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RJ Smith (1) (1959–)

Auteur van The One: The Life and Music of James Brown

Voor andere auteurs genaamd RJ Smith, zie de verduidelijkingspagina.

5 Werken 219 Leden 17 Besprekingen

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Fotografie: By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18874628

Werken van RJ Smith

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Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
1959
Geslacht
male

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A interesting little book which tries to use various types of research sources to document Black Los Angeles from the end of WWI to the end of Segregation. The author is a white person and so he has to bracket that off from his own work being racially prejudiced even though he is trying to be fair in assessment of Black cultural contributions.
Interesting sections of the book include The Sleepy Lagoon Murders, Zoot Suit Riots, writer Chester Himes, Amiee Semple McPherson being critical of Langston Hughes' poem "Goodbye Christ" and a concluding short reflection on LAPD Chief Parker.… (meer)
 
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sacredheart25 | 1 andere bespreking | Jan 30, 2021 |
American Witness
The Art and Life of Robert Frank interested me before I even started reading only because of James Franco’s portrayal of Franco on GH back back a few years. I looked up the term “Bobby Frank and ran into Robert Frank, artist and videographer, the same man whom had done the beautiful and truthful photos of everyday life and compiled it into the book The Americans.

Author R.J. Smith does a fine job of sharing the elusivity of Robert Frank and makes you feel his boldness when getting the shots he wants of what captures his artistic eye. A boldness that I admire, I myself being that secretily bold yet trying to be unobtrusive.
Frank used his camera for truth and weilded it as a if it was a weapon for “standing up for one’s [him] self and what he believed.

I could feel the tension when Mr. Smith would write about Frank’s father. He wasn’t how Robert wanted to be, obstinate and selfpossed without fitting in, and yet in a way Robert did become that in the same mold but differently because he didn’t like the limelight. You could lose him as a friend if you talked about him to the press. His privacy was important. I don’t blame him.
I was intrigued by that privacy and still he was a great friend, caring. I don’t think others imagine how someone could be famous and still want to be private . This book describes that character trait perfectly.

Frank’s talent was unobtainable by the average person, he saw things that most people miss. Reminds me of the photographer, Dorothea Lang and her eye for the human plight.
A few things that surprised me- Frank working for The Marx’s Brothers as his first job in his new country. I feel that the various jobs that Robert Frank held could only happen by someone who had drive but also that opportunities seemed given by drive not by a degree. It’s the American Dream to get the jobs you want. Too bad it takes either someone you know or a degree to get it now, not just as Frank did, walk in, prove your worth and wow the boss with your product. Even in the book it showed that changing as bosses started training their soon to be employees by being teaches at the local colleges. I see it like having an apprenticeship and paying the boss for it. Such a novelty idea back then. Now it’s a given. Still it has hand to mouth when the jobs were far and few between assignments.
Another thing that surprised me was the inclusion of other photographers to the book, usually you get people to talk in a biography about your primary subject. Mr. Smith included Frank’s fellow photographers as their own subject and intertwining with Frank. I found that refreshing and informative of the years that Frank was working in. Like an open journal of the talent of any given year.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing of RJ Smith and will likely read more of his work.
… (meer)
 
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SandraBrower | Oct 27, 2019 |
James Brown lived a complicated life. After reading this account, no one can deny that. This biography covers the life of James Brown but starts with the Stono Rebellion back in the 1700s. The book goes all the way to the subsequent court cases of people that he owed money to following his death in 2006.

The book is very well researched and includes several photos of the areas and times in which Brown lived.

To be honest, James Brown is actually slightly before my time. I didn't really get into Soul, Funk, R&B and Gospel music until after he had died. My only familiarity with him was when he made a cameo in the Blues Brothers movie as the Reverend from that Church they visited. So in a sense, I entered this whole book blind. It is rather embarrassing to admit but I did not realize his impact on 20th-century music. Anyway, if you are a fan, you will probably have already read this book or will find it enlightening and entertaining.… (meer)
 
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Floyd3345 | 13 andere besprekingen | Jun 15, 2019 |
There is an expanded version of this book waiting to be released to the nerds who want sessionographies and more, more, more about the nuts and bolts of the music. While it does make a lot of assumptions about what the reader already knows of Brown's music, this is a fine book for both a general audience and heads.
 
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burningdervish | 13 andere besprekingen | Nov 29, 2016 |

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Statistieken

Werken
5
Leden
219
Populariteit
#102,099
Waardering
4.1
Besprekingen
17
ISBNs
37
Talen
1

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