ARTS
Monday, March 11, 1991

The Michigan Daily
Where
by Kim Yaged
2,505.8 miles later, I'm back in
Ann Arbor.
Those people fortunate enough
not to be stuck in Ann Arbor over
spring break often travel to the sun
and beaches of Florida, Cancun,
South Padre Island, or some other
tropical oasis, in search of that
Coppertone Tan. They bask in the
sun with their walkmans and fa-
vorite compilations of "gooder"
songs, moving only to flip sides
and maybe get an alcoholic bever-
age or some yogurt. They toast all
week and put in a session of power
tanning that final day, in hopes of
soaking in all possible remaining
rays. The goal: to be the tannest
person on campus by the time they
get back to school.
I know all of this because I my-
self am a former torrid tanner.
However, this year I decided to
throw away the sunblock and skip
the sand. I hopped into a Jeep
Wrangler with my cohorts and so-
journed south of the Mason-Dixon
Line for my first taste of the gen-
uine South.
The irony commenced immedi-
ately. You can't purchase alcohol
after midnight on Saturdays be-
cause you're in Bible Belt country
. .. ' . .

Page 5

the good
and the law don't allow it, but at Sp
any other time, anyone with a fist m
and lips can buy a beer. Ten- (s
nessee, the Volunteer State, is a gu
place where more than six unre- tu
lated women living together is M
considered a brothel. Seriously. El
But these minor details don't de-
tract from the down-home, kick-ass Ci
party attitude that reverberates or
through all of the counties. to
You can't say Tennessee with- hi
out mentioning Nashville.
(Nashville's White Mountain, by m
the way, has the most amazing w
homemade ice cream I've ever pL
tasted.) It was refreshing to be in a In
place where Randy Travis is con-
sidered a bigger deal than Vanilla It
Ice (and, of course, much hunkier).
They don't take kindly to "Elvis is
in Ann Arbor" jokes, however.
Music Row is the country mu-
sic fan's wet dream; whole stores
dedicated solely to Elvis, Randy,
Barbara Mandrell, Alabama, Con-
way Twitty, the list goes on. Just
envisioning a Rock Music Row
was pure titillation. There is a wax
museum of all the greats, includ-
ing Dolly and Kenny. You can
even get your picture taken with
them for the small fee of an arm
and a leg. I almost indulged my-
self, but at the last minute, I de-
cided Dolly's breasts didn't look
realistic enough, so I backed out. d(
The other museums included so
numerous "The Cars of Country's ni
Greats" collections. Imagine hav- pl
ing your hand on Elvis' stick! th

ol' boy
peaking of which, there was the;
ost entertaining, no-name
outhern) gentleman playing theI
uitar and singin' some good ol'
nes in front of the Elvis Presley
useum. Perhaps that's really how
lvis got his first break in music.
(Side note: We stopped in
hatanooga at four in the morning
n our way to Athens, Georgia and
ok pictures on the Choo Choo. I
ghly recommend it.)
Athens, Georgia. No, we didn't
eet R.E.M., but I did talk to that
oman. What's her name? She
ays guitar... Oh yeah. She's in the
digo Girls.
I'm just kidding. But seriously,
was neat to finally meet another

rs
amaz
thoug
tion.

are
the locals. And I always
MTV was a national sta-

ed
ht

Anyway, it's not unfashionable
to drink lots of beer and dance on
the tables in Sons of Italy, the
meanest bar in town. And, if you
let the bartender call you Yankee,
she'll give you a free pitcher of
beer, and she might even let you
keep the pitcher as a souvenir. Just
call her Rebel if she gets out of
hand.
Make sure to keep someone
sober, though, because a stop at
Herbie's for late night snacks is a
must. Herbie himself is a fat, dirty
old man who says "fuck" 40 times
a minute; just tell him to fuck off
right back. The air in the restaurant
is ten-feet thick and the odor of it
stays on you for at least five days.
It's just the type of place where
you want to try grits for the first
time, so I did.
If you're lucky, Herbie will play
a little Frank Sinatra ("New York,
New York") on the jukebox for
you, and perhaps even join the
kickline. Listening to Ray Charles
sing "Georgia On My Mind" while
we were there was second only to
hearing John Denver's "Country
Road" on the radio while we were
driving through the Blue Ridge
Mountains of West Virginia. One
final note: be careful when you
leave Herbie's. He gives wet
kisses.
In Columbia, South Carolina,
they played Jane's Addiction's
"Been Caught Stealing" in the lo-
cal Hop In-esque 24-hour store.
The song only managed to en-
courage everyone in the store to
test whether or not they would get
caught. However, the most re-
markable work of art in town was a
3-D mural of a road scene on the
side of an office building down-
town. It looked like it was straight
out of a Road Runner cartoon; I
can see Wile E. Coyote running
face first into it now.
Duke University in Durham,
North Carolina is barren on the
nights of basketball games, which
all students get into for free. (Now
there's something for University
students to hold a protest about.)
However, North Carolina does
sport the rockingest radio station
See SPRING, Page 7

