Once again, you can respond in any substantive and non-qualitative fashion you wish to the piece.
You might want to consider thinking about what work Lethem had to put into the piece: what difficulties did you sense he faced in the pre-writing process? Who do you think are some of the people he talked to and why?
Remember to write a minimum of 250 words to receive credit and to respond to one of your peers' posts as well.
In case you lost the link, here it is again:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/being-james-brown-rolling-stones-2006-cover-story-20101224
This piece by Lethem highlighting James Brown was very well-rounded. There was a combination of biographical details, stories, real life experiences and background information. The piece isn't just a biography, listing facts about James Brown. Lethem incorporated many more qualities to make this piece show a bigger picture. All this information allows readers to really see the truth of what James Brown is like, without having all the bias of it being written only in biographical form. I found it interesting that even though throughout the whole piece, Lethem seemed to idol James Brown, he kept the piece very honest. If band members said something about James Brown that wasn't one hundred percent positive, he still included it. If he noticed something James Brown did was harsh, he included it as well. He kept the piece very honest, to show a true picture of who James Brown really is, and yet the piece still didn't seem like it was bashing him. I would think it would be difficult to include harsh details without making James Brown look bad. One of my favorite parts of the whole piece was when Lethem referenced Billy Pilgrim in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five. Slaughterhouse-five is one of my favorite books, and I knew exactly what Lethem meant when he compared James Brown to Billy Pilgrim. I really like how Lethem used a book reference, other than just describing what James Brown was like. It was very efficient, and by using that comparison, I knew exactly what James Brown was like, being unstuck in time. Over all, the piece was very informative, and very creatively written.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how you emphasized on the comparison of the James Brown Band article to Slaughterhouse- five. Comparing James to Billy Pilgrim was a great touch on the article that made it whole. It helped explain what the author meant by being "unstuck in time". The harsh details included in the article made the piece more intriguing to read because you knew that all honesty was being used.
DeleteI agree that Lethem did an exceptional job at including all of Brown's qualities, good and bad, without using any of his own bias. He made sure to see Brown from a variety of individual's perspectives.
DeleteIt is ironic how when James Brown is growing up, he has a rough childhood. He was a hustler and a juvenile delinquent and was always being chased by the authorities in Augusta. He would rarely actually get caught but when he did he was banned from the city if Augusta. When he became somebody, he was welcomed back to record in the city again. There is also a statue of him now in the city that is very unique in which it is not on the podium; his two feet touch the ground. Moral of the story is, despite who you are and what you grew up as, it is always possible to change to become the best version of yourself. James Brown chose to turn his challenging childhood of poverty, hustling, and robbery into a successful career of fame and being known for his smile. He was always being told not to grin in images but he did it anyways. This piece of writing is well rounded in which it includes a biography of James Brown with details from his backstory, real life details, and his accomplishments. Although it seemed as the author considered Brown a Mentor, the writing never included any falsehoods and was truthful throughout. I think the author faced the difficulties of focusing the article on James Brown even though it was the James Brown band. However, this article was very informative and eloquently written. I enjoyed how James Brown's childhood was included in all honesty. Therefore, we got to see the growth and resiliency in his character.
ReplyDeleteI did also find Ironic how he was pretty much "exiled" from Augusta and then later on they built the statue- which shows how much things changed throughout his life. I enjoyed how he made sure to include these occurrences even thought they do not highlight his best actions. It was interesting though to see the contrast between who he became and who he once was.
DeleteAlthough the article was focused on James Brown and his life story, it was not structured as a normal biography you can find on wikipedia ( Birth, Early life, Talents and Death). The author decided to pick up on all sides of his life, even the boring and common ones- such as how he is in his day to day life. The author also seems like he very much like James Brown but he does not let his personal opinions get in the way of the article. He shares information such as him getting arrested and charged when he was younger which a fan might have not brought to life while writing about their idol. He meets people around James Brown such as the band manager and band members, which gives different perspectives and connections to James Brown which are interesting to read. I didn’t know much about James Brown before reading this article but the author unbiased biography made me feel like I was getting to know Brown. When he describes James Brown in the recording studio I began to imagine the scene as he was very descriptive and made me paint a picture of my own about the artist. Overall, the author managed to give readers a view of inside James Brown’s life including the mistakes and issues as well as the success that followed his talent. He does give his opinion throughout the article when he writes comparisons and theories he has regarding Brown. I was interested in reading and learned a lot more than I would’ve had if it had been a common biography.
