© theotherpress e¢ Culture The Liquorpigs Krista Zundel OP Contributor “Needs more bass.” That was the response given to the sound technician by the Liquorpigs bassist, Voider Ziemnicki, as they warmed up to begin a three-band set at the Purple Onion in Gastown. Someone off in the shad- ows to my right laughed and said, “That’s what he always says.” “The Liquorpigs, along with Electric Blues Euphoria and Ten Ways From Sunday, were playing to raise money to support relief efforts for the victims of the earth- quake in Iran. Since the Liquorpigs were opening for an opener, I had expected mostly cover songs. But the songs they played were defi- nitely originals. Their set started with “Another Fool,” sung by the drummer, Rich’ Gauthier, who, combined with the abundance of bass emanating from Voider, successfully kept a throb- bing beat reverberating off the walls and in my chest. Sab Zielinski, the lead guitarist, clothed in a Ghostbusters t-shirt, sang lead vocals for the next song “Attack of the Egg-Wielding Lesbians.” The combination of lyrics and his wide-eyed facial expressions made the song more than music; it became a story. Walking to a store at UBC one day, he and his friend noticed some girls making out across the street near some bushes. They gaped, then went in and got some food. When they emerged from the store, the girls were still going at it. Sab com- mented on this to his friend, loud- ly, most likely, and they promptly got egged by some other girls who were hiding in the bushes. This song had most of the crowd in stitches and bobbing their heads to the music as well. Rich sang the next song as well, “Ignorance.” Again, it was impres- sive to hear the strength of his vocals and the power of the beat he maintained. I don’t recall ever see- ing a band play before that had lead vocals sung by the drummer. How he ever sang in key and kept the beat is beyond me. To switch things up even more, Voider and Sab traded guitars for the next song, and Voider crooned about “Little Miss Diablo.” Between lyrics, Sab complained about the weight of the bass guitar he was playing, which took away from the music a bit, and also less- ened the awe I was feeling at how much these three band mates switched roles while they played. Rich was up next, singing lead vocals for yet another song he wrote, “White Boys Can't Funk.” Feet all around me at this point were tapping to the catchy beats, and I found myself swaying along with those sitting around me. Then Sab introduced the next song, “Randy Shit His Pants.” He unabashedly pointed out his friend Starsky & Hutch Simon Hatton OP Contributor Produced by Aaron Spelling of 90210 fame, Starsky & Hutch roared onto the small screen in 1975 to become one of the most popular TV series of the decade. Fueled by hip, colourful characters and full throttle car chases; Starsky & Hutch featured a pair of ‘mis- matched cops. racing around an urban metropolis in a cherry red Ford Torino. This was absolutely the coolest cop show ever to air. Much like the television series, the plotline in the recently released big-screen version of Starsky & Hutch is somewhat inconsequen- tial. What we have here is more of Rae Page 14 e http://www.otherpress.ca a vehicle for Ben Stiller (Starsky) and Owen Wilson (Hutch) to lam- poon the one-time TV icons and have a good old time playing with the clichés of 70s excess and bad fashion. Ben Stiller plays Starsky straight laced almost to the point of com- plete incompetence, risking his life to stop even the smallest of crimes. On the complete other end of the spectrum Owen Wilson’s Hutch is exceedingly laid back, ignoring many laws—sometimes for his own profit. In one scene we find Starsky riff- ing on the modern (70s) sensitive male in a public outburst of crying and affection for his partner— although he maintains, “I don’t cry, Randy, a grinning blonde guy in the audience with his arm firmly around a timid-looking girl, while telling us the story behind the song. Randy apparently got very drunk at a campout, staggered off in to the bushes and, er, got a song named after him. Sab sang the lead vocals, and had as much trouble keeping a straight face as the audience did. But maybe he didn’t try very hard. That he still couldn't keep a straight face while singing about Randy defi- nitely added to the hilarity of the situation. To close the set, the Liquorpigs sang “Hey Waitress.” The simple lyrics and catchy tune had us singing and yelling along: “Hey waitress! Won't you come to our table? It’s number six. We're drink- ing over here, we need another beer...” Between verses, Sab pant- ed out a running commentary, thanking everyone for coming out, commenting on the heat of the I work out.” Another scene has Hutch crooning a David Sole (the original Hutch) minor 70s hit while a hallucinatory