1. Welcome back to the epic tale
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2. of the hardest working man
in show business.
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3. We left it last time
with James Joseph Brown
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4. belting out anthems
to a divided nation.
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5. In 1968, his brand of funk
reigned supreme.
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6. Those who knew him
in the early years
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7. always described James Brown
as a man of discipline—
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8. no drugs, no drinking
to excess.
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9. He was all business
when it came to his career.
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10. Well, the young James Brown
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11. might have had a bit
of a problem
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12. with the older version.
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13. Whether it was fame,
heartache, or hubris,
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14. soul brother number one
began a slow descent
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15. into a kind of
intoxicated existence
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16. that he found
so contemptible in others.
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17. But that iron will
never left him.
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18. Even high out of his mind,
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19. he kept on singing
and dancing
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20. right to the very end.
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21. If there were
a Mount Rushmore
for funk,
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22. James Brown would have
his own mountain.
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23. You know, he might have
his own mountain
and his own valley.
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24. I mean, he was that much
of a dominant force.
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25. Mike Judge:
Vernon Gibbs got to see
James Brown
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26. at the peak of his powers
as a writer for
musi c publications
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27. like Zoo World, Creem,
and Crawdaddy.
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28. One of my first big
writing assignments,
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29. I interviewed him,
uh, backstage at
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30. The Johnny Carson Show.
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31. It was the beginning
of black nationalism,
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32. and James didn't have
to make any reservations
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33. about his blackness.
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34. He was the pioneer
in that respect.
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35. You know, already owning
his own businesses,
his radio stations,
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36. he was showing, uh,
black people the way forward.
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37. So I interviewed
him backstage,
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38. and this guy barges
into the room
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39. and he insisted
that he had to see
James Brown right now,
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40. because he had been
pursuing him for weeks
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41. and James Brown hadn't
given him an answer.
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42. It was a Hollywood producer.
It wasn't anybody well known,
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43. but it was for
a real movie deal.
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44. James Brown basically
told him, "Take a hike.
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45. "You see I'm here being
interviewed by this brother.
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46. "You come in here
disrespecting me,
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47. you can't do that."
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48. And the interesting thing
that he said was that,
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49. "Nobody can make a movie
about me
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50. "that would be
better than my real life.
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51. "If you want me
to do a movie,
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52. "I'm gonna
be the director,
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53. "you know, I'm gonna
make the movie,
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54. so don't even bother."
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55. And, basically, he was right.
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56. He was a boy
from a broken home,
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57. raised in violence
and poverty inside a brothel,
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58. who became a frequent guest
at the White House.
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59. It started in the early '70s
with Richard Nixon,
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60. and it really didn't matter
Republican or Democrat.
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61. He visited Reagan.
He visited Clinton.
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62. He visited Bush,
both of them.
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63. It was just part
of being president,
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64. at some point you're gonna
receive James Brown
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65. in the White House, damn it.
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66. Alan Leeds got
a backstage pass
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67. for the rise
of Mr. Dynamite.
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68. He was an apprentice DJ
at a black radio station
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69. who convinced
James Brown
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70. to hire him
as a tour manager.
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71. In a sense,
I kind of felt like
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72. I had gone to work
for a mafia don.
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73. You go from, like, riding a bus
with no money in your pocket,
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74. and then on a Learjet
to a hotel suite
next to his.
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75. Go figure.
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76. He hit a peak
from about '67 to '72.
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77. He had some of
the greatest records
of all-time.
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78. Make It Funky, Hot Pants,
Funky Goodtime,
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79. which is also called
Doing It to Death,
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80. Soul Power, Sex Machine.
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81. He was the king,
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82. and everyone else was
just part of his kingdom.
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83. His entire career
from the Chitlin' Circuit
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84. to the biggest venues,
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85. James Brown never
took anything for granted.
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86. We had a show in Philadelphia,
and for whatever reason,
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87. the local promoter said
to add The Dells to the show.
