10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 2, 1998


Fox
mystery
dmgts on
By Gabe Smith
Daily Arts Writer
About 2 112 years ago, "X-Files"
creator Chris Carter had another
vision for another show. It would deal
with weird things just as "X-Files"
does. It would have more dealings
with the religious and the occult.
Finally, an F.B.I agent would still be
involved, except he would be a loner.
The show was called "Millennium,"
and it starred Lance Henriksen of
"Terminator"
and "Aliens"
fame.
But the show
Millennium didn't get off the
ground in the
** manner that peo-
Fox ple had expected.
Tonight at 9 p.m. Fox broadcasters
stuck the show in
a Friday time
slot. Ironically,
"The X-Files"
also started at the
exact time slot
more than five
years ago. Criticism of the show by
reviewers was leveled at co-produc-
ers Glen Morgan and James Wong,
both "X-Files" alums. Some said that
the show was a little too horrific and
gory. Others felt that this was just an
attempt at an "X-Files" spinoff. They
even brought in the character of "Jose

Korn shows little
value; others shine

Rock

0

By Adlin Rosli
Daily Arts Writer
Kom's "Family Values" was one
of the most eagerly anticipated
shows this fall. The show had been
hyped by concert promoters, and
performing bands alike, as an arena
show with massive production qual-
ity and showmanship unlike any-
thing seen in recently. Boasting a
diverse line up that included Korn,
Ice Cube, Rammstein, Limp Bizkit
and Orgy on the main stage, while
DeeJay Punk-Roc performed
between bands, the tour did seem
like it could have easily walked the
talk of the hype. Unfortunately,
Kom's "Family Values" concert at
The Palace ended up being a
mediocre event with very few spec-
tacular moments to redeem itself.
The concert started early enough,
no doubt to end early to accommo-
date the'predominantly high school
crowd of fans, with Orgy followed
by Limp Bizkit. These two groups,
especially Limp Bizkit, are groups
that would have faired better playing
in smaller venues.
Limp Bizkit had a flying saucer
crash site as its stage set with band
members and their instruments scat-
tered around various locations on
the set. Although it looked interest-
ing, it really did not complement the
group very well. Limp Bizkit's
intensity was completely diluted by

Courtesy of FOX
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) and his partner Emma Holi s (Klea Scott) investi-
gate mysterious deaths in "Millennium" on Fox.

Chung" along with a box of Morley
cigarettes, the brand that the
"Cigarette Smoking Man" likes.
Chung was later killed off.
"X-Files" fans won't even go near
the show, but, to its credit,
"Millennium" has persevered and
will be on for a third season.
Henriksen has done his job in mold-
ing the main character Frank Black
into a very dark, lonely man. He has
dealt with the separation of his wife
(Megan Gallagher) and later her
death at the end of the second season.
This has forced him to grow closer to
his daughter, who he now must look
after.
In the third season's premiere.
Black is found still on leave from the
Bureau trying to come to grips wih
the death of his wife. It has been five
months, and Black gets back into the
thick of things. Mystery doesn't take
long to find Frank as he's soon
caught up in the case of a downed air-
liner. A dead stewardess and a hand-
gun are both found in the midst of the
wreckage, but that same woman is
later seen in the episode walking with
her daughter into her home, w hich a
second later explodes. Black and a
fellow agent track down the lady to a
burn unit where Frank figures that
the downed airliner and the explosion

are in connection with the viral out-
break that killed his wife at the end of
last'season. The lady at the burn unit
tells Frank that the children are the
key. 3lack tracks down the final child
only to have her die in a car wreck as
another mysterious car drives off.
The screen fades to the horrendous
words: "To Be Continued."
This episode is not unlike what has
happened to the entire series, which
has just been too slow in developing.
The episode attempts to build charac-
ter separately from the plot rather
than working on both in combination,
which would help to quicken the pace
to keep viewers attention. With a
Friday night time slot, this is key.
"Millennium" is a show with great
potential but has been disjointed
through the first two seasons as it
siriggles to find its identity. Then, an
emulation of"X-Files" was tried with
government conspiracies for a little
while. What is important is that
"M illennium" stand on its own as the
third season starts tonight. Once
"Millennium" stops looking over its
shoulder (and trying to leech off "X-
Files), it will do fine.
But the show's creators need to
stop changing the its direction.
Hopefully, they'll have done so h. the
end of this millennium.

