The Event - Issue 137 - 24 April 2002

-

-

--

-

-~ --- ~

~

-

-

-

- - --

- - -

-

--

-

- - --

--- - -

---

Wecnesday, Apnl 24, 2002

Plus路 Alkaline rio, Wes Anderson, ndrew Miller and m Fisc rs ooner, The Count of Monte Christo and much more Win a date with Don MacPherson and Jonathan Wilkes

CAFE BAR No. 1 Farmers Avenue Norwich Tel. 01603 76551 2 www.owens-cafebar.co.uk During the day, Cafe style dining serving anything from cheese on toast to pot roasted knuckle of lamb

Secial offers available any day, any time

4 Bottles 4 a fiver Choose from a selection of oleopops and beers

Treble vodka a nd Red Bull only £3.99

Picture: The Ita lian director Nanm Morett i . play1ng water polo ( interviewed on page 11)

03 Bits and Pieces Events Preview: Norfolk and Norwich Arts Festival Competition: Win LCR and Grad Ball tickets, and champagne from the new UEA Alumni Soc iety

10°/o Discount on meals with a valid UEA card MONDAY NIGHTS

04 Godspell Jonathan Wilkes and Neighbours ' Joel, Dan MacPherson, are starring in Godspe /1 at the Theatre Royal very soon.

We chat to them about girth, streaking and bra sizes.

Plus: Win a chance to be God for a day!

Cinefile Sweet Smell of Success

05 Inquisitor Student night All pints £ 1.80 with a valid UEA card Free e ntry to Liquid

THURSDAY NIGHTS

Face2Face

06 Andrew Miller The acc laimed aut hor t alks to The Event about hi s lat est novel, Oxygen.

07 Alkaline Trio US Punk is as strong and popular now as it ever was, as the Alkaline Trio can testify. We chat to them about having fun the punk-rock way.

08 Wes Anderson Cheese 'n' Choons With free entry and no queuing to the Ministry of Cheese at liquid night club.

All Sky football shown on seven tvs around the building, plus our big scree n outside

14 Albums Fischerspooner; Dan The Automato r; Pitchshifter; Bellrays

15 Singles Oasis; Pulp; Haven; Leaves; Hundred Leaves

16 Film Count of Monte Crista; The Scorpian King; About A Boy

18 Video The Man Who Wasn't There; 51st State

19 Arts Little Shop Of Horrors; Bed; Sunday M orn ing at the Centre of The Wo rld; M idsumme r Night 's Dream; Th e Unexpected Guest

20 TV/Radio Soaps; Sperm Bandits; Meet t he Li vew ire DJ s

Listin s: 22 Listings The best guide to what's happening in Norwich

The geeky director of Rushmore and Bottle Rocket recently shot to fame and fortune with his latest vent ure , The Royal Tenenbaums. He talks to us about his partnership with Owen Wilson . his love of Bill Murray and torturing mice.

10 Don Trelfer Five years ago , Dan Trelfer was study ing here at UEA. Today he has worked in all corners of the media industryand has just re leased his debut novel , Vodka with Chocolate Chasers. Th e Event caught up with him to see what he is going to do next .

11 Nanni Moretti The best Italian director you've never heard of has just released his latest film, The Son ·s Room. to criti c al adorati on and the Palme D'Or to boot . Want t o know more?

Read on .. .

Editor-in-Chief · Adam Chapman • Editor · Markland Starkie • Arts Editor · Charlotte Ronalds (happy birthday!) • Film Editor · Merek Cooper • Assistant Film Editor · Phil Colvin • Music Edit or · Anthony Love !I • TV / Radio Editor · Liz Hutchinson • Assistant TV/ Radio Editor · Gemma O'Donnell • Picture Editor · Ed Webblngall • Text · Matt Bevan - James Brown · Mo Grills · Dan Hutchings · Gemma Kingswell · Emily Knee · Toby Lewis · Tessa North · Sam Parker · Mischa Pearlman · Ed Purkis · Matthew Sargeson · Jodie Squires · Zac Walsh • Pictures · Tanya Burrage

12 Knowledge Bruce Springstee n

Sophie Ellis Bextor Free entry to Kafe Do any night when you buy a drink at Owen's

As pop stars grow up in t he industry t hey learn how to conduct interviews that, alt hough superficia lly seem to be perfectly reasonable, actually don't shed any light on the person beneath the persona. Sopll ie is JUSt such an exam pie, the sly vixen Princess of Pop or Billboard Bitch? You dec ide.

The Event is published fortnightly by Concrete : Post: PO Box 410, Norwich. NR4 7TB Tel: 01603 250558 Fax: 01603 506822 E-mail : su .conc rete@uea. a c. uk Printed by: Eastern Counties Ne wspapers. St Andrew 's Business Park, Norwich

-

---- -- - - -- -- --- ----------------- ----

Bits and Pieces 03

Events: The 2002 Norfolk and Norwich Festival e festival mood is upon us (hurrah, I ear you cry) as the first glimpses of unshine affect the inhabitants of Norwich. And what better way to take a reak from the long ( ahem) hours of revision we know you've all been doing than to

I

experience the delights of Norwich's very own festival. Here is the perfect opportunity to inject a bit of culture in to our revision tainted lives and have some fun as the delights of the 2002 Norfolk and Norwich festival descend upon us. The festival, a feast of music, dance,

literature, comedy, circus and art begins on the May 1, so make sure you catch a few shows in this 12 day spectacular. Little did you know that this is Britain's second oldest art festival, and, like a mature cheese, this years festival looks tastier than ever. This year's offerings look set to be the best so far with a huge variety of events to interest even the most difficult to please. Tickets can be bought for each event and the shows, performances and exhibitions are scattered aroun<;i the delightful city of Norwich. Plus, we all fit in to that triumphant category commonly known as 'concessions' and so we all get in a little bit cheaper, hurrah. Plus, there are lunchtime concerts, evening events as well as exhibitions in The Sainsbury Centre and Playhouse , so never a dull moment between May 1 and 12 in Norwich. or those who like to heckle, the stand up comedy content of the festival should leave you begging for more, as TV personalities Lee Mack and Paul Tonklnson both make appearances in the Norwich Playhouse as part of the festival, as well as being joined by new faces in stand up in The Comedy Club.

Lee Mack, proud owner of the Time Out award for Best Live Comedy, is a face you may recognise from his appearances on BBC1's The Stand up Show and ITV's The Sketch Show, and you can catch him on May 12. Lots of guilt free laughter to be had here to keep your bank manager smiling, as you get a half price ticket

F

for The Comedy Show (May 7), featuring Daniel Kltson who made an appearance at UEA last year, when you buy a ticket to see both Lee Mack and Paul Tonkinson (May 1).

Literary fans look out as the names at the festival include some old favourites who have visited UEA, and the ingeniously named Writers Reading events takes place in the glass fronted extravaganza we call the Millenium Library.

Readings by the writers, such as British poet George Szlrtes (May 4) who will be interspersing his poetry with readings from the fantastic writing of the late Max Sebald, will include Trezza Azzopardi ,(May 5) Rose Tremaln (May 11) and our very own Andrew Motion _(May 7) make appearances throughout the week.

Jazz is also a big part of the festival , giving you a chance to check out the talent in the world of jazz crooners. The Generation Band were a sell out last year, and are definitely worth seeing if you get the chance this time round on May 1. South African Jazz comes to Norwich in the form of Abdullah lbrahlm on piano and the NOR Big Band, a mixture of laid back grooves revamped by the vigour of the Big Band (May 7) .

This is just a mere whiff of some of the delights that the festival is playing host to, so make sure you get out there and see something before its too late.

"-Gemma K/ngswell • Lots of Information, dates, venues and the like, can be found on 01603 766400 or by visIting -.n-joy.org.uk

Competition I11 I

Tickets to Last LCR and Grads Ball and Christmas LCR Reunion pnd champagne

G

olden Triangle is the UEA

(Friday July 12) PLUS pair of tickets to Christmas LCR Reunion PLUS bottle of champagne • 3rd Prize: Pair of tickets to Christmas LCR Reunion PLUS bottle of champagne

Society's new membership service for UEA graduates. Benefits of membership include an e-mail forwarding for life service, discounted tickets for the Christmas LCR for recent graduates, a Yearbook with all this year's graduates' contact details, a monthly enewsletter and Ziggurat magazine twice each year.

To sign up, check out www .uea.ac.ukjalumni or visit the Golden Triangle stand in the Hive Foyer on Fridays April 26 and May 3, 10 and 17, 11am - 3pm. Membership is £15 in the first year, and £12 a year thereafter.

To celebrate their launch, Golden Triangle are offering Event readers the following amazing prizes:

To enter: 1) Finish the sentence 'what I'll miss most about UEA Is .•. ' In no more than 20 words, and 2) Answer the ti!H»reaker question: 'the UEA Society's enhanced slumnl service Is called s) Golden Square, b) Golden Oblong, or c) Golden Trlsngfe. '

• 1st Prize: Pair of tickets to Last LCR (Thursday June 13) PLUS pair of tickets to Christmas LCR Reunion (Saturday December 14) PLUS bottle of champagne • 2nd Prize: Pair of tickets to Graduation Ball

Rules: • Only open to students leaving this year.

• Judges' decisions are final.

• Your entries may be used in Golden Triangle promotions.

• E-mall your answers to both points to uea.soclety@uea.ac.uk by Friday May 3.

Winners - and their answers - will be printed In the final Event of term.

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

the event

04

Cinefile: no. 14

The Sweet Smell Of Success

Playing God

• •

Hearing the news that the lithe and lovely Jonathan Wilkes and Daniel MacPherson are visiting Norwich to perform in smash hit musical Godspell, Gemma O'Donnell and Elin Jones slapped on the lip gloss and flirted for England to bring you this exclusive interview. hile I am loat he t o write this, a gre at many of you might not know exactly who Daniel M acPherson and Jonathan Wilkes are , so allow me to fill you in. Sadly best known for his close f ri en dsh ip with Robb ie Will iam s, Jonath an Wilkes is c urrent ly t reading the boards in t l1eatres ac ross t he co unt ry with hi s mu sical venture Godspe/1, following the release of his debut album. Daniel is better known as the exceptionally bronzed and g orgeou s Joel from student s' favourite soap, Neighbours. Dan recently left the soap to persue a c areer in the theat re. Sad for Aust ra li a, great for us, espec ially as his role in Godspe/1 regularly requ ires him t o prance around wearing only a loin cloth. Today Jonny and Dan are a bit fed up , they 've been doing phone interview s for the past few hours. However they managed to remain chipper, bo rdering on pervy , throughout our conversati on.

W

Oh yes, isn't that Michael J. Fox great .. .

I 'm afraid you' re th inking of Th e Secret of My Success, and so yo u may be disappointed. But not if yo u have any ta ste , bec au se Th e Sweet Smell of Succ ess is a work of bitchy art .

Di rected by A lexander Mac kendric k , fre sh from Ealing come· dy fame in England , it 's sophisticated , sli c k. and fi lled w ith som e razo r-sharp di alog ue.

Daniel, do you miss Neighbours and Austral ia?

I miss the c ast more than t he show. I miss the surf, sun and wa lking around in my boardies. I'm sick of my Engl ish beer gut !

What 's the best thing about working in theatre?

D: Groupies! And thinking t hat my masseuse might rea lly want to shag me 'c au se I'm on tv .

Is t heatre t he way to go then?

J: Yeah , wit h th is Pop Idol t hing t aki ng over t he chart s it' s just a great time for me to come away from it all. The only people that are making money off this are the Simon Cowells and the Simon Fullers of th is wo rld. Darius tucking pi sses me off. I saw Will Young at the weekend actually.

What 's he like?

Okay, so what 's it about ? it' s the st ory of a rut hless gossip column ist (Burt Lanc aster) w ho tries to break up his sist er 's relationship w it h the help of an ambiti ous, moral-free pre ss agent , played by Tony Curti s. Based on th e ac t ions of the real-life colu mni st .

W aiter Winchell , who ruled t he New York scene in the 1950s, it wasn 't popular with audiences . For some rea son t hey disliked seeing the ir heroe s Lanc aster and Curti s playing abso lute shits.

Sounds a bit ... dark.

Well, it w as in blac k and wh ite. But th at's not hing . Rumour ha s it that eo-writer Clifford Odet s, su ffering from wr iter's block, c hec ked him self into a hotel , locked his door , and pumped him self fu ll of c offee and benzedrine un ti l he'd produced a sc ript . M aybe unorth odox, but he did get red-hot results like " The eat 's in t he bag, and t he bag ' s in the river.·· Al so co nsider t he case of st ar, Kat herine Harrison. playing th e sister, who ad mi tted to im ag ining throwing hersel f off th e top of the skysc rapers they filmed in.

"I love this dirty town .. . " Now you' re gett ing t he idea . The film takes full advantage of its loc at ions, inside and out . If yo u ever w anted a glimpse of th e col lision of hi gh life and low li fe, this is it. That's not to say that the film is an exercise in realism. but it's close enough to make you believe that this is how journalism - and people- wo rk. Are you depressed yet?

No, but give me a minute.

You could think of the fate of Tony Curtis. Not the actual Tony Curtis, who's only condemned to sleep with twentyyear-old blondes until l1 is face falls off, but his seedy characte r. Sidney Falco. Chased by a vic ious cop with the line: "C ome back, Sidney, I 'm g on na have to c hastise you,'· he deserves everything he gets. From ruining a young girl's life to pimping out his secretary. Falco is the epitome of twisted priorities. And to think he went on to dress up as a girl and seduce Maril yn M onroe.

Anything else?

Well, it ' s nasty as hell and should be an object lesson for aspiring screenwriters. Whether you·d want to have Burt Lancaster to dinner is another thing. But don't worry for too long- he's dead.

Tessa North

event

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Te ll me briefly about Godspe/1.. .

J: Do I have to ? Can we ju st do somethi ng fun? Ask me some fun que stions .

Ok, you and Daniel were running around in your pants the oth er day weren 't you?

J: lt was great fun! We t end to do a nudy run every w here we g o, so we 'll definitely do nudy run s in Norwi ch. We did a complete ly nude one in Cardiff and Brighton. They were very impressed w ith my girth . Dani el wears t ight boxers so metimes . and I wear Calvin s.

