1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:02,200 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Chuck here. 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,039 Speaker 2: It's April twenty first, twenty twenty on our COVID timeline 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 2: here for the Saturday Trip down Memory Lane. This is 4 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 2: a really fun episode, so I'm very excited to recommend 5 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,240 Speaker 2: this app from April twenty first, the Soul Train episode 6 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 2: where we took a fun look back at the great, 7 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 2: great TV show that was So. 8 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 1: Train. 9 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 3: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of iHeartRadio. 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 4: Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark and 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 4: there's Charles w Chuck Bryan over there, and this is 12 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 4: stuff you should know. Not bad, let's hear yours. I 13 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:51,599 Speaker 4: know you can do it. 14 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: The Soul Train it's so much higher than that. 15 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 4: That was good, though, but you dropped it down into 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 4: your range and it's still was. You made it to 17 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 4: your own I think, is what I'm trying to say, 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 4: and I. 19 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: Like it, which is old white guy version. 20 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 4: So you're not old, You're just middle aged. 21 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: Now. 22 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 4: Okay, sure, well let me ask you this, Chuck. Were 23 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 4: you aware of Soul Train while it was on? 24 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: Oh? 25 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, then your Super Bowl? 26 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: I love Soul Train. 27 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 4: Sure, so I was a solid gold man myself. But 28 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 4: I can get on some Soul Train for sure, especially 29 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 4: like vintage stuff these days. 30 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I've watched Solid Gold to be sure, 31 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 2: an American Bandstand, But I was just a a rabid 32 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 2: consumer of popular culture and television and music growing up, 33 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: so before MTV came along and completely changed my life, 34 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 2: because that's all I watched was shows like Soul Train 35 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 2: were where I could because you know, often I couldn't 36 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 2: stay up to watch late night tea talk shows where 37 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: you see performances like this is where I got to 38 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 2: see live music before I could start go seeing live music. 39 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 4: Right, Oh, yeah, that was and that was a huge 40 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 4: draw of it for sure. Like the idea of just 41 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 4: being able to tune in on Saturday at eleven am, 42 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 4: depending on where you were and seeing like a somebody 43 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 4: like Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder perform like that was 44 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 4: that was a big deal, especially like you're saying, if 45 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 4: you were too young and fell asleep too early to 46 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:26,079 Speaker 4: go to a proper show, that's right, but even more 47 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 4: than that, and like that was a huge, huge mark 48 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 4: that Soul Train left was just presenting that. But that 49 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 4: had been done before there was American band Stand. There 50 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 4: are all sorts of like kind of dance party TV shows. 51 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 4: So it didn't exactly pioneer in that sense, but what 52 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 4: it did pioneer in is that the people that was 53 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 4: presenting African Americans teenagers who were hip and their own 54 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 4: people and part of black culture, and presenting it in 55 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 4: a way that like was an apologetic that wasn't critical, 56 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 4: that did didn't portray it in some sort of negative 57 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 4: light or in a way that you know, was trying 58 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 4: to get white people to understand it. Just presenting it 59 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 4: as it was and celebrating it. That's where SoulTrain like 60 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 4: really broke through. And it's very very difficult to overstate 61 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 4: how revolutionary and groundbreaking SoulTrain was, especially for how simple 62 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 4: this show format was. 63 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 2: Basically, Yeah, I mean, like you said, bandstand had been 64 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 2: around since nineteen fifty two, and this, you know, kind 65 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: of was known as the Black American Bandstand, and it 66 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 2: followed that format. It was, you know, people, a live 67 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 2: music performance, a host interviewing and talking to these people 68 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 2: these musicians afterward briefly, and then beyond that just awesome 69 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 2: music spinning on the turntable and amazing dancing, amazing outfits, 70 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 2: amazing hair styles, and just to celebrate of black culture. 71 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: It was really really cool. 72 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 2: And the point is made in this in this article 73 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 2: that they put together for us, but. 74 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: It was it was definitely by. 75 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 2: Black people and four black people, but it was an 76 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 2: introduction to black culture to white kids like me, little 77 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 2: eight year old Chuck in Stone Mountain, Georgia sitting around 78 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 2: watching the Soul Train dance line. 79 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 4: Yeah, I can imagine. It was mind blowing, Chuck, Like 80 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 4: I think it wasn't just you know, it wasn't like 81 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 4: you were necessarily sheltered where you were growing up. Whether 82 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 4: you were or not, it kind of doesn't matter. It 83 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 4: was that there there was no place for you to 84 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 4: be exposed to this prior to Soul Train, that if 85 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 4: you saw a black guy on TV, it was say 86 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 4: on the news and he was being arrested for something, 87 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 4: or they you know, he was involved in a protest 88 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 4: and the protest was kind of presented in a particularly negative, 89 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 4: agitated light, or he was a side on TV or 90 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,480 Speaker 4: a servant or in some kind of goofy comedy or 91 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 4: something like that. Like in Soul Train and do that. 92 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 4: There was no there was no subscribing to all like 93 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 4: the preconceived notions that there have been before it was 94 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 4: just its own thing. It was like, hey, by the 95 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 4: way we've been you know, we have our own culture 96 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 4: over here. You guys have ignored all this time. We're 97 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 4: gonna put it on TV and show it often. If 98 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 4: you like it, awesome, if you don't get lost. 99 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, And Dave I thought it was kind of astute 100 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 2: that he said it was kind of like a lifestyle 101 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 2: brand before that was such a thing because these people 102 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 2: were influencers. What you saw on Soul Train, you wanted 103 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 2: to dance like that, You wanted to wear those clothes. 104 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 2: If someone debuted a sweet move that you saw on 105 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 2: Saturday morning, you would practice that move in your living 106 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 2: room and then debut it at your club that night. 107 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 4: And there were like some pretty sweet moves that were 108 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 4: debuted on Soul Trained. The Sweetest we did an entire 109 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 4: episode on the Moonwalk, if you'll remember correctly, and that 110 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 4: was originally called the backslide that was created on Soul Train. 111 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 4: The robot, the rerun ding it. 112 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: Man, there's so much sweet roboting going on. 113 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 4: Yes, yeah, and that's where it came from. Apparently no 114 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 4: one did the robot, and like these were like basically 115 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 4: club kids who now had a place to do their 116 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 4: club stuff on TV and then go out to the 117 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 4: clubs later that night and do some more and like 118 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 4: come up with more stuff, and they'd come bring it 119 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 4: to SoulTrain again. And then kids would watch that. Kids, 120 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 4: college kids, adults would watch this and be like, this 121 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 4: is the coolest thing that's on TV right now, and 122 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 4: I want to do those dance moves too. 123 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. 