The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, May 1, 1987 Page: 4 of 32
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The Megaphone
4
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
May 1,1987
Grace Jones Reveals
the Inside Story
Jason
and the Scorchers
by Duncan Connie
My reaction to recorded Jason
and the Scorchers has always
been "This is good but I can’t
believe this is the same band I
saw in concert." On Still
Standing I can report this
observation still stands.
I saw Jason in November with
the Georgia Sattelites (right
before they became top 40) and
Jason blew them and everyone
else I’d seen lately out of their
shoes. Georgia Sattelites were
adequate live but on album, much
of theirs and Jason’t music is
equitable. If you want to sample
Jason and the Scorchers do it
May 4th at the Austin Opry
House. This is a must see show
live.
Jason and the Scorchers are
Jason Ringenberg on vocals and
main song writing; W tuner
Hodges electric and acoustic
guitar; Jeff Johnson bass and
Perry Buggs drums, vocals.
Still Standing has some good
tracks, Ghost Town and Shotgun
Blues which are straight-rocking
dance numbers. The Scorchers
are originally out of Nashville
and all their numbers have strong
traces of southern blusey soul,
both musically and in lyrical
content.
(continued on page 14)
Not As Good
on Memorex
by Stephanie Gimenez
As a model, Grace Jones has
gained a certain image possessing
mystique and intrigue. Her
photographs capture her
boldness, yet she appears
impersonal, unapproachable,
almost inhuman. However, in her
music, Grace Jones sheds her
mannequin-like persona to reveal
the Inside Story. This graphic
creature has finally decided to
shed her mask and reveal more of
herself than ever before through
her music. She commented about
her work, "My whole approach to
this album was to write true
songs. I wanted to expose
myself. I didn’t want
compromise. I didn’t want subtle
meanings." Jones retains all of
the boldness, energy, and intrigue
which she is know for. However,
her music is also expressive,
provocative, revealing. It is not a
fascade or a joke. It is real;
possessing all the soul, erocity,
and seductiveness which one
might expect from this artist.
The album causes the listener
to travel on a journey relating
thought and experiences with
sounds and words. The album
begins with I'm Not Perfect
which describes the relationship
of the artist with the audience in
the glamourous zoo of
exploitation. Chan Hitchhikes to
Grace Jones models her shocking look
for 1986.
Shanghai keeps an erotic tempo
taking the listener on a voyage
from sound of China to barbarous
Africa. Victor Should Have Been
a Jazz Singer unexpectedly shifts
die mood to a more mellow lone.
This piece possesses a seductive,
jazzy beat. The mood then
swings back to the danceable
quick paced songs such as Party
Girl and Crush. Scarey But Fun
will be a favorite for most.
Finally, White Collar Crime and
Inside Story boldly express
Grace’s views.
Jones comments, "People
might think its blasphemous, but
I’m simply speaking the truth.
I’m not afraid. With Inside Story
some people might be offended
but there is a lot of hypocrisy in
religion and I know how far I can
go without offending God. Or
Myself."
The album reveals the artist’s
thoughts on everything from
Hollywood to God. Jones has
risen above being a slave to the
camera and has joined the ranks
with other talented artists such as
Annie Lennox. Nile Rodger, the
producer working for Manahttan
Records, a division of Capitol
Records, Inc., describes Jones,
"Usually when I work with an
artist the work is larger than the
person to me, but with Grace the
person is bigger than the work.
And I love the work. That just
says how impressive her
character is...
by Jim Richardson
It’s really hard to find true
"alternative" music these days.
Sure, there are iots of quirky
"new sincerity" pop bands
around, like R.E.M. and the
Smiths, but it’s hard to see either
of these bands as doing anything
really new. They do make pretty
decent music I guess, but look at
the competition - Bon Jovi, Bruce r
Springsteen. Gee, it would just
be real hard to put out a more
intelligent record than either of
those two guys. There are a few
really unique bands around, like
the Cocteau Tweins and This
Mortal Coil, but music, for the
most part is at a sub-primate
intelligence level, like the Beastie
Boys for instance.
I had given up on finding
anything really interesting and
new, and was contemplating
horrible, horrible things. Life had
reached an all-time low and I was
fading. Then I had my head
ripped off by a Skinny Puppy.
Skinny Puppy is a grisly trio
of "Gothic Doom Maestros" from
Vancouver. Their new LP Mind:
The Perpetual Intercourse is not
for everyone. These fellas might
just scare the heck outta your
average MTV-Top 40 type. This
is music that your mother will
hate, and she will probably hate
you for listening to it. It deals a
(continued on page 14)
Skinny Puppy , a group which recently
played in Austin. ^
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The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, May 1, 1987, newspaper, May 1, 1987; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth634801/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Southwestern University.