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88. The Dells were
a Temptations type group
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89. that were very, very,
very big in the early '70s.
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90. Amazing singers.
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91. They went on stage
and just killed.
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92. - (harmonizing)
- Girls were standing
on the seats
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93. and hollering and screaming,
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94. and throwing panties
at the lead singer.
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95. They were tearing
the place apart.
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96. In the middle of their act,
I go downstairs
to the dressing rooms,
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97. and I see James
outside his dressing room
with Danny Ray.
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98. Danny Ray was Mr. Brown's
personal valet
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99. and master of ceremonies,
the man with the cape.
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100. James is with Danny,
smoking a cigarette,
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101. pacing across the floor
outside this hallway.
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102. This is totally
out of character.
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103. Normally, he would be
in the dressing room,
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104. under a hair dryer
with a robe, just chillin'.
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105. But he's dressed and pacing,
and he was just muttering,
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106. "Fucking Dells,
goddamn Dells!
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107. "They had 'em.
They had 'em
in the palm of their hand,
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108. "and fucking idiots!
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109. "That's why I don't want
this shit on my show!
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110. "They didn't
know when to quit.
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111. "They did what
they came for
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112. "and now they still up there
singing that shit.
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113. "Danny, go up there
and pull 'em off the stage.
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114. "They been on too long.
Get 'em off the stage,
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115. get 'em off the stage, Danny.
Go get 'em off. Get 'em off!"
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116. Danny looked at me,
I looked at him,
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117. we walked over
towards the stage area,
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118. and I said,
"Danny, you can't—
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119. You can't do this.
This place will riot."
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120. So we— Dan and I
just disappeared,
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121. just got the hell
out of Dodge.
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122. The Dells finally
finished and came up,
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123. and it's time for James Brown.
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124. He was fit to be tied.
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125. Actually, he had to go
through the crowd on the floor
to get to the stage,
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126. so security would
create a— a lane,
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127. just like a boxer has
to go through the crowd
to get to the ring.
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128. Despite all the security,
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129. by the time he got
to the stage,
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130. girls had already tore
the collar of his shirt.
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131. He went out like Mike Tyson.
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132. It was the best show
I've ever seen him do.
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133. He had a way of
coming off stage
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134. the way a victorious boxer
would leave the ring.
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135. He'd be drenched with sweat,
like, "I went to war and I wo.
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136. Still champ!"
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137. His whole career
he was like that.
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138. He always felt
that all the odds
were against him.
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139. And they were.
It's not a lie, they were.
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140. A child of segregation,
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141. when James Brown
came to power,
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142. the whole landscape
of black America
was changing.
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143. It started with
the Black Panther movement.
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144. Black Americans were just
really discovering their roots.
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145. Everyone was
wearing dashikis,
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146. you know,
people wearing afros.
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147. There was a lot of pride
in the relationship
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148. between African nations
and the black inner city.
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149. You know, James Brown
saw himself
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150. as an ambassador
towards that.
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151. The first time we ever
went to Africa,
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152. it's like wow, wow,
wow, man!
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153. When you going through it,
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154. you never know how deep
the situation is,
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155. but when I look back at it,
it's like that had to be deep.
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156. And it should have been
deep for us,
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157. but we's all just gettin' hig.
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158. 'Cuz, you know,
we're young, silly kids.
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159. Bootsy Collins became
the foundation
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160. of James Brown's band
in 1970.
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161. He was 19 years old
from Cincinnati, Ohio.
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162. Within a matter of weeks,
he was touring Africa.
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163. The people were awesome.
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164. They thought we were
like gods, you know, kings.
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165. I remember that he was invited
by the president of Gabon,
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166. and that was the only
trip I made with him.
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167. I went into it as
a young man with,
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168. you know,
dreams of nationalism,
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169. and of seeing what
the future could be like.
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170. Sometimes the reality
takes over very quickly.
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171. They didn't have policemen.
