at Wit's End in America Let’S Get Right to the Point
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By Craig Zerouni : At Wit's End in America Let’s get right to the point. songwriter/guitarist Andy saying things that are subtly boyhood musical idols were, was formed in Swindon, “He (Andrews) was XTC’s music has been Partridge. Standing in a outrageous. “Bach’s quite besides the Beatles, the England. writing these songs that the described as “controlled large (dry) shower deep in good,” he says of the com Monkees. “I wanted to be in Partridge’s staccato rest of us considered sub experimentalism,” which is the bowels of the Events poser, “because he’s just the Monkees,” he says, not outline of that period runs standard and he was a bit about as good a description Center before their recent sterile meanderings up and too surprisingly, because like the highlights of the six peeved that we didn’t like his as one could want. The sound appearance here turns out to down the scale.” Reasons for “they were in a group and o’clock news: “Got together songs,” explains Partridge. is fresh, bright and witty, be the only place we can his personality, or at least a they were having lots of fun ’73...couldn’t play very “They were O.K., but they with a self-confidence talk, so we do. framework for it, emerge and getting girls and being well...very flashy weren’t as good as the stuff running through it that is Partridge is a small, pink later when on one occasion successful and at that age, I clothes...’76 record com we’d been doing, and we both obvious and pleasing, man, with little round he admits “I used to like was 13, that’s what I wanted panies started getting in thought it would be a step and which works: last year’s glasses and an aire of comedians a lot.” Does, he to do.” terested in us...had a per down...we’d be throwing out Drums and Wires Lp went mischief about him. He looks like Benny Hill? “Yes I do, sonnel change...” The songs that were better songs gold in Canada, and the about as much like a new but I like him for the wrong So he set out to do it. With personnel change was the than the ones we were trying single “Making Plans for musical direction as, oh, sort of reasons. I like him Coling Moulding on bass, ousting of keyboardist Barry to make room for.” Nigel” was a hidden hit here. Elvis Costello. He takes a best when he’s really dirty, Terry Chambers on drums Andrews for guitarist Dave The songs have evolved Most of this musical at moment before we start to really titular. He’s a lousy and Barry Andrews at Gregory, a change con into quick, bright, witty and titude is the product of the sing an Aria into the shower comedian, but he has a great keyboards, and very much sidered by critics to have nicely eccentric ones, and coyly understated per head. way with tits and buns.” impressed by the New York solidified XTC into a viable while most of that is at- sonality of lead singer/main Partridge seems to enjoy Characteristically, his Dolls, a band called Star Pile . group. continued page 4 * • .■* *-** jMl 4rm . PAGE2A DAILY NEXUS THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 13. 1980 i think... Tongues Missing The Gift The Media, Mew Music, by jean mattock Playwright Shepard’s Monday sax gutterly wails Theater is collaboration. work revels in a sweat- out gritty solo lyricism Actors, directors, designers, drenched language that is against the discontinuous And Propaganda percussion of Skip writers grappling with casual and mythical in the by jeff Whittington “job” is tailor-made to stunt the very kind of creation. same breath, LaPlante’s homemade in struments. The ambience of Pardon my polemics. energy and creative intelligence that the Usually it happens simultaneously mundane productive aspect requires. So, when the and elevated. He’s got the 50’s beat poetry jams. A For the past several weeks I’ve been somewhat sequentially. engaging in a harangue about Art and whistle blows, Bill Drone enjoys himself in Playwright writes script. best chops of anyone writing throwback. The second part of the Media and Entertainment and Society and consumptive ways. Director envisions in today. If you doubt this, look at the consumption Tongues is missing that evening, like the per the such that probably baffled anyone who terpretation. Actors create came to this column expecting another dose statistics for television, alcohol, spectator their parts. One, two, three. gift. The first part (which formance as a whole, is called Tongues. With of enlightening record reviews, such as the sports, junk food, movies, drugs