|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Blues
With Richard Pearce
Director
Wednesday, October 01, 2003; Noon ET
Director Richard Pearce traces the musical odyssey of blues legend B.B. King in a film that pays tribute to the city that gave birth to a new style of blues. Pearce's homage to Memphis features original performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Rufus Thomas.
Pearce will be online Wednesday, Oct. 1 at Noon ET, to discuss the blues, the documentary series and the episode he directed.
About This Series: Under the guiding vision of Executive Producer Martin Scorsese, seven directors explore the blues through their own personal styles and perspectives. The films in the series are motivated by a central theme: how the blues evolved from parochial folk tunes to a universal language. Series premieres Sept. 28 on PBS (check local listings).
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
|
Memphis, Tenn.:
Mr Pearce- I hail from Memphis born and raised and the blues is just a way of life here. I've always loved the sound, just inherent being from Memphis I guess. My question is: "What distinguishes the "Memphis" sound from other blues genres(Chicago)? Secondly-what is it that I find so interesting about Robert Johnson?
Richard Pearce: The interesting thing about Memphis is that it truly is a musical crossroads connecting the music that came out of the Delta, the country blues, with the traditions of jazz that came from Beale Street. And it was in Memphis that these two streams of American music came together and created a unique sound that I would define the Memphis sound that continues through today.
As for Robert Johnson, I like you, am only a listener and I have no special knowledge of Robert Johnson. He was not in my film but I agree that he is one of the most extraordinary voices in the blues.
_______________________
Athens, Ga.:
What is the name of the narrator/host of the show? (The younger guy with dreds that travels to africa) Thank you
Richard Pearce: This is again not my show. You're referring to Corey Harris. The unique thing about the series is that it may seem that everything is coming from one place but each episode is filmed by a different director and there was very little contact between the directors while they were making the films.
_______________________
Tallahassee, Fla.:
I watched your film last night. It provided an interesting contrast to "The Soul of Man" segment, because unlike that segment you were dealing with living people. You never know what they are going to do. I had the feeling that some of the encounters didn't go the way you expected. For example the meeting between Ike Turner and Sam Phillips. In the end it looked they misunderstood each other. Did Ike ever find Sam's bathroom? Were you trying to rehabilitate Ike's image? If so, you may have helped. His guitar playing was the most exciting in the film. Musically, the jury is still out on Bobby Rush. He may have raw sexuality but since he's not my type I wanted to hear more of his music. It looks as if the ass shaking yaya girl is the high point of his show. Did he really need to get into a guitar cutting contest with that homeless guy? But it was the surprising things that made your film interesting. I loved B.B. King's story about the Filmore. Thank you.
Richard Pearce: I really appreciate how much you got from the film. Everything in making this kind of film in some ways has a mixture of design and accident. It's what I love about documenteries. The perfect example is the scene with Bobby Rush and the guitar hobo at the side of the road. The scene with Sam Phillips was by more of design but in fact, Sam Phillips will always outfox any attempt to script anything for him. I think Ike is an important figure in the story of Memphis blues and it is outside of any of the drama that have attached themselves to him. I'm glad that you feel that Ike's image may be helped by this film because I agree that he is an amazing musician whatever you may think about his sexual politics. Thanks for being such a thoughtful viewer.
_______________________
Prague, CZ:
B.B. King, Bobby Rush, and American blues have international followings. Does this series consider the worldwide impact the blues has had?
Richard Pearce: I think in so far as we are looking at the blues as an American phenomenon. We may at first glance be ignoring it as an international phenomenon but wait until Mike Figgis' film about the British rockers and the blues and you'll get a sense of how important of the international response was to the awakening of the blues for Americans.
_______________________
Hazlehurst, Ms:
Was there any film footage of Jimmy Reed included in this documentary? There was nobody that played that Southern Country Booogie style of blues better than him.
