The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 46

6-D Friday, Dec. 30, 1988 The Philadelphia Inquirer Soviet sex expert says 'glasnost' needed in the bedroom Yiy Andrew Katell Associated Prtu MOSCOW A nation known for its squeamishness about sex is paying for its prudisbness with rampant divorce and abortions, plus an increasingly frustrated and puzzled populace, a Soviet sex expert says. a spirit of openness and freer discussion of once-sensitive 'subjects, Igor S. Kon believes the Soviets desperately need to engage in some frank banter about the boudoir. 'Things that newspapers in the West already are writing about and which even have become tions aren't even known by spe-xialists here," said the 60-year-old doctor of philosophy.

Although the social chill on discussing sex is thawing a bit, it is still a taboo topic in a country known for its puritanism. Even the Russian language lacks a polite word for love-making. On a recent televised discussion between panels of Soviet and U.S. students, the Americans spoke freely about the problems of teenage pregnancy and other sex-related subjects. But when an American asked whether there were similar woes in the Soviet Union, the half-joking answer was: "We don't have sex." Evidence points to the contrary, however, in this nation of nearly 285 million people.

Western specialists say Soviet women average nine abortions, and the number of AIDS cases, while small, is growing. Such problems make it necessary to deal openly with sex, said Kon, who is trying to take President Mikhail S. Gorbachev's policy of glasnost or openness behind the bedroom doors. "If we don't do anything we will create new difficulties. The stability of marriage will suffer," he warned during a recent lecture to an overflow crowd at Moscow's House of Actors.

He had recently returned from a 3Vi-month stay in the United States, where he visited AIDS clinics and family-planning centers. Kon's comments raised many eyebrows among an audience that ranged from young men and women clad in jeans to people in their 80s. With little poll data available to judge the Soviet public's attitude toward sex, the audience's questions offer some clues. Most expressed con cern over a perceived rise in pornography and homosexuality. Kon, however, said he did not consider recent sexually explicit Soviet movies to be pornographic and told the audience that homosexuality is natural for some people.

He said that right-wingers In the United States once condemned sex education as "a communist plot." But he said sex education was desperately needed in this bastion of communism. Kon blamed Soviet authorities for the public's ignorance about sex and the resulting health and family problems. "If a woman comes into a clinic, even a solid one in Moscow, and asks how to become pregnant, they will tell her," he said in his lecture. "But if she asks how to receive pleasure from this, they will say, 'We can't help you, it's not our Traditionally, Soviet women are expected only to be good mothers and housewives. "Sexual pleasure," he said, "was considered not important to marriage." Today, however, Soviet women are demanding happy sex lives.

There have been other changes, too. This year, after a 10-year struggle with censors, Kon's book, Introduction to Sexology, was finally published in the Soviet Union. A new book, which, he says, will include illustrations of sexual positions, is slated for publication early next year. Sex clinics have been opened in several Soviet cities and the Health Ministry is beginning to realize that acquired immune deficiency syndrome and the high rates of divorce and abortions cannot be reduced without the help of psychologists and sociologists, Kon said. This year, the Health Ministry newspaper Meditsinskaya Gazeta decried a chronic shortage of condoms and printed a reader's letter saying some people were so desperate they were using balloons as a substitute.

The same newspaper called for repeal of the law making homosexuality a crime. Although Kon's talk was largely philosophical and he did not provide many specific sex tips, one woman confided to a friend afterward: "If I had known this before, I'd be a normal person now." rrw mum, If ss For an Atlantic City band, a chance to test its mettle 4 VU' JV K. av -f f. Regardless, the folks at Combat were impressed enough to sign Faith or Fear to a seven-record deal, with the band's first album scheduled to be released in March. The record company expects to release a video of the band for airing on MTV in February, and expects to have the guys on tour as soon as the record is released.

"Combat has some really big acts on the label," Blackman said. "It's an independent label with worldwide distribution. Megadeth has been picked up by a major Capitol. Exodus is on Combat. Our management talked to other metal labels) Road Runner and Metal Blade.

