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September 7, 2011

Link

Talk about a bad trip! In Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny, the new memoir from Chic co-founder/producer Nile Rodgers, there’s a acid-addled anecdote involving a certain downtown art superstar, a story that’s perhaps never seen the light of day.

It involves a party in Little Italy gone wrong, where someone slipped something in Mr. Rodgers’ drink. It turned out to be the stuff the kids now call DOM. Hell of a drug!

We all down the wrong hallucinogenic concoction every once in a while, but this time there’s a surprise celebrity appearance: Andy Warhol, and he’s been shot! Take it away, Le Freak.

I don’t remember how long I was tripping that day, because I was fading in and out of reality. At a police call box near the corner of Second Avenue and Houston Street, I phoned the cops.

I was taken by ambulance to Columbus Hospital, a few short blocks away, panic-stricken and rapidly going mad. Even in my extreme psychotic state, I noticed dawn had just broken. I looked down at my arms. My skin had the texture and color of a lizard’s. So like any self-respecting reptile, I spread my fingers wide and tried to catch flies with my tongue.

The atmosphere in the ER was almost festive. The doctors and nurse seemed to be having the time of their lives. There were few if any patients. Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now in the afternoon. Suddenly, apropos of nothing, I was whisked out of the way as a gurney smashed open the ER doors; it was bearing the body of a bloody Andy Warhol, by now one of the most recognizable and important figures in the Village scene.

A crowd of people surrounded him and I became irrelevant. Though my head was still a little twisted, my heart told me Andy needed help more than me. I later read that Andy actually died on the operating table, but emergency surgery brought him back.

Crazy trip, Nile! There are plenty more tales to be told in Le Freak. The book is set for publication October 18.

[Edited 10/25/11 14:38pm]

Can't wait until this is released! I bet he's got alot of great stories to tell.

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/MJolO.jpg?1788[/img:$uid]

Here's a larger image of the book cover.

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/FBnHx.png?4182[/img:$uid]

September 7, 2011

Link

Talk about a bad trip! In Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny, the new memoir from Chic co-founder/producer Nile Rodgers, there’s a acid-addled anecdote involving a certain downtown art superstar, a story that’s perhaps never seen the light of day.

It involves a party in Little Italy gone wrong, where someone slipped something in Mr. Rodgers’ drink. It turned out to be the stuff the kids now call DOM. Hell of a drug!

We all down the wrong hallucinogenic concoction every once in a while, but this time there’s a surprise celebrity appearance: Andy Warhol, and he’s been shot! Take it away, Le Freak.

I don’t remember how long I was tripping that day, because I was fading in and out of reality. At a police call box near the corner of Second Avenue and Houston Street, I phoned the cops.

I was taken by ambulance to Columbus Hospital, a few short blocks away, panic-stricken and rapidly going mad. Even in my extreme psychotic state, I noticed dawn had just broken. I looked down at my arms. My skin had the texture and color of a lizard’s. So like any self-respecting reptile, I spread my fingers wide and tried to catch flies with my tongue.

The atmosphere in the ER was almost festive. The doctors and nurse seemed to be having the time of their lives. There were few if any patients. Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now in the afternoon. Suddenly, apropos of nothing, I was whisked out of the way as a gurney smashed open the ER doors; it was bearing the body of a bloody Andy Warhol, by now one of the most recognizable and important figures in the Village scene.

A crowd of people surrounded him and I became irrelevant. Though my head was still a little twisted, my heart told me Andy needed help more than me. I later read that Andy actually died on the operating table, but emergency surgery brought him back.

Crazy trip, Nile! There are plenty more tales to be told in Le Freak. The book is set for publication October 18.

DAMN!

This is a must have book!

dreamfactory313 said:

This is a must have book!

Indeed! I'm gonna pre-order it now.

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Niles at 15. “In L.A., the day I met Timothy Leary,” he says.

More from Nile's bio:

http://tmagazine.blogs.ny...ghborhood/

[Edited 10/7/11 11:25am]

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Niles & friends in New York @ book launch party.

Photos: Wireimage

[Edited 9/14/11 0:44am]

wow, i was unaware that he'd produced several of those tracks listed around the book cover! (let's dance, like a virgin?! he should've listed Notorious instead of THREE Bowie tracks...) true legend indeed!

Niles produced the entire Like A Virgin album and played guitar on the title track.

[Edited 9/16/11 9:27am]

Identity said:

Niles produced the entire Like A Virgin album and played guitar on the entire track.

It baffles me how many people DON'T know this.

I always thought Niles was handsome but I'm concerned about what may be going on under that bandana.

[Edited 9/14/11 12:33pm]

Does the book indicate that he was so busy in the early and mid 80s that all he could find time to eat was "Soup for One" ?

SCNDLS said:

Identity said:

Niles produced the entire Like A Virgin album and played guitar on the entire track.

It baffles me how many people DON'T know this.

I always thought Niles was handsome but I'm concerned about what may be going on under that bandana.

