It's a hell of a drug: The 10 Craziest Stories in Rick James' Memoir (Rolling Stone)

[Miles Archer]

The 10 Craziest Stories in Rick James' Memoir



http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/from-dali-to-bestiality-the-10-craziest-stories-in-rick-james-memoir-20140711

If even half the stories in Rick James's new autobiography, Glow, are true, then James led one of the most epic rock lives ever. The book, written with David Ritz, was finished posthumously (James died of a heart attack in 2004, at age 56) and is out this week, alongside a digital box set of his Complete Motown Albums.

4. The First-Aid Kit of the Lizard King
While staying at Stephen Stills' place circa 1966, James woke up to find a young guy sitting cross-legged on the floor, "stoned as a motherfucker," watching blood drip from his wrist, "saying things like 'Isn't the blood beautiful? Isn't that the deepest red you've ever seen?'" Alarmed, James woke up Stills, who said, "Oh, fuck, he's doing it again," and bandaged the young man up. Which is how Rick James met Jim Morrison.

5. Cocaine Is a Hell of a Drug
James made his national TV debut on American Bandstand. He performed his singles "You and I" and "Mary Jane" and did a long interview with Dick Clark, who he remembers as "one of the nicest cats I'd ever met." The only problem: James had done so much blow backstage, his nose started running profusely. "I started sniffing and wiping myself until it had to be obvious to Dick and a million viewers what was really going on."

8. The Persistence of Memory
James went to a dinner party in Hawaii where one of the other guests was Salvador Dali, who kept staring at him — and finally said, "Senor, I am mad about the way you look. Please allow me to sketch you." Dali spent 15 or 20 minutes drawing a portrait of James on his napkin — and then gave James the napkin. It could have been a priceless memento, except the next morning James smoked a joint and went for a swim in the shorts he had been wearing the night before, forgetting that it still held the napkin. The portrait became an inky blob.

[hibbing]

1. He was a super freak himself

Well, that certainly was interesting. I would like to see the Bandstand interview.

Peace

[Mike Daniels]

2. Even though I like his material I can't really rank him above a low B/high C level talent.

Especially when you place him against the other significant R&B artists of his "prime era".

Granted, his ramped up sex/drugs lyrical motifs separated him somewhat from the general Motown stable but despite his grievances against them (mentioned in the article) he wasn't remotely in George Clinton's or Prince's league on a musical level.

I'm wouldn't have thought there was much of a market for a Rick James autobiography especially 10 years after his death.

[Kaleva]

4. I think he was more of a rock star

He certainly lived the rock star life.

[Miles Archer]

5. The material never lies

Prince has the material, George has the material, Rick...not so much.

Between Prince and George, it's easy to see that Prince was the greater "crossover star" (that is, more "hits" on Top 20, mainstream pop radio), but if you look at the soul / funk genre, I'd have to say George had a deeper influence on the musicians who made the music. They may have ran neck-and-neck in this area, but I don't think George chased hits, I think he did his own thing to amuse George...sort of in the same way that Miles Davis and Frank Zappa did.

But George, Prince, and Rick on the same footing?

Nope.

[joeybee12]

3. He might have had an interesting life, but I can never forgive

him for imprisoning that woman...fuck up all you want, but don't take victims with you.

[Initech]

6. Please tell me he told someone "fuck your couch".

[Arugula Latte]

7. ...