But Combat took the biggest interest. The president of Combat came out to the Empire. Then the real negotiating started. The contract was signed Aug. 17 The label expects us to be picked up by our fourth or fifth album." If luck is with them, Faith or Fear will be picked up before that time.

Especially since heavy metal has proved especially marketable this year. Take a look at Billboard's top album chart and you'll find such popular metal names as Guns 'N' Roses, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Cinderella and Britny Fox. MTV airs a popular Saturday night show called Headbangers Ball, devoted solely to heavy-metal videos. And the radio airwaves frequently bristle with the apocalyptic sounds of Poison, Van Atlantic City to make any notable industry strides. Indeed, it's difficult for bands of this ilk to gain outside recognition in a town that caters to middle-age casino crowds and provides but a handful of settings in which original rock bands can perform.

Moreover, a lot of area bands change personnel as often as most people change their socks. "But we've only had one personnel change since we began," Blackman said. "Personnel changes change the personality of the entire band, which makes things difficult." Their music is also quite different from that of other groups in Atlantic City. "We're not trying to be too political," Blackman said. "But we do touch on political things.

'Time for example, is about terrorism. We touch on things in a certain vein, such as the negative effects of drug addiction and rip-offs to your general being. I wouldn't say we have any love songs. And we don't want to be classified as death metal. But we do have some lyrics about death.

And Dehumanize came about from my time in the service the Army. It talks about how they break you down to the point where you no longer think for yourself. You become programmed, like a fighting machine. We've been termed 'power But it's really straightforward rock and roll. We dont pull any punches." FAITH OR FEAR, from 1-D east.

had a friend who was managing a band called Anvil Bitch, who knew the Golden Guru people. "We got into the Empire for the irst time in early 1987," Blackman said. "Larry IGoldfarb, head of Golden Guru became interested in He gave us an idea of what we do. We signed with Golden "Guru in January; a three-year agreement to get worldwide distribution." Subsequently, the band came up 'with a four-song demo called Dehumanize 88, and it eventually was signed to Combat on the strength of the demo, as well as the live shows they performed at the Empire. They also performed on a compilation disc called Metal Massacre Nine, on Metal Blade Records.

Ironically, it was their lack of a Jersey sound that piqued the interest of Combat, which is based in New and Los Angeles. or Fear has a very Bay Area IlSan Francisco! sound," said Bridget "Roy, publicity director for the five-year-old company. "Having not come from that area, it's strange that they came up with that on their own. They're also very professional-sounding" -While other New Jersey metal bands have made it to the big time Qnderella and Bon Jovi among them Faith or Fear is the first from 1 Special to TIM Inquirar CLIFF MAUINEft Faith or Fear's lead singer Tim Blackman is beke. Not pictured are drummer Rich Loh-flanked by Bob Perna (left) and Chris Bom- wasser and bassist C.

J. Jenkins. Halen and others. This stuff has be- time. That helps a lot.

It's hard to get deal. 'u come big business. into clubs without pull. Before we "Right now, we want to Still, there are numerous bands played the Empire, we played Club guns and our integrity," Blackmail plugging away without gaining rec- Pizazz. Luckily, the Philly crowd was said.

"We'd like to get exposure' on ognition. very responsive. That's what pulled MTV. We don't want to sell out. But "It's the old cliche," Blackman con- us into the Empire.

We headlined you never know what can happen, ceded. "It's not what you know. It's there for five or six shows before You get tired of beating a dead being in the right place at the right there was any signing. We had no horse." Philadelphians sign card for Gorbachev Brooklyn duo Giants brings a mix to TLA Review: Music with IS volunteers and acquired a roll of paper 45 feet long and 12 feet wide. By 5 a.m.

