations. And she says that NewsLink even man- tell us,” she says. would confuse aged to get the address for Boston.com wrong — Dan Kennedy consumers. Perhaps, though, the Irish lads were more upset by what AWARDS seem to be profanity-laced Score two for the local girl outtakes from Casey Kasem’s radio show, including one in which the genial Casey rants about There aren't too many surpris- her single “Mother Mother” is how stupid the U2 members’ stage names are. es in this week’s Grammy nomi- up there with some of the big- nation announcements. gies, including Sheryl Crow's “If “SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS),” Babyface’s name is all over the It Makes You Happy” and Bon- recorded by Marilyn Manson. place, the Beatles are back in the nie Raitt’s “Burning Down the Call it the Pat Boone principle: no matter how running for Best Pop Perfor- House,” in Best Female Rock thrilling a new sound, some pinhead will finda mance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Performance. And her de- way to make it boring. But these Alice Cooper Vocal, and other old-timers like but CD The Burdens of Being wannabes earn mention for Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, Eric Upright (Island), which was cer- doing that to shock rock, Clapton, and Bruce Springsteen tified gold last November, will be which was designed to all, predictably, have their share going head to head with Tori repel the masses. of nominations. Amos’s Boys for Pele (Atlantic), After Manson The lone new artist who seems Beck's Odelay (DGC), R.E.M.’s finished piling up to have caught the ear of the es- New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Warn- the transgressive tablishment, to judge by her pair er Bros.), and Smashing Pump- clichés — cross- of Grammy nominations, is Bos- kins’ Mellon Collie and the Infi- dressing, noisy ton’s own Tracy Bonham. Bon- nite Sadness (Virgin). guitar, sinister ham didn’t make the cut in the So what’s Bonham up to now? vocals — their Best New Artist category, where After a year of heavy touring, she product was more Garbage, Jewel, No Doubt, the is currently taking a month off in Top 40 ready, and Tony Rich Project, and LeAnn Boston to write new material. less spooky, than the Rimes are set to battle it out. But — Matt Ashare Eurythmics’ original. — Tom Scocca aa 8 JANUARY 10, 1997 MEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX SHAWN || The Boston Phoenix has been covering the more deeply embarrassing than the face of | trends and events that define our times since Burt Reynolds, eyes welling, chin atremble, 1966. The following selections, culled from staring feelingly into the camera and our back files, were compiled by Chris Wright. |a nnouncing that he wants a kid. Sniffling about love and children and art, he has the | Beauty and the beast effulgent phoniness of a fundamentalist years ago: January 10, 1992 huckster. Besides, Reynolds's cow-eyed sclf- | | While Boston’s theater district has always pity looks pretty shabby on the most attempted to elevate man’s spirit, the successful actor in the country.” | neighboring Combat Zone has aimed, well, | significantly lower. These days the lofty 2 Argentinean beef | seems to have gained some ground on the years ago: January 11, 1977 | down-and-dirty, but, as Maureen Dezell It’s difficult to believe, but Andrew Lloyd % = | _ §§| lamented, things were looking grim for a bit. |W ebber's Evita is not the worst event to special guests . m™ | “Lower Washington Street houses some have befallen long-suffering Argentina. Stu é r | seedy, sorry sights these days. Lafayette Place Cohen reported incidents that in sheer | has gone bankrupt. The Opera House is dreadfulness surpassed even Madonna’s likely to be boarded up soon. Drug dealing warbling. and prostitution are increasing; police patrols “Last March 24, a well-organized and | have been stepped up. Today, the liveliest thoroughly predictable military coup sector is one that many had hoped would be dislodged President Isabel Perén from gone by now. Instead of dying, though, that office. The civil war between the army and | block — what remains of Boston’s Combat the guerrillas, the growing economic | Zone — is showing signs of renewed life.” nightmare, the rampant corruption at every level in Mrs. Perén’s administration — 1 The Beasties and a beaut each of these conditions encouraged years ago: January 13, 1987 popular support for the coup.” iniueemaes "aie The Beastie Boys are something ofa n ’ , ae - institution these days, but when Licensed To Ill 2 Lewd awakenings sa debuted Chuck Eddy got quite beside himself. years ago: January 11, 1972 Orp aYsielan j f heatre “The Beastie Boys are three white smart- Rent strikes. War protests. Naked hippies. asses from Brooklyn let loose in and laying The times, they were a-changing, and waste to their wildest, most diseased answers were blowing in the wind. Authority Friday Feb 28 7:30pm aii tickets :23" daydreams. Pissing on the sober face of socially. was being challenged all over the place, acceptable adult decorum, reveling in orgiastic particularly by groups such as Cambridge’s fantasies of next-big-thing rock stardom, using | Lewd Commune, which ruffled feathers by On Sale Vionday 1 eFsTaa hammer-of-the-gods Stratocaster licks advocating sexual openness. As Bob Chassell burglarized from Tony reported, the beleaguered lommi