1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Should Know, a production of My 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Clark and there's Charles W. Chuck Bryan over there, 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: and this is stuff you should know. Not bad. Let's 5 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: hear yours. I know you can do it. The Soul Train, 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: it's so much higher than that. That was good though, 7 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: but you you, you dropped it down into your range 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,319 Speaker 1: and it still was. You made it your own, I think, 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: is what I'm trying to say. And I like it, 10 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: which is old white guy version. So you're not old, 11 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: You're just middle aged now, okay, sure, uh well let 12 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: me ask you this, Chuck. Were you aware of Soul 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: Train while it was on? Oh? Yeah, okay, then your 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: super rowl. I love Soul Train. Sure. So I was 15 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: a solid Gold man myself, but I can get on 16 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: some Soul Train for sure, especially like vintage stuff these days. Yeah, 17 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: I mean I've watched Solid Gold to be sure. Uh 18 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: an American bandstand. But I was just a uh a 19 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: rapid consumer of popular culture and television and music growing up, 20 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 1: so before MTV came along and completely changed my life, 21 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: because that's all I watched was shows like soul Train. 22 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: We're where I could because you know, often I couldn't 23 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: stay up to watch um late night te uh talk 24 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: shows where you see performances like this is where I 25 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: got to see live music before I could start go 26 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: seeing live music. Right, Oh yeah, that was and that 27 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: was a huge draw of it for sure. Like the 28 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: idea of just being able to tune in on Saturday 29 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: at eleven am, depending on where you were and and 30 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,559 Speaker 1: seeing like a somebody like Marvin Gay or Stevie Wonder 31 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: perform like that was that was a big deal, especially 32 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,559 Speaker 1: like you're saying, if you're too young and fell asleep 33 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: too early to go to a proper show. Um, but 34 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: even more than that, and like that was a huge, 35 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: huge mark that Soul Train left was was just presenting that. 36 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: But that had been done before. There was American band 37 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: stay and there are all sorts of like kind of 38 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: dance party TV shows. UM. So it didn't exactly pioneer 39 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: in that sense. But what it did pioneer and is 40 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: that the people that was presenting African Americans teenagers um, 41 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: who were hip and their own people and part of 42 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: black culture and presenting it in a way that like 43 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: was an apologetic that wasn't um critical, that didn't didn't 44 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: portray it in some sort of negative light or in 45 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: a way that you know, I was trying to get 46 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: white people to understand it. Just presenting it as it 47 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: was and celebrating it. That's where Soul Train like really 48 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: broke through. And it's very very difficult to overstate how 49 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: revolutionary and groundbreaking Soul Train was, especially for how simple 50 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: the show format was. Basically, I mean, like you said, 51 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: bandstand had been around since nineteen two and this uh 52 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 1: you know kind of was known as the Black American Bandstand, 53 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: and it followed that format. It was you know, people, 54 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: a live music performance, UM, a host interviewing and talking 55 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: to these people, uh, these musicians afterward briefly, and then 56 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: beyond that just awesome music spinning on the turntable and 57 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: amazing dancing, amazing outfits, amazing hairstyles, and just a celebration 58 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,119 Speaker 1: of black culture. It was really really cool, and um, 59 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: the point is made in in this uh in this 60 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: article that they put together for us, but um, it 61 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: was it was definitely um by black people and four 62 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: black people, but it was an introduction to black culture 63 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: to white kids like me, a little eight year old 64 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: Chuck in Stone Mountain, Georgia sitting around watching the Soul 65 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: Train dance line. Yeah, I can't imagine it was mind blowing, Chuck, Like, um, 66 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: I think it wasn't just you know, it wasn't like 67 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: you were necessarily sheltered where you were growing up. Whether 68 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: you were or not, it kind of doesn't matter. It 69 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: was that there there was no place for you to 70 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: be exposed to this prior to Soul Train, that if 71 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: you saw a black guy on TV, it was say 72 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,279 Speaker 1: on the news and he was being arrested for something 73 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: or they you know, he was involved in a protest 74 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: and the protest was kind of presented in a particularly negative, 75 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: agitated light um or he was a sidekick on on 76 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,239 Speaker 1: TV or a servant or in some kind of goofy 77 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: comedy or something like that. Like the un soul Training 78 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: into that, there was no there was no subscribing to 79 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,559 Speaker 1: all like the preconceived notions that there have been before. 80 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: It was just its own thing. It was like, hey, 81 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: by the way we've been you know, we have our 82 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: own culture over here. You guys have ignored all this time. 83 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: We're gonna put it on TV and show it off. 84 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: And if you like it awesome if you don't get lost. Yeah, 85 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: And Dave um I thought it was kind of astute 86 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: that he said it was kind of like a lifestyle 87 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: brand before that was such a thing because these people 88 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: were influencers, uh what you saw and on soul Train, 89 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: you you wanted to dance like that, you wanted to 90 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: wear those clothes. If someone debuted of sweet move, then 91 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: you saw on Saturday morning, you would uh practice that 92 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: move in your living room and then debut it at 93 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: your club that night. And there were like some pretty 94 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: sweet moves that were debuted on Unsoul Trained. The Sweetest 95 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: We did an entire episode on the Moonwalk, if you 96 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: remember correctly, and that was originally called the Backslide that 97 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: was created on Soul Train. The Robot the rerun. Dam it, man, 98 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: there's so much sweet robot ing. Yes, yeah, and that's 99 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: where he came from. Apparently no one did the robot 100 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: And like these were like basically club kids who who 101 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: now had a place to do their club stuff on 102 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: TV and then go out to the club's later that 103 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: night and do some more and like come up with 104 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: more stuff and they come bring it to Soul Train 105 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: again and then kids would watch that kids, college kids, 106 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: adults would watch this and be like, this is the 107 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: coolest thing that's on TV right now, and I want 108 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,599 Speaker 1: to do those dance moves too. Yeah. Let's read a 109 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: couple of these quotes that kind of encapsulate how important 110 