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// 2NDSKI disorder
That Magazine from CITR FM 102
NOVEMBER 1988 * ISSUE # 70
EDITOR Kevin Smith
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS  Viola  Funk,  Barb
Wilson, Miss Finch
WRITERS Pat Carroll, Chris Buchanan, Norm
Van Rassel, John Ruskin, Dave Watson, Viola
Funk, Janis McKenzie
ART DIRECTOR Marty George
ARTISTS Alan George, Julia Schenck
PHOTOGRAPHER Mandel Ngan
COVER 12 Midnite
PRODUCTION MANAGER Michael Grigg
LAYOUT BY Martin Richards, Shirley Soo, Laura
Corobotiuc
PROGRAM GUIDE BY Kathryn Hayashi
TYPESETTING AMS Desktop Publishing
ADVERTISING   AND   DISTRIBUTION  MANAGER Matt Richards
ACCOUNTS AND DISTRIBUTION GUY Randy
Iwata
PUBLISHER Harry Hertscheg
Discorder is That Magazine from CiTR 101.9 Fm.
It's published monthly by the Student Radio Society
of the University of British Columbia. It's printed
in Surrey, Canada. Discorder Magazine prints what
it wants to, but pledges to (try and) put the CiTR On
The Dial program guide and Spin List record chart in
every issue. We also vow to circulate 17,500 copies
to over 200 locations by the first of each month.
Twelve-month subscriptions are $12 in Canada,
$12(US) in the States, $20 elsewhere. Make money
orders or certified cheques payable to Discorder Magazine. All written, drawn or photographed contributions are welcome. But don't expect to get anything
back. To pick up or to improve your reception of
CiTR's 49-watt stereo signal, just put a little effort
into it. Stick a clothes hanger or some other kind of
antenna to your receiver. Better yet, if you're a subscriber to Rogers, Shaw or Delta Cable, turn us on at
101.9 cable fm. Office hours for CiTR, Discorder
and the CiTR Mobile Sound Rental are Mon-Fri,
10am-4pm. Please call then. But call 228-3017. For
the News/Sports line, call 224-4320. To talk to the
DJ, call 228-2487 or 228-CiTR.
6  FILM FEAST
Movies! Free Flicks! Aces Man!
8 BILLY BRAGG
Just An Unassuming Guy
10 THE FAMOUS LEONARD
COHEN VOICE
And It's No. 1 In Norway
12  ONE HOUR WITH A LYRES'
GROUPIE
How Much Abuse Can One Interviewer
Take?
14 I LIVE IN SURREY BY FORCE
Just What Are The 88 Great Things
About Surrey?
I 4  AIRHEAD
readers who write
13  VIDEO EYE
watching out for your best entertainment
interests
16 UNDER REVIEW
smiths, b.a.d., naked raygun and more
17 LOCAL MOTION
in a city near you
21  ON THE DIAL
every person's guide to citr
22  SPINLIST
the hipper sounds 6138 SUB Blvd.
Vancouver, B.C
V6T 2A5
Dear Airhead,
I just transferred to Vancouver from Moose Jaw
(that's right - armpit Saskatchewan) and promptly
grabbed the local entertainment rags - yours included
- to see what kind of groups were playing. Being of the
"alternative listener" sort, I feel I've been pointed in
the right direction thanks to the club review in your
October issue. Thanks, Janis.
On a different note, I would like to know what
kind of money-mongering, capitalist, gravy-sucking
pigs are running these places. Seriously, $3.50 - $4.00
a beer. Is there no such thing as a $5 or less cover
charge anywhere? Over the last 5 or 6 years, myself
and a few friends would drive 40 miles to Regina in
search of live alternative-type gigs. (Moose Jaw is a
Redneck/Metal haven.) We saw the Jazz Butcher
with The Gruesomes - $10; The Doughboys with Big
Drill Car - $5; Royal Crescent Mob and Mojo Nixon
and Skid Roper - $8. And beer, well, $1.50 before
9:30 and $2.50 after. Can you see my point? I'm sure
many students can. What's with these Butthole Surfer
guys? ($15.50). Is Eddy Van Halen joining them, or
what? And what happened to The Jesus and Mary
Chain on October 3? I guess I'll have to make sacrifices. Put up with slimey club owner prices or go back
to the Prairies for yet another minus 40 degree winter.
Tough choice.
Sincerely,
L.B. from Moose Juice
Like our CiTR Vice President says, Moose Jaw is a
great place to be from. And no, Eddy won't be there
but Steve Vai will be. But seriously, the best value in
town is the tickets that can be found at better record
stores which provide entry into some pretty hot gigs
for a mere dollar.
Dear Airhead,
Whatever happened to the word alternative? It
used to stand for a fresh movement away from the
commercial mainstream of music and attitude. It was
about not having to follow herds of sheep, social
awareness and not being afraid of standing up for your
own thoughts.
"Alternative" today has about as much meaning
and depth as music by Peter Cetera. Every kid and his
uncle has become "alternative". Most people frequenting places like Luv Affair and Cafe Zen have
unknowingly become just another cliche group in our
stagnant society. They never found out that the point
is not wearing black, listening to the right music, and
saying "screw everyone but my friends and I!" Wake
up and smell the coffee, preferably if it isn't black.
Stuart Escobedo
Oh, so that's what alternative meant back in the good
old days. CiTR became known as Vancouver's radio
alternative because that's what it was. As set out in its
mandate from the CRTC, CiTR was, and is, supposed
4    DISCORDER
to be an alternative to the other radio stations of
Vancouver. It was not alternative because it played
"alternative" music; there was no such thing. But
over time "alternative" became a label for the music
college stations play. Usually this applied to British
bands like The Smiths, The Cure, and New Order.
Thus, we then had a definition of what was acceptable
for a station such as CiTR to play. Unfortunately, this
is very restricting and very white. It would seem to
defeat the purpose of an "alternative"; that is, to be
an outlet for music and ideas that are not to be found
on other radio stations. Sure, many college stations
have reggae, rap, soul or African music shows but the
tendency is to keep the main playlist records alternatively-correct, thank you very much. As applied to
music, the term alternative is meaningless and extremely confining; it's a dead end. Stop using it. And
remember, U2 used to be an "alternative" band. Nuff
said.
Dear Airhead,
This is in response to "The Rank's" letter in the
October Discorder. I had also looked forward to the
opportunity of attending school here at UBC and
living in residence. Like you, I come from a BC backwoods town and imagined UBC to be a haven where
I would meet interesting people who had similar
interests to mine, which do not include intoxicating
myself to the point of imbecility. I had always associated that kind of behaviour with the small town I
lived in. I did not realize that residence consists
mainly of people also coming from small towns in BC
and that nothing would change. To some of these
people, life doesn't go beyond campus. They might as
well be back in their "backward town" that The
Grapes of Wrath sing about My reason for writing
this is to tell you that you are not alone in your opinion
of residence life. There must be others like us. Try
looking closely for people who are also not satisfied
with the ordinary.
Sincerely,
P.O.W.R. (pissed off with res.)
Dear Airhead,
OK. Like here we are. The Beverly. Queen
Street. Our last drop of Toronto-shit-draft.
OK. Like there we were. The concert hall.
Yonge Street. 54-40. Thoroughly prepared to get
down after large amounts of J.D. on ice. The lights
dimmed.
OK. )Ve go for it. But lo and behold, all the
Eastern Pretentious Pigs won't dig it. Blank looks and
tight asses.
We always figured 54-40 was a right to party.
Not for these suaves. This city is a wasteland. All we
wanted to do was drown our sorrows, and mindlessly
rock to hometown tunes. Mountains, the ocean, Luv-
A-Fair (ha,ha,...wouldn't be caught dead there!) and
good old West Coast Dudes - nothing compares to
Vanny, main. Too bad we're stuck here for nine
dreaded months, our faces buried in text books, or
occasionally pints.
Hey, Janey, not a bad idea. No doubt Lora. Yo,
waiter - sopre us two more.
Miss Vou all at home.
10-4 from the Beverly.
Lora and Janice
Dear Airhead,
Thank you so much for the September doodle
art cover!! But why did you start colouring it? What
am I supposed to do with my crayons?
Br yon L.
Hey, what you do in the privacy of your own home is
your business.
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night
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arry Harris plays pia
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fm • ^ "he School of Music
W**W The University of British Columbia
Monday Nov. 28-8 pm
UBC recital hall
MUSIC BUILDING
Tickets: General SI2. Students $10
On Sale at VTC Ticketmaster  AMS  Tickets: S.U B..
