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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1990)
Arts & Entertainment |r , _ | Courtoy of Polygram KISS Kiss, Vixen will ‘Rev it Up’ at tonight’s Pershing concert By Michael Deeds Senior Editor Rock legend KISS will bring the band’s “Hot in the Shade” tour to Pershing Auditorium tonight, continuing a 15-year tradition of radio-ready metal. “Hot in the Shade” is the group’s 23rd release, recorded at Fortress Studio in Hollywod. Born in the cold alleys of New York, KISS was formed by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in a tradition that drew influences from Alice Cooper and all the glitz of the 1970s. Just more than a year later, the band was headlining are nas, stadiums and any other venue that could hold a bunch of scream ing teens. Album after album went platinum, and KISS now boasts COIKPrt~ worldwide sales of more than 60 million records. KISS was voted Most Popular Group In The World over the Beatles and Led Zeppelin from 1976-1979, during the height of the disco era. KISS now holds the record for the most albums in the Top 100 simul taneously, charting with five en tries. That beats Elvis. After personal problems resulted in the loss of drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frchley in the early ’80s, the band went through several personnel changes before finding its current lineup of Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick. The band has been signed for another lOyearsof material, which will include seven albums, great est hits compilations and “Alive HI.” Opening for KISS will be Win ger and Vixen. Winger, led by vocalist/bassist Kip Winger, the band is well re spected as a group of musicians See KISS on 10 Gore, drugs, theft mesh in mobster flick, ‘Fellas’ By Julie Naughton Senior Reporter “GoodFcllas” is the extremely gory, extremely graphic and extremely well-told story of one man’s lifelong involvement with the mob. The movie is based on a true story, and is brought to life by critically acclaimed direc tor Martin Scorsese. The movie is the story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a half-Italian, half Irish man who has always wanted to be a gangster. The movie opens with moyJew ~ his narration, looking back on his childhood in New York City. Hill tells the audience that gangsters had power and respect, which is why he wanted to be one. His father was against it, but all his mother cared about, according to the Hill narration, was that the gangsters were from the same part of Italy that she was from. One of the first mob bosses Hill comes in contact with is the rich, wcll-rcspectod Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro). Jimmy lakes a liking to the young Henry, and takes him under his wing. Jimmy teaches Henry valuable mob skills (murder, theft, truck heists), as well as telling him the most valu able mob credos: don’t rat on your friends, and don’t tell anyone any thing when questioned by the police. Jimmy also becomes a trusted friend to Hill, and the two tell each other everything and commit crimes to gether. The movie traces about four dec ades in Hill’s life. The first part of the movie shows his childhood. The sec ond - and major - part of the movie deals with his 20s and 30s, when he meets and marries his wife, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), has his children and spends time in jail. The last part of the movie shows what happens to Henry in his early 40s, when he gets involved with buying, selling and using cocaine. The movie is basically Henry’s story, through the adultery, killing, lying, cheating and stealing. The film shows, graphically and well, what happens when people get mixed up with the mob. The movie also traces the same four dec ades in Karen Hill’s life, and, to a lesser extent, is also her story. Bracco is completely convincing, first as the young Jewish woman com pletely in love with her new Catholic mobster husband, and then as the young wife and mother forced to support herself and her two small children when her husband is sent to jail. And finally, the movie portrays her as a woman that descends into cocaine addiction hell as she and her husband sell the stuff. “GoodFellas” is very graphic, and does not shy away from portraying brutal murders and torturing — the heinous behavior that should make everybody hate these people. The actors make the characters three-dimensional and hard to hate. The characters be come people to fear, as well as people you might meet walking down the street. It’s a scary concept. Liotta is excellent as Henry Hill. As a Catholic mobster, Henry breaks just about every one of the Ten Commandments — Liotta carries this feeling forth without making Henry seem like a cold-hearted scum. In other words, Liotta makes Henry a human character, one that is hard to completely hate (despite all of the horrible things he does.) DeNiro turns in a great perform ance as Conway. His Conway is char ismatic, committed to the mob, loyal and smart. DeNiro and Liolta’s per formances play off of each other well. It is DeNiro and Liotta, combined with the talents of Bracco, who make the film so well told. Bracco, as Karen, displays the tal ent that should make her a major star. She looks like a young Debra Win ger. Her talent is at least equal to, if not greater than. Winger’s. Bracco is superb as a woman who wants to escape from the hell that has become her life. The real Henry Hill is currently in the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Witness Protection Program. He and his wife, Karen, recently separated after 25 years of marriage. The real Jimmy Conway is serving a term in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2004. ‘ ‘GoodFellas’ ’ is based on the book “Wiscguy,” by Nicholas Pilcggi. The screenplay was written by Pileggi and Scorsese. “GoodFellas” is playing at the Cooper Theatre, 54th and O streets. Singer needs a throat lozenge Wreck’s raw sound doesn’t crash and bum By Brian Meves Staff Reporter Wreck “Soul Train” Play It Again Sam Records Wreck is a band you could throw raw meat at, and the music would eat it up and spit it back in your face. This LP thoroughly exemplifies Wreck’s ‘‘don’t give a damn” ap proach to music. “Soul Train” is the first full-length release from the Chicago-based duo. Formed originally in Milwaukee in 1988, the founding members - gui tarist and vocalist Dean Schlabowske and drummer Bart Flores - left for Chicago to pursue the much heralded “Chicago-guitar sound.” There they hooked up with pro ducer and former Big Black front man Steve Albini, and Die Krcuzen bassist Keith Brammcr, a friendly combination. “Soul Train” utilizes no catchy rhythms, no overproduction, no syn thesizers and most of all - no regrets. However, it docs feature a me lodic mixture of post-punk, garage rock and industrial rock. The sound is as raw as can be, but isn't that what you would come to expect from a band named Wreck? Especially, one that was produced by Big Black Albini. The front man who feeds this beast of a group is Schlabowske. His vocals are straight-ahead terror. He has defi nitely mastered all of the vocal char acteristics needed for this raw group. From the sinister laughing on “Ribs And Balls,” to his extended periods of moaning, yelling and chanting on “Raised By Whites,” you can almost hear Schlabowske reaching for an other throat lozenge. Between his rude vocals, he also plays a mean guitar. The chords and riffs rip at your ears with an intensity that would easily scare away your mother. Schlabowske creates such a wh irl w i nd o! noise that it sounds more like dull knives gashing through alu minum cans. Joining in with the vocal and gui tar fury, Flores approaches and at tacks his drum set as if it were an arsenal. With each drumstick*he sends out tremors that slap at your head and beg for forgiveness. From the lower depths of hell, you’ll find Brammer pounding on his bass in constant torture. When you combine all of these relentless sounds to go along with the music’s start-stop, alive-dead flow, you have Wreck. But it’s not a wreck. John Wladar steps in to add some raging guitar on “Ribs and Balls,” “Retail,’ ’ and "VariousTimcs,” and the band, overall, glides the road of distorted ecstasy. “Soul Train” is an album by a group of guys having fun playing their instruments and not really car ing what it sounds like -- though it does sound good. And if they don’t give a damn, why should we? W reck ’ s raw sound doesn ’ t crash and bum Courtesy cf Ray It Again Sam