Travis

( ... y F.
The boys are back in town
Look out, Ann Arbor! The guys from Albert's are back - with a
vengeance. Straight from the throes of the motherland, they're back
where they belong. And posing next to someone's sweet vehicle, no
less, completely fitting for a group that was raised on the sounds of
the Motor City. They all look pretty dorky but we like them anyway.
(Obviously, or else we wouldn't plaster their faces all across these
pages every last chance we get.) Tonight they join the legions of
other cool rock bands who got to play amidst the neon at the
Nectarine. A step up from the Heidelberg? Well, not really, but these
big boys are all the rage these days, so they need the larger venue.
Get down and double check'em - or else. Doors open at 9:30, Tracey
Science is the opening act, and advance tickets are relatively cheap
- a meres 5bucks (p.e.s.c.) to see Ann Arbor's finest. And remember,
you are what you drive.
Daily Fine Arts needs writers with bacrund in
classical music. Are you interested? Telephone
763-0379 and ask for Elizabeth Lenhard
WRITE FOR ARTS!!! CALL 763-0379!!!!
ANN ARbOR.
THEATERS 1 & 2 -5TH AVE. AT LIBERTY 761.9700
SCENES FROM MR. & MRS.
A MALL (R) BRIDGE (PG-13)
Present this coupon for
WFree Lar e Drnk
WITH PURCHASED TICKET THRU _/89

F,

m


Dance makes
a sudden
impact
Modern, tribal, jazz, and classical
ballet dancing, all in one place?
These were just a few of the dance
styles utilized in the Impact Dance
Theatre's powerful performance. The
company, comprised of nine non-
dance majors, celebrated its 10th
anniversary this weekend with an
animated dance revue at the Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre.
A diverse selection of music by
artists such as Janet Jackson, the
Indigo Girls, Prince, and Pink Floyd
reflected the wide range of dance
styles executed by the troupe.
Distinctive choreography, costumes,
dramatics, and psychedelic lighting
established a unique mood for each
selection. The stage was typically
sparse, but the alternation of bold
green, blue, yellow, and red back-
drops throughout the show helped to
enhance the moods that the dancers'
movements portrayed.
The performers conveyed various

emotions, ranging from serenity in a
'60s number to humor in.a spoof on
classical ballet. In the dance number
entitled "Mama Don't 'low," the
dainty movements of the dancers
emanated from the music and
flowing costumes. The segment had
a sort of country appeal, as the
balletic dancers moved about softly
in floral dresses.
In contrast, an upbeat medley of
popular music set the mood for the
lively and fast-moving "Six People
Dancing." A strobe light was used
in combination with a repetitious
step, creating a high tech sharpness
that was both exciting and
physically nauseating, if only for the
hyperkinetic action. The lighting and
smoke transformed the performers
into shadowy figures that were indi-
vidually indistinguishable, making a
bold statement about the mystery of
the human body.
These numbers were surpassed by
the segments that truly demonstrated
originality. The exceptional "Sitting
Room Only" took place on chairs
and featured the talents of Heather

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edicated Melissa Etheridge fan,
mething which the North defi-
tely has a shortage of. The peo-
e I spoke with while I was down
ere thought that none of us had
ver heard of James Taylor or the
rateful Dead, nor did they think
at we had any type of local mu-
c scene whatsoever. Haven't they
eard of the Stooges? Just because
ve don't have a jumping rock
Gene spewing out some of the
ottest bands to emerge in the late
80s and early '90s doesn't mean
ve're all that lame, does it? Per-
aps their Athens-centric rock mu-
c mentality explains their danc-
ng problem.
We saw the Milkmen, a band
hat plays dance music - primar-
y covers - while we were in
awn. The crowd rushed the stage
s if it were the King himself up
here gyrating, while we danced
nstead, which created a minor
nearing major) commotion. Even
ir pathetic rendition of the shuffle


Center for Afroamerican and
African Studies
announces
REFLECTIONS
AND REVISIONS:
20 Years of African-American
and African Studies
The Michigan League
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE:

4

Friday, March 15, 1991

Origins and.

Establishing New Paradigms
Aims of the Center for Afroamerican and
African Studies