ARTS
Wednesday, January 20, 1988
The Michigan Daily
Page 5
Broza sings of
Garrett
changing
times
to
host
By An Schneider
Tonight, the Celebration of
Jewish Arts Series, sponsored by
Hillel, presents one of Israel's most
popular entertainers, musicians, and
composers, David Broza, at Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre.
Although Broza, 32, was born in
Israel, he moved with his parents to
Spain when he was 11 years old.
Soon after his arrival, his mother
began teaching him to play the gui-
tar, just as she learned to sing and
play folk songs from her parents.
During his high school years in
Madrid, Broza joined a rock band and
played songs by the Beatles and
Jimmy Hendrix, as well as Crosby,
Stills, and Nash pieces. By16 Broza
became interested in Spanish folk
music, which he says expressed a
"heavier" message than American
music.
The Spanish songs of the period
were musical poems that expressed
the political, social, and economic
criticism of the totalitarian Franco
regime. "These songs motivated me
to become obsessed with
understanding the problems of
Spain, as well as studying the
philosophies of Marxism and
Socialism," explains Broza.
"Although I was not a citizen of
Spain, I felt deeply concerned and
troubled by the problems of the
country where I spent my develop-
ing years."
In 1973, Egypt attacked Israel,
and Broza felt the pull of his nation-
ality. "I realized that even though he
wanted to help Spain with its
political problems, I must defend my
birthplace," he says. So, at age 19,
David Broza enlisted in the Israeli
Army.
Broza worked the first half of his
three-year enlistment in non-combat
duty. This sideline position allowed
him to work on his own material as
well as perform Israeli, Spanish, and
American songs in public during his
free time. A year and a half later, he
was asked to join the army's enter-
tainment group for the remainder of
his service.
At the conclusion of his tour of
duty, Broza was asked by Israeli
-writer and producer Jonathan Geffin
to help write the songs for a politi-
cal satire that Geffin had written
called Small Talk. Its success led to
another Broza/Geffin collaboration,
with Broza writing the score to
Geffin's lyrics for another popular
and controversial show, A Passion-
ate Meeting After 2000 Years.
When Israel invaded Lebanon in
1982, Broza went back to the army
and got together with Geffin and
Yehuda Eder to entertain troops in
Beirut. "Performing in Lebanon was
a shattering experience," he says. "I
was emotionally and physically
drained by participating in an inva-
sion I did not agree with."
Broza switched from his emphasis
on rock songs to playing more
traditional music, a "type of therapy"
he used to cope with his complex
emotions. His third album was a
collection of Spanish love songs;
what Broza calls his "homage to
Spanish music." To his surprise, it
became not only his best selling al-
bum, but the best selling album in
Israel's history. His concerts had
sold-out crowds of 3000 or more for
six months straight and set a new
precedent for success by an Israeli
entertainer, which could previously
only be attained by foreign acts per-
forming in Israel.
In 1984,sBroza came to the
United States and is now working on
an album of modern poems which he
has turned into original songs, say-
ing "I want to sing about issues I
care about." Along with the help of
American poets, Broza is joined by
Jeremy Wall, who plays and pro-
duces for Spyro Gyro and will help
produce and write new material for
Broza's record.
Tonight, Broza will sing songs
mostly in Hebrew as well as some
songs in English and Spanish.
Judging from his previous efforts,
such as the international hit
"Yiheyeh Tov"(It Will Be Good), it
should "be good" and will provide us
with a better understanding of this
man both as a musician and as a
person reacting to the changing
winds at home and abroad.
DAVID BROZA will play the
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre tonight
at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10,$8, and
$5.
Awards
By Lisa Magnino
Does the spirit of Peter Taylor
haunt George Garrett? Four years ago
George Garrett left his position as
University Professor of English and
Senior Creative Writer to replace
Peter Taylor as the Hoyns Professor
of Creative Writing at the University
of Virginia.
Today Garrett returns to Ann Ar-
bor to replace the ailing Peter Taylor
as speaker at the Hopwood Under-
class Awards.
Whatever the coincidence, Gar-
rett's success as a writer is anything
but a stroke of luck. He is a prolific
writer and has explored every genre
of writing, from novels and poetry to
biographies and screenplays. Garrett
has also garnered many awards and
grants, including a Guggenheim and
an award in literature from the Na-
tional Academy and Institute of the
Arts.
Garrett is probably best known
for his two critically successful his-
torical novels, Death of the Fox and
The Succession. Publishers Weekly
called Death of the Fox - a story of
the life of Sir Walter Raleigh -
"one of the finest novels we have
ever read... a novel that restores fic-
tion to the realm of literature."
The Succession, a novel of fic-
tional correspondences between
Queen Elizabeth and James VI, also
was well-received. In the preface
Garrett discusses his technique for
returns
iopwood
today
success: "As in my one other venture
into the imaginary past, Death of the
Fox, I have done my best to be
faithful to the facts even while striv-
ing to preserve the freedom of fic-
tion, which means that there may be
no distortions and there will be mis-
takes, but I hope there are no lies."
With this advice in hand, Garrett
wrote Poison Pen, a wickedly funny,
often too truthful look at the aca-
demic and literary worlds. Garrett's
own life serves as the basis for the
main character, John Towne: Towne
is an obnoxious professor/writer who
insults just about everyone in the
literary world. Towne presents a list
of poets in America and who their
pop culture counterpart is - Stanley
Kunitz is the Yoda of American Po-
etry, Allen Ginsberg the Gunga Din,
Robert Pack the Wonder Bread, Mar-
garet Atwood the Moosehead, and
Tess Gallagher is the Bernadette De-
vlin of American Poetry. While
Poison Pen was not the hit that
Garrett's two historical novels were,
it still gained him many lauds and
knowing laughs.
So no matter whether you prefer
historically-based fiction, poetry, or
satires, George Garrett has some-
thing for you. Don't miss him.
GEORGE GARRETT will speak
at the Hopwood Underclass Awards
today at 4 p.m. at Rackham Audito-
rium.
Israeli folksinger David Broza will play the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
tonight in an evening of political and poetic songs.
Shoy
Mic
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THE 1988
HOPWOOD
UNDERCLASSMEN AWARDS
Academy of American Poets Prize
Bain-Swiggett Prize
Michael R. Gutterman Award
Roy W. Cowden Memorial Fellowship
Wednesday, January 20, 4 p.m.
Rackham Auditorium
Fiction reading by GEORGE GARRETT
Author of
Death of-the Fox
The Succession
Stop by and see a Jostens representative,
Monday, January 18-Friday, January 22,
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.,