Troy,txs
Richard Pearce: I think there is no film footage of Jimmy Reed in the series and I'm not sure because I haven't seen all the films at this point. And if this is true, I would agree that this would be a great loss.
_______________________
Jonesboro, Ark.:
How would one find out Bobby Rushs future play date?
Richard Pearce: Bobby Rush has a web site so I would search for his site and find his touring dates there.
_______________________
Memphis, Tenn.:
NO Question. Correction. I saw tonight's installment of the Blues.. 9/30/03. A man on the show stated that in 1968 when Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, "Chicago burned, Detroit burned, et al..... but Memphis did not burn." This is totally wrong. My father was on the Memphis Fire Department at that time. I was 10 years old. He did not come home for 3 days. Many years later he told me that the MFD had every single piece of equipment they had laid out and that if 1 large or even 2 small more fires had occurred, they would not have been able to control it. Memphis did burn.
Richard Pearce: I think this is a question that needs to be directed to Jim Dickinson who I believe but I have no proving what he said in the film is true. I'm sure that the question of how much of a riot there was in Memphis is a relative question. I believe that your father can only be telling the truth. I have no way to know how to settle this matter today online but I respect your message and we'll talk to Jim Dickinson and try to understand, from my own sake, what the facts are.
_______________________
Burbank, Calif.:
Why the narrator. It was very distracting, I found it hard to watch. For a program that is highlight music why overlay everything with a dry, distracting voiceover?
The Blues series has been remarkable until now.
Richard Pearce: I'm confused because the Road to Memphis has absolutely no voiceover at all.
_______________________
washingtonpost.com:
A Web Site About Bobby Rush
_______________________
Pinole, Calif.:
Thank you Richard Pearce for the work and documentation on the Blues Story aired on PBS.
My family and I have really injoyed what you have done to bring this story to the world.
Now,please tell me how to get a copy of this series for my video library? I must have this historical movie so that I can watch it over and over. Just a note about myself I had the privilage of playing with the late Jimmy Reed and the late Bill Doggett when I was a teen ager in Ohio as a Bass in their bands when they came through the area. I'v heard of all the guys but only seen most of them for the first time on your program airing.
Sincerely
Rasheed
From California
Richard Pearce: That's great! I think there is available a boxset of DVDs that will include all 7 films and there are already CDs of all of the films right now. They are available through PBS.org. Thank you for your comment, I'm glad you liked it.
_______________________
Columbia, S.C.:
More than 25 years ago we saw BB King in concert in NY. With him was Bobby 'Blue' Bland, one of the finest blues singers ever. BB was extending a helping hand to him. What ever happened to Bobby? Is he still alive? I have not heard his name even mentioned in your series so far.
Richard Pearce: Bobby Blue Bland is very much still alive and is one of the disappointing things about having a time limit that we could not include everybody in the film. There are two people that immediately come to mind which I wish I had the time to include. One is Bobby Blue Bland and the other is a wonderful, lesser known Memphis blues man named Wolf Man Balfour. That is just the breaks about making movies. A lot of wonderful things end up on the editing room floor.
_______________________
Schenectady, N.Y.:
Richard,
the show is probably one of the best documentaries on the blues I have ever seen. I saw blues artist I have never seen or heard of before. I will continue to watch the series which is great and I will get it when it comes on DVD. This is truly great work from some masters of music who are finally being recognized. Their music paved the way for some of today's musicians who need to watch, listen and learn from the past greats of blues. Keep up the great work and I really enjoyed the shows.
Richard Pearce: Wow! That's great and it's really appreciated because sometimes when you are making a film, you feel like you are engaged in a one sided conversation with an audience. It's nice to hear the voice of someone who likes the film as well as hearing some that do not.
_______________________
Battle Creek, Mich.:
While touring/working with Bobby Rush on the present day "Chitlin Circuit" were there any occasions where racial prejudices would still surface? Speaking from your own view, what is your opinion on the state of Blues music among younger generations (16-30)specifically in the southern states where Blues has always held a stronger prominence?
