That Magazine from CITR fml02 cablelOO
April 1986 • FREE!
-
Skateboards
10,000 Maniacs
CITR Survey Results April
4/5 THE CRIMPOLINES
11/12 BREAKING CHAINS w/Jay and Jeff from
SPIRIT OF THE WEST
18/19 TBA
25/26 LOS DURANGOS w/guests
LIVE MUSIC IN THE LOUNGE I
FRIDAYS FROM 10:30-SATURDAYS FROM 11:30 PM J
I ARTS CLUB THEATRE 1181 SEYMOUR 683-0151
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
TH EATRE
in
> v. -1
m<\
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mi
i jiiyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii j i i • < ,.- -*^k
• B.F.A. IN ACTING Spring Auditions
• B.F.A IN TECHNICAL in MaJor Canadian Centres.
THEATRE & DESIGN
F°r information and applications contact:
• M.r.A. IN DIKbCTING Department of Theatre,
• M.F.A. IN DESIGN ™e University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5
Bf§!'
Home Remedy
For
Nuclear
War
A Musical Medicine Show
• Eases tension
• Relieves anxiety
• Prevents holocaust
• Reduces paranoia
Dr. Bossin appears live on stage
WedrSat. April 16-26 at 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver East Cultural Centre
1895 Venables at Victoria Drive
Reservations 254-9578
Tix at Folk Music Festival Office,
Black Swan & Highlife Records, Front Row Centre
PONT BE AN APRIL FOOL
THE CITR BENEFIT
CONTINUES AT THE
April 7 and 14
Featuring Local Bands
BE THERE
THE SAVOY 6 POWELL ST. 687-0418 DiSfcOHDER
That Magazine from CITR fml02 cablelOO
April 1986 • Vol. 4 No. 3
Editor
Chris Dafoe
Contributors
Terry Orr, Julia Steele, Fiona Bowie,
Mike Johal, Jason Grant,
Terry McDermott, Ken Jackson,
Iain Bowman, David Firman,
Michael Shea, Robert Shea,
Steve Edge, Jay Scott.
Photos
Dave Jacklyn, Steven Van Slyke
Cartoons
Chris Pearson, R. FiI brant
Cover
Brent Lymer
Production Manager
Pat Carroll
Design
Harreson Alley
Layout
Pat Carroll, Randy Iwata,
Alan Scales, Brent Lymer,
Toby Thiersh, Beverly Demchuk,
Ken Jackson, Karen Shea, CD,
Robin Razzell, David Hart,
Typesetting
Dena Corby
Advertising Representatives
David Hart, Robin Razzell
Distribution Manager
Mike Johal
Business Manager
Mike Dennis
DISCORDER, c/o CITR Radio, 6138 SUB Blvd.,
Vancouver, B.C., V6T 2A5. Phone (604) 228-3017.
DISCORDER Magazine is published monthly
by the Student Radio Society of the University of
British Columbia (CITR-UBC Radio).
CITR fml01.9 cablelOO.l broadcasts a 49-watt
signal in stereo throughout Vancouver from Gage
Towers on the UBC campus. CITR is also available via FM cable in Vancouver, West Vancouver,
North Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Maple Ridge
and Mission.
DISCORDER circulates 15,000 free copies. For
advertising and circulation inquiries call 228-3017
and ask for station manager Nancy Smith.
Twelve-month subscriptions available: $10 in
Canada, $10 U.S. in the U.S.A., $15 overseas.
Send cheque or money order payable to CITR
Publications.
Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, cartoons and graphics are welcome but they can be
returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed,
stamped envelope. DISCORDER does not assume
responsibility for unsolicited material.
The offices of CITR and DISCORDER are
located in room 233 of the UBC's Student Union
Building. For general business inquiries or to book
the CITR Mobile Sound System call 228-3017 and
ask for station manager Nancy Smith. The Music
Request line is 228-CITR.
12
14
19
18
22
25
28
30
In This Issue
A Skate Confession
Terry Orr skins his knees while footplanting off
public antipathy to sidewalk surfing.
10,000 Maniacs
Terry McDermott makes himself comfortable in
the Wishing Chair. Maniac John Lombardo talks.
Walking For Peace
"0/7, we'll all go together when we go, every
Hottentot and every Eskimo..." Fiona Bowie begs
to differ.
Survey Says...
At long last, the results of the C/TR/Discorder
Listener/Reader Survey. And as Sally Field might
say, "You like us..." even if you can't pick us up.
In Every Issue
Airhead
An Open Letter to K.D. Lang, plus more Puppy
droppings.
Behind the Dial
Life After Bed, Early Music, and more...
On The Dial
Your Guide To Radio Hell. Dante could've used
this.
Vinyl Verdict
Fine Young Cannibals, Young Fresh Fellows, Live
Skull, and other pleasantries.
Armchair Eye
The Chez Brothers explore Luminous Sights and
discover the art of video.
Roving Ear
This month from Fiji. DISCORDER
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These are just a few of the replies
we received regarding the Tong and
Corruption letters. I don't know
about you, but I think it's encouraging to see that people are willing to
take pen in hand and let themselves
be heard when it comes to the really important issues.
Hip Alone
Dear Airhead,
I got your mag through a pen-pal
in Richmond and as I was flipping
through I happened upon a letter
in Airhead that complained about
the boppers catching up with Depeche Mode. My sister and I totally agree. Down here in Milwaukee
the situation isn't much better. All
these people that are devoted to
their Top 40 radio stations think
they have discovered the next big
thing. The DJs don't help much
either. What is a person supposed
to do but become paranoid? I'm
confused.
And people look at me strange
when I bring my Skinny Puppy,
Grapes of Wrath, Husker Du and
INXS tapes to school (yep, I'm a
student). These are also the people who think that punk died with
Sid Vicious (who they never heard
of anyway) and all that other crap.
Eek.
Next thing you know, some of
the real alternative stuff, such as
X Mal Deutschland, Fad Gadget,
Cocteau Twins, and Hunters and
Collectors will pop up where you
least expect it.
Well, I feel better now. I'll add
that if I lived in Vancouver, CITR
would be blasting from my radio.
But at least there's one college station here that's worth its weight in
vinyl.
Kim Wobick
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
More Puppy Stuff
Dear Airhead,
Re: I, Corruption's letter, March
Airhead.
This letter is not written to slag
Skinny Puppy. That would be too
easy. No, this letter is only to slag
folks like Mr. Corruption.
Anyone who has taken marketing knows that there are tour
stages to successfully selling a
product. There are those who try
c/o CITR Radio
6138 S.U.B. Blvd.
Vancouver, B.C.
V6T 2A5
the product first, those who follow
their peer group, mass acceptance, and those who never bite
the lure.
Now, to get to the point. Skinny
Puppy never had a trial stage. They
were the brainchild of Terry "Malcolm" McBride's brilliant marketing
company, Nettwerk. So, if Skinny
Puppy was nothing more than a
sanitized, easy-to-use-death-rock
substitute, then aren't you really
admitting how stupid and gullible
you are to have been a Puppy fan
even before the Shaker Babies?
Not afraid to use my real name,
Rob Elliot
and so on...
and so on...
Dear Airhead,
Re: I. Corruption's letter in the
March issue of Discorder.
I agree with K*** Tong and I.
Corruption that it is sickening to
see all the trendies swarming
around Skinny Puppy. The fact is,
Skinny Puppy is currently an "in"
band with teenage girls, But that
doesn't mean that Puppy is no
longer any good. Nor does that
mean that we should disassociate
ourselves from them. Puppy is not
being "zapped up" by outsiders...
they're just appealing to a wider
audience.
This brings to mind a discussion
I had with some other CITR listeners. Each of us, at one time or
another, had stopped listening to
a band because it had crossed
over. That is, it got airplay on one
of the Top 40 stations. Because the
"outsiders" liked this band, we
would no longer listen to them. It
was our way of disassociating ourselves from the mainstream and
protecting our subculture image.
This was embarrassing since it
reflected an elitist attitude on our
part.
The point I'm trying to make is
this: it is the music that matters, not
the image that the listeners are trying to maintain. So support any
band that you like and forget about
what others think. And if the trendies are being tedious and obnoxious at concerts, douse 'em with a
drink.
Respectfully,
Larry Soo C TR fm 102 cab e 100
An Open Letter to K.D. Lang
Dear K.D.,
You did what seemed a beautiful affirmation of integrity on
a showbiz award spectacle that I saw awhile back. When it
was announced by a celebrity that you had won a statue for
being the most promising young performer in Canada, you
tossed on a wedding dress over your designer runners and
ran like a mad scab to the alter and promised to either always
make music for the right reasons or never make music for the
wrong reasons. (Since this was on TV and I wasn't taping it,
I can't quote you verbatim). I was as knocked out by that
moment of truth and beauty and the Canadian Way as I was
by your record.
Now, my sweet man tells me that you are going to appear
at Expo "Sun City" 86 (he read it in an official Social Credit
Party of B.C. free-to-and-paid-for-by-every-taxpayer newspaper).
I got kind of hot about people like you and Bob Bossin and
Ronnie Hawkins involving yourselves in this fundraiser for the
war against the poor.
Then my sweetie, a cooler head, pointed out that you and
the rest may not realize what's going on out here.
So what can I tell you? Montreal is just paying off the last
of its world's fair debt from 1967. Those were prosperous times
and the rate of interest was far lower than now. The assistance
programs have been thrashed by legalized theft in order to
bankroll this megawelfare scheme for the haves. Last weekend
in Vancouver, one of the food banks had to turn away hundreds
of people after they had already fed about 3,000.
On the same weekend, the scandal-ridden cabinet of the
party in power chartered a ferry boat and circled around the
Lion's Gate bridge while some less fortunate people got paid
a bit of money to string $300,000 worth of lights along the bridge
above. The cost of this spectacle was not borne by the politicians' personal fortunes but by the public purse. Many people are being kicked out of their homes and neighbourhoods
to make room for Expo parking lots, hotels, etc., or just so
someone can make more money off their living quarters during the fair. Thus social entities that bridge several generations are beirig uprooted and destroyed for one 6-months'
circus of greed. In Alberta, your home province, I hear things
are not so good either. Calgary has gone from boom to bust
in a pretty short time. Anti-Semitism is growing.
Is this our choice—Third World or Third Reich? How about
getting the artistic shit together and sing out "We Ain't Gonna
Play Rain City?" The homeless don't buy records. Besides,
you made a promise!
Judy Kootenay
P.S. It costs $20 just to get into the gates of Expo 86.
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nian process has led us to the present day,
and new revolution of skateboard technology that has meant an explosion of new
recruits. The cycle will, of course, repeat,
and again skateboarding will fade to the
background—but it will not die. And for now,
those young skaters, old skaters, and new
skaters have discovered the essential truth:
skateboarding is cool.
