66 - The Whigan Daily Weekend Agazine - Thursday, Januarl, 1999 Dr. John prescribes hot New Orleans medicie The Michigan Sly Weekend Ma Verhoeven, Anderso DVD fans with two Louisiana-based act brings his bag of tricks and hits to Detroit. By Chris Kula Daily Arts Writer While he may not be a practicing physician, Dr. John is a licensed master of the tradition-rich sound of New Orleans. The stage is his operating room, the piano his instrument, the grooving masses on the dance floor his loyal patients. And this Saturday, the good doctor makes a house call to the Majestic Theater in Detroit. For more than 30 years, Dr. John has been the Dr. Theater{ Saturd ,1 Crescent City's musical ambassador to the world. After releasing 20 albums, touring various nations throughout the globe and perform- ing in front of thousands, Dr. John's trademark combination of smoky blues, rollicking jazz and Creole swamp funk continues to evolve, bringing the sultry feel of his Louisiana roots to new heights. Born Mac Rebennack in New Orleans in 1941, Dr. John found himself surrounded by music from an early age. His family members all played instruments and, living in the city's Third Ward, he was exposed to the infectious second- line rhythms of the parade bands that marched through the neighbor- hood. As a teen-ager, Mac would hang around nearby recording stu- dios, eventually befriending such famous purveyors of the New Orleans piano style as Professor Longhair, Huey Smith and James Booker John At age 16, Mac began working as a session gui- Majestic tarist at J&M Studios, , Detroit recording with the artists ay, 8 p.m. that he had grown up idol- izing. He quit school in the IIth grade to pursue music as a career. By the early '60s he held the duties of songwriter, pro- ducer and session musi- cian for a number of New Orleans record labels. A few years later, Mac relocated to Los Angeles, where he played on the records of many performers, most notably Sam Cooke and Bobby Darin. Then, in 1968, he released "Gris-Gris," his first album under the adopted persona of Dr. John. The record was rooted heavily in his native New Orleans culture yet mixed elements of the burgeoning psychedelic rock movement. It was the first among many instances in which Dr. John has defied genre. His 1971 album, "Sun, Moon and Herbs," featured guest appearances by Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger.- certified superstars then, as well as now - and furthered his appeal among the rock audience. "Gumbo," Dr. John's 1972 release, was a soul- ful tribute to his Creole upbringing and contained a number of classic New Orleans standards. In what was probably the sagest move of his career, Dr. John teamed up with the one of the world's funkiest bands, The Meters, to record his 1973 album, "In the Right Place." Produced by New Orleans studio wiz Allen Touissant, "Right Place" emerged as the most commercially successful of Dr. John's solo projects. Driven by the Meters' funkalicious rhythms, the record spawned a pair of hit singles and remains a blues-funk gem to this day. Following another collaboration with the Meters, 1974's "Desitively Bonnaroo," Dr. John cut back on his solo efforts and worked as incredi- bly prolific session player, backing a diverse collection of artists rang- ing from James Taylor and Carly Simon to Van Morrison and B.B. King. In 1989, after nearly a decade- long hiatus from releasing an album, Dr. John signed with Warner Bros. Records and put out the excel- lent "In a Sentimental Mood," which won the good doctor his first Grammy award. Recently, Dr. John has traversed a variety of musical directions. His 1992 album, "Goin' Back to New Orleans," is a celebration of the lively Mardi Gras lifestyle of the city and features an all-star collec- tion of musicians from the Big Easy. His subsequent project with the late jazz drummer Art Blakey, "Bluesiana Triangle," follows along the same slinky vein. "Afterglow," his 1995 disc, finds Dr. John lead- ing a neo-big band/orchestra, tick- ling the ivories atop a mellow palette of lush string arrangements and brassy horn swells. In his latest recording venture, 1998's "Anutha Zone," Dr. John teamed up with a number of musi- cians from the underground Brit- pop scene to create an album that combines his signature sound with the ambient textures of some of Great Britain's most creative artists. Guests such as the very talented band Spiritualized, Paul Weller, Clive Deamer of Portishead and members of Supergrass lend their atmospheric stylings to the Creole mix. Once again, Dr. John has infused the inherently buoyant nature of his New Orleans sound with other musical realms. Dr. John is, in the truest sense of the word, an innovator. He has con- tinually reworked his sound through the years to include the influences of the times. A man who has seen the world, he incorporates these experiences into his unique take on popular music. Having never forgot- ten his roots yet always progressing forward, Dr. John is not only an ambassor of quality music but an example of the human creative spir- it at its most inventive. Photo courtesy of BMI Records Office hours are open for the good doctor. Playing his unique style of New Orleans- based funky blues, Dr. John has wooed audiences for decades and shows no signs of stopping. SARA SCHENCK/Daily The bigger the better - especially when it comes to driving a monster truck. LECTURE NOTE BLOWOUT!! 