Full text
PSB: How did you first start out?
Well that’s a long story that goes back to kind of a long line of playin’ at talent shows, theaters and what-have-you, and comin’ from a very poor family havin’ to dance for the soldiers and make money to the pay money to pay the rent. Kind of built my talent up to necessity for survival and when we started talent shows, it was kind of easy for me to win. I won so many talent shows I guess they just they just got tired of me and decided to let me make it.
Other person: I was listening to your new record and it seems like a new direction for James Brown that’s moving into an area of sort of sophisticated production away from that raw funk sound that we kind of associate with you. What do you feel about your musical direction now?
No. That was just change. It’s kind of hard to have a direction because of the fact that my past has caught up with all of the kids, the rock clubs and everything, they’re so crazy about my older stuff. We just recorded a live album. Went to Japan where they have the best facilities in the world. It’ll be out next of the original James Brown sound with new arrangements. We had a band, you’ll see what I’m talkin’ about, all the excitement that the entertainment needs today. But by the same token, I like the studio recordings, which produced by Brad Shapiro was fantastic and I’m one who kinda wanna do it all. I don’t wanna have this one direction. I think the main direction that I’m goin’ in today is what the country has ceased to go in, in the direction of entertainment. I decided to come back out and entertain the people. They need some entertainment, that’s all.
Other person: Do you feel that as opposed to the disco thing which is strictly a sort of recorded dance....
Well, disco gave people a chance to dance. They’d been sittin’ down for about 15 years, so they wanted to dance. I think what’ll happen today is you’ll have dance concerts, you’ll be playin’ live and then they’ll dance and the ones that want to sit, they’ll sit. If you’re hot enough, you’ll keep ’em standin’, if you’re not, then they’ll sit down. It’s be kind of bad for ’em to sit down.
Other person: James, I interviewed a few people outside in the bar and a number of ’em told me that, a number of black people told me that you as an individual meant quite a bit to their life and that you were an inspiration and the whole soul drive really kept ’em goin’ for awhile. Did you ever have that as an intent?
Well it was my intent to contribute to humanity and I didn’t want it to be just black people. But however I wanted to do what I could for people ’cause people made me what I am today. I think that’s everyone’s duty. However, I think God give me a talent to entertain people to try to make them forget their problems and whatever and kind of help them to get themself goin’ and reorganize themself or what have you. So that’s really where I’m at about entertainin’ and tryin’ to give back and keep the energy goin’.
Matthew Berg: A lot of people came through your band like Bootsie and Fred Wesley and the horns. What do you think about the kind of music they’re making now, the younger people or even someone like James Chance. Have you heard him?
No I haven’t, but what it is, you fellas, youngsters just kind of come along a little late. We were talkin’ about it earlier with the owner of this club who I’ve known for quite awhile. Naturally, being young at heart or bein’ people at heart, human, if you see me around the house, you’d see how I feel because I would probably come with my boots on and western hat my denims and things. I know I’m in a lot of bags, so sometimes I put my suit on, bust the collar open and sometimes I’ll take you inside, I’ll take you up in how I look my most sophisticated but what Bootsy and them is doin’ is just some of the things they learned from me. And they went in a direction that they wanted to go into. I talked to Fred a while back, he would like to come back and rejoin the group because he sees some things he’d like to do he don’t get a chance to do ’em out there because he went out, he took something out there to do his own thing, but he also wanted to find something when he went out there and he wasn’t able to find anything because what he took out there he was the only one at it, comin’ from this group and all so he kind of wanted to get back to the street. He had a little bit more energy.
Other person: Your heyday, when you were as big as you’ve ever been was during the time of Motown music, Diana Ross and the Supremes and music like that. A lot of the people in the industry at that time, Little Anthony and people like that have sort of fallen off as far as giving performances and cutting albums, but you’re still cookin’. What do you attribute that to?
Well I don’t believe in heydays.
Other person: Everything’s a heyday.
No it’s not. Every day is a heyday. It’s according to how you feel. What I did, I curved myself to the movie industry because then that’s the next step. It’s like being a district leader, then you’re a city councilman, from there to state representative, from there to governor or what have you, you just wanna graduate. And I just keep tryin’ to graduate from different things. I’m goin’ heavy into films.
