Arts & Entertainment
I ‘Roxy’ shines with solid performances
By Julie Naughton
Senior Reporter
Fifteen years have passed since
the prodigal daughter of Clyde, Ohio,
left town to seek fame and fortune.
Now Roxy Carmichael, is coming
home to commemorate the opening
of the Roxy Carmichael Center for
Cosmetology and Drama. Clyde is
ilfc:
awaiting her return eagerly in “Wel
come Home, Roxy Carmichael.”
Although Roxy’s name is in the
title of the movie, she is shown only
three or four times in the film. Rather,
the movie is more about her impact
on the people of Clyde. More than 15
years after this woman has left town,
she is still an obsession for half the
townspeople.
The men Roxy went to high school
with still whistle about her legs. Roxy’s
former best friend, Evelyn (Dinah
Manoff) still compares everyone to
her. Roxy’s former boyfriend, Den
ton Webb (Jeff Daniels) still can’t get
over Roxy and the child they had
together. But more than anything, this
film is the story of a 15-ycar-old girl
and her idolization of Roxy.
That girl is Dinky Bossctti (Winona
Ryder). Dinky is the type of kid that
adults call unique and other kids call
weird. She has stepped into Roxy’s
shoes as the town rebel, but she also is
determined to find acceptance on her
own terms. Dinky hopes to follow in
Roxy’s footsteps and make her own
dreams of fame and fortune come
true.
Roxy’s imminent return is what
makes Dinky consider her past, pres
ent and future. Dinky is adopted, and
she believes that Roxy is her natural
mother.
Soon after the mayor proclaims
the start of Roxy Carmichael Week in
the crowded Legion Hall, the women ’
of the town eagerly begin making
their appointments at the beauty sa
lon and hunting foi suitable (and of
ten perfectly horrible) new dresses to
wear to the gala Roxy Ball. Roxy’s
former best friend, Evelyn dyes her
hair blonde — and it looks like a
white Brillo pad. Dinky becomes more
and more convinced that this long
gone town hero is her natural mother.
Dinky takes care of her menagerie
of animals, including a pig and sev
eral dogs that she keeps at an ark she’s
built, and runs into Denton Webb.
The two become reluctant friends, as
Denton tells Dinky what life was like
with Roxy — and about the daughter
that Denton and Roxy had.
Dinky also makes a new friend in
the new boy in town, Gerald Howells
(Thomas Wilson Brown). He is at
tracted to Dinky but has reservations
about becoming her boyfriend. The
scenes between these two arc com
pletely realistic and often funny. Gerald
says to Dinky at one point: “I want to
See ROXY on 16
Courtesy of Paramount
Winona Ryder stars as Dinky Bossetti and Thomas Wilson Brown plays Gerald Howells in
“Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.”
Waxing Poetics create powerful,
clean, crisp sound on new release
By Jeffrey Frey
Staff Reporter
Waxing Poetics
“Bed Time Story”
Kmergo Records
Waxing Poetics is a band with
depth. There is nothing misleading
about their music; nothing in their
music which hints at the Poetics rely
ing on post-production to carve out a
distinctive sound. What the Poetics
do, and what is represented on “Bed
Time Story,” their third release since
lorming in 1983, is create well-played
no frills cool rock ‘n’ roll.
The songs on “Bed Time Story”
represent a sweeping range of musi
cal emotion and prowess. All facets
of Waxing Poetics’ music is given
equal importance: the instruments arc
played to compliment one another,
and arc done so delicately with im
pressive control so that one aspect
never dominates and becomes the most
prominent. The vocals arc often sub
dued and have the same controlled
quality as the instruments. The per
cussion never becomes pretentiousor
overpowering: the often erratic drum
beats arc slowed down to pedestrian
speed. The result is not only a cool
brand of rock ‘n’ roll, but a sound
which is listenablc without ever be
coming boring.
“Fear No Evil” details the over
whelming despair of a disabling ill
ness, and manages this without pre
tension. “Shake!” is a grainy, fast
moving guitar-strewn song that proves
the Poetics’ music to be danceable.
“The Attic or the Underground”
showcases the Poetics’ ability to blend
their basic style of rock music with
blues — the guitars unforgiving and
whining while vocalist David Mid
dleton weaves a suggestive story of
the despair one encounters over the
course of a life.
Songs like “Frankenstein’s Daugh
ter” and “Sugardaddy” border on the
comical, yet arc not truly representa
tive of what the Poetics arc capable of
doing with their music. "Sugardaddy
is a bit over-produced; at least this is
the only song that suffers this malady
on the album. “Frankenstein’s Daugh
ter” isan up-beat silly pop song which
is something of a novelty on “Bed
Time Story.
Waxing Poetics manage to create
a fluid and swampy sound on “Jet
black Plastic Pistol.”
Lead guitarist Paul Tiers shares
his duties with vocalist Middleton,
and the two blend their acoustics well
on songs like “East O’ Jesus,” “Roll
That Stone (Over Me),” and “Manakin
Moon.” The percussion and bass on
these songs is sparse, while the vocals
arc pleasant — always telling stories
which seemed plucked right out of
the band’s suggested rural existence.