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172. It was— The army
was like the police,
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173. and they were
the toughest cats
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174. I had ever seen in my life.
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175. They would just beat you down
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176. just because you looked
at them the wrong way.
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177. I remember there was
this blind guy.
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178. The guy just shot up the steps
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179. and tried to get
in the dressing room,
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180. and he was telling
the army guy,
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181. "Me wanna see James Brown.
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182. James Brown, me want to see."
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183. And they started
laughing at him,
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184. and they was like,
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185. "Him want to see
James Brown,
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186. he can't see!"
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187. And James heard all
that ruckus going on,
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188. and so he gets up,
you know,
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189. "Let him in,
let him in, let him in."
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190. You know,
so they let him in,
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191. and James, you know,
hugged him or whatever.
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192. And next thing I know,
the guy got out on the steps,
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193. and the army men beat him
all the way down the steps.
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194. I mean, they just
didn't care, you know?
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195. Gabon was under the thumb
of a dictator,
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196. which is very commonplace.
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197. Guys get into power
and they stay in power,
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198. because the president
of Gabon isn't the president,
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199. he's president for life.
So what does that make him?
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200. It makes him a king.
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201. James Brown
was a king also.
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202. So there were two kings
getting together.
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203. And when you're a king,
you got to have a kingdom,
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204. and that includes serfs.
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205. And James Brown had serfs.
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206. That was us, you know,
everybody in the band.
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207. Anybody that
worked with
or for James Brown,
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208. he'd turn 'em
into a monster.
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209. Vicki Anderson sang
backup with the JB's
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210. and also married
the most important man
in the entourage:
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211. the leader
behind James Brown,
Bobby Byrd.
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212. We were on our way to Africa,
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213. and I don't think
anybody had gotten paid,
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214. so Jimmy Nolen took
James Brown's guitar
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215. and jumped, stomped it,
and burst it.
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216. So they went
and told James,
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217. and oh, he was mad.
He was mad.
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218. He came through
our dressing room
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219. to go out to the bus,
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220. and Jimmy was sitting
on the bus.
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221. And that's
the only time I know
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222. that James would
take a gun on somebody.
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223. But Bobby grabbed
James' hand
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224. and hit it up
against the window,
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225. and James could not move.
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226. And Bobby Bennett
is saying,
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227. "Hit him, Bo, hit him!
Shoot him!"
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228. (laughing)
And, so...
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229. Bobby had his hand
so it wouldn't go off.
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230. I mean, things like that.
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231. Man, he just
loved James Brown
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232. and wanted to be
a dear friend to him
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233. and a brother.
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234. We had a feud in Africa
where everybody told me
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235. to ask Mr. Brown for a raise,
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236. because everybody
started seeing
all this money
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237. that he was collecting.
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238. You know, he had on his bed—
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239. he had his whole bed
full of money.
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240. So I go in there
and I asked Mr. Brown.
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241. I said, "Mr. Brown, uh,
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242. "you know, like, everybody's
feeling like, you know,
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243. you should be
paying us more money."
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244. And he said,
"Well, what
you think, son?"
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245. I wasn't ready
for that question.
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246. "Say son, yeah,
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247. "I know they
sent you in here
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248. "And I know that ain't you,
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249. "but you gonna learn
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250. "that you can only do that
to Mr. Brown so many times.
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251. "And this is gonna
be the last time.
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252. I ain't gonna
let you do it."
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253. And so I had to tell him,
you know, that,
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254. Well, we gonna have
to leave, you know.
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255. "Well don't— don't leave
on my account."
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256. Next thing I know,
we all gots tickets:
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257. one way to Cincinnati,
you know.
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258. Tony Cook:
That James Brown that
everybody heard about,
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259. you know, real strict,
throwing fines
and everything,
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260. he was that James Brown,
you know.
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261. Tony Cook
came into the fold
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262. shortly after
Bootsy bowed out.
