The event issue 081 21 01 1998

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Sounds Movies Disaster Movies TV &Radio lnter(q)ctive

Food

Arts

·Coming Soon•••

ust when you'd got out of the habit of the self-catering student life during the Christmas break along comes the new term . New term; new gastronomical effort. Even heating up some spaghetti hoops can feel like a labour of Hercules after the cooking-free luxuries of home. Help is at hand through two little kitchen bibles in the form of The New Students ' Cook Book and Veggie Cook Book. Since they've been written with students in mind , both books claim they'll save you 'loadsa dosh' and the recipes are quick and easy. Lemon chicken in just five m1nutes? Whatever next.

We've got loads of student cookbooks to give away to anyone who can answer this easy question: What do vegetarians NOT eat?

Answers on a postcard along with your name, school, year and telephone number. Good Luck!

J

EitJfi t.,.,.••;n-d'ri<>l! Jane Kirby Editor: Calherine "lick me, baby" Jones

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Editor: Paul Stokes Assistant Husic Editor: James Tapsfield Design and Screen Editor: John Spacey Assistant Screen Edi tor: Diana Goodman TV&Radio Edi tor: Amy Pierce lnter@ct ive Editor: Stuart Dredge Arts Editor: James Graham Advertising Manager: Amy Kingswell Contributing Writers: Ed Moses , Neill Johnslone , Lee McNicoll, lmogen Rose-Smith , Tim Wade, Luke Miles, Katie Westgate, Lucas Psillakis, niel Bardsley, Tom Harberd, Owen Sheers, Emma Newbery

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Fearing the wrath of Godzilla's cousin, Paul Stokes cautiously agreed to interview the up-and-coming Dawn of the Replicants. Here's the gruesome tale of what happened! o be spoken in the manner of a butch film trailer voice over: "it was a time of action, a time for heroes, when cheap, obviously plastic monsters threatened to destroy the earth. Witness, if you dare, The Dawn of the Replicants!" Yes, The Dawn of the Replicants: surely the tackiest of tacky B-movies?

Surprisingly enough, it's actually the name of the most talked about new band of the moment.

The first question has to be why the name?

"We never liked the name particularly," explains singer and songwriter Paul Vickers.

"Yeah," chips in guitarist Roger Simian "We originally wanted to be called the Replicants. We pressed our first single, a sort of DIY job with that name on the release. Then we found out there was already a band with that name, so we had to think of a name that had the word 'replicant' in it so we could get the stencils out and change it without too much difficulty." But once taken the name stuck: "We've grown to like it," admits Paul, "at first we were a bit embarrassed about saying we were in a band called that 'cause the first thing you get asked is 'Dawn of the what?' Anyway, people tend to call the band 'the Replicants', so I think we got away with it," Roger muses.

Right, so that's the name sorted, now the band.

Along.with Paul and Roger the Replicants are Mike Small on guitars and keyboards, Grant Pringle on drums, and Donald Kyle on bass. As well as spending time together in va rious bands before the Replicants, the five were all involved in producing a nationally distributed music magazine, and this experience has made them hungry for some success.

"We've served our time," explains Paul, "showing enthusiasm for other bands, writing about other bands, and generally furthering other people's careers, so now we want revenge! Well, not revenge but repayment." So how do a group who've been accustomed to dealing out criticism take comments directed at them? "We find criticism quite amusing," explains Roger, "it tends to upset the people around the band more than it upsets the band itself."

"And we've not really had that many bad reviews ," adds Paul. "There was one in the Melody Maker, but you don't take it personally. Anything with Dawn of the Replicants at the top is another trophy in the cabinet as far as I'm concerned."

Paul, it soon emerges, is the band's "fearless leader", affectionately know as "the Gaffer". As front man he inhabits the space somewhere between Damon Albam and .Bruce Forsyth, managing at the last Norwich gig to give the crowd the opportunity to win a six foot pencil, and also finding time for a bit of Moog action that Blur's golden boy would be proud of! Paul also has a hand in all the band's songs, which have some of

the best titles in modern pop: Cocaine on the Cat Walk, Let Them Eat Coal, and The Return of the Board Game are just three examples. They have been able to amass a large amount of material, allowing them to include 100% original b-sides on all their releases so far.

"We had actually done a lot of stuff before the recording deal. We weren't like a lot of bands who have about three songs they can play reasonably well live, and then slowly build up more material."

With the band back on the road early in 98 and their debut album One Head, Two Arms, Two Legs out on Monday, February 9 it looks like being a big year for the Replicants and their unique sound. How can they possibly fail?

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Your indispensible. guide to all that matters in music

No.7LED ZEPPELI What's the big fuss? Legendary rock four-piece, who ran not in the seventies with their mixture of monster riffs, big hair, and rock'n'roll offstage ant1cs Who did/does what? Robert Plant yowled like a sexually frustrated tomcat. wh le J1mmy Page was responsible for the unmistakeable gUitar sound.

They were backed up by bassman John-Paul Jones and mad st1cksman John Bonham. until his untimely death m

1980.

Sold a few records? Are you k1dd1ng? Too many to count Which is best?

Best known 1s Strurway to Heaven, but for pnme

Zep get the creatively-entitled I, If, Ill and IV, or alternatively the remastered compilation which gathers together most of the essential stuff. Page & Plant recently released an unplugged album which is pretty good too.

Jason, 1s following in his father's footsteps. and tours w1th his own band playing old Led Zep numbers.

service eve!}' hundred miles baby, Jet me check your valves, fix your overdrtve

Did we mention groupies? The Zep were renowned for the1r sexual exploits, which are painstakingly chromcled 1n at least two b1ograph1es of the band. If they weren't havmg orgies 1n bathtubs full of baked beans, they were domg things with fish far too unpleasant to be gone 1nto here ...

So what does the future hold? Page and" Plant still tour together, wh!le Jones has contented n1mself play1ng w1th artists as diVerse as Heart and D1amanda Galas Meanwhile Bonham s so

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Want a cheap recordt Two choices: break the law or head down o your local bargain bin.

Prefering the latter, Neill Johnstone rolled up his sleeves, took off his watch and delved in. ooking for some cheap thrills? Pleasure for the price of a Double Decker? Well come on down to your local miniature music jumble sale and gamble your loose change in the lucky dip that is the bargain bin. Snobs will, of course , shun what is in essence the rubbish dump of the record shop, in the belief that therein lies th e effluence that even the most sick minded of cretinous half-wits has spurned . They are not entirely wrong . Dedicated bargain bin hunters will readily vouch for the sheer depth of dross that inhabits many bargain tubs, but only in a loving and respectful manner. After all , some of the bin's long term inmates do start to develop a kind of personality. Of course , they don't become friends as such , only a fool makes mates with a tape. But there is always something comforting about returning to the shop and seeing the same old battered J-Pac and Gary Kemp cassette singles still smiling pitifully up at you, like the unwanted pug-ugly mongrel at the animal shelter who knows full well his honeymoon period is over and the big sleep is only days away. Obviously, though , there is little point in going to the bargain bin with the intention of just laughing at it. To keep the analogy, would you go to the pound shouting, "No one likes you , you're all going to die"?

No, the joy of bargain bins is the undiscovered treasures they occasionally hold; the diamond in the dustbin . Like Archimedes and his bath tub, one choice moment can open up new directions of

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thought. Ten pence in the right place at the right time has seen G-Love and Special Sauce's nutty brand of blues-rap get airings to stupefied but admiring audiences of the most unlikely sort; certainly not anyone who might have thought it worth their time, effort or money buying it when full priced. Just because the record sunk without trace when originally released doesn't mean it is no good. After all , take a look at today's chart: how much do you actively like?

There is also the chance that as well as these amazing discoveries that all your friends will love you for, there are some out there waiting exclusively for you. Shut Up and Dance's I Love U (essentially the Perez Prado Guinness music with ragamuffin singing on top) , which I discovered, has yet to please anyone else but I love it as my very own , and have now rescued tape, single and album from various bins across Norwich.

Undoubtedly there are some purchases that are nothing short of frustrating: those of the once great, now fallen. Perhaps Luke Goss and his band of thieves might be stretching this category somewhat, but I am sure that seeing Morrissey's singles floating about the place must draw a wince, if not a tear, from the eyes of some Smiths fans . Seeing the case sparks of memories of past glories, and nostalgia brings forth the pennies from your pocket.

Shara Nelson is another one to watch out for. You pick her up and think of Massive Attack and the

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1998

Remember folks -

a dodgy record is for

various awards for which she has received nominations. Be wary. Put her back. lt might surprise some people to see fairly established bands skulking about these places, particularly when their records are still reaching the charts.

But this can be ideal for the half-hearted fan. If you are prepared to wait, Dubstar and the Charlatans inevitably turn up at some point, with Gene and Cast never far behind. Indeed , no band is safe from consignment to record shop路 death row . I have seen a good dozen Jamiroquai tapes

life not just for Christmas!

dumped unceremoniously in the pit, and these very hands have uncovered U2 wallowing in the same mire as Peter Andre.

Tapes can cost about the same as a bag of crisps, and are far less fatty, with hours more potential utility.CDs start at about SOp, and what better way can there be to cheaply expand a recently started collection?

You may have to make do with the Luniz and Neneh Cherry, but it's still a good sight better than Debbie Curry and the Jams.

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Do the heads of record companies live in ivory towers, behave like }ames Bond villains and stroke fluHy white catst Lee Me Nicoll spoke to Andy Ross, head of Food Records, to find out •••••

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ell more records .. .and world peace of course." lt is not difficu lt to work out which of Andy Ross' hopes for 1998 is more likely tp occur, but in the music industry anything can happen, and he should know.

Ross is the man responsible for bands such as Blur, Shampoo and The Supematurals. As head of Food Records he can boast a Top 40 hit from about 50 percent of the company's single releases, and his job requires him to watch Blur live six nights in a row.

Here is a man who travels across the country by taxi to see bands, leaving it to wait for him outside the venue. Not bad for a guy who used to work for the Inland Revenue.

Although Food began as an independent label, it is now owned by EM I, following former chief Dave Balfe's decision to sell in 1993. That was when the label passed on to Ross.

However, Balfe's decision couldn 't have been more ill-timed.

Weeks later Blur released Parklife, the success of wh ich Balfe had clearly not foreseen .

So, just how does Ross view the situation with that old favourite , hindsight? "lt cost us a lot of money, but it meant that I got to run the label, so it wasn't all bad! If they had waited a few weeks they may at this moment be swanning around the south of France with boaters · on , sipping Champagne. But you can't have everything, and who likes Champagne anyway?"

Ross assures me that he has always felt positive about Blur, despite friction between them and Balfe. However, this friendly attitude may have jeopardised his chances to be the subject of their next number one: "I'm pretty sure Country House is about Dave Balfe. • He did move out to the country about then.

Balfie (as Ross affectionately refers to him) certainly likes to think it's about him.

He says, "lt isn't about me, that's for sure!"

Although Britpop is slowly dying in a hideous quagmire of its own creation, Blur seem to able to survive.

"Their career has seen many ups and downs but whenever there was a backlash against them it

was always a load of rubbish . At the moment the th ing is to say that that the latest Blur album is great and the last was terrible, which again is a load of rubbish . The Great Escape is a great album. Eventually everyone will forget all this nonsense and just take the album for the album's sake again. When we get around to doing the greatest hits, wh ich we will, we'll just take each individual album for its own merits."

At the beginning of 1997 Blur were very much in the shadow of Oasis, but Andy triumphantly states that that's all turning around now.

"Bands such as Sleeper are on the decline.

