ARTS Tuesday, October 11, 1983 the Michigan Daily Page 5 Figures all a By Melissia Bryan With their EP Swimming, Figures on a Beach are forging into nationwide recognition, and they approach the music industry in an autonomous fashion. They have been playing and performing together for 2 years, and they have increasingly broadened their musical scope and audience. Moving from an avant garde cult following, Figures is drawing a crowd that is both younger and more diverse. Figures members Chris Ewen and Anthony Kaczynski l explain their viewpoints and outlooks to the Daily over eggs and french fries at that Ann Arbor icon, the Fleetwood Diner. Daily: Why did you choose Metro America, an independent label? Do you feel that you could have been handled more successfully if you were signed to a major company? Figues: We know of several bands who have literally sold their birthrights to do so. They have little or no control over how their record will be produced, they don't have the opportunity to develop their album packaging, and frequently can't be sure if their record will be released. We have been able to take our time and perfect our sound and our packaging right down to the album cover. We have been able to involve ourselves every step of the way, and in so doing have been as satisfied as possible with our product. We have been approached by the majors, and at this time we feel comfort'able where we are. Daily: Any names? Figures: I like Fleetwood's fried eggs, but I don't want to wear them all over my face. Daily: Fair enough. I've noticed a big change in your audience. How would you describe the recent turn around in music awareness and in fashion here in the Detroit area? Figures: For one thing the audience is both younger and broader. This is largely due to radio airplay. We can reach people who did't know we existed, and although we still have our hardened following at our shows, we're getting more and more kids who have never seen us before. With boadened radio playlists, people have been opened up to "New Music," and with that the fashions and clothing that follow. Look, kids are kids, they're bored! They want a change as much as we do. Daily: Do you think that video will become a stronger medium than radio? Are you making videos at this point? Figures: Yes, we're working on a video for "Swimming." It should be completed by the end of the year. Video may have been stronger in introducing new bands, say, 6 months ago, when it had such novelty appeal. But I can't credit viewers to be so unintelligent that they would sit hour after hour wat- ching the same guitar player banging dd up the inevitable guitar with the equally inevitable scantily clad girl in the background. It's all the same blopety- blop schlock. We're avoiding that at all costs. Our video coincides with the rest of our presentation, we control the product we produce and the public won't see or hear it until we are satisfied. Later . . . at Joe's Star Lounge. Joe's is packed, and manoevering through the crowd is both troublesome and time consuming. Once Figures begin playing every available inch of dance space is filled with gyrating young adults. Figures performs each number with precision and with seemingly boun- dless energy. Their new material gets as positive a response as their older, more well known songs. By self definition they are not a dance band, but they do have everyone moving. Joe looks especially happy, he has to turn people away at the door. The concert is a resounding success. Back to Fleetwood... Daily: What are your plans for the future? Do you feel you're onto a greater success commercially? Figures: Well, our EP is into its second pressing and will soon be rereleased. We will have another record out on MetroAmerica Records in December. On October 14th we're headlining at the Danceteria in NYC. We feel especially positive these days. Anthony Kaczynski: One of the Figures on a Beach. " Not qui By Steven Susser F IRST OF all, what kind of title is "Heat and Dust" anyway? It sounds like a furniture polish. Maybe heat represents hot air and dust the plot's obscurity. Heat and Dust' is not a good film; rather, it is a flawed film with several good points. The major problem is the plot, which is contrived and weak. Julie Christie plays a contemporary young woman who, upon inheriting her great aunt's letters, decides to do some research. This aunt, Olivia, was the wife of a junior British officer stationed in India, so off Julie goes to India. The film is divided into two segments which . alternate in blocks of ap- proximately fifteen minutes. The pur- pose is to juxtapose the experiences and encounters of the two women. This trick, which worked so well in The French Lieutenant's Woman, fails miserably. The segments are too long and most of the correlations are lost. Further- more, the modern episode is ridiculous. The people that Julie Christie meets, the situations in which she is placed and the lines that she and her fellow actors deliver are asinine. At one point, her Hare Krishna acquaintance grabs her, exclaiming, "your problem is that you need sex"; he later sticks a banana un- der his bedsheet in a Porky's-like view of sexual frustration. Julie. Christie is a fine actress who doesn't deserve a part like this. The other thespians in this segment are stilted and far-fetched. I liked Julie in Don't Look Now, but I would like to burn the footage of this role and create some heat and dust of my own. Olivia's story, however, is