Thursd
The Battalion
LIFESTYLES 4
Thursday, April 5,1990
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Lifestyles Editor Mary-Lynne Rice 845-33
Vanguards revitalizing
ethnic roots of Texas rock
KANM sponsors
Austin group’s
free A&M show
By JOHN RIGHTER
Of The Battalion Staff
A ustin’s The Vanguards will
dish out a double dose, of
spicy Texan “rock-a-mole”
in College Station this Fri-
day.
The Cajun-styled rhythm and
blues group will kick off the week
end at l p.m. in DeWare Field
House with a free performance spon
sored by KANM. Then they will
pack up and rush over to the Front
Porch Cafe (formerly the Texas Star
Tavern) for a late-night concert.
The six-piece band will be in town
promoting their new release, Hope
and Schemes, as part of a nationwide
self-promotion tour for their Jam-
boni Records release.
Fred Jarmon, guitar and accordian
player for The Vanguards, says the
group is learning plenty of new skills
with the new album.
“Hope and Schemes is the first re
lease by Jamboni Records, which is
an independent label,” Jarmon says.
“So right now we’re really trying
to go out and do our own promotio
nal work. We’re stopping by radio
stations and record stores in each
town we play at.
We’re learning to plug and sell, as
well as record our albums.”
Jarmon says the group got to
gether seven years ago but settled
into its present format two years ago.
Joining Jarmon is his brother
Spenser on guitar, Jim Trimmier on
saxophone, George Rarey on guitar
and John Jordan (formerly with Jr
Medlow and the Bad Boys) and John
Treanor as the bass and drufh rhythm
section.
Jarmon says The Vanguards are
committed to revitalizing the ethnic
and regional flavor that typified
early rock-n-roll.
“When rock-n-roll first started in
We concentrate on
rhythm and blues rooms
across the country that are
very interested in hearing a
Texas slant on traditional
rhythm and blues forms.”
— Fred Jarmon,
Vanguards guitarist and
accordianist
the 1950s it really drew on the re
gional ethnic differences,” Jarmon
says.
“Philadelphia had its own sound.
New Orleans had its own sound. De
troit and Chicago had their own dis
tinctive sounds. Each geographic re
gion began cultivating its own style.
“In the last 10 years music has be
gun to conglomerate into a national
sound that has abandoned any re
gional flavor.
“We’re trying to deliver the re
gional sound of Texas and especially
South Texas where my brother and I
grew up.”
Delivering the salsa-blues flavor
of Texas means taking the group’s
show out on the road, which is exac
tly what The Vanguards have
planned.
The band has made one previous
trip to the West Coast and will travel
to both coasts and many places in be
tween this summer.
“The response outside of Texas
has been great,” Jarmon says.
“The reputation of Austin, Texas
music precedes us wherever we go
because of the reputation that Austin
has for great bands.
“We concentrate on rhythm and
blues rooms across the country that
are very interested in hearing a
Texas slant on traditional rhythm
and blues forms.”
Hope and Schemes is The Vang
uards’ third release, but their first on
LP and compact disc. The band pre
viously released a single and a cas
sette.
Jarmon says the band plans to play
more outside of Texas, and specif
ically Austin, but that Texas will al
ways remain the focal point for The
Vanguards.
As one of the rising Stars of a
Texas primed with unsigned, orignal
bands, The Vanguards appear ready
to slip into the ever-burgeoning
pocket of heavily-scouted Texas acts.
Certainly Friday will be an ideal
opportunity to refamiliarize our
selves with a little ethnic Texas fla
vor.
Austin’s The Vanguards are: guitarist and
accordianist Fred Jarmon, guitarist Spenser Jar
mon, saxophonist Jim Trimmier, guitarist George
Rarey, and John Jordan and John Treanor as
the bass and drum rhythm section. They will give
two shows in College Station Friday.
Whistling bellybuttons, shower raids and polka-dancing chickens
Americans’ home video antics become
surprise prime-time comedy successes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mailbags
stuffed with fainting brides, singing
dogs, polka-dancing chickens and
raids into the privacy of the shower
arrive daily at the busy shop that,
produces ABC’s surprise hit, “Ame
rica’s Funniest Home Videos.”
Programmers — and analysts of
what the television audience wants to
see — are agog at the reaction to the
half-hour Sunday show, which has
host Bob Saget introducing and nar
rating clips from home videos sent in
by viewers.
Network television, which has lost
viewers steadily over the past decade
due in part to the advent of video
cassettes, has found a way to bite
back.
The midseason replacement se
ries reached No. 1 in the A.C. Niel
sen ratings for the second week of
March, and a one-hour rerun special
knocked venerable “60 Minutes” out
of the Top 10 slot. It also has
mugged “Murder, She Wrote.”
In the cramped warren of rooms
at ABC where “American’s Funniest
Home Videos” is made, executive
roducer Vic Di Bona oversees a
ustling young staff of 70.
They have learned, this weary-
eyed crew, some amazing trivia
about America:
• There are still plenty of out
houses in this country, just waiting
for someone with a Camcorder to
kick open the door and astound the
occupant. And spouses like to sur
prise each other in the shower with a
video camera.
• There also are more folks than
you realize who can make their bun-
I his is a show that is
truly hand to mouth. If the
country ain’t funny, I ain’t
funny.”
— Vic DiBona,
executive producer
ched-up bellybuttons whistle out a
tune.