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 1: of a show this was. One is from philosopher, activists 111 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: and Harvard professor Cornell West. He said, I never missed 112 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: it Saturday morning as a graduate, as a student at Princeton, 113 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: I would see it wherever I was. It made available 114 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: to the world one of the great traditions in American history, 115 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: which is a history of soul music. Soul music at 116 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: its best, taught America, especially young Americans, about color, how 117 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: to be free, and how to love in a deeper 118 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: and better way. Uh. And this from common the actor 119 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: and rapper. Watching my babysitter get the opportunity to go 120 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: on Soul Train was like a dream come true for 121 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 1: her because Soul Train was the biggest thing then for 122 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: the black community. It gave ordinary, everyday people an opportunity 123 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 1: to express themselves. It showed us that we two have 124 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: a place on TV. Yeah, and I can't imagine what 125 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: commons babysitter, how excited she must have been to get 126 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: to be on Soul Train, like that must have been 127 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: the biggest thing possible, Like they said it was the 128 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: hippest trip on television, and like that was not much 129 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: of an exaggeration, especially at the time, especially when you 130 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: compared it to like American Bandstand at the time, which 131 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: when when Soul Train came along, you said Bandstand had 132 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 1: been on since nineteen fifty two, almost two decades by 133 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: this time. Um Soul Train comes along, And there was 134 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: a TV critic in nineteen seventy three who wrote, I 135 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: believe for the New York Times that comparing Um Soul 136 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: Train to the old American Bandstand is like comparing Champagne 137 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: to seltzer Burns. That had to that had to hurt 138 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: Dick Clark. Oh, he did fun well as far as 139 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: I could tell. Everything I've ever heard about him. He 140 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: was literate, so we very well could have read that, 141 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: and if not, somebody may have read it to him 142 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: and it hurt his feelings. There's no way it didn't. 143 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: So we can't talk about Soul Train without talking about 144 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: Don Cornelius. Uh. Don Cornelius was the host and creator 145 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: of Soul Train and owner and Owner, which is huge, 146 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: like this guy owned his own TV show, which was 147 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: not a very common thing to happen, still a comment thing. 148 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: They usually put him in league with Desi ar Nez, 149 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: who owned I Love Lucy, and Mike Douglas who owned 150 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: the Mike Douglas Show. Most of even like the creators 151 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: of a show, you didn't own the show that you created, 152 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: like you like have some sort of deal with somebody 153 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: to help produce it, or a network has exclusive rights 154 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: to it, or somebody else at least own some other 155 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: piece of it. This was a hundred percent Don Cornelius's 156 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: jam And there's a legend um that kind of goes 157 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: along with that that James Brown came on very early 158 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: on in like nineteen seventy two or three, and he 159 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: was like, so, who's backing you on this? Man and 160 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: dot thank you. I can't do a very good James 161 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: Brown um, and Don Cornelius says, it's just me James. 162 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: And apparently James Brown thought that he didn't fully understand 163 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: the question, so he kind of asked it again, didn't 164 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: think to rephrase it in different words, just asked the 165 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: same question. Don Cornelius answers in the same way He says, 166 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: it's just me. James, like he got what he's saying, 167 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: and he was telling him this is mine, a percent mine. 168 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: Nobody else owns it. It's totally my show. And I 169 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: don't think anybody else could have done it like Don 170 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: Cornelius did. He was perfect for Soul Train, and I 171 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: think the reason why is because it came from him, 172 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: like it was his creation and his baby. Should we 173 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: take a break, I'm a little worked up, so yeah 174 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: maybe so all right, Uh, you're gonna work on your 175 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: rerun dance. We're gonna take a little break and we'll 176 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: go back and uh talk about young Don Cornelius right 177 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: after this. I want to learn about how to take 178 00:09:55,559 --> 00:10:00,040 Speaker 1: a perfect but about kiscon murders that they kind of 179 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: all runs on the plane every day. We should know 180 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: warred up Jerry. Alright, So Young Don was born in 181 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 1: Chicago on the South Side, in the neighborhood of Bronzeville, 182 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,080 Speaker 1: known as the Black Metropolis. He was the son of 183 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: a postal worker and it was a marine. He joined 184 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: the Marines after high school. Uh fought in South Korea. 185 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: After that, comes home to Chicago, tells cars for a 186 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: little while, sells insurance for a little while and then says, 187 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,400 Speaker 1: I want to be a cop. I want to be 188 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: a popo. Yep, And he was a popo also in 189 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: there somewhere. He married, I believe, his high school sweetheart 190 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: and has two kids. So by the time he's a cop, 191 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: he's he's married with with two kids at home, two 192 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 1: sons and one day. Um, there's a story and urban legend, 193 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 1: as far as I know, is true. Let me smell it. Well, 194 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: then it's not an urban legend. It's just a story. 195 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: It could be a true urban legend. We're gonna come 196 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 1: up with an entirely different category right now, Chuck. So 197 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: Don Cornelius, Officer Cornelius pulls the guy over, and that 198 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: guy happened to be the news director, Roy Wood for 199 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: a local UM a M radio station, w v O N. 200 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: And as Roy Wood is getting this ticket written up 201 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:35,559 Speaker 1: by Officer Cornelius, he's like, hey man, your voice is astounding, 202 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: because if you've never heard Don Cornelius's voice, press pause 203 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: right now and go on to YouTube. Just listen to 204 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: some soul train intros from him. He was an amazingly 205 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: hip cat with one of the best voices of all time. 206 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,679 Speaker 1: Ry white. He also pulled over the guy and said 207 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: license and registration. Baby, Yeah, so that helped. Yeah, do 208 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: it as Sammy Davis Jr. Pulling him over. Now, hey bad, 209 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: give me your license and registration. That was that was 210 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: so good? So um, anyway, the guy like is like, 211 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:10,439 Speaker 1: you have a really great voice. Have you ever considered 212 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: going into radio? And Don Cornelius says, I haven't until now, 213 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: but I'm going to give it some thought. And not 214 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 1: only does he give it some thought, it's not clear 215 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: whether he actually gave Roy Wood the ticket or not. Um, 216 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: but he actually quits being a cop, goes and takes 217 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: a three month broadcasting course with a wife and two 218 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: sons at home, so this is a pretty big risk 219 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: on his part, and tries out for a part as 220 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: a radio announcer at w v WIN and gets hired 221 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: after a three month course because his voice was that 222 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: great and because his persona was that hip too. So yes, 223 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 1: Don Cornelius, Uh, the voice of gold the Golden Tonsils? 