ARTS Tuesday, January 10, 1989 The Michigan Daily Page 5 Angry Candy By Harlan Ellison Houghton Mifflin $18.95/hardcover Everyone has had nightmares so uncanny and vivid they seem real. Harlan Ellison's tales are so real they might give you nightmares. The final odd tale following the 16 seemingly unconnected others contains a nightmare Ellison actually had. After the acknowledge- ments, introduction, table of con- tents, an almost silent, slender page hosts the words "There is no mem- ory with less satisfaction in it than the memory of some temptation we resisted." Here starts the beginning of the frayed thread that runs through each question mark arising from Ellison's interesting proposals. A former writer for The Twilight Zone and winner of the 1988 Edgar Allen Poe Award, Ellison, in his own words, "scares away the casual reader." The profound overtones in each of the 20- to 30-page stories come from a man who also covered the Chicago race riots 'with James Baldwin and championed the Equal Rights Amendment in his speech circuit for years. As evidenced by his almost too vivid imagery, televis- ion-like setting, shortened style and dramatic flair, his career(s) as a * reporter, columnist, essayist, and tel- evision and screen writer are all strangely able to work themselves into his prose. Ellison is a man as interesting as his tales. 17 stories comprise Angry Candy, an "assembled artifact" of past experiences, dreams, possibili- ties, lives- and, more importantly deaths - both personal and univers- al. The necrology, or, at times, more Sappropriately necrophilia, begins with tales progressively named "Footsteps," "Escapegoat," "On The Slab," and "Stuffing" and ends up on "The Function of Dream Sleep." Cacaphonic wording and syncopation that is one beat off produce a box of assorted temptations which might not taste as sweet as they appear. His seductive, slightly stream-of- consciousness style leads the reader to the edge of a situation but lets the leap of belief, of choice, up to you. But any box of candy also has inherent faults - it often doesn't last long enough to completely satisfy and is often a little too sweet. --Margie Heinlen You might know them as The Band With The Silly Looking Videos. OK, nobody's perfect - but with 19 songs of this quality, what's a gim- mick or two between friends? Lincoln (named for Lincoln, Mass., spawning place of the two Giants, John Linnell and John Flansburgh) is not a relaxing album. Filled with jerky guitar chords and images of animated scarecrows, shoehorns with teeth, and wrecking balls, Lincoln is, well, tense. The clipped, game-show-buzzer chords leading to the lines "Make a hole with a gun perpendicular/ To the name of this town in a desk-top globe" in the lead track, "Ana Ng," set the tone for the rest of the album I recreated the sensory overload you got from flipping through your pre- cable 12 channels so fast your Mom said you were going to break the dial. But any generation that can distill the news from CNN is capable of reaping sense from this sonic col- lage. For every Dadaist line about jumping into fountains is a nugget like "What's the point in ever thinking about the tomb/ When you're much too busy returning to the womb?" And for every foray into mock lounge crooning ("Kiss Me, Son of God") or wedding-band polka ("Shoehorn With Teeth"), there's several top-notch pop melodies ("They'll Need A Crane," "Where Your Eyes Don't Go," "Stand On Your Own Head") that reach deep into your heart and pull out a giant string of colored scarves. For all the havoc that the media explosion has wrought, it has at least produced good in Lincoln. They Might Be Giants have produced the perfect objet d'art for the chil- dren of the Electronic Fireplace - an album that doesn't try our atten- tion spans while reminding us that just down the street from the Cleavers was very likely a kid who grew up to shoot up a Burger King. Don't touch that dial. -Jim Poniewozik The Toll The Price of Progression Geffen Geffen seems to be relying on gimmicks to break new bands these days. Rock City Angel's three sided debut album worked well, but they had the ballsy tunes to back it up. Unfortunately, Columbus Ohio's The Toll's debut single/video "Jonathan Toledo," a 10:09 cry-for-the-Indians opus, has no balls at all. As if one "We Will Fall" style indulgence wasn't enough, The Toll had to also incule the 10:32 "Anna-41-Box." The Toll's politically correct tales of Native Americans, sexual liberation, and hypocritical religions are admirable enough I guess, but that doesn't make up for boring tunes. Songs like these aren't impossible to do; just ask Ted Nugent if he's seen any "Great White Buffaloes" lately. - Jia arvinn - a twisted look at