The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 44

The Age, Friday 28 July 1989 LI in after years in the music wilds Picture: NEIL NEWTTT A tr JN 1- Ail JJ After half-a-decade, Janz are making their mark on the national charts. LYN DUNLEVY spoke to lead singer David Janz and keyboardist Robert Parde. 'We know where we want to be but we've got so much to leam. ABC's new music show, 'Countdown Revolution'. Janz began their tour of the wilds at Zanies in Lonsdale Street and played everywhere from lounge-rooms to the Corner Hotel in Richmond before entering the Yamaha competition.

Keyboard player Robert Parde is philosophical about the amount of work they had to put in. "Back in those days, it was like every single day up in the morning and work, work, work, getting it better and better and better. That's why certain bands are good; they've worked hard, they've paid their dues, they've played in people's lounge rooms. They've done all that "The big boys in this country have worked a lot harder than a lot of the international bands. Overseas it's a different ball game than in this country.

In this country you've got to pay your dues and you've got to do them really heavily. You've got to put up with barrier after barrier. "We're in it for the long haul; we're not about to turn around now and say five out of 10 people don't like us so we'll go home we know where we're at, we know where we want to be, but we've just got so much to learn," Parde says. JANZ refuse to tell hard-luck stories about their years in the wilderness of the Australian music scene. Rather, they speak with Henry Lawson-like romanticism about the difficulties of surviving in the industry's harsh terrain.

The Melbourne poproc band spent five years doing the rounds of the city's pub and club venues, daily practice sessions and living with parents, before they won a platinum gold prize in an international band competition and found themselves walking the smooth floors of record companies and big-band venues. But far from being disgruntled about the hard grind, they are now content to enjoy success. Winning the 1988 Yamaha International Rock final for unsigned amateur bands in Japan gave Janz their entree into the "big a chance to play on the same bill as James Reyne, Daryl Braithwaite and the Chantoozies on the national Nescafe Winterock tour, and record their single 'Crime' with CBS Records. 'Crime' climbed to No. 40 on the Australian charts without the support of radio playlists and was picked up by Ian "Molly" Meldrum who invited them to appear on the It's love David Janz and Robert Lead singer David Janz echoes the sentiments: "What you find is that the seasoned veterans, they're very humble and down to earth.

I think because they've been through it, they're talking through the eyes of experience. "And one thing I've learnt from talking to these people is attitude. You meet so many musicians that are so talented, but they've got the wrong attitude and you wonder why they fail. I think a big factor is attitude." A professional attitude is something the band has nurtured since their inception: they had a manager before they had a band. It was manager Ralph Carr that brought lead singer David Janz and keyboardist Robert Parde together when, within a week of each other, they both walked into his Richmond wine bar seeking musical partners.

David Janz, a concert pianist at 12, had been taking singing lessons for a number of years and waaled to sing. Parde came from a family of professional musicians, had honed his musical skills at the Box Hill TAFE, and wanted to play keyboards. The two musicians played and wrote material together for a while, but in Parde's words, "didn't waat to be known as these guys who sat in their bedrooms and wrote They set about forming a band, recruiting Phil Maria, Miles Stewart Howie and David Carr. Ralph Carr has worked closely with the band members, helping to cultivate their image and dream up publicity stunts, like a few a capeUa numbers they perform at shopping centres and launches. "I think the a capeUa thing was something we brought into the show to attract at with the lot in a 'Mystic Pizza' Director Donald Petrie casts off stereotypes in his new teen film, 'Mystic Pizza', treating fast food and adolescent girls with unusual respect.

DAVID THOMSON reports. tention. One thing is playing with the band and playing live and we do that well, but then singing acoustically without any instruments is another thing. We enjoy doing it too, to show that yes, we have natural raw talent" The challenges presented by their success are not lost on the band. The Winterock tour enabled them to visit places they had never toured before and their 'Countdown' appearance gave them instant exposure to a national audience.

Janz plan to release a second single within the next few months and a national tour' is planned for the end of the year, with time off in between for a session in the studios to record their first album due for release at the beginning of next year. 'We set out not to make a raucous team comedy; we wanted to make a He then studied at the American Film Institute in Hollywood, and made a short film, 'The Expert. This came to Steven Spielberg's notice, who asked him to direct an episode of the TV series 'Amazing Stories'. Then Petrie directed 'The Equalizer', 'LA Law', and 'Mac-Gyver' episodes. He hopes for further work in television.

