The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - March 12, 1992-Page 5 Not your typCal dope smo kin' morons by Mark Binelli How do you know where I'm at When you haven't been where I've been? Understand where I'm coming from? While you're off trying to help in your big home, I'm out here risking my dome, Just for a bucket, or a fast ducat, Just to stay alive, Yo, I gotta say, 'Fuck it!' Here is something you can't un- derstand: How I could just kill a man -Cypress Hill, "How I Could Just Kill a Man" "'Here is something you can't understand' is directed at people who never experienced life in the ghetto," says DJ Mixmaster Muggs, the backbone of LA's latest incendi- ary rap export, Cypress Hill. The group scored some recogni- tion with "How I Could Just Kill a Man," easily one of the most unsettl- ing singles of 1991. A potent com- bination of Muggs' haunting Shack- Sisters are doin' it for themselves C 'mon ladies, 'fess up - You're sick to death of your place in the rock n' roll circus. Your boyfriends leave you in the back at shows, while they get to go down front and have all the fun. And while you and your girlfriends are having to endure mindless and sexist rantings from the neanderthals on stage, you're being pawed at by drunken goons too obliterated to watch the show. On the rare occasion that you get to see a cool, all-female band, multiply the above comments ten times. Guys clamoring to the front to check out the "babes" on stage, and drunken goons drooling over you because they think you look like the "babe" on stage. Thankfully, cool girls (er, I mean women) everywhere are rejecting this garbage, and have set out to prove that ladies can most definitely rock, and still be sexy at the same time. At the forefront of this movement are bands such as L7, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and L.A.'s coolest export since Jane's Addiction, Hole. Hole, led by the enigmatic Courtney Love, churn out abrasive, sonic, downright scary rock 'n' roll. Anyone who says women can't rock A) Have never heard Hole's brilliant Pretty On The Inside, and B) should stop taking drugs. Courtney Love is so cool she even dragged America's #1 anti-hero, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, down the aisle last month in the indie-rock wedding of the century. And if you saw Cobain sporting one of her dresses on MTV's Headbanger's Ball recently, there's no doubt as to who wears the pants in that house. Also check out D.C.'s Bikini Kill, a band of revolutionaries that call for women to claim their own piece of the rock pie. Their singer, way-hip Kathleen Hanna, has even been known to shuck her T-shirt at shows as an "up yours" to macho male posturing. (In an obvious show of support, Madonna has been seen cavorting in the south of France sans top - see this week's Enquirer for proof!) So ladies, buy-a drum kit, steal your boyfriend's guitar, by any means necessary, get out there and rip! -Scott Sterling Cypress Hill is (-r) Sen Dog, Mixmaster Muggs, and B-Real :Are they nasty mack dogs or just up in smoke? er Movie keyboard samples, lead rapper B-Real's nasally Cameo-style vocals and back-up rapper Sen Dog's Chuck D bellows, the song was most notable for its decidedly unglamorous portrait of urban vio- lence. "N.W.A.'s saying, 'Go out and kill someone.' We don't say that," Muggs explains, although he is quick to blast the hypocrisy of cen- sorship. "The world's worse than what we say it is," he fumes. "Elmer Fudd can blow away Bugs Bunny. It's OK to see Terminator, it's OK to show Rambo holding a gun, but they had to airbrush the gun out of the Juice posters. It's OK to talk about war. War's worse than anything we rap about." The 22-year-old DJ moved from Queens to Southgate, Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, where he hooked up with the rest of the band. While growing up in NYC, Muggs says that he was exposed to "music that nobody else had" - particularly Old School hip-hop such as the Treacherous Three - through his cousin, who was also a DJ. Besides rap, Muggs' musical in- fluences also include reggae and "heavy rock 'n' roll" (read: dino- rock), such as Led Zeppelin, Aero- smith and the Eagles. "I'm used to hearing guitars," he says. But the Mixmaster's unique styl- ings are what save many of the tracks on the band's somewhat te- dious debut album, Cypress Hill, from total mediocrity. For instance, the opening song, "Pigs" - a wa- tered-down rip-off of "Fuck Tha' Police" with truly uninspired lyrics like "How about a ham sandwich?" - transcends its banality only be- cause of Muggs' ironically playful sing-song bass line. A similar technique is used on the band's latest single,"Hand on the Pump," which combines a chorus of "Sawed-off shotgun / Hand on the pump / Left hand on a 40 ..." with a "Duke of Earl" sample. See CYPRESS, Page 8 by Elizabeth Le Setrakian bridges the Madonn mnhard W hitley Setrakian was Madonna's roommate here at the University. After years of agoniz- ing silence, thedancer/choreographer is finally going totalkabout the expe- rience in her performance this week- end. There. I've said it. Anyone who is familiar with Setrakian's (whose combination of dance, music, theater and writing can only classify her as a performance artist) reputation as on the cusp of Ann Arbor's quirky creativity knows of Setrakian's murky history with the pop tart of the pop chart. However, she has veiled this certainly extraor- dinary period of her life in mystery. When we humble members of the press beseech of Setrakian, "Tell us anything. What did she eat for break- fast? OK, OK we know she's not a real blond, but...," the director of People Dancing has responded with a cool, "No comment." Why is she coming forward now? "Mostpeople would rather do laun- The Barber from the flip side Each term, University students put on a series of plays such as the upcomingThe Barber of Seville produced by a service organization separate from the theatrical departments, called University Productions. According to Rolfe Bergsman, technical director at the Power Center, "You don't see an organization like University Productions, which serves as a production organization for the various departments within the School of ,Music, anywhere else." It is an innovative way to give students personal experience in a classroom setting, providing them with instructors