J: Gay. What do you t hink about coming to one of the UEA student houses as the prize for our competition? Are you nervous?

D: No. it'll remind me of home and hanging out w ith my mates.

Will there be beer?

If you bring it, Dan. What would you like the winner to cook for you?

D: Sushi.

1/ve done nudy runs all over the world Will you join in?

So Daniel , wi ll you join in by streaking through Norwich?

D: Join in? I'm t he instigator! I've done nudy runs all ove r the world ... Will you j oin in?

Moving swiftly on, please tell me about Godspe/1...

J: Ok, Godspe/1 is a rock, comedy musica l. wh ich is j ust dow nright good fun. lt is perfect for students like yourself. it's not stuffy, we 're making- theatre cool again. We all pi ss abo ut. it's good fun.

And what are your characters like, because you alternate between two , don 't you?

J: We both play Jesus and Judas. two completely different characters really . Jesus for me is like the Fonz. and Judas is like Richie Cunn ingham.

Jonny, you 've performed at the Al bert Hall (with Robbie Williams) , how does that com pare with local theatres?

J: I love it. it doesn 't matter if there ·s ten people there. I love an audience. lt 's the same love playing at the Albert Hall as in a small theatre. I get a kick off any audience. I thmk Norwich will be great because they're nice peopl e.

And they 've got six fingers on each hand too!

J: Exa ctly. which really helps bec au se it makes more noise when they're clapping .

I don't t hink you actually cook that .

D: How about a BBQ th en? Oh, or a whipped cream bikini .. .

Jonny, you once said in an interview that fans can come round for a cup of tea, when can we come round then?

J: Whenever! Course yo u can ! Come and see me in Norw ich, what do you look lik e? I'll come rou nd . Are you all good-looking gi rls, what are you r sizes?

At t hi s poi nt we embark on an exchange of dimen sions. Jonny has the 'biggest bol loc k s in showbi z· an d is more tl1an happy to discuss cup sizes w ith us and a cou pl e of girls in the office. We come away flushed but happy, and determined t o win the c ompetition so he can do a nudy ru n down our street.

Godspe/1 runs from M onday A pril 29 unti l Sat urd ay May 4 at t he Theatre Royal.

Performance times: M on - Sat evenings at 7 .30pm, Wed and Sat matinees at 2.30pm .

Ticket s cost from £ 14.00- £19 .50 .

Your chance to see the boys in t he flesh: Tuesday April 30 they 'll be at: · Castle Mall at 4.30 · TopShop at 5.00 (see instore for more deta il s)

05

Inquisitor: on the up, In the chair

God For A Day Competition: Win Jonathan Wilkes and Neighbours' Daniel MacPherson in your living room . We 're not kidding ..

Ever followed the exploits of Lady Victoria Hervey and thought 'why can't that be me'? Well, thanks to Concrete and those lovely guys at Godspe/1 you can win this exclusive celebrity prize package. Start your day with a free haircut for you and a blow dry for three friends at Sprout, followed by a patnpering basket from the Body Shop.

Then it's off to the Tanning Shop for four 15 minute tanning sessions and a manicure. After taking care of your image, head off to Marks and Spencer to buy £100 of food to cater your own celebrity tea party at your house that evening with special guests Jonathan Wilkes and Neighbours' Daniel

MacPherson. And, if that's not enough, after entertaining the boys, a chaufferdriven Mercedes will take you and three friends to see the show at the Theatre Royal with exclusive backstage passes to meet the cast afterwards.

To win, all you have to do is present the entry form below when you buy two or more tickets to see Godspe/1 from the Box Office at Theatre Royal before Wednesday, May 1 2002. And, as a bonus prize, ·if you enter before Monday, April 22 you'll be put into a prize draw to win one of five double passes to attend the celebrity-packed cast party at a top city venue.

r-----------------------• :[(.): ~ ;l ; i~-=::::;;~...,......-- ~Lai.P~ : God For A Day Competition :Name: • Phone Number:

·-------------

I To win this exclusive competition pack1 age, take this completed form and hand I it in when you purchase two or more I tickets at the Theatre Royal Box Office. ~~x_O.!f!9~:~u!h2~s~t!?~ I Competition d·rawn Wednesday, May 1, 5pm at theatre. Winner and friends must be I available on Thursday, May 2. Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.

~-----------------------~

Punk rock veterans Face to Face are back with a vengeance and a new album. The Event came face to face with verbose front-man Trever Keith to get to the lodown.

There have been a few member changes In the decade or so Face to Face have been together. What's your current lineup?

I sing and play guitar, Scott Shiflett is on the bass and Pete Parada is on the drums. And this current line-up has been together for about four or five yea rs. We recently lost our additional guitar player, so as a three-piece, a couple of years, but same three guys.

Do you feel you work better as a three-piece?

Personally , I think we 're a more compatible band than we 've ever been . This line-up gets along famously and we all really enjoy what we're doing. And musically I think we're better than we 've ever been, mainly because we've been together for eleven years. And with the line-up changes, we 've made it stronger because we 've trimmed the fat .

You come from the olckchool punk-rock scene of early-90s California. Do you feel privileged to have been a part of that, rather than the new wave of punk-rock bands that have emerged In the last few years?

Not really. Sometimes we feel a little out of place, and it 's a little off-putting . When we started the band we were part of that whole third-wave of punk rock. lt was Jawbreaker and Face to Face and Green Day and Offspring and all those bands. We were all from the same era, all doing our thing at the same time. Now it definitely feels like there 's a real dividing line between that era and the next era of punkrock , but there's a lot of great music in the next era.

So how have you adapted?

We 've made an effort to find the bands we like the best and have th.em come out and support us and try to become part of that scene, at least by association . We 're not looking to change our sound to become something other than what we are, but the only way to stay relevant is by making an effort to stay relevant , to keep playing shows and making records.

And you record quite quickly, don't you? You don't spend . years In a studio ....

No, that would be extremely excessive and way too expensive. it's not like we try to hurry up and record things quick· ly, we try to be efficient as we can in the studio because it 's costly . And, ultimately, if you fuck around too much trying to be all arty, you end up with a crap record .

• Mlscha Pearlman

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

the event

06

Miller's Tales: Text: Toby Lewis

l'

ndrew M iller was keen to stress that his new novel Oxygen is dedicated to UEA ·s ill ustrious but sadly deceased professors. Lorna Sage and Malcolm Bradbury. His memory of Sage was of "a love ly woman. who looked like she almost ce rtainly shouldn't be out of bed at nine in the morning. lt was definitely a strange time of day to have to talk about post-moderni sm anyway ... Whi lst he commended Bradbury for the "generous way he handled the young writers in his care.

The sit uation was quite vo lati le and it needed someone with a coo l head to be able to manage the course.·· lt can only be hoped we all leave UEA with tile same amount of nostalgia and gratitude as Mill er.

Oxygen was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, but despite being pleased to gain the recognition . Miller is "not sure one prize should have such dominance over the literary scene." However, he does acknowledge it has helped his blossoming career: "If you get shortli sted for the Booker you come to the attention of a lot of people. lt is instant. Within an hour of the shortlist being announced we had sold 2000 hardbacks on the phone ...

He is also keen that the publi c should pay attention to other prizes such as the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, which he won with Ingenious Pain. Claiming the other winners of this prize •·read like a who 's who of the last 70 to 80 yea rs of British fict ion."

Ingenious Pain and Casanova, his earlier novels. were both set in the 18th century and therefore Oxygen, a contemporary novel was potentially, "a risky book. because I had done two historicals beforehand. I also knew that people who knew me would be worried by the subject matter of fam il y." Fear of a potential c riti cal mauling was also high for. "they do not have to be kind

A

the event

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

to you on the third book; the gloves are off by t l1at stage ...

However he has still escaped a critical bac klash and Oxygen has perhaps been even more lauded than his previous works.

Asked whethe r he feels there are any discernible trends in his novels, he c laims, " I li ke to pu sh c haracters to the point of crisis. Focusing on the courage of people who are not terribly brave and the goodness of people who are not very saintly.

People who find in themse lves the necessary energy to help another are therefore of interest to me. " His ce ntral protagonists "are all people who have been brought to a point of crisis.

A zero point . I am interested to see what they do on the other si de of tl1at ... Adamant that no c harac ter s in his novels are

Miller describes his realisation of the subject matter for his first novel as if an epiphany. "The pain aspect of that novel came when I was thinking of 18th century surgery. Quantum levels of pain were greater then , than they are now . For they of co urse did not have the medi ca l abilities to deal w ith many patients. I asked myself, what if there was someone who just did not fee l pain? How would they stand in relat ion t o the suffering of others? A long corridor of l ight~ flicked on and I could see where the novel was going ."

His decision not to become embroiled in the actual medical facts of the case, ficti onali sing the condition. did not stop people finding their own truths from his novel. "Though I treated it

\\I' m 1n favour of glorious love I

making

11

- Miller o n why he chose to write about Casanova

autobiographical. he concedes that. " Characters are fragments of the self. But no one character is a representative of myself.''

James Dyer, the main character in Ingenious Pain, is a man wl1o ca nnot feel pain both physical and emotional. Such a curious cent ral c haracter has led some people to assume M iller has had some truly horrific emotional experiences. which he denies.

"People feel perhaps I should be James dyer and that I do not feel anytlling. Though I don't feel I've had more than my share of pain and my thresholds are normal. ··

more as a condition that you would come across in a fa ble. I got letters from all sorts of impressed doctors and people who even believed they were married to a James Dyer figure. I imagine James Dyer's lack of emotional and physical feeling seemed to reflect their si tuation. ··

uizzed on his decision to choose the more famou s figure of Casanova as the central character for his second novel he maintains, " firstly I'm in favour of glorious love making. Also , Casanova was a man who was in some ways an opposite of James Dyer. a man who perhaps felt too much . He was a man with a great amount of appetites. Not just for sex .

He lusted for food, for company, for conversation. for travel. for money and for gambli ng. He had wonderfu l appetites; that drew me to him. I was also very interested in cat cl1ing a man at a · certain point in his life where he wonders if he has a ca pacity for c hange. the ability to reinve nt him self. Someone once described the novel as being about the death of purpose. which seems a good description of it ."

Miller is currently working on his fourth novel. This is provi sionally titled. Th e Optimist, although his pained expression when talking about it indicates it should probably be ca lled The Pessimist . Howeve r, to promote Oxygen in America the writing of this wil l probably be put on hold, for, as Miller says, it is difficult to write on the move. '·You are not still enough to write on tours. Hotels are not meant to be written in . There may have been a golden age of hotels with Henry James, big desks and beautiful views but now they are essentially designed for business people.''

His trepidation and fa scinati on was clear ly for Ameri ca. '' lt is sucl1 a big place and you are such a tiny drop in a very big ocean. America is always fascinating wheth er yo u like it or loathe it or, as I do. swing wildly between the two positions. lt wil l be especially strange to be in New York with everyone's head filled with those images. I am sure it is a di fferent city now to some extent ... When quizzed on his opinion of current political hardball in Washington he ecl1oes most liberal sentiment at the moment. " I have no ambiguous feelings about what happened on September 11, it was a disgrace ful crime . In terms of America and Ameri ca n power I have a lot of misgivings.

Though you do have to be ca refu l who you express these things to, for you can quickly cause offence. " One can only hope that Andrew Mi ller' s current success here is echoed in the land of the free. for he is a truly compe ll ing and intelligent writer.

Q

07

• • Text: Matthew Sargeson

an two minuses make a plus?

Take this article for example.

Debacle une, the interview upon which this piece is based was acquired on the shakiest of grounds, an opportunity rendered from nervewracking last minute scramblings with press agents and editors that left my interrogative mind slightly worse for wear as I sat down to conduct 'the interview' . Debacle deux, Alkaline Trio frontman, Matt Skiba, and 1 henched bassist Dan Adriano are M.I.A . (well, " asleep" and "chilling out" respectively) leaving me with drummer, Derek Grant. Actually, you could say there's three minuses seeing as Grant has only been with the band since late 2001.. . So how does all this compute?

Sitting down with Grant was an effective way to relax though. There we sat in the elegant plastic garden furniture of the LCR 's green room, chilled out like a couple of old boys talkin' about the good old days over a dictaphone and an Argyle patterned notebook housing over a dozen questions that, due to the absence of frontman Skiba, would never be asked. Despite not being in the Alkaline Trio since its early beginnings in 1996, Grant still remembers well the scene that spawned them, playing in notable outfits throughout the years such as the Vandals, the Suicide Machines and emojska heralds the Telegraph.

"Danny was playing in Slapstick (a much respected ska outfit from the early 90s) around the same time that I was in the Suicide Machines, and that's roughly the same time that the Alkaline Trio got started.

We were alf touring the Mid-West and growing up in the same scene. At that point it was hard to be in a punk band, there was no market for it.

Therfore you didn't make a whole lot of money, and obviously you're getting no radio or video play. Nowadays it's a lot easier to tour and to get the better shows. " Indeed it must be. Teenyboppers swapped their New Kids On The Bore-Zone T-Shirts for Sum 41 Hoodies a long t ime ago, and Blink 182 these days with their Atticus clothing deals and Christmas cards from MTV are a world away from their struggling beginnings on the garage-run punk rock label Asian Man Recordings. Grant however is surprisingly good natured about these bands' successes. One might expect sour grapes from a long time scenester; after all, one day no one would pass water on your average burning punk band, and the next everyone's your friend, offering you record deals, cigars and seats at An Evening With Kylie Minogue.

"I think it's great. Both Blink 182 and Sum 41 are friends of ours and I'm really happy for them, and any band that gets any kind of success. They're parting the way for other acts, making it easier... any time a punk rock band makes it big it breaks down another few walls. " Grant has also noticed the changes this has had upon the crowds that come to the shows.

