ARTS
The Michigan Daily Monday, February 4,199
Jokers bring serious warnings
Page 5
by Greg Baise
More like righteous harbingers of
doom than Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse, Killing Joke produces
desolate, often violent, always in-
tense music with messages that
stand like Paradise Lost when com-
pared to the Cliff Notes readings of
such bastard heirs/exploiters of the
Killing Joke legacy like Nitzer Ebb
and Metallica.
Tonight marks the second time in
less than a year that the British band
Killing Joke has played in the
southeast Michigan area. Things
were looking rather apocalyptic for
drummer Martin Atkins at the last
show, which was in Detroit last
September. Atkins had to be briefly
hospitalized after he succumbed to
the noxious fumes of the band's
faulty voltage transformer. The
transformer combusted under the raw
power of Killing Joke's perfor-
mance, and the band perservered until
Atkins realized he couldn't play any
more. The show was cut short as
Atkins was rushed to the hospital.
Hopefully., Killing Joke will
make up for their lost time by pro-
"Bloodsport" and "Wardance" that
Killing Joke forged the basic sounds
of their guitar onslaughts, a sound-
scape that encroaches on the listener
like a tidal wave of all the angst that
will clean off the slate of civilization
and prepare the way for the opening
of the seventh seal. Vocalist Jaz
Coleman infiltrates this maelstrom
with screamings and chants from his
personal Book of Revelations. He
occasionally adds some keyboards as
well, as on the early hit "Follow the
Leaders" (which, as the Killing Joke
press biography notes, became one
of many "worldwide anthems" cre-
ated by Killing Joke).
Their new album, Extremities,
Dirt and Various Repressed Emo-
tions, finds Coleman, Atkins, and
guitarist Geordie joined with Paul
Raven, who was the original bassist
in the group. Now Killing Joke is
on the Noise label, where they are
featured as the only legendary inter-
national postpunk band on the la-
bel's primarily metal roster. This
makes perfect sense, as labelmates
like Celtic Frost and Coroner proba-
bly get as much musical inspiration
See JOKE, Page 7
The University of
Michigan Songbook
edited by Rosalie Edwards
published privately by Rosalie
Edwards/ hardcover
Some of us will be University
alumni in a matter of months. Grad-
uates will leave Ann Arbor with
memories and nostalgia, remember-
ing football games, nights at the
bar, parties... and even classes. One
of the best ways to encapsulate four
years of University spirit is in
Michigan songs. With thenew Uni-
versity of Michigan Son gbook,
graduates can take the University's
beloved songs away with them.
The Songbook, whose profits
will help to fund the University
School of Music Spholarship Fund,
is introduced by former U.S. Presi-
dent Gerald Ford as "cover(ing) the
spectrum of our school's treasured
music." It contains stirring themes,
such as the academic pride found in
"Yellow and Blue" (that's the alma
mater, to those of you who didn't
know). Songs such as "Varsity" and
the "The Victors" celebrate the
University's famous emphasis on
athletics (that's football, to those of
you who didn't know).
The Songbook is attractive, with
a centerspread of color photographs.
An added bonus is the collection of
fight songs from other universities,
such as Indiana, Iowa, and Notre
Dame. This gives the reader the op-
portunity to compare fight songs.
According to Rosalie Edwards, the
book's creator, composer John
Phillip Sousa said that "The Vic-
tor's" is the best fight song ever
written.
While the book is dominated by
tunes celebrating men, football, and
drinking, it also includes "Women of
Michigan" and an arrangement for
female voices of "Varsity." The col-
lection contains lyrical beauty in
"The University" by Bill Schu-
macher, as well as the rollicking
rhythm of "The Friar's Song':
"Drink! Drink!... Our own brother-
hood, so carefree and good..." The
songs can be seen as fun and inspira-
tidnal; they can represent either nos-
talgic loyalty to a great institution
or sexist traditions that one might
want changed.