cartoon bird lands on his shoulder. This movie is definitely satire, albeit gentle as it also shows much affection for the television series, including a brief cameo by the original actors. The movie also boasts a variety of entertaining supporting characters. Huggy Bear, a smooth talking, purple suit, and wide-brimmed hat wearing pimp informant, is played by the real life mac daddy himself, Snoop Dog. I know, quite a stretch, although it is refreshing to see that the “laid back” hip hop superstar isn’t afraid to poke a little fun at himself. Photo of the Liquorpigs by Krista Zundel lights, and thanking Voider’s girl- friend for continually depositing full beer glasses at their feet while they played. As the final song wound down, | Sab had the audience raise our glasses in a toast. We obliged, and | beer rained down freely as we belt- ed out, “Take a swig, take a swig, oh, take a swig for the Liquorpigs!” As the final chord buried itself in | the walls, my head felt like a fresh- ly rung gong. But, to my surprise, it wasn't an altogether unpleasant feeling. The Liquorpigs played the crowd very well. I was entertained, had some good laughs, and was sorry when it ended, though I don't know how much more of Voider’s | bass I could have absorbed. They are currently recording a demo CD, and are continually seeking bookings. Their next gig is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 2 at The Cheese, the UBC Engineers’ Pub. Vince Vaughn, with his usual fast-talking, smarmy, and some- times annoying demeanour plays the drug-dealing antagonist. But most memorable is Will Ferrell, who is hilarious as always, this time playing Big Earl, a convict with a penchant for odd homoerotic fetishes. “Now arch your back, like | a dragon.” The mining of old TV shows for big screen adaptation often flops and produces little more than cubic zirconium. However, with the help of some amazing comic chemistry between Stiller and Wilson, Starsky & Hutch director Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip), manages to procure at least a few precious gems. March 31, 2004 Eternal Sunshine Simon Hatton — | OP Contributor | How does he do it? After his inventive and unconventional screenplays for Being John Malkovitch and Adaptation, Charlie Kaufman blows our minds once again with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A genuine, affecting film, ripe _ with brilliant writing about love and memory (and the loss of both) that reaches deep into the core of human vul- nerability. Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) are at the end of a two-year relationship when a brutal, verbal exchange between the pair prompts Clementine to undergo an experimental procedure in which all of her memories of Joel are removed. Distressed by the idea of still being in love with a woman who doesn’t remem- ber their time together, Joel decides to undergo the procedure as well—to erase | his memories of Clementine. Kaufman then invites us into the sub- conscious world of Joel’s mind, travelling backwards in time as each Clementine related memory is erased. During this journey however, Joel realizes he cherish- es his memories of Clementine far too much to let them go without a fight, so desperately he tries to find a way to hide her away in parts of his memory where she will not be found. Repeat Kaufman collaborator, director Michel Gondry, who constructs a rich dreamscape for the characters to traverse, gracefully handles the images of Joel’s conflicting emotions. And although almost every scene uses some sort of dig- ital trickery, it never comes off as flashy or tacky. The use of spotlight lighting and out of focus visuals gives Eternal Sunshine a (sur)real dreamlike quality as we watch the pieces of Joel’s life literally disappear one at a time. Eternal Sunshine is an unconventional love story, but a love story nonetheless. What really struck me about it though, | was how it was handled. Kaufman has created a thoughtful romance film that contains genuine sentiment. but never feels contrived. He also makes some sub- tle, but very profound, observations about the nature of relationships and how our memory relates to them, all while telling us a beautiful story. This is a rare occurrence in the movie world. Hell, this is a rare occurrence in real life. Yes, when the heart has been broken it | is a heavy organ to lug about, but | empty—without the strength of fond | memories that once caused it to swell with love and excitement—it is near impossible to drag it out of bed in the morning. Cheesy, I know. But this movie brought me to a shameless magical place. A place in my mind where it is summer, and I am on a beachside patio having a drink, sharing conversation, and falling in love with a beautiful girl. I would not trade that memory away for anything.