music GREEKS w He may be fast, but 'the Bach of rock?' No way Yngwie J. Malmsteen TRILOGY Polygram Yngwie J. Malmsteen has been hailed by many as the next great rock guitarist, destined to follow in the footsteps of Beck, Clapton and Paige. He's been called a "Swedish Eddie Van Halen" by some, and praised with even higher accolade by others. Guitar World said he's become the fastest rising guitarist of the eighties, he was voted "Best Rock Guitarist of 1985" by Guitar Player's readers, Spin called him "the Bach of rock..." Be assured, Malmsteen is fast-blazingly fast. He is perhaps the fastest guitarist in rock today, bar none. Unfortunately, that's all he is. He once told Guitar Player magazine that when he was a child he wanted to fly over the frets of his guitar like Keith Emnerson flew over his keyboards. His analogy is sadly misguided. He doesn't fly half as much as Emerson as he does like Woodstock from the Peanuts comic strip. A touch of added irony: Malmsteen is now opening for the revamped, lesser quality Emerson, Lake, and Powell in some cities. Now Malmsteen, the showpiece of his Rising Force band, has a new album. Trilogy, his third on the Polygram label, is really quite bad. Indeed, it answers the infamous questions, "Why don't you like heavy metal?" and, "What do you get when you mix the worst lyrics of Ronnie James Dio and juiced up, Spinal Tap guitar solos?" Each song is basically the same: Mark Boals, formerly with Ted Nugent, screams Malmsteen's silly lyrics; Jens Johannsen and Anders Johannsen, keyboardist and drum - mer, respectively, lay down a redundant rhythm. Yngwie plays pentatonic scales in 32nd notes. Actually, I suspect that if one were to chart the notes of his solos, they'd form a series of consecutive, connected "M"s. What's worse, there are two exceptions to this worn and tired mold: "Crying," where Boals doesn't scream, but that's boring because it's one less out-of-tune instrument playing, and the rambunctiously named "Trilogy Suite Op: 5," but that's depressing because in the middle Malmsteen plays an exquisite, acoustic, classical piece for about a minute-then goes back to practicing his scales. From this segment alone it seems that Malmsteen has the Poison members Bret Michaels, Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall and C.C. DeVille spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. Continued from Page 7 later. That separation has fueled stereotypes of the black system, according to members.. "It's been really painful to me that there are so many stereotypes," Herbert said. "I think the largest one is that we're so social." The belief that all Greek organizations revolve around a social calendar makes it easy for people to ignore what black Greeks say is the main emphasis of their fraternities and sororities- community service. Members also say that outsiders incorrectly consider the black Greek system as a way for blacks to isolate themselves from others on campus. But the stereotypes are based on ignorance rather than malice, they say. "I really don't think they know anything about us," said Melissa Jackson, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, conceding that at the same time, black Greeks know little about the white Greeks and stereotype them as partiers. According to Julius Turman, the problem is communication. "I think there's a mistrust of the (white) system," he said. IFC and Panhel are have begun planning a unity forum for members of both systems. Organizers hope the event, yet to be scheduled, will encourage blacks and whites to ask questions, discuss ways of improving ties between the two groups and change the Michigan Greek system's image as a racially segregated portion of the student body.g INTERVIEW Continued from Page 8 honest about character, many of the students are sexually immoral and they would be classified whoremongers. I don't say that to be unloving, but it's to help people really take stock of what they are and what they've become and what they've allowed society to make them, so they'll be shocked and ashamed and stop doing it, change their life. D: Do you get discouraged by students who heckle you, the people who will probably never really listen to what you say? C: You can get tired. You can get a little bit discouraged. Not everyone will listen, and some are there just because they think it's, fun. But I don't take it personally. A lot of times I can use it to my advantage-it draws a crowd. I'm like a farmer sowing seeds-I can't be sure how they'll grow. The condition of the soil, I don't have a whole lot of control over. I'm looking for the people who are really open, who can examine their lives. It used to be a lot tougher, when I came here five years ago. Now the majority of people are really listening. D : Why do you think that homosexuality