Page 8-Tuesday, October 16, 1979-The Michign DailyThe Michigan Daily
The Michigan Daily-Tuesdpy, Octal
Can you resist the Knack?
What to look for in a came
By OWEN GLEIBERMAN
"Good Girls Don't" is the most en-
ticing song of the year, a deliciously
energized piece of rock and roll candy
that summons up the spirited punch of
the early Beatles' best rockers - "Any
Time at All," "All My Loving" - and
takes it to the third power. The naughty
lyrics, of course, are a bit of a cheap
thrill if you catch them blaring over the
airwaves; but unlike the heavy metal
bands and their wet-dream misogeny,
Knack leader Doug Feiger delivers his
paeans to teenage horniness Tas soft-
core put-ons, loaded with cheek' and
stripped of sexual menace. It's the
Knack's fierce, jangly guitars and rich
vocal textures that make their debut
album such an irresistible pop treat.
So why do I feel slightly guilty admit-
ting I like them so much? Certainly not
because I'm a rock and roll sexist. I
am, but if that bothered me, I'd have to
trash everything I own by the Rolling
Stones and the Beach Boys, not to men-
tion my recording of Burt Bacharach's
Greatest Hits. What's wedging its way
between my tastes and my conscience
is that I can't claim the Knack are an
"important" group - the way, say, the
Clash are important, or even a crew of
self-proclaimed jerk-offs like the
Ramones. And these days, importance
is where it's at.
To see what I mean, consider these
lines from the Clash's "London's Bur-
ning":
All across the town, all across the
night,
Ereryone's driring with full head
lights,
Black or white, you turn it on,
you face the new religion,
Erervhody's sitting 'round, wat-
watching telerision!
Now these guys obviously mean
business. Their vehemently moral un-
derpinnings far outweigh the anarchy
of the Sex Pistols, and it's not only their
passion, but a sense of honest self-doubt.
(which is spread over their lyrics likea
moral disinfectant) that gives the
Clash's songs such fierce, awesome in-
tensity. If Bill Murray ever invites
these guys onto "Celebrity Corner,"
he's not going to raise his left forefinger
to the side of his face and say, "Hey,
now I like these knuckleheads! London
is burning, but they're hot-to-trot!"
I love the Clash, but there's
something radical chic-ish about em-
bracing these bad-boy punks because
they sing about how their country is so
.......up. And if they're really as bored
t
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The game that never means
anything...and never ends"
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with this country as they claim, I'll bet music that, as one rock critic put it,
they don't have much sympathy for "catches like Yogi Berra." All they've
poor old Doug Feiger, as he sings, got is gobs and gobs of hooks. The hook
"When you're on your knees, then - a fashionable buzzword for the cat-
you're really not a man at all/That's chy, "commercial" musical tidbit -
what the little girls do - to you, to has become the lowest form of pop craf-
you!" I mean, how vulgar! How nar- tsmanship. Since the demise of Elton
cissistic! How socially irresponsible! John, the word's been used so frequen-
Well, maybe so. But to me, "Nuke the tly as a put-down that it easily equates
Knack" sounds like the -flip side of the Knack with artists like the Doobie
"Disco Sucks" - a vendetta against Brothers or Donna Summer. "Hook"
music because it's simple and catchy spells pleasure without content, the
and (the key word here) "mindless," musical equivalent of the one-night
stand. And so the Knack is written off
as a sleek, gleaming hook-machine,
To me, "Nuke the Knack" spewing out catchy musical phrases
that somehow have no value.
sounds like the flip side of By rising to the top of the charts, the
"Disco Sucks''-a vendetta Knack make easy scapegoats for cer-
against music because it's Sim- tain paranoid individuals who go
ple and catchy and "mind- around in a state of constant fear that
becase t ceebrtes they might not be doing the "right"
less, because it celebrates thing.Those people, I think, seersongs
physical release at the expense like'"Frustrated" and "Good Girls
osoilcommitment. Don't" as the last refuge for those
ofsocil C nclinging to seventies hedonism in dire
fear of what the eighties will bring. But
if the New Wave taught us anything, it
because it celebrates physical release ain't that we'll have our own versions of
at the expense of social commitment. sixties pop heroes only if we open up
One hundred Eskimo Pies to the first politically; it's that looking for those
person who can explain to me how kind of heroes to solve our problems is a
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" is any different. - royal cop-out in the first place. It scares
Of course, the Ramones are hardly me to hear a group like the Knack being
"committed": I'd think twice about branded the Anti-clash, not for what it
organizing a march on Washington says about the Knack, but about the
based on "We accept you!" But, their Clash. When we start turning our
fans can claim, at least they've got the favorite rock and rollers into messiahs,
gutter funk to assert their apathy. All we may never get around to doing
the Knack has to show for themselves is anything for ourselves.
