Tuesdbv, Ncembtr 4, 1973

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Five


Tt~e~.-> , T4 97 H ICIA DIYPaeFv


Fires ign

By GLORIA JANE SMITH nmpero
TV or not TV. That is the ques- pire, C
tion. Or is it not the question? from ti
With Phil Proctor and P e t e r and Ra
Bergman - "half the wits" of matic C
that comic quadurnvirate Fire- the sen
sign Theatre - one never really ale -
does know. Or does one? 85.
"Phil
What. is obvious, in any case, society,
is that these two punsters (cur- talk w
rently on semi-vacation from their noon.
work with Firesign) are bril- laughin
liantly humorous as they step on cause i
stage in the guise of F r e d parano
Flamm (Phil) and Clark Cable proanh
(Peter) to lampoon the cable tele- of hur
vision industry and whatever else ance a
happens to be in (on?) the air. you per
Ypsilanti received a healthy Phil
dose of P&B humor this past the pr
weekend as the two tuxedo-clad the
gents rushed on stage with suit- tin and
cases packed full of Roman tog- sign T
as, curly wigs, pointy plastic no:- in the
es, gigantic greenbacks and all show
sorts of odds and ends. Angele
With them they carry all the years,
bare essentials to create s u c hi albums
notorious characters as Senator million
Flatus Prplongus and the m a d But
Messia
vocal s, Ial
By TONY CECERE populu
The Messial of George Freder- renditi
ic Handel has become an annual disench
event in Ann Arbor, yet one im- Ther
portant distinction remains be- major
tween the musical masterpiece sity M
and other annual events: The tion, b
Messiah has not yet lost its the pe
meaning. annoyi
The quality of the music is The
simply undisputable and the for ex
text is close to the hearts of the tween

r of the Roamin
Caliooga, Simma;
he Mz. Information
ndy Rothnoodle an
Captain Curse Lowi
nsuous Cirque Inte
all on a mythical
and I are students
," Peter explains
ith them the nex
"I think we need1
g at what's going
t's quite easy to t
id or super-serio
. If you keep you
nor, you keep yo
and your sanity. I
rspective."
and Peter have 1
ofessional humor b
r (along with Ph
Dave Ossman) sin
heatre was first ;
spring of 1967 on th
"Radio Free Oz"
s. During the pa
Firesign has relea
which have sold
copies collectivel)
then recently, ca
pre

Th eatre.
g Em- inevitable: a temporary sepacta- os
Sinim's tion. "We never split up, b:1 t F«
Show, withdrew from active co-par!tner- inch
d Auc- ship for awhile in order to get publ
man, of our scene together' or whatever," belie
rnation- Phil explains. "Our lives had tre's
channel changed, our personalities h a d expl
changed, our aspirations and our ing(
of this goals had changed . . ." Tran
when I "Our telephone numoecs had saris
t after- changed," quips Peter. "T
to keep "We were becoming stultified," ifies
on be- Phil continues. "I wanted more "I
ake the public exposure. I wanted to sign
us ap- achieve, if not necessarily a wid- man
r sense er audience, at least n closer land
ur bal- communion with the audience we "
It gives had. I wanted more mobility, terc
less limitations in our ability P
been in to travel, to perform, manifest in t
iusiness ourselves, become inspired by the
iil Aas- new ideas, write new material." this
ce Fire- In September, Proctor and grap
created Bergman joined Austin and Om- mak
reir own man to record a seventh Fire- out
in Los sign Theatre album -an "The fied
st s i x Giant Rat of Sumatra" (:o bc nize
ased six released in January). . and
over a "Firesign worked better than com
Y. it's ever worked before," Phil . . .
me the says. "Easier, with less ponler- reco
Pr
p rele
sents fine
Thee

philosophical discussiois."
ture plans for The ThSa~rec
ide a projected tour idli the
ication of another "oIk. 1
eve it is called Firesign Thea-
Mystery Joke Book," Phil
ains. "The foreword is be-
compiled now by scholars in
nsylvania . . . or is it Bes-
Translationvania," Peter clar-
t's a brief history of the Fire-
Theatre from the eirliest
ifestations which was in Eng-
or Germany .
England, I believe, 1601," Pe-
clarifies again.
eter, and Phil feel at home
he recording studio. "It is
free-est form of creation in
area," Phil says. "Phono-
ph records are free art. We
e the record and we sail it
there and it's an unidenti-
flying object. People recog-
it and believe that it exists
buy it. Then the r e c o r d
pany says: hey, it's selling
let the guys make another
ord."
roctor and Bergman h a v e
ased TV or Not TV, which
ers much of the same mater-
presented during their tour.
,y plan a second on "What
country needs."
espite the fact that they were
raised in therMidwest and
while they were both stu-
s at Yale, Proctor and Berg-
have very different back-
nds.
was always afforded oppor-
ties to perform or to enter
the world of show business,"
ains Phil. "I chose to con-
e my education before I
de the decision to devote my-
to theatre. Peter's interests,
east when I met him at Yale,
e more political, analytical,
nalistic."
ow in their thirties, both tes-
to being comedians from an
y age. "It's psychological and

psy-hic instinct," Phil says. "I
was a class clown because I was
a small kid and it was my way
of keeping my sense of humor
about things."
"I was just born with a sense
of humor," Peter says. "I just
saw things as being weird and
funny, including myself w h i c h
was quite painful for a long time.
I decided that I was going to con-

