6 - The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly - Wednesday, June 1 9 0 ,1992 S I 'Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful O T objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art.' - Tom Stoppard Still smashing, 'Kins are set to do by Scott Sterling Storming out of Chicago with their vicious psychedelic softcore debut al- bum gish,1991 was definitely the year of the Pumpkin. Veering precariously between the slash and burn guitar rush ofsongslike "Tristessa,"and the fuzzy, surreal atmospherics of "Rhinoceros," gish grooved like a '90s Zeppelin for the Lollapalooza generation. Narrated fromtheloftyperchofsinger/songwriter Billy Corgan's gorgeously twisted psyche, the record effortlessly flew out of the stores and into countless alternateen hearts. But here's where showtime really begins. Savoring the precious time af- ter an exhilarating (as well as exhaust- ing) tour with Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Pumpkins are currently drawing up plans for their encorepresentation. The first step is to road test the new batch of songs on the road. "It's not a real tour, so to speak," says guitarist James Iha from his Chi- cago apartment. "We're only playing five shows, to see how the new songs sound live. We'll play some old songs, but the shows are going to be at least it again aboutit too much, or I get sick. We did it for better distribution and stuff," Iha explains. Before going into an as-yet-unde- termined studio with whizkid producer Butch Vig, the Pumpkins will be traips- ing through Europe playing festivals, most notably the massive Reading fes- tival in England. There's also a track ("Drown") on the upcoming Cameron Crowe-directed Seattle a go-goSingles soundtrack. The 'Kins have also found other ways to keep themselves busy, like a secretgigatChicago'sintimateLounge Ax bar("We were billed as the Turnips ... It went really well.") And most interestingly, some dates opening for Guns 'N' Roses. "In Oklahoma, it started out pretty good, until after the second song. I said to the audience, 'We'd like to dedicate our set to Satan, and all of his followers around theworld,' and fromthereit was alldownhill.That's whenthe boosstart- ing coming. I loved it." THE SMASHING PUMPKINS will be playing at St. Andrews Hall this Friday nni1 Rontrdnv Rnothchnwme nrp .enfd nt 01 The Smashing Pumpkins: (from left) Drummer extraordinaire Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist/comedian James Iha, vocalist/boy genius Billy Corgan, and bassist/love goddess D'arcy. Ain't life grand? half to three quarters new stuff." Anew factorintheupdated-for-the- "James Iha Revue" solo project, "I still And despite the massive success of '90s Smashing Pumpkins equation is mightdoan album with Ry Cooder,"he their debut, the Pumpkins aren't look- moremusicalcontribution fromtherest deadpans. ing to just assemble a "Son of" gish of the band. And then there's the Major Label follow-up. "Billy's still the main contributor," thing. Like many underground heroes 'That would be kinda retro ... The Iha says. "I've been writing songs for beforethem, the Pumpkins are stepping new songs don't really sound like any- the band, but I always fail to hit that into the ring with the big boys, inking a thing on gish. They're a step forward, 'Pumpkins' sound. If they end up in the deal with Virgin Records. like a new spring day, with all the band, cool, if they don't, then it's for "We don't know what the hell's butterflies, cockroaches, and the leaves me." gonna happen. The major label thing decaying ontheground,"Ihasayswryly. While there are no plans for the always grosses me out, so I can't talk A blind photographer and an Edwardian fix New films from Australia and Forster arrive Proof muchonehas totrustotherstodescribe dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse what is going on around him. Martin's Proof s premise sounds odd: Mar- difficult childhood has put him in this tin (Hugo Weaving) is a blind amateur position, and Andy tests the strength of photographer,withahousekeeper,Celia Martin'saffectionatetrustforhim,forc- (Genevieve Picot), who's sexually ob- ing Martin to grow beyond it. Again sessed with him, and a normal friend, like Harold and Maude, the film is Andy(RussellCrowe),hegetstoknow funny too. Though writer/director over the course of the film. The key to Jocelyn Moorhouse gives Proof a the beauty of this movie is Martin's slightly feel-good ending, the power of motives as a photographer -he takes the script and the brilliance of all the snapshotsofthingsaroundhimas proof performances makes Proof worth see- of the truth that his eyes cannot see for ing. Proofis showing at the Ann Arbor him - and as an employer - he has 1 &2. power over Celia because she wants -Annette Petruso him, therefore she cannot pity him. Like the touching message in Harold Where Angels and Maude, Proofstirssomething deep Fear to Tread inside the viewer. This Australian pro- duction gives insight into how a blind dir. Charles Sturridge person perceives his world, especially If you're expecting this adaptation the basic difficulties in physically get- of E.M. Forster's first novel Where ting around, butmore profoundlyhow Angels Fear to Tread to be the light CAMPUS APARTMENTS-FALL 1992 Efficiencies Studios 1.2.3 Bedroom Apts. \/arious Locations and Amenities 8 and 12 Month Leases Furnished + Unfurnished Apartments Available Listings available at U-M Off-Campus Housing or Call: WILSON WHITE CO. INC. 995-9200 Mon-Fri 8:30-5 Sat 9-2 EHO Philip Herriton (Rupert Graves) meets Gino Carella (Giovanni Guidelli) as his sister-in-law Lilia Herriton(Helen Mirren) grins and CarolineAbbott (Helen Bonham Carter) watches warily from the background. comedy of manners that Room With a View was, you might leave the theater very bored.Angels'beauty comes from its texture,its absurdly funny moments, its darker social statement on middle class British snootiness and explora- tion of personal (and cross-cultural) motivation. The film even looks rather dim,exceptintheoutdoorshots in Italy. Perhapsthiskindoflightingisasymbol for some greater despair on the part of the British. Angels'plotcentersaroundthegrim rlerritonfamily: the bossy mother(Bar- bara Jefford), her similarly authoritar- ian daughter Harriet (Judy Davis), her submitting lawyer son Philip (Rupert Graves), and her browbeaten daughter- in-law Lilia(Helen Mirren). Philip rec- ommends that the widowed Lilia go to Italy to travel and fall in love with the country (and escape the oppressive Herriton household) as he once did. With the vicar's daughter, Caroline Abbott(Helena Bonham Carter) serv- ing as chaperone, Lilia ends up falling in love with a much younger Italian, Gino Carella(GiovanniGuidelli),mar- rying him, staying in Italy, and bearing his child. The rest of the film then centers on the tragedies that beset Lilia and her Italian baby,how they are dealt with by her British relations and how Italy, Miss Abbott, and Philip change each other. This throughly enjoyable adapta- tion of Angels was directed and pro- duced by the team of Charles Sturridge and Derek Granger, respectively, who also created adaptations of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited and Handful of Dust. As they did in the Waugh series and film, Sturridge and Granger carefully outlay inspirits for See ANGELS, Page 12 01