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Sunday, November 13 • 8 pm
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CO-OP RADIO Movies! Free Flicks! Aces ManJ... oh
sorry, no, it was cinema and I was
allowed to attend because of my role
as a member of the Media, with a sacred duty to
communicate to you, the reader, my impres-
sionsof what I saw. Well, how many movies can
you see if you don't have to pay? Of the 200 or
so that played during the two weeks of the
Vancouver International Film Festival I'd guess
that you would be able to see 75% of them, the
other 25% being lost to scheduling conflicts.
However, this assumes you would be willing to
give Up a few simple little things like your job,
eatings sunshine (or rain), your friends, sleeping
- in f lit just about everything save thebus routes
between the Van East (on Commercial Drive),
the Pacific Cinematheque (Howe and
Helmeken), the Ridge (Arbutus at 16th), and the
Hollywood (Broadway and Balaclava). I had a
few other commitments so I saw a select 10% of
what was availiable while still managing to
squeeze in a few extra social events. True to my
duty as Media Dude I'll share my experience.
First night out, Sunday, I caught a double
bill of The Laserman and Varapire's
Kiss. The first is a funny but flawed film.
Writer/producer/dircctor/co-star Peter Wang
wants to make some serious points about the responsibilities scientists must take for their discoveries, l^it doesn't pull it off. The second Film
was terrific: Nicolas Cage plays a yuppie prick
who thinks he's turning into a vampire. I assume
it will be going into general release fairly soon,
so go see it and understand why someone pointing and yelling "ALVA" is going to be all the
rage at parties this Christmas season.
The next films I saw were part of press
screenings. Press screenings involve showing
up at the theater in the middle of the day, having
someone ply you with muffins, coffee and press
kits and then going in to see a movie with four
or five other people. For comedies the result can
be like the sound of one hand clapping. Nonetheless, the two films I saw here, Cannibal
Tours and Some Girls, were two of my favourites. Cannibal Tours is a rib-tickling (pun
intended) documentary about groups of Europeans visiting the villages of former cannibals in
the New Guinea jungle. Tourists never looked
so goofy, nor natives so perplexed. My favorite
piece of tourist/native interaction was a wife's
remark to her husband as he attempted to get a
local kid to smile for die camera: "No, don't get
too close. She'll start crying. She doesn't know
you're a pediatrician."
Some Girls provides a distinct contrast.
Michael, a young American college student, spends Christmas in Quebec withhis
girlfriend and her family. The family includes
two sisters, the older sister's boyfriend, their
gorgeous mother, her eccentric father (a writer
who works in the nude), the family priest, and
Beowulf (the family mutt). To keep things interesting the filmmakers introduce the family's
elderly grandmother, who thinks Michael is her
long-dead husband. Oh yeah, all of the sisters
have tue hots for our young hero. You'll just
have to trust me when I tell you all of the above
is handled intelligently and with the utmost
good taste and that this may be my favorite film
of the festival.
However, I was starting to get alittle jaded.
I wanted something a little more. I wanted three
in a row. In order, the three were: Shame,
Comic Book Confidential, and Mondo New
York. The first was a modern feminist Australian version of the Alan Ladd western Shane
(geddit?). The lone rider rolls into town and
discovers that things are seriously wrong. An
interesting movie with all the good roles being
female - since all the men are spineless wimps
(or, more commonly, Fosters-chugging, woman-
chasing, he-men). However, there is one major
technical flaw. In one scene a set of supporting
actors is shown arriving, and in the next they are
shown preparing to leave for the former scene.
Don't worry if this doesn't make any sense; it
didn't in the film either. A strong, uncompromising ending and sensitive, intelligent acting
by Deborra-Lee Furness as the heroine, Asta,
make the film far better than its B-movie premise suggests.
Shame was good, but I wanted more. The
evening's next entertainment gave it to
me. Comic Book Confidential is an amusing and informative look at the origins, history,
present and future of North American comic
books. The best bits are those that deal with the
phenomenon of 50's horror-comics and the US
government's successful efforts to squash them
(shades of the PMRC, or what?). Also enjoyable
is the section on the underground comics Of the
late 60's. (Best line here was by the creator of a
Mickey Mouse parody who spent 13 years fighting a 1.2 million dollar lawsuit launched against
him by the Disney Corporation: "If you're going
down in flames, try and hit something big.") In
all a very enjoyable film that is sure to show up
around town for years to come. However, I still
wasn't satisfied.
So off I trooped to the midnight show at the
Van East - Mondo New York. Ever wonder what
groovy, hip, "alternative" people do for entertainment in the Big Apple? Wonder no more.
The film follows a nameless, mute, mid-Western lass as she roams from one form of "entertainment" to another. High and low points include: an S&M demonstration; streetcorner
"doo wop" groups; a ranting preacher who bites
the heads off mice and then explodes himself;
late night poetry recitals; John Sex, his bodacious Ta-Ta's and his Love Muscle; and much
more. I left feeling a little unsettled. Given the
sheer camp value of much of the acts featured,
expect this film to appear on the midnight movie
circuit fairly soon.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the previous night's overindulgences, the next
afternoon's film, We Think the World
of You, featuring Alan Bates and Gary Oldman,
failed to impress me strongly either way. If you
can imagine a strangely dull cross between Walt
Disney and Joe Orton, where the two actors are
featured as sometime gay lovers drawn together
by Oldman's dog, then you've got the idea.
This day's midnight special was something completely different. The Decline and
Fall of Western Civilization Part II, The Metal
6    DISCORDER ....the blue moon is always full
these yellow roses never die
Children only cry rainbows
Success is just love
Wildest imagination is reality,
he said... This is my world
And you can have half.
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Years is terrific. Under the talented direction of
Penelope Spheeris this documentary examines
LA's metal scene with a sharp and intelligent
eye. Featuring interviews with everyone from
the Biggest of the Big (Alice, Ozzy, Lemmy,
Gene and Paul), through to the up-and-coming
and "never wills" (Poison, Faster Pussycat, and
my personal faves for sheer lameness, Odin), all
the way down to the teenage metal fans and
wannabe's. Not forgotten are side trip interviews with promoters, parole officers and
sleazeball club owners. Even if ybu have no
interest in heavy metal whatsoever this film will
amuse, fascinate and horrify you (a late-night
poolside interview with the guitar player from
WASP leaves one assuming he isn'tplanning to
stay in this world much longer). Another of my
favorite films of the festival.
Aperiodic problem facing someone who
likes to see a lot of films is that you may
be forced to choose real life over£inema
once in a while, so films may not be there when
you are ready to see them. I had such a problem
one night. Expecting to see an Australian documentary about three women growing up, I instead saw a film about three women recounting
their pasts. Martha, Ruth, and Edie is, in fact,
three short stories drawn together by a chance
meeting of the women in the title. It's all rather
pleasant CBC, Canadian, Toronto filmmaking.
The first two stories are okay. The first is about
a young girl's first love and the second about a
mousy librarian finally coming into her own
with the aid of her elderly "California aunts".
The last story, however, is a real gem. The
dutiful housewife, with her perfect house, kids
and attitude, is left by her jerk of a husband.
Deciding to support herself, she gets a job teaching English in a medium-security men's prison.
Nothing really extraordinary happens, but it's
all quite nice.
1 With a choice between more films or DOA,
I broke down and saw DOA. They were way
loud, politically correct, had a chainsaw on
stage, and it was almost their last gig with Dave
Gregg. Anyway, they showed Death Race 2000
before the opening act came on.
Now for a dream sequence. You go to a
party. There are far too many people there, but
there is free alcohol. You see some friends. You
see Leonard Cohen. You see people tell Leonard
Cohen he's their parents' favourite poet. You
wonder if these people'sparents know thenames
of any other poets besides Leonard Cohen. You
wonder how Leonard Cohen feels about this
"favourite poet" business. You see a napkin he
signed for a female friend of yours; you read
"What are you doing later?", signed, "Leonard
Cohen". You hear that Leonard Cohen actually
left the party in a cab by himself. You see
another female friend. She tells you she's not
interested right now. You drink a beer. Later on,
the roadie for the Grapes of Wrath gives you a
condom. You truly understand irony for the first
time in your life. You wake up with a dry mouth
and a headache.
If you thought that was a bit much, try sitting
through Tales from the Gimli Hospital.
It's a German surrealist silent film from the
1920's, filmed in Winnipeg in 1988. It's  ex
tremely slow-moving, filled with images of the
"plague" and bark carving into fish shapes, and
has few funny jokes. I'm fairly sure the whole
filmis acinematic 'in'joke. Morepeople walked
out on this film than any other that I saw. It wins
my personal award for least understood film of
the festival.
