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- [00:01]
Terry Gross
This message comes from Capital One. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts. What's in your wallet terms apply. See capitalone.com bank for details. Capital One NA Member FDIC this is FRESH AIR.
- [00:17]
David Bianculli
I'm David Biancooli. Eddie Palmieri, the pianist, bandleader and composer whose contributions to Afro Caribbean music shaped the evolving genre for decades, died Wednesday. He was 88 years old. His first album, La Perfecta, is credited for launching the musical salsa movement when it came out in 1962. Eddie Palmieri was born in New York City in 1936, the son of Puerto Rican immigrants who found work quickly, his mom as a seamstress and his dad as a radio and TV repairman. When Eddie was 5 years old, his family moved to the South Bronx and opened up an ice cream parlor. Eddie worked behind the counter as a soda jerk and also controlled the jukebox, which was stocked with hits by Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machida. He began taking piano lessons when he was 8 and led his first band at 14. In 1961, he borrowed $1,000 to pay for a month's rent on a nightclub in the Bronx, using it as a headquarters to experiment with various musical lineups for music he wanted to record. He settled on what he called at the time his perfect formula, the band he called La Perfecta, consisting of a vocalist, a small rhythm section, trombone, wood flute and Palmieri himself on piano. Eddie Palmieri performed and recorded all his life. He won multiple Grammys and including a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was recognized as a jazz master by the National Endowment for the Arts. And there's a treat right around the corner for Eddie Palmieri fans. The new Spike Lee film highest to Lowest, starring Denzel Washington, has a spectacular chase scene during a Puerto Rican Day celebration in the South Bronx. It features Eddie Palmieri's salsa orchestra as the backdrop. In 1994, Eddie Palmieri spoke with Terry Gross.
- [03:07]
Terry Gross
You were born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, and I think you were about 7 when your family moved to the South Bronx. Were the neighborhoods very similar or different?
- [03:15]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, well, they were different. At that time, the Hispanic movement was certainly into the El barrio, what they call. And we moved there when I was 5 years old, and by 7 years old I was already being accompanied by my brother playing piano. He was nine years older than me, and my brother passed away in 88, 60 years young. But then when we moved to the Bronx then my father being a genius as far as being a Radio and television repairman and plumber, and everything you could think had to do with manual labor. He worked very, very hard all his life. And my mother with a seamstress. My mother arrived in New York in 19. My father arrived on the next ship a year later. And by 1926 they married. And by 27, my brother was born. I was born in 36. When we arrived in the South Bronx, it was just a beautiful, beautiful neighborhood. And it was wonderful experiences. No cars at all. We were able to play stickball and not worry about any cars in the street. It was wonderful years that I remember in the South Bronx.
- [04:19]
Terry Gross
What did it mean to you to be Puerto Rican when you were growing up? Were you very proud of being Puerto Rican or just. Were you just Puerto Rican and didn't think about it very much one way or another?
- [04:29]
Eddie Palmieri
No, no. Always quite unique being Puerto Rican because of what I saw, the family being so united. When my relatives all came from Puerto Rico, my uncles on my grandmother, for example, had an open house policy, you know, which meant that on Saturdays you would see my grandmother going down to the Safeway A and P and doing the shopping. Plus he would stop at the liquor store and bring about, oh, six or eight bottles of different ryes and rums, whatever, merely because my grandfather was also a professional gambler. So on Saturday night, Friday night, the card games would start, and by midnight on Saturday, there was no liquor stores open. And the only one that had the liquor was Grandma. And as she sold you a liquor, she would light up a cigar. And then my grandfather was quite unique in playing, so he would clean up and they would have a house kitty. And on Saturdays, all my uncles would get together and then they would take out the guitars and they would start to sing. By 13, I was already playing drums with my uncle Chino Gates, because I didn't want to play the piano anymore. I wanted to become my brother's drummer.
- [05:43]
Terry Gross
Now, I know when you were growing up, your mother really wanted you to play piano, but you wanted to play drums, right? Let's start with your mother wanting you to play piano. Why was she so big on that?
- [05:53]
Eddie Palmieri
Well, because she passed the Depression here. And actually in 1929, she was here already. She arrived in 25, and her lesson was 25 cents. And the idea was you could try to get the 25 cents with $1.25. They made a whole grocery shopping. It's amazing what happened in the years of the Depression. And because my brother was already playing piano and he's nine years older than Me then. My mother certainly insisted on me to play piano, too. And I did, and I couldn't thank her enough for now.
- [06:26]
Terry Gross
When you were playing in your uncle's band, you were in your early teens, what did you play in the band?
- [06:30]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, I played timbales and my uncle sang. My other uncle played conga. And we had two guitars, a tres and a second guitar, who sang? A trumpet and the bass player, Nicolas. When there wasn't enough money to pay the bass player Nicolas, Nicolas was out.
- [06:46]
Terry Gross
Now, you studied classical music when you were young, right on the piano?
