Page 4- The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - September 24, 1992


Singer visits desolate,
redeeming country
by Greg Baise of "Astral Weeks." Bonney has no naked voice of Bonney on "Now That
Scorching with a dry, desperate qualms about someday reviving the She's Gone," which is accompanied
honesty, Simon Bonney's "Forever" Crime moniker, although he feels that only by an electric guitar, searing in
will have you feeling it like a desert "Forever" was definitely meant to be its loneliness.
sun drying your skin after your sweat more a "Bonney" project than a "Forever" moves opposite to post-
has run out. Like hunger pangs after "Crime" project. Birthday Party anti- and neo-tradi-
seeing a sun bleached steer's skull in "Forever," quite a grand time term tions, right into the heart of traditional
the middle of nowhere. Like drinking in itself, reflects grandiose American American country music. The album
hefty gulps of cool water relieving all frontiers of all sorts - the West, the features dozens of country session
of that. Like remembering your fa- desert, and, from the perspective of men, but barely any honky-tonk, no
vorite kiss. your kindred Bad Seeds fan in the psychobilly, no embarrassing clich6s
Accompanied only by J. D. Fos- dorm room next door, perhaps the -just sublime sad songs about rela-
ter, a guitarist who has played with realm of country music itself. But tionships and growth. "Forever" may
Dwight Yoakum, Bonney is touring where Nick Cave's explorations of bemelancholy,butit'snotdepressing
America. The two are traveling in a the frontiers of southern blues shacks - no shiver-inducing suicide con-
"large and comfortable car" with little often contain the larger-than-life quali- templation, nary even a trace of drown-
more than their guitars, Bonney said ties of the Las Vegas stage, Bonney is ing sorrows in booze.
from a room in a Howard Johnson'sin quite down to earth on "Forever." In fact there seems to be a lot of
Kansas City. Instead of weaving the epic tales of hope contained in its songs, some-
Bonney fronted Crime and theCity the past two Crime records, Bonney thing that Bonney links to the very
Solution, the stunning aggregate of concentrates on individual songs of processofcreationinidiomslikecoun-
musicians who sculpted some of the heartache and redemption, from the try music. As he said, "I like the idea
best examples of post-Birthday Party crescendoing country and raining that you can take experiences in your
poetic torture before hitting the sub- acoustic guitar of "A Part of You," to life that have been painful, and turn
lime with 1988's "Shine", the closest the electric, dynamic desperation of them into something positive, [some-
the'80s got to passions equaling those "Like Caesar Needs a Brutus," to the See BONNEY, Page 7

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Although he claims not to have a cowboy hat, Simon Bonney does admit to owning a suit from Nudie's the legend-
ary Las Vegas country and western clothier!


Eastern Michigan University &
Presents

Friday " September 25th " 8:00pm * Bowen Field House
r - I

" Budget airfares anywhere.
" International student fares.
" Railpasses issued here.
" Intemat'l Identity cards.
" Worldwide adventure tours.
" Travel gear and guide books.
* Expert travel advice.
Council Tra
1220s. University Avenue STE 208
A1n-9 -or, MI 4104
313-998-0200

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McKenny Union East Dining

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