Richard Pearce: I would say the most interesting part of our story that reflects on your question is the change in audience from black to white and I think that still the Blues audience is predominantly white. Bobby Rush himself hopes that these films will help bring back a young black audience to the blues. I hope so too.
I can't remember any but that doesn't mean that the issue is not alive and present today. Most of what I experienced was stories from the past -- maybe that is a weakness in the film. I did not mean to give the impression that the world of prejudice is a historical world and not a present tense fact in the South today.
_______________________
Hartford, Conn.:
Why do you think the 60's generation white
youth embraced the blues?
Richard Pearce: In the movie, Jim Dickinson who speaks for the white audience gives an interesting fact that he bought his first Kingston Trio album on the same day he bought his first BB King album -- and he says that they were both folk music. The blues was seen by this generation as folk music. I think this is true and it certainly was in my life. The blues became a part of this larger movement called the Folk revival in the 60's.
_______________________
Memphis, Tenn.:
Mr. Pearce,
I enjoyed the show last night, including the contrasting views of Memphis music history (the Turner/Phillips conversation was one for the ages!, as was Rosco Gordon's tour down Beale Street).
However, I wonder why Bobby Bland received so little mention in an episode devoted to so many of his peers, as he seems a much more major figure in music history than Gordon ... was Mr. Bland unwilling or unavailable to participate, or was he overlooked again, as so often happens both in Memphis and nationally?
Richard Pearce: I completely agree. What happened in making our movies is that certain characters kind of came in and took a place in the movie by just acts of pure personality. Rosco Gordon was never intended to be one of the stars of the movie and he completely charmed us and we couldn't resist him. He took up precious space that could have gone to others but I have no regrets about the time we speent to Rosco. It seems very precious now that he is dead. Having said that, I wish Bobby Blue Bland could have received more time in the movie and I agree with you.
_______________________
Raleigh, N.C.:
Ae there any history books on the blues?
I have read "Nothing But The Blues," By Lawrence Cohn.
Than you so much for the program.
Josephine
Richard Pearce: There is a book that has been published as a companion to the blues series that also can be found through pbs.org or in bookstore. It is a compilation on some of the best writing about the blues. My favorite book is an older book by Robert Palmer called "The Blues." Also there is a wonderful biography of BB King called The Rival of BB King by Charles Sawyer. One last recommendation is a particularly good book about Memphis music by Robert Gordon called "It Came From Memphis."
_______________________
Carmel, Calif.:
I missed the name of the very last musician performing in your film. He was playing the guitar. I would appreciate it if you would email his name to me so that I can try to purchase a recording of his music. Thank you. Christine
Richard Pearce: If you are asking about the last person that sang a blues called Done Got Old -- after the program after the film had ended there was a short piece with interviews with me and others which ended with a BB King song "Keys to the Highway" -- after BB, the last person in the two hours was from Memphis, his name is Wolfman Balfour and you can find his music on the Fat Possum label.
_______________________
San Francisco, Calif.:
My name is Gary, and I would like to know if BB King ever sang a song with Mavis Staples or Pop Staples (Roebuck Staples)? And if so, what was the name of it.
BB King and Mavis Staples are my favorite music artist in the world.
I'm 46 years old and I grew up on the music of BB King and the Staple singers.
Richard Pearce: Not that I know of but I would suggest doing some searching for that because i'm not sure if BB or Pop Staples at one time performed together.
_______________________
Boca Raton, Fla.:
While clearly blues belongs to the black community, there are many white folks who have paid their dues and love the music to the depth of their souls...
From the time I was 6 in Marion VA and playing with black kids (parents invited to leave town) I have had a love for the music and basic culture... When I finally found out that there was an alternative to white music, I worked hard to find the music I liked on WLAC and another station in Little Rock, AK.. both boomers at 50,000 watts and only available in the mid west after dark... To enjoy the music on a live basis, I had to go to places like "Lil's" in Denver, CO which at that time was called a "black and tan" club and for the most part was an after hours club, but what a great experience it was!! Fantastic music from the great musicians of the time (early 50's)...
