Reids'
by Nabeel Zuberi
The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 16, 1990 - Page 9 ,
contention:
Love
hurts
THE Jesus And Mary Chain is FM
*music; fetishism and masochism.
Fetishism: an abnormal condi-
tion in which erotic feelings are ex-
cited by a nonsexual object, as a
foot, glove, etc.
In the case of The Jesus And
Mary Chain, the fetish is pop. Every
single piece of music recorded by the
group is grounded in Jim and
William Reid's obsession with pop
history, rock 'n' roll riffs and all the
*glorious clich6s of '50s and '60s
music.
These leatherclad Scotsmen don't
make use of a sampler, but play
riffs, traces of melody and use words
that all sound familiar; a Reid-Reid
song has you digging into your pop
memory/consciousness trying to re-
member "where have I heard that be-
fore?" The sources are never paro-
dit
X110 r~
died, because there is too much love
for them. Rather, The Jesus And
Mary Chain pastiches the classics of
yesteryear, and any irony is strictly
blank. '
"Never Understand" from their
exhilirating debut Psychocandy
could have been fashioned in the
darker recesses of Beach Boy Brian
Wilson's mind; "Just Like Honey"
has a wall of sound not dissimilar to
Phil Spector's; their version of Bo
Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and
their homage "Bo Diddley is Jesus"
distills the intangible essence of r 'n'
r. It's not just The Jesus And Mary
Chain's sound that is a deconstruc-
tion of multiple pop discourses -
within song titles and fragments of
lyrics there are also references to the
works of The Velvet Underground,
the Beach Boys, and Sonny and
Cher. Pop guzzles itself in The Je-
sus And Mary Chain's fetishistic
obsession.
Masochism: the getting of plea-
sure from suffering physical or psy-
chological pain, inflicted by others
or by oneself.
Most of The Jesus And Mary
Chain's punky pop songs and in-
spired dirges focus on relationships
that are about to fall apart. The
group is mired in an inert self-ab-
sorption that is utterly entrancing.
The music has the same kind of
Romantic appeal as the sorry lives
of artists who will their own destruc-
tion. Psychocandy leans more to-
ward sexual sadism than does Dark-
lands, a work of brilliant wallowing
narcissism. This is the Reid brothers
dwelling on their passivity, impo-
tence and unfulfilled desire. The
songs on the recent Automatic sug-
Carol Gilligan, noted Harvard
psychologist, delivers the Tanner
Lecture on Human Values this after-
noon titled "Joining the Resistance:
Psychology, Politics, Girls and
Women". The feminist author of In
a Different Voice and Mapping the
Moral Domain was recently the sub-
ject of a New York Times Magazine
cover story. Her lecture, sponsored
by the philosophy department lecture
begins at 4 p.m. in Rackham Audi-
torium. Admission is free.
Jazz piano great Ralph Sutton
will be performing his brand of
stride this Saturday at Kerrytowr."
Concert House. Stride piano, or
Harlem stride, is a thumping,.
polyrhythmic style that was created*
and played by Black virtuosos in the
1920's. It is characterized by a driV-
ing left hand and extensive riff-like
improvisations in the right hand.
This music swings like mad. Sutton
has played since he was nine and in
1982 he opened the New York Jazz-.
Festival with a solo concert. Tickets
for the show are $10 and $15. The"
concert house is located at 415 N.
Fourth Ave. Shows are at 7 and 9
p.m. Call 769-2999 for reservations.
Read
aga
Black being the cool color these days, the Jesus and Mary Chain apply it
not only to their wardrobe, but to their songs as well.
Ube
Dai~e C&Looi61e4G
gest that desire and pain are two
sides of the same emotional coin.
Not many artists these days are as
sick but honest about sex and
"love." But then again, it could all
be an artful pose.
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
play at 8 p.m. at the Latin Quarter,
3067 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit. Sup-
port group is The Veldt. Tickets are
$14.50 in advance on sale at Tick-
etmaster.
-~ I
-.
The University of Michigan
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Sun. Mar. 18
)
Michigan Youth Improvisation
Ensemble
Gregg Koyle, director
Recital Hall, School of Music, 12:00 PM
An Evening of improvisational
Music
Faculty/student ensembles
Rehearsal Hall, School of Music, 8:00 PM
The Diamond Auxiliary proudly presents:
"AFRICA: THE MISSING LINK"
An exploration of African Royalty
Performed by Kabaz (Black Jewels) Inc.
Sunday, March 18, 1990
4PM
Mendelssohn Theater
Michigan League
ADMISSION FREE
Funded by:
The Office of Minority Affairs
Michigan Student Assembly
The Vice President for Student Services
"If ther
brass qu
I
that has more
charisma,
virtuosity and
imagination.Jt
hasn't yet
played
Chicago."
--hcE
..JJP5(
The Office of Campus Life
they brought
down the
house and in
the U.S.S.R.
the crowd
erupted in
applause.
presents
EMPIRE BRASS
"The foremost American Brass Ensemble"
-Pittsburgh Post Gazette
eis a "Ther
intet shows
real
topper
erman
.
0
ly
.
0
0
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.
.
0
.
*
0
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Tribune
Sunday, March 25, 1990
3:00 p.m Pease Auditorium
For tickets, call Quirk Box Office, 487-1221.
0 0 0
All events free unless specified. Wheelchair accessible.
For up-to'date information on School of Music Events, call the
24-Hour Music Hotline - 763-4726
INTRODUCING
. PIh
SOHO NATURAL SESSIONS
A NEW HALF HOUR WEEKLY RADIO
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