224 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:57,679 Speaker 1: Is that what they called the velvet fog? That was melt? 225 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,079 Speaker 1: Or may? Okay? I always get this too confused and 226 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: nol on movie Crush. His nickname is Smokey vellet. Oh 227 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: that's nice. I'm not sure where that came from. Maybe 228 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: I made it up. Smokey gullet, smokey velfit. I was 229 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: smokey vell smokey gullet. That's really gross. So uh. He 230 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 1: becomes a DJ at the radio station, like you said, 231 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: and then as hired as a reporter, a news reporter 232 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: on TV for w c i U t V. He 233 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: covered sports, he covered covered civil rights stuff. He had 234 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: a show for the news program called a Black's View 235 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 1: of the News, which is, you know something you could 236 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,559 Speaker 1: only get away with in the nineteen sixties, I think 237 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:42,599 Speaker 1: early seventies. Plant. Oh, yeah, you're right, it would have 238 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: been the sixties. Sorry, yeah, and he u. He interviewed 239 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: Jesse Jackson, he interviewed Martin Luther King. Uh. Still djaying 240 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: at night, and he hosted the series of house parties 241 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: and club appearances all over Chicago. And he would take 242 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: the train to get to these places. So he called 243 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: these parties the soul Train. That's where the name came from. Yeah, 244 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: so he's like a TV broadcaster by day, radio radio 245 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: DJ and sock hop DJ by night comes up with 246 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: this soul train idea. And again, so this is like 247 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: in his first year after taking a three month broadcasting course, 248 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: after pulling over a radio executive who told him he 249 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 1: had a good voice, and he's like, you know what, 250 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 1: I'm happy doing news and civil rights reporting and I'm 251 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: part of you know, this group called the Good Guys, 252 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: these black DJs out of Chicago that were kind of 253 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: known as the arbiters of cool. But um, he he 254 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: said that he had He later said he had this 255 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: burning desire to um to see black people depicted on 256 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: television in a positive light. And he decided that the 257 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: best way to do that was to kind of take 258 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: these parties, these sock hops and um just kind of 259 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: cool Chicago house parties that he was djaying, and just 260 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: put him on TV. That like that would basically be 261 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: enough that if people just saw how cool these parties weren't, 262 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: how fun they weren't, how much like how how what 263 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: a celebration of like black culture they were just in 264 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: and of themselves, that that could be a TV show 265 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 1: by itself, And that was the original soul train. That's 266 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: right and very key. He went to his TV station 267 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: w c i U and said, I want to shoot 268 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: a pilot for this thing, baby, and they said, Uh, sure, 269 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: but we're not gonna be front the money, and he said, 270 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: I'll pay for it. Little did he know what a 271 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 1: fortuitous move that was, because I think had they funded it, 272 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: they would have had a real claim to it legally. 273 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: But he put up four hundred bucks of his own 274 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 1: money shot a pilot. It didn't look that great, it 275 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 1: was in black and white, but it was a big 276 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: hit immediately. Uh, And he said, not because it was wonderful, 277 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: but because it was theirs. It belonged to the black people. 278 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: A year later, he moves to l a and said, 279 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do the show for real here. This is 280 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 1: where it became nationally syndicated, which you know, I don't 281 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: know when we talked about TV syndication, but that's basically 282 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 1: when it's not owned and run on a major network, 283 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:07,160 Speaker 1: but you sell it to each local TV uh station 284 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: in whatever city. Yeah. I don't know what we would 285 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: have talked about that on either, but um I would. 286 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: I think we should do an entire episode on TV syndication. 287 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: I'll bet it was world changing. So um when he 288 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: moved to Los Angeles, that Black and White Soul Train 289 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: it used to be on every weekday. They continued that, 290 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: so it was like it was two things. It was 291 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: a full color, nationally syndicated television show out of l A. 292 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: But it was also a black and white local weekly 293 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: um or weekday television show out of Chicago at the 294 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: same time. For like a good five years, they were 295 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: both running at the same time, and so Don Cornelius 296 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 1: was at the helm of both. So on Fridays he 297 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: would fly out to l A shoot four episodes two 298 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: on Saturday to on Sunday, and then fly back in 299 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: time to be there for the afternoon black and white 300 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:05,399 Speaker 1: Monday episode of the Chicago local Soul Train Amazing, Working 301 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: Hard was working Hard, Yeah, it's right. So uh. It 302 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,160 Speaker 1: was a very popular show right out of the gate, 303 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 1: but advertising was always kind of a struggle because mainstream 304 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:16,959 Speaker 1: brands didn't quite know what to make of it. They 305 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: didn't this was kind of the first show of its kind. Um. 306 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 1: But that did open the door for Johnson Products, another 307 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: black owned Chicago business from husband and wife team George 308 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: and Joanne Johnson. Uh that they started nineteen fifty four, 309 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 1: and these commercials are so great too. They sold beauty 310 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: and hair care products to African Americans, so Afro Sheen 311 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: and Ultra Sheen were the two big ones and the 312 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,200 Speaker 1: two big commercials you see, and they became as much 313 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: as part of the fabric of the show almost as 314 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 1: like the Soul Train line or the performers or anything else. 315 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,960 Speaker 1: Really yeah, and I mean, like I think in a 316 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,719 Speaker 1: large part because they were they were like our stamps 317 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 1: dot com, like one of the earliest and longest running sponsors. Right, 318 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,160 Speaker 1: So when they came on, what they were promoting with 319 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: like with Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen was radical and 320 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: that it's saying like just let your hair grow naturally. 321 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: These are hair products for African Americans to use when 322 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,919 Speaker 1: they're growing their hair naturally, not following like white beauty standards. Right. 