Americana which makes the bizarre seem more bizarre by marrying it with the ordi- nary. C. f. (see, f'rexample) the cover, a photo of a church-like mini- structure emblazoned with portraits out of a 6th grade history book and two clocks reading different times. They Might Be Giants present us our culture the same way it presents itself to us - through snippets and soundbites, jumbled almost beyond sense. "Purple Toupde" retells the news of the '60s through the eyes of a child of the era overdosed on media ("I remember the year I went to camp/ Heard about a lady named Selma and some Blacks"). By com- bining lyrics ranging from the sub- liminal ("Every jumbled pile of per- son has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of") to the ridiculous ("I'm going to see the cow beneath the sea") with music from power- pop to polka, the two johns have -Rrian !nrt'lnPn They Might Be Giants Lincoln Bar None So there I was, sitting in my liv- ing room with MTV's 120 Minutes on the set, watching the latest videos by The Band With The Ten Minute Long Songs, The Band From Ice- So you've just stood in line for two hours to buy $200 worth of paperback books. "I'm gonna die," you think. "I'm definitely gonna die." So of course you don't want to read when you don't have to. After all, why would you want to read the latest in fiction and the newest non-fiction? It's nobody' you'd ever study in class - all these authors are still alive. And you wouldn't have room for the complimentary copies. Well, if you're really crazed (or just can't pass up the free books), then don't miss this one- time opportunity - write for the Daily Arts book section. Call the Arts department at 763-0379. land, The Band With The Singer With The Really High Voice, when I rose up in indignation (as I am wont to do in fictional narratives) and cried, "For God's sake, doesn't anybody just write good songs anymore?!?" Nothing happened. The heavens didn't open up to give me an answer, no one knocked on my door selling copies of the perfect album, and MTV just went on to play a song by The Band With The Political Lyrics. Welcome to the world. But the next day, I did pick up Lincoln, by They Might Be Giants. The Who Who's Better, MCA Who's Best Entwistle and/or Daltrey arc sup- posedly broke. Brian Jarvinen -- The Advertising Department of will be closed on Monday January 16 in recognition of DIVERSITY DAY. All ads for Thursday January 194 will be due on Friday January 13 at 2:30 Thinking about summer in Israel, a year a study, kibbutz, aliya? Meet with a representative of the Jewish Agency's kib- butz' aliyah desk, who will be at Hillel to answer questions and provide information about a wide variety of programs in Israel. Call 769-0500 for an appointment. Israel Information Days, Thursday, January 12 10 am -2:30pm Thursday, January 26 10am -4pm I lillel does not necessarily endorse the Daily's opinions or agree with its editorial policies. ( ~TAX. lllz ; 313-973-1188 * Individual income Tax preparation. * One day service for most returns. * Convenient hours * Evenings by appointment. * Free parking * Convenient location. 2525 CARPENTER RD - (Between Packard & Washtenaw) - ANN ARBOR F j (j ei * Full & Self Service Macintosh" * Fine Stationery & Envelopes - High Quality Copies Open 24 Hours 540 E. Liberty Open 7 Days 761-4539 Michigan union 1220 S. Univt 662-1222 747-9070 kainkos the copy center The Summer of a Lifetime Awaits You Minority Students: Interested in becoming a Resident Staff member with the Housing Division?!? Attend one of the Pre-Orientation Workshops for Minority Students! Talk with current minority student -rn) and professional staff about resident staff positions! Learn about the selection process that begins in late January! IF YOU LIKE COMING OUT _____ON TOP,___ WHY NOT START THERE? At Scientific-Atlanta, we subscribe to an ag- gressive philosophy of working to win. If that coincides with your view of a career, we offer great opportunities for the innovative use of your talents and for professional and personal growth. As a winning edge Fortune 500 communica- tions company, we are an established leader in cable television electronics and satellite- based communications networks. We are also a key supplier of electronic instruments and control systems. Find out about the opportunity waiting for you at Scientific-Atlanta. Plan to come to our company presentation on Wednesday, January 11. Company Presentation: January 11, 1989 4:30 PM Paton 1018 JAPAN ENGLAND SPAIN AUSTRIA ITALY SWITZERLAND CANADA CHINA TIRKFV FRANCF THF SOVIFT INION Tues. Jan. 10, 6-8 pm Nikki Giovanni Lounge Kucar nr nn Wn un Wed. Jan. 11, 6-8 pm McGreaham-Siwik Lounge Rm,i iduvPm Reception immediately following in the ii I