uaz ti* jz ati Big day for 'Big Night' Veteran actors Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci have teamed up to direct "Big Night," a small-budget film about two Italian brothers who move to New Jersey to open a restaurant serving authentic Italian cui- sine - quite a gimmick in the 1950s. The acclaimed movie begins its two-week run at the Michigan Theater today. Showtimes are at 7:15 and 9:30 and, as always, student tickets are a mere $5. Friday October 18, 1996 10 Clinton to tear the roof off of Hill. By James Miller Daily Arts Writer In the Middle Ages, it was believed that royalty received its power directly from God. In an interview with The Michigan Daily on Wednesday, the reigning king of funk, George Clinton, proved beyond a shad- ow of a doubt that he gets his power from a place not of the corporeal world. I was doomed from the first question. George Clinton is an encyclopedia of American PR music of the past 40 years. A Ge question about the roots of P-":. Funk was met with a deluge of ani information. "I was in New Jersey in '56 Tonight at Hili at 7:3 doin' doo wop. We made a few records like 'Lonely Island' that didn't do too well. But the first big hit we had was 'Testify' in '66." To capitalize on the burgeoning Motown scene, Clinton and company moved to Detroit, which was to become the cradle of Funkadelic. "I made quite a few Detroit records, with like ... Edwin Starr and the Supremes. But after a while we realized that Motown and the Supremes and R&B (were) sewn up. We had to get as far away from Motown as possible. So we came up with Funkadelic." From here the history of P-Funk becomes difficult E O d1 30 p. to trace. Basically, P-Funk as we know it consists of two elements: Funkadelic, which is composed of Clinton and his group of expatriates from Jersey; and Parliament, which has a more soul-driven sound from artists such as Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. What makes P-Funk hard to quantify is that the ele- ments of these two different bands freely mix togeth- er, both in concert and on record. In fact, Clinton credits VIE W the band's ability to stretch and rge Clinton give to its longevity. "We liked the fact that the P-Funk everyone could have their own All Stars things and side projects, but .m. Tickets available. always be around when we needed them." It is this unusual blending makes P-Funk's output some of the most varied and interesting music ever produced by a single entity. Albums like "Mothership Connection" and "Cosmic Slop" are hard core R&B albums. Records made with primari- ly Funkadelic members tend to be heavier on acid guitar and bizarre. "Every once and a while I would make an album like 'Osmium' or 'America Eats Its Young' just to see if I had any brain cells left," Clinton said, alluding to P-Funk's fablgd, near mythical drug use. It's impossible to ask Clinton the obligatory influ- ences question. Clinton is an influence himself. P- Funk is both the chicken and the egg. A two-minute excerpt of conversation reveals a stunning wealth of musical knowledge. Clinton has played with, influ- enced, hung out with and generally funked-up nearly every musician of importance of the past 30 years. He seems tacitly aware of his ubiquitous influence, end- ing a long speech on his musical contacts with, "Everybody took a ride on the Mothership." , 0 With as much musical raw material to work with, it's not surprising that P-Funk has undergone massive change over the years. "The biggest single change we've- had over the years was realizing that we could take off the suits and still make it," Clinton said, still with a note of amaze- ment. In the years between P-Funk's heyday and the cur- rent revival, Clinton credits mostly rap artists with keeping interest in his music alive. "It kept us alive. They took little tiny pieces of tho funk. It just gave us continued exposure. Folks like Public Enemy, De La Soul, Digital Underground and Ice Cube. And, they gave us props. Sampling's not stealing, I love it." When asked about the future of the band, Clinton is his usual self - ever the cryptic hipster. "We're never goin', we're always comin'. And we gonna be funkin' off the planet. There is funk after death." George Clinton gets funked up at Hill Auditorium tonight. Lighthearted 'Drood' woos audience By Tyler Patterson Daily Theater Editor Beginning the show with abrupt and demanding fashion, University Productions' "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" immediately grabs the audience's attention. The entrance of The Music Hall Royale Orchestra was met with a round of applause when the cast entered from all ends of the theater, signaling the performance had begun. The rambunctious cast and crew, led by the Chairman (Matt Schicker), poked, R E prodded, humored and cajoled the Th audience into submission. The collaboration of director Gary Bird and musical director and compos- Mend er James Wilhelmsen is a triumph. Capitalizing on the talent and devotion of the company, Bird offers a fun-filled, energetic, no-worries musical that is bound to make even the most reserved offer a hearty laugh or two. Schicker, as the Chairman, was unreproachable. Charismatic and witty, Schicker was the