OTIS WILLIAMS interviewed on BBC News "Hardtalk" show.

[roger]

Here is Otis Williams talking about his drug-taking years as part of an in-depth interview for the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...lk/9706439.stm

I managed to catch most of the interview at some unearthly hour of the morning and it seems it's being repeated throughout the day on the BBC World News Channel [[ which I can't receive as I found out when I tried to watch a rerun an hour back ) but for plebs like myself in Britain who have Freeview it can be seen on the BBC News Channel at 12:30 A.M. tonight!!


Roger

[diktatorship]

Sorry Roger, just posted a similar thread, wasn't trying to steal your thunder! Good interview I thought.

[marv2]

You see, even "Mr. Clean" did stuff.

[honest man]

Another back up singer who suffer illusions of grandeur,[the leader of the group.my group etc]another one living on his other group members tails,[wish him no harm]but he was not a lead singer sang lead on one or two sixties songs,but he also reaped cash from sales of his spin from book,tv movie,dire.yOU GOT IT RIGHT he is no angel,yes i also dumped the book and film in trash-charity bag maybe,what apity the real leaders of the group never got to tell their story, im sure Otis really was just a back up singerlike the rest who claim different now,GET BACK TO YOUR MICROPHONE,HA .LOVE IT.

[ivyfield]

I only did weed? Are you kidding?

[jsmith]

Just caught Hardtalk on BBC News 24 [[it tends to get repeated once a day for a week, usually in the wee hours).
A bit of an explanation for our US listies -- Hardtalk is a one to one interview, which lasts almost thirty minutes, that is meant to deal with HARD questions.
Hence the interviewer will have pre-prepared questions [[usually the interviewee is a politician) that can lead onto touchy issues & they just TALK.
No issues are off limits, though the interviewee will very often dodge some questions & give an answer that is to a linked topic.
On this edition, I think Otis got off fairly easily as none of his vague answers or semi-truths were pounced on [[as usually happens). Plus we got clips of the group performing back in the 60's which used up some of the time. Otis definitely made it about him & HIS group [[he also mentioned Otis Williams & the Distants a few times). He was critical of David & the others that quit the group, saying that even the likes of Dennis Edwards were totally in the wrong so had to be fired [[when to the best of my knowledge, Dennis's big issue was always that he was on salary & not able to fully benefit from the sums generated from the huge sales of the tracks he was lead vocalist on).
So, all in all, it was [[once again), Otis's version of the group's story & the interviewer let him get away with it.

[marv2]

Another back up singer who suffer illusions of grandeur,[the leader of the group.my group etc]another one living on his other group members tails,[wish him no harm]but he was not a lead singer sang lead on one or two sixties songs,but he also reaped cash from sales of his spin from book,tv movie,dire.yOU GOT IT RIGHT he is no angel,yes i also dumped the book and film in trash-charity bag maybe,what apity the real leaders of the group never got to tell their story, im sure Otis really was just a back up singerlike the rest who claim different now,GET BACK TO YOUR MICROPHONE,HA .LOVE IT.

You sound excessively bitter for some reason. Did Otis punch you in your mouth or something?

[honest man]

OH God,grow up,just stating the facts,as bitter and hard they are,nothing else to say on subjectso don't waste your time or mine replying,thank you.

[diktatorship]

Otis is bound to tell the truth as he sees it, he clearly WAS the leader of the tempts and its founder despite being the most obscure and possibly least talented member, but he is a survivor and he continues to keep the group's name alive, so maybe his critics on here should cut the man some slack. I think he will look back on his life with plenty of satisfaction plus he and his band mates will all be remembered for centuries to come.

[jsmith]

Another thing about what Otis said in the interview.
He was asked about the group's stage act & went on to describe how THEY developed a slick style even though some members of the group were rubbish dancers [[Eddie K he said). Talked about the group's moves & how they became famous for their slick stage choreography.
So he talked FULLY about the group's on stage dance moves ......
....... AND YET not once did he even mention Cholly Atkins.
Mind you, I'm sure Cholly's work with the Motown acts [[including the Tempts) has been overstated by everyone down the years [[well thats seems to be what Otis wants people to think at least).
Attachment 4636

[smark21]

Otis may not have been the lead singer, but overall he's been the leader of The Temptations behind the scenes in terms of keeping the group going over all these years.

[marv2]

OH God,grow up,just stating the facts,as bitter and hard they are,nothing else to say on subjectso don't waste your time or mine replying,thank you.

Oh you know I'm going to respond, [[especially after that stank coment you made.!) It's my job.......

