Thurs., Fri., Sat. July 31, Aug. 1, 2 Sun., Mon August 3, 4 lues., Wed. August 5, 6 Thurs., Fri., Sat. August 7, 8, 9 Monday August 11 lues., Wed. August 12, 13 Thursday August 14 Fri., Sat. August 15, 16 Sun. - Sun. August 17 to#31 .' iv M .*. I B.B. GABOR T.B.A. THE WARDELLS THE SCREAMING SIRENS TERMINAL CITY SUE MEDLEY and WICHITA BIG ELECTRIC CAT RHYTHM MISSION C-liRiA.C» Canadian Independent Recording Artists In Concert Gourmet Express - Nightly Dinner Specials 7-9 PM Open Sundays 7 to 9 PRE-MOVIE SPECIALS • NO COVER 7 to 9 UNLESS POSTED 932 GRANVILLE ST • OPEN 7 pm TIL 2 am • 684-VENU Di^coimER That Magazine from CITR fml02 cablelOO August 1986 • Vol. 4/No. 7 EDITOR Chris Dafoe CONTRIBUTORS Kandace Kerr, Don Chow, Steve Edge, Scott Steedman, Ralph Synning, Julia Steele, Dave Campbell, Mike Harding, CD PHOTOS Jim Main CARTOONS Rod Filbrandt, Chris Pearson, Ian Verchere COVER Illustration — David Rosychuk Colour — David Wilson PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Shea DESIGN Don Bull, Harreson Atley LAYOUT Karen Shea, Don Bull, Alan Scales, Johanna Block, Mike Mines, Teresa Chan, Lynn Snedden, Pat Carroll, Randy Iwata, Robin Razzell TYPESETTING Dena Corby PUBLISHER Harreson Atley ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Robin Razzell DISTRIBUTION MANAGERS Bill Mullan, Steve Robertson BUSINESS MANAGER Randy Iwata 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. IN THIS ISSUE PUNXPO Cashing In or Selling Out? Kandace Kerr looks through the gates of Expo at the Festival of Independent Recording Artists. 7 FLOATING WITH THE WOODENTOPS Don Chow splashes around the Well, Well, Well with England's favorite white noise merchants. 10 IN EVERY ISSUE AIRHEAD Hate mail and love letters from near and far. 4 BEHIND THE DIAL Love CITR Style, Shindig, and more. ON THE DIAL How to use the radio without hurting yourself. SPIN LIST The ones that matter. VINYL VERDICT Gnu Wax from Spirit of the West, The Smiths, Michel Lemieux, and more. DEMO DERBY Julia reaches into the black tape bag and finds... OH MY GOD... THE ROVING EAR Summer in Montreal. Scott Steedman stocks up on hair gel and warm beer. 22 AUGUST 1986 3 14 15 18 19 21 THE AUGUST"*-'* four J JramSH fiLi*•■/ **WT t*tum,/ *Mu ■"^ Irl ! - VERTICAL I All/: r li if ^iy j urn tatum gtfyl deviant* DOORS 830 COVER $3. deviant^ones THE. NEW HEADS VERTICAL LAUCHTER VERTICAL LAUCHTEl f AUGUST 15i AUGUST 16 VERTICAL LAUCHTER n£JeSU8BAFe aatnaisg' DRUNK (^^ (**J*><***U*UVV*tiWl^^ THE RHYTHMS OF R R I l\/! yX L D/XNCE MUSIC 3H1 FUN TUNES FOR FUN TYPE*)/! the ZONE 13465 KING GEORGE SURREY 584-1044 VED FRI SAT SUN 7PM RESTRICTED UNDER 19 RH0AJ* Calling All Emily Carr Dropouts Dear Airhead, The Discorder covers of the last year have progressively decreased in taste and judgement, to the point of convincing those unwary of its contents that it is a quasi-bourgeois sports rock-rag put together by tasteless, no- time-for-talent "students." In a city full of Emily Carr dropouts, you should be able to commission each month a real cover, one that will intrigue, stimulate, and in some cases, beguile the unwary into picking up and even reading "this" mag from CITR. R. Bucky Fuller The gauntlet has been dropped. Just for the record, Discorder is always interested in receiving, cover submissions from Emily Carr dropouts, or anyone else for that matter. Photos, illustrations, paintings, sculptures (no performance art, please) should be designed to fit into a space 8"H x 73/8"W. Send your submission to: Discorder Cover Club 6138 SUB Blvd., UBC Vancouver, B.C V6T 2A5 Confused Dear Airhead, I'm confused. The other night I walked past the Channel One Klub and a group of people hanging around were laughing and making fun of my clothes (jeans and a D.O.A. shirt). My hair was wet from the shower and I had no makeup on. I am capable of sticking my hair out in all directions. I have some black clothes and I even have black eyeliner, but when I go to the corner store I don't dress up. Is it becoming necessary to make sure anyone in a 2-block 0>I3& 5U& 3LVP>. radius knows I'm into the punk scene, so they can point at me and say to their pals "Ooooh. Radical," or are the days of being yourself over? Life is not a fashion show, although a lot of people may believe that. I'm not a yuppie secretary or a skinhead, but something in between. I just find it irritating to be made fun of by people who I can blend in with at a punk gig, but not when I go to the 7-Eleven. Signed small hair P.S. By the way, I vote against Skinny Puppy. In answer to your questions: yes, yes, and it is so (a fashion show, that is). Notes From Nepean Dear Airhead, I think your rag is really great. My brother, a Vancouver native, faithfully sends me Discorder in my monthly care package. Also, I'd like to warn anyone against visiting Ottawa. We do have one good radio station, CKCU, but mild success has apparently swelled their alternative heads. There is, however, a thriving underground scenei but a lack of venues to play in and sporadic support keeps it very subterranean. Not only is Ottawa dead, as one of your journalists once observed, it's rigormortised and civil service maggots have long since removed the flesh and bone of our once fair city. On your June issue; couldn't you have found a picture of Di biting the pavement after she passed out? Sorry, royalty doesn't pass out, they swoon. Oh, and about Expo, why doesn't someone just tow it out into the harbour and sink it? David Davidson Nepean, Ontario 4 DISCORDER HELD OVER! 2ND