People want something new."

So how does one go about finding those bands who can throw fresh light on the industry?

"I'm not so concerned with different just as long as it's bloody good! Firstly bands need to be good musically, then good live; ideally you want both.

On top of that they must look good too. If a band has good music and they play all right, but look shocking then I wouldn't sign them. I'm afraid people do prefer to have good looking bands or singers in their record collection. I'm not saying it's fair, it's just a fact!"

So how does Ross feel about the manufacturing of bands?

"I would rather find the essence and help them develop what's coming from within. I mean, The Spice Girls haven't done too badly, but I personally am not keen on that. I would get involved if a band had a really terrible name. Blur, for example, is a better name than Seymour, yet that process wasn't like we chose a word and put it onto them, we did discuss it with the band, so we're not quite as manipulative as some. I think I came up with the name Blur, although they say they did, but at least that shows they're happy with it. Dubstar used to be called The Joans and Jesus Jones had a different name every week!" lt seems that to get with Food you have to be good both on record and live, although Dubstar didn't play live when they were signed.

"You can't rely upon the NME or Melody Maker to give bands a good profile. it's quite the reverse , they tend to kill bands off. If bands are strong live you've still got a strong weapon to counteract that."

You've also got to look great. it's a tall order, so here's a hint: be Swedish.

"Sweden's great for bands and music at the moment. We've all been to Sweden. We've got Swedish flags all over the office .. . little ones."

Food have scouts out constantly, viewing numerous bands a night, and if they think someone's good Andy will travel anywhere to see them. But he's also let some pretty big fish through the net: "I saw Suede very early on, when Justine Frischman was with them. Didn't like them too much. They were supporting Blur and that's when she and Damon met. I saw Pulp three or four years ago in Camden and thought it was just a local joke. But no-one's perfect!"

The future for Food looks bright. They've just signed a new three year deal with EMI and are looking to sign three new acts, one with a punk feel , a female soloist and, of course, a Swedish act. A Blur greatest hits LP is imminent.

Andy even mentions that Shampoo are releasing a new album, although it may only be released in Japan, where Food music excels.

A new Shampoo album? Wouldn't that really be a threat to world peace?

(MEM) DOVE STREET, NORWICH (01603) 629060 NOW ON 2 FLOORS!

STUDENT RATES! £60.00 Party room hire Includes DJ or provide your own Pub bar prices, minimum 100 persons Monday through to Thursdays 15, Dove St, Norwich 01603 629060 THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1998

VARIOUS ARTISTS Decep t i ve SO

Music, music everywhere ....

GUY CHADWICK Lazy, Soft & Slow

KRISTIN HERS Strange Angels

"Fame is fickle" was just one of the pieces of wisdom to be gleaned from Spice World: the Movie, and nobody demonstrates the point ) better than the House of Love.

Hailed as the new Smiths in the late 80s and early 90s, the House of Love disappeared overnight so completely that no-one was really too sure about where they were. One thing we do know for certain is that Guy Chadwick was their singer and now, after a very lengthy sabbatical, he's making records again.

So if the House of Love were the new Smiths, is Chadwick the new Morrissey? No, is the reassuring answer.

Instead of producing Mozzer-esque lovelorn romps , Chadwick has created a soundtrack to which we can sip Champagne on a summer's night in Monte Carlo.

Mellow, relaxing , and laid back - though , due to the use of only a few, limited instruments and a mix that makes Chadwick's vocals sound antisepticly prominent - sometimes bland, Lazy, Soft & Slow is not without great songs and tende r moments which suggest that Chadwick will be an interesting prospect in the coming years. Lazy, Soft & Slow marks a transitional phase in Guy Chadwick's career, and judging from this excellent come-back we can look to even better things in the future .

Klaus Estop

This is the second solo release from ex-Throwing Muses' singer Kristin Hersh .

Written , produced, and performed by herself, it is basically 15 short acoustic songs.

Hersh has a interesting voice and her music a definite acoustic feel , but it became tired by the end of the album. Strange Angels makes great background music, but is hard to listen to without waiting for that electric guitar solo to come in and break it all up.

Another probl em with the album is the bad song titles: Gazebo Tree, Gut Pageant, and Rock Candy Brains are simply not up to scratch in that department.

However, there are a few discoveri es. The tracks that stands out are Like You, which is a possible single, and Aching for You. And like so many rece nt records by female artists, the album contains a lot of female angst, but at least it is done in an. intelligent way, without sounding like it's trying to be clever. Hersh obviously has a lot of talent and Strange Angels deserves to be a big hit, especially with fans of Katie Westgate acoustic music.

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The Waterfront

Thursday, December 4 Jake Shillingford, the life of My Life Story, stands on the Waterfront stage and sings "You don't sparkle, you don't shine." Jake, open your eyes! Haven't you got things slightly the wrong way round?

Shillingford is not wearing his sparkling white suit of old, this being dropped for a more sombre black and blue fashion statement.

Instead, it is out on the dance floor, that the eye damage warning should be issued .

With the mass of shiny tiaras and glittery tops that have been dragged out for the occasion, the risk of being blinded by the glare is serious.

When the audience explodes with enthusiasm, it's like Guy Fawkes' night all over again.

Not that My Life Story have lost any of their polish since abandoning their infamous status as 'the

A surprisingly good single from this new ban d. I found myself listening to it not once, not twice, but three times - without taking a break for coffee. With a catchy chorus and a pleasing guitar solo, I was impressed to say the least.

With a recent tour with Blur under their belts, the Jets are well worth a listen .

Luke Miles

FUNK ·JUNKEEZ Got Funk Thanks to heavy play from Pete Tong and the like, Funk Junkeez are, apparently, large. Size, however. has no relevance to funk, and Got Funk, it must be understood, has none of the grease. cheese or dirt that makes funk fu nky.

Rather, Got Funk is but a respectably · produced so-so Friday night Radio One garage tune with a full complement of lisping hi-hats and slightly rubbery bass.

Neil/ Johnstone

DUBSTAR I Will Be Your Girlfriend Dubstar have \.. manipulated their catchy, happy sound to produce a song which wraps up all the _. negativity of relationships in a sugar-coated shell. Although slightly repetitive, there is definitely something immediately likeable about this single. This is one of those songs that you 'll be singing for weeks to come - only Lee McNico/1 you wish you weren't.

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MY LIFE STORY

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Like most things, it's probably Puff Daddy's fault. There was once ) a time when record companies were only concerned with the who, what, how and when of record releases, and left the stars to play at, well. .. being stars. Now record companies are also the stars (a concept bravely pioneered by Mr Daddy and his feud with fellow Gansta' label Death Row Records) , and as a result records like Deceptive 50, which show off the company's wares like an Argos catalogue, have come into being.

Deceptive 50 reveals that apart from successful acts like Elastica and Collapsed 'Coke advert' Lung, Deceptive is the home of some rather second rate punk groups. The record , thanks to the over-use of effects pedals, becomes a sea of static which the better acts like Gene (who only ever had the most fleeting of acquaintances with Deceptive) and Elastica (offering rare material) float above. Of the smaller bands, only Scarfo and The Prisoners offer anything that can really be praised. If Deceptive is anything to go by, then for every successful band there are five or six others for whom the prospects are poor.

Paul Stokes

best unsigned band in Britain .'

Shillingford, the ultimate performer as ever, struts around the stage, drawing you in with his searching eyes, and making a strong bid for the 'most moves made with a mike stand' award. lt is easy to forget the small nation that make up the rest of the band - except that My Life Story would be nothing without this musical accompaniment. The orchestral scores bring songs like Suited and Booted to life, and save the likes of You Can't Uneat the Apple from the realms of melodramatic fluff.

There are low points. The early songs remain their best, with some of th eir new material sounding like what would happen if Duran Duran met Del Amitri in a dark alley. Their inspired blend of cynical camp glam rock, and classical flashes collapse into a horrific 80s flashback .

Maybe signing that record deal wasn't such a good idea. Sti ll , it is possible to forgive these fai lings. Jake's voice electrifies the room , and the classical background takes the night to another dimension. lmogen Rose-Smith

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UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH Higher Than Reason A terrific, acoustic-driven single from a band fronted by the younger brother of Thom Yorke from Radiohead. While the music is excellent. the singer does lack the vocal quality of his brother. though it is probably unfair to expect such high standards. A great single though , and like Radiohead, there are good b-sides to Tim Wade be heard .

THE DANDY WARHOLS Every Day Should Be a Holiday

At Gentleman's Walk, opposite the market THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

Imagine. l l Top and New Order went out for a few pints together, then on for a curry, checked out a nightclub, and finally stumbled into a recording studio and put down a track toge her. Th1s is a .... good Indication of what that session might sound like. Rock guitars, passionless vocals, and a disco-esque beat Basically a relatively harmless record if taken Marsha Mason in small doses.

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Boogie Nights Now Showing Porn, porn, porn, pom . Mark Whalberg and a 13 inch prosthetic star in what can only be described as the dirty movie you can discuss with your grandma.

Released January 23 With a budget of $200 million plus, this film still looks like it's going to make a profit. James Cameron directs Kale Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in a tale of romance and icebergs.

Up and Under Released January 23 Samantha Janus gets to whip the collective cast of Preston Front, 2point4 Children, and Common as Muck into sufficient physical shape to take part in a rugby match.

ichard Gere IS probably more joked about for his alleged activities with small furry rodents than admired for h1s acting ability. so when he comes away w1th the acting honours in The Jackal, you know 1t's a film w1th problems.

Bruce WilliS IS the eponymous assassin who 1s h1red by a unintentionally comedic Russian Mafioso to k1ll the Director of the FBI in revenge for the murder of his unintentionally comedic Russ1an Mafioso brother. The Americans, led by FBI Deputy Director Sidney Poit1er, get wind of this, and recru1t impnsoned IRA hitman Declan Mulqueen (Gere), to assist in the hunt. The Jackal begins to set up his assassination attempt, swapping haircuts and passports with stony-faced glee, and begins to amass the weaponry necessary to fulfil his task Mulqueen and the FBI are soon on his trail, tracking down his known associates and false

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Das Boot: Director's Cut Released January 23 Wolfgang Petersen's World War Two submarine classic gets a re-airing . If you like the fast camera shots down tunnels you can recreate them very well in University residences.

In and Out Released January 30 Small-town schoolteacher Kevin Kline gets outed by Oscar-winning former pupil Matt Dillon. Based vaguely on Tom Hank's acceptance speech for Philadelphia.

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James Bond, Austin Powers, The Avengers, The Saint, The Jackal- so much international intrigue, so little time. Now you can join in the high-tech fun by entering The Jackal contest. Up for grabs are two bags o' serious spy matenal - £300 off-shore binoculars, camera, and maglight torch. Just what you need to be a professional hedgehog spotter, an ENV student, or an international man of mystery. All you need to do is slap your name, address, and phone number on a postcard along with the answer to this simple question: What is the name of the 1973 movie that The Jackal is a remake of? (Hint: Jackal IS in the title) ...and send 11 off to: Jackal Competition, 18-24 Westboume Grove, London W2 SRH .