Monday, the paper was in a truck, and Lawlor was on his way to Chicago and the first signing session. Since then, he and his card have been to Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; Washington, and, yesterday, Philadelphia. There are now two 45-foot cards, the first one having already been filled with greetings. Today there will be a signing session in New York City, and Saturday, the two cards will be loaded onto a Pan American jet bound for Moscow. Molly Swartz's signature, he says, is only one of tens of thousands.

"We haven't had time to count," he said, "and thousands of signatures and messages are pouring into our office in Fairfield every day." While Molly struggled with her Martha Swartz of Center City said, "We came to the market today specifically to sign the card." Many other parents and their youngsters were drawn to market for the same reason. "It's a bit of history," said Maryanne Latorre of East Camden, who arrived with her husband, CARD, from 1-D Union. He confessed to being a reluctant celebrity, to being very dazzled and a little dazed. Monday, I've met senators, congressmen, mayors and governors," he said. "I've been interviewed by television and newspaper reporters, and I've been in six cities.

Yesterday, I was talking with the first secretary of 5he Soviet Embassy in Washington. It's Lawlor, a bachelor who manufactures safety goggles, woke up on the morning of Dec. 1 with the idea of sending Gorbachev a holiday greeting card signed by scads of Americans. The card, he thought, should be, oh, tliree stories high and contain, let's say, two million signatures. that day, he sent a fax message outlining his idea to the Des Moines Register.

when I realized what a project like that would entail," he said, "I started hoping the newspaper wouldn't print anything." Hut it did. And the phones started ringing. Quickly he set up an office By Jim Gladstone Special to The Inquirer Fe, fi, fo, fum, They Might Be Giants sure aren't ho-hum. What exactly the witty Brooklyn duo are, however, is difficult to pinpoint at first. With herky-jerky two-minute songs accompanied by prerecorded rhythm tracks, they can't even really be considered a band.

But nearly 400 young Philadelphians packed South Street's Theater of Living Arts last night to laugh along as guitarist John Flansburgh and accordionist John Linnell did whatever it is they do. And it was just swell. In presenting a wide range of ditties that often clunkily mixed funk, punk, rock, country and even a pinch of polka, TMBG played not only with compositional conventions but also with concert conventions. They chatted between themselves, deciding which songs to play, then played a song about not being able to write a song. They invited an audience member to play an electronic drum pad with a gnarled tree branch.

All of this was done without a hint of pretension. This is no highfalutin performance-art band; it's a playful kick in rock's shin. Introducing the quirkly, college radio hit "Ana Ng," Linnell announced, "This is a tune from our new album, Lincoln. Well, it's kind of new. It used to be newer." Linnell and Flansburgh are the new Bob and Ray.

With gentle, intelligent humor and never an ounce of mean spirit, they send up a generation's major pop cultural form. Bob and Ray poked fun at radio quiz shows and answer-man programs. John and John give a whimsical skewering to rock-and-roll. Often, TMBG is not laugh-out-loud funny; but songs like "Shoehorn with Teeth" and "Purple Topee" couldn't help but put a smile on the faces of those in last night's crowd. "You've been really sweet," Flansburgh told the audience at the end of the evening.

Same to you, guys. Th. Ph.ltd.lphn Inqulrw APRIL SAUL A detail from the giant greeting card for the Soviet Union. Paul, and their four children, ages 3 to "We admire your courage and 11. "I wanted the kids to be part of it." Vietnam veterans Willee Schmitt Don't let the old guard get you and Kevin Gordon came from Bucks down." County to Center City to sign the card.

"Peace, love and happiness. Schmitt wrote, "From Levittown to Moscow. Let's keep it together." Other messages from Philadelphians to Gorbachev: "Love from our house to your house." "God bless you." "Peace, brother." Premium movies on cable Inmate fails in effort to ban TV in prisons Aoociotd Vest MADISON, Wis. An inmate who says the state is turning prisoners into TV addicts has failed in a bid to have televisions banned behind bars. "Wisconsin prisons are chock-full of inmates who are completely addicted to television, soap operas and all," Adrian Loraax, an inmate at an Oshkosh prison, said in a letter to the Milwaukee Journal.