"Oh my gawd, Martha," exclaimed the
wide-eyed pedestrian to his wife. "That there
skateboarder fella just fully tweaked a way-
harsh-extend-texas-plant off of the bus stop
and surfed it out."
"Yes dear," replied the wife, smiling thinly
and popping another pill into her husband's
mouth.
OBVIOUSLY, SKATEBOARDING is
surf inspired. Get low and go with
the flow is at the root of almost
every skate move. It finds itself predominantly expressed in bankriding. Any skate-
able bank or incline can be transformed
into an imaginary wave and tapped repeatedly for maximum soul-searching rides.
After years of scoping out potential terrain
the skater's eye can home in on a new bank
or pool instinctively. Quicker than you can
say "awright, dude," a sedate urban setting
will explode into a way-gnarly skate hotspot.
Carves, lip slides, berts, laybacks, point
your fingers for extra style, flow, shred,
teach that bank a lesson it will not soon
forget. Locations like the Expo banks, Granville bank, China Creek'bowls, North Van
bowl, the planter in front of the 7-11 on
Broadway & Arbutus, or your neighbour's
driveway are begging to be skated.
If you can't find any decent terrain, you
can always create your own. I'm not talking about the killer Noah's Ark half-pipe construction project in your Grandma's strawberry patch (but if you could...). Stick a
sheet of plywood on a box or use two trash
cans as supports and blast airs off the side,
or try to grind the top without falling over
end. If it's a bit rickety, that's cool because
it will improve your reflexes and you'll be
ready to bail when it collapses in a pile of
dust. Then build a half-pipe. A half-pipe is
a U-shaped structure achieving a vertical
incline in which the skater rides back and
forth between the two walls, propelling
himself against gravity by thrusting his legs.
Although a high-speed downhill run takes
balls, a half-pipe with a couple of feet of vert
is what separates the men from the boys
(or, presumably, the girls from the women).
Picture yourself riding the flat wall of the
outside of your house. Picture yourself
bomb dropping off your rooftop and riding
your skateboard straight down the wall. But
that's not all. On a half-pipe you can ride
the transition and then go up the other side.
Don't forget to throw in a monorail, a
sweeper, a backside boneless, a lofty six- foot air (that's six feet above the top of a
ten-foot ramp, sports fans) and finally an invert for good measure. The tricks pulled off
by today's riders are insane; learning these
tricks so that you can achieve your dream
of skate star status isn't easy either. You
can't jam out, but you don't want to hang
up and plunge to the ramp bottom in a four-
point body slam or a face plant. No one
wants to be carted away like a blob of jello.
Dear Mr. Police Officer,
Please don't give me a ticket for skateboarding. You see, I'm just trying to get from
point A to point B. It's just that I don't always
take the most direct route. If there's a curb
that needs grinding, a mailbox that needs
me to foot-plant off it, or a drain that needs
to be hopped over, then I'm going to do it.
I can skate faster and in better control than
most people can walk. If you lock me up I'll
shred the prison hallways. It's in my blood,
bud. Later,
Joe Skater
THE MAJORITY OF SKATE RATS
are tuned into the street experience.
The problem lies in applying a non-
traditional use to something that generally
only functions in a traditional role. Innovation is met with ignorance and ignorance
usually breeds fear. Those same people
that freaked out from atop their horse-drawn
buggies when they witnessed the introduction of the automobile have been reincarnated as today's pedestrian. They simply
cannot relate to the mobility of a skateboarder weaving through them like slalom
cones. They want to plod along, read the
newspaper, count birds in the sky, window
shop, or preoccupy themselves with what
to cook for dinner when the boss comes
over. The solution is to ignore them and
keep skating.
The street skating philosophy rests on
one principle: no rules. Redefine the confines of your mind, explore the limits, grab
the maximum yield out of life. Streetskating
is not a newspaper shot of a boy being pulled down the road by his choking crossbreed mutt. Streetskating is bomb-dropping
off car roofs, acid dropping off ledges, shaking past a cackle of secretaries, bus surfing,
downhill speed runs or a heated parkade
session, racing from top to bottom and
sometimes dogpiling into one massive
wipe-out halfway down.
Every Sunday the Bentall Centre gets a
visit from the twenty skaters bent on parkade action. There's nothing as intense as
a race round and round the ramps at full
speed, trying to inch past the guy in front
while wondering whether a car will be coming up to greet you at turn 7.
Blaring at maximum tilt to catch the bus
while ignoring all pedestrians is pretty cool
too, if you make it. Get on the bus, smile
at the bus driver (who was playing the
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you won), then give him the thumbs up sign
and say "Right awn" while stuffing a stupid
dollar bill into the farebox. Skate to the
back. (P.S. Grab a transfer, just in case.)
A SKATER'S APPEARANCE is a tribute to function. There are no
designer labels longer than the
name Levi's. 501 's seem to be the mainstay
because they hang loose and don't restrict
body movement. They also stand up to repeated trashing. They're usually dusty and
worn thin in the butt and on the hips, patched over with repulsively mismatched swat-
DISCORDER
ches of lime-green or paisley. The cuffs are
sometimes rolled up for maximum clearance and flexibility of ankles and feet.
Shorts of various styles are also common
(if only for the thick-skinned). The only thing
not worth wearing is a pair of expensive,
lightweight, multi-coloured California specials; they tear to shreds the instant the
body meets the pavement.
Shoes are high-tops for ankle support
and good flat tread design for maximum
surface-to-surface grip. Vans are the official
skate shoe, but other canvas runners are
just as effective. Most skaters refuse to
throw away a well-worn set of footwear. The
result is many coatings of shoe-goo, knots
up and down the laces, and duct tape holding the toes in and the sides together.
Some sort of skate-T is also common,
usually printed with a favorite skateboard
manufacturer logo. The shirt may have long
sleeves or the sleeves cut off, it may have
numerous rips in it. It may well be less than
half a shirt.
Gloves are used to lessen the severity of
slapping palms on the sidewalk. Leather
jackets, team vest, socks and hairstyle are
all optional. Jewellery and scarves are a
liability because they can get caught in the
wheels and cause the skater's face to kiss
the concrete.
Although it may turn the stomach of a
fashion designer, the skater's gear is comfortable and it works. With the addition of
a hot band name written in felt pen, a sticker here and there, with an outfit that is
glued, pinned, patched and taped together,
with cuts, abrasions, and scabs on exposed
skin, and with board underfoot, the skater
sets himself apart from the non-skating
world.
A skateboard is not a fashion accessory.
On the physical level it's an extension of
your feet. On the mental level, it reflects
your outlook on life. Some skaters live on
their boards. They sit on it to eat lunch, they CITR fm 102 cable 100
use it for a pillow when catching some
zzzzs, they try new moves in the living room
when it's raining outside. Remember that
attitude is more important than appearance.
Don't pose, don't sit idly by and watch-
make it happen.
Finally, the answer to the question "Why
skateboard?!" Just after he filmed Easy
Rider, I had a talk with Peter Fonda. (Yeah,
sure...Ed.) He said that the movie was about
freedom and that his bike was the ultimate
freedom. I held up my skate, slapped him
on the back and said, "Yeah, Pete, I know
,what you're saying." Some were born to
follow the leader, the rest were born to
skateboard.
An Obligatory Guide to Skate Lingo
sfam: eat it, pay the piper; also ancient
dance step
Dial in that puppy: tune your skate; wire
a trick
gnarly: close to death, unruly, harsh,
sketchy
' Rad-e-kal-mon": famous Mellow Cat
saying
road rash: skater's skin disease, pi2za
dude: bro
bail: jam, jamtart
wannabee: aren't
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April 1986
10,000
Maniacs
Terry McDermott goes crazy
with Maniac John Lombardo
Natalie Merchant
Dennis Drew
Jerry Augustyniak
10,000 MANIACS MAKE BEAUTIFUL
music—Natalie Merchants ethereal
vocals, wandering over the weavings of
the simple guitar structures of Robert
Buck and John Lombardo—but with a chilling,
evocative lyrical undertone. Their three albums,
the independently released Human Conflict and
Secrets of the I Ching, and their new LP The
Wishing Chair have established the band as one
of the rising voices in American music. Terry
McDermott recently spoke to Maniac John Lombardo about the bands history and music.
Discorder: Let's start with something trivial and
move onward from there. How did you come about
choosing the name 10,000 Maniacs?
John: In the early days we rented a huge warehouse in our little town, Jamestown, because
there was nothing going on. It was a pretty boring town. This warehouse was going to be used
as a meeting place for artists and some dancers
and musicians. There were about three bands
that formed out of this warehouse. Then at the
end of the summer as they were all breaking up,
we all got together and just sort of played in bars
with a real conglomeration of musicians from
each band. We choose the name 10,000 Maniacs
as a bit of a joke and to irritate the local people.
Also that people who were into heavy metal cover
bands wouldn't necessarily come to see us and
yell AC/DC requests at us. We just wanted to let
people know what side of the fence we were on.
In those days we were a little more aggressive
sounding but now I think it works in an ironic way,
although sometimes people tend to make huge
presuppositions based on your name. I'm not
sure if we're limiting the number of people who
might come and see us.
D: What was it like to work in Jamestown, N.Y?
Is that a college town?
J: No, it's not. There's a little community college. I think a lot of the people in the band actually met there. Dennis and Steve ran the radio
station there. That's how they first met Natalie.
She was like a 16-year-old student there and she
came in with an armful of reggae records one
afternoon. They talked her into coming down to
rehearsals for their band. In the early days she
didn't really want to come. We would have to
bribe her to show up. In the last 4 years she's
really turned into quite a performer.
D: You put out two records before The Wishing
Chair, Secrets of the l-Ching and Human Conflict No. 5. / understand that you recorded one or
both of them for $500?
J: Both of them. There's a little four-year col-
John Lombardo
lege near where we live called Fidelity State and
they have a program there where people become
recording engineers. Most of the time they're
music majors so they record themselves, but we
found people who wanted to work on outside projects. They were both practically done on the first
takes, all the way through. There was very little
overdubbing. It was strange to see reiews of them
later criticizing the production not realizing that
we did it all ourselves, and in two or three afternoons.
D: It really puts the emphasis on the strong
songwriting of the band.
J: That's something that we have always been
really concerned with. I see bands all the time
in which the players are more accomplished on
their instruments than we are, but they don't
seem to have any logic to what they're doing. It's
like a good actor in a bad play. You're only as
good as the script. I think as far as a band goes
it boils down to the script or the songwriting.
D: There are particular songs in which the band
really takes a stance socially. 'Among the Americans" is one that stands out. Does the band write
songs with the intention of dealing with certain
issues?