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identities. All this takes much too long, and sadly Isn't believable. For someone who is supposed to be the world's f1nest assassin, the Jackal is hardly a master of disguise, and leaves beh1nd too many big clues to h1s plans. By the end of it all. Bruce-baby is psychotically gibbering away like any cod movie villain you care to name. In the meantime, Gere woos the heart of the tough talking Russ1an major, and reveals his personal grudge. There are a few exc1ting shoot-outs, and Gere provides us with a believable Irish accent for most of the time, but the clunky camerawork and 1nept, a1mless script take away what. considering the talent up on the screen, could have been an exciting. tense thriller When Sidney Po1t1er 1s reduced to sad male-bonding dialogue like Ah, but you drink GUinness 1n Ireland," you know you're watching a film that was doomed John Spat;ey almost before the cameras started rolling

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Face UK (1997) Dir: Antonia Bird Union Film- jan 23

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rampled at the box office last September, Face is one of th e many cinematic victims of Robert Carlyle's other significant film of 1997, The Full Monty This is a shame , because despite the latter's constan t presence in the box office top ten , Face is an infi nite ly superior cine matic achievement.

Based around an old cinematic cliche - crime doesn 't pay - the film introduces us to an assortment of semi-respectable Eastenders who set off to a ware house to steal a potentially huge amount of money. Discovering that this robbery , their dream ticket, is more akin to a £10 book token than the key to Camelot, the team find their lives are at stake as one of their nu mber becomes intent on relieving his colleagues of thei r share of the dough .

Robert Carlyle as the disillusioned revo lutionary Ray is the emoti onal heart of the fi lm, wrestling with the conflicting commitments of girlfriend , mother and a life of crime. Protesting that he's "just after money, like everyone else ," Carlyle's ambiguity and disillusion draw the viewer into the fi lm.

All the major characters are portrayed as essentially good men dragged into the abyss: Julian, who ends up taki ng on armed policemen inside the police .station, is devoted to his baby son , and Dave, newly moved from the counci l estate to suburbia, appears fiercely protective of his nearest and dearest.

As th e openi ng song suggests, every1hin g has a price, and personal friendships come to be sacrificed as the police hit the robbers' trail.

Obviously we're not all criminals, but this film displays a better representation of the fragmentary , selfish attitudes of modern Britain than a thousand Four Weddings and a Funeral clones.

Set t th e best, most emotive of con temporary music, Face is a strong can didate for th e peak of the British film renaissance.

John Spacey

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ast your eyes to the right, dear reader, an you will spy a picture of The X-Files Trivia Game, a copy of wh ich you can win with FFI Beatwax and The Event. Picture the scene - gathered around your warm student fireside with a handful of your close friends, you can spend a pleasant evening testing your knowledge of one of the most popular television programmes of the 90s. Ponder over the Smoking Man, Assistant Director Skinner and the all the weird and wonderful freaks that make

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Double Indemnity (1944) Dir : Billy Wilder Cinema City - j a n lS

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ith all the critical acclaim heaped on 50s crime drama LA Confidential, now is as good a time as any to see perhaps the definitive film noir.

Double Indemnity has everything a good noir thriller should have.

Set in a hazy , decadent Los Angeles, it tells the fairly simple story of Waiter Nett (Fred MacMurray) , an affable bu t none too bright insurance salesman who gets involved with a shady woman who convinces him to plot to kill her husband for the insurance money.

Soon the pressure of being suspected and investigated starts to get to the m both , and they start clawing to get out, whatever the cost.

Considered too dark and depressing on its in itial release in 1944, Double Indemnity has built up a strong following amongst both fi lm historians and pulp fiction fans, and has since been relentless ly imitated - what is the 198 1 Kathleen Turn er starrer Body Hea t but Double Indemnity with tons and tons of nudity?

There are two things which make the film stand out fro m other fi lm noirs, wh ich is the sub-genre of black, gritty dramas dominated

by detective stories and b-grade loner films in the late 40s.

The first thing is the incredible dialogue by director Bill y Wilder and legendary crime novelist Raymond Chandler.

While the banter sounds too smart to be realistic, it has a certain believable quality, possibly because it lacks the stage-y , explanatory speeches which can be found in most other heavy drama.

The second thing which sets the film above the rest is the great casting: Fred MacMurray, who most people are used to thinking as a loveable father figure from all those Disney films (in the role of The Absent-Minded Professor) gives a strong performance as a nice guy who, just below the surface , is capable of much lust and violence; Edward G Robinson is the fast-talking claims adjuster who knows something is afoot but can 't quite put his finger on it; and most of all Barbara Stanwyck plays Phyllis Dietnchson , the ultimate femme fatale , easily the most wicked woman ever put on ce lluloid .

She uses and discards people like the rest of us use tissues, she has no qualms about mu rder, and there is no real reason given for her actions except that she is just plain evil.

She is a guilty pleasure to watch for male and female audiences alike, and removes any doubt that Double Indemnity is the Diana Goodman premier noi r drama.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

up an average episode. To get your hands on this fantastic box of goodies, just answer this staggeringly simple question What is the name of Fox Mulder's sidekick?

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Good luck!

WIN! B

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Think of it, you and that cute boy/girl/swamp thing having a grand night out at the ABC, romance in th e air. .. or even better, you and that sweet someone on a secluded weekend holiday that is £25 less expensive than before! All you have to do is get your name , address, and phone number in to the Barclays on University Plain by February 20 .

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Stuart Townsend was last seen as a techno geek in Shooting Fish. In Resurrection Man, opening January 3 o, he plays an amoral killer.

Diana Goodman cowers behind her seat ...

Belfast at a time of incredible sectarian violence, fter watching Resurrection Man, sitting in a room with Stuart Marc Evans (who also directed House of America) Townsend is a nervous says the film is not political. "Politics is part of it, but we decided the theme we were exploring was experience. He walks in looking somewhat surprised at the really men and violence. The context is Belfast, attention he's getting, yet you keep expecting him but the theme is universal." to jump up and attack someone. His increasingly And violence there is. Resurrection Man may be one of the most blood-soaked movies outside of acclaimed portrayal of a serial killer in the film is the horror genre, and because of it, there is a basically an hou.r and a half of wondering when strong possibility of a Daily Maif..esque moral he's going to snap and then shielding your eyes when he does, making it all the more creepy to backlash. The screenplay's author, Eoin McNamee, who adapted the script from his own have him sitting there across from you, toying with novel, claims the violence is part of the reality of his coffee cup, and waiting for the interview to the film. "This kind of ritualistic killing did take start.

Resurrection Man is a taut and highly place," says the Belfast native, "and it took place psychological thriller set in the brutal Belfast of the up until recently in a way that would implicate the mid 70s. Victor Kelly (Townsend) and his gang, whole community. Everyone's in a bar on ordered from behind the scenes by Mclure (Sean Saturday night; that means everyone in the bar is McGinley), go on a semi-political killing spree, all involved somehow. it provides cover and camouflage for people who operate in the the while being pursued by Increasingly obsessed journalist Ryan (James Nesbitt). community."

Outside of the unnerving violence and the tension Fighting against Victor, or at least fighting to it causes, there is a short, simple, character-driven understand him, is the journalist Ryan, who is almost as much an anti-hero as Victor. Ryan tries boYfriend Darkie (John Hannah, best known as story, "I loved the character [of Victor], I loved Simon Callow's partner Matthew in Four desperately to comprehend the murders, and in him," says Townsend, "even though he's a psychopath. I just thought he was a fantastic doing so becomes personally involved in Victor's Weddings and a Funeral), and Darkie's constant character, a really meaty part... no history, no fear that Victor is going to kill him in a particularly plans. While there is some commentary about the media's involvement in glamorising crime, this ugly manner, just for the hell of it. reasoning, no motivations. He just is."

Such a predatory character is a far cry from angle is generally skipped over to focus on a "Victor is a force of nature; says director, Marc Townsend's other film role of note, that of techno Evans. Indeed, the film strives to put him into the chain of character interactions. In Ryan's case this geek Jez in the recent Shooting Fish. "There was anti-hero tradition of James Cagney, who Victor is means his involvement with Victor's girlfriend a lot of pressure to be the lead... but I've always Heather, Heather's involvement with her exseen imitating early on for his creepy, indulgent mother (Brenda darkisfilms, films Angelfilms.

Heart,I ....- • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •. ...._liked which one of mylike favourite Fricker, who had previously sworn saw it when I was fifteen, and [when I off playing staunch first read the script] it had that same feeling, except it was Irish".

Irish mums).

Though both the author and the director Despite being set in

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claim the film is a film noir ("but in colour," says Evans), Resurrection Man plays like more modern crime dramas such as The Krays or even GoodFellas, where characters come in and out of the action, where little is explained, and the audience is seeing the action through the eyes of a hero they can't bring themselves to like.

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he film bears some amazing similarities to The Krays, particularly in the figure of the twisted, domineering mother. Brenda Fricker, who most people would probably · remember as the strong, loving mother in My Left Foot does a great turn as Victor's all-too-loving mother, Dorcas Kelly. She is so influenced by her affection for her boy that she can't understand how anyone could think he is a cold-hearted serial killer.

Other performances of note are John Hannah as Darkie - not a nice fellow by any stretch of the imagination, but not as evil as Victor - whose backing away from the gang when he realises Victor is unhinged makes Darkie a real object of interest; and Geraldine O'Rawe as Heather, the woman who adds to the complications between Darkie, Victor, and Ryan. O'Rawe is perfectly cast, and shows a lot of promise as a character actress.

But, still, the one to watch is Stuart Townsend, who seems almost embarrassed by how impressed the critics have been. When complimented on his job after our interview, he said only, "Oh, it was just great material. You should read Eoin's book. The book's brilliant."

But even though the film's characters are compelling, the story has these nasty elements of predictability which can be hard to get past, and far too much tension and unnecessary killing. At times the murders get so overwhelming that you stop connecting the violence with the meaning in Victor's bloodlust and start getting annoyed at how often the far-too-loud gunshots make you jump out of your seat. An interesting film, obviously made with dedication, Resurrection Man is, in the end, worth seeing, though it will probably be more interesting to watch on video than on the big screen, where the comfort of one's surroundings will help people ease into the slaughter.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

1

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itanic, directed by James Cameron, veteran of Terminator, 7fue Lies and The Abyss, is the most expensive movie ever made. Full stop. No contest. However, unlike the fiasco of Kevin Costner's $1 80 million-plus Waterworfd three years ago, Titanic looks to be in very serious danger of actually making a profrt. Among the budget of $200 million was sufficient loose change to build a 90% model of the infamous vessel, the largest water tank in the world to put it in, and a whole studio in Mexico to surround them.

Critics were immediately forecasting doom, as stories leaked out about cast-wide poisonings, on-site accidents, postponement after postponement, enough special effects to keep BOTH of the world's best effects conpanies busy, an original running time of over four hours (now down to a mere three- hours, 15 minutes), and above all th~ megalomaniacal demands of the director, whose obsessive, perfectionist reputation is legendary (Let's just say that whalever it was he was doing during The Abyss, it made Ed Harris cry).

But screenings have forced the critics to change their tunes, even about the innate elements of predictability (it's not like the audience is going to be s~:~rprised when the boat starts to sink), and has become noticeably quiet about the so-called "no-star" cast featuring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, who have both proved themselves years ago as two of the potentially great acting talents of their generation.

But no matter how grand it may be, Titanic is a disaster film, and disaster films are notoriously campy, over-dramatic, and a whole lot of fun.

So in commemoration of the cinematic Titanic finally coming to port, The Event reviews classic disaster movies and finds out just what is so appealing about a few hours of death and destruction.

a.k.a ''Don't call me

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a.k.a "Don't leave mel"

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Airplane (:1980)

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ow better known for the Naked Gun series, Leslie Nielsen was saved from a career of playing men who were all seemingly constipated. Starting off by acting out a modem fantasy and performing all manner of karate moves on a group of religious leafleters, the action moves on board as traumatised former fighter pilot Ted Striker makes a last d itch attempt to win back the love of his life, s tewardess Elalne Dlcklnson. Once the plane is In the air, the crew become mysteriously Ill, and Striker,

aided by the formidable Robble the rubber autopilot, Is left with the responsibility of landing the plane In bad weather.