- Elizabeth Lenhard
Martin Atkins (second from left) has drummed with Public Image
Limited, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails as well as engaging in a more
dangerous career with Killing Joke.
viding an excruciatingly long incen-
diary show here in Ann Arbor,
which, after all, is the raw power
center of North America. Hopefully,
nobody will have to be hospitalized,
either. (By the way, Atkins is
healthy, although he fell into a re-
lapse of bad luck two days after the
last Detroit show when he injured
himself with a drum stick during a
video shoot in Chicago.)
11 years ago Killing Joke re-
leased their eponymous debut on the
Editions EG label, home of other vi-
sionaries like Brian Eno and Robert
Fripp. It was in songs like
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And you
thought all
Java did was
coffee
With the scent of incense and the
presentation of blessings and
prayers, Trustho, visiting scholar
and the artistic director of the Uni-
versity Gamelan, opened his perfor-
mancein the Rackham Lecture Hall
Saturday evening. A gamelan is a
bamboo xylophone as well as, more
generally, a term for a Javanese form
of music involving gongs and other
percussion instrume.
The opening piece As a proces-
sional that combined Western trum-
pets and field drums with the tradi-
tional Javanese gamelan, even
though the Westerners oppressed the
Javanese during colonization. The
combination of Western instrumen-
tation with Javanese music created
tone qualities that were harsh at
times, but contributed usefully to a
colorful collage of sound. Ornately-
costumed dancers then approached
the stage with their offerings and
blessed the gamelan. The music Was
slow, stately, and very formal. It
evoked a sense of mystery and a cu-
riosity for what would follow.
The piece "Rising Sounds" had a
very complex melodic structure. The
melody itself was played on a single
metalaphone, a keyed instrument
similar to the xylophone, while
other instruments contemporane-
ously elaborated on the theme. The
importance of the drummer in lead-
ing the gamelan was demonstrated
by initiating a sudden change in
tempo midway through the piece.
Trustho, a famous Indonesian
performer, made his own contribu-
tion to the gamelan by producing a
composition entitled "Hope." There
were many ways in which Trustho
evoked emotions. The inclusion of a
flute, violin, and clarinet represented
the union and friendship of Indone-
sian and American cultures. The use
of gongs to imitate the bells of Bur-
ton Tower's carillon, where the
group rehearses, was a tribute to
their University home.
Gamelan music is still viewed as
mysterious and is misunderstood by
many. Saturday's performance, how-
ever, was an excellent opportunity
for both the experienced and the in-
experienced to gain a better under-
standing of this genre. Extensive and
well-written program notes were
easy to understand and explained
many of the important customs and
characteristics associated with game-
lans. The performance itself was
very organized and the music was
executed with precision. According
to Trustho, he hopes that the game-
lan will continue to work hard and
progress - and it appears that he
has succeeded.
- Matthew Gutherie
From Moscow
with love
"On that Big Land everyone has
that street that's dear to them," said
the character David Schwartz
(Aleksandr Marin) in the play My
Big Land. The theme of the discov-
ery of the importance of homeland
established the mood of Alexander
Galich's touching Soviet play. Oleg
Tabakov's Moscow Theater Studio
performed the emotionally moving
tragedy this past Friday at the
Michigan Theater, and Alexander Bu-
ravsky's black comedy, The Teacher
of Russian, on Saturday evening.
The emotionally moving My Big
Land profoundly traced the lives of
Abraham Schwartz, a warehouse ad-
ministrator, and his son David, a vi-
olin prodigy. The presentation of the
Russian-Jewish drama immediately
captivated its audience, luring them
into the devastating world of
Moscow during the 1940s. The
Teacher of Russian, a contemporary
tragic comedy, provided a light and
witty contrast to My Big Land until
the final scene, a powerful comment
on modern day Soviet life and gov-
ernment. Together the two perfor-
mances provided a weekend of satire
and adult humor, of sufferance and
sensitivity.
Vladimir Mashkov acted in both
dramas, portraying a drunken, de-
pressed Jewish father in My Big
Land and a corrupt and scheming
doctor in The Teacher of Russian.