The last film I saw, Amsterdam ned, is a
Dutch made police thriller. The plot concerns
something lurking in the canals of Amsterdam
and killing people. Out to solve the mystery is
our hero, a way cool police detective, played by
Huub Stapel. Adding to the suspense and intrigue are the detective's daughter.his partner,
the new woman in his life, her pyschiatrist, and
someone in a black rubber suit with a very sharp
knife. Well made in a none too serious manner.
More than a tip of the cap to James Bond, Dirty
Harry, et al.
In many ways this last film was indicative
of what I viewed throughout the fest's length. I
noticed a trend in film, and in pop culture in
general, to eat up and regurgitate that which has
gone before or is happening elsewhere. Aside
from the Dutch police thriller there was an
Australian western, a yuppie vampire and a
Winnipeg filmmaker who both took their cues
from 1920's German film style, and an English
drama about homosexuals that felt like a piece of
1950's American family entertainment.
1 The Vancouver International Film Festival: more than a chance to see lots of free
movies; less than an opportunity to discover the
best place to sit in a movie theater.
Pat Carroll
s  NOVEMBER 1988  7 t was with immense trepidation that I
eagerly prepared for the much anticipated
! interview. Injust a few short hours I would
greet one of my rock and roll heroes, the
tght me how to play guitar via his
«JitoflP'cl^eflPe tnou^nt tnat
ng one of your idols could be one heck of
t down would not leave my mind. The day
I badly. I was late for school and
couldn't concentrate during any of my classes.
Anxiety and panic riddled me all day. I lost two
sets of car keys and nearly forgot the cassette to
record the interview. As I was led into a dark
hallway of the Commodore Ballroom I couldn' t
help but think how much I dreaded doing this
interview. But it finally happened, I talked with
the Big-nosed Bard from Barking, Billy Bragg.
While it may sound like a cliche, the first
thing you notice when you meet Billy is his
unassuming manner; wearing a dark blazer and
jeans, sporting a goofy haircut, and talking in a
witty, friendly style all combine to make him
approachable for even the most insecure of
interviewers. He was sitting in a cramped office
cluttered withvariouspapers andclothing, almost
as if he were sitting in his own apartment. One
notices his half-eaten sandwich laying on the
table. The only clues that this is not his natural
habitat are the various semi-nude posters and a
Sun girlie calendar on the wall, which he says he
would replace with pictures of his mother and a
picture of him and James Brown taken in Detroit
years ago. Instantly my groundless fears evaporate; this would be an enjoyable interview.
The music of Billy Bragg crosses many
boundaries. Whether you call itablend
of folk, punk or rock, his music comes
down to one man and his guitar in
front of an audience singing about politics and
relationships. "I still feel like a punk rocker
underneath. But if you really want to talk about
8    DISCORDER ^___
what kind of music I'm making, the only term I
feel evi
folk.'"
doing gig!
touring N<
nymen,
of the Wei
Thedoi
relatioi
mfortable with is urban
has seen him move from
fty apathetic patrons, to
Echo and the Bun-
ning across much
;n Eastern Europe.
songs are ill-fated
ving politics. Many of his
best songs deal with his painful teenage infatuations. And those days are not yet behind him. "I
still feel like a seventeen year-old in love, unfortunately. That's all part of being human. I'm
thirty now, and I thought that when I got to be
thirty all the secrets of maturity would be re-
vealed."The openness with which he approaches
his songwriting leaves very litde of his soul and
experience uninvolved, preferring to think of his
songs as confessionals for the darker side of his
personality.
But Billy's notoriety is due to his eloquence in presenting his politics. His work with
Red Wedge and the Labour Party in Britain has
made him a pioneer in the movement to make
British youth politically aware. Lastyear'sHelp
Save the Youth of America tour attempted to
do the same for the Americans. "We can't save
them (the youth) by gigs, but at least we can
challenge them and provoke them a bit. Provoking them to think." It is suprising to find him still
optimistic about the future of the world while the
vast majority of British youth have become
disillusioned with politics and resentful of the
world they know. "With someone potentially
positive in the Kremlin and someone potentially
positive in the White House, things will be a lot
more interesting than what we've had in the last
ten years."
And what about Canada, what follies do we
have in store for ourselves. Free trade with the
Americans gets less than favourable reviews
from Billy. "Having fought for all those years to
get out of the British Empire you are joining the
American Empire. And British Columbia, if you
go from the left, becomes the 52nd state of
America. Or more simply, they give you more
money and you give them all your good hockey
players." The once planned purchase of nuclear
submarines from Britain doesn't fare much better, "Would you buy a used submarine from that
woman? I wouldn't."
But for Billy Bragg, one cannot simply
separate life into politics and relationships. The
two are inevitably joined. "Life isn't all politics,
and life isn't all personal relationships, it is a
mixture of a lot of different things, and I try to
reflect that in my writing. If you haven't loved
someone outside your immediate family, with
all your hearL or allowed yourself to be loved,
then you can't be a socialist because socialism is
about loving people. I do subscribe to that, that
the emotional side to politics is as important as
the intellectual side."
One gets a feeling when talking to
Billy that his wit and charm, which
he so readily exhibits, is just a veiled
attempt to cover up the darker occurences of his life. We all experience pain and
insecurity during our lifetime. Guitar players are
not exempt from this ordeal. And each of us
must make a decision as to how we deal with our
frustrations. Billy chooses a self-effacing manner as a means to cover up the pain. Besides his
ill-fated relationships,he has gone through such
deep periods of doubting his ability and self that
at age twenty-three he found himsel
British Army. "1 joined me British Army to
escape the economic and social situation I was
in. 1 didn't have a job and was livingathome.lt
wasanaivehopeto escape. I hadlostmy musical
confidence By the time I had joined the army.
While the army didn't instill my confidence
back into me, it gave me such a shock that it
made me think that I was so lucky to be out of
there. It was like going to prison. It made me
want to play gigs again." Billy lasted three
months in the army before he bought himself out
and returned to a life of rock and roll.
With his new release Worker's Playtime,
many have heralded a change in the Billy Bragg
they once knew. On this album are featured
Wiggy, his childhood sidekick, on bass, Tina
Carvey playing the piano, and Micky Waller, a
drummer formerly with Rod Stewart. All this
accompaniment has changed the sound and
texture of his songs. While many are upset with
his new style, Billy sees it as progress. "Worker's
Playtime is a progression from what I've done,
I don't think it is a departure. I think we are just
moving in a way so that the records don't necessarily sound like the live gigs. I think to keep
making records with just guitar and vocals would
be like standing still and I wouldn't want to do
that." After completing his world tour, which
should take almost a year, he plans to release
another lp and another song book for those
would-be guitarists.
After all the concern and anxiety I experienced before the interview, it was a great relief
to find that he was as humble and warm as his
songs are. But better still, it gave me the opportunity to see the human side to Billy Bragg.
Chris Buchanan :   JACK UWIN'S Is/^UREW 3-8 pm
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Imported C. D. Singles From $5.98, Records, Rock Pins,
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New Picture Discs On Sale, Good Selection of Imported
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COLLECTOR'S R.P.M.
498 SEYMOUR ST.
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No One Can Compare. THE ffl/A^US V°ICE
Leonard Cohen. You've probably heard the name before. Possibly bought a record or two. Maybe your
parents have one or both of his novels collecting dust on their bookshelf. Perhaps the only thing you
know about Leonard Cohen is that he wrote the songs sung by Jennifer Warnes on her 1986 surprise
hit release Famous Blue Raincoat.
Cohen grew up in Montreal. While attending McGill University he studied literature, played C&W with
the Buckskin Boys and published his first collection of poetry. Having managed to secure a grant, Cohen
travelled through Europe, settling on the Greek island of Hydra. He stayed seven years and produced his two
novels The Favourite Game (1963) and Beautiful Losers (1966).
According to Cohen, there "was an intense group of people passing through the island at that time, people
who were going to make their mark on culture - Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Axel Jensen, Goran Tonstrom."
When sparse book sales no longer paid the bills, Cohen turned to music. Fifty-three year old Cohen has been
at it on and off for the last 21 years, his most recent effort being othe newly released I'm Your Man LP.