"It is a good training ground and keeps you in shape for stretching your imagination and creativity." He has not seen Spielberg recently, as both are busy, but recognises his role in his blossoming career. Petrie does not attend society functions, preserves the family unit, and says he was not prodded oh to the stage of showbiz. "I had as normal a life as possible. We certainly could have been child actors, but were encouraged only after college." For research, Petrie attended schools and talked with women, visited small towns and chatted with waitresses, and read up on the Roman Catholic Church. He says Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio (Bill Montijo), who plays a fisherman who is Jojo's beau, and was the shaven manic recruit in 'Full Metal Jacket, wore the authentic garb and went on a weekend fishing trip with the guys.

Since 'Mystic Pizza. Petrie has received a host of scripts for worn- en's buddy pictures, but hopes to direct an action film. In Hollywood where success seems to be gauged by the film's budget, he is now directing a-comedy set in Chicago called OpportuaityKnoctra' about a conman. This time be is working with a $10 million payroll. WHERE AND WHEN: 'Mystic Pizza opens 3 August at Greater Union Cinemas.

wanted to make a film in which you can really get involved with these three girls' lives; you can laugh, cry and care about them. They will bicker, but when it gets down to it they will fight tooth-and-oail and support each other. I think that is common ground people can relate to." Petrie was approached to make a film by two young producers, Mark Levinson and Scott Rosenfelt. "They sent me two scripts on the same day. One was a science fiction horror picture and the other was 'Mystic Pizza.

They were really interested in me doing the science fiction and were not interested in 'Mystic Pizza'. "I thought this is the type of film I want to make for my first feature, not one that was going be a blockbuster, but a film I could be proud of and hopefully get my next picture." He made the film for a mere $4.5 million and worked with a small crew, which he prefers. Petrie has been delighted by reception to the film and was asked recently to speak about it at Northwestern University, Chicago. "I told them about certain parts of the film and it would be good to have the video. In the middle of the lecture a teacher left and went out to hire it, but returned a half-hour later and said it was sold out everywhere." Petrie comes from a film family director father Daniel ('Fort Apache the Bronx.

'Resurrection', Sybil), screenwriter Daniel Petrie Jr ('Beverly Hills Cop', The Big Easy'), and mother Dorothea, who is a television producer. He says that director Frank Ca-pra has had a profound influence, as has his father, Daniel. "Capra's films are feelgood films, they are great films, but they are not raanip- HtkONALD Petrie's 'Mystic Pizza' ID is a courageous debut as a film director about three girls who work in a pizza parlor and grapple with love out of hours in small seaport. Mystic, Connecticut. It is brave in that Petrie has assembled a cast of unknowns Julia Roberts as Daisy Araujo, An-nabeth Gish as sister Kat, and Lili Taylor as friend Jojo Barboza and given them the opportunity for -realistic roles, aware that a flop would batter his fledgling film career.

Petrie agonised over his debut and was offered a plethora of teen slash films that he refused, as he feared being stereotyped as a schlock director. He says: "If I was to get typed, I would rather get typed as making films which are people-oriented." This is a teen film that does not easily find a market, says Petrie. "Although it is about teens I wanted to make a film that did not talk down to teens, as most teen pictures do. I wanted to take a more realistic look at the lives of three girls growing up." Avoiding melodrama, Petrie chose to leave the characters' fates unresolved, for the audience to muse over. "It was about time we had a film that treated women maturely, after a few women's buddy films that treat them like they are guys in which they tend to belch, talk about sex, and do not talk about women in a realistic sense.

Also if we had fast-rising stars it would make the audience once removed from the material, and not accept the characters for exactly who they are. "We set out not to make a raucous team comedy; we really wanted -to make a 'dramady. I mostly 'I it 'Mystic Pizza': A compote of anchovies, real women and love. 'One Day at a Time. "I was tacky because I was making a living acting, which is an accomplishment in itself.

We all wanted to make it on our own and make our own imprint, so I did not think of becoming a director." ulative, unlike films they make a lot of the time when you feel like you are being pushed to feel good." Petrie acted in TV shows for eight years such as 'The Waltons', 'Eight is Enough', 'Three's Company', 'Quincy. 'Policewoman', and.