There is no way I can be black, but for whatever it's worth, I've been there for almost 70 years and watched the evolution of music from the "good stuff" which we are seeing and listening to on your program to the garbage we have to listen to today.. from real live musical talent to performers who if they had to survive without at visual couldn't sell 10 records if their lives depended on it...
So God bless the blues and all the people who have made it what it is...
6 strings down.. another blues stinger called home.. and when I go, that's where I want to go too...
Adios,
John
Richard Pearce: John that was great and you are the great white hope of the future of the blues. Live a long life! You got it coming to you!
_______________________
Elkhart, Ind.:
How did you choose the subjects for your
film? Were you given a time period or
geographical location to cover?
Richard Pearce: My case it was geographical. It was Memphis but immediately it became about a time period for me when the blues came out of the delta and came up river to Memphis and in Memphis found an audience. In finding an audience, it was able to change the world.
One of the things that I love most about making a documentary is that it allows for surprise, accident and a chance that you'll be taken somewhere that you would have never anticipated. I think that is the strength of our film that we could have never have predicted that in making a film about Memphis blues we would have found our way to such a diverse and extraordinary group of characters. A perfect example is Bobby Rush who I knew nothing about before going to Memphis but today is living the life that most of these men were living 50 years ago.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
What is it, do you think, that makes these guys keep on doing what they do? Is it acceptance and applause from audiences? What's the payoff for them?
Richard Pearce: That's a mystery. When I think of Bobby Rush -- he tries to answer the question in the film by saying that if he didn't love the music, he couldn't do it. I believe him and I think entertainers like that are born with that gene. It's in the DNA.
_______________________
Boston, Mass.:
Mr. Pearce,
How much direction were you given by Mr. Scorsese as to how your film should be made (subjects, interviews, shoots, etc). It seems so far there is continuity in that there is very little narration and a lot of attention to oral accounts.
Richard Pearce: I think the series was designed to have no coordination between the different directors making their films hoping that each one would be unique and different. Therefore there were little attempt by Marty to determine the style of the other films and he was in fact busy making his own film.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
How is Ike Turner is person?
Though he has surely done some odious
things in his life, his music was/is great.
However, his bad rap unfortunately
overshadows his awesome contributions
to American music.
Richard Pearce: I can only say what you see in the film is what I saw and you can make your own judgements. I found him completely sympathetic. I particularly loved his conversation with Sam Phillips and I feel like his love and respect for Sam was geniune and heartfelt -- even as he accused him of having stolen black music in fashioning the early recordings that began rock and roll.
_______________________
Boston, MA:
Mr Pearce, I had to cut out at 10:00pm last night so I didn't get to see the ending of your film. What is Bobby Rush up to and does he ever take his show to areas like Boston?
Thanks
Richard Pearce: Again, he does go into the north and northeast and I would advise looking at his web site and see his touring schedule.
_______________________
Marquette, Mich.:
How did you discover the blues? Do you
feel it has influenced your other work?
Richard Pearce: Like many teenagers, I grew up playing the guitar and you can't play the guitar without being influenced by the blues. Now I play the cello but I think music will always have a huge influence on my work as a film director and I suspect on the work of most film directors.
_______________________
Montclair, N.J.:
Thank you for telling us such a fine story. I truly enjoyed watching and discussing,
"The Road To Memphis" with my eleven year old son last night. Though each performer clearly took a different path after leaving Memphis, their love of the blues and their dedication to the art form spoke quite loudly. In addition to those issues transforming Memphis, the insights you brought to each individual blues performer were fabulous. Once started, would you explain if the project evolved into something other than what you originally invisioned? Thanks!