"The size of the audiences has certainly got bigger. I honestly thought that when Green Day , Ranc id and The Offspring made it big, that that first wave wouldn 't last more than a

C

US Punk Rockers, Alkaline Trio, are taking the current punk scene by storm on both sides of the Atlantic . The band took time out at their Waterfront gig to chat to us.

year. it's fluctuated a little bit but it's been more or less consistent for the last six or seven years. I notice a lot of younger kids, 13 to 14, especially over here and I think that 's great. lt was a formidable time for me at that age ... I think it 's really important for people in that age group to be exposed to all different types of music ."

And listening to the Alkaline Trio 's latest offering, From Here To Infirmary, is certainly a great place for the "younger kids," to start; 12 tracks worth of pyromanical, cop-baiting, chainsaw-wielding 'dog shitting razor blades' menace, a band carrying the unmistakeable air of a hard drinkin ' , purse snatching tearaway with an angel's face , similar to Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone Two. "it's by far a more solid record than older material ," muses Grant . " Everything from the song writing to the production was better.

Both Matt and Danny took a little more time with what they were doing. "

f you 're looking for a one-stop lesson in the ways of the Trio, past single Private Eye is the perfect way in . Stepping straight from the pages of a James Ellroy novel , it details the seedy world of a desperate private detective that Grant says is typical of Matt Skiba's songwriting .

"I 've talked to Matt and Danny about where their songs come from and I don't know if either one can pinpoint any particular inspiration. Some are about certain people or experiences, but a lot of them just ex press raw emotions, and the words aren't really the point . it's just a matter of rhym ing, making things fit in place.· Experience is something that the Alkaline Trio have in spades, they 're rigorous touring schedule earning them a well-deserved reputation as one of the mid-west's hardest working bands.

"The band's pretty much been on tour for the last four years, and I've been on tour about the same time with other bands so we 've all been on the road for quite a wh ile.· But of course with great power comes great responsibility ...

"In those first years you have to quickly learn a work ethic or otherwise you won 't survive because you're going to run into a lot of situations that you won't be prepared to deal with, like a venue not wanting to pay you .

There 's a lot of business you need to learn, and that's unfortunate because it 's a shock when you realise that what you 're doing IS business ... that 's a little depressing at first. · And that 's that. Grant signs my COs, we talk a little about his old band The Telegraph who I adore and who you should all check out and I'm off out the front door. Later on , the blackclad Alkaline Trio play a short sharp set that delivers most of the class tracks from older albums such as Cringe and Madam Me as well as the latest top bananas like Stupid Kid and Take Lots With Alcohol. Skiba looks gorgeous (ahem) , Andriano looks menacing and Grant looks ... well, how do drummers look ... rhythmtastic? A great night for punk in our Fine City then. Rock on , Norwich !

I

"'There's a lot of business you need to learn (when playing in a band), and that's unfortunate because it's a shock when you realise that what you're doing is business ... that's a little depressing at first."'

S'arring 11 Ill •acptlriH (Joel in BBC TV's Neighbours), llllllll Wllkll (Robble Williams Rat Pack concert and album ) and

Cllrt IICklltll (BBC TV's 2.4 Children )

lJCIIIII. 111111111 nn llltlltll Clllllc Ulll llll IIIJ IJ IIIJ, Prtllrt Yt De WIJ 01 RI llr• ... ltntl•l C1b

BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00 www.theatreroyalnorwich co.uk

SPECIAL OFFER: lEST llllllllE SUTS FOR £5 MON 211111 IPBIL ONLY. Just present this voucher at time of booking. Maximum of two tickets per voucher.

Subject to availability.

THEATRE STREET

tJ 0 R '!V I CH t J R 2 1 R L

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

the event

..

08

,,.

.

.' .

\\l''

'''

\

' ' \

..

.

The Magnificent Anderson: Text: Merek Cooper

Wes Anderson h )nlv ol s 'H nsb T//t_; [v

'ltr( ovt.. r s fi ry to lrm nl1 .t IC: IO vst fj rv-1 T/1 !, L V( J/ T~ neni 1 ur1rl i-.. w rtir g oar t~ )o--lr t lir) wr~t 1 oc 7or

1 1G 0 t

t Jl~s

look at him you'd never guess that this is the man that s getting legendary directors like Peter Bogdanovich and ameron Crowe all excited about the prospect of another reat American auteur. Ambling in wearing a beige corduroy suit, and geeky New Balance trainers, Wes Anderson looks so fragile I 'm scared he might break at any moment. As he fiddles nervously with his glasses, I 'm reminded of a young Woody Alien; it's an apt visual match , because like Alien, young Mr. Anderson is possibly the only other American film maker whose films are so instantly recognisable. Both the whip-smart dialogue and cunningly consistent aesthetic flourishes that Wes Anderson litters his fi lms with, have become the director's unmistakable trademark . Wes' attention to even the most minute of det ail s, whet her an impenet rable one liner or a half hidden visual gag, is also somet hi ng that makes his films so deserving of re peat view ings; no matter how familiar yo u are with the narrative there's always something that you have overlooked that jumps out on the third or fourth viewing. And with the modest success of The Royal Tenenbaums, bolstered by that all important Oscar nomination, this skewed world view of Anderson 's looks set to garner even more plaudits in the years to come.

Forgoing his usual method of tranport, a cruise liner, Wes has jetted over to Blighty to give The Tenenbaums a little promo-

I

re

j\

t

+

--omoleto

the problems of family. Does this insight come from any of your own personal experience?

Yeah . I feel like the characters ' lives sort of stopped at the moment when they had their greatest success and they haven't changed that much since the family unit broke down. And it is a kind of personal film in that respect, because my parents also divorced around the same time, and so a lot of the details I have had some kind of personal experience with.

How many times did Gene Hackman say 'no' to this movie?

Well , he didn 't really say no. Just didn 't get back to us. That 's Hollywood for you. And that went on for a long time ¡ months and months and months. I was j ust wait ing and finally he came throug h. I mean, I was real ly set on him because he was the actor that I real ly saw in t he part of Royal.

What was the worst argument that you had with him (Hackman) , because I get the impression that there were moments?

You know, I don 't even want to say. I feel like .. it 's over and I like him. it 's just that he's very tough and he 's got a lot of anger and he uses it. He w asn't that comfortable making the movie, he was struggling to know what he was supposed to be doing and to understand me. Having said that , I know he's

"We got some wh ite mice and used Sharpies, you know, the magic marker, I never saw a mouse suffer as a result of what we did. The ink fades, but I don't knOW if it getS into their blOOd Stream Or anything ." - Anderson on creating Dalmatian Mice tional push. Perhaps he felt it was needed, because while this film has gained cult status, it has also well and truly confused the more mainstream viewing public with its mix of deadpan comedy and tenderly observed suicidal depression . No-one seems to be sure whether they should be laughing or not .

Wes, the The Royal Tenenbaums is a unusual film in that it doesn't really conform to any genre. On the one hand it's funny, on the other it's an extremely sad and heartfelt piece.

I know . I mean, it 's the kind of movie that probably on the first viewing you ' re probably not going to know what to make of everything.

Would you call it a comedy?

Well, you know, I end up calling all the movies that I do comedies, just because it's easier to say. And I don't have to bother trying to explain it. it's rea lly hard to sell a movie as "very complex and depressing, but occasionally funny."

The film takes a very compass ionate and understanding look at

h

eve nt

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

happy with the movie now and that just makes me pleased that he thinks that.

He got a Golden Globe for it, didn't he?

Yeah, but he didn 't show up.

You 're also Chairman of the Bill Murray appreciation society?

Ah yeah , I 'm a major contributor. He's kind a like Hackman ; very exciting to watch, and to work with. But Bill is also quite different. To me he's the one that I 'm most likely to describe as a genius. He really can be very surprising in the way that he'll come up with something. His thought process is just something I can 't quite put my finger on at all. A sentence will come out of his mouth that's just the last thing I expect, and that I don't quite understand until I th ink about it for a minut e. it 's a comb ination of being a big fan and liking him a lot , personally.

In The Royal Tenenbaums, Chas (Ben Stiller) creates a breed of dalmatian mice, did you have to breed them specially?

No, in fact, we got some white mice and used Sharpies, you

VII

know, the magic marker. I probably shouldn't go on record saying that, it's probably a violation of some obscure humane society.

Did you have to issue a disclaimer like " No mouse was harmed in the making of this movie" No, although I will go on record as "I never saw a mouse suffer as a result of what we did". The ink fades, but I don't know if it gets into their blood stream or anything. We did have one mouse that had something wrong with him, something mentally wrong with him and we used him quite a lot, because any time you set him down, he would run counte r-clockwise in a circle.

Endlessly. lt cou ld be t hat one of his legs was shorter t han t he others, but I th ink it was really aut ism or something.

Who are your film-making heroes, or film-making inspirations?

I think the movies that I feel most inspired by tend not to be comedies. One of my real favourites is Truffeau and Orson Wells' The Magnificent Ambersons. And Polanski too has had a huge influence on me.

Can you tell us about your working relationship with Owen Wilson and how it started and the way that you work together?

Well, we went to school together in Austin, and had a play writing class together. We kind of exchanged short stories and helped each other with our writing. Then we started working on the script for Bottle Rocket, the first movie we did, wh ile we we re still in school, and ended up making it as a short, Can you tell us how the writing partnership works?

Yea h, we ll it's been di ffe re nt on eac h of t he th ree movies. You know, we were able to write together more closely in the old days, particularly when we did Bottle Rocket.

I just imagine you two In a room together, making each other laugh.

Yeah, that was how it used to be when we were making Bottle Rocket, and Rushmore too. But with The Tenenbaums, not so much . Now Owen's a proper actor and he 's often in some far flung location like ... Vancouver. So I tend to work on a lot of it by myself, and the we ' ll get together when he has the spare time.

Do you find that you are having to use e-mail and phone conversations to get through it, if you ' re not in the same place?

No. 1 mean, Owen doesn't doe-mail. He does have a lit tl e pager tho ugh. Ac tu ally, t he best th ing about fi lming Th e Tenenbaums was being able to wo rk with Owen everyday, I had forgotten how much fun it was. â&#x20AC;˘ The Royal Tenenbaums screens at Cinema City, May 3 to May 8. Rushmore is available on VIdeo and DVD now.

.

- ---- - - - - -

Ap Fri 26 Sophie Ellis Bexter Sold Out Sun 28 Gomez Sold Out

May Sun 05 Doves £10.50 Tues 07 Supergrass £15 Wed 08 New Found Glory £10 Mon 13 Linton Kwesi Johnson £10 (£5 NUS) Tues 14 Del Amitri £16 Sun 19 Beverley

--

UNION FILMS

Thurs May 30th:

Knight £13.50 Tues 21 'A' £9 Mon 27 Delerious? £12 Wed 29 Dean Friedman £16 (£12 NUS)

Thurs April 18th:

Thurs June 5th:

June

Groundhog Day

Tues 11 Baaba Maal + One Giant Leap £11 (£8 NUS) Wed 12 Fun Lovin' Criminals £15 Wed 26 Dandy Warhols £13

Friday May 31st: Serendipity

Amelie

Ali

Friday April 19th:

Friday June 7th:

Ocean's Eleven Thurs Apri I 25th: Black Hawk Down

The Royal Tenenbaums

Friday April 26th:

Gosford Park

Wednesday June 12th:

Shallow Hal

Thurs June 13th:

Thurs May 2nd:

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Friday May 3rd: Spy Game

Thurs May 9th: Vanilla Sky

Friday May 1Oth: Mean Machine

Thurs May 16th: Behind Enemy Lines

Friday May 17th: Rat Race (LT2)

Tickets available from the UEA Union, Waterfr nt, HMV and Sou dcla

A Beautiful Mind

Thurs May 23rd : Training Day

Friday May 24th: Monsters lnc

Individual tickets cost £2.75 A term fi Im pass is only £12.50 and covers all the films showing this term.

That's less than 35p per film, making us the cheapest cinema in Norwich by far!

All films start at 8.30pm and are in LT1 unless otherwise stated.

10

Dan Dares:

Text: Charlotte Ronolds

Five years ago Dan Trelfer was a student at UEA. Now he is a published novelist, has worked in every area of the media and sees life os one long journey. ver the years , UEA has created a reputation for producing successful literary figures , although recently th is trend has hit a plateau. But this is fi nally c oming to an end with UEA graduate Dan Trelfer , and the publi shing his debut novel , Vodka with Choc olate Chasers.

Trelfer,26 , attended UEA to study English Literature and Fil m.

Five years on , and he has worked in radi o, tel evi sion, is c urrently sub-editor of The Telegraph 's sport s websit e, and is fa st becom ing one of Britain's most promi sing c omic writers. I wonder, then , how it all started. " When I fin ished UEA I was work ing in London as a runner for a TV studio. lt was just mak ing c offee and tea and stuff and it got really mind-numbing and the pay was really bad and the hours were really long and I just got fed up with it. Bec ause I had stud ied film at UEA I was rea lly into writ ing , so I went and bought a third-hand computer and just started writing. I didn 't really know where it was going to

0

go or anything ."

The final produ ct was Vodka with Chocolate Chasers, which is a comi c novel that borrows from the travelogue genre . lt tells of a group of peopl e on the Trans-Siberian train journey who drink and tell stories to relieve their bored om. The book is also semibiographi c al, based upon Trelfer 's ow n travelling experiences. " I went travel ling t hree or four t imes in the summers when I was at UEA. On one of my travels I was on the Trans-Siberian train for six days, so the book has six chapters with eac h c hapter representing one of my day s, and in whi ch someone tells a story . One story is based on when I was in India and some people tried t o get me to smuggle jewels bac k to England to give to some cont acts in London. Another story is about a nightmare bus journey in Ch ina. So it 's all based on fact and it helps the people get through the si x days on the train . The trip is actual ly quite boring so you have to make it interesting by having all these stori es."

Despite travel being his main inspiration for writing , Trelfer actually had his first glimpse of writing at UEA , though he admits it wasn't the be st of start s. " I did creative writing as one of my free c hoices but I didn 't do very well " he laughs. " Actually the story I did was one of the short stories that I put in the book . lt is nothing like the one in the book , but in a way it was the basis, it was the first time I had the idea. The class really liked

great stories to tel l there . I'm also going to do a biography of a football manager c al led Bil l Wil liams. He 's managed nationally in South Africa and Ameri c a and he ' s just had a real ly interesting c areer, and he 's agreed t o let me write about it. So I've got a few thing s in the pipeline , I just need to sort out what order I wa nt to do th em in now ."

