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Music shines



across

The gang's all here in 'Porky's,' the latest fun-filled comic to deal with adolescent sexual frustrations.
Jokes drown relevance

By Richard Campbell

L ATEST IN THE wave of "Growing
up in America" films is Porky's, a
wild and irreverent look at the frantic
high school days in Florida, 1954.
Director Bob Clark searched through
is own memories of high school
ijinks and classic myths of students to
weave together a movie bursting with
humor, outrageous action, and the ten-
sions of sexual frustrations.
None of this, though, provides any
reason why you should spend four
dollars to see the film. Clark's purpose
is to document those times, while
simultaneously having the audience
rolling in the aisles laughing, elements
that are contradictory (at least in this
ilm) to provide anything but the most
superficial entertainment.
The story concerns a loose group of six
friends as they search for sex at the fic-
titious Angel Beach High. Their
escapades are set against detailed

recreations of malt shops, '54 Chevys,
and a background- of early rock 'n'
roll. Highlights of this episodic film in-
clude the gang peering into the girl's
shower room; the gang rushing over to
a Dixie strip-joint called Porky's
looking for women of questionable mor-
als; the gang being thrown out of
Porky's; and assorted sex jokes (voice
over loud-speaker, "Telephone call for
Mike Hunt"), innuendoes and blatant
suggestions of teenage mayhem.
Clark suggests that his fill evokes a
true vision of the way things were in
those times-but by cramming in every
outrageous joke and event, the film
becomeq an exaggeration rather than a
documentary of the era.
The only reason for making such a
film, as most of the cast members were
honest enough to admit when I talked to
them, is the humor of teenagers trying
vainly to find sexual satisfaction. And,
as far as that goes, the film has several
very funny scenes. Ms. Balbricker,

played by Nancy Parsons, is a
caricatured sexual hysteric that the
film plays against to gain much of the
humor. The boys are constantly halted
in their frolicsome fun by the presence
of Balbricker.
While the acting of the high sehoolers,
(Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt
Knight, Roger Wilson, Cyril O'Reilly
and Tony Ganios) is uniformly im-
pressive, there is no real reason in
having such defined characters in the
film. The concern for the quick laugh
overcomes any consideration for
background development that would
have given the movie some depth and
accuracy.
Let me be perfectly clear: if you want
to go out with some friends and see a
funny movie that means absolutely
nothing, Porky's is probably the best
film around. But if you want anything
more than that, or you don't have four
bucks to throw around, wait for a cam-
pus film society to show American
Graffitti.

By Bethany Raines
SUNDAY NIGHT, that abyss bet-
ween a hot and heavy weekend at
the bar or library and Monday morning
reality, has a glimmer of light shining
in The American Music Series.
Multitudes of students are hip to Ann
Arbor's music series happening mon-
thly on Sundays at the Michigan
Theatre from 7-10 p.m. featuring three
to six local bands in a show. Sunday,
March 21 headlines John Voiles, Low
Income Zone, Nonfiction and Osmosis.
Showcasing live American
music-rock, jazz, punk electronic and
more-creates one of Ann Arbor's few
true variety shows. "Eclipse does jazz
and Second Chance rock, but that's too
restricting for our series," said John
O'Reilly, concert organizer. "In 50
years when people look back at music
originating in the United States, it won't
be categorized as rock or jazz-only
American music."
Series performers know from their
own experiences that if you're not a Top
40 band it's hard to make it. Ann Arbor
has a wealth of experimental bands
who struggle through the politics of the
local Detroit area bar scene chasing
those hard-to-find gigs. Neophyte bands
starting out have even tougher times
ahead.
"A group of us local original artists,
tired of the overcrowded Ann Arbor
music scene, refused to sacrifice
creativity and pooled resources in the
formulation of a non-profit musician's
cooperative," O'Reaily commented.
"It's run by and for musicians with all
profits shared by the performers. We're
not out to exploit the audiences or the
musicians," he added.
"We've created a warm, friendly at-
mosphere in an elegant theater where
you can be relaxed and don't need to be
hassled by the booze and hype of the
typical bar scene," O'Reilly remarked.
"It's a nontraditional approach to a
concert."
Sunday night promises to be a near
sell-out. Native Detroiter John Voiles is
known in music circles as a fiery guitar
virtuoso whose powerful trio performs
their own artistic rock. Dominated by
soaring MC5 inspired guitar melodies,
they harmonize to a Carlos Santana
beat.
Low Income Zone, veteran Ann Ar-
borites, utilizes experimental, cerebral
genres ranging from. jazz to punk. They
transform the abstract and the absurd
into creative Weather Reported music;
with soaring reed solos backed by
driving metal ensemble playing.
Nonfiction features anti-pop rock
with a twist, confronting heavy realities
like nuclear waste disasters and other
modern crisis. Their single, "Too Much
Fun"/"Work With What You Got," will
be released late in March.

