Friday
Aril 11, 2003
michigandaily.com
mae@michigandaily.com
ARTS
5
I
Author Ayers arrives in Ann Arbor
By Neal Pais
Daily Arts Writer
At a time when Ann Arbor served
as the cradle of political radicalism,
Bill Ayers was the vanguard of stu-
dent activism. A prominent member
of the Ann Arbor-founded Students
for a Democratic Society, and later
leader of the Weathermen (a militant
faction of the SDS), Ayers was one
of the principle architects of a revo-
lution that
inspired pro-
found political
dissent through-
out the 1960s and
'70s. Today -
some 30 years
later - Ayers, a
Bill Ayers
Fugitive Days
Tonight at 8 p.m.
At Shaman Drum
Courtesy of DreamWorks
Nice day for a white wedding!
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HARDCORE' S FAVORITE SONS A.F.I. HIT DETROIT
1 M. Hoard - sets them apart from other hard rock acts: "Not a
usic Editor lot of bands pay attention to that. We're trying to add
a new dimension to our sound." Elements of punk,
hard rock and goth combine with catchy hooks to
form a style that isn't easily pigeonholed.
r a decade of relative anonymity, California A.F.I.'s attitude in the studio represents a vast
utfit A.F.I. (A Fire Inside) finally broke departure from the it's-fine-as-long-as-it's-loud
h this year with Sing the Sorrow, their first approach taken by their hard rock and punk forefa-
for DreamWorks and sixth overall. Blending a thers. The group takes a rather businesslike mindset
re sound with first-rate studio production, the when writing and recording. "When it comes down to
as made a record that appeals to both punk songwriting we generally know where we are trying
;iasts and the mainstream to go. As a band we know it's important to do what's
[buying public. A.F.l best with the songs," Hunter said.
I. bassist Hunter (yeah, it's unday at 9 p.m According to Hunter, the band draws on a wide
nter) attributes some of the u a ' variety of material from the world of rock and
sed attention that band has ClearChannel ' beyond. Personally, Hunter finds inspiration in "all
d to the resurgence of rock in sorts of different places. I love Elvis Costello and
. "Any sort of public focus is Prince. I listen to a lot of Motown, jazz."
to help rock bands. Definitely it helps when For their live shows, A.F.I. try to bring the massive,
re more bands in the focus. People are opening layered sound of their most recent record to the stage:
ew types of music," he said. "We're trying to create the studio sound live as well
ough the rock renaissance has helped the band and take the audience to a new level. It's working
opularity, Hunter admitted that finding main- pretty well, Hunter said."
success was never at the forefront: "Coming Currently on tour to support Sing the Sorrow, A.F.I.
where we're coming from we haven't really will play at a sold-out Clutch Cargo's on Sunday night
what the mainstream focus was." with openers the Explosion and Blood Brothers.
er thinks his band's interest in polished pro- What's next for the band? "I think we'll do exactly
- which incorporates a wide range of instru- the same thing as we've always done. I imagine after
including piano, bells and strings to this tour cycle in a year or two, we'll really focus on
ment lead singer Davey Havok's soaring vocals writing." You can't argue with results.
one-time fugitive from the law,
makes a return to the University to
discuss his reflections upon his
tumultuous life as an activist and his
regrets about some of his actions.
Reading tonight from his recently
published "Fugitive Days," Ayers
will provide current students with a
riveting account of a generation
characterized by countercultural dis-
illusionment, virulent anti-govern-
ment sentiment and extreme
political polarization. The memoir
traces Ayers' days as a University
student to his life in hiding as part
of The Weather Underground, the
group that inspired a titular docu-
mentary by Sam Green and Bill
Siegel.
"Fugitive Days" seamlessly juxta-
poses the tumult of the '60s with
Ayers' awe-inspiring personal histo-
ry. The book opens with a haunting
prelude - a flashback reference to
the accidental death of Ayers' former
lover, Diana Oughton. Setting the'
lamentable tone for the rest of the
memoir, Ayers' frenetic thoughts are
layered on top of his personal narra-
tives. He writes, "Memory is a
motherfucker," a statement indica-
tive of the compunction he feels
over the activities he engaged insas
part of the Weathermen.
