t~1w Sic~igwn i~tig 'Afln' resurrected Catch a special free screening at the Michigan Theater of the sci-fi classic that started it all -- "Alien." Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Sigourney Weaver, the film lauched many careers and spurred many imitators. The screening begins at 6:30 and is open exclusively to students - admission will not be granted without stu- dent ID. In space, and at the Michigan, no one can hear you scream. Monday December 8, 1997 Thish phunks out Palace crowd 'Ida"s slow plot, dull music fail to captivate By Rob Mitchum IDaily Arts Writer Allow me to introduce myself. I am *Phish snob. In the two years since I first experienced these four guys from Vermont, I have obsessed over every facet of their careers. I collect tape after tape of past con- _ ___ certs, memorize the setlists, analyze their jams and i attend as many shows as financial- The Palac possible each ur. Because of this knowledge, I can be harshly critical of a Phish performance, to the point where something as trivial as mediocre song selection will decrease my enjoy- ment of the show. Thus, I am a Phish snob, and I'm hard to please. Behind me sit five large guys in base- ball caps and tight t-shirts, intoxicated from a variety of substances. "So, do these guys dance or anything?" asks e of them, unaware that Phish usual- Ty shows about as much emotion as four cardboard cutouts on stage, preferring to let the music provide the action. "I hope they play 'Bouncin' Around the Room' tonight, man. That would be awesome!" These guys haven't seen a Phish show before, and they've come to hear the few Phish songs that are well- known enough to qualify as "hits," not to see long, complicated improvisation- jams. This is the dilemma that Phish has had to face every show since it moved into larger arenas and ampitheatres. In an audience split between elitist obses- sives like myself and the casual fans behind me, it would seem impossible fdr the band to send everyone home eU happy. But Saturday night at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Phish was up to the task, providing a show that left not one fan in the arena unfulfilled. Right off the bat, Phish provided an example of its completely unique sound with the opener, "Golgi Apparatus." The song, like most in E V I E W the band's catalog, is a train-wreck of Phish different musical styles, alternating of Auburn Hiils between hyper ska Dec. 6. 1997 chording, arena rock dynamics and intricately composed solos, all beneath Phish's trademark nonsensical lyrics. The crowd wasted no time in becoming a gigantic, jiggling mass of dancers, moving in the light of a hundred joints simultaneously being lit. Phish fed off of this energy, moving swiftly into an unusually early version of the traditional set closer "Run Like an Antelope,' which gave the band its first platform for launching into impro- visation. Guitarist Trey Anastasio led a 10-minute jam session in the middle of the song, using a variety of pedals and soloing techniques to add atmosphere. "Bathtub Gin" also featured an extended jam, this time built upon the spiraling riffs of Anastasio. As the band effortlessly soared through the jam, the incredible light show put on by crew member Chris Kuroda perfectly com- plemented and sometimes even seemed to play an active role in the improvisa- tion. The almost psychic communica- tion between the members of Phish was also seen as they suddenly turned the jam on a dime into a darker groove, from which the song "Foam" slowly segued. The members of Phish recline in fine style in their luxurious touring van. "Foam," a track from Phish's first album, "Junta," shifted the spotlight from Anastasio to the melodious bass lines of Mike Gordon and the fiery key- board work of Page McConnell., Drummer Jon Fishman also laid down a seemingly impossible beat, all four of his limbs keeping perfect time through the many twists and turns of the song, The rest of the band's first set turned away from the strong improv of the first five songs. What followed was a run of songs aimed specifically at my inexperi- enced friends behind me: songs such as "Sample in a Jar" and "Fee" to which they could pump their fists and sing along. Here, Phish showed its ability to write a pop song that could be consumed by the general public, but in doing so sacrificed the eccentricity and talent that separates the band from the pack. As the set closed with the sing-along anthem "Cavern" (you haven't lived until you've heard 17,000 people singing phrases like "serpent deflector" and "viral dissector"), the difference in opinion among the crowd was obvious. As the group of guys behind me exchanged high-fives, I wondered whether I was becoming too jaded to fully enjoy a Phish concert. When one of the guys exclaimed "That set rocked because I knew all the songs!", I won- dered wlhy the band wasn't experiment- ing more and playing more rarities. Where was the sense of adventure that had made ne so excited at other Phish shows? But soon after the second set began, every ounce of disappointment I had experienced in the first set evaporated. The band opened with "Tweezer," a song that has been known to reach lengths of more than 30 minutes in the past. But this version took a completely different direction than had ever been heard. As the band moved into the jam section, Anastasio positioned himself on his wah pedal and proceeded to lead the band into a deep funk jam. Gordon's bass led the way with some of the most danceable grooves this side of Bootsy Collins. As the intensity grew higher and higher, Anastasio left the wah and let See PHISH, Page 8A By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud Daily Arts Writer Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are an acquired taste. For those who like chipper and perky characters dancing and singing ludicrously, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of "Princess Ida" could have been just what the doc- tor ordered. What is unfortu- nate, however, is Mend that most of the players in "Princess Ida" give'flat and uninspir- ing performances. Princess Ida (Andrea Leap), the title character, was married to Prince 1-lilarion (Gerald Aben) when just a babe. Now, Ida runs a fortified women's college and teaches her novices to hate men. Hilarion wants to marry his betrothed, but she never shows up for the wedding. So off he sets, with his companions Cyril (Mitch Gillet) and Florian (Peter Christian), to woo