Other person: You have film projects cooking?
A lot of ’em. Like I’m like a guarantee for a major film conglomerate like 20th Century, Warner Brothers, or Columbia, what have you who are diversified in the recordings of the world. If you put me in a film. what you have right away is a multi-million dollar soundtrack. So the picture can’t be a flop because if I do the soundtrack, (laughs) then you got the records goin’ for you. See? So what you have, you have the audio, visual and video at the same time. And this is more for you. I think all entertainers should try to develop themselves and organize themselves into a point where they can graduate from just bein’.... what I did 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, five years ago, and some of the promotion things that I’m doin’ now is just like buildin’ myself. It’s kind of a training ground for where I’m going ’cause when you walk on a set, you gotta be able to memorize and sight-read and (snaps fingers) keep it flowin’ and still be able to maintain your rhythm and some of the other things involved. See if you just get into business, can you imagine a disco person tryin’ to be an actor? They never get a chance to learn how to perform on-stage. That’s what I was tellin’ you guys. You see, you missed the best part of it you know ’cause when people perform and really do it, like when you see this band out there tonight, you’ll see what I’m talkin’ about. When you see us perform, you see a production. You gonna see James Brown. You gonna see James Brown period.
Other person: So there isn’t a fundamental change in the kind of energy you put out in as much as I might hear a slicker sound on the records, I’m not gonna necessarily see a more soft-pedaled version of what you used to do at the Uptown Theater.
No. You’re gonna see the James Brown that you remember and you may see one that be a little bit more... I may have a little bit better idea of what I’m gonna do. You see me do bit pieces in films today and a year from now you’ll see me doin’ leads. It just takes time. And I don’t mind. I just thank God we got a country that we can do that in, that gives you that opportunity ’cause it could be the other way around.
Another person: I just understand you did a film with the Blues Brothers, Ackroyd and Belushi.
Fantastic man. I’m fortunate. I thank God. I’m probably, they figure it’s gonna be an all-time thing. They believe they’re gonna have, and I think so too, but one thing it is it’s gonna be a world film and that’s good you know. That’s what I was talkin’ about myself. It was good for me, the fact that I’m known all over the world. When I walk out on-stage here, it’s about ten percent of the reception that I get in Italy or Israel or Africa or Germany, France, Australia, like I’m 100 percent bigger there than I am here.
Another person: Is that because you haven’t been there that much and people are so much more accustomed to you here?
Uh, they are taught music appreciation in depth.
PSB: Could you talk about the routine you have in closing your shows, how that came out?
We ran into it by luck. Strictly from the soul it came and then after that it become a documented part that always went over real good. It came by accident. I was doin’ real well and a fellow through a towel around my shoulder and I threw it off and ran back and it kind of got to the people, so then we decided we’d get robes and it kept gettin’ better and better and it become a legendary part of the act and it’s kind of hard to quit. At one point I got kind of tired and wouldn’t do it, like at one point I quite doin’ “Please Please.” That was kind of a mistake. But you livin’ your life, it’s a trainin’ ground. And you find out the strong things that you need to do, so you keep on doin’ it.
How many weeks of the year have you been working?
The past couple of years I’ve been averaging five, six months out of the year. But I work all the time, just a different approach. It’s more or less with the mind, other than just the physical end of it because I find myself doin’ a lot of plannin’, more or less rehearsin’ myself, discipline myself, gettin’ myself ready for films. For films takes a lot of discipline. I studied so hard till my sight is blacked out, doin’ the lines I was doin’.
Other person: Where do you make your home now?
In the South. I live in the South.
Other person: In the South?
Yes.
Other person: Any particular area?
I live Georgia, South Carolina. It’s kind of a borderline thing there. I’m on both sides of the line, short of Augusta.
Other person: You still get as much fan harassment as you used to?
