The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 177

1.1 Ji LOOKING AHEAD WILLIAM BURROUGHS is among the figures due to participate in "ALLEN GINSBERG'S AMERICA: A SPECIAL MEMORIAL EVENT," next Saturday at UCLA's Veterans Wadsworth Theater. Also expected are Tom Robbins, Jack Nicholson, Ed Asner, John Densmore, Paul Krassner and poets Exene Cervenkova and Wanda Coleman. MICHAEL EDWARDS Lm Angela Timet mmmmmmmmmmmmmmummmmmmummmm SECTION SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1997 Cos Angeles unes orange county HIGHLIGHTS mmmmmmm' 8 yTvJSjgj I I Jf iiw OPEN SEASON: The 19-band bill for today's KROQ Weenie Roast Luau proves that modern rock is adrift and without a focus point. And that's all to the good as grunge and punk subside, leaving the field open to a wide range of genre-expanding possibilities. Fl Hometown talent will have an ample chance to shine.

F2 THE MARRIAGE TRAP: Its ratings having plummeted after the characters' marriage, the final "Lois Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" will air at 8 tonight on ABC after a four-season run. Fl PROPER AND RIGHT: With his comic genius and robust bass-baritone voice, England-born Paxton Whitehead is a natural fit for his starring role in "How the Other Half Loves" at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. F2 UP FOR THE COUNT: Trumpeters Frank Szabo and Al Aarons fondly recall their days with Count Basie, a well-known taskmaster. The pair will play Costa Mesa on Sunday as part of the seventh annual "Tribute to Count Basie." F3 FRISCO FEST: Michael Tilson Thomas made eccentric composer Giacinto Scelsi's "Aion" the centerpiece of the opening concert of the San Francisco Symphony's June festival in Davies Hall, this year devoted to celebrating the sacred and the profane. Reviewed by Mark Swed.

F4 MATURE SOUNDS: At 27, tenor saxophonist Robert Stewart chooses to emphasize tone and pacing over displays of technique. His appearance at the Geffen Contemporary with drummer Billy Higgins was notable for its maturity. Bill Kohlhaase reviews. Fll r' I ill 4 Irvine Meadows a Proving Ground for Modern Rock's Next Roll movement, when Patti Smith rose from the underground with a mantra that threw down a challenge: "Seize the possibilities." Here are the stylistic possibilities on the main stage as the influential KROQ conducts its annual daylong orgy of self-promotion and philanthropy. (The show will benefit AIDS and environmental charities.) Punk and grunge survivors.

Modern rock went from a truly alternative music in the '80s to a mainstream commercial force in the '90s as first grunge, then pop-flavored punk captured a huge audience to become the genre's signature sounds. But that wave broke last year, sinking the ratings of modern-rock stations, including KROQ. As the format adjusts-KROQ's turn toward diversity has paid off so far in '97 aggressive guitar bands such as Today's Weenie Roast lineup will include 19 bands, including returnees the Offspring, with Bryan Holland, top left. Clockwise: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Blur, Social Distortion's Mike Ness and Aaron Barrett with Reel Big Fish. the flavor of the moment, as some sated observers believe? Or can ska, with its lightly skipping rhythms and bright, peppy outlook, be a permanent, splashy color in the fabric of modern rock? The blithely sarcastic Reel Big Fish and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who have a streak of social awareness, want to show some staying power.

The old guard. No matter the trend, KROQ, which went on the air in the late 1970s, has had a soft spot for moodily brooding English rockers who play with grand, romantic sweep. Welcome back the Cure and Echo the Bunnymen. And old-line punk warriors Social Distortion have been pummeling the airwaves at 106.7 since 1980. Please see FESTIVAL, F8 Superman's Powers Can't Beat Ratings Television: ABC will quietly air the last 'Lois Clark' episode tonight.

In the end, no villain bested the Man of Steel. By STEVE WEINSTEIN SPECIAL TO THE TIMES emo to Lex Luthor: Kryptonite isn't the only thing in the universe that can slay Superman after all. Just like Weenie acts Foo Fighters, a Nirvana offshoot, and the Offspring, who helped power the punk boom of '94-'95, will seek a lasting place in the mix. Pop-rock traditionalism. Oasis, Blur, Radiohead and the Wallflowers all emphasize grabbing melody over raw power, PULP FACT O.C.

products many onstage today-juice up the modern-rock world. F2 putting them in a classic line stretching back to Beatles (for Oasis), the Band (for the Wallflowers), David Bowie (for Blur's latest album) and U2's Bono Hewson (for Radiohead's commanding but sweet-voiced singer, Thorn Yorke). Ska-influenced rock bands. Are they CHRIS COX, MATT SLOAN and DARREN DESVOIGNE of Chris Cox, left, and Matt Sloan. Associated Preaa LONDON LANDMARK: Queen Elizabeth, above, and Prince Philip joined a gala black-tie audience as the re-creation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre formally opened on the banks of the Thames.

F14 Quotable "I like to find the vocal intonation. that is in place, then the body follows." Paxton Whitehead, on getting into character for his role in "How the Other Half Loves" at South Coast Repertory. F2 Index Weenie Roast Makes By MIKE BOEHM TIMES STAFF WRITER RVINE The watchword for today's Fifth Annual KROQ Weenie Roast Luau at Irvine Meadows is "whatever." That's "whatever" in the good, old-fashioned sense as in "open-ended; indeterminate, teeming with choices." The biggest and potentially best Weenie Roast bill to date, this llVi-hour festival with 19 bands (among them five emerging Southland acts playing on a satellite stage) reflects a period of flux on the modern-rock scene. It offers no clear focus for anyone eager to peg the genre to a prevailing style or trend. Instead, the spirit of the day, if everyone plays well, could drift back to the mid-'70s infancy of the "alternative" Karl Gets a Dose of Cool Movies: Reckon if you made a funny little film crossing 'Sling Blade' with 'Swingers' you'd get Hollywood's attention right fast.

By CLAUDIA PUIG TIMES STAFF WRITER look so money tonight, you don't even know it," says the murderously cool voice spoofing the movie "Swingers." "Mmm-hhhmm," drawls another familiar voice from independent film. Hint: This one is gravelly and laconic and conjures up images of French fried potaters and potted meat. What would happen if you dropped Karl Childers, the ax murderer from the Oscar-winning "Sling Blade," into scenes from "Swingers," the retro twentysomething cult movie that cele-Please see Fll -Si- -r 3- mmm' What Goes On F2 Movie Guide F3 Pop Album Reviews F10 TV Reviews F15 TV; Tonight's schedule F17 the mere mortals in TV land, he's also susceptible to a wicked dose of bad ratings. With absolutely none of the May sweeps hoopla devoted to the last hurrahs of other departing series like "Wings," "Martin" and "Roseanne," the final "Lois Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" will air at 8 tonight Superman and Lois Lane won't fly off into the sunset They won't lose their jobs in a terrorist takeover of the Daily Planet They won't even save the world from evil once and for all. Please see F12 To Write Letters should be brief and must include the writer's full name (no pseudonyms), address and phone number.

Mail to Letters. Orange County Calendar, The Timet, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 2626. Or you can fax us at (714) 68-7790. Our e-mail address is Randy.LewtolatlnMe.eom.

When referring to a specific article, please mention the date of publication. All communications are subject to editing. 'Swing Blade" is he product in part 4.