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Tecno etran AcquSavivaagsormid, By Nick Broughton When it comes to the modern wvorld and the ulure a i genbe er dinecul to doundavhere much a it cace fom and xxfhih pains ofei willg everyacloedtive ih arnxirety ofiuestironsehis.demeaor )Oh as deaced.t n q~uai Liharedshie keeps b parinularrian fn thogtheoing, thig es.aWhbeinsmbodied nhis and \Vith L x h, "Ms teors he rph rd inoa ont14rea nthriew dith Th Minhig n ai y, he in'~ is- b alorgvessedbontretingsations hnoeead.g IcnstoCoupland gansder the exeineo changsinule mt xual yneen ay hre onrbeomedie f hese wi n7ias Th ough heryde uopertting wt col oniey tou a s deeemrepotinurhcd intexavi wit che Micigan dil, charaters di couraged bouetring eoagain tomedo w converyhstin, Cofptae gentr- taisnmgnvinrs itrsJongJosiatonsn aharacte frommonerofhis novels. w houghder cooderste xwpeitavcro moig uet has deeanori hde detay ed. qani me ifcrsaeit, ah kedeaprticulharstaineaofdthghtegig "ncea iss byo wa"sties th exmy. desiteing pond towwad arites w hol vipsimarfrasdfupheyetetil thingme. Wny emodidhn Jhnsis r acterswthi inmmke wel nonor also bgiereto nterestingsityuation i oupes, b onierhsen the xeience of ca sng sr.Sfing ng lms sadlf ii th wvnay e ndsom himmsein hsitad beis Wyoming" co antnesdeth expami- natin entering around two ciharaers w ho ocy simiarm of the-u yeter-ll under the ae of30t bauty pageant xet-c eran and TV actress Susan Colgate. Susn harboring great resentment towards her ios and dominreering mot n hM dyons goig throu an ent s ofher ox n when she acci- denra nrlavcs an plane cra. Tine cubra aniledboy on he eht ad the iwrid'oshth haitfha lot fu otell hethrSheising this in erooncearoanetsa outlof "Te P ast Scks;Copaondgies nan osuggesti nseofdinigohn tY a' xxii. to .1 nrood cIs I h a n m n oxaacesa wei is theinl suport ane (brom muphars tod ine a soiannkerAb coelnt anty so bliine ftheti the psinst aieplasnd tf h"Mnthismbig,"u. Ak mon sf Chsoulit'softhenoved s iste- a esan dsciae.' misins of etmin afe bring aitnd haye avo the ela ofaknh g both awnaraer, at well ae mentsad atoons i the mysterarguainis of jusuwrting onethatps fremoertis fith t e Hesthrclhe oking the bdines associna t bmeen in icth- lya developedw eanesy ald ne fthaeost onencpapdrgatr line "isWymn' like m btIwud' an o oulandg the nsoes, is.On'the Amiaps lantdescae. Desrptioners of ofenmain you wopnd debat w r v eol vetabo. er ofthe. mystin qeis f "Histo rical Uethenrei scing" e worlnd he" live in reeing ihn t- ineand hV onewsroancessay calle suetivae ises of us h dofiniboth."it' "Geaison X" Cvroupln," wdceul r living in a time when too much happens and includes the same major symptoms. Coupland said he does not see this as a lament or complant about his time and place, but rather a differentiation between what excites him and what he finds unbelievably dull. He does not haxe any regrets about the time that he's li ing in, but recognizeos that nearly eeryone is goin to find the majority of culture to be exrunciatina The way he sees i, wadin throunhrmiles and miles of Gaps, McDonas and mininalso may be undsiiable for many of us no vadas howede, hading to traven 30 mniles or so tO talk to v our neinhbors and the like were what people used to find undesirable. ihat is one of the redeem- ing qualities of "Miss Wyorming" (and his other novels): couland crcates chaaers ltte iteasyntoideas nfywith through experiences many of us have to deal woth day in and day out. The new novel is also an acute por- trayal of the unconventiona way Coupland views the world around him. The net result of the narrative is evoca- tive of a modern day suspense novel, but with much more depth and intelligence. The broken up, non-sequential plots give it a unique feel. It recalls a sym- phony where each plot and character develop little by little until past and pre- sent finally converge in the dramatic deno.mnt.u Such an unorthodox storytelling method conveys a feeling Coupland is not necessarily a writer's writer as much as he is an artist's writer (and a modern artist at that). "All ny influences come from the art world," ackonwledging as much. His other occupation is sculp- ture. He says much of his technique comes from the visual artist approach of experimenting with form. Those familiar with Coupland's nov- els, or merely aware of them on the shelf, will notice immediately the artis- tic input on even the manufacture of his books. Most have extremely colorful production designs by moderm stan- dards, many of them on par with the type of design effort that goes into mar- keting a film. "Generation X" has dif- ferent covers with different color schemes (some light red, some yellow- ish, some green, etc.). Coupland feels many aspects of his integrity come from his time spent in art school. The lack of reliancee