https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfPIhqNX7o4
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Wonderful interview. Thank you for posting.
When he asked where she wants to be placed in the evolution of music she says she really doesn't want to be remembered just for her music. "I would like to make a difference in people's lives, children's lives. I don't know. Maybe, I just want to be remembered by my children as a good mother."
Her music, especially with Motown, as a Supreme, assures her a place at the top. That and the way she has lived her life and career has impacted generations.
Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe by this point in her life she was mellowing out. Lord knows that her "memoirs" left a lot to be desired.
Downplaying her musical legacy and her fame comes off as a bit disingenous to me. If all she ever wanted was to be known as a good mother or making a difference in people's lives then what was all the drive and ambition in the 1960s when she was a Supreme and a relative unknown all about?
Maybe it's those words "ever wanted" that may or may not have been intentionally meant to come out of her mouth. It may be true that in her early career as a young woman she was short-sighted into not even thinking about being a good mother or making a difference in building up a legacy. Most of us evolve over the years in our core beliefs and goals, and I would think that at this point of her life, being a good mother and making a difference in people's lives is most important to her.Quote:
Originally Posted by LoveSupreme
Calling that book a memoir is a disgrace. It was nothing more than "Let me make as much money as I can telling as little as possible, and screw my die-hard fans who will spend their hard-earned dollars to read I like to be invited to fly free on other people's private planes."
People in the position of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross had it all - they aren't going to write a book saying I should have paid the Funk Brothers more money, I should have signed contracts in the 60's that artists were signing 40 years later, I should have given Florence Ballard a million dollars even though she was causing lots of problems. Instead they write books like the official biography of the Queen Mother - where you divulge not very much.
But Berry did say he didn't think Mary had "it" as I recall; his one line dismissal I guess.
When you've had it all, when you have a lot of money, all that really matters if what kind of mother you were, how you raised your kids etc. Just like Steve Jobs said.
A lot of people change when they have kids and, once away from the yoke of Berry Gordy, I think she began to see things from a different perspective. I enjoyed this interview even if, as The Queen of Avoidance, she dodges a lot - as usual. I still find her interesting even when she says nothing. That does not apply to her writing, however as I didn’t enjoy her book as much as I wanted since it omitted so much. If I expected absolutely nothing, I’d have been ok with it. So one Supreme writes fluff that would make cotton candy jealous, and another writes a one-sided hatchet piece with, as it turns out, contains many inaccuracies, exaggerations and misleading ”facts.” Sadly, I don’t even think the truth lies in between the two. I’d give a kidney to read Ross’ unpublished, post-rehab book. THAT might have been juicier than a Georgia peach.Quote:
Originally Posted by LoveSupreme
I don't think her intention was to write a tell all book. My opinion is that she intended it to be inspirational and positive. As a fan of the Supremes, and of Diana, I read the book and was unimpressed. I guess that after reading Mary's book, I wanted to hear the other side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Circa 1824
But her book was fodder [[is that a word?) for comedians. There was a traveling off broadway show where stars read excerpts from books of celebrities. They were basically making fun of and mocking the celebrities books. Diana's book was one of those books. But she was in good company. They made fun of Elizabeth Taylor's book too.
There was a second book by Diana Ross [[I think it had UPSIDE DOWN in the title) that was scheduled to come out. In fact , I even pre-ordered it on Amazon, but after months of delays, it was finally cancelled. That was probably her tell all book. But I guess Diana had second thoughts and decided to not look back and move positively forward.
The book never came out and Amazon cancelled my pre order
One website had a paragraph or two from Diana's unpublished book. It seemed like something she wrote while depressed, so I'm not surprised she decided to leave it in the past. In conjunction with the book, she was also supposed to do a revealing interview with Judith Regan but that was cancelled as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by milven
While I would have liked to have had the book to read her side of the story, I support her decision not to release it. She seems to live a positive life, and considering her frame of mind when the second book was written, she probably wrote negative things in it. It may have been therapeutic for her, but it is not her character to be negative. And she has had a stunning concert career since then and has picked up a few more prestigious awards.
I think old time Motown fans would love to hear her candid views on Berry Gordy, Motown and the Supremes; they'd like to hear her talk about singers that wasted their money, never worked hard enough until it was too late, that came to her to borrow money etc.
But she's never going to dish that; why would she? Why would Berry?
