M0B+ e MichiganDaily - Wee ndt Etc. Magazine Thurstay, March 25, 1999
0
Road-Trip of the Week
Graceland tacky, but not as
decadent as you've heard
The Michigan - Weekend, etc
Renovations prepare AZ's grand
old theater for the next century
March 25: Elvis has left the building
/ What: Graceland
/ Where: Memphis, Tenn.
/ How to get there: Take 1-23 South to 1-475 outside of Toledo. 1-475
will become 1-75, which will then merge into 1-71 South. Follow 1-71 to
Louisville, then get on 1-65 South. At the Tennessee border, take 1-40
West then follow the signs for Memphis. Follow 1-40 around town,
Graceland is just off exit 5-B.
/ Where to Stay: Both cheap and expensive hotels line the exit ramp
- from the Hilton to Motel 6.
~ How long: 12 hours
How Much: $9 for student admission to the mansion. Additionally,
an $18 general rate allows visitors to tour the entire premises -
including special exhibits on the King's cars and airplanes.
By Will Weissert
Weekend, etc. Editor
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The includ-
ed-in-the-entry-fee audio-tour starts
visitors to Graceland off with an
introduction seemingly more appro-
priate for the life of John F.
Kennedy than the story of a hick
from nowhere and how he struck it
rich.
"It began with a young man's
dream of a better life," the tape
croons. Better life. Hmm. One of
fried bananas and peanut butter
inside a Cadillac bigger than an
New York City efficiency, no?
"A life of wealth and a life of
music." That's more like it - but
we've been here 10 seconds and
there's still no mention of gold-
lapels, hotdog buns or velvet.
And with the proverbial inspira-
tional message meter set on high,
the 90-minute cassette-guided jaunt
through the Presley compound con-
tinues - working hard to prove that
you really can spell Graceland with-
out "t-a-c-k-y."
Sure, the tour concedes that Elvis
once constructed an indoor, two-
story slot-racing track as big as the
Angell Hall computing sight in a
backyard annex - but it is quick to
recover its high-brow approach,
assuring that before his death the
King wised up and turned it into a
classy trophy center.
Yes, Graceland still sports a base-
MATT DRAKE/Special to the Daily
Elvis' parlor room is the first Graceland space visitors confront when touring the
mansion. Like most of the rooms in the house, it's smaller than you might expect.
By William Nash
Daily Arts Writer
The Michigan Theater, which was
founded in Ann Arbor only a little more
than a generation after the University,
has joined the long list of Ann Arbor
theaters playing the renovation game.
Although the expansions don't
include stadium seating or cup-hold-
ers, as seen in other area construc-
tion projects, the Michigan Theater
has shelled out a total of $4.4 mil-
lion during a three-phase series of
renovations.
The main objective of the face-lift is
to return the theater back to its original
glory. In 1928, when the theater was
showing silent movies, it was the
"biggest" and "best" in Ann Arbor, said
theater executive director Ross Collins.
Since then, the theater has already
had two periods of restoration in 1982
and 1986, but the biggest work is still to
be done. Collins said he expects com-
pletion by the summer of 2001.
The theater's long history is an inspir-
ing one; it was only a wrecking ball away
from destruction in 1979 when the newly-
formed non-profit group the Michigan
Theater Foundation stepped in and
worked for its preservation.
The foundation launched a fundrais-
ing campaign that raised more than
$400,000 for the theater's preservation
from local businesses and individuals.
"The community proved that they
wanted to preserve the historic theater"'
Collins said. "It attracts and brings back
parents and out-of-towners for a fun
and unique experience."
Since its brush with death, the theater
has hosted an impressive list of big name
artists, performers, films, and just about
any other form of entertainment available.
Traditionally, it has been a favorite
site for veteran artists such as Bob
Dylan and Lyle Lovett and for up-and-
comers like Hootie and the Blowfish.,
"You don't start out playing arenas,"
Collins said. "And some artists prefer to
play in the theater setting."
Collins recalls Dylan complementing
him on the "beauty" of the theater.
The Michigan specializes in indepen-
dent and off-the-beaten-path films and
documentaries, but it also shows some
mainstream films such as "Clueless"
and the soon-to-be-showing "There's
Something About Mary."
In order to meet the demands of
showing both films and live events,
renovation plans include the addi-
tion of a new 200-seat theater to
accompany the main tleater which
now seats more than 1,700. Collins
decided to design the new theater in
the same traditional decor as the old
theater, rather than opting for a
modern look.