- [06:49]
Eddie Palmieri
Well, because of Ms. Margaret Bond. She was a classical concert player. And by 11, I gave a recital at Carnegie Hall. Recital Hall. But all Those years from 11 to 12, I just wanted to play drums. So it hurt me from not really getting into the fundamentals of the instrument as I need to, and I do now.
- [07:10]
Terry Gross
Did you resent having to play classical music?
- [07:12]
Eddie Palmieri
No, no, I just didn't want to play the piano at all. I mean, I wanted to play drums. And, you know, you have to be. You have to contemplate, like, what's going through my mind, because I want to play stickball in the street, you know, and the guys are calling me downstairs. Come on, Addie. Come on, Daddy. You know, and I gotta be playing sc, you know, and then trying to, you know, like, cheat on my scales. And my mother had an incredible ear. I called her Mama Ear Chops. I mean, she could hear. Hey, you know, that don't sound right. You know, an extra 15 minutes. Oh, things like that. And I was missing the game, and I was the first baseman, and then I had to become the manager, because if I wasn't the manager, probably they wouldn't let me play.
- [07:51]
Terry Gross
So when you were playing timbales and your uncle's band, what was the atmosphere like? You were, I don't know, 13 or 14. And he was playing in dance halls.
- [08:01]
Eddie Palmieri
Yeah, dance halls and up in the Villas. The Villas is like the. The. The borscht circuit, you know, the Catskills here.
- [08:06]
Terry Gross
Are you playing in the Borscht Belt when you were 13 or 14?
- [08:08]
Eddie Palmieri
No, no, but in the Spanish ones. Spanish, yeah, they were owned by Spaniards at that time. That was where they call them, La Villas. And so this.
- [08:16]
Terry Gross
This is in the Catskill Mountains of New York, where a lot of summer resorts are.
- [08:19]
Eddie Palmieri
This platicle off Newberg?
- [08:20]
Terry Gross
Uh, yeah.
- [08:21]
Eddie Palmieri
And I started working up there when 1950, 51. You know, I mean, it's unbelievable.
- [08:27]
Terry Gross
So what was the atmosphere like? What kind of people did you meet?
- [08:30]
Eddie Palmieri
Well, I'll give you an idea when. The first day I got there, I saw. I went to see the pool. They told me they had a pool in this villa, and I went to see the pool. There was a cow drinking and one in the pool.
- [08:38]
Terry Gross
A cow?
- [08:39]
George Clinton
Yeah.
- [08:39]
Terry Gross
Who was a cow drinking from the pool?
- [08:41]
Eddie Palmieri
I don't know. I didn't know her name was Elsie at that time. So I didn't, you know, from Borton's milk. The main thing is that that was the cows that gave you the milk. For $35, you could stay a week at the villa's room and board. And that fresh milk pitcher was there in the morning. And then my uncles and my grandfather would love to go up there because they could gamble up there. They could play cards all day long or dominoes, and that was their world. And my uncle was booked as the music of the villas, and I was part of that. So that was the way we made our living.
- [09:20]
Terry Gross
Did you drink when you were young?
- [09:21]
Eddie Palmieri
No, but my uncle certainly did. And I always tried to, like, grab a drink or so, you know, but it was difficult because all my aunts were. And they were tattletailing my mother, right? He said. I said my mother.
- [09:35]
Terry Gross
When you were young, you played with Tito Rodriguez. What did you learn about showmanship and running a band from watching him?
- [09:42]
Eddie Palmieri
He was the one. He was the dandy. He was the dandy because no one dressed like him.
- [09:50]
Terry Gross
How did he dress?
- [09:50]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, immaculately, man, you know, so hip and he was so sharp. The orchestra all uniform because he was the best singer that we had here as far as a rumbero singer of an orchestra leader. And he had the preparations to do it, and he just kept improving constantly because of his competitive edge, you know, that he always had with Mr. Tito Puente. If Tito Puente played vibes, Tito Rodriguez went to learn how to play vibes. You know, it was one of those things that there was something that just irked him, you know. But when I was working with him from the year 58 to 60, I certainly learned a tremendous amount from Mr. Tito Rodriguez. And may he rest in peace. But he knows that he's in my heart.
- [10:36]
Terry Gross
What did you wear in the band?
- [10:38]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, all different kinds of uniforms. Sometimes we look like waiters, you know, and they would ask us for a drink and that. And, you know, and I would give them my drink and take, you know, take the tip or something like that. The main thing is. Or tuxedos. But we worked because with Tito, at that time, he went to Vegas and we Did Vegas. And he had a show. His wife was Japanese and she sang. And he had a Cuban dancer, Malta. He was after that, that Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball movement. Since he knew Desi and he knew Lucille Ball because his wife also came from one of those show cabarets. But he was so sharp, you know, and he could dance. And the thing was, he could sing.
- [11:59]
Unknown
El Tikta del Re Lo.
- [12:04]
Terry Gross
When did you feel ready to form Your own band?