323 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: So it was like a perfect sponsor for Soul Train, 324 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: which is a celebration of black culture. Um for itself, 325 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:28,920 Speaker 1: the the um Johnson family of products were promoting black 326 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: culture and it's in like natural state too, So it 327 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:34,199 Speaker 1: was like just perfect to go hand in hand. I 328 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: think they kind of worked with each other, but also 329 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: we're important independent of one another, but when you put 330 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 1: them together, it was like greater than some of its 331 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: parts even. Yeah, and it was um it was a 332 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: big deal culturally. Uh. Not only was it a big hit, 333 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: but like people like Jesse Jackson said, Don Cornelius is 334 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: right up there with any civil rights leader of our generation. 335 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: He gave people a chance to feel good about themselves. 336 00:18:57,800 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: That's pretty great. Uh. And like I said, I was 337 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 1: a little white kid watching it. There's this lady, Madeline Weeks, 338 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 1: who was a fashion editor at g Q. She was 339 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: a little white girl in Virginia, and she said, I 340 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 1: watched Soul Train religiously every week. I loved it from 341 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: beginning to end. Even the Afrochine and ultrachine ads were heaven. 342 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: I had the funkiest, most stylish, sexiest dancers. Everybody looked 343 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: like they were having the best time. All the girls 344 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: look gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to look like that. I 345 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: was just a little kid living in the countryside in 346 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 1: Virginia and I live for it. Does something else, it's 347 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:32,800 Speaker 1: pretty great. Well, you want to take a break and 348 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:34,639 Speaker 1: then get back into what it was like to watch 349 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,879 Speaker 1: Soul Train and be on it. You know. I was 350 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: a guest. Yes, I can't wait. We're gonna debut that 351 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 1: clip live, all right, let's do it. I want to 352 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: learn about a terris ortic college actol how to take 353 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 1: a perfect moment, all about fractal An kiscon that the 354 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: hun the Lizzie Border murders, that they kind of all 355 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: runs on the plane, everything that we should know. Wear 356 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: it up, Jerry, Okay, Chuck, So we're back. There was 357 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: one little thing that I wanted to include about w 358 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: c i U, the original Chicago home of Soul Train. 359 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,959 Speaker 1: Apparently it was like a ragtag UHF station, an independent station, 360 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: and um, have you ever seen that that movie UHF 361 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 1: with weird al Nope, it's so good, but it actually 362 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: is not too far off from w c i U. 363 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: They would play Lithuanian and Polish language talk shows Amos 364 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: and Andy, um, bullfights from Mexico like these. They just 365 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: had this weird assemblage of TV shows. But then they're 366 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: they're in house. Programming was made by like this ragtag 367 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: kind of group of inexperienced people. And there's I read 368 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: in the Chicago Reader this kind of oral history of 369 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: the local version of Soul Train. The head cameraman at 370 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: w c i U had strabusmus and couldn't use the 371 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: viewfinder in the camera. It was like that kind of 372 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,480 Speaker 1: rag tag group that just kind of got it done somehow. 373 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: I just love that little tidbit. That's pretty cool. Alright. 374 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 1: So if you watch Soul Train, the first thing that 375 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: you would see when the show starts is that classic 376 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:29,879 Speaker 1: um animated intro of that freight train rolling into the city. 377 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:34,959 Speaker 1: So cool, so iconic. Then you see Don Cornelius, always 378 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: dressed to the nines, the coolest cat maybe to ever 379 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: be on television. Would make Billy d weep with jealousy. 380 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: He was because he was a DJ previously he was. 381 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:50,639 Speaker 1: He just had that DJ lingo down, you know. Uh, 382 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,440 Speaker 1: day put in one of the things. It's going to 383 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: be a stone gas honey, like all that seventies um 384 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: sort of shaft like talk was is just who Don 385 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 1: Cornelius was. Let me, let me try my hand at it. 386 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:09,719 Speaker 1: You ready, Okay, it's gonna be a stone gas honey. Okay, 387 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,199 Speaker 1: that sounded like a CB trucker from the seventies. Somehow, 388 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:18,119 Speaker 1: it's gonna be a stone gas honey. I don't know 389 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,680 Speaker 1: what my problem is. Hey, not bad, don't MIHI to 390 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:26,160 Speaker 1: meet Chuck Josh Cornelius. Uh, you had the ear musical guests, 391 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: like we said, just like American band stand. Um, I 392 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: think sometimes they lip lip SYNCD and sometimes they really sang. 393 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: Early on they lip synced across the board. Yeah, it 394 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 1: kind of depends on who the artist is too, Um, 395 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,440 Speaker 1: Patti LaBelle, Barry White, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, 396 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:48,159 Speaker 1: Al Green, like just a murderers row of rhythm and 397 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,320 Speaker 1: blues and soul performers. I think Gladys Knight and the 398 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: Pips was on the first syndicated episode. Yeah, and like 399 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: that was a huge favor that he called in and 400 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: Gladys totally delivered by being on that first nationally syndicated 401 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: episode because it drew a lot of attention and apparently 402 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 1: from that point on, uh, he was he was always 403 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 1: very um deferential, saying, you know, if it weren't for Gladys, 404 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,639 Speaker 1: none of this would be here right now. That's nice. Yeah, 405 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 1: it was pretty cool. Her. Have you ever eaten at 406 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: Gladys Knight's House of Chicken and Waffles? What do you think? 407 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: I'm thinking you probably have multiple times, but we've never 408 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 1: discussed it. Yeah. I mean when I lived in l A, 409 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 1: I was a regular at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. But um, yeah, 410 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,719 Speaker 1: Gladys Knight does it right as well, Yes she does. 411 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: Have you ever had the smothered chicken there? I don't 412 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 1: think so. Is it like gravy or something? Yes? And 413 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:41,359 Speaker 1: it is even better than the chicken and waffles. Yes. 414 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: I can't not get the chicken and waffles. So get both, Okay, 415 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 1: just get both. There's no reason to hold back at 416 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,720 Speaker 1: Gladys Knight's house of chicken and waffles and eat a 417 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 1: little bit of both and take the rest of them sure, 418 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 1: or eat it all? Yes, um so Soul Train. Of course, 419 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:02,040 Speaker 1: the musical performances were great and classic and iconic, but 420 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: it's the dancing that is what it's really known for. 421 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,439 Speaker 1: They got they scouted out some of these dancers. They 422 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: would go to the clubs and they did this on 423 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 1: American Bandstand and other shows too that had that had dancers. 424 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: They would go find like the flies dancers in the clubs, 425 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: invite them to be on the show, and everyone else 426 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,360 Speaker 1: had to audition, Like thousands of people would line up 427 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: an audition with their dance moves to be a Soul 428 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 1: trained dancer. Yeah and um like again, like commons babysitter 429 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,440 Speaker 1: was saying, like that was a big deal to be picked, 430 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 1: and some were recruited, like you're saying, from the clubs um, 431 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: and those those particular dancers were usually so good that 432 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: they would rise to like national prominence, like the camera 433 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: just couldn't avoid them. They also were no slouches that 434 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: learning how to play to the camera to um when 435 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:54,720 Speaker 1: the camera was on them or anywhere near them. Um. 436 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,120 Speaker 1: But one of the ways that everybody shine to whether 437 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: you've got a lot of camera time or not, was 438 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: in the the the Soul Train Line, which became a 439 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:06,640 Speaker 1: really regular feature of each episode where everybody just kind 440 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,239 Speaker 1: of be clapping and standing on two sides, and then 441 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 1: a couple would come down, usually a couple, sometimes it 442 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: was solo would come down and do some crazy dance moves, 443 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: um and really get a chance to like show off 444 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,879 Speaker 1: and and kind of capture the attention of the of 445 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: the viewing audience. Yeah, if you've never gone on YouTube 446 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: and looked at Soul Train Line videos, um, first of all, 447 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: I'm surprised that you you exist as a human. And secondly, 448 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,359 Speaker 1: just do it and then look up at the clock 449 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: two hours later, because you will be able to do 450 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 1: nothing but watch those video clips. It's amazing and what's 451 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: cool about it too, is you can put it to 452 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:49,879 Speaker 1: any kind of super cool music and it sounds really great. 453 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: It looks really great. What you like and mute it 454 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: and put on different music. No, no, but other people 455 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 1: have like put their own tracks or other people's tracks. 456 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: Video of soul Train. It works really well. Interesting. Yeah, 457 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: I like the real music. Sure, real music isn't bad either. 458 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: The jungle boogie one is really good. In particular, that 459 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,080 Speaker 1: is a good one. So they filmed four episodes in 460 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: a weekend. Um. Apparently the dancers were worked pretty hard, 461 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: and Cornelius was pretty demanding of them. You couldn't choot, gum, 462 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:25,400 Speaker 1: you couldn't curse. His mantra was beyond time, be tactful, 463 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: be creative, be funky, and be yourself. Yeah, they were 464 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: unpaid too, typically, Um, I guess you would be paid 465 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: if you were dancing to a performer. Um, but if 466 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: you were part of the segments that that it was 467 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 1: just them playing music and people were dancing, you were unpaid. Um. 468 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: I think they'd feed you because again, you're doing two 469 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:56,399 Speaker 1: episodes over two days, so for total, like you were saying, um, 470 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 1: and I mean you're dancing like the whole time, and 471 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,880 Speaker 1: I'm guessing that these things probably took longer than an hour. 472 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 1: They didn't just do an hour and that was it, 473 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: with no retakes or edits or anything like that. So 474 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 1: I'm not sure how long it actually took to film 475 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: an actual episode, but you were basically dancing the entire time, 476 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,199 Speaker 1: two episodes back to back, twice over a weekend. I 477 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 1: bet it was fun too, though I'm sure it was 478 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: fun too. I was thinking the impression that it was 479 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: a little competitive. Although there's a guy who um frequently 480 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 1: gets overshadowed by Don Cornelius, but was known as his 481 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: right hand man. His name was Clinton Ghent, and he 482 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,159 Speaker 1: was one of the uh the kind of co creators 483 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: of soul Train, or he was there from the beginning 484 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 1: in Chicago, and he had a real eye for finding 485 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,119 Speaker 1: those dancers in the clubs. He was one of the 486 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: ones who would go scout dancers, um but not only 487 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: of finding people who had like really crazy good moves 488 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 1: and getting them to come on to soul Train, but 489 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,479 Speaker 1: of putting all sorts of different dancers who would normally 490 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 1: be pretty competitive with one another, finding groups that would 491 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,680 Speaker 1: kind of jell together like a family. So that when 492 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: you go back and watch Soul Train episodes or when 493 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: you were watching it when they were coming on the 494 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: first time, you you you weren't like sitting there seeing 495 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 1: like dancers like kind of sniping one another, backbiting or 496 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: pushing each other out the way. It did kind of 497 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:17,439 Speaker 1: have this really family vibe every episode, And apparently that 498 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: was the work of Clinton Gent guy who who just 499 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,600 Speaker 1: really knew how to put people together. Yeah, that g 500 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: Q uh editor really nailed it. Like it It just 501 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: looked like every it looked like a party you wanted 502 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 1: to be at, like everyone was having a good time. Yeah, 503 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: for sure. So some of the um, some of these 504 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: dancers went on to be famous. Um, we're kind of 505 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: discovered there. Jody Whatley, the singer, She started out as 506 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: a teenager on Soul Train, and Don Cornelius was like, 507 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: you're super talented. I'm a businessman. Um, I'm gonna pair 508 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 1: you with this other guy, Jeffrey Daniel, and you guys 509 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: should record music together. And that little group went on 510 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: to be Shalimar of course. Uh in nineteen seventy seven 511 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: they got together and then after Shalimar, Jody Watley went 512 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: on to become Jody Watley. That's right. Ah, you mentioned 513 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 1: rerun from What's Happening, Um, Nick Cannon Carmen Electra, which 514 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: I didn't know that she started out there that that 515 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: kind of surprised me. I didn't either. Her real name 516 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: is Tera Lee Patrick. Did you know that. I don't 517 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: know if I did or not. I know it wasn't 518 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: Carmen Electra. Yeah, it's not that, although she looks way 519 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: more like a Carmen Electra than a Terry Lee Patrick. Yeah, agreed, 520 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:35,239 Speaker 1: didn't look at all Irish or Southern. Rosie Perez was 521 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,719 Speaker 1: maybe one of the biggest names to come out of 522 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: a Soul Train. This was in the eighties, because you know, 523 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: you think about the salad days of Soul Train and 524 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: you'd probably think of the seventies, but the eighties were 525 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: pretty big and it went all the way to two 526 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: thousand six. But um, in the eighties is when the 527 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: hip hop influence came on, and Rosie Perez brought that 528 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:57,959 Speaker 1: that Brooklyn, New York City hip hop flavor. And if 529 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: you go back and watch some of her stuff fun 530 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: Soul Train, it's like the Dancing School. It's much it's 531 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: much different than that sort of seventies groove that was. 532 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: It was that sort of New York City hip hop style. Yeah, 533 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: but she does it like the beginning of um, what 534 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 1: does it, uh, do the right thing? Yeah, that's her 535 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: dancing at the beginning of her right. Yeah. That was 536 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: like straight up soul train. That's what she did on 537 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,160 Speaker 1: soul Train um, which is very much not like what 538 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: they were doing in l A too. So she kind 539 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 1: of rose to prominence as a soul train dancer very quickly, 540 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 1: and Don Cornelius apparently was like, hey, I want to 541 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: lock you into a contract, and Rosie Perez, being smart, streetwise, 542 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: Rosie Perez said that's great, I'll show it to my lawyer. 