Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1998)
/ > V, *1 ^ a«r Obsession with one band sheds light on the power of music By Jeff Randall Staff writer When 1 was a kid - say about 12 or 13 years old - about the only music I would listen to was Beatles music. My dad, '60s pop aficionado that he was, had every Beatles album on vinyl: and 1 used to sit for hours, listening to “Revolver,” “Rubber Soul,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Abbey Road” (“Abbey Road" was the best) and all the rest of those magnificent works of art. M 1 yuu LUU1U Jr say I was obsessed. But even in my M young and impres sionable years, the years in which my love affair with the Beatles was at its height, I never quite understood the insane fan bit. You know - all those old // films of the Beatles per forming in con cert or for Ed Sullivan. I just never under stood the screaming hysteria that accompa nied every song. Girls crying and fainting, boys jumping wildly into the air, parents mortified. I didn’t get it. Sure, the Beatles were great and all. The greatest, maybe. But screaming and swarming and losing one’s mind hardly seemed an appropriate response. Well, I’m about a decade older now. And although I wouldn’t describe my life to this point as a truly wisdom-inspiring journey, I have picked up the occasional nugget here and there. One of those nuggets is the reasoning behind the insane music fan. nor me, tnat reasoning is tne Afghan Whigs. Most people have never heard of the Whigs. Or to put it more accurately, most people have heard the name, but never heard the music. I hadn't even heard the band s name until 1993, when I picked up a copy of "Congregation," their third full length album (1 was intrigued by the cover art, OK?). It was shortly thereafter that I began to identify with the insane fan. Because insanity is a perfectly reasonable word to use when describing my relationship with the music of the Whigs. Their albums have become tantamount to spiritual tomes. Traveling to their concerts has become something of a pilgrimage. And when 1 listen to their music - their beautiful, heart-breaking, soul-mining music - I feel as though there is little else in the world that matters. II M_I ‘ 1_1 . vv lit ii i 3ii uai is. and think about it. 1 like to believe that my penchant for the Whigs has stemmed from my somewhat conflicted musical tastes. Because of the era in which 1 was bom, I have an affini ty for all thmgs punk. And because of who I am, I find nothing more enlightening and empowering than the soul music of the 1960s. More than any other band out there, the Whigs embrace both of these art forms and recycle them into MJincimiig new. Roanng guitars and slinky backup singers coexist peacefully m the music of this band. Dropped references to Marvin Gaye in lyrics, Barry White in attitude and the Replacements in sound result in music that - if I had the talent -1 would want to make. Sad but true, I have sunk to the level of the scream ing, crying girl in the front row of Ed Sullivan s audience. This past week, I went to Chicago to see two Whigs shows. At the front both nights, I let out high-pitched squeals and wails that I never thought possible. Before each show, I would shake in nervous anticipation. After each show, I would close my eyes and revel in the moment as though it were some sort of post-coital bliss. Please see WHIGS on 8 Jeff Randall/DN AFGHAN WHIGS FRONTMAN Greg Dulli (left) is compli mented mid-set by saxophonist Roderick Paulin during a Whigs show in New Orleans last May. Matt Haney/D^ Absurd plot elements, errors foil Siege By Cliff Hicks Senior editor There's a real discrepancy from what “The Siege” wanted to be and what it was. It had all the potential of making a good, gripping film about how America’s freedom is less secure than we expect, but there's just too much that gets in the way along the nearly two-hour film. The plot is simple at the start and quickly grows complex. After a Muslim leader is kidnapped by the U.S. Army, bombings begin through out New York, and panic rises. A few bombs later, the American people decide they have had enough. Martial law is declared in New York, and the Army moves in. Trying to prevent the whole con flict is Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington), who is the head of the FBI’s anti-terrorism task force in New York. Aiding him is Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), a CIA spook who just happens to get tangled up in the whole thing. Running the Army is, of course. Bruce Willis' character. General Devereaux. Out of the three, both Washington and Bening put on passable perfor mances, though how Bruce Willis got such a high billing is beyond me. He appears in maybe, if you stretch it, minutes of the film, thus giving Steven Seagal’s performance in “Executive Decision” a run for its money. The real star of the show, howev er, is Tony Shalhoub (you know, Jeebs from “Men In Black”) who plays Frank Haddad, Hubbard's part ner. Shalhoub proves here that he’s got total control over a dramatic role on the rare occasions when he gets them. Even though his Arabic isn’t the best in the world, his acting is still top-notch. What kills the film in the end, however, is all the glaring mistakes and oversights, as well as the sheer absurdity of some of the plot ele ments. It’s not that the plot itself is inconceivable. After all the terrorist attacks, it’s easy to see why the public reacts in fear and desperation. This, however, is where the feasi bility starts to wane. Devereaux warns the politicians that they don’t want to declare martial law, and when they do, they put him in charge, fig -—-, The Facts Title: 'The Siege" Stars: Denzel Washington, Annette Benning, Tony Shalhoub, Bruce Willis Director: Edward Zwick Rating: R (violence, language) Grade: C Five Words: Film “sieged” by glaring mistakes uring he will at least be reasonable with this power. Natch, though, he isn’t. He rounds up all the Middle Eastern-looking men and incarcer Please see SIEGE on 8