Family
Values Tour
The Palace
Sept. 30, 1998

the cheesy
stage set and
its lack of
arena size
presence.
After a brief
set by DeeJay
Punk-Roc fol-
lowing Limp
Bizkit's set, Ice
Cube took the
stage. What
followed was
one of two per-
formances that
night that actu-

"Du Hast."
Finally, it was Korn's turn. The
crowd's anticipation was built up to
a boiling point before Korn
appeared. With the spectacular
show Rammstein had just per-
formed and Ice Cube's amazing per-
formance, the crowd was ready to
be absolutely blown away by the
headliners. But what ensued was
one of the most mediocre shows
Korn has eer done. Korn has
always been a group with deep
intense songs about child abuse,
bully victims and remorse that have
always been complemented with,
ike-wised, dark atmospheres at its
shows. That night, however, the
group not only failed to convey any
of these emotions with its perfor-
mance, but it managed to cheapen
them as well.
With Rammstein's and Ice Cube's
stage sets still fresh in the memories
of everyone there, it was very disap-
pointing to see Korn's stage set
merely with a cage full of fans.
What spoiled things further were
the presence of barely dressed
female fans in those cages who
were dancing suggestively.
Criminally passed over were Korn's
bulk of heavier and older songs.
More radio oriented Korn songs,
like "Got The Life" and "Blind,"
were played as well as a number of
less intense material from its new
album, "Follow The Leader," Korn
apparently thought the best way to
remedy the lack of heavier and
older material was via a medley of
"Shoots and Ladders," "Justin,"
"Balltounge" and "Divine." Also,
only guitarist, Munkey, seemed to
be the only band member who was
getting into the performance.
The barely dressed women in
cages and radio-oriented songs
were exactly the types of things that
Korn had criticized in the past about
"hair bands" of the '80s. This past
night, however, the group was
embodying and embracing those
values wholeheartedly.
The group ended its set with a
band "showdown" between them-
selves and Limp Bizkit by perform-
ing the insult trader, "All in the
Family." Although both bands were
on stage with their respective equip-
ment performing together, there
was very little chemistry between
them for the song's rendition. After
the show, the Palace had a surplus
of girls exiting the venue with only
their bras on, further cementing the
'80s rock show feel to the night's
procession.
The Family Values show fell miles
behind all the hype it had built. It
should have been called the
"Rammstein and Ice Cube" tour
instead, as they were the hands down
show stealers of the packaged tour.
Orgy still has a while to go, Limp
Bizkit showed everyone where the
"Limp" in its name came from and
Korn has simply lost its ability to
present itself as an intense live musi-
cal act. The sad truth established was
that there's more excitement just
cranking up Korn in your room than
seeing the group in person.

Courtesy of FOX
"Millennium" premieres tonight on Fox.

l-"

ally managed to back up the hype of
the show. Ice Cube's stage set was
the modest two-story reproduction
of himself, complete with a top hat,
with the words "Ice Cube the Great"
boldly carved on the pedestal por-
tion. With only a DJ and a back up
rapper by his side, the man managed
to win the crowd over and provided
comic relief with his and his backup
rapper's antics.
Rammstein's performance after
Ice Cube was the other major high-
light of the night. The group
appeared on stage clad in neo-
cyborg outfits with a metal factory-
like set behind it. Without speaking
a single word in English during its
set, this German Industrial act man-
aged to completely captivate the
crowd with its solid set of songs and
its generous use of pyrotechnics.
Everything from the singer to
keyboards were on fire at some
point or another during the set.
Rammstein put a lot of effort and
showmanship into its performance,
and the crowd was appreciating it.
The crowd was also singing along
when the band played its radio hit