MONTH! Return Engagement of the original full-length version MALCOLM MCDCWELL CALIGULA tWk? DAILY AT 3:20, 6:15, 9:10 & Midnite Tuesdays ALL SEATS/ALL DAY $5.50 TUESDAYS- $2.50 COMING LATER IN AUGUST ANIMATED DOUBLE FEATURE A RALPH BAKSHI FILM "HEY GOOD LOOKIN" the outrageous 50s i from JOHN KORTY & LUCASFILM LTD. HMEfld ^mCE upon A TIME" ALSO ON THE SAME PROGRAMME CLASSIC WARNER BROS. CARTOONS VANCOUVER'S DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENT August 1/2 CHOCOLATE BUNNIES FROM HELL 8/9 ROOTS ROUNDUP 15/16 ROCKIN' HARRY AND THE HACKJOBS 22/23 Canadian Independent Recording Artists 29/30 In Concert I LIVE MUSIC IN THE LOUNGE I FRIDAYS FROM 10:30-SATURDAYS FROM 11:30 RM. ARTS CLUB THEATRE 1181 SEYMOUR 683-0151 AUGUST 1986 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5 / UBC SUB BALLROOM ADVANCE TICKETS A V A I I, A B L E A T AMS / ODYSSEY / ZULU - BENEFIT SOIREE CONTINUES. . Tuesday, September 2nd THE BOTTOM LINE VERTICAL LAUGHTER HELEN GONE Wednesday, September 3rd STUBBORN BLOOD SAFE TO ASSUME MORE UNCLE STORIES just $2.00 cover (we wont be undersold!) presented by SFU Radio CJIV 94.5 FM Cable 291-3727 Wearable Graphies IOO% Cotton T-Shirts Affordable Fashions 2565 ALMA 6 DISCORDER Kandace through the Festival of Independent Recording Artists I. VE BEEN TRYING TO WRITE THIS 7 piece for some months now. At the time the issue of local bands playing at Expo seemed very important. Now it all seems somewhat passe. Now that Expo is three months old we've all sort of adjusted to it. I say sort of, because something of that scale will continue to disrupt our lives for years. We will pay and pay till our ears bleed. You see, I'm not convinced that Expo is what the province needed—or wanted, for that matter. Did anyone ask us if we wanted to invite the world? A lot of Expo boosters are now whining the blues. Some stores have laid off staff, newly hired in the euphoria of an expected Expo boom. Some hotels still have lots of rooms, would-be landlords have empty Expo suites, shows are losing business and the Interior tourist trade is taking a beating. Come November, when 15,000 Expo workers get their last paycheque, it'll take hours to get through the front door of your local UIC office, not to mention weeks to get in to see someone. Imagine the unemployment rate come December. So it's not someone else's lost profit margin that keeps me from passing through the Expo gates. It's things like welfare rates, frozen at $350 for the past few years. It's people sleeping in the streets, under the viaduct, two blocks from the main Expo gate. It's hotels evicting long-time residents in favour of a quick tourist buck fix. It's fitting justice that those same hotels are now being boycotted, and that tourists are seeing them for the rat- traps they really are. It's two friends dying as a result of Expo—one because he was evicted, and another because he could no longer find the silence and solace he needed in a world filled with Scream Machines and 24- hour noise. It's money being taken from social programs and social services to build giant hockey sticks, and to blow off in a 20-minute pyrotechnic masturbatory splurt every night. It's a celebration of everything that capitalism stands for: it's exploitation ("gee, $3.50 an hour? I'd LOVE the job"), it's greed ("McDonald's stands for everything Expo stands for" —Jim Pattison) and it's here until November. Am I having fun yet? Now, into the middle of it all, comes a week of local independent bands. Punxspo. That's the insider's name for FIRA, the Festival of Independent Recording Artists, being held at the Xerox International Theatre (XIT) between August 4 and August 10. Seventeen bands, two bands a night, somedays three, non-threatening music that mom and dad won't feel bad about leaving Expo'd-out and ankle biters 3rid out-of-town big hairs to graze on. The big question is: would YOU pay $20 to see Poisoned? (or insert your fave local band here __). I ation: Ian Verchere N THE EARLY DAYS EVERYONE WAS running to jump into the Expo handcart. The arts community held meetings early last spring to ensure they wouldn't be crushed by the weight of the world festival and other Expo entertainment. There was fear of companies and theatres collapsing. Regular events like the Folk Festival and the Children's Festival seemed to be in jeopardy. It stood to reason that the local music scene would get nervous too. With clubs operating on the Expo site, local venues would be given a run for their money. It was feared there would be a real drought as Expo sucked in all the business. A few local acts, like Herald Nix and the Crimpolines, had been signed to play at various Expo sites, but by and large the local music scene, like the local theatre community, had been ignored. Ill be a big noise with all the big boys there's so much stuff I will own and I will pray to a big god and I kneel in the big church Peter Gabriel "Big Time" AUGUST 1986 7 So a group of local music industry people —promoters, managers and writers and programmers—approached Expo with a proposal to include more independent musicians in the then-uncomfirmed lineup. They argued there was a lot happening in the local scene that should be highlighted and showcased. Expo agreed, and FIRA was set in motion. Myra Davies, a supervisor at the XIT, the eventual site of FIRA, recalls it as a long process. "We had to demonstrate a community demand for the music. Sixty, bands were considered, mainly from the Vancouver area. Davies was looking for bands that