Arts & Entertainment
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Mr. Big entering big-time music world
Member says band
stopping in Lincoln
to thank DJ, fans
By Shannon Uehling
Staff Reporter
Mr. Big is growing into its name, but that
doesn’t mean drummer Pat Torpey has a big
attitude.
The band received gold album awards Sun
day for its second release, “Lean Into It,” and
while Torpey said he was excited about the
album’s success, he had a modest outlook.
“I don’t take the success for granted,” Tor
pey said. “I’ve almost not had time to actually
sit back and go ‘Wow, (the LP’s) actually
doing pretty well.’”
Mr. Big is Eric Martin, lead vocals; Billy
Sheehan, bass guitar; Paul Gilbert, guitar; and
Torpey, drums.
Torpey compared his outlook on the band’s
success with that of a person who throws a
successful party.
“You’re just making sure everyone’s hav
ing a good time. You don’t really have time to
enjoy it, until maybe the next day when you go,
‘Wow, that was a pretty good party,”’ he said.
Much of the band’s success can be attrib
uted to Lincoln disc jockey Jon Terry for put
ting “To Be With You” on KFMQ’s play list
and helping convince Atlantic Records to re
lease the song as a single.
“He basically kick-started our whole little
thing here,” Torpey said. “It’s just mushroomed
into the success.”
Mr. Big is performing in the Centennial
Ballroom at 8 p.m. today, in part, to honor
Terry.
“We’re going to be meeting him, and I’m
really looking forward to it because I really
want to shake his hand and say, ‘Hey, my God,
thanks a lot, bud,”’ Torpey said.
Torpey also said the band members were
looking forward to coming to Lincoln because
they were aware that the people of Lincoln
supported them early on.
Courtesy of Atlantic
Paul Gilbert, Pat Torpey, Eric Martin and Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big will bring their pop sound to the Centennial Ballroom
in the Nebraska Union tonight at 8 p.m.
“It was definitely on our little itinerary," he
said. “It says ‘Lincoln, Nebraska, this is where
a lot of it started.’”
Torpey has been with Mr. Big during its
almost four-year existence, but he also has
worked with such greats as Robert Plant and
Ted Nugent.
Playing with Plant on the “Now and Zen"
tour was the “big feather” in Torpcy’s hat, he
said.
Torpey got his chance when Plant’s regular
drummer broke his wrist.
He said he spent many hours learning Plant’s
solo material before he auditioned.
“I got on a plane and hopped to Chicago, the
whole time completely destroying and wearing
out batteries in my Walkman,” Torpey said.
After being chosen for the tour, Torpey only
had three days to rehearse before performing in
front of crowds of 15,000 people.
“It was a little nerve-racking,” he said. “But
I swore I would die trying.”
Torpey said the “Lean Into It” lour was
going well and selling out regularly.
This leg of the tour is winding down, he said,
but following the March 28 date in San Fran
cisco, the band will tour in Europe for a month.
When the band gets back in mid-May, it will
gucst-pcrform with Rush for six or seven weeks,
Torpey said.
“There’s no rest for the wicked,” he said.
With the success of the single “To Be With
You” and the gold status of “Lean Into It,” one
might think Torpey would have a big ego.
While he said he was pleased by the band’s
success, he also seemed to have both feet on the
ground.
“I think we’re all kind of numbed by it,”
Torpey said. “But we’re certainly walking around
with big smiles on our faces.”
Sweet, Pigs
to let loose
in Lincoln
this week
By John Payne
Senior Reporter
Lincoln native Matthew Sweet,
whose third album, “Girlfriend,” has
sold over 100,OCX) copies, will per
form tonight at Oscar’s, 800 O St.
Sweet, a Lincoln Southeast High
School graduate, played in various
local bands before leaving Lincoln in
1983 to move to then-college rock
mecca Athens, Georgia.
In 1986, Sweet released his debut
album, “Inside,” on Columbia Rec
ords. That album, along with his 1989
follow-up, “Earth,” was lauded by
the music press but mostly was over
looked by everyone else.
Between albums, Sweet played bass
on the Golden Palominos’ 1987 tour
and also has worked with artists such
as Lloyd Cole and the B-52s’ Kate
Pierson.
“Girlfriend," the cover of which is
adorned with a photo of ’60s movie
starlet Tuesday Weld, is (Sweet’s semi
autobiographical account of marital
break-up and the rediscovery of love.
The LP is pure pop melodocism,
Matthew Sweet
punctuated by Sweet’s creamy vocals
and distorted rock guitars.
The title track from the LP has
been in heavy rotation on college
rock stations since the album was
released, and the video to “Girlfriend”
recently was added to MTV’s “Buzz
Bin.” The LP is now eighth on Bill
board’s Top Ten College Album Chart
Since the release of “Girlfriend,”
Sweet has performed live on “Late
Night with David Letterman” and
See LIVE on 10
it . .
Urban drama’s focus
complex, but intriguing
By Mark Nemeth
Staff Reporter _
John Saylcs’ “City of Hope” is an
engrossing film about a city’s urban
relations, corruption and economic
hierarchies.
“City of Hope” overflows with fine
performances from the likes of Joe
Morion (“The Brother From Another
Planet,” “Terminator 2” and Broad
way ’ s “ Hair”), Tony Lo B ianco (“The
Honeymoon Killers” and “The French
Connection”), Todd Graff (“Five
Comers” and “The Abyss”), Frankie
Faison (“Do The Right Thing” and
“Silence of the Lambs”), Chris Coo
per (“Matewan”), Josh Mostcl
(“Matewan,” “Radio Days” and
“Hannah and Her Sisters”) and David
Strathaim, who appears in many of
Sayles’ movies.
The lisfof credits in this film is so
massive and the cinematic product so
Hollywood-like, one wonders if Say
les (“Brother From Another Planet,”
“Matewan,” “Return of the Sccaucus
Seven”) was working with too large
of a budget. If there are any failures in
“City of Hope,” they arc caused by
the extensive scope of the film’s fo
cus.
The film begins with Nick, played
by Vincent Spano, quilting his no
show construction job at a site on
which his well-known entrepreneurial
slumlord lather is building.
The film continues to tell the sto
ries of the interrelated lives of its
characters.
It seems every character in this
massive city — including teachers,
thieves, cops and city officials —
either knows the others or is in the
same place at the same time,*ready *
for the camera to switch among them.
Maybe this proves once again Saylcs'
masterful writing and directing tal
ents, or maybe it highlights the film’s
lack of focus.
One of the film’s many conflicts is
ignited when two young black men
attack a white jogger, claiming falsely
that the man was trying to fondle
them. Their attack on the man was
inspired by two white cops harassing
them without reason.
“If we’re gonna do the lime, let’s
do the crime,” says one of the kids.
“City of Hope” is poignantly po
litical and sporadically comical, though
a little burdened by character and plot
complexity.
Saylcs, however, still is one of
today's most intriguing and eclectic
writcr/dircclors, and “City of Hope”
is another in a scries of excellent and
sometimes brilliant films.
“City of Hope” is playing at the
Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater
Thursday through Sunday and March
26-29. Showtimes are 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Thursday through Sunday, with Sat
urday matinees at 12:30 and 3 p.m.,
and Sunday matinees at 2 and 4:30
p.m.