- [12:06]
Eddie Palmieri
1960, after I left Tito Rodriguez. It took about a year. And then by 1961, I started different forms of orchestra. Bala Pelfec, that started in late 61, which was the orchestra then that stood together for seven, eight years. And we had two trombones, flute, wooden flute, timbales, conga, bass singer. And I, with a total of eight.
- [12:30]
Terry Gross
Were trombones unusual for a Latin band at that time.
- [12:33]
Eddie Palmieri
Yes, they called us like the sound of the Roaring Elephants.
- [12:37]
Terry Gross
So did. When people compared your sound to elephants, was that in praise?
- [12:43]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, well, in praise and in annoyance, you know, it was a combination of both because we were playing up in the. In the Catskills for three summers with that orchestra. And that's a really commercial setting. And the orchestra certainly didn't belong there. But we needed to be there because that was the way we would be able to maintain our status in the city by being away for the summer. Like Machito would go to the Concord, and Tito Puente would go to the President Hotel in Lake Swan Lake or whatever. And we landed up in Kutch's Country Club. And then I landed up in Browns, and then I landed up eventually in 65 in the Raleigh Hotel. And that's where they called us the Roaring Elephants.
- [13:22]
Terry Gross
A lot of the hotels that you mentioned had primarily Jewish clientele vacationing there.
- [13:28]
Eddie Palmieri
Right. That's why I told you before sometimes it was quite annoying.
- [13:32]
Terry Gross
So were you used to seeing people who were in Latin doing the cha cha, the Mambo and everything? And I wonder what you thought of their dancing.
- [13:38]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, no, of course, because in the 50s, remember that the Jewish clientele was the clientele in the Palladium on Wednesdays. And what we saw was not only the Jewish clientele dancing to the most incredible dances that you can find, but you saw them all in Brando. There you saw him playing bongos with Tito Puente. I mean, you saw things in the 50s you wouldn't believe. And then the Mambo with Tito Puente again, and Tito Rodriguez and Machito. These were great orchestras that the Jewish clientele followed on Friday and Saturday, the Palladium was more Hispanic, and on Sunday, it was definitely black. We had four different days there that we had four different unique ethnic groups coming to dance. And they all danced superbly.
- [14:24]
Terry Gross
I want to play one of your classic recordings. I want to play Puerto Rico.
- [14:27]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, I love it. We just did that in Puerto Rico just now.
- [14:30]
Terry Gross
Did you?
- [14:30]
Eddie Palmieri
Yes.
- [14:31]
Terry Gross
Well, let me play an early recording of it. And this is my guest, Eddie Palmieri. His band, he's featured, of course, on piano. Sa what stage were you at when you recorded that?
- [15:32]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, I was in quite an incredible stage. Always with the economical pressures around you. But I found myself in Puerto Rico walking on the beach and looking at those. That beautiful ocean. And that's what the lyrics say is la linda bonita con su aguas bendita. You know, beautiful island with your blessed waters surrounding you. So that's a special album and a special year. You play for me.
- [15:56]
Terry Gross
In Latin music, there's a lot of repetition that the piano plays, I think. Is that called montuno?
- [16:00]
Eddie Palmieri
That's exactly right. It's a montuno part, but it's called a guajeo. You'll hear like, bom pimping. Bom pim pomping. That would be the guajero that I'm using there. And I'll use that, the guajeros behind the percussionist. Because the least amount of harmonic changes in Latin is where we get the highest degree of synchronization, which is what you're after. We simplify the chord changes, and there we. We get what we call el masakote, which is the synchronization of the rhythm section and the piano and bass, so that we're featuring that soloist that is showcasing himself or that I'm showcasing on the record or in live, you know, live presentations to the.
- [17:07]
Terry Gross
I want to play something from your new album, Palmas. And you have a piece on here called Bolero Dos, Right. And it opens with an extended piano solo. There's no rhythm behind you in this piano, which is very unusual in Latin music. I mean, the rhythm never stops in Latin music.
- [17:24]
Eddie Palmieri
Well, I've always done that since the son of Latin music that won the first Grammy. Just piano alone.
- [17:30]
Terry Gross
Now, why do you go for that?
- [17:32]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh, I mentioned that before. I love Variations of a Theme, and I know exactly what's going to come behind me. But it's such a beautiful melody that why not play with the, you know, piano first? And there's never been a piano opening or intro that has annoyed or not brought in an audience. So when you're in an audience that your rhythm can be complicated. It's wonderful to hear a piano first. And we just, you know, like, I'll just sip it in, you know, like, by playing piano. And then all of a sudden, then I'll go into my orchestra. And it's been very, very well accepted, and I love to do it. And it's more pianist, so it helps me in my direction of getting to know my instrument better and better.
- [18:18]
Terry Gross
Well, let's hear the beginning of Bolero Dos. This is Eddie Palmieri on piano.
- [18:37]
Unknown
Sam.
