Once again, you can respond in any substantive and non-qualitative fashion you wish to the piece. (This is not the place to say whether you "liked it" or not; nor should you feel inclined to put in your two-cents about what you'd cut if you were the editor--you do not work for Rolling Stone, and are not the editor, and that sort of response is not fruitful for conversation or real inquiry.)
You might want to consider thinking about what work Lethem had to put into the piece: what difficulties did you sense he faced in the pre-writing process? Who do you think are some of the people he talked to and why?
On Thursday we talked about the writing strategy of having "the thing and the other thing." The short film we watched, in those terms, would have both Huntington's disease and Marianna Palka. The Alice Munro story had the suicides and the narrator's personal growth as a writer. What might be the thing and the other thing for this piece? What might have been the central theme?
Remember to write a minimum of 250 words to receive credit and to respond to one of your peers' posts as well.
In case you lost the link, here it is again:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/being-james-brown-rolling-stones-2006-cover-story-20101224
Matthew Cook
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that made me really think in this article is that his statue was on the ground instead of a pedestal. I like that he doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal. Then I was thinking about statues on a pedestals. Then I realized the only other statues I can think of off the top of my head that are not on a pedestal are the statues in the fountain on Landis and the statue of Strozier sitting outside the library. As I kept reading about the lengthy time you must wait for James Brown to come out during his show I felt like he puts himself on a pedestal by making people anticipate him coming out even though he doesn’t like to be put on a pedestal in a physical way. I feel that he wants to show that any ordinary person can become famous like him but he also wants to be admired. He enjoys a pedestal that was made from his hard work coming out of poverty but he doesn’t want other people to feel like they cannot do what he did. I also did not like that he shows up late for the recording studio. It’s like he thinks he is too good for his own band. For a guy who refuses to be on a pedestal he sure seems to want to be above others. His band members don’t seem to like him much. James Brown and the band seem like separate groups. However, James brown to everyone else is a star who is always perfect and nice. He even tells his audience that he loves them and tells them to tell each other that they love them.
I agree with you because the statue on the ground was really interesting to me as well since that's not usually how statues are presented so it shows how James Brown likes to be different and chooses what he wants in life. I also agree that his band didn't really like him but they still created amazing music and worked together to create it. He grew up in poverty and really inspired people to show you can do anything if you push yourself and it shows that hard work pays off.
DeleteSydney Denkert
I agree with you. I think that James Brown does tend to put himself on a pedestal despite his statue not being on one. He likes the anticipation from his audience. I feel like he does want to be admired for his work, and wants to show others that if they want to work to achieve something too, that they can do it. I agree that it didn't seem like he had a great relationship with his band members but seeks a great relationship with his audience.
DeleteI hadn’t seen the perspective you had. However now I can see how Brown did put himself on a pedestal. I agree that it was more out of showing people what can happen if you work hard rather than to show off or because he was arrogant.
Delete-hailey safra
I agree with you in the fact that he talks about not being put on a pedstal but he seems to put himself on one every time he talks. It was a little confusing. However i can understand why he is the way he is coming from his background.
DeleteJonathan Gallon
I agree with you on your perception of the story. I do believe that it was truly inspiring about how James Brown wanted his statue to be on the ground with everyone else. I also think it was pretty cool how they told him he couldn't smile for the statue but he did it anyways. I think it is amazing how anyone can become someone.
DeleteAnthony Cusenza
James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He had a statue created with him grinning which is odd but he always did what he wanted. Growing up he had a tough time, always running from the cops and getting into trouble just cause he wanted to see the other side of the neighborhood. As James Brown enters his studio they say, “it turns into a stage”. I think that’s interesting to me because he brings something huge to his band and he is a big part of making the band be as good as they are even though he always shows up late to his recording studio and the band must constantly wait on him. He’s tough on his band but only because he wants to push them to become better. He likes to feel loved by others and show how he can become so talented by hard work and even at an older age. He isn’t like most famous people, who would move to a rich part of town instead, he went back to Augusta where he had awful memories of almost dying and going to jail. He wouldn’t pretend he was from there unlike others. I like how James Brown audience are so inspired and truly love him. You can tell throughout the article even though he seems as if he doesn’t care for what people think, he deep down does. He even tells them he loves them and to tell each other in the audience to tell others they love them. He grew up in a hard life but I like how it shows how he grew over the years to become this amazing and talented musician.