J: I tnink so. So many people have used the
same topics over and over again. Somebody
walking out on you, or being in love, or I have
to be myself. It's all first person stuff. I guess we
are just concerned with larger issues. The music
that touched us the most has been music that
has had positive social implications and meaning. We try not to be preachy. It's not like we are
suggesting any specific answers. We just want
people to think about their situation a little bit.
It's a quiet despair really. Talking about the social'
issues and the unfairness of the wealth distribution. Not that every song is about that. We like
to think that every song is individual.
D: It's interesting that you use the phrase 'quiet
despair.' I was speaking with a band from Britain
and they use the same term to describe what they
were doing. It's an interesting parallel between
America and Britain in that way.
J: In Britain people use music so much more.
Music is a much more important part of their
lives. There are 3 or 4 weekly music newspapers.
The whole emphasis is on new bands. You're
really held accountable as a musician for the
lyrical content, for the subjects they sing about.
In America, groups are given so much freedom,
they are never challenged. No one ever pinned
down Michael Jackson and said, "Why are you
so irresponsible? And why, since you have this CITR fm 102 cable 100
Robert Buck
huge public forum, why can't you use it?" Everyone says what a nice person he is, but his lyrics
are just as sexist and tacky as anyone else's.
They're not held accountable for perpetuating attitudes of sexual violence. We just don't demand
much, in Britain and Europe they demand ever
so much more.
D: / think it's realizing the influence that music
has on people.
J: Exactly, because when a kid in Britain doesn't
have a job or doesn't have a car or doesn't have
a blaster to walk around with, he more or less
identifies with a certain music or a certain band
that ne might follow. Whereas in America, if
you're a 16-year-old kid, you've got your own car
and you have a tape machine and you've got a
girlfriend. You don't identify with a band, you
identify with other Corvette owners. We have so
many other things to identify ourselves with that
aren't present in Europe or Britain that it is logical
to be loyal to a particular kind of music or a particular band.
D: Your new album was produced by Joe Boyd.
How did you meet up with him and how do you
think he affected your work?
J: We met Joe a few years ago. The booking
agent that we nave in N.Y. was sharing a floo(
in a building with Hannibal Records, which is
Joe's label. He said, "I'm booking this band, Joe,
you got to come hear them, they're kind of like
folk-punk or something." Joe came to see us and
he was quite impressed. He expressed an interest in working with us. Once we signed with Elec-
tra and they started suggesting different producers. We really wanted to work with Joe because
of his timeless production. Joe, on most of his
records, had created... some of the old Fairport
Convention, McGarrigle Sisters and Nick Drake
records sounded like they were recorded on another planet. Very weird and very haunting, and
we sort of wanted that quality. Joe was concerned with an overview of our work rather than
specific guitar settings or whatever.
D: You must be facing comparisons with REM
as their new album is also being produced by Joe
Boyd.
J: In almost every article that's been written
about us, REM has been mentioned. We don't
get too bummed out about it. We just finished
touring with them. I don't mind when people
mention it. It was a bit of a drag because we settled on Joe first and actually we gave them Joe's
tapes and they asked if they could use him too.
They squeezed in before us. We knew their
album would be coming out before ours, so
Steven Gustafson
everytime there was a review of our album it said:
Joe Boyd, REM's producer. It was a little frustrating but we don't feel that uptight about it.
D: / don't really see the comparison myself.
Someone mentioned to me that they thought
Natalie Merchant was a female Mike Stipe.
J: I don't see it either. Some people say the way
the lyrics are somewhat unintelligible is similar
but in terms of our approaches they're really
quite different. We're both very supportive of each
other but I don't think there is anything too
obvious.
D: Is it true that you were sort of adopted down
in Athens, Georgia?
J: In a vague way. We moved down to Atlanta
in 1983 because we had some friends down
there who told us that we could get signed and
work every night of the week. We went down
there and we didn't make any money, but I think
we made a lot of initial contacts which helped
in the long run. Plus it was great to work in an
environment where the other bands would come
out to your gigs, be extremely supportive, and
let you stay at their houses. It was very refreshing.
In the area that we came from, the bands were
a lot more bitchy and resentful of each other and
it was great to be in an environment that was extremely positive. In the world's history some of
the great movements in art and theatre have
been a real scene where people weren't afraid
to work together.
D: How do you feel about the whole American
rock revival?
J: It's weird. We spent some of the summer in
London recording our last album. The press was
talking about this American invasion and we were
being lumped in with other bands. 10,000 Maniacs, Los Lobos, Jason & the Scorchers. I don't
know what the common denominator is other
than we don't use a drum machine. There's a
comparable movement in Britain that's a reaction to the slick synth. You have a real folk-punk
movement going on there with The Pogues, the
Boothill Foottappers and the Men They Couldn't
Hang. I think it's a pendulum reaction. A lot of
emotion has been drained out of music. It's
almost the same environment that created the
punk explosion in '77.
Reprinted with permission from VOX, the program
guide of CJSW in Calgary. Terry McDermott is
CJSW's Music Director.
I
It's not hard to figure out. You can save a lot of money with the Blackbook.
Especially now that we're putting the Blackbook on sale for $13.99.
It's a coupon book. And, as you probably know by now, not your average
coupon book. How could it be? With places like the Montgomery Cafe,
Binky's, Odyssey Imports, Videomatica, the Savoy, the Van East Cinema,
the Ridge, the Arts Club...close to 100 names in all.
Lots of free passes. 2 for l's, too. $1000 or more to be saved between now and
October 31st, 1986.
At the regular price of $22.00, the Blackbook was a steal. Now, at $13.99...
how can you possibly resist?
Available at Zulu, Odyssey, Black Market, Black Swan, Cabbages & Kinx,
Revolutions, AMS Tickets (UBC), Manhattan Books, and elsewhere.
THE BLACKBOOK. NOW $13
99 m'
? V.
! U. B. C
ACTIVATE! is a four-part, multi-media programme of
events to heighten awareness of the nuclear arms race and
to induce you to "add youri voice to the sound of the
crowd" during the March for Peace Sunday, April 27th.
Consider it a "butt-kicking in four parts."
Part one is the following article by Fiona Bowie. Part
two is a montage of clips from various movies to be shown
on Soundproof, Cable 10 on Friday, April 18th. Part three
is a performance by several new local musicians/poets
with pieces composed especially for the event at Channel One, Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, part four is a
three-hour special edition of Propaganda!, Saturday,
April 26th (see program guide).
Your voice is needed.
FOR
L E
,11
ENT;
£00 I
^;r P* ;
ses
B$
lMf^h
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"Most people want disarmament, but most
people are inadvertently supporting the arms
race by staying silent, by hiding behind the
'denial' or 'acceptance' positions, or by otherwise pretending to be uninvolved. It seems to
me that with a threat of these dimensions, it
can be said literally and accurately that those
who are not pad of the solution are in fact pad
of the problem."
T. James Stark, President
Operation Dismantle
WE HAVE BEEN AN INVENTIVE,
and constructive society, yet today
our sleepy apathy is leaving the
fate of our species to the interests
of too few people. Our actions are threatening
the very existence of all our past and future accomplishments, as well as other life on Earth
(plants, fish, animals) who, for obvious reasons,
are unable to influence policy dealing with their
future. In the past, mankind has overcome the
use of human sacrifice and slavery because the
majority of the population was aware of it and
concluded that these atrocities were not in the
best interest of mankind. They became obsolete.
It is time that we realize that war is not in our
best interest in this nuclear age, and render it
obsolete. We start by walking for peace, April
27th.
In our day-to-day existence our world does not
extend beyond our individual needs and desires.
The rest of the world is remote; it intrudes only
when we find it is absolutely necessary or desirable and therefore we ignore problems facing the
Earth. The result is a feeling of fragmentation,
alienation and powerlessness from which we can
hide behind limitless distractions (nudge nudge,
drink drink). The sense of powerlessness stops
us from getting involved (even though we know
our complacency is morally wrong). We do not
understand the consequences of our lack of action. This is not surprising, because this is how
we have learned to behave and react. Ambivalence has been, in our recent past, an acceptable outlook. Imagine how effective we would
become if we gave the world even half the attention that we lavish on our stereos, VCRs, etc.!
Our arms race still exists because we are
silent. We must decide not to tolerate this situation any longer. The largest obstacle is our fear,
which manifests itself as a lack of concern for
the world around us. Some people thrive on this
impassiveness: it allows them to gain influence
and maintain large military budgets.
Our scientific and artistic accomplishments are
shining proof of human creative intelligence. The
ability to resolve difficult tasks is another hallmark
of our civilization. Surely we can use this ability
to overcome our single greatest blunder: the
nuclear bomb. You can be part of this process
by acknowledging that your world encompasses
the whole earth. In doing this you will become
more aware of the complexity of our biggest problems, as well as gain insight into solutions. No
longer can you take your life for granted. A
greater appreciation for life on this planet makes
it very rewarding to know that one is working to
preserve it and nurture its future, regardless of
the obstacles that are encountered. No matter
how intangible a possible solution may be when
you first become actively involved, the fact remains that nothing is resolved without effort.
There are several effective paths you can pursue to grasp an understanding of the situation.
Reading (a short book list accompanies this
article) is one of the best ways to find answers
(to questions like 'What about the Russian's?',
etc.). Weighing contrary views is also very useful
in gaining a broad understanding and will enable
you to confront those viewsTn an enlightened
manner.
Some of the people most in need of this edification are the politicians who make or vote on
military policies. President Reagan dangerously
ignores even the basic ingredients that affect
issues on which he makes decisions; he lacks
knowledge of the weapons themselves and does
not know those officials involved in weapons
policy decisions. A discussion between Dr. Helen
Caldicott and President Reagan in 1982 illustrates this very clearly. After being asked a question put to him by Dr. Caldicott regarding weapons, he answered with questionable accuracy:
"/ asked him where he got his data, and he
didn't seem to know. I asked him if they came
from T.K. Jones, and he didn't apear to know
who this was (T.K. Jones is the Duputy Undersecretary of Defence and Research and Engineering, Strategic and Nuclear Forces in the
Pentagon—one of the officials in charge of
defence policy who made the famous statement, 'If there are enough shovels to go
around, everybody's going to make it.')
"President Reagan, during the 1982 European CITR fm 102 cable 100
trip, said to the Westminster Parliament, London, that with a military buildup combined with
diplomatic, economic, and propaganda campaigns, the Soviet Union might collapse into
the 'ash heap of History'."
How's that for diplomatic, informed leadership?
Clearly, our leaders desperately need our input, encouragement, and knowledge. It is quite
amazing what politicians can accomplish, if there
is significant public pressure (dangle your votes
in front of their noses!). We must make them
realize that no one has immunity to a nuclear
explosion.
