My NPR interview with Charlie Wilson

YoungAmerican

I host (and produce) an NPR show called Bullseye. I had the chance to talk to Charlie Wilson recently for the show. I had lunch with Oliver Wang and Andrew Noz, and they were talking about SoulStrut, and I realized I'd never posted it here.

I figure if anyone's going to get it, folks here will. Here it is on Soundcloud and here's the full show on our site. You can also download or subscribe in iTunes (free).

Anyway, he's a pretty amazing dude. Very warm and charming IRL. Was really excited I got to have him on the show.

BeatChemist

About 10 minutes in and really enjoying this. Thanks for posting it!

batmon

Last Night...

YoungAmerican

BeatChemist said:

About 10 minutes in and really enjoying this. Thanks for posting it!

Thank you!

motown67

That was a great interview. I heard it on the radio here in the Bay Area last week.

SIRUS

does ron isley have some sort of long running beef with charlie? he looked kinda salty during that tribute.

Eric111

I just didn't like the easy and pandering criticism of disco. The best of disco, like Bonnie Pointer's version of "Heaven Must Have Sent You", had tremendous melody, instrumentation, vocals, and rhythm --- and was a natural progression from R&B.

I like the Gap Band, but ironically, many of their own songs were marked by a certain percussive "sluggishness" --- which sounded as though their drummer was just behind the beat, or trying to slow it down.

One other thing: "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was politically insensitive, coming a few years after the U.S. frenzy of napalm and other
drops on Vietnam and other countries.

batmon

Eric111 said:

I just didn't like the easy and pandering criticism of disco. The best of disco, like Bonnie Pointer's version of "Heaven Must Have Sent You", had tremendous melody, instrumentation, vocals, and rhythm --- and was a natural progression from R&B.

I like the Gap Band, but ironically, many of their own songs were marked by a certain percussive "sluggishness" --- which sounded as though their drummer was just behind the beat, or trying to slow it down.

One other thing: "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was politically insensitive, coming a few years after the U.S. frenzy of napalm and other
drops on Vietnam and other countries.

Welcome....... :-S

vintageinfants

charlie KILTED it on this tho:



getting a spot on arguably the best album of the year is a pretty good way to stay relevant.

batmon

vintageinfants said:

getting a spot on arguably the best album of the year is a pretty good way to stay relevant.

R.Kelly brought him back to Black radio in '05 the same way he did w/ Ronald Isley.
Uncle Charlie = Mr. Biggs.

Which is funny cause R.Kelly was seen as biting Aaron Hall, who was was seen as biting Wilson.

vintageinfants

batmon said:

vintageinfants said:

getting a spot on arguably the best album of the year is a pretty good way to stay relevant.

R.Kelly brought him back to Black radio in '05 the same way he did w/ Ronald Isley.
Uncle Charlie = Mr. Biggs.

Which is funny cause R.Kelly was seen as biting Aaron Hall, who was was seen as biting Wilson.

i dont know if you're saying that i'm wrong or not, but please DO keep in mind that '05 was NINE years ago..... i make the same mistake, i'm in a state of cognitive dissonance, talmbout "the fuck you MEAN people born in 1997 aren't 3 years old?"

batmon

vintageinfants said:

batmon said:

vintageinfants said:

getting a spot on arguably the best album of the year is a pretty good way to stay relevant.

R.Kelly brought him back to Black radio in '05 the same way he did w/ Ronald Isley.
Uncle Charlie = Mr. Biggs.

Which is funny cause R.Kelly was seen as biting Aaron Hall, who was was seen as biting Wilson.

i dont know if you're saying that i'm wrong or not, but please DO keep in mind that '05 was NINE years ago..... i make the same mistake, i'm in a state of cognitive dissonance, talmbout "the fuck you MEAN people born in 1997 aren't 3 years old?"

Nah..im just sayin Charlie had the ball rollin w. R.Kelly...then Timberlake and later what u posted.
He's been stayin relevant since Kellz.

motown67

Eric111 said:

One other thing: "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was politically insensitive, coming a few years after the U.S. frenzy of napalm and other drops on Vietnam and other countries.

Yes, because when people heard Drop A Bomb On Me, which is obviously about how a woman blew his mind they would automatically think of Vietnam! You know in the video for that song they used a bunch of WWII film of German bombers. Maybe the Gap Band supported the Nazis too!

batmon

motown67 said:

Eric111 said:

One other thing: "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was politically insensitive, coming a few years after the U.S. frenzy of napalm and other drops on Vietnam and other countries.