on any tried and true method is one of the trademarks of his particular style. He says art school fosters a defi- a,. P Courtesy of Dougias Coupiand Author Douglas Coupland calls this a selection from his "Pet Shop Boys" photo shoot, nite lack of nostalgia as well as conven- tionalitv. Another extension of this is his web- site (coupland.com). Aside from infor- mation about Miss Wyoming and its accompanying book tour, it is filled with all sorts of related information including some of his old essays and short stories. Much of his sculpting work is also on display there. Unlike most websites, coupland.com has a very interactive feel to it. Navigating your way through it is a very visual experience. Many of the pages are designed like moving collages of photos, drawings, designs and icons. One of the reasons Coupland decided to create such an elaborate site was a frus- tration with sites that simply didn't offer enough variety or content. As an author or sculptor, he seems content with his place in culture. Though most of his novels have in some way dealt with the stagnation of culture, Coupland was surprised to observe the significance of the way changes are emerging. He once pontificated in "Generation X" that Vietnam-era chil- dren were witnessing the end of history EARN $10.00-$20.00/hr Do you have a car? 'De/tierg 'Diu'er5 Jimmy John'9s e want ti e?%st a oni wee t tffie3estr Apply at 600 Packard St. Call 741-9200 Ask for Todd or Brad! Or 929 E. Ann St. Call 913-9200 in a particular sense (especially with the way media coverage has taken over per- ception of mass events). He was sur- prised to know what others, including people his parents' age, thought. To his surprise, his parents considered the pre- sent to be the time in their lives charac- terized by the most change. Despite the fact that the doldrums and the redundancies are all about us, he knows the importance of focusing on the things that aren't frustrating to you. "The second least secure job in our soci- ety is that of a sculptor, and the least secure is to be a fiction writer," he said. Coupland is able to make it as both because both activities completely engage him. Though well aware of the overwhelming boredom dragging soci- ety down, Coupland has been successful because he has been able to focus on what interests him rather than what frus- trates him. When his friends and family ask him to give advice to young people, he tells them to always look out for what it is that you like and what you want to do. He feels that if you don't really respect what you do, you won't respect yourself. This simple formula for success has not failed him in the nine years since becoming a published novelist. Though "Miss Wyoming" may not yet be nearly as influential as "Generation X" has become, it is clear- ly an original piece of writing. Coupland, however, doesn't feel there's necessarily some standard he has to live up to because his first novel achieved such a reputation. "Every book is kind of like a child," he said, explaining how they come into being and they follow their own path of acclaim, criticism or whatever the read- ers' reaction ends up as. Regardless of what his new book grows up to be like, his reading of it ought to be an experi- ence in a class of its own. By Jason Birchmeier D )ai Arriter As turntables continue to replace gui- tars in bedrooms around the old, it is refreshing to experience Dis who have been spinning records long before it became cool.Since the waning day s of the art r . mgP this past after he returned io ut in Europe, Acquaivastaed toruhe Michigan Daily about ho it feels to be a world famous DJ. "Lately, I've come to the analogy ... as the scene gets more big-time like rock 'n' roll, i still feel like a blues man. I totally appreciate the fact that I got some success and respect that.t Ask any of his peers. and they will tell you that Acquaviva is one of the hardest working men in the business. During the t90st whenever he wasn't DJing to thou- sands of ecstatic ravers, he was busy running onthe most renowned tech- no empires this planet has ever known. After meeting a young white kid named Richie Hawtin at a club called The Shelteri Detroit, the two began a famed partnership. The two began mak- ing techno music in Hawtin's basement and soon released their first record as States of Mind in 1989. This first record introduced the world to Plus 8 records. On the label's second record, the two dubbed themselves"The Future Sound of Detroit Techno" - even though they weren't natives of the city - and found themselves more than a bit unpopular with the originating camp of struggling African-American techno artists in Detroit. Though this issue has long been resolved, the artistic competi- tion between Plus 8 and techno labels such as Underground Resistance