ReplyDeleteWord count: 283
Sydney Denkert
I agree that the effect that James Brown seems to have on other people is uncanny to anything I've ever heard of. I also respect him for going back to his hometown to have a concert because even if he didn't have the best memories they still shaped him.
DeleteThe James Brown profile by Rolling Stone was a lot more entertaining than I expected. The vivid detail described by the author about what it feels like to be at the James Brown Show makes me want to participate in one. He puts so much emphasis on its greatness that he writes a whole paragraph with no periods when describing the show’s greatness and uniqueness. “The thing and the other thing” from this piece is James Brown and his effects on the people around him. This is so because every time new information about James Brown is introduced, it always ends up impacting people in a positive way. The author describes James as a god who lives in another dimension and going to his show makes one feel like they are at a feast for adoration and just watching him in his dimension will make you indescribably happy. Most men do not have this effect on the people around them. I think the author put a lot of planning into this piece. The words he uses to describe James and the events in his life seem to have a lot of thought behind him. I can tell that the author sat down and thought back to the shows and asked himself “What did that look like?” I think he interviewed people who went to The James Brown show as well as his band and managers to get the full understanding of James’ impact on people. This profile really opened my eyes to an artist who I had previously only heard my dad speak of and now I think of him as a legend.
ReplyDeleteWord Count:273
The James Brown profile was interesting to me. Although lengthy, it provided a lot of information on the subject and what he is really like. The first thing that caught my attention was noticing how he wanted his statue on the ground and not on the pedestal. They talked about how that was very unlikely but that’s how he wanted it/ The article spoke a lot about how he wanted the statue to have a grin on his face even though nobody else agreed. James Brown seemed to have done his own thing not caring what other people thought. It said that he always showed up late and wasn’t the nicest to his band. The author showed us how much work and effort goes into these shows and how great they are. I believe that the author could have talked to audience members to get their opinions on the show. This could provide the author with feelings and emotions that one can only get after seeing his show and being affected by it. Also, he could have talked band members always around James Brown to get their opinion on him and his work ethic. Lastly, anyone else around him for a significant amount of time to see what he is like and the way that he treats people. I think he would have talked to them to make the profile as real as possible. In this story, I believe ‘the thing’ is James Brown and ‘the other thing’ is the way everything around him gets affected by him. He is the main person in this piece and the more we read on, the more we see how his work, attitude, and presence affect others around him.
ReplyDeletePatrick Moore
DeleteI agree that it would have been a good idea to get statements from audience members to add to his description of the shows even though he does a good job of describing it himself additional perspectives would have been helpful.
I feel while the author didn’t outright tell us he had interviewed the people Brown affected he showed us. He described how people acted toward him or viewed him. I also liked your interpretation of this thing and the other thing. It was something I haven’t seen on my own.
Delete- Hailey Safra
Matthew Cook
DeleteI don't agree that the author should have interviewed more people around him. I think doing this would add unnecessary detail. Also in an interview people only show the part of them they want everyone to see. I think by following James Brown around we got a look at who he really is.
Patrick Moore
ReplyDeleteI only had basic knowledge about James Brown before reading this article. The author does a good job of going into detail throughout the article which is what I appreciated most about the piece. The beginning when the author talks about the statue of brown in the middle of broad street helped to show the importance of James Brown especially in his community. This along with his in depth description of his early life. For someone my age it helped give context to who he is and how important he is. He also does a great job at describing the atmosphere of a James brown show, even though Ive never seen one before i could easily imagine what they are like. Also in the recording studio he writes with as much detail as everything else an aspect of james brown as a person in his natural environment instead of on stage as people usually see him. The part about when brown got pissed off at his band showed a side of james brown that i had never thought existed based on what i knew of the artist. It really shows the dedication that james has to his work and the passion he has for the music he makes even at the old age hes in. The time traveler theory also provided a perspective that appealed to me as a younger reader who didnt have as much background knowledge on what james brown did or how he effected the music i listen to today. it also provides more appreciation to how ahead of his time and innovative james brown really was.
