1978

The new paper
March 8

The Rutles were on the cover of the "preview issue" of the NewPaper. Music dominated the 12-page edition, with stories on Emerson, Lake and Palmer, reggae, Warren Zevon, and the Pirates (no, we don't remember them either). Here's an excerpt from the opening statement.

Why the NewPaper?

We'll answer that with another question:

"What's going in Rhode Island?"

If you're like many Rhode Islanders, you'll answer, "I don't know" or "not much."

That is "why" the NewPaper.

We believe that, whether you're discussing music or arguing politics, there's a lot more going on in Rhode Island than many people realize.

This modest preview issue represents the first step towards establishing a new, major weekly offering both the most comprehensive entertainment information possible, and a fresh perspective on what's going on in the state.

Unlike Boston, which has two fat weeklies and two large dailies, Rhode Island has never had a major statewide weekly. One daily newspaper company more-or-less determines most of the information Rhode Islanders receive from local news sources. We don't believe this is a healthy situation.

On the ball
March 29
Chip Young made his NewPaper debut in the third issue. His first column concerned the hometown hoops teams run in the NCAA tournament.

Able was I ere I saw PC and URI go down the tubes. In this self-styled Elba I pick up my paychecks in, I had to suffer with my home-state heroes from afar. Actually, the place in which I had chosen to hit the fetal position after the URI-Duke game was a little spot called McAn's, a sweetheart of a dive right across from Penn Station that features Star Market lighting, two 25" TVs, and more muscatel-therapy patients than General vonSteuben's and Pat's Tap (keep those palindromes rollin') combined.

Getting serious
April 19
The sixth issue of the NewPaper featured a package on "Abortion in Rhode Island," including an anonymous report, "One woman's story."

Then, it was my turn. My counselor, the same woman I'd seen on my first visit, stayed close. I undressed, used to the ritual of gynecological sessions -- the same awful table ending at your lower back, and those damned stirrups that cramp your legs with those unnatural angles. The doctor explained exactly what she was doing, giving a vague estimate of how much discomfort to expect. The only things that hurt were the things that weren't supposed to. Then she turned on the machine. It looked like, and basically was, a canister vacuum cleaner.

Toons of the future
May 17
The Mad Peck gazed into his crystal ball and foretold the arrival of Toy Story and Antz.

Today's cartoons are mere shadows of their ancestors. The really shocking aspect of this situation is that the means are now at hand to make high-quality cartoons possible once again, but so far nobody seems willing to take the plunge . . . It has already been demonstrated that computers can do all the tedious work of animation for a few watts of electricity. With a full system of programs a producer could feed an artist or even an old comic book into his computer and a finished cartoon would pop out already on videotape.

Going through a phase
August 2
Rudy Cheeks made his first NewPaper appearance -- on the cover, as frontman for the Young Adults. Jim Mitchell reported on the band's sound and vision.

With their plastic-Americana stage decorations, bizarre costumes and precisely executed pop music cliches, the Young Adults have been raking our collective American life style over the coals for more than two years. Their current success can be attributed largely to hard work, practice and Polish voodoo . . . Whether the Young Adults mount that mythical stairway to wealth, fame, and better quality drugs remains to be seen. After all, they could be gunned down by Red Army terrorists tomorrow, or sign on with the Billy Graham Crusade at any moment.

Those little town blues
August 9
Poor misunderstood Central Falls. A package on the beleaguered town featured these observations by Rick Rusack.

How did the city and people of Central Falls become Central Fall Guys? Like the class nerd of the seventh grade, the city is small, funny-looking, and, well just different, that's all. Cramming 18,716 people and 50 liquor-related establishments into 1.3 miles, thus making it the second most densely-populated city in America, it fairly screams for abuse. The promise of liquor once every 130 square feet boggles the Protestant Ethic. Comment must be made.

Talking wieners
November 1
In "A Talking Head Mouths Off to a Young Adult," Rudy Cheeks reminisced with David Byrne about the head Head's gainful employment before "Psycho Killer" brought him fame and fortune.

Cheeks: You used to work at the New York System on Smith Street near the corner of Orms. You were a pretty good grill man. Didn't you work at the Yankee Clipper?
Byrne: I couldn't cut it at the Clipper. They put me on mornings and all these guys would come in and say, "Gimme the regular." I didn't last very long. You know what it's like.
Cheeks: Not really. I was doing mostly dishwashing and janitor work. What about the System? I was living on Jewett Street then and I remember I'd stop by and see you once in a while. There were a lot of fights in that place.
Byrne: Yeah, you had to do the hot dogs on your arm.
Cheeks: Did you do them on your arm?
Byrne: Sure. You had to.
Cheeks: How many could you do?
Byrne: I think around 12. Up to my shoulder. Cheeks: Well, you have pretty long arms.
Byrne: But they're hairy. I don't think people liked that much.
Cheeks: Maybe you should have worn a plastic sleeve. That was a pretty crazy place.
Byrne: They had these mushroom-shaped seats and people used to come in late at night and throw them around. One of the guys who worked there insulted one of the customers one night so the customer picked up a big pot of mustard and poured it on his head.
Cheeks: Just like a hat?
Byrne: Right on his head.

1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |