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Show Reviews Movie Review LP Review Hilarious Hairspray Malmsteen: Modern Mozart By Cara Cahoon It is not about beauty salons, permanent waves, or blow dryers; Hairspray" Is about 1962 Baltimore, where".., the times, theyare a changin'. . for hair hopping" teens and the society around them. John Waters' eleventh film is an eccentric comedy which portrays teenagers who star in the popular TV dance party The Corny Collins Show. These teens are tom between y their social lives and the social and political issue of intergration in the 1 960s. The combination of teeny boppers turned political radicals sets the stage for happy-go-luck- satire. Satire is perhaps an understatement for this outrageously entertaining movie. The fun begins when the heroine Tracy Tumblad, played by Ricki Lake, becomes an instant teen idol on The Corny Collins Show." Tracy, in spite of her hairdo and outgoing personality, had always been a social outcast because of her weight. After auditioning for the dance show upon encouragement from her best friend Penny Pingleton, played by Leslie Ann Powers, Tracy will never again be ousted from the social scene. From Tracys first appearance on The Corny Collins Show" to the end of the film, she is extremely popular with everyone; that is. everyone but Amber Von Tussle, played by Colleen Fitzpatrick. This conceited teen angel and her nouveau riche parents, played by Sonny Bono and Debbie Harry, are jealous of Tracy and her immediate success. Their envy is quite hilarious; they do everything possible in order to dash Tracys These vain attempts include planting a bomb in Mrs. Von Tussles boufant hairdo in hopes of blowing up the set of The Corny Collins Show" during one of Tracys better moments. Although it is in a satirical and roundabout way, Hairspray" does send a message about the ridiculousness of racial inequality in the60s. When Tracys friend Penny falls in love with Seaweed, a handsome black student played by Clayton Prince, she is shunned by the white society that now calls her a checkerboard chick." Seaweed is the son of Motormouth Maybell (Ruth Brown), the most popular rh)thm and blues disc jockey in Baltimore. popularity. her new love Link Larkin (Michael St. Gerad), Penny, Seaweed, and Motormouth Maybell fight segregation together. Segregation is not a popular idea to the producers ofThe Corny Collins Show" or to many other citizens of Baltimore at this time. Waters has chosen an entertaining cast of characters who work well with his non-sto- p stars script. With such as the late Divine, the enormous transvestite who plays a dual role as Tracys mother and Corny Collins' boss. Waters creates a fun, action filled movie. Hairspray" adds to the fun with cameo appearances from such stars as Rick Ocasek and Pia Zadora. More than anythingHairspray is entertaining. It is a wild movie that is often unbelievable and always humorous. Its satirical theme of a teen flick with a message" is unusually successful and a definite yes for a good time at the movies. Tracy, By Erick Scheen Yngwie Malmsteen has been both a positive and negative force In the heavy metal world for several years. His latest effort. Odyssey, shows this problem once again. Odyssey is good enough to be a hit. but Yngwies arrogance in both performance and attitude tends to leave a sour taste in the listeners mouth. Malmsteen is beyond a doubt one of the best contemporary guitarists the world has to offer. Classically trained as a youth, Malmsteen has brought a definite positive influence to hard rock. He has been able to show the heavy metal world that it is possible to write creative and original pieces and still retain thecrunch" of hard rock. Malmsteen has even written a few instrumental pieces that could just as easily been written by a classical composer. On Odyssey, Malmsteen has increased his success potential one more notch with the addition of vocal heavyweight Joe Lynn Turner. Turner, formerly of Rainbow, adds a welcome degree of experience and emotion to Malmsteens creations with his soft, yet powerful voice. Turner also wrote all the lyrics on Odyssey, thus allowing him to sing with more feeling. After all. whose words can a person feel more, someonseelses or hisher own? Even with Turners excellent work, the best pieces in Malmsteens bag of tricks are his instruments. In songs such as Krakatau" and Bite the Bullet" from Odyssey. Malmsteen's true talent is displayed. He really gets a chance to show off his soloing ability