When t alki ng t o Trelfer, it is obvious that travelling is a very important part of his life . He 's just finished reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bry son and is about t o embark on another travel book. He ' s also very pa ssionate about seeing the world , finding it to be a good form of self-expression . " I think if there 's one thing that I real ly want to do with my life and that I th ink would be healthy for everyone to experience. it ' s living in another country ." lt is perhaps surprising then , considering that Trelfer has been almost everywhere , th at he should choose France. " I reall y like France a lot , especi ally the south. I just find it re all y relax ing down there, and plu s it ' s reall y warm. " ith graduation only in a matter of mont hs, we converse about how to survive in the real world. Sadly, and perhaps somewhat cyni c ally , Trelfer thinks that getting ahead in the media is all about having contacts. "I've had about six jobs in the media and they 've all come from people who have recommended me. " Though he does offer some advice:

W

"The first job I got in London, after leaving UEA, over 2000 people applied . Everyone had to send in a CV and I included a Good Luck card saying "Good Luck wading through all the other CVs/ but you might as well just use this one and basically that got me the job.~~ 11

it but t he tutor hated it . I can't remem ber her name, which is annoy ing because I wanted to send her a co py of t he book , but she wou ldn 't have liked it anyway! " Trelfer also concedes that he somet imes misses UEA, but is glad he' s no longer a student. â&#x20AC;˘ After th ree years I was ready to go out and wo rk hard and stuff, so I don't t hi nk I miss student life that much. I think you just get used to a new rhythm and a new way of life , but I sometimes do find myself looking back and thi nking about when I coul d just fall asleep in the afternoon or go and play footbal l or something. " Another thing that Trelfer doesn't miss is the infamous LCR. " My friends used to tel l me it was the only chance I had of pu lling a gi rl."

We move on to disc uss if Tre lfer has any futu re plans. By his answer he's clearly going to be busy for a while . "There 's actually three books that I want to do . The fi rst I can write quite qu ickly and will be about flat sharing in London. Then I want to write a story about my Nan and Grandad who lived in places like Malaysia , Nigeria and the jungle . My Grandad was also in the parachute regiment in the Second World War so there 's lots of

"the first job I got in London , after leaving UEA , over 2000 people applied . Everyone had to send in a CV and I included a Good Luck card saying " Good Luck wadi ng through all the other CVs, but you might as well just use this one " and basically that got me the j ob. So to begin with it really is worth doing something out of the ordinary when applying for a job. Then make contacts and make sure you keep in touch. You need to get in with as many people as you can . n I inqui re whether Trelfer is happy w ith what he has achieved. " I think thi ngs are goi ng very we ll, I have been very lucky. I was lucky coming to UEA and I was lucky with the breaks I got in my career. n But luck isn't al l that Trelfer has got on his side . Something tells me not to rule out the possibi lity that one day Trelfer with trave l back to UEA. But this time as part of its literary festival. â&#x20AC;˘ Vodka With Chocolate Chasers is published by Lollipop Media and can be ordered from bookshops or at www.lollipopmedia.co.uk for ÂŁ5.99

We dnesday, April 24, 2002

the event

11

Moretti's Room

Text: Phil Colvin

• •

As ann· Moretti's Palme d'Or winning The Son/s Room comes to C inema City: The Event looks back on the public ity shy d irector's career to date and ta lks to him about politic s, family tragedy a nd wate r polo. some filmmakers, being referred to as the Italian Woody Alien might be taken as both high praise and an nvitation to start becoming overly self indulgent in future reductions. Not so with Nanni Moretti, the Italian actor and director who has built up a creditable career over 20 years on distinctly low key films. And despite winning the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes for his most recent film, The Son's Room, Moretti shows no sign of changing his style to try and elicit popular approval from cinema audiences. "When I write and make a film , • Moretti explains, "I don't take into account the perceived taste of the audience because I believe that's the best way of respecting the public. • it's a bold claim for any writer or director to make, but coming from unconventional roots of Left wing political activism and sporting achievement (representing Italy at water-polo in 1970) Moretti's approach to writing and directing has always been to use film to, simply, deliver the messages he feels need saying in the way that suits him. And since his first professional film, Ecce Bombo, Moretti has conciliated his personal investment into his work by appearing in each of his films. " In actual fact it was a thing I felt was a very natural choice for me. And I think that the directors to whom I went to ask for work as an assistant director also had that same impression from me because I would say, 'I would really like, if there's a possibility of a small job as an actor, I'd like t o do that as well .'" By getting involved on both sides of the camera, it' s easy to see why the comparisons to Woody Alien keep appearing, although Moretti himself is not entirely convinced by them. "Well, quantitatively it doesn't work because I would never manage to make one film every year. But there may be some similarities in method, in as much as I act in my own films and I talk about my own world in my films.

Unlike Alien, though, Moretti is not afraid to use his work both in front of and behind the camera as a deeply personal form of self-analysis. After appearing in a short series of films in Italy using the same alter-ego he created for Ecce Bombo, Moretti' s first international success came with Dear Diary. Based on fact ,

J

the film related his feelings when he was diagnosed with cancer and told (mistakenly) that he had a year to live, but presented it as a light fantasy . He followed that up with Aprile, which used his early love of water polo to construct a wry satire of the Communist party. Indeed, Moretti is well aware of the thread of political commentary running through most of his work. "People who have seen Aprile !have described it as both my most personal and most political film and its possible that this is true.· Although he adds, "it's the only film of mine where politics is shown directly.•

sional life dealing with other people's pain and suffering, giving him the experience where he has to confront the most terrible tragedy and seeing what would happen then."

Despite its success on the European award circuit, though, The Son's Room still hasn't made Moretti into a household name on the same scale of, say, Roberto Benigni outside of Italy and especially in the US. There it has been compared unfavourably to the year's multi Oscar nominated exploration of family loss, Todd Field's In the Bedroom. A pity, perhaps, since The Son's Room manages successfully to avoid the melodrama and

"The Son's Room is striking because there isn't an attempt on my part to bludgeon the audience with imposed emotion, a response they are expected to feel ." he Son's Room is a step away from the easy going charm of Moretti's earlier work. lt begins in familiar territory, as an easy going psycho-analyst (played, as usual, by the director) manages effortlessly to balance the care of his patients with his seemingly idyllic fami ly life. The tranquillity is shattered, however, when his son is tragically killed: exposing not only the hidden flaws within the family , but also the deeply held self doubt in Moretti's character himself. Many, including the Cannes jury, regard The Son's Room as Moretti's best work to date. For Moretti himself, it marks the cumulation of a writing and planning process dating back to 1995. "The fi rst thing I had in mind w as the desire t o write and play the part of a psychoanalyst.

And possibly an analyst that would be more credible than the ones you see in comic films, and indeed serious ones," Moretti recalls. "it was only at a later stage that I had the idea of bringing in this situation whereby someone who spent their profes-

T

descent into revenge fantasy of Field's fi lm. As Moretti himself puts it, "The Son's Room is striking because there isn't an attempt on my part to bludgeon the audience with imposed emotion, a response they are expected to feel. " Indeed, Moretti seems to enjoy the relative obscurity in which he can reside as he works. Since it is not attention that Moretti craves, merely the desire to continue making the fi lms he wants. He is a man of few complaints. If there is one regret he has, though, it is that at the age of 48 the ability to take part in his favourite sport is now beyond him. "I can't play water polo anymore. it isn't the sort of game you can play like tennis and football where you can run around slightly more slowly if you are not fit. If you are not properly trained in water polo, you just die.• • The Son's Room is playing all this week at Cinema City - see Listings for showing times

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

lE

ev.enJ

13

12 ment at the bitter hands of fellow pop colleagues and the music press at large. While admitt ing that it doesn't upset her she seems quite annoyed at why she has become the target of such animosity. "I think it's a bit rude because it"s not like I'm a model. I don't go forth and say I'm an exquisite specimen of the female race. I'm just a singer; she says.

On a day when she's already completed six interviews, this being the last before she goes off to the studio to record the tr sides for her next single Move This Mountain, Ell is Bextor seems resigned to the fact that she's always going to attract attention of this kind. We talk a week after the latest in a long line of "comedic" attacks on her. Dawn French has chosen to dress up in fifties style garb as a fat version of her for the French and Saunders Easter special. While sardonically remark· ing that "They're obviously still at the cutting edge of British comedy aren't they?" she does see a good side to the constant insults.

"I actually think it's a compliment in a really convoluted way because sometimes if you think people are getting life a bit easy then it' s a natural instinct to want to make them feel a bit small. I don't have any complexes over the way I look.· Her next remark is typical Ellis Bextor, demontrating a confidence which perhaps goes some way to explaining the mini backlash against her since t he heady days of the Spiller number one. "You've got to appreciate that it shows how far I've come really. Every time someone devotes time at their dinner table or on their chat show to talking about you they're actually showing you that you've done really well to get to that stage. I love the fact that I get under people's skin." lt is at t his point that she lets slip the first of many maniacal laughs. it's rather a shock really that this semi-demented, almost dirty laugh should escape out of someone with the skin of a porcelain doll and the public persona of an old-Hollywood grand dame. it's all rather disarming to be perfectly honest.

What's actually far more surprising is how normal Ellis Bextor seems. This may be down to the fact that she's already had an entire morning of providing stock answers to the same old questions; her mum, Victoria Beckham, Spiller etc. but she seems at pains to keep herself out of the celebrity pages. No 3AM Girl exposes for her, she's normal and proud of it.

"I think it's quite good if there are things people don't know about you, " she claims. " My personal life isn't really that interesting. If I was going through a divorce or having a baby then maybe that would be more interesting but at the moment there are no dramas. I don't have a very tabloidy existence and I hope that continues.· She's had the same boyfriend for years but, being someone who obviously holds her cards close to her chest, she refuses to be drawn on any details. All I've managed to decipher is he's a Norwich City Fan. That, for all you Heat-seekers out there, is apparently that. it's no wonder that celebrities complain that they're misrepresented in articles when they completely refuse to open up to you, especially when they proclaim "I'm very bor· ing really," and don't give you anything juicy.

"I enjoy cooking and eating, reading, all the normal stuff really; going to the cinema, seeing my friends. I shy away from celebrity bashes. They aren't very me: she says as if applying for a personal ad. it' s all a bit disappointing really. I like to imagine her sipping cocktails in a bijou little bar in Saint Tropez, not tramping down to her local mutliplex, mates in tow.

The media savvy continues. Her split with theaudience is now wonderfully amicable, despite commenting on a previous occasion that "it was all a bit Spinal Tap, we kept having all these arguments." Now as a solo artist the situation is much more

Knowledge: no. 61

Bruce Springsteen

Who?

Born in the USA (specifically New Jersey) to a blue-collar family in 1949, Bruce Springsteen started playing guitar to Elvis songs on the radio at the age of nine, gave up, restart· ed at 13, and eventually became one of the biggest and most influential musicians of the 1970s and 1980s.

Sounds like quite an achievement. How did it all happen?

With a lot of perseverance. After fronting numerous unsuccessful bands, in the early 1970s Springst een formed the EStreet Band, who he sometimes still peforms with today. In June 1972 Springsteen signed to CBS records and released his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ in January 1973. A second, The Wild, the Innocent and the £-Street Shuffle, was released some eight months later. Though both records received great critical acclaim, they were commercially unsuccessful.

So what happened next?

In 1974, Rolling Stone reporter John Landau went to see

Springsteen in concert and wrote one of the most famous reviews in the history of music. "I saw rock and roll future; said his review, "and its name is Bruce Springsteen."

Springsteen' s third album, Born to Run, was released in 1975 and instantly went top 10.

selling albums of all-time, and led to a stadium tour that lasted over a year. Though that was the peak of his commercial success, his 1995 Greatest Hits album topped charts across the world. That same year he won an Oscar for his song Streets of Philadelphia which he had recorded for the soundtrack to the film Philadelphia.

Text: Adam Chapman

Quite a portfolio. He sounds like a prolific musician.

Sort of. Though his first three albums were released within a two year period, in his 30 year career there have only been a total of 11 studio albums, the last of which, The Ghost of Tom Joad, came out in 1995. Though he writes a lot of songs, he is extremely selective about what he releases, and many compositions never officially see the light of day.

In 1998, however, he issued the box-set, Tracks, a 4 CD collection of previously unreleased material.

So what about the music?

Well, Springsteen is, depending on the era, either folk-rock, acoustic rock or pure rock and roll. Whichever, he has always remained true to his roots, and many of his lyrics are about ordinary people struggling to cope with the hardships of life in America. The River and Atlantic City demonstrate his ability to merge social commentary with poignancy and emotion, and are probably two of the best songs of t he 1980s.

In retrospect ••• /t"s a town full of losers 1 And I 'm pulling out of here to win.

Mischa Pearlman

the event

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

•

• ICe •

aran

His success didn't stop there, did lt?

No, far from it. 1984's Born in the USA is one of the biggest

restling with he I' with Ms Bee 1t 11 a d s e mono

From

eing beautiful is a funny business. Just ask Helen of Troy. Admired and hated in equal measure for her looks, she arguably caused the death of thousands of innocent men in the Trojan wa·. The face that launched a thousand ships (and not in a good way) earned her the cursed title of " Lady of Sorrow" . Admittedly her sluttish ways weren't exactly helpful in this respect but aesthetically pleasing ladies have got a pretty bad rap ever since. All of which is a rather tenuous way of bringing

ecord compan Sop ie Ellis me out n

black and white, "The songwriter (Billy Reeves) left and the rest of us couldn 't really decide what we wanted to do next.

And the record company were being a bit rubbish. They'd. signed myself and Billy but they didn't sign the rest of the band. So when Billy left it was just me that was theaudience so everyone kind of went into survival mode and started gigging with other bands.· She pleaded with the record company to release her from the contract. "I was saying to the record company please just let me go because I don't want to be carrying on a band name, I'd rather be going it alone and not having to stress about what the drummer thinks of the decisions I'm making."

