Composer George S. Clinton came center stage with Mark Gordon to talk about...(More)

Composer George S. Clinton came center stage with Mark Gordon to talk about his carreer as a film composer. His latest project is HBO film "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee." Center Stage with Mark Gordon airs Tuesdays at 7PM (PST) on KXLU Los Angeles, 88.9 FM and streaming at www.kxlu.com George S. Clinton began his professional musical career as a songwriter, arranger, and session musician in Nashville, while earning degrees in music and drama at Middle Tennessee State University. The summer after graduation, George attended the Atlanta Pop Festival and, upon hearing Joe Cocker perform "With a Little Help from My Friends", left his native Chattanooga, bound for Los Angeles and ready to rock and roll. Clinton became a staff writer for Warner Brothers Music, with songs recorded by such artists as Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, and Smokey Robinson; continued arranging and session work; and, as a recording artist, did four albums for MCA, Elektra, ABC, and Arista. The critically acclaimed George Clinton Band attracted the attention of a movie producer, giving George the opportunity to score his first film, Cheech and Chong's Still Smokin', and, later, Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers. He developed his craft scoring "ninja" movies for Cannon Films, network and cable television movies and miniseries, writing for a wide range of genres and musical styles. The soulful, erotic jazz for Zalman King's Showtime anthology Red Shoe Diaries developed quite a following, and brought more public awareness. His musical inventiveness and versatility in both orchestral and popular idioms have allowed him to contribute memorable scores to such diverse films as the hit comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and its blockbuster sequels and the hit martial arts fantasy Mortal Kombat and its sequel. Other noteworthy projects include John Waters's A Dirty Shame; Disney's holiday hits The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause; Tim Allen's poignant Joe Somebody; Kevin Costner's wild 3000 Miles to Graceland; the scary The Astronaut's Wife, starring Charlize Theron and Johnny Depp; and the sexy thriller Wild Things. Most recent projects include Big Momma's House 2, The Cleaner, The Santa Clause 3, and Deck The Halls. In addition, Clinton has written several concert works, three musicals, and is proud to serve as an advisor at the Sundance Composers Lab. Awards include a 2002 Grammy nomination and 6 BMI Film Music Awards.(Less)