ReplyDeleteI agree that by interviewing different members of the James Brown Band, the writer was able to get different perspectives on James Brown's life from people that were around him constantly. I also thought the stories told were a useful, unbiased way to get to know who James Brown was, instead of listing basic facts about his birth, job, etc.
DeleteThe article written about James Brown was told in a very story-like manner, using words and phrases a person would use in a normal conversation. The way the article started was interesting because it started with descriptions of the scene and then delved into who James Brown was as a person. As the article continued it explained more backstory on who James Brown was, and his significance. The writer did research on the James Brown Band and all the people in it, the albums, and the studio. He interviewed the guitarists in the James Brown Band to find more about him, and he uses direct quotes of the guitarists which allows for variation in the styles of writing. The writer most likely interviewed people in the James Brown Band because they had a direct relationship with him, one of them was even his son. By interviewing people that know him so well the writer was able to get a very descriptive background, but from an objective point of view on James Brown. He also interviewed James Brown himself for a subjective point of view on the stories and details about his life . The interviews are presented in quotes which allow for a sense of reality and help support the stories each person gives about James Brown. However, the article is not presented in a way that lists just facts about James Brown, but it gives examples of stories to give the reader an insight to the realities of James Brown’s life, through different perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the story was written in a very "story-like manner", that a very well put. The author did a great job of interviewing the other band members to get a grasp of how James Brown was on a personal level. Like you said, the article isn't presented in a fact list and gives in depth examples on who James Brown really was.
DeleteThis article about James Brown and his life was very interesting to me. The author made this biography very different from any other biography i have ever read before. The usual biography is all about the persons birth and all the interesting parts of their life and then their death. This biography was different, it focused on his life as a whole. Not just the interesting parts about it. I personally didn't know who James Brown was before this so i liked how the biography did a good job explaining who he was and why he was important. I liked how the author put in his interviews with the band members and used those interviews to learn more about James Brown. The author really seemed to like James Brown but he did a very good job of keeping this biography unbias. The author would put in stories of how James Brown wasn't the best kid and how he would run from the cops but it gave me as a reader a better look at who James Brown was. The author did a really good job at teaching his audicnce who James Brown was, he used many different of sources to learn who James Brown was on a personal level.
ReplyDeleteIn my post, I talked about how Lethem uses accounts from many people to capture what it was like to be around James Brown as well. Like you, I really liked the different stories he used because it gave a well rounded description of who James Brown was as a person. Overall I really liked your post, it focused on some of the same points I did in my post.
DeleteSayawni Lassiter
I also wrote about how he kept the piece unbiased. It doesn't seem easy to write the truth about someone without letting personal opinions take over, and Lethem did a great job with that. I also agree that it's not like any biography I've read before.
DeleteI also thought this biography was not a traditional biography and appreciated the fact that I actually had a good idea of who James Brown was after I read the article. I thought it was interesting how he used everything the band members told him even the bad stuff. However, I think the article may have been a little bias just because it seemed like Lethem idolized James Brown
DeleteI agree that this was very different than any other biography I have read before. It was written in a story-like way which made it seem more personal and you were able to get a better picture of James Brown as a person rather than if it were written in a usual biography format with a list of his major accomplishments.
DeleteI also thought that this biography was no doubt different from the rest. I feel like there was an interesting amount of dynamics between admiring James Brown as well as exposing his humanity. Overall, it was an interesting article.