and Jimmy Page as Establishment often resorted to Tickets available at Orpheum Theatre Box Office, select Newbury | weapons, and exhibiting the the principle “if you can’t beat next CALL (6 17, } VRE <P Comics locations & Strawberries in ted yt *An additional the NEXT website is service charge will be paid to and retained by ticket company on collective bravado of Bill "em, beat ‘em anyway.” eras st, a at outlets or by phone. “Plus $.50 facility surcharge & eones www.bo: On, com/ {sT=).4¢@ $.50 for Sports for Boston Youth. *Date, time and ticket price subject Haley and Bobby Fuller and “Last year the Lewd Commune oi to change without notice. - Johnny Rotten, all balanced was acquitted of ‘lewd and on Bronxilla beats enormous lascivious’ behavior after being enough to turn skateboards busted for nude sunbathing. But into rocket ships fueled by the triumph ofj ustice — a jury alcohol and junk food and proclaiming innocence — has angel dust . . . their new not saved the commune from { @ I |S aAN i HI V Licensed To Ill (Def hassles with the powers that be. Jam/Columbia) is the most Just recently, Seth Many, one of assured LP debut of 1986. the members of the commune, REMUNE™ (previously known as Salk Vaccine)is an “Not bad for a trio of WOULD YOU put a_ was accused of shoplifting at experimental treatment intended to boost the body's brats that originally backed child in this man’s care? —_Zayres. Surprisingly, both Many natural immune response against HIV. A Phase III Trial into hip-hop by accident.” ju ~ = or poisd ih la i° s ongoin° g to i° nvestiPg ate the effecti° veness of the i° mmune 1 Love Burts oprite rchea dsitdoireye: . t Baitx thhei nsh ad banilo tshteo leSna ke based therapy at delaying the development of years ago: detective, though, took him to a back room AIDS - defining conditions in HIV infected individuals. January 12, 1982 and stripped him down, just to make sure.” Long before his well-publicized ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: estrangement from the lovely Loni Anderson, Where are they now? - Burt Reynolds had a well-publicized break-up Maureen Dezell is a staff writer at the Bos- ¢ HIV positive, CD4+ count 300-549 with the lovely Sally Field. Stephen Schiff ton Globe. Chuck Eddy is the author of ° 18 years of age or older watched in horror as Reynolds, airing his Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal ep : frustrations on national TV, yearned for a Albums in the Universe. Stephen Schiff is a ¢ Individuals allowed to be on Burt Jr. staff writer at the New Yorker and has writ- anti retroviral drug therapy “There are few images in the wonderful ten a screenplay for the latest film version of world of entertainment these days that are Nabokov’s Lolita, which is in production. ¢ No history of or current AIDS - defining conditions except for KS reality check by David Sipress Treatment lasts up to 3 years with visits every 12 weeks. Study treatment, lab tests and medical exams are provided free of charge. Sometimes cae Join us for hove no idea “=MUNE EDUCATIONAL FORUM | On January 15th from 7pm - 9pm at | who ¥° met Seto feletemal-teleele alG elelianaslaa Gaelian 40 Trinity Place, Boston (near Back Bay Station & Copley Place) Jaro) ape ete)c cm belle) acer-tatesemer-te JSI Research and Training at 61 7-482-9485ext.548 Men & Women of all Backgrounds are Encouraged to Participate JANUARY 10, 1997 MEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX 9 WAOPR/LWDID E MOASRTKO W PARCELLS: the man. CIANCI: the hain. WELD: put up. KRAFT: shut up. MENINO: watch your back. POLITICS Some in Weld’s camp slyly point out that hance the neighborhood's image with the he has positioned himself to appear pro- general public. (Just for the record, as a stadium without taking any political risks. resident Bostonian born and bred, | value Weld’s brand of hands-off support might neighborhood solidarity. Southie, however, be annoying both Kraft and Menino, but takes it to extremes.) then Kraft has already pissed off thousands Since the retirement of Whitey’s brother The New England Patriots are on a roll, with his team’s inept handling of playoff- William Bulger — a wily politician of Cian- ticket sales — and as for Menino, he’s ci caliber — from the presidency of the but their stadium plans are stuck. — probably going to support Joe Kennedy for State Senate, Southie’s titular leaders have governor. been city-council president Jimmy Kelly The lesson: Massachusetts politicians and State Senator Lynch. TIME FOR some context. Eastern Massa- That Kelly, a hardworking but narrow- seem intent on proving that they are chusetts has three major development pro- minded pol of the old school, opposes the jects in various stages of planning — a stadium is no surprise. not-ready-for-prime-time players. convention center, a new ballpark for the But the same stand is disappointing com- Red Sox, and a new stadium for the Patri- ing from Lynch. He has the wit to put to- ots. The convention center and the ballpark gether a deal that might guarantee a por- are undeniably Boston-centric. tion of the construction jobs to his blue- Un-Patriotic Will any of these ever be built? Probably. collar constituents — as well as sizable But there is no telling when. Southie representation on the workforce of Why? Because so many local political and any convention center/stadium complex. economic players exhibit a mindset