H
alf

the

wits
er elaborate description of their
particular reading habi:s.
Their routines are haneycornh-
ed with playful puns and i sty-
lized double entendre. Some-
times their word games slii right
past their audiences.
"Sure, sometimes people don't
laugh at what we gay," Peter
admits. "We know it's just those
jokes that six people will get.'


ARTS


c k of balance

s. However, this year's
on of the piece was a bit
hanting.
e were, in fact, several
problems with the Univer-
lusical Society presenta-
ut the lack of balance in
rformance was the most
mig.
University Choral Union,
ample, had problems be-
sections of the group, evi-

The Who generate
inspiration at Cobo

By TOM KIPPERT
Responding to a wildly expect-
ant audience, the Who generated
a most inspiring performance
last Friday night at Detroit's
* Cobo Arena.
Pete Townsend, Keith Moon,
Roger Daltrey and John Entwis-
tle pranced onto the stage with
a fervor that delighted the sell-
out crowd of.12,000. The resulting
music reinforced the group's re-
putation regarding its "live" pro-
duct.
Beginning with their standards
"I Can't Explain," "Summer-
time Blues" and the ever-popular
"My Generation," the Who took
command. The rapport immedi-
ately established with the audi-
ence paved the way for introduc-
tion of Townshend's new work,
Quadrophenia.
Quadrophenia tells the story of
a teenager's personality conflicts
in England's "mod-rocker" per-
iod, the early Sixties. Songs such
as "I've Had Enough" expose his
frustrations: "Cut My Hair" de-
scribes his hassles in living with
his parents.
Onstage, innovatively quadro-
phonic tapes complemented the
band's powerful "wall of sound."
Lines of synthesizer coloring ex-
panded the scope of the Who's
Mexican Wedding Shirt
HAND EMBROIDERED
$10.95 ppd.
100 %- cotton
36-42
special: 2 for $20.90
PLEATED BIB
no embroidery
$9.95
34-44
2 for $18.90
GI. Ltd.
Dept. M, Box 724
Pasoic, N.J. 07055
WHOLESALE INQUIRIES

performance, helping their total
effect immensely.
Notable selections from Quad-
rophenia included the brash
"5:15" and the majestic "Love
Reigns O'er Me". (the Who's pre-
sent U. S. single.)
Visually, Tpwnshend and com-
pany continued to amaze their
following with a machine-like
precision of elements. The four
men have always transmitted
power in both sight and sound.
Peter Townshend was hyperac-
tive with his jumping and splits
in the air, pulling off the arcro-
batic chicanery while playing a
commanding lead guitar.
Selections from Tommy trailed
the Quadrophenia section, the ex-
ception being the Who's interna-
tional anthem of sorts, "Won't
Get Fooled Again" from the clas-
sic LP Who's Next. The perform-
ance of this song approached the
ultimate in "live" rock. Town-
shend capped Moon's excellent
drum solo with a flying slide
across the Cobo stage - ringing
a guitar chord and whisking
ahead at the same time.

dent in the fugato passages
where the sopranos would pass
a melody to the altos and like-
wise to the tenors. Unfortunate-
ly. the tenors sounded like a
mere ghost compared to the oth-
er two parts. And why not, as
there were half as many tenors
as sopranos!
The Interlochen Arts Academy
Orchestra suffered from the
same shortcoming. If there were
actually violas playing, they
were struggling to play very
softly. The bassoon and oboe
also were lost in a sea of violin,
cello and double bass sounds.
And, incredible as it may sound,
the organ was nearly inaudible
most of the time.
What made the performance
worthwhile was the excellent solo
singing. Ruth Falcon sang with a
well - centered soprano sound
while John Sandor turned in a
fine rendition .of the tenor role.
Muriel Greenspon (contralto)
and Saviero Barbieri (bass) both
did exceptionally well. Greenspon
acted out important moments in
the text with facial expressions
and other subtle gestures. Bar-
bieri's voice dominated the en-
tire performance with a wonder-
ful presence so often lacking in
a bass voice.
Overlooking the balance prob-
lems, Maestro Donald Bryant
did a capable job. Many of the
rhythms lost their crispness due
to a lack of separation and pro-
per emphasis between certain
notes.
The Choral Union responded
well to his musical gestures while
the orchestra did not, partially
due to the fact that Bryant con-
ducted a choral and orchestral
piece in. choral style, with large
pauses and ritardandos (slowing
of tempo). Perhaps the instru-
mentalists would have fared bet-
ter had he used a baton.

