Consolation Prize: John Miller and Mike Kelly at the Belkin. Don't get me wrong, | think Mike Kelley is great, but the whole “movie stars should be sex outlets for the general use and good of the public" mandate seems a little try-hard. His pillow sculptures-as-sex toys are more gross than shocking, with their little fabric ori- fices and tortured noises from speakers. Male-orient- ed sex art and ugly yet supposedly theoretical installa- tions have become redundant and boring. Mike Kelley seems to have lost his wit and ability to pick on dry middle-class taste. His new work isn't subtle in any way; it merely reflects the fantasies of a teenage boy. His choice of movie posters is perfect though; they aren't ugly in a postmodern sort of way, they're just ugly. Timmy The Tooth, Dunston Checks In, and Party Girl are the kind of posters you see at cheap video stores: not aesthetically refined or even main- stream. His talk was really entertaining; he drew a bigger crowd than Sandro Chia did last year, but when John Miller spoke, | became increasingly aware of the hard concrete floor | was sitting on. Either he isn't a very good public speaker, or John Miller just didn’t have anything profound to say about his work. He showed a retrospective of his work since art school, explaining the materials he used, but because his talk and his work lacked continuity, it was never clear what his art was about. He showed slides of some pretty brutal paintings, phallic brown sculptures, game show pieces, and a lot of what most people referred to afterwards as “poop art”. All completely disjointed, he bombarded us with images and didn't make a lot of coherent commentary. At the show, the best part of John Miller's installation is the fake plant in the life-sized game show replica, The Lugubrious Game. The plant sits there, fake, unnoticed; it is twice as artificial as the rest of the piece. He uses a mix of the fake and the real throughout his work: fake game show set, real dirt; fake plant, real newspapers; and even real money. Everyone had the same comment about his piece: “! really want to steal the money from that pile of dirt.” Reviewed by Mia Thomsett Review by Sean Clancy | went to see a show at the fabulous Commodore Ballroom on Saturday, January 15th. Three bands were on the bill for the evening: Midge , DSK, and The Cadillac Tramps. Midge opened the evening with its four members Green, Orange, Blue, and Yellow up on stage kicking some serious booty - these guys were tighter than a rubber dress. | don't play an instrument, my ear is about as musical as a tree trunk, but | know what | like and these guys sounded great. Their music is a speedy, young, energetic mix that my mom would label “Angry music Sean, angry music.” Instead of using easily forgettable names, the group members are differentiated by the colors of their coveralls. Yellow plays drums, Orange plays lead guitar, and Blue is their lead vocalist, although he also enhances percussion on occasion by joining Yellow on the tom-toms. Green, their bass player (both stand-up and guitar) described the band as "young" as well, so maybe that's as good a description as any in a society that likes to categorize every- thing. Regardless, it isn't hip-hop, techno, reggae, disco hard rock, or polka, so don't go see them expecting any of these. Just go to see a real energetic, driving, (and colorful) bunch playing music that will grab you by the short and curlies. After a short pause, a beer or three, and a stern warning from a large bouncer not to smoke, DSK was up on stage. They launched into a punk rock set the likes of which | haven't encountered before. To simulate this at home, do the following in no particular order: music up loud, speakers taped to either side of your head and beer spilled down your shirt and in your hair. DSK is from Vancouver, and have been together for about ten years now. This is punk rock, no questions asked: either you like it or you part your hair down the center and think that The Gap is hip. Finally, after a long pause, out came those merchants of So. Cal., hard driving, rockabilly, guitar-solo-laden kick-ass good times, The Cadillac Tramps. It is easier to describe the type of typical audience member than to describe their music. Picture big men with cowboy hats drinking Budweiser with lots of tattoos (mostly of flames) up their arms. Beautiful women in provocative clothes, and a "Support Haney" shirt every once in a while. Yessiree, ever since | was a youngster | have wanted to see these guys. | remember hearing their music for the first time and flipping my rug. The music is so driving and energetic, and Gabbey, the lead singer, shakes his belly and cackles so loud and hard that you can't help but be entranced by the whole aura surrounding these guys. Save to say, if you have a chance to catch any of these three bands, either together or seperately, don't even think about it, buy a ticket. Or ten. La La La Human Steps A special thank-you to Richard Forzley of Ballet B.C. for providing InFlux and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design with tickets to La La La Human Steps on January 23rd. photo by Edouard Lock Consolation Prize: John Miller and Mike Kelly at the