Leonard Cohen's influence is widespread. Artists as diverse as Neil Diamortd, Diana Ross, Joan Baez, Nick
Cave and Joe Cocker have covered his tunes. Poland has an annual Leonard Cohen festival. The Sisters of
Mercy took their name from one of his songs. Ian McCulloCh of Echo and the Bunnymen looks to Cohen for
inspiration. I personally have been told that my singing makes Leonard Cohen sound like Frank Sinatra.
I spoke with Mr Cohen in early October while he was in town promoting his album and tour. Handsomely
attired in a dark grey tailored suit, black shirt and shoes, he was witty and friendly. Rather than concentrating
solely on the album, we covered a wide range of topics.
DISCORDER: You were known as a novelist
before you turned to songwriting. You still write
lots. Do you think you'll put out another book?
COHEN: I've always done the same work. A
song here and there; a book here and there. I
published first, then put out records later but I
was doing music and writing at the same time. I
still blacken pages. It would be nice. I haven't
organised my life sufficiently to cover both
those activities at the moment. It's just a matter
of organisation.
D: You were quite successful in the 60's and
70's. You've said that you didn't like the loneliness and alienation of those times.
C: It's always tricky getting by. It's nice to have
a girlfriend.
10   DISCORDER
D: Do you have a girlfriend now?
C: I don't know. I'm trying to find out.
D: It's been three or four years since your last
record. It was popular in Europe. Why the long
delay between releases?
C: It seems to take a couple or three years to
write the songs and record them. I don't have
any strategy. It just takes a long time. I'd much
prefer to write it in fifteen minutes. If I could
ever figure out a way to do that, well, I would.
Hank Williams knew how to do it.
D: It's been said that writing is like therapy, a
way to get rid of demons, clear the mind.
C: I don't like that view of it to tell you the truth.
It's popular now as psychotherapy; it's so popular to see everything as therapeutic. I think mat
demeans the activity somehow, calling it thera
peutic. There's something about the thing that
escapes the description as therapy. Maybe it
does exorcise the demons. There is something
else, some other human activity that is just not
psychotherapy.
D: Is there pressure from CBS to come up with
product?
C: I wish there was. I wish they cared enough to
put enormous pressure on me to put out a record.
(Laughter all around.)
D: You're still living in Montreal.
C: I never really left Montreal. I lived in Greece
for seven or eight years but I kept coming back
to Montreal. It's my hometown. There are times
when I've just got to be there.
D: Are you resdess?
C: Restless hardly begins to describe it! D: In April 1961 Cuban exiles invaded the south
coast of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. You were in
Cuba at the time.
C: I never know why I was in most places. I
knew that something was going on down there.
I was anxious to find a Spanish Civil War of my
own that I could claim, so I was down in Communist Cuba. But I soon found that I was exactly
what they were describing in their literary circles
as a "bourgeois individualist poet". They
[show]... great scorn when they use that term. I
started to feel uncomfortable there for a number
of reasons. I was arrested early on in the game.
I was on the beach. I was wearing khaki shorts
and a khaki shirt. I had an army belt on and was
carrying a knife and I had a beard. I was staying
at a little hotel above a Cuban Chinese restaurant
and I was walking along and suddenly I was
surrounded by about 16 guys with Czechoslovakia machine guns. They thought I was the first
guy off the landing boats. I couldn't speak
Spanish and I was dressed in this military get-
up, so I got arrested. I wrote that poem - The
Only Tourist in Havana Turns His Thoughts
Homeward.
D: Free trade...(I got the feeling he didn't want
to talk about it.)
C: I think we should annex the state of Washington. I talked to a lot of people in Seatde. They
watch our television. They have a very high
opinion of Canadians. I think if we're going to
have a free trade deal we ought to have a few
states join our confederation. We're already
deeply involved with the Americans. I don't
know. A lot of people feel reluctant to make that
commitment. I doubt if anyone really knows
what the benefits and drawbacks will be. Most
of the writers I talk to seem to be deeply, vio-
lendy against it in terms of our identity. If that's
the only thing that's keeping our identity intact
then we might as well go through with it. If the
only thing that's standing between us and leaking away into the United States is whether or not
we have this trade deal, then we are in much
worse condition than I thought. I don't know.
Don't ask me that question!
D: Your records sell well in Europe. Do you
think Europeans are more attuned to your vision
of the world, romance, etc.?
C: I'm more popular almost anywhere than
here. I have no idea to tell you the truth. Even just
saying Europeans you are embracing a lot of
people who are very different. This record is
popular specifically in Norway (No. 1) and
Spain; very different cultures themselves. It's
hard to say.
D: The famous Leonard Cohen voice really
shines on the new album. It's always referred to
whenever your name or songs are mentioned.
Some of the best songwriters have distinctive
voices -Dylan, Waits, etc.
C: Those are people who are willing to sing in
their own voice. I think that's what we like about
these people. They haven't learned how to sing.
They're just singing with their voice. A lot of
people sing like Dylan now - for instance Dire
Straits. Dylan has produced a kind of vocabulary of sound and attitude that is very useful for
a lot of American singers, but I prefer to hear
Dylan.
T^I=
—t-*m ct_t-iC3
I
Party Schedule
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687-5007
I usually don't write a song I can't sing.
There are some songs like Song of Bernadette,
done by Jennifer Warnes. As arranged I think
that it would be too wide for my voice.
D: On the back cover of I'm Your Man it says
"All these songs are for D.I."
C: That's right. Nobody knows who she is.
D: Do you want to keep it that way?
C: Yep!
D: Do you set out to record a mix of romantic,
cultural, political songs or does it just end up that
way?
C: I don't have any preferences. I try to bring an
album to completion as best I can. I don't feel
I'm at a buffet table where I can pick and choose.
There's generally eight or nine songs that I can
finish.
D: One of my all-time favourite Leonard Cohen
songs is Dance Me to the End of Love but I
can't find it anywhere.
C: It's on Various Positions. It was released
secredy. You can't find that one.
D: One song that really stands out on I'm Your
Man is Tower of Song. You see the music biz as
jaded yet you accept your situation in it.
C: That's the final chapter. The Tower of Song.
The interim report. That's pretty well where I
stand. It seems to sum it up. I like it.
Norm Van Rassel
Swirlin' Vinyl Spin
Tuesdays 9:00pm -12:00 midnight
NOVEMBER 1988  11 For this interview a description of the key
players involved is necessary:
Jeff: lead singer of the Lyres
Mark: bass player of the Lyres
Girl: high-pitched frat house rock groupie
Why do you do all this? g
Girl: Ha, ha. Tell him to fuck off.
Jeff: Umm, umm. Hft.
Girl: Get fucked asshole. HH
Jeff: Fuck you asshole. No, no. That's not true.
It's not true.
What political statement are the Lyres making?
Girl: What are you doing, what are you doing!
Like, go away. HH^^^^J
Jeff: It's like, indulge in all your tastes. The
Lyres speak for people that want to indulge
themselves in their own particular tastes.
Girl: Go away, okay? Like give me a light and
fuck off. You wrecked my cigarette, dear.
Jeff: It's like this. If you like jazz, then indulge
yourself and listen to jazz. If you like garage
rock music indulge yourself in garage music. If
you like punk rock, indulge yourself in it.
Girl: Excuse me, I'm talking to you. I said you
broke this cigarette. You owe me 5 bucks.
Do you ever regret your past?
Girl: Yes, every day. Now give me a light.
Like, don't you ever get tired of people coming up to you with a microphone and...
Girl: Yes. We're tired of you. Go away.
And harrassing you like a little pre-pubes-
cent teenager?
Girl: Fuck off. Fuck off asshole. Get fucked.
Jeff: Listen pal, I'm not Frank Sinatra, but if you
buy me a drink I'll say anything you want
Girl: You wrecked my cigarette. Buy us a drink
right now.
Jeff: If you buy me a beer, I won't smash your
face out with my screwdriver.
Am I an idiot for being here then?
Jeff: If you buy me a beer, then you truly are an
idiot.
Okay, who are you?
Jeff: A beerdrinker.
Girl: You're not listening to me. We want a
white rum and coke and we want a beer, now.
Then you can stand here some more.
(I buy Jeff a beer. But to my surprise and
horror, after gratefully accepting this offer,
he decides to disassemble his vintage vox
organ instead of uttering words of wisdom to
my face. Meanwhile, I spot the bass player
and immediately try to confront him on some
stimulating issues.)
Who are you?
Mark: I'm Mark the bass player for the Lyres.
I just recendy joined the band a month and a half
ago and I'm having a great time. Everything is
wonderful.
How's it working with Jeff Conolly?
Mark: It's just wonderful. Everything's fine.