in these pieces. Therein liesamajorproblem. Forallofthe plusses Malmsteen has on Odyssey (he even has a few ballads to satisfy the pop audience) . his arrogance makes him disliked by many. His attitude moves from tacky (is it really necessaiy to thank Bach. Mozart, and Beethoven on the the album jacket?) to downright cocky (Malmsteen has a habit of dismissing musicians at the blink of an eye). It seems as though Malmsteen wants to be the modem Mozart of metal. One thing is certain; with or without the attitude problem, Malmsteen delivers the music. And thats the important part, isnt it? LP Review Australian Midnight Oil By Erick Scheen For many modem music (I hate that term) fans, Diesel and Dust is their first taste of Australian borne Midnight Oils talents. Those listeners might even go as far as to say, Well, heres the next INXS, or Psuedo Echo, or Men At Work (remember them?) The fact is. Midnight Oil has been sharing the room at the top of the land Down Under for as long as any of these bands have been around. Only now are they achieving some sort of recognition in the U.S. It's about time. Diesel and Dust, the long overdue follow up LP to their first U.S. release. Red Sails in the Sunset, promises to be the LP that breaks Midnight Oil into a worldwide market. Fortunately for the listener, Diesel and Dust holds this power without squandering any of Midnight Oils thought and emotion. Longtime fans of Midnight Oil can be pleased with Diesel and Dust as well. The music is similar to that of Red Sails - acoustic, butdanceable. Thats the Midnight through the wonderfully forceful vocals of Peter Garrett (who. by the way, is and bald as a cue ball), are able to compel the listener to tap hisher toe or get up and dance and receive a message at the same time. The messages of Midnight Oil tend to center on the usual socially conscious issues: Oil difference. They, anti-nuclea- r, anti-aparthei- d, anti-brutali-ty and repression. But, as stated earlier, it is Midnight Oils ability to combine their somber arguments for peace with an acousticdance melody that drives the message home. Diesel and Dusts's lead single Beds are Burning delivers a scornful look upon worldwide indifference and apathy toward its problems. This single is a good representation of the Midnight Oil sound, and a definite attention grabber. April 4 April 5 - Yngwie Malmsteen: Odyssey Ziggy Marley: Conscious Party Nu Shooz: Told You So Robin Trowen Take What You Divinyls: Temperamental Krokus: Heart Attack Scorpions: April 19 Need April 8 - Smithereens: Green Thoughts Billy Vera: Retro Nuevo 12 Neil Young: This Note's For You April Iron Maiden: Seventh Son Everything But the Girl: . April 18 -- - Amusements - Glass Tiger:Savage Diamond Son Thomas Dolby: Aliens Ate My Bulck April 26 Rod Stewart: Out of Order Honeymoon Suite: Racing After Midnight A1 B. Sure: In Perfect Mode .. . Idlewild Cheap Trick: Lap of Luxury Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park K.D. Lang: May 3 Shadowland Open Up and Say Ahh Queensiyche: Operation - Poison: Mlndcrime Symphony Review Caesar in Salt Lake By Ginny Gale Saturday. April 2. Salt Lake City enjoyed the privilege of a special Utah Symphony performance with legendary guest artist Sid Caesar. Bom in Yonkers. New York, Caesar has exhibited talent as a mimic, a saxaphone player, and later became a star in NBCs Your Show of Shows. The program ran four years and won him two Emmy Awards. In 1954. he launched Caesars Hour. collecting five Emmy Awards over the next four scorns April 19, 1988 Issue 15 tt tm to knsu ym to vsi so CPS years. Due to his many other credits, he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1985. Caesar's film career credits includeTts a Mad, Mad. Mad, World," Grease I and II " Airport Silent 75, Movie," and Stoogemania." During ' the Symphony performance, which also included selections from P.D.Q. Bach, Caesar was accompanied by the orchestra during monologues of a man walking down the aisle on his wedding day, a boy going to his first dance, and lookingat the world through the eyes of a newborn baby. Caesar closed the program with a skit featuring The Professor, his unforgettable character that we will always remember and appreciate. The termreviewer" has no significance or importance when in the presence of an artist of such magnitude. Caesars performance brought back wonderful memories as well as leaving the audience with an overwhelmed and marvelous feeling. What can be said, but "Thanks. Sid." old-time- rs Forum 9 |