124 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 2: Let's read a couple of these quotes that kind of 125 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 2: encapsulate how important of a show this was. One is 126 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 2: from philosopher, activists and Harvard professor Cornell West. He said, 127 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 2: I never missed it Saturday morning as a graduate at 128 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 2: a student at Princeton. I would see it wherever I 129 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 2: was available to the world. One of the great traditions 130 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,119 Speaker 2: in American history, which is a history of soul music. 131 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 2: Soul music at its best, taught America, especially young Americans, 132 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 2: about color, how to be free, and how to love 133 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 2: in a deeper and better way. And this from common 134 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 2: the actor and rapper. Watching my babysitter get the opportunity 135 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 2: to go on Soul Train was like a dream come 136 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 2: true for her because Soul Train was the biggest thing 137 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 2: then for the black community. It gave ordinary everyday people 138 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 2: an opportunity to express themselves. It showed us that we 139 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 2: too have a place on TV. 140 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 4: Yeah, and I can't imagine what commons babysitter, How excited 141 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 4: she must have been to get to be on Soul Train. 142 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, like that must have been the biggest thing possible. 143 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 4: Like they said it was the hippus trip on television, 144 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 4: and like that was not much of an exaggeration, especially 145 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 4: at the time, especially when you compared it to like 146 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 4: American Bandstand at the time, which when Soul Train came along, 147 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 4: you said, bansand had been on since nineteen fifty two, 148 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 4: almost two decades by this time. SoulTrain comes along. And 149 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 4: there was a TV critic in nineteen seventy three who wrote, 150 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 4: I believe for the New York Times that comparing Soul 151 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 4: Train to the old American Bandstand is like comparing Champagne 152 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 4: to seltzer Burns. That had to hurt Dick Clark. 153 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: Oh, he did fine. 154 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 4: Well, as far as I could tell. Everything I've ever 155 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 4: heard about him. He was literate, so he very well 156 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 4: could have read that, and if not, somebody may have 157 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 4: read it to him, and it hurt his feelings, there's 158 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 4: no way it didn't. 159 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 2: So we can't talk about SoulTrain without talking about Don Cornelius. No, 160 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,320 Speaker 2: Don Cornelius was the host and creator of SoulTrain and 161 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 2: owner and owner, which is huge. Like this guy owned 162 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 2: his own TV show, which was not a very common 163 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 2: thing to happen, still is not a common thing. 164 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 4: They usually put him in league with Desi Arnetz, who 165 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 4: owned I Love Lucy, and Mike Douglas, who owned the 166 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 4: Mike Douglas Show. Most of the even like the creators 167 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 4: of a show, you didn't own the show that you created, 168 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 4: like you like have some sort of deal with somebody 169 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 4: to help produce it, or a network has exclusive rights 170 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 4: to it, or somebody else at least owns some other 171 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 4: piece of it. This was one hundred percent Don Cornelius's jam. 172 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 4: And there's a legend that kind of goes along with 173 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 4: that that James Brown came on very early on in 174 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 4: like nineteen seventy two or three, and he was like, 175 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,840 Speaker 4: so who's backing you on this? Man? And dot thank you. 176 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 4: I can't do a very good James Brown, and Don 177 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 4: Cornelius says, it's just me, James, And apparently James Brown 178 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 4: thought that he didn't fully understand the question, so he 179 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 4: kind of asked it again. Didn't think to rephrase it 180 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 4: in different words, just ask the same question. Don Cornelius 181 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:45,160 Speaker 4: answers them the same way. He says, it's just me, James, 182 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 4: like he got what he's saying, and he was telling 183 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 4: him this is mine, one hundred percent mine. Nobody else 184 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 4: owns it. It's totally my show. And I don't think 185 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 4: anybody else could have done it like Don Cornelius did. 186 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 4: He was perfect for Soul Train, and I think the 187 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 4: reason why is because it came from him, like it 188 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 4: was his creation and his baby. 189 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: Should we take a break. 190 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 4: I'm a little worked up, so yeah maybe so. 191 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: All right, Uh, you're gonna work on your rerun dance. 192 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 2: We're gonna take a little break, and we'll go back 193 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 2: and talk about young Don Cornelius right after this. I 194 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 2: want to learn about terms horn and college, howadactyle, how 195 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 2: to take a berg all about is gone. 196 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 3: That's a little hunt. 197 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: We should know. 198 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 3: Word up, Jerry. 199 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: All right. 200 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 2: So, Young Don was born in Chicago on the South Side, 201 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 2: in the neighborhood of Bronzeville, known as the Black Metropolis. 202 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 2: He was the son of a postal worker and was 203 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 2: a marine. He joined the Marines after high school, fought 204 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,079 Speaker 2: in South Korea. After that, comes home to Chicago, sells 205 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 2: cars for a little while, sells insurance for a little while, 206 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 2: and then says, I want to. 207 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: Be a cop. 208 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:18,559 Speaker 4: I want to be a popo. 209 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: Yep, And he was a popo. 210 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 4: Also in there somewhere. He married, I believe, his high 211 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 4: school sweetheart and has two kids. So by the time 212 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:27,839 Speaker 4: he's a cop, he's married with two kids at home, 213 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 4: two sons. And one day there's a story, an urban 214 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 4: legend that, as far as I know, is true, let 215 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 4: me smell it. Well, then it's not an urban legend, 216 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 4: it's just a story. It could be a true urban legend. Okay, 217 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 4: we're going to come up with an entirely different category 218 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 4: right now. Chall right, So Don Cornelius, Officer Cornelis pulls 219 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 4: the guy over, and that guy happened to be the 220 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 4: news director, Roy Wood for a local AM radio station 221 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 4: wvo N, And as Roy Wood is getting this ticket 222 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 4: written up by Officer Cornelius, he's like, hey, man, your 223 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 4: voice is astounding, because if you've never heard Don Cornelius's voice, 224 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 4: press pause right now, go on to YouTube. Just listen 225 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 4: to some soul trained intros from him. He was an 226 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 4: amazingly hip cat with one of the best voices of 227 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 4: all time. Yeah, led Barry White. 228 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: He also pulled over the guy and said license and registration, baby. 229 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 4: Yeah, so that helped. Yeah, do it as Sammy Davis 230 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:25,199 Speaker 4: Junior pulling him over. 231 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:29,559 Speaker 1: Now, hey, bab, give me your license and registration. 