Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 57

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1992DETROIT FREE PRESS 3F "MESMERIZING It's a piercing cry from the heart," Check out -Pno Turn, KILLING STONE Fridays in the Free Press Clinton's P-Funk All Stars ready to ride 'MK I A CHIIUN' NEW COMEDY PQp. by Gary Graff Free Press Music Writer The idea, George Clinton says, was a simple gig. "We just thought we'd sneak in and jam in the neighborhood," explains the man known as Dr. Funkenstein. Apparently his tiptoes weren't quiet enough, because Clinton's "little show" Friday at the State Theatre has become a full-scale groove thang.

Scores of singers and musicians from his celebrated Parliament-Funkadelic camp will join him for an epic funk blowout. "Tear the Roof off the Sucker," indeed. Clinton says the show is part of a series of "sporadic little jams" he hopes to do around the Midwest, including dates in Ann Arbor, Chicago and Cleveland, in preparation for the release of his next album. "Little" was the operative term. But then he started getting calls from the musicians he's worked with since the mid-'50s, when he moved from his native Plainfield, to Detroit to become a staff writer at Motown.

"The people I didn't call originally called me and started going, 'Whass-up? says the 51-year-old singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and acknowledged influence on such current faves as the STARTS TOMORROW "Read Mitch Albom Julie Dash's 'Daughters of the Dust' is a movie to cherish George Clinton: "I never thought it would get this big." Red Hot Chili Peppers and Public Enemy. "So I said, 'We might as well do the first one with Now I'm playing road manager arranging all the travel, all the equipment. I never thought it would get this big." The list of expected players, billed as the P-Funk All Stars, is a formidable representation of Parliament-Funkadelic history among them Bootsy Collins, former Miles Davis guitarist Foley, Befnie Worrell, Peanut, Larry Fratangelo, Michael Hampton, Gary Snider, Rodney (Skeet) Curtis, the Horny Horns, some of Clinton's Motown associates and many of the singers who have Daughters Of The Dust 4 Unrated; nottiing objectionable. At the Detroit Film Theatre, DIA Auditorium, 7 9:30 p.m. Fri.

1, 4 7 p.m. Sun. Call 833-2323 anytime. 4: Outstanding 3: Worthy effort 2: So-so 1: A bomb their departure for the mainland and the north. The Gullah were slaves from West Africa who, because they were isolated on the island, were able to retain more of their native culture than other Africans brought to America.

For the Gullah, dialect, vocabulary, customs and kinship were like the African carving that floats in the water throughout this movie, washed into the consciousness of each generation by waves of memory. MEL 04VW GIBSON GLOVER The magic is back again. LETHAL DONNER RICHARD (MMtWlM IMHA COW ttlBOmiHlVtD STARTS TOMORROW EXCLUSIVELY) WiKEHE HIE age kiei5 tiie ROCK ACL IN FULL NEANDERVISION. NO PASSES OR COUPONS ACCEPTED RICHARD DONNER Cmsm RICHARD DONNER ciyraciEiffnTg EE2 OUIDl IO SHOWtlMIS SniDIOS F10BIDCAU(40 363-g0Q0) KIDMAN mmM. i i i'iiiii hiiimiiii iiiiiiiittiiiifiMiiiat'iitli HOWARD FILM WARNER BROS Pwis HB PICTURES RICHARD DONNER f- MEL GIBSON DANNY GLOVER JOEPESCI "LETHAL WEAPON 3" RENE RUSSO STUART WILSON MICHAEL KAMEN ERIC CLAPTON DAVID SANBORN STEVE PERRY JENNIE LEW TUGEND JEFFREY BOAM JEFFREY BOAM ROBERT MARK KAMEN JEFFREY BOAM '-cm -j, JOEL SILVER ON STAGE George Clinton the P-Funk All Stars perform at 8 p.m.

Friday. at the State Theatre, 2115 Woodward. Call 961-5450 anytime. Clinton will sign autographs at 2.30 p. m.

Friday at Off the Record, 322 S. Main Royal Oak. and everything, the house is paid for and the music is mine again. "I don't think anyone expected that (music) to get this important, with all the sampling and all of the reissues. No one expected that.

We're not about suing anybody if we don't have to; I'm hoping we can just go in and say, 'Let's settle And, Clinton adds, it's not just about him. The deals affected any-, body who worked under the Parliament-Funkadelic umbrella including many of those who will perform Friday and they all stand to benefit from a peaceful, and quick, settlement. "I've just found out about writers who have never been paid a royalty," Clinton says. "I'm trying to tell these (labels) that it's good business to pay these people off, to give them what they deserve and announce they got paid after all this time. "Then we can say it is one nation under a groove." dances serenely, caressing the handsome faces and the idyllic shore that was both hell and heaven for the Gullah.

