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Mmmmm.. wok cooking!
Get an inside glimpse of some down home Chinese cooking when Ann
Arbor's own Christine Liu, writer of "More Nutritional Chinese Cooking,"
shows off her knack for Asian culinary flavor in a cooking demonstration
tonight at Borders Books and Music. The free event begins at 7:30.
Tuesday
April 16, 1996
Far out! Brady"s groovy Greg visits 'U'
Barry Williams speaks about 'Growing Up Brady'; keeps on groovin'
By Jennifer Petlinski
Daily Film Editor
Did you hear?
Brother and sister Greg and M
behind the scenes - while on loca
espite all the rumors, curly-c
Mn) never grew up to become ..
Mrs. Brady and Greg went out on
before his 16th birthday - but he gc
Tiger (sniff, sniff) is now
"roadkill," having been run over
by a florist truck between shoots.
And the episode where Greg
has a Band-aid on his lip the
entire time? A pimple, you ask?
No ... a car accident the night
*ore.
Finally someone is answering ou
America's favorite television fan
Bunch."
And not just anyone. Barry Will
himself (and also the bearer of sor
bell bottoms), gave the inside scoo
audience on Sunday evening at P
rium. As a part of Senior Days ac
spoke about his 1992 New York
"Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teen
In a conversation backstage befo
Ws talked about his idea for his p
book 'Growing Up Brady' was tl
people had the chance to see what w
the cast's point of view," Williams s
only familiar with the characters, an
brought the characters, the people,
arcia "got it on"
tion in Hawaii.
ue Cindy (Susan
. a porn star.
a date just months
ot minimal action.
"I began getting invitations to come out and to talk
along the lines of the book, the stories that were
related, and to amplify them," he continued. "But
rather than doing a question-and-answer kind of pre-
sentation, and because almost 20 years of my career
has been theater, I created a show around it. So it's
multimedia. I use audio CDs; we use videos, cos-
tumes; I sing; I teach choreography; I tell stories."
And so he does. Over the course of two hours,
Williams showed some of the
REVIEW more famous Brady clips -
"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,"
Barry Williams Johnny Bravo (come on, Brady
Rackham Auditorium fans, you know what I'm talking
about),"Oh,mynose" and Greg's
April 14, 1996 wipe-out on those Hawaiian
waves and the Tiki doll. He told
ir questions about behind-the-scenes wacky stories (even singlehandedly
nily, "The Brady reenacting his make-out session with Maureen
McCormick and his date with Florence Henderson)
iams, Greg Brady and recapped Brady history.
me pretty bad-ass Then, in a display of talent, Williams, who has just
p to a University finished touring with the Broadway production of
Rackham Audito- "City of Angels," left Bradyland for a couple of
tivities, Williams minutes to sing the "Les Miserables" song, "Bring
Times bestseller, Him Home" (random, anyone?). And about a half
age Greg." hour later, he was a ball of energy again. Decked out
re the show, Wil- in wooden clogs, plaid pants, a checkered shirt, a
erformance. "The bandanna, shades and a leather-fringed vest, he taught
he first time that the dance moves to "It's a Sunshine Day" to many
vas going on from audience members. Like, totally groovy, man!
aid. "People were OK, so we've got a man on the Rackham stage in
id I think the book this far-out outfit, dancing to "It's a Sunshine Day."
to life. And nobody thinks twice - instead, everyone is
immersed in the laughter and craziness of the mo-
ment. Kind of goes without saying that the Bradys,
still, after so many decades, have remained pretty
popular.
But what does Williams believe to be the secret of
the Bradys' success? "I hear most often 'I grew up
with the show,"'he said. "There's a certain relatability
- not so much to the nature of the family, because
that's not wholly relatable ... but if you are a little kid,
we have a little kid; if you are the eldest, there's an
eldest or there's someone to identify with.
"I think more perhaps, as much as anything, it could
be the super-groovy fashion statements we made." Or
it could just be the way those Bradys just use the word
"groovy" all the time, right?
"I am completely unthreatened by the association
that I have with 'The Brady Bunch.' And to me, I'm
proud of the Bradys," he continued. "I'm proud of that
point of commonality. When I make reference to the
Tiki doll, or to Tiger, or to 'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,'
people know what I'm referring to. People will work
their whole lives to be able to relate with people in
terms of having a point of interest. I have embraced it,
and indeed taken it a little bit forward."