I am with you in regards to having very basic knowledge on James Brown before this article. But after reading, like you, I now realize his importance in the soul genre, and in our music community as a whole. I enjoyed reading this article to get both sides of the picture on James Brown, which I believe is key in getting to know someone.
DeleteMariana Lopez
DeleteI agree with you when you said that the author does a good job of going into detail. I appreciated that as well. I didn't know anything about James Brown, but now I know so much about him. When the author started describing the James Brown show, I felt like it was happening right in front of me.
The world-renowned James Brown was born into a poor family in South Carolina in 1933, or maybe even a few years earlier as the author of this article—Jonathan Lethem—states, and he rose to be the Godfather of Soul. This article written by Rolling Stone is barely even a biography, it is more like a memoir from how James Brown is still impacting people even in his old age, and this original article happened to be published just months before Brown’s death.
ReplyDeleteI like a couple of things in particular that the author, Jonathan Lethem, writes. First, he starts off the article talking about the odd statue of James Brown and how it is placed on the ground, not on a pedestal in downtown Augusta, Georgia. He also notes how the James Brown statue is grinning, which is very odd for statues, as they are generally a more serious facial expression. Brown designed his statue this way because he describes himself a “man of the people” and does not want people to think he is anything more than just human, which I find to be very respectable.
The second thing I enjoyed about Lethem’s writing is that he admits his piece was not a biography, and that someday somebody will indeed write a “great” biography of Brown, but this was not it. However, he goes on to say that a biography must encompass one’s entire life, which includes arrests, publically covered scandals, and marital issues. But this article, is not one of those, as this article from 2006 was made to look inside the Hall of Fame singer’s life, not what he went through, which I think is great for the author to overlook the negative sides to his past, and praise what he has done historically.
Word Count: 298
Gabriel Padin
DeleteI as well found the fact that James Brown decided to grin in his statue to be very humbling. I also enjoyed how this piece was more about James Brown as an artist than about his personal life. It felt as if we got to know more about him this way.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Lethem did an excellent job painting the importance of this major influencer through his words. I didn’t know anything about James Brown before reading this article but now I have a pretty good understanding. From reading this article I got the sense that James Brown wanted people to believe they can do anything with hard work. The authors description of the statue gave way to parts of who this artist really was. He seemed to be all about being one with the people and not being above anyone else. A part that really stood out to me was the statue smiling, brown clearly did his own thing and in his own way. Just from the begging you can see the impact he had on the people around him, I mean they didn’t call him the godfather of soul for nothing. Everything about this article proved his title. More than learning about an important figure in the music industry, I was intrigued with the authors writing. It was a new spin to see how an interview can be written and described rather than just viewed. While it was an interview it felt like a story, it wasn’t just question and answer but stories and descriptions. Before reading I couldn’t see how you can describe an interview but the article gave me insight on how to. I appreciated the authors choice to stray from the norms of an interview and rather use his interpretation and insight to tell the tale of a great musician.
ReplyDeleteWord count: 253
-Hailey Safra
I completely agree with you on the fact that Jonathan Lethem did an excellent job. The description of the statue really showed the two parts of who James Brown really was. I too was shown how to properly document an interview after reading this article.
