Right to Remain Silent
Stranger finds fame in Nashville music scene
that the whole deal only took
about four days to put together.
The result was a success.
Perfect Stranger’s club expe
rience shows in the dance-ori
ented quality of most of the
songs on You Have The Right
To Remain Silent. The album
includes a waltz and several
country swing-style cuts.
“It’s Up To You,” “Ridin’ The
Rodeo,” “I Ain’t Never” and
“Even The Jukebox Can’t Forget”
are all strong, up-tempo songs
that seem tailor-made for dance
clubs. Two strong ballads are
also featured, including the title
track and “I’m A Stranger Here
Myself.”
One of Perfect Stranger’s
strengths is its live performance.
Lead-guitarist Richard Raine’s
rap version of “The Beverly Hill
billies” is a crowd-pleaser.
Whether in person or over the
air waves, this band is ready to
take center stage in the country
music scene.
Perfect Stranger
Perfect
and Dunn as two of their prime
musical influences. After years in
Southwest area clubs. Perfect
Stranger has had the chance to
cover just about everyone’s style.
As a result, the band was able to
pick and choose what type of
country it preferred and develop
its own style — and it worked.
Lead singer Steve Murray’s
classic country voice blends
well with Perfect Stranger’s
traditional sound to give the
band a lot of potential.
The band’s first single, “You
Have The Right To Remain
Silent,” has been gaining popu
larity around the country, and
Perfect Stranger appeared on
Music City Tonight last month to
perform the single.
Perfect Stranger scraped
funds together to release its work
on a Pacific Records’ album, It’s
Up To You. When Curb Records
heard the band’s work, it prompt
ly signed Perfect Stranger. In
fact, the studio was so impressed
By David Taylor
The Battalion
Perfect Stranger
You Have The Right To
Remain Silent
Curb Records
★ ★★ 1/2 (out of five)
In the world of country music,
“young” is the buzz-word. For
many bands this trend means
making music for the crossover to
mainstream pop.
Not for Perfect Stranger.
Perfect Stranger’s first Curb
Records release. You Have The
Right To Remain Silent, reveals
the band’s honkytonk roots. A
simple glance at the band reveals
the authenticity of its home-town
attitude.
Although it’s the latest Texas
act to break onto the Nashville
scene. Perfect Stranger has spent
years playing at Texas honky-
tonk bars while honing its skills.
Not surprisingly, the band
lists George Strait and Brooks
Congo fizzles fast despite expensive effects
By Jay Robbins
The Battalion
Congo
Starring Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Ernie Hudson
and Tim Curry
Directed by Frank Marshall
Rated PG-13
Showing at Hollywood 16 and Schulman 6
★★ (out of five)
Congo begins with a bang — and that’s it.
The action opens in the Virunga rain forest in
Zaire. Two corporate scientists discover a source of in
dustrial-grade diamonds that can make possible a
“communications laser,” which is light years ahead of
current technology.
Just after they notify their Houston headquarters of
the find, an unseen attacker kills the men and their
guides in a gripping scene.
TraviCom Communications sends Dr. Karen Ross
(Laura Linney), a former CIA operative and field expert,
to find out what happened to the first team and stake a
claim to the diamonds.
But she doesn’t have time to set up an expedition of
her own through the proper government channels.
Enter Dr. Peter Elliot (Dylan Walsh). Elliot is a prima-
tologist who has taught sign language to a gorilla named
Amy captured in the same region as the diamond find.
Amy, an amazing lifelike puppet crafted by Stan Win
ston, suffers from nightmares that Elliot believes Eire
caused by her captivity. Elliot makes the painful decision
to return Amy to the wild.
Herkermer Homolka (Tim Curry), a Romanian “phil
anthropist” really out to find a treasure, sets up an ex
pedition to take Amy back to Zaire, but runs out of cash
before he can pay to fuel the plane. Ross and her unlim
ited TraviCom expense account bail out the expedition,
getting a ride into Africa in the bargain, and the plot fi
nally takes off.
