Is Sandra Bernhard *xcuses for Bad Behavior, Part I 550/ Epic Comedienne extraordinaire Sandra Bernhard has released one strange al- bum. "Excuses ..." has spoken word pieces and covers of famous songs that give the album the feel of a recorded performance art piece. That means that it has an artsy, offbeat feel to it, but in *ces is too removed and obscure to be truly engaging to listen to. Her mono- logues are generally funny (especially the title track, "The Letter," in which an outraged fan lambastes Bernhard for notbeingmilitantly lesbian, and "Phone Sex," which is a mix of spoken word and music that is arguably the best cut on the album), but her songs result in a hit or miss mix that works when ernhard has the right material, as in ecasesof"YouMakeMeFeel Mighty Real," "50 Ways to Leave YourLover" and "Lonely Town." At its best, "Ex- cuses ... "is funny, accurate and clever. At its worst, it is merely interesting. At least Bernhard doesn't have to make any excuses for it. - Heather Phares 9alah Hathaway a Moment Virgin Records Lalah Hathaway, a woman sleeker than Iman and finer than Janet Jackson on a good hair day, is on the musical climb without "a Moment" to spare. Her mature, alto voice, combined with the kind of music you'd hear in clubs tkes this album a pretty good buy for your money. From the upbeat to the relaxed, Hathaway covers the entire gamut of musical emotion. "A Moment" begins with "Let Me Love You," the hit dance single that'll have you nodding your head and snapping your fingers with- out realizing. The uplifting sounds of "Rise" will definitely grab your atten- tion, and it has a pretty catchy refrain. *o You Suppose" is a beautiful, sad slow song about a woman being cheated on by the man she loves. The story is same old, same old, but the song is still smoothe. You'll definitely like the CD, and fellas if you don't, you'll definitely love the CD cover. - Eugene Bowen Various Artists CBGB's 20th Anniversary Giant New York's ground zero of cool has turned 20, and for the occasion plenty of bands that made their big splashes there showed up to play. In a flurry of audio tape sure to be the center of many slavering fan boy attentions, Gianthasculledsomemighty fine tracks from the shindig for this compilation. As the Jesus Lizard live album "Show" came from these tapes, it is hardly an arguable point. The bands actually tend to sound better live, as evidenced by the harder version of "Private Idaho" by the B- 52's. And the live tracks are better than lots of other comparable recordings: Anthrax's "Got the Time" is far better than anything on the "Live: The Island Years" disc of a few months ago. CBGB's alternativeness comes through in very standard ways. There are at least three bands with a surfy'50s evil sound, and bands that are often associated with the club such as Living Colour and Helmet are include. CBGB's knows what it's known for and could hardly be expected to vary in an anniversary show. This recording has found the com- pilation pitfall of including a bunch of bands that any given listener probably doesn't want to hear, however. No matter. If you're a fan of any of the bands on it, you will be forced to buy it anyway. Make the best of it, cuz really, it's not that bad. - Ted Watts Steffon Trippin Wit No Luggage Ruthless Records Out on the West Coast a brother is ridin' the surf, but making his own waves. Like most everyone from Los Angeles, Steffon has caught thatGeorge Clinton P-Funk bug, but instead of sampling Clinton he creates his own brand of funk with Rhythm D. The result is good; commence to head-bob- bin' because he fills out the digital synths with a few real nice Twin Hypesque bass lines and prominent drums. A lot of the album is just for rockin' parties, but there are a few stand out creative tracks like "Frost Bit" (about an African-American kid in the sub- urbs) and "Young and Trippin" (about being young and trippin'). His flow is not anything spectacular, but it is sur- prising. He is an Eazy-E project and not frontin' on the violent life. All in all, not anything spectacular, but it's solid and creative enough to have some lon- gevity. -Dustin Howes 700 Miles Dirtbomb RCA Records Four tracks into the second album by 700Miles (yeah, I've neverheard of the first album either) lead singer John Carlin makes an impassioned plea for us to understand the "naked wire." Obviously apowerful metaphor, Carlin almost made me believe that this "na- ked wire" was an extremely traumatic experience for him to even bring up; by cleverly emoting the phrase differently with every repetition, he is letting us into that world of the "naked wire." Is he the "naked wire"? Is it the unachievable goal of our lives? Or are we all the "naked wire"? When the music finally fades, we are left with many questions about this indecent coaxial. 