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Page 8-The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, January 28, 1992
Simon reveals Records
his sordidpast

Brighton Beach Memoirs
dir. Wendy Wright
Lydia Mendelssohn Theater
January 24th, 1992
Last weekend, the Ann Arbor
Civic Theater managed to light up
the Mendelssohn stage with its
production of Neil Simon's
Brighton Beach Memoirs.
The story of an extended fam-
ily trying to make ends meet dur-
ing the Depression, Brighton
Beach Memoirs - one of the
works in Simon's autobiographi-
Theater review
cal trilogy - delved into a chap-
ter in the life of the Jerome fam-
ily. Seven individuals living in a
tiny house with little money pro-
vided for plenty of tension and
excitement.
Although Memoirs was a de-
parture from Simon's usual
comedic style, much of its humor
characteristically lurked in the
corners, and actually provided a
foundation for the unfolding
drama. Considering Simon's in-
spiration for the play was his own
childhood, it was no surprise that
this mixture of comedy and
tragedy exuded a certain air of
youthful ambiguity. The pervad-
ing humor of each individual char-
acter reflected a real-life solution
- the ability to laugh even in the
worst of times.

Eugene (Brendan McMahon),
as the "young Neil Simon," con-
tributed a great part of the play's
energy. Constantly shifting be-
tween audience and stage, he made
sure that the audience did indeed
come into his house.
Eugene's brother, Stanley
(Fred Bock) added to the on stage
chemistry by typifying the transi-
tional sibling, who cannot decide
whether to be a father or a peer.
Although this relationship
seemed the strongest in the play's
development, Memoirs as a whole
was the story of relationships in
general. The two mothers, as sis-
ters, (Sharon Sussman and Shirley
Perich), interacted in Edith
Bunker style. Years of toleration
burst out in a final frustrating
explosion.
Above it all, Jack (Marty
Smith) presided over the entire
house in the quintessence of
Simon's style. He exhibited an air
of authority and matter-of-fact
humor.
Despite some areas where the
relationships' intensity seemed to
wane, Brighton Beach Memoirs
exuded an air of complete enter-
tainment. The single set brought
realism to their daily experiences
and unity to the performance. The
audience was finally, and most
importantly, a part of the house-
hold's humor, as well as its
drama. - Sue Uselmann

Hilarious rockers and Boston Ueltic wanna-bes Ugly Kid Joe argue over

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Ugly Kid Joe
As Ugly As They Wanna Be
Stardog/Polygram
OK. Take Faith No More, early
Motley Crue, early Poison, and Sam
Kinison, and blend them all to-
gether. The results are ugly. But, in
this case, ugly equals wonderful. Say
hello to Ugly Kid Joe.
This band that has something
new to offer the world of music -
humor. The songs on this EP inten-
tionally funny and truly funny. Not
split-a-gut funny, but subtly funny.
Listen hard and you may catch
singer Whitfield Crane insulting
predecessor Poison with a disgusted,
"Come on C.C.," during "Whiplash
Liquor."
When it's not amusing raps set to
heavy metal music, it's the incon-
gruous lyrics that are comic. In
"Madman," we find out that a
"madman is loose ... in Disney-
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land."
Equally impressive is "Funky
Fresh Country Club" - not because
it's written in part by heavy metal
greats Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler,
and Ozzy Osbourne - but because
it shows that Ugly Kid Joe has a se-
rious side too.
The clear winner on this EP is
"Everything About You." This song
is perhaps the most magnificent
mockery of ballads ever, setting in-
sults against a beautiful, catchy
melody. From the title, you'd expect
a syrupy outpour of "I love you's,"
but Ugly Kid Joe will quickly set
you straight with its contemptuous
ode to groupies: "I hate everything
about you."
Can't any band sit there and
spout off insults and amusing
words? Maybe. But most can't do it
with technically impressive music,
like this band can. Heck, a lot of
hard rock bands don't even know
what technically impressive music
is. As Ugly As They Wanna Be only
has six songs, but quality beats quan-
tity - and originality conquers both.
-Kristen Knudsen
"Hank's a junkie, he
can't come. I'm on bug
powder, I don't need to
come."
-Joan Lee
in Naked Lunch