543 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: And apparently Don Cornelius didn't like this, and as the 544 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,000 Speaker 1: story goes, he grabbed Rosie Perez, which is not what 545 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: you do when somebody says that they want their lawyer 546 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:51,480 Speaker 1: to look at a contract, you want them to lock 547 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: into um or for any reason really um And to 548 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: get him all of her she threw um a piece 549 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 1: of the fried chicken she was eating at the time, 550 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: right at his head and hit him in the face. 551 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,080 Speaker 1: That's how the story goes. That's how Rosie Perez tells 552 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: it for sure. Yeah, and you know we should mention 553 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 1: too that that is not cool at all. And while 554 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: we're praising Don Cornelius for his talents as a host, 555 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,120 Speaker 1: he uh he did later in life when he was 556 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 1: a bit older. Um was what was he arrested or 557 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: was he just charged? I think he was charged with 558 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: um domestic violence against his Russian Ukrainian wife. Yes, he 559 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: was at least charged. Um. I don't know if he 560 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 1: was convicted, but there was a Yeah, he got into 561 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 1: an entailment because of that, at least accusation that he 562 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:45,040 Speaker 1: had um abused her and then also apparently intimidated a 563 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: witness into changing their story. He was charged with that 564 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: as well. It was from what I understand though, this 565 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 1: all took place over a single night and possibly within 566 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: a very short period of time, over single night. Not 567 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: at all trying to justify or excuse it, but um, 568 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't know the story behind it at all, um, 569 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,640 Speaker 1: but I think it's worth pointing out like Don Cornelius 570 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 1: was not just as straight up like nothing but a smooth, 571 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,239 Speaker 1: cool cat. He was a complex human being who had 572 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: faults as well too, and flaws and all that. I 573 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 1: mean grabbing Rosie Perez is bad enough alone. Sure you 574 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:21,880 Speaker 1: know what you get, You get the old chicken wing 575 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: to the forehead. Yeah you do. I you would think, 576 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:27,719 Speaker 1: like even before she was a star, you'd know, just 577 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: hanging out with her a little bit, not to mess 578 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,200 Speaker 1: with Rosie Perez. I would never mess with Rosie Perez. 579 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:36,000 Speaker 1: And he didn't know that his signature sign off was 580 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: on Don Cornelius and as always imparting, we wish you love, 581 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: peace and soul. Yeah. There are a couple of other 582 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 1: people who kind of rose to prominence to Cheryl Song. 583 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:48,880 Speaker 1: She was the first Asian dancer on Soul Train, and 584 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:50,600 Speaker 1: she said she had to really kind of prove herself 585 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: that she wasn't just like the token non African American dancer, UM, 586 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 1: that she was actually a really good dancer, and she 587 00:32:56,920 --> 00:33:01,040 Speaker 1: did um. And then Jermaine Stewart, who you might recognize 588 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: as the singer of We Don't Have to Take Our 589 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 1: Clothes Off. And that's pretty cute because he came back 590 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: home and performed it on Soul Train in and when 591 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:13,280 Speaker 1: Don Cornelius was introducing him, he was saying, he made 592 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 1: good and we're all very proud of him, and like 593 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,560 Speaker 1: you mentioned the Irish Carmon Electra, who I guess stood 594 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 1: out because she was river dancing on Soul Train, and 595 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: everyone was like, what is that? What is that? But 596 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 1: then everybody wanted to do it because it was Carmon 597 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: Electra doing it. So Soul Train was so popular, and 598 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:36,400 Speaker 1: Dick Clark, I guess, didn't feel like he had enough 599 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:42,040 Speaker 1: money as a TV mogul and an icon on American Bandstand, 600 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,280 Speaker 1: so he went, Hey, I'm gonna start my own Soul 601 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: Train and try and bury Don Cornelius all right, and 602 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call it Soul Unlimited. M gonna put it 603 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: on ABC. And it was. You can see clips of 604 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: it on YouTube. It didn't last long, but it was 605 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 1: a literal rip off of Soul Train. And you might 606 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:03,600 Speaker 1: say Soul Train was a rip off of American band 607 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 1: Stand fair enough, but for him to go after, uh, 608 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,920 Speaker 1: the African American market like that, I don't think it 609 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 1: was very cool. No, it isn't very cool. I could 610 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,200 Speaker 1: see Dick Clark being a little blind to the larger 611 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: implications of it. And you know, I don't know if 612 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 1: if he was involved in it's canceling or not, but 613 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,880 Speaker 1: you know, some some black leaders did get it canceled. 614 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: They started a campaign to say, like, no, just leave 615 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,480 Speaker 1: this one alone. I don't know if how easily Dick 616 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 1: Clark went along with it or not. I like to 617 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,200 Speaker 1: think he was like, okay, I see the air of 618 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: my ways now and dropped it. But yeah, only a 619 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,839 Speaker 1: few episodes came out either way. Soul Train was left 620 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:45,239 Speaker 1: to like stand on its own, you know which? And 621 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 1: I think rightfully so too. Yeah yeah, uh. There were 622 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: other performers later on, they would have white performers. David 623 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: Bowie very famously was on there. Did you watch that? Did? It? 624 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 1: Was awful? Did a pretty bad lip sync job, which 625 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:02,839 Speaker 1: Cornelius gave him, uh, kind of teased him about. Uh. 626 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:04,880 Speaker 1: And then Elton John who was who has always had 627 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: a pretty big following in the African American community. I 628 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 1: don't know that, did you? Yeah? Yeah? He wrote. He 629 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,120 Speaker 1: wrote about it in his autobiography that I read last year. 630 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 1: I think it started when um Aretha Franklin covered Burned 631 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,799 Speaker 1: Down the Mission If I'm not mistaken, Okay, is that 632 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: the one she recorded? I think that's the way it 633 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,759 Speaker 1: went down. I've never heard of that song before. What 634 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,280 Speaker 1: is wrong with you? You've never heard burned Down the Mission? 