,w IW v W 7W t , p -W -f I COVER Remembe when? By Beth Fertig It's hard to get one hit after the other. It's the public more than the artist. She could have a song that's better than anything she's done but it's timing... what's out at the time and if it's right for the mood of the era. It's the recognition you get for it. All Faucera of Brothers Management speaking of Gloria Gaynor P OP MUSIC. Like proverbial hamburgers on the giant grid- dle of a fast food restaurant, pop singles are continuously being primmed and condimented by the record industry before being tossed into the mouths of the ever-wolfish public. If the public eats one up - instant fame and fortune for that ar- tist lucky enough to burst onto the Top-40 charts. Suddenly, every which way you turn your dial, they're playing that song. And a name you've never heard before has rocketed to household familiarity. Like the public it reflects, pop music is constantly changing, the hits of one generation differing vastly in mood and tempo from those of another. Rock and roll - that demi-god we pay homage to with purchase of records, cassetts, con- cert tickets, and now, compact discs - has only been with us for 30 years or so. College-aged people have never known a day without its existence. Although this generation can take the Beatles for granted, for most, earliest memories of pop music date back to the '70s. The '70s was a generation that gave us mood rings, pet rocks, the sexualsrevolution, andedisco - to name but a few societal trends. Ad- vanced recording technology and the use of the synthesizer had begun to permeate the music of this era - yet the music of the '70s, like that of any other decade, was extremely diverse. It was during the '70s that thousands of musical performers cracked the Top-40 charts with their first big hits. We might not be able to remember all of their names now - but we would certainly recall their hits. Some of these artists continued selling hit records and were catapulted to an even higher fame, while others seemed to vanish as quickly as they appeared. Some did quietly continue to record, although not with the same degree of success that they had previously enjoyed. There are many questions concer- ning what makes pop music suc- ceed. That band who everyone predicted to be the next Beatles might suddenly turn out to be in- capable of producing another hit single. Remarked songwriter- guitarist Don McLean, to Newsday (1/9/81), "Success is like a shot of heroin. It's up to you to decide whether you want to continuedto put the needle in your arm," and quip- ped, "Being famous is nothing more than having what's said behind your back printed." Manager Al Faucera, whose clien- ts include the Village People and Gloria Gaynor, attributes success to timing. "There's a strategy to releasing singles. You go for it when the least amount of singles are out in a certain market," said Faucera. Scott Berkstein, who co-managed The Knack, said, "It's a business. You should approach it that way." All of the following artists ex- perienced Top-10 during the '70s - hits which are recognizable even now, upon reminiscence. to almost everyone. After all, isn't that the definition of pop? Grandmothers and teenagers alike danced the Hustle. That crazy dance had us all believing it was the key to getting a date on a Saturday night. And everyone of us went to Dance clubs or experienced a disco Sweet 16 or Bar Mitzvah at some time. INSIDE Cover story If pop music mirrors the public's taste, then it also mirrors the public's viciousness. Many a pop star has hit the top, made his mark in the water, only to arc downward on a trajectory toward oblivion. Ten years from now, will Madonna be as forgotten as The Captain and Tennile? Not to pass judgement, but there is the law of projectile motion. And if Madonna does fade to just a statistic in box office take, what will her shadow mean in the context of the culture of the 1990s? See above. Music scene Green On Red, taking to the road in support of their new EP No Free Lunch on Enigma, will land in Ann Arbor Monday night. With in- fluences ranging from Neil Young and Bob Dylan to The Doors and Creedence, Green On Red will hit the stage with everything from country-rock to straight-out psychedelia, blun- tly sentimental to bitterly observant songs, and a loudly anthemic to hauntingly emotional tone. Read about the stuff such dreams are made of. Page 5. Entertainments This regular feature of Weekend magazine proves there's more to Ann Arbor nightlife than walking around smashing bottles. And let's not forget afternoon and morninglife. En- tertainments is your guide to what's playing in campus and first-run films, concerts of all kin- ds, theatre, and dance. And for the day when nothing quite looks good, check out the "Fur- thermore" listings. See page 6. Catch of the day This week, Weekend columnist Mike Fisch snags a feature on Olga, of Olga's Kitchen on State Street fame. See page 9. Food for thought Hunger abatement, like many primal con- cerns, is a priority occupation of collegiate life. While food as sophisticated entertainment is often subverted by budgetary considerations, it is essential to keep abreast of the diversity of eats - to be prepared for any sudden or calcualted mood shift - and fill the tank ac- cordingly. See page 11. Cover photo by Dan Habib. L ETTERWRITING AS AN art and discipline is fast losing ground. In this age of fast times, fast food, and automatic redial, a common complaint is that there's not enough time to get everyting done, least of all letter- writing. Writing a letter takes time - a lot longer than it takes to buy a Quarter Pounder to put things in perspective. And just like any bozo can buy a Quarter Pounder, anyone can drip words from the tongue. But writing as opposed to speaking opens up whole new worlds of structure. Even the most well-conceived flow of talk is still steam-of-consciousness as compared to a decent letter. Letterwriters is would seem are a special breed. Writing a letter presupposes you have something impor- tant to say. Something important enough to organize in a formal, focused manner. The conclusion then is that people who don't write letters, never have anything im- portant to say. A Quarter Pounder to go and on their merry way. The Weekend magazine Letters page is your ready and willing forum for criticizing Art and Entertainment reporting. Tear our viewpoints apart, supply your own, or whatever. If you don't have time to write us, by all means call. But that doesn't make for a very good public forum. Mail a piece of your mind to: Weekend magazine c/o The Michigan Daily 420 Maynard St. Magazine Editor ......................Chris Lauer List Editor............................ JoyceW elsh Contributing Editor .................. Randall Stone Cover/Graphics ......... .......... .. Peter Williams Business Manager ................. Dawn Willacker Sales Manager ..................Mary Anne Hogan Assistant Sales Manager .................Yuna Lee The magazine is edited and managed by students on the staff of The Michigan Daily at 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. Copyright 1985, The Michigan Daily. Weekend, (313) 763-0370; News, 764-0552; Circulation, 754-0558; Display Advertising, 764-0554. I 2 Weekend/Friday,September 20, 1985 ..^ a