That's for sure. Barry Williams has taken the show
(with five separate series and II different specials),
given it new meaning, and, in the process, he's made
it stick around just a little bit longer.
Throughout the performance, Williams, referring
to his novel as "For Whom the Bellbottoms Toll,"
proceeded to spill the gossip. He spoke about such
serious issues as his past feelings for Maureen
McCormick (Marcia), Florence Henderson (Carol)
See GROOVY, Page 8
Barry Williams
Singers, dancers take to
the stage in Tolanthie'
British comic operetta amuses crowd
By Mitchell Katz
For the Daily
The last two movies you saw fea-
ed death by lethal injection and death
alcohol poisoning. You turn on MTV
only to see pseudo-talented artists yap-
ping about how ironic everything is or
whining about glycerine (whatever the
hell that means). "lolanthe," presented
last weekend by the University's Gil-
bert and Sullivan Society, was just the
REVIEW
lolanthe
Lydia Mendelssohn
Theater
April 12, 1996
sort of frothy antidote needed to dis-
perse your funk.
The comic operetta "lolanthe" by
Britain's most famous musical duo,
William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan,
was a smash hit back in 1882. More
On a century later, much of its satirical
punch is still quite potent; "lolanthe"
remains funny and light entertainment.
Strephon, an Arcadian shepherd, is
eagerly anticipating his upcoming mar-
riageto Phyllis,a shepherdessand ward
in Chancery. Unbeknownst to Phyllis,
however, Strephon is no ordinary shep-
herd. He is half-fairy: Pure fairy down
to his waist, but a mere mortal from the
ist down (what this means for his
ual prowess is unclear).
Meanwhile, the entire House of Peers,
including the Lord Chancellor himself,
is lusting after Phyllis. Will the young
couple be torn asunder by the rapacious
peers? Will Phyllis stand by her man,
despite his deception? Will the fairies
save the day and sprinkle magic dust
galore?
Matt Grace, as Strephon, sang with
fine legato and charisma, and he was
ntered by the flexible soprano of
atie Hart's Phyllis. Both brought won-
derful voices and exuberance to their
parts and had great stage chemistry.
As the Queen of the Fairies, Linda
Nadeau gave a highly comedic perfor-
mance. Emoting over such lines as,
"It's injudicious to marry a mortal" and
"I should be strong - but I am weak -
I should be marble - but I am clay,"
Nadeau was perfect as the ruler of the
mortal-craving fairies.
"When I Went To The Bar," one of
Gilbert and Sullivan's greatest patter
songs, was superbly delivered by Rob-
ert Sherrane, as the Lord Chancellor.
The lyrics are still a biting indictment of
the legal profession: "My learned pro-
fession I'll never disgrace, by taking a
fee with a grin on my face, when I
haven't been there to attend to the case.
... I'll never throw dust in a juryman's
eyes, or hoodwink a judge who is not
over-wise."
Sherrane also performed a crowd-
pleasing series of jigs while behind
Lord Mountararat (Beverley Pooley)
and Lord Tolloller (Bob Douglas), the
two lords who comically debate whether
to duel to the death over Phyllis.
As Mountararat, Pooley was a comic
dynamo. Expressing dismay at the fair-
ies' threats to install a system of com-
petitive examinations for Parliament,
Pooley exclaimed, "This is what comes
from women interfering with politics!"
And he delightfully feigned shock as
the audience admonished him.
The direction by Mitch Gillett and
Stacey Harrington managed to keep the
humor of the operetta intact. Many of
the dances, including one moment when
Strephon and Phyllis twirl around in
joyful exuberance singing, "We're to
be married today, today," were beauti-
fully staged. Some of the dance num-
bers featuring the fairies, however, were
not completely polished, and the fairies
often appeared out of step.
Mitch Williams conducted with a
steady hand, and the musicians were
able to flesh out all of Gilbert and
Sullivan's classic melodies. Colorful
sets designed by Cynthia Lempert gave
the proceedings a bright and cheery
look.
Perhaps it's time to trade in all those
dark, self-loathing Interscope artists like
Trent and those Toadies for some ofthe
frothy delights of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Besides, with our own set of competi-
tive examinations coming up, we could
all use some good cheer, if not a little
fairy assistance.
The Jesus Lizard
Shot
Capitol Records
There's just something about a band
that can consistently turn out amazing
records. Yes, the Jesus Lizard has be-
come, as vocalist David Yow put it this
weekend in Chicago, "major-label sell-
out shits." But it's funny, because some-
how they haven't sold out at all.