PROBABLY THE MOST significant lesson
we have learned is that the decisions
which have brought us to this dangerous
point in history, have been made and have flourished as a result of pretence. Before the dawn
of the nuclear age, our species did not consider
the possibility that we could become extinct by
our own hand. Responsible decisions are not
possible when people refuse to acknowledge
reality. Given the will, we can reshape our destiny. To do so we must accept our moral responsibility that condemns nuclear strategies as unethical delusions. They are simply contrary to
humanity's best interests. Dealing with international conflict by using nuclear strategies is simply out of the question.
In actualizing this moral responsibility, the first
step is to increase public awareness. The Walk
For Peace in Vancouver will do this
Larger turnouts get more press coverage (local
and international) and arouse more curiosity. Increased interest is evident in a turnout that grows
larger every year. Our local walk in Vancouver
sets an example for other cities (100,000 people
from our community is a fantastic display of
unity). This growth must continue. Your participation will show the world you are willing to stand
up for your beliefs.
To be part of such a large show of combined
will for the good of mankind is inspiring. This kind
of interest in our future is imperative or else we
simply shall not survive.
Without interest there is no will for knowledge.
Without knowledge there can be no motivation.
Without motivation there is no action.
Without action, improvement is unlikely.
Without improvement, there can be no hope.
A Pre-Nuclear Reading List
Gordon Adams: The Politics of Defence
Contracting: The Iron Triangle
Robert Aldridge: First Strike: The Pentagon
Strategy for Nuclear War
Or. Helen Caldicott; Missile Envy
A Halberstam: The Powers That Be
George Ken nan: The Nuclear Delusion
Herman Kahn: Thinking About The
Unthinkable
Physicians for Social Responsibility:
Nuclear War: The Search for Solutions
Robert Scheer: With Enough Shovels
Jonathan Scheli: The Fate of the Earth
Dr. Linus Pauling, Adm. Eugene Carrol,
Dr. Daniel Ellsberg: The prevention of
Nuclear War
Sir Sidney Zuckerman: Nuclear Illusion and \
Reality
$rtp4/d/j&4u&
569 Hornby St.
685-5679
Mon. - Tue. — Reggae Nites. Wed. — Funk nite
Wed. April 2 — Brazilian nite
3-5
10-12
17-19
24-26
* * UVE BANDS IN APRIL * *
Latin band - BANDIDO
Reggae band - FIRE TEMPLE
Caribbean Rhythms - SANDY & THE ORIGINALS
Reggae Soka Funk — MANGO DUB
OPEN LATE THURSDAY EVENINGS
(RGIA ST.
683#55
COWGIRL SHIR I I ROM POW WOW CAT PROC
50th Anniversary Bk
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT present
EMMES
OD6RE BALLROOM
Friday April 11, 1986
Tickets at VTC/CBO and all usual outlets
Presented in partnership with
TIMBRE PRODUCTIONS
HANNEL ONE KLUB are pleased to present
EDWARD KA - SPEL
Founder of the
Lh^GENDAR !VK DOTS
\pril 8-9-10, 1986 CHANNEL ONE KLUB
860 Denman Street
Advance tickets $7.00 at Odyssey
Zulu and Channel One Klub AUCTIONS
m-Out Cel
Thursday Ma^9 I
the return of
De
MittelG
Monday A¥iil 28 to Thursday May 1
ejpbrate the Weird"
ollectors RPM and
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present
KEFINGER
AL VIRGINS
NSNO
ickets $7.00 advance
at Zulu, Odyssey, RPM
SAVOY 6 Powell Street, Gastown
KJ
SUGARC
with fu
RHYTHM
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WARDE1LLS
Both shows at the LUV-A-FAIR 1275 Seymour Street A CITR Presentation DISCORDER
Life After
Life After Bed
SHOWS COME AND GO around here with great
regularity, each digging it's own grave and very
often being buried alive. Among them Rabble
Without a Pause, Rude Awakening and Life After
Bed. Each leaving without any sign of returning
from the grave ever again. One, however, has
popped the nails on it's coffin and robbed the
undertaker of his dirty deed. Enough of this shit!!
Life After Bed is back. I've been treated like
a piece of shit around here long enough, it's time
to be loud or go home. Sunday nights at 1 a.m.
turn off your TV and tune into CITR for the ugliest
radio you've ever heard. Life After Bed—ugly
radio for our time. Forget your aviados, warn your
avocado.
Early Music Primer
THE EARLY MUSIC SHOW has been on the air
for a year now. By now there are bound to be
a few listeners who want a few representative
medieval, renaissance, or baroque recordings,
and, as you've probably guessed, I've got a few
suggestions.
One rule of thumb is the newer the recording
the better, and not merely for reasons of sound
quality. Scholarship is steadily advancing, and
there has been a recent proliferation of musicians adept at archaic instruments. Still, there
are always those classic recordings not likely to
be equalled for some time. My list reflects general critical opinion, my own (of course), price
and availability. For more information and excerpts from the recordings listed, tune in on April
5th.
An Early Music Basic Library
Twelve recordings for novice and connoisseur:
Ave Maria; Gregorian chants; St. Maurice & St.
Maru, Philips Festivo 6570 154
The Art of Courtly Love; Munrow, Seraphim
_ 3-LP sic-6092
Tallis: Spem in Alium; Willcocks, Argo 411 722-1
Dance Music from the time of Praetorius;
Collegium Terpsichore, Archiv 198 166
Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin;
Harnoncourt, Telefunken SAWT 9501/02.
Holborne: Music by...; Extempore String
Ensemble, Meridian E77027
The King's Singers' Madrigal Collection; MMG
1105
Purcell: Birthday Odes for Queen Mary;
Munrow, Angel S-37251
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico; Hogwood, Oiseau-
Lyre 2-LP D245D2
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations; Pinnock (Harpsichord), Archiv 2533 425
J.S. Bach: 6 Brandenburg Concertos, Harnoncourt, Teldec 2-LP 6.35620
Handel: Water Music; English Concert, Archiv
410 525-1
—Ken Jackson
CITR Benefit
The CITR Mondays In March benefit concert
series at the Savoy continues in April. A strange
phenomenon we admit, March being extended
by two weeks to accommodate a CITR fundraiser.
Lineups have not yet been confirmed, but stay
tuned for further details.
CITR Presents...
Upcoming CITR concert presentations include:
Violent Femmes with guests,
Commodore Ballroom, April 11
Tupelo Chain Sex, with Rhythm Mission
at the Luv-A-Fair, May 15
Husker Du with guests at the Luv-A-Fair, May 22
We'll be there. Will you?
"Q ON THE BOULEVARD
hair and suntanning co.
SUNTANNING
10 SESSIONS 20 SESSIONS
$39 $79*<>«*cds
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ALSO AVAILABLE 1 BED WITH SPECIAL
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HAIR STYLING
15% Discount
on any hair care services
or
pay regular price for your hair service
and receive TWO FREE TANNING SESSIONS
5784 University Blvd.
(in UBC Village)
Valid with presentation of this ad
Ph. 224-1922
224-9116
Expires April 30, 1986
*************************
* DISCORDER #
* *
* *
: 1H E EAT E RI
1 FREE BURGER
1
THE GOOD PEAL IS your
least expensive burger is
free when two are ordered.
This applies to beef and tofu
burgers only, and isn't valid
coupon
*
3431 W. BROADWAY 738-5298
************************* CITR fm 102 cable 100
AFTER 3 MONTHS OF WAITING, THE RESULTS OF THE CITR/
Discorder Listener/Reader Survey are in. Hours of tabulation and
careful analysis have produced the following results. Make of
them what you will.
There were a total of 228 responses. Of these: 18% attended UBC;
19% attended high school (not every day, mind you); 19% attended
another post-secondary institution. The remaining 44% were either
students of life or were, I presume, deceased. 152 (62%) individuals purported to be male, 73 said they were female, and the rest championed
equality by refusing to answer the question. (Most of these didn't give
their age, either.)
A whopping 95% of the respondents had listened to CITR before. Of
those who had listened (and are listening) 11% tuned in once a month;
6% tuned in once a week; 35% listened a few times a week, and 47%
were habitual users. (Don't ask me what happened to the other 1%. I
think they're trapped inside the decimal places.)
59% tuned into CITR on FM, 41% on cable; these numbers, interestingly, are close to the numbers of those having problems with our signal:
62% reported problems while 38% were lucky enough to receive CITR
distortion-free.
"Hail to the new boss, Same as the old boss"
THIS WAS THE PART where you got to compare the new regime of
dictatorial DJ's with the old regime of megolomaniac announcers.
60% of those responding enjoyed CITR's programming more than a year
ago, and 54% enjoy it more than they did two years ago. On the flip side,
23% enjoy the new boss less than last year's; 26% less than two years
ago. 12% enjoy CITR just the same as they did both one and two years
ago.
You also told us which other stations your radio stops at (at least, 83%
of you did). CFRO tops the list with 41%, followed by CBC FM (33%),
CBC AM (22%) and various Top 40 FM stations (18%). Only 11% 'fessed
up to listening to Top 40 AM radio, most to LG73.
Finally we asked you to confess to the sin of home taping off CITR.
50% of you said you did, 45% said no way and 5% kept their mouths shut.
Next you had to tell us what you thought of the rag you hold in your
hands. Where did you pick it up?
ON SWEAT SHIRTS
$14-21. TILL APRIL 3 0
We carry a full line of
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wide selection of 1986 a
models available
Mountain and Triathlon j
Bikes also available C
Now TWO locations to serve you
224-1034
669-3646
"We offer the BEST bikes, prices and
expertise and that's why we stand out."
Full year Warranty available on all our bicycles.
** ^
NON
FICTION
CUSTOM SCREEN PRINTING
INNOVATIVE GRAPHICS
13 6 POWELL ST. VANCOUVER
V 6 A 1 G 1 6 8 4-9834 DISCORDER
April 1986
20% off all
Perms & Colours
Phone for appointment
2529 Alma at Broadway
224-2332
Point Grey 28%; Downtown 45%; West End 13%; Gastown 12%; Kits
22%; East Van 8%; South Van 1%; North Shore 4%; Richmond 2%;
Surrey 0.5%; New West 1%; Victoria 2%; others 4%.
(Yeah I know it adds up to 142.5%, but some of you like to get your
Discorders all over town.)
95% of you told us how many people read each copy, the breakdown
as follows: just one -40%; two - 33%; four - 10%.
