The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, February 11, 2011 - 7

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, February 11, 2011 - 7

Ditties to get dirty to

Lucy, the main character in "The Wonderful World of Dissocia," suffers a detachment from reality.

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Insa itim
Basement Arts shocked and sobered him com-
pletely, a reaction he hopes to
premieres the split inspire inhis own audience.
"The second act takes place
comedy of'Dissocia' completely in a hospital bed,"
Granger said. "It was prolonged
By ERIKA JOST and it was painful. At the time, I
For the Daily thought the whole play was such a
cop-out. I have a different appre-
Gordon Granger, a senior in the ciation now."
School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Despite his initial disappoint-
was 18 years old and on vacation ment, Granger bought a copy ofthe
with his dark comedy, written by Anthony
parents The Wonderful Neilson, and soon adopted a whole
the first new attitude toward it. "The Won-
time he World of DissoCia derful World of Dissocia" explores
saw "The Tonight at7p.m. a case of dissociative disorder, in
Wonder- and 11p.m which Lisa suffers an episode of
ful World andl p.m detachment from reality.
of Dis- "thoughtaboutit,andthemes-
socia" at Walgreen Drama sage became quite clear: Would
the Royal Center, Studio One you rather live in a wonderful fan-
Theater Free tasyor adullreality?" he said. "We
in Lon- all have choices. Our lives depend
don. The play made such a strong on what choices we make, and the
impression on him that he select- end results we come to are very.
ed it for his directorial debut with differentthings.
Basement Arts. ' "Now I think the play is just
When Granger first watched fantastic. It's dark and serious -
the play, he was thrilled by the rape and abuse happen on stage -
first act, which follows the story but it's also deeply funny. You ah
of a girl, Lisapexploring a fantas- deal with anything-through login--
tical universe littered with punny edy. Just because you can laugh at
adventure - a run-in with Insecu- something doesn't mean you don't
rity Guards and a scapegoat that respect it."
actuallyis agoat. LSA sophomore Amy Garcia,
"The first act is a fun romp who plays the lead role of Lisa,
through an alternate world, like was attracted to this production
Alice in Wonderland,' " Granger because of its bleak humor.
said. "I didn't think you could have . "There's a part in the second act
so much fun in atheater." where I get to just freak out," she
The second act, however, said. "I'm excited to see how the

igined
audience respondstothat."
An actor-turned-director,
Granger appreciates how Base-
ment Arts allows any student
the chance to participate in all
aspects of production.
"One of my professors calls
it a 'gymnasium to exercise our
skills,' "he said.
Though this is Granger's first
turn as a director, he said he is
upholding a strongitradition.
"The best directors are always
actors," he said. "Acting for an
actor/director is always easier. If
you confront a problem, you can
get at it through an acting tech-
nique. You just tend to believe
them more. And I think it's had a
positive impact on this produc-
tion. We were rehearsing a scene
last night, and the actors are really
startingto getthe comedy."
While both Granger and Garcia
are looking forward to the audi-
ence's response to the second act,
Granger also hopes the audience
will feel the kind of excitement he
felt when he first saw the play in
London.
"We have a flying bicycle in the
show," he said,.?I-always4ove see-
ing people riding bikes on stage,
so I figured people would like it in
this play too."
Then, perhaps reflecting on
the risks the show takes in using
humor to grapple with serious
themes like mental disorders, sex-
ual assault and abuse.
"I just hope we don't offend
anyone," Granger said.

By JULIA
SMITH-EPPSTEINER
For the Daily
We're days away from Valen-
tine's Day - a time when college
students purchase and butter
up someone special with cards,
flowers, jewelry, candy, hearts
and candy hearts. They're all
hoping for one thing: sex. And
what goes better with sex than
chocolate? Music.
A friend once told me: "The
only thing better than sex is
music. And the only thing bet-
ter than that is putting the two
together."
The combination? Sex playl-
ists. These creations are always
relevant, but particularly so at
this time of year, when snowy
cupids are looking for warmth.
Familiar with sexmusiccon-
test.tumblr.com? For girls into
readingCosmopolitan, the web-
site is its alternative - a free
way of enhancing the experi-
ence. (Experience meaning ...
well, you know.) It isn't pages
of tips like, "trace his entire bod
with an ice cube," but it gives
playlists to get down to. And
boys, assuming you don't read
Cosmo, take the endless min-
utes spent browsing websites
involving infinite X's and check
out Tumblr instead.
So let's equate your sexy-time
to a narrative structure. It's a
play, a book, a movie. First in the
plot comes the exposition. Who
are the two characters? Maybe
there are three. Where are you?
Perhaps his bed, her bed, the
shower, the stacks, the rug. This
all could affect what playlist
will set sparks flyin'. The time
of day is also a key determinant.
Classic evening, 3 a.m. blackout,
morning or a lunchtime pick-
me-up? These factors, plus the
characters' noise levels, prefer-
ences and duration coalesce to