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263. He was from Mr. Brown's
hometown of Augusta, Georgia,
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264. and was picked out
personally by the Godfather
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265. while he was still
in high school.
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266. He had a thing where he wanted
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267. to fly his drummers with him.
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268. It was, like, mandatory
I had to fly with him.
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269. "I got to keep
the drummers fresh,
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270. so the drummers
got to fly with me."
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271. So I never really got fired,
but I quit quite a few times,
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272. usually over money.
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273. Uh, but we would be
back on the plane, you know.
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274. "Son, you come by
the office tomorrow
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275. "and I'll have your money,
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276. and I'll give you
a hundred dollar raise."
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277. He went through a bunch
of different bands,
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278. because his stuff
was so popular that
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279. every musician who played
any kind of dance music
knew his stuff.
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280. But at some point
in the mid '70s,
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281. the king started to fall off.
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282. A series of events
began to happen
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283. that not even a king
could control.
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284. He lost his first son
tragically.
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285. Teddy died
in an automobile accident.
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286. It wasn't too long after,
the whole thing just fell apart.
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287. He had Teddy when
he was just 20 years old
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288. with his first wife,
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289. who he divorced
at the top of his fame.
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290. Starting in the late 1970s,
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291. James Brown put out
13 straight albums
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292. without hitting
the top ten.
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293. He began chasing
the popular sound at the time,
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294. releasing The Original
Disco Man in 1979.
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295. James said,
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296. "Tony and Melvin, I want you
to play that disco beat
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297. "and play it
on everything!
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298. "Play it here, this—
uh, uh, uh!
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299. Play it on everything!"
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300. So that's what
we tried to do.
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301. Of course, that didn't
work out, you know.
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302. There was one more
thing that happened:
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303. the hardest working man
in show business
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304. started getting high.
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305. Nelson George:
Suddenly, he was no longer
the most important person
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306. in black music,
and I think he
couldn't handle it.
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307. Writer and filmmaker
Nelson George
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308. followed James Brown's career
in the press
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309. and coauthored a book
about Mr. Dynamite.
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310. Twenty years on top,
all those nights working hard,
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311. and then suddenly,
you're eclipsed
by a whole new generation.
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312. He started smoking weed
here and there.
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313. I'm not in a position
to know who suggested that
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314. or where that started.
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315. But just talking to people
who were on the road
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316. with him years after I was,
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317. at some point,
the weed at night
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318. ended up being
spiked with angel dust.
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319. Angel dust is
one of the drugs
that people forget about.
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320. We all remember
heroin, LSD, crack.
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321. It's basically, like,
some kind of animal
tranquilizer.
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322. Uh, sometimes they
call it formaldehyde.
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323. Why this became something
people would consume,
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324. I have no idea.
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325. I have smoked it
on one occasion,
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326. not a shining moment for me.
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327. It fucks with your head
really seriously.
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328. If I was gonna
talk to somebody
who was interested
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329. in becoming
a druggie at age 55,
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330. that would probably be
the last drug I'd suggest.
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331. (laughing) You know,
it's like— I mean,
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332. here's the hippest guy
in the world
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333. doing the least hip drug
in the world.
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334. I grew up
in Philadelphia
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335. in the '70s
and '80s.
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336. Everyone in
my neighborhood,
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337. they all loved James Brown.
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338. My mother loved James Brown,
my uncle loved James Brown.
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339. Christian McBride
is an uber fan
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340. who grew up to be
a virtuoso on bass.
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341. A six-time Grammy winner,
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342. he's one of the greatest
jazz artists working today.
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343. The first time seeing him
perform really did me in,
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344. 'cause I had never
seen anything that intense
in my whole life.
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345. This was right
at the beginning
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346. of the mustache period.
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347. There was so much energy
coming off the stage,
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348. I couldn't react.
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349. The whole gig,
I'm just like... (gasps)
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350. "Oh, my God!"
You know?
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351. Questlove and I went
to the same high school,
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352. and we were
James Brown groupies, man.