DeleteI thought the way the author started with the description of the statue was very intriguing. It kind of hooked me as the reader. The way he described the statue as being flat on the ground and smirking really gave a sense of who James Brown was as a person. This made me want to find out more about him. “The thing and the other thing” that I noticed was how James Brown always had a lesson to teach; the interview wasn’t just about James Brown it was about some of the lessons he was trying to convey. I think the author captured that in a remarkable way. For example, James Brown says “I’m an old man all I can do is love everybody”. I also thought it was really interesting how the author brought up some of James Browns corks. He talks about going back to the hotel where the rest of the band showed him secretly recorded tunes that James Brown was not aware of. He refers to James Brown as being controlling. Then he refers to a story Keith tells about the first time his wife went to go see him play and how James Brown wouldn’t let him play. I usually thought that in this type of writing the author usually only talked about the good traits of his subject mainly because its an interview, but the author added story’s that did not put Mr. Brown on a pedestal. The reader got the real scoop of Mr. Browns life and it was so beneficial to the story.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Gallon
Word Count:261
Gabriel Padin
ReplyDelete“Being James Brown” by Jonathan Lethem is a profile about James Brown. Going in to reading this article, the only thing I knew about James Brown was that he was a singer and song writer. But after reading it feels as if I know his whole life story and now know how much of an impact he has had on the music culture. James Brown was born in South Carolina and had a rough childhood growing up. He was constantly having run-ins with police officers and struggled with the law. But soon enough he was able to find his passion for music and became a music icon. At the beginning of the article is seems as if James Brown does not really care about other people but himself, with having to be called on to stage for him to perform and constantly coming late into studio sessions to record with his band. But we soon find out that he is all about the community and only wants the best for those around him. It is really nice to see that even though James Brown has aged, he is still very passionate about music and still works on it to this day. As for the “the thing and the other thing” I do believe that the thing is James Brown and the other thing is how he impacted the music world. What I enjoyed most about the article is that Lethem focused solely on James Brown as an artist and didn’t dwell that much on his personal life.
I totally agree that James Brown has made a giant impact on the present day music industry. I like how you included that James Brown was from South Carolina because that is also where I am from and I've seen some of the rough side of South Carolina and it is not pretty. I also enjoyed how he didn't talk much about his personal life and gave a great portrayal of Brown as an artist.
DeleteJames Brown was truly an amazing story of how this man lived his life and how he changed the world for the better. I had no idea who James Brown was before reading the article about him but after reading it I felt like I knew exactly what kind of man he was. He did not do it for fame or fortune but to make the world have a better time with every day that passes. He believed that his statue should not be on a pedistal but on the ground where everyone else is because he is no better then them in his own eyes. I believe that James Brown wanted to show the people that anyone can make a difference and become anything they wanted to be. He did that by growing up in the slums and running from others all the way to being a big shot in the world. I think the author did an amazing job at telling the story of James Brown by telling what his true purpose was to the world. You could also tell what lengths and digging the author had to do to find out the details too. The author dug deep by interviewing people who had experienced these things in their own life and how it affected them and others. I believe that this story shows that anyone can become who they wanna be and that they just need to have the strength to obtain their dreams. I believe that the author did a fine job at letting people get the whole story of James Browns life.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Cusenza
Word Count: 267
I too had barely heard of James Brown before I read this. I agree with the fact that he wanted to show people that anything can happen and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
DeleteI agree with you. The author dug without having to exaggerate. He just told the story the way he saw fit and it helped us experience things without even being there. I wonder what kind of process he had to help him tie this story together.
DeleteI was unfamiliar with James Brown before reading this as well. I agree that he was a people person and that he went through life by working hard and trying to be successful.
DeleteI agree with you, I also had never really heard of James Brown until this. He was a person people liked to be around and showed what you can accomplish with hard work.
DeleteThe fact is, James Brown is an iconic star, without the attitude of knowing he is iconic. He is just recording in his studio, adding his style to songs, singing his soul out. I think this is what the author was trying to tell, without throwing in random adjectives and uneccesary words. He is reporting the truth to anyone who will read it. The same way a camera can only catch what it’s pointed at, the author caught what he saw, and we the readers saw it too. I agreed with the fact Mr. Lethem wrote, that James Brown could be compared to Billy Pilgrim, from Slaughterhouse-five. James Brown is living in whatever time period life puts him in, and that gives his music the feeling of being timeless. He is doing what he knows he can do, and nothing more, which in reality makes his process really simple. He doesn’t need any new technology, he even asks for a cheap microphone at one point, and doesn’t try to add to what already works. He uses what he grew up on to create for others. He is a man from a poverty stricken area, who managed to find a different path than others around him. Although James Brown struggled with drugs and abuse, that’s another story about nurture vs. nature. All we know is that he is an artist who has created memories for our parents and their generation, and has kept his style the same, a man who just liked to have a good time.