that is He might even come up with a plan to equal parts provincial, sophisticated, and block neighborhood streets to outside traf- BY PETER KADZIS self-centered: Or, to put it another way, too fic during the eight to 10 weekends that many are too smart for everyone’s good. football would be played. In the abstract, there is no reason why a This, of course, is idle speculation. convention center and a stadium can't be A Phoenix poll of a representative sample HIS HAS NOT been a good week doned incinerator on which to build the built.in the vacant expanse abutting down- of political players yiclded the almost unan- for the local political establishment. new stadium Kraft so fiercely wants, and town that is technically part of South Boston. imous conclusion that only a convention Governor Bill Weld and Boston truly needs. If this were Atlanta it could happen. Dit- center could be built on the Southie site. Mayor Tom Menino look like not-ready- Few want to say so, but the site is a dog. to Charlotte. LA might pull it off. Chicago Nobody has the stomach to take on the for-prime-time players. Marisa Lago, Menino’s now departed de- would give it a shot. neighborhood on the stadium issue. And They've been done in, at least temporarily, velopment chief, offered it to the Patriots But this is Boston — the home of the not too many trust the NFL or Bob Kraft. by an unlikely cabal: Patriots owner Bob as one of her lame-duck acts. And the fact bean, the cod, and the neighborhood faction. The NFL is eminently untrustworthy. Its Kraft, a hard-headed businessman; the Na- is that Lago herself was a dud. It was a no- As anyone who follows local politics notion of negotiation is sometimes tanta- tional Football League management, a gang ble experiment to bring her from Balti- knows, South Boston is a proud, compact, mount to blackmail. As for Kraft, as one ob- of opportunistic bully boys; and Providence more, but she never worked out. The may- not-very-affluent collection of precincts that server put it, “Many are irritated by his out- mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, the undis- or kept her on too long, and responsibility wields political clout out of all proportion front behavior.” Kraft is a guy accustomed puted political leader of am uch smaller city for the current development malaise can be with its size, primarily because its residents to getting what he wants. But after enjoying who plays a rough game of politics — some- laid in part at her feet — and, by exten- have the smarts to vote in large numbers. months of publicity as the man who saved times roguish, but almost always brilliant. sion, at the mayor’s. Southie has its share of distinguished the Patriots from moving to St. Louis, he’s Unfair, say defenders of Weld and Meni- Kraft’s own choice for a site is a prime sons, daughters, and residents: US Repre- turned into a public-relations nightmare. no, who point out that these three horse- undeveloped location on the fringe of South sentative Joseph Moakley, populist Herald men of embarrassment enjoy-only the Boston, close to downtown. The Globe and columnist Peter Gelzinis, and State Senator TO HIS credit, Kraft has pledged about short-term advantage afforded them by an the Herald have all but endorsed his plan. Stephen Lynch, to name three. $200 million of his own money to build the unexpectedly triumphant football team. Bill Weld, for his part, has continued to jaw It may be unkind, but it’s nevertheless stadium, in exchange for necessary improve- Still, it must have killed Weld and Menino in general about his support for the stadium, accurate to point out that two of the neigh- ments to the neighboring infrastructure. to pick up the Globe and the Herald earlier but has done little to makes things jell. (It’s borhood’s favorite cultural pursuits are Still, expert political opinion ranges from this week and see the headlines: the NFL had worth remembering that the Weld Adminis- speculating on the whereabouts of a federal weary resignation to outright support for chosen Providence, not Boston, as the official tration exhibited a distinct lack of leadership fugitive known as “Whitey” and playing the idea of building the stadium right where host of Sunday’s AFC championship game several years ago when the deal to build a lottery scratch cards. Hostility to blacks in it is now — in Foxborough. between the Patriots and the Jacksonville new Boston Garden — translation, Fleet- general, and to gays and lesbians who There is an element of the “gotcha” in all Jaguars. But the real killer was that front- Center — almost fell apart.) aren't natives, has also done little to en- this. When Kraft owned the stadium, but page photo of Cianci, grinning like a Borgia not the team, he was a booster supreme of prince who had just ravaged a nunnery. Foxborough. Situated in the triangle What's the fuss? Aside from the political formed by Boston, Providence, and penis envy (not to be discounted in all this Worcester, it was, he said, a superb region- boys-will-be-boys jousting), it’s the free na- al location. tional publicity — attention that would Now that Kraft controls the neighboring probably cost a couple of hundred thou- Foxboro Park raceway — having squeezed sand dollars to buy — that now accrues to longtime operator Charlie Sarkis out in an- Providence. ticipation of an expected future deal to allow The episode also