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353. Anytime James Brown
was anywhere
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354. near Philly, we were there.
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355. And then, um,
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356. things started happening
to Mr. Brown.
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357. Talking about
drug possession
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358. and possession of firearms
and domestic violence.
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359. I mean, we were like,
what's this about?
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360. Fucking angel dust!
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361. Brown was arrested three times
in six months in 1988.
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362. More than once it was
his wife at the time,
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363. Adrienne Rodriguez,
who called the cops
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364. with a report
of domestic violence.
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365. I met Adrienne.
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366. I knew of her attitude
and everything.
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367. She was a fighter.
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368. And if James hit her
and knock her down,
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369. she gonna pick up something
and knock him down.
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370. He was jailed
in the aftermath
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371. of his biggest hit
in a decade,
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372. a song that was featured
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373. in the biggest
fight film franchise
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374. in Hollywood history,
Rocky IV.
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375. R.J.
James Brown performs it
in the film,
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376. and it kind of
brought him back,
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377. and he was
becoming—
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378. moving maybe from being
a forefather of funk
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379. to being this institution.
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380. Well, he was suddenly
re-contextualized
in a sadder fashion.
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381. Writer R.J. Smith
penned a biography on Brown.
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382. As he recalls, the trouble
started in September 1988
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383. at Brown's own
business office
in Augusta.
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384. He was at his office
one day, and, uh,
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385. in the other part
of the office suite,
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386. there's an insurance seminar
going on, where, I don't know,
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387. people are getting trained
in how to sell insurance
or something.
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388. Somehow, somebody
from the seminar
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389. was using his bathroom.
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390. - (toilet flushes)
- He felt very
strongly that
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391. that was the wrong thing
for them to be doing.
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392. He came out with a shotgun,
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393. he enters
the insurance seminar,
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394. and he wants to know
who's used his bathroom.
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395. And they better ask him
before they ever think
about that again.
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396. James caught on fast
the problems that that might,
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397. um... trigger,
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398. and he jumps
into his pickup truck
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399. and drives away.
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400. Police reports from the day
suggest he did not
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401. heed the authorities
when they began to pursue him.
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402. One of the cops pulled out,
uh, his.38
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403. and shoots out his tires.
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404. That does not stop
James Brown.
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405. At heart a country boy
with deep knowledge
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406. of his home turf,
he went back and forth
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407. across the border
into South Carolina.
Copy !req
408. The cops are chasing him,
Copy !req
409. he's weaving around
on rims.
Copy !req
410. He ends up driving
into a roadblock, crashes,
Copy !req
411. and he gets charged
with attempted murder.
Copy !req
412. He got six years
in prison for that one.
Copy !req
413. Questlove and I graduated
from high school
Copy !req
414. in the summer of '89.
Copy !req
415. Uh, James Brown was in jail
already by that time, uh,
Copy !req
416. so because
I love him so much,
Copy !req
417. I'm sending him letters
every week, you know.
Copy !req
418. "It's gonna be all right,
Mr. Brown,
you gonna be out soon.
Copy !req
419. You're gonna
reclaim your throne,
you know."
Copy !req
420. I didn't expect a reply.
Copy !req
421. James Brown was released
on parole in February 1991
Copy !req
422. after two years
behind bars.
Copy !req
423. He went
right back to work,
Copy !req
424. and apparently, he also
returned to his habit,
Copy !req
425. the angel dust.
Copy !req
426. It was always an adventure
with Mr. Brown.
Copy !req
427. You know, um, he started
telling us about
Copy !req
428. the government
is watching us
through the TV.
Copy !req
429. He was obsessed
Copy !req
430. that you were being looked at
Copy !req
431. through the television.
Copy !req
432. "Don't sit in
front of that TV!
Copy !req
433. "Cut the TV off!
Copy !req
434. Unplug it! Unplug it!"
Copy !req
435. (laughing)
He'd go on about that.
