ARTS
The MichiganDaily
Wednesday, October 29, 1986
Page 7
Benson: Intriguing performance
By Lisa Nicholas
Eclectic. Unfocused. How do
you summarize a performance
without a theme? For an hour and
a half, Steve Benson, poet,
performance artist, and used book
store manager, stood in front of an
audience and, well, performed. It
was a small audience, mind you;
only nine people. Most of them
were members of Eyemediae, the
sponsoring organization.
The production was a series of
poems presented in a "stream of
consciousness" style. They ranged
from treatises on sex and love ("I
don't know what love is," he said
and the audience had to sympathize)
to feelings on being surrounded by
cows after throwing out his back in
a small cottage in Ireland.
Disjointed, he created a "crazy quilt
of images" that drifted into the
subconsciousness of the audience.
He was eclectic in media, as well.
To his live reading, Benson added
films and a tape recording of music,
noises, and readings that had been
recorded earlier. His show was often
improvisation and sometimes the
prerecorded images fit what he was
doing live, other times they did not.
The result was a compilation of
aural and visual sensations that
bewildered the eye, ear, and mind.
The effect, however, was intense.
For instance, the poem "Echo" had
Benson echoing his recording with
a sudden switch of order in the
middle. The result was a work
whose meaning came to life both in
the words themselves and in their
entity as performance. The
combination challenged the listener
to supply his or her own meaning,
which was the intention of the
poet.
On the negative side, much of
what was supposed to be perceived
as impetuous was obviously
preplanned. Still, the result was a
unique presentation of art.
As a performer, Benson is not a
"giving" poet. He does not impart
energy to his audience. His reading
was tight and strained. The words
often struggled from his lips,
giving the impression of pain and
sacrifice at revealing so much of
himself. The personal content of
his work and his manner of
presentation indicated that he was
indeed showing aspects of himself
but if the audience wanted to grasp
it, they would have to reach out and
take it. Part of this results from
Benson's own theory that his poetry
does not exist to give people a
precise interpretation. He wants his
audience to be mentally "free to
come and go and daydream." Much
of his work is im provisiational and
even his straight readings have a
performance atmosphere.
Benson began as a writer "out
of a sense of play ...of curiosity,"
and continues this attitude in his
performance art. Many of his
books, including Blindspots, The
Busses, and As Is, contain
transcripts of performances and oral
perambulations. On the other hand,
his poems like "Echo" and
"Narcissus" are the result of careful
vision and revision. Though his
writing, filming, recording, and
performing, Steve Benson is just
"trying to understand what life is."
A rather difficult goal, but Steve
Benson is to be commended for
trying.
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The Center for Japanese Studies
Presents:
JAPAN'S RESPONSE
TO ITS
AGING SOCIETY
A Brown-Bag Lecture by
PROFESSOR JOHN CAMPBELL
Director, Center for Japanese Studies
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30
12 noon
LANE HALL IN THE COMMONS ROOM
E
Call 764-6307
for further
information.
..........
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Guitarist Sam Lapides will be performing solo and with The Mortals
tonight at 10 p.m. at The Blind Pig. Lapides can normally be seen in the
West Engineering Arch, where he plays his original, accoustic folk-rock
- -Songs.
Records
Bad Brains.
I Against I
SST.
In all likelihood, the Bad Brains
are the only all black, Rastafarian,
punk-rock band in the world. For
the past nine years they have been
combining the social and political
conviction of reggae lyrics with the
power of hardcore music. At one
point, the Brains were one of the
premiere punk bands in the world.
H6wever, because they haven't
released an album since 1983's
Rock For Light, their reputation
and legacy has faded. The Brains'
new album I Against I should
change all that.
I Against 1 shows that the
Brains have grown as a band.
Vocalist H.R. can be heard
intelligibly for the first time. Gui -
t arist Dr. Know, too, has matured
from a thrasher to a genuine rocker.
Additionally, bass player Darryl
Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson
have incorporated rhythms into the
Brains' music that reflect then jazz-
fuk fackgrounds.
" :The Brains as a unit have
hanged, as well. Whereas on
previous albums they belted out
one and a half minute hardcore
songs, on I Against I they loosen
:thir collars a bit and stretch out the
bongs past the three and four
:r, nute mark. And it seems that it
JS here that they are most
comfortable. But despite any
musical changes, however, the
Brains have (thankfully) retained the
intelligent lyrics that separated
them from the "bitch and moan"
bands of the early punk era.
This intelligence is found
throughout the album. Several
tracks emphasize the need for social
change ("I Against I," "Let Me
Help") and faith in the Almighty
Jah ("House of Suffering," "Return
to Heaven"). All of these tracks,
plus several others, have the
honesty and integrity that may
bands lack these days. The Bad
Brains don't just see injustice and
complain about it, they live the
injustice and it shows in their
writing. This album is dedicated to
"all artists and supporters of the
under-privileged." The Brains
certainly fit both categories.
The highlight of this album is
"Sacred Love," which is about the
relationship between a prisoner and
his lover outside. Ironically, the
vocal track of this song was
recorded over the phone from
H.R.'s jail cell as he was serving a
sentence for marijuana possession.
As pretentious as that sounds, it
makes the track very powerful.
While there are a couple of
points on the album where the.
music drags a bit, have no fear, the
Bad Brains' lyrical intensity is
sufficient to hold the listener's
attention throughout the entire disc,
making IAgainst I a super album.
-Steve Kasiborski
2 or-1 arnatini
I O UPON
S(Good U99il1811516
Onpr ctmr pr week S
I ITHSCOPN
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December grads apply now for
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Call Collect: (507) 286-7091
ROCHESTER METHODIST
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Applications are now available in Room 160,
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DEADLINE:
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I
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The Center for Japanese Studies Presents
Nagisa Oshima's
BOY
Taken from an actual incident involving a family
living on the outer-most edge of Japanese society, "Boy"
examines the conflict between family relationships and
social responsibilities so common in modern-day Japan.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 31
Admission:
FREE
7- 9 p.m.
Japanese with
English subtitles
AUDITORIUM A
Angell Hall
f:>
SO YOU WANT
The University of Michigan Telefund Program
is willing to pay $4.00 - $6.00/hr. plus bonus
for your time -- a few evenings a week beginning
immediately.
If you are mature, reliable, and can talk
about the University and its needs, we can
train you to be an effective caller. Help
Michigan reach out person-to-person. Your mind,
A
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