this
Dc
both
met
dent
man
grow
"l
tuni'
into
expl
tinuc
mad
self
at le
wer
jour
No
tify
earl

tinue that on . . . why not debl
with what you can do?"
Much of their material orig-
inates from their immediate en-
vironment. Phil is a constant
collector. He pulls out his note-
book and reads a notice he had
picked up on the streets of Ne'v
York: "We're having a kw~
friends drop by for an old folks
and pioneer disco Wednesday,
November 21 at the Casa Blanca
*..the best of friends and Gaiy
Brudus . . . a last minute pro-
duction.'
"It draws to mind a very n-
teresting image and inspires me
and amuses me," he says while
pdlling out other assorted slips
of paper gathered from :h e
streets of New York.
All four Firesign Theatre mem-
bers are avid readers of indhi 1-
ually everything from coin-c
books to Sherlock Holmes to
German books about consc'ous-
ness and god power to the di.,
tionary. "The four of us com-
bined cover just about ever1.-
thing," Phil says after a rath-


f

I

ALL
YOU CAN
EAT

o,

C

S32.50 'till Dec. 31
$40.00 thereafter
Centicore
Bookshops j
1229 S. University
336 Maynard

"We're fearless," Phil adds.
"For every one gag that might
reach a limited audience, hers
are at least 10 that we know will
appeal to everybody in one form
or another. We try to retain a
balance between arcane mater-
ial which will appeal t~o some peo-
ple and ."
"Arcane material . .. thats
more radio material for us. Cuz,
you know, who cares?" P e t e r
flips.
AMERICA Seen
Through the Eyes of
Her Beloved
GRANDMA
MOSES

"AN INCREDIBLY
REVOLUTIONARY
FILM ... THE MIND
CAN RUN RIOT!"
-N.Y.U. Ticker
"FAR AHEAD OF OpEN 12:45
ITS TIME"-Wolf, Cue 'SHOWS AT 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 P.M.
--
"M ~AVISTA 1ISIRI8UTION Co., INC




Mounds of Spaghetti, Coleslaw, Garlic Bread

__._ -- ^ l .


1

I

EVERY WEDNESDAY 4:30-10 P.M.
HURON HOTEL & LOUNGE
124 Pearl.--483-1771-(Ypsi )
STEVE'S LUNCH
1313 50. UNIV.
WE SPECIALIZE IN HOME COOKING
Bowls of SOUP for 35c & 50c

CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION OF WOMEN
presents

ANAIS

OBSERVED:

A Film Portrait of a Woman as Artist
Produced and Directed by Academy Award Winner Robert Snyder
MID-WESTERN PREMIERE
TWO SHOWINGS ONLY-7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5

Auditorium 3

Modern Language Building

Tickets $2.50

CHILI

50c

1/4 lb. HAMBURGER Deluxe 80c
(lettuce, tomato, potato chips, pickles)
DAILY SPECIALS: Beef Stew, Chinese Pepper
Steak, Curried Rice, Goulash, etc.

- ----p

EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY!
MAJOR EVENTS COMMITTEE
PRESENT
Pease Auditorium

EGG ROLLS

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Fast and Friendly Service by Mr. and Mrs. Lee

Presents ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S

I

III

S, Uni v.


Tues.-Fri. 7:30 a.m,-9 p.m.
Sat.-Sun. 9:00 a.m.-9 p.m.

FRI

ZY

'.I

.4-

St.,

Dec. 8-9 P.M.

TICKETS: $3.50 in advance
$4.00 at the door
AVAILABLE AT: McKenny Union Ticket Booth,
Ann Arbor Music Mart, J.L. Hudson's, Grinnell's
Norfolk Island Pine I
Z (qraucaria excelsa)
A LIVING DWARF
CHRISTMAS TREE 3

rS
Thursday Friday Saturday
DECEMBER 6-7-8
CJIMMY SMITH
DEC. 13,14, 1S IM MT

I

TONIGHT AT
7:00 & 9:00

ANGELL HALL

AUD. A
ADM. $1

PRESENTS
A SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION
RICHARD PAXTON
MURDOCK WHITEHEAD
IN
YOU EVER
by BERNARD SHAW
WITH
PATRICIA JAMES SHELIA
GAGE VALENTINE HANEY

A footloose young man is framed for murder; the modus operandi strangulation
with a necktie. Hitchcock's best in years. Jon Finch.
Wed.: Ralph BAKSHI'S FRITZ THE CAT
Thurs.: START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME & COPS

featuring original works of
graphic art-etchings,
lithographs,-by leading
20th century artists:
Picass~o Dali
Mi'o, (Calder
Chagall Friedlaender
Searle Rouault
Vasarely and others
Presented by Meridian Gallery


e.0


F

'




4