is wrong? Do you think that AIDS is God's revenge? C: No, God does not judge people in that way. AIDS is a result of operating a lifestyle outside of the laws of nature. And if you start living immorally long enough, it's going to result in unwanted pregnancies, syphilis, gonorea, and if the sexual activity is perverted enough, you end up with something like AIDS. But it's not God, he loves the homosexual. He doesn't want him to practice it because it's destructive. But he cares about that person and he's really hurt. He sees his children being hurt and he doesn't like that either. D: Why is it destructive? C: Well, it destroys the person's concept of masculinity, the idea of family. Family's no longer a mother and a father, but it's two consenting adults. It destroys the idea of a conventional relationship where there's fidelity, commitment. Homosexuality promotes promiscuity and lust and short-term relationships. And if practiced wholesale by everybody, it would be the end of the human race because it results in no reproduction. It goes against the laws of nature. D: What is masculinity? C: Masculinity are the traits that God has built into the male species, whereas feminity are the characteristics in women: softness, gentleness, tenderness, compassion. With men it's initiative, the desire to protect, bring order. Now there's an overlap. I'm not saying that women can't do some masculine things and men can't do some feminine things-they can. But the dominant traits in a man should be masculine and the dominant ones in a woman should be feminine. D: Is it God or Lucifer (Satan) that tells people to bomb abortion clinics? C: Hey, where'd you get that question? That's good. Well,,let me answer it by saying this: I only know of two abortion clinics that have been blown up. One down in Florida by some sincere kids that felt like that's what God wanted them to do. I don't think God told them to do it. I don't think Lucifer told them to do it, he's the one that wants to keep the places intact and functioning. So that I think they did it out of their own conscience. D: How do you and your wife divide theTesponsibility of teaching values to your children? 'C: It's a pretty equal thing. I read bible stories to them, I sing to them, I pray with them. If teaching doesn't touch all areas of their lives, then it's a bit hypo - critical-superficial at best. D: Will you stay in Ann Arbor? C: Yeah, this is home. We've bought a home, and we're going to raise the children here. FISCH Continued from Page 8 takes time." Approximately 50 percent of black children in the homelands (government designated areas for blacks in which the land is unsuitable for cultivation) die before the age of five. Rows of tiny graves are dug every day in anticipation of the malnourished bodies which will soon fill them. "Change takes time." "There is nothing we can do." What can a hundred people carrying signs do for the starving families who live in shantytowns near Johannesburg? Those hundred are sending a message to everyone who reads their signs and hears their chants that the millions of starving people are not just biodegrad - ables-that we are diminished as humans by the deaths of those we cannot see. Thousands of protesters can accomplish a hell of a lot more than one hundred. More voices mean more media coverage. Thou - sands of people can force an issue onto the government's agenda. Thousands of people can say to their senators and fellow citizens, "Here are the issues. We can't force you to protest with us, but at least think about them before you vote." Most of us laugh at protesters. At their youthful naivete. The protesters wasting their time trying to save the world. Those crazy protesters who rallied against Jim Crow laws, for woman's suffrage, against slavery in the United States. Those radicals screaming out against the aerial bombing of El Salvador, exploitation of farm - workers, hunger in our inner cities, and apartheid in South Africa. Those naive dreamers. Desmond Tutu is an archbishop in one of the world's major churches. He is a Nobel prize laur - eate. He is ineligible to vote in South Africa. "There is nothing we can do." And anyway, "it's not our problem." Yet it is. The standard of living Americans enjoy today would be impossible to maintain without exploitation. Much of the fruit we eat, and the clothing we wear comes from Third World countries, where workers get slave wages and live in poverty, while producing food that they will never eat and cloth that will never cover their bodies. Exploitation means maximum profit for American companies. Savings in labor costs are partially passed on to the American consumer. "It is not our problem." Even if our standard of living were not reliant upon exploitation of the Third World, the inhabitants of these countries