- [19:15]
Terry Gross
We could hear you growl on that song.
- [19:17]
Eddie Palmieri
I told you. I warned you.
- [19:19]
Terry Gross
How did you start growling like that?
- [19:21]
Eddie Palmieri
Well, let me tell you what happened. My first recording, you know, we started to record years ago, first recording at Allegra. And all of a sudden I see the owner walking with the engineer, and he walks in and I. I said, what's the.
- [19:32]
George Clinton
Goes.
- [19:32]
Eddie Palmieri
What is that? You know? And what is what? You know? And we start looking for something that nobody can, you know, what is what? And we start looking. Sure enough, we go back to recording, come back, what is that?
- [19:44]
Unknown
You know?
- [19:44]
Eddie Palmieri
And finally they found out it was me. So then they didn't know what to do with me. Either gag me or put some kind of a. Of. Yeah, they wanted to gag me. Either that or put, you know, like, cover the piano. And they did everything with the piano until later on in the other recordings different, you know, let it be. That's the way he sounds. And that's him. Let it go. Let it go. What are you gonna do? You know, don't gag him. Probably choke him.
- [20:10]
Terry Gross
Were you aware of the fact that you growled before the end?
- [20:13]
Eddie Palmieri
Not like that. You know, it's really your proof is when you hear it back and say, what is that? But it's just, you know, it's that inner, you know, that spirit inside. And. And it gives me, like some kind of an ambiance for myself when I play. And it helps, and I just can't help it.
- [20:29]
Terry Gross
It's just me, Eddie Palmieri. A pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much.
- [20:34]
Eddie Palmieri
Thank you, my dear Terry. And I want to wish you the best in the city of brotherly love. And now I have to talk to you. It's sisterly love.
- [20:41]
David Bianculli
Eddie Palmieri speaking to Terry Gross in 1994. The influential pianist, bandleader and composer died Wednesday at the age of 88. After a break, we revisit George Clinton on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his classic Mothership Connection album. And I'll review the return of the Addams Family TV Spin Off Wednesday. I'm David B. And Cooley and this is FRESH air.
- [21:19]
George Clinton
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- [22:02]
Terry Gross
This message comes from Ollie. Dedicated to helping you prioritize your wellness with solutions that fit seamlessly into your routine. Ollie knows that keeping your immune system healthy is key, which is why they offer women's multi and probiotic mango. And for those occasional nights when sleep is hard to find, Ollie's Sleep Gummies are available. Shop these products and more@ollie.com or retailers nationwide. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
- [22:34]
David Bianculli
If funk began with James Brown, it was George Clinton who was responsible for many of the innovations in the funk music of the 1970s and 80s. He brought electronics into his rhythm tracks and used a guitar sound inspired by acid rock. Clinton created a funk empire which included the bands Parliament, Funkadelic, P Funk and the Brides of Funkenstein. Parliament and Funkadelic had the same musicians, but Clinton presented his more polished material through Parliament. Funkadelic was wild and improvisational and put on extravagant stage shows that incorporated science fiction plots and elaborate mythologies. The musicians wore outlandish costumes and hairdos. In his alter ego of Dr. Funkenstein, Clinton sometimes made his stage entrance from a flying saucer. Fifty years ago, Clinton's Parliament released the now classic album Mothership Connection. Here's Give up the Funk from that album, the band's first million selling single. George Clinton and His Parlor we're going to Listen back to Terry's 1989 interview with George Clinton. Since then, he's released more than 30 albums, some under his own name. He had a hit in 1983 with Atomic Dolphins, Atomic Doll.
- [25:09]
Eddie Palmieri
Why must I feel like that? Why must I chase the cat?
- [25:32]
Terry Gross
Just Clinton, welcome to Freshman.
- [25:35]
Unknown
Yeah, I just got deep bleed and got ticks off me. I got my doggy bag and I'm Gonna go get my rabies shots, and I'll be ready for him. How you doing, baby?
- [25:43]
Terry Gross
Okay. What got you back in the studios and on the road after five years?
- [25:47]
Unknown
Oh, I got tired of laying up, being an old dog and not learning new tricks. So I said, let me get back out there. Cause, you know, when rap started getting heavy like it is now, I say, that's a whole trick right there. I can do that. So here I am back out here talking stuff.
- [26:02]
Terry Gross
Well, I want to play the first hit that you had Back when your group was called the Parliament.
- [26:07]
Unknown
Oh, my God.
- [26:07]
Eddie Palmieri
Ooh, luscious.
- [26:09]
Unknown
You know, that was a big record in Detroit. That record broke right here in Detroit. I was back at the barbershop and giving up for a minute.
- [26:15]
Terry Gross
Well, here it is, George Clinton's first hit back from 1967. I just want to testify what come.
- [26:32]
Eddie Palmieri
Over me A change there's been a change and it's always so plain to.
- [26:42]
Terry Gross
See Love just walk in on me.
- [26:48]
Eddie Palmieri
And it's taken me by surprise.