635 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:34,560 Speaker 1: I don't think so. I'm not the biggest Elton John fan. 636 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:36,879 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm fine with him, but I really don't 637 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:39,239 Speaker 1: like a lot of his seventies stuff, like a lot. 638 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,800 Speaker 1: I really don't like it. Wow, But I like is 639 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:46,600 Speaker 1: any stuff like the whole I'm Still Standing thing? It 640 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: was burned down the mission before that? Yeah? Yeah, that 641 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,439 Speaker 1: was That was my follow up question is what what 642 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:55,879 Speaker 1: what problem did he have with the mission? He didn't 643 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,760 Speaker 1: write it? Okay, Bernie taup and wrote all his lyrics. 644 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: Oh I now I am a Bernie toppin You're a 645 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:09,000 Speaker 1: National treasure. Thank you. So Elton John was on a 646 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:11,840 Speaker 1: couple of times, and um, it's pretty sweet if you 647 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:14,480 Speaker 1: look at the one. I'm not sure if it was 648 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: the Philadelphia Freedom one or I hate that song or 649 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,840 Speaker 1: the other one that's such a good song, but he 650 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:22,759 Speaker 1: would they you know, he takes questions and you can 651 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 1: tell he's kind of shy and a little nervous, and 652 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,879 Speaker 1: he takes some questions from the from the people, from 653 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,160 Speaker 1: the dancers and stuff, which was kind of cool. But 654 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:34,760 Speaker 1: it's just very sweet to see how nervous he was. Yeah, 655 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 1: because he's he's known for being a humble, humble spirit, 656 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:44,839 Speaker 1: is he. No, have you ever seen that the documentary 657 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:47,680 Speaker 1: they made or he self made, or no, his partner made. 658 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: His partner was the only one he would, let you know, 659 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: fallo him around with the camera, which is pretty understandable. 660 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:54,319 Speaker 1: But he came out in the last like I don't know, 661 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:58,839 Speaker 1: decade or less. Yeah, the tantrums and tiarros. I think, yes, yeah, yeah, Yeah, 662 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,319 Speaker 1: it was great man. I loved it. Yeah, he's good. 663 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:03,759 Speaker 1: I like that Rocketman movie a lot too. I have 664 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:06,920 Speaker 1: not seen that. I saw it. I saw it over 665 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,080 Speaker 1: someone else's shoulders on a plane. You wouldn't like it, 666 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 1: I didn't. I know. It didn't look like anything I 667 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 1: would like. No, if you don't like Elton John, you 668 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:16,840 Speaker 1: wouldn't like the movie about Elton John. No. And again, 669 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,279 Speaker 1: sir Elton, I have no problem with you personally. It's 670 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: just that that period through seventies, the seventies like Crocodile Rock, Um, 671 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:29,160 Speaker 1: the one about like Philadelphia Freedom, Um. You know all 672 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,360 Speaker 1: those bad seventies albums Madman Across the Water and Captain 673 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:35,120 Speaker 1: Fantastic and Goodbye ell Bick Road. Those are all terrible, 674 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:40,200 Speaker 1: exactly I feel understood. Check think you. Uh So, the 675 00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:45,960 Speaker 1: eighties come along and Don Cornelius has brain surgery, takes 676 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,880 Speaker 1: a little time off, he comes back, Soul Train is 677 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:51,560 Speaker 1: has changed their look a little bit to try and 678 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:54,400 Speaker 1: fit with um kind of what's going on at the 679 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,960 Speaker 1: time with like Whitney Houston and people like that. And 680 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:02,200 Speaker 1: then hip hop and rap come along and apparently Don 681 00:38:02,239 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: Cornelia Cornelius was not a big fan. Uh yeah, And 682 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:08,600 Speaker 1: I think I read I can't remember. I read a 683 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: really great article and dazed about it. Or there's another 684 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 1: pretty good one that was a review of the recent 685 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 1: TV biopic about him and Soul Train on The Guardian, 686 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: and it basically explained it like that Don Cornelius was 687 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:29,799 Speaker 1: like a mid century integration minded black businessman and that 688 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:35,120 Speaker 1: he and his ilk in generation they had been working 689 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,200 Speaker 1: towards like, you know, getting a piece of the pie 690 00:38:38,719 --> 00:38:41,239 Speaker 1: that didn't necessarily it wasn't the white pie. It was 691 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,000 Speaker 1: the pie that white people controlled. And if you were 692 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,480 Speaker 1: you know, if you if you made your way to 693 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:49,400 Speaker 1: get a piece of this that like you could you 694 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,040 Speaker 1: could be black and still enjoy the good life. And 695 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:55,799 Speaker 1: that hip hop reminded him of everything that he and 696 00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,120 Speaker 1: his generation had kind of tried to work beyond and 697 00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:02,840 Speaker 1: past and integrate um and that to him it was 698 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,560 Speaker 1: a step backwards. So he wasn't vibing on it at all. 699 00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,800 Speaker 1: My own personal take is that he was a smooth 700 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:15,760 Speaker 1: customer and he appreciated smoothness, and hip hop, especially eighties 701 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: hip hop, was the opposite of smooth, and so he 702 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:21,439 Speaker 1: was not vibing on it at all. And he even 703 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:23,440 Speaker 1: referred to himself as an old guy sometimes when he 704 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:26,879 Speaker 1: was interviewing, Um, you know some of the hip hop 705 00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:29,479 Speaker 1: artists who came on Soul Train in the eighties. Yeah, 706 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:32,760 Speaker 1: I watched one of the Public Enemy clips and um, 707 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,520 Speaker 1: it was weird. Afterwards he like, he basically ignores Chuck 708 00:39:36,640 --> 00:39:42,080 Speaker 1: D and like talks only to Flavor Flavor and then 709 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: finally turns to Chuck. It was like, and now, Chuck D. 710 00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:50,160 Speaker 1: He said, you must feel so blessed to have have 711 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:53,800 Speaker 1: someone as talented as Flavor as your partner. What really, 712 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 1: it was really weird, and Chuck D was like, yeah, 713 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,840 Speaker 1: you know, he's quite a character, as you can see. 714 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:02,279 Speaker 1: I just I don't know. It really came off as 715 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:06,720 Speaker 1: like Don Cornelius, it doesn't understand this I'm not dissing 716 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 1: flav but like Chuck D was like the he was 717 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:13,440 Speaker 1: the leader of that band, you know, Yeah, he was 718 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: the brains behind the outfit for sure. And I mean, like, yeah, 719 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:22,919 Speaker 1: Flavor Flavors just like he's he's like fills in the 720 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 1: kind of hardness of Chuck D. Yeah, I I don't. Yeah, 721 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:28,920 Speaker 1: if you think public Enemy, it's definitely Flavor Flavor and 722 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,239 Speaker 1: Chuck T. But it's Chuck T. Yeah, you know what 723 00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:34,400 Speaker 1: I mean, and then Flavor flav. Yeah. It was definitely 724 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,759 Speaker 1: a strange interview because I thought, finally he's going to 725 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:38,600 Speaker 1: talk to Chuck T. And he's like, you must feel 726 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:41,400 Speaker 1: so good about having this guy as your partner, which 727 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:43,520 Speaker 1: which one was that after? Because they were on at 728 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:46,400 Speaker 1: least twice on the regular show by my account, and 729 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: then once on the Soul Train Awards at least, So 730 00:40:49,719 --> 00:40:52,359 Speaker 1: it's not like he wasn't smart enough to know that 731 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:54,960 Speaker 1: they were big and should be on anyway, whether he 732 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: liked him or not. But they did. They did Can't 733 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,359 Speaker 1: Trust It In and they did Bubble without a pause 734 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:05,200 Speaker 1: in seven and I could not find the interview segment. 