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Shockabilly paralyzes KIT iIMM *1 II l g JtlWB - r*T? r7-' ^ 2 '* -,-^ "Vj-A L - ?-= ,-^"^"5-^ . It; 3k Undanceable, absurd tunes Shockabilly, a trio led by Eugene Chadbourne (pictured above) on lead guitar and vocals, Kramer on bass, and David Licht on percussion, have released their greatest hits. p--M:^.fj.i JWHW^BBa USi'VW^SBSfiS^ffflCTff^^^^P N N> ^BB^ ->lll f/JRiE m/| commercial music worli By Marc Fink You've never heard anything like Shockabilly. Shockabilly, a trio led by Eugene Chadbourne, lead guitar and vocals, with Kramer, bass, and David Licht, percussion, offers undanceable, bizarre music that slaps the face of the rinnp orpacv-hair hanHc imitatino P arl Pprlinc aiui Plvic Presley. More obtuse than the Cramps, whose twisted rockabilly style stunned New Wavers in the late 1970s and early '80s, Shockabily, on the "Greatest Hits" EP, reveals an absurd and comically demented approach to rock. THE TITLE of the six-song collection "Greatest Hits" is ridiculous, as Shockabilly is miles beyond mainstream music. "Blucgrass Breakdown" is sheer mayhem, with Chadbourne's fingers flying on the fretboard for 36 seconds ? end of song. The barely intelligible vocals on "Burma Shave," with lyrics taken from the old billboard advertisements, sound pained and distorted. On "Voodoo Vengeance" the singing is even more psychotic. "Voodoo Vengeance" is the better track for its guitar parts and overall texture. 1^ a?gpr^m '; ! L.-. fl'''; . I f'^* I with new release Side Two includes remakes of two famous tunes. A liver version of the Doors' "People are Strange," which begins as classic rockabilly before going off on a tangent, and "Train (Kept A-Rollin')," previously performed by the Johnny Burnette Rock'n'Roll Trio, the Yardbirds, featuring Jeff Beck, and Aerosmith, with the locomotive sprawled all over the rails, chugging sickly smoke in gasps. Between the revisions of these classics is an original, "Wrestling Women," perhaps the most disturbing cut on "Greatest Hits." CHADBOURNE, WHO released a "free improvised country and western bebop" album in 1980, "There'll Be No Tears Tonight," produces just enough structure with Shockabilly, as on his other albums to get the distortion across without losing the effect. The quarter-hour of madness featured by Shockabilly's "Greatest Hits" may be too exotic for most tastes, but it's a welcome break from vapid synthesizers and mindless guitar boogies, and in small doses may find acceptance as an alternative to commercial crapola. Two specials portray Kennedy's life, death NEW YORK (AP) ? John F. Kennedy was the first American president to fully recognize the value of television and to learn to manipulate it for his advantage. "Kennedy . . . made government a form of home entertainment," Barbara Matuson writes in "The Evening Stars," her recentlv published historv of TV news. Two current nroduc tions, composed largely of television film shot before and during Kennedy's presidency, illustrate the point most effectively. "JFK," a two-hour "ABC News Special" to be broadcast Friday evening, and "Being With John F. Kennedy," a documentary of the same length now in syndication, were produced to mark the 10th anniversary of Kennedy's death in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963. THE TWO films, stylish and frequently dramatic, complement one another in recalling the personalities and events that helped etch the Kennedy image in the minds of millions. "There has not been a day in 20 years when somebody has not talked to me about John Kennedy, not a day, no matter where I am in the world," Pierre Salinger, an ABC News correspondent who was Kennedy's press secretary, says in "JFK." Kennedy's term in office, shortened to less than three years by an assassin's bullet, was full of dramatic occurrences: the Bay of Pigs Invasion, confrontation with the Soviet Union over Berlin, violence in the name of civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, expansion of the country's commitment in Vietnam. ^ In retrospect, most seem to have been made to order ? sometimes almost scripted ? for television, including those events not particularly flattering to Kennedy. MUCH OF the footage used here is historic, but the significance of the two productions, especially for those who lived through the period, may best be described in more subiprtivf* terms Kpnnprlv cavc Nlanrw r>ir-lf#?rc/~?n fr?rm?r network-news correspondent who narrates ''Being With John F. Kennedy," brought "wit, purpose, humanity" to the presidency. And the evidence is on film. The ABC documentary, anchored by Peter Jennings, is largely chronological and includes interviews with many of those who worked with Kennedy, along with historians and journalists who covered the period in Washington. "Being With John F. Kennedy," assembled by Robert Drew, an independent filmmaker who produced several documentaries on Kennedy as a candidate and as president in the early '60s, is more personal in approach. Intimate, closeup footage sometimes suggests a well-made home movie. IN FACT, it was Kennedy's own idea to record events on film ? activity as well as mode ? as they developed. Kennedy defined the term "charisma," and television was his primary vehicle for spreading the word. lords of Discipline' showing From Staff Reports One of Pat Conroy's best novels comes to the screen at the Russell House Theatre today when Cinematic Arts presents "Lords ot Discipline." Set in the fictional Carolina Military Institute in Charleston during the 1960s, the story tells of an irresponsible cadet who learns of a secret organization within the college while protecting a black recruit. Although well acted, the movie doesn't hold a candle to ^ Conroy's masterpiece. The movie, however, is worth watching, although those who haven't read the book will appreciate it more. Those who have read it will feel cheated. "Lords of Discipline" shows today and tomorrow at 2:30, 7 and 9:30 p m. Matinee showings are $1, with night showings at $1.50.