ftfiftdftwOtft Antonioni explosion Accalimed Italian director Michela cinating film that explores a murdE of an unwitting photographer. This today at the Michigan Theater. Th Journeyman ( Soulful crooner sets aside By Stephanie Jo Klein Daily Arts Writer Having spent the summer fight- ing evil aliens in "Independence Day," Harry Connick Jr. is now back on tour, fighting for the hearts of his human listeners. With his new funk album, "Star Turtle," Connick is reminding fans of his versatility as a performer and musician, unafraid to stray from his trademark big-band style. On "Star Turtle,"o Connick chronicles the fic- P tional exploits of a turtle who comes from outer- Har space in search of salvation, P which he finds and brings home in the form of New Orleans funk, blues,jazz and parade music. In a recent telephone interview with The Michigan Daily, Connick explained the evolution of his creative works and how he keeps his ideas fresh. "Star Turtle" is "just an idea I had," Connick said. "I guess what I'm supposed to do for a living is create things. That's one of the things I came up with. It's just a story. It doesn't really have any symbolism or metaphoric value." Even after '94 release "She," his previous funk album, Connick's fans were still sur- prised by the new album, which features a wild arrangement of drums, horns, guitars and overdubbed, whispery voices on the title track. Despite doing all the instrumenta- tion on the first track himself, Connick said, the distorted, psychedelic sound was not hard to do. "That's just fooling around," he said nonchalantly. "The voices are just fun, you know, just screwing m Rl ry lay St around, and all the instruments.... real complicated in any of that stuff Although most fans still yearn fo heard on his earlier albums, like "V "25," Connick's new funky groove is esting change of pace. Instead of re-adapting the beautif the Street Where You Live," as he d creates new and innovative sounds two of the album's 15 tracks, "Boozehound" Connick and his ba and wah wah moog and step EVIE W distinctly jazz Ya'll Know" a Connick Jr. Harmony," th ing with his Funk Band evoke the feela tonight at 7:30 at the street parade tate Theatre in Detroit. trombones o Connick's sou ivories on the1 Connick dismisses any claims th band music on this album could be out. "I know I didn't sell-out becaus style," he said. "Before anybody kn playing that kind of music. It's just p I'm proud of it, you know. 'Cause that's all you can ask for is to have to do things that you're artistically what I'm doing, you know." His New Orleans roots are all ove he pays special tribute to the city o Sea." He wonders how long he coul city, begging for someone to take and the Mardi Gras / They betcha shoes / And they eat their oyster dances all night long / But he wo Please ... somebody won't you ta beneath the sea." "No city has moves like N Connick said in his strong Louisia that the city has helped shape him ngelo Antonioni's -Blow Up" is a fas- er as seen through the camera lens landmark 1966 movie is showing e curtain rises at 5 p.m. Wednesday October 16, 1996 onnick gets funky movies, aliens for major road tour There's not anything musician that he is today. "I think had I come from ." somewhere else I would have been totally different, r the gentle crooning you know? I'm totally indebted to growing up in New We Are In Love" and Orleans." nevertheless an inter- The music he heard in the alleys and clubs of the ci while growing up also helped shape his musical sty , ul, but standard "On Connick said. He counts Errol Garner, Louis Armstrong, lid on "25," Connick Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Meters and James Brown on "Star Turtle." On among his influences. "Little Farley" and Having influenced women fans to swoon at his image and combine rhythm on the silver screen, Connick enjoys occasionally cutting guitars with a mini in on the movie business as another way to 9xercise his ady drum beats in a creativity. zy style. "How Do Acting and singing are drastically different, he said. nd "Hear Me in the "On film, you're creating a personality that's never been he MTV hit, both done before. On stage, I'm not changing my personality. of a big New Orleans all, you know. It's just a totally different craft." , with swaggering Connick portrayed a serial killer in "Copycat" last year, n the former and a doomed fighter pilot in this summer's blockbuster ilful tinkling of the "Independence Day," and is set to take on the role of a latter. crooked car salesman in upcoming movie "Excess at not recording big- Baggage," with Alicia Silverstone and Christopher perceived as selling- Walken. e I didn't change my Although he has juggled stage and screen gigs for 10 iew who I was I was years now, Connick says it is now time for him to slow art of what I do. And down. He and super-model wife Jill Goodacre wel- I think as an artist comed their daughter, Georgia Tatom, into their New artistic freedom and York home in April, and the proud parents to spet proud of, and that's time at home. "(Being a father) will change how I tour, 'cause I don't r his new album, and want to do this for the rest of my life, you know," he said. n "City Beneath the "It's hard being away. I haven't been away but about two d stay away