Most of you also told us you wanted more. More of just about every
feature in the magazine—
Want More:
Want Less:
Like It As It Is
Airhead
64%
9%
27%
Behind The Dial
42%
23%
34%
Vinyl Verdict
74%
9%
17%
Demo Derby
63%
11%
26%
Armchair Eye
32%
29%
39%
Music Features
80%
1%
19%
Local Music
Features
79%
6%
15%
Non-Music
Features
40%
36o/o
24%
Cartoons
72%
11%
17%
The next section of the survey asked our listeners to tell us their feelings
on various aspects of our programming. We asked you to rate these
features on a scale of 1-5, with 1 representing an extremely negative
response and 5 representing wild applause. It was, we realize, a flawed
system since some tended to give out 1s and 5s with gay abandon while
others tended more toward the middle ranges. Also, the system gave
little room for you to tell us why you liked or disliked a show. At any rate,
the responses were added up, then divided by the number of respondents
to give an average based on a possible score of 5.
Regular Music Programming
4.1
Powerchord
2.1
News
2.6
Neofile
3.6
Live Sports Broadcasts
1.4
Generic Review
3.4
High Profiles
3.7
No Commercials
4.7
Public Affairs Programming
2.5
Rockers Show
3.0
Public Service Announcements
3.2
African Show
3.0
Music Of Our Time
2.9
Folk Show
2.5
Soul Galore
2.9
Just Like Women
2.2
Fast Forward
3.4
Party With Me Punker
3.6
The Jazz Show
2.8
Mel Brewer Presents
4.0
UBC Weekly
1.9
Big Show
3.0
Top Of The Pops
3.3
Propaganda
3.6
A disappointing 42% of respondents said they used our program
guide—On The Dial—before tuning in to CITR. We wondered why we
were getting requests for the Ramones in the middle of the African Show.
52% said they would pay for Discorder. This is by no means a mandate for price gouging, but in these days of tight money we're always
looking for a way to make Discorder bigger and better. The circumstances
under which 53% of you would pay rated as follows: more pages - 76%;
to benefit CITR - 71%; to decrease advertising - 21%.
Some of the feature ideas we ran past you received positive response:
30% would like to see DJ profiles in Discorder; 38% would like a local
gossip column; 37% want book reviews; 47% want social and/or political
commentary; 29% want stories on student issues; 39% want broader
arts coverage.
Thanks for taking the time to fill out the surveys. And special thanks
to all those who donated prizes and helped compile the survey results.
Let's do it again sometime.
SURVEY COMMENTS
•Please ask everyone to cut the continual on-the-air crap about
totally trivial and moronic shit—play music from Satan and
spaceship music or I'll kill you.
•I'm a long-time listener/reader of your output. It gets better and
better, unlike most other radio stations/publications.
•More jazz and classical music programming is necessary! CITR
programmers could learn a lot by listening to KOUW (a true
university radio station reflecting a musical taste beyond the latest
'hip' guitar band).
• I like everything that is undesirable and experimental, noncommercial spiritual rhythms, "industrial music," anything that is
untraditional, taboo and avant garde. Anything that intimidates
people.
• Kirby Hill and Mike Johal give eye-opening political insights while
still putting on great shows.
•Some of the DJs are too egotistic and verbose.
• Love it, want more. CITR fm 102 cable 100
•The guys who do Neofile are the idiot-equivalent of Buzz and Dave
on Soundproof—drone, drone, drone—boring, otherwise improving.
•I can't receive it in Coquitlam without cable. Wombat is my long-
lost brother.
•Don't remove Party With Me Punker or I will cease to listen.
•There is too much punk and thrash rock played.
•Keep Party With Me Punker on the air.
•Burn the Big Show goof. Too much thrash.
•Discorder is great.
•LESS JAZZ.
•I hope you go high power—the reception I get is really bad.
Discorder could be bigger. Jazz Show is great.
•Half of the CITR DJs cannot speak or read English.
•CITR is a suicide prevention device.
•Death would be too kind for the likes of the trendy airheads that
populate the elitist corporation that masquerades as a "free"
station.
•Groovie.
•Get rid of the news.
•Love CITR. Look forward every month to latest edition of Discorder.
Am sitting here with Fast Forward on while I write this out.
•More demos, less interviewing on Mel Brewer.
•I have listened to CITR for about 4 years now. I especially enjoy
Jason Grant and Mike Johal.
•Cut off Jason's fucking head and ram it down his fucking throat,
then cut his thumbs and ram th—-
•Great magazine!! Expand! More ads if necessary to keep down
price. I like D. Watson and Jason G. CITR: go high power! I signed
the petition, what happened?
• Bring back the Playlist Show format.
•Talk between toons should be relevant and informative, please less
burble, especially Saturday AMs.
•CITR is a good alternative radio station flavoured with a slight
anarchistic feeling that keeps things interesting. Discorder reflects
this.
•PSA carts are overplayed.
•Gave the Folk Show a 4 for all the UK football scores and his
accent.
•Get down off your boring old pedestals and get into music instead
of all your egos.
•We want a glossy front cover! Nude pictures!
•Just Like Women never offers positive alternatives. (Have you
ladies considered suicide?)
•Make Just Like Women 2 hours, or Vi hour daily.
• Less Vinyl Verdict; have comments on Neofile instead.
•Although the DJs are good they sometimes talk too much, I want
to listen to music.
•Keep Discorder as weird as possible. CITR: I like Wednesday Night
at the Fights.
•Good mag. Doing a good service for local muzak!
•God help us if there was only C-Fossil and Georgia Straight to
keep jjs informed.
•Discorder's really good, wish I could get CITR in White Rock. Fun
to read on the bus.
•Nuke Dafoe!
•Discorder: great mag. CITR: wish I could get it on my radio.
•Keep Discorder topics on music, forget shit politics, ditto tor on air.
Just play new music on air.
• More 60s rock n' roll! More punk rock!
•CITR is great when it's not being cluttered up with horrid public
affairs and specialty shows. I know your license requires them, but
they are really insipidly dull.
• Saturday and Sunday evenings are great! Propaganda, PJ Party,
FF, etc.; they have good, intelligent announcers, especially Mike
Johal.
•P.S. I hope you're all good capitalists!
•Wish I could get you on my radio at home. Stay rad. Don't go
yuppie, please!
•The DJs should be able to speak English properly—start a fund to
send the news staff back East so that they may learn to speak
properly.
•Go high power, please!
•Cover as much local stuff as you can! (esp. Slow, Soreheads,
NoMeansNo, etc.)
• Everybody should just drink and do drugs and have more sex.
Get a strong enough signal to reach the north end of Vancouver
Island.
CFMI Presents
ECHO&
THE BUNNYMEN
CHURCH
APRIL 11 • 8 PM
The Orpheum
Tix: VTC/CBO and all its usual outlets.
Info & Charge 280-4444 Plus Zulu & Odyssey
C-FOX presents
SIVPI3
MNDS
WITH GUESTS THE CALL
April 23 • 7:30 pm
Pacific Coliseum
Tix: VTC/CBO & all its usual outlets
Info & Charge 280-4444 ON
THE
DIAL
WEEKDAY REGULARS
7:30 am Sign-On
8.-00 am WAKE-UP REPORT
News, sports and weather.
10:00 am BREAKFAST REPORT
News, sports and weather followed
by GENERIC REVIEW and INSIGHT.
12:00 pm HIGH PROFILE.
im pm LUNCH REPORT
News, sports and weather.
4:30 pm AFTERNOON SPORTSBREAK
6m pm DINNER MAGAZINE
News, sports and weather followed
by GENERIC REVIEWS, INSIGHT and
a DAILY FEATURE.
4M am Sign-Off
WEEKDAY HIGHLIGHTS
MONDAYS
SOUNDTRAK
10:30-11:30 am
So, here it is: a program of music
At tcUciiC auotimtot ok
good quality tued dotlmq
Jot m% cud mm,
Cwnew^omic^shirts^^
2565-Aiwa 224-5711
DISCORDER
and UBC poets lined up for April. Most of
them are published by ARC magazine and
are pretty normal.
THE JAZZ SHOW
9:00 pm-12:30 am
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.
06 Apr. The great Roland Kirk, featured in
two live performances: in
Copenhagen and at the 1968
Newport Jazz Festival.
13 Apr. Miles Davis' Jack Johnson—the
post-1970 Miles' album for those
who don't like post-1970 Miles.
20 Apr. Pete Johnson's Housewarming. In
the days before the LP this great
Boogie-Woogie piano player invited
his friends over to his house to play.
On these sides we hear their arrival
as they make themselves comfortable and join in. Featuring Ben
Webster and Hot-Lips Page.
27 Apr. Charles Mingus—Changes 1 & 2.
Arguably Mingus' last great albums.
We'll hear excerpts from both.
CITR DEBATES
5:30-6:00 pm
Stephen Gold hosts the logical successor
to rock wrestling.
THE BLUES SHOW
8:00-9:00 pm
Can blue men sing the whites? Join host
Eric Von Schlippen to find out.
TUESDAYS
UBC WEEKLY
10:30-11:00 am
A new show dealing with issues of concern
to students at UBC.
THE FOLK SHOW
8:00-9:30 pm
It's Tuesday and you're not even tempted by
2 for 1 movies, so why not tune in to CITR's
Folk Show? See what traditionally-based
music can do for you as host Steve Edge
presents a foot-stomping mix of Celtic &
Rogue Folk. Features during the month are:
01 Apr. April Fools & Easter Fests. Folk
music from the bizarre to the
irreverent.
08 Apr. Rogue Folk Extravaganza! Featuring The Men They Couldn't Hang
and the Boothill Foot Tappers.
15 Apr. Oh Canada! A personal celebration
of 5 years in This Land of Ours'
with music from some of Canada's
finest performers.
22 Apr. The New St. George. A St.
George's Eve spectacular with
English folk music at its best.
29 Apr. The Boys of the Lough. One of
Celtic music's longest-running &
most accomplished combos, they
are regular visitors to Vancouver.
This evening's show may help to explain why...
BUNKUM OBSCURA
9:30-11:00 pm
A variety show of sorts, from time to time
there will be live in-studio interviews, perhaps
April 1986
some poetry reading, music, of course, etc.
Bunkum latin (n) Bullshit
Obscura latin (adj) hidden
LOVE PEACE AND VIOLENCE
11:00-1:00 pm
An earnest effort to resolve 7,000 years of
passion, sedation and empty threats (read
civilization), featuring live sex, tape loops,
simulated drug taking and lots of normal
music. "Some things are so stupid that they
must be done." E. Raoul
PLAYLOUD
Late night 1:00-4:00 am
Where rage, soiling (under control), catharsis
& discipline are conditions for a certain
aspect of sanity. Music for Transylvanian insect life. Aural Surgeon: Larry Thiessen
01 Apr. A collaborative Easter aftermath with
Bill & Norm.
08 Apr. A survey of the work of David Tibet
93.
75 Apr. Harsh Reality. A night of power
electronics.
22 Apr. Music for D.H. Lawrence's The
Devils.
