ARTS Wednesday, November 10, 1982 The Michigan Daily Page 7 S, Doll of a Johansen concert r , Vi ,a ;: IL \' y \Af&1c ., I ... ... : :h_ . , I Guitarist Luther Allison is talking the blues last Friday at Rick's. No'tj us tfor b rea kfas t By JeffGibson D AVID Johansen's appearance at Second Chance Thursday: (showtime: 9:30 p.m.) continues what has proven to be ar exceptional month for the performing arts in Ann Arbor. Those fortunate enough to be in atten- dance will have a unique opportunity indeed: a chance to witness a bonafide legend riding the crest of national breakthrough. A conflict of ter- minology? Definitely, but in dealing with David Johansen, one learns never to apply the ordinary. First, the legend. For the better part of ten years, "New York, New York" could have been David Johansen's theme song. As the leaderfrontman for the New York Dolls, Johansen labored in commercial obscurity, achieving notoriety mostly for the band's outrageous glitter-rock pose. On the surface, the Dolls appeared to be merely the progeny of the time's fashion: Lou Reed, David Bowie, and T- Rex. This month's Drag Queens, if you say. Musically, however, the Dolls were much more than posers, they were in- novators. Their music possessed a raw, insistent' energy born out of a diverse spectrum of influences ranging from early Motown and rhythm and blues (Archie Bell and the Drells) to the late sixties garage sound (the Seeds, the Count Five). They released two albums: The New York Dolls (1973) and the prophetically titled In Too Much Too Soon (1974). The Dolls attracted a rabid local following of New Yorkers who could look past the glitter pose (or play along with it). They pioneered late-night gigs at the local clubs. To many, they embodied the verve of the Manhattan nightlife in microcosm. Still, the music transcended even their artsy Bohemian following. That such disparate musical genres could be suc- cessfully molded into an almost primal innocence remains the major impor- tance of the Dolls' work. It also proved to be their downfall. The varied interests began to fall apart as swiftly as they had come together. They realized that they could not dent the commercial market, and each wan- ted to try different musical directions. In Johansen's case, his love for in- dividual songs (he was weaned on a huge collection of 45's) had been sacrificed to satisfy a more demanding role. The band dissolved around 1975. Legends often grow out of sudden ab- sence, and the New York Dolls were no exception. Their albums rapidly gained cult status and formed a primary in- fluence for -the Punk/New Wave ex- plosions in Great Britain and New York. Now, the breakthrough. After the dissolution of the New York Dolls, Johansen was free to more fully explore those elements of R&B and early rock and roll that had been compromised in the Dolls' proto-punk stance. He released three critically acclaimed solo albums: David Johansen, In Style and Here Comes the Night. His songwriting matured immensely and he proved to be one of rock's foremost interpreters of non-original material. The melodies became fuller and his 'vocals were brought to the forefront of the mix. In New York, he gained the reputation of being the most exciting showman around. He was also, perhaps, rock's best kept secret. With the release of Live It Up, Johan- sen seems to have finally solved his problem of exposure. This live album serves to introduce the uninitiated to his fine solo work, reconciling it with his New York Doll's past, while showcasing his talents as a live per- former. Gone are the days when Johan- sen had to toil as an opening act for rock and roll travesties such as Joan Jett. Catch this rising legend at the Second Chance while you can. Next time, you may have to wade through the aisles of a reverberating arena. David Johansen will make a special autograph signing today at 4:00 at School Kid's Records. Shoemaker-Kusko Testing Preparation Services 7 Johansen ... living it up By C.E. Krell ALESE STRODE into Rick's, og- ling in a sexist manner Ms. boun- cer lady. Last Friday was six days after October 30, when the Luther Allison *land Halloweened at East Quad. Stop! Gay Talese didn't do this. Tough cookies for you. .The Luther Allison Band:- Michel Carras, piano; Michael Morrison, bass; Donald "Hye Pockets" Robertson, per- cussion; Luther Allison, guitar, har- monica vocals. "My main thing is to play accurate my way ... I'm making it more Luther Allison. 'I listen to country music; I listen to reggae music, jazz, classical. What I'm listening for in that music is how much blues 'in that. music. I refuse to hear anything but blues. There's not a moment go by that I'm awake I don't think or I'm playing within my mind my guitar. 