- ..
|IJRNTRA SEAON FINALE
The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
plays Mahler's "Symphony No. 4" this
rday at 8 p.m. at the Michigan
eater. Call 994-4801 for tickets.
ARTS
Wednesday
May 14, 1997 7
Myers thrives in smashing spoof
By Joshua Rich
Daily Arts Writer
Ever the master of the savvy spoof,
"Saturday Night Live" alumnus Mike
Myers has been reborn once again to sal-
vage his oft-moribund career. Straying
from his banal take on heavy metal dufus-
es, Myers plays a 1960s hipster secret
agent with terrible teeth and a bush of
chest hair that
would make Sean
Connery proud. R
Austin Powers, the Au
secret agent man in
question, is ajovial,
testosterone- At ri
charged Brit who,
like Myers himself,
causes even the most prudish to swoon
despite his goofy, often unseemly looks.
Powers is a character that Myers was
no doubt born to play, and pop cultural
aping abounds from the start. In the
opening title sequence, an homage to
the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night,'
Austin runs through the streets of
London, fleeing from a rampaging pack
of adoring teenage fans. His sidekick is
the ever-lovely Mimi Rogers in a stun-
ning Mod Squad getup; his car is a
James Bondian Aston Martin that is
psychedelically painted bumper to
Isl
ian
bumper with a Union Jack.
Ha ha.
We follow our secret agent friend on
his pursuit of the notorious Dr. Evil
(also played by Myers) who, in the tra-
dition of the ubiquitous Bond foe Ernst
Stavro Blofeld, escapes the clutches of
Her Majesty's secret service. In the
film's most ridiculous sequence, Dr.
Evil cryogenically
freezes himself in a
EVIEW Big Boy-shaped
tin Powers rocket ship that
blasts into orbit
** from Piccadilly
rwood and Showcase Circus. Austin him-
self is turned into a
popsicle to combat
the smarmy villain when they both thaw
out 30 years later.
Fast forward to 1997, then, and our
hero - a veritable Rip Van Winkle -
has been defrosted in a much-changed
world. Americans and Russians no
longer quarrel, and much to Austin's
chagrin, promiscuous sex is a thing of
the past. The film begs important ques-
tions like just how the hyper-horny old
bloke is supposed to survive, especially
when tested by supermodel partner
Elizabeth Hurley.
Despite its sporadic juvenile ploys -
substituting ripe melons for a woman's
behemoth bosoms is straight out of
Myers' idiotic Wayne and Garth "Party
on, dude!" mode-"Austin Powers" suc-
ceeds as both a strict James Bond satire
and lighthearted social commentary.
The fact is: Connery's James Bond
would not survive in the 1990s. (Pierce
Brosnan's Bond, one would note, is a
drastically altered character from his
"Thunderball" days.) Communism no
longer poses a threat to democracy, and
casual coitus is too risky. The result
makes both Bond and our current con-
dom-covered decade seem equally silly
and tragic; the world has no doubt sac-
rificed its carefree ways to protect itself
from repeating the unpleasant 1960s.
Still, screenwriter Myers has fun
with the Bond-out-of-water routine,
stocking the film full with savvy oint-
ed references to each of Connery's 007
flicks (look out for a repeat of
Goldfinger's corny "No, Mr. Bond, I
expect you to die!" bit). In the end, his
subtle jabs indicate just how absurd an
International Man of Mystery can be.
Not since Roger Moore took on the
Bond role has anyone so superbly sati-
rized Connery's master spy. And never
has Myers been so dead-on funny.
Smashing, baby!
No slacking: Pavement, Shudder to Think rock St. Andrew s
Philip Son
the Daily
In the never-ending debate over what
exactly "alternative" music is, the fin-
ger can point to college radio in helping
to offer music that mainstream radio
does not. However, with the recent suc-
cess of bands such as Sebadoh, the
debate will further be blurred by bands
that started through college radio and
then were playlisted among "alterna-
e" bands. Another example of this
end, Pavement, hit
St. Andrew's in sup-
port of its new
album, "Brighten
the Corners."
Together for
almost seven years
(with a couple of
line-up changes), Pavement has
released four full-length albums as well
as a slew of various seven-inch singles
dEPs. Transplanted from Southern
alifomia to New York City, the band
has been on a slow but steady path to
greater success and popularity.
"Brighten the Corners" has created
minor ripples on mainstream radio with
the singles "Stereo" and "Shady Lane."
Noted for its quirky pop sound and
singer Stephen Malkmus' free-associa-
tion lyrics, Pavement dipped into its
impressive catalog for Tuesday night's
Ww.
First, the opening act Shudder to
Think impressed the crowd with its
blend of hard rockers and slow ballads.
Playing a nellouwer' set,this foursome
r.
was in fine form as singer Craig
Wedren's vocal capabilities and gui-
tarist Nathan Larson's rock-star poses
helped entertain the crowd. The high-
light of the set was "The Saddest Day of
My Life,' as Wedren soulfully crooned
while strumming along on his acoustic
guitar: Other highlights included "Red
House" off the group's most recent
release, "50,000 BC," and "X-French
Tee Shirt, a Buzz Clip of yesteryear on
"Pony Express Record."
After Shudder to
Think finished its
E V I E W set, Pavement
Pavemnent arrived on stage
and immediately
Andrew's Hall started things off
May 6, 1997 with "In the Mouth
A Desert," off
1991's "Slanted and Enchanted."
Flanked by guitarist Steve Kannberg
(aka Spiral Stairs) and singer/guitarist
Stephen Malkmus, bassist Mark Ibold
stood front and center as drummer
Steven West and percussionist Bob
Nastanovich (aka Bobby N.) played
behind him. They next performed
"Embassy Row," featured on "Brighten
the Corners," and this particular song
sounded much thicker and chunkier live.
Dressed in khakis, a button-down
shirt and basketball sneakers, Malkmus
looked like the perfect slacker figure-
head as he effortlessly took control of
vocals and lead guitar in the next song,
the excellent "Zurich is Stained" The
boys emphasized most of the new
album,, but managedtota slip in- fan
favorites such as "Stop Breathin,"' off
"Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain." At
times, guitarist Scott Kannberg took the
microphone to relieve Malkmus by per-
forming two songs including "Date
with IKEA."
Everything seemed to be in order
until the band performed its most recent
hit, "Stereo." With Bobby N's animated
backing vocals, a few of the sold-out
audience started to crowd surf and
mush. The band seemed to ignore this
as Malkmus would step away when the
crowd hurled a flying body onto the
stage. Malkmus and Bobby N. were the
focal points of the show. As Malkmus
sang in a spoken word manner like The
Fall's Mark E. Smith, Bobby N. com-
plemented him by ranting in the back-
ground, creating weird noises with his
Moog synthesizer, and ably enhancing
the capable drumming ability of the hir-
sute Steven West.
The minor disturbances of the crowd
were elevated to another level with the
final song. "Conduit for Sale" show-
cased Bobby N. at the forefront as he
belted out the lines, "I'm trying / I'm
trying / I'm trying!" as the crowd
surfers were helped off the stage by
Pavement's guitar technician. Again,
the band seemed to ignore these inci-
dents; they were more interested in
playing their instruments. With the
exception of the occasionally rowdy
crowd, Pavement put on a fine perfor-
mance and played together as a tight
unit, showing that the band deserves
.more attentionl. s t'-.'