Many of the songs on “Bed Time
Story” arc left unpolished; often sound
ing as they would if performed live.
This, however, only compliments the
Poetics’ ability and consistency in
creating well-performed music that
doesn’t rely on production to create
their sound.
Formed in 1983 in Norfolk, Vir
ginia, Waxing Poetics create music
that is clean and crisp. They display
power and intelligence in their music,
while maintaining a good deal of
feeling. “Bed Time Story” is an al
bum which can be appreciated for its
simplistic yet cohesive sound. This is
a band which can perhaps be best
appreciated live. And if this is not
possible, “Bed Time Story” suggests
a live sound which for them is ex
tremely good while suggesting a prom
ising future.
Rap walks line between
legitimate anger ; hatred /
By Bryan Peterson
Staff Reporter
"The MMG is more than just a
rap group. Yes, it's a gang, but not
in a violent sense. It's an organiza
tion of my brothers united to get a
positive message across. Authority
tries to play off any kind of black
unity as something violent. In the
ghetto, music is one of the few
means of escape. Through music, I
believe / can reach more minds
with the point T m trying to get
across."
— 2 Black 2 Strong describing
his group, the Militant Manhattan
Gangsters, in a press release.
Rap music has come under a
barrage of criticism recently, much
of it centering on the violence and
sexism found in many rap songs. It
is a wavering line which separates
legitimate expressions of African
American anger from mere haired
or outrage.
Since it’s lime to examine some
of the more controversial rap groups,
let’s go with “while college boy
criticizes black anger,” take one.
Compton rappers N.W.A made
big news with last year’s “F**k tha
Police” and rode public outrage to
huge sales and name recognition.
N.W.A is now back with Part 2 of
the same on its “100 Miles And
Runnin’” EPon Priority Records.
For N.W.A, the lines arc clearly
drawn: the police arc the oppres
sors, urban blacks the oppressed.
The cover shows four men break
f the
^ fifth
column
album review
ing out of prison, an image pursued
in the release’s title song.
Two of the EP’s five songs arc
directed toward the police, splic
ing simulations of abusive inci
dents between long stretches of
hard, angry music filled with ex
pletives.
Again, the band treads a line
line between anger and hale, as
shown in “Sa Pri/c (Part 2)," the
See FIFTH on 18
Danzig’s talent backs up intense stage act
By Michael Deeds
Sen/°r Editor
Critics of Glenn Dan/ig like to
point at his physical image: the scem
>ngly steroid-pumped frame, his bare
thcstcd onstage style, the bald spot
forming on his head that signals a
coming of age and perhaps a distance
between himself and the teens who
thrash below him.
Others howl about his Jim Morri
son-style vocals, complaining that
Dan/.ig is a copycat.
Then there arc the comic book
lyrics, touching on all that is evil and
dark.
Forget all that stuff. It really isn’t
relevant. Danzig showed a huge crowd
in Omaha’s Sokol Hall on Friday night
that he will play HIS game by HIS
rules wherever HE pleases.
Danzig is a superb songwriter and
a great vocalist, but most of all, he is
an entertainer who draws spectators.
From the depths of hell came an
audience ranging from preteens to
men in their thirties. Old fans of the
Misfits suagglcd in, eyes painted black,
followed by kids in Reeboks.
Opening band Trouble, composed
of metal veterans in their own right,
cranked out a solid set of bashers.
These guys were ugly, mean and doing
a job they truly enjoyed, though months
of touring appeared to be taking their
loll. By the time Sokol Hall was full.
Trouble had finished, and the im
pending threat of Danzig became very
real.
There were no explosions at the
show. No lasers. No holograms. None
of the stuff that makes metal bands
more god-like onstage than they are
on record.
Danzig used imagery, for sure, but
this band summons the crowd’s rev
erence through its physical presence.
Danzig took the stage in a fury, tear
ing into “Long Way Back From Hell.”
Guitarist John Christ and bassist Ee
rie Von looked like twins, their long
hair and monster sideburns a deathly
jet black.
Drummer Chuck Biscuits sat atop
the only stage prop, a giant version of
the Danzig skull emblem. Thirty feet
off the ground he pounded, with blind
ing lights beaming at him from all
sides.
Biscuits left no doubt that he is the
most entertaining drummer touring
today. He hits the hardest. He is con
stantly in motion. Each stroke of the
drumstick must rise to, and fall from,
completely above his head, pounding
the skins like a sledgehammer ol
vengeance. And the drums were mixed
so that they came out loud. Very loud.
Danzig himself was a formidable
presence. He is Arnold Sch
warzenegger with Morrison’s beauti
ful voice. Mesmerizing and intense,
Danzig wailed with a chilling sincer
ity through “Snakes of Christ;’ “Blood
and Tears” and “Mother.”
The band played virtually every
song off “Danzig" and “Lucifugc,”
the band’s only two albums. Danzig
did not speak between songs. He glared
a little, posed a little and flexed a
little. He pul on a show for the kids.
But Danzig showed that when you
have the talent to back the act, you
can get away with that stuff.