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joyceontheroad's review against another edition
4.0
Een mooi boek over een legendarische man. Maar ook een gecompliceerde man, aan het einde het boek ken je hem nog steeds niet.
dagray08's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
James McBride's book, a combination of James Brown's biography and a meditation on the social structures and the society in which he lived and made some of the most memorable art (esp. of the 50s 60s and 70s), shows how placing such an enormous task in the hands of a storyteller rather than a biographer/historian can yield much more than a standard chronology of facts.
McBride's task is to tell the story of a man who 'didn't want to be known' and who had a non stop stream of acquaintances who all claimed to have a piece of the man.
McBride's writing explores Brown's complexity, the distrust that led him to stash cash in a wide variety of places making his estate a nightmare to settle, the problems of poverty and southern culture that would be impossible to escape even after great success, his harsh treatment of those closest but also his loyalty, the mythmaking that often did a disservice to Brown's shrewdness, and the way a business surrounded by so many who wanted a piece could evently wear him down but long after it destroyed others in the entertainment business.
This is not an attempt make him heroic. Nor does the book make him a caricature - a great exploration, warts and all, that will also teach things about the 60s and 70s, Augusta and South Carolina, the Soul and Rock music industries, and about relationships. Challenging if you're trying to reduce a person's identity to one simple thing.
McBride's task is to tell the story of a man who 'didn't want to be known' and who had a non stop stream of acquaintances who all claimed to have a piece of the man.
McBride's writing explores Brown's complexity, the distrust that led him to stash cash in a wide variety of places making his estate a nightmare to settle, the problems of poverty and southern culture that would be impossible to escape even after great success, his harsh treatment of those closest but also his loyalty, the mythmaking that often did a disservice to Brown's shrewdness, and the way a business surrounded by so many who wanted a piece could evently wear him down but long after it destroyed others in the entertainment business.
This is not an attempt make him heroic. Nor does the book make him a caricature - a great exploration, warts and all, that will also teach things about the 60s and 70s, Augusta and South Carolina, the Soul and Rock music industries, and about relationships. Challenging if you're trying to reduce a person's identity to one simple thing.
chris_chester's review
4.0
I picked up this book in preparation for an interview with James McBride for the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. back in September. Of the ~6 books that I scanned, researched and prepared for, Kill 'Em And Leave was the only one that I made sure to sit down and read cover to cover.
I don't know a lot about music. I love funk in the sort of passive way that most people like chocolate cake -- put it in front of me and I'm going to be happy, but don't ask me what it's made of or why the particular portions within it work in the way that they do. And I've always liked James Brown, though my experience with his music is sort of inhaling it ambiently like you might Michael Jackson, The Beatles or Beethoven.
So this book was something of a departure for me.
At the same time, it kind of wasn't. James McBride is an accomplished author and journalist, and this book was clearly a labor of love on his part -- musician that he is. He has to be, in order to achieve what he has with Kill 'Em And Leave.
Relying mostly on shoe leather and interviews with people who were important in Brown's life at various periods in his life, he manages to sketch a portrait of the Godfather of Soul using the negative space around him. McBride touches on some of the superficial things like his hair or his womanizing, but where you really get a strong picture of who he was as a man is in the ways he influenced the lives of those who knew. And it's those sparks of feeling that really populate this book.
And really, if nothing else, this book is an excellent excuse to dust off some of James Brown's albums, which, I have to say, really stand up well to the test of time.
I don't know a lot about music. I love funk in the sort of passive way that most people like chocolate cake -- put it in front of me and I'm going to be happy, but don't ask me what it's made of or why the particular portions within it work in the way that they do. And I've always liked James Brown, though my experience with his music is sort of inhaling it ambiently like you might Michael Jackson, The Beatles or Beethoven.
So this book was something of a departure for me.
At the same time, it kind of wasn't. James McBride is an accomplished author and journalist, and this book was clearly a labor of love on his part -- musician that he is. He has to be, in order to achieve what he has with Kill 'Em And Leave.
Relying mostly on shoe leather and interviews with people who were important in Brown's life at various periods in his life, he manages to sketch a portrait of the Godfather of Soul using the negative space around him. McBride touches on some of the superficial things like his hair or his womanizing, but where you really get a strong picture of who he was as a man is in the ways he influenced the lives of those who knew. And it's those sparks of feeling that really populate this book.
And really, if nothing else, this book is an excellent excuse to dust off some of James Brown's albums, which, I have to say, really stand up well to the test of time.
nh1's review
3.0
"Every man or woman in this life has a song, and if you’re lucky you can remember it. The song of your wedding, the song of your first love, the song of your childhood. For African Americans, the song of our life, the song of our entire history, is embodied in the life and times of James Brown."
8little_paws's review against another edition
4.0
A series of essays, really, about McBride's travels to learn about James Brown, and many interviews with family and friends. This was my first McBride, and his writing style sings with an original sound on every page. Particularly of note is the chapter about his first wife and their 2 sons, one who died in a car accident as a young adult.
elementary221b's review
4.0
This was a book club choice that taught me a lot about James Brown and helped me appreciate his genius in the face of numerous challenges. The author does a good job focusing on James Brown the musician and touching on the complexities that surrounding him. The book leaves you with a sense of the level of courage and grit that James Brown used to elevate his music to the national stage and beyond. It also shows you how lonely it was for James Brown as he found success and the paranoia that made it hard for him to enjoy the fruits of his succes. It also highlighted how little of the money that is a part of the music business makes it way to the musicians as well as how little we as a people care about musicians after they leave the top levels. Several standout passages:
1. "You see those towers, Mr. Bobbit? The government's listening to me. They can hear everything I say. They're listening through my teeth."
2. (after the death of his son) Keep it tight, Terry. Keep it proper. You gotta work. Smile. Show your best face.
3. (advice to Al Sharpton) Never let them see you sweat. Come important. Leave important.
4. "Lemme tell you something, Rev. When you kill 'em, Rev, you leave. You kill 'em and leave. You understand that, son? Kill 'em and leave."
The saddest part of this book is learning how James Brown's legacy is being squandered in South Carolina.
1. "You see those towers, Mr. Bobbit? The government's listening to me. They can hear everything I say. They're listening through my teeth."
2. (after the death of his son) Keep it tight, Terry. Keep it proper. You gotta work. Smile. Show your best face.
3. (advice to Al Sharpton) Never let them see you sweat. Come important. Leave important.
4. "Lemme tell you something, Rev. When you kill 'em, Rev, you leave. You kill 'em and leave. You understand that, son? Kill 'em and leave."
The saddest part of this book is learning how James Brown's legacy is being squandered in South Carolina.
oldschoolways's review
2.0
Full disclosure: stopped after 20% of the book. I was learning more about the author's recent divorce and personal/family/music history than I was about James Brown or his legacy. The authorial voice and interjections were just getting in the way, and weren't very witty or insightful.
jazzyrandy's review
5.0
Instead of giving readers a rundown of numerous concerts, studio sessions and road trips, this biography focuses more about James Brown the person. Author McBride digs deep to reveal where James Brown lived, about the times, the values, the socio economic situation, the powerful unyielding racism, the families, the lives. By giving us all this, we learn an incredible amount about Brown.
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
mikolee's review
3.0
Wonderful literary tribute to The Godfather of soul James Brown. Funny, complicated, enlightening. One great artist bringing a rich history of another great artist alive with color, depth and feeling. I don't think James McBride can write a bad sentence.