There are conflicts within the clan that come to light during the summer afternoon, but no clear story line, no aggressively forward-moving plot. Writer-producer-director Julie Dash has taken extraordinary risks. The movie develops and grows and swells into something remarkable and alive, like an idea or a feeling or a child in the womb. "Daughters of the Dust" is not easy to follow, and the dialect is occasionally difficult to decipher. But this is not a movie to master.

It's one to cherish, like a mystery. "In this quiet place years ago," says the voice of the child yet to be born who seives as the occasional narrator, "my family knelt down and caught a glimpse of the eternal." Interview with writer-director-producer Julie Dash, Page IF. REALLY TRYING," 8 p.m., Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Macomb Community College, M-59 Garfield, Clinton Township. Through Sat. 286-2222.

Friday For listings of Friday events and the complete weekend scene, don't miss the full version of The List! in Friday's Weekend section. By Janet Josaitis singers family It was a modest, gracious performance, but as Simon and everyone else in the auditorium understood, this was Ladysmith Black Mambazo's night. At the end of the concert, there were tears of joy, whoops of celebration, and a wish of "peace, love and harmony." Hi i i 3M1 lit ffiffil tfit fl77fr-i7ij I WE BEAT LOCALLY. ADVERTISED CN-YMPUS oostqlus SUPER SHARP 36mm LENS PERFORMANCE AUTO-S RED-EYE REDUCTION FLASH ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT 6 301. ONLY 1 24.88 OLYMPUS INFINITY TWIN w35-70mm 1 39.95 8MM CAMCOROER FULL-LINE VIDEO BATTERY mow showing izaa-r 1 hi" 1 recorded with him over the years.

The ensemble will provide a kick-off for what Clinton expects to be a busy year. He's working on the final mixes for the new album, "Hey Man, Smell My Finger," which will be his second for Prince's Paisley Park label. Clinton expects to release the first single, "Rhythm and (expletive) Rhyme," during June. He's also planning to start work on the long-delayed film "The Moth-ership Connection," a "black 'Star Wars' adventure film based on P-Funk songs of the 70s, with the Hudlin Brothers Party," Eddie Murphy's directing. Besides realizing a much-desired project, the film's reality also signals for Clinton a near end to his long-running legal battles with former record companies Westbound and PolyGram.

Using the rights to his music, as well as to the Parliament-Funkadelic name, as collateral, Clinton borrowed money from both companies in order to buy a spread in Brooklyn, Mich. In recent years, as rappers and new acts have begun sampling Clinton's music for their songs, the deal has proven to be a sour one. Now Clinton and his attorneys are arguing that "after all that, all the sampling "Never forget who we is and how far we done come," Nana "Keep the family together up north. Celebrate our ways." It is those ways that are celebrated in this evocative, visually enchanting movie. The music never stops, though it modulates from African melodies and rhythms into melodic dialogue or the voice of a child or the song of the birds and the warm sweet wind and the sound of the sea.

The dance also never stops. The elegant Peazants in their long, flowing white cotton dresses and fine suits all move like dancers; there are slow-motion scenes of frolicking on the sand, and young women draped against trees and sharp, angry, gestures by young men. And if nothing is moving in the scene, not the sea washing ashore or a boat bearing the beautiful outcast Yellow Mary back to the island or bringing the photographer to record the final gathering, then it is the camera that glides and Reeves and Tim Rhoze, 8 p.m., Michigan Theatre Center, Paul Robeson Theatre, 18100 Meyers at Curtis. Ticketmaster or 342-4000. "SCULLY AND R0YCE" by Jeffrey Haddow, 8:30 p.m., Detroit Repertory Theatre, 13103 Woodrow Wilson.

Ticketmaster or 868-1347. "FORBIDDEN BROADWAY," 2 7:30 p.m., Gem Theatre, 58 E. Columbia. 963-9800. "AN EVENING WITH SCHISGAL," 8 p.m., Jewish Ensemble Theatre, 6600 W.

Maple, West Bloomfield. Ticketmaster or 788-2900. "HOW TO succeed in business without slain Ladysmith songs they had recorded together. They raised $55,000 for the slain singer's family, including 12 children. Simon, dressed all in black, received a tremendous hand from the audience when he stepped onstage, and he smilingly obliged with six of his songs, going all the way back to the 25-year-old "Mrs.

Robinson" and accompanying himself on guitar. computerized edit controller. A VCR of your format choice for the record VCR. Select one with a flying erase head for glitch-free edits and shuttle-jog control for quick and accurate edit points. An edit controller connected by Control plugs to the playback camcorder and the record VCR.

A computer with a desktop video program that produces an NTSC video signal for titles and special effects as well as synchronize two video signals or a special effects generator that offers titling and other effects. If you have a question about making home videos, send it to Video Camera, John Fuller, Detroit Free Press, 321 W. Lafayette Detroit 48226. ca .1 i fur-fa i i CHICK MOVII (WHEN IN VISIT UNIVERSAL rihis.i.M.M.'.l'il.UJI.Hj.S.-li.l.LVAmAii by Judy gerstel Free Press Movie Critic All movies are like dance. "Daughters of the Dust" is dance.

