:s Th ihgnDily.edy oebt3,19 =.Page*5 Rodriguez searches for self By WILL MATTHEWS In his collection of inter-connected essays "Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father," Pulitzer Prize nominee Richard Rodriguez furthers the art of the essay in a sublime fashion, shaping disparate ideas, entities and ele- ments into a coherent idea and purpose. The sub-title, "An Argument with My Mexi- can Father," is indicative of Rodriguez's theme of a conflict of identity with his father - a micro- cosm analogous to the relationship and exchange between Mexico and the United States. "I've been writing a book about comedy and tragedy," Rodriguez explaines in his introduction. "In my mind, in my life, Mexico plays the tragic part; California plays the role of America's wild child." In "Late Victorians," Rodriguez examines, through the architecture and changing cultural and urban face of San Francisco, a place where this comedy and tragedy unite in the synthesis of the cultural dialectic and conflict between old and young cultures - between father and son. In the San Francisco of the emerging AIDS crisis, he finds a city that is young and old, facing death through youthful eyes. "The gay community of San Francisco," he writes, "having found free- dom, consented to necessity." "An Argument with My Mexican Father" is really about ( my father's) prediction in my mind that tragedy would catch-up to me in California," he explained. "The optimism of the America I was born into - where you could be anything you want, you could discover yourselfor remake your- self or constantly reassemble yourself- tragedy had no place in such a world. There was no sense of inevitability there was no sense of finitude." "Now California has become a sad place ... for me San Francisco is a haunted city. I've seen literally, in the last 10 years, over 30 friends of mine die. I cannot tell you how that has changed my perception of possibility. I've become my father in some weird way. The reason I wrote the book as I did [reversing the order of the chapters] is that ... I did not want my father's Mexican-ness to lord over the book and I thought that there was wisdom in the Protestant optimism of the Califor- nia I was born into ... I wanted the last word to be given to the boy, the dreamer ... There are things that only a young man knows. I wanted to preserve the dialectic." "I will present this life in reverse," he writes in the introduction. "After all, the journey my par- ents took from Mexico to America was a journey from an ancient culture to a youthful one-back- ward in time ... I believe the best resolution in the debate between comedy and tragedy is irresolu- tion, since both sides can claim wisdom." In his essays, Rodriguez explores the constant change and continual evolution of the American Dream from various cultural and ethnic points of view. "Here in the United States one feels more and more the sensation that the country is growing older and more timid and more afraid of the future," Rodriguez said. "We want to settle down. We want to protect what we have." He described an America, a California, that is made anxious by the enormous flux of immigrants. "It's a debate between a youthful 19th century version of America. The immigrant is coming in search of an America which the native-borns insist doesn't exist anymore-that that future doesn't work any- more." Richard Rodriguez is an important contempo- rary writer. By arguing with his Mexican father and his father's cultural identity, explofes his own identity - an exploration that is indicative of and analogous to the youthful United States and its search for identity. What emerges is a world of complementary and seemingly contradictory op- posites: resolution through irresolution, an Ameri- can tradition that consists of a lack oftradition and youth that becomes age and age that becomes youth. As a Mexican American, a Californian, a Catholic, a homosexual and an Indian, Rodriguez is all of these things and none of them - he is an American who is defined by a lack of definition, examining and exploring an America that is in a similar, beautiful and challenging predicament. Richard Rodriguez will be reading fron his work tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Borders. "Josh and S.A.M.' is worth a few good laughs with a younger sibling. Refreshn buddies By SARAH STEWART If the idea of two little boys driving alone to Canada sounds like the premise for a great film, then rush to see "Josh and S.A.M." But take along a young friend, because it's likely he or she will get even more out of it than you will. At first, 12-year-old Josh (Jacob Tierney) and his little brother Sam (Noah Fleiss) seem likee lot of other kids - their parents are divorced, they hate their mom's boyfriend and their father and his stepfamily are less than ideal. But unlike other victims of divorce, Josh and Sam become wrapped up in an Josh and S.A.M. adventure that surpasses the complex- ity of their family situation. Directed by Billy Weber; written by Josh starts out as a stereotypical Frank Deese; with Noah Fleiss and obnoxious older brother, but when he Jacob Tierney. convinces Sam that he is a "Strategi- cally Altered Mutant" (S.A.M.) whose purpose in life is to serve as a government soldier in a secret war being fought in Africa, it's obvious that he's capable of more than petty wisecracks. In fact, tricking Sam into believing himself to be "genetically altered," originally a ploy to encourage him to hate their father, smoothly evolves into a daring road trip from Arizona to Canada. Sam must flee the United States to avoid his war duties and Josh seeks safety over the border after supposedly committing murder. It's not an easy journey, though. Josh eventually abandons his charade with Sam, but Sam will not accept his former status and stubbornly insists that he is indeed aproduct ofgenetic alteration. To Josh's dismay, Sam foolishly takes 'Sam foolishly takes risks he would not have otherwise taken, and the audience is subsequently entertained.' risks he would not have otherwise taken, and the audience is subsequently entertained. In one instance, Josh wakes up to find Sam driving full speed down the center of an