'I'm trying to find a recipe for my generation, my life." Twenty-five years of living this and, no, Luther Allison hasn't stopped yet. It's not just for breakfast anymore. It's so easy to write the blues off as a tired form for old, black men or middle- aged white heroin addicts to sing about their problems. Why do it? People study anthropology and ar- cheology in order to learn more about ancient man, why he did what he did, and how this can help man to prosper in the future. So why not use the same for the blues? Luther Allison thinks the blues appears in almost every form of music we listen to today, and at closer listen, you can't deny it. Shutting your- self off from one area leaves you won- dering why does this sound like this? But why listen to Luther Allison? As an "in." Why not? Luther Allison ad- mits to being lesser known: "People don't hear Luther Allison on the radio, and that hurts me. . At one time I wanted to quit because I was at a point when I should have been recognized." Recognize him. So he's not extremely old (just 43), drug-addicted, or dying to tell you his problems. He didn't even drain his beer. (drawl) What we- have here is a success to communicate. So he's nice. Has he got the chops? Damn straight. The Luther Allison Band. The players all are expert. The bass player especially pounds your viscera into the concrete. Every time I listened for one particular instrument, that instrument, it done me deep. The sound as a whole was holly killer, dis is de blues. But it's more than the blues. It's music culture into unit. Danceable, listenable, rhythmical, transcendental. You could hear so many of your records, rolled into one large eggroll of vibration. So it's not a purist experience in "Chicago," "Delta,' "Urban," "Coun- try," etc ad nauseum blues. Fun is what it's about. A pair of tongs clutching part of you, becoming aware, then letting go, so you can do it again. What can you say about a man who expresses himself best with his hands by ripping you to shreds, only so you can continue to be ripped? Next time the Luther Allison Band rolls into Ann Arbor, take a look see. What you will see is not god, but a pair of shuffling feet directly below you, and a quivering rod of emotion inside you. Have a good time. "The door's always open. There's nobody saying you can't come." Subscribe to The Michigan Daily 764-0558 ARE YOU READY? Classes for Dec 11-GRE Starting Nov. 27th Telephone Register TODAY For more information, Coll 800-345-3033 15% OFF ALL MERCHANDISE WITH THIS COUPON (Except Sole Items) Selected Merchandise up to 50% off In our new bargain basement. Additional S% discount with a U-M ID card. (Exp. Tues Nov. 16, 1982) M lim-_ r-O 4 A RMY SURPLUS 0 E. Washington at Fourth OPEN M-SAT. 9-6 OPEN FRI. 9-8 994-3572 - - - " Darth Vader meets Euripides By Susan Makuch THE TROJAN WAR of Greek my- thology is about the last place one ould expect to find Darth Vader costumes and synthesized music. But that's what you'll find if you attend the University Player's Showcase produc- tion of The Trojan Women November 10-13 and 18-20 in the New Trueblood Arena. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. Christopher B. Connelly, the director of. The Trojan Women, says his intr- p retation is "a cross between Greek tragedy and Star Wars." Bright, futuristic costumes and an electronic ' usical score help him achieve his esired effect. "This is a theatrical play, and I've tried to make it as theatrical as possible," he explains. Connelly adds that "I don't go to the 'burlap and brown' school of Greek tragedy, so it's not a period reconstruc- tion at all." He hopes that this approach will make the play, written by Euripides in 415 B.C., more attractive to today's audience. "It has as much to ay about the modern world as it does about the ancient world," Connelly states. .The play begins just at the conclusion of the Trojan War. All the Trojan men have been murdered during the war; only the women survive, enslaved to the victorious Greeks. One of the primary characters, Queen Hecuba (of the Trojans), tried to stop the war for years, knowing it was viscious and sen- seless. "This play is very anti-war; very anti-what causes war," says Con- nelly. "It illustrates what happens when men blindly allow political necessity to determine their behavior-events end up taking control of people," he adds. Connelly relates this aspect of The Trojan Women to our world today. He gives examples of the Falkland Island War and the nuclear arms race as being the same kind of political mentality as that of the Trojan War. "That kind of political mentality has existed for cen- turies, and it still exists today," he stresses. But the thing that drew Connelly to the play was that it "has lots of oppor- tunities for women," he admits. "It's about them (women), what they must go through when men decide to run things," Connelly says. "Women are the victims-they're caught in a web of circumstance. Woman and men both realize that once you surrender control, you must do things that you don't want to do." Connelly feels that this is sym- bolic of the struggles both sexes are going through in today's society. Connelly is not only taking chances with his stylistic approach to this classic, but also with his staging of the play. "When I first thought of this piece I said to myself, 'This will never go,'" he remembers. But then he got the idea of putting the production in an arena setting - one with the audience on all four sides. "The thing about an arena setting is that everybody in the audien- ce has to have something to look at, so you must have some of the characters facing in each direction. It's a little dif ficult to stage, but I think we've workedi it out very well," Connelly says. Connelly has tried to blend the an- cient and the contemporary in this ver- sion of The Trojan Women. By tying together the social and political feelings. of years past with those of the present, he hopes to make the story relevant. He says, "With our approach, we hope we'll be able to make a social and political statement and be entertaining along the way." Is today the day you'llI find true love? 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