Page 14-The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, April 24, 1991

Is loud and obnoxious Overkill?

AXL


by Kim Yaged
is replacing one guitarist with two
an example of overkill? No, it's just
part of Overkill.
"You need a little bit of tension
to spark creativity, but at the same
time, if it becomes too tense, your
creativity becomes stifled," ex-
plained Overkill's lead singer
Bobby "Blitz." So to remedy the
,confining air, Bobby Gustafson has
been replaced by the Merritt Gant-
Rob Cannavino duo. The reasoning
behind the pair replacing Gustafson,
according to "Blitz": "If we're
gonna shake up the bag, let's do it
all the way." "Blitz" says they
have given the band "a new lease on
life." The rest of the group, bassist
D.D., who has been around since the
beginning of the band, and Sid, on
drums, remains.
The impact of these line-up
changes have yet to be realized. But
"Blitz" best explained it when he
said, "It's kind of like trying to de-
scribe music in words. You really
can't do it 'til you hear it." Which
might not be too long. The tracks
rhave been recorded and the release of
Overkill's fifth album, tentatively

"Blitz" of Overkill (far right), on censorship - "It's kinda like a boil." On
music - "You're supposed to get out of it what you see fit to get out of
it, not what someone tells you it should be."

titled Bare Bones, is scheduled for
some time in June. The band has
tried to achieve a stage-performance
feel on this record. "Blitz" de-
scribed it as more "groove-orien-
tated music this time."
"The band feels real new to me
right now," he continued. "I've
never had such anticipation for a re-
lease as I have for this one... There

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still is a part of the old in there
too... It still represents us. The
band is always going to be that over-
the-top kind of a thing. It's live or
it's nothing at all, ya know?"
"Blitz" said the tour is going to
be a "Baptism of Fire sort of
thing." That means Overkill shall
grace the smaller venues in the
States during late July, then hop
over to Europe in September. The ra-
tionale behind this decision is that
the boys have yet to perform a live
show with their newly acquired axe
men. Thus, they prefer to "baptize"
their rookies before storming the
stadiums and arenas.
"This band has never stood
still," "Blitz" continues. "It's al-
ways moving ahead... We've played
with a lot of cool people. I mean, in
the early days we were opening for
people like W.A.S.P.... then the
Slayers came into the picture, and

we even did a show with
Metallica... We've met a lot of cool
people in the business, but also met
a lot of scumbags...
"A lot of people talk to you
with a big smile on their face, and as
soon as you're out of the room, they
say what they really mean... I don't
particularly like to go back and rub
elbows with so and so just because
they're hot right now. It leaves a
bad taste in my mouth."
Overkill self-admittingly hasn't
stormed the music industry.
However, they have managed to at-
tain an admirable degree of sucess on
their own terms, without compro-
mising their views. (How many
Spandex-garnered, blue-eyed, long-
haired - not highlighted, I might
add - lead singers readily admit
that they're married and have a
seven-year-old son?)
A self-termed "theatre band,"
the modesty still seems genuine. If
they start telling me that they don't
really care whether or not they
make it big, I'll start doubting it,
but after floundering,"I don't know
what the goal is anymore. I've kinda
lost track," "Blitz" states,
"Ultimately, I'd like to bring it to
as many people as possible."
"We have a generation of people
growing up right now that are very
influenced by this type of music,"
he continues, "but I don't think that
it's a negative influence. I think that
it's a definite positive influence. I
think that parents and parental
groups immediately turn around and
instead of digging up the truth
would rather dig graves and then
point their finger... If you'd get to
the heart of the problem, you'd
never have to attend the funeral."

Continued from page 11
DNA, no doubt). He let her do it, so
it's not degrading, right? Besides,
we all know males secretly desire
to have their power usurped.
Of course, when Madonna ex-
presses her sexuality, via video, it is
not only considered disgusting, but
it receives no airplay. What's going
on? Doesn't anyone out there watch
Headbanger's Ball? Ooh, those de-
pictions of women are much less
explicit than anything Madonna
might do, and they are really flat-
tering to boot. But of course, it
doesn't matter. These aren't ordi-
nary women. They enjoy what
they're doing.
That's how people explain Guns
N' Roses. "They aren't talking
about people like you and me," says
the college crowd. So, because Axl
Rose wants an L.A. bitch - not a
U-M one - to turn around for him,
I'm supposed to take it (pardon the
pun) lying down? Not a chance.
So why not just ignore it? Why
not ignore it? Because I like that
kind of music, that's why! I hear the
guys sitting around the Arts office
talking about how great the Red
Hot Chili Peppers are (I leave when
discussion turns toward the Geto
Boys) and I want in on it. I dig the
beat. I really do. Does this mean I'm
doomed to a lifetime of songs like
"Stone Cold Bush" and "Sexy
Mexican Maid?" That's the thought
that scares me the most.
You see, I need to hear loud, fast,
good music. I listen to it when I'm
pissed off, I listen to it when I want
to party and I listen to it when I
work out. I'm sorry, but Tracy
Chapman just doesn't get me mov-
ing. So there I am, cruising down
Washtenaw Ave., jamming to the