- [26:54]
Terry Gross
Happiness.
- [26:56]
Eddie Palmieri
Around me you can see in my eye now it was just a little.
- [27:06]
Unknown
While ago My life was incomplete I.
- [27:12]
Eddie Palmieri
Was down so dark on love had to look up at my feet and.
- [27:21]
Terry Gross
Don'T you know that I just wanna.
- [27:24]
Eddie Palmieri
Testify what your love has done for me Every everybody say Old girl wanna.
- [27:33]
Terry Gross
Testify what your love has done from 1967. That's George Clinton, the Parliaments.
- [27:41]
Unknown
Oh, it sounds good to hear that again.
- [27:43]
Terry Gross
Yeah, it sounds really good. You were saying that when that record was a hit, you were working for Jo Bette, the publishing company of Motown Records. I once read you say that there was a lot you didn't like about Motown. You didn't like the idea of everybody in the group dressing alike and doing the same step.
- [28:00]
Unknown
Not that we didn't like it. We loved it, but we just couldn't. We couldn't see ourselves overcoming the Temptations or the Pips. First of all, the Temptation was from here. And the criteria for that, you know, at that time was height. You know, six feet, matter of fact. And they all were six feet. And we were like five, six, two, three. You know, we was all over the place. It wasn't uniform. And the routines and things we had perfect. And the suits, of course, we had perfect. And the styles was perfect. But there was no way to outdo the Pips with the routine. They were the best routine and group that I've ever seen. And the Temptation had the perfect image. Plus, this was home for them. So it wasn't that we didn't like it. It was just no way for us to overcome the competition within the company. So we just threw the suit. And plus, it was hard to keep ties alike or shirts clean anyway. That was the hardest part of all. And so it was convenient when we realized that hippies and rock and roll and blues was the exact opposite of what we had been into all our life. Because we could do this, having fun. We'd wear the clothes bag as opposed to the suit. We'd take the suit out and throw it down and cut holes in the clothes bag and put it on, you know, and it became just a big joke at first, but the music was always, like, very soulful, churchy, you know, like maggot brain, psychedelic. You know, nobody had seen black groups doing psychedelic. They used to call us Temptations on acid, James Brown on acid, you know, but it was. It always worked. And so we just, you know, changed our whole thing and went that way. So it wasn't that we didn't like the routines and things. It's just that it was convenient for us to go a different route.
- [29:41]
Terry Gross
How did you start moving from singing to also so producing and doing these really far out rhythm tracks? I know you were always producing. You produced the Parliament's records, but it really became like a specialty of yours.
- [29:56]
Unknown
Well, after I realized that it was going to take more than one group to survive and make it. Any one group could be stopped any kind of ways or just be stopped because they're not good enough. So not only did Parliament Funkadelli, we did Bootsy, you know, as an offshoot. The brides, the horny horns, everybody that was in the band. So they gave me a lot of different outlets because so many members in the band can write and would have liked to have their own group, but they didn't want the hassles. And so I'm always continually cutting music and trying to keep another thing happening. Because when they say it's over with this planned obsolescence trip, you know, if you ain't got but that one record, you got a problem.
- [30:35]
Terry Gross
Mm. Well, you not only have a lot of different bands that you've created and produced, you also have different alter egos that you've performed under, like Dr. Funkenstein.
- [30:43]
Unknown
Dr. Funkenstein, Mr. Wiggles. Sir knows.
- [30:47]
Terry Gross
Would you describe one of your alter egos for listeners who haven't seen you perform?
- [30:50]
Unknown
Okay. Well, sir knows, you know, I would never dance. I should never dance. Nobody can make me dance. I don't even make love. That voice, you know, you know, harmonized on it made it real high. But the voice was actually. I was imitating one of the guys that used to work in the barbershop or used to come to the barbershop all the time. He had, you know, all the girls liked him. He was real cool. But he, far as I was concerned, he was crazy, you know, but he was a fun dude and everybody liked him. But most of the voice, I usually usually use a character out of the barbershop because, you know, the thing in the barbershop is to get up and tell lies. When I saw Sugar Ray fight Joe Louis in 27, Richard Pryor always do it. Those are the kind of things that always happen in barbershops. And I found that they work good on record, you know, like, make my funk the P funk, I want my funk uncut. All of those are, you know, slang that's used, like, in the streets or in the barbershop. And you find more of it in the barbershop than you do anywhere. So a lot of the characters were based on people who I know their personality was penetrating. When I did it, Dr. Funkenstein was like a FM disc jockey. W E F U N K we funk home of the extraterrestrial brothers bringing you music to get your together. And all of those things were like, just different places. I know that was penetrating. And I knew that the DJ was missing off a radio. They had started doing the cartridge thing. So the personalities that you used to hear on the radio, like, let me see. Attention on radio station jocks. You got to be serious. Slamming on my box. Because when I try my best to get into the decibels up so high that my neighbors call the cops. So when the thing get to tweak and, you know, the groove is peeking, I mean, harder than a cinder block.
