~~dk-st fg
She wore 'Blue Velvet' ...
... And you should catch David Lynch's instantclassic suspense flick
at the Michigan Theater tonight. The movie stars Kyle Maclachlan and
Laura Dern as two small-town kids who get involved in an utterly
bizarre mess of trouble. Tonight's screening is at 7 o'clock. As always,
student tickets are a mere $5.
Tuesday
November 19, 1996
5
I
Band buzzes across USA
Arizona's Refreshments chug into Pontiac tonight
By Use Harwin
Daily Music Editor
When most people think of great
*sts, they also think of the ever-pre-
sent notepad. The place where sketches
are drawn, lyrics are jotted and other
ideas spring forth. Brian Blush, gui-
tarist for The Refreshments, has that
notepad right next to his bed. And, boy
has it come in handy.
"('Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy,' the
title of The Refreshments' debut album),
is a little mantra
that came to me in
*middle of thej PR
night. Oftentimesr
PIl wake up in a .Th..
cold sweat, scream-T
ing , strange things in Pontiac
and that was one of
them. It just so hap-
pens that at the time I said that we were
looking for an album title" Blush said.
As the story goes with all great ideas,
as an album title it was immediately
ected. But later, the members of the
Vahd gave the nighttime shout a second
look. "We would listen to it again and
laugh about it and think that it was a
funny thing to say. It was kind of a light-
hearted phrase that matched the philos-
ophy of the songs on the record. We
also got a kick out of the fact that if it
ever got off the ground there would be
DJs all across America that would actu-
ally have to try and say it."
With their two' new hit songs,
Ti
to
I
r
"Banditos" and "Down Together," The
Refreshments can laugh about "Fizzy,
Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy" all the way to
the bank.
Though Blush admits to having said
many noteworthy things in the still of the
night, none of them have necessarily
caught on as well as the title for the
album that is memorable in itself. With
hummable choruses and references to
everything from "Star Trek" to Mexico,
a home away from home for the Tempe,
Ariz., band,
"Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big
EV I E W and Buzzy" is a
bubbly, lightheart-
Refreshments ed romp the whole
Tonight at Clutch Cargo's way through.
with Dishwalla and Tonic. Having some
Doors open at 8 o'clock, of the "cutest"
lyrics in the music
business (take all of the ones from
"Down Together," for example), The
Refreshments' album can only be out-
done by their live show.
"We're extremely happy with the way
the album turned out, but with hind-
sight being perfect, there are always lit-
tle things that you'd want to change. We
tried to keep the album as live-feeling
as possible. Probably the only thing that
I would consider changing is trying to
make it sound even more live" the gui-
tarist commented.
But as any of the band's members or
fans would point out, the sound is pret-
ty darned agreeable as is, especially for
a first attempt.
Live, the band's sound is super-ener-
getic, something difficult to achieve in
a recording studio. "It's like drinking
four cups of coffee and running out
there. The adrenaline is always going,
so there's an energy that's applied to it
which is different every night," Blush
said. "There are things that we've done
to the songs since we've played them so
many times. Every night we try to push
them a little bit or shorten and lengthen
them depending on how the night is
going. There's a lot of slapshot comedy
going on in between all of the stuff."
Despite the possible tedium of playing
the same songs over and over again, it's
the different venues and audiences that
keep it interesting. Blush feels that touring
is "the greatest and worst of all possible
worlds. Getting to go to different cities
and play to different groups of people on
a nightly basis is an incredible experience.
Dynamically, it's always changing.
Sometimes it's bars, clubs, veterans' halls.
... That's always a challenge and it's
always really interesting and fun."
The downside of touring, one can
easily imagine. "Traveling and living
out a suitcase can be tedious at times
and a little difficult. Being away from
home for over a year now - that can be
a little taxing, but it's definitely worth
the trade off. It's really good work if you
can get it," Blush added.
Of course, with traveling comes find-
ing new favorite places, and with The
The Refreshments drive to the next lemonade stand.
Refreshments, both Portland, Ore., and
our own Detroit rank high on the list.
"I'm actually from Detroit," Blush
shared. "When we come to Detroit we
usually have a good time."
In fact, the last time The Refreshments
were in town, one record label represen-
tative thought it would be a good idea to
take the band to the mecca of Mexican
restaurants, Chi Chi's. "A lot of times
people will say, 'Oh! This band's from
the Southwest ... let's take them to a
Mexican restaurant!' Our bass player
actually walked into the women's bath-
room there, so that was the entertaining
part of that whole experience."
As with all bands, the amusing tour
stories don't stop there. "So many
strange things happen that it's hard to
even take note of one. It's such a surre-
al existence," the guitarist stated.
"There's everything from a 300-pound
dude who showed up with the full
album cover tattooed on his arm to a fan
who has had a dozen roses delivered to
each gig every night for a week."
