The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 04, 1993, encore, Page 4, Image 4
Burton's 'N
Imagine having ItHBH
Tim Burton as a IIIQ|1QJ
childhood playmate. I|mj
This little boy, who KEY||TOf*|S
would later direct
"Beetlejuice," "Bat
?C,l?,or,l I "J ^ilfi 11 i Id
U iiidii auu i^u waiu ilffMllllU
Scissorhands," proba- iiiliiMiini
bly juggled skulls,
beheaded cabbage
It isn't surprising
that the latest offering
>l'rom this craftsman of inacabre, this
engineer of oddity, is a holiday story
with somewhat darker twists than
"Miracle on 34th Street."
"The Nightmare Before Christmas,"
Tim Burton's splendidly demented animated
production, features the wiry
Jack Skellinglon, pumpkin king of tl^
| f land of Halloween, fired of tricks
treats, he yearns lor something more. :
JPl Laying quj|
By JACK
Staff Writer
Lay Quietr |pf|^. ^Iff
Awhile, a Columbia-based
band WM |V (
that has remained
out of sight for
^^^^k the past couple of ^
years, will head- , >. ^ W
a for s^s \
ZOn the heels of |-a ; W | c
its first full-1 r
fledged album release, the band, }
which has been together for seven |
years, is looking for a little recognition.
"Delicate Wire," a 13-song LP, s
brings Lay Quiet Awhile's talents
to the forefront, exposing the band {
for die first time in a manner con- ^
tiguous to its live sound. .
uaiucnc nviwit > vuitt nuvti>
above the sometimes restrained 1
grunge, sometimes pretty composi- '
tions with an awkward grace that t
O grows on you. But any awkward- r
ness is intentional, which you can (
hear on the opening track, "Go ^
Right Through," and other songs
such as "Well II It Don't Happen"
and "Storyteller." Howie uses a *
free-flowing word crunch that i
sounds offbeat at first but soon i
tlows for the desired effect.
K Howie covers uie usuai emououal
topics: love and loss and the notso-usual
warnings to friends. 1
"Wait" shows you a voice of a *
woman- in love as beautiful as Joni t
lvmcucii s, wuiic nun^ui ui me j
Ant Mutants" shows the stinging
^ c c
bite of a woman seorned and done
wrong. Howie also warns from 5
experience in "Time Won't Help"
^^B and "Sweet E-lise." both excellent 1
MT guitar songs.
^B A highlight of die album is gui- (
tarist Phil Cook's "The Tree Song,"
a quirky piece of pop-punk that
^^^^^^^^charms with Howie's and Cook's
ightmare' b
One day, Skellington stumbles upi
a portal in the woods, a pathway
other holiday worlds. Intrigued by
green and red sparkly symbol, he opei
the door and is transported to Chrh
mas Town.
Skellington is inspired by the joy 1
sees as elves create gifts and ehildn
| smile with glee. He takes back his ne
J knowledge of this holiday to Ha
lowcen Town, where the ghosts ar
I: goblins decide that this year they w
1 make Christmas.
Burton's creepy characters have <
innocent charm about them as tht
stuff jack-in-the-boxes with dead ra
;uk1 package shriveled shrunken hca<
for good boys and girls.
The ghosts even plot to kidnap San
Claus to give him a vacation from li
toils this year.
Jj^Jannv Elfman, the ex-lead singer
^^^^Vitninoo and a nonular film sco
^^oser, provides the voice for Ja<
longer
W Ctx)k comes up with some
imagery of boy meets girl/boy
oses girl, using a U"ee and a leaf as
ymbolism. They are together in
he beginning, but time brings all
hings to a close: "You were on my
ranch as a million suns/Came ris
1 1 1 Ml 71 11
(lg huiiiu uie uciiu/ w iicn ian laiuc
'ou had blown away/When 1
hought you were my friend."
Lay Quiet Awhile's lyrics are
ife with clever word play. An
:xample of Howie's insight into the
nale animal is in "Well If It Don't
lappen": "You were a guest in my
ife/Trashed me like your room/Full
>f things you couldn't value or conumc."
"Boot Lady," an acoustic num
)er, is a variation on "Eleanor Rig>y"
hut not so pessimistic: "For all
ogether natural/Creatures detach
heir bodies' laws/You will go on,
tpprehend/You will save the now
or then, ending in..." A death-istot-the-end
message. Bassist Dan
Dook adds a Beatlesque feel to die
;ong with violin accompaniment.
