BOOKS
The Michigan Daily - Friday, May 30, 1986-- Page 9
Desertromance
The Book of Nods
Jim Carroll
172 pages
Penguin Books
$7.95
Before entering the world of Jim
Carroll's poetry, it is critical to leave
one thing - expectation - behind.
Following on the trail of the French
symbolists, Carroll evidently shares
Rimbaud's belief that "the poet
makes himself a seer by a long, im-
mense, and reasoned derangement of
all the senses." The Book of Nods
speaks for this modernist view which
defies rationality in poetry. However,
as the very nature of language ren-
ders this stance problematic, so
Carroll often falls prey to the confines
of his own poetic vision.
In the first section, with prose
poems entitled everything from
"Guitar Voodoo" to "One Hundred
Years of Boredom," Carroll exposes
a surrealistic world where the
imaginings of the narrators and ex-
ternal reality are fused.
At times, when Carroll maintains
this delicate balance between dream-
like, evocative expression and direct
narrative, the poems work well. In
"Confederate Lake," Carroll wonder-
fully captures a girl's memory of a
childhood game:
They swung from the slope with a
running start, swallowing deep the
danger of such still summer air.
Out they flew to the peak, more
and more breathless, hanging then
in that moment of
timelessness . ..
However, the stylistics of these
poems often becomes unwieldly. [The
reader has little chance to identify
with many of these characters, for the
poet speaks louder, in a voice which
only affirms their artificiality.] No
one knows none of them could
ever know, the narrator of "Lenses"
proclaims. Indeed, there lies the crux
of Carroll's problem. How can a belief
in the absolute subjectivity of th
imagination be resolved with the nee
to engage thereader? B Kurt Serbus
Although the collection offers no
real solutions to this paradox, it does
suggest an alternative stance. In th TN Desert Hearts, slightly uptight
last section, comprised of much sho English professor, Helen Shaver,
ter, often more traditionally lyrica decides to spend a summer at a quiet
poems, Carroll is, ironically, at his ranch out West to get her head
best. Perhaps these tightly-wrought together while the final curtain goes
poems benefit from length and line down on her twelve year marriage.
restrictions. It's like a poem, a There she meets Patricia Charbon-
character says of cramped living neau as a rowdy, tough-but-tender
quarters, The smaller the room/ young lesbian, and pow! - instant
The neater it must be/ Once you're spark. Inevitably, most of the movie
done with it. deals with the problems and the
But, despite some shining momen- moral and social dilemmas (it's set in
ts, the book, overall, is less than cap- 1959) unique to homosexual love.
tivating. Undoubtedly, it presents a However, when the two women finally
highly unique perspective on familiar cut through all the crap, their
themes-love, death, survival, desire relationship is as tender and romantic
- and raises crucial questions on the as Bogart and Bacall, Hepburn and
nature of poetry itself. However, as Tracy, or you-name-it.
potentially interesting as ideas may Desert Hearts isn't a perfect film,
be, an audience must first be en- the major flaw being the dialogue. It
couraged to listen. tends to be witty and realistic for long
stretches, and then, without warning,
-Sue Misencik kicks out some totally contrived
clunker of a line. On the whole,
however, director Donna Deitch
works wonders with her $1.5 million
budget, turning outa movie that is as
slick-looking on the surface as it is
substantial underneath, The focus is
not on homosexuality, but love, and
the aura of emanating from Desert
Hearts is one of warmth. The western
setting here is a place of true frien-
dship and hidden romance, rather
than the barren, aleinating landscape
that Sam Shepard is quickly turning
into a cliche. Deitch gets a lot of help
on this end from the sympathetic en-
semble acting of the cast, comprised
mostly of unknowns (for now), with a
few very good character actors
thrown in. Audra Lindley-yes,
Audra "Mrs. Roper" Lindley-shows
a surprising range, playing Barbara
Stanwyck playing the owner of the
ranch.
If you're looking for a light, roman-
tic love story-and you've already
seen A Room With A View-Desert
Hearts is worth checking out.
Records
Kathleen Battle and
Christopher Parkening -
Pleasures of Their Company
(Angel)
Since her debut at the Met in 1977 as
the Shepherd in Tannhauser,
Kathleen Battle has become
reknowned as a lyric coloratura
soprano. Thus the new Angel release,
Pleasures of Their Company, which
Battle recorded with classical guitar
virtuoso Christopher Parkening, is a
treat among vocal recordings today.
