The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 29, 1991 - Pegs 9 Galaxie strums sounds of stasis Ia Michael Paul Fischer G alaxie 500 mainman Dean i'kreham has his reservations about thq way rock idol Jim Morrison was depicted in Oliver Stone's '60s rock epic The Doors. "I thought it so-ked," opines Wareham bluntly frdm his hotel room in Houston, whftere the Boston-based trio has just finished the first of a 15-date tour supporting England's Cocteau Twins. "I just can't believe someone 'ust walks around spouting poetry 11 the time." I'm trying to convince Wareham that Stone's grandiloquent, largely humorless incarnation of the Lizard Kihg is maybe justified as a symbol f6t how the '60s counterculture, after losing focus, scuttled its de- sire for change by turning inward, resulting in mere self-destruction. But then again, it's understandable hot Wareham should hold a certain sylnpathy for the singer's more hu- nian side. The Doors, along with the Velvet Underground (Galaxie 500's primary influence), once exempli- fied the apolitical dark side of the '60s, eschewing - peace/flower cliches in favor of avant-garde in- trospection. Galaxie 500's third and newest record, This is Our Music - which sounds like the Velvets stuck in first gear - may be the definitive expression of the current genera- tion's equivalent: a self-conscious, post-collegiate anti-movement characterized by ennui, inertia, sta- sis. "I want to melt away," sings Wareham in one song, with a defi- antly untutored Lou Reed/Neil Young vocal quaver. His protago- nist in Music's uncharacteristi- cally lively opener, "Fourth of July," can't even muster enough en- ergy to head outdoors, much less break on through ("I pulled the shades so I didn't have to see the sky/I decided to have a bed-in/ But I forgot to invite anybody"). And like the tension separating decision and action, it is a fascina- tion with the act of moving between chords - usually about two per song - that distinguishes the Galaxies' deceptively minimal songs. Wareham strums his clean guitar to the drone of Naomi Yang's bass with a mesmerizing joy in repe- tition, while drummer Damon Krukowski's deliberate tempos wa- ver ever so slightly; then, the layer- ing of mini-solos and nervous drums build each song up to a climactic ending. The monumental effect, over an album's length, manages to sus- tain and then reverse that unnerving moment when the batteries in your Walkman begin to die out and the music becomes a haunting blur. One of Wareham's favorite groups is the now-defunct outfit Spacemen 3. But he doesn't expect most listeners to catch the fact that his band's moniker is inspired less by space travel than by a 1960's Ford, a model I remember from very early childhood as having some pretty cool tail fins. "Anyone who's over 35 seems to know," the frank yet rather cordial Wareham chuckles knowingly, betraying the slightest New Zealand accent (he moved when he was 7). It all fits with the ultra-'60s hip of Music's title - stolen from an album by jazzman Ornette Coleman - and the album's slick cover art, designed by bassist Yang. But don't the incessant (and justified) Velvet Underground comparisons that Galaxie 500 also elicit bother Wareham? "I happen to like that band," he explains. "It's when we get compared to, like, the Cowboy Junkies that I say, 'wait a minute.' I think we're sort of a more frenzied, electric band." Given the themes of resignation in his songs, though, it's not hard to imagine Wareham as a stage per- former taken perhaps to turning his back - A la an early Morrison - to his audience. "I used to do that too, once in a while," Wareham con- fesses. "It's just nervousness. It's just being terrified, I think." "We're little more extroverted now," he adds, cautiously. "Don't jump around too much, though." GALAXIE 500 opens for THE COCTEAU TWINS tonight at the Michigan Theater. Tickets are $18 (p.e.s. c.) available at TicketMaster. Bennet u DriS heart For some singers, their voice is the message; for others, it's the song that's sacred; for Tony Bennett, it's both. Bennett's profoundly smooth voice is the vehicle for the song, not the other way around. Avoiding an obsession with technique, Bennett presents the song's melody as it is, allowing his audience to make its own meanings. It is this ability that has led 01' Blue Eyes to call him "the best in the business." In his concerts, Bennett creates an aural landscape of American song that stretches from Tin Pan Alley to Ellington's Cotton Club. Bennett plays Hill Auditorium tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. as a benefit for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Tickets are $24.50, $21.50 and $18.50 (p.e.s.c) at TicketMaster. - 25 " 25 Copies an Resu Matching Blank ime Paper Sheets - 25 Matching Envelopes A ~A-iR-51&2 5TH AVE. AT LIBERTY 761-9700 s2.7J DAILY SHOWS BEFORE 6 PM & ALL DAY TUESDAY' STUDENT WITH I.D. '3.50 The Nasty Girl - PG-13 Cyrano De Bergerac PG ~ OkPRESENT THIS COUPON WITH PURCHASED TICKET TH RU 4/15/91 ONLY $600 k inko's the copy center We 500 (the band, not the hot set of wheels) attempt to out-Morrissey each other in their promo poses. Open 24 Hours 540 E. Liberty 761-4539 Open 7 Days Michigan Union 662-1222 Open 24 Hours 1220 S. University 747-9070 B Ht' '.1 I,: I, A. rU 0f ia p i ' / Before the big basketball game comes on TV, make a fast break to White Castle! You'll score big on 100% U.S. beef hamburgers steam- grilled on a bed of onions-plus those fries and soft drinks you love! 70th Anniversary Uhite Elastle ANN ARBOR NEEDS A NEW SENIORS' CENTER The needs of seniors are growing rapidly. There are 12,000 seniors today, over 60, in Ann Arbor. Public services for seniors are scattered in the city, making them inefficient and limiting their use. The present Brns Park Activity Center cannot provide services for more than 800 people weekly. Many are being turned away. A new multi-purpose center would provide a central location where senigrs- Can participate in educational classes and physical education programs Get help with medical, tax and legal forms and personal problems, Share professional and life skills with others, Visit us at Packard & Carpenter Rd. in Ann Arbor! I. - ---- --- o E .A mwhito Ineflo* . I