The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - October 8, 1992- Page 5
Cyrano's
a winner
by a nose
by John R. Rybock
Gerard Depardieu will return to
American theaters tomorrow in Rid-
ley Scott's "1492: Conquest of Para-
dise." Depardieu has earned an in-
ternational reputation as the French
version of Al Pacino or Dustin
Hoffman; however, his first Ameri-
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For Poets, the writing is on the wall
can fihn, "Green Card," failed at the
box office, and many Americans
were leftwith the impression that his
reputation waspurehype. ButGerard
Depardieu's talents are formidable,
as evidenced by the 1990 French
film "Cyrano De Bergerac".
The tale of Cyrano has been told
countless times in various forms over
the years, from bad "USA Up All
Night" features to Steve Martin's
"Roxanne."
Rappeneau keeps his version true
to the original play. Cyrano, a cap-
tain in the French army, is an elo-
Vepardieu
quent poet in love with Roxanne.
However, his large nose convinces
him that he is too ugly for anyone to
love. Roxanne falls for Christian, a
soldier under Cyrano's command,
who is attractive but awkward with
women, everything Cyrano is not.
The two combine forces to woo
Roxanne with Cyrano's romantic
prose and Christian's princely looks.
As Cyrano, Depardieu fleshes out
all the complexities of the character.
In his heart, Cyrano is a sensitive,
romantic man. He has the ability to
impress anyone with an eloquence
many only dream of. But on the other
side of the coin, he is violent and
quick-tempered. He is as deft with
swords as he is with words, and uses
both to strike at his enemies, espe-
cially those who mention his nose. A
perfect example of this is a duel in
which Cyrano not only embarrasses
See CYRANO, Page 8
by Skot Beal
For the Restroom Poets, playing
rock & roll is about songs. Not tech-
nically astounding masturbational
nonsense, not finely crafted pop
cheeseballs,just fuckin' songs. Songs
thatmake you happy, songs thatmake
you sad, and songs that make you
W...L
.Pd
want to smash things. "Oddfellow's
Rest," their recently released six-song
cassette, gives a sample of each type.
There isn't anything complicated
about this tape; the chord progres-
sions are straightforward, the riffs are
fairly simple, the drums, bass, and
guitars are all less than flashy. But
there's something about the way ev-
erything is put together that is cre-
ative and appealing. In "Electricity,"
for instance, the bass and the guitars
areplaying parts that don't fitas neatly
as they do in other songs, almost op-
posing each other in places, giving
the work a confrontational energy.
The Poets also throw in a few
surprising twists to spice things up,
like a distorted, wah-drenched guitar
playing a very dissonant solo in the
middle of the otherwise clean and
melodic "We Are." And it's easy to
be caught off guard by the quick-
paced funky section and drum solo
towards the end of the tape's heaviest
tune, "The Song."
"The Song" is easily the longest
trackhere,atover eightminutes. When
the grinding main riff comes in, it
rocks, but after five or six minutes,
it's godlike, and you can't help shak-
ing your fists and slamming your head
in approval. "The Cemetery Song"
has a similar effect with its simple
chord movement hooking you more
and more as the song progresses,
making you feel oddly melancholy.
The only real shortcoming to
"Oddfellow's Rest" is that it doesn't
quite live up to the intensity that the
Restroom Poets have when playing
the songs live. "We Are" and "Lin-
coln Continental" especially seem a
bit toned down from the intensity they
should have.
However, the most important as-
pect of any song is undoubtedly the
singing. Fortunately for the Restroom
Poets, lead vocalist Jason Magee is
one of the most talented and energetic
vocalists alive. In songs like
"Angelique," the vocals are more re-
served during the verses, and espe-
cially intense during the chorus, when
he wails and roars with a heavy blues
influence. Throughout most of "The
Song," the vocals are quietly intense;
he sounds pissed-off, but he's not
shouting about it. That is until the end,
when all of the tune's anger and inten-
sity are expressed in one final, beau-
tiful, mind-racking scream.
"Oddfellow's Rest" isn't lacking
for anything lyrical, either. "We Are"
opens the tape with an affirmation of
what the Poets' music is about: "We
are the fools who fool the fools, we
are the murderers that heal." The tape
progresses with a wide variety of top-
ics, from how the masses are con-
trolled in "Electricity" and reflections
on hope and death in "The Cemetery
Song," to how cool you feel driving a
big car in "Lincoln Continental".
All in all, if it's really true what
people have been saying about Ann
Arbor being the next Seattle, then this
tape seems to indicate that this band is
destined for greater things.
Plan to attend...
LAW DAY
The Universitvot Michgan
Career Planning Placement
1992
Monday,
11:00 am
Michigan
October
- 3:00
Union
12,
pm
-Meet with admissions officers from US law schools
-Investigate employment options available to
graduating seniors
-Gather information on law related campus
organizations and services
Special Presentation...
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Expi res
Law School Admissions
following the Law Day forum
Panel
se
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Monday, October 12, 1992
3:10 - 4:00 pm
Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union
-Increase your understanding of law school' admissions
-Gather tips to enhance the quality of your application
-Ask your questions about the decision making process
2750 Jackson Ave. A2
Hours: 7am-11pm Daily
761-1889
Nov. 8, 1992
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DEPARTMENT OF
RECREATIONAL
SPORTS
INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM
WANTED!!!
Flag Football Officials
Clinic Begins: Monday 10/12
7:00 p.m.
IMSB
For Additional Information Contact IMSB 763-3562
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