orchard. When he finally stops and Josh insists that he drive instead, they reassure the farmer who happens to ride by on his tractor that they are"just changing drivers." From an adult perspective, this serves as a reminder of just how far-fetched the story is. Nonetheless, "Josh and S.A.M." is laced with refreshingly clever humor. Sam is hilarious with a Kotex on his head, Josh's big brotherly way of covering a wound. The joke is funny for an unusually long time and reaches a climax when Sam is addressed by a group of bullies as "Kotex head." Halfway into their travels, Josh and Sam are joined by Allison (Martha Plimpton), a bohemian hitch-hiker who quickly adopts the image of the "Liberty Maid," the make-believe commander of S.A.M., trying to reach the safety of the Canadian border. She brings the boys' abilities down to earth as they quickly respond to her as a respected authority figure. In this sense, the film exposes the vulnerability of children hiding behind harsh exteriors, but unfortunately, Allison's exit following Sam's inevitable disappearance is overly abrupt and tends to diminish her importance. Everything works out in the end, but that's not saying less for "Josh and S.A.M." Fleiss and Tierney do superb jobs in their respective roles, creating visibly more complex characters than many other young actors, while the plot remains entertaining throughout. JOSH AND S.A.M. is playing at Showcase. While the music the Last Poets have put out may well indeed be endangered, it Return of Hassan and C By FORREST GREEN 111 The type of soul music created by artists such as the Last Poets has al- ways been endangered in the United States. Historically, just one genera- tion has been enough time for Black people to forget, reject or otherwise lose whole traditions of the precious soul art that is theirs by birthright. But in 1970, when Umar Bin Hassan, UmaBn Hassan Be Bop Or Be Dead Island Alafia Pudim and Abiodun Oyewole released the pivotal album "The Last Poets," their apocalyptic, post-jazz, neo-hip-hop musical message would not soon be forgotten. And more than 20 years later, to paraphrase their 1970 classic, niggers are still scared of revolution - proof that the return of poets Bin Hassan and Oyewole with the release "Be Bop Or Be Dead" is long overdue. Containing re-recordings of both the 1971 release "This Is Madness" as well as "Niggers Are Scared Of Revo- lution," "Be Bop Or Be Dead" up- dates the timeless message preached by the Last Poets: Only through genu- ine struggle can oppressed people free themselves. The difference is inUmar himself, whose spoken words have evolved from the desperate catcalling Calling all writers Since there are so many people who read Playboy just for the articles, Playboy announces their ninth annual College Fiction contest. Are you one of those people who spends late nights pounding away at the keyboard, crafting a tale of power, sexual desire and unrequited love? Send your manuscript and a three by five card with your name, address, phone number and college affiliatiom to: Playboy College Fiction Contest, 680 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60611. Deadline is January 1, which gives you plenty of time to go out and have a few cheap thrills for story ideas. Takes Two to Tango Basement Arts and the RC Players present "Tango: Deconstructed," a"radical reconception" of "Tango," a 1968 play by playwright and former journalist Slawomir Mrozek.It deals with a family of former revolutionaries who live in a house entirely free from order and conventions, yet full of disenchantment and desolation. This highly experimental production is an attempt to progect "Tango" into a more appropriate theatrical form. It runs at 5 p.m. December 2-4 at the Arena Theater, and admission is free. of dated Black Power rhetoric into a lyricism that is resonant with spiritual strength. For the most part, Umar's old school references pin his timeless themes to a dense cultural background. The album's only faults occasionally show through in the painfully con- temporary production. As Umar seems to have matured in so many ways that his cause has not, his poetry now reveals a determi- nation tempered with patience and insight. When he revives familiar images of a society teetering on the edge of disaster, his lyrics evoke cul- tural paradigms. "Am" finds Umar challenging what he sees as psychic sickness in Black communities with a symbolic question, "What happened to the rhythm?" Dated social con- cepts of integration and separation seem to have sapped Umar's commu- nity of its spirituality and its values. By the track's end, we are left with a single question - to resist or not. The BIRD OF PARADISE is the place for your Christmas party. Afternoons and early evenings preferred Call Jake at 662-8310 is back and forceful as ever. yewole long More often than not, the music delivers. "Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution," re-recorded under the watchful eye of producer Bill Laswell, wavers disturbingly between hip-hop electro-static and a stampede of con- gas. The retro-jazz piece "Love" grooves with a surprisingly straight- forward performance on Hammond organ by Bernie Worrell and drum- ming by Buddy Miles. But thealbum's biggest surprise is the alternative metal mix to "This Is Madness" featuring Bootsy Collins on guitar. This furious sub-version of the Poets classic blends the closely tied genres of conscious rap, Funkadelic Motor City rock and protest poetry with overwhelming power. overdue The New School of rappers has unveiled numerous ways to eliminate racism and, hopefully, uplift Black people through the medium of rap. X Clan and Poor Righteous Teachers advance their respective programs on vinyl and the streets. Public Enemy turns the twin systems of politics and entertainment upon their makers with brilliant effect. On her debut album, Sister Souljah explains with great detail methods in which racists prac- tice racism, in every area of activity, all in the space of a five-minute track. But for old-timers like Umar Bin Hassan, it can be much-simpler. As easy as picking up the spear you've passed down the line and dusting it off. 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