700 Miles aren't awful (lyrics aside..."You wear the silver shirt" is another winner), they're just dull. Pro- gressive hard rock is a tough job, and the band turns the lack of spontaneity into an artform. It's very pretty at spots and non-threatening, like a watered down Jane's Addiction or a less inter- esting I Mother Earth; mediocrity does make nice background music, As with all muzak, it's best not to sing along. - Kirk Miller DJ Culture The Stress Compilation Vol. I: Sasha and David Seaman Vol. IL Steve Lona and Kimball Collins Moonshine Music Theconceptitselfis intriguing: take world famous DJs, give them records from the internationally known Stress label and allow them to spin and mix back to back. These albums have many layers of importance and enjoyment; providing each listener with a unique listening experience. The music itself is phenomenal. The Stress label practically wrote the book on progressive club music; each track is recognizable yet unique. Pro- gressive club music is acombination of disco and house music that is both modern and retro. Heavy on soulful vocal tracks, the songs are dynamic and memorable. And then there are the DJs. These albums are important because they give an overview of the DJ styles prevalent in many of the world's different dance districts. Vol. I is represented by Sasha and Dave Seaman, both DJ celebrities in their own right. Sasha is one of the top UK DJs and Dave Seaman is the former editor of Mix Mag and one of the minds behind Brothers in Rhythm. Vol. II features two American DJ from the musical meccas of California and Florida. Steve Loria, from the former, shows his skills by creating a musical tapestry of "funky tribal mu- sic" which epitomizes much of the sound of the West coast. Kimball Collins, who metamorphosed Orlando's dance music scene, creates a more bass driven set that could only have come from the state famous for Miami Vice. Moonshine records is ever com- mitted to forwarding the recognition of DJs across the planet and the Stress Compilations allow listeners to become aware of what is happening in dance scenes all over the world. DJs from Detroit need only pop in one of these CDs to learn how the spinners from the UK represent. And for the informal listener, these discs are pure dance music bliss. Progressive enough to be funky, but not so underground as to be incomprehensible, the Stress Compi- lations are another aid in your quest to free your musical mind. - Ben Ewy Nice & Smooth Jewel of the Nile Polygram Records Coming back atcha wit those same rhymes done on that smooth, relaxed tip, Nice & Smooth look like one big paradox. Looking at the CD cover, you see these two guys tryin' to act all hard and stuff, and the semi-gangsta beats of many of the CD's 11 cuts support their image. But when the rhymes flow - and yes; they do flow-theseboyz still sound like an interesting collage of elements from Pharcyde and MC Rrn n c Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson clearly cannot comprehend why they have made "Radioland Murders." 'Raioland' murders clitself By FRED RICE Do you want to see what Mom, Dad, and the grandpar- ents did for entertainment before MTV, before Howdy Doody, before there was acathode ray tube that could irritate human retinas? They had to listen to radios. Can you believe that? They Radloland Murders Directed by Mel Smith; with Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson struggle, it fails to entertain. had to listen to lousy voice acting and terrible sound effects. Worst of all, they had to imagine theaction that we today see on a screen. W h i l e "Radioland Mur- ders" honors our ancestors' audial from the draft room to the studio. The police chief (Michael Lerner) and his underlings chase Henderson throughout the building. Unfortunately, all the commotion prevents a clear narrative from developing. Lousy comedic writing does not benefit the weak story. A corporate sponsor suffocates on nitrous oxide, to die laughing. Ha ha. Several other sponsors have to urinate but they cannot because they are trapped in a lounge. Ha ha. Lame jokes throughout make "Radioland" very boring. After enough of them you start to squirm in your seat and beg for the ending. The insipid humor becomes somewhat tolerable by recreating the spirit of the radio age. There is an abundance of fabulous thirties attire, outlandish costumes, and great art deco sets. The characters are dressed as coffee pots for commercials. There are cigarette girls. There are references to Peter Laurie, Betty Boop and Fred and Ginger. These elements spark some life into an otherwise deadening pic- ture and rightly glamorize and glorify a bygone age. George Lucas wrote the story, but his "American Graf- fiti" does a