Page 6--Sunday, April 15, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Quad stages multi-media blitz
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"REVEALING THE GALLERY:
NEW INSIGHTS FOR ARTISTS"
PANEL
DISCUSSION
BLIXT GALLERY A
GALLERY 1 A
DETROIT FOCUS
GALLERY
THE ARTCENTER
Mt Clemens April 17
8:00 p.m.
CONFERENCE ROOM 5
MICHIGAN UNION
OPEN TOTHE PUBLIC
FREE ADMISSION
UNIVERSITY ARTISTS
& CRAFTSMEN GUILD
By MARK DIGHTON
Amid the noise and confusion of
opening night, the expectant audience
took their seats. All of the East Quad in-
telligentsia were there, which may ac-
count for the relatively sparse crowd.
From the moment the curtain rose, it
was obvious that the All-Media Com-
pany's presentation of You Never Know
What They'll Do Next was going to be
no minor undertaking. The Non-
Returnables, the infamous rock and roll
group around which the All-Media Co.
centers began with one of their cat-
chiest numbers, "Bourgeois Scum," a
sprightly introduction to rock and roll
Marxism. From there, Tom Keating on
the guitar broke into the spotlight for
some classic rock and roll outlaw
posturing while . leading the band
through "I'm Just a Rock 'n Roller"
and "Datin'." Hey fans, you can forget
those Springsteen comparisons-the
only connection between these two is a
never-ending passion for rock and roll.
ALTHOUGH LATER in the show the
sound did get just a bit shaky, the mix
during these opening numbers was im-
peccable. It perfectly highlighted the
space between Tom's earthy, human
guitar and Dave Witte's spacebuzz.
The set itself was quite an impressive
sight. Below two giant slide screens
nestled another rear-projection ver-
sion. On either side of the stage were
placed two low risers-Tom and Dave
on the left, Mike Rubiner and Jim
Osborne (drums and bass) on the right.
Greg Mazure (vocals) had the range of
the expansive stage center. He prowled
it like a caged animal (look I told you
You Never Know What They'll Do Next
Residential College Auditorium
April 13-15,1979
The Nonreturnables
Tom Keating...............guitar/vocals
Greg Mazure....................... vocals
Jim Osborne ...................... bass/vocals
Mike Rubiner........ ...........drums
Dave Witte ........................... GUITAR
Beth Ann DeStigter...........dancer/time
Pat Grimes...........dancer/Ralph/guitar
Lorri Jacobson ....... .............. terrorist
Larry Levin ......... .............. terrorist
Sheila Szczepaniak .................Alice
Margaret Wheeler.............. dancer/fate
Direction and visual composition. Gregory
Mazure; choreography, Margaret Wheeler
already, the Jagger similarities are
only facial; the guy can't help it),
allowing other members of the band to
make the seemingly easy descent from
the second to first levels, usually ac-
companied by appropriately dramatic
alighting changes (endless bravoes to
the thankless crew). Greg also shared
the center of attention with a troupe of
three dancers, whose imitation of the
cover of Roxy Music's Manifesto was
superb.
As usual, the visuals added profoun-
dly to the complex musical performan-
ce. The slides to "Datin"' exposed
what's really behind those mirrors on
the ceiling in the boys' bedrooms. For
shame, boys. What if your mothers had
come? (What's that? Some parents ac-
tually spotted in the audience?) The
complex inter weaving of slides, video,
and film was truly an ambitious feat.
IN MUCH THE same serious vein as
"Bourgeois Scum" was the science fic-
tion epic, "521." It was sort of
Progressive Rock facing Existen-
tialism with a solid, primal rock
backing. It's all about the
mechanization and depersonalization of
modern society. Surely not an original
theme, but I know it's one I never tire
of. How 'bout you? The band's pseudo-
Devo jumpsuits were the perfect touch.
(So what's that about a bandwagon?)
Just so you don't think it was all
seriousness and no fun, there was a
short dramatic scene between two of
the numbers. It starred the ever
Daily Photo by PAM MARKS
vivacious Sheila Szczepaniak (What a
voice!) and the up-and-coming Pat
Grimes in a Neil Simon-in-East Quad
type of vignette. Although the laughs
rolled like ball bearings, there was a lot
of truth in this telling dialogue. And
well, you know, the truth hurts.
I can't believe I've gone this far
without devoting more space to the
inimitable Greg Mazure. Besides coor-
dinating and creating many of the
visual Aspects of the show and singing
up a storm, he demonstrated an
astounding range in acting abilities.
Few others could portray two charac-
ters as opposite as the disco loser of
"Were You" and the lone blue jean hero
of "Drugs, Sex, and Violence," who one
almost unexpectedly gains sympathy
for as the number progresses.
AFTER A SHORT intermission,
nevertheless apparently too long for the
half of the crowd that left, the Non-
Returnables came back to the stage to
do a blistering set of cover versions.
Their ability to span everything from
Chuck Berry's "Oh Carol" to Neil
Young's "Cortez the Killer" to the
Clash's "Guns on the Roof" without
compromising their own identity,
proves that there are no holds barred
for this group. All in all, though, this
second set was disappointing because
of the lack of exactly what -had made
the previous set special: originality.
Don't you guys know that today the true
rock and roll fan would rather hear a
bunch of mediocre originals than a
score of competent cover versions? If
not, you do now. Still, their song selec-
tion was exceptional, including "Sub-
mission" by the Sex Pistols and several
Stones and Springsteen classics.
After the show, I forced my way
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backstage through the bloodthirsty fans
and everpresent security guards to-
have a short chat with some of the cast
before they ran off to the posh opening
night reception at the Village Bell. Of
course, everyone was very busy, but
Tom and Sheila, out of their never-
ending devotion to the public, agreed to
talk some about the show. I asked Tom
what he felt the entire meaning was o(
this religiously profound exhibition we
had just witnessed. After a moment of
deep reflection, he said, "I'm not really
sure. I only play guitar."
Despite a lot of complaints by the
crew about uneven sound quality and
visual mishaps, the entire presentation
held up surprisingly well. Pointing out
that Friday night's show was the dress
rehearsal they never had, one
technician promised that things would
be even better by the end of the run at
the RC Auditorium in East Quad, which
has been extended through tonight.
Hopwood
winners
slighted
Thanks to Deborah Clark,
LS&A senior, who gave us a call
to complain that her Hopwood
Minor Essay prize of $500 was
omitted in the roster of winners
published in Thursday's Daily.
Since the Hopwood
release-which we no longer
have-lists the prize winners not
by division, but by hometown, we
have to rearrange the charts.
Sometimes a name gets left off..
Our apologies.
Saturday afternoon our only
cross-check was the Ann Arbor
News, which supports the provin-
cial tradition and only publishes
winners from Michigan. If there
are any winners not lucky enough
to be from Michigan and get their
names in the News, please call or
write the Daily and we will adjust
the error in our extra editions
next Thursday and Friday.
"! _.
-.5 - _ _.: :.
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ECRUSADERS
Stix Hooper v 6? u"gw Joe Sample
Robert Porwell -Billy Roaers -WiltonFelder