"Most male inmates spend almost all their free time watching television." wnnout television, inmates would be more likely to better themselves and "develop the tools necessary to become productive members of society," he said. Warden Don Gudmanson rejected a formal complaint filed Nov. 7. Gudmanson said television had a pacifying influence and gave inmates something to do in their idle time. Lomax's appeal to the state health and social services secretary to institute a TV ban also failed.

About 40 percent of the 400 inmates at Oshkosh have personal TV sets, which are permitted as long as the screen is no larger than 13 Inches and speakers are disconnectldlanu headphones used. TV sets arealsd located in the prison day rooms. Lomax, who is serving a life sentence for murder, taught himself Spanish while behind bars, and his prison job is translating prison manuals into Spanish for Hispanic inmates. He had predicted his request would not get far. A frequent filer of inmate complaints, Lomax has three others pending, but officials said they are kept confidential unless revealed by the inmate.

"He's come up with a lot of good ideas," Gudmanson said, "but he's come up with some bad ones, too." mystery. Violence. 102m. TMC: noon. Far Horizons, The '55.

Fred MacMur-ray. Charlton Heston. Explorers Lewis and Clark survey the Louisiana Purchase with Sacaiawea of the Shoshones. 107m. TMC: 2 00 p.m.

Going Apel '81. (PG) Tony Danza. Jessica Walter. A comedy about a supposedly cuts pair of apes and tha young man who must care for them to gam an inheritance. Mostly stale and misconceived.

Adult situations, profanity. 87m. HBO: 1:00 p.m. Good Father, The '86. (R) Anthony Hopkins.

Jim Broedbent. Left by his wife, a British magazine designer helps another fellow take his own wife to court. Adult situations, profanity. 90m. TMC: 6 00 p.m.

Hamburger Hi! '87. (R) Anthony Bar-nle. Michael Patrick Boatman. Fourteen Army recruits try again and again to take a muddy hill in Vietnam. Musk by Philip Glass.

Profanity mifrv. vmwo. 10m. TMC: 1 100 m. Happiest Missonelre, Tha '67.

9:00 p.m. (See Prime time grid.) Hard Ticket to Hawaii 87. (Rl Ronn Moss. Dona Spar. A barooka-wiekkng good guy blasts bad guys away from two women running an er -freight service in Hawaii.

Adult smjaoona, profanity, nudity, mofence. 96m. TMC 1:00 a m. Harry and the Hawdersona '87. (PG) John Lithgow.

Mewnda Dillon. Mr. Henderson and family run over Bigfoot with ther station wagon and bring hint home to Seattle. Profanity violence. 110m.

HBO: 9 30 a.m. Hataril 62. John Wayne Else Mar-tineik. Another great Howard Hawks adventure film, funny and thnlhng, Wayne and the boys are Africa, baggng bg game for Amencsn zoos. 59m.

HBO: 4 30 m. Hao Again 87. (PG) SK: 1 00 8 00 pm. (See Prime time gnd.) High Tkk 87. (PG-13) Judy Dsv.

Jan Aoh. Strandsd on the Austral-en coast a eviger befierids a tomboy who turns out lobe her daughter. Adult anuatona. protantty. 10m MAX: 12 15 m.

Hotel Mew Hempehee, The 84 (R Jode roster. Beau Bnoges Tony Rcharoson wy erranc adaptahon of John wg best seear about an eccenex hew England amh; in a Paris brothel. Adult situations, profanity, nudity. 84m. MAX: 1:15 a.m.

Indiane Jonea and the Temple of Doom '84. (PG) MAX: 8:00 p.m. (See Prime time grid.) Jumpm' Jack Flash '86. (R) Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins. A British spy abroad taps into a New York computer operator's bank terminal and asks her for help.

Profanity, violence. 100m. PSM: 12:45 a.m.; TMC: 4 00 p.m. Lady Beware fr '87. (R) Diane Lane.

