Arts & Entertainment
Former Byrds star,
2 bands to perform
at Comstock festival
con^rt
By Jill O’Brien
Staff reporter_
Forecast for Friday: Roger
McGuinn, The Millions and Lucky
Peterson, playing rain, snow or shine
at the Comstock music festival.
McGuinn’s leadership, vocals and
12-string guitar were the cornerstone
of the Byrds 25 years ago.
James Buckley, program coordi
nator for Campus Activities and Pro
grams, said the University Programs
Council arranged for McGuinn to play
when it learned he would be in the
area louring.
“He was routable and affordable,”
Buckley said.
Being affordable, however, does
not cheapcn McGuinn’s performance
or mean he is less talented than an
unaffordable artist.
Quite the contrary.
These days, McGuinn still pro
duces albums as prolifically as rab
bits produce young. He still sings,
still plays the 12-string. The differ
ence now is that he prefers to rock
solo instead of in a group.
Last year, however, McGuinn re
leased a new record, with the influ
ence and accompaniment of Tom Petty,
Elvis Costello, Michael Penn and
former Byrds members David Crosby
and Chris Hillman.
Even without the help of his friends,
McGuinn’s vocals are strong and
refined — a step back into yesterday
when the Byrds topped the charts
with “Mr. Tambourine Man” and
“Turn! Turn! Turn!”
Although his style is reminiscent
of earlier years, the lyrics of McGuinn’s
release, “Back From Rio” arc fresh
and sometimes funny, sometimes
cynical, like “Car Phone.”
“1 stole a million fake Nintendo
chips/Bul never let it cross your lips/
That I told you on the car phonc/Or
they’ll write it on my grave stone.
“Talking, talking/Talking, talking,
talking on the car phone.
“And if there’s anyone in space/
What they’ll learn about the human
See CORN on 14
Week’s new videos
include flicks worth
seeing, flops to miss
By Anne Steyer
Staff Reporter
It’s a hodgepodge week for home
video releases: a few fine films and a
few pathetic clunkers. And no week
would be complete without the few
in-between movies.
“29th Street” (R) This comedy is
based on the true story of an Italian
family in New York.
Anthony LaPaglia (“One Good
Cop”) is Frank Pcsce Jr., a lazy, good
looking bum with incredibly good
fortune.
Danny Aiello (“Do the Right
Thing”) plays the head of the family,
Frank Pcscc Sr., who also has incred
ible luck, but all of it is bad.
Brooklyn-born Junior has been
lucky all his life, so he’s not surprised
to find that he’s one of the 50 finalists
in the New York state lottery. So
when his dad runs up S10.000 in
gambling debts, Frank Jr. pays off the
mob with his lottery ticket.
When he wins, he finds out a lot
about the importance of friends and
family. (Available tomorrow)
“Little Man Tate” (PG) Jodie
Foster made her directorial debut with
this fine film about a 7-ycar-old child
prodigy.
Fred Tate (newcomer Adam Hann
Byrd) is a genius, a painter, a com
poser and an amazing mathemati
cian. But his advanced intelligence
keeps him from having any friends—
all the other kids think he’s weird.
His only friend is his eccentric
See NEWVID on 14
Athens, Ga., tractor punks Chickasaw Mudd Puppies
Earthy rock
Five bands to play environmental celebration
By John Payne
Senior Reporter _
This week’s snowstorm has
caused Earth Day celebrations to
be moved indoors, but according
to University Programs Council
Concert and Disco Committee
President Dave Rabe, the weather
won’t pul a damper on the live
music scheduled for this afternoon
in the Nebraska Union.
Five bands, including three na
tional acts, will give a free concert
at 5 p.m. today in the Union’s
Centennial Ballroom. The show is
in celebration of the 22nd annual
Earth Day, a day intended to raise
environmental consciousness.
In addition to the music, Rabe
said at least 10 different organiza
tions, including Amnesty Interna
tional and Ecology Now, will set
up booths in the Georgian Suite.
Representatives from the various
organizations will be on hand to
answer questions. Most of the or
ganizations arc environmentally
related, Rabc said.
Because no admission price will
be charged for the concert, the cost
of bringing the bands to Lincoln
was covered entirely by the UPC
and Ecology Now.