fur- thered the genre and once again reestab- lished Detroit's status as the global epi- center for techno music. When asked about the level of respect Pus 8 achieved for breathing new life to techno music just as it was entering a state of stagnation, Acquaviva modestly downplayed his achievements. "I think we just plodded away and just showed everyone that you can do it yourself" As Plus 8 records reached unparal- leled levels of recognition and fame in the world of techno music, Acquaviva and Hawtin started two more labels - Definitive and Probe - in an effort to promote purer strains of house and tech- no. By the mid-'90s, they had estab- lished a web-based distribution compa- ny named Intellinet for their numerous releases and made artists such as Plastikman and Speedy J globally rec- ognized techno superstars. Yet somehow during all of this madness, both Acquaviva and Hax'tin wre able to fit Ding into their schedule. becoming two of the most demanded DIs in the world. [ventually, Acqua ia becan to tire iom the frantic p ae up early sov.and m dvtne srr.y btI use einht at nilethele f d ' o to of rtecrdi asho around the workl managing a global roster of arinsts and making business deals has quieted down for Acquaviva, it has allowed him to fun- nel his boundless energies into strictly ting. His mixing skills have become flawless, his track selection more eclec- tic than ever, but consistently of high qualit. But above all, Acquaviva has developed a reputation for being one of the most passionate DJs in the scened a get up early to catch my flights ahe saking don'ess asgipscause i some one has the courtesy to invite you - whether it's for 100 people or 10,000 people - I'm not going to fuck up and not show up. There's no excuse. My life is plains, trains and automobiles. It real- ly is. I don't miss my gigs, and I do some crazy shit to get there. For the past few years, Acquaviva has been known to construct long sets fea- turing many different strains of house music. Unlike the hard and dark techno minimalism of Hawtin, Acquaviva's house gleams with funky rhythms and tints of disco. He even critiqued his cur- rent style, saying that he tries to evoke ia positive vibe" and how he makes a conscious effort not to play too linear. The many DJ mix CDs of Acquaviva's currently circulating illus- trate his ability to piece together a va- ety of different sets while maintaining a sense of funk and a joyous tone. His hFrom Saturday to Sunday Mix fea- tures two sets, one up-tempo and anoth- er a bit more serene as if designed for the after-rave comedown on the drive home. Acquaviva descrinbes his latest album, "Cream '99," as possessing "kind of a nice pumpin' house sound." Another new album, "John Acquaviva Meets Jamie Lewis," captures one of his recent sets in Germany. "I find a mix of playing for the peo- ple and trying to push them either by playing something old or something new, but the heart of the night is having a good time. I'm not into hurting peo- ple's brains," he said in reference to the current self-centered tendency for DJs to push their ideals onto their fans. "I'm just with them. It's a nice and easy phi- losophy. Other people's philosophies are equally valid, but I believe in some kind of entertainment value Though he definitelya doesn't con- sider himself a pop star, Acquaviva's philosophy has propelled him to acclaimed status in the genre he has helped build. "If it used to be 1(10,000 people xho wese into this shit, now it's I 03" he a rock y ocertfill a stadu and v SrAcquavi,. Havine mscenay norgbe t maketer the increas-ingly popiar club now features a larger dancefloor and a much more sensory altering atmosphere. Ihen later this month, Acquaviva will team up with Hawtin for two shows in London, Ontario and Chicago. Don't let the evil grin fool you I 'Il i Jazz at Lincoln Cent Sextet Friday, February 4, 8 p.m. Michigan Theater Comprised of exceptional musicians from 1 Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz Lincoln Center Sextet brings a program of s spirit and soul to Ann Arbor. Gothenburg Symphor Orchestra Saturday, February 5, 8 p.n Hill Auditorium IAoRII.Total S6yri- Rea kar lhucludes * FREE Welcome Party *FREE Spring Break Party Pack * RT Air Transportation *7 Night Hotel Accommodationsi * RT Transfers to and from Hotel *Over 30 Hours of Open Bar * 14 Free-Meals t-----~T~m~ ~ ~_~_~_~_i Sr 1Mor, '$50 GFF , 1 r.,f s r r| A N cU N i 1-800-446-8355 www.sun breaks.Cor PROGRAM Go to www.michigandaily.com to view the. complete interview transcript. Acquaviva discusses his thoughts on DJ lifestyles, his music, Plus 8 nd the trance music of Sasha. Part Kancheli Symphony No. 3 Liturgy for Viola and Orchesi "Vom Winde Beweint" Symphony No. 6 in b minor, C Shostakovich Ask for Dan or Mikev University Muscacl Society *764.