1n s s

us from 500 BCish up to the present day when a woman with an arguably exquisite visage gets likened to a fifty pence piece and is slagged off constantly in a very public way.

This sadly is the curse of Sophie Ell is Bextor, erstwhile frontwoman of indie band theaudience and human dartboard fo r the likes of Robbie "She looks like a sattelite with ears" Williams and his ilk. Except of course, unlike Helen of Troy, Ell is Bextor, as far as we know, isn't a rampant slut with a penchant for playing away from home.

Classical allusions aside, Ellis Bextor is blase about her treat-

hroughout her time with theaudience she had been compared to the likes of Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry and Kirsty McColl, something t hat had prevented her from truly finding an identity of her own. A solo career seemed inevitable. She succeeded in convincing the record company to drop her and, after six months. along came Spiller. "I've been quite fortunate because of the way things have worked out. I'm now with Polydor who are the third record company I've worked with. I signed to them after Groovejet so they went from a standing start so they didn't have an opportunity to sit me

T

\

I

heard Kylie 1 ogu ery good w h lo s otally imag h

1n down. it was more me saying to t hem 'I' ll only sign to you if this is the way it is'. I have majority input. I'm involved in every stage of it."

Ellis Bextor emerged from Groovejet touted by the press as some kind of upper class hero when it turned out that the other posh lady (the fake one) had been making the little kiddies buy her single before she would sign it. She offered class, sophistication and a fine line in slinky dresses, a sharp contrast to the likes of Kylie and Britney.

She finds the idea of some "eighties style boss man" convincing her to shed clothes in order to sell singles hilarious. Cue scary unhinged laugh. "They don't exactly look like they' re being exploited. I've heard Kylie Minogue saying " I just don't look very good with lots of clothes on" and I can totally imagine that. I don't look particularly good in hot pants and little tops.· Aside from the fact that she imagines Kylie without any clothes on, she does show more concern towards those entering the music industry through the Pop Idol route. "I was watching the Pop Idol thing and every time any of the girls had to perform they dressed them like really raunchy stars. I don't think everyone needs to do that. You don't always have to be showing skin."

Despite watching the programme and voting for fellow posh totty Will Young, she is still mildly critical of the process. " I think it's really entertaining, I did watch it, but at the same time it's a bit of a shame to use words like 'idol' and completely diluting their meaning: she says. "You wouldn't expect Mick Jagger to be able to sing Abba just as well as he can sing a Frank Sinatra song. He's an idol in his own way because he does his own thing. it's also a bit sinister the judges being the one's who make all the money, asking the audience who's going to make me the most money. • She' s also critical of how the music industry s:ifles the creative process. " it has a lack of patience. it's not very good at waiting for things to work out. People are given way too short a leash at the moment. I enjoy doing the pop stuff but if you were in a band that weren 't anything to do with that realm you could have an okay first album, an alright second one and then a fantast ic third but the industry might not ever give you that chance. "

In the meantime, though, the music industry seems to be treat· ing her well. She's very excited about t he tour and looking forward to the intimacy of playing in smaller venues. "I just wanted t o do something very simple to make sure I got the music right, to see the people who are coming along to get to know one another and to build up some kind of relationship slowly rather than trying to bombard them with lots of stuff and over· whelming myself with lots of new things. There' s plenty of time for me to do big scale gigs with dancers and light shows. • When asked whether she intends to sing Murder on the Dancefloor at her upcoming UEA gig following the death of a local man at a recent Pam's House the laugh makes a surprising return, albeit tinged with nervousness. "Oh my God that's horrible. Do you think I should sing it? Maybe I won't but that would be a bit bad because that's the one everyone likes.· She goes on to explain how she was told to re-record the single anyway following the events of September 11. "After the September 11 thing I actually recorded an alternative lyric, just in case all those kind of songs got banned and they changed it to 'I heard it on the dancefloor,'" she says. " I think, in general it's just a little bit random. it 's not very well censored. it's also a little bit patronising because it's assuming people can 't deal wit h the dichotomy of something that was done in one way and then the thing moving on. • At this point she gets a call from the driver waiting to take her to the studio. She apparently hates him because he never knows where he's going. Weird laugh again.

So, as Ellis Bextor heads off to her London studio with her geographically challenged driver we are left with the prospect of an edited song from a woman who I suspect is just as normal as she proclaims to be. She knows how to do interviews, albeit in a frustratingly clinical way, so it 's hard to tell whether there is another side to her, whether she is indeed the femme fatale, uber-bitch she is made out to be in her videos, despite the laugh. No Saint Tropez cocktails for her. No Hepburn·style dress· es in her spare time. She shops in Topshop. Asked whether she is happy with her life she answers "yes. · When asked why, she replies simply, "I haven't got any reason to be sad." it's all rather disappointingly sweet .

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

h event

f.

I

~

.

··-

i •

...

14 Albums

Fischerspooner: Fischerspooner are not a band. Fischerspooner are not a dance act. Fischerspooner are an •art performance collective•. This means that while 28 year-old Casey Spooner and 42 year-old Warren Fisc her make up the core of the group, Fischerspooner is really an umbrella hosting various talents, from vocalists, Lizzy Yoder and Cindy Greene, to choreographers, art directors, dancers and make-up artists. What do these people do then, if they're not the ones making the music? They create the Fischerspooner Experience, of course. For, Fischerspooner don't play in your average club, where the air is filled with cigarette smoke and the floor is lined with Red Stripe and Bacardi Breezer; they appear in only the trendiest art galleries. And they don't just play music at their shows, t hey put on an •extravaganza•. When this fact is taken into account, stories of their live shows costing hundreds of thousands of dollars don't seem so preposterous.

Hugely expensive live shows and a fashionable image are all well and good, but what about the music? Does it live up to that most hated and feared of media inventions, the hype?

Well, no. But then, it would be very difficult to live up to the amount of hype generated since the confirmation of their £2 million record deal with Ministry of Sound a few months ago.

But even though #1 fails to warrant the media masturbation currently surrounding it, its electrcrpunk aesthetic remains interesting, sexy and fun virtually throughout all nine tracks.

The sleazy, heavy breathing that opens the record on the first track, Invisible, immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album, leading into a simple keyboard loop that quickly erupts into a synth fuelled, beat ridden, catchy pop song. The first single, Emerge, follows a similar pattern to great effect - starting off with a basic synth riff that grows into a drum machine driven electrcrexplosion. A cover of Wire's The 15th is another highlight, having been transformed into something sounding very much like a homage to the Pet Shop Boys - even the vocals sound like they've been sung by Neil Tennant himself.

However, not all the songs on #1 are entirely successful. Tone Poem, for example, is an attempt at stripped down, minimal electronica, as Spooner's breathy vocals float over a winding bass line. Unfortunately, the song goes nowhere and ends before it seems to have begun. Things pick up a bit with Turn On, whose vampish vocals and slightly dirty lyrics would fit very well in the Rocky Horror Show, and Fucker, which at times sounds like a less aggressive version of Bjork's Pluto in its strong, complicated rhythms. But generally the standard of the second half of album does not hold up to the promise of the first half, as the tracks begin to lose their focus and become more self·indulgent. That said, #1 is a lot more exciting than most of the albums currently in vogue with the media fashionista. So forget the Waterfront, chances are the next most exciting thing to appear in Norwich will be at a Sainsbury Centre near you.

Msrldand Statfcle

71 dJ

The BeiiRays:

Don The Automator:

Pitchshifter:

M eet The Be ll Rays

Wanna Buy A Monkey?

PSI

With a name like the BeiiRays it seems inevitable that sooner or later I'll make hilarious use of the word 'Bell-end', so maybe I should just get it over and done with ... no, actually, you can wait In frothy mouthed expectation until the end.

The Bell Rays sound awful on paper. The press release refers to their music as "Maximum Rock & Soul" and as "taking a nod from MC5, James Brown, Miles Davis and the Who," which sounds like everyone's uncle's pub rock band ever.

However, this is actually pretty loveable stuff. I thought that thanks to Jane McDonald my ears had been forever cautious of any female vocalist save for Fiona Apple, but Usa Kekaula rocks! She sounds more like Robert Plant than Robert Plant does,and the fact that she manages to make herself heard over the fantabulously distorted fuzz-boxed machinations of the rest of the Bell Rays is a fantastic achievement. The album sounds so wonderfully raw and personable it's like you're listening to some magnificent old vinyl that's engulfed in flames as it spins.

This is a work that unarguably belongs to the new revivalist school of artists such as The Hives or Soundtrack Of Our Lives, and as a result, you (or your parents) have heard it all before.

Some might say why not just cut out the middle man and buy a copy of lggy And The Stooges Raw Power from the HMV sale? but although that's a great suggestion, you'd be depriving yourself of some of the sleaziest, sexiest rock and roll you'll hear all year this side of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

The Bell rays have managed to enter the studio and capture "Maximum Rock & Soul" with aggression and volume, and, unlike your Uncle Dave·s dodgy beat combo, didn't have to resort to hour long versions of Mustang Sally along the way.

And for that reason alone, I shall spare them the 'Bell-end' joke...

Matthew Sargeson

Although you may not have heard of Dan Nakamura, AKA Dan The Automator, you've undoubtedly heard his genius. He is arguably the reason why the Gorillaz debut album has done so well; the meeting of hip hop and pop's prodigal sons {Nakamura and Damon Albarn respectively) creating another neat gadget on The Automator's sonic utility belt. Nakamura is a producer and beatsmith second to none, working on one class project after another such as the Handsome Boy Modelling School with Prince Paul, Deltron 3030 with Kid Koala and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and his solo gig Lavage, and creating a vast and impressive roster of collaborators taking in such varied artists as Mike Patton (ex-Faith No More), DJ Shadow, Money Mark and the Beastie Boys' Mike D. This mix album is a collection of prime cuts from Nakamura's own beat locker, and other choice tracks from the some of the best hip hop, break beat and electronic a that The Automator regularly spins in his DJ sets. lt's a rather surprising compilation. Those in the know about Nakamura's back catalogue won't be surprised by the bombastic party tracks he's included here such as Black Rob's Smoothness, the Dilated Peoples' Clockwork and Deltron 3030's Positive Contact. However, it's nice to hear exactly how laid back The Automator likes to get, and after the tour de force chill out hat-trick of an exclusive remix of Air's Le Solei/ Est Pres De Moi, Zero 7's Destiny and Tortoise's Seneca you should be melting out of your headphones. Wanna Buy A Monkey? is a release for all seasons, and the whole package, from its canny track selection to its sensuous song transitions lends a slogan to Nakamura's manifesto uttered here by Masta Ace on Don't Understand; "I don't do white music, I don't do black music, I make rap music, for hip-hop kids. • Matthew Sargeson

PSI. Not pounds per square inch as you may be thinking, but an acronym for Pitch Shlfter Industries. it is departing from the band's previous sounds, and is in the vein of the nu·metal seam recently exposed from the work face of commercial music. PSI follows the path of forerunners across the rickety bridge from nu-metal underground to nu-metal commercial success, such as Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Pitchshifter are amongst bands such as Incubus and 'A'; scrabbling to get across the bridge before it collapses, consigning those not bold enough back to the underground. The majority of the album is similar to the heavier Limp Bizkit tracks from the Chocolate Starfish ... album, and aimed at the audience whom empathise with the angst-ridden lyrics and contorted energetic rhythms - 14 year olds. Even the promotional "defiant, in-your-face· advertising alludes to such. Opening track Stop Talking (So Loud) leads in with a soft intro sequence before inevitably and thankfully breaking into an assault of guitar-<! riven chorus sequence .

Eight Days is a lighter track and set to be the band's first single release. it is a musically uplifting track, though the lyrics make it not to be listened to when feeling slightly down about your exams preparation. Whilst Eight days and the similar sounding Down are the best offerings. there are, as in any album, dregs hiding at the bottom of the musical ba.rrel. The curiously titled Shen-an·doah is one of these, lyrically weak when compared to Eight Days and musically an inferior rehash of the rest of the album's tracks.

Should you like the offerings of Link in Park and their ilk, then PSI should fit quite nicely into that niggling little hole which exists within your collection. When release day comes don your 'Limp Bizkit' hoodie, roll out the skateboard and cruise down to obtain your copy. Sui>-Linkin Park at best.

Matt Bevan

event

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

- - - - - - ---

--~- -- -- -- - ---

~- -

- - -,- - -- - -

Singles 15

Oasis: The Hindu Times Unless you've been locked up in cupboard in Mansfield for the last two months you'll know that Oasis are back with this new single. The latest offering from the 'bruvvers' almost marks a return to their best. However, the band are still immensely popular and produce good three to four minute, punchy guitar records 路 a fact highlighted by their summer shows, the fastest selling ever. Nevertheless, you can't help but feel that Oasis have lost the musical initiative they once had in the mid-90s.

In any case, The Hindu Times is a likeable score for Oasis that will sure enough be hollered with annoying repetition by much of the population throughout the summer, albeit withe voices slightly better than Liam's 'just got out of bed after a heavy night out' whine.

The b-sides to this single are sung by Noel, and are a paradox to the title song. Just Getting Older seems to highlight Noel's frustration at his loyalty to the band for the last 10 years. His tone is similar to his friend and idol, Paul Weller, in his latter days with The Jam. The second b-side, Idler's Dream, is an enchanting piano ballad, the type of tune which, if Oasis are to become cool again, may well be an avenue to reclaiming some of the bewildered fans they left behind after Be Here Now. Dan Hutchlngs

Pulp:

Bad Cover Version

Haven:

'Til The End

Okay, so the music journalists have gone weak at the knees for We Love Life, Pulp's seventh album. You may have bought it too, revelling in their new found lease of life. In fact, you were probably overjoyed at the cleverly worked accompanying video for Bad Cover Version. Time for Pulp to climb back on top of the world, right? Afraid not.

The song sounds like an enigmatic Jarvis Cocker backed by a band never willing to move out of third gear. In fact, this is a song whose verse resembles To The End by Blur 路 but with less charm .

What those excitable young music fans need now is a Pulp with edge and dynamism, circa His n ' Hers. Still, you can sit at home smirking at that video ... and ignoring the forgettable backing track.