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(Continued from Page 12)
film choices, and features that a con-
scientious photographer desires.
What do I look for in a camera?
"AAUUGGHH! I screwed up my
photos! "-a familiar cry of anguish. As
you scan through your recent shots, you
realize that precious photos were
ruined because of stupid mistakes.
More ofter than not, poor results are at-
tributable to human error, but even the
best photographers achieve substan-
dard results when they use mediocre
equipment.
There are three essential factors that
all good cameras must successfully
cover: durability, dependability, and
quality of optics. You shouldn't have to
pray for good pictures; you should ex-
pect them. Bad resolution film jams,
and inaccurate exposures may com-
mence the moment you invest mega-
bucks into your system.
A serious photographer can never
keep his equipment in pristine con-
dition; dramatic photos usually require
physical daring, and the camera must
suffer accordingly. Some cameras are
constructed with just an aluminum
frame; these spend more time in repair
shops than in your hands. Some brands
suffer habitually from poor spring
mechanisms, slow mirrors, or faulty
film take-up spools. Even if it means
moving to a heavier camera, buy the
one with a strong outside-casing.
Examine the construction and consider
whether or not the body could survive a
good shock. The best way to check up on
camera durability is to visit a repair
shop that services many brands and
inquire which cameras need greater or
less rehabilitation.
IN TERMS OF dependability, pay
close attention to the metering system.
Compare the ASA range and the
meter's sensitivity range on different
models to determine which one has the
greatest flexibility. The new LED
read-out meters offer the photographer
more sensitivity in measuring amounts
of available light than the standard
needle-match system. Also, nothing is
more frustrating than shootinga roll of
film and not having the film advance;
be sure to check out film loading
devices.
Good photos are primarily attributed
to the optical quality of the lens. A good
lens has a high number of lines per
millimeter in its resolution pattern and
incorporates a low-resistance focusing
mechanism. The better lenses, like
Zeiss, Schneider, and Nikon, give con-'
trasting black-and-white photos without
any filters, and render crisp color lan-
dscapes without a bluish tinge in the
sky. Be sure that your lens is variable-
mulitcoated so that the film will not
record unusual colors that never
existed to begin with.
What features do I need?,
There is a basic difference between a
gimmick and a worthwhile feature. A
gimmick is something that merely
enhances the product's sales appeal,
and has very little to do with normal
operation. Among the gimmicks on the
photographic market are beeping self-
timers, speed priority automatic ex-
posurs, winders, and "especially
made" flashes. One can count ten
seconds off instead of spending a few
extra dollars on a cybronetic voice box.
If you desire a non-blurry photo and set
your automatic exposure to 1/500 of a
second, there may not be enough light
to make a decent shot possible; thus,
you have to readjust your
camera-defeating the purpose of this
gimmick. This consumer can wind my
camera as fast as those one hundred-
dollar winders: remember that motor
drivers are continuous film feeders
while winders are synched for in-
dividual frames.
Finally, flashes that are advertised
as the perfect companion for your
camera may not be, because the better
standard flashes on the market
probably do a better job.
Some useful features which you may
want to have include the double lock,
which is vital to guard your film from
inadvertent exposure. A multi-
exposure button is a really creative tool
when the photographer probes into biz-
zare frontiers. The film uptake button
should be far away from any of the
other controlling mechanisms. The
eyepiece should come off easily, and
the camera should provide accessories
for vision correction. Timers vary im-
mensely, so try to find one that has at
least an eight-second delay and is can-
cellable. If you intend to take a great
deal of flash photos with a hot shot at-
tachment, be sure that the hot shoe is
securely attached to the body.
How do I know if I'm getting ripped
off?
A good amateur photographer
imitates the pros in their style and ac-
coutrement. If your camera is the same
one that the pros rely on, rest assured
that you didn't buy a lemon. If it isn't,
you still may achieve excellent results;
just be patient and see if the photos
reach your expectations. '
Since prices
chase a curren
like Popular P
the list of man
Check the mag
from New York
the lowest pri<
Hong Kong) ti
camera and m
retail price. If
tends to run hig
average price,
A tip that mi
merchants: E
save a bundle.
cheapest store:
tax. The store
volumes of m
great care in
about damage(
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cards or be ce
gives you the
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