| Lionel Ritchie is an extraordinary human being; I think he's the kind of person, if he were to walk into the room, I'd stand up. Now, if this seems sarcastic let me add: I'm not a fan of his music-- in fact, I think a song like "Say You, Say Me" might actually be rendered from the sound a person hears after they've overdosed on heroin and are approaching the place of death.
But I do like The Commodores, a lot-- they were one of my favorite bands when I was a little kid, just behind War and Parliament but slightly ahead of Aerosmith. Of course, these lists change as you get older. Actually, they changed all the time when I was a kid but a year seemed like forever then.
In his interview on The Tavis Smiley show (somewhat in conjunction with Motown's 50th Anniversary-- and btw, Motown: not a fan) Mr. Ritchie mentioned that for 8 years he's avoided discussing US politics in interviews and other business-related conversations; he said it's been a no-win situation. In the past few months that has changed, he said, foreign journalists actually bring up the subject.
It was incredibly positive to watch the interview; people love his music so much. He is one of the rare artists who has an RIAA certified "Diamond" record (+10 mil copies sold)-- up there with the greats like Shania Twain, The Notorious B.I.G. and Elton John. |