Against the impeccable playing of
Parkening, Battle's voice is given its
best showcase in an album of songs
spanning five centuries and four
languages.
The album opens with three songs
of John Dowland, the Renaissance
composer/lutenist, transcribed for
guitar by Patrick Russ. Parkening's
own transcriptions for the guitar of
traditional lute pieces separate the
songs. Most lovely is his "Allemande"
which, under his skill, sounds as if it
had been originally written for the
guitar. "Come Again! Sweet Love
Doth Now Invite" recounts the
emotions of love with the refrain To
see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to
die/With thee again in sweetest
sympathy. Battle's subtle inflections
and heartfelt emotions bring to life
the world that Dowland wrote about. some of the finest examples of this
Perhaps the most beautiful piece on most simple, yet most beautiful blend
the album is Back/Gounod's enchan- of instruments and can only add to the
ting "Ave Maria." With Parkening's great reputations of two of America's
guitar providing the delicate and best performers in this field.
yearning background, Battle's voice --Noelle Brower
becomes a sublime instrument wor-
thy of deification. This has to be the
most beautiful recording of this Political Silence - Political
traditional song that I have ever heard. Silence (cassette)
Its pure beauty lies in its gentle sim-
plicity, and it alone makes the album This foursome comes from Flint,
worthwhile. MI's fertile hardcore scene, a regular
Battle's aria from "Bachianas stopover for many of the genre's
Brasilelras" is sorrowful yet leading lights, including the Butthole
evocative of the beauty she yearns Surfers and 7 Seconds. Living up to
for. Translation is not necessary to their name, Political Silence rant and
see the pictures she describes; Bat- rave about numerous topical issues,
tie's voice is description enough. running the gamut from such familiar
Side two opens with a series of * .. .* * *
twentieth century Brazilian folk
songs. Especially beautiful of this sec- j
tion is Jayme Ovalle's "Azulao" *f
("Blue Bird").
The last selection of songs are black MCDonald's
spirituals. The first, Hall Johnson's * n
"Ain't Got Time To Die," is an upbeat
avowel of one's faith, Lord, Ikeep so.
busy praising my Jesus, /....ain't
got no time to die. Battle's voice '
evokes a lost era in American history
with her renditions of these beautiful U
hymns.
The combination of guitar and voice
has a long history together and has
spanned many genres. The songs on
Pleasures of Their Company offer ' U
hardcore complaints as our corrupt seless violence, and our impending
society, multi-death corporations, the path towards nuclear destruction. Not
stupidity of white supremacism, the enough? The band also tackles
military-industrial complex, sen- See RECORDS, Page 10
GRAND OPENING
of our 2nd location
715 N. University, Ann Arbor (lower level, Hamilton Square)
(% block west of Hill Auditorium) Phone 662-0886
GE -R'S-Men's and Women's clothing,
shoes, men's designer suits,
- women's designer purses, fine
gym equipment, lamps, clocks,
vacuum cleaners, watches and
much more! SAVE UP TO 90%
OFF original prices.
We carry Guess, Calvin Klein,
BARGAIN Anne Klein, Pierre Cardin,
Gucci, Carrera, Reeboks.
r-----------COUPON----------
I EXTRA 10% DISCOUNT off our already
low bargain prices with this coupon.
Coupon expires June 15, 1986
Also Grand Opening of College Cleaners
Professional Dry Cleaning
OL LEGE at its best
CU ER All Cleaning done at our
most modern facilities
& .A UNDRYII
10% Discount for UM Students and Faculty
(Not including Specials or loundry)
* 715 N. University, Ann Arbor (in Hamilton Square) 662-1906
* 1490 Washtenaw, Ypsilanti (corner of Mansfield) 482-6448
m
9..e........o.COUPON *@Os0@00N0N f
sm tces. od hog //600 O F F" " thtisetiead$.00-fJn
- - ------------
-
.................................- - -
I
DESERT TILG ROOM WITH
HEARTS sHOWS A VIEW
L.Call for show times.
GRAND OPENING SPECIAL
PANTS OR SLACKS
PROFESSIONALLY DRY CLEANED
Otter expires June 6, 1986 '$ 1Regular
7rt y$2.8
sw a J