not only were representative of the breadth of the local scene, but also wouldn't be lost in the caverns of the XIT. "We looked through the community to find different expressions of the various aspects of the scene," she says, adding that the week of performers is supposed to show both the roots and the future of local alternative music. What's the difference between BIO. and D.O.A.? B.T.O.'s not playing at Expo. graffiti, Waldorf Hotel, Vancouver, March 1986 Seattle And Vancouver: You've Blown Us Away With Support. Now John Fluevog Blows You Away With A First Birthday Sale. IM ast year, John Fluevog blew into Seattle, saving soles all over the eity. Now it's Birthday One, and time for thanks all round. For the entire month of August, you ean enjoy Gale Foree Savings of 40 to 60 per cent. So breeze in early, while the selection's best. John Fluevog Shoes Ltd. VANCOUVER 852 Granville 688-2828 SEATTLE 1611 First 441-1065 T THAT'S HOW RUMOURS GET START- ed. At first no one knew who was playing or not playing. Then names started to surface, becoming candidates for some prime muck smucking. D.O.A. was at the top of the list. Names of other bands with varying degrees of stated political awareness or involvement followed: Red Herring, Slow, Rhythm Mission and Bolero Lava, among others. And that's when the breakdown in communications between audience and acts hit like a wad of overchewed gum—hard and colourless. Instead of working together to ensure that local music would survive Expo, or trying to arrange alternatives to Expo that were affordable and entertaining, bulk of the conversations were busy trying to find out who was or was not playing. It became an issue for some audiences, who felt their support of, and shared assumptions with, local bands Wre being usurped by musical dreams of Expo sugarplums. A case in point: D.O.A. has had a rough political time these past few months. First there was that rumoured interview in Hustler. Then came the rumour behind door number 2—that D.O.A. was going ,to play Expo. The gasps could be heard all the way to Clark and Frances. Expo management says D.O.A. was on the verge of signing, and then pulled out. D.O.A. management confirmed, at the time, that negotiations were going on with Expo. An inside source confirmed that the D.O.A. contract had been typed and was ready for the inking. As for the boys in the band—hell, they were on tour, and returned to the questions of their friends and fans. Well? Are you going to play Expo? Other bands had to deal with internal dis- sention and discussion before deciding what to do. 54-40, Rhythm Mission and Bolero Lava all wavered back and forth before deciding whether or not to follow that yellow brick road. The best rumours dealt with Slow, who were playing/not playing/broken up/signed to a major label or just waiting, depending on who you were drinking with. Meanwhile, D.O.A. has joined the ranks of the Animal Slaves, Mecca Normal, Industrial Waste Banned and others who have publicly and politically stated that they will not play Expo. The whole thing raises some nasty issues. Is compliance complicity? Or is it the time to take the Expo money and run? For some people this is the one chance to make good bucks and get some exposure. For others, it's nothing more than being slotted into a Social Credit re-election campaign. Is being in the back pocket of the beast the same as being in its belly? Lillian Allen is a Toronto dub poet. When her name appeared as a Folklife performer many of her fans were angry. They felt her work opposed many of the values that Expo extolls, and that her performance did little more than justify those practices. But for her, performing at Expo was a little different than another bar gig, or getting Canada Council money. 8 DISCORDER THERE IS STILL ONE THING THAT picks my ass about some bands playing at Expo. Singing politics is one thing, but for a number of the FIRA bands their politics and their music are closely linked. So I'm confused with bands doing double duty—playing benefit gigs for people like DERA (Slow), the Stein River Valley coalition (Bob's Your Uncle) and Poor People's Expo (Red Herring, the Zealots), and then playing Expo. Isn't it somewhat of a contradiction? And if talk about those contradictions is making the rounds of the bars (and the washroom walls) what kind of response will that engender in the audience? Myra Davies is curious to see what the audience response to FIRA will be. The XIT has been home to a wide range of international acts, from Test Department to folk dancing to a Hong Kong TV. show. It's a tough act for a local four-piece to follow. "People come to this theatre to see the exotica, the different...it'll be a challenge for these people...to have an impact." She is quick to place the responsibility for the success of FIRA in the lap of the fans. "It's up the community to make something of it. I guess if they're as innovative as they say they are, they'll do something with it...I don't know how loyal their audiences are." There is an alternative to all of this if you either can't afford or don't want to go to Expo. It's called CI.R.A.C (pronounced kerrack), and is the Canadian Independent Recording Artists in Concert. Co-organizer Jay Scott says while CIRAC is not intended as competition for FIRA, it is a good alternative to the $20 Expo gate fee. Over 30 bands from across Canada will perform at venues in Vancouver and Victoria from August 17 to August 30. Bands from Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, London, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary will be teamed up with local bands to fill the venues. Jay sees CIRAC as strengthening an existing but weak network of venues and independent bands across the country. He hopes FIRA will give CIRAC a boost by highlighting local indpen- dent talent. "FIRA might help give us a higher profile...maybe translate some of the attention to local bands over the next three weeks.'" Down on your luck boys An' out in the streets Billy an' the Socreds are laughing Throwin' nickels at your feet D.O.A. IN HAWAII THERE IS THIS TOURIST pastime that overfed, greasy visitors like to indulge in. They stand on the edges of piers in the marinas, smoking cigars and sipping funny drinks with paper parasols and chunks of fruit in them. The big trick is to get the poor kids, who live on the streets, to dive into the water and chase after the nickels they throw in. They toss those nickels quite far out into the middle of the marina, between boats and other piers. Sometimes a big spender will come along and huck a quarter. It's a big joke, throwing a coin into the oily water and watching those kids dive into each other, fighting over a scrap of American metal. Maybe it reminds those coconut-oiled tourists of the workplace they left back home. It reminds me of Expo, and what Expo has done to the local alternative community. Instead of sitting tight and working together to make sure we get through Expo, people are out there, diving for the nickels. And they are nickels—no quarters here. Just scraps from the big trough, tossed with all the finesse of a cigar smoking tourist. A little bit of local culture to keep the locals amused, bring their friends in, those people who have been bad- mouthing Expo. Hey, we're progressive. We're into local culture. We like Skinny Puppy... There's one thing I forgot to mention about those kids diving for nickels in Hawaii. When all those overfed tourists go to bed in their luxury condos, the kids frim the streets come back out. This time, they have knives. And screwdrivers and wrenches and crowbars. And they can strip a car in minutes. They're especially good at big American cars—and not so bad on BMWs and Mercedes. There's big trade in stereos, cameras, traveller's cheques, passports and other tourist perishables. The nickel chasing just keeps the tourists entertained, keeps them thinking they have one up on the locals. It's the nighttime activity that pays the bills. Keep that in mind. I Aug. 4: 2:30 2Wh Century 8:30 Slow 1 . P&i$&&&& ."; I 5: 3:00 Zealots 3:30 flick Scott Bm$ - r. hn im^m & WtikScmBm^ :< * -J 6: a $ . i Rhythm ttissfcm frv^ 8:00 K Braineater 10:00 Bob's Your Uncle : ■■",.■■&■ 8:00 Brilliant Orange 10:30 Homing Party 9; 9:00 Paul Dolden 10:30 Skinny Puppy 10: 8:30 4th Floor 10:00 Grapes ofl ZEN DESSERT & COFFEE SPECIAL $2.25 Evenings from 6:00 p.m. — cappuccino or cafe latte with cheesecake Open Mon.-Thurs. 8 am-10:30 pm Friday 8 am-Midnight Saturday 11 am-Midnight Sunday noon-7 pm 820 HOWE STREET 683-5122 Bottom - Bracket Bicycles REBUIIT BIKES from 75"* to 20000 - guaranteed — BOUGHT — SOLD — REPAIRED X Tues. - Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 215 Dunlevy St. (across from Oppenheimer Park) "Bikes with Personality!" • 689-9536 y AUGUST 1986 FLOATING £* WITH i- %^ H90EK Lifeguard: Don Chow THE SUMMER AIR IS PIERCED BY cries of mimicked dolphins as London's Woodentops splash in Kits pool. For the two nights previous, it was the air of a couple of Vancouver's watering holes that was pierced, by chiming feedback and sweet, driving pop. Rolo—singer, songwriter, and guitarist—dives in. "What we are is a mixture of punk ideals, hi-tech music, and dance-groove a la Kraft- werk, Suicide; all of those things put together and played on very simple instruments. It's very pounding and repetitive and schizophrenic; one minute it's seducing you and the next minute it's freaking you out. That's what we aim to do. On a good night, we can take you extremely high; on a bad night, you'll be thinking to yourself, 'this is quite funny, isn't it?' And that's what we try to be, amusing as well. We would like you to feel somehow drawn into what we're saying, rather than stand and brandish our fists at you and say 'fuckin' listen to this, this is it.' We don't do that." They don't have to. Having just finished their first American tour—which started in Vancouver—there are plenty of people who are saying it for them. Even as you read this, their first LP, Giant, is being released here and in the States by CBS. Consider their humble beginnings only three years ago: "We started off unable to play. If you'd heard our first rehearsals, you'd really laugh because it was just white noise, complete white noise, from one end to the other. We started doing small parties, and we got offered this concert at a club called Dingwall's, which you may have heard of because it is what they say is one of the legendary places in London. But when you get there, it's pretty tacky and seedy and just all about rhythm 'n' blues, really. Julian Cope from The Teardrop Explodes was in the audience and he invited us to go on a tour around the U.K. with him, which we did. And ever since then, our phone has been ringing constantly; we never had a chance to sit and watch the world go by, really, we've been so busy." The Woodentops subsequently signed with Rough Trade, and released several excellent singles, two of which—'Move Me" and "Well Well Well'—were produced by Andy Partridge, under