Richard Pearce: Absolutely. Almost every documentary project begins with one conception and ends with an entirely new conception and is one of the pleasures of this kind of filmmaking because you feel like you're constantly learning and reshaping and finding a new understanding of your subject that changes day to day. You are never bored and you just hope that where you end is not the same place where you began.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
Mr. Pearce. I loved the film last night. This series has been incredible. Kudos to you, Martin Scorsese and PBS for providing
"The Blues". What's so interesting is that all of the films are so very different with such different approaches. I've immensly enjoyed each one. What made you decide to take the approach you did? Who were your musical influences growing up? And, what's currently on your turntable?
Thanks again.
Richard Pearce: The answer to the question of style is very simple. I just wanted to make sure that we didn't give the impresssion that the blues exists in some museum somewhere. And that the movie would only feel like it was talking about the past -- I wanted the feeling of the blues as alive and breathing and a life that is being lived today rather than just in the past fifty years ago. My musical influences are probably the same as most of my generation. I loved the blues recordings that I grew up with. What was exciting about this film was the chance to go beyond the recordings and try to understand the lives that these men had lived and were living.
A new documentary about a musical subject and a fiction film that will take me back to Memphis. I'm back to my cello so I listen and play classical music which may seem odd but I don't think it is.
_______________________
Morristown, N.J.:
Mr. Pearce thank you for a teriffic show.
Are you considering any other future projects on different aspects of the blues or other specific blues performers?
Richard Pearce: Not immediately but I'm completely open.
_______________________
Cambridge, Mass.:
Hello, Mr. Pearce--I was very struck by your film last night, particularly the poignant stories about struggling so hard for success and visibility. Even B.B. had his tales from early on. In your opinion, how does the sad and the happy come together in the music?
Richard Pearce: I would say that the answer to that question is why I was so fascinated by the lives of these men rather than just their music. I think that this is the story of how this music born out of so much pain in the delta and slavery contains at the same times so much joy is the greatest mystery of the heart of the blues. I have no answer but it is one of the questions was at the root of our movie and I'm glad that you are asking it. I hope the movie helps you find that answer.
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.:
Hi, a great series.
Ike Turner has not been the most PC guy in the world for years, since his breakup with Tina. Was thought given to any of this, and is he hoping his appearance may mend some fences with the general public?
Was the inclusion of Bobby Rush meant to simply show the everyday working life of a regional blues performer, as hate to say it but I was not familiar with him?
Lastly, was equal production money allocated for each segment, or did some receive more than others?
Thank you.
Richard Pearce: As far as I understand, each film had the same budget for the shooting and the music rights were all favored nations -- which means that each performer gets the same amount of money whether it was BB King or Bobby Rush.
Bobby Rush was in the movie to show the life today of a blues man still playing the Chitlin Circuit in the south to black audiences. It allowed us to understand what BB King's life must have been like fifty years ago.
Ike's presence in the movie was based entirely on his seminal role as a talent scout who brought blues men in the late 40s and early 50s to Sam Phillips to record. If you believe that those recordings were the root of the rock n roll revolution than you have to give Ike Turner credit for being one of the engines of that revolution along with Sam Phillips.
_______________________
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
When you showed Elvis, what was he doing there? Was he stealing music to take it to a higher level and get paid and called the King of Rock and Roll. That was crazy.
Richard Pearce: Sam Phillips is one of the most important figure in Memphis blues and Memphis music. He not only brought black blues to the recording studio and to eventually white radio but he dedicated himself to finding white musicians who could play and sing black music. Out of this democratic vision of music was born not only Elvis but rock n roll.
_______________________
Johnson, Mich.:
Mr. Pearce,
Watching your film last night I couldn't help but feel a little embarrased for the musicians. After all, they are performers it is what they do on stage that captivates and inspires us -- off stage they are ... well ... uninteresting. What is inspiring about seeing Bobby Rush wake up on his tour bus? The only time the personal lives of entertainers seems interesting to us is when they lead extravagant or self-destructive lives or it's viewed through the perspective of history. Maybe a few seconds of the tour bus would've made the point -- these guys live a hard life -- but a five minute excerpt was a bit overdone.