DeleteI was not the biggest fan of this biography, however I think the author did a very good job at capturing who James Brown is from many sources. I thought it was really interesting to learn that James Brown was exiled from Augusta and then allowed back after becoming famous. I think that tells us a lot about our society and how we base our opinions and change them. He should have never been exiled in the first place. Personally, the way I perceived James Brown is that he has a need for control and is very self centered. He says he is all about family, but he has a weird way of showing it like not letting people play when their wife comes and sees them for their first time or scheduling rehearsals on funerals or weddings. Some struggles Lethem may have faced before writing this piece and while writing this piece is having different expectations of James Brown. It seemed to me that this article could potentially be somewhat bias because Lethem almost looked at James Brown by a king, however he did get information from many sources on James Brown. He did keep the piece truthful and included everything harsh James Brown likes to say, but I think he saw it in a different way that I did. I find really fascinating that Lethem says at one point one day someone will write a great biography about James Brown because this is a very non traditional biography. It was more about what others think of him, what Lethem picked up on throughout his time with the band in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI love how you related Brown getting exiled and let back in to Augusta once he was famous, to how our society works now and how opinions change. I feel this is so true especially because he was famous you know their opinions of him were going to change. I do disagree with you that this biography is bias yet you have a good opinion. I feel Lethem did a good job of trying to tell the whole story and not letting his opinion get the best of him while writing it.
DeleteI like how you were honest saying that you were not the "biggest fan" compared to everyone else. It is true though how society acts that way. I admit I have done this and it is something that should be fully fixed, but as a human being I feel like that is just in our instinct. I can see when you are saying that this biography could have been biased, but I feel like Lethum did his best to not do that. Other than that, I enjoyed reading your post! It was in a different perspective compared to mine.
DeleteI somewhat disagree that this could potentially contain bias. I think he balanced all of the positive aspects of him as a person with the negatives. I don't think one necessarily outweighed the other. But what you said about Lethem looking at James Brown by a king, I understand. I feel like he had a powerful fascination with him and I feel like he would unconsciously leave negative attributes out of this piece that could make him look bad.
DeleteThe way this article about James Brown is written is not usually seen in a lot of biographies that I have read. It doesn't give a timeline of events in his life, but rather paints a picture by telling little stories and being very descriptive of who he was. It is written from a perspective of someone that is there in time with with James Brown instead of someone from the outside just listing the major events that went on his life. I find it interesting how it begins with the description of his statue. This is sort of the opposite of most autobiographies because a statue is made after someone dies and most autobiographies begin with events in the beginning of someones life. I think the writer of this piece probably had some difficulties writing in the way he did where it seems as if he was there and encountered everything first person. He was unable to give complete picture for this reason, he mentions in part of the article that someday someone will write a better biography on James Brown. This piece also includes details of his life as a whole, even the little parts such as the times he played with his band, and not just the major events. I feel like this would probably have taken a long time to put together because the writer would have had to interview a ton of people including his band members in and actually included quotes from them in order to get the stories just right and make the reader get to know him on a more personal level.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this biography about James Brown because it told a story. But it felt as though it was written differently than a normal biography is typically written. Lethem seems to write Brown’s story in whatever order he pleases which is not normal for biographies. Lethem tried to write about everything that’s happened to James Brown which must’ve been difficult to do. People Lethem could have talked to about James Brown to get information and his life was most likely his band because he brings them up a lot in this biography. Also, being his band they probably knew a lot of things about James Brown and his life present and past. This could have made it easier for Lethem to get information and use it in this biography. He didn’t just focus on the good or the interesting he incorporated everything from his rough childhood to why his statue is the way it is today. This could have been an issue Lethem ran into issues while trying to write this biography. Keeping it as unbiased as possible was most likely an issue but I think Lethem did a pretty good job by staying focused on what actually happened in Brown’s life not just the good. His statue on the other hand was very interesting to me because it was on the ground which isn’t how all statues are they’re usually on a pedestal. But James Brown felt like he wanted to be on the ground with people considering this was his hometown growing up. I really found that fact interesting and I like how Lethem incorporated details to represent why Brown decided all of these things about the statue.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the piece was more of a story-like writing style rather than a typical autobiography full of facts. It made me feel emotions and sympathy towards a man I had never met and I think that's what Lethem was going far. I also wrote about how Lethem tried to get other opinions and takes of James Brown's life from the different band members which was surely difficult seeing as Lethem was around James Brown for the majority of that piece. The other sources helped me as an outsider get to know James Brown from a different angle and a different perspective seeing how he was praised as a godlike being in the beginning while the other members saw him as a smiteful and on-edge man with no remorse.
