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ARTS


Page 6B
Boring Bellamy 7

Thursday, December 1, 1983

The Michigan Daily


On class struggles
and other cold sores

By Elliot Jackson
WTELL, FANS, if you are looking
for a rave review of Peter
Bellamy's performance Tuesday night,
pray do not strain your eyes looking for
it here.
After this inauspicious opening salvo,
;.I hasten to qualify the impression of
disaster it portends. The evening was
nota disaster. The audience at the Ark
.was small but appreciative. Peter
Bellamy was in fine voice, and his
Jmaterial was rich and varied, ranging
.,,from Australian sheep-shearing songs
to ballads like "Shallow Brown" and
the "The Black and Bitter Night."
Accompanying himself soley on con-
certina, Bellamy brought to painful life
the fatalistic grief of these folk who
may not even love at their own con-
venience, so oppressed are they by
their social system.
Best of all, from a Kipling lover's
point of view, Bellamy gave us a wide
and colorful selection of Kipling
material.
And so we were regaled with such
gemsas the fake Anglo-Saxon shanty,
"The Song of the Red War Boat," which

expresses the stout British sentiment
that "as long as a man sticks by his
master, then the gods will stick by him"
(or something).
And, lest we forget, there was the
elegy to his son, "My Boy Jack," who
died in the war to end all wars. In
language whose eloquence lies in its
very simplicity, it tells of the turmoil
experienced by parents who have just
been told "not to worry, but their son is
missing and presumed to be slightly on
the dead side."
So, if the material was good, and
Bellamy's voice was more than
adequate, what was the problem?
In two words, ineffective com-
munication. My enjoyment of singing is
proportional to the amount -of ease I
perceive in its execution. And although
Bellamy's voice is beautiful, possessed
of a deep braying vibrato, it seemed
somehow tight and strained. The sound
was always full, but he appeared upon
occasion to be pushing for breath.
His manner of presentation also left
something to be desired. His wit was
always very dry, but since dryness ten-
ds to make a people a bit uncomfortable
after a while, it works best in small
doses.
The joining on choruses was small
and thin, and my own opinion is that it
stemmed from this- discomfort.
Bellamy later apologized, saying that
he was ill. I was willing to give him the
benefit of the doubt, but I was still
disappointed. The tone of the evening
was "business as usual" as far as the
music went, and I have come to expect
different from performers at the Ark.

T HE CRINGING season draws
nigh. Already holed up behind
emotional barricades, swaddled in
sweaters and studious sentences, the
fearful wait for the onslaught. The
clouds gather: a cumulus ac-
cumulation of inclement exams,
holiday guilt, and the big chill of
winter.
The air, some say, tastes like
death. (Others point to the South
Quad cafeteria, but no matter).
There is a frightening stillness, and
then feverish activity, but the fear
remains. No one is going to make it
to Christmas.
The libraries are already full. The
slackers who relaxed all term are

felled, will s/he not rise up and
enroll again? Verily, in the midst of
all this anguish, I foresee a time of
rebirth, a time of resurrection, a
time of spiritual and physical
fulfillment and consummation.
Consider: Man's capacity for
renewal is too often underrated. A
passion may die, but it will rise up
again. The Cubs get clobbered every
summer, but they're always back in
the spring. Truly, the dead walk
among us, as any George Romero
fan will attest to. What is Christmas
without Easter?
And there is no greater feeling
than that of rebirth, the sensation of
shooting down the dark canal, the
release into a brilliant, fresh world.
Cast the fatal errors behind, lick the
wounds and the rest of your bodies.
Enjoy this frigid season, for it sets
apart the hot spots.

Actor dies'
Hollywood actor Christopher George, 54, died in Los Angeles early Tuesday
morning. George, primarily known for his work on television, suffered a
fatal heart attack while in his sleep. His wife, actress Lynda Day George,
was with him at the time of his death.
Who Is Godot, anyway?

By Barb Schiele

k r
I t
=i
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:W. M
leve

E XPECTED BABIES, test grades,
appointments, up-coming con-
certs....Even in today's fast-paced
world, people are always impatiently
awaiting or expecting the arrival of
someone or something. No matter what
they've previously had or what they
possibly will attain, people will take the
time out of their hectic day to anticipate
a special event.
In his first play, Samuel Beckett took
this human trait and transformed it into
an entertaining, modern theater per-
formance, Waiting for Godot.
Two people sit on a bench, awaiting
the arrival of Godot (whoever or
whatever that may be). The audience
never really discovers what Godot is or
the history of the two characters an-
ticipating its arrival.

