ARTS
The Michigan Daily Wednesday, March 27, 1985 Pae9
More talented musicians from
By Hobey Echlin
I don't know quite what it is about
Georgia and music. But between the
B-52's and R.E.M., you'd think the
-state's music talent would be pretty
much exhausted. Guadalcanal Diary is
living proof that it isn't.
Since their formation in 1981,
Guadalcanal Diary has managed to
produce a successful EP and an award-
winning video, (both named "Watusi
Rodeo"), as well as a new album,
Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man
that has landed them the number nine
slot on Rolling Stone's College charts.
Pretty good for a band that started out
with the obscure notion, as guitarist
Jeff Walls explained, to "play Civil War
ballads and then branch out."
And branch out they did. So much, in
fact, that Guadalcanal's sound is as
close to indescribable as I've heard.
But what can you expect from a band
that names influences like country
balandeer Johnny Horton, African folk
music, and 60's rock all in the same
breath?
With songs raning from the punkish
"Dead Eyes" to the hoedown of
"Watusi Rodeo"
spirituality of
Guadalcanal Diary
tic.
to
red
What is the binding thr(
this seemingly disparate b
back to folk toge
singer/guitarist Murry Att
it's all "sacred music."
That's definitely the sen
G. D.'s music. Deeper t
more rootsy in their count
than the Meat Puppets,
about the band suggests
away from superficiality.'
self places them in a
deliberate inaccessibility
that is illuminated by the n
ter a few listenings.
"Watusi Rodeo" is a pri
The song itself, a kindc
country romp, deals with
issue of the "jungle cow
white man's exploitive rol
The video, as far from t
m as they get, features
tribal dance juxtaposed
Americana scenes as So
dancing and footage of a
Get up and dance? Sure,1
also won an award form t
Film Institute for non-f
Georgia
the simple G.D. offers a bit more than you might
Kumbaya", expect from today's music.
efines eclec- Songs like "Trail of Tears," a tale
about the grieving widows of fallen
ead that ties soldiers, and the Misfittish country
rand of feed- sounds of "Ghost on the Road" have an
ether? As air about them that transcends com-
away puts it, mercialization due to their African-
drumming choruses and country
se I get from mainline-sound. Meanwhile material
han R.E.M., like "Gilbert Takes the Wheel," a sort
try approach of "I Will Follow"-ish instrumental,
everything might appear a bit shallow, but like
a movement tne rest of their material, carries a
The name it- weight in its heavy drum line and more
shadow of intricate guitar that makes it distinctly
y, a shadow G.D.
nusic only af- Suffice it to say G.D. is a sort of cross
between the unpredicatable diversity
me example. and fun of the Replacements with the
of Outlawish seriousness and gravity of a Zen
h the serious master. It's not wonder G.D. is the
boy," or the South's leading cult-band.
e in Africa. And at the Blind Pig tonight, they'll
he MTV nor- probably pick up a few more fans to add
pygmies in to the list of followers that already in-
d with such dlude Nick Lowe and the Thompson
)uthern clog- Twins, as well as R.E.M. and Love
KKK rally. Tractor.
but the video It's Raining, with their new
he American Radioland lp, will open the show. Call
iction short. 996-8555 for details.
A 1
Pictured are the members of Guadalcanal Diary, the most recent Atlanta-based band to be making waves. Like coun-
terparts R.E.M., Let's Active, or the dB's, Guadalcanal Diary has incorporated sixties revival sounds into its music.
Yet, they also draw on many other outside influences, and this is what probably sets them apart.
The Oscars: two
perspectives
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T his year's Academy Awards
ceremony was, without question,
one of the smoothest, and tightest in
recent memory. It was obvious that the
imposed forty-five second limit on ac-
ceptance speeches was taken seriously
by the award winners, and the show
came within ten minutes of ending on
schedule. Sir Laurence Olivier aided in
the half-efforts at conciseness by con-
veniently omitting the nominees for
Best Picture, saying, "It's Amadeus",
before~anybody was quite ready for the
announcement.
Oscar night had its share of horren-
dous musical numbers too. Ray Parker
Jr. performed "Ghostbusters" to the
accompaniment of dancing ghosts and
bizarre special effects. Ann Reinking
made me wish that the oh-so-irritating
Phil Collins had been allowed to sing his
nominee, and Diana Ross sounded
strained and Barbie-dollish on Stevie
Wonder's'"I Just Called to Say I Love
You," the winner of the Best Song
Award. Oscar viewers were treated to a
-non sequitar appearance by Willie
Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, which,
as it turns out lasted as long as the show
ran over. Why were these country
bumpkins hauled out? Neither one has
been in a movie for a couple years. The
'farmland' films that were supposed to
-justify Willy's presence didn't win
much of anything. Mozart, as it turns
out,-would have been more appropriate.
Amadeus took Best Picture, and Best
Director, crushing the hopes of the sen-
timental few rooting for a 'last hurrah'
Oscar for David Lean. F. Murray
Abraham won Best Actor, for his
magnificent performance as the tor-
tured and envious composer Salieri in
Amadeus. Amadeus also garnered
awards for make-up, sound, costume
design, art direction, and surprisingly
for Best Screenplay from Another
Medium. Many had speculated that in
the event of an Amadeus sweep, this
award would be used to console a loser,
but Peter Shaffer's adaptation of his
stage play overcame strong com-
petition from Passage, Fields, and A
Soldier's Story.