DeleteLethem's piece on James Brown is unlike any biography I've ever read. I appreciated how immersive this piece was from describing the James Brown Show as a "ritual invocation" to the level of detail of how "every instrument and voice in the group as if it were a drum." From the very beginning, Lethem makes out James Brown to be this idolized godlike being whom all shall bow down to. However, in the middle-end of the piece, we come to realize that James Brown is so controlling and near-abusive to his band members because of his parents abandoning him when he was young. I thought it was really neat that this piece didn't just focus solely on James Brown alone, but rather got different intakes from different members in the band like Keith and Damon in the Ramada and how they would explain how tough it is to do what they do and how no other band could do what they have done for years. These other sources helped me as a reader to get an outside view of what James Brown and being in the band is like. The piece became so immersive that I personally felt bad for James Brown and that I wanted him to succeed and be happy and relaxed. To be 72, still dealing with the trauma of your parents abandoning you at a young age and therefore having abandonment issues, and not having a hit in decades, must be rough, and Lethem does a fantastic job of making me feel sympathy towards this man.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed how this piece didn't just focus on James Brown, and that it was interesting to get insight from the other band members. Their view made it easier to understand Brown's process and how he creates his musical pieces. Lethem does an amazing job in portraying Brown's hard life and how he has thrived to overcome those challenges to become the man he is today.
DeleteLethem for sure faced difficulty writing this piece on James Brown because he wasn't present in the beginning of it! this profile on James Brown and the feature on the James Brown Band is intriguing. It seemed like the band had to be able to switch plans on Brown's whim. I found it interesting who Lethem interviewed and talked to through this whole process. his main focus was on James Brown and how he tried to create his music, and the process he goes through, but the interviews with his band mates were most interesting. Lethem got an inside scoop on how focused his band members had to be on his hand gestures and his phrases, or else they could lose their job. I enjoyed how there was a brief mention of the James Brown Show, which transitioned into the James Brown Band. The many sources and topics of this biography work together to help describe James Brown as an artist and a musician. I found it interesting how Lethem focused on James Brown and his past as well as his present. He brings up his awful home in South Carolina when he was growing up, and how he escaped that to live a better life as a musician. Lethem interviewing the band was the best way to get information about James Brown because they had no filter whatsoever. They told the truth about his process and how it is being apart of his team. This is different from most biographies which mainly focus on the person the profile is being written about. This biography changed my view on how they can be written and expressed.
ReplyDeleteI agree, James Brown made it difficult on his fellow band members and he practically treated them as objects. The worst part about it was that he was capable of playing their parts if he wanted. Lehem's style of biography has an interesting way of focusing on more than one person allows the reader to see how others felt about James Brown from different angles of his life; allowing for the reader to get the full view of Brown.
DeleteThe piece “Being James Brown” by Jonathan Lethum deeply captures the intention he feels about James Brown. It is not just Brown’s biography Lethum is strictly focusing on, but his wording shows his admiration towards him. For example, there are facts written in this piece about Brown, but you can hear Lethum’s voice attached to it. This made me more connected to the piece and I got a better idea about Brown’s actual character. There is no negative judgment behind his writing. This piece showed that you do not always have to be “perfect” from the beginning in order to succeed. As a teenager, James Brown was arrested and was not really accepted in the city of Augusta. Now there is a statue of him standing tall and smiling. If you think about it, a lot of people judge one another just because they are “failing” or “not doing so well” and that is not right. We do not know what life will have offered to us, so we should not be doing that. Again, Brown shows us and proves that this is wrong. His band was mentioned in this piece multiple times because it was important to him and that is who he spent a lot of time with. The difficulties Lethum might have faced in the pre-writing process could have been Brown’s struggles from the past. In my opinion, it is difficult to write about difficulties in someone’s life, however, Lethum somehow wrote the piece and put everything together nicely. I enjoy Lethum’s style of writing and would like to see more biographies written this way.
