European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 21, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Short Sharp songs of Michelle shocked Story and photos by Michael Abrams staff photographer empty plastic cups hew through the air. Tho Lone Roadie unscrewing the microphone from the stand laughed As the cups bounced off his body. The crowd had just heard 90 minutes of Michelle shocked s songs of protest and this was. Alter All just the fans Way of protesting that the show was Over. The 26-year-old texan s performance was a moving journey from her East texan adolescence to her pre eminent position on the roots Folk scene. Although the Media s fascination with the return of the female Singer songwriter continues shocked has less in common with Susanne Vega and Tracy Chapman than with Folk legends Buddie Ledbetter and Woody Guthrie. The Journeyman lifestyle reflected in shocked s songs began at age 16 when she ran away from her strict mormon upbringing of Home. Her Road led her to san Francisco where she joined illegal House squatters and became involved with the City s hardcore Punk music scene. Committed to a psychiatric Hospital by her Mother. Shocked fled to new York when she was released after the insurance Money ran out. From there she went to Europe. She was raped in Italy and lived with House occupiers in Amsterdam before heading Back to the United Stales. At the Kerrville Folk festival in Texas shocked played her songs to anyone who would listen. One Man in the audience Peter Lawrence of the British Independent record Label cooking Vinyl did More than just listen he pushed the record Button on his Walkman and aped the whole show. Lawrence look the tape Back to London pressed it and in 1987, shocked s the Texas campfire tapes was released chirping crickets and All. The record soon climbed to no. 1 on the Independent charts in the United kingdom and before Long major record companies were knocking on shocked s door. She signed with poly ram records supposedly turning Down a $13u, Advance saying she had no use for the Money and recorded the critically acclaimed Short Sharp shacked. For her recent performance in Cologne West Germany shocked forsook he Back up band she used on the album and look the stage armed Only with an acoustic guitar. Shocked opened her 15-song set Wilh when i grow up. A song that skips Over the pain of adolescence when i grow up i want to be an old woman it Folk Singer guitarist Michelle shocked has lived the life she sings about contrasts sharply Wilh most of her other tunes which Are about experiences during her youth. In Anchorage shocked writes of an old Friend in Texas whose return letter comes from Alaska where her husband found a belter paying Job. The Friend tells about her growing family and then realizes. I sound like a housewife i think i am a shocked then backtracked to a trilogy of songs about growing up in Texas making the run to Gladewater or whoever loses the Coin toss has to drive to the next wet county before the liquor stores close memories of East Texas about learning to drive and v.f.d., shocked s Story about Starling fires out of boredom until one gels out of control. Standing alone on stage in a Black sweatshirt sweatpants and High tops and a Black Cap covering her Short Spike hair shocked had a warm and engaging stage presence and not even an out of tune guitar or a broken string could slow her Down. While the string was being replaced she spouted what she Calls her two cents Worth of politics a put Down of the present administration s policy toward the homeless and the Cia s alleged involvement with drugs for arms deals she called it the cocaine import Agency. Although shocked voices her left of Center politics on stage her protest songs Are not blatantly political. Gral Liti limbo is about a new York Graffiti artist who died while in police custody. The song which Drew the most applause from the 500 listeners was the moving anti War song Penny Evans about a War widow Wilh two Small children which shocked Sang Cappella with her guitar Slung Over her Back. Her rendition of Jean Ritchie s the a Ndon t Slop Here anymore about the closing of appalachian Coal mines is shocked s statement about joblessness and poverty. After closing the set with a soldering song about love and sex ii love was a train shocked continued the theme in the encore with hold me Back a reworking of the old Standard Frankie and Johnnie in. Which the jealous woman shoots her Man. Although now on a major record Label shocked showed her support for the Independent labels with Strawberry Jam a Call for people to get together to Jam and record their own Way without the influence or sales politics of the Industry giants. Shocked ended her show by leading the crowd through a rousing singalong rendition of Ledbetter s Irene. Four gripes of Rock n Roll by John Pareles new York times Ore often than not i m grateful to be a music writer. Still total immersion in concerts and recordings yields some gripes. 1. It Ain l i babe. Rock n Roll has a great tradition of bad grammar stretching from you Ain t nothing but a hound dog to can i gel no Salish action to sting s ii you love somebody set them free Rock has nearly As Many double negatives jumbled tenses mixed metaphors and silly Slang As the average youth oriented advertising Campaign. But most of the bad grammar is actually Good style More or less realistically capturing the voices of characters who Aren t educated or persnickety to begin with just As Rock s Basic musical language goes Back to the blues Rock s lyrics look Back to Southern dialects that Ain t proper no How. Rock s disdain for pomposity has been built into its diction it s bad grammar for a Good cause. But creeping into the Rock style Book is an incorrect usage that raises my hackles you and i As the object of a preposition. It tends to show up where a Singer wants to project class earnestness correctness and it s the surest Tipoff yet for pretension. It s the second time around for you and i boy Whitney Houston sings in Sam Dees s Ballad just the lonely talking again in hungry eyes Eric Carmen insists i feel the heat Between you and the pick of the litter though is love Rescue me written by u2 and Bob Dylan the Sun in the sky makes a Shadow of you and i stretching out As the Sun sinks in the of you and me pomposity free Good grammar would even rhyme. 2. A thousand Points of Light. I d guess it was Back at the end of the 1960 a when audiences grew to Rock festival size that somebody came up with a visual equivalent for applause the lighting of hundreds soon thousands of matches. It was a pretty sight and the practice spread As it were like wildfire a band would leave the stage and within moments the darkness would be broken by tiny flickering yellow Lames. But then along came the disposable lighter lately i be been at concerts where the first three chords of a band s schlock est Ballad brings out the butane. The touching part of the original ceremony was that there was an element of risk As matches shrank perilously close to outstretched fingertips. Now there s wednesday december 21, 1988 no risk and no Romance. 3. Black and White All Over. In stagecraft 101, performers Are told that Black White and red catch the Eye Best from a distance. I Don t know where the red went but lately just about every big production i be seen has featured Black and while costumes. Michael Jackson Sioux Sie and the banshees Prince who did sport one purple garment Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan have All gone monochrome. Black and White footage has also been showing up in music videos. Doubtless the musicians advisers have been telling them it s classic but after a while it starts to look like timidity. 4. For whom the decibels toll. The most chronic Gripe of All excessive noise. Rock can and usually should be loud music part of the fun is to feel the notes not just to hear them. Yet above a certain volume level say 120 decibels further amplification registers on the ear Only As distortion pain and hearing damage. Musicians can t resist turning up their amps hoping to hear themselves better on stage longtime sound engineers their own ears constantly battered May make things worse by turning up the High frequencies they can t hear so Well anymore. Smart Rock composers know that music can sound loud and Nasty if it s arranged and amplified the right Way sheer volume is a hit or miss attempt to create the Impact that ought to be built into the music. While i be still got my High frequency hearing i carry earplugs. The stars and stripes Page 17
