The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 29

I BridgeE2 For the RecordE2 Let It OutE2 MoviesE6 TelevisionE7 0 The Indianapolis Star jf lndyStar.comllving Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Section Li Webcams help ease parents' concerns. E2 New York is site of heavy-metal auction. E6 no ivinn By David Lindquist david.lindquistindystar.com "Rock ii acers star Keggie Miner II calls "Jack Diane" his 1 1 I favorite among songs re-I mm corded by John Mellen 'L' Fit in the camp. "Everyone remembers their first love," the basketball star says of the song's mm. ma I I Indiana's I John Mellencamp marks 25 years of hits with CD set that includes two new songs.

1 enduring tale of a young couple and their fleeting innocence. Indy Men's Magazine president Todd Tobias also recalls identifying as a teenager with the themes of "Jack Diane." "I remember triinking at that time, "That guy is encapsulating in that song everything I'm Tobias says. "Like any great song, it's timeless. I think, to this day, that song appeals to a group of people the way it did to me." If fresh generations of Mellencamp listeners are consistently coming of age, a new collection of his biggest tunes should provide a valuable avenue of discovery. "Words Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits" arrives in stores today, splitting 25 years of popularity between two compact discs.

The collection traces an onslaught of sing-along anthems in the 1980s and a more labored pace of near-hits in recent years. The compilation doesn't follow chronological order, however, and it features a pair of new songs "Walk Tall" and "Thank You" to entice fans who likely own original recordings of the other 35 tracks. Tony Buechler, Webmaster for www.mellencamp.com, was in elementary school when Mellencamp stormed Billboard magazine's singles chart with "Jack Diane" and "Hurts So Good" in 1982. "I was aware he was from Indiana, and every year there would be another set of songs on the radio," says Buechler, who grew up in Jasper. By the mid-'80s, the singer had built a recording studio in Brown County and served notice that his home state would remain headquarters for his family and work.

"He was local, so we all loved him," says Pamela McDaniel, a devoted "Mellenhead" who lives in Avon. "It was great to see that his music about Midwestern living reached everybody whether you lived in New York, Los Angeles or Germany. It was phenomenal to think other people liked nun as well as we did." Magazine executive Tobias was born in Indianapolis and raised in New Jersey, See Rockin', Page E8 1 i I In chronological order, the tracks of "Words Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits" and their peak chart positions: I "I Need a lover," 1979 No. 28 "Pop Singles" chart 2 "This Time," 1980 No. 27 "Pop Singles" chart.

3 "Ain't Even Done With the Night," 1981 No. 17 "Pop Singles" chart. 4 "Hurts So Good," 1982 No. 2 "Pop Singles" chart. 5 "Jack Diane," 1982 No.

1 "Pop Singles" chart. No. 9 "Pop Singles" chart. 7 "Hand to Hold On To," 1983 No. 19 "Pop Singles" chart.

8 "Pink Houses," 1983 No. 8 "Hot 100" chart. 9 "Authority Song," 1984 No. 15 "Hot 100" chart 10 "Lonely 01 Night," 1985 No. 6 "Hot 100" chart.

II "Small Town," 1985 No. 6 "Hot 100" chart 12 "R.O.CX in the USJL," 1986 No. 2 "Hot 100" chart 13 "Rain on the Scarecrow," 1986 No. 21 "Hot 100" chart. 14 "Rumbleseat," 1986 No.

28 "Hot 100" chart 15 "Cherry Bomb," 1987 No. 8 "Hot 100" chart 16 "Paper in Fire," 1987 No. 9 "Hot 100" chart 17 "Check It Out," 1988 No. 14 "Hot 100" chart. 18 "Jackie Brown," 1989 No.

20 "Mainstream Rock" chart 19 "Martha Say," 1989 No. 8 "Mainstream Rock" chart 20 "Pop Singer," 1989 No. 15 "Hot 100" chart 21 "Get a Leg Up," 1991 No. 14 "Hot 100" chart. 22 "Love and Happiness," 1991 No.