ReplyDeletewords: 256
Diego Mendoza
DeleteI really like how you compared the way the author writes to how a camera is used, that's something that is very interesting. In my opinion, I think that without the struggle that he faced in his younger life, he wouldn't be the James Brown we know. Those struggle shaped him and made him one of the greatest artists of all time, in my eyes. A theme that i took from reading this piece is that, it does not matter where you come from but where you end up.
Kendall Pope
ReplyDeleteJames Brown is truly a legend in the music world. Despite being born into extreme poverty and all the discrimination he had to face growing up, he completely changed the music business forever. I really love the way that this author wrote this biography on James Brown. Instead of coming out and starting with “James Brown was born in South Carolina” he started with talking about his legacy and what the world thinks of James Brown by talking about his statue. The author chose to interview the people who knew James the best: his band mates. Instead of doing vague details that most people could find out on James Brown’s Wikipedia page, the author writes about how James acted in the studio, and how instead of buying homes in Augusta like him, James’ band mates stayed in a motel. These show who James Brown really was by giving us a glimpse into his life and his history. I really enjoy how the author tells his reaction to everything he hears from the band mates. He gives his own input, which shows how he feels about James Brown. We learn so much about James Brown from this biography yet the author rarely tells us facts about him. Instead, he tells stories about James. This shows us that he was a real person and it also shows us what he was really life outside of the public eye. This kind of writing is great because we learn who someone truly is by their actions and the way they talk and not by the things they have done.
word count: 265
I agree with this response. Correct, this was not a biography on James Brown with facts and dull material. This passage took time to describe real stories and events for the reader to visualize. James Brown is a walking legend and this profile did a great job at recognizing such.
DeleteThough lengthy, the story was intriguing. James Brown is known for basically inventing funk. I liked the analogy that the author, Jonathan Lethem, used saying James looked into the future for musical inspiration, because he created styles that didn’t get popular until decades later. Instead of sweeting it up, Lethem revealed the true side of James Brown in this story. He didn’t just want to make him look good, he wanted to tell the truth. James Brown demanded his statue be placed with the feet on the ground instead of on a pedestal so he could be “one of the people”. I didn’t know exactly who James Brown was before this assignment so from this particular story, I expected him to be a pretty cool and down to earth guy but as I continued reading, the author showed sides of him that fans might not know about. The information gained from interviewing the band members is where the true side of him really comes out. For example, James had abandonment issues from his parents not giving him proper attention at an early age. This led to him abusing his friends and women even though he claimed he wanted to spread “universal love and respect” but he purposely held his band members back from important events in their lives by making mandatory rehearsals. I also noticed how he displayed pride and confidence to his fans but you can tell from the stories told that he is rather insecure. In regard to “the thing and the other thing” I believe it is the life of James Brown, of course, and the new style of music he came up with and how his music shaped the later generations of music.
ReplyDeleteHe did definitely leave a lasting impact upon the music industry. It's interesting also how he maintained both the ideas of universal love and abuse together.
Delete-Alexander Kostandarithes
Diego Mendoza
ReplyDeleteThis piece on James Brown was a beautiful piece of writing, it made me feel like I was living his life while simultaneously being Lethem. Some difficulties that might come up during the pre-writing must’ve been on how Lethem will capture the audience’s attention and make them feel what he felt. Lethem must of spoken to people close to James Brown, his son for one, maybe some of the band member that have been with James for a long time. That is the way that Lethem was able to know so much about his past, like how he would run away from the police, a shoe shiner, etc. One of the first things that caught my eye was that he did not want his statue to be out on a pedestal because he was a man of the people and did not want to be shown as someone above them. The way Lethem described his first interaction with James Brown was also eye catching. Lethem talked about how much fear he felt while meeting him and even compared his to a Mayan god, with the amount of description, I felt it. A topic that does come and go in this piece is how the black man has a rough past but manages to come up from it. James brown as young kid was doing things like: breaking and entering, hustler, juvenile delinquent and came out of a shack and whorehouse. A central theme that I see is that people can succeed in life no matter the difficulties that they have; where there’s a will, there’s a way.