"Although unusual, the show is
tremendously entertaining," says
director David Hunsberger.
These characters employ slapstick,
theology, Vaudeville and philosophy to
create inspirational ideas applicable to
all humankind. Godot is the symbol of
the hope that exists and remains in all
people, despite all -of life's drawbacks
and let-downs.
"Because there is no real action,
Godot confronts everything typical
about a play," Hunsberger says. "It's
not your average rising action-climax-
falling action play."
Waiting for Godot runs this weekend,
Thursday through Sunday, as well as
the weekends of December 9th and 16th.
Shows begin at 8 p.m. at the Perfor-
mance Network (408 W. Washington).
Admission is $5 general and $4 for
students. For more information call
663-0681.

suddenly penitent, and may be seen
praying fervently to textbooks at all
hours. The cry goes up, "Please, let
me pass." But the way is barred.
Even the conscientious, right-
minded students are frightened, and
everywhere the discouraged mur-
mer surfaces, "Why even bother to
CRISP?" It's all over. Some,
throwing caution to the winds, revel
in their last moments; they wait for
the end amidst kegs of beer, careless
indulgence, and joyless debauchery.
Still others scoff at the threat.
Ridiculous, they claim. You're all
just a bunch of pansies.
And yet, even these courageous
souls are spied making last rites in
the privacy of their individual study
carrols.
Behold, for the condemnation of
higher powers is upon us, so cold and
threatening that even the Diag
preachers have been frightened
away. These are the bitter days,
these are the days of first frost and
first snows. Mark these first friendly
few flakes, cry the powers, for we
will bury you. Mount your missiles,
review your notes, suppress your
class struggle; do your best, and still
you will be vanquished. The scythe
and the hammer swoop down. Die,
suckers.
BUT - what's all this nonsense?
Why so frightened? Into every life a
little death must creep. Why fight it?
Yes, certainly, 'tis the knelling
season; yet each of those who is


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Af Michigan
G BAND
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Cruisin'
... sharper sounds
Revivin' Ann Arbor
The task at hand, then, is to
replenish those spent reserves of ex-
citement and youthful vitality.
Relive moments of past glory, use
your imagination, take it easy. Take
a listen to fast and past sounds at
Joe's. Star Lounge tonight and all
weekend, the one-year anniversary
of the local music compilation
Cruisin' Ann Arbor.
The three-day celebration, en
titled "The Return to the Valley of
the Son of Cruisin' Ann Arbor Again,.
Junior, Part II," marks not only the
record's first release birthday, but.
its rerelease in remastered form,
according to Ann Arbor Music
Project (AAMP) member Lee
Berry.
Revived in vinyl are snappy ver-
sions of "Up Ver Nose" by the Per-
suaders, "Walkie-Talkie" by Non
Fiction, and "Tunnel of Love" by It
Play. Captured live at Joe's last Sep-
tember by the masterful art of
recording engineer Tom Bray and
company, Cruisin' remains the only
comprehensive recording of con-
temporary Ann Arbor music.
Berry reports sales of just under
2500 copies of the original mastered
recording, and says that the
remastered version sounds even bet-
ter. The new printing will bring 1500
fresh copies of Cruisin' Ann Arbor to
local and more distant storefronts in
time for the shopping season.
Tonight's 9:30 p.m. concert at
Joe's brings back three performers
from the 1982 record: Peter "Mad-
cat" Ruth, The Blue Front Per-
suaders, and VVT. Friday and
Saturday performances will feature
three more album alumni in George
Bedard, Non Fiction, and the Cult
Heroes.
AAMP has tentative plans to con-
tinue the Cruisin' series with a fresh
recording next September and every
two years or so. Berry hopes to
feature ten to twelve different local
groups with each release.
You are still alive. Confirm that
marginal state of existence. Brave
the cold, the misery, the threat; be
happy, be cheery. Brrrr.
7 HAIRCUTTERS
- NO WAITING
DASCOLA STYLISTS

04
(1 aJx.

cI

Sunday,
Dec.4
At 4pm


1-.
lb,

Tickets
$2.00 in
$3.00 at

Liberty off State.
Maple Village...

.... .668-9329
.....761-2733

advance
the dnor





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