Topic: Al Sharpton Reviews James Brown Bio

[Mr.OMuck]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/books/review/the-one-rj-smiths-biography-of-james-brown.html?smid=pl-share

[Cleoma]

I definitely want to read this.  Also, the last sentence of Al Sharpton's review....hilarious!  Thank you Mr. O'Muck.

[lindy]

I'm slowly making my way up the holds list at the Seattle Public Library.

A few days ago a friend popped a copy of the "TAMI Show" into his DVD player. One of the first concert movies ever made, dated 1964. Crazy lineup typical of those times: Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, The Barbarians, Marvin Gaye, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Lesley Gore, Jan and Dean, Billy J. Kramer, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Supremes, the Rolling Stones

and .....

the not-yet-named Godfather of Soul, who thankfully got the longest segment, but not top billing, that went to the Stones. What a bizarre contrast, the man stood, strutted, fell to his knees, and did splits so far apart from everyone else on the bill. All in front of an audience of maybe 1,000 screaming white teenagers, a lot of them in the category we now call "tweens". All screaming and screeching but staying in their chairs while an LAPD officer in his motorcycle gear patrolled the aisles.

Check it out if you find a copy in your local library, but I suggest keeping your fast-forwarding remote control nearby to get to the James Brown segment.

L

[Mr.OMuck]

One NEVER fast forwards through Chuck Berry! NEVER! Do you HEAR!?

[lindy]

If you watch the TAMI show you may wish you had, out of sadness/anger more than anything else.

Chuck starts the show with an "long"--that is, 2-minute version--of Johnny B. Goode, then gets to trade (not share, but trade) songs with Gerry and the Pacemakers. Chuck plays 50-60 seconds of one of his hits, then Gerry plays a full 2-minute-plus version of one of his hits, then Chuck plays another 45 seconds of "Sweet Little 16" (complete with a nubile blonde Go-Go Girl dancing behind him) and Gerry plays a full version of one of his songs, and so on.

Mr. Berry laughs through the whole thing, probably thinking about his check at the end of the show for playing 4 snippets of his songs, but almost 50 years later I'm freaked over why they didn't just give him a whole set (or DVD) to hisself.

L

[Mr.OMuck]

If you watch the TAMI show you may wish you had, out of sadness/anger more than anything else.

Chuck starts the show with an "long"--that is, 2-minute version--of Johnny B. Goode, then gets to trade (not share, but trade) songs with Gerry and the Pacemakers. Chuck plays 50-60 seconds of one of his hits, then Gerry plays a full 2-minute-plus version of one of his hits, then Chuck plays another 45 seconds of "Sweet Little 16" (complete with a nubile blonde Go-Go Girl dancing behind him) and Gerry plays a full version of one of his songs, and so on.

Mr. Berry laughs through the whole thing, probably thinking about his check at the end of the show for playing 4 snippets of his songs, but almost 50 years later I'm freaked over why they didn't just give him a whole set (or DVD) to hisself.




L

Ve shall find the responsible parties, yes? Ve shall find them and zen ve vill give zem vhat they deserve,,,zeeez philistines, zeeez imbeciles!

[orvillej]

The funniest part of that film is when the Stones come on, after James Brown's tour-de-force of dancing, acrobatics, singing, and soul godfathering, Mick tries to dance in a similar manner. Shoulda stuck to the singing!