The book is largely around the
storied history of the infamous out-
fit. Formed in 1968, the Weather
Underground was initially estab-
lished as a response to what the
more radical members of the SDS
felt was an unjust war in Vietnam.
Headed by Ayers and Bernadine
Dohrn, the Weathermen quickly pro-
pelled themselves to the forefront of
radical activism.
Drawing their name from a Bob
Dylan lyric, the group broke away
from non-violent protest,, believing
in bare aggression as a means to
bring about social reform. Cooperat-
ing with the Black Panthers, they
engineered Chicago's "Days of
Rage," during which time hundreds
of protesters violently confronted
city police in an effort to "bring the
war back home." Among their other
high-profile activities were the
springing of LSD guru Timothy
Leary and the bloodless bombing of
the Capitol Building.
Lying at the center of the book is
the explosion that killed Diana
Oughton and two comrades in one of
the New York "cells" of the Weather
Underground. The tragic accident
ultimately prompted the leadership
of the Weathermen to go deep under-
ground. Continuing with several
bombings of key federal targets,
Ayers and close friend Dohrn eventu-
ally reached criminal prominence
with their placement on the FBI's
Ten Most Wanted list. "Fugitive
Days" also chronicles the 10 years
Ayers spent running from the law,
stealing explosives and practicing
"tradecraft." Throughout his book,
Ayers maintains a unique perspective
on his crimes; He writes openly
about the mistakes that he made, yet
remains resolute about what he per-
ceives was right. His account is thus
remarkably honest, and provides
readers with a window to one of our
nation's most incendiary periods.
Now a professor of education at
the University of Illinois at Chicago
and happily married to Bernadine
Dohrn, Ayers enjoys a life of relative
normality. The disparity between
this respectable existence and that as
the elusive leader of a band of stu-
dent militants is nearly inconceiv-
able. As Ann Arbor welcomes him
once again (during its own period of
discord), students may learn about a
similarly controversy-laden chapter
of University history. Perhaps older
members of the community might
re-live old memories, too.
Morbid 'Friends' no 'Itchy & Scratchy'
By Jason Roberts
Daily Arts Editor
PiAPPY TRE FNV
The Brazilian invasion stops at EMU
By Lynn Hasselbarth
Daily Arts Writer
Daniela Mercury and her Afro-
Brazilian Dance Party will culminate
the University Musical Society's
yearlong Brazil Festival this Saturday
at the EMU Convocation Center at
Eastern Michigan University. A night
of sultry vocals, samba rhythms and
a Brazilian flair that breathes life and
vitality, this performance is sure to
be a powerful and electrifying event.
Singer-dancer Daniela Mercury
will grace the stage with this unique
one-time performance, singing a
wide range of traditional Brazilian
ballads while incorporating pop,
techno, funk and
hip-hop. She is
joined by a tal-
ented group of
backup singers,
dancers and
musicians, who
collaborate in
the atmosphere
of an energetic
Brazilian dance
themes and emotions, Mercury
appeals to all audiences, striking at
our needs to move and express, relax
and let go.
As one of the world's most suc-
cessful Brazilian artists, Mercury
intends to carry on the tradition of
Bahian music with its assertion of
black culture and celebration of life.
However, as her U.S. manager, Leti-
cia Montalvo notes, Mercury is "truly
a woman of the world." She recreates
herself every year, bringing fresh ele-
ments to albums and world tours. Her
most recent project is a compilation
acoustic album sponsored by MTV,
which includes various artists from
Europe and South America.
While her commitment to Brazilian
roots is essential to her mission, Mer-
cury's presence on stage is enough to
solidify an enormous fan base. Audi-
ences embrace her music and irre-
sistible energy, her graceful
command of the stage and her radiat-
ing warmth. She travels every year to
adoring fans in Europe and the Unit-
ed States, performing at festivals and
sold out solo performances. She is
revered as the highest-selling artist in
Portugal, where her album and tour
sales top that of Madonna and the
Beatles. This June she returns to the
United States for a two week tour that
stops in San Francisco, Montreal and
Tampa Bay, to name a few. Saturday's
performance marks a special one-
time event, as it is Mercury's first
Michigan appearance.