Great tour. This was a wonderful gig.
Everything's great.
What was it like backing up the Waiters when
you played in Regina?
Mark: It was really weird. It was a good gig and
I had a good time, but it was a really strange
audience. I don't know if they were too receptive to us. F
What's Jeff like?
Mark: Jeff's a good guy. He is.
Is he strong?
Mark: Sure is, man. It takes somebody a hell of
a lot to do something for ten years. He's been
doing music for a long time.
Does Jeff sweat pretty good?
Mark: I don't know. I sweat the most of the
band members.
Are you pleased with that?
Mark: No, not really, 'cause I have to change
shirts a lot.
(Jeff suddenly rears his head in the middle of
the room and I approach him cautiously.)
I'm going to leave now, so I'll end with the
people I started with.
Girl: Have a nice life, sweetheart.
Jeff: Have a nice life.
I wish you luck Jeff.
Jeff: I wish you luck with the women that you'll
never meet. ^ -::
So you're wearing a Waiters t-shirt, eh?
Jeff: I know the Wailers 'cause I've shared their
women. And I wear condoms, so, like, I always
have the best time. Whenever I open for the
Wailers, I pass on the goodies to them.
Jeff: As long as it takes, man. As long as a
woman is satisfied.
Girl: Eight hours tops.
Have you ever heard of KICKS magazine?
Jeff: Billy Miller and Miriam! Goddammit,
they brought me up since I was a little boy. They
are my parents.
Girl: You still owe me a drink.
Jeff: Hey, I want to ask you something, how
come you never bought me a drink, man?
I did. I did. I did.
Jeff: You know something, you're a cheap
motherfucker. Where's my drink?
Whaaa, whaaa, whaaa.
Jeff: Okay, I take it all back. You're the greatest
guy I've ever known.
Really? Thanks.
Girl: So like hug and kiss and say goodbye.
What's your name?
Girl: Lisa. Fuck off.
Any final words for Vancouver?
Jeff: Fuck your brains out, motherfuck
Girl: Get fucked.
(Jeff now begins to lick the Girl. I watch
eagerly for an end to this love-making.)
Here is a quarter Jeff, because the Lyres represent a quarter of a century of rock'n'roll.
Led by you, Monoman, right?
Jeff: As long as you say that, it must be true.
Whatever you say must be true. You are the...
Girl: Asshole of the earth.
Thanks, I've never heard better. This is all
for CiTR radio. H^^^
Girl: They're going to play "fuck you" over th
radio, eh? BHttr
Jeff: Okay, listen. It's time you 'd get the hell ou
of here, okay...
Girl: Bye, sweetheart.
Jeff: We're really tired of you and your micro
phone. Would you get the hell out of here.
Bye.
Jeff: Bye.
Girl: Bye, go away.
by John Ruskin
I So I bought the damn machine, not really for any
good reason except that I'm
simply amazed that I can
walk into a store (with rock
band logos all over my clothes and long
hair) and leave with a machine that cost
more than twice the price of my first car,
just by signing my name on a piece of
paper. Besides, it's tax-deductible and
depreciable for five years.
After I got the thing home, I still
wasn't sure why I'd bought it. Nobody
needs a video machine, but it seemed
important that I could timeshift ALF
and WKRP in Cincinnati to watch at
my convenience, fast-forwarding
through commercials with the flick of a
thumb. I may even be getting younger
now that I can watch a 30-minute show
in 22 minutes. I tape everything, but
hardly end up watching any of it.
Then I had the bright idea that,
with the frequency response and low
signal-to-noise ratio in the soul of my
new machine, I would tape music from
CD to videotape, thus reducing the
sheer bulk of my music collection. That
took a week, cramped up my hand
writing labels, and cost me about 70
bucks in Super Chroma High Grade
videotapes, one of at least ten different
VHS tape types now available in this
Stereo Hi-Fi era of VCR's. Now I have
four music formats to choose from, five
if you count the little pile of eight-tracks
I never had the heart to discard and
now use to level an uneven table. I also
have over 18 hours of rock videos on
tape, but I won't likely watch them until
MuchMusic's satellite falls from the sky.
So, I decided I'd rent movies. First
I went to my local 7-Elcvcn,
which offers 150 movies, almost
six of them worth seeing (Predator,
Aliens, Raising Arizona, Roxanne, Tin
Men). With them out of the way, along
with several others that escape my mind
at the moment due to their utter banality, I decided I had to scout further
afield.
There is no shortage of video rental
stores, but most offer the same high-
turnover selection of movies, primarily
recent releases. The chain of 24 HR.
Video stores are better than most, as
are some isolated large shops that
opened early in the video boom and
kept growing (like North Delta's Scott-
72 Video), but for real selection the
best place I know of is Videomatica on
West Fourth. (If you know of any other
specialty shops, especially in the outlying areas, drop me a line.)
With my discovery of a specialty
shop, my horizons broadened. In fact,
my butt is broadening too, because I
can never rent just one movie. It's always three or four in a binge. I am
developing a cathode tan. Fortunately I
am self-employed and haven't had to
phone the boss to say that I'll be late for
work because I've over-rented.
Beginning next month, I'll guide
you to all sorts of rentworthy videos.
Everything from cult films (like the Night
of the Living Dead trilogy); old classics
(like a pair of XXX gems from the silent
fdm days); weird, unpleasant stuff that
requires true warped endurance (like
the Ernest P. Worrel Film Festival); all
the way up to any crappy regular movies that I might have missed during
their theatrical release (almost everything this year except the nostalgic
Bright Lights, Big City and the stunning documentary Letters Home from
Vietnam). I'll be watching out for your
best entertainment interests. Trust me.
Dave Watson
NOVEMBER 1988  13 ILIVEINSURR
'88
Great   Things
' About Surrey' was
lthe name of the
contest. I had all
but forgotten about having entered it
until I chanced upon a photo in the
community newspaper, The Leader. It
pictured a fat, beaming woman locked
in a congratulatory handshake with a
business-suited man. The caption identified the lady and her fat, peevish-
looking son as the happy winners of the
draw. They were being presented with a
2500 dollar cheque from the Surrey
Chamber of Commerce. Had I any idea
the stakes were so high, I would actually have tried to come up with 88 Great
Things About Surrey. Or at least stuffed
the entry box. In typically well-thought-
out Surrey fashion, not only did the
entry forms have only 20 blanks to fill
in, but the quantity and quality of one's
Great Things had no bearing whatsoever on one's chances of winning. It was
a DRAW. Pure dumb luck.
Given my ill fortune you may
be wondering at my intestinal fortitude
for even venturing to come up with a
single Great Thing about the suburb in
question. Well hey, we have it good out
here. For one, you can still walk around
in Surrey with Skinny Puppy hair and
freak people out. Time-warp city. In
Surrey people still keep combs at a
visible position in the back pocket of
their jeans. No matter that the jeans are
acid-wash; some things never change.
(The trendier among us make sure to
keep the combs hidden in our pockets
at least.)
And the notion (perpetuated by
Surrey denizens No Fun) that 'Surrey
has no skid row' - Hah! Why, Surrey can
compete with the East Side any day.
Ever feel like your brain has started to
erode? Then youVe been to . . . MAY-
FAIR GARDENS!!! A last bastion of
scummy peeling 70's green wood-siding occupied entirely by Welfare victims. It was also the site of a triple
murder when I was 8 years old and my
parents managed the complex. Or what
about moving down the hillside past 99
Truck Parts, home of the world's highest freestanding structure of rusted hot-
water tanks? What about the heart of
beautiful downtown Bridgeview? Or hey,
Whalley Bus Exchange, the quintessential skid row . . . rows of skids
everywhere you turn. Let's face it. Surrey is rife with slums. Sadly, however,
they are giving way to pastel pink California-style retirement estates.
Lest the marble-flooring-blue-
neon-light-glass-block-walls
of a refurbished Guildford
Mall get to you (I think I'm
having another Pacific Centre flashback...), there remains one last bul-
BYFORCE
wark against the cold sterile shoulder of
the 80's: THE DELL SHOPPING
CENTRE. Unrepentantly orange, this
long, low-slung beauty of a classic 60's
mall boasts Value Village, Buy-Low
Foods, Fanny's Fabrics, and Black
Velvet Travel. A veritable smorgasbord
of down-to-earth shopping. What more
could one want. Check it out at King
George Highway and 105th Avenue.