232 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 4: That's so good. So anyway, the guy like is like, 233 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 4: you have a really great voice. Have you ever considered 234 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 4: going into radio? And Don Cornelius says, I haven't until now, 235 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 4: but I'm going to give it some thought. And not 236 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 4: only does he give it some thought, it's not clear 237 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 4: whether he actually gave Roy Wood the ticket or not, 238 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 4: but he actually quits being a cop, goes and takes 239 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 4: a three month broadcasting course with a wife and two 240 00:12:58,080 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 4: sons at home. So this is a pretty big risk 241 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 4: on his part, and tries out for a part as 242 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 4: a radio announcer at WVN and gets hired after a 243 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 4: three month course because his voice was that great and 244 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 4: because his persona was that hip too. 245 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 2: So yes, Don Cornelius, the voice of gold the Golden Tonsils. 246 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 4: Is that what they called the velvet fog. That was 247 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 4: melt or may oh okay, and I just get those 248 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:27,359 Speaker 4: too confused. 249 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: And Noel on movie Crush his nickname is Smokey Velvet. 250 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 4: Oh, that's nice. 251 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: I'm not sure where that came from. Maybe I made 252 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: it up. Smokey gullet, smoky velvet. 253 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 4: Oh, smoky velvet, smoky gullet. 254 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:41,199 Speaker 1: That's really gross. 255 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 2: So he becomes a DJ at the radio station, like 256 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 2: you said, and then is hired as a reporter, a 257 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:52,439 Speaker 2: news reporter on TV for w CiU TV. He covered sports, 258 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 2: he covered civil rights stuff. He had a show for 259 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 2: the news program called a blacks View of the News, 260 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 2: which is, you know something you could only get away 261 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 2: with in the nineteen sixties I. 262 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 4: Think early seventies by nut. Oh, yeah, you're right, it 263 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 4: would have been the sixties. Sorry. 264 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. 265 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 2: And he interviewed Jesse Jackson, he interviewed Martin Luther King. 266 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 2: Still djaying at night, and he hosted the series of 267 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 2: house parties and club appearances all over Chicago. And he 268 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 2: would take the train to get to these places. So 269 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 2: he called these parties the soul Train. That's where the 270 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 2: name came from. 271 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, So he's like a TV broadcaster by day radio 272 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 4: DJ and sockhap DJ by night comes up with this 273 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 4: soul train idea. And again, so this is like in 274 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 4: his first year after taking a three month broadcasting course, 275 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 4: after pulling over a radio executive who told him he 276 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 4: had a good voice, and he's like, you know what, 277 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 4: I'm happy doing news and civil rights reporting, and I'm 278 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 4: part of this group called the Good Guys, these black 279 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 4: DJs out of Chicago that were kind of known as 280 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 4: the Arbiters of Cool. But he said that he had 281 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 4: He later said that he had this burning desire to 282 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 4: see black people depicted on television in a positive light, 283 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 4: and he decided that the best way to do that 284 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 4: was to kind of take these parties, these sockhops and 285 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 4: just kind of cool Chicago house parties that he was 286 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 4: DJing and just put him on TV. That like that 287 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 4: would basically be enough that if people just saw how 288 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 4: cool these parties weren't, how fun they were, and how 289 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,320 Speaker 4: much like how what a celebration of like black culture 290 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 4: they were just in and of themselves, that that could 291 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 4: be a TV show by itself. And that was the 292 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 4: original soul train. 293 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 1: That's right and very key. 294 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 2: He went to his TV station W CiU and said, 295 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 2: I want to shoot a pilot for this thing, baby, 296 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 2: and they said, uh, sure, but we're not going to 297 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 2: front the money, and he said, I'll pay for it. 298 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: Little did he know what a fortuitous move that was. 299 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, because I think had they funded it, they would 300 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 2: have had a real claim to it legally. But he 301 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 2: put up four hundred bucks of his own money shot 302 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 2: a pilot. It didn't look that great, it was in 303 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 2: black and white, but it was a big hit immediately. 304 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 2: And he said, not because it was wonderful, but because 305 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 2: it was theirs. 306 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: It belonged to the black people. Yeah. 307 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 2: A year later he moves to LA and said, I'm 308 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 2: going to do the show for real here. This is 309 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 2: where it became nationally syndicated, which you know, I don't 310 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 2: know when we talked about TV syndication, but that's basically 311 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 2: when it's not owned and run on a major network, 312 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 2: but you sell it to each local TV station in 313 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 2: whatever city. 314 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 4: Yeah. I don't know what we would have talked about 315 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 4: that on either, but I would I think we should 316 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 4: do an entire episode on TV syndication. I'll bet it 317 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 4: was world changing. Sure, So when he moved into Los 318 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 4: Angeles in nineteen seventy one that Black and White Soul Train. 319 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 4: It used to be on every weekday. They continued that, 320 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 4: so it was two things. It was a full color 321 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 4: nationally syndicate hated television show out of la but it 322 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 4: was also a black and white local weekly or weekday 323 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,879 Speaker 4: television show out of Chicago at the same time. For 324 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 4: like a good five years, they were both running at 325 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,199 Speaker 4: the same time, and so Don Cornelius was at the 326 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 4: helm of both. So on Fridays he would fly out 327 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 4: to La shoot four episodes, two on Saturday, two on Sunday, 328 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:24,679 Speaker 4: and then fly back in time to be there for 329 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 4: the afternoon black and white Monday episode of the Chicago 330 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 4: Local Soul Train. 331 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: Amazing working hard. 332 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 4: He was working hard. Yeah, it's right. 333 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 2: So it was a very popular show right out of 334 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 2: the gate, but advertising was always kind of a struggle 335 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 2: because mainstream brands didn't quite know what to make of it. 336 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 2: They didn't this is kind of the first show of 337 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 2: its kind, but that did open the door for Johnson Products, 338 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 2: another black owned Chicago business from husband and wife team 339 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 2: George and Joeanne Johnson that they started in nineteen fifty four. 340 00:17:58,520 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 2: And these commercials are. 341 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: So great too. 342 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 2: They sold beauty and hair care products to African Americans. 343 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 2: So Afroshine and Ultraschine were the two big ones and 344 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 2: the two big commercials you see, and they became as 345 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 2: much as part of the fabric of the show almost 346 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 2: as like the Soul Train liner, the performers or anything else. 347 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 4: Really yeah, and I mean, like I think in a 348 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:22,320 Speaker 4: large part because they were they were like our stamps 349 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,640 Speaker 4: dot Com, like one of the earliest and longest running sponsors. Right. 350 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 4: So when they came on, what they were promoting with 351 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 4: like with Afrochine and Ultraschine was radical and that it's 352 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 4: saying like just let your hair grow naturally. These are 353 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 4: hair products for African Americans to use when they're growing 354 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 4: their hair naturally, not following like white beauty standards. Right. 