The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 29

THE BOSTON GLOBE MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1992 29 Names and Faces JtK'-'" "JJJJ1 0 I 'fit MICHAEL BLOWEN at the Inn on the Park in London one day and saying, 'It's too windy. Can someone do something about rocker Elton John, 44, recalling the excesses of life before recovery, in Rolling Stone magazine. Ringo's revving up Ringo Starr, who hasn't toured in three years, is gearing up for one in Europe and North America this summer. He's in the process of reprising his All-Star band with Joe Walsh, Nils Lofgren and others Guitarist Mike Rutherford has been banned from playing polo during Genesis' world tour. Why? He has broken both legs and his nose in past play.

Ah, oh Lonborg's getting out his skis Jim Lonborg, the pitcher who led the Red Sox to the Impossible Dream pennant in 1967, had his career slowed down by a vacation skiing accident Now a South Shore -dentist with eight kids, Lonborg and his wife Rosie plan to take a late winter vacation skiing down Tuckerman's Ravine. Presumably without Novocaine. U2 kicks off US tour "This is a private party!" That's how singer Bono greeted 7,251 fans in Lakeland, as U2 opened its first US tour in five years Saturday. The Irish rockers opened with "Zoo Station" and played most of the other songs on their latest album, "Achtung Baby." The highlight of the concert occurred when the rockers gathered at the end of a runway that extended a third of the way into crowd. U2 will appear at the Worcester Centrum, Providence Civic Center and Boston Garden later this month.

Dr. Spock, the update The sixth edition of "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care" book is just off the press with 80 more pages and updates for the 1990s. The new edition is mostly the work of Dr. Michael Rothenberg, 65, professor emeritus of the University of Washington School of Medicine, who took the torch passed by Dr.

Benjamin Spock, 88, who has practically retired. Among the new stuff: stepfamily dynamics, homosexuality and open adoptions, AIDS and choking informa-' tion, effects of divorce and caveats on pas- sive smoke and quality time gone wild. There's also an exhortation to parents to be-1 politically active and to rear children "to become kind, cooperative, feeling people who will not let their jobs distort their lives." So far, the 47-year-old book has sold more than 40 million copies. Spitz won't take the plunge Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics, has given up his dream of competing in Barcelona this sum- ball game, an episode of 'Dallas' or of Rose-anne Barr or of Geraldo Rivera or of the black lady who is alternately fat and thin, I forget her name." commentator and man of the people William F. Buckley, countering attacks on President Bush's lack of the -common touch, quoted in Newsweek maga- zine.

That's Oprah Winfrey, Big Bill. Peter Gabriel, youVegotafan like, hate anything routine. I don't want to do only classical music all my life, man. I'd like to work more with modern music because, like, the classics of tomorrow are likely to be people like Peter Gabriel, ya know what I mean?" punk classical violinist Nigel Kennedy, 35, who refers to Vivaldi as "my man Viv," quoted in magazine. Time for a sequel to 'Roger and Me'? Last week was busy for Michael Moore, filmmaker of "Roger and Me," the comic documentary about his pursuit of then-GM chairman Roger Smith to get him to defend his closings of auto plants in Flint, Mich.

He's been deluged with calls from reporters writing about the latest GM plant closings. The write stuff at UMass-Lowell UMass-LoweU's fourth annual Writer's Conference begins Friday and includes ap- pearances by David Huddle, Valerie Martin, David Rivard, Joan Millman, Ellen Cooney and publisher David R. Godine. Carolyn Sapp, Miss America 1992, will be at Filene's in the Silver City Galleria in Taunton tomorrow from noon till 1:30. Elton John LllyTomlln and canoodling.

