Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at ADF

Execution of Justice at Manbites Dog Theater

Cole Street

Lem, Dawad, and Derek Elliott set up their own post-Pink House crash pad on Cole Street during the spring of '94, in the shadow of UNC's Cameron Avenue power plant. The apartment was one half of a duplex, the other side rented by Charles McNair and Denise Matthewson. Meredith Smith lived down the street in a hipster bungalow with some musician she was dating, and Cole Street quickly became another stopping point on the Pink House legacy tour. It was on the couches of Cole Street that our jaws dropped as every TV station broke into live coverage of O.J. Simpson's infamous Ford Bronco chase on June 17.



All year long, Cole Street was the spot to be. Countless jams packed the place to capacity, and Pez's reputation as a DJ reached lofty heights. The vibe was strong, and Jungle Juice flowed freely. Other heads including Cherryl Aldave moved in and out. Lem left for a more secluded lifestyle living with his girlfriend Ebony. Derek eventually decamped for his own bachelor's lair in the back of a stately home near UNC Hospitals. At the time, N'Gai was traveling in Japan, Thailand, and other Far East destinations. When he returned to Chapel Hill in early '95, he moved in, too.

Jyoti was struck with a bolt of dirty head

Everybody pursuing their own destinies

It is Tuesday, June 14, and I am staring at a huge pile of your mail that has been collecting in our house for God knows how long, probably since the last time I sent you your unforwarded mail. Wow. I assume your first year at Harvard has gone really well, since knowing you, you're astounding everyone with your talent and intelligence. As for myself, I graduated last month, hon! I snuck through right under the wire, but I'm finally done and I'm psyched as a motherfucker. In another month I'll be moving out of the Pink House...the end of an era...and in with Jenny, who since late April has been my fiancee! Yay! So I'm engaged now, too. Seems kind of unreal.

Jay Murray will still be here, the only one left from our year together, working to finish his Masters. Then he plans to complete his PhD, but maybe he'll get tired of living with undergrads by that point. Jay also recently cut his hair off - equally big life adjustment. Oh yeah, Scott Bullock is now living with us and will also still be here next year - Jay's friend from Duke who liked to sleep on our couch. He also just graduated.


Firas, N'Gai, Erik, Jay, Pat, Scott, Kyle, Caroline, Michael, and Lydia outside El Rodeo, Spring '93

I haven't talked to Kyle in nearly a year, so tell her I said what's up. Even though Michael now lives around the damn corner from us, I've probably seen him twice all year. I've hung out with Pat several times, though, until he left to tour Tibet a while ago. Lydia is in Australia now, living with her aunt, working, enjoying herself. Her address is... N'Gai Wright is doing some intrepid traveling in Japan, of all places! He was supposedly staying with Dai for a while, the kid who crashed with us for a couple of weeks last spring. But I haven't spoken to him in a month, so I hope he's not buried. Before that N'Gai was working in New York City all this past year.

I still see Michelle Sinott around town, though - her boyfriend got out of the Marines and they're living together now. Remember Lem? He's finishing school next year, but for the past six months has been spending lots of time being a mega party host and DJ at happening Pink House functions and various other locations around town. Do you ever see Erika Gantt in Cambridge? She and Dana are living together in an apartment in downtown Boston for the summer starting June 19 while Dana works at a law firm.

Looks like everybody's pursuing their own destinies, huh. I am currently deciding whether or not to do grass roots fundraising work for SEAC or work for NC-NARAL until I can begin to fundraise for my own voter registration/grassroots media projects. I will be living, working and organizing in North Carolina (and maybe Virginia, to try and stop bastards like Oliver North) for at least the next three years, while Jenny attends law school. I wish you all the best with everything, and maybe we'll see each other in Boston sometime. Take care of yourself, follow your dreams, be free...

- Letter to Caroline Hall

Pine State at Papagayo's

alt.music.chapel-hill, 6-6-94

From: ri...@gibbs.oit.unc.edu (Christopher M. Riser)
Newsgroups: alt.music.chapel-hill
Subject: HYPE
Date: 6 Jun 1994 16:41:56 -0000
Organization: Chapel Hill Music Lovers

BEWARE: THIS IS SELF-SERVING HYPE!!

PINE STATE AND LIMA ARE PLAYING ON WED. JUNE 8TH AT PAPAGAYO'S IN CHAPEL
HILL. PINE STATE = OVER-THE-TOP COUNTRY. LIMA = OVER-THE-TOP ROCK.
ONLY TWO BUCKS. SHOW STARTS AROUND 11PM. PINE STATE WILL PROBABLY PLAY
FIRST, BECAUSE A LIMA OR TWO HAVE TO WORK LATE, I THINK.

I AM CHRIS RISER AND I AM A MEMBER OF PINE STATE. I WROTE THIS.

Pine State...TRUTH or HYPE?

alt.music.chapel-hill, 6/7/94

From: wxys...@gibbs.oit.unc.edu (Christopher Riser)
Newsgroups: alt.music.chapel-hill
Subject: Pine State stuff
Date: 7 Jun 1994 23:30:10 -0000
Organization: Chapel Hill Music Lovers

WARNING!! THIS MAY BE CONSIDERED
HYPE BY SOME READERS

Someone wanted to know about buying a Pine State tape?? Guess that was
before I signed on. Well, if you want one, just send me two bucks and a
blank 60-minute tape and I'll slap some songs on there for you and mail it
back. May even be able to send you a videotape if you're interested. The
taped show was a Pine State classic drunken bash complete with blackeyed
peas, collard greens, fucked-up songs, obscenities and taunting matches,
and our first-ever totally unrehearsed (well, everything we do is totally
unrehearsed - we've never practiced as a full band before - provides that
important spark of spontaneity, dontcha know) set closer "Up Against the
Wall Redneck Mother."

C. Wiley Riser
Pine State conspirator