355 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:47,120 Speaker 4: So it was like a perfect sponsor for SoulTrain, which 356 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 4: is a celebration of black culture. For itself, the Johnson 357 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 4: family of products were promoting black culture and it's like 358 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 4: natural State too, so it was like just perfect go 359 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 4: hand in hand. I think they kind of worked with 360 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 4: each other but also were important independent of one another. 361 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 4: But when you put them together, it was like greater 362 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:10,200 Speaker 4: than some of its parts even. 363 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it was. It was a big deal culturally. 364 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 2: Not only was it a big hit, but like people 365 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 2: like Jesse Jackson said, Don Cornelius is right up there 366 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 2: with any civil rights leader of our generation. He gave 367 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:23,800 Speaker 2: people a chance to feel good about themselves. 368 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 4: That's pretty great. 369 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:26,880 Speaker 2: And like I said, I was a little white kid 370 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 2: watching it. There's this lady, Madeline Weeks, who is a 371 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 2: fashion editor at GQ. She was a little white girl 372 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 2: in Virginia, and she said, I watched Soul Train religiously 373 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 2: every week. Loved it from beginning to end. Even the 374 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 2: Afroshine and Ultrachine ads were heaven. Had the funkiest, most stylish, 375 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 2: sexiest dancers. Everybody looked like they were having the best time. 376 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 2: All the girls look gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to look 377 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:51,199 Speaker 2: like that. I was just a little kid living in 378 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 2: the countryside in Virginia and I live for it. 379 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:57,400 Speaker 1: Does something else, it's pretty great. 380 00:19:57,840 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 4: Well, you want to take a break and then get 381 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 4: back into what it was like to watch. 382 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: Soul Train and be on it. You know, I was 383 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: a guest. 384 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 4: Yes, I can't wait. We're gonna debut that clip live, 385 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 4: all right, let's do it. 386 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 2: I want to learn about a terri sort and college 387 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 2: rd Actole, how to take a perfect bout is Gone? 388 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 3: That's another hunt, The Sane Everything. 389 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 1: And John. 390 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 5: Word up, Jerry, Okay, Chuck, So we're back. 391 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 4: There was one little thing that I wanted to include 392 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 4: about w c i U, the original Chicago home of 393 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 4: Soul Train. Apparently it was like a ragtag U HF station, 394 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 4: an independent station. And have you ever seen that that 395 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 4: movie U HF with weird al Nope, it's so good, 396 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,880 Speaker 4: but it actually is not too far off from w CiU. 397 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 4: They would play Lithuanian and Polish language talk shows Amos 398 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 4: and Andy Bullfights from Mexico like these are they just 399 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 4: had this weird assemblage of TV shows, But then they're 400 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 4: they're in house. Programming was made by like this ragtag 401 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:26,359 Speaker 4: kind of group of inexperienced people. And there's a I 402 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 4: read in the Chicago Reader this kind of oral history 403 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:33,680 Speaker 4: of the local version of SoulTrain. The head cameraman at 404 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 4: w CiU had strabusmiths and couldn't use the viewfinder in 405 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 4: the camera. It was like that kind of ragtag group 406 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 4: that just kind of got it done somehow. 407 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: Wow. 408 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 4: I just love that little tidbit. 409 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:45,480 Speaker 1: That's pretty cool. 410 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, So if you watch SoulTrain, the first 411 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,359 Speaker 2: thing that you would see when the show starts is 412 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 2: that classic animated intro of that freight train rolling into 413 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 2: the city. 414 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:58,439 Speaker 1: So cool, so iconic. 415 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 2: Then you see Don Cornelius, always dressed to the nines, 416 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 2: the man, coolest cat maybe to ever be on television. 417 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 4: We make Billy d weep with jealousy. 418 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,439 Speaker 2: He was because he was a DJ previously he was. 419 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,879 Speaker 2: He just had that DJ lingo down. Yeah, you know, 420 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 2: they put in one of the things, it's going to 421 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:23,880 Speaker 2: be a stone Gas honey, like all that seventies sort 422 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:28,720 Speaker 2: of shaft like talk was just who Don Cornelius was. 423 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 4: Let me, let me try my hand at it. You ready, Okay, 424 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 4: it's going to be a stone gas honey. Okay, that 425 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,440 Speaker 4: sounded like a CB trucker from the seventies somehow interesting. 426 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 4: It's going to be a stone gas honey. I don't 427 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:45,719 Speaker 4: know what my problem is. 428 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,639 Speaker 2: Hey, not bad, don't lie to me, Chuck, Josh Cornelius. 429 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 2: You had your musical guest, like we said, just like 430 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 2: American Bandstand. I think sometimes they lip synced and sometimes 431 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,240 Speaker 2: they really sang. 432 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 4: On the lip sync to cross the board. 433 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, it kind of depends on who the artist is too, 434 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 2: Patty LaBelle, Barry White, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, 435 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 2: Al Green, like just a murderer's row of rhythm and 436 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,920 Speaker 2: blues and soul performers. I think Gladys Knight and the 437 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 2: Pips was on the first syndicated episode. 438 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:23,959 Speaker 4: Yeah, and like that was a huge favor that he 439 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 4: called in and Gladys totally delivered by being on that 440 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,120 Speaker 4: first nationally syndicated episode because it drew a lot of attention, 441 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:34,119 Speaker 4: and apparently from that point on he was he was 442 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 4: always very deferential, saying, you know, if it weren't for Gladys, 443 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 4: none of this would be here right now. Oh that's nice, Yeah, 444 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 4: it was pretty Cooliver. Have you ever eaten a Gladys 445 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,120 Speaker 4: Knight's House of Chicken and waffles? 446 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: What do you think? 447 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,360 Speaker 4: I'm thinking you probably have multiple times, but we've never 448 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 4: discussed it. 449 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. 450 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 2: I mean when I lived in LA I was a 451 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 2: regular at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. But yeah, Gladys Knight 452 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:56,640 Speaker 2: does it right as well. 453 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 4: Yes she does. Have you ever had the smothered chicken there? 454 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,359 Speaker 4: I don't think so. Is it like gravy or something. Yes, 455 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,880 Speaker 4: and it is even better than the chicken and waffles. 456 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,120 Speaker 1: Really, yes, I can't not get the chicken and waffle. 457 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:11,119 Speaker 4: So get both. 458 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: Okay, just get both. 459 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 4: There's no reason to hold back at Gladys Knight's House 460 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 4: of Chicken and waffle. 461 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: And eat a little bit of both and take the 462 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: rest of home, sure, or eat it all. 463 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:26,480 Speaker 2: Yes, so Soul Train, of course that the musical performances 464 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:30,120 Speaker 2: were great and classic and iconic, but it's the dancing 465 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,479 Speaker 2: that is what it's really known for. They got they 466 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 2: scouted out some of these dancers. They would go to 467 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 2: the clubs, and they did this on American Bandstand and 468 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 2: other shows too that had dancers. They would go find 469 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,639 Speaker 2: like the flyest dancers in the clubs, invite them to 470 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 2: be on the show, and everyone else had to audition, 471 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 2: Like thousands of people would line up and audition with 472 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 2: their dance moves to be a soul trained dancer. 