ARTS
Ice Cube heats up Motor City
The Renaissance Man himself, Ice Cube, rapper, musician, actor.
Wacky Tune Art Alert
When was the last time you've
en a musical body? If it's been too
ong, go see visiting artist/musician/
lectrical engineer Christopher
anney'slecture-demonstration featur-
ghis"Heartbeats."Actually, the heart
longs to dancer Maureen Janson.
er own amplified heartbeats provide
he rhythm for synthesizin' improvi-
tors as she moves. How metaphori-
lThe free performance is tonight
nly at 7 p.m. in the Rackham Galler-
es, 3rd floor of Rackham.
Get a haircut
If you're stranded in Ann Arbor
ver break, be sure and catch "The
airdresser's Husband" while it's in
own. This atmospheric little stunner
s the work of director Patrice Leconte,
he filmmaker behind the great French
e of unrequited love, "Monsieur
ire." "The Hairdresser's Husband"
ells the story of a man with an ardent
ixation for hairdressers. One day, in
e midst of a trim, he find himself
roposing to his coiffeuse. This chann-
ngly dream-like tale found its way to
nany cities around the country last
ear, even making both Siskel and
%ert's otherwise pedestrian top ten
ists for 1992. So while all your cam-
us comrades are in warmer parts un-
own, you can comfort yourself with
he thought that they missed one of the
ostmemorable foreign releases since
The Best Intentions" hit Ann Arbor,
riefly, in the fall. "The Hairdresser's
usband" will begin playing Friday
d continue through February 25 at
e Michigan Theater. Call 668-8397
or more details.
h Henry!
Alert! Calling all alternateens, post-
nods, pretentious philosophers and
ybodythat dares to have their way of
inking challenged. Intensely. The one
d only Henry Rollins is coming to
ur fair burg of Ann Arbor. But before
ou get out those Doc's and a flannel
or a crazed night in the pit, take heed:
's leaving the band behind, and
oing the spoken word thing. Tickets
or this intimate evening with Rollins
the Michigan Theater Friday, March
2 go on sale tomorrow. It's reserved
ating, and tickets are a paltry $10 at
ebox office. Call 668-8397 for more
nfo. If ya think his music is some-
ing, wait 'til you hear this...
Resurrected
by Jon Altshul
"Sometimes nothing's a pretty cool
hand."
- "Cool Hand Luke"
More than just a cocky sound bite,
Paul Newman's signature raison d'etre
revolutionized the cinematic depiction
of heroism. When contextualized, the
rebuttal transcends the gritty wit of simi-
lar egotistical appeals to machismo,
serving instead as a watershed point
which helped usher in the phenomenon
of intra-genderal "camaraderie" as a
central motion picture motif.
Consider, if you will, Paul Newman
slumped over a penitentiary card table.
He is the idealized individual. Scraggly
and unloved, he sojourns in a foreign
work camp like an itinerant martyr,
speaking in parables. The references to
Jesus Christ are undeniable, if not over-
bearing. Next to him sits George
Kennedy, cherubic and proud, suppos-
edly representing the outspoken opti-
mism and fraternalism that Newman so
much resents. Yet they befriend each
other, mutually seeking in the other
what they can not find in themselves.
What a beautiful story. Where the hell
By Scott Sterling
Ice Cube had just stomped onstage
atthejam-packed, sweaty Club Interna-
tional to the thunderous beat of "When
Will They Shoot?" Behind me, a huge
guy in a sequined NY Giants baseball
Ice Cube
Club International
February 13, 1993
cap was frantically dialing away on his
cellular phone. "Hey!," he screamed
into the phone over the roar of the crowd
and music. "I'm at Ice Cube, and this
shit is live!" He held the phone up over
the mass of partying bodies so his friend
could hear just a piece what he was
missing. I too had to feel for his man, as
well as everybody else that missed
Cube's killer set last Saturday night.
Not only is he hip hop's loudest and
most poignant voice, he can kick one
genre breaks,
did it come from?
Let's back up a few years to Spencer
Tracy in "Bad Day at Black Rock," or
Clint Eastwood in all those spaghetti
westerns, or even Newman, himself, in
"Hud." They were the anti-heroes.