29 Apr. TBA
WEDNESDAYS
VANCOUVER INSTITUTE
10:30-11:30 pm
02 Apr. Dr. Partha Dasgupta: The Silent
Food War
09 Apr. Dr. Arthur Kleinman: Bodily Idioms
of Distress
76 Apr. Sir John Donaldson: The Courts:
The Citizen's Non-Nuclear Deterrent
23 Apr. TBA
30 Apr. TBA
JUST LIKE WOMEN
5:15-6 pm
Woman, heal thyself with Ann and Lil's
remedy for the Old Boys' Network: an hour of
news, interviews, and music. A shot in the
arm for all women, and for any man who
likes them.
THE AFRICAN SHOW
8:00-9:30 pm
A program featuring African music and
culture with hosts Todd Langmuir, Patrick
Onukwulu and Dido. Tune in for the latest
news from Africa, plus special features at
5:00 pm.
THE KNIGHT AFTER
Midnight to 4:00 am
Music to clobber Yuppies by—featuring radio
shows traded with alternative stations in
Europe and the U.S. This show will really
mess up your BMW!
THURSDAYS
STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC
UNIVERSITY/AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
10:30-11:00 (alternating weeks)
PARTY WITH ME, PUNKER!
3:00-5:00 pm
The show the Minutemen like^'sfo much,
they named one of their albums after it.
03 Apr. Live Minutemen
70 Apr. Surf Season Opener Special CITR fm 102 cable 100
17 Apr. 85 RPM
24 Apr. Request Show
PLUS: The death of Mike Raphone (gone to
that big alternative radio station in the sky.)
TOP OF THE BOPS
8:00-9:00 pm
On the 10th of this month Vancouver Record
Collectors' Association business manager
and vinyl fiend Chuck Demean will be in to
spin some vintage shellac.
MEL BREWER PRESENTS
11:00 pm-Midnight
We at Mel HQ appreciate your vote of support in the survey. We promise to continue
our coverage of the thriving local music
scene through interviews, reviews and
features...and other stuff.
FRIDAYS
FRIDAY MORNING MAGAZINE
10:30-11:30 am
STIRRINGS: More insights into cross-cultural
music, poetry and personalities. Expect spontaneity. With your host and researcher Kirby
Hill.
04 Apr. A look at aboriginal rights and title,
featuring highlights from the conference at Robson Square of March 5
and the South Moresby March of
March 15.
77 Apr. Rennaisance/Medieval Music with
guitarist Nathaniel Hervitz. Plus a
preview of the 1986 Vancouver
Children's Festival.
78 Apr. MP Svend Robinson speaks on the
needs and concerns of Canada's
native people and the government's
role in the issue.
25 Apr. Another side of Vancouver's independent music culture with Randy
Raine-Reusch, Paul Serret,
Zalfman, Eric Adams, and guest
host Paul Dolden.
POWER CHORD
3:30-5:00 pm
Vancouver's only true metal show, featuring
the underground alternative to mainstream ,
metal: local demo tapes, imports and other
rarities, plus album give-aways.
SPECULUM' - REFLECTIONS ON
SITUATIONS
5:30-6:00 pm
News; RET. (Pesimists Endurance Training);
and "Forward From the Past."
SOUL GALORE
8:00-9:30 pm
All the tearjerkers, all the hipshakers. From
R&B to funk and especially soul. Join Fiona
MacKay and Anne Devine at this new time.
THE BIG SHOW
9:00 pm-midnight
Why pay money to get into a nightclub on a
Friday night? If Big InternationAI can't get
you dancing, no one can.
THE VISITING PENGUIN SHOW
Late night 1:00-4:00 am
Interviews with local musicians and artists,
the newest sounds at CITR, your personal requests and even golden oldies. What more
could you want? Hosted by Andreas Kitz-
mann and Sheri Walton.
WEEKEND REGULARS
8:00 am Sign-On
Noon BRUNCH REPORT
News, sports and weather.
6:00 pm SAT./SUN. MAGAZINE
News, sports and weather, plus
GENERIC REVIEW, analysis of current affairs and special features.
4:00 am Sign-Off
WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
SATURDAYS
EARLY MUSIC SHOW
7:30-10:30 am
Have breakfast to music from the Medieval,
Renaissance and Baroque periods, played on
strange and exotic instruments. With host
Ken Jackson.
05 Apr. The Basic Early Music Library (see
listing in Behind the Dial for more
info)
72 Apr. Medieval Troubadours
79 Apr. Henry Purcell
26 Apr. W.A. Mozart Symphony No. 41
('Jupiter") performed by The
Academy of Ancient Music
Kitsilano's Night Time Cabaret
We open at 7...We party 'til 2
U^PJ
Buck Off Jacko
7 till 9 nightly DISCORDER
April 1986
NEOFILE
Noon-4:00 pm
A new look on the Spinlist, with more
listings, more readable type, and a new
feature—the Top 10. This represents those
LPs, EPs and singles that the MD's feel
stand apart from the rest of the list. The rest
of the list remains ordered according to
number of plays on-air, and is divided into 3
groups; heavy, medium and light. The Neofile
acts as a radio guide to this list, as your
hosts, Jason and Don bring you the latest in
music from around the world.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO
GILLIGAN'S ISLAND?
4:00-6:00 pm
Alas, kiddies, this is the last listing for awhile.
The search must continue...in Greece. Join
host lain Bowman for one final month of in-
depth probing of little-known philosophies.
Assignments for the month:
05 Apr. The Empire Strikes Back
72 Apr. Excerpts from the Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy
79 Apr. Stanley Holloway Pt. II
26 Apr. Final Exam: Vita Briani
Au revoir, mes amis.
PROPAGANDA!
6:30-9:00 pm
An eclectic mix of interviews, reviews, music,
humour, High Profiles, and other features
with Mike Johal.
26 Apr. ACTIVATE!
An audio collage. 3 hours. No host. No narration. Music. Sound effects. Voice. Interview
clips.
apathy is best but action is better. Norad.
Frankie. A CALL TO ARMS, awareness, "my
god, what have we created?" PEACE. Warsaw Pact. doa. WAR. reagan. FB3. "Superpowers don't have friends, they have interests." N.A.T.O. mark Stewart, wah! ambivalence is for the mediocre. Gorbachev.
TEST DEPT. style council, thatcher. MARCH!
Clash, "we begin bombing in 5 minutes." Ha-
ha. BOB MARLEY. "...add your voice to the
sound of the crowd!" Is all propaganda bad?
Regular Features
AEIOU—Political satire with the Artists
Educational Iconoclastic Organisation (Un-)
limited (6:55 p.m., April 5, 19)
Video reviews—Catherine Wheel, Scum,
Best of Elvis Costello (Videos from
Videomatica)
Today in History
PYJAMA PARTY
9:00 pm-1:00 am
Your hosts Mike Mines and Robin Razzell
present everything from ambient music for
snoozing to upbeat tunes for popcorn and
pillow fights.
SUNDAYS
MUSIC OF OUR TIME
8:00 am-Noon
A sampling of the vibrant, electric and exhilarating sound often erroneously file$ under
the misnomer of "classical" (i.e. pedantic)
music. Paul Smith continues his musical lexicon of the twentieth century, and is joined by
Tyler Cutforth, with his favorite remedies for
Sunday morning complacency.
ROCKERS SHOW
Noon-3:00 pm
The best in Roots, Rock, Reggae, DJ and
Dub. With your hosts George Family Man
Barrett, Collin Hepburn and Bruce James.
06 Apr. Singers and Players. On-U-Sound
73 Apr. Brigadier Jerry Jamaica Jamaica
20 Apr. Rita Marley Rasta Woman, I he
Sister
27 Apr. Big Youth Pioneer DJ
SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE
8:00-9:00 pm
Wanted: S.N.L. is currently looking for live
tapes of local bands for a possible month of
local features. This is a great opportunity to
have your band profiled in a live context. So
let them tape machines roll. Contact Paul
Clarke c/o CITR or phone 228-3017 on Sunday nights.
06 Apr. King Crimson
73 Apr. Talking Heads Part I
20 Apr. Talking Heads Part II
27 Apr. Richard Thompson (w/guest host
Steve Edge)
FAST FORWARD
9:00 pm-1.00 am
Probably Vancouver alternative radio's most
alternative show. Mark Mushet searches the
world over for experimental, minimalist,
avant-garde, electronic, and other non-
mainstream sounds.
LIFE AFTER BED
1 am-4 am
The return of the nightmare from the people
you're parents warned you about. Ugly radio
has returned. Warn your avaiados. CITR fm 102 cable 100
Vinyl
Fine Young Cannibals
Fine Young Cannibals
(I.R.S.)
TO TAKE AN ANALOGY FROM SPORT, 1979
was a good draft year for British music. It was
the year of the Two-Tone ska revival, a movement
which spawned a number ot talented bands, including the Specials, the Selecter and the Beat.
The main aim of these and other bands was to
make the youth of the U.K. forget about the dole
queue for awhile and go out and dance. For a
year or so, it worked. Then in 1981 the Specials'
Lynval Golding was stabbed after a gig in Sheffield and it was "Ghost town" time. Most of the
bands broke into bitter, disillusioned fragments.
The Beat lasted a bit longer than most, but in
1983 they too bit the dust. Now, over two-and-a-
half years later, Andy Cox and David Steele have
followed General Publicans Dave and Roger
back into the musical arena with the Fine Yo! • -"«
Cannibals. But while General Public sounds an
'awful lot like the Beat with synthesizers, the Fine
Young Cannibals have modified the Beat sound
by incorporating something of the cool soul style
currently popular in England.
For that reason alone, this record should slide
easily into this continent's Top 40 charts. (After
all, if Sade can make it...) But there are better
reasons for this record to make a significant
impression on this side of the pond. One is the
semi-revelation that Cox and Steele must have
been more vital to the Beat than most people
supposed—the tunes on this record are surprisingly catchy, besides being superbly executed.
The band's real strength, however, is the third
Cannibal, Roland Gift.
Without him the record, although pleasant
enough, would be a fairly innocuous collection
of pop songs. Gift's presence, though, adds
another dimension; his voice transforms the
material, and conjures up images of Otis Redding or the Temptations. Make no mistake, the
guy can sing.
Verdict
He gets plenty of opportunity to put his gift to
work: standouts are "Like A Stranger," "Couldn't
Care More," and "Johnny Come Home." The latter cut, the single, is rather typical of the mood
of the record, being a plea to a teenage runaway
from the distraught parents: "Who do you know?
/Where will you stay? /Big city life is not what they
say...Johnny, we're sorry /Won't you come on
home?"
