Nel?r^k»i Page
Arts & Entertainment 9
and schedule includes blues, Caiun rock
Mamov
S. — — -
By Mick Dyer
Senior Editor_
This week of music in Lincoln
features Cajun rock, blues tunes and
power pop. Here’s a list of bands
performing in Lincoln today through
Thursday.
Alternative:
Nice Strong Arm and For Against
will play Saturday at Duffy’s Tavern,
1412 0 St.
tar-and-voices band from Austin,
Texas, by way of New York City with
a tcll-it-like-it-is attitude.
For Against is a guitar-and-drum
band from Lincoln that layers dark,
vocal images on top of toe-tapping,
head-bobbing, good, poppish sounds.
For Against recently added another
member to become a four-piece act,
and this will be the band’s first per
formance with guitarist Steve Hen
dricks.
Wednesday, Midwest Posse will
play rap music at Duffy’s.
¥
Country:
Friday and Saturday, The Cheatin’
Snakes, The Cow Patties and Leafy
Green Things will play at The Moun
tains, 311 S. 11th St. -- wonderful,
wondcrl ul, wonderful raucous music.
Ja/.z/Blues:
Mamou will play tonight and Sat
urday at the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St.
Mamou aim bines some of the light,
rollicking elements of Cajun music
w ith some of the hard-edge elements
of rock and blues.
The Corsairs will play tonight and
Saturday at Bourbon Street, 2(X) N.
70lh St.
The Corsairs is a Lincoln band that
specializes in playing tine best of the
music from the '60s.
The Monks will play jazz. Sunday
at Chesterfield’s, Lower Level, 245
N. 13th St.
Monday and Tuesday, Anson
Fundcrburgh and the Rockets will
play at the Zoo Bar.
Anson Fundcrburgh and the Rock
ets is one of the most popular blues
acts in the country right now. The
band walked away from the W.C.
Handy Awards ceremony in Mem
phis, Tcnn. with four first-place tro
phies.
The Tablcrockers, a first-class,
See LINCLIVE on 10
rarker s new album made for thinking persons
I Bv Matt Burton “Human Soul Q lm/n M imiA PI. ' _ /I_ *_ a • ■ . . —.
Senior Reporter
(iraham Parker
“Human Soul”
RCA
For an upbeat, thinking person’s
album, try Graham Parker’s new
Parker examines the human soul
in a light-hearted but cvery-bit intro
spective way with a “Real Side” and
a “Surreal Side.”
The “Real Side” is perhaps a little
hard to understand, but it is easy to
enjoy the music. “Liulc Miss Under
standing” opens the album with a
jumpy, catchy melody:
“When I get mad I’m really a
drag/Tear down walls start losing my
rag/Likc a bunch of cals tied in a bag/
How come I make your tail wag.”
But the final “message,” which
all people could use to nurture their
souls, is to just “lighten up, fella.”
“My Love’s Strong” is also cool.
v * ,,VTV) av/i IIIVI Ijr Ul L^lVld
tcllo’s Attractions adds some dyna
mite but not overpowering keyboards
along with his mate, drummer Pete
Thomas, also from the Attractions. It
never hurts to close a song with some
squealing horns for a touch of soul.
Insightfully humorous, “Big Man
on Paper” examines some of the facts
of modern life:
“Then I drive into lown/And go to
the Hudson Valley Mall/And look at
the youth in their Megadeth T-shirts.”
The music still is not overpower
ing but delicate with a mild, cutting
guitar and a French horn accenting
the end.
“Soultimc” is a groovy, reggae
unit, nuMiig me rccai ante with
some talented, back-up singers and,
yes, more horns. Parker reminisces
about the old days when he listened to
Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and the
Skatelitcs. Their influences arc seen
throughout the album.
The “Surreal Side” is a compen
dium of seven songs all linked into
one. “Everything Goes” opens the
side with a dream -like swinging tunc.
“Sugar Gives You Energy” is an
cxciung song about getting sugar fixes
and riding them out. Before you know
it, the song rips into a Tommy-like
interlude to “Daddy’s a Postman”
about an unexciting, perfectly aver
age lifestyle:
And everything s linc/Every
Ihing’s fine.”
“Green Monkeys” is a song open
to interpretation, but a social com
mentary on the AIDS crisis would be
a good guess.
The4 4 Suucal Side” continues into
4 4I Was Wrong, ’ ’ sounding like some
early Costello albums with the help
of Nicvc and Thomas.
The **Surreal Side” closes with
“Slash and Bum,” a disturbing song
indicting every political identity on
earth.
“Human Soul” could be described
as a “theme album” but Parker con
veniently lets the listeners determine
the theme for themselves.
[‘Roger & Me’ gains favor
as a movie for ‘real’ people
By Julie Naughton
Senior Reporter
“Roger & Me” is not a movie you go to
lor the cinematography.
Instead, this is a movie of the best kind --
it’s a movie about people. People who have
lost their jobs. People who are angry.
The “Roger” of this film is General
Motors Chairman Roger Smith, and the
“Me” is filmmaker Michael Moore. Smith
motv jfiw,
decides to close the General Motors plant in
Flint, Mich, and move it to Mexico (to save
money, the audience is told). Moore wants
to show Smith what removing the plant will
do to the town. The film centers on Moore’s
mission to get in contact with Smith and
show him what the move will do to the town.
Shot in documentary style, “Roger &
Me” is reminiscent of home movies. Foot
age from the local television stations in
Saginaw, Mich., Flint and Detroit arc inter
spersed with the grainy, sometimes out-of
focus film moments.
Moore’s film is hilarious. His style is
irreverent, sarcastic and, at times, biting.
The sharp statement, “This movie can
not be shown within the city of Flint. All the
movie theatres have closed,” was repeated
several times during the film, emphasizing
the plight of the people of Flint.
To further illustrate their suffering, Moore
shows the Flint Tourist Board’s attempt to
drum up visitors. The board builds a luxury
hold, a glass-and-stccl shopping center and
a replica of downtown Flint in belter days.
Surprise of surprises, no one comes.
Gems like this arc all over the film.
And Moore’s work is not without vio
lence. One Flint woman, who sells rabbits
“for pels or for meat,” shows the audience
in graphic, gory detail exactly how she
slaughters and dresses her animals. Those
with weak stomachs might consider hiding
their eyes.
And the rich also arc found in Flint. The
night before the poor start filling up the new,
state-of-the-art jail in beautiful downtown
Flint, the General Motor Corp. uppcrcrust
have a party in it — complete with “Jail
house Rock’’ and nightsticks.
And let’s not forget Smith’s sojourns at
the Grosse Pointe (Mich.) Yacht Club and
New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Some things are enough to make your stom
ach turn. Talk about class disparity and
income levels being illustrated.
The most interesting thing about this
film is that it’s set up like a documentary
but put together like a mass-appeal movie.
These arc not images the audience is likely
to sec on the 6 p.m. news. They arc images
of real people, dealing with real situations
with grace, humor, anger - the entire range
of human emotions.
And Moore profoundly ends the film,
“This movie cannot be shown within the
city of Flint. All the movie theatres have
closed.’’
“Roger & Me’’ had advanced showings
Wednesday and Thursday at the Douglas 3
Theatre. The film is set for release Feb. 9.
Courtesy of Warner Brothers
From left, producer Rhoda Britton, director Michael Moore and deputy
sheriff Fred Ross, all involved in production of “Roger & Me.”