473 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,679 Speaker 4: Yeah, and like again, like Common's babysitter was saying, like 474 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,880 Speaker 4: that was a big deal to be picked. And some 475 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 4: were recruited like you're saying, from the clubs, and those 476 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 4: those particular dancers were usually so good that they would 477 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 4: rise to like national prominence, like the camera just couldn't 478 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 4: avoid them. They also were no slouches at learning how 479 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 4: to play to the camera too when the camera was 480 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 4: on them or anywhere near them. But one of the 481 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,280 Speaker 4: ways that everybody shine too, whether you've got a lot 482 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:27,400 Speaker 4: of camera time or not, was in the the Soul 483 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 4: Train Line, which became a really regular feature of each 484 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,440 Speaker 4: episode where everybody just kind of be clapping and standing 485 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:36,960 Speaker 4: on two sides, and then a couple would come down, 486 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 4: usually a couple, sometimes it was solo would come down 487 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,359 Speaker 4: and do some crazy dance moves and really get a 488 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 4: chance to show off and kind of capture the attention 489 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 4: of the viewing audience. 490 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, if you've never gone on YouTube and looked at 491 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 2: Soul Train Line videos, first of all, I'm surprised that 492 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 2: you exist as a human. And secondly, just do it 493 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 2: and then look up at the clock two hours later, 494 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,719 Speaker 2: because you will be able to do nothing but watch 495 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:09,920 Speaker 2: those video clips. 496 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:11,120 Speaker 1: It's amazing. 497 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 4: And what's cool about it too, is you can put 498 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 4: it to any kind of super cool music and it 499 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 4: sounds really great and looks really great. 500 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:20,960 Speaker 1: What you like, and mute it and put on different music. 501 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:23,680 Speaker 4: No, no, but other people have like put their own 502 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 4: tracks or other people's tracks. Oh really, video of soul 503 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 4: train and it works really well. 504 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: Oh interesting, Yeah, I like the real music. 505 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:33,880 Speaker 4: Sure, real music isn't bad either. 506 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, the Jungle Boogie one is really good in particular, 507 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 2: that is a good one. So they'd filmed four episodes 508 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 2: in a weekend. Apparently the dancers were worked pretty hard, 509 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,200 Speaker 2: and Cornelius was pretty demanding of them. 510 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:48,399 Speaker 1: You couldn't choot them, you couldn't curse. 511 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 2: His mantra was be on time, be tactful, be creative, 512 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 2: be funky, and be yourself. 513 00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 4: Yeah, they were unpaid too. Typically, I guess you would 514 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:06,919 Speaker 4: be paid if you were dancing to a performer, but 515 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 4: if you were part of the segments that it was 516 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 4: just them playing music and people were dancing, you were unpaid. 517 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 4: I think they'd feed you because again, you're doing two 518 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 4: episodes over two days, so four total, like you were saying, 519 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 4: and I mean, you're dancing like the whole time. And 520 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 4: I'm guessing that these things probably took longer than an hour. 521 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,719 Speaker 4: They didn't just do an hour and that was it, 522 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 4: with no retakes or edits or anything like that. So 523 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,920 Speaker 4: I'm not sure how long it actually took to film 524 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 4: an actual episode, but you were basically dancing the entire time, 525 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,360 Speaker 4: two episodes back to back, twice over a weekend. 526 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: I bet it was fun too. 527 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 4: Though I'm sure it was fun too. I was thinking 528 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,119 Speaker 4: at the impression that it was a little competitive. Although 529 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 4: there's a guy who frequently gets overshadowed by Don Cornelis, 530 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:57,680 Speaker 4: but was known as his right hand man. His name 531 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,040 Speaker 4: was Clinton Ghent, and he was one of the the 532 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 4: kind of co creators of Soul Training, or he was 533 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,479 Speaker 4: there from the beginning in Chicago, and he had a 534 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,240 Speaker 4: real eye for finding those dancers in the clubs. He 535 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,200 Speaker 4: was one of the ones who would go scout dancers, 536 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 4: but not only of finding people who had like really 537 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 4: crazy good moves and getting them to come on to 538 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 4: Soul Train, but of putting all sorts of different dancers 539 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 4: who would normally be pretty competitive with one another, finding 540 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 4: groups that would kind of gel together like a family, 541 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 4: so that when you go back and watch Soul Train episodes, 542 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 4: or when you were watching it when they were coming 543 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 4: on the first time, you weren't like sitting there seeing 544 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 4: like dancers like kind of sniping one another. Backbiting or 545 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 4: pushing each other out of the way. It did kind 546 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 4: of have this really family vibe every episode, and apparently 547 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 4: that was the work of that Clinton Ghent guy who 548 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 4: just really knew how to put people together. 549 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, that GQ editor really nailed it. 550 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 2: Like it just looked like it looked like a party 551 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 2: you wanted to be at, like everyone was. 552 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: Having a good time. 553 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, for sure. 554 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 2: So some of the some of these dancers went on 555 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,120 Speaker 2: to be famous. We're kind of discovered there. Jody Wattley, 556 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 2: the singer. She started out as a teenager on Soul 557 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 2: Train and Don Cornelius was like, you're super talented, I'm 558 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 2: a businessman. I'm going to pair you with this other guy, 559 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,720 Speaker 2: Jeffrey Daniel, and you guys should record music together. And 560 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 2: that little group went on to be Shallamar. Of course, 561 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,960 Speaker 2: in nineteen seventy seven they got together, and then. 562 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 4: After Shallamar, Jody Wattley went on to become Jody Wattley. 563 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: That's right. 564 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 2: You mentioned rerun from What's Happening, Nick Cannon, Carmen Electra, 565 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 2: which I didn't know that she started out there. 566 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 1: That kind of surprised me. 567 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 4: I didn't either. Her real name is Tara Lee Patrick. 568 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 4: Did you know that. 569 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: I don't know if I did or not. I know 570 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: it wasn't Carmen Electra. 571 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, no, it's not that, although she looks way more 572 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 4: like a Carmen Electra than a Tara Lee Patrick. Yeah, agreed, 573 00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,479 Speaker 4: doesn't look at all Irish or Southern. 574 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 2: Rosie Perez was maybe one of the biggest names to 575 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 2: come out of SoulTrain. This was in the eighties, because 576 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 2: you know, you think about the salad days of SoulTrain 577 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 2: and you'd probably think of the seventies, but the eighties 578 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 2: were pretty big and it went all the way to 579 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 2: two thousand and six. But in the eighties is when 580 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 2: the hip hop influence came on, and Rosie Perez brought 581 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 2: that Brooklyn, New York City hip hop flavor. And if 582 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 2: you go back and watch some of her stuff on SoulTrain, 583 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 2: it's like the dancing school. It's much different than that 584 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 2: sort of seventies groove. It was that sort of New 585 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 2: York City hip hop style. 