who are knowledgeable about today's theater. "University Productions is here for the students to produce shows, and give the students directed performance opportunities," says Mark Sullivan, production manager. Operating under its own power, yet working in coordination with the Theatre department, University Productions combines resources therefore providing a bigger staff for production. This enables the Theatre department to produce larger and higher quality shows. Stephanie Smith, a stage manager for University Productions, says the backstage aspect - coordinating sets, props, lights and costumes - is a "good opportunity for hands-on experience, because theater is something you have to do. You are given lots of responsibility up front." More student involvement seems to be needed, however. Sullivan says he'd like "to see University Productions expand into more of a training situation ... get students involved in more areas, and see the students with talent get more into management." Smith agrees, "More student support, in terms of attendance and involovement," is necessary. Smith likes University Productions which doesn't usually present shows in the mainstream, often providing a rich storehouse of material with which the students work. Rodgers and Hart, Shakespeare and Rossini are the remaining artists on University Productions' guest list for this season's feasting. The Barber of Seville will be presented at the end of the March by the University Opera Theatre, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rossini. Thanks to the people out of the limelight, the devious barber can carry out his work onstage. -Nicole Baker dry than go to a 'dance concert'," Setrakian states. So she's luring stu- dents with our lust for knowledge about America'sfavorite material girl,. in "Nine Months in a Room With Madonna," the shortest of the concert's seg- ments. "This way I could (answer questions) on my own terms," Setrakian also explains. The creation of this piece rep- resents one of Setrakian's most attractive quali- ties as a per- former. If she wants to eat a cracker as she's carried across the stage or do an in- tricate dance as she recites an in- terpretation of the Fool's Song from Setrakian Twelfth Night, she does. Setrakian blurs classic art with a cynical look at 'real' life. Though her ability to perform could have been devastated by the financial liabilities posed by the cuts - several years of "planning grants" were abruptly taken from her when Engler swung the ax - Setrakian has made revisions and gone on. Since she cannot pay .the members of her company People Dancing, she is go- ing solo for this concert. But this isn't a concession. "I had a lot of work to put out and this was quickest, least expensive way to do it." she says. Back to thisperformance art thing. While the term "dance concert," might make you yawn, "performance art" a gap sets most shaking in their shoes. What can we expect from Setrakian's vari- ety? Simple. In an excerpt from the epic piece "Lobster Dinner at Gramsy's" Setrakian's alter ego, named Eliza- beth Bausnay, will explain abit of civil engineer- ing - lobster- activated bridges. Setrakian won't do all the work. Comepre- pared to partici- pate - you get to ask the ques- tions about Ma- donna. "Mary's Answer" will feature the origi- nalmusic ofBen Miller and his band GKW (who will per- form Friday and Saturday after Setrakian is through). This will be performance in the most thorough and wacky sense of the word. Music, drama and the choreographer's riveting signature style will be seen and enjoyed by her loyal followers. WHITLEY SETRAKIAN will present a concert ofsolo works at the Perfor- mance Network tonight through Sat- urday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (with a possible 6:30 show as well). Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors and students and can be purchased at the Michigan Theater or at the door. Call 663-0681 for more information. .1 Yakov Smirnoff, straight up in a shotglass Not to be confused with the eponymous vodka, this naturalized American citizen/comedian calls himself a "Russian Ricky Ricardo." He doesn't play the bongos, but Smirnoff has a flair for making his ethnicity part of his shtick just like Desi Arnaz did. Now boasting a Hollywood mansion, Smirnoff used to call an efficiency apartment home for himself and his parents (and his pun chline to that story goes, "I guess that's why I'm an only child."). Smirnoff also had to wait for other services most Americans take for granted, such as phone installation and his own car. He takes dismal situations such as his childhood and emigration to the US, and compares them to the American way of life. This outlook is typified by the memorable Miller Lite advertisements of the mid-'80s, "In America, you can always find a party," he said, surrounded by California types and cold brews, "in Russia, the Party always finds you." Smirnoff will be performing tonight and Friday at the Mainstreet Comedy Showcase, at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $22.50; call 998-9080 for more information. After these dates, Smirnoff will be traveling to the former Soviet Union to deliver supplies for relief as an Ambassador of Goodwill. Far cry from What a Country! and a supporting role in Moscow on the Hudson. -Diane Frieder? tA I I c . . . ,z T- SHIRT PRINTERY * A2s MULTI-COLOR PRINTING CHAMPS! * STAFF ARTIST SUPPORT. * 2-DAY RUSH SERVICE AVAILABLE. * U-M P.O. #'s ACCEPTED. * LOCATED ACROSS THE BRIDGE FROM GANOY DANCER. 5% DISCOUNT 994-1367 - MINIMUM ORDEI WITH THIS AD 1002 PONTIAC TRAIL ANN ARBOR 12 SHIRTS . L .... ~ ..... .... ..,....... Y.. . , Kuumba Bichinis Bia Cong HeIMn a eese 00 Matinu: present Nguisani r - - - -Clip hers to destroy your Daily.- - I' I .~~I, Q he oi r . frig:.. ......, .:{) G~:? v :ii. " . .. :}r11.i"' ":~' :.:rYu ......."-) s ,?:ai/ ''o' w 7to .:;}" Fu . e 7 :r I I y I 0 Dancing To The R Same Drum L4 _ I' ,* A " ,t , tJ V i ' ..' East Quad's Women's Weekend 'Women in the Arts" March 12-15 Thursday March 12 -"Thelma and Louise" 7 pm. Discussion to follow. Friday March 13 04 gtc' tn the 8 LC 0rtet s t a program connecting the Congolese and Afrikan-American cultures through song, dance and musici Directed by Biza Sompa 14 G'l4%4 4eg° .Csyee is DP 6 '91 " CO 'ie D moo r * 04 Saturday, March 14, 1992 - 8:00pm D, I