These are the slides for a talk I gave 10/9/2012 at the Hungry Brain in Chicago for Homeroom Chicago's R. Kelly 101. To listen to the complete evening go here: http://www.mediageek.net/sound/sellout/JennyAndPaulSellOut-12.mp3
5. "I tape everything, but once I get their rhythms down, I
throw away the transcripts and start writing in their
voices," he says. "It's artifice, but it still has to feel genuine.
You can hear people's voices in their work. Ray's speaking
voice came right out of his singing. Cornel West has a very
musical voice, like a preacher. With Buddy Guy, his voice
comes out of his guitar — his riffs and the way he bends
and cuts off the notes. It's all there.You just have to hear it."
-David Ritz
6. “If they just want to build a
monument, I walk away.
Sometimes it's
tough...ultimately the artist
is entitled to their own
interpretation of their life."
He mentions Billie
Holiday's autobiography,
"Lady Sings the Blues" (co-
written by William Dufty).
"It was excoriated for
being inaccurate, but it's
still invaluable, because it's
her view of her life."-Ritz
7. Dichotomies
sex jams/church music
mama’s boy/thug
writer/illiterate
musical genius/laughable lyrics
anti-cheating/pro-cheating
no wrongdoing/pleas of forgiveness
adult themes/obsession with childhood
11. As a kid, I had a
lot of secrets.
Some were
terrible, some
were beautiful,
some were both.
There were so
many secrets to
stuff into my
imaginary box,
that I was running
out of room.
12. Hiding Your
Secrets
Downlow
Trapped in
the
“Closet”
15. "Whenever my mother
and I talked over tea, I
remember how she
would leave her lipstick
print on the teacup.
Seeing that moved me
for reasons I'm not
even sure I
understand. So when
I'm out with a young
lady, chillin', and
drinking tea, if she's
wearing lipstick and
leaves her print on the
cup, I find myself falling
in love with her--at
least for the moment."
17. Pivotal McDonald’s Moments
street performances
When blowing off talk shows
Purchasing the McD House
After being acquitted
During the middle of his Jay-Z concert
While children are born
18. Ms. McLin
Jealousy
Lulu
Death
Chance
Adult womanhood