5 "Mainstream Rock" chart 23 "Again Tonight," 1992 No. 36 "Hot 100" chart 24 "Now More Than Ever," 1992 No. 3 "Mainstream Rock" chart. 25 "Human Wheels," 1993 No. 2 "Mainstream Rock," chart.

26 "What If I Came Knocking," 1993 No. 1 "Mainstream Rock" chart. 27 "When Jesus Left Birmingham," 1993 No. 35 "Mainstream Rock" chart. 28 "Dance Naked," 1994 No.

21 "Mainstream Rock" chart 29 "Wild Night," 1994 No. 3 "Hot 100" chart. 30 "Just Another Day," 1996 No. 13 "Mainstream Rock" chart. 31 "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)," 1996 No.

14 "Hot 100" chart 32 "Your Life is Now," 1998 No. 15 "Mainstream Rock" chart 33 "I'm Not Running Anymore," 1999 No. 37 "Mainstream Rock" chart 34 "Peaceful World," 2002 No. 38 "Top 40" chart. 35 "Teardrops Will Fall," 2003 36 "Walk Tall," 2004.

37 "Thank You," 2004. Source: Billboard magazine I 5" 1 i Photo key 1 a' i mmmmi i -to rid "'fci mm1 1. Here's Johnny: With a stage name he despised, 'Johnny Cougar1 performs in Seymour in 1976. 2. Riding high: A newly minted rock star in 1983.

3. 1992: A rebel's look at 40. 4. On the mend: Following his 1994 heart attack, the singer-songwriter took a break from performing. 5.

Check it out Onstage at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. 6. This time: Mellencamp and model Elaine Irwin tied the knot in 1992. Angela Edwards The Star TODAY Drivers can gauge their own hostility THURSDAY Are you clueless about raising responsible children? Clinical psychologist and Teenagers can celebrate the popularity of poetry by participating in a performance- Gannett News Service author Dr. Ruth poetry competition Peters has during It's Alive at A re you a hostile driver? Leon James and Diane Nahl, authors of "Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Warfare" (Prometheus, Do you weave in and out of traffic? Follow too closely? Yes, you.

advice for you during a 10 a.m. lecture at Your Library: Teen Poetry Slam. The event takes place at 11 a.m. at the Southport Branch Library, Clowes Hall, 4600 Sunset Indiana State Police say that 3 percent of the 227,000 accidents reported last year involved "aggressive driving" as a contributing factor. Here is the checklist by James and Nahl, followed by an analysis of your score: 1.

Mentally condemning another driver. 2. Verbally denigrating another driver to passengers in your vehicle. 3. Closing ranks to deny someone entry into your lane because you're frustrated or upset.

4. Giving another driver the "stink eye" to show your disapproval. 5. Speeding past another car or revving the engine as a sign of protest. 6.

Preventing another driver from passing because you're mad. 7. Tailgating to pressure a driver to go faster or get out of the way. See Hostility, Page E2 $21), have developed a checklist to help motorists evaluate their level of hostility on the roads. James says the majority of drivers he has tested go as far as level 13.

As many as 1,200 motorists are killed each year because of road rage, according to the last major study on the subject, co-sponsored by the American Automobile Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some experts believe that deaths due to real road rage (defined as criminal assault on another person in a motor vehicle) are much lower, but that "aggressive driving" is the real culprit. The latter includes weaving in and out of traffic, following too closely, speeding and other poor driving practices. on the campus of Butler University. The event is part of the Life Enrichment Series presented by the Sunny-side Guild.

Tlx: $25. Info: (317) 574-9483. Compiled by The Star's Steve Slosarek OFor more entertainment listings, go to lndyStar.com entertainment 2630 E. Stop 11 Road. Tlx: FREE Info: (317) 269-1868.

WEDNESDAY View rare cartoons from the World War II era during WWII Original Film Presentations. The event is at 6 p.m. in the Indiana War Memorial Pershing Auditorium, 50 E. Michigan SL Tlx: FREE. Info: (317) 232-7615..