Mashkov's performances were in-
credibly truthful and believable, es-
pecially in the tragedy. The most
moving scene was at the conclusion
of My Big Land, when he desper-
ately explained his wish to provide
for his prodigal son.
Aleksandr Marin, in his portrayal
of David, was emotionally persuad-
ing and had a passionate solemnity
that was pleasurable to watch. De-
spite the seriousness of the play's
subject matter, the audience, because
of some humorous quips, could re-
late to the struggles of his character.
In the comedy, the actor portrayed
Tolya, an amusing young tourist
who gives in to having his legs bro-
ken to make falsified medical charts
accurate.
The 80-year-old actress Maria Mi-
ranova was the highlight of the cast
in The Teacher of Russian. Her old
character, who is referred to as
"Grandma," was hysterically funny
as she discussed sex and AIDS. Her
explanation of waiting on "a unified
and collective condom line with in-
dividuals with the same purpose"
was extremely comical. Her por-
trayal of a government spy remarked
on the irony and absurdity of Soviet
politics.
In My Big Land , the effective
lighting created shadows that further
added to the forceful dramatics of the
play. In the final act, the lights were
used symbolically to convey the
ghost-like quality of Abraham, who
had been executed by the Nazis.
Flowing white sheets formedsa back-
drop in Act III to create a feeling of
sterility and spirituality. The shim-
mer of candles provided a soft glow,
creating a somber mood as the play
came to a close.
The beautifully delicate music
was successfully united with the
uniquely utilized Michigan Theater
stage. The setting, with the simple
use of ordinary wooden beams com-
bined with the subtle sound of a vio-
lin, effectively reflected the poverty
of the Jewish ghetto. The continu-
ous, almost musical sound of a train
that reappeared throughout the play
signified the ability to travel home.
It prepared the audience for the final
scene, which takes place on a medi-
cal train of wounded soldiers heading
home from the front.
Headsets provided a simultaneous
translation of the Russian plays.
While watching the dramas, one
wanted to understand Russian and
avoid the inevitable consequences of
the cumbersome headsets. The
monotone voice of the live translator
made it difficult at times to decipher
which actor was speaking. How-
ever, after a little getting used to, the
words and dramatics blended together
to conquer the difficulties of syn-
chronous translation.
The cognizance of My Big Land's
banning in 1958 due to its "Jewish"
topic further added to the realistic and
emotional impact of the play. The
Teacher of Russian, a perestroika,
with a partially nude scene and sexu-
ally-explicit dialogue, would also
not have favored well with the So-
viet government. As the cast of My
Big Land applauded its audience, one
felt proud to partake in watching the
Moscow Theater Studio's successful
and emotionally stimulating preseo-
tation of Galich's My Big Land.
- Robin Kitzes
Girls were fine
"Play 'Ice Ice Baby'!" screamed a
jesting Indigo Girls fan at Hill Audi-
torium this past Thursday.
"We won't play that," answered
Amy Ray, half of the popular acous-
tic-guitar-strumming duo. "ThAt
guy's a joke."
Following her remark, the audi-
ence applauded with much intensity,
for Ray had echoed this crowd's gen-
eral sentiment about that sort of mu-
sic. They did not want to see an
artist whose act depends on the uge
See WEEKEND, Page 7
Uh k A, A h
V V V V V V
1 AUDITIONS
SINGERS DANCERS * INSTRUMENTAUSTS
SPECIALTY ACTS " TECHNICIANS/WARDROBE 4
'i Kings Productions, the world's #1 producer of entertainment, is
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' Cincinnati, Ohio. A variety of positions are available and a travel
' fee will be paid to employees who must travel more than 250 miles,
to the park.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN4
Tuesday, February 5, 1991
University of Michigan
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room
1-2 p.m. Singers
2-3 p.m. Dancers, Instrumentalists,
Specialty Acts
For additional information call:4
Kings Island Entertainment Dept. 513/398-5600
SKings Productions 800/544-5464
KINGS ISLAND " KINGS DOMINION " CAROWINDS
GREAT AMERICA * CANADA'S WONDERLAND
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