Okay, so the Surrey Public
Market had to change its name to plain
old 'Surrey Market' because hooligans
kept stealing the 'L*. So the galloping,
red-neon racehorse, once a mute but
comforting welcome to Surrey, no longer
oscillates outside the Turf Hotel. So the
insidious virus of post-Modernist shopping malls has penetrated even into the
wilds of Newton. So what? We can still
cling fiercely to our pride in the highest
per capita possession of Pit Bulls in
Canada; in a hospital whose ECU
employees mistakenly give industrial-
strength disinfectant to their elderly
charges instead of Kool-Aid; in those
combs in our back pockets, dammit.
By the way, the Great Thing
About Surrey postulated by the woman
who won the draw was (wait for it) - 'All
the friendly people.' I'll keep that in
mind the next time I'm getting my head
kicked in at Whalley Exchange.
Viola J. Funk
1146 Commercial ♦ 253 0913
14   DISCORDER ° " Q^iHcUg HOUSE OF LOVE
The House of Love
(Polygram)
"Another British band" you say in a bored tone,
and carry on to the next review. But wait! This
London-based foursome do something exquisite to
your body. Songs like Salome, Man to Child, and
Christine take you to dizzying heights, never spoiled
bymonotonous hard-edged guitar or dead-pan vocals.
Christine gets the album off to an incredible start. Its
smoothly flowing sounds send shock waves through
your soul. By the last song you feel drained emotion-
ally and spiritually, and elated. If this arouses your
curiosity, buy this album.
Jen Read
CORE:
A Conspiracy International Project
(Nettwerk)
This album was produced by Chris Carter and
Cosey Fanni Tutti along with Coil, John Duncan
and Joe Potts, Monte Cazazza, Robert Wyatt,
Lustmord, and Boyd Rice. The artists mailed or
brought sounds to Chris and Cosey who assembled
and manipulated the pieces. With the exception of the
near danceable Future Shock and Unmasked, the
prevailing component of the tracks is high quality
noise. To quote the words on the cover, "We highly
recommend headphones. Alternatively listen through
speakers at loud volume. Give priority to aural senses."
My recommendation? Headphones and an auto-reverse cassette deck.
A. PI S,
BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE
Tighten up the Volume 88
(CBS)
The lead-off single to Big Audio Dynamite's
third album is called Just Play the Music (which I
think could be appropriately retitled Just Play the
Muzak). The chorus goes something like this:
Does it have to be so tame
It don't have to look the same
It don't have to all sound lame
B.A.D. seems to have all the qualities that they
criticize in this song. 'Tame' describes how the band
refuses to improve from record to record. 'The same*
is how all the songs on this album sound. 'Lame' is
how it compares to their last two outings. Shame it
isn't better.
Jason Romllly
NAKED RAYGUN
Jettison
(Caroline Records)
Chicago-based Naked Ray gun are pounding
their way into the souls of college radio listeners with
Jettison, the band's most recent release, and one of
the best of the year. Having swaggered onto the
alternative music scene a few years back with the
promise of world domination, Naked Raygun have
carved themselves a cosy niche between machine gun
style hardcore and a less threatening power pop form.
Aggressive and at times anxious guitar and vocals
highlight a gritty package that includes a live cover of
Stiff Little Fingers' Suspect Device, as well as great
Raygun originals Ghetto Mechanic and When the
Walls Come Down.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Gargoyle #34
(Paycock Press)
Gargoyle #34 is the latest in a series of spoken
word cassettes put out by Gargoyle Magazine. It is
proof once more that poetry is often better heard than
read, especially when the artists themselves recite,
facilitating clearer insight into their work through the
passion and emotion in their voices. As with previous
Gargoyle collections, the poems are controversial,
thought-provoking, and humourous. Unrestricted by
commercial interests or otherwise, poets expose a
number of modem society's "sacred cows" including
religion (Silvana Straw - Love You Like I Love
Jesus) and the plastic, preppy existence of many
former sixties activists (Reuben Jackson • Big Chill
Variations). Richard Flynn's reflections on childhood (excerpt from The Age of Reason) and a special
appearance by Descendents' guitarist Stephen Eg-
erton also stand out. Overall, an exciting and creative
adventure in spoken word. Gargoyle #34 is essential
listening for poets and those who wish they were.
Rob Lorenz
ALL ABOUT EVE
Debut album
(Polygram)
Hammersmith Odeon. London. March 88.
Despite a sore throat and other ailments, singer Juli-
anne Regan'battles on valiantly, centre stage. All
s-rems
WANT TO RAISE
MONEY FOR YOUR
TECH OR FRATERNITY?
HAVE A PARTY!
For More Information
call
Dale.
350 Richards St.
687-5007
16   DISCORDER About Eve, a compact, unimposing group, is a projection of Julianne's character - strong and silent. Hei
voice, incredibly clear and sweet, invites comparison
to Kate Bush in the acoustic song Martha's Harbour.
The singles Every Angel, Wild Hearted Women,
Flowers in our Hair, and Martha's Harbour did
moderately well in the British Top 40. One criticism
is the obvious hippie sound of the titles, such as
Gypsy Dance and Flowers in our Hair. The album's
Celtic flavour evokes visions of the moors, blustery
winds and creates a feeling of freedom. The album is
excellent and deserves recognition.
Jen Read
TANGERINE DREAM
Optical Race
(Prlvate/BMG)
The question confronting the buyer of any new
synth-oriented album is whether or not the music is
actually saying anything, or just percolating along in
the well-known (and equally well-despised) tradition
of New Age Muzak. Optical Race manages to avoid
the blandness that characterizes the worst of New Age
by combining Tangerine Dream's characteristic 'big
synth' sound with that of a number of other instruments. The most striking of these experiments, Atlas
Eyes, begins with a trumpet solo that runs on seemingly endlessly, while synthesizers pulse in the background. My favourite track, Mothers of Rain, features a high, clear whistle that fades in and out behind
a backbeat of drums and deep synths. The album's
weakest point is that some songs drag on too long.
Tracks like Marakesh and Twin Soul Tribe are
monotonous and unlikely to attract the interest of
anyone other than die-hard Philip Glass fans. And the
title track itself? Sounds suspiciously like a 1987
Genesis dance instrumental Do The Neurotic.
All in all, Optical Race is an enjoyable, if not
particularly innovative, collection of synth rock. Enjoy.
Chris Brayshaw
Well, what exciting news is there
this month? You've probably
already seen the Sons of Freedom record (complete with
warning sticker) in the stores; then there's Shindig, Hallowe'en stuff, the usual rainy season
things. But two things have surprised me. First,
The Hip Type will be taking a few months
hiatus while Tracy is out of town. Second, (gasp)
Dave Gregg's played his last gig with DOA.
(Looking on the bright side, maybe we'll be able
to see more of the incredible Groovaholics.)
Now for a deluge of demos:
It Lives is hardly a demo tape, but actually
a compilation of local rockabilly bands (of the
80's) buyable in stores. It includes folks like
Herald Nix, The Nervous Fellas, Stinging
Hornets, Rocky Craig, The Rocking Fools,
and The Yodeils. But The Dots, with Eeny-
Meeny Miney Moe, may have the best song of
the lot. Gorgeous vocals (I think from a former
Crimpoline) and a really authentic sound.
Groovy.
Video Bar-B-Que 'Epistrophy' and
Against The Grain 'Slow Burn'. Dissimilar as
they are, I'm lumping these two tapes together
because (since they're more inspired by jazz and
R&R) I find them both hard to pigeon-hole.
VBBQ uses lots of guitar/ horn/piano/drums all
at once: frenetic and exhausting. ATG is calmer,
far from simplistic, but not "difficult" music.
Tight competent musicianship and nice female
vocals.
Daylight 'The Watcher'. An unfortunately
pompous package from these Calgarians. Maybe
what ruined the tape for me was the quote on the
cover: 'Joy comes to those in waiting. Loves
(sic) last gift is remembering.' The vocals are
very Robert Smith-like and there are odd belllike sounds throughout.
Speed of Life 'The Life We Live'. My
favourite thing about this song (by some guys
from my home-town, North Van) is its nice cold
ending. Beyond that, my feeling is that the band
is trying too hard - the singer sounds like an
impassioned Bono or (once again) Robert Smith,
and everyone else is trying somehow to sound
very musically educated but at the same time
Rock and Roll. A pity.
Baghdads 'Black or Grey'. I know we've
had this song before. Not a bad tune but still
sounds a litde affected to me.
Captain Crunch & Let's Do Lunch
'Cap'n Groovy and his Bubblegum Army'. The I
main lyrics here are "Join! Cap'n Groovy and
his bubblegum army." Pretty mindless, yet kinda]
fun. From Montreal.