- [32:32]
George Clinton
Okay, I know you.
- [32:33]
Unknown
You know what I mean? I keep a party tweaking on my record machine, you know, and those kind of things or those kind of jocks is like missing off a radio now. And, you know, and I figured, well, if I put this on Mothership Connection, it was the right thing at that time. And it's what most rappers tell me now that they got or they learned rapping from the Mothership Connection album George.
- [32:55]
David Bianculli
Clinton recorded in 1989. His now classic album Mothership Connection is 50 years old. Clinton still is performing at the age of 84. Coming up, I'll review season two of the Netflix series Wednesday, based on the famous Charles Adams characters. This is Fresh air. Federal funding for public media has been eliminated. That means decades of bipartisan support for.
- [33:20]
Terry Gross
Public radio and television is ending.
- [33:22]
David Bianculli
To be clear, NPR isn't going anywhere, but we do need your support. Please give today to help keep rigorous, independent and irreplaceable news coverage available to.
- [33:32]
Eddie Palmieri
Everybody free of charge.
- [33:34]
David Bianculli
You can make your gift@donate.NPR.org and thank you.
- [33:38]
Eddie Palmieri
Federal funding for public media has been.
- [33:41]
George Clinton
Eliminated, which means decades of support for public radio and television from both political parties is ending.
- [33:46]
Eddie Palmieri
To be clear, NPR isn't going anywhere.
- [33:49]
George Clinton
But we do need your support.
- [33:51]
David Bianculli
We hope you'll give today to keep rigorous, independent and irreplaceable news coverage available to everyone free of charge. Make your gift@donate.NPR.org and thank you.
- [34:01]
Terry Gross
Thank you.
- [34:03]
David Bianculli
This is FRESH AIR. I'm TV critic David Biancooli. In 2022, Netflix presented a new spin off of the Addams Family canon, focusing on the brooding, dark haired daughter Wednesday. Jenna Ortega starred. The creators of the Smallville TV series originated it, and Tim Burton directed four of the eight episodes. Now they've all reunited for season two. Finally, to many longtime fans of the Addams Family, the ABC TV series from the mid-60s remains the most memorable incarnation of the Charles Addams cartoon characters. Gomez and Morticia were a bizarre but passionate couple. Their kids, Pugsley and Wednesday, were charmingly twisted. And their friends and relatives, including Lurch the butler, Uncle Fester and the disembodied hand known as thanks, all added to the hilariously haunted household.
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Eddie Palmieri
They're creepy and they're kooky Mysterious and spooky they're all together ooky the Addams Family.
- [35:07]
Terry Gross
Their house is a museum where people.
- [35:10]
Eddie Palmieri
Come to see em.
- [35:11]
David Bianculli
They really are a scream. The Addams Family Charles Addams, who had been drawing these oddball characters since the late 1919-30s for cartoons published in the New Yorker, worked with the producers of the TV series to define the Addams Family. He finally gave them names and also suggested some personality traits, essentially fleshing them out from two dimensions to three. The actors helped, too. John Astin was an impish and roguish Gomez, and Carolyn Jones, with her long dark hair and form fitting black dress, was the unlikeliest but one of the most prominent TV sex symbols of the 60s. But since then, there have been the successful Addams Family movies, which starred Raul Julia and Angelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia. Those films were all but stolen by Christina Ricci as pigtailed, morbid young Wednesday. And in 2022, the Netflix spin off called Wednesday arrived. Gomez and Morticia were still around now, played by Louise Guzman and Catherine Zeta Jones, but their appearances were little more than cameos. Instead, the weight of the narrative and the series fell to Jenna Ortega, the former child star from the Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle, and she killed it when she came out of her shell at a school party and performed a macabre dance solo. The Internet went crazy and Wednesday became a big hit. So big it's one of the most watched English language Netflix series ever made and already has been renewed for season three. Even though season two has just begun. And it's begun with a vengeance. The show's popularity means that Wednesday has returned with even bigger ambitions. Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Miller are back as showrunners, and Tim Burton is directing another four episodes this season. The three of them collaborated on Burton's recent cinematic Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sequel, and they've loaded up their return to Wednesday with lots of new guest stars and characters. Steve Buscemi shows up early, playing the enthusiastic new principal of Nevermoor Academy, the boarding school to which Wednesday is returning after having saved it from destruction in season one. Wednesday Addams oh, it is an honor to meet the savior of Nevermore. Allow me to introduce myself. Barry Dort, your new principal. Would you like a sticker?
- [37:40]
Terry Gross
Only if you have one that says do not Resuscitate.
- [37:44]
David Bianculli
There's that wicked tongue I've heard so much about.
- [37:47]
Terry Gross
I love it.