Sam Parker

The follow-up single to Say Something proves less sedate in this angst-ridden rock ballad that buskers will be learning faster than you can say ' Radiohead '. Which is appropriate as 'Til The End provides a perfect showcase for frontman Gary Briggs' diploma from the vocal school of Thom Yorke. Don't let that put you off, this is in fact a relatively catchy tune and its evident Radiohead influences are thankfully derived from The Bends era. And with defining lyrics such as 路you bitch about the times ", it really is the perfect music for those sunny spring evenings when you realise you really do belong to the can 't-beasked generation. it's not the most upl ifting single to catapult you into summer, but Haven manage to overcome this because they do it well and it 's accessible even to the most avid Yorkehaters.

Jodie Squires

Hundred Reasons:

Leaves:

Silver

A Gavin Rossdale-sounding Paul Townsend steps up to the plate for lead vocals, relegating full-time frontman Colin Doran to some still quite excellent backing vox on this, Hundred Reason 's second official single. it 's out with the Formula One riffs and anguished leadings of tainted love, and in with time shifts and delicate melodies that even the Get Up Kids would be proud of. They've even got synths for Christ 's sake.

A shimmering and playful delight, Silver probably won 't strike you as an obvious choice for a single, but rather as a fine tune to fawn over at your most heart-broken, and a definite reason to use that Student Loan to buy debut album Ideas Above Our Station and look up the old EPs and singles too while you 're at it. And their B-sides are simply stellar.

Matthew Sargeson

Race

For a band hailing from the land of Bjork , this single is hardly a departure. Within seconds of the track launching into petulant guitar and earnestly insistent drums, it becomes obvious that Leaves are still languishing in that long deserted airport lounge of guitar-driven indie. The continuing experience of the track fares no better; bland lyrics and a vocal that is a sludgy mix of Oasis, Starsailor, and The Verve. The title track , Race, is in fact going nowhere fast; its melancholy wh ine inspires nothing more than deja-va that becomes a distinctly uninvited guest as the single plays forth . With the latest offerings from the Nordic lands issuing forth a icy fresh wave of innovation (see St.Thomas and Sigur Ros). these Icelanders need to repack their musical bag to stand any chance of competing. I'm afraid we've heard it all before.

Emily Knee

LOOKING FOR AN EVENING JOB TO SUBSIDISE STUDENT LIFE? ANGLIAN HOME IMPROVEMENTS COULD BE THE ANSWER. OUR FRIENDLY CITY-CENTRE OFFICE IS ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR EVENING TELEPHONE MARKETING STAFF. WITH FLEXIBLE SHIFTS AND FULL TRAINING, AN HOURLY RATE PLUS A TARGET-RELATED BONUS, THE BETTER YOU GET, THE MORE YOU CAN EARN. WORK AS FEW OR AS MANY SHIFTS PER WEEK AS YOU WOULD LIKE, AND START MAKING SOME BEER MONEY NOW!

Ang!.L~..JJ.2..~

CALL NOW ON 01603 616391 DURING SHIFT TIME FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND AN INTERVIEW, OR LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THE ANSWERPHONE.

Pictures (clockwise from top): 1. Oasis; 2. Pulp; 3. Haven; 4. Hundred Reasons

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

the event

16 Film

The Count of Monte Cristo: Directed by Kevin Reynolds Starring: Jlm Caviesel, Guy Pierce and Richard Harris I''

'路 J

r

l'

'~

.

(

" Nice guys always fi nish last" . With the arrival of The Count of Monte Crista, t hi s seems to be a lesson that Guy Pierce has finally learnt . After his baby faced goody t.wo shoes outing as the lovable Mike in Neighbours, who wou ld have guessed that he would have had the skills to take this fresh-faced ability to the top of Hollywood. After a short desert detour with Pricilla, Guy finally showed up in America with the all too clever LA .

Confidential, and cemented his position with the independent sleeper smash Memento, as an innocent guy misled by circumstance. In The Count of Monte Crista however, our lovable Guy is bad to the bone. As the dastardly (it 's not oft en that this adject ive can be appropriately applied) Fernand Mondego, Count of Morcerf, Pierce jealously packs off his childhood friend Edmond Dante to a prison island simply to get into his friend 's finance 's knickers. How low can you go? Well , despite the layers of incipient intrigue and double cross committed by his character, nothing can match the crimes against celluloid, committed by the fi lm itself. While Pierce is the easily the most watchable character, dueling, killing and shagging his way through post-Napoleon ic French society, it 's very rarely that we get to share more than a few minutes with him. Much to the film's detriment , Pierce is criminally sidelined ; as we are forced to follow the trials and tribulations of Jim Caviesel , on his journey to becoming the eponymous count.

Thi s would be no bad thing if it weren't for the woodenness of Caviesel 's performance . In the first twenty minutes we watch as

event

Wed nesday, April 24, 2002

Caviesel wobbles his way through gun fights and a dodgy meeting w ith Napoleon and the eventua l betrayal of his best friend, Pierce, with only one thought on our minds: how can this man succeed in carrying this film for another hour and a half?

Fortunately , the writers of the film also sensed Caviesel's inability , and he is prompt ly packed off to spend nigh on 15 years in the exclusive company of one of this century 's greatest actors, Richard Harris. The hope being that some of the veteran 's wily skill will rub off on the youngster and the film will be saved. As luck would have it t he gam bl e pays off, for Caviesel at least, who returns to c ivilization a moderate ly more competent actor ready to enact his cold revenge on those he blames for his incarceration. it 's just a shame such intensive one on one counseling couldn 't be secured for the rest of the cast , who are visably still suffering from the shock of their abduction from more contemporary fare. And , the less said about the actress who plays the source of all the trouble , the virginal Mercedes, the better.

Despite being a shade better than most recent Dumas adaptations, The Man in the Iron Mask and The Musketeer, The Count of Monte Crista simply cements this month's status as a period best spent away from the big screen and down the video shop while awaiting the inevitable arrival of the summer blockbusters.

Merek Cooper

f'J

I (

)\Vr.J

(

(

l

If

f'l:)U~ ~

<JI\d

--- ------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Film 17

Scorpion King: Directed by Chuck Russell Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Dwayne Johnson, and tucking Dwayne Johnson

it's not that The Scorpion King is a bad film . Well, I mean, it is a bad film, but honestly, it's not the film 's fault. lt tries so hard. it's like a small child doing a report on caterpillars for Year 4, copying all the best bits out of the encyclopaedia verbatim . lt can be quite fun, actually , to sit there and try and pick out what other films The Scorpion King has directly stolen from. Ooh, look I There's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom! There's Pitch Black! There 's The Sound of Music! In fact, I think I even picked up a bit of Crossroads in there . it 's as if the filmmakers wrote down their favourite scenes from their favourite movies, put the scraps of paper in a hat, and drew them out at random as they were writing the script.

The worst parts, though, are the ones where they try and steal from their own films! But, like an upside-down prostitute, they just manage to screw it up. Instead of the gruesome (and ultimately fairly scary) scarab beetles from the first of this trilogy, the vastly underrated The Mummy, we get the bastardised version of Big Red Ants. Oooh. Scary. Instead of the hilarious John Hannah sidekick in the first two of the trilogy (also, the not so underrated The Mummy Returns), we get a lame sidekick whose delivery can't even get a laugh with the phrase "crab buttocks". Pathetic.

But, then again, this is The Rock's movie, lest we forget. The Rock plays Mathayus the Scorpion King who battles the evil Memnon, at first because he's hired to do it, then later because Memnon kills his brother, then eventually because Memnon treats women badly, and finally for the greater good of the people. Maybe there were more reasons, but honestly, it doesn't really matter why the hero wants to fight someone in a movie like this. Anyway, along the way, Mathayus encounters an annoying Priest, a beautiful Hawaiian Sorceress, an inexplicably placed English scientist, a small child, and a gigantic Nubian named Balthazar. After assembling his "A-Team", Mathayus attacks Memnon's castle.

Which basically means the film is nothing more than a series of fight scenes loosely strung together by dialogue written by a ten-year-old boy. A sample piece of this dialogue: "I have come

for the girl, and for your head." "But you shall not get either!"

Shakespeare this ain't. To his credit , The Rock manages to handle himself very well throughout the film. He's not given much to say, but boy, can he flex his biceps. The Rock belongs to another age of true heroes- namely, the 80s. He is Arnold's lack of speech , Sly's brute force and Bruce's charm all rolled into one big bag of testosterone, and he is fun to watch on screen . However much charisma The Rock might have, though, he cannot save the film from drowning in its own cliches. A film is only as good as its worst appropriation - and The Scorpion King steals from so many bad films, it's impossible to say what that one is.

Paul Booth

2/10

About A Boy: ·Directed by Chris Weitz. Paul Weitz Starring: Hugh Grant, Toni Collette. Rachel Weisz

itself as something of a contemporary Graduate. While it will no doubt be described 'on the street' as an exact cross between Bridget Jones and High Fidelity it probably owes more to Wes Anderson's brand of sardonic dram-edy, (that's drama plus comedy, by the way) .

As commitment-phobe Will, Hugh Grant delivers, by a mile, his finest performance to date. At turns both achingly self-deprecating and then supremely arrogant. He is always funny and refreshingly free from saccharine. And if he's not exactly a believable creature, well that's probably the point. Alas, such glowing reviews cannot be uttered for Nicholas Hoult as the pivotal character of M arcus, the little lad who tames Will 's !etching ways. He is only a child actor so one should not be too harsh on him but try as he might he's unable to fully exploit the emotional range required for such a complex role. Nevertheless, he's good enough and the fact that he's joined by a uniformly excellent cast , just about makes amends. Toni Colette proves again what a chameleon she is (only in acting terms, not in any sort of lizard sense) as Marcus' deeply unhappy mother and Rachel Weisz lends enough ethereal charm to fill out a pretty one-dimensional role. Look out for Alisair, Weisz's son, though , as he damn near steals the film as a boy who is just the wrong side of protective when it comes to his mother.

A traditional yet modern film , a comedy yet a drama, a film about adults yet also about childhood .

Alex MacGregor

The erstwhile helmers of American Pie, Chris and Paul Weitz direct this movie (the first erm, slice, that is. They kindly declined the sequel in favour of this project) . Not that anyone would know this from the marketing blitz that has preceded the movie. From the producers of Bridget Jones ' Diary we are told, from the makers of Meet the Parents the posters proudly proclaims. But not the slightest whiff of a 'from the chefs who baked you American Pie' tagline. This is understandable if not both deft and cunning. This film wants us to believe it 's a sophisticated grown up affair and, whisper it gently, actually it is. The irony is of course, that while everyone will chat about Hugh Grant, the reason for About A Boy's undeniable success is the directing the two Weitz brothers. First of all they resisted any temptation to relocate this across the Atlantic where surely George Clooney would have been standing with a copy of High Fidelity in one hand and a small boy attached to the other (for research purposes only, of course) . Secondly, they hired Badly Drawn Boy to write and perform the music used in the film .

Those of you like me, who think that Damon Gough is something of a hapless chancer, be prepared to eat his sweat encrusted head rag, because he's turned in a bravura cavalcade of lilting modern folk tunes that set the tone for this film as well as Simon and Garfunkel did for The Graduate (and they only wrote one original song for that film) . In fact, the film pitches

8/10

•• ~ prolet property services NOW OFFERS QUALITY STUDENT ACCOMMODATION FOR 2002/2003 2·6 BEDROOM HOUSES • ALL AREAS

Call us now on 763363 or visit us at www.prolet.co.uk

Video/DVD

The Man Who Wasn't There: Directed by Joel Coen Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini

Small town barber blackmails his wife's boss to raise money for dry clea ning seam. Must be the latest Coen Brothers film.

If you admire luscious black and white photography, have a macabre sense of humour, enjoy film noir or have any interest at all in current cinema, you should watch the Coen Brothers' latest and perhaps greatest effort. Billy Bob Thornton, whose craggy maze of a face is absorbed by the camera with an almost erotic yearning, holds the film together. His character is a standard noir protagonist; he breathes a laconic voiceover, inhales packets of cigarettes in minutes and is on a chaotic road involving a liberal sprinkling of guns and dames. However, where he differs from your average anti-hero is in his choice of vocation.

Ed, you see, is a simple smallsville barber.

The plot rapidly spirals into an amazingly complex and inventive play of lust, law and money, all tied up by the sinister development of dry cleaning . Any further attempts to explain the story would do injustice to the chaotic twists that inhabit this Chinese box of film. As with all of the Coen Brother's films it seems as if the script was written with multifarious set pieces planned out and then tautly tied into a sprawling story of an inglorious hero.

The cast is vast and colourful. Apart from Thornton, Tony Shaloub stands out as a fast talking lawyer whose lengthy monologues at Thornton cannot help but reduce the viewer to a state of gibbering hysteria. His examination of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is so funny it will probably be regarded as one of the greater moments of comic American cinema, immortalised in those annoying compilation lists that summarise The Greatest Scenes of All Time.

James Gandolfini is accomplished in his portrayal of a guilt ridden but boorish tough guy. However, given his lengthy practice of this in The Sopranos, it no great feat on his part. Frances McDormand is an effective foil to Thornton, playing femme fatale but really being a bored wife of a barber and a victim of circumstance. Michael Badalucco also impresses as Thornton's emotional and overly talkative brother in law.

The imagery of this film cannot be faulted. Roger Deakins, a veteran cinematographer, who has worked on many of the Coens' films, has produced a sumptuous noir homage. Some critics have even perversely faulted the film for looking too good, arguing that in classic film noir the cleverness of the cinematography is allowed to seep into the background . There is a not a moment in this film where the audience is not made to

marvel at the power of shadows and smoke.

Fans of the Coens' more slapstick films may be disappointed, though there is still the usual zesty visual surrealism. Rather than losing their sense of fun, they have addressed elements of their style that could be faulted as puerile. Joel Coen is one of the few directors in Hollywood today who has not made a bad

The 51st State:

film. Therefore the 2003 release of Intolerable Cruelty, their next film, is surely not soon enough for our beleaguered cinema screens that display whatever dross is put on them.