the unfriendly princess. Arriving at the fortress, the three jolly men enlist the aid of Lady Psyche (Tricia Klapthor), Melissa (Amy Spencer), and Lady Blanche (Lisa Wirtz). King lildebrande (Robert Sherrane), Hilarion's father, is keeping Ida's father King Gama (David Zinn) prisoner until she consents to marry his son. Many attempts are made at laughter but the production often falls short of funny. One of the few entertaining and amusing scenes occurs when the three suitors dress in drag to fit in at the school. A whimsical dance scene ensues, which can actually claim the honor of holding the audience's atten- tion. Craziness and zaniness ensue as the women are pitched in a battle against the men. What audiences want out of a Gilbert and Sullivan production are the many songs that intersperse the musi- cal, but the songs and much of the singing were rather lifeless and ordi- nary. For the life of me, I could not hum one of the songs if someone asked me to. The infantile lyrics and forgetful melodies are in no way the production's only problem. The leads either sang 'E P fe/ with little personality or just don't have good voices. As Ida, Leap is completely incom- prehensible and sounds as if she is singing opera rather than campy songs. Aben, on the other hand, has a good voice but too often lacks the per- sonality that is VIEnW eeded to sing Gilbert and S u l l i v a n prinCess Ida Similarly, the act- ssohn Theater ing is rather weak, Dec. 3,.1997 from the lifeless leads to the over- acted chorus. The only excellent performance is turned in by Christian as Hlilarion's merry friend. Christian truly seems to enjoy the part and gives his character more vigor and intensity than the rest of the troupe put together. The orchestra provided no support to the struggling singers and was, at times, out-of-tune playing. The string section sometimes actually draws attention away from the stage. The dancing is equally dreadful, with slow and unimaginative moves. The players seemed merely to be going through the motions. Production design, in accordance with the rest of the operetta, is poor at best. I've seen high school productions with better background scenery and more exciting costumes and props. Although the setting itself is scant, that would be forgivable if the action in front of the props were interesting or eye-catching. Instead, in the many moments where the singing just kept going on and on, I found myself looking for other things on which to focus. At more than 2 1/2 hours and three acts, "Princess Ida" overstays its wel- come and would weary even the most patient of spectators. Slow and fast songs alike are played with the same mind-numbing sluggish- ness. Perhaps a little cutting here and there would preserve the audience's attention. Ultimately, the biggest problem with "Princess Ida" is not the performances but rather the score composed by Gilbert and Sullivan. "Princess Ida" is dead on arrival thanks in large part to monoto- nous music and a dreary plot that is just a second-rate rehashed fairy tale. Lee unleashes his 'Beast' on Borders tonight By David Erik Nelson For the Daily The Vatican and CIA aided Nazi war criminals evading justice. U.S. interests in part financed the Holocaust. Murray's and Hernnstein's "The Bell Curve" has distinct ties to ® - neo-Nazi eugenics revivalists. P The CIA hired Nazi war crim- s for espionage work, and 'ese hirelings, through fabri- cation and spin-doctoring, sin- glehandedly fed Red Scare paranoia to the point of gener- ating the Cold War. Joe McCarthy came to the legal aid of SS officers convicted at Nuremberg. Former members of the SS trained Arafat and the PLO, and German corporations built Hussein's eclectic war machine. Oswald, Hinckley and Timothy McVeigh were all tied to the American Nazi Party. MThese are conspiracy theorists' bread and butter, the spirit knocks and levitating tables of the modern American socio-political seance. But how do the aforementioned differ from, say, the alleged USAF cover-up of the "Roswell Incident?" These are all scrupulously explored and documented in Martin A. U Lee's "The Beast Reawakens." What started 15 years ago for Lec as a "quirky journalistic hobby" of interview-collecting has cul- minated with this most recent investigative work, which Lee, in a recent interview, characterized as "flesh(ing) in the picture" on the E V I E W neofascist (especially neo-Nazi) scene. Although violently active, Martin Lee the scene has remained largely Tonight at 7:30 unfettered (even at times encour- Borders aged) by communities and gov- Free ernments worldwide. Neofascist thought is not lim- ited to the fringes of German society, but is a global phenomenon, manifested in the American militia movement and Klan, Middle Eastern ter- rorist organizations, ethnic cleansing in Eastern Europe, skinhead street gangs all across the Northern Hemisphere and even in government policy. Neofascism is fostered by its "opportunistic and pragmatic" nature, Lee said. This opportunism, which "almost supersedes ideology;' makes neofascism a very real threat, a virus against which there seems to be no possible innoculation. Lee paints a vivid picture of a world where militia members perceive "It was the American Dream in blacklight: everything pointed to a conspiracy so immense,' as Senator Joseph McCarthy once said, a cabal so sinister, a future so bleak that armed rebellion seemed the only sensible response" and "Xenophobia as a habit of the heart, a taste on the tongue, was unre- lenting." "The Beast Reawakens" is a perfect example of a new journalistic style, in which history is woven into a narrative following the lives of various key players. Lee's writing is extremely readable: His turn of phrase is delightful despite what is frequently a terrifying topic and his language vivid and evocative but never gruesome. Lee's bibliography reveals an impressive array of sources, including interviews that Lee himself con- ducted with key players in this macabre subculture. Tonight at Borders, Lee will read excerpts from "The Beast Reawakens" and discuss a broad swath of topics within the neofascist genre, including neo-Nazis and the militia movement, and share anecdotes from his life as an investiga- tive journalist delving into this shadowy and bizarre country. His speech is as smooth, authori- tative and lively as his writing, and certainly not to be missed. Recvc(e the Daiiv. I' l ce lence ewared Save up to $120 on College Rings! ' tu~ \.