would still deserve our support. Just because they live far away, do not wipe themselves with Cottonelle, or live in houses with two-car garages does not mean they aren't peo - ple-people who deserve a right not to die of malnutrition, not to be slaves, not to be bombed. "It is not our problem." George Steiner writes in "Language and Silence": "In the Warsaw ghetto (during World War II) a child wrote in his diary: I am hungry, I am cold; when I grow up I want to be a German, and then I shall no longer be hungry, and no longer cold.' And now I want to write that sentence again: 'I am hungry, I am cold; when I grow up I want to be a German, and then I shall no longer be hungry, and no longer cold.' And say it many times over, in prayer for the child, in prayer for myself. Because when the sentence was written I was fed, beyond my need, and slept warm, and was silent." "It isn't our problem." "We're really busy this week," "Change takes time." "There is nothing we can do." U 76 I~),4 1RK 2 lbsc The 4 Open N St I1 Ple Yngwie Malmsteen: simple, silly and overpraised. potential to be one of rock's elite guitarists. Instead, he chooses to waste his time and our ears on repetitious heavy metal. At present the best that can be said of Malmsteen and Trilogy is that it's the best metal around and probably the best since old Van Halen. But that's not saying much. -Akim D. Reinhardt Poison LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN Enigma Despite their venomous mon - iker, Poison isn't your typical heavy metal group. They've avoided the usual leather-and-chains, satanic trappings of bands like Iron Maiden, opting instead for an androgynous, New York Dolls look. And the music itself is often much closer to punk than to metal. Instead of screaming guitars and high-pitched vocals, Poison features hard, driving rhythms and hooky, Ramones-style choruses. That doesn't stop these boys from sounding like Motley Crue on some tracks, but overall they've managed to find a somewhat different sound. The opening tracks on each side, "Cry Tough" and "Talk Dirty To Me," are among the album's better tunes. The former is a standard teen anthem distinguished by C.C. DeVille's energetic guitar play and an excellent vocal by Bret Michaels; the latter is a fine rave-up that sounds like a Ramones outtake. But the best song here is "I Won't Forget You," a heartfelt lament over a past romance that could, with its catchy call-and- response chorus and ringing guitars, pass for a '60s British Invasion hit. Alas, the rest of the album is pretty lame; it's listenable enough, but boring. The usual themes -tough guys and sexy women -are here, but the band lacks the punch to make these dumb songs work. When they try to sound threatening, as on "#1 Bad Boy," they wind up sounding limp. Look What the Cat Dragged In probably isn't loud enough or dumb enough for most heavy metal fans, but for the more adventurous headbangers, this might just be a refreshing change of pace. As for the rest of you, you're better off saving your money. --Robert F. Garnsey George Benson WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Warner Bros. Several years ago, George Benson broke my heart by trading in his fine jazz guitar for a mellow set of vocal cords. But enough whining. The man deserves assessment based on the here and now-which brings us to While the City Sleeps, the singer's latest collection of perfectly pal - atable but mostly soulless Top 40 candidates. Since every cut here is either a steamy ballad or a would-be-funk dance groove, one grows a bit fatigued from an extended listening. Benson only exacerbates this effect with a remarkable similarity of tempos and synthesized instru - mentation throughout. For example, cue-up side two and see if the upbeat "Teaser" and "Secrets in the Night" couldn't easily be segued to form one sterile, nine-minute tune. (But then again, these are dance tracks, aren't they?) Among the ballads, only the lightly pulsing "Love is Here Tonight" offers charm enough to make those heartstrings quiver. Yet even here, old George doesn't really get down until he (all too briefly) steps out with that ever-sweet guitar. That this is true for the rest of the album as well may represent a betrayal of musical instincts: no matter how polished his vocal abilities, Benson still bares his soul only when a trusty six-string does the singing. With its high-gloss production and undeniably agreeable melodies, While the City Sleeps will probably sit well with fans of Benson's recent work. But for those of us who think there's already one too many Luther Vandross's in the world, we'll just keep fantasizing about the jazz that never was. But who's whining, right? -Joe Acciaioli Eileen West : 4 , s "ra200 S. Univ r1Pi769-006 PAGE 4 WEEKEND/OCTOBER 3, 1986 WEEKEND/OCTOBER 3' 1986