Brothers Dan and Phil provide
iome solid bass and guitar on "Delcate
Wire," drawing influences
"rom punk-era guitar pop and possi>lv
a little of the Seattle sound.
I heir sound is more free than your
lsual commercial alternative bands,
uid production is minimal, making
he band likely to become more
nfiuential on Columbia musicians
ind listeners than commercially
successful.
Lay Quiet Awhile has put out an
~P every now and then. The cur"ent
lineup with new drummer
3avid Wright should be the final
.me. and hopefully, more albums
A'ill be on die way. "Delicate Wire"
seems like a great beginning.
ecomes dreai
>n and wrote the film's songs. His gleefulto
ly deadly lyrics provide much of the
a film's dark humor,
as I thought I was watching "Les Misit
erables" for a while as Jack sings a
musical soliloquy in front of a huge
le moon.
;n The film took years to make, and all
w the work really shows on screen. Com1
bining stop-motion animation, pupid
petry, computer-generated effects and
ill special visual wizardry, it's an eyepopping
feast of imagination.
in F1 iirtnn nivpc hie rpuicinnicl fnirv ftitf
;y a cold, brazen tone by using snowy
its landscapes, foreboding shadows, dark
ds towers, spooky mansions and jagged
hills.
ta Contrasting with Halloween Town is
lis a Christmas village to outdo those
claymation shows that are soon to
of assault our TVs this season. It's like
re "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph
:k the Red-Nosed Reindeer" spray-painted
v ^lll^,.
if If '' ^
Jim Cook mulls over the menu at the C
Capitol cuisine: c
By JOHNNA GOODWIN
Staff Writer
Food, folks and fun may be an accurate
tion of McDonald's, but if you're after am
in an eaterv. the Canitol Restaurant mish
place to dine.
Open 23 hours a day, the restaurant, cc
called the Capitol Cafe, closes at 5 a.m. and
6 a.m. The restaurant might be better descrit
old diner. The tables are worn, the uphols
history and the menus are covered with the j
meals past, but it's one of the most interestir
in town to eat.
Since campus dining halls close early, tl
late-night hours make it a convenient and
SJXJl nmvnc UOG oiuilcNlu^ who often.. (vof\
restaurant after football games. This can
long wait for a table, but the highly calorit
worth the line lime.
Food ranges from hot dishes to cold sat
with fries to a variety of breakfast_enLT(
m come true a
black and cov d with insects and
vampires.
The love story between Jack and the
robotic Sally is ;weet, and the supporting
characters are sufficiently welldeveloped.
The villain isn't given
much screen time, but an evil little fl
creature voiced by Paul Reubens provides
a lot of dark humor.
Quite a strange and daring offering .Jm
from Disney, "The Nightmare Before
Christmas" is sure to inspire different
r? t : a. c
reactions. Durion, an ex-aiuiiiaioi lor jg i
the company, finally gets to prove his
talent, which was suppressed for years
when he drew bad movies for unin
Burton's fantasy film is a definite a
change of pace worthy of the highest
accolades in animation. It's a wickedly
enchanting fable for all seasons.
'C .< : ;. .Jg Wz ^ !"T'"''
mlJr
apitol Restaurant on Main Street. The cafe is open unt
i r* t
lowntown care weicomi
breakfasts are heavy on the grease, value
but the taste is superior to any ondescrip
camPus meal. p atmosp
nosnhere Pnces are definitely reasonable, ~
t be the and ,P?rdons ^ tot* cnouSh 10 g selectic
satisfy the average hungry person. ^
Hashbrowns and trimmings such ^
immon \ as bacon or grits are extra but & service
opens at '
>ed as an Sandwiches and dinner are also o sPeec*
itcry has ti^ll r\rr\r\/-\rt i nnor I Thf> /^1nK COnH _ . LJ
wurpiuuv/iuuiwu. i iiv* viuu JUIIU
urease ol wich is one of the most tasty food qi
ig places items. It's also one of the healthier 0
items served, which enables even
le cafe's those who are watching their weight to enjoy sorr
popular thing at the cafe,
inent the The drinks are even healthy in that you do sor
cause a exercise Colore S3USIynnr your thh^^BttLerases r
: food is served in can. ~ - f^^Brino vn.
self While the service tsn t I. % -nP >P[
ldwiches rciorcl time for the food tatc
*cs The to make up tor die slower asp^c-s^
'i' /jm