-0 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 11, 2001


'Ego' trips over old %0
(oo Goo mediocrity EG

ARTS

Controversy, rock
heat up OzzFest

(What I LearnedAbout) Ego, Opin-
ion,Art & Commerce, Goo Goo Dolls;
Warner Brothers
By Erik Johnson
Daily Arts Writer
Ok. I have never listened to any Goo
Goo Dolls albums in my life. By
choice. I only know them from the
MANY times I've heard their singles,
which I have never been very impressed
with. So I'll admit that I hl both a lack
of knowledge and an overabundance of
deep-seated bias going into my first
Goo album. Well, Ego, Opinion, Art &
Commerce isn't really an album. But-
it's not a live or (thank god) greatest
hits package either. Instead it's a disc
full of remastered/remixed songs from
the entire Goo catalogue (Only one
song, "Naked," was a single). And that
catalogue, judging from Ego, is not

really anything to celebrate.
With this one CD, the Goo Goo
Dolls have announced to the world that
they have finally honed their apathy-
causing skills. It's quite-a feat; their
sound has actually gotten more and
more bland with each new release. The
album follows a backward course,
starting with songs from 1998's Dizzy
Up the Girl, their most recent album,
and finishing with a track from their
1987 self-titled debut. The earlier
material is straight-forward pop punk,
and is, by definition, fairly catchy, if
not striking. The later stuff is the typi-
cal Goo Goo Dolls that various media
outlets have spewed at us. Usually,
about now, I'd go into some detail
about specific tracks, but as there
weren't any spectacularly good or
tremendously awful moments, there's
nothing to say.
Not having any previous Goo expo-

f .
Coutesy of WarnerBo*s.
sure to draw upon renders me unable to
identify what exactly they did to the
various songs on Ego, but I will say
this: I thought remastering/remixing
meant an attempt to improve upon or
change. What the hell did they do
here? It all sounds like the filler it like-
ly was the first time anybody heard it.
I'll give you that they are fairly
decent musicians, and Rzeznik does a
good job sounding sexy for the lay-
dees, but the songs on Ego are all for-
mulaic and predictable.
Ego does offer something neat for
die-hard fans in a special Internet key
to a secret Goo Goo Dolls site where
you can download rare videos and b-
sides, see unpublished photos, send
personalized Goo postcards and catch
up on the latest band news.
I do have to call attention, however,
to the fact that one area of the site
gives you the ability to look through
Ego's booklet and download songs
from the album. Seeing as you have to
buy the album to access the site, you
already have the songs and the booklet.
All in all, it looks like the Dolls are
attempting to cash in on loyal fans and
buy time until they get off their royal-
ty-laden asses to make a new record.
Grade: C-

By Sonya Sutheland
Daily Arts Writer
After years of pop at the top, rock is
starting to make its comeback. This past
weekend marked the launch of the 13th
annual OzzFest.
Complete with
three stages, carni-
val games, an
extreme pain side
Chicago show and over-
June 5, 2001 priced soda pop,
Ozzy and his
cohorts rocked the
sold out Chicago
show for 13 hours
of pure metal.
Already racking
up heavy protest-
ing from the American Family Associa-
tion and www.nomanson.org, the
summer tour opened with the Beautiful
Creatures up first and Ozzy on last, the
time in between filled with every top
brand of rock variety - from Linkin
Park to Papa Roach, Marilyn Manson to
Slipknot, Disturbed to Godhead.
OzzFest is known for its display of
up-and-coming bands, debuting Marilyn
Manson putting the shock back in rock,
then Slipknot pulling out all the stops
with its nine-man arsenal. This year's,
headliner of the Levi's Stage was God-
head. Pulling in the after-lunch crowd,
Godhead drew the masses to their set.
Bassist, The Method, said the band
wanted to "play the most rocking set we
can, so all the kids get something to
mosh to."
Despite the daytime slot, guitarist
Mike Miller said they were still able to
maintain a crowd. "We're not really a


day band, we're more into the lightin;
and the theatrics so it kinds takes a bi
away from the show" - the lesse
known name of the festival still main
tained a massive crowd of pierced
with spiked hair cramming to get clo,
and singing along with every word.
The buzz around OzzFest so
became who are these guys, and wh
haven't I seen them on MTV? With
video for their Beatles cover of "Eleane
Ribgy" due out mid-June, a piece Th
Method said "has taken our image
music and it's deviating from the obv
ous, making us stand out from unde
neath Manson's shadow not trying
make it look all creepy and ou ge
It has a point to it." Drummer Ja
O'Connor described it as "deep, just n
us playing live, it's really thought o
dense, emotional and incredible." Go
head is due to become a househo
name in the rocker world. Unfortunate
for Detroit, when OzzFest arrives
July, Godhead will not be playing,
they are touring with Rammstein.
But when Ozzy does arrive July
and 31 at the DTE Energy Theater,
festival is sure to rock in a fashion si
lar to Chicago. Set to play the ma
stage is Zack Wylde's Black Label So
ety, Crazytown, rock rappers Link
Park, Papa Roach, Slipknot, Maril
Manson and of course, Ozzy and Bla
Sabbath.
Despite the many protests and pe
tions to congress to prevent Mans
from playing, America's favorite sc
goat promises to bring the noise
Detroit, complete with American
nal opening music, crucifix of guns
an on-screen flash presentation of his
ry's favorite celebrities, including
not limited to JFK, Hitler, Jesus C
and Charles Manson. If Detroit is luc
Manson said he will include "a who
some Bible reading. "This way, fans
not only hear my so called 'viole
point of view, but we can also exami
the virtues of wonderful 'Christi
ries of disease, murder, adultery, s
and child sacrifice," he said.
Finally there is Ozzy, and despite
fact he isalmost 60, he and fellow b
mates still speed through an 80 min
set with the energy that made them
worldwide legends they are. Compl
with pyrotechnics, Ozzy's tradem
frog-leaps, cussing and reading glas
expect only the greatest from the
biting metal legend.
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