8-The Mdcgan DaySufmmerWeeWy-Wednesday, June2,1993
o man QU E 'The good thing about writing fiction is that you can get back at people. I've
OF THE gotten back at lawyers, prosecutors, judges, law professors and politicians.
I just line 'em up and shoot 'em.
-Jhn Crsham

Smith as Suede

By SCOTT STERLING
Stop me (oh oh oh) stop me if
you've heard this one before. Because
unless you'vebeenhidingunderapretty
big rock (or wisely avoided bloated
and self-importantBritish rock press),
you're more than familiar with the
Suede opus. Easily the most hyped act
from across the Atlantic since
Morrissey and the Smiths first tossed
daisies to adoring fans (and salivating
critics) in 1984, the Suede heads are
poisedtobe(dramaticpause)TheNext
Big Brit Thing, At least for this week.
Championed as the (a)sexually
charged pioneers of a 1990's pretty
boy glam-rock revival, Suede invokes
not-so-subtle images of "Ziggy
Stardust"-era Bowie, T-Rex's space
cowboy Marc Bolan and o1' misery
guts himself, Morrissey. Suede is led
by dazzlingly fey vocalist/face Brett
Anderson, who positively undulates
with a desperate and angelic swagger.
Peering self-consciously from behind
acurtainoflank, greasylocks,allpouty
lips and impossibly thin hips,
Anderson's Superfly-meets-Oscar

Wildepersonademandsattention.And
as annoying as it can get, when he
drops lines like, "I was born as a
pantomimehorse,ugly as the sun when
he falls to the floor," with a sly grin
you can't help but give him a break.
But where so many indie U.K
tribes fall far short of the hype, Suede
appears tohave the mettle to pull itoff
even in the jaded land of giant-killers
America. On their self-titled debut
Suededelivershypersexualandrogyny
andmelodramaticdandyismwithease
Powered by Anderson's campy,exag
gerated croon and Bernard Butler'
shamelessMickRonsonposesongui
tar, "Suede" is the most fun Brit roc
has had since the Smiths parted ways
And while it's the high-powere
pomp of singles like "Metal Mickey'
that get thekids alllathered up, it's or
the delicate ballads that Suede reall
lays it all down. On songs such a
"She's Not Dead" and "Pantomim
Horse,"Anderson'svoicesoars with
cracked vulnerability, while the ban(
grinds it out with a sensual swagger.
So while it appears that these pal


BOOKS

Walking on Alligators
by Susan Shaughnessy
Harper Collins
By OLIVER CIANCOLA
If you are an aspiring or profes-
sional writer, novelist Susan
Shaughnessy's "Walking on Alliga-
tors: A Book of Meditations for Writ-
ers"mayhelpyouovercomethealliga-

tor-likeobstacles that inhibit your cre
ativity.
This 200-page, $10 book offer
advice for all full-time writers who
fndthemselvesstruggling through tha
"buckling down" process which pro
ceeds writing.
"Walking" is not a "how-to" a
"self-help" book for improving writ
ing style - although it can help on

Sliver'
By COLLEEN OLLE
d " Pssst. Hey, you. Yeah, you with the
e 'spare time and the six bucks to squan-
a der.Ihear you love lounging in the sun,
but that you're looking for another way
,
. Sliver
e -4 Directed by Phillip Noyce; written by
,JoeEszterhas; with Sharon Stone,
William Baldwin and Tom Berenger.
y tokickback,relax andnod off. I've got
just the trick - a sleazy soporific that
requires two hours of your time, but
s y " takes effect after only half an hour. Just
-_ takeadrivetoyourlocaltheaterandsee
k "Sliver."It's based on this psychologi-
These pretty Brits are none other than Suede. The new Smiths? cal thriller, a New York Times best-
d little dreamboats have it all, only time cards right, they could rule the world. seller by Ira Levin, author of
" will tell if they're the real deal or just If not, it's back to the drawing board "Rosemary's Baby."
n another band of pretenders to a dusty and "Do you remember ...?" infamy. SharonStone,fiendishfemme fatale
y and long-vacant throne. With grnge Much like the Happy Mondays. Or of "BasicInstinct,"plays Carly Norris,
s on the way out, and hip hop's incendi- Lush.Or Carter The Unstoppable Sex a 30-something editor who moves into
e ary aggression being defanged andused Machine. Or Blur. Or ... a Manhattan sliver building. William
a to sellhamburgers and gym shoes, dis- SUEDE will have 'em screaming at Baldwin co-stars as Zeke Hawkins,
d affected (sub)urban youth are desper- St. Andrews Hall in Detroit this Carly's 25-year-old seducer, who
ate for something "new," no matter Sunday, June 6th. Doors are at 8:00 watches her and every other tenant's
e how olditreally is.If Suede plays their p.m.. Call 961-MELTfor more info. every move.
Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Al-
most too intriguing to take a catnap?
Don't worry.
- become a better writer. "Walking" is alows you to read, consider and apply If you've read the novel, Levin's
best described as a"spiritualguide"to Shaughnessy's ideas on a day-by-day intelligent, ambitious and sensitive fe-
s the writing process. The foundation of basis. maleprotagonist will undoubtedly win
o Shaughnessy's philosophy is "write Shaughnessy uses this format to yourapproval.Herdeceitfu,butcharm-
t today."Thisis "the only way to write," tackle the issues that most concern ing boyfriend might persuade you, too,
- according to Shaughnessy. writers(especially beginning writers). to peep into other people's lives.
The book's format reflects this A page on originality begins with a The elaborate, high-tech system of
r belief. Each page of this "daily con- quotation from John Updike: "The cameras tharecordseverysliveroflife
- panion"begins with aninsightfulquo- author is not only himself but his pre- will fascinate you, while the dialogue
e tation from a person like Sophocles, decessors..."Shaughnessy adds:"Itis between the main chamcters will en-
Virginia Woolf or Robin Williams, possible to place too high a premium coumage you to ponder further the ethi-
among others. on originality ... the most important cal questions Levin raises in his book
Shaughnessy then expands on this stories are universal in nature. The (e.g. is watching people really an inva-
quotation with her own thoughts in a truths the heart responds to are not sion of privacy if they don't know
short (250 word) essay. She summa- new. They can never be new." you're watching?)If youread"Sliver,"
rizes the page's theme with a few She summarizes in the reader's your eyes will remain riveted wide-
sentences at the bottom. This format See AWaAToRs, PAGE 9 open up to the last page.
Fortunately, for allyouennui-seek-
ers, "Sliver" on screen scarcely re-
E A AY Asembles the novel. Screenwriter Joe
Esztehas, producer Robert Evans and
director Phillip Noyce transform
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