735 00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:08,000 Speaker 1: I just saw like the performance and we both like 736 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:11,960 Speaker 1: really great. Well, it was very sweet and actually, um, 737 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:14,200 Speaker 1: it would have had to be in the nineties one 738 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:19,799 Speaker 1: because afterward Flavor Flav asked for a a moment of 739 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:24,160 Speaker 1: silence for the passing of Miles Davison Red Fox, and 740 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,440 Speaker 1: they took a moment of silence. That's awesome. So um 741 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:31,479 Speaker 1: and that's actually just um, in case we haven't gotten 742 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:36,359 Speaker 1: this across enough yet, Soul Train again, was it never 743 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:38,839 Speaker 1: got away from like it's black roots, like it never 744 00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:41,759 Speaker 1: sold out or anything like that. Like it was like, 745 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 1: that makes perfect sense that they would include that part. 746 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 1: They wouldn't just edit that out in the episode that 747 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 1: they were published. Um, that was just part of it. 748 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 1: Even as they're as late as the early nineties. Yeah, 749 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:55,960 Speaker 1: and the early nineties is when done Cornelius finally had 750 00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:00,760 Speaker 1: to step down. Was his final episode Old. He passed 751 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:04,480 Speaker 1: it on to the younger generation. It went all the 752 00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:07,880 Speaker 1: way to two thousand six and became the longest running 753 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:12,080 Speaker 1: syndicated show in TV history. Yeah, thirty five season amazing 754 00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:15,600 Speaker 1: and it's that those younger that younger generation that he 755 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:19,000 Speaker 1: handed the reins over to. Some of the temporary hosts 756 00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 1: included Jamie Fox got his start, Tira Banks and Shamar 757 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:27,520 Speaker 1: More from Criminal Minds. He was a long time stand 758 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:30,200 Speaker 1: in host. Yeah, he's a big time now. I don't 759 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:33,600 Speaker 1: know who that is. Um. I I don't watch Criminal 760 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:36,360 Speaker 1: Minds either, but you've seen enough like ads for Criminal 761 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:39,799 Speaker 1: Minds that you would recognize. I'm sure very sadly done. 762 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:44,320 Speaker 1: Cornelius took his own life. He was suffering from Alzheimer's 763 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:47,560 Speaker 1: and apparently was having a lot of seizures and just 764 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,399 Speaker 1: in a pretty bad way, um physically, and his son 765 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:53,640 Speaker 1: said that that was that was the reason why he 766 00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:57,800 Speaker 1: took his own life. Yeah. Well Pussy had also sold 767 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:01,000 Speaker 1: the rights I think too Soul two, and it seems 768 00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:03,560 Speaker 1: like things kind of started to go downhill for him 769 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:08,000 Speaker 1: around then, I think in two thousand eight. Um. But yeah, 770 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,520 Speaker 1: apparently it was a really big surprise to everybody who 771 00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:15,279 Speaker 1: knew him that he um, he died by suicide, that 772 00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:20,839 Speaker 1: that was not the perceived outcome for him, I think, Um, 773 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:23,480 Speaker 1: But his legacy lives on. Like you said, I mean, 774 00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:26,719 Speaker 1: the thirty five seasons the longest running syndicated television show 775 00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:29,960 Speaker 1: of all time. In and of itself, it's an incredible achievement, 776 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:34,200 Speaker 1: but also to be like a cornerstone of like introducing 777 00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:37,719 Speaker 1: black culture as black culture to the larger culture as 778 00:43:37,719 --> 00:43:41,719 Speaker 1: a whole and white culture is yeah. I mean that's 779 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:44,680 Speaker 1: that's about as big an accomplishment as as you can make. 780 00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:47,680 Speaker 1: It's like Jesse Jackson said he was as important as 781 00:43:47,719 --> 00:43:51,960 Speaker 1: any civil rights leader, you know. So that's Don Cornelius 782 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:59,680 Speaker 1: and so trained. That's if you want to know more 783 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:02,280 Speaker 1: about you don't need to know anything else. Just start 784 00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:05,439 Speaker 1: go watching clips of Soul Train and you will be 785 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,239 Speaker 1: a happier person than you were before you started. Get 786 00:44:08,239 --> 00:44:11,880 Speaker 1: ready for some sick robot action. It's so great. And 787 00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:14,840 Speaker 1: rerun too. You can't forget about re run fred Berry. No, 788 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:18,240 Speaker 1: that's sweet. Um, well, since we talked about fred Berry, 789 00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:23,040 Speaker 1: that means everybody obviously it's time for a listener mail. Uh, 790 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:25,799 Speaker 1: this is about Iron Maiden. Hey, guys, listen to your 791 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:29,359 Speaker 1: short stuff on six six six and loved it more 792 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:32,359 Speaker 1: so for Josh's thoughts on Iron Maiden, hardest working band 793 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:35,200 Speaker 1: in business seeing them twice. I've been a Maiden fan 794 00:44:35,239 --> 00:44:38,040 Speaker 1: for about fifteen years, and I gotta say Josh was 795 00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:39,840 Speaker 1: right on the money when he said Power Slave was 796 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:42,160 Speaker 1: the album to listen to if you've never really given 797 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:46,760 Speaker 1: them a chance, So chuck, whip out that old bean bag, 798 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:50,480 Speaker 1: roll up a fatty, crack open a cold one, and 799 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:54,360 Speaker 1: crank up some Maiden. You'll be glad you did. Also, 800 00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:56,120 Speaker 1: just want to say thank you both for the awesome 801 00:44:56,160 --> 00:45:02,440 Speaker 1: work you do. I'm spewing, which must be Australian for angry. 802 00:45:02,880 --> 00:45:04,680 Speaker 1: He says, I'm spewing because I couldn't get to your 803 00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:08,000 Speaker 1: show when you came to Perth. I think so, Yeah, yeah, 804 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:09,799 Speaker 1: you missed a good show. That was I was thinking 805 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:11,960 Speaker 1: about how cool that town was the other day. Yeah, 806 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: Perth was school. Your discussion and delivery of interesting, exciting 807 00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:19,000 Speaker 1: topics week after week, transmute information and understanding into very 808 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:22,960 Speaker 1: enjoyable entertainment into my ear holes, bringing much joy not 809 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:25,400 Speaker 1: just in my commute but to my work life. Lots 810 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:29,239 Speaker 1: of love from Mandura, Western Australia. And that is from 811 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:33,200 Speaker 1: thy Ty. I like this person. Yeah. First of all, 812 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:37,280 Speaker 1: Ty says that I'm right, which I love. Like's Iron 813 00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:40,400 Speaker 1: Maiden loves Iron Maiden, you could say, and as upset 814 00:45:40,440 --> 00:45:43,719 Speaker 1: that we that that they missed our show, we'll be back. 815 00:45:44,800 --> 00:45:46,680 Speaker 1: Sure we will be Hey, you know where like number 816 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:49,080 Speaker 1: one in Australia as far as podcast go. Right now, 817 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:51,400 Speaker 1: I heard that. Man, They're they're practically begging for us 818 00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:53,680 Speaker 1: to come back. Well, we'll come back and we'll definitely 819 00:45:53,719 --> 00:45:55,960 Speaker 1: go to Perth again. So don't worry, ty, We'll we'll 820 00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:57,759 Speaker 1: be there. Just keep any or out, keep your ear 821 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:00,680 Speaker 1: holes out, that's right. If you I'm gonna be cool 822 00:46:00,719 --> 00:46:03,000 Speaker 1: like tie and get in touch with us, um, you 823 00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:05,120 Speaker 1: can do that. You can send us an email to 824 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:12,799 Speaker 1: Stuff podcast at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff You Should 825 00:46:12,840 --> 00:46:15,080 Speaker 1: Know is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. 826 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:17,600 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart 827 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:20,160 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 828 00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:24,040 Speaker 1: favorite shows. H