Tough, stoic, and rugged, they ravaged
corrupt villages with iron fists and over-
sized magnums. Disillusioned by the
diminishing frontierandunencumbered
by wives, families or friends, they si-
lently gunned down every no-named,
underdeveloped Joe that got in harm's
way. The equation of sentimentalism
with heroism was never more devoid
from film as it was in the early '60s.
Now fast-forward to 1968 and the
release of "Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid." Though overrated and
cutesy, the film, more than any of its
successors, epitomized the so-called
"buddymovie" genre.
Like Luke and Dragline in "Cool
Hand," Newman and Redford's rela-
tionship is predicated on their oppres-
sion / isolation. This theme undercuts
The late '80s witnessed
the decline of the
buddy film and the
simultaneous
resurgence of the
thriller and love story
genres. Enter "Thelma
and Louise."
their ruthless crimes, ultimately imbu-
ing them with dignity and plausibility.
And only upon their realization that
they are inescapably trapped within the
cloistered confines ofabackwards soci-
ety does the bond between Cassidy and
Sundance become resolute. The moral
is something like this: we are defined
not by our acts, but by our friendships.
I'll get to "Thelma and Louise" in a
moment. Be patient.
There's an apparent paradox here,
however. Eastwood and Tracy were en-
joying stardom during the height of the
nuclear age, when camaraderie was seen
as the strongest defense against the in-
filtration of Communism. Meanwhile,
the great buddy film of the late '60s and
'70s - "Butch Cassidy," "Midnight
Cowboy," "Deliverance," "The Deer
Hunter"- were released simultaneous
to the emergence of the so-called "me
generation" which glorified communal
apathy and refuted the importance of
hell of a show to boot.
Ice Cube(along with DaLench Mob
andDetroitcrew Criminals ofAmerica)
brought a strictly ghetto affair to this
downtownnightclub. This gig hadnoth-
ing to do with posing in House of Pain
caps or Phillies Blunts shirts; This was
a night for the true hip hop nation. Dee-
troit was ot in full effect (it was the first
time I've ever been to a show where
Marijuana smoke hung thickly in the air
instead of tobacco). Hell, there was
even a table in back selling chicken
wing dinners.
Show openers Criminals of America
hit the stage to a decidedly mixed reac-
tion. Despite some nice beats and flow-
ing rhymes, they had to battle a poor
sound mix and the indifference of most
of the audience throughout their set.
You might want to watch out for this
posse, 'cause they kindahadit going on.
Da Lench Mob also had a lousy mix
to deal with, but the crowd was all in
new ground
friendship. Perhaps my pointis that film
is a reactionary medium which works
contrary to cultural norms. Interesting
idea. Let's figure this out.
Eventually, grand larceny was re-
placed by Vietnam, New York City and
even rural Georgia as the milieu most
conducive for the establishment ofrela-
tionships. Despite trivial revisions, how-
ever, anumberof constants run rampant
throughout all "buddy" epics. The pro-
tagonists, for example, invariably boast
antithetically different personalities-
i.e., Ratso and Joe Buck in "Midnight
Cowboy" or Lewis and Bobby in "De-
liverance" - suggesting that their
friendships are not presented as tan-
gents of compatibility, but as defense
mechanisms against the imminence of
death. Secondly, the films are intended
for an exclusively male audience, as if
to codify the masculine experience and
establish a touching dichotomy between
machismo and sensitivity. Or soit might
appear...
The late '80s witnessed the decline
of the buddy film and the simultaneous
resurgence of the thriller and love story
genres. Enter "Thelma and Louise."
Rich, powerful, and stunningly acted,
"Thelma and Louise" romanticized the
bonds of femininity like no film before
it. Thoughmore politicalthanthe buddy
epics of the '70s, "Thelma" played off
the same charm that popularized its
ancestors. Like "Midnight Cowboy" or
"The Deer Hunter," the picture is inher-
ently reactionary, with sexism replac-
ing a more ambiguous narcissism as the
variable in question. Hence, unfortu-
nately, "Thelma and Louise" had its
critics, and the likelihood of another so
outspoken pro-feminist picture in the
immediate future seems dim.