word count: 269
From the way the article was written, the author seemed to have a deep reverence for James Brown. Beyond that, it seemed (early on) that Brown remained closed and hard to reach, in the sense of discovering who he really was. From the writer’s work, he portrayed Brown as a demi-god figure. The seemingly inexhaustible musical library of Brown’s mind and his ability to make the crowd go crazy seems to confirm the author’s writing. However, there were less than stellar incidents in Brown’s life that gave Brown inspiration for his music. Here the theme seems to be the idea of using the past for inspiration. Brown’s quote of “I love you almost as I love myself” stems from his parentless childhood. The obedience, the cult of personality, that he demands from his musicians corresponds to his troubled history.
ReplyDeleteFrom the musicians to the Rolling Stones reviewer, everyone appears to follow Brown in an almost trance-like fashion. From the article in its entirety, there is truly something special about Brown. The strictness of the band rules, comparable to a Cromwellian dictatorship, are defended by the players; which their responses interested me. One interesting aspect of this dynamic was Brown having the players practice without him, and then later disregarding their previous work. The reason why this practice began remains dubious, but it falls within the cult of personality of James Brown. The other, where Brown would appear late on stage but music still playing, falls again under this practice. From a life running away from the police and growing up on his own, it makes perfect sense that he would become egotistical.
-Alexander Kostandarithes
Word Count:272
I agree that it seems like Lethem certainly has a deep reverence for James Brown. I was also surprised to discover that Brown often has his band members practice without him.
DeleteThis article was my favorite article we have read so far. This is because James Brown is one of my favorite artists. His voice immediately gets everyone on their feet, and he never fails to excite a crowd. Not only is he an exceptional artist, but he is also a leader in the community. Jonathan Lethem had a hard task in writing the story because James Brown is such an iconic figure not only in the United States, but in the whole world. It is evident that Leech put a lot of effort in the pre writing process. The details he gives about a typical James Brown concert are very vivid. It is also obvious that Leech communicated with a lot people that were close to James Brown and his band. This is very evident because Leech was very descriptive in describing how the whole room would change. Leech says, “When James Brown enters the recording studio, the recording studio becomes a stage. It is not merely that attention quickens in any room this human being inhabits. The phenomenon is more akin to a kind of grade-school physics experiment: Lines of force are suddenly visible in the air, rearranged, oriented”. The way James Brown could change the whole aura of a room, by just simply walking is unbelievable. With this being said, I can totally imagine how this could happen. This is because if I was graced with the presence of the great James Brown, I would be shell shocked. James Brown is very iconic figure, and Jonathan Lethem.
ReplyDeleteThis was a rather lengthy piece by Jonathan Lethem about the baddest man to ever live James Brown. James Brown had a statue made of him because he was such an influential character in the music industry due to his amazing singing, song writing, and being a great record producer. James Brown seemed to not care what others thought of him and expressed his words through his music. This piece by Lethem really shows the impact the Brown had on the music industry but specifically soul genre. My favorite part of this piece is learning that the statue of Brown showed him smiling which really shows what type of careless person he was to the opinion of others. As the article begins is seems as if James Brown only cares about himself when he is late to recordings with the band but we soon learn as the interview continues is that Brown cares about the people more than we thought. Lethem went in depth in the interview to learn more about Browns life and it shows as you get very descriptive moments in his life like his drug abuse days. This piece was mostly about the stories that James Brown had to tell which brings about how caring he is. I think the topic of this piece is that even when things go bad you can pick yourself up stay positive because good things will come. I enjoyed this pice because I knew very little about James Brown but after reading this I see the impact he has made on the people of today.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Hughes
Word Count: 264
Mariana Lopez
ReplyDeleteBefore reading "Being James Brown: Rolling Stone's 2006 Story", I had no idea who James Brown even was. Now I feel like I know so much about him and what he went through during his lifetime. The author, Jonathan Lethem, wrote an amazing piece on James Brown. It was very informative. The author interviewed the other men from the band, and it's easy to see that they knew so much about James Brown. Brown is referred to "the baddest man who ever lived." What interested me was how James Brown wanted his statue to be different. Instead of the statue standing on a pedestal, James Brown reportedly wanted the statue to be flat on its feet on the ground. He also refused to do anything other than grin. I found this funny. As I read about his childhood, it made me happy to know that even though he was born into extreme poverty and hard living conditions, he was able to overcome all that and make something of himself. Lethem described The James Brown Show in so much detail I felt like they were performing in front of me. He states, "It's as if they were merely widening for you a portal offering entry into some new world, a world as much visual and emotional as aural." I got the sense from the story that his band mates don't really like him. James Brown wasn't the nicest to them and would also show up late to the recordings. I believe that he was tough on them so that they could prosper and become the best they could be. James Brown is a very important figure in the world of music.