highlights a larger prob- expanded gambling facilities — he has, the lem: for more than 20 years, Boston has had presumption goes, more than cnough room real trouble coming to grips with its urban to maneuver. He can simply tear down the planning and development issues. Quincy track, build a new stadium, and then build a Market, for example, almost went undevel- new track on the old stadium site. oped because no one would spring for the There is a logic to this. money needed to build a parking garage. The best plan for the city would be a Only a crisis sparked resolution. That’s the joint complex in South Boston. But if that’s way business is done in this town. a political impossibility, then the governor Providence, by contrast, got its act to- and the mayor should say so. gether years ago and undertook a massive Menino has been clear that his first pri- renovation of its downtown. The city isn’t ority is getting the convention center built. out of the woods yet, but it’s inching to- If he won't help turn public opinion around ward a comeback. Development, it turns in Southie, then he ought to stand up and out, is not just a political game: ii’s how say the stadium belongs in Foxborough. cities make their names. Weld, for his part, might do well to get Truth be told, this week’s Patriots news his hands dirty and take a stronger stand isn’t such a surprise — visiting teams play- on the issue. ing at Foxboro have lodged in Providence As for Bob Kraft — well, at this point for years. But the NFL’s very public an- he’s best off keeping his mouth shut. ® nouncement of Providence as official host seems calculated to wound Menino, who ae 4 & AWPO/RWLIDDE P eter Kadzis can be reached at has offered Kraft the site of the city’s aban- ANTI-CLIMAX: many political players believe the Patriots should stay in Foxboro. [email protected]. 10 JANUARY 10, 1997 NEWS THE BOSTON PHOENIX WE HOLD THIS truth to be self-evident: Boston’s public schools blow. Some, of course, are worse than others. And a few — especially among the elementary schools — are even very good. But mostly, overwhelmingly, they blow. What proportion of Boston’s high-school juniors can read at grade level? Twenty-four percent, thank you, and that remarkable showing actually includes students from the exam schools, which require a test for admit- tance. What proportion of 11th graders demonstrate similar competence in math? Six (6) percent. Boston Latin, anyone? Yeah, yeah, take a number. How did the city’s schools get this way? BY YVONNE ABRAHAM It depends who you ask. Maybe it was de- segregation, or court-ordered busing, or racism. Maybe it was apathetic teachers, or parents, or students. Maybe it was the unions, school committees, city councils, or mayors, all playing politics with educa- tion. Maybe it was because the economy, or the family, collapsed. Or maybe because everybody was — and still is — so ob- sessed with where kids go to school that they forgot all about what happens to them once they get there. Whatever the reason, the result is a system in which the teaching varies wildly between schools and classrooms. It’s a system in which it’s nearly impossible to track the per- formance of students and teachers because there are no reliable, standardized tests based on uniform curricula. And it’s a system in which the gap between the vast black and Hispanic majority and the diminishing white and Asian minority yawns wider with every grade. A system from which white, middle- class, and upper-working-class parents pull their kids, often moving out of Boston, leav- ing the city to the rich and the poor. To be sure, these problems are not unique to Boston. Nor are they new; the past two decades have been especially bad ones for the nation’s schools. It’s just that now, education has finally attained hot-button status (witness ‘ Bob Dole’s tirade about “militant teachers’ unions” at the Republican convention). Ev- erybody seems to be talking about the sorry state of the schools. And everybody's got a cure for what ails them — vouchers, school choice, charter schools, uniforms, comput- ers, union-busting, reading volunteers, de- tention, even re-segregation. Here in Boston, 12 superintendents since 1963 have tried to fix the schools. No dice. And though Bostonians aren't the only peo- ple in America to have lived through an ugly desegregation battle, they act as if they were, which makes education reform here an extra-perilous, politically charged un- dertaking, especially for outsiders. Some folks say the schools can't be fixed at all. Others say they can be saved, but only if somebody does it now, before the malaise consumes them. Enter Dr. Thomas W. Payzant, a man who is not quite the bomb many in this town have long maintained the system needs. He’s a man who was criticized as a can- didate for the superintendent’s job in mid 1995 because he lacked charisma. A mild- mannered man who has been praised most often for quiet qualities like diligence, con- centration, and lack of ego. A man who hasn't lived here for 30 years. A man whose public persona to date has been marked by a kind of insistent blandness. But this is the man who, since October 1995, has been working to save the Boston schools. He actually, fervently believes he can do it. Thing is, a lot of other people : think he can, too. PAYZANT IN SCHOOL: “You know at any moment he can drop in unannounced.”