Thanks to the 71 readers who took the time to write and call pointing out the error. It should have read my "wife and me," according to the Grammar Police. -fijl ii i it i -J, 1 Id Brain teaser panel A real movie addict mer. After a spirited comeback last year Spitz, 42, has been unable to top his best time of last May (58.77 seconds) in the 100-meter butterfly. The Olympic qualifying time in the event is 58.5K "I'm in the best shape possible," he said, "but by virtue of my age I am as fast as I'm going to get." Maybe he could fight George Foreman or play tennis against Bjorn Borg.

Not pretty, Elton "I was cocaine addicted. I was an alcoholic. I had a sexual addiction. I was bulimic for six years. I could be unbelievably horrible and stupid.

I'd walk out of a hotel suite because I didn't like the color of the bedspread. I remember looking out of my room ytr. ha-'' Poor Lily Tomlin. She learned to smoke for a role in Woody Allen's new movie "Shadows and Fog," and now has a four-pack-a-day addiction. The actress has recruited a hypnotist to help her kick the nic habit I bet he doesn't read the Star either "I have never seen a professional base The new American Heritage Dictionary's Third Edition, due out in August, will become an official source for "Jeopardy!" Also, John Kenneth Galbraith, Isaac Asimov, Justin Kaplan, Carl Sagan, Daniel Bell, Robert Manning, Sarah Lawrence Light-foot and Helen Vendler are just a few of the 173 Usage Panelists advising Houghton Mifflin on their new edition.

Perhaps they could send this column an adviser or two. We recently made reference to my "wife Sherman, Lydian Quartet run deep and true Four famous names do not a quartet make By Richard Dyer GLOBE STAFF By Richard Dyer GLOBE STAFF It is a rare week that offers a EMANUEL AX, piano, JAIME LAREDO, viola, YO-YO MA, cello and ISAAC STERN, violin in a concert presented by the Bank of Boston Celebrity Series in Symphony HaU yesterday Chamber music and celebrity chamber music are often different activities. When they coincide in one music lover two experiences as extraordinary as Peter Serkin's col- performance, as they did last week in the recital by RlilSiC" Review tfir laborationwithYo- ftlUSIC Yo Ma and Russell Review Sherman's collabo- ration with the ond movement; they played a simple, clear arrangement of the piano part, and Mary Westbrook-Geha sang with atmospheric simplicity, although she opted up from the chilling low note at the end. The reason must be that she was on her "day off" between performances of Ravel's high-flying "Chansons she surely has a low in her voice. The Brahms F-Minor Piano Quintet is too often performed as if it were a Third Piano Concerto.

Sherman did not let the piano dominate the textures, which remained remarkably clear always a goal of the Lyds in Brahms. His musical personality, of course, is dominating, but what the originality of accent color, balance and phrasing in his playing did was stimulate the Lyds into more of the same, into a give and take from moment-to-moment that also traced a timeless psychological journey into deep places. If it were to appear on the menu at Friendly's, yesterday's performance of Beethoven's E-flat Piano Quartet, Op. 16, would have to be listed as Ludwig Melt THE LYDIAN STRING QUARTET with RUSSELL SHERMAN, piano, and MARY WESTBROOK-GEHA, mezzo-soprano At: Jordan HaU Saturday night interfering with the natural flow of the music everything sounds spontaneous, which it is, within the parameters set by meticulous preparation. Another wonderful thing about this ensemble is that the players never force.

There is brilliande when brilliance is called for, but power and excitement are never sought as ends in themselves, and at the expense of nuance; there is nuance even at the extremes of brilliance. A snapped string interrupted the finale: This came as a rude shock, because the performance had taken us far away from the mundane realities of the concert hall; we were thinking about music, not about performance, which is the highest achievement of the performer's art The Lyds preceded the Quartet with the song that provides the theme for the variations in the sec Lydian String Quartet. Both were public spirited events, benefits; Sherman and the Lyds played in support of the Pro Musicis Foundation, which brings young artists to audiences in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, where live music is seldom heard; the foundation presents the same young artists in prominent venues in important cities. (The next Boston Pro Musicis concert is April 5, a recital by the violinist Maria Bachmann.) Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" Quartet has become a Lydian Quartet specialty; later this month they will record it What is remarkable about their playing is how it balances the intuitive with the brainy; how sophisticated it is without ever oddly assorted crew. As you might expect, only Ma was responsive in a chameleon way, the others remained implacably themselves.