ReplyDeleteI agree, you can tell that the author admires James Brown. He does a good job of showing who James Brown is as a person
DeleteIn "Being James Brown" Lethem created a somewhat condensed biography of James Brown and the important events from his childhood that have had an important part in shaping his life. I found that a majority of the piece consisted of events that were occurring while Lethem was writing, but James Brown’s past history also played an important role in providing reasoning behind his actions, personality, etc. I felt that Lethem did a very good job at capturing who James Brown is. He did not write to make him look all good or all bad; he included the positive and negative attributes which somewhat made it easier for readers to be able to relate. For example, he talked about how great he was at his career and provided modern day evidence that people now could understand, for The Black Eyed Peas member, and he also include details about him getting into trouble and getting an eight to sixteen year sentence for a crime committed. Some may say that it could’ve been better if the writer used other sources, maybe from his childhood, but I think it served its purpose of showing who James Brown is and not who he was. I feel like he used the sources in this piece because they were all closest to him, some more than others. They’ve seen him at highs and lows and some have experienced it with him. They weren’t afraid to tell Lethem on what they truly thought of James Brown; they didn’t really sugar coat anything.
ReplyDeleteAt first when I was reading this article, I expected something sophisticated and entirely fact based. However, it proved to be quite the opposite. We often mistake statues as inanimate figures even though they were inspired by human beings just like us. I thought the article was an interesting combination of admiration for James Brown while remaining unbiased throughout. When we often statues of great figures in history, we often categorize them on a pedestal of perfection. Contrary to that bias, the article not only exposes the backstory of James Brown but opens up a realization of humanity in other statues that readers may have overlooked. I found it really admirable how humble James Brown was about not being on a pedestal. I also admire his choice in being different and grinning even though everybody else told him not to. James Brown’s childhood was reportedly filled with gambling, moonshine and prostitution which relates back to exposing the humanity of James brown throughout this article. Another example is how his band would record without him at times because Brown would stay up all night watching western shows and movies. The author has some obvious infatuation and appreciation for Brown but is able to write this article in such a non biased way but rather informative. He did an excellent job in emphasizing the exquisite parts of James Brown but also staying honest with the faults and struggles as well. Overall the article was very well put together and definitely opened up a new perspective about James Brown and other statues as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this article did open up new perspectives about James Brown. We often see people depicted as such "praised" figures that we forget they are human beings as well. I agree with you that the author wrote this in a non-biased way which truly allowed his readers to appreciate the biography.
DeleteThe way this biography on James Brown was written was very different than most biographies that I have read. It does not follow the typical format of a biography, and I think that makes it far more interesting to read. It is like most biographies in that it tells about his early life, but where I think it is different is how the author is sitting in the studio with the band and is just writing about what is going on during their sessions. This still shows you what kind of person James Brown is without having to use boring facts and known stories of James Brown. Before reading “Being James Brown” by Jonathan Lethem, I did not know anything about James Brown, but the style Lethem used did a good job of providing historical background on James Brown, and also telling the reader about what kind of person James Brown is, and what he is like in day to day life. I think a difficulty that the author faced in the writing process was getting into the studio with the band. James Brown said "You're very lucky, Mr. Rolling Stone. I don't ordinarily let anyone sit in on a session." This leads me to believe that the author might have had to do something special to be able to get in the studio with the band. He talked to people in the band, and people close to James Brown, like his family members. I think he interviewed those people because they have been around James Brown for a long time, and can give the best insight.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first began to read Lethem’s article I was expecting a factual biography on James Brown, I was quickly proven wrong. Lethem’s truly intimate description of Brown’s life allows the readers to connect with the artist on a more personal level. We, as readers, are able to view Brown as both a legend and as a human being. The opening description of the statue foreshadows the remainder of the article by illustrating that Brown is simply one of us. He faces struggles worse than most of us and still prevails and becomes someone considered the “Godfather of Soul”. The band’s description of Brown shows that although they do admire his skills as an artist, they also recognize his flaws- often poking fun at his ridiculous actions. This article is more than just a biography of James Brown, it is a story of who he truly is as an individual, creating a greater appreciation for him and his achievements. The small anecdotes throughout the article tell the audience a story, captivating an audience rather than just stating facts. The interviews of different band members gave a different perspective on Browns life as well. The interviews allowed for real feedback rather than just an observation of James Brown. Lethem’s writing style is one that grabs a reader’s attention while still crafting a biography that is informative and respectful of all parties. Although the band members offered some cruel feedback, Lethem still wrote in a way which Praised James Brown- highlighting his career as an artist and an individual.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I have never heard of James Brown until I read this article. In the beginning of the biography, the author makes this guy seem like a god. He is glorified as if he received a purple heart from a world war but is rather just a musician that came from a rough background. I am not trying to bash him in any way, but I really just do not understand the hype about this guy and the persona he carries with him. It seems like his band was scared of him as well which does not seem like a healthy relationship. However, I give major props to the author of this article. Not only was it so well-written, but being able to get an interview with James Brown is impressive in itself. He was also very honest in everything that he said about James Brown, whether it be positive or negative. Lethum captured all areas of James’s life as well, from an immature childhood that consisted of illegal activities and running from authority to a successful musical career that lead to thousands of fans screaming his name, which gives the readers a good background of James Brown. It is pretty cool though that this guy got a statue made after him because of his accomplishments in music because getting a statue is already hard enough, and it being in music to represent a city makes it even more special. All in all, props to James Brown, he set a goal in life and did not stop until he reached it and I think that’s a mindset we all need to have.