Fortunately for the band, things take a
more mellow turn when they return to
Tempe. Located right next to Mexico,
residing in Tempe is what gave "Fizzy,
Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy" a clear bilingual
factor. "Mexico is to us a sort of refuge
that, whenever we are home, we run to.
It's a lawless, open, free place that we
find kind of spiritually refreshing.
When we get a chance to go there, we
do. We try to incorporate a little of that
reckless openness into our musical
shtick whenever we can. It's the closest
place to America that's really not
America," Blush offered.
Of Detroit's southern neighbor, the gui-
tarist had a differing opinion. "Windsor's
fairly close to American life. But you can
drink there when you're 19!"
Though they're now of age, The
Refreshments are still looking forward
to the future. "I honestly hope that (10
years from now) we're still making-the
kind of music that we want to make. If
not, I'll probably open a small chain of
feed and tack stores and Bud (Edwards,
the band's bassist) will probably go into
the 'Cup of Turkey' business. We've
already got a long-term plan worked out
for everyone," Blush offered.
But have no fear, fans. He's already
promised that we can have our own feed
and tack shop in the city of Detroit, so
refreshment will never be too far away.
I
-I
Epinal show
comesto 'U'
Museum o
By AnitMa Chalam
Daily Arts Writer
tpinal is a small town located near the Vosages Mountains
in northeastern France, where the local abundance of wood
made the city a natural site for paper production and other
related industries. Consequently, from the late 18th to early
20th century, Epinal specialized in and became famous
throughout the world for printmaking. Most notably, it was
-,own for the creation of popular imagery, which included
;s, games and religious paraphernalia.
In addition to reflecting and influencing the lives of the cit-
izens of France at the time, these images of tpinal appear to
have been a great source of inspiration of the avant-garde
painters of the mid- to late-19th century - artists such as
Courbet, Daumier and Manet. Thus, the importance of this
Epinal imagery is twofold: In addition to providing a history
of French life, these crudely drawn and brightly colored
prints also serve as a takeoff point for modern art.
Recognizing this importance is the University's Museum of
Art, which will be displaying nearly 200 works of a variety of
nres, all of which come to us directly from tpinal, via
anada's Musee du Quebec.
The prints that come from tpinal are very diverse in
nature, and the Museum of Art has taken great care to high-
light the variety. The 173 works on display are grouped
according to type, separating the chil-
Memorable 'Errors' thrills Arena
By Evelyn Miska
For the Daily
A mirrored disco ball spun around,
lights glinted off the beaded curtains
and thus Basement Arts' production of
"The Comedy of Errors" began. This
unconventional version of
Shakespeare's
play was a
refreshing change RE
from other unin- -
spired produc-
tions of his works.
With such a high-
energy beginning,
one might worry
about the ability to retain such intensity,
but the cast was up to the task.
Director Ernie Nolan did a wonderful
job of creating a unique and fun-filled
show. With the help of choreographer
Job Christenson and the talent and
enthusiasm of the cast, "Comedy" swept
the audience away from everyday life.
The cast, led by Christenson and
Jeremy Davis, did a remarkable job of
creating the wild and extravagant
atmosphere of Ephesus. Christenson, as
both Antipholus of Syracuse and
Antipholus of Ephesus, had problems
creating more differentiated personali-
ties for his two characters. It became
difficult to tell which Antipholus he
was portraying until the play had moved
r
TI
further into the scene.
Jeremy Davis created the wonderful
characters of Dromio of Ephesus and
Dromio of Syracuse. In contrast to
Christenson, Davis invented two very
different personalities for each, of the
Dromio brothers. Effortlessly switching
from an eager and
charming servant
V I E W to one frightened
he Comedy and shy, Davis
managed to warm
of Errors the hearts of many
4 rena Theater in the audience.
Nov.16, 1996 M o n i c a
Yudovich, who
played the character of Adriana, wife of
Antipholus of Ephesus, accurately por-
trayed an upset, hurt and confused
housewife. Yudovich's melodramatic
character was fun to watch and had the
audience sympathizing with her unfortu-
nate plight.
The three sidekicks of The Duke of
Ephesus, played by Rachel Hoffman,
Adrienne Daignault and Heather
Thompson, added an even more out-
landish and extravagant tone to the
show. Playing Luce the housekeeper
was Kim Woodman. Woodman seemed
to throw herself into her character, and
easily convinced the audience of her
wild obsession with Dromio.
Nolan edited the text a great deal, but
was careful not to create unnecessary
confusion by doing so. Great use of the
many talents of the cast was made, as
seen in the choreography. Nolan also
was very creative and made good use of
music and props to add to the absurdity
of the story. As well as putting the,
action in a different time, Nolan threw
in a slight twist at the end. A formidable
and haunting Sr. Emilia was none other
than Egeon's missing wife.