I can’t eat. If I go to eat someplace, we’ll have some fun. I finished doin’ some of the soundtrack and I just left Belushi and we watched some of the screenin’ and I thought I’d go to some of the old places. I went on 42nd and Sixth Avenue and I thought I was gonna get out and get some hot-dogs ’cause I like that. I got out and stayed out about five minutes and that was the end of it for me. I kind of get the same thing that Elvis got all his life. We come from that area where we kind of penetrate on the people and work very hard and we made ourselves real stars and thank God that every time they see me, it rings bells and people want to think about it and ask me about some song or other or some performance I did.
Other person: You still enjoy it, don’t you?
You always enjoy it. When I quit enjoyin’ it, I quite bein’ human.
Matt Berg: James, you could have been a star some other ways. You were almost a, you were a baseball player.
Yeah I could’ve been a big star playin’ baseball. I wouldn’t have lasted long I don’t think. I had three professional fights. I know I wouldn’t have lasted in that. (laughter) If I had to fight somebody like Sugar Ray Leonard.
Matt Damsker: What is it about Belushi and Ackroyd There as white as white can be and they come from up in Canada, Belushi’s an Albanian.
They know every arrangement that I got on my bandstand.
MD: They know everyone?
Them cats are super-talented. They are talented. (Getting a little angry at Damsker who kept interrupting): Those cats are talented man. I’m out there doin’ my, okay, my part of the Blues Brothers, I was a minister. Okay? Totally aware of from where I’m at in the music world ’cause I started in the church. But I’m out there tryin’ to get my sermon together and these cats hummin’ the arrangement to “Papa Got A Brand New Bag” or “Ain’t That A Groove,” or “I Feel Good.” They know it all man.
MD: They’re not pretenders?
No. Dan Ackroyd plays harmonica man as good as Muddy Waters. And Belushi plays drums and he knows all the songs and knows the original keys and sang ’em. They’re real talented people. A lot of nervous energy there ’cause they’re doin’ everything, but they’re very successful and they should be.
MD: Is it a funny movie? Is it more musical than it is funny?
It’s funny. It’s entertainment number one. But it has a beautiful story. They’re savin’ an orphanage. And that’s kind of the thing that made me feel very good because I feel that I was a distant orphan myself. When I say distant, I come from a very poor family. The only thing I had to do was go to the orphan because I was doin’ the same thing. My habits were the same. I was dependent upon the people who happened to come along. My family kind of separated and we were very poor and very uneducated and we couldn’t get jobs, kind of rough. So I have a deep feelin’ for that and comin’ out of that kind of area. They were little kids that grew up in an orphanage and they got grown and kind of got straight and went and got themself in trouble and they got out of trouble they find the orphanage was up for sale so they wanna save the orphanage, so they kind of want to go out and rob some more banks, but you can’t do it that way. Got to do it another way. So they say, well, let the entertainer do it. So, someone talked them into comin’ by my church and I save their soul like I’m gonna do y’all tonight. (laughter)
PSB: Did you work with Junior Wells in that movie?
He was in another part. It’ll all come together.
PSB: ’Cause there was a period back in the ’60s where I felt that your music at one point was having an incredible effect on what Junior Wells was doing. Did his music affect you at all? Were you affected by Chicago blues or did your music come out of something totally different?
I think it’s a little different. There’s a lot of earth in mine and in the major cities you didn’t have as much earth goin’ for you. You don’t get a chance to see the skyscrapers and all those things, so your mind goes in different directions. Mine comes a lot from nature and there’s a lot of earth in there. If I was raised up in Philly or New York, I think my approach would have been a lot different, because I would’ve been goin’ from hearsay for a lot of things. But I had a chance to actually experience a lot of things you know. Even my kids, they think totally different from the way I think as far as music’s concerned. They have their own soul but they don’t get it as earthy as I get it.
Matt Damsker: Are they lookin’ forward to a career in music as well?
Not havin’ to try as hard. The smaller kids may do it. They seem to be a little bit more concerned, but the older kids, I don’t think they’re gonna get into music.
Matt Damsker: Would you care if they did? Would you advise them against it?
I’d advise them to do anything they can do, as long as it’s legal.
Other person: James, you don’t like the expression heyday, but back to the day where your albums sold more than I ever did before, do you think you had any....
That’s where you’re confused. They sell more now.
Other person: They sell more now?