The expedition arrives in Africa to be met by a safari
guide named Monroe Kelly (Ernie Hudson), the only in
teresting character and the single example of good acting
in the film. Except for the interesting play between Kelly
and the tribesmen the group meets, the rest of the show is
hardly watchable.
This much-hyped movie, based on a mediocre novel
by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park), fails to build ei
ther momentum or suspense. J.P. Shanley’s screenplay
fails to even live up to the shallow standards set by the
book, which at least featured some semblance of origi
nality and suspense.
Congo’s apparently high-doll ar budget shows through
in the wonderful cinematography and some special effects
like the gorillas. Yet other scenes seem cheap and staged
because of unconvincing acting and the predictable plot.
Congo needs to be sent back to the beginning of the
moviemaking process and start over from screenplay to
theme music. The greatest disappointment of the film lies
in its failure to fulfill its potential.
With a story that features priceless diamonds, wild an
imals, high-tech lasers and mysterious deaths, no movie
should be so one-dimensional.
The Battalion • Page 3
Tuesday • June 13, 1995
Jackson’s eqo swells
with pompous History
One afternoon, as I lay
around watching MTV out of
sheer boredom, a commercial
came on that disturbed me
quite a bit. It wasn’t about vio
lence, drugs or condoms — it was
about Michael Jackson’s new al
bum and video, HIStory.
As I watched the throngs of
screaming fans throwing them
selves at this man, I started to
wonder why exactly Michael
Jackson is the “king of pop.”
What were the requirements for
winning this prestigious honor,
and am I the only one that wants
a recount?
I don’t know many people —
none, to be exact — who are even
the slightest bit excited about
being bombarded by more
Michael Jackson videos on MTV
all summer long. Then again, I
know few people above the age
of eight who are remotely excit
ed about anything on MTV.
The only reason the HIStory
hype is getting any attention
whatsoever on MTV can be at
tributed to one reason — money.
But seriously, Michael Jack-
son gets entirely too much
credit. By saying he’s the “king
of pop,” we are saying this man
reigns supreme over every oth
er top-40 male. Granted, top-
40 males are nothing to get ex
cited about to begin with
(Michael’s in close competition
with Jon Secada for this hon
or), but there must be someone
out there that is more influen
tial than this freak.
I don’t deny for a second that
I own the Thriller album, but
See Jackson, Page 4
{
The Musical Comedy
Tickets Available at Rudder Box Office — 845-1234
Regular *Dinner/Musical $25.00
Students *Dinner/Musical $20.00
Regular Musical Only $10.00
Students Musical Only $ 7.00
* All Dinners Must Be Purchased, 48 Hours In Advance
dune 15-18, 22, 24 Dinners served at 6:30 p.m.
June 25 Brunch only served at 12:30 p.m.
A First Time Collaboration
Presented by:
Aggie
Players
BUSINESS IS BACK!
Italy Spring Semester 1996
Students will select a minimum of 12 hours:
Interested?
Attend any one of
these informational
meetings in
154 Bizzell Hall West:
Wed., June 14 12-1
Thurs., June 15 10-11
ECON 489/: Economics of the Eur. Union
1BUS 489 Prof. Pier Luiyi Sacco
LBAR 332/: Culture of Mgmt. in the Eur. Union
MGMT 489 Prof. Pier Luigi Sacco
ARTS 350: Arts and Civilization
Prof. Paolo Barrucchieri
ANTH 201: Introduction to Anthropology
Dr. Sylvia Grider
ANTH 205: Peoples and Cultures of the World
Dr. Sylvia Grider
PSYC 405: Psychology of Religion
Dr. David Rosen
PSYC 306: Abnormal Psychology
Dr. David Rosen
Study Abroad Programs • 161 Bizzell Hall West • 845-0544
OVERSEAS JOB OPPORTUNITIES
with the
U.S. PEACE CORPS
Current Openings
in
AGRICULTURE, BUSINESS, EDUCATION,
HEALTH, ENGINEERING
'** (For 1996-97 there will be over openings for both
BUSINESS Sind ENGLISH TEACHING Professionals).
TAMU Peace Corps
360 NT. Bizzell
845-5499
actioH!
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