Halloween, improv style
Without A Net, the University's popular improvisational comedy troupe
invites fans to join in some Halloween fun. Come to tonight's special
show dressed in your spooky best, and watch as the performers pre-
sent some creepy tricks and scary sketches. The show is at the U-
Club in the Union at 9 p.m. Admission will cost $3, but you'll certainly
get your money's worth: Candy will be served!

Wednesday
October 30, 1996

5


Quality decays in King's 'Thinner'

ter and his friends, Halleck's body
wastes away at an unbelievably fast rate.
His wife suspects that cancer is eating
away at him. But when Halleck discov-
ers that those who had helped him cover

up his crime are
also suffering
from strange ail-
ments after
encounters with
the Gypsy man,
he is forced to
believe in curses.
Alarmed at his

RiE
At Briar

body's deterioration, he begs his
ster friend Richie Ginelli

mob-
(Joe

This movie, overall, carries both
good news and bad news. The good
news is that the film sticks closely to
King's original book. The bad news is
that it still sucks.
The plot has
the potential of
V I E W becoming a
decent movie,
Thinner taking viewers
into the dark
wood and Showcase realm of the
supernatural,
while also deal-
ing with moral culpability.
Unfortunately, the screenplay butchers
the original work of art by filling in
weak lines like, "I'm being erased!"
The acting is even worse than the
screenplay, having the feel of a high
school drama production. Actually, that
would be giving "Thinner" much more
credit than it deserves. The actors deliver
their lines in a flat, detached manner
when they are not displaying inappropri-
ate emotions or reactions at strange
times. The only performance that can be
remotely described as decent would be
Mantegna's, whose portrayal of a hard-
ened mobster is fairly convincing.
Otherwise, the acting is so weak that

"The horror. The horror. Get me out of this awful movies"

Mantegna) to help him force the Gypsy
man to take the curse off. Eagerly,
Ginelli agrees because he owes Halleck
a favor and is the only one Billy knows
who believes in curses.
As Halleck and Ginelli wreak havoc
on the Gypsies in an attempt to regain
Halleck's health, Halleck's spiritual
decay becomes equally as obvious as
his body decays -the curse eats away
at both his body and his mind. In the
end, Halleck's initial refusal to take
responsibility for his actions causes a
great deal of pain and suffering for
those around him.

audiences will be inclined to give the
performance of Stephen King, in a small
role as a pharmacist, a standing ovation.
Another big problem with the film is
that there are no likable characters.
Halleck is an irresponsible lawyer who
gets what he deserves. The Gypsies are
an uncouth band whose members have
placed various curses on people with
gruesome results. Ginelli is a ruthless
gangster with a brutal style, and
Halleck's wife and child, with whom we
are supposed to sympathize, are just
plain annoying. The audience doesn't

really like any of the characters in the
movie, and therefore we don't really
care what happens to them.
Basically, "Thinner" does not play up
to its expectations. Though it has the
potential to be so much better, the bad
acting and screenplay* really bring it
down. The movie might have been more
suitable as a TV movie, because it is
much too flimsy to possibly do well in
theaters. One can only hope that the
king of horror will have enough stom-
ach to be able to witness the butchering
of his masterpiece.

... ...
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7

Quink harmonizes in
thrilling A2concert

Republica
pubica
De Construction / RCA
* 1**
Techno, while always popular at
raves across the country, seems to be
catching on with radio stations and
being met with a positive response.
Groups like The Prodigy and solo artist
Moby have been hitting clubs around
9 world to meet with mainstream suc-
cess. And then, a band like Republica
app'ears, fusing industrial, dance pop
and techno and producing a very
radio-friendly single,
Ready To Go," that
spreads like wildfire.
This should not be a
surprise.
Though they orig-
irate in England,
*publica is about as
far from the standard
Brit-pop as any band
could be. Interestingly, they
retain several of the same influ-
ences as many current chart-toppers.
Drummer Dave Barbarossa is the for-
mer drummer for Bow Wow Wow and
Adam Ant, while keyboardist Tim
Dorney played previously with U.K.
media darlings Flowered Up. Singer
ffron has the techno experience, hav-
sung with The Prodigy, Jah Wobble
and The Shamen. In addition, there is
Andy Todd, who has produced songs
for the likes of Barbara Streisand and
Bjork, as well as guitarist Johnny Male.
A talented bunch, indeed.
Together, Republica delivers an
album filled with humor and cynicism
that doesn't once lose any of its energy.
With curt and to-the-point lyrics such as
hut up, I'm talking ... Get out., you're
Walking," from "Drop Dead Gorgeous;'
Republica refuses to quiet down. Even

better, "Republica" contains several
tunes that should make for easy follow-
ups to the success of "Ready To Go',
including the drum-laden "Get Off"
and the song which is already a club hit
in Britain, "Bloke."
Throughout the album, Republica
creates a gleefulness that isn't always
heard in today's hit music. When they
talk about their dislikes ("Out of the
Darkness" is about the workday's
demand on one's time, and "Picture
Me" pokes fun at cover girls), the songs
still move fast and hit a comic side
swiftly. Finally, for those who can't get
enough of "Ready To Go,"
"Republica" features the
original version of the
song, 'outstandingly
brilliant when com-
pared to the watered-
down U.S. radio ver-
>:::k< sion.
While Republica
might mean nothing to
fans of bands like
Enigma or vocalists like
Crystal Waters, they will certainly
fill the void for lovers of Blondie or
Siouxsie and the Banshees and anyone
who like a bit of pop with their techno.
-Lise Harwin
Pete Seeger
Pete
Earth Music Productions
** **
If you've never heard of Pete Seeger
before, chances are that you probably
think he's the son or the brother of
Detroit's own classic-rocking Bob
Seeger. But placing more than 10 bucks
on Pete being Bob's only son or little
brother could hurt your wallet when the
truth is revealed. At the ripe age of 77,