In the old days I was not a world act. See, every time I bring a record out, being with Polydor Records, when I bring a record out, can you imagine kids in Africa got an armful of James Brown records under their arm and don’t have the current to play ’em, got to walk maybe 20 miles to get their records played. See, they didn’t have that then. That’s why I tell ya if I step off a plane in Athens, Greece, nobody would know who I was, today they’d have to get security to get me off. Again I say, in this country we are not taught enough about worldly things you know. And we should know how they’re doin’ throughout the world. Like I say I went to Italy and hadn’t played there in ten years and wind up playing 29 one-nighters in that country. Now Italy’s about the size of Georgia, right? And I found myself playing 29 one-nighters. You almost can’t play 29 one-nighters in the United States, as big as the United States is. There’s a lot of things not available to us music-wise because we got into disco and I know about this because I was doin’ disco for 12 to 14 years ago and they started the discos in Europe and they discontinued them and we’re still into ’em. This country and Japan, discos. They want to see entertainment in Europe. They’re into what we used to be into. Like you go and do a show man, people yellin’ and screamin’ and the energy’s high you know.
Matt Berg: You like that kind of audience?
That’s what it’s about man. Show business is show business. When you go to church, you should go to church. When you go to see a theater to see show you should go to see a show. If you be in mournin’, you shouldn’t go to see a show.
PSB: You have total control of your recorded product including your old records. Are there any plans to re-release any of those albums which are now considered classics of rock and roll history?
We’ll re-release “Sex Machine,” the “Good Foot” is re-released, Live At The Apollo will probably have a release date, both volumes, and the Soul Classics. I got a lot of ’em. But we just finished doin’ 16 tunes on an album. Can’t give out the title now, but we had 91 mics on the band and that’s the most extraordinary sound I ever heard in my life. All the things I was tryin’ to captivate years ago and argued with the engineers about, they got it now. Okay? Just like tonight. We got the band amplified and miked, but you won’t hear 60 percent of the stuff that should be comin’ out, you won’t hear. There’s no way to catch it, ’cause if you isolate everything then you’ll miss some of the overtones you know. But they got it all man. They got everything. To hear that sound, I can’t even wait til’ it come out. I’m listenin’ to the stuff I got now. Brad Shapiro done a fantastic job on that. Beautiful studio sound. Got a thing on there called, “Let The Funk Flow,” I think it’s fantastic. A lot of engineering work that’s really head-shrinking to hear it, take it to an all-time high. But to hear that live stuff and let you feel life again comin’ through a record. I just can’t wait till that live album comes out.
Other person: Can you work up the kind of soul in the studio that you can work up in front of an audience that is going crazy?
No way. But what I can do, I can come out of a rehearsal, we can have a regular rehearsal, then I can record, and then I’ll get the feeling because I’ll even get it from our own members. We had just finished a recordin’ session when I recorded “Get On The Good Foot.” And then, I had just finished doin’ a show when I recorded “Sex Machine,” like just finished doin’ an engagement and then two-o’clock in the morning we go in the studio. I wrote the lyrics on the back of a placard. So this is what real life is about. We just finished having a rap session and I walk in and cut “Hot Pants” and “Escapism.” This is what it’s about.
MD: This new recording technology everybody’s talking about, digital, with the digital mastering and the digital recording. Do you think this is gonna make a big difference in your music?
It’s nice to have an artist that knows. I made it a point to know because I invented most of the stuff, the sounds that you’re tryin’ to get now, I started most of ’em. They thought I was crazy then. I remember we recorded “Let Yourself Go” live on the stage one day before rehearsal and part of a live album. It was supposed to be live in the Royal Theater and we cut a lot of it on the stage in the daytime during rehearsal before the show that night. But the digital recordin’ is very good if you got an engineer that understands it. I prefer a cat ridin’ the dials. Other than tryin’ to build it up, I prefer cuttin’ it extemporaneous right off the top, so you can grab fire.
MD: So you’re not lookin’ to sterilize, make it so pure and so clean that it’s...
Not real. It’s like havin’ a substitute for sweat.
PSB: Do you still play the drums and the organ?
I play ’em sometimes. Sometimes I play the organ. I do it all. Thank God.
James Brown Press Conference Philadelphia