Richard Pearce: Well I couldn't disagree with you more. I feel like the difference of our celebrity ridden narcistic culture and the lives of these working blues men is about as different as night and day. I think we have a lot to learn about how a lifetime of struggle informs this music we call the blues. So I have no regrets about the time we spent trying to understand to live the life of a blues man today.
_______________________
Seattle, Wash.:
If there was one blues person who's no longer with us that you could meet, who would it be and why?
Richard Pearce: Robert Johnson because his life and death is still a mystery and his music continues to be magical in its power to communicate.
_______________________
Toronto, Canada:
Mr. Pearce ...
A note of appreciation for last night's film. The intertwining of B.B. King's, Bobby Rush's and Rosco Gordon's lives was beautifully accomplished and your restraint in not offering editorial comment was subtle. The scene between Sam Phillips and Ike Turner was just as revealing. Did I detect some nervous, unspoken guilt in Phillips despite his (justifiable) pride in his Beale St. recordings? There's no doubt he and Elvis profited more than any of the Beale St. bluesmen from his "discovery" of their music.
I loved the Wim Wenders film on Monday. Yours was even more enjoyable.
Any chance of a film on B.B. King alone?
All the best ...
Richard Pearce: Oh I'm sure there will be more films on BB King -- at least I hope so. With regard to Sam Phillips, I leave that to you to decide. God rest his soul.
_______________________
Parsippany , New Jersey :
Great show ! I now have some understanding about the Menphis blues connection i did not get from reading a plethorea of books on history of jazz/blues, or should i say your film helped with the connection.
It was refreshing to find Ike Turner in a postive light doing what he does best. His blues musicianship is superb, and your film fully exposed his talent. Pehaps hopefully he will get the true recongnition and respect he deserves, as well as all the others.
Richard Pearce: I couldn't agree more. Thanks for seeing all these connections.
_______________________
Atlanta, Ga:
How old is B.B. King? What is his take on blues today?
Richard Pearce: BB King is 78 and like Bobby Rush, he's hopeful that the blues will find a young audience.
_______________________
Fredericksburg, Va.:
Hi, I would just like to say that my father, who has only ever listened to classical and opera, watched your film last night and bought his first blues CD ever! He was mesmerized by Muddy Waters. Thanks for a great film!
Richard Pearce: A toast to your father!
_______________________
Herndon, Va.:
After seeing the first three movies of this series, I fervently wish all of the directors could have been brought together for a roundtable to discuss their individual segments and the "whys" of their filming. I'm sure it would be fascinating!
Richard Pearce: Me too. It's true and we haven't all gotten together in the same room.
_______________________
Baton Rouge, La.:
What do you think is the future of blues music?
Richard Pearce: I can't answer it and I'm not an expert. I wish I could but I think the process of making films is attempting to ask the questions. The answers are up to the viewer. If you can figure the out answer to that question, let me know.
_______________________
Worcester, Mass.:
Hi Richard,
I must admit I've been a bit bored with the series. I'm have studied the blues extensively and haven't really gained much new insight into the genre, and people I've talked to who are not blues fans are just confused with the whole thing. My question is, who is your target audience and what were you trying to do that has not been done already?
Richard Pearce: I think that we're trying to wet people's appetite, especially people who are not knowledgeable about the blues, so that they might be curious and listen and learn some more. We made no attempt to be academic or comprehensive -- just to get a few people who may not have known anything about the music turned onto the blues. So you may not have been the best audience because you already are knowledgeable but I'm glad you watched and I hope you watch the rest of the series. Trust that you might find something that you didn't already know coming down the road in the next few nights. I hope so.
_______________________
Richard Pearce: Thanks to everybody for your intelligent comments and it's wonderful to think of the variety of places of people watching the films just by this afternoon's online conversation.
_______________________
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
| 
