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Tuesday, January 30,1990 AflS & t II tCrtcHIllIldlt
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Jeopardy makes contestant a richer man
By Jim Hanna
Staff Reporter
The day came when I was simply
fed up.
1 had watched the TV game show
"Jeopardy" for several seasons, and
I had yet to lose when I played along
at home. I always was quicker and
smarter than the zeros on television,
and I linally decided that it was lime
I got on the show and earned a gob of
money for my college education.
Without giving a thought to the
school 1 would miss or the money it
would cost, 1 hopped a plane for Los
Angeles. 1 found my way to the
"Jeopardy” studios and, conveniently
enough, they just were beginning to
tape that week’s episodes.
I knew it would take some doing,
but I wanted to get on the show that
very day. I realized that they proba
bly had their contestants for today’s
taping, but I was certain that once I
showed them how smart I was, they’d
bump some sorry sap to make room
for me.
I strolled up to a security thug
standing between me and the studio.
“Look ape-man, if you know what’s
good for you,” I said. “You’ll get
Alex Trebck out here pronto.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said dumbly.
Jim
Hanna
“Mr. Trebck is about to begin taping.
If you’d like to leave a message ...”
A well-placed, dcstructo nerve
pinch to the base of his spine reduced
the guard to a jiggling heap on the
floor.
“Listen, buddy,” 1 said calmly.
“I intend to be on the show today.
If’n you know what’s good for you,
you’ll get Alex out here right away.”
“But...” he whimpered. ‘‘They
already have today’s contestants.
There’s no way for you to get on ...”
He was cut off by a frantic scream
from the studio. Suddenly, Alex Trc
bek ran into the hall screaming and
pulling huge tufts of his hair from his
head.
‘ ‘One of our contestants has taken
ill! Hcpasscdout! Hccan’tgoon! We
have to begin taping immediately,
but we only have two contestants! Oh
woe!” he screamed.
I sci/edilhc moment.
‘‘Hello* Mr. Trcbck. My name is
Jim Hanna, and I am perhaps the
smartest human on earth. Maybe 1
could fill in for the ill contestant.”
He paused thoughtfully.
“Are you the guy who writes Jim’s
Journal?” He asked.
“No!” Isaid. “Ihad nothing to do
See HANNA on 11
Eats musical creativity not difficult to swallow
By Brian iAeves
Staff Reporter
Fat
“Sell Me A God”
Polygram
“Eat” is a plain and simple word,
but not a plain and simple band.
On Eat’s album “ScllMeAGod,”
it is hard to decipher what these guys
are all about. “Interesting” is a good
adjective for the work initially, but
things eventually get musically inno
vative and lyrically weird.
The album is almost as odd as the
album cover, which is a cluttered
display of old paraphernalia.
At limes, Eat sounds like a dis
torted alternative group that borrowed
voice-enhancing methods from the
Buttholc Surfers. At other times they
resemble a toe-tapping, roof-raising,
country-western band.
Sell Me A God” uses a variety of
different instruments and electroni
cally-produced sounds. Each song is
distinctly different from the next, so
listeners always will be on the edge of
listening pleasure.
The best song, “Tombstone,” sends
the album off on its wave of enjoy
mcnr with a crisp guitar line that
follows throughout the song. The vocals
arc very clear with unique, rhyming
lyrics. However, the drummer relies
on his cymbal too much, which, in
time, could cause a headache.
» -.. 1 " .
The song is far better than the
pizza of the same name.
“Electric City,” starts off and ends
with a UFO-like sound and then blasts
off into orbit. It has a fast, country
western, guitar-driven sound, which
gradually dies out toward the end.
The following song,‘‘Fatman,” is
musically laid back and interesting.
But strangely enough, the whole song
revolves around the idea of a fat man
doing the shimmy.
“Stories” is filled with a guitar
fury sound, with funny, voice-enhanced
lyrics:
“Told me I’d be smarter by feed
ing me Uranium/Now my brain’s so
big I’ve got slrcich marks on my
cranium.”
The next song, “Skin,” is, oddly
enough, all about skin. “Skin” be
gins with an interesting noise that
sounds like the band took time off to
retunc its guitars. In the song, the
vocalist poses a question that every
one should think about:
4 ‘If you gonna take off your clothes/
Where you gonna put your wallet/
’Cus your skin ain’t got no tailored
pockets.”
See EAT on 10
-1
Film touches, does justice
to sanctity of friendship
By John Payne
Staff Reporter
When we’re all dead and gone,
personal friendships arc whal will have
given our lives sustenance.
"Driving Miss Daisy,’’ a touching
new movie based on the Alfred Uhry
play, does justice to the sanctity of
movif*
friendship. It explores the 25-year
relationship of two seemingly differ
ent, yet quite similar, people.
It is about the ebb and flow of
friendship, about how people grow
on one another — AND has "Oscar"
written all over it.
