Dick's Got the Beat

Sure, stage names, whiteface and the like can come off as gimmicky and silly, but would songs about dismembering girlfriends be as cool coming from a guy in a J. Crew turtleneck? Would "Tutti Frutti" have been the same if Little Richard called himself Ricky and dressed like Nat King Cole? The show -- the image -- is an intrinsic part of music, and that is what so many local bands don't understand. The members of the Scared do, and even if they don't always hit the mark, their efforts make them more entertaining than many of their peers. -- Erik Alan Carlson