Copy !req
436. We all could do
an impression of Mr. Brown,
Copy !req
437. but there was one person
that could do it
and get away with it.
Copy !req
438. One of our guitar players,
Ron Laster.
Copy !req
439. And then he got where Mr. Brown,
uh, would even ask him to do it.
Copy !req
440. He said,
"Ron, do me, do me!"
Copy !req
441. (laughing)
And Ron would do him.
Copy !req
442. (as James Brown):
"Everybody over there!
Everybody right there!"
Copy !req
443. When his star began to fade,
Copy !req
444. he always tried to keep
the public conversation
positive
Copy !req
445. and focused on his music,
Copy !req
446. but he was not
entirely successful
Copy !req
447. with his
public relations campaign.
Copy !req
448. We welcome you,
James Brown.
Copy !req
449. How did all
of this trouble begin?
Copy !req
450. (laughing)
There's nothing wrong.
Copy !req
451. Nothing wrong at all?
You're not in any difficulty,
Copy !req
452. but you're out on bond.
Copy !req
453. No, I'm not.
Copy !req
454. Have all the charges
been dropped?
Copy !req
455. Yeah, I'm out of love.
Copy !req
456. I know people have
made fun of him,
Copy !req
457. but I remember being
very sad about it, I mean—
Copy !req
458. it's just really sad that
he had lost himself that much.
Copy !req
459. Christian McBride
finally got to play
Copy !req
460. on the same bill
with his hero.
Copy !req
461. It happened at the Montreux
Jazz Festival in 1993.
Copy !req
462. That was the thrill
of a lifetime.
Copy !req
463. And of course, being
a James Brown scholar,
Copy !req
464. while we were playing,
you know, I could see,
like, Danny Ray
Copy !req
465. and Martha High
and all of these, you know,
Copy !req
466. James Brown veterans
on the side of the stage.
Copy !req
467. He was introduced
to Martha High
Copy !req
468. and began to work
Brown's camp
Copy !req
469. in hopes of sparking
a collaboration.
Copy !req
470. Martha High was the mother hen
of the James Brown organization.
Copy !req
471. She was really
the person to know
Copy !req
472. if you really wanted true entry
into the James Brown world.
Copy !req
473. This courtship lasted years
Copy !req
474. and culminated
with an invitation
Copy !req
475. to James Brown's
Christmas party in 1996.
Copy !req
476. So we're sitting there
having dinner.
Copy !req
477. I'm sitting there,
quiet as a mouse,
Copy !req
478. just, you know—
I mean, it was just—
Copy !req
479. it was out of the blue,
he says, uh,
Copy !req
480. "Mr. McBride!"
Copy !req
481. (gasps)
"Yes, Mr. Brown..."
you know.
Copy !req
482. "Y'all know
Mr. McBride's been, uh,
Copy !req
483. "contacting me
about doing this project.
Copy !req
484. Now tell me more about this,
son, wh-what you want to do?"
Copy !req
485. So I gave him this whole thin,
how much he loved jazz
Copy !req
486. and "I know that your special
brand of funk was infused
Copy !req
487. by jazz values,
you know, improvisation."
Copy !req
488. He just kind of— he sat there.
Copy !req
489. He just went...
Copy !req
490. "Y'all see that?
Copy !req
491. "Now that young man
knows his stuff.
Copy !req
492. "He's studied
James Brown.
Copy !req
493. "Now, see,
I appreciate that, son,
you're doing your homework.
Copy !req
494. "That's what
I'm talking about.
Copy !req
495. "Man, I've been telling
all my friends that I know
Copy !req
496. "the great
Christian McBride—
Copy !req
497. "got, got your records,
been checking you out.
Copy !req
498. So enjoy the party, son."
I was like, "Okay."
Copy !req
499. About three hours later,
uh, party's over,
Copy !req
500. people are starting to leave,
and, um, I take a picture
Copy !req
501. with Mr. Brown and Miss High.
