Arts
- D---e7
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The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, July 22, 1981
rage 1
Frijid Pink promote
hilarious hard rock
Ray Gunn, lead guitarist for Frijid Pink, also doubles as their lead Rock and
Roll Crazy Man.
By KEN FELDMAN
Daily Arts Writer
Heavy metal has always been a bit of
a joke with me. It can be a very potent
style in the hands of a band that doesn't
go overboard with it (the Who, the Yar-
dbirds, the Pretenders), but the
majority of heavy metal consists of
macho posturing and banal riffing
that amount to a vast aural scrap heap.
The funny thing is that worthless as
most heavy metal is, its comic air and
high-volume white noise can make it
entertainly funny junk music. While it
is true that one usually laughs at-as
much as with-the band, neither party
seems to care.
I BRING this up by way of introduc-
tion to Frijid Pink, the revamped
early-70s outfit that played at Second
Chance Monday night. Throughout the
almost two-hour performance, the band
did not play one note that was not a
rehash of heavy metal's most tired
cliches. But because of the band's at-
titude, there were moments of almost
sublime trash.
Frijid Pink's frontmen are guitarists
Arlen Anthony and Ray Gunn, two men
with enough humor and insight to see
the silliness of what they do. That didn't
stop them from doing it Monday night,
but it did stop them from taking them-
selves too seriously (at least most of the
time).
Many of the songs fit into by-now ab-
surd formulas, but Anthony and Gunn
delivered both the macho sentiments
("Ice Cold Frigid Woman," "Get
Naked") and the supposed anthems to
rock and roll ("Rock 'n Roll is Better
than Music," "Rock On") with such a
knowing combination of enthusiasm
and distanced humor that they were
quite fun. They also did metallic ver-
sions of soul, giving both "Dancing in
the Streets" and Sam and Dave's "I
Thank You" some propulsive thunder
that the originals only hinted at.
HOWEVER, the band was probably
most entertaining on a visual level. An-
thony looked like he just stepped out of
a time machine from the Golden Age of
Heavy Metai; he had straight hair
down to his waist and a skintight blue
jumpsuit that had beefcake written all
over it. Lead guitarist Ray Gunn had
more "standard" attire, but his frantic
dancing and the five spaces where his
front teeth should have been made him
an eyecatcher.
In fact, Gunn was the prime attrac-
tion, with Anthony frequently playing
his straight man. During "Ice Cold
Frigid Woman," Gunn brought out a
pink guitar the neck of which doubled
as a giant penis that squirted an
unknown opaque substance on the
rapidly dispersing crowd. Gunn also
kept up a steady flow of comments bet-
ween songs and during his heartfelt
vocal on "Gimme a Beer" he nearly at-
tacked the bartender who was slow to
oblige what he thought were just the
lyrics to a song.
The entire show could be charac-
terized as dumb but funny. Frijid Pink
is nothing like the psychedelic
organ-based band it was. Neither An-
thony nor Gunn are original members,
and my guess is that they hooked up
with this competent but faceless
rhythm section simply because they
owned a semi-established name. The
bottom line is that Frijid Pink is an
average bar band that can be fun if you
want something to laugh at through a
heavy metal haze of noise.
Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters-Black and White' (Planet)-I forget who it was that
proved that everything is relative. Was it maybe Albert Einstein? Eh, no
matter. Whoever it was had the right idea. Everything is
relative ... especially when it comes to the Pointer Sisters' new album,
Black and White.
You see, if you compare this record to some transcendental modern dance
music like Grace Jones or Material, then this record will just seem nice-the
kind of nice you hang onto just for those rare occasions when you want to
have something to play for people who can't stand their music demanding or
innovative.
HOWEVER, if you compare it to most of the disco product that hits vinyl,
this record will stick out like a jewel.
This is in spite of the fact that their producer, Richard Perry, seems
determined to tie the Pointer Sisters to the disco treadmill. It is testament to
their talents that he never quite pulls it off. When he tries to force them into a
musical corner of doing standard cooing vocalizations, they sing out strong
and sweet. When he tries to use them for faceless background vocals, they
come on like a feverish gospel choir. They're just far too soulful and strong
to surrender to weak material like this that easily.
Even if this album won't set any new standards in soul, it's amazing to see
how much the Pointer Sisters can do with so little. Let's hope that they get
better treatment next time around. -Mark Dighton
Ruth Laredo is " .. astonishing... a whip-
(racking performance." Paula Robison is
".. a rare artist who can make the flute
sound both sensuous and classically
pure ... an absolute wonder. . . magical."
The New York Times
Ruth Laredo Paula Robison
Ruth Laredo, pianist
Paula Robison, flutist
Poulenc: Sonata Selections from
"The Bird Fancyer's Delight"
Stamitz: Rondo Capriccioso
Rachmaninoff: Four Preludes from Op. 32
Prokofiev: Sonata in D major, Op. 94
Wednesday, July 22 at 8:30
Rackham Auditorium
(air-conditioned)
Tickets at $8, $6.50 and $5
rTickets at Burton Tower Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Weekdays 9-4:30, Sat. 9-12. Phone 665-3717
'kIVERITYcUUSICAL 8OCIETY