10 DAYS ONLY I,' W Bio Anthro 161 Bio Anthro 364 Blo Statistics 503 Buddhist Studies 220 Chemistry 130 Chemistry 210 - Chemistry 215 Comm Studies 101 Comm Studies 310 Cult Anthro 385 Econ 101 Econ 102 English 313 Finance 310 Geo Sci 100 Geo Sci 105 Geo Sci 107 Geo Sci110 Geo Sci 111 Geo Sci 114 Geo Sci115 Hist 111 Hist 160 Hist 218 Hist 389 Linguistics 210 NRE 375 Philosophy 232 Philosophy 356 Physics 125 Physics 140 Physics 240 Physics 242 Poli Sci 140 Psych 111 Psych 112 Psych 116 Psych 330 Psych 335, Psych 340 Psych 345 Psych 350 Psych 360 Psych 370 Psych 380 Psych 390 Psych 400 Psych 436 Statistics 301 Theatre 322 Worn Studies 220 Worn Studies 240 TRUCKS Continued from Page 28 "Street Warriors" programs. The former involved small, four-wheel motorbikes and the latter a wide variety of common pickup trucks. Both failed to grab hold of the audience with the energy and adrena- line of the big dogs. The problem lay mostly in the sudden change of emotion. After seeing the big- timers, fans were unwillingly transported back to Earth for the lesser events. The "Quad Wars" took a Civil War approach engaging two teams, one from the "North" and one from the "South" No blood was shed but the zealous drivers exchanged punches a number of times - seemingly for nothing more than a mere rise from the crowd. By the third round of "Quad Wars" audience members seemed tired with such brawling and possibly staged antics. The "Street Warriors" added little to the show and left the crowd begging for the return of the big boys. And the boys returned with a vengeance. The remaining three rounds were high- lighted by Grave Digger's steady march to the championship. Those not involved in the winners' bracket were allowed to take out some frustration on what remained of a few pancaked cars in the "Monster Freestyle." The leisurely attitude of the freestyle event was quickly discarded when two lift your voice and share your ideas wihwomen from across the Midwest at Kol Ish Voice of A ;Con mce on Womer 0 d:Judaism Februry' ,J4, 1999 University b M i an Hillel For more icnbtio and an applicaTion contact Danielle Gordon at 747.8851 or donigord@umich.edu trucks, BlackWidow and Avenger, collid- ed head to head. The crash seemed a little unusual, as the driver of Black Widow appeared to make little effort to avoid the collision. After the accident both drivers left the field without serious injury - sans a little pride, perhaps. The championship bout found crowd- backed Grave Digger fighting heavy underdog and wildcard Liquidator for the title of night's best. Like many heroes before him, Grave Digger kept his reputa- tion intact and roared to awe-inspiring victory. Pleasing his legions of fans, the champion took a victory lap to finish the Jam. Gary Bauer summed up the evening the best saying, "It's action-packed - you never know what's going to happen next." But odds are that legendary Grave Digger will rise to the top once again. Write for Weekend, Etc. Magazine. Fun times. Good people. For information call 763-0379. By Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer Superficiality was one big theme in 1998, as seen in the nation's preoccupa- tion with presidents and cigars and the rash of sometimes entertaining, always horrendous movies such as "Armageddon" and "The Avengers." The year's crop of DVD releases proved to be no exception to this fact, although beneath the smarmy surface there lay a deeper meaning that went beyond the shiny Hollywood veneer. There are in fact two DVDs so out- standing, so completely opposite each other yet both richly entertaining in their own way, that they both deserve the man- tle of "best of show.""Starship Troopers" and "Boogie Nights," come on down! "Starship Troopers" is a delectable piece of eye candy that was praised by astute critics and panned by those less in tune with the satirical nature of Paul Verhoeven and Robert Heinlein's vision. It plays a bit like "90210 in Space" with a limitless effects budget: Wealthy high school classmates Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Carmen (Denise Richards), Karl (Neil Patrick Harris) and Dizzy (Dina Meyer) join the futuristic Federation army, each carving their own path in the infantry, air force and intelli- gence. They fight vicious killer bugs, fall in and out of love, and survive - well, most of them survive. It's a fun story, a bug story, as Verhoeven alter ego Michael Ironside might say, and nary a hair is out of place throughout. More than being a teeny-bopper soap opera episode shot on location, though, "Starship Troopers" also functions as a wicked commentary on totalitarianism SW(- 1 1 SOUPER WEEKEND1 1Buy 1 soup, soup & bread, or soup special i 1 and receive 2nd same size FREE I I Good from 12pm-6pm Sat & Sun only 1 I Must have coupon with purchase 1 1 Good at South U. and State St. only 1 Exp.Jan 31,1999 ...................................... . I 1 1 2 FOR TUESDAYS Buy 1 get 1 free every Tuesday thru March 2nd1 Nt i 8pm-11pmb i Not including cakes, T-shirts, tubs L r r r rn7 rn r nrnr nrnr n r r n r mr n and makes subtle snipes at t Reich and Big Brother's world U There are warnings embedded glossy look at worldwide unifica the entertainment value of the n only enhanced by them. Heinlein wrote his novel in 19: wasn't until now that technology up with his narrative, enabling the translation to depict millions c bugs and their accompanying bl guts. The video transfer of the film is fantastic. But, it is the large nu directional sound effects thatscre a proper Dolby Digital 5.1 (or ev Logic) setup that make this [ cream of the 1998 crop. Also on the disc is an audio c tary with Verhoeven and screem Neumeier, screen tests of variot and several deleted scenes tha future Bond girl Richards. If you wondered just how loudly PaulVc can yell, then this disc is for you On the opposite end of the mc trum is Paul Thomas Anderson' sophomore feature -"Boogie Chronicling the rise and fall intended) of the singularly, spe< endowed dishwasher-turned-p Dirk Diggler (Mark "don't Marky" Wahlburg), "Boogie" hard look at the demise of the I industry from its heyday at the e '70s to its death at the hands of VIVIENN E CHINESE LAU Top students take notes in your classes and provide them in typed paragraph format. Notes are accurate, complete, and easy to under- stand. Grade A lecture notes are valuable sup- plemental study materials that can help you achieve the grade you want. 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