They've had remarkable careers and that kind of flourish at the end of the career would only sully their reputation and their careers.
Would be interesting to hear though.
She was extremely controlled here, I like that. I also like "secret" much more now than when it came out.
In this interview from 2000, we probably get to feel more about how she feels or felt about others.
I don't think she clearly realize the frustration coming from others Supremes. It's funny when she says "She didn't have to pay for anything [[...) All she needed to do is show up".
It's also plausible that she is not patient or empathetic with victimisation. After all, it is on the public place that she was almost broke when she signed with RCA. She never complained about that, she never aggressed Gordy about that, at least publicly.
From my perspective she is quite remarquable even if she seems a little bit tough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOGdhMf2hK8
Many folk have characterized her stating that Mary didn't have to pay for anything...just show up" as a diss to Mary. I never saw it that way. I always interpreted it as meaning Diana, since this was her tour [[at least in the initial stages) was trying to make it easy on the others just to get on board.Quote:
Originally Posted by Albator
"The Secret" book just jumped all over the place with no real sequence to it. It was not chronologically friendly to read. Even as I listen to the audio-book, I get frustrated when she's speaking about a topic and then goes back 10 years reflecting on a totally different topic. I have yet to figure out the rhyme and reason for that style of writing.
I also consider her quite remarkable choosing to always take the high road in her interviews.
Not quite sure. She also says "she is doing my songs, it's my voice on those records".
There is this famous scene, I don't know if it's true, at the time of Motown 25. There was no time left for rehearsal and not considering the others she said "we'll just skip the medley, the girls will be happy with "Someday".
Maybe, as she often says candidly, it has do do with the fact she wanted to be noticed as a little girl.
All those misunderstanding are part of human relationships. She feels Mary Wilson unhappiness, she understand accurately why she is the target of all these resentment, but she also knows that she is the main attraction, that promoters are interested in building a show around her and not around the others.
Diana strikes me as someone who cares for people but she also wants to be #1. Problem is many think she's one dimensional so they used her ambition against her.
Yes this is a strong duality.Quote:
Originally Posted by midnightman
The organization of this tour was so bad from the beginning that only the irrational can explain her insistence to go through with it. She's an Arie and they are stubborn and can't go back even if all the warning are red.
I followed this on the internet and every day I thought, "this won't happen, she'll stop before".
If we accept the irrational, we take into account that 2000 is a dark year and that his life has been turned upside down.
She faced it with courage and dignity and grew out of it.
That is a perfect description of her midnightman. I couldn't have put it better myself, so i shall not even try to!Quote:
Originally Posted by midnightman
I don’t think Diana understands why anyone would care who her Supremes were when no one cared who Mary sang with when she billed herself Mary Wilson and The Supremes- [[which Motown finally put a stop to. ). I agree. If we had to accept Cindy when Flo left, then it’s all fair game to me. Once Flo was gone, the background didn’t matter anymore to a lot if us.
I think she used “my songs” to describe the songs she sang lead on and therefore is more legit than Mary singing ANY Supremes song. She could have gone nasty like Mary and say, “ That is my voice on all of those records…… However,I sang with six or eight different supreme’s in the 10 years I was with the group…… And on top of that, there were other girls used on lots of the records that were never supreme‘s on stage. As a matter of fact, Mary is not even on love child someday we’ll be together and many many others including some whole albums she’s not on ...... so, from my perspective, having worked with Betty Barbara Florence Mary Cindy Marlene all on stage plus six different sets of background singers on different records, it’s it at all unique to me. I wanted to be able to work with Mary and Cindy again but since it didn’t work out I’m very happy to be working with two bonafied Supremes that Mary herself hired and who worked and recorded for Motown in the 70s…… They are as legitimate as any of us. We were all Supremes and all deserve to partake in the legacy there of. More often than not, I didn’t know who was singing background on different records until it came out…… And even then, sometimes I didn’t recognize the voices at all because they were someone new again. Of course the public never knew and no one at Motown ever said anything. Some of the same girls that saying in the studio as the Supremes also saying as the Vandellas, the Marvelettes and others.“
Diana could have gone that route, but she didn’t marginalize Mary and/or Cindy in that way which I feel would be an honest and fair explanation.
A word can tell more than a book. If I understand well, she saidQuote:
Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac
"If she is harboring this for thirty years, or more."
All is in the "or more".