6- The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, September 22, 1994 The next big thing: the scrappy story of the Dictators By TOM ERLEWINE Writing in the "New Rolling Stone Record Guide," critic Dave Marsh branded the '70s New York rock 'n' roll band the Dictators as "a new low - rock songs about wrestling and contempt, not just for the music and the audience, but even for themselves. Witlessly performed." Well, the Dic- tators did indeed reach a new low, but it was a glorious one. With their first album, 1975's "The Dictators Go Girl Crazy," the band created their own world out of professional wrestling, cars, girls, beer, TV and rock 'n' roll. Not only was the record powered by relentless, heavy riffs, it was a hilari- ous parody of rock and all of its ex- cesses. Even though "Go Girl Crazy" has earned much critical praise in the past two decades, it wasn't well-re- ceived upon its initial release, neither critically or commercially. Instead, it has lived on through word-of-mouth by record collectors and selected rock journalists. And, nearly 20 years after its release, the album still sounds ter- rific. What makes the Dictators' music hold up so well over the years is its complete irreverence. They took noth- ing seriously. Most rock critics who believe pop music is a high art form found the band's utter inanity sacrile- gious. But the band tapped into the core of what made great rock 'n' roll - the music was totally of the mo- ment and it wasn't concerned what any of its listeners thought. However, the band never condescended to the music, which parodists like the Fugs did. Instead, they celebrated the con- tradictions and stupidity of the best three-minute singles. Of course, the Dictators didn't come out of the blue. They were the brainchild of rock journalist Richard Meltzer, who gave the band direction and helped form their singularly de- mented world view. Originally, the band was a quartet featuring Adny Shernoffon lead vocals and bass, lead guitarist Ross "The Boss" FUNichello, drummer Stu Boy King and rhythm guitarist Scott "Top Ten" Kempner. Before recording their first album, former roadie Handsome Dick Manitoba joined the band, singing the occasional song. With Blue Oyster Cult producers Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman behind the board, the Dictators recorded their first al- bum for Epic Records. The result was one of the most perverse and hilarious albums ever released by a major la- bel. On the front cover, Handsome Dick Manitoba, decked out in profes- sional wrestling gear, deliriously grins at the camera as he stands in a locker room; in the back of the room, there's a poster of the band. On the back, there are individual pictures of each member of the band, posed in their respective "bedrooms." Their walls are covered with posters, pinups and photos torn out from magazines; each member has a prominent poster of Handsome Dick hanging in their room. Top Ten is lying on his bed naked, with a grill covered with hot dogs placed directly in front of his crotch. King is semi-naked, covered with records. All of the photos are the height of '70s camp culture, before it was cool to embrace that kind of kitsch. After all, the Dictators were living in that era. No matter how funny and campy the album art is, the music is even funnier. With the first track, the Dic- tators declare that they are "The Next Big Thing." The only thing is, their idea of being the next big thing is not being on the cover of Rolling Stone, it's being on the cover of TV Guide. As the band kicks out a primal, heavy guitar riff, Manitoba doesn't sing, he gives a performance, stretching out the words and playing with the sound of his voice. On "The NextBig Thing," the Dictators sketch out the plan of attack for the rest of the record and they follow-through on its promise brilliantly. The next song on the album is a version of "I Got You Babe" that is significantly more enjoyable and fun- nier than Beavis 'n' Butt-head's duet with Cher. After that, the Dictators tread on seemingly dangerous ground with "Back to Africa" and "Master Race Rock." The only thing is, the Dictators should never be taken on face value. "Back to Africa" is the story of a heartsick boy who has to go "back to Africa" to find his girls; it's sort of the flip-side of the Cadets' classic "Stranded in the Jungle" (which the New York Dolls revived the year before "Go Girl Crazy" was released). On "Master Race Rock," the band deliberately pulls the leg of their audience, proclaiming that "We are the members of the master race / We've got no style and we've got no taste." And on "Teengenerate," the band creates a sleazy world of adoles- cent rock 'n' roll fantasies that serves as their anthem. While their version of "I Got You Babe" is terrific, their take on "Cali- fornia Sun" is even better. On the chorus, Manitoba begins substituting different dance crazes for the "And I'll shake" line, eventually shouting out complete gibberish at the end of the song. And the band replies with a great big "And I'll ... What?!" Sure, the whole routine was scripted, but it's still hysterical. As "Go Girl Crazy" enters the home stretch, the Dictators deliver Manitoba's ultimate statement of pur- pose, the scathing "Two Tub Man," where he spits out the immortal line "I think Lou Reed is a creep" as the quintessential school-yard taunt. "Weekend" serves as a primer for their