ARTS. The Michigan Daily Wednesday, October 12, 1988. Page 7 Page 7 BY BRIAN JARVINEN LAST Sunday would have been John Lennon's 48th birthday, had he not been assassinated eight years ago. Over the last week, the Ameri- can media have marked the event in every marketable way imaginable. This seems puzzling at first - I al- ways thought the number "9" would have been a more important 4nniversary for documenting Lennon's life. The reason for all the S TATE O1F THE hoopla is, of course, Albert Gold- man's new book, The Lives of John Ignnon (William Morrow). The controversy surrounding the book and the tie-in potential has spawned a Rolling Stone cover, a Newsweek cbver, several cable specials, radio specials, a flashy new documentary, Imagine: John Lennon, and even a new U2 song, "God Pt. II." Beatles have been a hot journalistic topic ever since they regularly graced the cover of the first fanzine in the world, Mersey Beat. So much material has come out that ' the only way to get any attention and make money is to be as sensa- tional as possible. The Goldman lPook is certainly sensational; it charges that Lennon was bisexual, gnorexic, and a murderer, as well as a drug addict, something Lennon admitted himself as early as 1969 in h1is song "Cold Turkey." The book has been attacked for using dubious sources and containing many errors Of fact documented in a recent Rolling Stone cover story. Gold- mian charged Lennon ignored his second son Scan; Rolling Stone countered with a cute picture of Auditions Designers (set and lighting) wanted for Basement Arts production of The Exception and the Rule. Contact Andrea McCallum at 663- 8754 or Tanya at 761-9741. Stage manager needed for Hill Street Players production of Hold Me at the Performance Network. Produc- tion dates are November 10 and 14. Contact Carolyn Caldwell at 995- 1726. ---Wednesday, October 12: Auditions for Women and Wal- lace, written by Jonathan Marc Sherman, at 7 p.m. in the Frieze Building Arena. For further informa- ~oTHE WEIGHT CONTRO p CLINIC of the Unlverslty of M CALL 7 ze Sec4e/a/ p Isno se Lennon, s Legacy. Eight years later inspiration for "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"; many people had anagrammed the title and concluded the song was about LSD use. John explains that his son Julian drew a picture containing the imagery de- scribed the song. When John asked him who was in the picture, Julian replied with the song title. Unfortu- nately, this controversy receives the most in-depth treatment of the many surrounding Lennon. One of the biggest misconcep- tions about John's life is that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles. This is simply not true. Lennon and Mc- Cartney had grown so far apart that most Beatle biographers agree the group was doomed after the recording of Sgt. Pepper. Yet the film glosses over this, using Lennon 's quote about wanting a divorce from the Beatles and a short clip of the Beat- les' publicist giving vague answers about the breakup. When George Martin, the Beatles' producer, is in- terviewed, he tellingly reveals that Yoko wasn't even introduced to him when she moved into the studio with John. Yoko and John certainly didn't make it easy for the band to deal. with them, but their relationship didn't cause the breakup, and yet the film fails to make this clear. John Lennon was a human with an amazing talent for translating his experiences into lyrics. His songs pointed out the hypocrisies in West- ern Society, in his friends, and in himself. John would have been the first to tell anyone about his faults. Whether he was anorexic or bisexual has no relevance to his work. The murder charge stems from a fight Lennon had with a sailor in Ham- burg in the early '60s, but no one, including Goldman, has any evidence that the man died. If you really want to know John Lennon, Imagine will give you a visually and musically interesting, if somewhat hollow, ac- count of his life;The.Lives of John Lennon is too full of dubious re- search to recommend. The best way to know him is through his music. Lennon put his life into his songs, and that is the best place to find him. ine disels BY ELIZABETH ESCH According to many believers in law and order, the thin blue line is what separates order from anarchy, and the thin blue line is maintained by people in uniforms called police. Though tenuous, this blue line is one which must be impenetrable and unwavering if we are going to live in an ordered and civilized society. When the blue line is broken, and the police are proven to be vulnera- ble, order and civilization are threat ened. According to people who have witnessed an execution, the thin blue line describes the line of electric current