Enter Or Rumack (Nielsen), who works out the source of the mystery Illness and, when Striker says, " Surely you can't be serious," Rumack replies, " I am serious, and don't call me Shlrley." As Elaine Is forced to reinflate Robbie the autopilot through the valve In his crotch and the passengers start droppi'lg like flies, Striker must overcome his fear to hetp the small girl whose life giving

Intravenous drip Is being constantly removed by the passengers attempts to lift her spirits through the power . of folk muslc.As Striker wrestles his inner demons, on the ground Air Traffic Controller McCroskey decides that it was "The wrong week for me to quit smoking... drinking... gluesnlfflng," before throwing himself out of the tower and onto the tarmac.Strlker, gets the p£ane on the ground, gets a second chance with Elalne, and Robble gets to travel the skies with his big rubber g irlfriend. Fantastic.

Independence Day (:1996) W Se•

hat can one say about a ftlrn which waa 10 lloolced forward to by so many who MW spend thllr time slagging it off? Will ltiia as a...._,.. who fights aliens by being extremeiJ Clheeky. Jeff Ooldblum stars as (surprise!) a geeky guy who figures everything out and no one bothers to listen to , will • Pullman • the lf)credibly young, charismatic Amertc8n President. A bunch of sticky-looking aliens (who are ,..,ly sticky-looking allelw inside bigger sticky-looking alien IUita) start hovertng ovw

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turned an entire herd of cattle Into breathing hamburgers.

The Mars Attacks aliens are more notable for the amusingly sadistic method.s of murdering Individuals than any ability to destroy large populstlon centres. Particularly llftiUalng Is the little fteg that pops through the President's body 8nd eventually ..,ds proud three feet from the ground. Selvatlon Is In lle shape of country star Slim WhltrMn. As little grandma Is sat with her headphones plugged Into the stereo, the little aliens just can't resist

whipping her headphones off before blasting their little laser guns In the general direction of her head. Pulling the headphones out of the stereo, the country star's dulcet tones fill the air, causing the Martian's heads to explode in a particularly gruesome fashion. Also cute is the ending: the young grandson gets to flirt with the dead President's daughter and construct the new world.

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some kind of love Interest, usually a plucky woman scientist who wears pastel-coloured dresses a lol Nuclear testing, a volcanic erup8on, or sometimes diabolical female aliens In spandex awake the monster, who tends to live deep In the Pacific. The monster gets very upset abouf this and the scientists make several attempts to contain the monster before the climactic squashing of Tokyo.

Finally, some space-aged weapon la constructed and the monster Is sent back to the oceans. Godzllla himself started out as a mere monster, but proved so popular he quickly evolved Into a pro-environment hero, even

becoming a father, resulting In heart-warming scenes where Papa teaches baby how to breathe fire. The biggest Iguana of them all still has a habit of stomping Tokyo, but it Is always an accident which results from fighting another monster, such as Mothra (a giant moth who has his own cult and theme song) or

Create Your Own Disaster Movie 1. The Action Hero a) Leslie Nielsen b) Stave McOueen c) Pierce Brosnan d)WII Smith

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Gene Hackman as an unconventional vicar, Shelley Winters as a neurotic grandmother, Ernest Borgnlne as a constantly annoyed policeman, his ex-prostitute wife, twp cute kids, and several quiet, friendly people who are just begging to be killed off. The group follows the expert advice of the ten year old boy and starts climbing up through the ship to the hull, where they figure help will come eventually. From there, the action follows a simple pattern - every time there's a lull , something explodes or the water approaches,

someone else dies, and Ernest Borgnlne yella something like, " You're crazy, preacher man!" until the group Is threatened yet again and are forced to continue. Most of the people drown after deciding to stay with the ship's purser (who everyone takes as an authority figure, but Is really just the hotel manager), and the band playing at the New Year's party is wiped out, but not before twice singing the same song (aptly titled Song from the Pose/don Adventure).

he best of Hollywood's attempts to out-do Tl» PoNidon Adventure, Towering Inferno has a lot going for it. lt has a tremendous cast , Including Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Fred AMal,., Richard Chamber~*~, and, yes, OJ Slmpaon • • fireman who bravely guards

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a kitten for three hours. Newman stars as the architect of the world's tallest building which catches fire faster than a stale fag during the opening night gala.

Fire chief McQueen flies Into action, but after stupid, panicking guests ruin all the easy aolutlons, there's not too much to do except shepherd the party-goers out one at a . time and come up .nh complicated plans to put out the fire. Additionally, there's aJI aorta of aoap-oper11 dreiNitlcs about how stupid gigolo Chamblrtaln used cheap wiring In the building and caused the fire, we learn all about people's faults and Inner problems, and then those who deserve it

(and a few extras, just for good measure) start biting the dust.

As usual, a few of the deaths are unnecessary and sort of depressing, as likeable smaller characters go flying out of windows, getting trapped In exploding rooms, and have helicopters crash on them, but at least that prevents aappy reunion scenes at the end.

The film Is awfully long for an action movie, with gallant plans being formed, tried, and abandoned over and over, before they all suddenly notice there are maulve water tanks on the building's roof. Isn't that alWays the way?

Take one element from .eh category, write a barely coherent script, throw In cute catch phrases, spend lots of cash on publicity then sit back and watch the money roll in. Voila!

2. The stuplcl Comment I) The Portent of Doom a) " This shlp'a unalnkablel" b) "I've known l ' - hllla aH my life." c) " Maybe they're friendly." d) " I love you so much!"

he model tar the modem cluster movie.

Several get al dressed up for a New Year's party on the final voyage of the cruise ship Poaeldon, but somewhere in the mld-Atlantlc, there's an underwater earthquake and a massive tidal wave overturns the ship. Left to find a way out of the rapidly sinking ship Is a motley crew of party-goers Including

The To~ering Inferno (:1974)

GodziUa (:1998 ust when lt seemed like the world had been reedy to stop mocking all those great Japanese monster movies of the late '60s and early '70s, those pesky boys responsible for Independence Day are preparing a new, hlgh-tech Godzll/a for summer release. But by making Godzll/aleaner and meaner, there is a great chance they will loose the heart of those time-honoured classics. The badly-dubbed man-In-a-rubber-suit-stompingon-a-miniature-Tokyo movies are, by and large, all the same.

Typically, the film centres on a scientist of some sort, and

hack into the aliens' computer with a Macintosh laptop (take that, Bill Gates!) and then nuke the hell out of them, causing the massive ships to all crash Into what's left of the major cities, and, one assumes, the remaining aliens come pouring out of the ships heavily armed and seriously put oul But what's important is the triumph of friendly, funny people over the humourless, and humanity putting aside d ifferences to band together and kick butt.

Adventure (:197Z)

Mars Attacks (:1996) eleased about six months after Independence Day, Tlm Burton's take on a set of 50s playing cards proved to be the total antithesis of the previous summer's alien conquering. Starring a cast that feat~ half of the top names In Hollywood, but IIIOM notably Jack Nlcholson, Burton's aliens alternately profeaed "We are your friends," before blasting hu11181'11ty to du.t 8nd going on to claim " ak ak ak ak ak ak ek" to any remaining Inanimate objects. Before all this, of course, they had

major cities In space ships miles wide, then melt the earth's population centres with huge deathrays and myriad little . . . . . ships. In between the massive firestorms (the . , . . House exploding was known to get applause), there la a ....... X-FIIes . .plot about governments hiding ....._.-M~ in the single dumbest plot convenience ever, an alien minds melda with the Prez long enough for us to learn the reaon the aliens want to kill us: they're really mean ..........._"DDecbeeky fighter pilot and the c omputer nerd

a) "Whet lalt LMIIIefWIIII"a.......,.. b) "But I cen't nlml"

c) "Chaoe thecq1 Whlre lhll'l"

d)"'Wit'd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a.~~orm .........

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b) wtllrlwllid . . . . by alleM C) YOicllno d) Iceberg

I) Comic relief

e) Acts ot valour

a) funky jive-talkers b) hysterical nuns c) a gathering of whlney d) Ronald Reagan

a) grandma gets her legs burnt off b) ex-fighter pilot flies Into the helrt of the .u.nlhtp c) lady falls to death while aavlng cat d) Darth Vader lobs the Emperor Into a bottom.... pit

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month pregnant women

7) An Indestructible Dog a) Maggle the St Bernard

b) Bucldr the Golden Retriever o) l8ndlt the Bonier Collie d) Poppy the llutant Transplant Chihuahua

. • THE EVEIT, WEDNESDAY, ·JAWARY 21 ; 1998·

C

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onsidering the enormity of their small screen presence, the Friends cast have had little luck on the big screen. lt will probably be a while before any of them appear in a film of the calibre of Courtney Cox's Scream, but this offering from Jennifer Aniston suggests that she at least will be able to soldier on for a while through the medium of film once her pension plan comes to an end. Her film career consists of playing sassy late twenty-something New Yorkers with spacious flats and nice wardrobes, but If it works on Friends you can hardly blame her for not trying Shakespeare.

Jennifer (I can't even remember her character name, and I doubt it was important) just can't find that perfect man, can't pull the office stud and is forever after that seemingly impossible promotion. Her married mate invents Nick, a

fictional fiance, complete with lovely photo. This has a marvellous effect on lucky old Jennifer before she knows it her mother is ecstatic, she's got her long sought after promotion and best of all she's banging away at it with homy Kevin Bacon.

Of course, this Is all complicated by the fact that Nick, apart from his name and a single photo, is entire fabrication. As eager mothers and colleagues all keenly enquire after the golden boy. Jennifer Is eventually forced to confront her • unwitting partner In crime and offer him money to come to dinner and pose as her soon-to-be husband. Aniston ls a rather attractive heroine, and again proves herself to be very good at the late twenty-something New Yorker thing. This is nothing special, but passes the time very pleasantly, and there are far, far worse ways to spend a couple for hours.

LOVE STORY (1970) Ryan O'Neal meets All McGraw. She gets extremely ill, she dies. Ryan Is left on a park bench in the snow.

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989) Meg Ryan fakes orgasms for the benefit of Billy Crystal and whoever happens to be in the vicinity. Can men and women really be friends?

THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1997) Hungarian count Ralph Fiennes woos English rose Kristen Scott-Thomas in 1930s Egypt.

Daivd Lean wannabe.

JERRY MAGUIRE {1996) Tom Cruise·beds Rene Zellweger and finds that her five year old son actually isn't a sickening brat.

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE {1993) Meg Ryan (again) gets taken in by some story from Tom Hanks. Again, an allegedly cute child features prominently. This time it's the steroetype mop-top pillock.

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT {1995) Michael Douglas is the eponymous Prez who falls in love with ecologist and lobbyist Annette Banning, much to the delight of the media.

ANNIE HALL (1977) Woody Alien and Diane Keaton fall in love, let lobsters run around their kitchen and get paranoid in a New York sort of way.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANV'S (1961) Eccentric socialite Audrey Hepburn messes · about with novelist George Peppard. "Moon Rlver ..."

CARRINGTON (1995) Writer Lytton Strachey, despite his homosexuality, finds himself wanting to marry live-in friend Dora Carrington, but confesses all just too late.

