10A The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 2, 2000 ARTS On the cover of "Rolling Stone": Writers turned stars A2 jazz Dancers felt * The Baltimore Sun Back in 1972, the group Dr. Hook spoke for countless musicians when it sang about what a thrill it would be "to see my smiling face/On the cover of the Rolling Stone." But there were also those whose dream was to see the story they wrote on the cover of Rolling Stone. These were kids who read Rolling Stone in high school and college, who used its profiles and reviews to stoke their own knowledge and enthusiasm, and who revered the writers almost as much as they did the stars. It's not the most common rock 'n' roll dream, but it's the one at the heart of director Cameron Crowe's new film, "Almost Famous." Largely based on his own, experiences as a teen-age writer for America's most famous music mag- azine, the film not only shows what it was like to be behind the scenes in the age of Fleetwood Mac and Led Zep- pelin, but offers a hard look at the diffi- culties involved in walking the line between fandom and journalism. The fact that the film's central char- acter, like Crowe himself, entered this world at the tender age of 15 may make the world of "Almost Famous" seem slightly fantastic. After all, most writers who do get published in Rolling Stone don't start until they're well into their 20s. So what's it like to see your name as a byline in Rolling Stone? "When my first piece ran, I thought I was famous," said Anthony DeCurtis, a Cameron Crowe, above with Jimmy Page, was first published in "RS" at the age of 15. the heat or By Charity Atchison For the Daly The eight-member Ann Arbor Jazz Dance Theater premiered two of their latest works in a showcase last Friday at the Mendelssohn Theater.f "Life After" was by far the most 1 enjoyable piece of the evening. Carry-t ing a tranquil feeling, "Life After" evolved from peacefulness into happi-1 ness. The solo, performed by Leanne Supernaw, was enjoyable. Supernaw ; gave the illusion of being in flight, and her movements mimicked those of a 1 Rolling Stone contributing editor who . had his first byline in the magazine in 1980. "I really thought that everybody who wrote for Rolling Stone was famous, and that people would be stopping me on the street" he said. "I mean, it made no sense - I don't know how they were even supposed to know who I was. But that's what it felt like, it was like I'd made it. "But that certainly proved not to be the case for some time." When DeCurtis started writing for the magazine, he was 29 and living in Atlanta. At the time, the B-52's were one of the hottest new acts in the coun- try, and the quintet - which originally hailed from Athens, Ga. - was about to give its first concert in Georgia in over a year. Thinking the event newsworthy, DeCurtis pitched the idea in a letter to then--Rolling Stone editor Jim Henke. "One afternoon, the phone rang," recalled DeCurtis. "It was Jim Henke. He says, 'Look, I have no idea who you are or what your work is like. But why don't you go review the show ? And if it's good, we'll run it.' So that was how I got my first assignment." Not only did the piece run, but DeCurtis quickly scored several more assignments. "This created this very false sense of confidence on my part" he said. "I thought, 'Well, gee, this is kind of easy.' And I was quickly dis- abused of that notion. I was assigned a piece on the Athens scene, which was the first long piece I wrote." Although the editors said they liked the story, it never ran. "I essentially didn't hear from them after that for another two or three years," DeCurtis said. Eventually, though, his persistence paid off: After a couple years of free- lancing, he was hired by the magazine in 1986 and was a senior editor when he left in 1995. Not every writer sees making it into the pages of Rolling Stone as a ticket to stardom, but nearly all see it as a turning point in their careers. Elysa Gardner, currently a music and theater critic at USA Today, says that when she first saw her byline in Rolling Stone in 1991, she simply sat and stared at the page in disbelief. "I was incredulous," she said. "I had grown up reading the magazine. It was, to me, unbelievable that I would have my name in there." Jazz Dance Theater Mendelssohn Theater Sept. 29, 2000 both arabesque and swan. The choreogra- phy, directed by Adam and Lisa Darby Clark, seemed at its best during this solo. Supernaw uti- lized the entire stage, and demonstrated aspects of her technical train- ing. Supernaw's strength was the line of her leg in attitude while the I iFriday whole. The opening piece "Parting of Ways"reflected a very somber tone. Michael Marchand had a stage chem- istry with the other dancers, which he showed off in "Parting of Ways" and "Let it Speak." In "Parting of Ways," he seemed a focal character in the plot. At the end of the piece when all of the other dancers shun Darby Clark, he appeared as if he would console her, but left her too, as did the group. "Parting of Ways" seem'ed to exhibit an inner conflict between Marchand and Darby Clark from his entrance. During the first section of the piece, Darby Clark sat center stage and stared into the audience. This sequence seemed to be the riskiest of the night. After that, the choreography all became the same. The ensemble also demonstrated its ability to work as a group. However, as the program continued, the dancers did not appear to be enjoying their work. "Feel the Heat," for example, had choreography that spoke with the music; however, it was disappointing that more of the dancers failed to become enthralled in the piece. The music and choreography meant to pro- duce a very sexual vibe, but the dancers seemed to skirt around the interpreta- tion of the music. The final piece of the performance, "In Retrospect," had a jazz feel to it. All of the members of the cast finally danced this piece and made it clear that they enjoyed what they were doing. burned to death. The author is defined as an adult by his close childhood relationships with his older siblings and his troubled relationship with his younger ones. Dolan's need to reconcile and come to terms with his estrangement from his brother is the impetus for the narra- tion of the book; the reader senses that the writing of this book was cathartic and part of a long and diffi- cult healing process. J.D. Dolan is a man who began working in his profession, writing, relatively late in life. He did not receive an expensive education or extensive training. He is a man who simply has a knack for writing things beautifully and with honesty. "Phoenix: A Brother's Life" is a memorable piece of work, and it could serve as a model for dealing with the death of a loved one grace- fully. It will provide the reader with an insight into an all-Amnerican fami- ly and the relationship of two brothers who loved very much, but sadly, got burned. Clarks utilized both poses frequently in this solo. The Clark's choreography was very suited to the talents of his dancers. Jazz Dance Theater had wonderful turns in unison and beautiful extensions as a I University of Michigan Business School's Dean B. Joseph Mhite invites you to attend the... Dean's Speaker Series PRESENTED BY... Harvey Golub Chairman and Chief Executive Officer AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY PHOENIX Continued from Page 9A town in which John dies, and Dolan notes the inherent irony of that fact. John's death represents new beginnings, as well; the day of John's funeral is the same day that Dolan first becomes a published writer. As his brother's life is ending, a significant new chapter in Dolan's life is beginning. The reader learns early in the story that at the time of John's accident, Dolan and his brother have not spoken in five years. Dolan himself is not sure of why this is so, but his unresolved feelings of anger and hurt, as well as the knowledge that these feelings will likely remain unresolved, are a major part of the story. One soon discovers that Dolan's brother was in a horrible accident and is suffering from severe burns on 90 per- cent of his body. A large portion of the book is set while Dolan is keeping vigil with his family on the burn unit of the hospital. Here, too, Dolan's brother rep- resents a phoenix; John is literally Tuesday, October 3, 2000 4:30 PM HALE AUDITORIUM on Tappan & Hill L/ Q & A & Reception to follow 0 0