the pseudonym Animal Jesus: "I can't tell you what he's like. I mean, when you speak to him, you think he's on acid or something all the time, but he's actually 10 DISCORDER straight. In his brain, he's just permanently psychedelic. We had this other producer, called the Mad Professor, who's a dub producer, and we were choosing maybe to go with him as well. But Andy just said, 'No, I'm doing it.' The way he said it convinced us immediately, and the next thing we knew we were in the studio with him ripping tape recorders apart. Some of the sounds that we got working with him were literally out of tape recorder vandalism. It was so funny and so exciting, and I'm really pleased with everything we ever did with him. "We had had major record company contracts on a table and we were going through them like a pack of cards, trying to figure out what was best for us. And then, next thing we knew, Rough Trade had told everyone that they'd signed us. It was pretty obvious what we were gonna do. But we went around and met the WEAs, and all those people back in England, and they weren't very attractive. They're pretty much into the selling of their product. But round at Rough Trade, we had the chance to make four or five really off-the- cuff singles, with us mixing them ourselves if we wished, and so on. We had a lot of freedom, which I think is really important for any band. It's so competitive, but if you can find someone that is going to do the job for you and also let you grow up a little bit within your own art—i.e. mix it and make decisions yourself about the production and stuff, and choose who you want to work with—well, then Rough Trade was perfect for us, because we'd grown up relaly slowly. We say now, okay, we're ready, but it's been really nice taking our time about it. To be honest, I can't imagine being any more busy than we are anyway. If we were selling millions and millions of records, I'm sure it wouldn't be any different than it is at the moment. I get up early in the morning and my phone rings, and it's interviews pretty well the moment I get up." CERTAINLY, THE WOODENTOPS haven't had much trouble getting attention from the press; they performed an utter upstaging of Vancouver's current raves, 54-40, the first night they played here. Their set coiled like a spring, finally exploding in a flurry of feedback anf face-slapping drumming, with Rolo jamming his gui+ar into the monitor and pounding the mike stand into the stage. In their home country, though, they are probably better known for giving Morrissey of The Smiths a pack of exploding cigarettes: "Oh, that's all bullshit! What that was, is there's a guy from Melody Maker who's trying to do an interview with us, and what we're being is, sort of sweet-minded, good-natured people. But the way he sees it is, well surely this band ought to be a rock 'n' roll band. We were driving along a motorway with The Smiths, and we were overtaking them, and, like kids, we were all waving and going 'hello!' because we're on a tour with them. As the car overtook, there was this bump in the road and the two cars went OOMPH! and swerved into each other at high speed. They didn't hit each other, but went near to it, and what we saw was The Smiths with a look of horror on their faces because they thought they were going to die. Morrissey turned around looking like he was going to die. So when this journalist was talking to us about why The Smiths wouldn't talk to us anymore—which was because of that incident—we said, well, it's really silly because it's not as if we'd gone and told them we'd put a bomb under the stage. And the journalist went, Aha! I can make a story out of this!' New York Talk phoned me up the other day, and the first thing the guy says to me is, oh yeah, we heard you tried to blow up The Smiths. I think that's a real shame, because that just goes to show that rock 'n' roll journalists are in a funny state, not really sure what to make of anything and finding it very difficult to choose from what's going around, and having to dirty everything they possibly can just to make some kind of story. They're always really disappointed with us because we seem so innocent or something." INNOCENCE? NOT A QUALITY THAT one would ascribe to many rock 'n' roll bands these days, but those that could are generally not worth the effort. But watching them splash through the water, they seem childlike as well; there is something very real about this group. Rolo is clearly the leader, but at the same time, just a piece of the whole picture. There is an exuberance about them which extends from their music, and happily, their innocence doesn't get in the way. For example, let's let Rolo tell us about how "Good Thing" was mixed: "What we did was, we took a short patch of the music and opened it out. If you listen to the 7", it starts out really sweet and soft. Then as it goes on, it gets more and more intense, and suddenly, it turns into this ball of white noise. When we were mixing it in the studio, the speakers couldn't take it because all the white noise and everything that we had in the mix, but had been saving for the end, was just pushed up so much that the drums and the bass just disappear. And for a second, all you can hear is, 'VVVVH.' As the fade-out starts, the drums and the bass come back in, because that's the level to which we'd pushed the guitars and keyboards up. The needles on the studio desk were really funny. When it come to the actual way the band is, we're basically white noise merchants; all