It won't do to approach this unusual and beautiful work of art as just another movie. That way lies disappointment. "Daughters of the Dust" is profoundly African-American, and yet its powerful exposition of sisterhood and generation transcends race and culture. It takes place in 1902 on the Sea Islands off the Georgia coast. But its sense of yearning to let go and hold tight at the same time is eternal and universal and especially female.

It is about one family at one moment in a journey without a beginning and without an end. But it is also about all of us and all our journeys. "De ancestor and de womb, dey one and da same," says Nana Pea-zant, the 88-year-old matriarch of the Peazant family. The Peazants are a Gullah clan who gather for a picnic on the eve of Today NEIL YOUNG, 8 p.m., Fox Theati, 2211 Woodward. Ticketmaster or 567-6000.

DAN HICKS I THE ACOUSTIC WARRIORS, 8:30 10:30, Sully's, 4758 Greenfield, Dearborn. Through Fri. 846-5377 or 846-1920. "LOVE AND ANGER," by George F. Walker.

8 p.m., Attic Theatre, 7339 Third at W. Grand Blvd. Through June 14. Ticketmaster or 875-8284. "DAMN YANKEES," 8 p.m., Birmingham Theatre, 211 S.

Woodward, Birmingham. Through June 21. Ticketmaster or 644-3533. Chicago concert Chicago Tribune CHICAGO "Hallelujah," said Joseph Shabalala, and with that quiet pronouncement, the leader of Lady-smith Black Mambazo brought to an end an extraordinary evening of song at Steppenwolf Theatre. The program, organized by Steppenwolf, was staged earlier this week as a benefit for the family of Headman Desktop video BY JOHN FULLER Free Press Special Writer Q.

What equipment do I need to do stop-motion videography? J.H., Grosse He Am You're looking at setting up a desktop video system, which rapidly is becoming the in thing for many home videomakers. But new editing equipment and computer software are hitting the market daily, making it difficult for the consumer to buy without the fear of obsolescence. Stop-motion video can be achieved two ways. You can record in stop action. High-end consumer cam- TOM CRUISE "LOST IN Y0NKERS," 8 p.m., Fisher Theatre, W.

Grand Blvd. Through Sun. Ticketmaster or 872-1000. "A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND," 8 p.m., Music Hall Center, 350 Madison. Open-ended run.

Ticketmaster or 963-7622. "WOODY GUTHRIE'S AMERICAN SONG," 8 p.m., Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw, Pontiac. Extended through June 28. Ticketmaster or 335-8100.

"THE TROPICAL PICKLE" by Jeff Daniels, 8 p.m., Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park, Chelsea. Through June 28. 475-7902. "GOOD BLACK D0N7 CRACK," with Martha raises $55,000 for Shabalala, a cofounder of the South African choral group, who was shot and killed last December in South Africa under disputed circumstances. Paul Simon, whose alliance with the a cappella choir on his "Grace-land" album and tour shot them to fame in this country, came in especially for the occasion to sing a few numbers and to join the group in the 4 NICOLE A RON produces top stop-motion FA Rand AWAY IMAGINE FILMS ENTERTAINMENT GRAZER.

"FAR AND AWf JOHN WMJAMS LARRY DrWAY BOB DOLMAN MIKAEL SALOMON, 1ST. K1T0DD HALLOW ELL "TSBOB DOLMAN i RON HOWARD DOLMAN BRIAN GR.AZER RON HOWARD "TRON HOWARD nsiga lewsiHF ass-ass immrsal rfjrse Kraut jvvti i- ifluwUMLCin SHOWS. I. FiTM I) TiR 8 TIME IN PAN AVISION StPER 70MM PONTIAcirSHOWCASEIJggWg MAPLE 3 NamcSOUTHFIELD CITY STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 22ND! AMC LAUREL PARK AMC AMC SOUTHLAND 4 BEACON EAST SHOWCASE DEARBORN SHOWCASE amc novitown SHOWCASE can produce stop-action by tediously editing your videotape. Although time-consuming, this method will allow you to produce special effects.

All that really is needed for simple editing is your camcorder, a VCR and the connecting cables. To increase quality, accuracy and convenience, you can add or change the following: A Hi8 or Super VHS camcorder for better original picture and sound quality. As a camcorder, it can double as the playback VCR. Pick one with a Control output so the camcorder eventually can be connected to a 1- LjJL STERLING CTR.10 AMC WONDERLAND center showcase mr westiand STAR QRATT0TAT15MIL STAR JOHN RAT 14 MlLE STAR UNCOUN PARKEE STAR ROCHESTER HILLS with animation features al- artIstS WEST RIVER coupoKiV accepted low you to record a flower opening, even a house being framed. Or you -irr-.