The Chickasaw Mudd Puppies,
a duo from Athens, Georgia, will
headline the event with their quirky
brand of barnyard punk. The Pup
pies were discovered by R.E.M.
vocalist Michael Stipe, who pro
duced the band’s debut, “White.
Dirt,” and co-produced last year’s
“8-Track Stomp.”
While Ben Reynolds sticks
mostly to guitar, lead singer Brant
Slay bangs away on everything from
a washboard to a harmonica. Even
stranger than the band’s hillbillies
from-hcll sound is its down-home
stage decor, which comes com
plete with a rocking chair and picket
fence. Those who were in atten
dance may remember the Puppies
1990 show with Jane’s Addiction
at the Ak-Sar-Bcn Coliseum in
Omaha. Frontier Trust, a band with
an earthy name and a big sound,
will open the show. The Frontiers
men style is both twang and garage
noise, and won over the judges at
last month’s “Big Red Rock-O
Rama.” The Omaha quartet was
named best band, beating out 29
other regional groups, including
fellow Omahans Cellophane Ceil
ing and Lincoln favorites Mercy
Rule.
For its efforts, the group won
$500 in studio time at Lincoln’s
Startrackcr Recording Studio.
See CHICKASAW on 14
Gwar wages sarcastic war on America
“America Must Be Destroyed”
Gwar
Metal Blade Records
The scum dogs of the universe arc back.
Gwar, arguably the most repulsive band in
the history of music, has returned with a new
album, “America Must Be Destroyed.’’
To those unfamiliar with Gwar, a note of
caution: It is not for the timid. The squeamish
of any sort should read no further. But those
who want the info on one of the strangest
groups of all time should continue reading.
Gwar is the World Wrestling Federation ol
the music world. Like pro wrestlers, the mem
bers of Gwar have bizarre and stupid names,
like the lead singer Odcrous Urungus, bass
player Beefcake the Mighty, guitar players
Flatlus Maximus and Balsac the Jaws of Death,
and drummer Jiz Mac the Gusher. Other members
of the band include The Sexicutioncr, Slymen
stra Hymen (the only female in the group) and
Gwar’s manager. Sleazy P. Martini.
Chicken exit No. 2: If the names seemed
bad, definitely quit reading this review.
Also like wrestlers of the WWF, Gwar
members dress the part. On stage and on their
album covers, the band members wear cos
tumes of blood-soaked foam, leather and metal,
assuming the forms of giant, muscle-bound
creatures better suited to a Clive Barker film
than anything else.
And, again like pro wrestlers, Gwar has its
own history — its own liulc story to explain
why it is here.
The band says it came from outer space.
On the inside cover of Gwar s second al
bum, “Scumdogs of the Universe,” is a section
entitled “The Origin of Gwar,” which states
that:
“At least 100 billion years ago, the Master
of All Reality look a shit and thus the universe
was bom. But that was not enough. He had to
wipe, and what better way than to wipe with
war. So he created the Scum Dogs of the
Universe, an ultra-elite group of warriors espe
cially culled from the lowest dregs of filth ...
Chaotic and disease-ridden beings who would
come to be known as Gwar.”
Gwar’s music is most certainly heavy —
heavier than most. The members play speed
metal the likes of Celtic Frost’s, The Crumbsuck
ers’ or Slayer’s, but with more style and com
petence.
That’s right, I said style.
Gwar’s music, at least, is excellent. It mixes
very complicated metal riffs with hard guitar
work and intricate bass lines. It samples strange,
yet wcll-cxccutcd, sound cllccls, cilncr lor
comcdic or aunosphcric purposes. The mem
bers are masters of tempo, able to slow the
music almost to a crawl before building to a
furious pace that will cause blisters to form on
listeners’ eardrums. And they seem always
able to combine and break up their pounding
metal with refrains of euphonic melody.
Fans of Gwar’s past albums probably will be
pleased with Gwar’s latest profanity, “Amer
ica Must Die.” The music is great— almost as
good as it is on “Scumdogs,” but even more
obscure. The songs are every bit as heavy,
complicated and polished as the previous ef
forts, but have more of a traditional rock ‘n ’ roll
influence. (Don’t worry, there’s no chance of
Gwar selling out.)
The lyrics, again, have become stronger,
more bizarre and even more offensive. As an
example, phrases such as “bristling amoeba
See GWAR on 14