of our pop music comes out of working this stuff into I II < Ifc • • theatre • • I m- 16th & Arbutus 738-6311 HOHEOFTHEBRRUE H FILM BV LRURIE RHDERSON "My work Is a combination of film, music, electronics, storytelling, dancing, social commentary, Impersonation, animation and anything else I can come up with. What I do has been described as 'high-tech opera,' 'live art,' 'electronic stand-up comedy...' Starts August 8 with ADRIAN BELEW RICHARD LANDRY JOY ASKEW '...as a certification of Miss Anderson's unique gifts, Its a genuine success." - John Rockwell, N. Y. Times RATING T.B.A. 2 SHOWS NIGHTLY 7:30 & 9:30 COMING MOVIES TO WATCH FOR — from Israel from France from this planet — BEYOND THE WALLS — FRENCH CANCAN — ANIMATION FESTIVAL some kind of shape. This is an intelligent process, I think. I really enjoy it, it's like panning for gold. "We're not believers in long, drawn-out guitar solos, but if the guitarist can play, he might as well play. On some of the songs, Simon's guitar solos are continual feedback for about 20 minutes. The most obvious guitar solo in any of our music sounds more like Jango Reinhardt or something than rock guitar; it's more tasteful. When you really notice solo guitar, it's generally not in the rock 'n' roll fashion. Most of the rock 'n' roll is, in fact, coming from the keyboards, which are played through a sort of distortion pedal most of the time to get the right texture. We're seen as a guitar band, but the way we use guitar is, it weaves around the bassline and the repetitive, pulsing rhythm thing. And my singing just scoots over the whole lot, really. "So many bands seem to like the idea of having a set they can trust. I think that if you can really trust what you're gonna do, then there isn't much excitement and imagination to be gained from it. I love it when things go wrong, basically, It's good fun. When we play, we're often laughing at each other because it's funny when things go wrong. I think all the really adolescent pleasures that make you wish to start a band are very very inherent in our group. After three years, they seem to be snowballing rather than going away, which is great. "I'd like to think that people could say that our music has been valuable and influenced other people. It would be nice if people left where we played feeling inspired in some way, in their own right. You know, people who are maybe toying with the idea of forming a band or something, or who see The Woodentops and see that it's so believable, that they could probably do what we're doing without much problem. We're not using all this gear that means you don't understand what we're doing; you can see what we're doing, it's really obvious what we're doing, and you know that you could do it. It just didn't occur to you to do it this way. I think our value, for the moment, is there. If it comes to what we would do with big bucks, well, then I think that we'd probably be useful with that as well. But at the moment, we don't make big bucks, so on a personal level, the best we can hope to do is to inspire people and to uplift them. We're doing that, so we know we're succeeding in that direction." I don't think I need to tell you to watch out for this band, because they'll be much more visible next time around. Do, however, look out for the Adrian Sherwood remixes that are in the works, and if you missed The Woodentops this time, try not to fuck up like that again. AUGUST 1986 11 d\an \ndePetV fd\nfe Itsa Skltsa Tulpa Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet Shuffle Demons Hopping Penguins Amoeba Quiche Sleepless Toronto Toronto Toronto TO. T.O. T.O. T.O. 1 » London, Ontario SheepLook L»p T.O. 1 Cowboy Junkies Halifax I Lone Stars Halifax October Game Halifax 1 Vox Violins Winnipeg, Manitoba 1 Fool's Crow Winnipeg | Beach Mutants - 1 Stretch Marks ^^^^. ■ ; -;■-• 1 foments Galore Winnipeg I IB.S. Active Joy Saskatoon, SaskaTcKn I SNFU Saskatoon Junior Gone Wild Edmonton, Alberta j Idyl Tea Edmonton L Edmonton Edmonton 1 Shadow Project Edmonton 1 This Fear Calgary, Alberta Colour Me Psycho Victoria 1 NoMeansNo Vancouver 1 DOA Vancouver 1 Bamff Vancouver Big Electric Cat ■ ' aptified*81 ,estwa p^1'1 ,...„„, •»•"** ^be* ...**• on M &w V* &*** rt&fi* V ^a^£^ _> * Recording ** rt' . ...cnada^SfiiAdays- rtl ^onada W p m 14 days- £&$& **2*r£ untrV^ependa , \egacV years. eot just 17. Jhe Venue "2 Granville S». The Savoy M Powell $f. SUSP"** "*» Jey/nour 5/. ftirPump Victoria Harpo's Cabaret ^5 BasVwn Squaie WHAT A SPOT! Get your ad a spot in the amazing 25,000 copy, Back- to-School, September issue of Discorder. AD DEADLINE FRI, AUG. 15 Book now for that spot-on feeling. CALL ROBIN 228-3017 BEHIND "THE DIAL Back From Beyond The Crypt It's ...OH GOD!...SHINDIG JUST WHEN YOU thought it was safe to go out on Mondays, CITR is pulling the nastiest dirty trick of all time: getting out the shovel, removing six feet of wormy sod, and bringing the monster back to life. Yes, folks, SHINDIG is back. A mite foul- smelling after those months underground, we admit, but that's nothing the blood of a few virgin bands won't cure. Virgin bands?! What is this sickness, this depravity? All right, we'll be the first to admit that it isn't very nice to feed aspiring young musicians who have never faced the beast before to the music demon SHINDIG, but that's the way it's got to be. If we offer the FORWARD FASHION FOR THE MODERN MAN UP TO BOYS' CO. OAKRIDGE CENTRE monster a band it's seen before, it'll get angry. And then we'll all be in trouble. Bands