ablemk0owl3adu 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. oftware Developers I " Sell yellow page advertising in the campus telephone directories " Eleven week program " Train for one week in Chapel Hill, NC 7# I~'1 :t A : lrial~.3 4L .x4;, ^ ft*iE +%^rv r% nllcneveh % U9+I i fia++c 4%aun rt/I i I