- [37:48]
David Bianculli
I love it, too. Tim Burton channels both his own past quirkiness and the spirit of such Alfred Hitchcock classics as the Birds and Psycho. The other directors match his game. The writing veers from very funny to a little scary, and other new cast members besides Buscemi include Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous as Morticia's grandmother, Billy Piper from Doctor who and Secret Diary of a Call Girl as Wednesday's new music teacher, and Christopher Lloyd as the school's head professor. That's all he is, a living head floating in a glass jar. In the new season's second half, launching in September, additional guest stars include Lady Gaka. These eccentric new characters add to the roster of returning old ones, including Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester and Christina Ricci embodying a different role than when she played Wednesday on the big screen. But watching the four new episodes available for preview, the greatest joy has been the expanded screen time and emphasis given to Catherine Zeta Jones as Morticia. The mother daughter dynamic now is central to the story, with Morticia invited to live on campus as a school fundraiser and with a subplot that has to do with Wednesday experiencing the same crippling psychic visions that once haunted Morticia's sister Ophelia. Morticia wants to protect her daughter, but Wednesday is a rebel. In this scene, they confront one another. Wednesday exits and then Gomez enters.
- [39:19]
Terry Gross
You're a dove, I'm a raven. We're on different paths. You said so yourself. I've had experience with ravens. Are you talking about your sister? You've never been very forthcoming about an Ophelia. You remind me a lot of her.
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Eddie Palmieri
Especially as you've gotten older.
- [39:48]
Terry Gross
You don't need to worry about me, Mother. You should be focused on Pugsley. We both know being tall and male will only get him so far. Besides, he's got the brains of a dung beetle and the ambition of a French bureaucrat.
- [40:05]
Eddie Palmieri
What is it, Karida?
- [40:08]
Terry Gross
Wednesday is hiding things from me. I will not let history repeat itself.
- [40:15]
David Bianculli
If Ophelia appears as part of the storyline in the future, I hope the producers of Wednesday will do what the original Addams Family TV series did on abc. They gave the role to Carolyn Jones, who played both the blonde Ophelia and the raven haired Morticia. It'd be a delight to see Catherine Zeta Jones as both sisters on Wednesday this season. She's already become the best Morticia of them all. And Jenna Ortega, likewise, is now the best Wednesday. Season 2 of Wednesday premiered this week on Netflix. Coming up, Justin Chang reviews two films revisiting old comedies, new versions of the Naked Gun and Freaky Friday. This is FRESH air.
- [41:05]
George Clinton
This summer on Planet Money Summer School.
- [41:07]
David Bianculli
We'Re learning about political economy.
- [41:09]
Eddie Palmieri
We're getting into the nitty gritty of what government does with things like trade.
- [41:13]
David Bianculli
Taxes, immigration and healthcare.
- [41:16]
Terry Gross
So politics and economics, which are taught separately, they shouldn't be separated at all.
- [41:19]
Eddie Palmieri
I think you have to understand one.
- [41:21]
David Bianculli
To really appreciate the other.
- [41:22]
Eddie Palmieri
So what is the right amount of government in our lives?
- [41:25]
George Clinton
Tune into Planet Money Summer School from.
- [41:27]
Eddie Palmieri
Npr wherever you get your podcasts.
- [41:30]
Terry Gross
If you're a robot, this might not be the show for you. But if you're a human with hopes, dreams and bills to pay, the Life Kit podcast might be just what you need. Three times a week, Life Kit brings you a fresh set of solutions to help you tackle topics big and small, from how to save money on groceries to how to bring the house down at karaoke. You know, human stuff. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from npr. Presentado por me Mariel Segarra.
- [41:54]
David Bianculli
Two new comedies, both inspired by earlier hit movies, are now playing in theaters. The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson, is a reboot of the classic cop comedy franchise starring Leslie Nielsen. And in Freakier Friday, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis revisit their roles from the 2003 body swap fantasy Freaky Friday. Our film critic Justin Chang reviews them both.