The great, soulful theme of the slow movement of the Schumann E-flat Piano Quartet came out sounding three different ways Ma was the transparently eloquent in simplicity; Laredo was darkbrowed and rather fierce; Stern swam around. It is a cliche of compliment to say of a musician that he made everything sound easy, but that's exactly Emanuel Ax's problem. His pianistic equipment is fabulously fluent; he is an admirable musician; and he levels music by making things that should sound difficult, like the finale of the Brahms G-Minpr Piano Quartet, seem as smoothly uniform as Vel-veeta. Laredo is a superb violist, with a wonderful dark sonority, absolutely accurate intonation, and a firm, centered style that can sometimes seem unyielding. Ma mediated between the two extremes, playing pliantly in response to Ax, with a stirring directness in response to Laredo.

He stopped short of attempting to duplicate the scrawny tonal qualities of Stern's violin and his frequently queasy intonation -Stern reportedly played this program very well in New York last week, but ran into problems yesterday. Occasionally Stern did remind us of his stature, as in the delightful inflections of rhythm in the Intermezzo of the Brahms, and then Ma demonstrated he could do that, too. Yo-Yo Ma and Pe- 4, ter Serkin, it can be a thrilling ex-perience. When they don't, well you get something like yesterday after-jji noon's concert by Emanuel Ax, 0', Jaime Laredo, Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern an occasion that involved demonstrations of skill and displays of personality but which seldom a merged into the conversational, ar-r gumentative, dancing, singing, soar-a ing-together-into-the-skies kind of give-and-take that defines chamber gin music. All these musicians are deservedly famous; all are extremely experienced in chamber music.

Stern has played chamber music throughout his long career, for years he was part of a trio with pianist Eugene Is-tomin and cellist Leonard Rose, and today he plays with Rose's star pupil, Yo-Yo Ma. Stern's commitment ought to serve as a role model to the subsequent generations of superstar i-sn'c violinists; of them only Gidon idi Kremer and Joshua Bell play much chamber music, and you can surely tell that in their playing and, alas, nl the playing of their colleagues who couldn't obviously care less is' what anyone else thinks. lEWtllMlllIKU But the popularity of these quartet players puts them into spaces the size of Symphony Hall which was full yesterday, with a supplement of stage seats. A chamber that big requires playing so outsize that the pieces almost sound as if they had been transcribed. If it were to appear on the menu at Friendly's, yesterday's performance of Beethoven's E-flat Piano Quartet, Op.

16, would have to be listed as Ludwig Melt, and you wouldn't want to know its cholesterol count And while this particular ensemble is bound by ties of celebrity, management, fee category and, presumably, friendship, they remain an Dire Straits offers mood music mm. DIRE STRAITS At: The Providence Civic Center last night; and the Worcester Centrum next Saturday. ing guitar lines. The band also. brought a stately touch to such poet-.

"til "liUMliliU'H ill ic Straits oldies as Romeo and Juliet," "Tunnel of Love" and "Brothers in Arms." But alas, the rock 'n' roll was in shorter supply this time around. Teenage Fanclub only semi-impressive By Jim Sullivan GLOBE STAFF This Wednesday in FOOD j'- DIRE Continued from Page 28 with his British pickup band, the Notting Hillbillies, and with Nashville guitar ace Chet Atkins. Those interests have spilled over to Dire Straits' new reunion tour, which to these ears, is easily the most understated tour they've done. Not understated in the lighting (a phenomenal array of computer lights that rank with a Genesis tour), but in the music. Knopfler was intent last night on showcasing new pedal steel guitarist Paul Franklin (from the Notting Hillbillies) and on featuring the new Straits album "On Every Street" at the expense of older material.

