ARTS The Michigan Daily Wednesday, September 10, 1980 Page 7 Kingbees: It's your mistake By MARK COLEMAN Ever - have a song you absolutely, hate stick to your brain like crazy glue? For some reason it happens to me every mmer, maybe because I listen to the radio more or else that season lends it- self to immortalizing, you know, kind of summing up all those funtime vacation memories in a single song, or even a single refrain or hook. Last summer it was "My Sharona" by the now almost- forgotten Knack and this summer, at least for me, it was "My Mistake" by the Kingbees. The what? Unless you lived within radio range of Detroit this past summer ou may never have heard this gem, nd with good reason. Set against a rambling pseudo-rockabilly rhythm, the song relies on the repition of "My- My-My-My-My-My" for its hook so heavily that when they finally get around, to "Mistake" the listener breathes a sigh of relief. That's about all there is to it, a hook dangling to cat- ch the unsuspecting listener, but no tautness or strength on the rest of the ne. 4 THE REST of the Kingbees' namesake debut LP relies on the same bare bones fifties rock riffs, recycled with homogenized simplicity that some poor souls think is a "punk rock" in- fluence. This Los Angeles-based group (how'd you guess?) threatens to do the same thing for Buddy Holly that the Knack did for the Beatles, only the Kingbees aren't even sexist or crass, just dull.. But for some reason the Kingbees cave captured the, uh, imagination of local rockers, what with the aforemen- tioned airplay and a seemingly endless series of local gigs, culminating in two big shows at the Second Chance Mon- day night that kicked off a series of "new wave" shows at that establish- ment. IN all fairness, the Kingbees do reproduce the sound of their LP quite adequately live, though surprisingly that's about the extend of their show. You'd think this kind of hoppin' would lend itself to, nay, depend on a no holds barred reading in concert but the only time these Bees showed any extra en- thusiasm was during the between-num- bers applause. Oh, they do their songs (all ten of 'em) and a few appropriate covers but unless their neo-rockabilly rhythms hold some kind of novel effect for the listener (like if your only other exposure to this kind of rock and roll is Steve Nardella) then forget it. The Kingbees are all style and no soul and substance-they don't even have the in- fectious devotion of a great oldies-bar band like say, the Flamin' Groovies. They just stand there and grin, in designer jeans and flashy collared shir- ts. Oh, they all did solos, too, can you imagine a rockabilly drum solo? Well I couldn't either, but it really wore out the Kingbees' drummer, a balding, for- tyish chap who had to stop and catch his breath between songs the rest of the night. What else? They played "My Mistake" and everybody jumped up and down, they played the follow-up hit "Shake Bop" and everybody jumped up and down and so on and so on. At this point it all fades into a gin-and-hashish induced oblivion. One thing I do remember: The Kingbees played a song that's refrain went "Someday I'm gonna leave this rock and roll behind me." This may be upward showbiz mobility or a discouraging lack of con- viction but either way I wish the Kingbees good luck and good riddance. Culture atstudent rates. STORE COUPON 110 OFF 1 BREYERS@'YOGURT. All natural creamy full of fruit BREYERS. Real yogurt at its best. Mr. Grocer: Kraft. Inc. will reimburse you for the face value of this coupon plus 7' handli g allowance provided you redeemed it on your retail sales of the named product(s) and that upon request you agree toI furnish proof of purchase of sufficient product tocover all I redemptions. Coupon is voidwheretaxed, prohibited, or aEW lnaturaf rest'ricted by law, and may not be assigned or transf erred A f - .} y vyou . ' eosiivuliu 1/7(1 '.zzetnU51O1 miL1IL .pt L..UO1rnht byyu.Gsh ale tZ ustomer ustpa pplcabl tax. For redemption, mail to Kraft. Inc. Dairy Group, P.O. Box 1799, Clinton. Iowa 52734 Expires June 30. 1981. X14300 314 3 A ? I I mo k J', Daily Photo by JIM KRUZ The Kingbees Sunglasses at Ulrich's ? Jointhe Arts page The Daily Arts page needs new contributors. If you have an interest and some knowledge in the performing or static arts as well as an all- .encompassing desire to write, this could be the opportunity you've been 'waiting for. What does being an arts staffer entail? That depends on you, your in- terests and writing ability. We need new talent in every sphere, especially fields like classical music where the Daily's coverage has been something less than exhaustive.F But there's a lot more to arts reporting than writing a concert or movie review. We are currently in the process of expanding and (hopefully) upgrading both the format and content of the arts page, so we need fresh input more than ever. Joining the Daily may be your big break as a journalist, or it could become a satisfying outlet for your creative ability while providing a much-needed service to your fellow students. Some people even think it's fun. At any rate, you'll never know until you try, so come over to the Student Publications Building (right around the corner from Student Ac- tivities Building) at 420 Maynard. Our annual arts staff get together is. slated for this Sunday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m. If you want to get a head start, assemble a typewritten sample of your writing that somehow reflects your interests and bring it along. If you can't get to the meeting, stop by the aforementioned office and ask for the arts editors. We can't wait to hear from you. Bodyguard' is beyond belief By MARK DIGHTON I still haven't figured out the reason for all the fuss over this movie. It's basically about this rich kid who tran- sfers into an inner city school (no ex- planations offered) where he is con- fronted with a gang of hoodlums that threaten to beat him daily for his lunch money. So, he befriends the class psychotic (the proferred assumption being that all inner city schools have at least one resident mass murderer) who is too tough even for the hoodlums. While using the psychotic as a bodyguard, he also begins to help him explore his troubled past. In short, the plot ends up as a standard rich boy helps poor boy deal with his emotional troubles while poor boy helps rich boy learn to defend himself. Sound like an ABC After School Special? You got it. The cinematic quality is fairly com- parable to that, too. I remember one shot .. . but that might have just been my imagination. The only thing that could have saved this film would have been for the main character to be more of a character. Most of the time, he seems to be just standing around waiting for someone else (anyone else) to act. When Ruth Gordon or Martin Mull are on the screen, their energy is enough to sustain the scene, but the remainder of the time seems to barely stumble along. The first half (in which Gordon and Mull are featured) is pleasantly ab- surd. After that, the actions devolves into psychoanalysis, which the writer is even less capable of handling than the main character. The only one left to carry the remainder of the filmis the poor-boy foil, who actually delivers a few believable expressions. Fancy that! Recommended only for extreme fans of Ruth Gorldon, Martin Mull, Benjy, and/or Welcome Back Kotter. WOODOAND ILLS $100 OFF First Month's Rent On 1 Bedroom Apartments 6 or 12 Month tease * tennis courts *t heat included *r 24 hour maintenance *conveniently located between Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti 971-2132 4300 Packard MON.-FRI. 9-6 SAT. & SUN. 11-5 Presented by Mid-America Management U °NI Not just sunglasses ... Ray-Ban by Bausch & Lomb. Ground and polished from optical glass in designer-line styles. X 10 1 RERBRIGHT 0. 0 Turn out They do as much for your eyes as they do for your looks. Come in and see; then go out and see. MORE THAN A BOOKSTORE 549 E. University at the corner of East U. and South U. 662-3201 the I ight! (and save electricity) .1 it Look into the Air Force ROTC. And there are 4-year, 3-year, or 2-year programs to choose from. Whichever you select, you'll leave college with a com- mission as an Air Force officer. With opportunities for a position with responsibility...challenge....and, of course, financial rewards and security.