586 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, she does it like the beginning of what does 587 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,719 Speaker 4: it do the right thing? Yeah, that's her dancing at 588 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 4: the beginning of it, right. 589 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: Yeah. 590 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, that was like straight up SoulTrain. So what she 591 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 4: did on SoulTrain, which is very much not like what 592 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 4: they were doing in La too. So she kind of 593 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 4: rose to prominence as a Soul Train dancer very quickly, 594 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,960 Speaker 4: and Don Cornelius apparently was like, hey, I want to 595 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 4: lock you into a contract, and Rosie Perez, being smart, 596 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 4: street wise, Rosie Perez said that's great, I'll show it 597 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 4: to my lawyer. And apparently Don Cornelius didn't like this, 598 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 4: and as the story goes, he grabbed Rosie Perez, which 599 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 4: is not what you do when somebody says that they 600 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 4: want their lawyer to look at a contract you want 601 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 4: them to lock into, or for any reason really, and 602 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 4: to get him all over, she threw a piece of 603 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 4: the fried chicken she was eating at the time right 604 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 4: at his head and hit him in the face. 605 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 1: That's how the story goes. 606 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:33,280 Speaker 4: That's how Rosie Perez tells it for sure. 607 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know we should mention too. That is 608 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: not cool at all. 609 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 2: And while we're praising Don Cornelius for his talents as 610 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 2: a host, he did later in life when he was 611 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 2: a bit older. Was was he arrested or was he 612 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 2: just charged? I think he was charged with domestic violence 613 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:53,959 Speaker 2: against his Russian Ukrainian wife. 614 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 4: Yes, he was at least charged. I don't know if 615 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 4: he was victed, but there was a Yeah, he got 616 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 4: into an entailment because of that, at least accusation that 617 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:11,640 Speaker 4: he had abused her and then also apparently intimidated a 618 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 4: witness into changing their story. He was charged with that 619 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 4: as well. It was from what I understand though, this 620 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 4: all took place over a single night and possibly within 621 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 4: a very short period of time, over single night. Not 622 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 4: at all trying to justify or excuse it, but I 623 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,880 Speaker 4: don't know the story behind it at all, but I 624 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 4: think it's worth pointing out like Don Cornelius was not 625 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 4: just as straight up like nothing but a smooth, cool cat. 626 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,320 Speaker 4: He was a complex human being who had faults as 627 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 4: well too. Yeah, inflaws and all that. I mean, grabbing 628 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 4: Rosie Perez is bad enough alone. 629 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: Sure you know what you get, You get the old 630 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:49,200 Speaker 1: chicken wing to the forehead. 631 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,719 Speaker 4: Yeah you do. You would think, like even before she 632 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 4: was a star, you'd know, just hanging out with her 633 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 4: a little bit, not to mess with Rosy Perez. 634 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 1: No, I would never mess with Rosie Perez. 635 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 2: He didn't know that his signature sign off was on 636 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 2: Don Cornelius and as always in partying, we wish you love, 637 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 2: peace and soul. 638 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,400 Speaker 4: Yeah, there were a couple of other people who kind 639 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 4: of rose to prominence too. Cheryl Song she was the 640 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 4: first Asian dancer on SoulTrain, and she said she had 641 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:17,920 Speaker 4: to really kind of prove herself that she wasn't just 642 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 4: like the token non African American dancer, that she was 643 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 4: actually a really good dancer, and she did. And then 644 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 4: Jermaine Stewart, who you might recognize as the singer of 645 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 4: We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off, and that's 646 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 4: pretty cute because he came back home and performed it 647 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,680 Speaker 4: on SoulTrain in nineteen eighty six, and when Don Cornelius 648 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,240 Speaker 4: was introducing him, he was saying he made good and 649 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 4: we're all very proud of him. 650 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 1: And like you mentioned, the Irish Carmen Electra, who I 651 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: guess stood out because she was river dancing on SoulTrain 652 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 1: and everyone was like, what is that? 653 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 4: What is that? But then everybody wanted to do it 654 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 4: because it was Carmen Electra doing it. 655 00:33:55,760 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 2: So SoulTrain was so popular. And Dick Clark, I guess 656 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 2: didn't feel like he had enough money as a TV 657 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:09,919 Speaker 2: mogul and an icon on American Bandstand. So he went, hey, 658 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,399 Speaker 2: I'm going to start my own Soul Train and try 659 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,360 Speaker 2: and bury Don Cornelius, right, and I'm going to call 660 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 2: it Soul Unlimited. 661 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:20,319 Speaker 1: I'm going to put it on ABC. And it was. 662 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: You can see clips of it on YouTube. 663 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:26,440 Speaker 2: It didn't last long, but it was a literal ripoff 664 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 2: of Soul Train. And you might say Soul Train was 665 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:32,440 Speaker 2: a ripoff of American Bandstand, fair enough, but for him 666 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 2: to go after the African American market like that, I 667 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:38,160 Speaker 2: don't think was very cool. 668 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,560 Speaker 4: No, it isn't very cool. I could see Dick Clark 669 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:45,759 Speaker 4: being a little blind to the larger implications of it. 670 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:46,279 Speaker 1: Well. 671 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,160 Speaker 4: And you know, I don't know if if he was 672 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 4: involved in it's canceling or not, but you know, some 673 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:55,680 Speaker 4: black leaders did get it canceled. They started a campaign 674 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 4: to say, like, no, just leave this one alone. I 675 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 4: don't know if how easily Clark went along with her 676 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 4: or not. I like to think he was like, oh, okay, 677 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 4: I see the era of my ways now and dropped it. 678 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,239 Speaker 4: But yeah, only a few episodes came out either way, 679 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:10,759 Speaker 4: SoulTrain was left to like stand on its own. You 680 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,200 Speaker 4: know yeah, which and I think rightfully so too. 681 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:17,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, there were other performers. Later on they would 682 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:19,879 Speaker 2: have white performers. David Bowie very famously was on there. 683 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:21,759 Speaker 4: Oh no, did you watch that? 684 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 2: He did did ah, it was awful, did a pretty 685 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 2: bad lip sync job, which Cornelius gave him kind of 686 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:30,839 Speaker 2: teased him about. And then Elton John who was who 687 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 2: was always had a pretty big following in the African 688 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:33,840 Speaker 2: American community. 689 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:35,759 Speaker 4: I know that, did you? 690 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:37,600 Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, he wrote. He wrote about it in his 691 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:39,719 Speaker 1: autobiography that I read last year. 692 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:40,520 Speaker 4: That's cool. 693 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:46,600 Speaker 2: I think it started when Aretha Franklin covered burned Down 694 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:49,480 Speaker 2: the Mission. If I'm not mistaken, Okay, is that the 695 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:51,680 Speaker 2: one she recorded. I think that's the way it went down. 696 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:53,480 Speaker 4: I've never heard of that song before. 697 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,920 Speaker 1: What is wrong with you? You've never heard burn Down the Mission? 698 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 4: I don't think so. I'm not the biggest Elton John fan. 699 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,479 Speaker 4: I mean, I'm fine with him, but I really don't 700 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:05,880 Speaker 4: like a lot of his seventies stuff, like a lot. 701 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:09,440 Speaker 4: I really don't like it. Wow, But I like his 702 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 4: any stuff, like the whole I'm still standing thing. 