SHADOWLANDS (1993) Developing the literary theme. Cambridge Don Anthony Hopkins (playing C.S. Lewis) finds his heart melted by poet Debra Winger.

obert Downey Jr has been sentenced to six months in jail for breaking his parole. The Chap/in star said, "I have no excuses. I find myself defenceless," after being sent down for drug possession and carrying a loaded gun in his car. Christian Slater will be joining him for three months after an alleged drunken attack on a police officer. Saturday Night Fevets 20th anniversary celebrations have been marred by the British writer Nik Cohn's admission that the true story on which the film was based was in fact false .

Some British films seem lo be doing better than others. Shooting Fish has made £4 million to date. Unfortunately, Gallivant, a road movie, has only earned about £16,000.· Glastonbury cost a whopping £125,000 but only an estimated 320 people have paid £4 each to see it. Oh weii.The continuing success of The Full Monty has made the Sheffield Tourist Board introduce some reverse marketing strategies. People have been encouraged to visit the city to see if it really is as grotty as the film depicts. John Pyle of the Tourist Board claims, "The film has got people talking about .

Sheffield to the extent that no amount of paid-for

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THE EVENT_, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

WIN! WIN! w S

ome accuse it of being the decade that taste forgot, but now that we all hate the 80s instead, the 70s are back with a vengeance. This month's Neon magazine investigates the Bacchanalian excess of parties, on-set tantrums and drug-induced paranoia and celebrates the release of Mark Whalberg starrer Boogie Nights. You can investigate all this and more for the princely sum of nought pee. FFI Beatwax are offering a few three month subscription to this fantastic magazine. To enter, just answer this 70s related question:

What sort of videos does Mark Whalberg's character make in Boogie Nightst Send your entries to The Film Department, FFI Beatwax, 18-24 Westboume Grove, London, W2 5RH, by Friday February 27. Oh, and if you don't win, this month's Neon has a nice blue cover with Marky Mark on it, and it costs £2.50. Cheers!

advertising could have done."

Those media super giants Sony have made an offer to Sean Connery to star in their version of James Bond (a third re-working of the Thunderbaii/Never Say Never Again story), an offer already caught in an ugly legal battle, meanwhile MGM have asked Martin Scorsese to direct their next Bond film.

Plagiarism is a dirty word floating about in director Steven Spielberg's Dream Works film company. The Hollywood director has been hit with a lawsuit claiming that his new film Amlstad has been ripped off from a book entitled Echo of The Lions.

Hollywood tragedies over the holidays include Sonny Bono, former singer, actor, and Mr Cher turned mayor, who died in a holiday skiing accident and overweight, over-wrought comedian Chris Fariey, who died after a booze, cocaine and· morphine binge. The comparisons to John Belushi are already flying.

Except Farley wasn't as funny. Finally, Beavis and Butthead are dead. Their last look at the world was aired on December 20. They were around for years and they made a name for themselves as rocks biggest followers.

Huh ...huh...and all that.

R.I.P. Luke Miles

" ''

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· aox Christmas has been and gone and by all accounts the Christmas TV was far from inspiring. You will be pleased to know that the '98 will have a variety of new and old programmes for your viewing pleasure.

In Exile (Wed, Jan 21, C4,10-10.30pm) is a new comedy series masterminded by The Fast Show's Mark Williams. This is followed by re-runs of Friends (Wed, Jan 21, C4,10.30-11pm), as Sky has pinched the rights to show the third series first. The latest in a string of comedy game shows is The Best Show In the World Probably (Thurs.

Jan 22, BBC1, 10.20·10.55pm) which takes a satirical look at advertising. For other comedy gems -..-.!~1""'1!!~--. settle back on Friday nights for Blackadder (Fri, Jan 23, BBC2, 99.35pm), The Friday Night Armistice (Fri, Jan 23, BBC2, 9.3510.05pm), Game On (Fri, Jan 23, BBC2, 10.05-10.35pm) and Frasier (Fri, Jan 23, C4, 10-10.30pm).

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Australian, American or homegrown, what is it about soap operas that makes our whites whiter, even at lower temperatures% ritish soaps are the biggest attraction on TV, with Coronation Street and EastEnders again the top raters over Christmas. Following this EastEnders and Brookside both showed week-long extravaganzas.

With all this additional exposure, storylines have to be exciting enough to keep the viewers hooked.

All the major soaps have had their share of controversial storylines: murder, teenage pregnancies, euthanasia, incest, schizophrenia, child abduction , alcoholism. The list of tragedies befalling characters appears endless.

So why are we so enthralled by these tales of gloom? A partial explanation is that people can relate to the strong characters and situations they face . Combined, these elements create compelling dramas and believable, strong characters come to

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Once again, we find music dominating TV schedules with John Peel and Jo Whiley kicking off a series of shows called Music of the Millennium- the final countdown. (Sat, Jan 24, C4, 6.30-Spm). Then, look out for Jimmi Hendrix, who plays the Isle of White (Sat, Jan 24, C4, 3.35-4.40am). The Evening Session goes to Brixton Academy to cover the NME Music Awards aka The Brats (Tue, Jan 27, Radio 1, 6.30-10.30pm). Also getting into the act is Not Fade Away (Fri, Jan 30, ITV, 2.30-3.25am), which presents a selection of classic music videos chosen by celebrities.

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*WfNJs~'i:.f: ~v * If you're lively and have something to say, or would just like to tell your mum you're on TV, then

Generation (Wed, Jan 21, BBC2, 6-6.45 pm) sees Cpt Picard having sex for the first time in four years ... was it worth the wait? This is followed by Sliders (Wed, Jan 21, BBC2, 6.45-7.30pm) who land on a world where the US Constitution is an outlawed document.

Back to Star Trek, Deep Space Nine (Thurs, Jan 22, BBC2, 6-6.45pm) involves more sex, and be warned: Klingons .---~ make Ann Summers look repressed!

To round up, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are looking as plastic as ever in Star Trek (Fri, Jan 23, BBC2, 6.257.15pm).

Wll:ftUII:~ftAV

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The secret to soaps popularity lies in the fact that they are uniquely British , and no-one handles a crisis with as much flair as Peggy Mitchell or Rita Sullivan. American and Aussie soaps are more like light entertainment, such as Dynasty- which had a gun siege at a wedding between an eastern European prince and a rich American girl! Or Dallas - one whole series was a dream!

Soaps have not only defined their own genre, but attract an almost religious following . So let us worship Saint Grant and Saint Phil Mitchell, and bow before Archangel Ken Barlow. Soaps - long Katie Westgate may they reign over British TV.

veryone knows that the sequels aren't as good as the originals, unless of course they're called Empire Strikes Back or Aliens. But although Lethal Weapon 2 doesn't quite match up to its predecessor, it's nevertheless an exciting, high quality, action adventure. Of course, it's also got Mel Gibson in it.

The plot surrounds a pair of South American diplomats who are attempting to smuggle various pieces of illegal merchandise into the US whilst a) looking sinister and menacing, b) causing mass destruction and c) threatening the life of the intensely irritating seam artist, Leo .... who can expose them. This is where our heroes come in. Aiggs and Martaugh return to try and save the day, with the required amounts of wisecracks, bullets and nudity from Palsy Kensit. Of course , it's also got Mel Gibson in it.

This is not to say that this film falls completely into cliches, for every scene that could happily be forgotten (like the rescue of the cute loveable dog), there is also a moment of genius (Mutraugh being unable to get off the toilet without being blown up!) .

As you may have gathered, being a Mel Gibson fan is pretty much required for the enjoyment of th is film .

However, even if you start off sceptical of Mel's talent, you may be a fully-fledged convert by the end.

Gibson gives a superb performance as the charming, vulnerable and mildly psychotic Riggs, helped once again by his dependable partner Danny Glover. The twist on the buddy-buddy theme of the first film is that Joe Pesci's character succeeds in making Murtaugh and Riggs _quite sincerely wish he was dead!

Amy Pierce This is fast, funny , enjoyable and, of course, it's got Mel Gibson in it.

Talk shows continue to dominate daytime viewing, and they seem to have some kind of strange warped appeal to most students. In fact, the worse they are, the more we lap them up. There's Leeza (Mon-Fri. CS, 11.1 Oam-12pm), then more trauma (and the odd punch) in Ricki Lake (Mon-Fri, C4, 5.30· 6pm), proving categorically that Americans love public exhibitions; while the English equivalents, Kilroy (Mon-Fri, BBC1, 9.5Q10.30pm) and Esther (Mon-Fri, BBC2, 4.55continue to be unmissably cheesy.

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us on screen . If's a bit escapist really, like being able to take on board this whole family's problems as well as see what's behind their sofas.

Each women's magazine, TV guide and weekend supplement charts the traumas of our soap's heroes and villains as if they were real. The viewer shares in the joy and anguish of each character and when we turn off the television , the conversations about them continue.

The longest running British soap is The Archers.

This tale of simple country folk has a seemingly universal appeal. And what about when they give us more? We just lap it up. EastEnders and Coronation Street may have the largest following but they are being followed by Brookside, a revamped Emmerdale, and even the young pretender, Hollyoaks.

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Championship Manager 97/98

Right-wing extremists are attempting to use the Net to pump t heir propaganda into the homes of millions. Stuart Dredge investigates.

Bible that criticise hom osexuality and uses them to he Internet has been described as 'the last uncensored mass medium in existence', pe rsecute gays and lesbians. An essential part of this 'Christianity' involves picketing the funerals of and to some extent this is true. it's much gay AIDS vi ctims and yell ing abuse at their easie r fo r th e authorities to shut down dissident families during the service. On the website, as magazines or television stations than it is to take we ll as a detailed account of their beliefs (backed action against webs ites. At the moment, the Net is up with various Old Testament quotes) , there is a true bastion of the right to free speech. also a photo gallery of the church's activities (see However, what happens when people use that bottom of the page), which makes fo r distinctly right to publish views which are deeply offensive unpleasant viewing. to many of us? This is the question which is being So isn't anything done about this sort of site? posed by the growing number of 'hate' sites, socalled because they advocate hostility towards or Leaving aside moral considerations, the sheer size of the task makes any crackdown doomed to discrimination against people based on their race, fai lure from th e sta rt ~ Every day new sites are set nationality, sexual orientation or gender. Many of up, and even if sites ca n be shut down, they'll these sites are run by far right organisations: the reappear at a different location within days. To BNP is online, as js th e Ku Kl ux Klan, and a create a site, you need to have an 'Internet motley collection of the ir allies. They're on line Service Provider' (ISP) wh ich will store you r site reachi ng out to people like you wo rld-wide.

Worried yet?

The number of 'hate' si tes has been growing steadily fo r the past few years, as The BNP chillingly state their intentions more and more people learn how to on one of its servers. With over 4,500 ISPs in th e use th e World Wide Web. A recent survey fou nd United States alone, there's plenty who'll have no over 600 such sites. Among them were sites run scruples about hosting hate sites, as long as they by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, homophobes, get paid. Even more of a probl em is the question terrorists and fundamenta list Christian sects. Most of geographical location. Internet sites are only of the sites contained a mixtu re of propaganda bound by the laws of th e cou ntry in which they are and appeals fo r donations, yet some also provided hosted. So, while a neo-Nazi si te may be liable to links to banned literature, advice on manufacturing prosecution in Germany, if it is hosted by an ISP explosives, and even open incitements to in America, it is protected under the First violence.

Amendment of the constitution, which guarantees One example is the notorious Stormfront site. free speech. More than one canny European which hit the news recently for its part in fascist has moved their site to the USA for this spreading a plan to create 'Aryan enclaves' in Eastern Germany. Located m the United States, reason .