Belkin. Don't get me wrong, | think Mike Kelley is great, but the whole “movie stars should be sex outlets for the general use and good of the public” mandate seems alittle try-hard. His pillow sculptures-as-sex toys are more gross than shocking, with their litle fabric ori- fices and tortured noises from speakers. Male-orient- ed sex art and ugly yet supposedly theoretical installa- tions have become redundant and boring. Mike Kelley seems to have lost his wit and ability to pick on dry middle-class taste. His new work isn't subtle in any way; it merely reflects the fantasies of a teenage | | went to see a show at the fabulous Commodore Ballroom on Saturday, January 15th. Three bands were on the bill boy. His choice of movie posters is perfect though; | for the evening: Midge , DSK, and The Cadillac Tramps. Midge opened the evening with its four members Green, they aren't ugly in a postmodern sort of way, they're | Orange, Blue, and Yellow up on stage kicking some serious booty - these guys were tighter than a rubber dress. | lust ugl. Timmy The Tooth, Dunston Checks In, and | don't play an instrument, my ear is about as musical as a tre trunk, but | know what | like and these guys sounded Mss Good Times midge, DSK, and The Cadillac Tramps live at the Commodore Ballroom Review by Sean Clancy Party Girl are the kind of posters you see at cheap _| great. Their music is a speedy, young, energetic mix that my mom would label “Angry music Sean, angry musi video stores: not aesthetically refined or even main- stream Instead of using easily forgettable names, the group members are differentiated by the colors of their coveralls. Yellow plays drums, Orange plays lead guitar, and Blue is their lead vocalist, although he also enhances percussion His talk was really entertaining; he drew a bigger on occasion by joining Yellow on the tom-toms. Green, their bass player (both stand-up and guitar) described the ‘crowd than Sandro Chia did last year, but when John. | band as "young" as well, so maybe that’s as good a description as any in a society that likes to categorize every- Miller spoke, | became increasingly aware of the hard | thing. Regardless, it isn't hip-hop, techno, reggae, disco hard rock, or polka, so don't go see them expecting any of concrete floor | was sitting on. Either he isn't a very | these. Just go to see a real energetic, driving, (and colorful) bunch playing music that will grab you by the short and good public speaker, or John Miller just didn’t have _| curlies. anything profound to say about his work. He showed a retrospective of his work since art school, | After a short pause, a beer or three, and a stern warning from a large bouncer not to smoke, DSK was up on stage. explaining the materials he used, but because his talk | They launched into a punk rock set the likes of which | haven't encountered before. To simulate this at home, do and his work lacked continuity, it was never clear the following in no particular order: music up loud, speakers taped to either side of your head and beer spilled what his art was about. He showed slides of some | down your shirt and in your hair. DSK is from Vancouver, and have been together for about ten years now. This is pretty brutal paintings, phallic brown sculptures, unk rock, no questions asked: either you like it or you part your hair down the center and think that The Gap is game show pieces, and a lot of what most people hip. referred to afterwards as “poop art”. All completely disjointed, he bombarded us with images and didn’t | Finally, after a long pause, out came those merchants of So. Cal., hard driving, rockabilly, guitar-solo-laden kick-ass make a lot of coherent commentary. good times, The Cadillac Tramps. It is easier to describe the type of typical audience member than to describe their music. Picture big men with cowboy hats drinking Budweiser with lots of tattoos (mostly of flames) up their arms. ‘At the show, the best part of John Mille’ installation | Beautiful women in provocative clothes, and a "Support Haney" shirt every once in a while. Yessiree, ever since | is the fake plant in the life-sized game show replica, | was a youngster | have wanted to see these guys. | remember hearing their music for the first time and flipping my The Lugubrious Game. The plant sits there, fake, rug. The music is so driving and energetic, and Gabbey, the lead singer, shakes his belly and cackles so loud and unnoticed; itis twice as artificial as the rest of the hard that you can't help but be entranced by the whole aura surrounding these guys. piece. He uses a mix of the fake and the real throughout his work: fake game show set, real dirt; | Save to say, if you have a chance to catch any of these three bands, either together or seperately, don't even think fake plant, real newspapers; and even real money. about it, buy a ticket. Or ten Everyone had the same comment about his piece: “| really want to steal the money from that pile of dirt.” Reviewed by Mia Thomsett La La La Human Steps A special thank-you to Richard Forzley of Ballet B.C. for providing InFlux and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design with tickets to La La La Human Steps on January 23rd. photo by Edouard Lock