Passage to India won two Oscars, but
director David Lean had no part in
them. Dame Peggy Ashcroft won Best
Supporting Actress for ier terrific per-
formance, and Maurice Jarre
somehow managed to win for his score,
which was loud, clangy, and in my
opinion a detriment to the film.
Places In The Heart won with Sally
Field, who claimed that this award
means that. Hollywood finally "likes"
her. You can take the girl out of
Gidget... Robert Benton also won for
the Places screenplay.
Dr. Haing S. Ngor received the Best
Supporting actor award for The Killing
Fields, which also won Best Editing,
and Cinematography.
Rock star, Prince received an award,
which, as near as I can tell, was inven-
ted for him: Best Song Score. He accep-
ted the award for his work in Purple
Rain, in a glittery blue nun's habit.
Since I went seven of ten in my
predictions in Sunday's paper, Mr.
Bilmes is going to have to wait a while
for me to treat him to a movie. I remind
Joshua- that quality is always secon-
dary to politics on Oscar night. Even so,
five of nine isn't bad, Joshua. Better
luck next year. -John Logie
O scar night was not quite what I
wanted in terms of what I thought
would grab the statuette, as Daily
reviewer John Logie points out in his
article on the evening's events. No free
movie, but no trip to Bolivia, either.
The big news was a rather surprising
across-the-board sweep for Amadeus.
Maurice Jarre's award for the Passage
to India score has to be seen as a kind of
consolation prize. I never had liked
Passage very much, and its poor per-
formance Monday night will probably
help consign it to a kind of relative
oblivion, where I think it belongs. Some
will say it ,was robbed; at some point
in the distant future it might prevail,
but for right now I feel happy and vin-
dicated.
The evening was also marked by sur-
prising brevity, with everyone keeping
acceptance speeches short. F. Murry
Abraham was gracious, saying he only
wished that Tom Hulce could be up on
stage with him. Hulce was obviously
moved, and the moment was quite
touching, as was Haing S. Ngor's glee
at his victory. Sally Field thanked
Hollywood for giving her its respect,
and lost it at the same time by gushing,
rambling, and almost begging. Stevie
Wonder politicized things by men-
tioning Nelson Mandela, a jailed leader
of a South African group fighting apar-
theid. Milos Forman saw his award as
an omen for East-West cooperation.
Most all presenters did ardecent job,
especially Steve Martin, who
brightened up the award for Art Direc-
tion. Jack Lemmon made a very good
host, assisted by a group of ten per-
sonalities. The only bad note was the
sad spectacle of an aging Laurence
Olivier forgetting to read the Best Pic-
ture nominees before opening the en-
velope. In was a sad ending to h
brilliant career, and a depressing con-
clusions to an otherwise, top-notch
evening of entertainment. Jujubes
aren't good for my teeth, anyway.
-Joshua Bilmes
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r
Friars are finger lickin'good
By MichaelAstley
Seldom do music and fast food belong
together, but The Friars suc-
cessfully crossed that boundary Friday
evening as they presented their 29th
Best Concert Ever to a capacity crowd
at Rackham Auditorium.
The concert opened with a special
guest appearance by The Fryers, a
select group of eight singing chickens
from Kentucky. The talented birds per-
formed such classics as "My Chick,"
and "Fowl Play," and completed the
first act with a fantastic Beach Boys
medley.
After a short intermission, The
Friars sauntered onto stage eating
fried chicken. Apparently there were
some contractual disagreements
during the break. Ah, well... that's
showbiz! The second act highlighted
familiar favorities form the extensive
Friars repertoire, including "Trickle,
Trickle," "Moon Indigo," and a real
showstopper, "Java Jive," complete'
with chorus line.
The Friars ended the concert with a
surprise encore, in which King Tut,
played by Doug Bond, rose from his
casket just in time to receive tremen-
dous applause from the audience. He
warmly invited the crowd to join The
Friars at The Michigan League for a
special reception.
The performance was nearly
flawless, and several selection, in-
cluding "Sweet Lorraine," sung by
Fred Vipond seemed to almost hyp-
notize the audience. Once again, The
Friars presented a strikingly fabulous
show. The octet consists of Tom Gallop,
a bass from St. Louis, Mo., Steve
Googasian, a bass from Rochester, Mi.,
Tim Moriarty, a 1st tenor from Grand
Rapids, Mi., Adam Parker, a 2nd tenor
from Oak Park, Mi., Fred Vipond, a 1st
tenor from Lake Odessa, Mi., Andy
Rosenzweig. a baritone from Royal
Oak, Mi., Doug Bond, a baritone from
Westport, Ct., and Kevin Whitted, a 2nd
tenor from Pontiac, Mi. The group was
hosted by Jim Price, a 1984 graduate of
the University and former member of
The Friars.
The Friars also sang in a guest ap-
pearance on WJR on Tuesday, March
26. Upon graduation, the members
suggest they plan to open a Kentucky
Fried Chicken franchise in Ypsilanti,
Michigan.
More people have survived
cancer than now live in the
City of Los Angeles.
We are winning.
Subwuibe tfa
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