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Wednesday, September 13, 1989-- The Michigan Daily - Page 8

Syd Straw
Surprise
Virgin
"Mmm... I really don't think I
should go out... I have so much read-
ing to do," Carol said.
Of course you do, I thought.
"Look," I said, "If you don't fall be-
hind on your reading now, you'll
have one less excuse not to see me
later in the term."
It worked.
"Let's dance," she said, about
three beers into our awkwardness
contest. At least I hoped she said
that. In any case, she took the floor
and I followed.
After five minutes of Studied
Coolness Gymnastics (we managed
to dance within two feet of each other
without our gazes meeting once), the
tape faded and the band took the
stage. A trebly guitar riff introduced a
familiar-sounding song; when the
powerful vocals kicked in, I recog-
nized it as the dBs' "Think Too
Hard."
But that was no Peter Holsapple
at the mike. Rail-thin, with straight
long hair hanging like so many
plumb lines, she was straight lines,
all straight lines. As straight as the
line on which her sweet, clear voice

threw the lyrics into my chest. She
was singing to me; she had to be.
"Do you want to sit down now?"
Carol asked.
"Mm hm. In a second."
After the dBs cover, she launched
into a string of originals. Her back-
ing band was energetic, if slick
sounding, and the decidedly countri-

she looks really weird," he said. But
he was an asshole, too, I thought.
Finally, we went back to the
table; I tripped over several pairs of
feet, not wanting to take my eyes
from the stage. Between songs, she
introduced the band members, some
of whom had co-written the songs
with her. Sure, they were big names

She sang of confusion, of being lost, of being hurt,
in images ('In the air we are equals stars in a sequel
to the story of a girl') that made me feel like her
closest friend, with a voice, honeyed but traveled,
that could have killed me in an instant. Did she just
look at me?

A 0
"Look, there's Andy and Chris."
"Uh, yeah. Go on over. Be there
in a second."
And, to be honest, when she sang
the two duets, with John Doe and -
I think it was the singer from
R.E.M. - well, I guess I felt a little
jealous. The first, a cover of Stephen
Foster's "Hard Times," was sad be-
yond words, everything that Foster, a
rock and roll victim a century before
Hendrix and Sid Vicious, tried to
squeeze from his own soul. And the
second stunned me. "I am so much
stronger than you," she repeated in
"Future 40's (String of Pearls)," and
she was, leaving the Stipe guy to eat
her musical dust -
"- I said, do you want to go
now?"
"Um, just a little - um...
wait..."
She opened the last set with
"Sphinx," a wounded but spunky an-
them to the love- and lust-injured
that reopened every old scar on my
heart.
"I really need to go. I have to get
up in the morning," Carol was say-
ing.
"Yeah..." But it wasn't to her that
I replied.
isn't it hard when it finally hits

(%

4 ;E
than a catch a glimpse, to get a word in, btd
she disappeared through the back doet
ell is. with the guy who looked liloq
Michael Stipe. By then Carol had at
INUTE, ready left, with another guy wif0
n out of looked like Michael Stipe.
I saw her album in the store the
nute. I next day, but I didn't buy it. You
d of the probably shouldn't, either. Loge
aind the~ hurts.

fied pop arrangements (also reminis-
cent of the dBs - in fact, wasn't that
Chris Stamey back there on bass?)
suited perfectly both her Southern
drawl and her soul-bared lyrics. "I
gave you ten second chances/ You
gave me nine alibis," she sang on the
third song, "Chasing Vapor Trails
(His Turn To Cry)." His turn?
Whoever he was, I thought, he was
an asshole. I remembered a friend of
mine telling me he saw her sing be-
fore - "She's got this huge nose...

- Richard Thompson, Benmont
Tench, and Daniel Lanois among
them - and they could play a good
lick (notably Thompson's soloing on
"Sphinx"), but she was the show.
She sang of confusion, of being lost,
of being hurt, in images ("In the air
we are equals stars in a sequel to the
story of a girl") that made me feel
like her closest friend, with a voice,
honeyed but traveled, that could have
killed me in an instant. Did she just
look at me?

that your lover is less
friend
It sure is, Syd. It sure as h
"I said I have to -"
"Yeah, inna goddamn MI
OK?" I yelled, jerking my ar
her hand.
It was more than a mi
waited until the end of the en
set, until the crowd thinned
last guitar was packed up, ho

)ping to

-Jim Poniewozik@


the

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-In conjunction with a section of
Film/Video 412, The Michigan
Theater is presenting a series of
films in the coming semester that
were directed by the two Irish-
Americans Johns of American cin-
ema, Ford and Huston. The fest is
kicking off with Stagecoach (1939),

Ford's classic Western that cata-
pulted John Wayne to stardom. Also
playing this month are another of
Ford's greats, The Grapes of Wrath
(September 19 & 20), and Huston's
noir masterpiece, The Maltese
Falcon (September 26 & 27).

*..Wednesday, September 13
The RC Players are holding a mass meeting at 7 p.m. in East Quad ***Thursday, September 14
room 126. Actors, playwrights, tech people, and directors needed. Second day of auditions for the Residence Hall Repertory Theatre
Troupe and Talk to Us in the West Lounge of South Quad at 4:30 p.m.
Two repertory groups will hold auditions today at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 and 7:30 p.m.

4

p.m. in the West Lounge of South Quad. The Residence Hall Repertory
Theatre Troupe, sponsored by the University Housing Division, is an is-
sue-related performance group that writes its own scripts in preparation for
one show per semester. Weekly performances in the dorms. The other
group, Talk to Us, is an issue-related troupe jointly sponsored by Hillel and
the University Housing Division. The troupe performs completely different
shows each week in an improvisational format. No previous experience nec-
essary for either group. No preparation necessary for auditions. Call Scott
Weissman, Artistic Director, at 769-0500 for further information.
A FREE GIFT JUST FOR CALLING PLUS RAISE
UP TO $1,700.00 IN ONLY TEN DAYS!!!
Student groups, fraternities, and sororities needed for
marketing project on campus. For details plus a
FREE GIFT, group officers calil-800-950-8472, ext. 20

ri

***UAC/Soph Show to stage Bye, Bye Birdie. Applications requested for
director, musical director, choreographer, stage manager, set designer, tech
director, make-up, costume, and publicity. For information regarding these
positions, as well as information about the mass meeting and auditions, go
to the UAC offices (second floor of the Michigan Union) or call 763-11075
Auditions and Opportunities runs Wednesdays on the Michigan Daily Arts
page. If you have events to be included in the column, call 763-0379.

A

U of M

Order your college ring NOW.
JO STENS
A M E R I C A S C O L L E G E R I NGTM
Date: Sept. 11-13 Time: 11:00-4:00 Deposit Required: $25.00
Michigan Union Bookstore
Place:
Meet with your Jostens representative for full details. See our complete ring selection on display in your college bookstore
WrIO7A(CP-807-90)

SAILING
CLUB
OPEN MEETING
Thursday, September 14, 7:30 p.m.
170 Dennison

Call Kevin Bosley for