"There is no modernization in terms
of appearance," Collins said. "But there
will be plenty of interesting things to
look at in the new theater."
The theater will be a variation on the
'20s-style feel of the rest of the building.
Currently, construction crews are
working to complete the final phase of
repair to the facade and balcony of the
main theater, and have begun work on
the Michigan's new theater.
Both the look of the theater and the
type of films it shows have attracted a
different type of audience than the big-
ger chains like Showcase Cinemas, said
employee Sangita Baruah.
"Every once and a while, when we
show something more mainstream, like
'Clueless,' there is a different type of
crowd," Baruah said. "I guess you could
call our usual crowd 'alternative."'
Besides the '20s architecture, the
Michigan Theater maintains its old-
world appeal by outfitting employees in
special "tuxedo suits" and by serving a
variety of unusual concessions and
refreshments - including beer.
Employee John Wyatt said one of the
reasons he wanted to work at the theater
was for the fringe benefits.
"Movies are free and its an easy job;'
Wyatt said. He said that the theater is
one of few that shows independent
films like "Buffalo 66," one of his
favorites.
Besides the new theater, the Michigan
will be undergoing a overhaul of some of
the older technological systems.
Collins said improvements to the air-
conditioning system are some of the
more needed renovations.
"The air-conditioning systems need
to be updated from the 1920s," Collins
said. "It is state-of-the-art 1920s tech-
nology, but we're almost in the next
century."
Besides air-conditioning, Collins
said the addition of rest rooms will help
keep customers comfortable.
Renovations to the Michigan Theater
join construction efforts being made to
its down-the-street neighbor the State
Theater and Showcase Cinemas on
Carpenter Road.
Renovations will sprueup the Mi
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ment rumpus room featuring three
in-line TV's and a giant lightening-
bolt and TCB (for Taking Care of
Business) mural on the wall - but
the tape also points out that the
room was always kept very clean
and had more coasters and bottled
water on-hand than it did, say, dis-
carded cans of pork 'n' beans or toe-
nail clippers.
Don't misunderstand - Elvis' con-
tributions to rock 'n' roll can never be
questioned. He all but single-handed-
ly invented rock's original sound, mix-
ing an R&B foundation with enough
guitar, throaty lyrics and pelvic thrust
to propel the genre from small-selling
Bill Haley and the Comets 45s to an
international craze. The King was also
a genuinely nice person - donating
millions of dollars to Memphis-area
charities, often modestly and very
publicly poking fun at himself and his
image and accepting an Uncle Sam-
mandated tour with the Army without
a whimper.
For all of Elvis' achievements,
however, there's no denying that he
has come to be known as the cham-
pion of the ridiculously decadent -
a hick who lived for all that was
tacky. Let's not kid ourselves: The
man made 31 movies where the only
See GRACELAND, Page 11B
Elvis read it every
single week - so
did Colonel Tom
Parker.
They knew what
they were doing.
Weekend, etc. Magazine
Easy-access top pocket
Horseshoe-shaped
zipper for easy access
orteE
It'll carry you a lifetime
Summer in Europe.
Job interview in D.C.
Teach English on Tonga
Wedding in Chicago (not yours).
Go snowboarding in Utah.
5-year reunion in Ann Arbor....
Check out the Porter at:
B" IVOUAC
336 S. State St - Ann Arbor, MI
tel. (734) 761-6207
Internal pocketing
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Fruit and Ice and
Everything Nice That's
What Smoothies are made of.
$1.00 off
Any Smoothie
Expires 4/30/99
522 E. William
(Next to Cottaae Inn)
The UMArts Coordinator, UMArts Advisory Board and
Michigan League Programming present
WEEKEND
March 25-28, 1999
To see the amazing array of arts events this weekend, check out
The List in today's Daily WEEKEND Magazine!
Mrf WEEKEND Afterglow Swing Dance
with Del Villarreal at the Michigan League Ballroom
Friday, March 26 - 9:30 pm - 1:00 am
Food! * Dance lessons (10-11pm)! * Meet performers!
Free UM student admission* with proof of attendance at an arts
event this weekend. For details and a calendar of events, email
<arts@umich.edu>, call 764-5123, or check out our web page at
http://www.umich.edu/,-~arts
*$5 ($3 after 1p} at the door for non UM students and non-participas~ia "TS WEEKEND
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