ARTS The Michigan Daily Tuesday, October 27, 1992 Page5 -------6- Mutiny, rebellion and 'The Jerk' 4 N } k t * 4. g by Skot Beal "Our name, sad to say, is a typi- cal rock & roll story," quoth Sandy Smallens, telephone philosopher and bassist for Too Much Joy. "The first time a bunch of us wanted to take mushrooms in high school we had all these toys ready for the night's festivities and we picked out all the music we wanted to listen to and we had this pad out 'cause we were convinced that we were gonna have all these brilliant artistic revelations. But the next morning we woke up at like one in the afternoon; the only thing on the pad was a few scribbles and Tim had scrawled the words 'Too Much Joy.' And we said, 'Hey, if that's not a band name, what is?"' Too Much Joy is, probably more than any other band, what rock & roll needs today: four friends without annoying egos (Smallens, Tommy Vinton on drums, Jay Blumentield on guitar, and Tim Quirk handling the lead vocals) who revel in the spirit of rebellion that is crucial to rock & roll music, but who go beyond the conventions that dictate the form that rebellion is supposed to follow. Take, for example, the night they spent in jail for playing punk rock covers of 2 Live Crew songs at the Florida bar where the infamous rappers were originally busted, or how hip this idea sounds: "What we want to do in the fu- ture and what we're trying to do with this upcoming tour," Smallens said, "is we wanna take rock & roll out of this, like, elitist circus - clubs and theaters where people have to pay to see ... We're talking about setting up surprise gigs, like, setting up in high school parking lots and street corners where no one's expecting it. Like guerrilla-style shows in a lot of different places." Those people familiar with Too Much Joy's past albums might be surprised by the direction of their newest release, "Mutiny." While the music has always been in-your-face, it now sounds more raw and pissed- off. And while lyrically they've been pegged by many as a silly band, now they seem to have toned down the silliness. "The language we've always spoken is sarcasm and wit," Small- ens explained. "I mean, one of the most defining moments in our band's history was seeing the movie 'The Jerk' by Steve Martin. That was more important to us than any rock album. The problem is when you speak that language, people can only translate it as novelty. So over the years we've learned to toss out the parts of us that were dragging us down and distracting people from what we're really saying." Of course, it's a fair question to wonder what could be so influential about a Steve Martin movie ... "It was. just so self-aware," Smallens said. "It exploded so many cliches of what a funny movie is supposed to be. Steve Martin is a lot like Penn & Teller (who directed the video for Too Much Joy's latest single, 'Donna Everywhere') in that they brought to their art form a whole new approach that said we don't need to do what everyone else has done in the past. "Steve Martin doesn't need to make fun of television commercials to make people laugh. Penn & Teller don't need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to make people gasp. You have to get beyond what everyone else is doing in their relative art forms and think about making new." Practically every aspect of Too Much Joy's new album reflects this 41 Michael Rapaport and N'Bushe Wright as Zack and Nikki in "Zebrahead." A crescendoo rt ofin donDetroit by Camilo Fontecilla "Zebrahead," writer/director Anthony Drazan's debut, is a nightmare ride into the realities of urban America, where racial alienation is still an unwritten credo. Set in the desolate landscapes of a once proud Detroit, Drazan carefully outlines the living conditions of its inhabitants by pur- posely freezing his camera on multiple ruined sites strewn around the city, then shifting it to the middle class world. Balancing the best and worst atti- tudes of both blacks and whites, Drazan cooks up an authentic set of rela- tionships between the two racial groups, with a spectrum ranging from re- spect to utter hate. The bottom line is clear, though: races may mingle, but never pair up. Most of the characters are regulars of a Detroit downtown high school, where the principal rules with a hand of steel. Yes, this is a cliche, and there are quite a few more here. Many of the students are merely stock characters. However, the stereotypes become believable in the high school setting, a place where individual self-definition is essential. Zack (Michael Rapaport), the focus of the story, is a Jewish boy who has absorbed the walk and the talk of the urban hip hop culture. Devoted to his music sampling experiments, he finds true friendship only in Dee (DeShonn Castle), a good-natatred pal who sees no problem in his being black and Zack white. The problem arises'when Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), Dee's beautiful cousin, moves into town. Zack is instantly attracted to her, and with Dee's blessing they begin a stormy relationship. Predictably, Nut (Ron Johnson), a half-crazy black schoolmate who has been expressing interest in Nikki, can- not deal with this situation, leading up to the fihn's violent climax. Up to, this point, the movie is little more than a routine love story, with Sandy Smallens (far left) and the rest of Too Much Joyjust can't seem to close their mouths. It's a rock & roll thing, you wouldn't understand. Dances worth the wait Zebrahead Directed and written by Anthony Drazan; with Michael Rapaport, DeShonn Castle, N'Bushe Wright, and Ron Johnson its unbearable moments of seen-it-a-million-times-before seduction. After the film's climax, "Zebrahead" gains momentum with newly-sparked dis- cussions about the need for violence in the racial struggle for respect. In a memorable classroom scene, the students voice their opinions, but one question silences the rest: what does race matter when there is friendship and love? The question remains unanswered, leaving it to the audience to draw their own conclusions. The cast, although virtually unknown, works well as a whole: Zack fol- lows an interesting evolution from a self-absorbed, sweet-talking teenager to a substantial, emotionally strengthened man. Rapaport's hollow eyes gain character as events spin