Sunday, January 21, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three Sunday, January 21, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three Due to overwhelming response will be conducting new GROUP LESSONS IN GUITAR Beginning January 29th Rental instrument kits are available at a nominal charge applicable toward purchase of the instrument. Private and group les- sons are also available in guitar, flute, re- corder, banjo, and drums. For information call 769-4980 dun d4a lc # 4ic Wat Mad artist a boor in Savage Messiah 336 S. STATE MON.-SAT. 9:30-9:00 By BRUCE SHLAIN Ken Russell, demonstrating a peculiar zeal for portraying ar- tists as buffoons or worse, has now added The Savage Messiah to his previous embarassment of Tchaicovsky entitled The Music Lovers. This time the subject matter, in Messiah, is a stilted biography of sculptor Henri Brzeska. The in- tent, or rather the only side of the film in which any intent is discernible, is to equate the ar- tist with the Life Force, to por- tray him asnfree, unshackled, even messianic. But what passes for freedom in Russell's conception of the ulti- mate artist is mere boorishness. The hero is seen at various times grappling on the floor amid some spilt beef stew, heaving a sculp- ture of his own making through an art-shop window, and even in one sequence stuffing cigarettes up his nose and prancing about on all fours in a brilliant imita- tion of a pig. There is no doubt something loftily romantic about the "mad artist," about Van Gogh painting at night in a cornfield with can- dles burning around his straw hat to give his weary eyes light, etc., but Scott Antony, in the role of Brzeska, provides little m o r e than a portrait of a frenetic slob who loves to lie in the gutter and always misses his mouth when taking a vigorous swig at some stale coffee. There is much in The Savage Messiah reminiscent of Morgan!, that British farce of a few years back in which David Warner spent two cinematic hours run- ning about - in gorilla costumes while trying to seduce his wife, Vanessa Redgrave, while she was trying to divorce him. Morgan's identification with gorillas was supposedly a highly moral decis- ion, seeing as gorillas are power- ful pacifist vegetarians, notice- ably more satisfied. than anyone who is so loony as to want to join bourgeoise society. Messiah tries to develop t h e same mood, that of an identifica- tion with the artist at the ex- pense of the rest of the world. The absolutely uncontrolled an- tics of Brzeska, if ridiculous and unnecesary, are supposed to be seen in light of his honest re- action to his environment, an en- vironment in which even his art friends are hopelessly stuffy and self-contained. But, far from being able to see Brzeska as a universal martyr, I was barely able to sympathize with him at all. For one thing, anyone who acts as irrationally as this character and does so without a trace of humor is to - ARTS I COME TO MASS MEETING U of M Riding Club Tuesday, Jan. 23 7:30 p.m. University Club Lounge 761-9555 f 'f UiJL'rU k CALE'N DARk FILM-Cinema Guild shows Hitchcock's 39 Steps in Arch. Aud., Sunday at 7 and 9:05; Cinema II presents Bunuel's Tristana in Aud. A., Sunday at 7 and 9; On Monday, Cine- ma Guild shows Cockettes' Tricia's Wedding; The Check- ers Speech of 1952 in Arch. Aud. at 7, 8:30, and 10. ART-31 faculty members of the University's Dept. of Art exhibit their works beginning today at the Museum of Art. MUSIC-Milton Bailey plays tenor at 2:30 in the School of Music Recital Hall. Today, at 4:30, Wayne Brown plays baritone in School of Music Recital Hall. MUSIC-SPECIAL-The Bahai Community of Ann Arbor pre- sents a musical celebration of World Religion Day featur- ing music, prayers, and chants, this afternoon at 3 in the Law Club Lounge.c 77w sene Sunday & Monday: Quarter Nights (BEER & WINE) Tuesday: '/2 Price Night Dancing Every Night from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. 