Arts®Entertainment
Knowledge of Irish ignites Emerald Fyre
By Bryan Peterson
Staff Reporter _
Being good Nebraskans, the three members
of Emerald Fyrc are working hard to bring a
touch of “Celtic Magick” to the state.
Formed in 1989 as a five-piece group, the
band recently emerged from a brief hiatus with
great energy and a desire to share the raucous
joys and melancholy sorrows of the Irish folk
music to which the group is dedicated.
Playing at the Red and Black Cate last
Saturday, Emerald Fyre presented its trade
mark fusion of the most traditional folk melo
dics with newer, fuller sounds, including songs
by such Irish musicians as U2, Clannad and The
Pogues.
All of the band members claim Irish ances
try and hope to visit Ireland.
Even so, Stan Morey II (vocals, guitar,
violin and synthesizer) said he feared visiting
Ireland.
“I’m afraid I won’t come back,” he said.
Although the group plays regularly in Omaha,
Saturday night’s performance was its first in
Lincoln.
“We would love to come back and play,”
said David Stratton (vocals, tin whistle and
percussion). “The crowd was great.”
The band encourages an audience participa
tion with itsown banter and provocation, which
are natural activities when pelting out drinking
songs that call for clapping and stomping.
The Red and Black Cafe was the first non
alcoholic setting for the band, yet audience and
band alike seemed uninhibited.
“We’re still rowdy, but we don’t drink,
ourselves,” said Tami Whitney (vocals, guitar,
-synthesuers). „ ....
“Now wait a minute,” Morey began, just as
Stratton interrupted to say he had his own mug
at an Omaha pub. v
Of course, band members do not limit them
selves to exploring the legendary tendency ol
Courtesy of Bob Whitney
Tami Whitney, David Stratton and Stan Morey are Emerald Fyre
the Irish to drink. A wide knowledge of Irish
music, writing, politics and geography enriches
the band’s music, v
Emerald Fyrc has performed at readings of
Desmond Egan, an Irish poet and Creighton
instructor, and hopes to work one of Yeats’
poems into a song.
The fascination with all things Irish runs
deep, but approval is not ex tended to one of the
more contemporary and controversial Irish
icons: Sinead O’Connor.
Referring to O’Connor’s recent politically
charged actions on television, band members
were initially angry but gradually softened in
their stance.
“1 agree with her philosophy, but not her
delivery,” Morey said.
As lor Emerald Fyrc, the group’s delivery
was met with hearty approval Saturday despite
a small, crowd.
And philosophy? One clue to the group's
philosophy might lie in the evening’s two per
formanccs of Monty Python’s “Philosophers’
Song.” The following words are from the song:
“Immanuel Kant was a real pissant/ Who was
very rarely stable/ Heidegger Heidegger was a
boozing beggar/ Who could think you under the
table/ David Hume could out-consumc.”
A more serious clue might lie in the group 's
chorus of a more traditional song: “Life, life,
life is loo short/ Life’s just too short and my
God, so sublime...Life, life, life is too short/
Life’s just too short not to have a good time!”
Movie rejoices will to live
Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures
Josh Hamilton, Bruce Ramsay and Vincent Spano decide howto stay “Alive.”
“Alive”
By Anne Steyer
Statl Rtporttr __
“Alive” (Plaza 4,12lh and P streets) is not a
movie about cannibalism.
Instead, the movie based upon a true story
celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit.
An aircraft carrying a college rugby team
and some family members crashes in the Andes
Mountains en route to a game in Chile.
Both pilots, most of the flight crew and
several passengers die instantly.
Some of the survivors arc mildly stunned,
while others are badly wounded.
They wail for rescue squads to come. Espe
cially hopeful after a scout plane tlies over
head, they arc crushed when they learn, via a
transistor radio, that the search for their downed
plane has been called off after only eight days.
A couple chocolate bars and bottles of wine
last only so long in the freezing, snow-covered
wasteland. Forced to survive on their own, they
resort to the unthinkable — relying on the dead
to sustain themselves and give them strength.
The film is not without humor. These young
men have a familiar relationship; they are
friends and teammates. They do what so many
others do in the face of death: They laugh. And
the audience laughs with them, loving the
characters and also fearing for them.
There arc momentary glimpses of more
gruesome things, but for the most part it is a
touching and inspirational story. The survi
vors’ will to live persists in the midst of disaster
surrounded by death.
Definitely worth seeing, “Alive" is a tre
mendous film.
y
Week contains uneasy,
troubled new releases
It’sa week riddled with troubled video
releases. There’s not a happy film in the
bunch — although one was supposed to
be a comedy.
“Kafka” comes from Steven
Soderbergh, the director once hailed as
Hollywood’s new wunderkind with his
creation “sex, lies and videotape.” It’s a
foray into what Soderbergh portrays as
the twisted, angst-ridden psyche of Czech
writer Franz Kafka. Jeremy Irons stars as
the title character. (Available now)
“Man Trouble” was supposed to be a
comedy. From the way it booked itself
out of theaters last year, it looks like it
cried all the way to the bank. Ellen Barkin
stars as an opera singer who hires con
man Jack N icholson to protect her. (Avail
able Wednesday)
“Raising Cain” John Lithgow proves
he’s more than the nice-guy-ncxt-door in
Brian Dc Palma’s newest take on the
thriller genre. Lithgow i& a child psy
chologist whose discovery of his wife’s
affair turns him into a psychotic kidnap
per and murderer. Lolita Davidovich
costars as his not-so-loving wife. (Avail
able Wednesday)
There are a few other minor titles
coming home to video tomorrow. Among
them: “3 Ninjas,” a story about three
little boys, trained by their grandfather in
martial arts, who battle baddies;
“Diggstown” with Louis Gossett Jr. as a
boxer and James Woods as a promotor
hoping for another win in the ring; and
“Storyville” a drama about a politician
(James Spader) who is the victim of
blackmail.
— Anne Steycr ‘
“Detour ’ runs
through UNL
film theaters
From Staff Reports_ ___ . __
“Detour,” Edgar G. Ulmer’s cult clas
sic, will be shown today as part of the film
studies program.
Starring Tom Ncalasapianist/driftcr/
hitchhiker enticed by femme fatale Ann
Savage into crime and murder, it is argu
ably the best B picture ever made.
Showings arc at 1 p.m. at the Ross
Film Theater and 7 p.m. at Bessey Hall
117.
It will also show Wednesday at 3:15
p.m. at the Ross Film Theater. All lilm
studies showings arc free and open to the
public.
FILM STUDIES SCHEDULE, SPRING
1993
Jan. 19-20: “Detour”
Jan. 26-27; “While the City Sleeps”
(CinemaScope)
Fcb.y 2-3: “First Comes Courage”
Feb. 9-10: “Homicidal”
Feb. 16-17: “Face the Music” (35mm)
Feb. 23-24: “The Big Tip Off” (35mm)
March 2-3: “Teen-age Doll” (35mm)
March 9-10: “The Raven” (CinemaScope)
March 16-17: “House of Dracula"
March 30-31: “The Saxon Charm”
April 6-7: “Scandal Sheet”
April 13-14: “Comanche Station”
(CinemaScope)
April 20-21: "My Sister Eileen”
(CinemaScope)
April 27-28: “A Woman Rebels”
