8B -The Michigan Daily - Wedce., e*U. - Thursday, April 4, 1996 i Cherry Poppin' Daddies have distinctive name, amazing sound Oooh, Kermie, you are so adorable and non-threatening. Your frail limbs and whining voice just put me in the mood for some good old-fashioned nurturing. Sexu a inuendo bfils By Lise Harwin Daily Arts Writer If you've never heard of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, you're missing out, but you're not alone. Chances are good that the only people who have heard of the band more affectionately known as The Daddies are those who reside somewhere along the West Coast. Or those people lucky enough to be a good friend of someone who does. This is primarily due to the fact that The Daddies still maintain their local band status, making them cult favorites in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, but virtually unknown in other parts of the country. Fortunately for them, word of mouth is a powerful publicity tool. Attending the last Daddies show in Detroit, it was amazing to see the range of audience members. Many people I talked to were either from the Northwest or a friend of someone who was. Perhaps the most often heard comment at the show was, "My friend just said, 'You've gotta see these guys perform,' so I came along." Natu- rally, everyone who filled the Shelter was treated to a grand performance, leaving newcomers ready for more. So, lucky for all parties involved, the Daddies are back in town once again, ready to set your toes a-tappin' and your feet a-dancin'. "A long time ago, my band broke up. We kind of played slow, psychadelic music at the time and everyone would sit down on the floor and listen to us," said Steve Perry, the Daddies animated vocalist, as he re- layed the story of the band's begin- nings. "People were sitting there, lis- tening to the music, but not getting what we were saying. So, I decided to write a musical." Now this wasn't just any musical for Perry ... this was a swingin', jazzy musical, right down to the horns that he recruited to back up the songs., "Gradually, the idea of the musical fell away and we started playing them as songs in the set. Somebody asked us to play for them, so we did. The original idea went away at that point." From that moment on, Steve Perry, along with several local horn players and instructors, became the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Currently, the Daddies have pro- duced three albums, all of which can be found on the indie label Space Age Bachelor Pad Records. Interestingly, while the albums show a clear growth from one to the next, the Daddies have never lost the ability to cover any number of styles within 15 tracks. CHERRY POPPIN' DADDIES Where: The Magic Stick When: Tonight. Doors 9 p.m. Tickets: Call (313) 833-9700 for ticket information. "We were never going for a document of our live sound with making our CDs. Each one was almost like its own comic book. Musically, they all go all over the place," Perry remarked. While their third album is no excep- tion to the diversity rule, it differs greatly in its lyrical consistancy. In addition, "the newer album has two guitars on most of the songs. It's heavier and with more ska influences. But, the whole idea behind our records has been focused on lyrics, not the music," Perry said. While the lyrics certainly range from raunchy to mundane, the music, a combination of swing, big band, jazz and ska, is what really keeps audiences coming back for more. Unfortunately, as with all things dif- ferent from the current modern rock norm, it's hard to find a niche for a unique sound. "We've been really kind of unfor- tunate in certain ways because of our artistic viewpoint. Because we're not making something that fits on the su- permarket aisle," offered Perry. "Since they don't know where to put us, we have to just fend for ourselves." As previously stated, however, loyal fans and word of mouth can work wonders for any band. "We have been lucky with some people. Dicky from the (Mighty Mighty) Bosstones was really nice to us. He got our records and likes us. He gave us some shows and whatnot. We've been lucky that some people recognize what we're doing and appreciate it." Part of the band's growing national attention can be attributed to the incred- ible amount of touring and preforming that the Daddies do on a regular basis. For example, it is no common occur- rence for a band to hit the same city twice in only six months, particularly a lesser-known band. Yet tonight will mark the band's return to Detroit, a city pretty far away from home in Eugene, Ore. Unfortunately, it is also to be ex- pected that shows in other parts of the country won't necessarily sell out as they do at home. As Perry confirmed, "Touring has definitely spread us out. But, the picture is still the same no matter where you go. People still don' know what it is or what it's about.IW frustrating." Perhaps one of the most frequently asked, not to mention obvious, ques- tions about the Cherry Poppin' Dad- dies is the source of their name. The truth is actually somewhat respect- able, despite the possibility