with previous record releases cause a similar reaction, so none of those either. If you are in, or know of a band, that is thinking of entering SHINDIG, for god's sake, talk them out of it!... They may hate you now, but they'll thank you later, in November, when the previously innocent SHINDIG finalists are being turned into drooling, flesh-eating zombies by prizes of recording time and equipment. In November, the basement won't seem such a bad place to be. And if you can't talk them out of it, have them contact Linda Scholten (a.k.a. The Black Princess of Powell Street) at 228-3017. But don't say we sent you. Doggy Debate Decided THAT'S IT. No more. We've had enough of both pro and anti-Skinny Puppy Letters to the Airhead. This has to stop. Now. To facilitate an armistice CITR presents Skinny Puppy with special guests Severed Heads, September 5 at the SUB Ballroom at UBC. All ages, sexes, factions and PACs (Puppy Action Committees) are welcome. Tickets are available at the usual outlets. And please, no weapons. ...But CITR Lights Up Your Night FROM The Province, July 22, 1986: *Eric Sluis, 28, of Vancouver says: "One great place I've found to meet single women in their early 20s is the UBC Pit Pub, especially on Wednesday evenings when CITR campus radio plays tunes." LAST CHANCE BLACK BOOK NOT YOUR AVERAGE COUPON BOOK Blackbook coupons expire Oct 31 so now is the time to buy that book you've always been meaning to. Three months left to save hundreds of dollars... NOW ONLY $ 5 EACH At Zulu, AMS TKS-UBC, CBO 501 W. Georgia and Odyssey 14 DISCORDER ON "THE DIAL CITR fml02 cablelOO 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. 1:00 pm LUNCH REPORT News, sports and weather. 3:00 pm AFTERNOON SPORTSBREAK 5:00 pm DINNER MAGAZINE News, sports and weather followed by GENERIC REVIEWS, INSIGHT and a DAILY FEATURE. 4:00 am Sign-Off WEEKDAY HIGHLIGHTS MONDAYS SOUNDTRAK 10:30-11:30 am Theatre-style radio incorporating the voice, music, and other permutable sounds. Produced by ESI. THE BLUES SHOW 8:00-9:00 pm Can blue men sing the whites? Join host Eric Von Schlippen to find out. 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. Album Features: 11:00 pm. 04 Aug. Abdullah Ibrahim at Montreux (1980). Ibrahim's Quintet was one of the hits of Europe's largest Jazz Festival. Listen to Ibrahim's African Concepts with Carlos Ward and trombone virtuoso Craig Harris. 11 Aug. Miles Davis Kind of Blue. A true "classic" recording and one that has influenced jazz for the last 25 years. Miles with John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, etc. 78 Aug. Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman "Song X. Ornette's best outing in years with his new-found musical "soulmate" (Metheney). 25 Aug. By popular request a repeat of Pete Johnson's Houseparty. The great boogie-woogie and blues pianist with his special guests Ben Webster, J.C. Heard, "Hot Lips" Page, etc. TUESDAYS THE FOLK SHOW 8:00-9:30 pm Summer is rolling on quite nicely, really. This month sees a difficult choice facing CITR Folk Show host Steve Edge. Do I go to the Edmonton festival with Spirit of the West, or should it be Cropredy, U.K. for the annual Fairport Convention reunion? No problem! Being stone broke and unemployed I'll have to stay here and improvise. 05 Aug. Sweet Honey in the Rock. Those silky voiced women from Washington D.C. were so good at the Vancouver festival. Why not have some more. 12 Aug. Fairport reunion time again. Cropredy reports and artists featured at that event, including Dick Gaughan, Richard Thompson Band, Redgum, Brass Monkey etc. 19 Aug. Geoffrey Kelly of Spirit of the West with a personal selection of folk music, plus reflections on life on the way to top! 26 Aug. The stars sing Richard Thompson. The great man is a superb songwriter, so here are the likes of Sandy Denny, Albion Band, Elvis Costello, Any Trouble, etc. to prove it. BUNKUM OBSCURA 9:30-11:00 pm A drop on the end of a needle reflects the world around it as well as a virgin's tear. LOVE PEACE AND VIOLENCE 11:00 pm-1:00 am 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 This month featuring the return of the oblivious talents of Eating Vomit Ltd. PLAYLOUD Late night 1:00-4:00 am Where dreams go to die. "Today people seem to be trying rather too hard to give the impression that they are enjoying themselves. What if something were brooding beneath their feet." Paul Claudel Aural surgery performed by Larry Thiessen. NANCY PREW clue in the fast lane by ' Beverly Cooper & Ann Marie MacDonald Directed by Roy Surette an exciting 3-part comedy mystery featuring everybody's favorite teen detective! ON NOW TIL AUGUST 16th Firehall Theatre 280 E. Cordova Street Reservations (passes & tickets) 689-0926 3-Part^ > passes 5 j^M TOUt^M T-SHIRTS from 5.00 INTERNATIONAL MILITARY CLOTHING T-TOPS from 7.50 334 W. PENDER VANCOUVER, B.C. 669-8843 AUGUST 1986 15 WEDNESDAYS JUST LIKE WOMEN 5:75-6 pm Tune in for 45 minutes of invigorating and stimulating interviews, news and music. For anyone interested in women's issues or learning more about them. THE AFRICAN SHOW 8:009:30 pm Catch the latest in African news and Music with Umerah Patrick Oukulu and Todd Langmuir. News at 8:30. Special feature weekly at 9:00. Onward-Harambe. THE KNIGHT AFTER Midnight to 4:00 am Music to clobber Yuppies by (and anyone wearing floral baggy shorts). Featuring radio shows traded with alternative stations in Europe and the U.S., and every 5 weeks a new episode of MUSIC FROM THE TAR PITS, an ode to early seventies recreational- substance rock. Regular guests include MOAMMAR K., the Prince of Wales and Lyndon Lerouche. THURSDAYS PARTY WITH ME, PUNKER! 