The Name of the Blog is James Brown, James Brown
Christmas brought me, among other things (one very pertinent to this blog) the CD with the enhanced version of "The Name of This Band is Talking Heads," something that I owned (in its unenhanced version) on cassette years and years ago. More about this CD later, but for now suffice it to say that the concerts on the CD predate the "Stop Making Sense" concert, which included one non-Talking Heads, song, "Gratuitous Name-Dropping." No, that was not the official name of the Tom Tom Club song, but it might as well have been, with the references to Sly and Robbie Shakespeare, etc., etc. ad nauseum, concluding with Chris Frantz repeatedly saying "James Brown...James Brown...."
Credit Michael Hanscom for bringing this piece of relevant news to my attention this Christmas day:
James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.
Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday....
Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him....
His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style....
Comments
It is disgusting to me that they would not take one day not to smoke week; not to chase hoes; not to do whatever it is they do and make their was to The James Brown Arena to give The Hardest Working Man In Show Business his proper due.
Every rapper who ever sampled Mr. Brown’s music should have been lined up at the doors of the arena that bears his name to pay James Brown the proper respect he deserved at his Homegoing service. Those who sampled his music and never gave him a damn dime should have been there fighting to get in to pay him the respect in death that they never bothered to pay him in life. Ya’ll know who you are!
WHERE WERE YOU KOOL MOE DEE?
The list of those who should have been seated in The James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia on December 30, 2006 but weren’t is enormous. Each of you collectively and individually will forever be so wrong for not attending the Homegoing ceremony of Mr. Please Please Please. Without him and his music, where would you be?
Sure James Brown has been to jail but so what. Most of the entertainers who owe so much to him have been to jail too.
So what James Brown did drugs; Most of those entertainers who did not attend but damn sure should have attended did or do as well.
Yes James Brown had family and monetary problems during his lifetime. Most of the entertainers trying to walk the path he laid had or has those same exact problems right now.
I guess there is no reason for me to be upset with the Black Entertainers. Their lack of respect for anything other than money is legendary and flaunted in the faces of their fans each and every day.
I am just so very disappointed!
Atlanta is approximately 180 miles away from the arena in Augusta, Georgia named after James Brown. That is just a little over 2 hours by automobile. It is about 40 minutes by plane. It is a straight shot on I-20. No turns, just a straight road. Atlanta is the place where so many of these Black so-called stars and entertainers reside. Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, T.I., Lil John, Ludacris, Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupree, User Raymond and the rest all call THE ATL their home. They can go to the club; They can go buy weed, crack and heroin; they can go out and get arrested on some stupid mess but no way could they get into one of their many cars and drive 2 hours down the road to pay homage to The Legendary James Brown.
Bobby Brown has been arrested his in Augusta, Georgia so I know he knows the way here. T.I. and Bow Wow have performed in The James Brown Arena so they know the way here.
What happened Eddie Murphy? You can make millions mocking Mr. Brown but you can’t pay your last respects to him? I know your new girlfriend could have shown you the way here if you didn’t know it. I am sure after living in Atlanta all those years with Babyface she knows where I-20 is.
Spike Lee wants to make a movie about Mr. James Brown’s life and Usher Raymond wants to portray Mr. Brown in this move but neither of them could find the time in their schedules to make it to The James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia on December 30, 2006 between 1pm and 5 pm EST.
Queen Latifah was here in Augusta, Georgia just last month filming parts of her upcoming movie. Did she forget how to get here?
Hey King Tee…Payback’s A Mutha is ALL James Brown’s Payback. Where were you on Saturday, December 30, 2006?
Maybe Oprah didn’t get the news that The Godfather of Soul had passed.
Where were:
Full Force
Usher Raymond
Diddy
Spike Lee
Omorian
Rev. Run
Russell Simmons
Kurtis Blow
Queen Latifah
Babyface
Jermaine Dupree
Jay-Z
Beyonce
Watch any of the people mentioned above perform and see the James Brown influence.
The sad part (which I've only heard bits about on radio) is that Brown hasn't even been buried yet because of squabbling. Sad.