Copy !req
502. Right before the camera click,
James Brown leans over
Copy !req
503. and he says, uh,
"You don't fool me, son."
Copy !req
504. I said, "Excuse me?"
Copy !req
505. He says, "I'm hip to you.
I know what you're doing.
Copy !req
506. You don't think I know,
but I— I know
what's happening."
Copy !req
507. I'm going, "What?
What are you talking about?"
Copy !req
508. "Don't give me that,
you know,
Copy !req
509. you tryin' to take
Miss High from me."
Copy !req
510. "You trying to take her
for your own organization."
Copy !req
511. I was like, "No!
No, I'm not, Mr. Brown."
Copy !req
512. He said, "Son, I think
you misunderstood something.
Copy !req
513. "I ain't making
no record with you.
Copy !req
514. "I don't make no records
with nobody.
Copy !req
515. "If this record's
gonna happen,
Copy !req
516. "it's gonna be
a James Brown record
Copy !req
517. "with Christian McBride
as a guest,
Copy !req
518. "not a Christian McBride
record with James Brown
as a guest.
Copy !req
519. "And another thing,
that record of yours,
Copy !req
520. "it ain't nothing.
You can't play no bass.
Copy !req
521. "Who told you
you got talent?
Copy !req
522. You ain't nothing, son.
You can't play no bass."
Copy !req
523. The next time
Christian McBride
saw his hero,
Copy !req
524. it was at his funeral.
Copy !req
525. The last time I saw James Brown
was in an all-star show
Copy !req
526. at the Hollywood Palace,
and this was about
Copy !req
527. three or four months
before he died.
Copy !req
528. And it was one of those
shows where everybody
Copy !req
529. just comes on and does
one or two songs.
Copy !req
530. Timberlake was there,
Copy !req
531. and Black Eyed Peas
were there.
Copy !req
532. And God knows
who else was there.
Copy !req
533. I went down to his
dressing room, and
we chatted for about an hour,
Copy !req
534. talking about old times,
Copy !req
535. people we had worked
with together that
were no longer with us.
Copy !req
536. It was— It was,
uh, two old men,
Copy !req
537. sitting on a park bench,
kicking it,
Copy !req
538. and it's— I'll treasure it,
Copy !req
539. because, um, you could tell
he wasn't healthy.
Copy !req
540. He'd gotten frail.
Copy !req
541. He had been almost
super-human all his life.
Copy !req
542. Even in his old age,
Copy !req
543. his showmanship
was everything to him.
Copy !req
544. It may have
kept him going.
Copy !req
545. That cape did it for him.
Copy !req
546. His knees,
where his pants were,
Copy !req
547. they were all bruised,
but he still would go,
Copy !req
548. still would do that cape thing.
Copy !req
549. James did that
up until he died.
Copy !req
550. James Joseph Brown died
Christmas Day, 2006
Copy !req
551. of congestive heart failure.
Copy !req
552. He was 73.
Copy !req
553. In the end, Brown never
trusted anyone in Hollywood
Copy !req
554. to tell his story,
and he was right.
Copy !req
555. No film, TV show,
or cartoon
Copy !req
556. could ever do justice
to the king.
Copy !req
557. When I was a little guy,
I would just mimic James Brown,
Copy !req
558. be running around the house
in my Fruit of the Looms,
Copy !req
559. you know, doing the splits
and my Mom used to dress me
Copy !req
560. just like my grandfather.
Copy !req
561. He was a pimp.
Copy !req
562. And I had two-toned shoes on,
pinstriped suit,
Copy !req
563. chains on, you know,
hat, little cane.
Copy !req
564. So, all the older ladies
at the church was lovin' me.
Copy !req
565. A hint of things to come,
if you will.
Copy !req
566. That's how Morris became
Copy !req
567. the famous Morris Day
that he is today.
Copy !req
568. You just gonna be cool.
That's what you gonna do.
Copy !req