Bluesiana II
Bluesiana II
Windham Hill Jazz
Saxophonist David "Fathead"
Newman, drummer Will Calhoun,
pianist Dr. John and trombone
player Ray Anderson have come to-
gether to make the second Bluesiana
collaboration a spiritually resonant
project in all of its musical rele-
vance.
Bluesiana II, like its predecessor
Bluesiana Triangle, serves as a tes-
tament to the magic that makes
Louisiana one of the focal points, if
not the nexus, of American music -
both jazz and the blues, and from
there funk and some of the best
strains of rock 'n' roll.
The album also serves as a trib-
ute to one of the original Bluesiana
members, Jazz Messenger and
drummer Art Blakey, who died of
cancer on October 17, 1990 before
this album could be recorded.
Bluesiana II is a work of fusion,
boasting blendings of Baton Rouge
drainpipe percussion with the usual
bluster of gris-gris man Dr. John
vamping away at the piano. Mean-
while, Newman and Anderson's in-
termingled solos display equal
amounts of both technical prowess
and soulful abandon.
So, while the album's opener,

"Fonkalishus," is a lustful show of
spontaneous self-improvement
through the groove, the impassive
"For Art's Sake" allows the musi-
cians to jam expansive flute solos
and upright bass excursions into
some of the coolest dimensions
known to man.
Despite his having the best voice
in music, Dr. John delivers his best
on the mid-tempo jam "Love's Par-
ody," a captivating blend of hyp-
notic percussion by Joe Bonadio and
slow, pithy saxophone solos that
match the Doctor's voice in all of
its haunting quality.
Elsewhere, on "Doctor Blooze"
and the more overtly blues number
"San Antoine," he comes off trying
too hard to be himself. Likewise,
Bluesiana II often comes off as
meekly repetitive in its varied ex-
plorations of the jazz-blues axis.
Some ground seems ignored in lieu
of the safe haven that technical vir-
tuosity and stylistic familiarity
give over uncharted ground.
Still, by the time Calhoun's
"Tribute To Art" comes pulsing,
thumping and trembling along in
all of its percussive fury, we are left
with an evocative and meaningful
tap on the pulse of America's most
mystical state.
-Forrest Green III

The University of Michigan Department
of Dermatology is seeking volunteers ages
13 - 30 years to test new therapies for Acne.
Eligible participants willbe compensated
$100 for their time and effort.
For more information please call (313) 434-DERM
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
I " University of Michigan
Medical Center

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For Reservations,
call 1-800-695-5150
or 1-305-294- 3773

CRIMES
Continued from page 5
Arnetia Walker as Maria John-
son steals the show when she goes
to Savannah to find Greenway. The
scenes where Maria and Detective
Eugene Tully (Ron Orbach) team up
are well written, funny and charm-
ing. The film would've worked
much better if Greenway and
Hanover had been dumped, and the
film was renamed The Only Jewish
Con In Savannah and a Black

Woman Cop From Atlanta (it kinda'
rhymes, too).
If you liked the '70s television
drama Kung Fu, you'll love Love
Crimes, as its second-best scenes in-
volve Greenway hearing the disem-
bodied voice of her boxing coach
whispering, "Boxing is like a
dance." He doesn't call her
Grasshopper, or tell her to use the
Force, but that's really the only dif-
ference.
LOVE CRIMES is playing at Show-
case.

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The Office of Minority Affairs

The Student Rights Commission of the
Michigan Student Assembly will issue
and present its report on the University's
interim speech code.
9:00 pm Tuesday, January 28
MSA Chambers

Student leaders
KingIChavez/Parks
SPRING VISITATION PROGRAM
Program dates are March 2, 1992 - May 29, 1992
An average of ten hours per week is required
$5.55-$6.55

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Office of MinorityAffairs
OFFICE ASSISTANTS
Hiring for Winter Term
10-15 hours per week
$5.00 - $6.50

:

Diversity Program
ASSISTANT FACILITATORS
Hiring for Winter Term
10-15 hours per week
$6.55-$7.55
If you are interested, and would like more information, please pick up an application