703 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 1: Okay, it's good. 704 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:14,759 Speaker 4: It was burned Down the Mission before that. 705 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, that was that was a nice My follow. 706 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:20,040 Speaker 4: Up question is what what what problem did he have 707 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:24,480 Speaker 4: with the mission? He didn't write it, Okay, Bernie Toppin 708 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:27,839 Speaker 4: wrote all his lyrics. Oh I see now I am 709 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:28,839 Speaker 4: a Bernie Toppin fan. 710 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:33,360 Speaker 1: You're a national treasure. 711 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:34,319 Speaker 4: Thank you. 712 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:36,799 Speaker 2: So Elton John was on a couple of times, and 713 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:40,439 Speaker 2: it's pretty sweet if you look at the one. I'm 714 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 2: not sure if it was the Philadelphia Freedom one or I. 715 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:45,480 Speaker 4: Hate that song or the other one. 716 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 1: It's such a good song. 717 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 2: But he they you know, he takes questions and you 718 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:51,600 Speaker 2: can tell he's kind of shy and a little nervous, 719 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 2: and he takes some questions from the from the people, 720 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,040 Speaker 2: from the dancers and stuff, which was kind of cool. 721 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 2: But it's just very sweet to see how nervous he was. 722 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 4: Yeah, because he's known for being a humble, humble spirit, 723 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:11,440 Speaker 4: is he No have you ever seen that the documentary 724 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:14,400 Speaker 4: they made or he self made or no, his partner made. 725 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:16,600 Speaker 4: His partner was the only one he would let, you know, 726 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 4: fallow him around with the camera, which is pretty understandable. 727 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:20,920 Speaker 4: But he came out in the last like I don't know, 728 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:21,919 Speaker 4: decade or less. 729 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:23,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, the tantrums and tierras. 730 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,480 Speaker 4: I think, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was great, man, 731 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:27,120 Speaker 4: I loved it. 732 00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:29,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's good. I like that Rocketman movie a lot too. 733 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:33,200 Speaker 4: I have not seen that. I saw it. I saw 734 00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:35,840 Speaker 4: it over someone else's shoulders on a plane. 735 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 1: You wouldn't like it, I didn't. 736 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,440 Speaker 4: I know, it didn't look like anything I would like. 737 00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:41,279 Speaker 1: No, if you don't like Elton John, you wouldn't like 738 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:42,279 Speaker 1: the movie about Elton John. 739 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:42,759 Speaker 3: No. 740 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 4: And again, sir Elton, I have no problem with you personally. 741 00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 4: It's just that that period through seventies, the seventies, like 742 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 4: Crocodile Rock, the one about like Philadelphia Freedom. 743 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:58,080 Speaker 2: You know, all those bad seventies albums Madman Across the 744 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 2: Water and Captain Fantastic and by yelbrick Row, those are 745 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:01,720 Speaker 2: all terrible. 746 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 4: Exactly. I feel understood. 747 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: Check thank you. 748 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:10,399 Speaker 2: So the eighties come along and nineteen eighty three Don 749 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:13,960 Speaker 2: Cornelius has brain surgery, takes a little time off, he 750 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,680 Speaker 2: comes back. SoulTrain has changed their look a little bit 751 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 2: to try and fit with kind of what's going on 752 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,520 Speaker 2: at the time, with like Whitney Houston and people like that. 753 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 2: And then hip hop and rap come along and apparently 754 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:30,839 Speaker 2: Don Cornelius is not a big fan. 755 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 4: Uh yeah, I think I read I can't remember. I 756 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:37,640 Speaker 4: read a really great article in Dazed about it, or 757 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:40,319 Speaker 4: there's another pretty good one that was a review of 758 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:45,640 Speaker 4: the recent TV biopic about him and SoulTrain on The Guardian, 759 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:49,880 Speaker 4: and it basically explained it like that Don Cornelius was 760 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:56,319 Speaker 4: like a mid century integration minded black businessman and that 761 00:38:57,239 --> 00:39:02,520 Speaker 4: he and his ilk and generation they had been working toward, like, 762 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,959 Speaker 4: you know, getting a piece of the pie that didn't 763 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,360 Speaker 4: necessarily it wasn't the white pie. It was the pie 764 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:12,320 Speaker 4: that white people controlled. And if you were you know, 765 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,440 Speaker 4: if you if you made your way to get a 766 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,360 Speaker 4: piece of this that like you could you could be 767 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 4: black and still enjoy the good life. And that hip 768 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:23,240 Speaker 4: hop reminded him of everything that he and his generation 769 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:26,480 Speaker 4: had kind of tried to work beyond and pasted and 770 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:30,320 Speaker 4: to integrate, and that to him it was a step backwards. 771 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:33,080 Speaker 4: So he wasn't vibing on it at all. My own 772 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:37,440 Speaker 4: personal take is that he was a smooth customer and 773 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 4: he appreciated smoothness, and hip hop, especially eighties hip hop, 774 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,239 Speaker 4: was the opposite of smooth, and so he was not 775 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 4: vibing on it at all, and he even referred to 776 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:51,680 Speaker 4: himself as an old guy sometimes when he was interviewing 777 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 4: you know, some of the hip hop artists who came 778 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:55,400 Speaker 4: on Soul Train in the eighties. 779 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, I watched one of the Public Enemy clips and 780 00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 2: it was weird. Afterward he like he basically ignores Chuck 781 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:07,000 Speaker 2: D and like talks only to Flavor Flave. 782 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:12,839 Speaker 1: And then finally turns to Chuck It was like, and now, 783 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:13,239 Speaker 1: Chuck D. 784 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:16,759 Speaker 2: He said, you must feel so blessed to have have 785 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 2: someone as talented as Flavor as your partner. What really, 786 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 2: it was really weird, and Chuck D was like, yeah, 787 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:26,640 Speaker 2: you know, he's quite a character, as you can see. Yeah, 788 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:28,919 Speaker 2: I just I don't know. It really came off as 789 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:33,640 Speaker 2: like Don Cornelius doesn't understand this. I'm not dissing Flave, 790 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:37,160 Speaker 2: but like Chuck D was like the he was the 791 00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 2: leader of that band, you know. 792 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:41,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, he was the brains behind the outfit for sure. 793 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 4: And I mean like, yeah, Flavor Flaves just like he's 794 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:51,640 Speaker 4: he's like fills in the kind of hardness of Chuck D. Yeah, 795 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:54,720 Speaker 4: I don't Yeah, if you think Public Enemy, it's definitely 796 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,000 Speaker 4: Flavor Flavor and Chuck D. But it's Chuck D. 797 00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:58,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what I mean. 798 00:40:58,840 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 4: And then Flavor Flave. 799 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:02,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was definitely a strange interview because I thought, 800 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 2: finally he's going to talk to Chuck D. And he's like, 801 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:06,680 Speaker 2: you must feel so good about having this guy as 802 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:07,200 Speaker 2: your partner. 803 00:41:07,719 --> 00:41:10,120 Speaker 4: Which one was that after? Because they were on at 804 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:13,000 Speaker 4: least twice on the regular show by my count, and 805 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:15,600 Speaker 4: then once on the Soul Train Awards at least you 806 00:41:15,719 --> 00:41:17,919 Speaker 4: don't remember. So it's not like he wasn't smart enough 807 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 4: to know that they were big and should be on anyway, 808 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:24,279 Speaker 4: whether he liked him or not. But they did they 809 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:27,120 Speaker 4: can't trust it in nineteen ninety one, and they did 810 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,680 Speaker 4: Rubble without a Pause in nineteen eighty seven, and I 811 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 4: could not find the interview segment. I just saw, like 812 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 4: the performance, No, both like really great. 