The Michigan Daily - Sunday, August 5, 1984 -Page 11
Lost and Found
Lead singer Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons turned out her unique high- of the band played a solid two hour set that left the crowd, made up of
pitched vocals Friday night at the Michigan Theatre. Bozzio and the rest faithful and curious alike, quite satisfied.
Silent film festival brings back old classics
By Richard Campbell
NOT ONLY does Ann Arbor boast one of the best
selections of new and old movies in the nation,
but thanks to the efforts of the Ann Arbor Silent Film
Society, that selection is not limited to movies with
synchronized sound.
This afternoon at Weber's Inn, the AASFS will
present three flicks from the silent era of Hollywood.
The Strong Man, made in 1926, stars Harry
Langdon and is directed by Frank Capra. Capra later
went on to make such sentimental American classics
as It's a Wonderful Life, Meet John Doe. and Mr.
Records-
The Go-Go's - Talk Show All of thi
(. R. Sfor my op
' * dsingle, "T
Over the last year, the Go-Go's have track fron
more than enough conversation fuel for Rhythm
a talk show. After lead guitarist Caffey wri
Charlotte Caffey had wrist problems the overra
and drummer Gina Schock had heart sure, but
surgery, the Go-Go's album Talk Show Also, voca
will knock you head over heels. this one h
Clever of me, eh? The first single singing
"Head Over Heels" opens with a poun- provemen
ding piano supplied by Caffey and a "Beneal
nice solid bass from Kathy Valentine. anti-nuke s
Add mature lyrics and those flawless "Forget T
harmonies, this song blows away any hearbreak
. doubts about this band, plagued by, uh, extremely
an image (thanks to various album and of the def
magazine covers). But if you can't look The bass
past image, you probably like Lover- the latter,
boy. personal
Smith Goes to Washington. The Strong Man will
probably not demonstrate the same Capra-corn style,
that should still show the director's flair for capturing
characters on film even without the help of dialogue.
Buster Keaton directed and starred in the second
feature, Seven Chances, made in 1925. Keaton was
one of the kings of silent comedy, relying on technical
tricks and mechanical effects for much of his visual
humor. With his deadpan acting, Keaton managed to
make you feel sympathy for his characters one
minute and yet not be surprised by his seemingly
impossible stunts the next.
The last film on today's bill is a 1929 short starring
Laurel & Hardy, Bacon Grabbers. Even the duo's
later sound films leaned toward the silent comedy of
their early years, so this short should provide few
surprises, but many laughs.
Today's show is the first part of a two-part series
which will conclude on August 22 with screenings of
For Heaven's Sake, Beauty and the Bus, and the
Charlie Chaplin 1931 classic, City Lights.
Both shows are at Weber's Inn, 3050 Jackson Rd.,
and start at 3 p.m. Tickets are $2. Call 761-8286 or 665-
3636 for more details.
is overkill should prepare you
inion of the second cut and
Turn to You", my favorite
mm a bunch of good ones,
guitarist Jane Wiedlin and
ite a song equal to that of, say
ated Sting. It's not complex,
it ain't pretentious, either.
alist Belinda Carlisle makes
her own at song's end. Her
shows an impressive im-
t from their earlier LPs.
th the Blue Sky" (an actual
ong that's not obnoxious) and
'hat Day" (one of the better
songs you'll hear) both have
tasteful guitar, reminiscent
t touch of George Harrison.
work is again top-notch, and
written by Wiedlin, is truly
song far from "We Got the
Beat".
I had wondered how far they had
come from that early single, especially
with regard to sound. When I found out
that Martin Rushent was producing the
LP, I worried it'd be too far. Rushent
never earned points in my book for
predicting the demise of the guitar, and
I like drum machines as much as scrat-
ching my Stratocaster. After sweating
through the intro of the good "You
Thought", I wanted to hear rockier
numbers, especially with Schock hit-
ting live skins and her Paiste cymbals
hard The second side's opener "I'm
the Only One" doesn't disappoint, a
rocker with solid drumming,
reminiscent of the snap of the Jam's
Rick Buckler or Robert Crenshaw's
work for his brother Marshall.
Wiedlin co-wrote "Yes or No" with
the Mael brothers of Sparks. Remem-
bering how her vocals made Sparks'
"Cool Places" listenable, I'd say to
credit Jane with the best parts of this
and to nix the whole idea of Sparks
generally. Schock and Wiedlin
collaborated on "I'm With You" with a
melodic lift (listen to "our love goes on
and on", you cynics) that takes this one
home. Folkish guitar over military tap-
ping starts "Mercenary", ending the
album. Although "life's rushing by /
like an old movie backdrop", Talk Show
doesn't dawdle either, certainly not the
bland stuff of Merv Griffin or ordinary
Top 40 radio, either, but you should've
expected it from women cool enough to
call their music companies "Daddy-Oh
Music" and "Ya Hoo Daddy Tunes".
Ya hoo, daddykins.
- Steven Kaminski