graduate, had a few things going for her: a successful song-writing career, a life- long love of Motown and a fierce dedica- tion to the themes of the Alice Walker novel — along with the self-confidence to try anything. "When I decide to do something, I'll go ahead and do it, and I don't think about how it can go wrong:' Willis says. "In the long term, it's exhilarating, and you don't have to make compromises in your work — but you certainly have the potential to go through your life a lot poorer." 'When a producer hires you to write for a musical, the amount of money you make is dependent on the success of the show, she explains. -The Color Purple is likely to keep Willis fed and clothed for many years. Based on Walker's Pulitzer Prize-win- ning novel, the book for the musical was written by playwright Marsha Norman, whose work in drama has earned both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony. The show's strongest financial backing comes from media superstar Oprah Winfrey. So far, The Color Purple is sold out - through October 2006. "The theater holds 1,800 people, and everyone seems to walk out satisfied," Willis says. "It's amazing standing in the lobby. There's a wave of emotion that just carries them out." Motown Baby Of Willis' many careers, songwriting came first. "Growing up, I worshipped the radio. I discovered WJLB and other black sta- tions before there was even Motown: . Willis says. "I saw every Motown revue at the Fox Theatre. "But I don't read, write or play music, and I never gave thought to being a .musician myself." Instead, she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism, with a minor in advertising, at the University of Wisconsin. Then she talked her way into a secretarial job with Columbia/Epic Records in New York City, even though she could not type. In about a month, she was promoted to junior copywriter. Willis recorded an album of her own songs under the Columbia/Epic label in 1974. ("I took them to my boss in adver- tising, and he liked them.") Her first big hit was "September," per- formed by Earth, Wind and Fire. She shared a Grammy Award for the sound- track to Beverly Hills Cop and was nomi- nated for an Emmy for the theme song to television's Friends, which she co- wrote with Michael Skloff. For a few years, songwriting was fun, Willis says, but eventually it became just a process of churning out more of the same thing she'd done before. "I began a conscious quest to change my life starting around 1981. Design was always such a big part of my life. When I was in high school, design and rhythm were the two things that kept me alive." In the 1980s, now living in suburban Los Angeles, she emerged as "Bubbles the Artist:' building a career with bright- colored paintings, collages and construc- tions, all done in a tongue-in-cheek pseudo primitive style. Moving into cyberspace in the 1990s, she created vir- tual worlds and Web narratives, consult- ing for America Online, Microsoft, Disney and other entertainment and technology companies. Meanwhile, she was perfecting her own personal style. Her kitsch-filled home has been featured in lifestyle and architectural magazines; . she enjoys retro clothes and groovy parties; her unique NO COUPON NECESSARY SPECIALS hairstyle, cropped on one side and shoulder-length on the other, has inspired a character in friend Lily Tomlin's The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe. - "I have a tremendous love and appre- ciation for the past," Willis says."It's all rolled into the future." Relatives still in metro Detroit include her brother and sister-in-law, Kent and Barbara Willis; aunt and uncle Irene and Arnold Citron, all of West Bloomfield; aunt Ann Benderoff of Farmington Hills; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Her parents, Rose and Nate Willis, are deceased. Detroit — the Institute of Arts, the Fox Theatre, sandwiches at Darbys and Frederick's delis, Hebrew school at Congregation Beth Aaron — continues to haunt her imagination. "The pink and blue paint job at Mumford is my prime influence,"Willis says. "I have a pink house with a blue driveway; I have a pink car and a blue car." "I have the exact same habits I had in high school, but I do it all in a bigger way." Broadway Bound Writing the songs for The Color Purple was truly a cooperative project, Willis says. The three songwriters spent hours brainstorming, each contributing both words and music. "A lot of people just write lyrics, oth- ers just write music, but, for me, that's like saying, `Use your right arm but your left has to remain tied up:" she says. "The Friends theme was probably the last thing I did where I agreed to do just one part. I wrote the lyrics." Writing for a Broadway musical is very different from writing stand-alone songs, she discovered. "In a regular song, you have to accom- O Authentic Greek With Touches Of Italy & Spain A Classic Since 1920 c7ffkir's CHOP HOUSE • Daily Specials • Carry-out & Catering • Private Parties $5 OFF ALL BOTTLES OF WINE OFF Make your reservations today! LUNCH & ALL DINNERS ANYDAY-7 DAYS A WEEK NO COUPON NECESSARY! ANYDAY-7 DAYS A WEEK JUST MENTION THIS AD! HOURS: 6263 Orchard Lake Rd. • N. of 15 Mile Rd. Mon-Thurs 11-10 • Sat 1 1-1 1 Sunday 4-10 Sugar Tree Plaza • West Bloomfield - 248-855-3993 1058730 The Color Purple is playing at the Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway, in New York City. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com . To learn more about Allee Willis, see her Web site, www.alleewillis.com . Detroit's Legendary Steak House Free rice puddingfor all lunches 100/ THRU JAN. 31, 2006 plish a lot less. If you listen to the lyrics, there's a lot of.repetition. In a theater song, you have to keep moving." The three songwriters, already friends before beginning The Color Purple, enjoyed working together — which was a good thing, considering the project took more than a year to complete. "You says. tweak it and tweak "Sometimes it's exasperating, like when you have to throw out six months of work." Is another Broadway project in the works? "This is the first time in my life I haven't planned out my next move," she says. "Now I think I'll sit out a month or two and see." "I certainly hope there's another musi- cal but wouldn't want to do one unless it has the broad spiritual effect I feel this does. The Color Purple is not just a good story, but an important story." "I see a lot of my friends extremely bored with their lives because they've been doing the sane thing for 30 years:' Willis says. "I'm the type of person who says, `I have a hit record? Good, now I want to paint: • "What I say is: If you don't like your life, get up off your a— and change it." ❑ We can accommodate any size gathering large or small Let us prepare your holiday dinner to go! From our oven to yours . including whole turkey or ham with all the trimmings Our Certified Angus 6 Pack of Steaks a great holiday gift—we ship anywhere -Jerry Neeley at the piano Fri/Sat eves Gift Certificates available in any denomination Celebrating 85 years in business and voted Best Steak House by Metro Times • Playboy Magazine • Delta Airlines • Hour Magazine •Maxim Magazine • City Search - both Peoples and Editor's Choice cA st, s 1-1 cHoi. 0iTsE 3020 Grand River/Detroit (313) 833-0700 Open 7 days 11 am - Midnight Shuttle Service Available to all Downtown Events Sunday Brunch 10:30 am - 2:30 pm December 29 • 2005 47