341 South Main 769-5960 - - - - - --1 me largely boring. And even though I am in full agreement with R. D. Laing, it would still be convenient to label him as "crazy" and be done with him. All martyrs get it in the end, and so does this one. He goes off to war and gets his fool head shot off. His female companion, his "Mamalooshka," weeps for him as she has wept for him all during the film. Indeed, the act- ing of Dorothy Tutin, in the role of Mamalooshka, is Russell's only saving grace. While we are forced to repeat- ed look at an army photo of Brze- ska taken just before his death, a slow pan of his sculptures clos- es out the movie. The effect would have been highly evocative if only there seemed to be some connection between the sculptur- es and Russell's parody of Brze- ska, but connecting the two ele- ments is liky trying to imagine that Guernica was done by Gold- ie Hawn. Daily Photo by TOM GOTTLIEB Bruce Phillips Bruce Phillips: Strengthening By DIANE LEVICK Interested in moose turd pie? Bruce Phillips, who appeared at the Ark this weekend, is always well - armed with absurd stories about such delicacies as well as with more politically - oriented songs and jokes. Phillips, who goes by the name of "U. Utah Phillips," is first and foremost a union organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). (Yes, folks, it's still around.) His music - songs about trains, hoboes, and unions -is a tool to drum up union sup- port. And Phillips knows whereof he speaks. Originally from Utah, an area that 'he says is "wall-to- wall fascists," Phillips has "been around," to put it mildly. Just back from a tour of Eng- land and Scotland, he has work- ed 'as a warehouseman and a mu- sic archivist for the state of Utah for seven years. He has helped build a hospital on a Na- vaho Indian reservation, and he was a soldier for three years. Basically he made a living doing "anything that came up." Only relatively recently has he taken to singing for a living. Phillips, who sports blue jeans, a red plaid flannel shirt, and a vest and hat as might be ex- pected, now performs for union and college audiences with Mor- ton Grosswendt and Nancy Katz. Grosswendt plays above - av- erage guitar, dobro, mandolin, and banjo. Katz, University of Michigan Folklore Society's for- mer president, plays adequate banjo. Both blend well with Phil- lips' harmonica and clean, but usually simple, guitar strumming and pattern - picking. Half of Phillips' show, how- ever, is not the songs, but his rapid barrage of one-liners which union confirm that there is indeed such a thing as really good "bad jokes." You can at least get good groans out of his jokes that aren't laughable. Who couldn't get an enjoyable cringe out of the following: "I come from Utah where 'rollin' your own' (cigarettes) is considered a form of incest," and "Morton was born under a staircase. Being a stepchild ..." His jokes and satirical stories are what perhaps makes his sim- plistic political ramblings toler- able to college audiences. Of course, Phillips explains that the oversimplified statements in his songs were meant for uneducat- ed workers who learned the his- tory of "rich capitalists" instead of their own class. "That's why you, have the problem of union rednecks to- day," he says. "The purpose of this kind of singing is to help build pride among the working class people so they don't let capitalists abuse -them. Still, it surely must be possible for Phillips to revise his dia- logue for audiences like the Ark who may very well agree with some of his anarchist sentiments but resent such blatant attempts at mind manipulation. The overflowing crowd at the Ark Friday night, however, seemed to enjoy Phillips' lyrics, some of which were extremely clever or touching. With a po- tentially impressive but slightly off-key voice, Phillips, who is one of an increasing number of train freaks, sings about the dis- appearing mode of transporta- tion: Daddy, what's a train? Is it something I can ride? Does it carry lots of grown-up folks