Michael Woods. A Philadelphia window dresser gets tough with a deranged lab technician who will not leave her alone. Adult situations, profanity, nudity, violence. 108m. SHO: 1 1:30 p.m.

Lies '83. (R) Ann Dusenberry. Gail Strickland. Two psychiatrists and an heiress's husband use an actress in their scheme to bilk the heiress. Adult situations, profanity, mo-amnt fOOn TMC- 4-1S sm My Fair Lady 64.

(G) Audrey Hepburn. Rex Harrison. Glossy George Cukor version of the Broadway musical based on Shaw's Pygmalion, with a sophisticated Hep-bum as Eliza Dooiittle. who proves that the difference between a lady and a flower grl is not how she speaks but how she spoken to. Hamson.

as Professor Higgms. won tha best actor Oscar. The film won seven others. 170m. MAX: 4 00 p.m.; SHO: 1000 am, 3:10 a m.

National Lampoon's Vacation 83 (R) Chevy Chase. Beverly 0 Angek). The few funny moments aren worth tha tnp. Chevy a nddle-ciess dad takog his brood on a cross-country tour. Yes, that's Anthony Michael Had as the obnoxious teenage son.

Adult situations, profanity, nutkry. 98m. HBO. 1 1.30 p.m. North Shore 87.

(PG) Matt Adtar, Gregory Hamson An Arizona surfer comes to Oahu. meets a board sheper. has a gnfrnnd and ndes apxc waves. Profanity 96m. MAX: 6 00 a m.

One and Onfy, The '78 (PG) Henry Winkler. Km Darby. An eeoring actor mates it the world of prorecSKmet wrestling. Winkler tnes so Hard to be charming and earnest that he neither. Piufmuy.

Moenca. 98m. MAX 1O30 am Oxitssdars, Tha 83 (PG) Matt Oman. Thomas HomH F-sncn Ford Coppola operatic teen metootama pomkt straightforwardly to adolescent sentiments in this lush adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel about Tulsa kids from the wrong side of the tracks.

Adult situations, profanity, violence. 95m. HBO: 2:30 p.m. Private Road '87. (R) Greg Evtgan, George Kennedy.

A girl a sports car runs a guy off a road, and he goes to work for her millionaire father. Profanity, nudity, violence. 97m. MAX: 2:45 a m. Revenge of the Nerds '84.

(R) HBO: 8:00 p.m. (See Prime time gnd.) Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise 87. (PG-13) HBO: 11:30 a.m., 9 30 m. (See Prime time grid.) Sister, Sister '87. (R) Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

A congressional aide explores an old Louisiana mansion two kooky sisters run as a guest house. Profanity, nudity, violence. 91m. HBO: 1:10 a.m. Slaughter High '86.

(R) Caroline Munro, even with the people who made fun of him frva years before. Adult situations, profanity, nudity, violence. 90m. HBO: 3 45 a m. Stepfather, The '87.

(R) MAX 10:00 p.m. (See Prime wme gnd.) Sweat Lorraine '87. IPG-131 Maureen Stapleton, Las Richardson. The 80-year-old owner of a Cetskills resort ponders its sale with her salad chef and granddaughter. Adult aifuariuiis.

profanity. 9 1m. PSM: 2 30 m. Terminal Man, The '74. (PGI PSM: 12 30 6 00 p.m.

(See Prime time gnd I 20-Foot Bride of Candy Rock, Tha BW '59. Lou Costello. Dorothy Provme. A small town inventor tries to turn his 30-foot bnds back to normal. 75m MAX 7 45 am.

Three Stooges kn Orbit, The BW 62. The Three Stooges. Carol Chnstensen. Moe. Larry and Curly Jos fori marTians out to steal a professor rocket submerinetenk.

87m. MAX 9 00 am Travels With My Aunt '72. (PG) Maggie Smith. Alec McCowen, Sth is the fwgNNpht of this otherwise state annexation of the Graham Greene enlenanen about a stum young Bnt who eccompen his eccen-X aunt on a whrwid tour of Europe Adult atuatwna. 109m.