of several rather tawdry answers. "We were sit- ting around and a friend of ours had a tape of old risque jazz songs. This was right after the big band peri where rhythm and blues started. An there were a lot of filthy, bluesy lyr- ics. There was this certain song that had the words 'cherry poppin' some- thing' in it. So someguy just said that we should call ourselves the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. We had a good laugh, but nothing else sounded that great and that name fit us the best. It was just vile," Perry said. One could almost see him grinning on the otl* end of the line. Interestingly, it was the name of the band that probably drew them the most attention during the years 1989 to 1992. In the college town of Eu- gene, these were right about the years that the term "politically correct" was coming into full swing. "The idea was to get rid of certain figures of speech so that we could then fix things. That's where the politically correct thin came in. People went, 'Hey, ther something offensive. Let's'change it!' After a while it went out of vogue," Perry said. Unfortunately, one figure of speech that the college students wanted to get rid of was the band's suggestive name. This led to the more "correct" refer- ence to "the Daddies," which has stuck fast despite the fact that people are relatively more accepting these d In any case, no matter what you c them, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies put on a performance like no other. In Steve Perry's own words, the live show is "a lot more energetic and rockin' than the albums. More physi- cal testosterone. Maybe that's to its detriment. But, we've tried playing more of our thoughtful, sloer songs live and it doesn't go off well. People just like to jump around." So, if you're the type of person v loves to spot bands before they hit the mainstream or if you just love good ska or if you like to be able to actually dance at a concert, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies are certain to please. An remember, if you don't like the name, call them the Daddies. No matter wha they're called, they're sure to rock your world. By Christopher Corbett Daily Arts Writer Like a thirsty, pale vampire hiding in the shadows, hypnotizing his vic- tim to get what he desires, sexual innuendo lurks in the hearts of seem- ingly innocent films. Do filmmakers hide such nuances in their films delib- erately, or do they get there quite by accident? You have to look hard to find such disguised flicks-or, if you will, the under-cover "booty call" movies, and the secret innuendos they employ. WEAK MEN IN NEED OF NUR- TURING: What many insiders also call "the Kermie Complex," the phe- nomenon comes with the film that has a sweet, vulnerable, adorable male lead who possesses an all-around non-threat- ening disposition. FILM: "Muppet Treasure Island." Kermit, with his big, round eyes does a superior job of deceiving viewers into thinking that men are, at their core, naive and cute. Likewise, his frail limbs and wimpy voice, begging Miss Piggy to protect him, brings the idea that womens' maternal side can come to fruitition and help "nurture" men. REPRESSION: A kind of para-. dox, and also known as the nunnery event, it functions in films that have a lead actress who doesn't wear make- up, keeps seven layers of drab cloth- ingon her body at all times and ap- pears as sexual as a wall. FILM: "Dead Man Walking." Af- ter 2 1/2 hours of watching Susan Sarandon clasp her hands together as Sister Helen Prejean, hits us over the head with so much purity that we start to want to see some sin. Heathenish lust, then, may become coveted after viewing the film. EXORBITANT UNSAFE SEX: Also referred to, in some shady circles, as "Maximum Overdrive," the nu- ance lies in a film where persons be- have generously with the gifts with which they were born and deliver themselves to the fiery throes of pro- miscuity. FILM: "Leaving Las Vegas." Eliza- beth Shue, as a prostitute, has more experience going up and down than an elevator, making the idea of "get- ting it on" with someone (unless the person is a pimp) seem as dangerous as licking ice cream from a cone. EXCESSIVE SWEE'TNESS: Also known as "Stuffed Animal Suffoca- tion," the innuendo appears in films where cartoon characters lull us into feeling like the world is pink, fuzzy, pink, gentle and pink some more, as if the human sphere is all softness, like the round, curvy faces of the charac- ters themselves. FILM: "Homeward Bound 2" or "All Dogs go to Heaven 2." Here we have lots of furry animals snuggling each other and generally doing self- less acts of charity, which actually brings forth a backlash: "Enough sac- charine! Put on those diamond-stud- ded leathers! Not the ones with the butt cut out, Tuna-head, the ones with the suspenders!" GROSS-OUT: The nuance, com- monly called "Hideous Hunch Backs" by everyone who's "in the know," works in films that star snot-nosed punks or shriveled, wrinkled bags of gas that are as easy on the eyes as storm-drain sludge. FILM: "Happy Gilmore" or "Mr. Holland's Opus." Oh, dude, you