1983

Those little town blues
March 23
There weren't as many screens in the area 15 years ago. When Frances finally crawled into town, Scott Duhamel had an odd case of déjà vu.

It's tough being stationed in the hinterlands. Big and small movies drift in and out of town without a semblance of logic (Barbarosa is booked into the Cinerama the same week it's scheduled to be shown on subscription TV); films we wait hungrily for get detoured at the last minute (for weeks The King of Comedy was listed in the papers as opening at the Showcase on the 18th. The 18th came, nothing happened, it's time to drive to Boston); and then there are the movies that float into town months after their release, forcing us to sit through every major and minor review, capsulization and synopsis the media has to offer. That's the case with Frances. The funny thing is all the advance word on Frances turns out to be absolutely correct: you don't even have to go see the movie to know what to think of it. Jessica Lange is a wonder, Frances a stinker, or as grande ol' Variety put it: "Great perf and problem pic."

R.I.P., Muddy
May 4
Bob Angell mourned the passing of a blues giant.

There is a dark and empty space against the blue spring sky. The mighty Muddy "Mississippi" Waters is dead. And it hurts like a bastard.

Born McKinley Morganfield in rural Mississippi, Muddy became not only the monarch of the urban American blues world, but one of the most influential in rock 'n' roll . . .

The man was a pure and certifiable genius with a real God-given gift for communication. His scream of agony, his whoop of joy, his jiggling eyebrows and infectious giggle all spoke eloquently for the quietly seething masses who shared the same feelings of love, rage, desperation, sexuality and despair. His blues were for Everyman.

Robert who?
June 1
The news was not good for the mayor of Providence. Larry Sterne and Bill Van Siclen tuned in.

"Channel 12 News has learned that a state grand jury is looking into allegations that Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci, with the help of two aides, beat up a man who was allegedly seeing his estranged wife, Sheila."

With those words, reporter Brian Rooney pulled the cork on what may prove to be the OceanState's biggest political scandal since Robert Haxton was convicted of transporting a minor for immoral purposes while serving as Providence City Council president.

Sitting it out
September 21
After four terms, Governor J. Joseph Garrahy opted for the private sector. Larry Sterne and Bill Van Siclen read between the lines.

The announcement was brief, only about four minutes long, and the message was unexpected:Joe Garrahy would not be seeking a fifth term as Governor of Rhode Island in 1984.

Rumors that Garrahy had decided to throw in the towel began circulating last week when his press secretary, Mike Ryan, informed the three local television stations that the Governor had an important announcement to make and that they might want to reserve some airtime for it on their Thursday evening newscasts . . . and it was said that the Governor was too modest a man to take up four minutes of local prime time television to kick off his 1984 re-election campaign.

The human touch
September 21
NRBQ has been one of the most reliable nights out for more than 20 years. Jim Macnie nailed the essence of the quartet's pure pleasures.

Night after night, year after year, the boys show up at the club in their limo and head for the dressing room where salad, pizza, Jack Daniel's and Perrier are waiting. They proceed to relax until showtime. Whether they're at Hunt's in Burlington, Toad's in New Haven or right here at Lupo's, they mount the stage, follow the advice of their stream of consciousness (read: nonexistent) set list, and lay down the only sound that successfully weds Basie and the Beatles. And the reaction is always the same: people are groovin' . . .Yeah, NRBQ is 100 percent natural, relaxed and true. Their vision can't be thwarted, and their antics sustain the idea that there isn't much difference between them and the audience: both have come out for a good time.

The circle game
November 2
Larry Sterne weighed in on the Providence Ring Roads, which still make no sense 15 years later.

Is anyone as bothered as I am by all the cutesy traffic signs that are going up around town these days?Here I'd pretty much gotten used to the old traffic signs and they go and put up new ones. Sure, the old ones were covered with unsightly layers of industrial waste and bird grit. Sure, most of them pointed the wrong way and, in some of the more extreme cases, hung upside-down. But at least they were signs that knew they were there to direct traffic and nothing more. Meat and potatoes signs, signs that meant what they said and said what they meant. Signs you wouldn't mind your sister going out with. Real signs. Not like the new ones . . . .

The signs that have drawn the most attention, however, are the ones directing motorists to the two "downtown ring roads." They have drawn the most attention because they refer to no known roadways in the City of Providence. They might as well show us a picture of the moon with a little arrow and a note that says, "You are here." That's about how useful they are to the practicing motorist . . . . You've heard of the Bermuda Triangle?Well, make room for the Downtown Providence Ring Roads.

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