EJ Brule 'War on Drugs'. Also from
Montreal, but a lot different. This guy sounds
like Bill Reiter doing rap stuff (all with hisi
mouth and a digital delay). I don't really getl
what he's saying but I'm sure it's along the lines
of Mojo Nixon's "I Ain't Going to Pee in No
Jar". EJ's introduction is funnier but unfortunately it's specifically labeled "definitely not|
for airplay." More comedy than music.
Elevation 'Cloud Shadow'. Another Hiroshi Yano project. (He's written the music and
plays all the instruments.) The music is very
mellow and quite pleasant while the vocals seem
dreary and unmusical in comparison. The lyrics
feel clumsy or maybe it's my own hangup on
good grammar, 'Speak what must be spoke' is
the big refrain.
Instincts 'Escape*. This was recorded at
Mushroom with Dave Ogilvie engineering,
which explains the very nice production. There's
a quite attractive hypnotic kind of sound here,
marred by some obtrusive cymbal-tapping and
an occasional heavy guitar that didn't seem to
fit. Just minor problems.
BPA 'First Accused'. BPA may stand for
the "Benzedrine Puff Adders", but who knows?
Basically, this is recordings of (I assume) Nelson and Winnie Mandela accompanied by the
acoustic guitar and drums, of the studio and far-
from-serious version (sort of) of a band playing
in Shindig this fall, Picasso Set. Quite fun, if not
very exciting. Not quite what the band claims in
its letter: 'Politically Correct Ersatz Afro-Pop'.
THE SMITHS
Rank
(Rough Trade/Sire)
I'm sure Rank brings back brilliant memories if
you were fortunate enough to see The Smiths live.
But if you didn't see the concert and you don't already
like the Smiths, then this LP isn't for you. It's a
collection of good songs with Morrissey's wonder-
voice - a history of The Smiths up to Strangeways,
Here We Come.
The inside picture of a group of fans blindly
grasping a piece of clothing mocks the delinquents
who clamour brainlessly at concerts.
Overall, a solid Morrissey/Smiths effort and
nice way to say "bye". If you're craving more, rumour
has it that Viva Hate, Morrisey's solo effort, is
exquisite.
Jen Read
Mary 'Friends'. I listened to this a bunchJ
of times but still don't know how to describe it.
A weird sort of time signature and interesting
sound.At Shindig, the band looked promisingl
(although plagued by technical problems) in
inexperienced.
Silent Gathering 'The Homecoming'.
Now this is a band with a definite sound. My
only complaint is that maybe the guitars should]
be a little higher in the mix. I saw them ad
Shindig, too. They are one of those bands yod
know won't win, but are probably likely to go orJ
to some sort of success. Solid.
Next month, turn to Local Motion foJ
reviews of big stars like Bruce A and the
Secular Atavists, The Intoxicators, and The
Scramblers..
 Janfol
NOVEMBER 1988 17  Top Spin
For your dance, get
fR Mobile Sound
228-3017
VIEWING
BAGHDAD
CAFE
7:30
9:15
SUGAR BABY
Mon. - Tues.
Mov. 21 - 22
i Bills
isolini • The Houses
lye Bye Brazil • The
Les Enfants • The
| Antonioni • Women
ers
GRAND
OPENING
South Granville Store
2556 Granville St.
IN STORE SPECIALS
$300 OFF Reg Price
(with this coupon)
On C.D.'s, Cassettes, & Records
This Store Only. Expires Nov. 31/88
!Local Bands!
Hndependant Labels!
!Your Ad Here!
"Cheap!!
Call 683-7238 For More Info TflFS CAK
{Mj/ote-   c\?vl c/fct&r {A& M%'l&l/
free cappuccino
All Natural Shakes /a*
made with fresh fruit. xoS
Tafs now has an
upstairs gallery
available free for your
private parties.
CAFE
82q QfiKVVllLz.
JUL
This month ART by
Rudolf Nadassky and >*^
Gillian Farnsworthy
for November
829 Granville Street,
Telephone: (604) 684-8900
(ACROSS FROM CAPITOL 6 CINEMAS) l/yudictt^
PROGRAM SAMPLES
MONDAYS
ALIEN WATCHDOG l:30-3:00pm
Space cadets I'm not sure who will be spinning discs
this month but I do know that I'll be educating
juvenile earthlings. The indoctrination begins. Stay
tuned & see you in December.
THE UNHEARD MUSIC 3-5:00pm
Get down with Dale! Krazy. kassettes and dazzling
demos with The Saw.
THE JAZZ SHOW 9-12:30am
Vancouver's longest-running prime time Jazz program, featuring all the classic players, the occasional
interview, and local music news. Hosted by the ever-
suave Gavin Walker.
Nov 7: One of the albums of the year called "Something to Live For". The music of Billy Strayhom as
played by one of the masters of the fleugelhom. Art
Farmer and his Quintet. The universal melodies of
Mr. Strayhom as interpreted by modem jazz players.
Nov 14: Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers at the
Cafe Bohemia is a true classic of modem jazz Recorded in 1955 it represents the beginning of the
Blakey style that is carried on today. We'll hear some
cuts from Volumes 1 and 2 but more importantly
some rare tracks from Volume 3 (issued only in
Japan).
Nov 21: One of Charles Mingus' foremost compositions is "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady".
Vancouver's Hugh Fraser has tackled this work in
recent times and last summer the work was played by
an all-star band (made up of Mingus alumnae) at the
Newport Jazz Fest. We'll hear the real thing tonight.
Nov 28: One of Lee Morgan's classics was an album
on Blue Note called "Cornbread". Lee Morgan practically defined the "Blue Note Sound". Hear the great
trumpet player in the company of the late Hank
Mobley (tenor sax) and Jackie Mclean (alto sax) on
one of his best offerings.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCATOLOGY
12:30-4:00am
Nov 7: TuxedoMoon's "Desire"
Nov 14: Listen, but keep your fucken paws off Keith
and Sandi's private 7-inch collection.
Nov 21: Laurie Anderson's "U.S.A. Live"
Nov 28: SST Bands - Part One
WEDNESDAYS
WAY TOO EARLY 7:30-10:00am
Rise n' shine. Let Kathryn slap you (and herself) into
consciousness. Crank it up, move around, stop yawning.
BATTERSEA PARK GARDENS 10-l:00pm
There is a thin line between the hypnotic and the
irritating. Is the line drawn at duration, volume or
something quite undefinable that relates only to the
individual. Tune in and test for yourself. Vinyl Daze:
Matt "Youaregettingsleepy" Richards.
THE SPINSTERS lUL5-5:00pm
Paula and Denise, the two girls most likely to use you.
(Being used never felt so good!)
B.C. FOLK 5:30-6:00pm
Listen to the thoughts and music of folksingers,
musicians, writers, promoters from B.C. Explore
West Coast life through B.C. folk music in the search
for that Canadian identity. Hosted by Barb Waldem.
THE   KNIGHT  AFTER   midnite-very   late
Waiting for the dawn with one foot in hell - Rockin
Patrick and consorts do live maintenance drinking
and give you film reviews, baking tips, drug induced
insights and hints on how to drive a large American
car at high speed with a ballerina by your side without
spilling your drinks. MARLIN PERKINS MUSICAL HOUR brings more tunes from the twilight:
Zendik Farm, Clones in Pink, Smersh, Gary Winda
and music from the Tar Pits.
THURSDAYS
MIKE & GAV SHOW 2-4:30pm
All the raging HARDCORE you can handle, designed to be listened to by 14 year old skaters with
zits. We dig young girls and Chris is a permanent
guest.
MOVING IMAGES 4:30-5:00pm
A weekly look at the world of film with host Ken
Maclntyre.
Nov 3: Preview of the new U2 Film, Rattle & Hum
Nov 10: Grandee Englehart concludes his interview
with actor/director Paul B artel
Nov 17: Hollywood North - who's in town filming
what, where?
Nov 24: Filmsoc - just who do we think they are?
LIVE FROM THE HANEY HOT HOUSE
9-midn'rte
Brought to you by Ed, Peter, and John. Live bands,
interviews, & the latest and greatest CanCon. Check
out the Shindig contestants.