TMC. 7 30 im White Water Swwwiei 87 (OGI Kewi Bacon. Sean Astxr An outdoor pic leads a cay boy and three peers on a program to louohen them up. Potamty. nwn 86m.

MAX 2 30 Animals Ar Beautiful Psopto 74. (G) Filmmaker Jamie Uy Tha Gods Must Be shows baboons doing flips, an impala playing with a lioness and other wild animals found in the deserts and jungles of Africa. 92m. DIS: 1:00 p.m.. 1:00 a.m.

Apprentice to Murder '88. (PG-13) Donald Sutherland. Chad Lowe. A teen-ager is tqrfi between his lover and a doctor of "pow wow medicine" 1920s Pennsylvania. Adult situations, nudity, vmlenc.

94m. PSM: 10:30 a 4:30 m. Believers, The '87. (R) TMC: 9:00 i. (See Prime time and.) Black Moon Rising '86.

(R) Tommy Le Jones. Unda Hamilton. Vastly entertaining -movie about an FBI free-lancer who has the goods on the mob and escapes their clutches in a car that goes 325 mph. Profanity, nudity, notonca. 100m.

HBO: 5:20 a.m. Bolero '84. (Rl Soft-focus, soft-core and Kift-hM)dMti dnvel about a Roennq '2 On heiress romancing a bullfighter. Adult situations, profanity, nudity. 106m.

SHO. 1:20 a.m. Broadway Denny Rose BW 84. (PG) Woody Allen. M.a Farrow.

A delightful, bittersweet comedy about the funny, pathetic denuens of New Vork City's borsch-oelt crowd. Wntsr-drector Allen plays a hapless tfiestncal agent with a ratmua of hopaieis clients who gets involved wfh a gangster's Duoh-taiking orifnend. Adult artuamnt. profanity 86m TMC: 7 30 p.m. Buaee '86.

IR) Jonathan Crombie. Janet Lame-Green. An urban teen agar rescues his stepfather from a rural dan terrorwmg a town. Adult situations, profanity, violence. 96m.

PSM: 2:35 TMC: 2:35 am. Bwrolar 87. (Rl Whoop) Goldberg. Bob Goldthwert A San Francoco cat burglar is the suspect for a murder she sees dunng a jewel heist she forced to make. Profanity, nudity, vnteoce.

102m. PSM: 11O0 pm. Cetor Purple, The 85. fPG-131 PSM: 7 30 8 00 pm, 4.15 aJn. (See PrVne twne grid I Eanmenwae '74 (AOI Syhna Knstel.

Alan Ceny A French diplomat goes a out eangkc. Aduft atuaouns, profanity, nudty. 92m MAX. 1145 pm Eefl Undw tw S2. PuI Peter Uswwr.

Co" SisVehr A Meroma Porot mrs-lary on a Greek wand with an aft-star cast of suspects and a Bvrartme plot Great cos-tunws and style at an otherwise sfii leas Picasso Museum repairs and 3.000 drawings were taken by the French government from Picasso't heirs in lieu of death taxes, along with works by Matisse. Cezanne, Braque and Renoir in the artist's private collection. A spokesman said Wednesday that the repairs involved replacing the building's stone floors, which had proven "too porous and fracile" to handle traffic from some 40.000 trtsi-tors a month. The museum closes tomorrow and Terpens March I. PARIS The Picasso Museum, home for the last three years to cearly works by Pablo Picasso, is closing to the public for two months for repairs.

The refurbished mansion, known as the Hotel Sale and named for one of its former owTiers, opened as a museum in 1985 with the world's larcest collection of works by the Spanish master, who died in The 20i pamtT.gs. 158 sculptures nvdny. wManca 1 10m. MAX: 4 30 a m. lei 80.

(AO) SvMs Lama. Yves Jouf-eoy. An emneeo vctm tcd that she works.