So. there's no real way to eradicate hate sites. But its slogan is 'White Power World-Wide' , which even if we could, should we? More people than gives you a pretty good idea of the ideology beh1nd it. Like many white .-!f!!I!I""'!'!IJ""..... you might think believe we shouldn 't, citing the principle of free speech as their power groups, Stormfront is justification. However offensive we find anxious to cla1m that it does not regard non-White races as such views , simply banning them won 't stop them being held by the inferior, but as different. lt can individuals concerned: they'll just go therefore reject accusations of racism and instead further underground. disseminate 1ts separat1st But if you can't ban 'em. fight ·em, propaganda . There is also a and there are now a small but huge library of nationalist committed number of ·anti-hate' sites texts. including a wealth of which have been created specifically to articles relating to Holocaust combat the propaganda spread by the denial. Stormfront's creator, Don cyber-hatemongers. And . contrary to what Black , is an ex-Grand Dragon in the you might think. most of them believe that the Ku Klux Klan , and has served time in prison for answer is NOT to ban hate sites. One such site is attempting to overthrow the government of Hatewatch, which has been online since 1996.

Dom1nica in favour of an all-wh1te republic.

With a small core staff and many volunteers Even more disturbing is the site created by around the world, it monitors the growing number Benjamin Phelps, a devout member of the of hate sites. and publishes ful l details about them Westborough Baptist Church of Topeka . Rather and the people behind them~ The site's founder, than practise the sentiments of love and David Goldman, believes that simply calling for forgiveness. BenJamin's church takes parts of the censorship would be wrong: "We hold that once politically disagreeable speech is censored, even for 'good· reasons. it imperils all speech regardless of content. We do not nor ever have advocated censoring hate groups or hate speech."

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believe in an unadulterated form it provides all of us with good information so that we act out of knowledge not ignorance. it will be our ignorance of these groups and their ideolog1es that will allow the spread of these vile and poisonous ideas to continue."

Another site which lights hate. albeit a more specific type of hate. is the Anti-Defamation League.

Its stated aim is "to fight anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry," and it has produced several reports on the subject of Net hatred. Like Hatewatch , the ADL does not advocate censorship, aiming instead, "to counter messages of hate with information that exposes b1gotry and promotes tolerance and decency.'· And there's more , with sites such as GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) , Antifascist Web. and Nazism Exposed all workmg to combat the threat of hate. While the number of hate sites seems set to keep on growing , it's comforting to know that people are doing something about it. These organisations all welcome offers of help, donations. or just messages of support.

The issue of Net hate won't go away: its proponents know they're on to a good thing. at least under the current system of regulation. As the BNP openly admit on the1r site, "Cyberspace offers a new opportunity to break the monopoly of the mass media", counteractmg the fact that they can't get widespread coverage through the normal channels.

You might not agree with Net censorship, but nevertheless, the increasing use of the World Wide Web by the far right is something that should worry any fai r-minded individuals, whatever their political beliefs.

·o kay, I'll start with a quick history quiz.

Hands up if you remember Football Manager. Many years ago, when the height of computer technology was the Sinclair Spectrum, a game was released which aimed to simulate the high-pressure world of, well , football management. You got to pick your team, buy and sell players, and then watch crude match highlights with little matchstick men punting a pixel around the screen. it was great. Ever since then, football manager games have continued to prosper, becoming bigger and more comp lex along the way. While console owners have never taken the genre to their hearts, the PC has become the machine to own if you fancy yourself as a virtual Kenny Dalglish or Alex Ferguson.

The field is dominated by two games, which stand head and shoulders above the rest: Premier Manager and Championship Manager, of which this is the latest incarnation. Whereas Premier Manager has tended to go for the graphical knobs'n'whistles approach, Championship Manager has always been targeted towards the hardcore football manager fans. You want slats?

There's literally thousands, enough even to satisfy the most anally retentive football commentator. You want players?

The game uses a huge database of playe rs, managers and teams from all over the world, meaning that you too can scout the Italian second division for undiscovered talent. ~ You want glitzy graphics? Er ...

Let's just say that Championship Manager 97/98 won't be something that'll rival Quake in the affections of action game fans. As well as being incredibly complex, the game is damn hard too. The programmers have tweaked the bugs that in some previous versions allowed you to play an unorthodox 1 - 4 - 5 formation and beat everyone. Now you have to pay some serious attention to tactics, both yours and the opposition's. The game has been praised for its realism, and the attention to detail is such that Paul lnce regularly gets booked for dissent, David James can be relied upon to let at least one shot slip through his hands every game, and Middlesborough's entire team play badly, sulk if you drop them, and then run off to Spain ...

Okay, so one drawback is that you don't actually get to see the match: you just get text highlights. CM 97/98 is one of those games that you either love or just don't understand.

Those who love it (myself included) can wax lyrical on its depth and absorbtion factor. Those who don't will call it a spreadsheet, and accuse its fans of being sad Stattos who shun the real world. Unfortunately, the criticism isn't totally unfounded, as the game is fiendishly addictive. and if you're not careful you'll find yourself up until the early hours perfecting your Christmas tree formation, or more realistically trying to turn your bunch of carthorses into a well-honed team of ath letes. If you're at all interested in football, Championship Manager 97/98 is a necessity.

The new Cto ncrete weibsite will b :e · up an.d running at t.h4e ernd et January All the latest news and reviews will be a t http:/fwww~uea~ac.. ukt-suconcfwe~lcomelihtml f)

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

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No. 5

Pasta Sauce

As we all know, one of the cornerstones of student culinary existence is pasta and an essential component of a swift spaghetti serving is the sauce. For this issue, our intrepid taster slurps his way through the supermarket's finest This issue, the choice of food to be tested has been carbonara pasta sauce. Average student fare is your basic tomato sauce, for which a recipe will be given later, so we've decided to cater to the more adventurous minded student by choosing carbonara. Carbonara is a rich , creamy sauce made with egg, various Italian cheeses, Pancetta (Italian bacon) and cream. Could the supermarkets deliver a good carbonara?

Is your New Years Resolution· to diet fading fast in the face of Diner chips and stress-driven chocolate cravingst Then let this salad change your outlook on rabbit food Ingredients 1 iceberg gem lettuce half a cucumber half a yellow pepper oil 1 beef tomato 1 orange celery sticks 2 hard boiled eggs (optional) A handful of grilled chicken pieces a handful of chopped walnuts

celery.

Arrange cucumber, tomato and pepper on top of the lettuce.

Peel orange and slice into segments.

Cut the egg into quarters and place in the middle.

Sprinkle the chicken and walnuts on top. Serve with warm crusty bread Salad dressing 1 tbs. orange juice 1 tbs. vinegar 2 tbs. olive oil 1 tsp. honey 1 tsp. mixed herbs 1 tsp. mustard salt and pepper to season

Method Wash and dry the lettuce, and arrange in the base of the salad bowl.

Rub the skin of the pepper with oil, and place a hot grill until the skin is blackened. Allow and then peel off the skin and cut the Method into thin strips. _ _,_Shake all ingredients together in a jar, until the slice cucumber and tomato, and has emulsified Newbery

of the cheese took the edge off this carbonara. This led to this sauce coming a close second.

The bluffer's guide to ••

Tesco Fresh Carbonara Sauce. £1.59 350g.

The first thing I noticed about this sauce was its rather unnecessarily annoying packaging. In similar packaging to the Capri-sun orange drinks that when opened with a straw would squirt liquid at you due to the pressure you applied to the packaging when you held it. You may note that this sauce has two characteristics that immediately beat the others; it is cheaper and you get more of it. But the extra 50 grams is water, giving it an unpleasant taste and texture. If this were a car it would be on the scrap heap. A highly disappointing fourth.

First out of the four sauces tasted. lt was sufficiently creamy, and also matched up in the cheese department, yet had a depth and subtlety unmatched in the other three sauces. This, as with the other pots, will give you enough for two rather large portions of pasta. One of the most important and exciting to note when comparing these four sauces is the number of bits of bacon.

Waitrose wins hands down with its bits, and therefore overall, although a little pricey, wins in the carbonara stakes.

Somerfield Fresh Carbonara Sauce. £1.69 300g A slightly bland version of carbonara; edible but rather tasteless. 11 contains enough bacon bits and is cheaper than two of the other sauces, but there's not much else to say. There are rumours that Somerfield's checkout women have been told to flirt with male customers.

Unfortunately, the consistency of the sauce served only to remind me of the inanely grinning teenage girt who served me when I bought this sauce. An inconspicuous third.

Salnsbury's Fresh Carbonara Sauce. £1.79 300g Very close to Waitrose in terms of creaminess, this fresh sauce also had a high bacon to creamy sauce ratio. lt can be pulled up on its cheese content. The packaging boasts that it contains a mixture of three Italian cheeses, but it seems that someone has accidentally dropped a little too much into the batch that I tasted. The sharpness

For a basic carbonara sauce which will save you some pennies follow this recipe ...

Half a pint of double cream 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk Handful of mature Cheddar cheese 4 rashers of smoked bacon Whisk the egg and cream and add the cheese. Put the bacon in a pan of cold water and heat up the water until boiling, this will remove the majority of chemicals and refresh the bacon .

Remove from the pan and dry thoroughly. Cut into inch-long strips and fry in a tiny bit of olive oil until crispy.

Cook the pasta and add the sauce and the bacon to the pan the pasta is in . The heat from the pasta should cook the egg and turn it into a thick creamy carbonara sauce.

N.B. Always cook pasta in plenty of water, a third of pasta to two thirds water.

Add salt to the pan when the water is boiling, not before.

Ed Moses

Ever wondered what makes haute cuisine hautet Impress friends and family with your new found knowledge of French posh nosh •••

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Sauces

ven though haute cuisine originated in France, it is very different to French country cooking, which is characterised by garlic, beans and breads. Haute cuisine, influenced by the Japanese culinary ideal of simplicity in presentation and clear flavours is usually associated with small portions and high prices. Try to convince your parents to take you to Adlards in Norwich for dinner and you'll understand.

These must be delicate and should not drown or overpower the dish. Most are made using a roux, either white (Bechamel and its cousin Mornay) or brown (Espagnole and the spicier Robert). Cold sauces include Aioli, made with plenty of garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, together with the well known Mayonnaise, made with egg yolks, oil and vinegar, and its variants, such as Tartare. Perfect with fish.

Garnishes

Truffles

Vegetables such as carrots and onions are often diced or cut into strips to make mirepoix or julienne garnishes respectively. Foie gras (goose liver) and truffles are tossed in butter to make a Rossini garnish for meats, and herbs are often delicately placed on or next to the cut.

These are rare funghi that grow underground and are sniffed out by dogs or pigs (which tend to eat them whenever they can). Very pricey, they are used sparingly to add flavour to sauces or are grated and sprinkled over hot dishes.

Pretentious words Roux This is the base for most sauces. 11 is usually made by combining equal amounts of flour and melted butter and blending them over a moderate heat. The colour of the roux, and consequently of the sauce, depends on how long it is cooked. Roux blanc is used for white sauce and cooked for only about three minutes. Roux brun, brown in colour, is foru to10.

Gratin simply means sprinkled with breadcrumbs or cheese and baked to a golden brown, farcir means to stuff, whilst an escalope of something is simply a thin slice of it. A consomme is a clear soup, hors d'oeuvres are starters and canapes are small open sandwiches.

A bouquet garni is no more than a bunch of herbs, usually parsley, thyme, bay and often celery.

Lucas Psillakis

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1998

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he Diner is not one of the best places to conduct an interview, but Paul Magrs {pronounced Mars} seems quite at ease.

