THE PHARCYDE IS THE CURE PAGE 3B.

HOW-TO PAGE 4B.

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THURSDAY, F)

Love.
Sex.
Purple.
There are a few musicians
I'd consider to be totally
unique. Prince is a different
category in and of himself.
Prince is a guitar god, a wildly
talented producer and, above all, a
heaving, pant-
ing, steamy
purple sex sym-
bol. His appeal
is absolutely
undeniable.
Hell, even t'd
blow him.
His recent LLOYD H.
appearance at
the Super Bowl CARGO
halftime show
drew moderate media attention for
the "suggestive" shadowy profile
of Prince stroking his infamous
guitar, complete with veritable
balls and shaft, as he creamed all
over "Purple Rain." Certainly more
risque than Janet Jackson's hideous
nip slip, no one really seemed sur-
prised - probably because those
who usually reserve their outrage
for such trivial matters (like writ-
ingto the FCC) were too busy being
turned on to resume tightening
their anuses.
And while Prince isn't quite as
ubiquitous as he was in the '80s,
it's worth examining just how the
diminutive funk-purveyor from
Minnesota could craft such a heady
reputation. It might have some-
thing to do with the fact thatyou
literally could not hook up during
the Reagan years without Princes
albums, resulting in a phenomenon
I've witnessed repeatedly in my
nine years of record-store employ-
ment. Inevitably, buried within the
stacks of lame AOR, AM-lite crap
some middle-aged yuppie type
will stack on the counter, there is
at least one Prince CD - and the
booklet is turned inside out. (As
a side note, the only reason you
should sell a Prince CD is if you
can't get it up anymore. In that sce-
nario I could understand it might
be emotionally difficult to keep
around.)
The most notorious culprit is
probably Lovesexy (featuring Prince
naked on a purple flower), although
Dirty Mind (with him in the little
black Speedo) is a close second. It
says a lot that men who couldn't
S evenbear to look at Prince's album
covers still felt the need to buy
them in the first place.
I firmly believe there's a spot
reserved in everyone's hearts,
minds and loins for Prince, even if
it's hard for some men to admit they
listen to a short, lithe, effeminate
pop star that likely stirs up some
very confusing feelings. You have to
be pretty confident in your sexuality
to hang the poster that came with
the Purple Rain LP on your wall - a
big step from humming along to
"1999."
I do want to stress that Prince
is an extremely gifted musician,
worthy of praise not solely based on
his sexual prowess. As he admitted
to Dick Clark in an 1980 "American
Bandstand" appearance, he plays
"thousands" of instruments. He's
consistently shown his musical
integrity, beginning by refusing a
record contract at age 15 because
"they wouldn't let me produce
myself" Later, he changed his name
to an unpronounceable symbol in
order to escape his "slavery" to his

record label. Still, it's impossible
to separate Prince's music and his
sex appeal - they're so inescapably
intertwined.
If you still don't believe me,
there's video evidence (and as
always, you can find it on YouTube).
Allow me to set the scene: You're
watching a James Brown concert
See CARGO, page 4B
ELIST
Feb. 15 to 18
The Daily Arts
guide to the
best upcom-
ing events - it's
everywhere you
should be this
week and why.

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA CESERE AND BEN SIMON/Daily

Talk dirtyv to me
Mash-up phenom Gregg Gillis gets messy with samples
By Punit Mattoo ( Daily Arts Writer

Gregg Gillis is a modern-
day Clark Kent.
During the week,
Gillis punches in at a biomedi-
cal engineering company in
sleepy, suburban Pittsburgh.
But once
the week- Girl Talk
end hits, he T
plays host T0morrowat
to riotous
blowouts Sold out
around At the
the world MichiganLeague
under his
increasingly popular moniker
Girl Talk. Gillis's second life
remains a mystery to his fellow
employees who have somehow
managed to avoid reading any
of the snowballing blog posts
and magazine articles herald-
ing last year's party mash-up
album, Night Ripper, as one of
the most fun releases in recent
memory. Comprised of more
than 250 samples from 164 art-
ists - ranging from the Ying
Yang Twins to the Pixies and

even James Taylor - Night
Ripper is a frenzied amalgama-
tion of bits and pieces of songs
you've heard, but layered upon
each other and warped into
something that warrants no
other response than a simulta-
neous balance of sheer adula-
tion and confusion.
The transformation into
a DJ-ing weekend warrior
started well before 24-year-
old Gillis graduated from
Case Western University. He
was part of the obligatory
high school band, although
the group's incorporation of
sampling to accompany its
noise-rock sound provided the
jump-off for his future music
projects. After starting with
the "sound collages" he craft-
ed from slightly more obscure
tracks, Gillis shifted toward
well-known Top 40 hits, and
it's the latter that has become
the bulk of his repertoire.
"I've always been a pop-
music fan, but just as I started

