Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Joe Ja rift 7V#= By Mark Platte It's unfortunate that Joe Jackson couldn't have arrived on the scene a few years earlier. That way, he could have gotten the jump on nemesis Elvis Costello. The comparison is remarkable. Both are impish welterweights in the world of rock, spitting angry statements about anything they don't like. Jackson has made it known on several occassions that this comparison is one which he despises, but when one considers that the songs are interchangable and the vocals are undistinguishable, it's hard to separate the two. Jackson's bulldog appearance and Costello's Clark Kent gonerock star make for appealing personalities, but with only two albums into the scene, Jackson has n o wr*?v?/\ f /\?? Kirv^CAlf O f 11 ml ] O P liictuc; d iicxiitc: iui i111110^11 ao utn ao presenting the United States with a concept of a modern new-waver. While Costello's constant obnoxious comments (calling Ray Charles a blind, ignorant nigger, etc.) have caused him increasing physical pain, Jackson has played it safe, giving his audience what they want and staying out of the personal limelight. Look Sharp, his debut album, made Jackson an instant success in the Northeastern part of the country. Receiving constant airplay, this album went gold in no A AMyJ Un/4 Uin r r? m o innnfin/T r% uuic uiiu iidu ina land waning a tour. A tour was set up but Jackson came down with laryngitis and the shows were cancelled. However, this did not hurt his album sales. "Is she really going out with him" became a bona-fide hit and "Look Sharp" toyed with the charts. "Sunday Papers" received heavy airplay on the FM stations and Jackson was a smash. fS ' ? ^Mmw Ste3 *. i : -$?'V^^K' ^ ^ r AflKg* v $&*& 911 m Vf fflRntt rBrr T JJ BL, > lilt Mari/i/n # WW %MW WW J WW Para By David Baker Gamecock FHm Critic David Helpern, Jr.'s Something is something short of entertaining. I In its simplest terms, the pic disguised attempt to recreate, seem Allen's Annie Hall, but without any and insight, and worst of all, withou Keaton in the leading roles. Substituting for America's favor David Steinberg and Susan Saran and an actress, both of whom, until making public fools of themselves. Steinberg had always been an ad for Johnny Carson. His sardonic delivery makes him the perfect ai 1 1 I CKSon lOOKl w Waves' The midget Englishman came < right back and his current smash, T * i o molrmrf if V tiroi; nrv < 1 rri tnr iViUfl, to 11101x1115 n o yvuj up the charts. On the cover, Jackson 1 is dressed as a typical con-man, jacket open to reveal his wares for i sale. His items include watches, yo-yo,razor blades, John Travolta key chains, etc. It's obvious that Jackson's theme has changed from a well-dressed gentleman from the first album to the typical greasy, low-life. Since both are just parodys of these images, though, it's all good, clean fun. Opening up with the energentic, "On your Radio", Jackson and his band return with a new sound. Gary Sanford on guitar, Dave Houghton on drums and Graham Maby on bass provide fans of the first album with something to think about. "On Your Radio" tells that Jackson is a powerful being t not one to be touched by his enemies. "Don't you know you can't get near me/vou can only hope to hear me/on your radio" whales Jackson in true Costello fashion. Although Jackson is often compared to Costello, there is one distinct difference. Jackson takes the time to tack on a few extra minutes to his sones while Costello feels pressured to play over two minutes worth of music on his albums. While Jackson has always expressed his love for reggae, he never did a song to this intriguing beat until "Geraldine and John" a song about a couple cheating on their partners. The song ends with the couple going back to their original ways of life but of course, * they cannot be satisfied without cheating. "Kinda Kute" is labled "pop song" and rightly so. It seems to be a take-off on a top-40 tune with an mm 'WlllM.,. 1WW 1 *tif ^||^6^SSlHiS^W||$>; * Ms 'm9P6V H Soko/, David Steinberg and Susan dise falls! The Tonight Show's to be himself in Par Short of Paradise have been so bad. rar short. humorless way, he i ture is a thinly Sarandon depem ? by scene, Woody formances for her of Allen's humor depends on Allen's, t Allen and Diane impossible not to s When Sarandon is ite neurotics are constantly, can "La don, a comedian Paradise is He now, had avoided previously made Hollywood on Tria equate substitute project was a docui humor and dry If Woody Allen ev< tow for many of would be entirely pc Q 5 dflUf [J 'Man' appealing twist. Jackson is trying to make yet another social statement without letting anyone know he's making it. "I'm the guy with the big feet/But plenty of nerve," the last two lines of "Kinda Knte" toll thp listener that Jackson is the one who is always willing to take a chance with music which may not always appeal to the top-40 mass audience, but is, nevertheless, the kind of music that Jackson wants to play. The only kind of slow ballad on the album is the song "It's Diffnrnnt Pnr fliflt " Tr?r?Lrcr?n cintJQ it ICI till A U1 VIU IO. UUVIUJVII tv with an almost mechanical monotone, telling us that when love is concerned, it has more of a important meaning for girls. Repeating over and over, "You're all the same/you're all the same" Jackson is giving us more of this insight. Jackson advances on the "I'm the Man" image, in the title track and hit single. It's a song of the man who brought America all the great fads throughout the years. Io/ibcnri home nn tho hnla.hnnn U UVrkOV/ll I1U1 J/O Wit niv IIU1U Iiv/v^y, yo-yo, Kung-fu, Jaws, skateboards, punk rock etc. through a humorous, fast-paced