Toby Lewis

9/10

Directed by Ronny Vu Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle and Emily Mortimer

Samuel L. Jackson wanders around Merseyside in a kilt beating up people w ith golf c lubs. 'Trust me,' said the writer as he pitched it: 'It'll look great!'

There really isn't anyone in the world quite like Samuel L. Jackson. Who else could play precisely the same wise cracking, ass whuppin' characte r in about half a dozen films and still remain both a creditable performer and one of the coolest men on the planet? You see, whereas Arnie , Sly Stallone and the like make a career out of this sort of thing and become ridiculed for all eternity, Jackson has proved in A Time to Kill, 187 and Unbreakable that he is actually a damn fine actor. So he can get away with all sorts of shocking cinematic crimes including The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea and now comic Brit gangster flick, The 51st State.

Jackson plays Elmo McEiroy , a kilt-wearing, golf-obsessed illegal chemist who arrives in Liverpool to clinch a twenty million dollar drugs deal with local baron Ricky Tomlinson .

Unfortunately , his old Stateside boss, Meatloaf, has sent costume drama queen ... sorry ... professional hit woman, Emily Mortimer after him. Teaming up with Yank-hating small-time crook Robert Carlyle, Jackson must seal the deal before anyone kills him, steals his secret formula or asks him to do his Shaft impression.

Whilst 51st State pretends to be a British film , what it actually is is the latest attempt at creating a Brit gangster flick to rival American blockbusters at the US box office. it's Snatch mark 2, with Liverpool standing in for London, various fine British actors (and Rhys Ifans) wasted as thuggish yobs and, once again , the appearence of those 'freeze-frame/sub-titled' character introductions which I 'm getting as sick of writing about as I am of seeing. And as usual , there's a deluge of fights, murders and

event

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

car chases galore tailored for those in the audience with low attention spans. Hong Kong director, Ronny Yu, manages to give the film the stylised, professional look that amateurs like Guy Ritchie can only have wet dreams about. However, the intent was, rather obviously, to endow the whole thing with a John Woo style tongue in cheek quality. And at this, Wu fails miserably by deciding to play the action scenes entirely seriously and saving the humour for the dialogue. Which is a pity, as the chatte r between Jackson and practically everyone else, especially Carlyle , sparkles. lt gives the film a very odd sense of inertia: grinding into action whenever Jackson starts talking and then promptly slowing down whenever the action starts up again. Yu also manages to shoot himself in the foot in spectacular fashion come the film's final scene when, playing on the joke that nobody knows why Jack son has gone through the whole movie wearing a kilt, he inserts a scene in which we find out exactly why Jackson spent the entire film wearing a kilt.

That , coupled with the sight of Jackson 's backside, is more than enough to reinforce that age old idiom: less really is more.

Unsurprisingly , the person who comes out best of all is Jack son.

Who, having had an all expenses paid trip to England to say some witty dialogue and look good in a kilt , is free to wander into the sunset with career and dignity (just about) intact. And then into next month's Star Wars: Episode If to tell Christopher Lee in his best Shaft voice that "This party's over." Now that 's showmanship.

Phi/ Colvin

4/10

TV/Radio 19 .

Essential Soaps:

Phew, if last weeks EastEnders trial didn't have you jumping up and down on the sofa proclaiming 'I Fucking Love EastEnders' then there must be something very, very wrong with you indeed, and as I am yet to obtain details of Me's fate , despite desperate pleas to the BBC, we'll have to make do with the return of uber-blonde Sharon. Angle is dead, yes Angle, remember her? Used to be landlady of the Vie, in the good old days of Wicksy and Dirty Den, well she 's officially pushing up the daisies now, and in true Walford style her death re-spawns the running Peggy/Phii/Sharon saga that has repulsed us for months. I don't care that Angle is dead, she left EastEnders in the most shocking of exits and left viewers gasping for more, a short-term renewal of her contract, like a Christmas/Spain special might have endeared her to me but it's too late now. I suggest Sharon stick herself with her densely applied lipgloss to Peggy 's face whilst simultaneously

sucking blood from her craggy neck, in the graveyard like in Buffy. Just an idea. Meanwhile across the Square an excavation of Time Team proportions is taking place in Marks rubbled plot, alas no series' of small Roman walls, but plenty of freaky baby paraphernalia and weird poetry. In short, Tony Robinson's wet dream. Janine's psycho boyfriend Matt is missing in action, and despite my cries of 'He's going to cut you up, he's going to cut you up and leave you in a dumpster' she actually finds herself concerned for the pasty-faced freak (soon to become the pasty-faced fiance), maybe if he wanted to satisfy Janine completely he could don a pork pie hat and refer to her as Treacle, all she wants is a father figure after all. Oh, and Sonia's up the duff again, thought you might like to know.

Hollyoaks has seen more than it's share of myopic blonde bimbos in it's time, but none compare to the denseness evil of Becca who well and truly places her foot in it with Anna over

the vampire-esque LoveGod Alex . Posh lzzy's even posher mother takes a shine to Tony, who's rather stupid but predictable response is to fall in love with her daughter. And so begins one of those soap love triangles that we have grown to know and love. Thee loses his hippy shop and takes refuge in the Hunter's caravan; maybe he could travel Britain selling his crappy ethnic goods.

Poor old Flick, it can't be fun to find out that the man of your dreams Is, in fact , your sister's boyfriend, if I were her I wouldn't even go there but it's hard to imagine Holly 'Kiss Kiss' Valance giving up that quickly. Poor old Drew is just working way too hard, recently, so watch out for his imminent wig-out later this week when he espies his neighbour dealing dr\lgs.

Oh, and Maggie and Toadie find a way of working together beautifully, I very much doubt that is the case.

Gemma 0 Oonne/1

Essential TV 01: )erm Band1ts Channel 4 Friday April 26 11.05pm Ever had a one-night stand without considering the consequences? Dotun Adebayo did with a woman on a ferry to Sweden. At the time the lady in question told him she was on the pill, but a phone call from her a few weeks later told him that she was pregnant and would never hear from her again. He never did. Dotun is now 40, and a successful journalist and broadcaster, happily married with two children . But after 20 years of sleepless n1ghts, Dotun is ready to find the answers to his many questions. Did that woman use him to have a child?

And if so, when can he expect to get a knock on the door?

"More and more I'm discovering cases where men claim to have become fathers not because they chose to, or even because of an accident, but because they trusted women who were taking precautions. " This documentary examines a topic

that is all too relevant in today's society, but a topic that is often difficult to approach with an open mind. "Doesn't a man have the right to choose how and when he becomes a father? " Dotun argues that he was the victim of 'sperm theft '. He is sick of being made to feel he did something wrong . Rather, he argues, his only error was to trust a woman 's word. In Dotun 's view , having a sexual relationship doesn 't mean consenting to fatherhood. An authored documentary, shot partly as drama, Sperm Bandit's is Dotun's personal take on the subject. He examines the current law on father's rights and speaks with friends, a legal academic and a government minister- arguing that in the new era of pregnancy on demand , the imbalance between men and women 's rights needs to be addressed - and soon.

Zac Wa/sh

Meet The livewire DJs: Ibiza Reminiscence : Andrew Fuller

Fridays 8-l Opm

You're show Is called Ibiza Reminiscence, Is that a reflection on your music?

Yeah, I went to Ibiza last summer and I absolutely loved it , 1t's very different to Norwrch! They play a lot of House music out there in the clubs, as well as trance, which is what I'm really into.

So Is there anywhere In Norwich where you hear music like Ibiza?

I really enjoy going to Pam 's House when they come here , but other than that there 's not that much. I guess that 's why I got mto DJ ing, so I could listen to my music and make a difference on the House scene at UEA .

Where else do you DJ other than Uvewlre?

I DJ at the few House nights there are in the Hive , and in the

Prince of Wales Pub three nights a week . I managed to talk my way into that one! I'm always looking for new places to DJ. Where did you start Djlng?

I actually started in mobile discos. I did those for about six years and then moved on to playing in clubs and on our student radio station at school. I love the atmosphere when you 've got a good crowd who appreciate the music . I'd like to be as good as Judge Jules one day.

So what's your best and worst tracks?

My favourite track at the moment is Cookie Dough Dynamo by Richard F. I really hate all the manufactured bands, like Here'say and Westlife. I know that lots of people think House music all sounds the same but it doesn 't . There is a lot of skill to it.

Complied by Mo Grills

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

the event

-~-

.

- ----

- ---

~--

~--- --....---

- - ---~

-

------------

-------~--~

20 Arts

Theatre Review: Little Shop Of Horrors LCR The LCR may not look like the most aesthetic of venues to host a musical, but it turned out to be the perfect spot for the dilapidated Mushnik's Skid Row Florists and its lowlife inhabitants . Directed by Ned Glazier, this all-singing, all-dancing, man-eating spectacular is one of the best performances UEA has put on in a long time. The fact that it was so popular they added a extra performance, only goes to show that old musicals really are the best, and Little Shop of Horrors ranks among the highest on the list. The story tells of Seymour Krelborn, the epitome of loser, who is infatuated with his short-skirted, but kind-hearted eo-worker, Audrey. That is until he discovers Audrey 11, the plant that has a taste for blood, and a little bit more. Next thing, Seymour has got the girl, fed her sadistic ex boyfriend to the plant and is fast becoming the most famous florist in America. The film version is now a cult classic , starring Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray as the dentist 's patient who likes to feel the pain. With a strong cast and equally strong orchestra, the musical kept up a steady pace during the whole performance, with no one making any noticeable mistakes. Some moments were especially funny, including the Dentist's Song, performed l)Uperbly by Keith Hatton. Helen Cleather and Matthew Archambault were also highly convincing as Seymour's love interest and his money-obsessed adopted dad. Archambault's accent was particularly impressive, nailing the Jewish Manhattan twang. Think Barbara Streissland with a moustache _ The best scenes, though, were those between Seymour, played by the cheek-dimpled and goofy-dressed Chris Dunlop, and Audrey 11, with Astrid Goldsmith as the puppeteer and Sam Bawden as the voice. Hiring the proper plants really paid off, especially when several members of the cast met an untimely death, and a choice arm was sucked up like a piece of spaghetti. Bawden and Goldsmith worked well together, synchronising the speaking and the lip-movements skilfully, though one has to feel for Goldsmith's arms the next day, as the final Audrey plant was well over six foot. Credit should also be given to Bawden's voice, which captured the Audrey 11 in the film perfectly. The words "Feed me " will never mean the same thing again_ Overall the night was just one long party, with the programmes even coming with their own little monster leaf. There was one fault with the performance, though and that's the name of the pianist, Charlotte Roland. Just a bit too similar, me thinks ...

Charlotte Rona/ds

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN SALES AND MARKETING Are you a competitive and highly self motivated team player, looking to progress as quickly as your talents and personality will let you?

If you answered Yes to this question, then a graduate career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car could be just what you are looking for. We are looking to recruit highly energetic, sales orientated individuals who are willing to work hard, and have the same commitment to customer service that Enterprise has established over the years. We are looking for the Managers of our future. We offer a fast track into Management working for a privately held, multi-billion pound corporation; our need is to find individuals capable of continuing our phenomenal growth in the UK, repeating the success stories of North America and Canada. Your job will be to learn all aspects of our business from the ground floor up, dealing with all functions of running your own small business in the decentralised structure we operate. One of the great things about Enterprise is that its up to you how quickly you get to the top_

If you are a graduate, who thinks they can make the most of these opportunities, please send your CV with a covering letter to: Miss ]oss Rutherford, Enterprise Rent-A-Ca1; HR Dept U71, Beech wood House, Depot Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 OAL. Email jrutherford@eraccom

Recruiting for locations across the East England area. www. erac corn.

ÂŽ

e ÂĽ! ;u;u

~]Q

t--q

r ent-a-car

We are an equal opportunity employer.

Arts 21

Theatre Review:

Theatre Review:

Midsummer Night's Dream

The Unexpected Guest

William Shakespeare Theatre Royal

Agatha Christie Maddermarket Theatre

As we all should know by now, having analysed the play to death at SAT level, then GCSE and then most likely at A-level as well, Midsummer Night 's Dream revolves around the tale of Bottom, a bumbling weaver, and his band of Rude Mechanicals, who decide to put on a play. A parallel storyline follows a lovetriangle of the most complicated kind, and yet another takes us to the magical world of Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the fairies. The confusion starts when Bottom falls asleep, wakes up with a donkey's head and is then pursued by Titania, a woman who just loves men in touch with their bestial side.

Innovation is the underlyi ng concept for this particular adaptation of the play, but unfortunately this direction is founded upon pretension and very little in the way of substance. Much is praiseworthy of the set, a monochrome cocktail indebted to the Art Deco style of the 1930s, with an array of curtains and a moveable stage that is beautiful in its simplicity, representing both the forest and Ducal court of Athens. Yet the constant movement and t he reliance upon the visual, by both the actors and the set, becomes too disjointed and ti resome for the length of this play. Concepts, including dance and strobe lighting, had the tendency to take prominence and seem less innovative than passe.

An alarming feature of Richard Jones' direction, whose previous credits include Too Clever by Half, is the inconsistency of the acting. Strength is provided by many of the experienced members of the cast, both Darrell D'Silva as Bottom and Tim McMullan as Oberon suitably imposing themselves, but, with the exemption of Dominic Cooper as an ever graceful Puck, the remainder are extremely weak. The quartet of young lovers fails to create a sense of individuality and coalesce into a realm of vacuity .

Such youthful inexperience betrays the inner meanings of the verse as eloquence is replaced by haste and the mind of the audience strays from the centre of action; many of the intricate scenes are lost amid a wave of screams and movement that is reminiscent of Carthage rather than Athens. Relief is provided by the play within a play, the interchange of the troupe of Athenian guildsmen provides a level of depth and humour that is lacking for much of this performance.

