ARTS 'The Michigan Daily Friday, November 30, 1990 Page 9 Counterculture is his vibe by Forrest Green Ill From the very beginning of his recording career, Gil Scott-Heron was creating what the average AmeriKKKan would consider "deep hit" before shrugging him away. Actually, before his first album, Small Talk At 125th and Lenox, was released, Scott-Heron was writing poems and books that attest to the unquestionable fact that politics and art are inseparable. Scott-Heron considers himself a poet as well as a lyricist and pianist; novels such as The Vulture, The Nigger Factory and, both the book *nd album, Small Talk.., were mighty forerunners of the most conceivably militant rap lyrics of today. Scott-Heron's own ingenious raps belong on the shelf with Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni and possibly arrare few of today's most insightful rappers. If nothing else, the album and song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" will persevere in music story forever. Scott-Heron's mes- sage was literally decades ahead of its time, guaranteeing that later efforts by those who steal from him could only pale in comparison. In this s~nse, Gil slammed each and every scker MC that would ever bite his style, all the way up to and includ- iig Public Enemy and Professor 1 riff, who used the line repeatedly oh their way t the top. ' The Nation of Islam's minister Lbuis Farrakhan and his efforts to speak directly to the destitute in the (nner cities is more within the logic Of Scott-Heron's message. If and when the AmeriKKKan revolution Gomes, as the man said, "there will le no pictures of pigs shooting gown brothers on the instant replay/ there will be no pictures of pigs mpus Cinem In Highlander, a secret race of Immortals causes confusion and dis- tress among even the saltiest New -Yorkers as they run around the Big Apple and try to wack each others heads off. Cristopher Lambert plays* the Highlander, the civilized Scot *mmortal whose Napoleonic brandy really is Napoleonic, and Clancy Brown plays the Khergen, a chain bhewing barbarian who probably thought the Nazis were a bunch of gifted amateurs. The immortals con- *erge for The Gathering, during Which they don't actually gather but fight to the death for "the prize" - something infinitely greater, the viewer is led to believe, than the lotto. Due to the fact that immortals are immensely unpopular among mor- Amazin' Blue just doo- wop it by Ami Mehta S itting in a small room listen- ing to 12 people standing in a circle rehearsing songs a cappella may not sound like anyone's idea of fun. But sitting in the audience of the Michigan Union Ballroom tonight, listening to the final product of a rehearsal by coed a cappella ensemble, Amazin' Blue, should be even more enjoyable than watching MTV. Where on MTV can you hear a versatile group such as this sing and entertain in a fast-paced con- cert including jazz, '50's doo- wop, Baroque pieces, popular hits and original compositions? This show promises to be an exciting evening for lovers of many different kinds of music. The 12 students that make up Amazin' Blue come from various backgrounds and majors. Mudita Agarwal, business manager and singer in the group, said, "Most people have had some type of musical training whether it be vocal or instrumental." The ensemble is completely student- run with different members han- dling publicity, song selection, compostion, direction and chore- ography. Under the musical direc- tion of Scott Adler, Amazin' Blue toured the East Coast, recorded an album last year and are set to re- lease another in February. Even though Amazin' Blue are now successful, Karl Kasischke, director of publicity and group member for four years, remem- bers that in the beginning there was a struggle to find people to sing for them until they were taken in by the University Activities Center. UAC coordi- nates many student groups, in- cluding performance troupes like Comedy Company and MUSKET. After becoming affili- ated with UAC, the ensemble be- came more popular on campus. "Recently, the musical ability of Amazin' Blue has gone through the roof," Kasishcke enthused. Kasishcke said the group learned 15 song in the last month and try to do a completely new set of music for each concert. Amazin' Blue has one concert a term for the public and also does shows for the Greek system and area businesses. The group will also be performing with Irish folk band the Chieftains in December. Amazin' Blue has provided quite an experience for its members. Kasishcke elaborates: "We're just a bunch of crazy individuals and we spend so much time together, its amazing." AMAZIN' BLUE performs tonight at 8 p.m. in the Michigan Union Ballroom. Tickets are $2, available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and at all Ticketmaster Outlets (plus the evil service charge). Gil Scott Heron will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised... Gil Scott-Heron will be live. shooting down brothers on the instant replay/ there will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay." Later albums, including From South Africa to South Carolina,l Bridges and Reflections would be written so topically that they now read like the kind of history books See GIL, Page 10 Too bad the mirror wasn't distorted. Honey-voiced members of a cappella group Amazin' Blue audition for The Night of the Living Dead on the set of classic '70s kids TV show, Romper Room. I Z r 1 1u U tals, they have to take up false iden- tities. Lambert's Highlander be- comes a reticent but intense antique dealer with an aura of mystery, while the Khergen, Lambert's eight-foot- tall, black leather-draped enemy, re- defines punk. In one scene Lambert enters a church to assess his situa- tion and the Khergen ambles in after him, blows out the votive candles, sits down, props his combat boots up on a pew and leers at a group of nuns, flicking his tongue at them and licking his lips. The film fol- lows their encounters in 16th-cen- tury Scotland and 20th-century New York and the final showdown be- tween them echoes their first battle on the Scottish moors at the film's beginning. See CAMPUS, Page 10 C 0 R N E R A]MPUS ANHEUSER BUSH NATURAL LIGHT 1/4 BARREL $15.99 etax +deposit -while supplies last THE GREAT WALL_=_ Specializing in Szechuan, Hunan and Cantonese 747-7006 I. 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