- [42:19]
George Clinton
Fewer and fewer mainstream comedies play in movie theaters these days, which is what I'd call a tragedy in the post pandemic era. The studios, figuring that audiences will only buy tickets to blockbusters and horror movies, have largely relegated laughter to the realms of TV and streaming. It's heartening, then, that the Naked Gun, a long in development reboot of the Leslie Nielsen starring Police Squad spoofs of the late 80s and 90s, has made its way into theaters. Even more heartening, the new movie recaptures more of its predecessor's spirit the rapid fire gags, the goofy slapstick, the non sequitur silliness than I would have thought possible. It stars Liam Neeson, which, given how close that sounds to Leslie Nielsen, is funny in and of itself. Neeson, who spent much of the past decade reinventing himself as an action star, here, plays Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. And yes, he's the son of Nielsen's Lt. Frank Drebin Sr. Like his father, Drebben Jr. Is a bumbling embarrassment who works for the LAPD's elite Police Squad Division, along with his partner, Capt. Ed Hawkin Jr. A very good Paul Walter Hauser. He's soon sucked into a cheerfully nonsensical plot involving a bank robbery, a dead body and a sinister billionaire who owns an electric car company played by Danny Houston. It's not the only detail that winks at current headlines. This Drebin has to wear a body camera, which mainly exists to set up an extended chili dog flatulence gag that I probably laughed at harder than I should have. The movie was directed and co written by Akiva Shaffer of the comedy trio the Lonely Island. He sticks pretty close to the original Naked Gun template, even when he's sending it up, as he does with a quick reference to OJ Simpson, a fixture of the three earlier films. Pamela Anderson fills the Priscilla Presley role of Drebben's love interest, playing a crime novelist named Beth Davenport. Anderson is terrific here, whether she's scatting up a storm in a nightclub or gamely committing to some crude innuendo involving Neeson and a turkey baster. And I haven't even mentioned the jealous killer Snowman who tries to derail Drebben and Beth's budding romance. Don't worry, I've spoiled nothing. It has to be seen to be believed The Naked Gun isn't the only new LA set farce that tries to revive a durable comic property. Sadly, Freakier Friday isn't nearly as successful. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, it's a sequel to the superb 2003 Freaky Friday, itself a remake of the 1976 comedy of the same title. In the 2003 film, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan played Tess and Anna Coleman, a therapist and her teenage daughter who magically swapped bodies and learned to love each other better. As a result, both actors return in Freakier Friday while Curtis's Tess is still enjoying life as a therapist turned part time podcaster. Lohan's Anna is a music manager and a single mom with a strong willed teenage daughter of her own. That's Harper, nicely played by Julia Butters. Their family is about to get bigger. Anna is engaged to a dashing Brit named Eric, who has a teenage daughter Lily. That's Sophia Hammonds, whom Harper can't stand. It's an awfully convoluted setup and that extends to the supernatural shenanigans. For reasons too tortured to explain, Anna ends up trading places with her daughter Harper while Tess swaps bodies with her future step granddaughter Lily. The result is a lot of screaming chaos. In this scene, the four leads look in the mirror and marvel at and recoil from their transformations.
- [46:26]
Terry Gross
What is happening?
- [46:27]
George Clinton
It's me harping, it's mom.
- [46:29]
Terry Gross
What are you saying? So if you're me and I'm you then then who is that? I'm grandma sweetheart.
- [46:42]
Eddie Palmieri
Oh my gosh, I've died.
- [46:44]
Terry Gross
I killed myself. She just has crevices all over her face. Look at the crevices. My hands look like doll hands.
- [46:53]
David Bianculli
My butt feels so high I think.
- [46:55]
Terry Gross
I just peed a little. Oh my face feels so thirsty and dry.
- [47:01]
Eddie Palmieri
My face is perfect.
- [47:04]
Terry Gross
My face looks like a Birkin bag.
- [47:06]
Eddie Palmieri
That been left out in the sun to rot.
- [47:10]
George Clinton
Why?
- [47:11]
Terry Gross
Why do I have to pee again?
- [47:13]
George Clinton
The brilliance of Freaky Friday lay in its two perfectly balanced leads. Lohan, then in her teens, made a terrifically bossy mom type, while Curtis, reverting to her teens, gave one of the best, most inventive performances of her career. But the second time isn't the charm in Freakier Friday. Far from doubling the fun, having four out of body experiences rather than two simply muddles the comic impact. Curtis in particular seems stuck in the one note over the top mode of everything everywhere all at once, and the ageist jokes made at her expense get tiresome pretty fast. Lohan though is another story. It's poignant to see her return to Freaky Friday, one of the films that made her a young star before years of personal struggles sidelined her career. She's lost none of her sharp witted presence or comic timing. But there's something else at work here too. Because she's now playing a teenager trapped in a 39 year old body, she gets to both submit to and cheat the passage of time. Lohan is wonderful to watch, even if you can't always say the same about the movie she's in.
- [48:29]
David Bianculli
Justin Chang is a film critic for the New Yorker. He reviewed the Naked Gun and Freakier Friday on Monday's show. Actor Daniel Dae Kim he first became known for his role on the hit TV series Lost. He's now the star and executive producer of the new spy thriller TV series Butterfly. Earlier this year, he received a Tony nomination for his role in the revival of the play Yellowface, becoming the first actor of Asian descent to be nominated in the category of lead actor in a play. I hope you can join us to keep up with what's on the show and get highlights of our interviews. Follow us on Instagram PRFresh Air Fresh Air's executive producer is Danny Miller. Sam Brigger is our managing producer. Our senior producer today is Roberta Shorrock. Our technical director and engineer is operating Audrey Bentham with additional engineering support by Joyce Lieberman, Julian Herzfeld and Deanna Martinez. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Anne Marie Baldonaro, Lauren Krenzel, Teresa Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Yakundi, Anna Bauman and John Sheehan. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavey Nesper Hope Wilson is our consulting visual producer for Terry Gross and Tanya Moseley. I'm David Biencool.
- [49:54]
Terry Gross
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