form the ideal playlist. Tumblr highly recommends
Before continuing on to the "All to All" by Broken Social
sequence of plotted events, we Scene, which I'm far from
must address the issue of main- opposed to, but a less trancey,
stream playlists versus the ver- more powerful artist that won't
sion for the Juno MacGuffs and disappoint would be Kings of
Paulie Bleekers out there mak- Leon. And I'm not just speak-
ing babies in "the chair." ing of "Sex on Fire" but also
Though Tumblr's suggestions "Ragoo" and their newer songs,
(and my own) diverge from the "Pyro" and "Birthday."
mainstream, it seems that uni- Falling Action. Snuggle? Eat?
versally appealinghookupmusic Re-do? This isn't as common as
is less Flo Rida and more Radio- some would like in this under-
head. If you want to ram-jam graduate setting, but if this
to "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, musical go-'round ends with a
be my guest, but you might not snuggle session, I'm thinking
care to read on. Though a fairly "Cold Fame" by Band of Skulls
stellar playlist can be made with or anything by Ray LaMontagne
the current Top 10 in iTunes, and Bon Iver. Either would com-
specifically Christina Perri's plete the ride with a beautiful
gorgeously icy "Jar of Hearts," exhale. Both are quiet enough
other songs could give you more to feel the hotness of you catch-
bang for your buck. ing your breath, and the lyrics
make you feel more connected
than you probably are. They're
also quiet enough to embrace
the awkwardness of the con-
playlists for versation that precedes one
partner's discombobulated exit.
Either way, you should re-fuel
with some food - whether it
is shared buttered toast under
sheets or a more depressing cof-
Back to the plot: Rising fee-to-go.
Action. Suspense. This means The denouement or resolu-
foreplay if you're into that. If tion of this plot is what you lis-
not, skip past this step and go ten to the next day by yourself,
straight toward the 'O.' Per- on your individual iPod. In
sonal suggestions: "Becoming A addition to your newly pur-
Jackal" by Villagers and "Blood- chased, Tumblr-advised songs,
stream" by Stateless. both "Ode to the LRC" and
Climax. This is where that "The Great Salt Lake" by Band
song of the week needs to be of Horses are great choices for
heard. Your song. Or their walking and thinking about that
song. Something with the same last-night encounter - wheth-
ecstatic energy as "Sweet Dis- er it was perfection or should
position" and "Love Lost" by never happen again.
The Temper Trap, or if the lust If it was perfection, and not
is coming from a darker place, just an attempt on Valentine's
"White Blank Page" by Mum- Day to convince yourself you're
ford & Sons - though hopefully not lonely, you might also want
the song playing at this point of to try the two songs by Band of
the plot is no longer heard by the Horses at the next go-around. If
participants. not - eat your candy.

Trail of Dead finds its Tao'

By ELLIOT ALPERN
DailyArts Writer
Courtesy of the long-winded
.. And You Will Know Us by the
Trail of Dead, Tao of the Dead
lends cre-
dence to the
saying that
everything .And You Will
is bigger in
Texas. Aus- Know Us by the
tin natives Trail of Dead
Conrad
* Keely and Tao of the Dead
Jason Reece Superbal
- the cen- eb
tral creative
members of the band - incor-
porate exaggerated guitar riffs
and audaciously bold percussion
in an effusive display of progres-
sive rock. As a quasi-conceptual
album, it's well rounded, but the
tracks can be difficult to distin-
guish from one another.
That's not to say the album is
one entire song - there are a few
points, especially at the begin-
ning, when the Texan rock-
ers manage to deviate enough
from the formula to produce
a few notable tracks. "Pure
Radio Cosplay," which follows
an experimental introduction,
employs an alternating tempo
and a spacey synthesizer to
establish the atmosphere. "The
Wasteland" is serene and calm

where the majority of Tao of the
Dead is not, providing an appro-
priately positioned reprieve
from the musical turbulence.
"Summer of All Dead Souls,"
the album's first single, will give
head-bangers a sense of satisfac-
tion, but really any fan of heavy
strumming and nifty riffs will
find it a success.
Tao of the Dead is clearly cre-
ated in the image of Pink Floyd's
Dark Side of the Moon and Rush's
Hemispheres. While it never
matches up to either (as few ever
could), Trail of Dead's attempt
is a valiant effort in mimick-
ing the shape of a story arc:
rising tension and a few break-
out moments, culminating in a
16-minute finale of shredding
guitars and crashing cymbals.
The tracks tend to run into each
other, picking up immediately
where another leaves off, but
they prove to come together in a
nuanced and complete creation.
The deeper the listener ven-
tures into Tao, the more troubles
arise. The four-piece band seems
to run out of steam and gets
bogged down in adhering too
much to the same general sound.
Fortunately, that sound isn't nec-
essarily bad, but the lack of vari-
ation results in eventual tedium.
"Pure Radio Cosplay (Reprise)"
is true to its title in its unfail-
ing repetition of the previous

"Pure Radio Cosplay." "The Spi-
ral Jetty," clocking in under two
minutes, is uninspired and seems
like an afterthought. It would be
rash to call this lapse in viable
material the album's downfall,
but it's disappointing to see how
much of a complete success Tao
could have been if the quality of
the music remained constant.
And you will
know them
by the trail of
good tunes.
Trail of Dead's seventh studio
release is a worthy effort, but it
demonstrates a lack of finesse in
not finishing strong. The album
isn't disjointed because it flows
together so well, but it clearly
rises in the beginning and ebbs
near its conclusion. As most
bands learn the hard way, a con-
cept album is an extremely risky
venture. Trail of Dead claims
that Tao is such a venture, but on
what concept the album is predi-
cated seems unclear. Regardless,
the music is still enjoyable with
or without a theme, making it a
risk well taken.

The Boardfor Student Publications
seeks New Members
The University of Michigan Board for Student
Publications is recruiting new members for
three year terms beginning in April.
The Board is responsible for three publications: The
Michigan Daily, the Michiganensian yearbook,
and the Gargoyle.
Because the Board is committed to realizing diversity's
benefits for itself and for the publications it oversees,
the Board is particularly interested in recruiting
members of the University community (faculty, staff
and students) or the general public who are members
of underrepresented groups and who have experience
and expertise in journalism, law, finance or fund
raising.
All interested persons are encouraged to apply.
For more information and application forms, please
contact Mark Bealafeld, Student Publications
General Manager at (734) 418-4115 extension 1246 or
mbealafe@umich.edu.
The deadline for applications is
Monday, February 14th.

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