What facts are you stating? You don't know any facts all you did was give YOUR opinion! You told on yourself when you attempted to downgrade a music legend like Otis Williams as a mere background singer with "illusions of grandeur". It also shows that you know nothing about our music if you did you would know that the Temptations were a GROUP and each member had a specific part that was important to creating the sound that World fell in love with. The background is just as important as the lead as much of the r&b style came out of the church. The church was born out of a culture and in this case the African culture where "call and response" is the bedrock of this music. You caller [[the lead) and you have the responders or chanters or background singers. In just about any Motown recording for example, you would be hard pressed to not have ANY backing vocalists on it. So stop with the charades!!!

[arrr&bee]

otis is bound to tell the truth as he sees it, he clearly was the leader of the tempts and its founder despite being the most obscure and possibly least talented member, but he is a survivor and he continues to keep the group's name alive, so maybe his critics on here should cut the man some slack. I think he will look back on his life with plenty of satisfaction plus he and his band mates will all be remembered for centuries to come.

beautiful statement that says it all...temptations and otis forever!!!

[marv2]

Another thing about what Otis said in the interview.
He was asked about the group's stage act & went on to describe how THEY developed a slick style even though some members of the group were rubbish dancers [[Eddie K he said). Talked about the group's moves & how they became famous for their slick stage choreography.
So he talked FULLY about the group's on stage dance moves ......
....... AND YET not once did he even mention Cholly Atkins.
Mind you, I'm sure Cholly's work with the Motown acts [[including the Tempts) has been overstated by everyone down the years [[well thats seems to be what Otis wants people to think at least).
Attachment 4636

See Otis can say pretty much whatever he wants about the glory days of Tempts since everyone else is dead now. He neither mentions Cholly much and Lon Fontaine who worked with them in the 70's ever!

[marv2]

beautiful statement that says it all...temptations and otis forever!!!

I agree! Honest Man is just suffering from "Diana Ross Syndrome"! LOL!!!

[jsmith]

You can 'big up' Otis all you like, I have no respect left for him.
He'll be telling folk next that it was he who started Motown !!!!

[honest man]

John you are not wrong,ha, cheers.

[arrr&bee]

We're not gonna turn any temps discussion into a[supremes]type of civil war[true temps fans don't do that]temptations forever!!

[paladin]

We're not gonna turn any temps discussion into a[supremes]type of civil war[true temps fans don't do that]temptations forever!!

Well spoken and you didn't even burp !

[arrr&bee]

well spoken and you didn't even burp !

haaa,just figured i'd say it before you did paladin cause i know you don't studder!

[scanspeak]

So Otis is human and has his imperfections like the rest of us?
Who would have thunk it?

I always found it strange that so many of the Motown acts complained about their pay & conditions but yet still managed to blow huge sums on drug addictions.

[jsmith]

RE : Otis is human and has his imperfections like the rest of us?
The Tops are such nice guys, that they allow extensive access to themselves before & after the shows.
Some Brits have been lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time in the company of the Tops & Tempts over the last 2 weeks.
Just about all comment on how great all the guys are ..... well ... ALL EXCEPT ONE OF THEM THAT IS ....
.... bet you can't guess which one is the constant 'pain in the ass' ... right 1st time, his initials are OW.

[tallone]

Whether you like him or not, whether you support him or not, whether you believe him or not, the fact of the matter is simply this: Otis Williams was and still is a Temptation. And after over 50 years, when other groups have long since vanished, The Tempts, along with the Tops and O'Jays and a few more, are still going strong. Thats a might strong legacy if you ask me. And since NONE OF US were ever in the group, we are relegated to our own individual opinions; which really don't account for much. So let Otis have his day and his say. I think, he's earned it.

[paladin]

Of course he's earned it, but I see it this way.........he was being interviewed overseas and I know that "Cholly" devised quite a few routines for the Temptations and they even had a TV special where Cholly was sending him through their routines. But of course Cholly wasn't exclusive to The Temptations, he also did work for Gladys Knight & Pips, The Ojays and many others. In fact over the years I have always read accounts of Paul's contributions to their steps more than anybody. And if you're not a hardcore Temptation Fan like Jai, myself or a few others you hardly care about who created what back in the day. I respect Cholly and will always give him his due as I would the many known and unknown dancers who created such fabulous work. Everything today is so today....I wonder how many people remember Hines, Hines & Dad or that Gregory Hines was one of the best dancers ever..........

[jsmith]

As the Temptations dance routines were almost as important a part of their stage act as their singing [['the Temptation Walk', etc), I think it rather lax of Otis to talk about this aspect of the group's work WITHOUT making mention of Cholly.