Smells Like Weird Al

By A. Chisholm ”Once there were two X-Pressers...”

Most rock concerts are basically the same, with the usual light shows and spe- cial effects. On Thursday night, Charlottetown experienced a concert quite unlike any it has expe- rienced in the past. “Weird Al” Yankovic, parody man extrodinaire, put on a show worthy of his nickname.

The evening started off pretty badly for me, as my lemon of a car (an ’85 Hyundai Pony) started smoking and making strange noises approximately four blocks from the CP Hotel. After walk- ing those blocks in the snowy hell that we call downtown Charlottetown, Carol and J were in desper- ate need of an attitude improvement.

Tom Gallant from Halifax opened the evening with a few comedy tunes on his guitar and harmonica. He put up with a fair bit of hackling from the pre-teen audience, as his music was more suited to a pub atmosphere than a wet/dry concert.

After a brief intermission, Yankovic made his appearance amid smokeand lights. He opened with his rendition of the Beverly Hillbillies theme song to the tune of “I Want My MTV.” I immediately forgot my car and started enjoying myself. A really interesting facet of the show was the use of a video screen to play song videos, as a

segway between performances, and to give the band an opportunity to change cos- tumes. The band covered an astonishing number of songs in the time allotted, in- cluding such hits as “Like a surgeon”, “Jurassic Park”,

“Fat, ‘The Achey, Breaky, Song”, and “Green Eggs and Ham” to the tune of a “Numb” by U2. Just try to picture it. At many rock con- ‘certs, the audience throws their under- wear at the stage; in this event “Weird Al” threw his boxers at the crowd. Other interest- ing parts of the con- cert included some great instrument solos, the unusual band in- é 2 troductions, and Yankovic’s foray into the crowd. There were many hilarious moments that had to be seen to be believed. The band was on stage for an hour and a half of frantic music. This concert was the most enjoyable event I have attended in a very long time, and I believe that the ticket price was well worth it. (For those who paid that is, we were graciously granted promo tickets by “Weird Al’s” agency.) If you are ever given the opportunity to see “Weird Al” in concert,

go for it, as it is guaranteed that you will |

have a good time.

Oh, and my car is recuperating from a seized water pump. Send flowers and condolences to Taylor's Esso. Cash would be nice too.

Compu-Comics

By Sean McQuaid

Avid comic book enthusiast that | am, I was understandably intrigued when Ablesoft released The Comic Collector software. The program is easily installed via Win- dows, and contains a database of comic books dating from the “Silver Age” (1950’s-late 1960’s) to the present. Each comic’s date, monetary value, creators and content (if significant) are described in brief, with a space for you to check off whether you have each comic or not, plus optional notes on where you keep each comic, what condition it’s in, which ones are favourites and so on.

Unfortunately, the info is neither as complete nor as current as one might like (though you can bvy updated disks from the company). The data is over half a year old and must be updated accordingly if you wantto add recent comics to your collection record. More annoyingly, there are random omissions all over the place.

In the program’s defense, it is based on the definitive comics price guide (Overstreet), and contains many comics you'll never see listed in any issue of Wiz- ard. 1 was, for instance, overcome with schoolboy-ish glee on learning that the database included things like Steel the In- destructible Man and Deadly Hands of Kung Fu (hey, it was the 1970’s); however, the listings are incredibly inconsistent, with untold dozens of titles (many of them recent or significant) omitted for no apparent rea- son. Many mini-series are overlooked. Most comics digests are omitted. Hardcovers, paperbacks and graphic nov- els are included haphazardly at best. The entire Impact Comics line is forgotten, as is

Archie's Red Circle line. Comics whose titles change in mid-publication are listed irregularly, sometimes by their original name, sometimes by their later name, and sometimes by both.

The widespread omissions make entering these books (if they are in your collection) a real pain: it takes many hours to catalogue a good-sized collection, and in some cases you might do just as well to simply write it all up in a word processor. The program is convenient for entering multiple issues of a given series, and for pricing your books at a glance. It’s also handy for keeping track of special books, like your own personal favourites and “wanted” lists and so forth.

Another fun feature is the “search” mode and list-making capability which al- lows you to call up, say, any comic with Hourman in it or all the comics with Keith Giffen art. There are, however, two huge flaws in this otherwise bright idea. Writer and artist credits are omitted or incorrect in many of the comic listings, and details in the comments section may be improperly punctuated (a frequent problem) or mis- spelled so that your search for just plain Hourman turns up only a few ofthe possible matches (at any rate, whatever the cause, there are many glitches in the search rou- tine).

The Comic Collector software is a very good idea and useful to a point, but decidedly imperfect in execution. With some extra research and proofreading, this program could be amazing. As it is, it’s an expensive toy recommended only for die- hard collectors who don’t mind having to do some retooling.

kal really matters

By Faith Hunter

Well, folks, this is the last X-Press of the year (sigh). I’1l miss ya, but I’ll be thinking of ya. To all those who are graduating this spring, best of luck in the “real world”; be careful out there (and congratulations -- you survived!). And to the rest of the UPEI population, I hope to see you back here in September for another semester of fun- filled campus adventure.

Don’t worry; I won’t leave without giving you a few last words of advice and wisdom. Since I started this column last year, I’ve signed off each and every one with “Take Care & Dream Big”, and | want you to know that I truly mean it. I hope each and every one of you does take care.” Anyone who has the determination

to stay in school and run after a goal (which seems at times so distant) has my respect and admiration. Be good to yourselves this summer -- you deserve it.

As for the “dream big” part, let me be serious for the first (and probably last) time in my columning career. You can start with little dreams, but, heck, reach for the stars. Aim for the stars and you just might make itto the top of the world. Aim low and you can only sink. My point: Dream Big.

Dreams are your ticket to happi- ness, my friends. You can live for today, but you must find a reason to look forward to tomorrow. Dreams can be that reason. They’ re free for the taking, they don’t need replacing (but grow best in a loving envi- ronment), and, unless you let them go, no

one can ever take them away from you.

I don’t know everything, and I’m still searching for answers myself (hunting for faith, so to speak), but | do know one thing: You’re special. If you’ ve made it this far, then you have some strengths you’re not giving yourself credit for. Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, and be- lieve in good ol’ Generation X. Together, we can change the world.

Go forth in peace. May every bless- ing fall upon you (and every sunburn and wasp avoid you). Until September, this is Faith Hunter, over and out...

— Joke a. aad tua Big

Tee 7 CVE) Sa Hote

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