ReplyDeleteLethem really did make James Brown seem like a god at first. He definitely glorified Brown but eventually I feel like everything balanced itself out and Lethem provided a substantial amount of criticism and objectivity.
DeleteAlthough Lethem obviously was a big fan of Brown, I do agree that he did a great job on keeping the story unbiased and honest.
DeleteThis biography was extremely well written and definitely atypical. It managed to remain interesting while discussing the facts of James Brown's life. Lethem's like for Brown was apparent within the article. Lethem consistently spoke of Brown's modesty and reflected his own admiration when writing of Brown's relatively tough life. Lethem wrote quite a bit about Brown's statue and about how although the statue architecturally is not the best, what the statue represents is truly impressive. Lethem's admiration was especially noticeable during the article's references to the statue and its remarkableness. Lethem's biography is exceptionally interesting because though Lethem obviously admired Brown, he still deemed it necessary to include not only the positive facts of Brown's life. Whenever one of Brown's band members said something that wasn't wholly positive, Lethem still included it, perfectly offering a non-biased biography of James Brown's life. Lethem’s biography was extremely informative while managing to be personal and entirely respectful. Also, Lethem's odd way of categorizing Brown's life made this biography much more interesting as well. Lethem, I believe organized the biography in the order in which he found the fact and details interesting. Lethem also provided a wide array of facts with great diversity. He had successfully been capable of including both known facts and facts that peeked the reader’s undivided interest. Again, making Lethem’s biography uniquely exceptional. Along with the facts that managed to spark the reader’s interest, the interviewees that Lethem chose was also an interesting selection -- choosing to interview people who may have known Brown for very long amounts of time.
ReplyDeleteI found the article written by Jonathan Lethem to be a creative piece. Throughout the article, Lehem provided: a biographic style of writing to give the reader factual information about James Brown and a story-telling style of writing that keeps the reader entertained throughout the story. A major theme Lehem highlighted when describing Brown's relationship with his band members was abandonment. I feel as though Brown's struggles with his conflictions led to the majority of the cruel things he has done to the people close to him. I think the loneliness he suffered when his parents deserted him created a need for attention. I also felt that Brown's need for control had been a crutch on his side. Lehem explains how Brown would fire both anyone who opposed his way of thinking and who he believed was outshining him. Brown needed the attention, the power, the control to make himself appear to be the innovative singing star in the front of the lights; but in reality, he was still a broken child chasing for the love of his parents. In the first paragraph, Lehem is explaining James Brown taking his photo shots to use for his statue. After reading through this piece, I understood why James Brown couldn't do anything other than smile. In his eyes, that moment was the epitome of his life's work: He had recorded long hours, writing and providing new sounds for the world to see.
ReplyDeleteThis Rolling Stone’s story written by Jonathan Lethem discussing the music artist James Brown was quite interesting. Although this is a biography, it is a bit unorthodox. The author does not structure it like a typical biography, rather it was told more like a story. The author includes interviews from different members of the James Brown Band which helps the readers see different perspectives on James Brown and his life. The author included many stories from James Brown’s childhood which gave us an honest inside look on his life. The author interviewed members of the band because they spend a large amount of time with James Brown and were some of the closest people to him. With the story being structured like this, I found it a lot more interesting and viewed it as an efficient way for the readers to get to know James Brown on a more personal level. Although the author seemed to be a big fan of James Brown, he did a good job of keeping the piece unbiased and honest. The author makes sure to include a variety of stories, not an unbalanced amount of happy or sad/ good and bad. He incorporates difficult topics like his childhood, but then also events such as his smiling statue. The difficulties that the author may have faced in the pre-writing process could have included knowing how to capture James Brown’s difficult childhood and upbringing. Although this was not your typical biography, I enjoyed it much more than a regular biography.
