NeoConMan Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Any of you guys over the age of forty can probably identify with this one; I never paid any attention to anything Rick James did until Superfreak in 1981. It was inescapable on radio or television - including the new Music Television channel. No - it was NOT an MC Hammer song!!! Anyhow, Mrs. Neo never knew anything about Rick James - didn't care. Her experience was more with the MC Hammer sampling of the main riff. As soon as the first riff ended... Doon - da - da- dunt / Da - dunt / Da - dunt ... Mrs. Neo chimes in "You can't touch this!" No, no, no, no - NO! It's Rick James!!! None of this mattered, or would have ever been considered here at the NeoCon Compound without Dave Chappelle. Our 21 year-old was joking about Chappelle's characterization of James on his TV show. Mrs. Neo was clueless about the whole thing, so the boy offered to lend his Chappelle DVDs to enlighten her. The humor is crude, but last night she found herself laughing none the less. Then the Rick James skit came on - "I'm RICK JAMES - b!tch!!!" So I found myself in the unenviable position of explaining exactly who Rick James was.... :huh: Sex, drugs, rock n roll - more drugs, more sex, crack cocaine, kidnapping, prison time.... Then I related the story of a band I saw in Dodge City Kansas in about 1985; In their final set (they were a decent cover band) they launched into Superfreak. Oh, dear God.... As a hater of disco and synth music, I could not believe a "rock" band would play this sh!t... Then I noticed something - EVERYBODY in the place was knocking over tables and chairs to get on the dance floor. The place went CRAZY. And the band (with no keyboards, if I recall) made the song really kick butt!!! It worked! The venue operator loves that stuff, because EVERYBODY was ordering fresh drinks after the song was over. The band pulled it off. Hmmmm..... Had to look at that song in a whole new way. And it's PRICELESS to hear my wife belt out "I'm RICK JAMES - b!tch!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Cocaine is a helluva drug... But Rick James was all that. I think he played with James Brown for a while, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bill Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I see a woman every morning on the train platform that looks exactly like Rick James, facial hair and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Charlie Murphy! (edit to remove NSFW video - look it up yourself...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 I bet that's what she was watching. I saw only snippets of it, but I remember Charlie Murphy... Edit: Good move - DEFINITELY NSFW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 HAHA Give Rick his due man! That might have been the band was in back in the 80s. (never played Kansas though) We played primarily classic rock (60s+70s stuff) but could also pull off some pretty funky stuff. We did a set with Motown classics, Rick James, and some Philly soul. Crowd loved it. Also played guitar in a Funk dance band and we did a ton of that crap lol. As a side note if memory serves, early in their careers Rick was in the same band as Neil Young. Back in Canada I believe. I think they were called the Minah Birds. True story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Seems to me there was a story kinda like that regarding Wild Cherry. Their One Hit was Play That Funky Music - written as a gag because everybody at their gigs wanted to hear disco. A radio DJ picked it up, and the rest is history - as I understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I wonder if there's anything to it, that my 2 favorite disco songs have "Freak" in the titles? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KUL9-eNXzQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 What do the 5 fingers say to the face? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Seems to me there was a story kinda like that regarding Wild Cherry. Their One Hit was Play That Funky Music - written as a gag because everybody at their gigs wanted to hear disco. A radio DJ picked it up, and the rest is history - as I understand it. Yeah from what I understand that's kinda how it went down. Started out as a reaction to what the audience was requesting. Some of the guys in that band were from my surrounding area. My son's friend's father played keys for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Didn't know until perusing Wikipedia that Bryan Bassett was the guitarist. Saw him in both Molly Hatchet and Foghat - first-rate blues/rock guitar slinger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I used to love that song. My friend Penny and I would dance at the clubs to that song (and many others) night after night, only stopping when the club closed and we'd carry our high heels home in our hands as the sun came up. The 80's were fun. This is the first time I've ever seen the video tho'. You'd think with all that money he could have got his teeth fixed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KUL9-eNXzQ Saturn - saw a TV interview with Nile Rodgers a few years ago. THAT song was written in protest after they couldn't get in the door at Studio 54 in NYC. Went back to their rehearsal space, and worked off the bitterness with an impromptu jam session. "FREAK OUT!" was added later to soften the song up. It was originally worded as "Fxck off!" according to the story, but that wouldn't work with wider audiences... Another trivial tidbit from this steel trap of a mind I have. You're welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Rick James was the super freak. Monster bass player and good singer. This is the last footage of him taken by strangers that met him in a hotel bar. He's way wasted but still crying the blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimeJ Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 OUCH..That was painful. Drugs & booze will make you pay. Damn.....J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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