But all Was not lost. The seeds that
Ridley Scott fertilized in 1991 germi-
nated this past year in the form of such
gripping buddy sagas as "Of Mice and
Men" and "A River Runs Through It"
- albeit without any prominent female
characters. At any rate, the genre has
been resurrected. Let's make the most
of it.
Colorful exhibition
by Charlotte Garry
On a tattered and wom wall in the center of 200 West Engineering are the
vivid colors of Julie Moskovitz's "Senegal: Recent Photographs" exhibition.
This exhibition imparts not only the beauty of the land and people of Senegal,
but attempts to educate the viewer on the culture. Moskovitz, a fourth-year
student at the University, is concerned not only with the aesthetic, but with the
societal constructions, traditions and problems of the Kaparan tribe of Senegal.
Foremost when one walks into the
R E ACenter for Afro-American and Afri-
Senegal: can Studies is "The Eldest Women."
Recent Photographs This photograph tries to reconstruct
Center forAfro-American for the viewer the greeting Moskovitz
and African Studies received from the oldest women of
Kaparan, Senegal upon entering their
village. One is firststruck by the bright, contrasting colorsand intricate patterns
within the costumes of these women. The clothing, head wear and beads are
steeped in a cultural tradition which Moskovitz outlines in photo text accom-
panying the work. Although this native garb, in culmination with expressive
faces, imparts a strong sense of powerful individuality, the group as a whole
evokes a very energetic, spirited welcoming. This vivacious spirit infiltrates
the entire exhibition.
A photograph where this spirit is challenged, however, is "The Wise Men."
This photograph illustrates the strong contrast between the young and the old
of the Kaparan tribe. On the base level one can see the difference between the
two age groups by taking an accountof theirclothing; the oldermen are dressed
in traditional robes, whereas the younger men are dressed in the modern day
standby of t-shirt and jeans. Yet the difference between the men stems fare
deeper than clothing. As Moskovitz states in the explanation for "The Wise,
Men," "The younger people are drawn to the capital city for work and
university education. This movement away from the village places a great
strain on those who remain behind."
The movement from the village also serves to weaken the pulsing spirit of
thenatives. This spirit becomesinfiltratedor taintedby the youthful driveaway
from the culture and tradition ofKaparan. Therefore a basic paradox is formed
within this portrait, a paradox between the diverging forces of the somber old
men and the curious, searching youth.
In her artist's statement, Moskovitz writes, "I fear for the survival of
Kaparan." She cites not only the youth movement away from the village, but
the lack of "wells, irrigation systems, health care, and education" as factors
causing the tribe to diminish. Moskovitz's fear seems to be the motivation
behind her desire to not only illustrate the surface beauty of this place called
Kaparan, Senegal, but to completely immerse the viewer in the culture.
Julie Moskovitz's SENEGAL: RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS will be on
display in 200 West Engineering through February 26.
from thefirstbeatsof "Buck Tha Devil."
They ripped through about half of the
tracks from their debut, "Gorillas In
The Mist," hyping the crowd into rush-
ing the stage and lustily rapping along.
But this night belonged to the man,
the myth, the legend himself, Ice Cube.
He received a hero's welcome as he
kicked tunes from all of his albums,
pulling mostly from the current "Preda-
But this night belonged
to the man, the myth,
the legend himself, Ice
Cube.
tor" and last year's brilliant "Death
Certificate." Between songs, he would
ask what the crowd wanted to hear, new
songs or "old school shit." He didn't
disappoint as he mixed it up nicely,
going from "Check Yo Self' to "Now I
Gotta Wet'cha" with ease.
When some gangsta wannabe's
started scuffling in the middle of the
floor, Cube reminded everyone that any
violence would just be used as fodder to
discredit him as well as rap music in
general. "Some stupid muthafuckas
went buck wild out in Seattle, and now
I can't go back there. Don't fuck it up so
I can't come back to Detroit," he ad-
monished. Then he slowed it down by
playing the mellow "Today WasAGood
Day" back to back with "Stay True To
The Game," which had everyone sing-
ing along (as well as chilling outa little).
But it was the anti-N.W.A. diatribe "No
Vaseline" that really turned it out on this
night.
A little over an hour later, the show
was over and the satiated audience left
still dropping rhymes in the parking lot
and pulling phone numbers. A goqd
time had by all, And there wasn't a
single gunshot. Imagine that.
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