rapidly out of control. Nikki also quickly grows out of her initial flirtatious, naive persona into a woman in desperate need of re- spect for her love. N'Bushe Wright carries an immediately noticeable aura of energy, which she focuses well according to her emotional state. DeShonn Castle, Ron Johnson and Ray Sharkey (as Zack's failed but generous father) also shine in supporting roles. The movie succeeds because it operates on a crescendo, and even though the early parts are a little flimsy, the final scenes make it worthwhile, as does the beautiful cinematography of Detroit - a Gotham City become real. For a first effort, Drazan has created a work that gracefully combines meaningful images with spirit of change. However you feel about the sub- ject, you won't come out of the theater untouched. ZEBRAHEAD is playing at Showcase. by Alexandra Beller They say that the longer you have to wait for something, the higher your expectations are. In the case of "September Dances in Exile," wait- ing until October to see the annual Performance Network concert was well worth it. Without a doubt, the two high- lights of the evening were "Mem- ories of a Dog" by University Dance major Jeremy Steward and an untitled piece by MFA alumna Jessica Shinn. Both choreographers incorporated humor and drama and managed to layer them so as to intensify the effects of each. In Steward's poignant and well- focused work, we see the idea of a lover's relationship cast through the metaphor of an owner/pet. He wres- tled with the concepts of control, vulnerability and the gap between expressing needs and having them met. The humor was bitter, but not taut; it had the sense of laughing at oneself for being too serious. At the same time, the truth of Steward's message was undeniable and univer- sal. His often sexual, often childlike,. controlled and controlling move- ments created a textured physical score to rival the actual Dvorak score. It found its way past the criti- cal eye and through analysis and fi- nally struck the audience to its core. Shinn's work, set.to a hauntingly beautiful Chopin nocturne, measured witty moments and gestures against an aching black hole feeling. Per- formed by Steward and Kande Cul- ver, it examined the cool, composed facade that is cast above the pain- fully isolated reality beneath. The dancers were exquisite, combining DANCE R EVIEW September Dances Performance Network October 24, 1992 just the right amount of energy and apathy. Less successful was Barbara Djules Boothe's "Echoes in the Night," performed by Jazz Dance Theater's Michelle Stauffer. The choreography was straight out of a classroom, the emotional tension was strained and unjustified, and the feeling was rather neurotic. "Best Men," by Giles Brown had many exciting and daring moments but seemed, on the whole, under-re- hearsed and lacking the visual music to be in silence. With combinations like Kevin Clayborn's "Anima," a highly charged sexual examination back-to- back with Gordon VanAmburg's "Kinetographic Study," a Cunning- ham-esque trio which featured the quality of the movement over the personalities or emotions of the dancers, the evening definitely kept the audience's attention and was not at a loss for applause. approach to creating rock & roll, from the cover photo of their first tour bus being driven over a cliff, to the name, "Mutiny,"as Smallens explained: "Everything about this new record is about stripping things down and there's something beauti- ful about having a one word title that just said to us what we're trying to say with our music. Which is instead of listening to people who are sup- posed to know what they're talking about and taking your orders from RECORDS Lou Reed Magic and Loss Live Warner Home Video In some ways, "Magic and Loss Live" is actually better than seeing Lou in concert. The somber material on the "Magic and Loss" album, dealing with the death of two of Reed's friends from cancer, didn't always lend itself too well to a rock 'n' roll concert. Drunk bastards would yell for their favorite Velvet songs while Lou quietly intoned lyrics about death. yNow, with this "live" video shot without a crowd in a studio, it's just you and Lou. The intimacy of the subject matter and Reed's delivery is even stronger here. The production is tastefully directed, without any flashy cutting or special effects to distract from the effect. It's not nearly as exciting as Talking Heads' great "Stop Making Sense," but it is others, trying to take things into your own hands. I mean, not in such a pretentious manner but really it's about overcoming restraints that have been created by other people .. And it's a cool word and it looks good on a bumper sticker." TOO MUCH JOY will be performing tonight with Material Issue and the Mighty Lemondrops at Industry in Pontiac. Tickets are $8.50 and doors open at 7 p.m. The show is 18 and over. Call 763-TKTS. a quiet pleasure. And Reed's not one to simply re- hash studio recordings. Lou doesn't recite lyrics; he delivers them, spontaneously and sincerely, lending a freshness to the songs. This fresh approach is especially evident in the half hour of old songs at the end of the tape. Unlike aging rockers like Paul McCartney who feebly rehash their fans' favorites, Reed manages to breathe new life into "Sweet Jane" and, especially, "Rock 'n' Roll." Adding Jimmy Scott's amazing falsetto (heard in "The Power and the Glory" on "Magic and Loss") to "Dirty Blvd." and "Walk on the Wild Side" helps considerably. For those who missed the recent tour, or for those who want a perfect distillation of it, "Magic and Loss Live" finds Lou at his best. -Michael John Wilson Write it. Read it. Recycle itl The Michigan Daily THE MICHIGAN DAILY Look fo t in the Clas iedsr (they really work!) Taking tests, Finding Recommenders Writing Personal Statements and Filling Out Applications Wednesday, October 28,4:30 -6:00 pm Wedge Room, West Quad, 541 Thompson Street Undergraduate Psychology Peer Advising Program K-210 West Quad, 764-2580 PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT PROCTER & GAMBLE PURCHASES UNDERGRADUATE RECRUITING Tuesday, October 27th Recruiting Session A- 10:00 -11:30 a.m. Resume Workshop - 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Recruiting Session B - 2:30 - 4:00p.m. KMiLv IVIv431 %turkLlrlLv 0 11