and noisy But groups such as Joseph was created last), Savage/- rock ‘n’ roll albums. Love, while its title may Chaikin sitting, a blanket original “Radio On”. But believe it or not, Chaiken’s Open Theatre all this has actually been relevant .to the The clever part is this: in these days of decided to do it all at the imply toughness, is pure Rod covering his lap, hands never slipping from their question of what popular music is up to in multinational conglomerates, chances are same time. Actors would McKuen. Alternatingly AC, Inc., owns the companies that produce whiny and aggressive, it is easy pose on his knees, the 1980s. act. Writers remold the The upshot of this is simply a point that Bill Drone’s favorite form of consumptive/- actors’ words. Everyone direct and honest. And Tongues evokes Beckett. Scale extremely limited — Plato made two millenia ago: the arts to compulsive entertainment. Lucky Bill! He casts about for direction. basically banal. generates profit for Amalgamated Con Rock and roll playwright pulling us into detail. When which we are exposed shape our world Tongues is that sort of views. People generally accept this, but the solidate, Inc., both on and off the job! collaboration between Shepard has condescsended Chaikin leans forward it becomes a momentous point they usually miss is that we are Now, social reformers, management American non-traditional to the use of jazz to ac specialists and sociologists have been company Savage/Love. statement; the slightest inevitably affected by form as well as theater heroes Sam Shepard content, by what is left out as well as what is wrestling for decades with the problem of and Joseph Chaiken. Harry Man’s Stormy alteration of expression significant. putin. how to make hierarchies more responsive to There is no single Most media reformers seem to think we the needs of the people who make them up. character. Rather this is can end up with “clean” media simply by I’ve got no answers for the half of the transformational theater, expunging all the sex and violence and problem that exists during Bill Drone’s from Shepard and Chaikin’s racism and sexism and so forth. When all work day. But what about the half when he’s Open Theatre background. these pernicious things are removed, we’ll not at work? A goodly portion of this falls The single actor becomes a have pure entertainment that people will be squarely into the field known as “arts and conceiving mother, able to enjoy with nary a care. Putting it entertainment,” and that’s something I feel “Nothing they told me was politely, this assumption is stupid. safe talking about. like this. I don’t know whose People are propagandized by the absence Maybe it’s appropriate — large numbers skin this is” ; two people in a of what is excluded from the media as well of people are going to have to spend most of IH8® riüxicflfi conversation about where to as by the presence of what is included. their lives at the bottom of the hierarchical eat which then metamor- There is no “mere entertainment”; the act pyramid, and perhaps it’s best they get a RESTAURANT phosizes into a monologue of passively sitting around and sucking up steady diet of messages from their media about a hunger so all- pseudo-art to put youf brain on hold for a that it’s perfectly fine to be there — OHM 7 DAIS A WilK encompassing that “there’ll few hours is pernicious in itself. messages that assure them of the rightness Let’s examine this with a look at modern of the status quo. • LUNCH Er DINNER be nothing left but the • AIR CONDITIONED 1 hunger itself when it comes social entropy. But, on the other hand, such propagan • BANQUET FACILITIES back. Nothing left but the Bill Drone works for Amalgamated dizing simply strengthens a system which • FOOD TO GO Consolidated, Incorporated. This generates should be as open to improvement as any • CATERING SERVICE hunger eating the hunger when it comes back.” profit for AC, Inc.; it also tires and bores other human invention; a system which OTEN could be made better if we only had the will 11 OOA.M. TO * RM.MON. THUR Shepard’s best work has Bill Drone, because hierarchies like FRI. N I A T . to make it so. Nobody likes alienation, but 11 0 0 A M T O 1 0 :0 0 F JR. w w w »»»« taken disparate elements Amalgamated Consolidated tend to be SUN t :0 0 A M. T O 0 :0 0 F.M and altered them into an concentrated in the upper echelons — many seem quite willing to perpetuate it by - * r r glorifying its root causes as portrayed in the ■ n s i r undefinable, but distinct removing any real responsibility from the 967-0313H whole.