ARTS
Page 5
Saturday, June 4, 1983
Drummer
By Mare Hodges
In a recent phone interview with
Adam Woods, drummer and per-
cussionist of the English band Fixx,
the Daily found out what it's like
for an aspiring new music band to
tour on the American circuit. The
Fixx has joined with A Flock of
Seagulls for a three-month tour
which opened last Thursday night in
Tennessee. They will be in Detroit
on Sunday, June 5th at Pine Knob
Music Theater.
Daily: How did the band come up with
the name Fixx?
Woods: When we were looking for a
name at the time in England, about 2 /
years ago, everyone was into very
esoteric names, like Simple Minds, and
so they tended to be two word names
and we wanted something a lot simpler.
We just thought of direction, you know,
of the word direction and we came up
with the 'Fix'...the idea behind it was to
fix on the music or the image.
We thought of it with one x but the
record company thought it would be a
good idea to add another one because
people would think of the drug
conotation rather than the direction
conotation. Fix in America is definitely
drug-oriented, but not so much in
England - people don't say 'fix.'
Daily: You and two other members of
reveals all
the Fixx (Cy Curnin and Rupert
Greenall) were previously members of
another band called the Portraits, what
happened to that endeavor?
Woods: We were with another record
company and it was like our baptism in-
to the music business, the Portraits. It
was our first realization that record
companies could change the way you
thought and market you as something
you're not. The Portraits was like that
and it eventually got to the stage where
we were submitting demos to be recor-
ded that they (the record company)
didn't like at all. We thought they were
absolutely marvelous so our idea was to
leave the record company and start
fresh, so we did.
Daily: So what do you see as the dif-
ference between the music you're
playing now as opposed to what you
played as the Portraits?
Woods: The music we play now, you
know, is written by the members of the
band, which Portraits' (music) was,
but the members of the band are dif-
ferent now - Jamie (West-Gram;
guitarist) wasn't with Portraits. Once
Jamie came the music changed. It's
just experience, really, I suppose. And
actually realizing why you're doing it. I
suppose in the early days you're doing
it for all sorts of naive reasons and after
a certain amount of time, especially
with no success, you do it for yourself.
That's the difference. This band
Band members of the Fixx (Adam Woods-drums, Jamie West-Oram-guitar,
Cy Curnin-vocals, Rupert Greenall-keyboard) get ready for their appearance
at Pine Knob Sunday, June 5th with A Flock of Seagulls.
definitely chooses music that is a lot of work went into this album and it
satisfying itself, that's the primary was difficult to complete it as we wan-
motive, rather than just writing music ted it. I've got my own preferences, I
that sells - it's got to achieve a stan- like "One thing leads to Another" and
dard we've set for ourselves. "Sign of Fire" I really like because I
can relate to its meaning.
Daily: Who made the decision to
release "Saved by Zero" as the single. Daily: What are your plans after you
from you latest LP Reach the Beach? Dy: Wt our p
Woods: "Saved by Zero" was definitely wrap up this tour?
the record company's choice. You know Woods: When we finish in AmEurope.
we have thoughts on it but really, we But let's hope they'll be back in
don't really write singles. We just write America soon.
-A selection of campus film highlight
Cat People
(Paul Schrader, 1982)
Practically a cult favorite, Schrader's
indulgence comes across as an overly-
conscious artistic failure. There's lots
of colorful imagery, sexual am-
biguities, and love-hate sibling
rivalries-everything you need for
those oh-so-intellectual cinematic
critiques. But there's no involvement,
ts
no believable characters, and
ultimately no plot. Stars Nastassia
Kinski and John Heard. (Saturday,
June 4; MLB 3, 6:15, 9:45).
Long Day's Journey Into
Night
(Sidney Lumet, 1963)
The destruction of an apparently gen-
teel family proves to be an absorbing
drama under Lumet's controlled
direction. Katherine Hepburn is the
tormented mother; Ralph Richardson
the arrogant father; Jason Robards
the naive son; and Dean Stockwell as
the reflection of playwright Eugene
O'Neill's own character. (Wednesday,
June 8; Lorch Hall, 9:10).
Compiled by Richard Campbell-
Cosmetic
funk dunk
I N THE MOOD for a funk dunk?
Want a taste of ace bass? Drop by
Rick's American Cafe tonight for the
return of the New York funband
Cosmetic, featuring star bassist
Jamaaladeen Tacuma.
Tacuma has digital dexterity vir-
tually unrivalled in bassdom, amply
supported by the versatile drumming of
Anthony McClary. Add guitar man
Timothy Murphy and you have in-
strumental music beyond coherent
words.
The group's last Ann Arbor ap-
pearance in March drew large audien-
ces and rave reviews. Daily critic C.E.
Krell described the cosmetic sound as:
"Funk funk funk funky bass - tootling
squonking - thumping plucking crash
beeep chink a ching guitar." Few
higher recommendations could be
made. d - Ben Ticho
Prn rSrlsRcrsand
t Not Returnable Thousadof Tite
J~A~C523 E. Lb
TaCuma
... furrows his bass brow