Ross MacDonald Chronicle Special There was a wildcat strike at the City Hotel Friday night. Nothing unauthorized, mind you. No illegal walkout, no picketline, no signs of a labor/management dispute. -- - i _ . . -.. .. A " _ ,,.:.L - A.-.:.~b .-" .w "a..- v. - .....v., ..-_--_,-___--_- _,-r-,, This was a strike with a twist. Well actually, with a twist and shout. These who did leave were disgruntled only because they couldn't get in. - - - . . .. I I n .L:,,.. A- 4. ...:AL cl.“ 6-. .... The line, which by 10:30 had swelled, had nothing to do with the picket variety. It was simply the overflow of those jockeying for precious space. And if there was any dissatisfaction with management, it stemmed from the fact that the venue isn't big enough for a wildcat strike, You see, when you invite Skinny Jim and The Wildcat Strike to your club, there better be lots of room. Having acquired a cult following amongst university crowds in Waterloo and London, the band is renowned for filling such venerable watering holes as the Kent and London's Call The Office. Last year, they were the only band to sell out the Turret at Wilfrid Laurier University. "ioThiii'UiifniDiG Glihii4 Wildcat Strike and why are they so popular? Well first of all, they're not grizzled veterans of the bar circuit plying their trade night after night in hopes of that big break. And when asked between sets whether they have visions of grandeur or take the business seriously, the answer to both was a short and sweet "no" For Kevin Beesley (bass), Bill Anderson (drums), and guitarist Andrew Shykofsky, Skinny Jim represents nothing more than an outlet for pent energy and any new-found creativity. All three have made other career choices. Beesley and Anderson, both fourth year Business students at WLU, will soon trade the stage threads for navy suits and white shirts; Shykofsky hopes to further his music at the University of British Columbia. -Fairiirik IiGror 1984.they have managed to juggle school and other commitments with an assortment of engagements at universities and small clubs. A _ _ -FriiiiFrUiararihrraGio a good approximation of what the band is all about - fast-paced, tirebrand rock and roll played at maximum decibel levels. During the introduction - which included a slide show and some witty commentary from the band's in-house emcee - the fervor began to build. And a couple of bars into the second song "Move It," they had galvanized the devotes who had thronged 'round the stage. -...,-. The music, which can't really be pigeonholed, is quasi-rockabilly- cum-Beatles with a healthy dose of punk energy added. Shykofsky is the focal point. With his gangly frame, boyish features and quavering voice, you'd swear he'd just graduated from rockability prep school. Beesley's punchy bass and Anderson's stand-up, no-frills percus- sion complement Shykofsky's rockabilly stylings. Beesley is also a fine vocalist, more of a screamer in the Lennon mold. When it's his turn to handle the vocal chores, he takes the billy out of rockabilly. The /iiiUrTaiaGr'iViilGGt" bf styles and influences, from an obscure Monkee's tune "No Time" to a revitalized version of the Door's "Love Her Madly." Everything is done of course with the best interests of the crowd in mind. According to Shykofsky, depending on the crowd, the band will modify the repetoire from night to night. But, he adds, two things always remain constant: the irreverent approach to the music and the high energy level. Or, as Anderson puts it "we do it with volume, volume, volume." This story doesn't have a happy ending, at least from a fan standpoint. After two years of rigorous touring and having reached a point where fan adulation is infringing on personal freedom, Skinny Jim and The Wildcat Strike have decided to call it quits. "V ’éoï¬iéime’ in May. a gig at Grand River couegiaie will signal the end of an era. - "iieiruivhrreweii concert, the boys will no doubt have a few surprises in store. - -- -_. - . . it won't be The Last Schmaltz - -A"piearing in the pin)? are Angie Rohrbacher. Betty Saunders, Kevin Caulfield, Judy Hamilton, Kim Hallcoat. Burns Proudfood. Cath Moore and Beth Poplaw. The cast has been chosen for Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre's May production of Lezley Havard's Hifle_ar_ld Seek. - .- " Tickets for Hide and Seek. which plays May 9, to, 16. I7 and 18 at the Victoria Park Pavilion, are available at the Centre In the Square, SN-IMO or at M6-0660 Skinny Jim and Wildcat Strike keep City Hotel crowd hopping Arnd Are,, if Martin Scoreese or Rolling Stone show up, you can bet Tickets on sale for Hide + treek Skinny Jim guitarist Andrew Shykofsky (left) plays to bass player Kevin Beeeley during the group's performance before a packed house at the City Hotel Friday. Rick Wuhan Coral Andrews Chronicle Special This is the house that Estelle and Carlos built. This is the house that Estelle and Carlos must sell because of abrupt divorce proceed- ings and 'blood-sucking' lawyers. Once they peel the rind off it, it'll be 'just great.' This is the house that was worth one million dollars, that sold for $200,000, that symphony violinist Anna and record producer Walter Fielding bought. In short, Anna and Walter Fielding inherit the biggest real estate lemon known to modern mam 'the short line in motor vehicles,' according to Fielding. That is the bottom short line of The Money Pit, a film for anyone 'who has been deeply in love or deeply in debt,' now at the Odeon. This is the movie that director Richard Benjamin, writer David Giler and executive producer Steven Spielberg built and The Money Pit is not unlike Spielberg's Polter- geist. In spite of the fact there is no running water. no plumbing, no heat, no electricity, no insulation. the house is going to be 'just grreat.' In spite of indented servitude and debt beyond his wildest dreams, Walter Fielding loves this house. He dutifully tells his wife 'to save herself while there is still time,' the old Jacob Marley adage from Dicken's Christmas Carol. But the Fieldings may never be able to afford another Christmas in their lifetime. Tom Hanks (Splash, Bachelor Party, volum teers) plays Walter Fielding and unwittingly becomes the victim of this nightmare invest- ment. . Just for laughs crowd will like The Money Pit It's man versus home sweet home as this Movie Review domestic poltergeist continues to rebel and literally reduce itself to a pile of hapless rubble. Everything that can possibly happen to one mortal man happens to Fielding while he is puttering around the house, with the house beginning to putter about with him. With Richard Benjamin at the director's helm, The Money Pit bears resemblance to a made for television movie, a light-hearted farce with some riveting one-liners and classic comic gags, Tom Hanks' ultimate humor forte. Another highlight, Fielding's 'snug as a bug in a rug' routine, via another hole in the floor. Hanks becomes a human cocoon caught in rug in the floor while waiting for his wife to return from afternoon rehearsal. Though all Anna (Shelley Long - Cheers) and Walter have are each other, love cannot conquer all in this increasingly strained situation. The couple's foundations begin to crumble, thanks to Anna's former husband, sauve symphony conductor Max (Alexander Godunov), who becomes a sweet temptation as The Money Pit turns to the money pits for Walter. Tom Hanks is similar to the late Peter Sellers as Walter Fielding in his run-on Pink Panther-like slapstick sequences, as he finds himself in precariously awkward domestic binds. Long and Hanks' chemistry is agreeable. warm but wry. orrthe cuff, These pockets are wonderfully timed and rather far-fetched but funny in overall effect. The Money Pit is an amusing story, a good lark. with a tiny moral. " you just want to go out and laugh yourself silly for several hours, this soon-to-be-seen-on Superchannel comedy is a fine way to alleviate slice of life stress or personal financial obligation.