After four albums, two EPs and nu-
merous seven-inches on Touch and Go
Records, the Jesus Lizard made the
move to Lollapalooza last summer and
to Capitol Records this past fall. While
their newest effort, "Shot," carries their
one-syllable disc-name trademark, it
carries less of the noise of the Jesus
Lizard's past releases. Don't get me
wrong; David Yow, David Wm. Sims,
Duane Denison and Mac McNeillyhave
not gotten soft, or any less weird. But
the record is definitely a little more
produced and a little more refined than
anything the Jesus Lizard has done be-
fore.
This less-abrasive approach may be a
little strange to old Lizard fans, al-
though the initial questions are shot
down with a couple of listens. The Jesus
Lizard has always been a live band- in
fact, questionably the best live band out
there right now, and this has always
come through on past releases like
"Head," "Goat," "Liar" and "Down,"
which is where "Shot" differs.
David Yow's songwriting has im-
proved immensely over the years and
"Shot" really showcases that, although
you still can't tell what the hell he's
saying half the time. Bassist Sims,
Yow's partner in crime since the early-
'80s days of seminal noise-punk band
Scratch Acid, still provides driving bass
lines which control the songs. But he
has added to his repertoire and varied
his style, as is evident on the opener,
"Thumper," and songs like "More Beau-
tiful Than Barbie."
Yow gives us more drunken tales
about psychotic relationships ("Blue
Shot"), revenge on your landlord
("Thumbscrews"), and other classic
Jesus Lizard schizophrenia. "Too Bad
About the Fire," one of the disc's stand-
outs, jumps around like a raving luna-
tic: "I've had a very bad day / I blew my
family away / The neighbors say that
I'm weird / The fucking toilet won't
flush it's full of paper and mush / It's
full of paper and mush / The plumber's
ass is his face / Too bad about the fire."
The band has definitely not lost its
touch for storytelling or subtle humor.
Hopefully, the Jesus Lizard will not
become another indie band that be-
comes lost in the shuffle because they
don't fit in. Dav id Yow and Co. are
probably the most original band out
there right now. and "Shot" is a good
start for anyone who's heard of them
and has been wanting to check them
out. Even though they won't admit it,
the Jesus Lizard would be happy if you
shelled out your hard-earned money for
"Shot," the beginning of the end of
music as you know it.
-~Co/in Baros
Various Artists
Songs From the Cold Seas
Columbia
An album that falls somewhere be-
tween new age and world music, "Songs
From the Cold Seas" features just that
-- traditional songs from the northern-
most points on earth, updated with
modern instruments, arrangements and
singers. Like all various artist albums,
"Songs from the Cold Seas" has its hits
and misses.
Generally, the more traditional the
song, the better the results; the Finnish
group Virttina turns in a hypnotic ren-
dition of "Annuka Suaren Neito," a
legend of an island girl who wants to
marry a man from underthe sea. Icelan-
die techno-pop wizardess Bj6rk gives
one of the most moving performances
on thealbum, singing "Visur Vatnsenda-
Rosu," a mournful Icelandic poem. Lena
Willemark, a mandolin and pedal steel
guitars turn "Havet Stomar," a song
about sinking into the frozen ocean,
into an eerily beautiful ballad.
While the hits are both traditional
and futuristic, the misses overdo the
modernity of the arrangements. "The
Long Voyage," based on a poem by
Oscar Wilde, founders under electronic
bleeps and bloops and the kind of wa-
tered-down synth-pop that makes for
infomercial music. Not even Suzanne
Vega's rich voice and John Cale's mu-
sical prowess can save this song from
being a clinker.
Most of "Songs of the Cold Seas" is
a fascinating blend of old and new that
sounds both familiar and alien. "Ad-
ventures in the Scandinavian Skin
Trade," written and sung by Vimme
Saari, and "The Lighthouse," based on
a poem by Wilfred Wilson Gibson and
sung by Siousxie Sioux, both manage
to transform traditional tales into a new.
disturbing kind of trip-hop. And "Song
of the Water," from the Inuit tradition.
sounds completely unusual with almost
no help from technology. Like Peter
Gabriel's "Passion." "Songs from the
Cold Seas" is bound to spark interest in
the music of these diverse northern tra-
ditions.
Heather Phares
The Jesus lizard is clearly happy that its new CD is being released today.
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