masterpiece, the album-closing "(I Live For) Cars and Girls." Featur- ing an irresistible harmony-laden, hook-filled chorus, the song manages to pay tribute to Beach Boys-style surf-rock while skewering it and its audience simultaneously - "Cars, girls, surfing, beer / Nothing else matters here." And with that gloriously trashy note, the Dictators closed the door on their moment in the sun. With its flippant, fun-loving celebration ofpop culture and, most of all, rock music, "Go Girl Crazy" was an important opening shot in the punk revolution of the late'70s. It was released almost a full year before the Ramones first album, which followed the same train of thought as "Go Girl Crazy," only with faster rhythms, sharper guitars, and dumber lyrics. But the Dictators looked like a heavy metal version of the Bay City Rollers, fronted by a crazed profes- sional wrestler; it wasn't an image that appealed to the teenybopper or the hipsters, so they suffered from record sales that were so low they made the Velvet Underground look as popular as the Beatles. On top of that, King left the band and the Dictators suffered through a numerous amount of lineup changes in the two years between "Go Girl Crazy" and its follow-up, "Manifest Destiny," which wasn't even as popu- lar as their debut. After one more album, "Bloodbrothers," the band fell apart, with Top Ten forming the Del- Lords and Manitoba and Shernoff forming "Manitoba's Wild King- dom." While their other two studio al- bums have long been out-of-print, "Go Girl Crazy" has always been in print, availableaspartof Epic's "Nice Price" budget line. As well as their debut, the live album "Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take A Joke" remains in print. And that's fitting, because no other phrase describes everything that the Dictators were about. Amazingly, the joke is still funny 20 years later. 0 SPECIALIZING IN BLACKM HAIR CARE 44* * Custom Hairstyling " Haircuts eSpiral Perms o Relaxers eWeaves * Braids 312 Thompson St. 995-5733 Fall Lessons Every Sunday Night Main Dance Room, CCRB 7:00pm Beginning Lessons 8:00pm General Dancing Everybody is welcome! No partner necessary! It's Free! There is no pre-registration. Just show up at the beginningof the lessons whenever you like. Dress is casual For More Information Call: 663-9213 * Student ID or users pass needed to enter CCRB 'Women' more than verges on essentiality By SARAH STEWART Anyone who has ever made fun of soap opera characters' exaggerated troubles, personalities and physical appearances should treat themselves to Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's "Women on the Verge ofa Nervous Breakdown." This 1988 Spanish comedy has all the makings of a great daytime drama, except the farcical humor is never accidental. "Women" is a crazed day in the life of Pepa (Carmen Maura), an ac- tress devastated over the split with Guillen). Clearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she throws phones, burns a bed and track's Ivan's ex-wife, Lucia, all while anxiously awaiting Ivan's call. She has a one- track mind, and it leads only to Ivan. But with the inclusion of Candela (Julieta Serrano), a girlfriend who fears arrest because of her Shiite boy- friend, and a subplot involving Lucia's insane obsession with Ivan and the uncertain identity of his newest catch, U6iVwe ,96?6IL?6CHGA HOmi Entertainment Center her longtime lover, Ivan (Fernando CAMPUS B * Evei SARBER & BEAUTY SALON ning Hours eNo appointments *Services for men and women .15% off all Joico products with this ad l, a, pYl A through Oct. 31 the absurdity of the story soon equals that of the characters. Each character has humorous quirks that never fail to draw atten- tion. For instance, Ivan's son Carlos (Antonio Banderas), accidentally dis- covered by Pepa, awkwardly kisses Candela whenever they are left by Pepa. Even though his behavior be- comes predictable, it remains funny. Lucia's outlandish wigs and out- dated '70s garb give her the look that verifies her insanity. Late in the film, she is chased on a bike by Pepa's Mambo cab; in a sustained profile shot, framing her wild head of hair, Almodovarcaptures the action, alike- ness to the Wicked Witch of the West and the chuckles of his viewers. The obsessive behavior of Lucia and her fellow female characters could be interpreted as stereotyping women as becoming neurotic when victim- ized by rejection, but these women seem to be neurotic regardless of their circumstances. Almodovar does not belittle his characters' problems, but he does show us that the inevitable glitches in life can be taken too seriously. Al- though the characters, including the men, are basically miserable, even the most sympathetic viewer will never feel the need to sympathize. When Pepa cries, her sorrow is trans- formed into a joke involving the cab driver and his lack of eye drops. Almodovar seeks laughs and not tears. In creating the wacky, almost sur- real feel of "Women on the Verge," Almodovar ignores no elements of film. The view from Pepa's terrace does not pretend to look realistic and neither does the gang of rollerskating extras Pepa watches while sitting on a bench in hopes of finding Ivan. Like most films that emphasize the chaos of life, "Women on the Verge" works itself up to a climactic conclusion. But unlike most films, the conclusion hinges on gazpacho. 0 0 I IA 's oeoigs4& onsaeWk SAT. OCT. 2 9 0 Nft WE0 :I m r"