Making use of a chase scene helped
move the story along without being
caught up in too much dialogue. A sum-
mary of the story up until that point in
the fifth act did away with any confu-
sion that may have appeared along the
way. Wrapped up and neatly tied, the
final scene dealt with any loose ends
and managed to satisfy all.
Cleverly done and anything but bor-
ing, the cast did a great job of putting on
an exciting and colorful production.
Since the action continued to move
along, and slapstick was added in, even
children in the audience seemed to find
"Comedy" a fun show.
Overall, Nolan directed a wonderful
cast and did a great job updating a time-
less story. Beginning with a bang and
managing to retain such enthusiasm,
Basement Arts' production of "The
Comedy of Errors" was a show to
remember.
dren's toys from the moralizing
imagery, for example. This comprehen- f E
sive exhibition includes playing cards,
tarot cards, wallpaper, wrapping paper, Im
paper clock faces (these were popular V
*cause they were cheaper than enam-
el ones), print shop catalogues, paper
soldiers, puzzles, games, comics, paper
theaters and educational imagery for children.
As people walk into this exhibition, they are greeted by an
astounding array of life-sized soldiers, saints and dolls. They
attract and lure one into the biightly colored gallery, and
serve to create an entertaining atmosphere, in keeping with a
primary function of Epinal imagery, popular entertainment.
Indeed, this exhibition is highly entertaining. It is also user-
friendly, interactive on many levels. At the entrance are
pies of the self-guided walking tour, which gives the view-
a closer look at approximately 30 of the images on display.
The guide is written by Western Art curator Annette Dixon,
and research assistant and doctoral candidate in history, John
I
Francois Georgin's "Hussein-Bey, Dey of Algiers" will be on
display through Jan. 5.
Cornell.
On one side of the exhibition is a display allowing one to
see the various stages of print production. In another corner
are an audio device that plays French songs and a video, also
French, which plays cartoons illustrated by Epinal imagery,
including "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast." There are
puzzles that one can piece together and even a puppet theater
for putting on a production of "Puss in
Boots." And at the center of the exhibi-
V I E W tion is a life-sized game to play, the
Game of the Goose.
ages d'EpinaI Bearing in mind the historical nature
Museum of Art of this display, there are timelines on
the walls to inform the viewer of the
Through Jan. 5, 1997 events of the times contemporary with
these images. These timelines provide
an interesting perspective when considering such simple
imagery as children's toys. Suddenly, sheets of toy soldiers
take on a propagandizing effect for a Napoleonic Era, for
example.
Related programs to this exhibition include a roundtable
discussion, titled "Rereading Nineteenth-Century French
Popular Imagery," moderated by Museum of Art curator
Annette Dixon. Also, docent-led tours of this exhibition will
be available at 2 p.m. on Dec. 1, 15 and 29. The works will be
on display until Jan. 5, but I recommend going as soon, and
as often, as possible. This is one of the Museum's biggest
exhibitions, and one of its best.
'Mercury' speeds into East Quad
By Christopher Tkaczyk
Daily Arts Writer
Last week and this coming weekend, the RC Players are
presenting LSA senior Michael Zilberman's play about the
creation of mass terror brought by the
frenzied "War of the Worlds" radio
broadcast of 1938. "Mercury," directed RE
by Alex Lutz, specifically details the
life of the radio drama's performer,
Orson Welles. While the play creates a
negative image of Welles, it presents to
the audience the secret behind the
panic-inducing broadcast.
The notorious "War of the Worlds" broadcast was a
Halloween prank played by Orson Welles and his fellow CBS
radio actors on the night before Halloween in 1938.
m
Afterward, when everyone discovered the hoax, Welles
gained popularity and became a household name, paving his
road to Hollywood.
The play as a whole runs well; Zilberman, a former
Michigan Daily staff writer, should be
commended for his playwriting. It is
1I E W obvious that the story behind "War of
Mercury the Worlds" was well researched, but
the text does not account fully for
East Quad Welles' enigmatic persona.
Auditorium Basically, each scene is an account of
Nov. 16, 1996 a certain day in the life of Welles, and
tells of his business relationship with
John Houseman, the producer for CBS Radio's~ "The
Mercury Theater." Describing his beginning as a stage actor,
See MERCURY, Page 8
READ SPORTSMONDAY
f
JOIN THE MOST PROMISING
PROFESSION OF THE 21 ST CENTURY
Prospective Teacher Education Meeting
Tuesday, December 3, 1996
6:00 p.m.
Whitnev Auditorium
BLOOD BATTLE
SPRING TERM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
writing, camping, reading, hiking, music, canoeing, art
4 uERrt