Reese Albert
ReplyDeleteRight off the bat I had a feeling of respect for James Brown. When talking about his statue he wanted it to be on the ground instead of on a pedestal which made me think he really cares about other people; although he was having a statue made of himself… in a way he didn’t want to feel special. It even said in the article that “he is a man of the people”. James Brown had a rough childhood. He was always running from the cops because he was on the wrong side of town. He constantly trespassed and actually got arrested and sentenced for it because he was caught four times. Brown always wanted to walk that mile to Broad because that’s where all the action was. Moving back to his adult life the narrator talks about his studio. He often showed up later in the day than everyone else including his band but they always did what he said. Their choices were not theirs. When he walked into the studio he brought in a certain aroma; the attitude changes in the room and it’s time to get to work. They also talked about how wherever he was it was energetic and it always felt like it was show time. Brown seems like an energetic man and just always lights up the room. Brown was always motivated by success through hard work; I can relate to that because I’ve been doing that my whole life. In the end, he lived a hard life throughout his childhood and didn’t let it steer him in the wrong direction. He loves his fans, audience and just people in general and I have the utmost respect for this amazing man and musician.
Word Count: 294
I feel as if Jonathan Lethem describes James Brown with an air of mystery and great reverence. He begins by explaining a statue of Brown and how it stands with its feet directly on the ground rather than atop a pedestal; supposedly by Brown’s request. In order to get a better understanding of James Brown, Lethem conversed with those close to the man himself; namely the members of his band. Through these individuals, Lethem was able to gain a better understanding of James Brown’s true self in the studio. Brown is nitpicky and his bandmates must harbor the greatest patience in order to survive with him. James Brown can definitely be harsh to his band but he is always striving for the utmost perfection and will not falter until he achieves it. These are facts that a common person may not have necessarily known about Brown, and Jonathan Lethem’s reporting allows readers to know this kind of behind-the-scenes information. The author does a very good job of speaking as if his audience were by his side witnessing the very actions and words of James Brown. When reading, I felt transported to the very moment due to Lethem’s exemplary reporting of detail. Lethem will provide information and then branch off to muse about his interactions with Brown. He will provide biography and facts when it is needed to support the reporting. He also adds his personal opinions and own commentary to enhance the article. Lethem does a very good job at organizing his information to portray James Brown as quite a man with an incredible legacy.
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Charlene Forti
I agree that it was significant how Lethem's reporting made a way for people to know the real James Brown, behind-the-scenes. It's interesting how Brown shows just as much passion and gusto for his live studio recordings as he obviously does with his performance. Lethem details how some-what nitpicky Brown was with his band in the studio and that he recorded every take like he was doing it for the first time.