used to kill people by elec- trocution. It is the line which is used by the state to kill people who have been sentenced to death. In the extraordinary film, The Thin Blue Line , director Errol Mor- ris forces us to challenge the societal assumptions which view the police as ultimate defenders of justice and keepers of order and which view the electric chair as the ultimate weapon. Described as both docudrama and non-fiction theatre, Blue Line examines in particular the 1976 murder of a Dallas, Texas, police officer. The film links individual testi- mony with dramatic re-creation as it attempts to portray the incidents surrounding the murder of Officer Robert Wood, and the way in which "justice" was carried out. The story turns on key testimony provided by Randall Adams, the man who was convicted of the murder of See Line, Page 8 Although John Lennon's relationship with his son, Sean, has been questioned of late in the most recent slam-an-ex-Beatle book, father and son seem to be getting along well in this ph oto. John, Yoko, and Scan on a sledding outing. The truth lies somewhere in between these accounts. Imagine comes close to this elu- sive middle ground of objectivity, but ultimately avoids the controver- sial issues raised by Goldman. A rock documentary is already a cliched, boring concept, as Spinal Tap proved so well. When the pro- taries; it avoided it so well that I ducer is David Wolper, the man re- have no idea how long the film is. sponsible for bringing 200 Elvis The opening credits reveal the first impersonators to the Statue of Lib- .key to the film's success: "Narrated erty Centennial Celebration, a doc- by John Lennon." The narration, umentary on John Lennon is a scary taken from the zillions of interviews concept indeed. Lennon gave during his life, keep Fortunately, Imagine avoids the the film in perspective and let the plodding style of most rockumen- subject speak for himself. The other successful ingredient is the 200 hours of Lennon footage Yoko Ono made available to Wolper. John tuni ies . Lennon spent his entire adult life in October 18-21: the media's eye. This made him very Auditions for Langston Hughes' familiar with the camera, lowering Black Nativity 6-11 p.m. October his inhibitions to the point that he 18 & 19; auditioners should perform was filmed making love to Yoko, one gospel song of their choice. allowing us authentic glimpses of Dance auditions Thursday, October Lennon living and working. 20, 6-9 p.m. No preparation neces- The first controversy covered in sary. Call backs Friday, October 21, the movie is the trivial matter of the tion, call Fred Adler at 996-1422 or David Turner at 769-8204. Auditions for two original one acts titled Submarines and Night- sound, in Room 2547 of the Frieze Building. Prepared pieces are pre- ferred, but not neccessary. Major roles for three women, two men, and several smaller roles for both. Scripts available in the theater library. ---Thursday, October 13: Young male cigarette smoker needed for paid role in 16 mm student film. Auditions at 7 p.m. in Room 1004 of the Frieze Building. ...Tuesday and Wednesday, PLASMA DONORS $ Earn Extra Cash $ Earn $20 on your first donation. You can earn up to $120 a month. Couples can earn up to $240. Repeat donors who have not donated in the last 30 days receive an additional $5 bonus for return visit. Plasma donors are people helping people. 6-11 p .m. IL oc uchgan NEW CLASSES BEGIN TOBE R 24, 1988 Considefing the University of Michigan School of Education for graduate studies Come to a meeting: Today at 6 p.m. Room 1322 (Tribute Room) School of Education Bldg. Faculty and staff will be available to answer questions about programs, financial aid opportunities, and admission requirements. To reserve a space, call: Office of Academic Services (313) 764-7563 1228 School of Education Bldg. YPSILANTI PLASMA CENTER 813 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti Monday thru Friday 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m 4Y2C Donor. Call Today About Being A Plasma 482-6790 MILES v1 s 23 £ % ffw" I. 9'Michigqan AT&T 47-2722 AT&T Career Night Cret! r Are you considering professional school? HARVARD UNIVERSITY JOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT Is Looking for Future Leaders in Public Affairs. Come Learn About Harvard's Two-Year Master's Program in Public Policy, Leading to either the Master in Public Policy or City and Regional Planning Degree. Wednesday October 12, 1988 3:30 P.M.-7:30 P.M. North Campus Commons East Room (Refreshments Served) Students who will be Receiving their BBA, MBA or Bachelors, Masters or Ph.D Degrees in CS, CE, EE, ME or IE. 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