© theother press e Culture The Sadies Photo by Kim Meier Lord of the Things TheatreSports review Amanda Aikman Culture Editor “Im a space cowboy, Im sure you know where its at’ — Steve Miller Band. If Steve Miller were alive today, I’m sure he would agree that The Sadies May 3rd show at the Pic was definitely where it was at for space cowboys—surf cowboys too. (Yeah, I know Steve Miller isn’t dead, but it sounds more dramatic that way don’t you think?) After quickly filling the room to capacity, The Sadies, long renowned for their energetic live performances, served up their unique brand of psy- chedelic surf-and-turf music to the hungry crowd of Vancouver scenesters. You couldn't take two steps in either direction without bumping in to a New Pornographer or a Be Good Tanya. And with The Sadies latest release, Stories Often Told, attempting to make good on their long-standing threat to take over the world (or at least shake it up a little), it’s no won- der that the show drew the likes of Minus 5’s Scott Justin Ray OP Culture Critic First came The Lord of the Rings double-disc DVD release, then a huge box set, then another, bigger box set, and then another movie (with more box sets sure to follow). But if you prefer comedy to CGI, you'd be better off catching the latest pop spoof from the Vancouver TheatreSports League (VISL), The Lord of the Things, where the audience ultimately judges whether good or evil will win the battle for Middle Mirth. Of course, the improvised show, which has little more to do with the book/movie trilogy than the title and general structure, will make you laugh far more than the movie can. But the laughs rarely come from a special knowledge of the movie. A basic knowledge of the characters is more than enough to appreciate the name of the good wizard, Rudolph. If you've seen the movie you will probably laugh a little harder when a miniature version of Rudolph falls down into an abyss, pausing midair to contemplate the day’s events. But the show is fun either way. The greatest difference between the movie and the show, besides the laughs, is that the improvised ver- sion is never twice the same. After the first half, which loosely follows a plot based on audience sug- Page 20 e http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca May 2003 McCaughey and Mint Records’ Randy Iwata out to the Pic. Led by brothers Dallas and Travis Good, the Sadies launched into their merciless dismantling of the country, surf, and psychedelic rock genres, rebuilding them into a creature of their own design. And what a creature it was. A reverb-soaked, high velocity, high tide, twangy interpretation of country that would be more at home on a David Lynch film’s soundtrack than anywhere near the Grand Ole Opry. Pretty impressive for four guys from Toronto. With publi- cations like MOJO and NME loudly singing their praises, The Sadies appear to be on the brink of unleashing their sound on a larger audience. As those of us lucky enough to witness their latest Vancouver performance will attest—you had better saddle up partners and prepare to ride the Sadies wave, ’cuz there’s no holding these space cowboys back. gestions, the actors stay in character to participate in basic TheatreSports games. I can appreciate how this would keep the format from getting stale after months of performance, but unfortunately the char- acter limitations keep the scenes from getting too far out there. Gollum continues to shriek no matter whom he is playing, and traits given to other charac- ters also roll into the games. Any fan of TheatreSports can tell you how important character work is. Past parodies such as Full Metal Improv and Impro-vivor were successful thanks to the deft skill of seasoned VI'SL veterans (the show I saw featured Scott Owen and Nancy Robertson). There were few dull moments—if any—in those shows. Lord of the Things continues the tradition, while VISL new- comers such as Dave McGowan help to rejuvenate the formula. Lord of the Things is now playing at the New Revue Stage on Granville Island Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 and Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm. See for more details.