and little kids inside? It is bigger than our house? toI I 0 e~nthusiasm Well, how can I explain when my little boy asks me "Daddy, what's a train?" He may be powerless to stop the disappearance of the trains, but Phillips is intent on keeping radical union spirit alive. SHOP THURSDAY ANC UNTIL 9:00 P.M. D FRIDAY - - If 4.4 a he west. . . est look on ene. ..faded nim with st stitching. sazes 5-]3. ; jacket with Id Ssnaps {?? :offs, $24. / w ith 16 The most remarkable film I have seen this year. -Arthur Schlesinger Jr. UWter Mkatthau: "A COMEDY THAT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH & CRY, IT COULD BE THE BIG HIT OF THE NEW SEASON." -Detroit Free Press I t Vf 5th HIT WEEK ! PG i Carol Burnett AN INTELLIGENT COMEDY WITH SOME OF THE CLEVEREST LINES IN YEARS ... THE SURPRISE COMEDY HIT OF THE YEAR." -A.A. News Ti1lie" DIAL 662-6264 OPEN 12:45 Shows at 1, 3 5, 7, 9 P.M. Sat., Sun. and Wed. at 1 P.M. and 7 P.M. Promptly Mon.-Tue.- Thur.-Fri. at 7 P.M. only tonight 6:00 4 News 7 Move "The Lone Ranger" (56) 9 UFO 50 Star Trek 56 Movie "The Blue Angel" (30) 6:30 4 NBC News 7:00 2 TV 2 Reports 4 George Perrot 9 Engelbert Humperdinck 50 Lawrence Welk 7:30 4 World of Disney 7 Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour 8:00 2 M*A*S*H 7 FBI 9 Beachcombers 50 Mancini Generation 56 An American Family 8:30 2 Mannix 4 Columbo 9 Bandwagon 50 Johnny Mann's Stand up and Cheer 9:00 7 Movie "How the West Was Won" (62) 9 Canadian Figure Skating Championships 56 Ma erpiece Theatre 50 Golddiggers 9:30 2 Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman" 50 Detroit Show 10:0 4 Return to Peyton Place 9 Weekend 56 Firing Line 50 Lou Gordon 10:30 2 Evil Touch 4 Profiles in Black 11:00 2 4 7 9 News 11:15 9 Religious Scope 11:30 2 Movie 7 ABC News 9 Movie 50 For My People 11:45 7 Movie "Rawhide" (51) 12:30 4 News 1:30 2 Movie "Fall Girl" (60) 1:45 7 News 3:00 2 News MONDAY 6:002 4 7News 9 Courtship of Eddie's Father 50 Flintstones 56 To Be Announced 6:30 2 CBS News 4 NBC News 7 ABC News 9 I Dream of Jeannie 50 Gilligan's Island 56 360 Degrees 7:00 2 Truth or Consequences 4 News 7 To Tell the Truth 9 Beverly Hillbillies 50 I Love Lucy 56 To Be Announced 7:30 2 What's My Line? 4 Mouse Factory 7 Let's Make a Deal 9 Wacky World of Jonathan Winters 50 Hogan's Heroes 8:00 2 Gunsmoke 4 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in 7 Jane Goodall 9 Bobby Goldsboro 56 Net Opera Theater 50 Dragnet 8:30 9 David Frost Revue 50 Merv Griffin 9:00 2 Here's Lucy 4 Movie "I Love My Wife" (70) 7 Movie 9 News 56 skating Spectacular 9:30 2 Doris Day 9 This is the Law 10:00 2 Bill Cosby 9 Nature of Things 50 Perry Mason 56 Ten Outstanding Young Men '73 10:30 7 What About Tomorrow? 9 Man Alive 11:00 2 4 7 News 9 CBC News 50 One StepBBeyond 11:20 9 News 11:30 2 Movie "SevennBrides for Seven Brothers" (54) 4 Johnny Carson 7 Dick Cavett 50 Movie "God is My Co-Pilot" (45) 12:00 9 Movie "The Pad (and now to Use It)" (66) 1:00 4 7 News 1:30 2 Movie "n Old California" (42) 3:00 2 News 1214 s.' university. -CAMPUS Cinema 5 Presents The Sorrow and The Pity Directed by Marcel Ophuls I rA1 from out of t Miss J's new the casual sc blue cotton der detailed contra By Little Foxes, Smocked shirtj belted bock an pretender pear on front and c Front-zip pants yoked back, $1 4" presents A CELEBRATION OF PRESIDENT NIXON'S INAUGURATION TRICIA'S WEDDING The fabulous "Cockettes," a West Coast group of transvestite actors, presents their version of the Royal Wedding at the White House. What happens when Eartha Kitt sneaks some LSD in the Reception Punch? Come and see, you won't believe your eyes! Plus the Great American Tragi-Comedy CHECKER SPEECH OF 1952 Richard Nixon and Doggie address the Nation. I JOHN HAWKES WILL READ WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24 AT 8:30 P.M. IN THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE AUDITORIUM RECEPTION FOLLOWING IN GREENE LOUNGE A CHRYSALLIS PRESENTATION p._ I _. I CINEMA II TRISTAN 046 r 0 I I