former musician talks about culture he helped create

Known as the “walking encyclopedia of music,” Barry Drake returned to UNH last week to present part of his four-part series, “’70’s Rock: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.”

An eight-time winner of UNH’s campus lecturer of the year, Drake is known for his interactive presentations, during which he uses songs, video and pictures to piece together significant decades of America’s musical history.

Starting with the breakup of The Beatles and ending with the beginning of MTV, the speech consisted of a thorough summary of bands in multiple genres; detailing deaths, inspiration for songs and even unique quirks about band members.

Drake dissected each genre, describing groundbreaking groups like The Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, The Sex Pistols and The Who. The singer-songwriter category was introduced with James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Elton John.

Each slide offered attendees a chance to see the progression of music and the ideologies that were present in its lyrics in relation to important historical events such as the Vietnam War.

Surprisingly, Drake himself was a part of the history he lectured on. He signed with Capitol Records in the mid-’70s and made three albums, playing and touring with the likes of Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Emmylou Harris, Loudon Wainwright III, Richie Havens and James Taylor.

Drake said his current career as a lecturer wasn’t exactly the path he had in mind.

“I started out as a musician playing at colleges, and then in 1984 I did my first lecture and it sort of just snowballed from there,” he said. “I really wanted to do something else with my life but I didn’t know what, exactly.”

But his current line of work has made an impact on students. Senior Aisling Maes said, “I love him ... I’m a huge fan. This was my third lecture of his and each time I always learn so much more information. He is by far the best presenter I’ve seen.”

Drake wants students to remember music’s role in this country.

“Music is the best thing in America,” he said. “It’s the story representing real people ... It tells about people. The more you get into it, the better it gets—that is, if it is good music. If it is bad, the more you get into it, the more it falls apart. Music is the true American story.”

smokes or gas: tax hike forces smokers to choose

Cigarette smokers have been segregated everywhere they go, with laws banning smoking in bars and smoking within 20 feet of buildings. Now, a new federal tax on tobacco singles them out again.

On April 4, the government raised the tax on all tobacco products from 39 cents per pack to $1.01. Add that to the $1.33 per pack tax the state of New Hampshire already has, and that makes the total tax on one pack of cigarettes $2.34.

People in the Granite State are split on this issue, in which underage smoking is the main concern, especially at UNH.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said junior Cara Sandberg. “Younger kids won’t get addicted like they did 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe people won’t spend a lot of money on cigarettes and instead use it for other ways to keep the economy running.”

Other students disagree and think the government should keep out of people’s lives.

“I don’t understand why the government cares about what I do to myself,” said UNH student Rachel Anthony. “I don’t buy that underage excuse either. They just want to get extra money out of us.”

Each state has the option to set its own tax at whatever amount state officials decide. Missouri has the lowest state tobacco tax at 17 cents. Some people think the new increase could fuel bootlegging.

“There are two things that could happen,” UNH business professor Jay Berman said. “One is that a lot of people will just stop smoking because they can’t afford it. The next is a black market will emerge, and kids will get cigarettes from someone else, selling it cheaper.”