Mercury's versatility is endless,
p U
In true "Itchy and Scratchy" fash-
ion, "Happy "Tree Friends, Volume 1:
First Blood" -has brought the grue-
some hack and slash cartoon to the
forefront. While trying to deliver
humor through violence alone, this
oddball anima- _
tion disappoints H
far more than it Happy Tree
satisfies. Friends
In short, Ventura Distribution
"Happy Tree
Friends" features a group of cute,
cuddly animals, consisting of brightly
animated squirrels, bears, moose,
beavers, and the like, that all get hor-
ribly and viciously mutilated, electro-
cuted, decapitated, torched, impaled,
dismembered, sliced, diced or other-
wise destroyed in each of the 14
episodes.
Though it may elicit laughs
through shock value alone, the DVD
is nothing more than a web site on
disc. This type of gross-out humor
has already been explored and
exploited with Internet sites such as
joecartoon.com, which feature short
animations of bizarre and over-the-
top violence.
While some of the episodes, such
as "Treasure These Idol Moments,"
seem more thoroughly conceived and
better thought out, most end up feel-
ing like nothing more than cop-out
methods to destroy these little crea-
tures in the most unusual and grue-
some ways possible. It may be
amusing once or twice, but it quickly
runs its course.
The extra features included on the
disc are unimpressive. Aside from the
standard creator's commentary and
voiced-over sketchbooks, there are
four interactive "Smoochies," fuzzy
critters that you're allowed to destroy
and dismember through three differ-
Show: *4
Picture/Sound: ***
Features: **
r.
ent and unique means. While admit-
tedly funnier and more clever than
most of the standard episodes, in the
end, the "Smoochies" wind up fol-
lowing the same formula as the infa-
mous "Hamster in a Microwave' and
"Frog in a Blender" stints of joecar-
toon.com. The sketchbook commen-
tary provides a few laughs as the
creators mock each other and laugh
over sketches of the early, conceptual
Tree Friends, but there's nothing too
spectacular about it.
The other features, including the
original "Happy Tree Friends" cartoon,
"Banjo Frenzy," as well as playing card
style biographies on each of the Tree
Friends and pop-up video like com-
mentary over each of the episodes, are
hardly worth mentioning.
Fans that have followed "Happy
Tree Friends" across the Internet and
through the Spike and Mike Twisted
Animation Festival may get a kick
out of the DVD and the fact that they
won't have to wait for the cartoons to
buffer because of slow bandwidth;
others will find the humor and the
originality lacking.
Afro-Brazilian
Dance Party
Saturday at 9 p.m.
$10 Students
$35 Adults
At the EMU
Convocation Center
party. The show resonates the sounds
and movements of Mercury's native
homein Bahia, Brazil.
A thriving multicultural center,
Bahia has a distinct musical flavor.
Its traditional music, known as Axe,
combines African and Latino rhythms
and melodies. Mercury expands on
this, creating a highly diverse reper-
toire based on a hybrid style called
samba-reggae. While this style of
music evokes a certain social con-
sciousness and critiques of race rela-
tions, Mercury's lyrics also speak of
the passion, the love and the sheer joy
of life fulfilled. With such universal
g g g g
Courtesy of UMS
Lose yourself in the music, the moment!
sustained by an overflowing source of
energy and passion. She is an
extremely uplifting and inspiring
individual and her performances con-
vey this dynamic personality. Satur-
day night will be a "truly irresistible
experience" regardless of one's musi-
cal tastes, and an escape into a color-
ful and vibrant world.
An artist interview and reception
honoring Mercury will be held at the
School of Social Work Building today
at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to
public.
SCOREKEEPERS.,i tip.
Gvc75 CALL
U E
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t Alpha Omicron Chapter - University of Michigan
Congratulations to all
Fall 2002 New Members
new and current members!
Tracy Bell Justin Hansen Jeff Nelson Heather Rudy
Lauren Bok Joanna Jacobus i Ashley Olauson Melanie Schlesinger
Christy Dietrich Matthew Jubelirer Brianne Page Stephanie Thomas
Lindsay Granet Melissa McGinnis Dan Phillips Erika Waddell
Julie Goutman Lauren Mendelson Matthew Raeburn
Winter 2003 New Members
Sarah Bederman Rachel Sacks
Lynne Josefowicz Dannielle Sita
Rebecca Paroby Lisa Zakaria
Logan Rich
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