He has, after all, spent a lot of time in cafes, listening and writing: "I like eavesdropping. I like the randomness of it, and I like smoking and drinking coffee." He tried to spread his hobby by making his Creative Writing students go to cafes and listen in on conversations: "I think people oughta be forced to go and eavesdrop, 'cos there's nothing worse than people writing it all inside their head, they've got no idea how people talk."

Magrs is a lecturer in Creative Writing, and the author of several novels. He once said that he wrote "Queer working-class magic realism."

When asked, however, he reveals that this was not intended seriously: "Yeah, it was a joke, for a press release, to give it a label that WC!S as extravagant and ridiculous as possible. But they all took it on face value. it was hilarious, so now they're running around bandying this about as my earnest opinion. A neater name, I think, is queer realism."

Hrs new book sounds particularly bizarre: "it's about a bloke who's convinced he's going to give birth to a leopard, it's about a whole set of women in the place that he leaves behind, all trying to make the best of thei r lives, it's about a women who has a cl ub-foot son who cops off with a women who's got telekinetic powers, it's about a woman whose husband goes do-lally, and the n, she thinks, turns into a vampire." He pauses. "it's about all sorts of things really," he concludes. Magrs received the highest accolade

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s one would hope , Mustard's first outing seem s to tackle many of the concerns of the moment: tuition fees, getting laid, and Pri ncess Diana. A further glimpse however reveals that all is not as rt should be. We are treated to diatribes in favour of turtion fees ("great") , against political correctness (that's a new one) , and the Diana we are promised is none other than the late lamented Miss Diana Dors (the cheeky monkeys) . However, the free pi ece of tweed and a full frontal of pre-Aizheimer's Ronnie Reagan create a light-hearted start and by th e halfway mark the anti-an tiestabli shment rants are over.

Yes, we are back to standard student magazr ne fodder. There are some impressive insights rn to subj ects ran ging from secondhand cars. lecturers' clothing (surely the rdea was recycled fro m someone's school magazrne) and th e secret lrfe of Joseph Stalin. Th e faded Edwardi an charm of

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savaging.

Then the very same writer commits the cardinal sin of failing to mention Look East's qg~~搂~~~~~::nr~ Mr Riley 路 when attempting to tackl e the subject of the name Kim. But it is when tryi ng to impersonate that the magazrn e is at its weakest. Th e working class drawl of Tales from the Lodge is hackneyed and tedious, and we can live without th e subRory Bremner parody of a parody of a parody of Tony Blair that rounds off the rag.

Things could be a lot worse, though .

Mustard is well designed , good value and usu ally entertaining. May it co ntinue to grace the newsagent's shelf for many sem esters to com e. Daniel Bardsley

LIVE SOUNDS! MON: TUES:

JAM SESSION 'SOFA CLUB' (Ambient Music) MELTIN' POT

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WED: FRI & SAT -

possible for a new wri ter: the Daily Mail took exception to ''the buggery-with-a-candle scene at the beginning of Marked for Life," apparently because rt set a bad example to female novelists. "lt marked me out as someone who was hated by the Daily Mail, which was bliss.

Best recommendation you cou ld get. The funny thing was the Mail on Sunday gave me a lovely review at the same time."

Since taking over responsibility for the undergraduate Creative Writing programme at UEA, Magrs has introduced several new ideas, most notably the fortnightly readings at the York Tavern. "it seemed to me that there should have been, and there wasn't quite, a culture.

Hundreds of people were running around with manuscripts stuffed inside their bags, and everyone was really into it, but they didn't know each other, and it just seemed important to have some kind of forum where they could all get together. Everybody was really into it, they could have a laff. it wasn't work, it was people doing what they wanted. lt was just nice to have something that was kind of easy, and everyone was into." Magrs is also planning to start an undergraduate anthology to go along side the MA anthology, and the success of the York Tavern readings suggests that his future projects should become popular too. Paul Magrs' latest novel, Could it Be Magic, is published by Chatto and Windus and is available now. He will be holding a book signing at Kulture Shock next month and the next York Tavern reading is on Monday of Week two, in Tom Harberd the function room .

~

LIVE MUSIC

once a month!

J

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1998

had expected that my first visit to the pantomime for about 15 years would offer a welcome return to the joys of childhood innocence. To my horror though , one glance at the clientele for the evening's performance gave me a nightmare vision of the future . In 50 years time we are all going to be like this legion of geriatric mental cases in the audience, shouting 'Oh yes you are' at the tops of our voices and wetting ourselves every time Nurse Gladys has a costume change .

This was good traditional pantomime nonsense with spectacular choreography , zero plot and B-list actors, including the obligatory Neighbovrs cast-off (Melanie in this case) trying to resuscitate their stalled career in the obscurities of provincial thea tre.

I

We had the joys of what must have been the Pebble Mill Big Band to provide 'musical' accompaniment and dozens of eight year old showbiz prodigies who were trying to grin their way to fa me and fortune.

Scene changes, out-of-tune songs and feeble innuendos came and we nt at a frantic pace and befo re I knew it the unthinkable had happened . I was actually enjoying myself! I sang along to the pop hits Wa nnabe and Tub/humping. I clapped with glee every time th e Dame made an appearance . I booed when the big bad Sheriff of Nottingham stormed onto the stage .

I wept with laughter at the jokes. I howled with ecstasy when Robin Hood finally got his girl. Please , please tell me it never Daniel Bardsley happened.

theatre royal JOHANN STRAUS$ GALA

I avlng never been to see an orchestra before, I was unsure what to expect.However, I was surprised to be confronted with two hours of enthralling music, wonderful singing and exciting dancing. Basically, a bit of opera, stick-waving and prancing. The first part of the show was an introduction to the music of Strauss, with the conductor Christopher Warren-Green telling the story behind the pieces of music and talking about the Strauss family.

The audience was also introduced to eight dancers and opera singer Diane Atherton .

However, the second half of the show was more in the form of a play, beginning with the orchestra

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and continuing with dancers, who, when they were not required to dance, sat at each side of the stage pretendin9 to swig champagne and chat. They were later joined by the singing, dancing and generally very versatile opera diva. A high point of the evening was when the eccentric conductor booked the drummer for being too loud, but even this was surpassed by a rendition of The Blue Danube (l.e the song in 2001 :A Space Odyssey). Apart from being a fantastic piece of music, the choreography was extremely good, with the dancers convincingly simulating iceskating. I came away having enjoyed the show, even though high-brow culture is not really my scene. But, with so many familiar tunes the evening flew by. The Strauss Gala has been a New Year regular for 23 years. So, only one year to wait for the next show..

Katle Westgate .,-

domlnic a mcaleenan

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ou are a young aspiring writer, fresh out of university in search of a story for your f~rst novel. You want a storyline that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, frantically turning the pages in anticipation of the next tw1st in the tale. And then inspiration strikes! You w1ll write a novel about a boy who has been brought up by dolphins!

This, however, is a very bad idea. early Jardeleza is a teenager whose rich parents own a huge holiday home on the coast of California (what a surprise) However, her perfect, sunkissed life is turned upside down when she is mysteriously saved from drowning.

Who could have saved her? A ch1ld of the sea. no less, brought up by dolphins since birth and possessing the ability to converse fluently with them.

WATERS ABOVE WATERS BELOW Unsurprisingly, Carly becomes friendly with this strange young man and he moves into her home as she tries to re-introduce him to a world of horrible humans. But will he be able to live a normal life in society? How will the 'civilised' people he meets react to news of h1s watery past? And do we care?

Despite it's implausibility, Waters Above Waters Below is cringingly predictable from the very first page. McAieenan's attempt to portray our cruelty towards that _.....,,~"'~which we fail to understand is, whilst admirable, hackneyed, and the novel ends up reading more like a children's fairytale.

So, what do we learn from Waters Above Waters BeloW? Don't wnte stories about dolphins.

James Graham

jean-dominique bauby

THE DIVING-BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

move only one muscle, his left eye-lid. On .

Thursday, December 7 1995, at the age of 42, he was the successful editor of French Elle, a father of two, and a man with ambitions and plans for his future. By the evening of Friday, December Br, 1995, he was in a coma from which he would never recover the power of speech or movement. He did not, however, lose the power of imagination, and armed with this, what Bauby calls his 'butterfly', he set about recording his experiences from the other side of a near-vegetative state.

The result is a startling book, one of the rare breed which genuinely leaves the reader looking at the world in a new light. Bauby calls his writings 'travel notes', and this is an accurate description. For though confined to his hospital bed, his mind is set free and his physical cocoon

becomes more of an emergency escape capsule.

The possibilities are endless and Bauby knows this. As he says, "There is so much to do ... You can visit the woman you love, slide down beside her and stroke her sleeping face. You can build castles in Spain, steal the Golden Fleece, discover Atlantis, realise your childhood dreams and adult ambitions.• And this is exactly what Bauby does; visiting in his mind places he never went, a distant dinner of the past or the home of a distant friend.

His thoughts are conveyed in a simple but beautiful style, which Bauby uses to disarm the reader before delivering a painful blow with a skilfully crafted extended metaphor.

Bauby wrote all of these accounts using just his left eyelid to indicate each letter as an alphabet was repeatedly read to him. Each sentence and paragraph must have been repeated and refined in his mind and then memorised by heart. A gruelling, slow process, but one which has undoubtedly paid off.

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly is a life affirming work of literature, which does what so few books can manage. lt cuts through to the core of what it means to be alive, with an honesty and a sincerity which leaves the reader genuinely OWen Sheers moved.

s miss li Tel: 633961

The Diving- B 11 & the But

CLUBWEAR FOR Gl LS upstairs at

diE bluE

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1998 'f , • I

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TOMORROW NEVER DIES The most confident, self-assu red Bond fi lm in 15 years .

Magic.

GEORGEOFTHEJUNGLE Ug. Ug. Ug-Ug . John Cleese .

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER You were doing naughty things, weren't you ?

ABC THE BORROWERS Tiny people terrorise John Goodman .

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE Keanu Reeves sells his soul to become famous and wealthy. Wait a minute ...

TITANIC What's th e sound of $200 million sinking?

MA BEAN Rowan acts silly and mutters for 90 minutes .

THE FULL MONTY Take it off! Take it all off!

TOMORROW NEVER DIES His name is Bond .. .you know the rest.

SPICE WORLD : THE MOVIE Th ey're still here . Why ?

-

THE JACKAL Bruce does bad-guy stuff.

PICTURE PERFECT Jennifer Aniston (and her hair) find happiness .

ODEON STARSHIP TROOPERS The bug s don't work. They get blown up in their thousands.

SPICEWORLD : THE MOVIE The less said the better.

So we'll say nowt.

TITANIC Hard-a-starboard . Iceberg . Drown .

CINEMA CITY MA VIE EN ROSE Wed, Jan 21 at 5.45pm . Thu , Jan 22 at 2.30pm .

Thu , Jan 22 to Sat, Jan· 24 at 8.15pm.

A young French boy enjoys presenting himself to the neighbours in a dress.

A LIFE LESS ORDINARY Wed, Jan 21 at 8.15pm. Thu , Jan 22 to Sat, Jan 24 at 5.45pm .

Angels , karaoke, big bags of money, Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz.

WITHNAIL & I Fri , Jan 23 at 11 pm .

Lots of drink and unadulterated chi ld's urine (but in a friendly , English way) .

INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD Sat, Jan 24 at 2.30pm .

A nine year old boy's little toy Indian co mes to life .

DOUBLE INDEMNITY Sun , Jan 25 at 5pm.