have lucked out here: Heaven only knows who is the bigger monster: Adam Sandler or Richard Dreyfuss. Either way, these films make you, in com- parison, seem less like Howdy Doody than George Clooney. These films can help you seem better physically and morally than you actu- ally are. A Lexus does the same thing, but it's so much more expensive. Real meaning of civil disobedience, protest lost on Hash Bash participants By Greg Parker Daily Arts Writer Ah, good old Hash Bash. Back in my high school days, I longed to venture into Ann Arbor the first Saturday of every April and relish in the air of civil disobedience. In high school, I thought it was cool to go onto the Diag and just be at Hash Bash. I never was rebellious enough to really take part in the event, if you know what I mean, but I still loved the atmosphere. Now, I loathe Hash Bash. I consider Ann Arbor my home-away-from-home, and I consider Hash Bash to be a direct assault on my surrogate home. I hate all the smelly people in the Diag, and I hate all the drum-Iine-bongo-playing-stick- twirling-Frisbee-throwing-Deadheads. I hate the leftover '60s radicals with no cause left to rally for, and I hate the trash left behind by all these "socially conscious" individuals. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I like the original idea of Hash Bash. I support legalizing all drugs, and I think we should start with pot. So in this sense, Hash Bash as a protest to legalize pot is fine with me. Of course, this is not the case, and what I estimate to be 95 percent of all Hash Bash at- tendees use the day simply as an excuse to get high. I like to party, and parties are fine with me. Hell, you can go smoke down ifyou want, but what was once a serious protest of the criminalization of mari- juana has been made into a mockery. Can anyone take a thousand Deadheads sparking up for the hell of it seriously? Sure, this is an effective way to enact change. I can see it now: Watching the evening news clips of thousands ofhip- pie-esque kids and '60s leftovers frol- icking on the Diag, Bob Dole will long for his days of counterculture, leading him to place the legalization of pot high on the GOP platform. If I haven't made myself clear, no one worth convincing takes this event seriously. I will say, however, that ifyouhaven't been to a Hash Bash before, you should check it out. What's interesting is that there are not many University students involved. Sure, there might be a signifi- cant amount, but I estimate that 75 percent or more of all Hash Bashers are not University students, but rather people from surrounding communities (and most certainly, from other states and other countries). This creates an interesting dynamic: Most locals and many students stay as faraway from the Diag as possible on this dreadful day. Traffic is horrendous, and the sidewalks are clogged. Without anywhere to park the Volvo, many townies stay in. I'll make another plug for experienc- ing at least one Hash Bash-the people- watching is really, really fun. I men- tioned the hippies and Deadheads ear- lier; there are myriad other groups to look for as well. The Libertarians are sure to be there, as are the organizers (of NORML fame) that dress up in Revolu- tionary War costumes in a display of Jerry Rubin-esque guerrilla theater. There will be many cops, and they will probably be pissed off, but they usually don't mess with anyone, because there are more potheads than there are cops, and you don't have to be Napoleon to, figure the odds of an ensuing battle. You also might see serious protesters, but they are few and far between. And last but unfortunately not least, how could we forget the dirty-white-hat con- tingent- could any Diag event be com- plete without them? Any student of social movements knows that a movement is made up of a core group of individuals surrounded by a much larger group of peripheral supporters. Looking at Hash Bash as part of a social movement, the core group of leaders is the actual protest-, ers, while the peripheral supporter are ... well, rather peripheral. The delegitimize the protest itself, cr ing a party atmosphere during w a should be a serious protest. Legaliza tion of marijuana and other drugs is serious civil rights issue. It is ironi that those who would presumabl benefit the most from hemp legaliza tion (the smokers themselves) hinde the process the most. Because I support the legalization o drugs, I am calling upon everyone t is planing on participating in Hash to treat it as a serious protest. Smok down as an example of civil disobedi ence, but put away the hackey-sack and Frisbees and carry a sign or start chant or distribute a pamphlet and actu ally actively participate in the protest If you truly support the movement, the act accordingly. Make it so the firs thing people think when they hear th words "Hash Bash" is that it is a mas sive protest to legalize pot rather th Dead concert minus the band. Unti then, I'll stay at home. JUNIORS! Spring Senior Portraits U MUSIC FASHION SPORT APRIL 8 - APRIL 11 4 call today A O%/fA Student Publications Building 420 Maynard Street .. ,: I