• Nearly every kid in the nation
sticks their faces and hands into
their first birthday cake.
The mailbags, bringing up to
1,800 tapes a day, are “America’s
Funniest Home Videos’ ” lifeline.
“This is a show that is truly hand
to mouth,” said Di Bona. “If the
country ain’t funny, I ain’t funny.”
Di Bona said his weekly show costs
about $400,000. His material is free,
but he claims his staff and equip
ment costs are considerably higher
than other half-hour shows.
He estimates, for example, that
the video machines purchased a few
months ago are about to wear out.
And because the tapes are of private
events, clearances have to be ob
tained from featured characters be
fore it can run.
But the cost still is about half the
estimated $800,000 a week needed
to produce a Top 10 series like “The
Cosby Show” or “Cheers,” even with
the $10,000 awarded to the funniest
home video each week.
ABC’s censors have so far
squelched just two of the clips Di
Bona submitted. A youngster apply
ing the nozzle of a running vacuum
cleaner to his face was nixed, as was
one of a baby crawling with a clear
plastic mixing bowl over his head —
too close to the eyes and nose, cen
sors said.
Efforts to stage events are so
poorly done that they have always
been spotted, staff members claim.
A clip gets on the show after being
viewed by a screener, who grades it
on a scale from one to 10, with those
with a five or below eliminated.
The others are viewed by an assis
tant producer and move up the line
before being selected.
-s
Shadow skating
Photo by Mike C. Mulrev
Craig Wright concentrates on his balance as he board in a vacant parking lot off Villa Maria Road
jumps a three-foot concrete barrier on his skate- in Bryan. The lot is a popular skating forum.
6 Roger and Me’ scathingly witty
ByTODD STONE
Of The Battalion Staff
“Roger and Me” is a wickedly
witty film that poses as a docu
mentary about General Motors’ clos
ing several automobile plants in
Flint, Michigan.
Flint was once the capital and
hometown of the GM world. Now it
seems to be something GM exec
utives would rather sweep under the
ru g-
Essentially, the satirically pre
sented theme says corporate Amer
ica is callous and insensitive to its
workers, but the film has a bitter
edge of its own.
first-time filmmaker Michael
Moore blames GM chairman Roger
Smith for Flint’s economic and social
deterioration. When GM began clos
ing its plants, 30,000 GM employees
lost their jobs.
Since a majority of Flint’s econ
omy depended upon GM business,
unemployment, high crime rates
and evictions became the norm.
Smith (Roger) supported closing the
plants despite the consequences.
An angry Michael Moore decided
to pursue Roger in an effort to con-
vice him to visit Flint, see the peo
ple’s plight and then — he hoped —
change his attitude.
Although Moore’s efforts to meet
Roger seemed half-hearted, his pur
suit of Roger is hilarious, as he casti
gates GM along the way.
Moore’s film may not prevent
Flint’s rapid decline, but he takes a
sad situation, finds humor in it, takes
jabs at those he believes responsible
and adds a bit of social conscience as
well.
The humor of Flint’s plight stems
from Moore’s presentation of differ
ing perspectives of people involved.
Several big names — including
GM officials — Flint tourist agencies
and celebrities such as Bob Eubanks,
Pat Boone and Miss America 1988,
get burned during interviews with
Moore. Surpisingly, Moore doesn’t
trick them into their blunders —they
do it all on their own.
My favorite “Oops, did I say
that?” was when a GM lobbyist
claimed that corporations make a
profit first, and are not responsible
for employees or other citizens. His
statments are a definite public rela
tions blunder.
However, Moore was entirely fair
with his interview victims. He ig
nores the chronology of events and
strategically places interviews to sup
port his point of view.
For example, while we hear Rog
er’s Christmas speech, we see a Flint
family being evicted on Christmas
Eve.
Also, take note of this warning: If
you are a little squeamish, beware of
the scene in which Moore films a
woman skinning a rabbit.
The Aggie Players will present
“Children of the Chairman,” a
play about political and social
problems in China tonight at 8 in
the Fallout Theater, Room 144
Blocker.
Performances will continue
Friday, Saturday and April 10-14.
“Children of the Chairman”
was written by Christopher De-
stro and is directed by Michael L.
Greenwald, Texas A&M associate
The Texas A&M Symphonic
Band will present its spring con
cert tonight at 8 in Rudder The
ater.
The performance is sponsored
ROGER ANDME
Written, directed and narrated by
Michael Moore
Rated PG-13
“Roger and Me” is funny
filmmaking but lousy journalism, so
do not mistake this film for a docu
mentary. That’s the mistake many
people made when complaining dial
“Roger and Me” deserved a Best
Documentary Oscar nomination.
A documentary is supposed to be
factual and objective. Moore keeps
fairly close to the facts, but he isn't
even in the same solar system when
it comes to objectivity.
Although it fails as a docu
mentary, “Roger and Me” is a win
ner as an entertaining and thought
ful film. Go see it.
professor of theater arts.
A&M junior theater arts ma
jors Jonathan Burke and Sara
Waak will co-direct.
Tickets are on sale at Rudder
Box Office. Prices are $4 for stu- i
dents and the general public: and
$2 for season tickethoklers. Tick
ets are free for Aggie Contribu
tors. For more information, call
845-1234.
by the Bryan Rotary Club.
Tickets are on sale at Rudder
Box Office for $3 for students
and $5 for the general public. For
more information, call 845-1234.
InAdvance
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Symphonic Band concert tonight
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