from the weeks the whole time she's been around. But, it's no fun him "To the Meters being away, so I would definitely like to slow down my where you got your touring schedule." s raw / Pork Chops in the meantime, fans will still find Connick tinkling )n't dance for free / away at the ivories, thinking of his daughter and looking ke me / To the city forward to recording his next album, "30," which wig once again showcase his sweet songs now tinged with t ew Orleans does," extra spice of his funk sound. If all goes well, the na drawl. He added Midwestern tour showcasing his interplanetary "Star into the person and Turtle" trip should be out of this world. ti .1 Tulip's 'Plughole' blooms again at Network By Kristin Bartus For the Daily Due to popular demand, writer / director / actor Malcolm Tulip's latest drama, "Down the Plughole," returns to Performance Network to explore the depths of guilt, grief, death and life that lay at the bottom of a bathtub. This one-man show that deals with the death of a child and the survival of her father, originally ran for two weeks at Performance Network during April of this year. Audiences not only deemed the drama gripping and hypnotic, but pressured Performance Network to bring "Down the Plughole" back for another run. PR "It goes from immediate every- day moments to almost poetic T m m i r a c 1 eOct. 24-27 at moments. For some people it was almost one big poem," Tulip said in a recent interview with The Michigan ,Daily. "Down the Plughole" explores death, but with a slightly skewed format. "It begins with an ending in a way. It begins with a man coming from the funeral of his girl. He comes back to his house in the bathroom where his child died and locks himself in and declares that he is never going to leave. The rest of the play is him having a dialogue orr it P4 with himself, with his present and future to try and determine whether he is actually going to stay in there or whether he'll be able to leave or not," Tulip said. Tulip plays John Jellicoe as a man at the extreme of his emotions. He not only feels grief over the death of his child, but also a great amount of EVIE W guilt. This guilt Down the stems from his Plughole daughter's acci- dental drowning ow through Saturday, in the bathtub just erformance Network. moments after his first ever spank- ing of her. Although his play deals with the painful issue of death, Tulip insists that "Down the Plughole" is not morbid and even includes some humorous ele- ments. "It's not about the death. It's about the survival afterwards," Tulip said. "It's about finding hope, it's about finding a way to move on. It's not about dwelling in the event. It's about reach- ing out forward for hand-holds." The play's universal themes of death and grief will eventually touch every potential audience member if they have not already in the past. In addition, many of these people can also relate to the feelings of guilt involved. "I'm sure everyone, when someone dies, has something that they wish they had done - that they hadn't done," Tulip said. Along with the emotions felt by Jellicoe, Tulip also adds to the realistic nature of "Down the Plughole" through another format twist. Tulip has created eight different possible endings to the drama. "Even though I enjoy perform- ing the whole thing immensely, it keeps it alive through the evening not know- ing exactly how it's going to end," Tulip said. "I think by leaving it open and keeping it wordless, it makes me more sensitive to the particular audience that particular evening or to John Jellicoe's mood that particular evening." While presenting the show in a real- istic manner, Tulip examines how life and death are intertwined. He critiques, in a sense, this society's way of dealing with death. Tulip finds that many other cultures celebrate the passing of life. See PLUGHOLE, Page 10 This is the Melds. Evolutionary folk band arrives at the new Ark Malcolm Tulip goes down the plughole. II By Dave Snyder Daily Arts Writer Folk music is evolving, shattering conventions while reaching a larger audience than ever. With tired rock retreads saturating the market, people are turning to folk like never before, and the genre boasts an impressive grassroots network of rabid fans. Key players in the folk resurgence are The Nields, who bring their quirky, sophisticated sound to the new Ark tomorrow. What makes them unique in the folk world is their rhythm section, and their tendency to plug in and rock out at shows. "I think we sort of came out of the PREVIEW The Nields Tomorrow at the Ark at 8 p.m Tix are $10. Call 761-1451:- folk scene, because at one point we were acoustic;' founding member Nerissa Nields explained in an interview with The Michigan Daily. The group, whi h was originally a trio of Nerissa, her ter Katryna and her husband Da formed a substantial cult following playing rooms in the burgeoning music See NIELDS, Page 9 Prepared for The MCAT? The Berkeley Review specializes in MCAT preparation only. We provide an intense yet structured program that will motivate you from start to finish in your preparation or this exam. Over the years we have prepared thousands of students to take the MCAT, and many have been accepted at top medical schools. 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