DeleteMatthew Wedderburn
From the beginning I could tell James Brown was a very humble, hardworking, and overall a good person. The statue that was being made for him he didn't want up on a pedestal, he wanted it on the ground. Commonly statues of people are put up on a pedestal. James Brown had to deal with a lot of adversity in his life. He grew up in a bad area, surrounded by lots of bad things. He was actually arrested and charged for trespassing when he was younger. The author talks about James Brown's studio. When he walked into the studio, although he tended go in later than everyone, they knew it was time to get to work. This shows what type of natural leader he was, and how people wanted to be around him. He would be hard on his band, but it was for the better. He wanted the best for his band. This author does a great job of putting the audience in the setting of the story. The diction plays a huge role in making me feel in the story. Brown seems to be an upbeat guy, but is very focused and determined to achieve his goals he sets out. He had a tough life when he was younger, and dealt with mass amounts of adversity. But with his handwork and determination he preserved through all that to become a great person in his community.
ReplyDeleteShane Drohan
Lethem begins to detail the shere gravity of James Brown's being and the sense of astonishment from witnessing his performance. This sense of astonishment was surprisingly similar to the events and feeling I got from a recent Chance the Rapper concert I went to in Miami. Only except The James Brown Band was replaced by DJ Oreo of Chicago, nevertheless evoked the same feelings of excitement and wonder throughout the audience. The DJ is playing hits from modern day rappers to Michael Jackson classics, setting the tone that this is going to be a unique live show but at the same time we're waiting for the star that is Chance the Rapper. Lethem similarly detailed how the audience was waiting for something; that something was James Brown. There was an aura surrounding the starring artist and once they came on stage it felt surreal. Similar to Brown, Chance had professional level stage presence that was only multiplied by the band that played in perfect sync with them. At this point in the performance, Chance had his actual live band of drums, keys, and trumpet behind him along with three background singers. These artists have great live performances because they have equally as much control over their band as they do the audience. The atmosphere of the performance from the perspective of up-close floor seating is almost tribal, Lethem details the audience was similar to "certain ceremonies known to the Mayan peoples". Millions of unique and different people swaying to the music in unison and synchronicity is something "to behold".
ReplyDeleteMatthew Wedderburn
When I read the title "Being James Brown" I did not expect to actually get to know a stranger so well from someone else's perspective. I think Jonathan Lethem has a style that I would like to learn something from because he really brought James Brown back to life for the brief moment that I was reading this. The first impression I got of James Brown was from this genius line of describing Brown as being "less a statue than any human being who ever lived" (Paragraph 3). This line seemed to form James Brown into a person of warmth and softness, something a statue could not give. In the paragraph talking about Brown's habits at his home in Augusta it really made me picture him not as a grand musician but as a regular man living a very simple life, he seemed relatable. When the scene was transferred into the recording studio, which was described in very great details, I felt a new impression of James Brown coming on, a man of self - certainty and somewhat frightening. Like Jonathan Lethem commented, "I find it, truthfully, terrifying to have that face examining mine in return" (Paragraph 17). Also in one of the paragraphs Lethem uses a lot of short direct quotes that seem as if they should stand on their own but somehow they seem to aid to the live-ness of the text which I really enjoyed. I found it really clever to view James Brown's band members as men of a "Pavlovian situation", and just like the readers, Lethem had not figured out why someone would want to stay in such a commitment and lifestyle.
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I read Rolling Stones profile on James Brown, and I really enjoyed it. This profile was a longer one, but it definitely was deserving of having such length because it is packed with great material. From quotes, to stories, and interviews with Brown and his band, this article had it all. The author did really well describing things and using emotion, as for it really hooks the reader. James Brown seemed to have been very independent and not care what anyone thought of him and what he did. It said that he wasn’t the nicest guy to his band partners. But that team sure did put in a lot of work. The author talks about the commitment of the band and how much work is put into it. The author talks as if James Brown is a god. And that if you see him, hear his music, or go to a show you will be in a trance off admiration. I think the author worked very hard on this profile.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much detail that no ordinary person would be able to find out. The use of wording is very precise and well thought out. To get the best profile on James Brown, it was extremely smart of the author to include many interviews of surrounding parts in Brown’s life. This included his band and managers. The profile on James Brown was a great one and it has made me interested in pursuing to learn more/listen more to him.
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says my post was deleted July 10, 2017 at 1:11 PM. Not sure why so here is my repost.
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