In fact seven of the show's 16 songs came from the new album, including many quiet nonar-ena-like tunes such as the title track and the dark "Planet of New Orleans." Coupled with Knopfler's famed disinterest in showmanship (no running around ramps for him), it made for a rather cerebral evening. The rewards were smaller, but you can't, say. Knopfler didn't fulfill his goals. He was right to believe in pedal steel guitarist Franklin, who dazzled with a hybrid of country, blues and rock riffs. And his choice of former Eric Clapton backup guitarist Phil Palmer was also apt for he wove tastefully around Knopfler's own shimmer- fend, or cast doubts, on its own.

This music had an edge, but it didn't quite push it "Starsign" was an arch look at astrology mapped to a pop-noise scrim; "I Don't Know" was catchy and engaging; "Metal Baby" had undeniable hooks and smarts. (It is, after all, an ode to Joan Jett and her perseverance.) You came away from Teenage Fanclub semi-impressed. They covered Big Star's "I'm Free Again," were very upfront about their roots, and appeared very much the innocent-early-Os first-ride-of-fame kids they are. Their original material kicking in with "The Concept" and its outdatedcool "Status Quo" reference point hit an early high and then coasted down a notch. But they brought it up again en route, and closed spectacularly.

The jury's still out but you've got to like a singer who's explaining "Saturday Night Live" to his grandmother in Glasgow and hears her say "What's that?" only to sort of shrug and agree. Uncle Tupelo, the opening trio, turned in a barnburner of Neil Young-ish country-rock, kickin' up a storm, but basically, seeming pretty normal about it The punk-rock giveaway: Gang of Four's "I Found That Essence Rare." TEENAGE FANCLUB At: The Paradise with Uncle Tupelo Saturday night open about it WeVe always liked Big Star ever since we discovered 'em about six years ago. We're fans of pop music. We've always been into pop music. We've always worked on melodies and vocals we don't have to prove we're hard, or any macho aspect We like the Raspberries." All this kind of talk is engendered, perhaps, because Teenage Fanclub is also seen as part of the UK noise-wave, and because some of their early work, including Saturday night's ultra-dynamic, multiclimactic closer, "Everything Flows," touches Nirvana-esqueDinosaur Jr.

guitar-rock heaven. That set-capper, admittedly, was a slice of bliss, but most of the set wavered in the B-level zone: measurably better than the oddly flat album, way better than the barely passable "Saturday Night Live" appearance of several weeks back. Problem was, much of it seemed to strike middling levels of "ironic" pop, none of which was strong enough 'to stand tall and proud, of How much hype is too much hype? 'Teenage Fanclub, a Scottish MUSIC band fronted by singer-guitarist Review Norman Blake (no relation to the bluegrass picker of the same name), is the latest overseas sensation to benefit and suffer from a surfeit of critical praise. That is, the affable pop-noise quartet, which sold out the Paradise Saturday night on the back of their second US album "Bandwa-gonesque," are not as great as their backers claim (and they run from Spin's 1991 album of the year on down) nor are they as derivative as their detractors suggest And, folks, Teenage Fanclub seems to agree with that assessment For instance, the band has been slagged for dipping too deep into the creative wellspring of Alex Chilton's Big Star. Well, Blake plugged their own song "The Concept" as a song written by Chilton from the stage and said backstage, "They're one of our many influences.

A lot of groups won't admit to influences but we've 'always been very a -It TASIYAND DELICIOUS! Turn to The Boston Globe's FOOD Pages this Wednesday and indulge in the international flavors of Inman Square, the wines of Germany and everything you wanted to know about Chili. Jewish National Fund. Volunteers needed to help with the organization's annual Green Sunday phone-a-thon on March 15, 1992 from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. in Boston.

Call SP 3392 i1.