ReplyDeleteDescribing this biography as a bit unorthodox in comparison to how they're actually written is genius and can not be more true. I absolutely agree that Lethem is ably to bring a connection to a more personal level with Brown through the style of his writing.
DeleteThe story "Being James Brown" has a very different, yet interesting structure to it, as far as it being a biography on James Brown. The author, Jonathan Lethem, clearly highly respects the man, and expresses that in the style of his writing. In writing this piece, Lethem's "interview" with any of the band members or staff probably consisted of actual conversation rather than plain question and answer. The group in general must've had a lot of personality, and I think Lethem was able to capture most of this in this piece. The author wanted us to understand James Brown: the process of his routines, and how his past made him who he is today. There are parts that inquire about Brown's childhood, and then there is an active voice that lets the reader visualize the works of the brilliant artists. The colloquial language allows for a smooth, interesting read. The details and adjectives used are abundant, allowing the reader to connect more fluently. A key part of the story I really took away, was towards the beginning, when Lethel uses the word "statute" to differentiate between "the James Brown," and "any human being." It signifies early on of this story that Brown is a gem in society. Towards the end of this story, Lethem's experience in the backstage area adds more to the personality of the band members, especially Brown. During their concerts, they perform like it's their last, savoring every moment of every beat.
ReplyDeleteThe structure itself was very interesting, and I agree with the fact that Lethem respects James Brown. He's a fan. Lethem does an excellent job of establishing James Brown as an iconic figure, who was way ahead of his time, and should be held in the highest of regards because of that.
DeleteJonathan Lethem’s “Being James Brown: Rolling Stone’s 2006 Story”, is an interesting biographically structured story in which the life of James Brown is pretty much being summarized. Lethem establishes the fact that he is in fact a James Brown super-fan, and has great admiration for Brown’s timelessness when it comes to the music and the way he went about his life. Lethem keeps the story interesting by developing a very vivid, descriptive, and specific narrative about James Brown’s early life and struggles. A specific excerpt from the article that stuck out to me was when Lethem was describing Brown running from the police as a kid. He would hide in underwater trenches, using a reed as a snorkel to breathe as “policeman rumbled past”. He’d then sneak back into town, where the music and the nightlife was. Going from that, to stardom and fame, makes quite the story. Lethem makes sure to emphasized the fact that Brown was a revolutionary in every aspect. His music stood out, he was a funk revolutionary. Even though Lethem holds a lot of admiration for James Brown, he makes sure to include counterclaims. James wasn’t always the nicest guy. His outgoing and outspoken ways could easily be mistaken for his abusive attitude. He was apparently extremely abusive toward his bandmates. Lethem does an excellent job by including that in the excerpt, so it doesn’t just seem like he’s only praising the funk icon. All in all, the story was very fun to read, had an interesting grabber, and allowed me to gain plenty of knowledge regarding the legendary James Brown.
ReplyDeleteLethem had to go deep into the world James Brown, finding out the man he really was and not just the impeccable funk icon. He starts the article with a fan-boy style of writing leaving the reader questioning whether or not we will get the whole truth. As he progresses through the article we see James Brown mischievous childhood escaping from cops. We see that he grew up in nearly impossible conditions. None of that faces him or ever has. We get to know that the man James Brown is not only a man but a walking show. In any room he walks into all attention is on him without him saying a word. Everything about him just seems straight from a movie. Pre-writing this article must have at first been very difficult to not idolize this man too much. The deeper he got in interviews the better I feel he was able to write this article. He talked to people that influenced James Browns life in order to get the full reality of who he was. I found it very interesting how he has progressed and really created funk but still lives in the past he created it in. The small little town of Augusta where he still records music his own way in that small normal corner is the prime example of him creating funk yet living it the same way he started. Most artists transition at one point in their careers but James Brown always stayed true to what he was, the inventor of Funk.
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