Chili Peppers with my Walan
turned up loud, and I hear
Anthony's "I'm such a stud" voice:
"An animal in pain/ she starts to
cry... Her pipes are open wide/she
blows more than my mind!" Great.
Now I'm nauseous. * A
I'm sorry, but this just isn't fair
I know there are lots of musical o
tions open to me. Soul Asylum's
never said anything that bad and I
worship the ground they walk; on.
Better yet, what about the fair Mn-
ber of female musicians who have
more chutzpah then many of. the
pseudo-studs on MTV? I suppose I
could only listen to these artiss.
But that's not the point. I can only
listen todMinneapolis bands, Patt
Smith and Janis Joplin so often.
Of course, many point out, lyrics
such as those expressed by G N R
are just a reflection of popular sen-
timent. Perhaps this is true. I4is
also a perpetuation of age-old mis-
conceptions, deceptions and degrada-
tion. And new generations are con-
fronted with it every day. I car-
tainly don't want my five-year-old
cousin to grow up thinking'Aa
woman's place in society should be
that which is envisioned bythe
members of Guns N' Roses. And I
don't want his sister to 4fel
slighted if she digs their tunes, but
hates their talk.
Other females are out tlere
fighting for equal access in the .Qf-
fice, on the trading floor, in te
classroom, even in the locker roo
I want all these things. I also wnt
equal access on the stereo and Im
afraid it will be an eternity beforo I
get it. Music may be the truest form
of human expression. I hear what's
being expressed, and I hate it.
Hey, it may be only rock 'n' r9l,
but I don't like it. As a mattefof
fact, it makes me sick.
are quirky. They can be clumsy 4
they make mistakes. Watching them
talk about their problems is like
sitting in on a conversation between
two friends. "Baby stores make me a
little nervous. All those sizes and
they go up to twelve and then they
start at one again. What's allihat
about?" or "Come on! Lets' jus-be
thirteen again... You'll have 'no
boobs, and I'll buy Kotex, pretend
ing I'm not the last one to getmri
period..." Now come on, you know
you say this kind of thing every
other day.
In addition to the attractively-
pruned mundane, the book features
dream and fantasy sequences fat,
like our dreams, sometimes ring
truer than what might happedin
"real life," such as kooky character
Melissa's struggle with datini *
younger man. The freelance photg-
rapher's fears of her friends' criti-
cism is manifested in a boxng
match between her and herself. "The
Judge" wears black trunks and "the
Kid" wears white. The Judge flails
the Kid, who protests, at her nan-
ager's coaching, "He makes me
happy... He makes me feel loved."
The announcer, in the form ;o
Elliot, the glib advertising cop
See BOOKS, Page 15


BOOKS
Continued from page 13
In all film and TV writing,
there's a formula involved. Despite
thirtysomething's rep as the
unorthodox new kid on the block
(and just as annoying as the "rock
group" to some), it too has a for-
mula (no, not baby formula).
You've got your Peter Pan-like phi-
landerers and your whiny, nice
Jewish boy. Among the women, you
encounter the driven careerist who
never wants to have kids, the woman
who is simply a wife and mother,
and the one caught in between the
two. Add one neurotic artist, a few

kids and a suburban Philadelphia
setting, and you've got your recipe
for thirtysomething. So what's so
special, you ask?
The unique qualities surrounding
thirtysomething might originate in
its scriptwriters. Let's see, Susan
Shilliday, the author of "Therapy,"
is producer Marshall Herskovitz's
wife. The "Mr. Right" episode was
written by Jill Gordon, the wife of
the show's supervising producer. In
fact, many of the "stories" are
written by people, not writers.
That's where the paradox starts.
What they write about are issues
and events that permeate their lives.
The agonizing labor in "New Baby"

or the video-dating nightmare in
"Mr. Right" are experiences that
are directly related to those of pro-
ducers, actors and friends of the
show. The result is something that
we can all relate to.
thirtysomething Stories consists
of nine scripts chosen by the show's
writers as their favorites. They in-
clude reflections on marital strife,
religious doubt, loneliness, sexual-
ity and rebirth. Heavy stuff, eh?
Yes, but nothing that each of us
doesn't have to deal with every day.
If this is true, then what's the ap-
peal, you ask? (You're just not go-
ing to buy this, are you?)
The thirtysomething characters


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