stirs e
emotionl
Peter Rock
Carnival Wolves
Anchor Books
A significantly sized dalmaian
falls from a bridge a great distance
above you, nearly beaning you on the
head in t,-, process, and miraculously
it lives. You: a) ponder the possibi
that you were only two feet away fr
becoming puppy chow, b) remind
yourself to invest in some good life
insurance, or c) consider the occur
rence a sign from higher forces. Thus,
demonstrating the lack of fruitful per-
sonal relationships in your life and
urging you to strike out on the road in
search of your true self. If you are
Alan Johnson, the main character f
Peter Rock's newest novel "Carni
Wolves," the car is already packed for
the journey and to top it off, you have
stolen the recuperating dog from his
original owner to serve as spiritual
mascot for the voyage.
Peter Rock, a storyteller acclaimed
for his debut novel, "This is the
Place," brings to his readers in his
second book, another dynamic tale as
intensely neurotic and thought-pro-
voking as his first. Narration is sha
by the main character, in recount
his cathartic travels. and by secondary
characters who weave their own st:
ries into the evolution of this nove
Together they spin a hallucinatry
narrative, which emphasizes the
bizarre actions and awkwardness of
the characters as well as contributes
to an underlying feeling of insanity.
Living on the fringe of society,
existing in other people's peripht
vision, and sexually exploiting t
statues in the art museum where he
works, Alan Johnson is by no means
Mr. Popularity. He delights in boast-
ing, "I can whip off my clip-on tie in
one motion" for purposes of self-
defense, and confesses to the reader
that he keeps a collection of dead flies
in the pocket of his museum guard
uniform. He alienates himself with
obvious breeches of decorum ad
complete lack of social skills.
But when the Dalmatian falls from
extreme heights and lives, Alan
becomes enlightened of the errors in
his actions and embarks on a life-
altering journey. It is the relationship
between Alan and the dog that serves
as the basis for the novel. The dog's
survival reveals to Alan "how gradu-
ally I have fallen - how I never
touch, never really talk to another
son ... I am hardly a person at a.
This realization is the catalyst for
Alan's decision to embark on the voy-
age to rediscover the importance of
friendship and love.
Plodding slowly across the north-
western U.S., Alan encounters many
characters equally as deranged as him-
self. The assortment includes a biolog-
ically creative taxidermist, a drug-
dealing circus trainer, several polyga-
mist farmers, an erotic tiger ranc
killer monkeys and religious coy-
pound coordinators. With each succes-
sive encounter his gracelessness slow-
ly melts away revealing a contempla-
tive and caring individual. The interac-
tion brings Alan out of his stagnant

way of living and rejuvenates his
yearning to connect with others
around him. He establishes therapeu-
tic friendships and eventually fall,
love with a young woman whose a
sides of her face do not match anid
wears "rings on all ten of her toes."
The reading is slow at first result-
ing from Rock's creative yet confus-
ing attempt to establish the setting.
But once started, "Carnival Wolves"
is difficult to put down. Rock's
smooth storytelling style quietly
envelopes the reader, holding tightly
his attention. Rock glides through the
narrative, injecting it with cutting -
guage and fantastic circumstanc'.
Pulling his audience ever deeper into
the striking oddities of plot and char-
acter, he tightly forms the bonds of
intrigue. The relaxed and conversa-
tional attitude of this novel, offset by
remarkable content, reminds one of
the writing style of "Generation X"
author Douglas Coupland and pro-
vides an absorbing tale.
The most intriguing aspect
Rock's novel is .his ability to create
amazingly original characters. He st-
prises the reader with humorous and
grotesquely psychotic personalities,
feeding the imagination of his audi-
ence and provoking readers to contin-
ue. The characters come close to push-

!.,.


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