tune punctuated with excellent guitar playing by Sanford and bass lines by Maby. "Cause, I got the trash and you got the cash/so baby we should get along fine," croons Jackson quickly. His statement here is that the United States is caught up with anything that any half-witted jerk can scheme up. Jackson bellows, "And you think you're immune/But I can sell you anything/Anything from a thin safety pin to a pork pie hat." Jackson hits a low with the side two opener, "The Band Wore Blue Shirts." It seems that the message of this dull offering is that a \ i r: Sarandon short better targets. Had he just tried adise, his performance might not But by imitating Allen in such a s nothing short of revolting, is less on Keaton's past percharacterization than Steinberg dui r reu narron s jscnpi m<mt^ u ee a great deal of resemblance. forced to say "Yeah?yeah?" de da" be far behind? lpern's first feature film. He documentaries, among them I. It would be fitting if his next mentary called Helpern on Trial, n sees Paradise, such a project iccihln FOOH/1V' . V . ..i.'- ' z 1 o V jg y; member of a house band wants to be a true rock star. "Don't get me wrong, I got no beef about it/I get my rates from the union/I get my shirts real cheap/I get my money/get home/get some sleep" Jackson tell us, obviously not happy with a time he obviously experienced. "Don't wanna be like that" has no direct angle to choose from, other than it's another one of Jackson's lesser efforts on this almost magnificent album. Good drumming saves this from being a dud as the tempos builds on the chorus. Jackson often makes comment on songs with not much musical backing behind him, rather shouting ideas with a pretense of a tune. Another example of this is "Amateur Hour." With very little good music behind it, Jackson says, "The world could be a better place/if some of us could just stay/amatuers." Whether Jackson is belittling everybody else in the music world by telling them to just stay amateurs is not clearly First pre shows p By Mark ( Enttrtalnn Critical judgement is unavoida cumstances and the professional si strongly attack something without placement, can be both futile and dis The Moving South Dance Com] production last weekend at Cottingh although the company displayed pc considered a success. The production was absurdly rar for the sake of contrast or variety discomfort, to the point of audience < Consider the last section of the Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker'. T adequately enough by Shannon M Greenville Ballet. Yet, any mood < was abruptly shattered by the sec 1 titled I*. Suddenly, from the sweep I A. 4l._ Ll 1 1- - 1 ? I iraiisiurmtiu iu me uiarmg rocK-n -r Then, once again, its back to l Tomaso Albinoni in the closing wo probably one of the better dances ol such a disoriented state from all I said for sure. There were highlights though, s Mood'. The former attained the I provocative set, designed by USC gi the utilization of still figures as st? Winecoff, the work captured the la; summer night. Dancers Carole Lyn Winecoff were wonderful in their ge 'In the Mood' was a cabert-type p rpnriitimi nf thr? fllonn Millor rhi effectively elevated the snappy and Two successful dances out of nine a mediocre production, but as I s variables. A company such as Moving So community can use. for it orovidt * choreographers to grow and devel also develop into a refined and dance. After this first shakey ste] leaps await us. BBS! fll ! 3tt B&r^ defined but it makes the song one to think about. "Get that Girl" apparently makes Jackson out to be a hero. It seems that Jackson can get your girl anytime he wants to and if this is not an ego trip, I don't know what is. It features the subtitle, "a pop song/' and it too, is the typical new wave pop sung, repieie wiui honkey lyrics and fast background composition. The last song, "Friday" depicts a girl ruining her life by means of alcohol and drugs. "She'd be silly and her friends just smiled/pass the bottle/wash the pills down ? what went wrong," Jackson laments as he continues this song of escape on Friday after a long week at the office. If this album is not in the top tens of 1979 or 1980, there is something terribly wrong. Jackson is the best new wave artist so far and his willingness to break new ground on his albums deserve the recognition he deserves. Of course, there is a twist, "the man" will sell you anything you want. iHnrtmri totential Chevalier tent Editor ibly tangled up in both the cirtature of any given event. Thus, to consideration to such perspective itructive. pany gave their first full-fledged 1am Theatre, Columbia College, and >tential, the show itself could not be idom, way beyond simple variation . r,iu? i <. me cucti was uitc ui uimtrx vmg alienation. show, which opened with act II of 'his traditional classic was handled itchell and Thierry Dorako of the >r satisfaction created by the work ond selection, a work entitled 'Lining melodies of Tchaikovsky one is oil of the Pretenders. flowing classical music, this time rk, 'Ritournello'. Actually, this was f the evening, but by now one was in the hop-scotching, nothing can be uch as 'Cool Boredom' and 'In the oest overall effect, enhanced by a raduate student, Dave Williams, and ige props. Choreographed by Betsy ly mood of the inner city on a warm ne McCain, Susan Haigler and Betsy stural communication. roduction set to Bette Midler's lively ssic. Mary Martin's choreography swinging beat. 1 does not qualify as much more than .aid earlier, one must consider the uth is certainly a commodity this is a place for regional dancers and lop. Hopefully, in the future, it will professional showcase for modern p, one hopes that more substantial