3:00-5:00 pm Same place, same time, different hosts. Join Rock Action and Crusty Love for cool tunes and special guests and features. COMPILATION COMPILATION 6:30-7:30 pm The name says it all. Explore the rich and varied sound of the world of compilation tapes and albums, with your host Kawika. TOP OF THE BOPS 8:00-9:00 pm Screaming guitars, throbbing basses, pounding drums, pumping pianos and howling saxes: Top of the Bops has them all, and you can have them too! MEL BREWER PRESENTS 11:00 pm-Midnight If you haven't tuned in yet then you missed The Arts Club Memorial Blues Band playing live in the studio, and a lot of other way keen stuff. So stay up late one night a week to hear Patrick, Jay and Jerry interview local bands and highlight local music. Remember, no spitting or foul language, Pat's mother is listening. FRIDAYS FRIDAY MORNING MAGAZINE 10:30-11:30 am Join host Kirby Hill for interviews, features, and a taste of the exotic. The White Wolf lives! 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. THE COCKTAIL PARTY 5:30-8:00 pm The summer replacement for the Saturday night P.J. Party. Mike Mines & Robin Razzell invite you to a world of bibulous pleasure via the newest psychedelic sounds from both sides of the pond. Just add ice and shake. 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 and wear your soul shoes. 01 Aug. Male Gospel Groups—Dixie Hummingbirds, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Soul Stirrers and more. 08 Aug. Aretha Franklin—the high priestess of soul. 15 Aug. The Drifters—an hour of the preeminent vocal group of the 1950s. 22 Aug. Anne and Fiona's Vacation Special 29 Aug. TBA THE BIG SHOW 9:30 pm-midnight Elevate your BPMs with Robert Shea and AI Big. And shine your shoes, for God's sake. THE VISITING PENGUIN SHOW Late night 1:00-4:00 am Now, finally, a reason to stay up past the BIG SHOW on Friday nights. Yes, Andreas Kitz- mann and Steve Gibson dish out requests, new music, interviews and selfless egotism. 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 1 FEEE BUB6ER TCE-X-C-E • L • L • EThTD ^r r H E EAT E RY 16 THE GOOD DEAL IS your least expensive burger is free when two are ordered. This applies to beef and tofu burgers only, and isn't valid for take-out or any other coupon. Enjoy your burg & have a nice day! DISCORDER l33@(ft» mfr »fr nfr »|fr » 1 MON0AY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 -■- T*m e; EDMONTONS' Rl 7 B3P C EDMONTONS' 6 AND THE SONS OF RYTHM ORCHESTRA B-SIDES 8 11 JAZZMANIAN DEVILS th guests IO " BRILLIANT ORANGE 7 <-> big medicine WITH GUESTS Wl I n uucoio HERALDJUX j 301 j A CANADIAN NEW MUSIC FESUV/\l special events 18-Fools Crow, Itsa Skitsa 19-Full Moon Howl (poetry, music; 20-Shadowy Men, Thi» Fear, Fool» Crow 21-Tulpa, This Fear, JR Gone Wild 22-Shuffle Demons, I.B.S. 23-Shuffle Demons, Lone Stars 25-Amoeba Quiche, Beach Mutants, Shadow Project 26-Sheep Look Up, I.B.S., Beach Mutants 27-Monuments Galore, October Game, Vox Violins 28-Monuments Galore, October Game, Active Joy 29-Sheep Look Up. Idyl Tea, Misery Goats 30-Sheep Look Up, Idyl Tea, Misery Goats ^SUNDAY i7th ciE£u*«*-iB' 24th. CI.RA-Ca Lone Star* Vox Vto«n» Sheep Look Up y^^C^^^^^.^4^^^^ [TUF SAVOY NIGHTCLUB 6 Powell Si, Gastown, Vancouver, 687-04t8j AIWA "SIMPLY ON SALE" HSP-04 AUTMEVERSE, DOLBY & ANTI-ROLL NOW YOU CAN HAVE THE FABULOUS QUALITY OF AIWA AT A NEW LOW PRICE! HSP-04 features: auto- reverse continuous playback »Dolby noise reduction •metal/chrome selector •anti-roll -high performance headphones •belt clip 149 86 HS648 REMOTE CONTROL WITH BUILT-IN EQUALIZER THE PERFECT MATE FOR THE ACTIVE MUSIC LOVER! HS.G-08 features: custom , molded case •built-in 5'' band equalizer •auto- reverse •computer controlled transport with remote control "dual headphone jacks 'deluxe headphones »belt clip & more 249 8& CSW-300 HIGH-SPEED DUBBING AM/FM RADIO FANTASTIC SOUND, FANTASTIC PRICE & THE VERSATILITY OF HIGH-SPEED DUBBING! CSW-300 features: double speed dubbing »superb sound 'sensitive AM/FM stereo radio "built-in mics •auto-stop "headphone jack -AC/DC operation 219 86 HST06 AM/FM, AUTO-REVERSE, DOLBY & MORE EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED IN A PERSONAL MUSIC MACHINE! HST-06 features: sensitive AM/FM stereo radio 'auto- reverse •anti-roll •Dolby •metal/chrome selector •high performance stereo headphones »beft clip 179 66 HSJ-70 AM/FM AND THIS ONE RECORDS TOO! THIS AIWA HAS GOT IT ALL AT A PRICE THAT CANT BE BEAT! HSJ-70 features: AM/FM Cassette recorder complete with stereo microphone •auto-reverse »Dolby •anti- roll •metal/chrome selector •cue & review "carrying case »belt clip & more 299 86 CSR-10 AUTO-REVERSE, k SPEAKERS, SUPERB QUALITY THIS UNIT EPITOMIZES THE QUALITY AIWA IS FAMOUS FOR! CSR-10 features: ^to- reverse •record & play •AM/FM stereo radio »4 speakers •soft-touch operation »auto-loudness •AC/DC & more 229 86 DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER: 810 Granville (at Robson) 682-5221 (Open Sundays Noon - 5 P.M.) 599 Seymour Street (at Dunsmuir) 662-8377 (Open Sundays Noon - 5 RM.) VANCOUVER: Oakridge Shopping Centre '261-0258 (Open Sundays 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.) RICHMOND: Lansdowne Park Shopping Centre 278-3041 (Open Sundays 11 A.M. - 5 RM.) PORT COQUITLAM: 2877 Shaughnessy Street 941-0551 (Open Sundays 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.)