pre-eminent master of ceremonies as he established the story of Dickens' unfin- ished text. Introducing each character, pointing out "clues," Schicker deftly delivered witty one-liners as he led the audi- ence through the performance. Using melodrama to play up the mystery of who killed Edwin Drood for humorous effect, this musical had a bare- bones production feel, even though the choreography, cos- e E lei tume, and musical numbers spoke to the contrary. The Victorian costume design (Sarah Michelle Baum) set the atmosphere as the time of Dickens, giving the audience and actors alike a reliable reference. The often dark lighting (Heesun Ko) added to the melodrama that made the perfor- mances so enjoyable. Choreography, especially during the sultry and hypnotic "Jasper's Vision," was smartly arranged by Linda Goodrich-Weng. Laurie Ferdman, as the lovely Rosa I E W Bud, proved a powerful presence with a Mystery of voice unmatched in smoothness and :dwin D d beauty. Durdles (Greg Zola), the drunken gravekeeper, was the clown in lssohn Theater a play of comedic performers, and Zola Oct. 17, 1996 certainly was not outshone. John Jasper, the "obvious" suspect, played by Job Christenson, was convincingly rendered as erratic, seething and lethal. Songs like "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "Both Sides of the Coin" (performed with Schicker) were among the standouts of the show. The notable performances of the, um, boyish Edwin Drood (Catherine Marsh), the brother and sister combo of Helena and Neville Landless (Erika Shannon and Tony Greenlaw), and the rather clueless Deputy (David Burtka) stood out as well. With an old-fashioned flair, the audience continually found itself wooed into clapping and singing with the cast. Throw in the chance to solve one of the greatest literary mysteries of all time, and you've got a show to remember. University Productions' "Edwin Drood" runs through next weekend at Power Center. DAVID SMITH MINI. I; r ; ° The University of Michigan School of Music Tuesday, October 22 University Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Kiesler, conductor . Enesco: Suite No. 1 . Shostakovich: Concerto No. 1 for Violoncello Soloist Felix Wang, '95-'96 Concerto Competition winner . Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable") Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m. Thursday, October 24 UM Jazz Trio Gernot-Blume, Julie Spenser and Joe Bonadiot with guest Edward Sarath Recital Hall, 8 p.m. Friday, October 25 University Choir & Chamber Choir Jerry Blackstone and Hugh Floyd, conductors Works by Schubert, Finzi and Elgar Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m. Contemporary Directions Ensemble H. Robert Reynolds, director Rackham Auditorium, 8 p.m. Saturday, October 26 Band-O-Rama University of Michigan Bands Hill Auditorium, 7 :30 p.m. Tickets: $8.00 Special Recital with Marin Katz, piano, and Scotty Lefurgy, baritone G RADUATE PSYCHOLOGY If you would like to achieve programs generally require your maximum potential score, that you take both the General we offer a program of systematic GRE and the Psychology Subject instruction featuring a series of Test, an extensive examination of live class lectures, home-study the entire field of Psychology. notes, extensive practice with These test questions examine many exams, and individual hell the depth obtained from one and guidance. Classes are taught course beyond intro psych in the by an instructor with more than areas of Physiological, Sensation, 15 years of experience (& who also Perception, Comparative, Social, has scored in the 99th percentile), Learning, Classical Conditioning, All important topics discussed, Developmental, Cognitive, Per- with an emphasis on Perception, sonality, Abnormal, History & Comparative, Physio, Learning, Systems, Tests & Measurements, Experimental, Stats, and History. Research Design and Statistics. Class begins: Wed., Oct. 23rd. CEL Test Preparation 1100 South University 996-1500 e ly It I, Win an autographed Melissa Etheridge poster! To get you hyped for Melissa's concert this Saturday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Michigan Daily is giving away an autographed poster of the raspy-voiced rocker. There l will also be 10 more Melissa posters for runners-up, Art but they won't have her John Hancock on 'em. To enter the contest, send an e-mail with your name and phone number to dailymusic@umich.edu. If technolo- gy isn't your thing, you can still enter the contest in person by dropping by the Arts office in the Student Publications Building, # 420 Maynard St. between noon and 5 p.m. today. Drop your name in the "Enter to A Win" box by the door. The contest is only open to University of Michigan stu- dents. And don't forget to check out Etheridge at 8 p.m. on Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills. She'll be performing songsr from her latest album, "Your Little Secret." It will no doubt be a rockin' show to remember! If Deadlines Seem Too Short, Maybe Your Process Is Too Long. ITS A /DICKk'/VS SCAL $IUV 1""^/- J"" tl[ ~ lf I WEMS s N ~at MKUSIC Book c1Q~ AE ,USICLAtSC PI 4 Copies 8.5x 11,8.Sx 14 20# white, sel-serve expires 12/2596 4 tDICKENS , 1W,' M THIS M H° I i