The comic opera Guild, 432 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104

I

ibyss
Osmosis, a powerful young Saline
trio, also pounds out those heavy lyrics.
They are known around town for their
intense commitment to playing fine,
heavy metal, original rock.
O'Reilly feels his series has been a
cultural, and musical success since its
debut last September, drawing crowds
from 100 to 2200.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30 8:30 PM MICHIGAN THEATRE
TICKETS ON SALE:
Michigan Theatre Box Office, 603 E. Huron, Ann Arbor
2-6 p.m., Mon.-Sat.
Hudson's, Wherehouse Records and all C.T.C. Outlets.

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"A great love story...
NEWSWEEK
15 WARREN BEATTY
DIANE KEATON
8.30 ~pRMuT~.
DON'T YOU WISH
YOU WERE ARTHUR? 1:30
Dudley Moore Liza Minnelli 3 30
7 40
~mur~5:30
9:45
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4

Shaw keeps jazz vftal

ByJerry Brabenec
... I think that when jazz stops
swinging, it's not jazz."
-Woody Shawj
EEPING THE JAZZ mainstream
K vital and continuing in the
tradition of trumpet masters Clifford
Brown and Freddie Hubbard, Woody
Shaw brings his quintet to the Michigan
union's University Club tonight, as the
latest installment of Eclipse.Jazz' win-
ter concert series. Shaw's last Ann Ar-
bor appearance was at Hill Auditorium,
so the opportunity to see his new quintet
close up at the intimate University Club
should be a real treat for local jazz fans.
Born in 1944, Shaw began his
professional career in 1960, playing.
with organist Larry Young and Latin
Jazz Willie Bobo in Newark and
Brooklyn, placing him roughly in the
same jazz generation as Keith Jarrett,
Wayne Shorter, and Jack DeJohnette
Shaw made his recording debut in the
early 60's on an album with the late
saxophonist Eric Dolphy. This

initiation into the jazz avant-garde was
tempered by a year in Paris playing
with bebop masters Bud Powell and
Kenny Clarke, after which Shaw retur-
ned to the States to join Horace Silver's
band.
Through the rest of the 60's and early
70's, Shaw toured and recorded with
McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Jackie
McLean, Herbie Hancock and Art
Blakey. Honing his compositional skills
by writing for many of these groups,
Shaw made his first two records for the
west coast-based Contemporary label.
Returning to New York in 1973, Shaw
worked again with the man he calls his
mentor, drummer Art Blakey. Co-
leading a quintet with drummer Louis
Hayes, Shaw backed up tenor sax giant
Dexter Gordon on a U.S. tour in 1976;
this was Gordon's first stateside ap-
pearance in close to 20 years.
Moving into the 80's, Shaw is at the
peak of his powers,' and, having won
Record of the Year and No. 1 Trum-
peter awards in the Downbeat polls, he
is maintaining a grueling touring
schedule with his new quintet.

Following Blakey'
breaking in new talen
seasoned veterans wit

's example by
t, Shaw combines
th new faces in his

quintet: trombonist Steve Turre has
recorded and toured with Rahsaan
Roland Kirk, Art Blakey, and Pharoah
Sanders; while drummer Tony Reedus,
22, is now on his first tour. Bassist Staf-
ford James and pianist Mulgrew Miller
round out the quintet.
Saturday's show should be reassuring
to those who feel that the hard bop of
the 50's remains jazz' heartbeat three
decades later. Trombonist Turre is no
stranger to Ann Arbor, having ap-
peared here with Roland Kirk, and his
resourceful soloing and sound on one of
the truly original jazz instruments
should add to what looks to be a fine
evening of jazz at the University Club.

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