The play, for all its faults, is entertaining but perhaps rather too nauseatingly the slave of Innovation to impress and enhance upon Shakespeare's work. Unfortunately much more should be expected of an RSC production and one finds that through the mists of technique this play is not so much esoteric but underwhelming. lames Brown

Theatre Review:

Present Art istic Director, Clare Goddard, brings Christie's work to life for the first time in this venue 's history. Unfortunately it is this small fact which possibly marks the most original characteristic from this appallingly insipid murder mystery . The Unexpected Guest contains all the elemental staples that ensure bums remain firmly fixed on seats rather than jaws dropping from mouths. Whether it is the innate predictability of the plot or the mind-numbingly 'tiresome' dialogue that wrestles any form of quality from this work, one is not so sure; but the wise owl of Minerva gently watches and remains unimpressed.

The play opens as a man, whose car has broken down, stops at a nearby house for help, only to find a dead man inside and his widow standing next to him with a gun. Rather than moving very swiftly out of the house and to the nearest police station, the man listens to the woman's story of sustained abuse and torment from her husband, and he decides to help her, manufacturing evidence to point the police to a different suspect.

Things take a different turn, however, when other members of the household arrive on stage; several harbouring their own reasons for seeing their cruel master dead.

Although the flaws of the script are not the fault of the director it remains that Goddard fails to deliver anything other th an a workmanlike performance from her troupe of ac t ors and is t hus unable to create a sense of dynamism on stage. The characters, despite an overlong establishing scene, move like empty vassals betraying any sense of personal identification or history .

As the play begins one is instantly confounded by the 'anachronistic' feel to the performance, the characters, which remain incredibly static, pay a romanticised homage to Bourgeois ideological precepts that become distasteful as the play progresses. One feels incredibly sorry for the facial muscles of the performers once this run has finished as the level and intensity of scowls must have been somewhat burdensome for even the most polished of amateur actors. Special praise must be addressed to Etta Geras, who played Miss Bennett, for maintaining an erect nipple for most of the first half without any noticeable effects of chaffing or pain.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to place this work within the same timeframe that ushered in the era of 'kitchen-sink ' drama, the theatre of the 'absurd' work, the 'new-wave' of French cinema and the existentialist introspection of lngmar Bergmann. Such work, including Waiting for Godot, Look Back In Anger, A Bout de Souffle and Wild Strawberries, have aged slightly better and lames Brown remain somewhat fresh in comparison.

Get out of the city

Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World Louis De Bernieres

canoe cycle kite relax sail walk windsurf

Bed Jim Cartwright UEA Drama Studio In these two superbly British works, we are offered the ingredients to the perfect play on a plate as if to say 'bake this and make a damn fine theatre cake.' Louis de Bernieres' stunning Sunday ... was originally written for radio , although with the rhythmic and often aesthetically voluptuous direction by Jon Hyde, makes an excellent stage play . The set is adorned with redbrick walls, graffiti and a subway entrance, and lit up with animated, almost manic faces, which blend with the sublime characterisation that puts Albarn's Parklife-style creations to shame. And that is exactly what we have: a caricatured version of London life. Amongst others, we meet Thrombotic Bert and Emphysemic Eric, who sit taking drags on cigarettes and oxygen masks, and Lavendar Rinse Ethel who lectures passers by before trying to give them a big sloppy kiss. The commun1ty is full of gossip and life, and almost like Eastenders- the cartoon would be, but a bag load funnier. We are told that it 'weren't like that in their day路, in the 路world of sodden coal and dented hopes," and are assured, "there wasn 't no violence during the war!"

If you enjoyed De Bernieres' Captain Corelli's Mandolin you are sure to love this, with the same brew of comedy and humanist

commentary . We see the living and the dead communing with the audience all presented by the Iively narrators, who bring the play to its full potential , adding a full flavour to these caricatured creations.

Cartwright's effort is similarly impressive and funny, and shares similar themes of love , memory and community. Bed shares the same animated acting and side splitting performances. The set is fantastic, with characters all inhabiting the same humongous bed and two towers of chairs and cupboards framing them in the action. These touches are not merely for decoration however, with every piece of scenery coming alive in the action as the dreamy, sleepwalking characters explore their own sub-consciousness to try to comprehend their conscious selves. Heavy symbolism is present throughout, as are wild tempestuous reveries , passionate soliloquies and true moments of tenderness that make you want to pour out those familiar words of "Awww , cute!路 Cartwright balances personal tragedy w1th surreal Python-esque humour, and although one often feels the moments of hyper-tension are a tad too lengthy, you will leave the theatre lit up like a quaint little bedside lamp.

Ed Purkls

on the beautiful north Norfolk coast Don't forget the great pubs!

Hostel

& Camping

Tel: 01485 210256 www.deepdalefarm.co.uk Wednesday, April 24, 2002

he event

--- -- - ---- -

-

· - -----·· ---- ·-· -- ---- --· ----- ~-----------------

...

~-----~------~~~--------

22 •

•

•

I Film: Campus All films start at 8.30 pm and are shown in Lecture Theatre One Black Hawk Down Thursday April 25 Shallow Hal Friday April 26 Groundhog Day Thursday May 2 Spy Game Friday May 3

• •

I Behind the Sun Cinema City 23104 2.30, 5.45, 241 04 5.45, 251 04 5.45 Bend it like Beckham UCI All Week Ster Century All Week Beautiful Mind UCI all week Cinema City 1105 8.45, 2105 2.30, 8.45 Blade 2 UCI All Week Ster Century All Week Crossroads UCI All Week Ster Century All Week

ET

Millholland C1nema City 31 05, 3.30, 41 05 5.30, 61 05 3.30 , 71 05 8.15, 81 05 8.15 Oceans Eleven Ster Century All Week Peter Pan : return to Neverland Ster Century Weekend Only Queen of the Damned UCI All Week Ster Century All Week Scorpian King UCI All Week Ster Century All Week The Count of Monte Cristo UCI All Week Ster Century All Week

Music: Gigs Wednesdays Culture Waterfront May 1 £10

Thursdays Capdown + The Tone Waterfront May 2 £5

UCI All Week

City About a Boy UCI all week from Fri 26 Ster Century all week from Fri 26 Ali G lndahouse UCI all week Ster Century all week

Gosford Park UCI Fri, Sat , Mon, Tue. Wed Ice Age Ster Century All Week Iris Cinema City 41 05 2.30, 31 05, 7.30 71 05 2.30 K PAX Ster Century All Week

The Fast Runner Cinema City 11 05 8.45, 21 05 , 5.30 The One Ster Century Fri Sat Mon Tue Wed

24 Hour Party People UCI All Week The Son 's Room Cinema City 23104 8.15.

24104 8 .15, 251 04 2.30, 8.15

139-141 KING STREET. NORWICH 01603 632717 tOUR UNION'S CLUB IN lHE CIU

Pinhole + Benn ' s Little Rebellion + Evader Norwich Arts Centre April 25 £4.501 £5

Fridays Sophie Ellis Bexto r LCR April 26 Sold Out Sout hpaw + Dollar Hit + Fall Down Laughing + Crone Waterfront April 26 £5

Saturdays

lUES AP 2 FRI APRIL 26 WED MAY 01 HURS MA't 02 SUN MAY 05 lU ES MA't 07 -EOMAY 08 HURSMA't 09 SUN MA't 1Z MON MA't 13 FRIMAV17 MON MA't 20 SUN MA't 26 lUES MAY 28 THURS MA't 30

Culture reggae Capdown :t- the Tone Mostly Aut Hundred Sneaker Levelle Gunz 'n' Ro Royksopp electronic& Rawkus Live Pt V Spunge All about Eve Average white band Jazzanova DJs

Tickets available in Nor wich from : Waterfront, UEA Union, Soundclash, HMV · For credit card bookings t el: 01.603 50-80-50 · All prices are advance only (alw ays more on the door) and may be subject to a booking fee · Doors open 7.30 -1.1.pm (expect Sundays at Waterfront 7 - 1.0.30pm) unless otherwise stated · All gig s have an over 14s pol icy unless otherwise stated

Skitz & Rodney P + Big P + Skeme + The Extremists Norwich Arts Centre May 4 £6

Sundays Gomez UEA April 28 Sold Out

Meltin' Pot The Alibi Jazz, funk and soul Jitterbug I Jam Po Na Na Funky drum'n'bass 1 house Free b4 10pm, £2 after Flockin' Sheep Ikon Charts and Cheese £2 b4 11pm

Thursdays Isotonic Kafe Da Progressive trance and house Free Spank Time House £1 b4 llpm (NUS) Bassment Bar Metro R'n'B and hip hop Twisted Skunk 1 Bottom Heavy Po Na Na Discofide Breakbeat 1 funky breaks and beats and Latin grooves.

Free b4 10pm. £2 after.

The LCR disco LCR (duh) £3 Charty Handbaggy The Loft Gay night DJs Bedfords Crypt Deep tech tribal house Free entry

Fridays

Club Retro feat. Tony Blackburn March 8 LCR £tbc

Tuesdays

Delirium The Concept House, garage and R n' B.

Hundred Reasons Waterfront May 7 £8

Clubs

Meltdown The Waterfront lndie

£41£3 Status The Concept Chart and retro £3 b4 11pm, £3.50 after Refresh Ikon £5 b4 11pm Saturday Rewind Bar Metro Chart , dance, garage Butter Me Up 1 Underdog Po Na Na Funky house 1 jazz beats £3 after 9pm

Sundays Sunday Service Manhattans £2.50

Mondays Flockin ' Sheep Ikon Charts and commercial danc e £2 b4 11pm Play Po Na Na Disco, funk Free

Tuesdays Funk Friction Owens cafe Bar life Time Commercial dance £1 (NUS)

Garage Nation March 1 LCR £9.50

Doves UEA May 5 £10.50

Supergrass UEA May 7 £15

Saturdays

Hot Ikon Pop and commerical dance £4 b4 11pm Marvel 1 Gas Station The Loft Hip hop, funk £ 3 b4 11pm, £4 after.

Elegance Bar Metro

Wednesdays

R n· B

Superfly Bar Metro Funk and hip-hop £3

Parkside Po Na Na House Free b4 9pm , £3 after.

Arts: Quaint Honours

by Roger Gellert Controversial play about homosexuality in publis sc hools UEA Drama Studio April 25 , 26 £7 1£3 .50 Godspell Theatre Royal April 29 - May 4 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

by Tom St oppard Theatre Royal May 7 · May 11 Norfolk and Norwich Fest ival Various Venues M ay 1 - May 12

.------------------------------------"-"!"----------------- --~---

23 -~

Do you have an upcoming event, club night or gig you want advertsied in Listings?

1

Simply email us at su.concrete@uea.ac.uk to get it in event

ABCTaxis All Star Taxis Beeline Taxis Bettacar Taxis Five Star Taxis Loyal Taxis

01603 01603 01603 01603 01603 01603

666333 744444 767676 747474 455555 619619

Canary Cue Club Cinema City Ikon Uquid Maddermarket Theatre Mojo's Lock Stock Norwich Arts Centre Norwich Playhouse Po No No's Ster Century Theatre Royal The Loft The Waterfront Tourist Information Time UEA Studio UCI UEA Union Ents

01603 627478 01603 622047 01603 621541 01603 611113 01603 620917 01603 622533 01603 629060 01603 660352 01603 598598 01603 619961 01603 221900 01603 630000 01603 623559 01603 632717 01603 666071 0870 6078463 01603 592272 0870 0102030 01603 508050

Livewire Schedule: Monday: 8-10am: TBA 10-11am: Dairy Display 11am-12pm: Cheese with Mo 12-1pm: Kieran's Show 2-3pm: Frontier Psychiatry 4-5pm: At Large.,, ~pm: Failed attemps at humour

Tuesday: 8-10am: TBA 10-11am: The Narch Buffet 11am-12pm: Natter and lndie 12-1pm: Magical Mystery 1-2pm: Retro and comedy 2-3pm: Choose or diel 3-4pm: The people's choice 4-5pm: Back to basics

Wednesday: 8-9am: Funkadelic 9-10am: Hip hop and breaks 10-11am: Musical excursions 11am-12pm: Chat and choons 12-1pm: Milk and cookies 1-2pm: American lndie 2-3pm: Ben and Jonny" 3-4pm: Afternoon frivolity 4-5pm: Illegally Blonde

Thursday: 8-9am: Far from home ...

9-10am: Music and comedy 10am-12pm: TBA

12~1pm:

1-2pm: 2-3pm: 3-4pm: 4-5pm:

Eight foot pigeon lndie and humour Vanishing Point lndie/Hip Hop/R&B Mental Institute

Friday: 8-9am: Far from home 9-10am: Music and comedy 10-11am: The hangover cure 11am-12pm: Chilled out toons 12-1pm: The Love Boat 1-2pm: Non-stop cheese 2-3pm: The Untitled Show 3-4pm: Punk/Rock/Ska 4-5pm: Random wibble

Saturday: 9-11am: The Radio 11am-12pm: Dancing Round ...

12-1pm: lndie/Aiternative 1-2pm: Right Hand of Jam 2-3pm: Ad Hoc Comedy 3-4pm: The Groove Bus 4-5pm: Disco and lndie

Sunday: 9-10am: Norfolk 'n' Good 10am-11am: Cunning musical 11am-12pm: Good to you 12-1pm: 60s and 70s 1-2pm: Sunday Review 2-3pm: News and Current Affairs 3-4pm : Not Simon Mayo

·ith m re etro eo e than Austin Po er· ches hai , ·r V e oo Y babY, ye h! nd ith over 141 mi ·on c n o ar nd the wor everY year, ir even mo e o i!ht fter than hi mojo! , wit the 200e ea , PA has a Mini e of it verY o n - Perfect for mea for one!

With ore meat than the averaee au aee. it' PA ADELIC'" ma !

P

Do I ma e you hunery ba Y? Do I? Co if o, rve eot a little omethine tor you down be w.

Oh behave~ Yeah baby. YEAH!!! ngredie

Serv s 4 Preparation: I 0 minutes Coo <ing: I 5 - 20 minut

s bod Add

225g!8oz P e Pasta 225g/8oz Broccoli Aor s. fresh or froz:.en 50gl2oz Butter 3 Med Leek , teed 60 4 tbsp Plam F our 600m/l

Mtlk

SmJ/ I sp gli M tard I 00g/4oz Cheddar Cheese. gra: ed I x 340g c SPAM'. Chopped Pori< and Ham, w ·mo stKks 4. Stir ·n th drained pas and well to mix and season

w

-