What’s Goin’ On
What’s Goin’ On
I just watched a documentary on Marvin Gaye, a man I’ve actually known quite little about for the past few years. I did know that he was extremely talented, attractive and charming. I also knew that he had a drug problem and his father shot him to death.
I didn’t realize that he married Barry Gordy’s sister, Anna Gordy Gaye, who was thirty-nine to his twenty-one years when they did marry. I also didn’t realize that he had an entourage to make M.C. Hammer’s following look considerably sparse, and that same entourage was one of the main causes of his financial demise.
The documentary showed footage of him talking about his life in later years, and the one thing that struck me was the sad and hollow look in his eyes. Here was the man who, at one time, was Motown’s bread and butter, and could mix his oozing sex appeal with social commentary in both his performances and music.
I felt haunted by the look in his eyes. This man, brought up in a religious family, went against the grain to become one of the greatest rhythm and blues singers of all time. He is a legend, yet somehow fell prey to his own sense of limitation. I got the feeling that he was someone who wanted to help others, who cried out against injustice, and was clearly a trailblazer in the music business. He worked overtime to set new standards and assert control over his own destiny, yet seemed unable to rise above his own demons.
The inability to rise above one’s own demons in their various forms is just one aspect of the human condition. Some folks drink too much and abuse substances, others can’t seem to control their anger or tendencies toward violence. It doesn’t matter the vice, since we’re all subject to error. What strikes me as interesting is that struggle that some artists seem unable to manage. It seems that the same creative energy that makes them so remarkable and ingenious is the same energy, on the flip side, that can pave the way to self-destruction. Does their ability to create and invent overwhelm them? Is this world too difficult and too ugly to cope with after experiencing the brilliant visions and ideas they see in their own minds? I wonder. I wonder probably because I’ve seen people close to me, brilliant and highly creative, self-destruct. Very disturbing yet very curious.
On the other hand, there are individuals like Prince. Prince is an absolute genius, and a great businessman all at the same time. He has been extremely adept at protecting himself from exploitation. Prince has maintained a very clear view of reality and has been unafraid to let everyone know when he feels he has been given a raw deal. My comparison of the two artists in no way diminishes my respect for Gaye. I just can’t help but wonder why we lose some of our most brilliant too soon. While I know that each of us follows our own separate path, for better or worse, perhaps we can learn something from both of them and apply it to our own lives.
Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
I just watched a documentary on Marvin Gaye, a man I’ve actually known quite little about for the past few years. I did know that he was extremely talented, attractive and charming. I also knew that he had a drug problem and his father shot him to death.
I didn’t realize that he married Barry Gordy’s sister, Anna Gordy Gaye, who was thirty-nine to his twenty-one years when they did marry. I also didn’t realize that he had an entourage to make M.C. Hammer’s following look considerably sparse, and that same entourage was one of the main causes of his financial demise.
The documentary showed footage of him talking about his life in later years, and the one thing that struck me was the sad and hollow look in his eyes. Here was the man who, at one time, was Motown’s bread and butter, and could mix his oozing sex appeal with social commentary in both his performances and music.
I felt haunted by the look in his eyes. This man, brought up in a religious family, went against the grain to become one of the greatest rhythm and blues singers of all time. He is a legend, yet somehow fell prey to his own sense of limitation. I got the feeling that he was someone who wanted to help others, who cried out against injustice, and was clearly a trailblazer in the music business. He worked overtime to set new standards and assert control over his own destiny, yet seemed unable to rise above his own demons.
The inability to rise above one’s own demons in their various forms is just one aspect of the human condition. Some folks drink too much and abuse substances, others can’t seem to control their anger or tendencies toward violence. It doesn’t matter the vice, since we’re all subject to error. What strikes me as interesting is that struggle that some artists seem unable to manage. It seems that the same creative energy that makes them so remarkable and ingenious is the same energy, on the flip side, that can pave the way to self-destruction. Does their ability to create and invent overwhelm them? Is this world too difficult and too ugly to cope with after experiencing the brilliant visions and ideas they see in their own minds? I wonder. I wonder probably because I’ve seen people close to me, brilliant and highly creative, self-destruct. Very disturbing yet very curious.
On the other hand, there are individuals like Prince. Prince is an absolute genius, and a great businessman all at the same time. He has been extremely adept at protecting himself from exploitation. Prince has maintained a very clear view of reality and has been unafraid to let everyone know when he feels he has been given a raw deal. My comparison of the two artists in no way diminishes my respect for Gaye. I just can’t help but wonder why we lose some of our most brilliant too soon. While I know that each of us follows our own separate path, for better or worse, perhaps we can learn something from both of them and apply it to our own lives.
Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
posted by Northbaywriter | 9:51 PM
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