much better job of incorporating the spirit of radio into movie. This lame duck does not bode well for George, especially now that he is supposedly writing the next Star Wars Trilogy. The results of "Radioland" could depress him and make him drop the project thateveryone has been anticipating for 11 years. So show George your support. Invest six bucks in a bad movie. Take your folks and grandfolks with you and learn how they got their jollies a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. RA7hDOLANDMURDERS is playing at Showcase. WBN is having its first national broadcast in 1939, only nothing seems to be going right. The writers are not finishing the scripts in time for the shows and someone is murdering members of the production. Roger Henderson (Brian Benben) has the difficult task of serving as the studio's best writer even though the police have implicated him in the murders. He also has to save his marriage to Penny (Mary Stuart Masterson) who, as the unofficial director, must keep the show running despite the murder and mayhem. The story moves at a frantic pace as actors race toward mikes. The band changes costumes. A page races scripts Don't Question Mark's greatness By MATT CARLSON Something mysterious happened Saturday night. With characteristic zaniness and charm, Fortune and Mal- In fact, Question Mark and the Mysterians sound 100 times more coherent than that other '60s band that's still chugging along, The Rolling Stones. Question Mark and the Mysterians Rick's Cafe October 22, 1994 tese (with the Phabulous Pallbearers) and Ten High played a great gig of blistering rock originals and covers. But there's no mystery in that. The stunning enigma occurred when the headliners of the evening came out after two of the finest local acts any- where and turned what they were do- ing into an insignificant pile of ash. Actually, Question Mark and the Mysterians reduced every other con- cert and band in the known universe to rubble. To the uneducated, this statement will be taken lightly. "I guess he digs the band," you'll say. But no, what I am proposing is not an opinion that Mr. Mark and his mighty Mysterians gave the greatest rock concert of all time at Rick's Cafe on Friday - I propose that it is nothing short of a scientific fact. And like most new scientific facts, this one will get a few chuckles, some ridicule and mostly ignorance, but un- less you were present at the show, there is no way that you can completely rebuke this fact. And considering that Rick's was not even half full for the monumental scientific discovery, my guess is that most of you can not argue. Yep - Einstein, Edison and me. mean the guys playing pool and drink- ing Bud in the back). Those who really came to see a show, not knowing what to expect of the '60s garage band from Michigan, know they witnessed a his- torical event. Sure, the group had one really big hit with "96 Tears" thanks to the simplest, catchiest keyboard riff ever written, but could a bunch of middle-aged men who have played only three times since their break-up in the late'60s still rock hard? The Mysterians and Question Mark (who paraded out in skin-tight, bell-bottomed, powder- blue hot pants that showed off more than you would ever want to see) an- swered with a tremendous "yes" by being piercing, smooth and tight. In fact, Question Mark and the Mysterians sound 100 times more co- herent than that other '60s band that's still chugging along, The Rolling Stones. And Question Mark's new songs leave anything on "Voodoo Lounge" trailing far behind. The band played a few new ones, such as "I Love Elvis Music," that quite often were better than their old standards. In fact, the only weak point was a rather tepid version of the Stones' "Satisfaction." Of course, Question (who I believe had his name legally changed to Ques- tion Mark) and the Mysterians ended the evening with an explosive twenty- five minute version of "96 Tears," in which Question yelled out "One more time!" about four or five times. And then, when the song was nearly over, Question disappeared as mysteriously as he had entered - with unconquer- able confidence, showmanship and piz- zazz. r'A! I fwnIllAL1. ^0%&Al[Ll^ '!UM& *r"llrl rAV I&I qr"r' rAII V I I III u~a .yi: uI11104601'UILMts9:1p :11.01 :1 7ing:mu1 I1PiAilmm I I I PII.16. 111VI 11VI7" VVITIIIVA I II5V 1 5 l{d11VVlf 1 41M I 90. WF%116. 1 1 I LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL PROGRAMS OFFICE 3116 MICHIGAN UNION ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 3131163.4186 Would you like to talk about feelings concerning your sexual orientation in a safe place? Support groups are now forming for men and women. MEN'S SUPPORT GROUPS *Closed Group, Sundays 6:30.8:00pm *Open Group, Wednesdays 7:00.9:00pm IL sa,, NOW: I