Yes, because when people heard Drop A Bomb On Me, which is obviously about how a woman blew his mind they would automatically think of Vietnam! You know in the video for that song they used a bunch of WWII film of German bombers. Maybe the Gap Band supported the Nazis too!

TAKE COVER!!!!!!!!!!

james

batmon said:

vintageinfants said:

getting a spot on arguably the best album of the year is a pretty good way to stay relevant.

R.Kelly brought him back to Black radio in '05 the same way he did w/ Ronald Isley.

Charlie's spot on Snoop's "Beautiful" a couple years prior was important, too, though.

motown67

That video reminded me that Drop A Bomb came out in 1982. 82! People were not talking about Vietnam that much by then. But hey, maybe War should have changed their name, because they are obviously reminding people of all the wars that America started and Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem at the NBA All Star game in 83 meant that he was a supporter of U.S. imperialism!

batmon

james said:

batmon said:

vintageinfants said:

getting a spot on arguably the best album of the year is a pretty good way to stay relevant.

R.Kelly brought him back to Black radio in '05 the same way he did w/ Ronald Isley.

Charlie's spot on Snoop's "Beautiful" a couple years prior was important, too, though.

No doubt. My bad....that was a Pharell+Snoop hit....i dont recall anything previous. Kellz gave him his own shit.

james

batmon said:

i dont recall anything previous

You're gonna front on the immortal "We Can Make It Alright" acapella?

Nah, I'm kidding. I know what you mean.

(I'm sure you're right that Kellz is more the reason, but between you and me, though, didn't Charlie get his own album on the back of that Pharrell+Snoop jernt? I remember a few years back tracking down this thing I heard on the radio one time--a re-sung, Charlie-only version of "Beautiful"--and being surprised to find that it was the promo/centerpiece for his then-current full-length, which was at the time getting pushed to LBE stations.)

james

motown67 said:

Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem at the NBA All Star game in 83 meant that he was a supporter of U.S. imperialism!

You laugh, but back then my mom was a little heated at what she considered Marv's "black power fist" gestures while he was singing the anthem. She thought it was militant or too political or something.

Oof.

batmon

james said:

batmon said:

i dont recall anything previous

You're gonna front on the immortal "We Can Make It Alright" acapella?

Nah, I'm kidding. I know what you mean.

(I'm sure you're right that Kellz is more the reason, but between you and me, though, didn't Charlie get his own album on the back of that Pharrell+Snoop jernt? I remember a few years back tracking down this thing I heard on the radio one time--a re-sung, Charlie-only version of "Beautiful"--and being surprised to find that it was the promo/centerpiece for his then-current full-length, which was at the time getting pushed to LBE stations.)

deezlee

I have.a 12" w/ beautiful on it that just has singing no raps.

james

deezlee said:

I have.a 12" w/ beautiful on it that just has singing no raps.

Hey, I'd like to know more about this. Is this a bootleg, or a Snoop 12" with an alternate mix, or what?

I think all I have is an mp3 somewhere in a forgotten corner of some hard drive, and if I'm remembering right, said mp3 is really just a shitty rip from a no-longer-extant youtube. An upgrade would be fresh.

HarveyCanal

motown67 said:

That video reminded me that Drop A Bomb came out in 1982. 82! People were not talking about Vietnam that much by then.

Yeah, Paul Hardcastle wasn't just about to come out with 19. And Rambo and Missing in Action and Platoon and Full Metal Jacket weren't about to come out either.

Not that I agree with dude's perspective on Dropped the Bomb at all. There had just been a parody song called Bomb Iran that had made the rounds if you really want to talk about insensitivity.

But c'mon, the 80's were all about still dealing with Vietnam.

white_tea

How soon we forget that "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was a Cod War anthem and a dovetail to Kool & the Gang's "Get Down On It," It being Communism, "Get your back up off the wall," being the Berlin Wall. Also "Early in the Morning" - what smell do we love in the morning? Napalm.

james

james said:

deezlee said:

I have.a 12" w/ beautiful on it that just has singing no raps.

Hey, I'd like to know more about this. Is this a bootleg, or a Snoop 12" with an alternate mix, or what?

I think all I have is an mp3 somewhere in a forgotten corner of some hard drive, and if I'm remembering right, said mp3 is really just a shitty rip from a no-longer-extant youtube. An upgrade would be fresh.

"Never mind--I figured it out." (?? Rockadelic)

LaserWolf

white_tea said:

How soon we forget that "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was a Cod War anthem and a dovetail to Kool & the Gang's "Get Down On It," It being Communism, "Get your back up off the wall," being the Berlin Wall. Also "Early in the Morning" - what smell do we love in the morning? Napalm.

deezlee