making music, I got into a lot
more standard forms," Gil-
lis explained. "(Night Ripper)
is abstract, but its kind of a
watered-down version of what
I've been doing over the past
few years."
The incorporation of read-
ily recognizable songs wasn't,
however, a blatant attempt to
appeal to the masses.
Gillis emphasized the fun
and innovation involved in
transforming such popular
cuts, saying he "always thought
there was a huge power to
kinda just 'recontextualize'
familiar sources of material."
Newer recordings with tighter
production and the spread of
"click-and-play" tracks have
also persuaded him to stay
away from older songs and
their more loosely organized
structure.
Despite increasing exposure
and high-profile gigs that even
landed him a spot on Chinese
television celebrating the Chi-

nese New Year in Vegas with
Kanye West, Gillis hasn't heard
any feedback from artists he's
sampled.
Labels have gotten in touch
with him though, and surpris-
ingly, not with legal papers.
Almost two years before
his distributor, Illegal Art,
released Night Ripper, they put
out the now-iconic The Grey
Album - blending The Beatles'
The White Album and Jay-Z's
The Black Album - to fanfare
from listeners and critics, and
legal injunctions courtesy of
record-label lawyers who felt
it impinged upon their copy-
rights. But with today's record
industry in a state of sales
shock, label representatives he
spoke with seemed to welcome
and appreciate the increased
exposure for their artists.
"I think a lot of people who
heard it kind of realized the
potential value in it, rather
than the perceived harm it
could do," Gillis said.

The open distribution of
Night Ripper has helped him
develop an almost rabid fan
base - especially on college
campuses. Tomorrow's show
sold out quickly after tickets
went up for sale. Concert orga-
nizer/student group New Beat
Happening moved it to a larger
venue only to see the concert
sell out again. Judging by Face-
book pictures of a concert near
the Ohio State University and
recaps of other performances,
it's clear his live shows are
unlike other standard lap-top
DJ gigs. Frozen Kraftwer-
kesque figures are replaced
by near chaos as Gillis throws
himself into his music and his
fans crowd him on stage, act-
ing like drunken, rogue backup
dancers.
Gillis recalled a highlight
from a show last year, a per-
formance following his sister's
See GIRL TALK, page 4B

ON SCREEN
Alabama ang Clarence play newly-
weds in Quentin Tarrantino's "True
Romance," but after accidentally
pocketing a stash of cocaine, their
post-wedding bliss is interrupted.by
two angry gangsters on their tail.
ChristianSlater and PatriciaArquette
star in this 1993 romantic thriller,
alongside co-star Val Kilmer play-
ing the role of Elvis. "True Romance"
will go on screen at midnight on Sat-
urday at the State Theater. Tickets
are $6.75 with student ID.

ON STAGE
If you're a Martha Graham fan,
you'll love Stephen Petronio's newly
choreographed dance performance,
"BLOOM." His combination of visual
art, cutting-edge fashion and contem-
porary music allow him to capture
the high-powered energy of down-
town New York. Petronio's debut
UMS program also features music
from folk-singer Rufus Wainwright.
"BLOOM" will run Friday and Sat-
urday at 8 p.m. at the Power Center.
Tickets range from $18 to $40.

AT THE MIC
Pontiac native Nahshid Sulaiman,
popularly known as One Be Lo, has
perfected his evocative rap style
since splitting with Binary Star and
launching his solo career. One Be Lo's
smart, socially conscious lyrics have
captured the attention of Michigan's
underground hip hop scene, while
his clear delivery brings an air of pre-
cision and confidence to the stage.
OneBeLo will perform Friday night
at 7:30 p.m. at the University Club in
the Michigan Union.

AT SHAMAN
Bich Nguyen, author of "Stealing
Buddha's Dinner," will sign book
copies Saturday at Shaman Drum at 7
p.m. Nguyen grew up as a refugee in
western Michigan in the '70s "before
ethnic was cool." The humor in her
memoir bleeds through her compar-
isons of American and Vietnamese
cuisine, using junk-food standards
like Toll House cookies and Pring-
les as metaphorical springboards to
breech the sensitive topic of assimi-
lation and personal identity.

A