The same loneliness and despair, set to exquisite pop melodies, permeate much of the
album; even the love songs are about disintegrating relationships. The best of these is "Funny How Love Is," a shameless tear-jerker featuring ex-Beat sax man, Saxa, and a devastating
vocal from Gift. (Footnote to any girl who has ever
dumped her boyfriend: If this song leaves you
with a clear conscience then compared to you
Alexis Colby is a warm, caring, and compassionate human being.)
Despite the generally morbid lyrics ("Couldn't
Care More" is apparently sung by a guy who is
trying to ignore a murder in the next-door apartment), the Fine Young Cannibals hit a groove that
all too many bands seem to be missing these
days, and Gift's voice alone is enough to quell
most criticism. Not a record to change your life,
but you can never have enough catchy pop
music, can you?
—lain Bowman
Young Fresh Fellows
Topsy TUrvy
Popllama Products
1} M STANDING ON THE CORNER OF HAS-
tings and Carrall, just hanging around, when
[i us man asks me for a quarter for an alleged cup
of coffee. I put down my record bag to reach into my pocket for some spare change and this guy
grabs my bag and starts running down the street.
So I jump up and down and yell thief, but all the
assorted Uncle Wigglys sprawled out on the
benches surrounding me just stay put and leer
at me because I can't chase after the thief because my hand is stuck in the pockets of my
jeans because they're way too tight. One of the
more articulate of the derilicts says: "What's da
matter, sweetie? Did that nasty man rip off your
Young Fresh Fellows' album? Heh, heh, heh."
I swallow and nod. Two great big tears begin
to slide down my face as I think about the loss
of the most totally cool album of 1985—Topsy Tur-
vy by the Young Fresh Fellows. I start thinking
about the human condition and I decide to go
to the Lotus Hotel for one or five beers.
I sit next to this old man who seems friendly
and I begin to teil him about the thief, but I can't
tell whether he understands English or not. He
nods and smiles energetically, so I finish my
story. After I finish drinking my five or ten beers
I start feeling burned. The man who watched me
drink my beers offers to drive me around town
to look for the thief in his "expansive sport car."
I say I have to go to the bathroom and I crawl
out of this window.
I decide that I need supplies in order to hunt
down this guy properly, so I stop off at the Save-
On Surplus on Cambie and West Hastings. I purchase a hunting knife and a Safari hat. The clerk
at the counter points out that they're having a
special on deactivated hand grenades, so I get
one of those too.
Thus equipped, I go back to Pigeon Square.
"Okay, rubbies, Where's the guy who took my
Young Fresh Fellows' album?" I say as I wave
my hand grenade menacingly at the benches.
One old guy says:
"Is that the record with 'Searchin' USA,' 'Sharing Patrol Theme' and 'Hang Out Right' on it?"
"Yeah,, what about it? Do you know where it
' is?" I say as I narrow my eyes meaningfully and
unsheath my Save-On Surplus hunting knife.
"Cool record. Joe only wanted to tape it so he
could hear it on his walkman because he doesn't
have a turntable. Here." I grab my record, press
it close to my chest and yell over my shoulder:
"Home taping is killing music."
—Julia
Malcolm McLaren
Swamp Thing
MALCOLM MCLAREN — INSTIGATOR OF
musical perversity, abuser of cultural identity, the man who went through punk, funk, got
hipper, then did opera—has let down his front
of creative upheaval and allowed (?) to be
released a collection of material recorded between '82 and '84, his hip-hop "rap-off" period.
This record affords a chance to view the fine
line between artistic expression and creative indulgence, the line that Malcolm knows too well.
His past efforts, and present ones for that matter, have always bordered on the absurdly pretentious, and because of this he has frequently succeeded in shaking up our perceptions and expectations of modern pop/rock music, making us
realize the transientness of our trend systems.
He has created his own trends through ingenious
manipulation of present popular needs, proceeded to rip them off, and then gone on to do the
same elsewhere. In "Duck Rock Cheer," for example, he creates a rah-rah atmosphere for a
song that he has already recorded, as if this new
song is an excited hallelujah response by the
peon who exists only to ingest and respond to
his whimsical meanderings. Both "Duck Rock
Cheer" and "Duck Rocks/Promises" are variations on "First Couple Out," a song released with DISCORDER
Madame Buttedly. Yet all three create their own
feel, their own atmosphere mostly though the
non-stop production/manipulation of Malcolm
and Trevor Horn, without leaving the rather
limited format of the song idea itself.
There is no need to describe in detail his collection of songs individually, since they all are
basically formed on the same principle, that of
sonic and trend manipulation. Malcolm McLaren
is a modern man, in the sense that he abuses
all that is of the modern world—technology,
cross-culturalism, multi-media—and quite often
spews out something original, even humourous,
deep in cultural connotations. Anyone who cannot giggle at "B.I. Bikki," at least in private, has
no sense of humour.
To admit that you like Malcolm's efforts, or at
least that you appreciate them, is to be honest
and open to the constantly changing and fiercely
intangible concept that is called popular music
(no categories, please). Even through material
not intended to be released as an album, one
can sense the creative and thought-provoking
twist of what we have all heard before (and of
what some people even hold to be sacred!).
McLaren is not a musician, I would not dare
even to call him a songwriter, but he is a producer, one who creates, manipulates, agrivates
and agitates, and makes a good living at it. If you
think that's not a useful means toward a desired
end, stop buying records.
—Robert Shea
Live Skull
Bringing Home the Bait
Homestead (U.S.)
iir* UITARS. INSTRUMENTS WHOSE POT-
vJ ential for innovation is seemingly
exhausted.
Hahahahahaha...Try telling that to Fred Frith,
or better yet, Live Skull. While playing it closer
to the rock vert than Frith or his cohorts, this NYC
combo manages to wrench some equally mind-
numbing sounds out of the six-string dinosaurs.
Less eccentric than Sonic Youth, less blatantly
sadistic than Swans, Live Skull shares space
with these bands in every 'hip' music magazine
around. They also share a predilection for brutal,
volcanic sewage that masquerades as music,
and stark, violent lyrical imagery. The final common characteristic is their use of the guitar as
an abrasive, almost industrial, element of sound.
On Bringing Home the Bait, their second 12"
effort, Live Skull continues to use the traditional
rock rhythm section to create melody while the
atonal vocals and guitar wash over (and through!)
it all like an acoustic avalanche of mud. Distinguished performances are put in by Marnie
Greenholz, bass and vocals (her lyrics on
"Sparkey" describe a violent sexual encounter
with a car; positively anti-social!), James Lo,
drums, Tom Paine and Mark C, guitar and
vocals. The only major difference between this
LP and their self-titled debut is the production.
Martin Bisi (of Material fame) has removed one
or two unnecessary layers of shit from the sound,
exposing an even rawer, more visceral LP than
one could have hoped for.
That's fine, you say, but why should I listen to
Bringing Home the Bait? Is this record pleasant?
Enjoyable? Well, those are relative terms, and
should not be the only determining factors in
one's choice of music, especially today, when
wonderfully disturbing sounds are coming out of
everyone's hometown. So listen to and appreciate
Live Skull; just for the hell of it.
—Jason Grant
<$£ GQ S0\M
(blues, R&B, gospel, and classics too)
L
CHARLY — R & B at low prices
ROUTE 66 — essential R&B from Sweden
ROSETTA — Historic womens' jazz & blues collections
• all quality import pressings, attractively
packaged with informative liner notes
AMERICAN CLAVE BACK IN STOCK
KIP HANRAHAN Verticals Currency
Desire Develops an Edge
J both featuring Jack Bruce, Arto Lindsay, Anton
Fier, David Murray, and many others.
CONJURE: MUSIC FOR THE TEXTS OF
ISHMAEL REED featuring Taj Mahal, Allen Toussaint,
Jamaaladeen Tacuma & others.
2936 WEST4th AVE.
734-2828
We buy and trade
for your unwanted
LPs, Cassettes and CDs.
C3i_niH«silhfc/§re
YkPWNf
Available at
Windsure
4th Ave.
at Burrard CITR fm 102 cabe 100
Clannad
Macalla
RCA
Christy Moore
Ordinary Man
Green Linnet
Fairport Convention
Gladys Leap
Varrick
Dick Gaughan
A Different Kind of Love Song
Advent
THESE NOTABLE LPS HAVE BEEN RELEAS-
ed domestically in the last few weeks under
the umbrella label "Folk Music."
Clannad began in Donnegal, Eire as a traditional folk band but have drifted towards a more
generally accessible sound. Maire Brennan's
voice is hauntingly wonderful and the whole
album exudes a pleasant ambience, while retaining the band's Celtic roots. It's hard to differentiate between the tracks as they all seem to run
together, but my personal favourites are "The
Wild Cry" and "Journey's End."
Fairport Convention are back with their first
studio LP since 1979, and are currenlty on a world
tour. Dave Pegg, Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks
are aided by former Soft Machine violinist Ric
Saunders, and occasionally Richard Thompson
and The Albion Band's Cathy Le Surf, and provide some fine dance music, highlighted by "instrumental Medley '85" and Thommo's guitar
work on "Head in a Sack." Established Brit folk
stalwart Ralph McTell penned three songs, including the tale of Wat Tyler who led the peasants' revolt in 15th Century England, but the
outstanding song is "The Hiring Fair." All in all,
a welcome return for the band who started the
first folk revival in the U.K. back in the Sixties.
Christy Moore has the definitive Irish singing
voice and he also gets help from his former Moving Hearts compatriots Andy Irvine and Liam
O'Flynn on his latest LP Ordinary Man, which
contains a good mix of serious, politically correct songs like the title track, "Blantyre Explosion" and "Quiet Desperation," and more flippant ditties like "Delirium Tremens" and "Reel
in the Flickering Light." One of the outstanding
folk LPs of recent years.
Dick Gaughan's 1983 LP A Different Kind of
Love Song has been released in Canada for the
first time. This man is Scotland's premier singer/
guitarist. The songs here are some originals plus
covers of more famous peoples' work, e.g. Leon
Rosselsson's controversial "Stand Up for Judas."
Check it out.
On the import front, Clive Gregson's Strange
Persuasions, Moving Hearts' The Storm and The
Battlefield Band's On the Rise (featuring pipes
on "Bad Moon Rising") are all recommended.
Ignore Clive Gregson at your peril! The man is
a monster guitarist/singer who used to front Any
Trouble and toured with Richard Thompson's
band last year.
Finally, check Thommo's video LP Across a
Crowded Room recorded "live" at Barrymore's
in Ottawa. It features the many talents of the great
man, as well as more-than-able support from
Gregson and Christine Collister.
—Steve Edge
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April 1986
Armchair Eye
Who's Afraid of the Art of Video?
The Chez Brothers Investigate Luminous Sites.
I IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 8:25 SUNDAY
evening when we finally left the Seabus Terminal at the corner of Granville and Cordova.