Morgan Freeman, one of the busi
est actors around, gives an endearing
performance as Hoke, a retired cotton
mill worker who is hired to chauffeur
Miss Daisy Wcrthan (Jessica Tandy),
an clderlv Jewish woman in 1953
Atlanta, Ga.
At the start of the film, her son
Bollie (Dan Aykroyd) worries in
creasingly about his mother’s ability
to drive. When she finally has an
accident, he decides to hire someone
to drive her around.
Miss Daisy is stubborn and resists
the idea that she needs anyone to do
her driving for her - just convincing
her takes weeks. Yet, over time, Miss
Daisy comes to rely on Hoke, not
only as a driver, but as a companion.
A good deal of “Driving Miss
Daisy” takes place inside moving
automobiles, and the dialogue be
tween Miss Daisy and Hoke in the
cars is what makes this such a truly
special film.
They discuss everything from child
hood memories to civil rights to reli
gion. Almost nothing is off limits,
and both are intrigued by the thoughts
and opinions of the other.
This is wonderful writing and
riccmuii uiiu idiiuydit uiuw
with iL Their acting never seems forced,
always understated. They work oft
each other in a complementary fash
ion, just like real people.
The chemistry between Freeman
and Tandy is just one aspect of
“Driving Miss Daisy” that makes it a
must-see. It would not be surprising if
Oscar considerations arc given to the
movie’s set decorations and to its
costume coordinator, Elizabeth
McBride.
Few films have such a great sense
of time and location. Miss Daisy’s
gleaming new cars,Cadillacs mostly,
arc really characters in themselves.
They are as beautiful to look at as this
movie is to experience.
But “Driving Miss Daisy’’ gets
down to some thought-provoking issues
as well. You have to respect that.
Director Bruce Bercsford could have
relied safely on cute one-liners to
carry the movie. Instead, he addresses
■ mrtrtrlnnt Mklill 1SSUCS.
For instance, in the mid-’60s when
the civil rights protests are heating up
in the United States, Miss Daisy, a big
fan of Martin Luther King, Jr., de
cides to attend one ol the reverend s
speeches in downtown Atlanta.
She knows Hoke would like to go
with her but feels he would be out of
place among the exclusively white
audience. On the way to the speech
she remarks to Hoke: ‘‘I think it s
wonderful the way things are chang
ing.”
But the audience, like Hoke, knows
that things aren’t changing very much.
The truly superb accomplishment
of this movie is that it tells an epic
story in very personal terms - how
two human beings change as our na
tion changes.
Morgan Freeman is a great actor
who only can get belter. Viewers are
sure to hear his name again this spring.
“Driving Miss Daisy” is playing
•at the Stuart Theatre, 13th and P streets.
Will Ml II I , ^ MWll—UaillBIIMIIIMMI II 1. ■! Mill M ■- 1 !■! «'■ I -•-*
I-.. .. Courtesy of the Zoo Bar
The Dynatonec
Dynatones to bring their acclaimed
mix of rock and soul to Zoo Bar
By Matt Burton
Sarwbr Reporter
The Dynatones, considered by
many to be one of the hardest
working bands in show business,
Ij.UL-.--LiT-I - Ml'- - ■ - -1
will play Wednesday and Thurs
day at the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St.
Bringing with them a widely
acclaimed live show, complete with
choreographed stage kids and other
dance moves, the Dynatones play a
good dose of rock and soul
In order to achieve such a hard'
working reputation. The Dynatones
play an average of 250 nights a
year.
The Dynatones have been a
member of the Miller Genuine Draft
Band Network for four years, longer
than any other band.
Geographically, the Dynatones
have no common home. Chip
“C.C.” Miller on vocals originates
from Miami; Tony Perez-Banuet,
who plays the sax, is from Detroit;
Larry Dunn from Casper, Wyo.
plays guitar; Big Walter Salwitz
on the * ‘drums of thunder’ ’ is from
Toledo, Ohio; Randy McDonald
from San Diego plays bass; and
Parris Bertolucci from San Fran
cisco is on keyboards.
The Dynatones made their ma
jor-label album debut in4988 with
“Shameless” on Warner Brothers
Records. The album contained guest
appearances by Kim Wilson, lead
singer for the Fabulous Thunder
buds, and Steve Crupper, best known
for his guitar work with Otis Red
ding and the Blues Brothers.
According to the Tulsa (Okla.)
Tribune, this “first-class bar band
makes a sensational major-label
debut that jumps out of die grooves.
It blisters with rocking Memphis
soul in the best Stax/Volt tradition
at
In addition to playing exten
sively coast-to-coast, the Dynalones
“Take the Heat” video has re
cently received air play on MTV.
The San Antonio .(Texas) Ex
press News called them “a high
stepping, sharp-dressing, sweat
inducing, rock ‘ft* roll, rhythm and
blues band... (They) can play with
die best, unveil tough,original times,
ignite dance crowds across the
counnrv and put on the kind of
show that makes you glad you paid
the cover/*