First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor Francis; an informa company.
2014-06-19 2014-06-20File Name: B00L4OOR2S
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Rick James Rick James Read it...He is a hell of a musician!By Stephanie CampbellWhen I think of celebrities who are known for something other than what they WERE known for its sad. Michael Jackson great singer and performer and musical ICON known for being a so called child molester BUT found innocent. OJ Simpson GREAT football player now known as a murderer and someone spending the rest of his life in a jail cell because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time (depending on who you believe). Dave Chappelle has a skit showing Rick James playing basketball with Prince (RIP) and we found out it was a TRUE story and the chanting coming out of Ricks mouth ....Cocaine is a hell of a drug and "Im Rick James B****"..LOL. A new generation was introduced to Rick James and this book written by Peter Benjaminson introduces Rick to a new generation.Benjaminson does a good job here albeit there are 2 other books written about Rick...one written by Rick himself. The author could have gone down the tragic road of making James appear to be a victim of his own wrongdoing but he doesnt do that. He talks about James early beginnings and takes us down some shocking turns....meeting and knowing Jim Morrison; Neil Young; being in various groups that are multi racial. When reading his life seems to parallel that of Sly Stones and that is ironic. Both had interracial groups; both were songwriters; and pushed barriers.One thing Benjaminson does that a lot of these types of books DONT do is he chronologically goes through the periods of music and how they charted and what James was doing at that time. For a music lover like me that type of information is GOLD. Some authors use superlatives when reading and this text is user friendly there are no words being used where you dont know the meaning or the context or the author trying to impress you with adjectives that sound William F Buckleyish. Interestingly enough its a good story and you dont wind up feeling sorry for Rick the choices he made were his and some were good some were not but rise to fame is felt. When he is up you are when he is down you are but he was always able to rise to the top and get back up as a person; a musician; and an entertainer. His drive is felt in this book and his pain is as well. When I finished reading this book I felt happy that Rick was able to live his life and give us his the music that is still being played on the radio and sampled. There may be some parts of his life you know about (dating Linda Blair; Teena Marie; drug use) but there is TONS you dont know and that is the great part. Benjamins text is a hell of a book.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Superfreak: More Than a Bio; Its Cultural CommentaryBy Richard H.Sociologically an important book; Superfreak captures honestly a segment of culture that; in any depth; is foreign to most Americans. Ricky Jamess life holds up a disturbing mirror that reflects the distortions of poverty; racism; celebrityhood; and narcissism in our country. The authors non-judgmental style allows the reader to draw his/her own conclusions; which is a major strength of the book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent bio of the life and times of one of ...By J. A. PennellExcellent bio of the life and times of one of the biggest funk/rb/rock stars of all time. A must read for any fan of Mr. Superfreak himself as well any fan of music. Includes a lot of new info/insights not available in other stories of his life. RIP Rick!!