It had been an exhausting day spent attempting
to coerce Sunday travellers to give us their expired SkyTrain and Seabus tickets; mothers recoiled when we approached, taking their children
in hand, teenagers sniggered, others took pity
and offered to pay our fare. We hadn't the inclination nor the breath to explain to each and every
one of them the real reason why we wanted their
usless travel chits. To these stalwarts of the status
quo, our dream—to construct a monument to
modern transportation, in this year of Expo, from
Metro Transit tickets—would undoubtedly seem
ridiculous.
It was becoming clear, by viewing the circus
around us, that the attempt to initiate the construction of familiar content in a new form is often
treated with a suspicion akin to superstition.
Monuments abound, yet we wanted to approach
the subject with different materials. These so-
called "new" traditionalists are the most resistant to the process of change because it seems
to utterly confound their value system, tenuously based on what they think the world should be
as opposed to what it actually is. And there were
enough "new" traditionalists in the Seabus Terminal that day to re-elect the Socreds.
Momentarily dismayed, we crossed Cordova
to the Sears Centre where our attention was
arrested by an unusual flurry of activity coming
from beneath the building in the truck loading
bay. Descending the ramp to the dark below, we
entered an environment quite unlike that of the
average shipping and receiving depot.
Situated on the truck turntable, a huge surface
disc that rotates to allow for easier maneouvrabili-
ty in tight corners, were three screens projecting
recorded images of the live action happening
before us. The action consisted of a succession
of statuesque characters synchronously moving
with the slow but steady spin of the truck turntable: a young girl twirling her baton, a 50's-style
glamour queen, a woman dressed in Red Army
fatigues, lissome men shooting light guns,
holding disco glitter balls a la Atlas, and blowing saxophones. They were shrouded in smoke
pierced by intense lighting effects and propelled
by a hypnotically melodic symphony of electronic
sound.
What form of show biz glitz is this, we silently
wondered? It was theatrical in its consideration
of site and viewer perspective, and it was dynamically presented in its provocative use of different
mediums. The familiar references were easily
identified, yet its form did not immediately expose
its function. What was it? Art?
It was, as we were quickly informed, Body
Fluid, a video installation performance produced
by local video artist and bon vivant, Paul Wong.
Video installation? It sounded suspiciously to us
like a new art form! Rather than recoil with horror,
we decided to investigate, hoping to illuminate
our initial discovery. Picking up a strikingly
designed pamphlet entitled The Video Inn and
Western Front present Luminous Sites, we found
that Body Fluid was one of ten video installations
occurring at nine Vancouver galleries and city
spaces from late February to early April. The exhibition presented works by local artists Wong,
Kate Craig and Cornelia Wyngaarden, Ian Carr-
Harris, Vera Frankel and Randy & Berenicci from
Toronto, Max Dean from Ottawa, Barbara Stein-
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man and David Tomas from Montreal, and
Tomiyo Sasaki from New York.
Each work was presented in the context of
"site-specific," utilizing the communicative
aspects of the video medium to promote a
dynamic interaction between the work, its particular location, and ultimately, the viewer. The
pamphlet succinctly pointed out that "artistic
priorities in the various works encompass the
areas of painterly use of colour and light, the
sculptural designation of form and space, the
social discussion of content, theatrical references
to cultural motifs, the contemplation of place and
time, and the realities of technical prescence."
Whew!
WE KNEW WE WERE ON tosomething.
Having long been averse to the contemporary art world with its institutionalization of art
as a market commodity, frustrated by the imper-
viousness of traditional forms to a world changed
by mass technology, we found the combination
of elements through the video installation an exciting prospect.
Not only did it seem to offer more opportunity
for active involvement on the viewer's part, it
challenged the "new" traditionalist notion of art
in the social and technological context by presenting familiar concepts in new forms. This we
could understand; after all, it hadn't been easy
trying to convince the people at Expo HQ of the
legitimacy of constructing a transportation monument from Metro Transit tickets.
Seeking inspiration and a fuller understanding
of the video installation, we visited several of the
Luminous Sites. Granted, seven of the ten were
installed in galleries not generally frequented by
the layman, and of the remaining three installations, only Body Fluid and Kate Craig's Clay Cove
Newfoundland could be referred to as truly 'site-
specific' inasmuch as their respective sites had
as much to do with their effectiveness in presentation as their content.
Clay Cove was located on the 31st floor of the
Park Place office tower, and there Craig astutely
employed the seductive qualities of the magnificent harbour view. Once drawn to the window,
the viewer was treated to an aural montage of
particular Newfoundland sounds. In one corner
a video screen ran tape loops of the Atlantic
lapping against the cove, reminding the viewer
that while it may well be the Pacific below, the effects
are similar.
All of the installations illuminated their respective sites by attending to the dynamic interaction
between technique and spatial texture, in which
video played the connecting role. This interaction was manipulated by the chosen content of
the work: robot-video/letraset literature/fabrics of
myth and adventure/islands in the sky/cargo
cults/dying fish/stagnant momuments/revolving
irrelevance/a spouse and a beast/self-reference.
Bingo! What we had was an exercise in aesthetics, a crash-course in a conceptualism that
has no beginning and no end, just a middle.
Speaking with Daina Augaitis, who curated
Luminous Sites with Karen Henry, we discovered
that this exhibition, the first of its kind to be
presented in the city, was primarily an attempt
at not only "legitimizing" the relatively new genre
of video art in the traditionalist view, but also
accentuating its accessibility to the populace.
The technology required is generally available
and in the case of the video installation it can
become an integral part of the work. The mystery
and imagination is provided by the view. Now
that's not really so frightening, is it?
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THE WILD SIDE Open to the public from 1 am-5 am DISCORDER
The Roving Ear
THE HOT WET AIR HIT ME LIKE A SOGGY
slap in the face as I walked off the plane.
By the time I cleared customs my clothes
were drenched with sweat. The airport was small
and simple and thankfully free of stale, canned
music.
I assembled my bicycle and, in a light rainfall,
headed out to enjoy my annual, tropical pilgrim-
mage. Happiness soon turned to terror as a car
was heading straight for me, on the same side
of the road! I dove for the shoulder and the car,
indifferent to my acrobatics, sped past. My first
critical lesson had been learned: they drive on
the left in Fiji.
Fiji consists of 300 islands in the South Pacific.
The population is dominated by two groups. The
native Fijiians are large, strong and friendly people. For the most part they still live in communal
villages of 300 people or less, pursuing a traditional lifestyle of fishing and simple farming for
subsistance.
The other major cultural group is East Indian
in origin. Originally brought to Fiji to work as indentured labourers on copra and sugar cane
plantations, they now outnumber the Fijiians and
control economic life in the islands.
The two groups keep fairly separate and,
though they are highly suspicious of each other,
they are proud of the fact that there are few instances of outright racism and fewer still of racially-motivated violence.
This separateness extends into cultural life.
The Indian population is mostly Hindu, but there
are Sikhs and both groups have schools where
traditional dance and music are taught. As a
result religious events and cultural celebrations
are rich, colourful and noisy affairs.
The Fijiians have a simpler style. They love to
sing and their voices are strong and full. They
harmonize naturally and seemingly in as many
parts as there are singers. There is usually someone in the village who plays guitar and he will
often find accompaniment from a washtub bass.
The songs are slow and mellow. They sing about
romance and the land they live in. Every inhabited area has its own song, some with so many
verses that they create a detailed travel guide for
those who dare to stray from the beaten track.
I stayed for awhile on a small island in the
Yasawa group. One night, after sharing many
bowls of Kaxa (the local, non-alcoholic intoxicant)
with the village elders, the talk turned to the
pending arrival of a cruise ship. The village had
a contract with the cruise line to perform a meke
on board. A meke is a traditional Fijiian song and
dance celebration.
The ship arrived the next day and in the evening I went with the villagers to check out their
performance. Villagers of all ages took part in
the fast-paced, energetic affair—a stark contrast
to the lazy singing sessions I had grown accustomed to. The music was provided by guitar and
ukelele and rhythm was produced by clapping
and beating a long, drumlike instrument against
the ground.
THE WOMENS' DANCES were not unlike the
Hawaiian hula in that the narrative element
was communicated through hand signs and arm
motions. But where Polynesian dances are characterized by smooth and sensuous motion, the
Fijiians move in a sharp, almost stacatto style.
The men dance too, and their dances were
traditionally used as preparation for battle. They
are noisy and aggressive as they move in unison,
faces fierce and weapons held high. It was an
exciting and moving experience.
Later I asked the chief about the meke. He told'
me that only villages that do performances for
the tourists are maintaining this particular tradition. The kids learn the songs and dances only
when they decide to become part of the village
meke group, or if they plan to work at a resort.
There is a government sponsored traditional
dance group but they are virtually ignored by
native Fijiians.
There is no TV. broadcast in Fiji, so the radio
is a popular source of entertainment. This, and
the need for entertainers who can play modern
music at the resorts, has created a small but solid
music industry. This is one area where the cultural boundaries between the Fijiians and the
April 1986
This month
from Fiji
Indians begin to melt. There is so much respect
for the human voice that excellent singers record
popular releases in Hindu, Fijiian and English,
regardless of their racial origin.
There are a lot of covers of first world pop hits
but there are a lot of original recordings as well.
Almost every resort has its own house band and
their recordings enjoy a reasonable popularity.
As far as imported music goes, Fiji is not much
different than anywhere else. Reggae is extremely popular, and because Fiji was a British protectorate, English ska music sells well too. Otherwise, the music selection on pop radio is like listening to a light rock station in Vancouver. An FM
station hit the airwaves last year, but aside from
a few American and British rock specials, the
selection is predictably bland.
With such a large Indian population it is not
surprising that there is one Hindu station dedicated to playing hits from the massive pop music
industry in India. To my untrained ear, much of
this music sounded like my stereotype of traditional Indian music; strange instruments, inconsistent rhythm and drone-like, nasally vocals. My
Indian friends assured me that in fact, Indian pop
music has its own distinct style.
Shortly before leaving Fiji I stayed in the capital
city, Suva. I was sitting on my bed in a $4.00 per
night dorm when my Fijiian roommate walked in
and popped a tape into his ghetto blaster. It was
a locally-made medley of insipid hit songs, past
and present.
An Indian family lived next door and in self-
defence they turned their radio way up and the
strange sounds of Indian music battled with the
mediocre pop for aural supremacy. Then the
bells started ringing in the church at the end of
the block. Soon the full congregation were belting out Christmas carols in multi-part harmony.
At first I was confused, then slightly terrified
by the crazy cacophony. But then I remembered
I was soon to return home and I laughed at
myself. What better preparation could I find for
my impending return to the aural onslaught of
Vancouver's own FM102.
—Kawika
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Discorder
Discorder CITR-FM (Radio station : Vancouver, B.C.) 1986-04-01
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