Nov 3: Surf Hippies
Nov 10: Noise Special - featuring people from The
New Heads, Carbon 14,49, and Noise
Nov 17: Tippy-A-GoGo s'prize
Nov 24: Paula the Sex Goddess
TUESDAYS
LINUS LOVELACE KINDER KREEAYSHUNS
7:30-10:00am
...WADOOYAMEAN,"KIDSSHOW"?...Okay,like
it's kinda weird, sorta dumb, and I can guarantee you
that your mum won't like it, heck, my mum can't
stand it...so tune in and leave your door open!
hehhehheh...
why this man has been called a threat to the state of
civilization as we know it. And to hear the anguished
screams of Jon Bon Jovi as the ghost of Elvis Presley
comes back to shove Jon's guitar into unmentionable
areas of Jon's body. Elvis is Everywhere!
Nov 25: The Pavilion of the Far East
NARDUWAR THE HUMAN SERVIETTE PRESENTS 2:30-3:00pm
Get up early. Eat your oats. Get your paper. Go and
vote. We hate you—Citizen Freak!!
Nov 11: 3pm today marks the end of a 19 hour
Nardwuar marathon, which will have started at 8
o'clock yesterday. Hopefully.
SATURDAYS
THE SATURDAY EDGE 8:00 noon
Vancouver's biggest and best folk/roots radio show,
featuring a mix of Celtic, acoustic and roots
sounds, together with a unique airing of the latest UK
soccer results at 11:30. Tune in for ticket giveaways,
concert news, surprise guests, featured artists, interviews, new releases and unsubstantiated gossip.
NEOPHILE 3 5:00pm
The newest tunes being spun by 2 men named Chris.
Chris is into gloomy stuff, but Chris likes rock n' roll.
Hear them tear off the wrappers.
DEADLY DOOM OF DARKNESS 5-6:00pm
Delve into a nightmarish pit of despair and remorse
with your host Dudley Do-Dread. Dark and Dancy
music.
GENERIC FRIEND nidmite-runsise
PoC/M early 20's, chubby, bespectacled, naive idealist seeking like companion on a perhaps futile trek to
delve through the depths of humanity to find that
Nirvana that must exist somewhere.
Dec 24: Special Christmas Eve Special
Dec 31: Special New Year's Eve Special
FRIDAYS
SUNDAYS
EMMA PEEL FAN CLUB 10-l:00pm
Join host Pat Carroll as he spins the discs Emma wants
to hear. Radio to dress in black leather, look good, and
save the world by.
THE NEW EXPO '66 l:20-2:30pm
Live from the World's Music Fair
Nov 4: The Wanker Pavilion
Nov 11: The Remembrance Day Pavilion
Nov 18: The Pavilion of Mojo - Tune in and find out
ARE YOU SERIOUS MUSIC 8:00-noon
THAT'S NOT MUSIC! YES IT IS! No it isn't yes it
is no it isn't yes it is no it isn't music yes it isn't not
music no it is yes it is no not music yes itno it. ..DON'T
BE AFRAID.
ELECTRONIC SMOKE SIGNALS/JUST LIKE
WOMEN 6:30-9:00pm
Nov 6: SMOKE SIGNALS: "The Squamish Five"
and "Direct Action": who were they, what did they
stand for, and why the CBC is trying to make fools out
of them. Indigenous news: updates on federal post-
secondary education policy; Lubicon Lake.
Nov 13: JUST UKE WOMEN: Military spouses:
what do the Canadian Armed Forces have against
Tupperware Parties?
Nov 20: SMOKE SIGNALS: To vote or not to vote.
"A change of rulers is the joy of fools," or the
difference between democracy and oligarchy. Indigenous news: updates on Squamish Boullion case;
Gitk'sem Wet'suweten title action; Nishga nation
treaty news.
Nov 27: JUST LIKE WOMEN: Post-election blues,
reds, or greens. Does it really matter which boy is on
top? Music as partisan as possible.
PLAYLOUD/THIS IS NOT A TEST 9-midnite
"Every moment, in feeling or in thought, prepares in
the dark by its own increasing clarity and confidence
its own executioner."
(Per Arnica Silentia Lunae)
William Butler Yeats
Aural surgery performed by Larry Thiessen.
NOVEMBER 1988 21 NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
FEATURE REPORTS 8:00am & 5:00pm
MONDAY
Nov 7: The greenhouse effect:IIow warm will
it get?
Nov 14: Human rights in Canada
Nov 21: How do you judge wine?   The Kiwanis
International Wine Festival is a good place to find out.
Impress your friends.
Nov 28: Stephen Lewis, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, speaks about the future of
human rights.
TUESDAY
On Tuesdays, find out what the rest of Canada is
doing. Our reports come to us from other campus
stations across the country.
WEDNESDAY
Nov 2: UBC's new find in Alzheimer's disease
Nov 9: UNICEF youth spokesperson, Linn Ullman
on her travels to developing countries
Nov 16: The future of women in the health care sector
Nov 23: Pauline Jewett discusses NDP defense policy
Nov 30: "Building tomorrow: The next 10 years."
The Agricultural Credit Conference
THURSDAY
Nov 3: The Japan Study Tour 1988
Nov 10: A UBC prof proposes a new billing system
for doctors
Nov 17: Do you resent listening to elevator music?
An interview with an anti-noise pollution advocate
Nov 24: Business and technical writers: Creativity
and management
FRIDAY
On Fridays, it's the STORY OF THE WEEK.
SPORTS BROADCASTS
THUNDERBIRD FOOTBALL - Saturdays
Oct 29: Calgary at UBC, 1:00pm
Nov 5: Western Final (if UBC plays)
THUNDERBIRD HOCKEY - Fridays
Oct 28: Regina at UBC, 7:30pm
Nov 11: Manitoba at UBC, 7:30pm
Dec 2: Brandon at UBC, 7:30pm
THUNDERBIRD BASKETBALL - WOMEN'S
Nov 9: UBC at SFU, 7:00pm
THUNDERBIRD BASKETBALL - MEN'S
Nov 18-19: Victoria at UBC, 7:30pm
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' BASKETBALL
Dec 3: UBC Invitational Final, 4:00pm
CflRc^lS	
cSr^LlSf
22   DISCORDER
1      ARTIST
TITLE
|     -SONS Of FREEDOM
SONS OF FREEDOM
1     "SKINNY PUPPY
VIVISECTVI
1     ALICE DONUT
DONUT COMES ALIVE
MICHELLE SHOCKED
SHORT SHARP SHOCKED
1     T.V.B.C.
EX CATHEDRA
1     JOY DIVISION
SUBSTANCE
1     BORGHE5IA
ESCORTS AND MOOELS
BIG DRILL CAR
BIG DRILL CAR
1     IGGY POP
INSTINCTS
THE PRIMITIVES
LOVELY
TIC PROOAIMERS
SUNSHINE ON LEITH
•ITSASKITSA
ITSASKITSA
•PIG FARM
PIG FARM
BILLY BRAGG
WORKER'S PLAYTIME
EPMD
STRICTLY BLSNESS
VARIOUS
FAST N'BULBOUS
1     WAS (NOT WAS)
SPY IN THE HOUSE Of LOVE
THEFEEIIFS
1    M HE SHUFFLE DEMONS
FJOPRAP
JAMES BROWN
I'M REAL
COLDCUT
STOP THIS CRAZY THING
•SPIRIT Of 1HE WEST
LABOUR DAY
1     LETS ACTIVE
EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY
DEHUMANIZERS
HERE'S TO LOU"
THE ROBERT CRAY BAND
DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK
CURRENT 93/NURSEW
H WOUND
FAITH'S FAVOURITE
SEVERED HEADS
GREATER REWARD
PUBLIC ENEMY
DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE
ERIC B & RAKIM
FOLLOW THE LEADER
DEMOS
•AGAINST THE GRAIN
SLOW BURN
•CAPTAIN CRUNCH...
CAPTAN GROOVY
HE DOTS
EENY-MEENY-MINEY-MOE
•HIP TYPE
HE'LL LOOK BETTER WHEN HE'S DEAD
•VIDEO BAR-B-OUE
EPISTROPHY
•MARK CHALECKI
A WALTZ
WHY OS
WILD WILD WOMEN
•MARY
FRIENDS
•NERVOUS FELLAS
NIGHTCRAWLERS
KING BLOOD
•TOMBSTONE ETIQUETTE
•WAIUN'
DEMONS
SEX OF THE GODS
•DENOTES CANADIAN CONTENT □ 8261 OAK STREET, VANCOUVER, B.C. V6P 4A8
(604) 266-1298
□ 1405 HUNTER ST., NORTH VANCOUVER V7J 1H3
(604) 087-1975
D 306 FITZWILLtAM ST., NANAIMO, B.C. V9R 3A5
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