in- teresting, well-done and, alone, might have made a fine film.'It concerns her relationships with her husband, the Navab (the Indian prince of the region) and the Navab's good friend, Harry. The interactions of the charismatic Olivia, Harry and Navab savE the film. Harry, the mutual friend, is an Englishman who displays his ex- ceedingly dry wit with virtuosity and aplomb. *We've seen it before in "Chariots of Fire" and the like, but such humor has lost none of its charm. Olivia portrays one of the few Britians in the movie with even a spark of life - not to mention beguiling curiosity and stunning good looks. The Navab, however, is the main attraction. With te enoug his sophisticated good looks, boyish charm and abundant charisma, he of- fsets the boring English with pizzaz. All three are well-acted and believable, and their subtlety more than compensates for the clumsiness at the other end of the century. And then there is India. The country is so beautiful and the camera work so skillful that it offsets the films sometimes lackadaisical pace. Beautiful mountains, deserts, and ver- dure fill the screen in an overwhelming panorama. Moreover, the bright glim- pse that we get of the people is in- teresting and intimate. How many times does one see lavishly bedecked Indian women moving their saris to the big band sound? - ' Heat and Dust is a relatively slow film with a meatless plot. Part of it is awful, part pretty good, and some of the .characters are first rate. It doesn't have the spice of Indian cuisine, but it is peppered with some jolly good fellows. RENT A REFRIGERATOR Phone 973-6587 For immediate free delivery heat Are you considering professional school? HARVARD UNIVERSITY JOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING FOR FUTURE LEADERS IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS. Come learn about Harvard's two-year Master's Program in Public Policy leading to either the Master In Public Policy or City and Regional Planning Degree. MEET WITH: MADELEINE THOMAS Assistant Director PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM A.O.K. SLK, Ann Arbor's post-teen idols, brought cheers and tears to the masses this past weekend at the U Club. DATE: CONTACT: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18/10 a.m. Career Placement Office for Further Information and Session Location ecor S - Waitresses--Bruiseology' (PolyGram) Uh-oh, there I go: thinking about Garbo again. The Waitresses rose on the tails of the great girl group resurgence of a couple years ago (although, unlike the GoGos the group is more male than female) with a classic tease anthem, "I Know What Boys Like." With Bruiseology, lead vocalist Patty Donahue continues her spokesmanship for sexually active new wavers of these confusing times. And confusing they are, as Donahue vascillates from one extreme to the other, playing philosopher-poet- counselor for a world of assertiveness, self-satisfaction, deceit, and ennui. New wave love becomes an ambivalence between possession and slavery. Donahue can't decide what she should give up in order to get what she wants, and then she wonders why she wants it anyhow. The cynicism is a mind game, with each player trying to outwit the other: ALL STUDENTS, ALL MAJORS, ALL YEARS WELCOME. Joint Degree Programs offered with Harvard's other Professional Schools. GENEROUS CROSS-REGISTRATION PRIVILEGES WITH OTHER SCHOOLS "Look someone in the eyes and say you'll satisfy them/ Though you both know the way love is, that's a lie. " The album title refers to the inevitable emotional welts incurred in such a schizoid battle. Donahue doesn't want an amorous object ("Found I don 't want someone who'll be/ Anything to keep my happy"), or a threat to her own autonomy ("And don't you ever call me a "chick"! And I don't know why, but praise like/ I just can't accept it. ") What she ends up with is that "on again-off again" sexuality which seems to fill business schools and other people's beds. The problem with this album is not really Donahue's emotional thought processes, but her musical/poetry sen- se. New wave music isn't suppose to be this jerky, disjointed, and frankly, an- noying. It's like David Byrne with the hiccups, on top of all his other quirks. Bruiseology's saving grace is a self- deprecating humor which recognizes the absurdity of our "push me-pull you" culture (see "Everything's wrong if my hair is wrong"). When all else fails, blame it on the producer/engineer. If Hugh Padgham had done a better job, maybe Donahue problems could have sounded more gripping and less griping. -Ben Ticho EVERYONE MATH (MAJORS/MINORS/APTITUDE). You're Needed All Over the. World. Ask Peace Corps Math volunteers why their degrees are needed in the classrooms of the world's developing nations. Ask them why ingenuity and flexibility are as vital as adapting to a different culture. They'll tell you their students know Moth is the key to a solid future. And they'll tell you that Peace Corps adds up to a career experience full of rewards and oc- complishments. Ask them why Peace Corps is the toughest job you'll ever love. IS PICKING UP ONPILOT PENS WATCH OUT FOR THE STUDY HALLSNATCHERS i They know that the 89ยข extra fine Pilot Razor Point marker pen writes as smooth as silk. And the custom-fit metal z. collar helps keep that point extra fine page after page. That's why when it comes to ave Razor Point, it's love at first write. 4'.. I A BROADWAY PLAY ON CAMPUS FOR ONLY $3? rtQ 4 l;""