Buy Republica's album so that young Saffron can afford a whole shirt.

Pete Seeger has been strumming the
banjo, playing the guitar and singing for
more than 50 years, which easily out-
does Bob's career (and practically
equals his entire lifetime).
Seeger has been playing folk music
for so long that hardly anyone can
remember his wilder days in the 1950s,
when he was called a Communist and
blacklisted by Congress for his radical
social activism -evidenced in his clas-
sic song "If I Had A Hammer"
"Pete;' his first studio album in 17
years, gives the listener revamped
recordings of his most beloved songs to
go along with new tunes on this 18-
track album. If you think that's a bit
much for a CD, then you might miss out
on hearing one of history's greatest folk
singers at his best. .
It's unbelievable to think about how
many people Seeger could have actual-
ly influenced during his career. On
"Kisses Sweeter Than Wine' his style
of plucking the banjo way back in 1950
could have easily been borrowed by
Jimmy Page for his riff in Led
Zeppelin's "Going To California." Even
Lou Reed probably felt comfortable

about the sound of his own voice after
hearing Seeger's bluesy "In The
Evening;' a song that also eerily hints at
Zeppelin's song of the same title from
"In Thru The Out Door." In the midst of
the beautiful "River of My People,"
Bob Dylan could have slipped Seeger's
picking and vocals into his own "Boots
of Spanish Leather." And in the soft
"How Can I Keep From Singing?"
Seeger quietly reminds the listener that
Enya didn't originally record this song.
But the deeper and deeper you get
into this album, Seeger doesn't have to
remind listeners about the things they
already know. With Seeger's grandfa-
therly, Burl Ives-sounding voice play-
ing in your ears, you begin to under-
stand the writing on his banjo on the
album cover: "This machine surrounds
hate and forces it to surrender."
- Rick Stachura

By Stephanie Love
For the Daily
It's no wonder that the Dutch group
Quink has a world-renowned reputation
for excellence in a capella music. From
the moment tenor Harry van Berne and
bass Kees-Jan de Koning opened the
first notes of an "Alleluia" chant set-
ting, it was obvious that Quink was not
just your average quintet.
A lt e r n at i n g
between two and
five members RI
performing at
one time, Quink's
colorful interpre-
tations of
Renaissance
sacred music of
the Low Countries were more than
impressive. The group's rich voices sur-
rounded the audience, wrapping them
in a warm wash of sound enhanced by
the acoustics of St. Francis' sanctuary.
As Quink added alto Corrie Ponk for
"Lectio Prima;' the texture - but not
the quality - changed, and when all
five members finally sang together dur-
ing "0 vos omnes' the result was pure
musical perfection.
Despite the obvious virtuosity within
the group, Quink looked relatively
uncomfortable for most of the first half
of its program. But any anxiety Quink
migltt have had about performing for a
new American audience was fused into
energetic music encompassing the sub-
tle but intricate harmonies of
Renaissance polyphony.
The intonation of the group was solid

E

throughout, an impressive accomplish-
ment for any group. Particularly
remarkable was that no matter which
voices sang together, the blend was
always perfect. The voices within the
group complemented each other beauti-
fully, as if the quintet had been born
singing together.
Despite its seemingly restrained
presence, Quink moved from one song
to the next with
ease, varying the
VI E N voicing and tex-
Quink ture effortlessly
and ending the
St. Francis of first segment
Assisi Church with another per-
Oct. 27, 1996 feet unison of
tenor and bass.
Never using any form or visual cues
despite the complexity of the music, the
entrances and releases were flawless.
Performing a mixture of High
Renaissance psalm settings, originally
performed in France during the ISOOs,
and 20th-century religious works,
Quink's ability was marked by the stun-
ning lyrical technique displayed by the
sopranos. Unfortunately, the acoustics
of the room tended to blur some of the
running passages, but this in no way
affected Quink's confidence or overall
performance.
At the end, a slightly confused but
quickly enthusiastic audience response
to the concert's final piece, "Canto II,'
brought Quink out for an encore. It
was a fitting tribute to a group well
worthy of future invitations to Ann
Arbor.



The University of Michigan
BASKETBALL BAND
AUDITIONS
Auditions will consist of a sight-reading excerpt.
Men's Basketball Band Rehearsals - Tuesdays, 7 - 8:15 pm
**Women's Basketball Band Rehearsals - Tuesdays, 8:30 - 9:45 pm
Positions open for:
Drum Set
Piccolo
Clarinet
Alto Saxonhone