An insurance salesman is tempted into an exceptionally dodgy seam.

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING Sun , Jan 25 at 7.30pm .

Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett get all messed up by love.

ONE NIGHT STAND Mon , Jan 26 to Wed , Jan 28 at 5.45pm . Thu, Jan 29 at 2.30pm . Thu , Jan 29 to Sat, Jan 31 at 8.15.

Mike Figgis' romantic (in a way) follow up to Leaving Las Vegas .

SHOOTING FISH Mon . Jan 26 to Wed , Jan 28 at 8.15pm. Tue, Jan 27 at 2.30pm . Thu , Jan 29 to Sat, Jan 31 at 5.45pm.

Three youths lay plans for a bold co rporate seam.

GRACE OF MY HEART Tu esday, January 27.

Female singer-songwriter struggles with the 60s and beyond.

MANHATTAN Fri. Jan 30 at 11 pm . Sun , Feb 2 at 8.30pm .

Woody Alien , Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep star in one of Ali en's best films .

AUSTIN POWERS Thursday, January 29 "Do I make you horny? Randy ? Do I? Hmmmm?"

Catch up with the international man of mystery his Swedish enlarger

WARRIORS OF VIRTUE Sat, Jan 31 at 2.30pm.

Five warriors try and save the kingdom of Tao from the warlord Komono.

BEAN Friday, January 30 Rubber-faced antics from Rowan Atkinson . If you can stand him for the film 's duration

SCHLUSSAKKORD Sun , Feb 1 at 2.30pm .

A young woman becomes a nanny to the family which has adopted her own son .

IF ...

Sun , Feb 1 at 5pm .

Malcolm McDowell stars in a classic 60s rebe llion drama.

WILL IT SNOW FOR XMAS? Mon. Feb 3 to Tue, Feb 4 at 5.45pm .

A portrayal of rural family life in Southern France.

HARD EIGHT Mon , Feb 3 to Tue , Feb 4 at 8.15pm . Tue, Feb 4 at 2.30pm .

Modern film noir from the director of Boogie Nights.

UNION FILMS AIR FORCE ONE Thursday, January 22.

US President Harrison Ford tackl es Gary Oldman's Russian terrorists on board the presidential plane. Guess who wins.

FACE Friday, January 23.

Slaaaaaaaaaaag! South London boys rob a warehouse , but it all goes a bit Pete Tong.

THIS IS SPINAL TAP Monday, January 26.

Com edy wh ich goes all the way up to eleven.

THEATRE ROYAL BABES IN THE WOOD Wednesday, Jan 21 - Saturday, Jan ~24 at 7.30pm Matinees Weds, Thurs at 4pm and Sat at 2.30pm .

East Angl ia's biggest and best traditiona l family pantomime plays for just a few more nights so there's no time to lose if you want to catch the seasonal japes of Nurse Gladys Glucose. £2/£11 .50 HELLO DOLLY Monday, Jan 26 - Saturday, Jan 31 at 7.30pm Matinee Sat at 2.30pm.

An 'ebullient and irresistible story about the joys of living'. Sounds great. £3/£12 PETULA CLARK Sunday, Feb 1 at 7.30pm.

Tempt your mum and dad up to Norwich with the promise of catching their Sixties idol. £3.50/£18 TARTUFFE Tuesday, Feb 3 at 7.30pm .

Stephen Ballykissangel Tompkinson steps into the breeches of Moliere's infamous seducer, Tartuffe.

Hurrah . £3/£15

MADDERMARKET THEATRE TWELFTH NIGHT Thursday, Jan 22- Saturday, Jan 31 at 7.30pm Matinee Sat at 2.30pm .

The Maddermarket warps into a 'Psychedlic LoveIn Happening' as Twelfth Night moves to the 1960s.

Sir Toby Belch wears motorcycle leathers .

Malvolio crossdresses.

We sound interested. £4/£6.50

NORWICH SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN HENRI CHOPIN : SONIC MEMORY Wed nesday, Jan 21 - Wednesday , Feb 4 at 1Oam - 5pm .

The first retrospective 1n Britain of this key figure of the French avant-garde conce ntrates on his publications, posters, and audio visual material.

FR EE

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

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Monday, February 2 Regular indie club, acts TBC £3.50 adv/ £4 on the door

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WRAITH Fridays The best in goth. Grrrl

CLUB RETRO Saturday, January 24 Top tunes, and a tribute to the man Tom Jones. £3 stud. adv.

JUICE Saturdays Uplifting house & garage.

10pm-3am Girls £2.50 before 11/ £5 after Lads £3.50 before 11/£5 after

DELUSION presents FUSION Friday, January 23 Arenas of Hardcore, Jungle, Old Skool & Techno. £12 adv.

MELTDOWN Saturdays Reaular indie, Britpop, and alternative dance club.

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9pm-4am £5 ESTEEM Tuesdays Gay night.

9pm-2am £2

0 PEARSHAPED Mondays Best of mod, indie & Lo-Fi.

N THE MULDOONS Tuesday, January 27 Hillbillies in the Hive!

FREE

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SUPERFLY Wednesdays Sweaty funk PLEASURE Thursdays FREE with flyers before/£2 after

00 MORE MEDICINE Mond_ays The Student Social.

1Opm-2am £1 stud. before 11/ £2 after HELL FOR LEATHER Wednesdays Goth, indie, metal, and alternative.

10pm-2am £1 stud. before 11/£2 after

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 1998

--

+ GROOVADELIA

21 .30 £3 (UE A,cl

Club RETRO with tribute to Tom Jones

POP QUIZ FUSION MELTDOWN DUBSTAR

Tue 27

+SANTA CRUZ

19.30 £8 .001CI\

LOADS OF TOP PRIZES

19.30 £1 dr

HARDCORE &JUNGLE ALLNIGHTER

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Sat 24

£3adv

FREE

The MULDOONS (hillbilly) Sat 31

KITCHEN

£8.50adv

offyerface ALLNIGHTER

CHUMBAWAMBA

4

Sat 14 £9 OUT TO LUNCH with Miss Moneypenny Ojs Tony Clarke & Adrian LUVDUP ..

Sun 15

£10adv

Sat 16 THUNDER (heavy rock)

£11 adv

BLUETONES

£8.50adv

Mon 18

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Tickets from Union Finance Office, Weekdays, 11am·3.30pm Prices quoted are the student advance prices

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oo £12 clr

EXCLUSIVE Catatonia promo lots of freebies +THE IN CROWD 2' .J~ £3 EA ·1r

£11adv

Sa 14

22

MELTDOWN

JE]]3ffi(UJ&ffi)Y

Sat 7 UFO feat. Michael Schenker

22.00 £12adv

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WRAITH Fridays The best in goth. Grrrl

CLUB RETRO Saturday, January 24 Top tunes, and a tribute to the man Tom Jones. £3 stud. adv.

JUICE Saturdays Uplifting house & garage.

10pm-3am Girls £2.50 before 11 / £5 after Lads £3.50 before 11 / £5 after

DELUSION presents FUSION Friday, January 23 Arenas of Hardcore, Jungle, Old Skool & Techno. £12 adv.

CHUMBAWAMBA Saturday, January 31 You've probably only ever heard Tubthumbing, so why not see if they have any other songs. £8.50adv.

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DUBSTAR +WIRELESS Thursday, January 29 Food record stars, who aren't afraid to sing about cups of tea(?) £8 adv.

CATATONIA Tuesday, February 3 The Welsh wonder band who seem to get everywhere! £6 adv.

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CENTRE DUST JUNKYS + EARL BRUTUS Monday, January 26 WILDE CLUB Monday, February 2 Regu lar indie club, acts TBC £3.50 adv/ £4 on the door

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MELTDOWN Saturdays Regular indie, Britpop, and alternative dance club.

With a variety of musical styles in the studio each week.

9.30pm-2am £3 uea £4/ £3.50 cone.

PLEASURE Thursdays FREE with flyers before/£2 after

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EAT THIS Tuesday, February 3 Monthly gay club 9pm-1 am £3.50/ £3/ £2.50

PURE SWING Wednesdays Uplifting swing for the people of Norwich.

9pm-2am FREE

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DANCE CLUB Saturdays 9pm-4am £5

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DECADENCE Fridays Over 20s KLASS Saturdays Over 20s

SUPER PUB Wednesdays A regular club night, with live bands and pub prices.

Bpm-midnight FREE

00 SUPERFLY Wednesdays Sweaty funk

THE KITCHEN Friday, January 30 Loaded columnist, and cannabis campaigner Howard Marks, guests on the decks, at this Offyerface's birthday celebration.

10pm-6am £12/£10 cone.

SANCTUARY Mondays Old favourite student night.

9pm-2am £1 stud. before 11/ £2 stud. after.

ESTEEM Tuesdays Gay night.

9pm-2am £2

PEARSHAPED Mondays Best of mod, indie & Lo-Fi.

FR THE MULDOONS Tuesday, January 27 Hillbillies in the Hive!

FREE

9pm-4am £5

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SUNDAY SERVICE Sundays House night.

8pm-2am FREE CAMOUFLAGE

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MORE MEDICINE Mondays The Student Social.

1Opm-2am £1 stud. before 11 I £2 after HELL FOR LEATHER Wednesdays Goth, indie, metal, and alternative.

1Opm-2am £1 stud. before 11 / £2 after

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1998

-POP QUIZ FUSION MELTDOWN DUBSTAR

LOADS OF TOP PRIZES

19.30 £1 dr

HARDCORE & JUNGLE ALLNIGHTER

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Sat 24

£3adv

Club RETRO with tribute to Tom Jones FREE

Tue 27

The MULDOONS (hillbilly) £8.50adv

22.00 £1

+ GROOVADELIA

21.30 £3 (UEA)dr

+SANTA CRUZ

19.30 £8 .

KITCHEN oo

offyerface ALLNIGHTER

£12cJ,

22

MELTDOWN Sat 7

£11adv

UFO feat. Michael Schenker ,.... Sat 14

£10

Club OUT TO LUNCH with RENAISSANCE Djs lan Ossia &Nigel Dawson Sat 21

£3adv

Club RETRO Tue 24

£12 adv

IRIS DeMENT (country) Sat 28

..

£2.50adv

Club PITS classic and current indie cuts

Sat 7

£5adv

OUT TO LUNCH with Miss Mone~~enny Djs Tony Clarke &Adrian LUVD Sun 15

£9

£10adv

BLUETONES

£11 adv

Mon 18

£8.50adv

Tickets from Union Finance Office, Weekdays, 11 am-3.30pm Prices quoted are the student advance prices

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+ CON BRIE-0!

21.30 £3 (UEA)cl1

£6.00ad

MELTDOW N STRANGELOVE

+FLYING SQUAD

21 .30 £3 iUEA)c11

+ SIMON WARNER

1900

£5 .50ad

CORNERSHOP + LES RHYTHMES DIGITALES

19.30 £6

CATHERINE WHEEL + FELINE + RADIATOR

0 + FOLKLAW

+SUPPORT

Sat 16

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

19 30

.

19.30

£5 .00ad

TERBAND

THERAPY.

M&W THUNDER (heavy rock)

+ DERRERO + SUPERSTAR

+ DAVID HUGHES

RETRO ACTIVE feat. FAITH, a tribute to WHAM!

...

CATATONIA EIGHTIES NIGHT

FAIRPORT CONVENTION

JOO&illCCIHI

Sat 14

EXCLUSIVE Catatonia promo lots of freebies +THE IN CROWD 21 .30 £3 LJEA lr