Dating at Oberlin, according to one article in the Oberlin Review is “not a favorite topic among students.” Some may see this as a problem, but “Johnny B. Dangerous,” the pseudonymous author of the soon-to- be published The Player’s Guide to Dating Women at Oberlin College, sees it as an opportunity.

“I never see any books for men in college,” Dangerous said, explaining this motivation to write a relationship manual. “I wanted to leave a mark and this is just one of them.

“There are a lot of guys...who don’t know how to date women,” he said. “Maybe twenty percent of the guys get all the girls and there is a large majority who don’t get any.”

Johnny B. Dangerous’s book is meant for that unsatisfied majority.

The author of The Player’s Guide is a recent Oberlin College graduate.

He admitted, “I played around a little bit, I got a bit of reputation, [but] I didn’t just act on it: I thought about it. A lot of my friends with relationship problems would come to me with them and my advice would usually be on.”

Dangerous said his guide is based on his own experience and observations.

The Player’s Guide, as the title suggests, is intended to advise straight men on navigating the Oberlin dating scene. The book will let people know “if you are being played or if you are playing someone” and “how to know where you are in a relationship.” There is also information about what to do for playing and what to do for something more serious.

The guide consists of four main parts: what types of women are on campus, which women to seek and which women to avoid, where to find women and how to talk to them. Dangerous also said he was considering a section on how to break up and “not destroy your reputation,” noting that due to Oberlin’s small size, such a skill was particularly important.

One of the chief types of women to avoid, according to Johnny B. Dangerous, is “The Voice Major.” He writes in one portion of The Player’s Guide: “Well, just imagine how you’d feel if I woke you up at three o’clock in the morning, put you in a silly-ass outfit and told you to sing at the top of your lungs in front of an audience of complete strangers. How would you feel? Now imagine the kind of girl that would do this for fun. Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

“If you’re not careful, these women will suck you into a whirlwind that will have you spinning for decades to come,” he cautions.

The Voice Major is not to be confused with the average Connie, according to Johnny B. Dangerous. A relationship with a Conservatory student minimizes “the drama that comes with campus relationships,” because “unlike college chicks, or at least the ones that I know, the life of a Connie revolves around their instruments.

“The cool thing, though, is that you don’t have to worry about them nagging you about spending time with them during the day; they won’t be able to, they’ll either be in class, taking lessons, giving lessons or in the practice rooms.”

Johnny B. Dangerous anticipates that reactions to his book “will be hit or miss.” Those who like the book will appreciate its being “straight to the point.” Those who do not like it will feel that “it categorizes too much. Any time a book like this is written you have to categorize, and no one likes to be categorized,” he said.

Dangerous also recognized his limitations: “I am only speaking as a guy; I’m not trying to get into the psyche of women.”

The Player’s Guide will be released to the public on Valentine’s Day 2006, when it will appear on the shelves of MindFair Books and possibly a few other Oberlin locations. The book may also be available for purchase online once a website has been established.

Johnny B. Dangerous is also currently offering free relationship advice. He can be reached at oblove@gmail.com.