813 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:38,960 Speaker 2: Well, it was very sweet and actually it would have 814 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 2: had to been the nineties one because afterward Flavor Flave 815 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:47,640 Speaker 2: asked for a a moment of silence for the passing 816 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:49,400 Speaker 2: of Miles Davis and Red Fox. 817 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:52,240 Speaker 1: And they take a moment of silence. 818 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:55,840 Speaker 4: That's awesome, h it was cool. So and that's actually 819 00:41:56,719 --> 00:41:59,279 Speaker 4: just in case we haven't gotten this across enough yet 820 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:04,040 Speaker 4: Soul Train again, was it never got away from like 821 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:06,600 Speaker 4: it's black roots, like it never sold out or anything 822 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:09,439 Speaker 4: like that. Like it was, like, that makes perfect sense 823 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:11,839 Speaker 4: that they would include that part. They wouldn't just edit 824 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:16,239 Speaker 4: that out in the episode that they published. Yeah, that 825 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,560 Speaker 4: was just part of it. Even as late as the 826 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:19,440 Speaker 4: early nineties. 827 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:22,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, in the early nineties is when Don Cornelius finally 828 00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:25,759 Speaker 1: had to step down. May tenth, nineteen ninety three was 829 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:29,760 Speaker 1: his final episode. He passed it on to the younger generation. 830 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:32,319 Speaker 1: It went all the way to two thousand and six 831 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,080 Speaker 1: and became the longest running syndicated show in TV history. 832 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:41,440 Speaker 4: Yeah, thirty five seasons amazing and those younger that younger 833 00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:44,040 Speaker 4: generation that he handed the reins over to. Some of 834 00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:49,359 Speaker 4: the temporary hosts included Jamie Fox got his start, Tyra 835 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:53,239 Speaker 4: Banks and Shamar Moore from Criminal Minds. He was a 836 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 4: long time stand in host. Really, Yeah, he's big time manh. 837 00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:57,359 Speaker 1: I don't know who that is. 838 00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:01,960 Speaker 4: I don't Watchdal Minds either, but you've seen enough like 839 00:43:02,080 --> 00:43:04,680 Speaker 4: ads for Criminal Minds that you would recognize. I'm sure. 840 00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 2: Very Sadly, Don Cornelius took his own life. He was 841 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 2: suffering from Alzheimer's and apparently he was having a lot 842 00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:16,920 Speaker 2: of seizures and just in a pretty bad way physically, 843 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:20,319 Speaker 2: and his son said that that was the reason why he. 844 00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:21,000 Speaker 1: Took his own life. 845 00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:25,879 Speaker 4: Yeah, well, Puss. He'd also sold the rights i think 846 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,319 Speaker 4: to Soul Train too, and it seems like things kind 847 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:30,960 Speaker 4: of started to go downhill for him around then, I 848 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:32,040 Speaker 4: think in two thousand and eight. 849 00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:34,239 Speaker 1: Yeah. 850 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:36,360 Speaker 4: But yeah, apparently it was a really big surprise to 851 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:41,719 Speaker 4: everybody who knew him that he died by suicide, that 852 00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:47,400 Speaker 4: that was not the perceived outcome for him, I think. Yeah, 853 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:50,080 Speaker 4: but his legacy lives on. Like you said, I mean, 854 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,319 Speaker 4: the thirty five seasons the longest running syndicated television show 855 00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:56,600 Speaker 4: of all time. In and of itself, it's an incredible achievement, 856 00:43:56,800 --> 00:44:00,799 Speaker 4: but also to be like a cornerstone of like introducing 857 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:04,319 Speaker 4: black culture as black culture to the larger culture as 858 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:08,080 Speaker 4: a whole in white culture huge is Yeah. I mean, 859 00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 4: that's about as big an accomplishment as you can make. 860 00:44:11,719 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 4: It's like Jesse Jackson said, he was as important as 861 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:15,440 Speaker 4: any civil rights leader. 862 00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:16,080 Speaker 1: Yep, you know. 863 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:24,320 Speaker 4: So that's Don Cornelius and Soul Train. That's how ed 864 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 4: if you want to know more about that. You don't 865 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:30,280 Speaker 4: need to know anything else. Just start go watching clips 866 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:33,000 Speaker 4: of Soul Train and you will be a happier person 867 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:34,320 Speaker 4: than you were before you started. 868 00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:36,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, get ready for some sick robot action. 869 00:44:37,520 --> 00:44:40,319 Speaker 4: It's so great. And rerun too. You can't forget about 870 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:41,400 Speaker 4: rerun fred Berry. 871 00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: No, that's sweet. 872 00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:45,600 Speaker 4: Well, since we talked about fred Berry, that means everybody. 873 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:47,240 Speaker 4: Obviously it's time for listener mail. 874 00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:50,920 Speaker 1: This is about Iron Maiden. 875 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:53,520 Speaker 2: Hey, guys, listen to your short stuff on six sixty 876 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:57,120 Speaker 2: six and loved it more so for Josh's thoughts on 877 00:44:57,160 --> 00:45:00,520 Speaker 2: Iron Maiden, hardest working band of business seeing them twice. 878 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 2: I've been a Maiden fan for about fifteen years, and 879 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:05,319 Speaker 2: I got to say Josh was right on the money 880 00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:07,240 Speaker 2: when he said Power Slave was the album to listen 881 00:45:07,280 --> 00:45:10,840 Speaker 2: to if you've never really given them a chance. So chuck, 882 00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:15,000 Speaker 2: whip out that old bean bag, roll up a fatty, 883 00:45:15,719 --> 00:45:18,240 Speaker 2: crack open a cold one, and crank up some Maiden. 884 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,719 Speaker 2: You'll be glad you did. Also, just want to say 885 00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:24,960 Speaker 2: thank you both for the awesome work you do. I'm spewing, 886 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:30,360 Speaker 2: which must be Australian for angry, he says, I'm spewing 887 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:31,879 Speaker 2: because I couldn't get to your show when you came 888 00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:32,600 Speaker 2: to Perth. 889 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:35,479 Speaker 4: I think, so, yeah, yeah, you missed a good show 890 00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:37,799 Speaker 4: that I was thinking about how cool that town was 891 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:38,319 Speaker 4: the other day. 892 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:39,239 Speaker 1: Yeah, Perth was cool. 893 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:42,439 Speaker 2: Your discussion and delivery of interesting, exciting topics week after 894 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:47,439 Speaker 2: week transmute information and understanding into very enjoyable entertainment into 895 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:49,920 Speaker 2: my ear holes, bringing much joy not just to my 896 00:45:49,920 --> 00:45:50,480 Speaker 2: commute but. 897 00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:51,360 Speaker 1: To my work life. 898 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:55,600 Speaker 2: Lots of love from Mandura, Western Australia, and that is 899 00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 2: from Tie Ty. 900 00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:58,480 Speaker 4: I like this person. 901 00:45:58,680 --> 00:45:59,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. 902 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,759 Speaker 4: First of all, Tie says that I'm right, which I love. Yeah, 903 00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:06,360 Speaker 4: likes Iron Maiden, loves Iron Maiden. You could say, and 904 00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:09,160 Speaker 4: it is upset that they missed our show. 905 00:46:09,719 --> 00:46:10,319 Speaker 1: We'll be back. 906 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:13,320 Speaker 4: Sure we will be Hey, you know, we're like number 907 00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:15,239 Speaker 4: one in Australia as far as podcasts go. 908 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:17,799 Speaker 1: Right now, I heard that. Man, they're practically begging for 909 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:18,560 Speaker 1: us to come back. 910 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:21,080 Speaker 4: We'll come back and we'll definitely go to Perth again. 911 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:23,440 Speaker 4: So don't worry, Ty, we'll be there. Just keep an 912 00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:24,839 Speaker 4: ear up, keep your ear holes out. 913 00:46:24,920 --> 00:46:25,319 Speaker 1: That's right. 914 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:27,920 Speaker 4: If you want to be cool like Tye and get 915 00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:30,600 Speaker 4: in touch with us, you can do that, You can 916 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:37,280 Speaker 4: send us an email to stuff podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. 917 00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:41,000 Speaker 5: You Know Stuff You Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. 918 00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,680 Speaker 2: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 919 00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:46,320 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever 920 00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:47,800 Speaker 4: You listen to your favorite shows.