[Edited 9/14/11 12:33pm]

Bear in mind he recently beat cancer.

ForgottenPassword said:

SCNDLS said:

It baffles me how many people DON'T know this.

I always thought Niles was handsome but I'm concerned about what may be going on under that bandana.

[Edited 9/14/11 12:33pm]

Bear in mind he recently beat cancer.

He been rocking that bandana for awhile, and since his locs are still long I'm guessing that didn't impact his hair. Maybe he didn't do chemo. But I'm still concerned cuz he's hiding it

Regardless, still love me some Nile.

SCNDLS said:

ForgottenPassword said:

Bear in mind he recently beat cancer.

He been rocking that bandana for awhile, and since his locs are still long I'm guessing that didn't impact his hair. Maybe he didn't do chemo. But I'm still concerned cuz he's hiding it

Regardless, still love me some Nile.

He's really sweet, too. I got a chance to hang out with him in Montreaux some years back; met him at the Mess Hall where all the artists eat dinner from catering; he's a little, but compact dude, very gentlemanly. The next night after the Chic concert (which brought the house DOWN), he and nost of the band members showed up to sit in on a set for Aretha Franklin's son (that was the entorage I was traveling with); Chile, Dido was playing the large concert hall and we were doing the lounge stage outside of it; her show was so boring. We had a jam session in the lounge and were singing blues long after her dry ass left the stage. Nile and Chic were so much fun to roll with!

If I'm not mistaken, the woman on the right in the black dress is Nile's longtime girlfriend and We Are Family Foundation president, Nancy Hunt.

Ottensen said:

SCNDLS said:

He been rocking that bandana for awhile, and since his locs are still long I'm guessing that didn't impact his hair. Maybe he didn't do chemo. But I'm still concerned cuz he's hiding it

Regardless, still love me some Nile.

He's really sweet, too. I got a chance to hang out with him in Montreaux some years back; met him at the Mess Hall where all the artists eat dinner from catering; he's a little, but compact dude, very gentlemanly. The next night after the Chic concert (which brought the house DOWN), he and nost of the band members showed up to sit in on a set for Aretha Franklin's son (that was the entorage I was traveling with); Chile, Dido was playing the large concert hall and we were doing the lounge stage outside of it; her show was so boring. We had a jam session in the lounge and were singing blues long after her dry ass left the stage. Nile and Chic were so much fun to roll with!

He was in Curacao at the NSJ I just went to. Unfortunately, I missed their show. But I also saw him in the "mess hall." That's where I took those pics of Sting with Ruben Blades, in the mess hall. Nile and his band members were milling around there too. He's got prettiest smile.

He does a nice job of surrounding himself with "the beautiful people"

as in attractive ladies.

Nile attends another book party in NYC.

Identity said:

Nile attends another book party in NYC.

Is this bandana surgically attached or what? It even looks like the same one.

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/rMJJK.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/bFoPD.jpg[/img:$uid]

Nile recently uploaded photos of himself sans that ubiquitous blue head rag bandana.

Identity said:

"Le Freak" Official Book-Signing Party NYC

Official Book-Signing Event NYC

Time: Thur, Oct 20, 5:00 - 10:00 PM

Location: Barnes & Noble - Union Square

33 E 17th St

New York, NY

thanks for the heads up

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/rMJJK.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/bFoPD.jpg[/img:$uid]

Nile recently uploaded photos of himself sans that ubiquitous blue head rag bandana.

Okay, now it looks like a wig

SCNDLS said:

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/rMJJK.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/bFoPD.jpg[/img:$uid]

Nile recently uploaded photos of himself sans that ubiquitous blue head rag bandana.

Okay, now it looks like a wig

It does. But it could be real, who knows?

*Goes to library and see if I can reserve*

SCNDLS said:

Ottensen said:

He's really sweet, too. I got a chance to hang out with him in Montreaux some years back; met him at the Mess Hall where all the artists eat dinner from catering; he's a little, but compact dude, very gentlemanly. The next night after the Chic concert (which brought the house DOWN), he and nost of the band members showed up to sit in on a set for Aretha Franklin's son (that was the entorage I was traveling with); Chile, Dido was playing the large concert hall and we were doing the lounge stage outside of it; her show was so boring. We had a jam session in the lounge and were singing blues long after her dry ass left the stage. Nile and Chic were so much fun to roll with!

He was in Curacao at the NSJ I just went to. Unfortunately, I missed their show. But I also saw him in the "mess hall." That's where I took those pics of Sting with Ruben Blades, in the mess hall. Nile and his band members were milling around there too. He's got prettiest smile.

And his clothes are always so nice . Even when he's dressed very simply in shirt and pant, you can tell from the cuts and the fabrics that them sh*ts is expensive. He's got that savoire faire thing down pat

Ottensen said:

SCNDLS said:

He was in Curacao at the NSJ I just went to. Unfortunately, I missed their show. But I also saw him in the "mess hall." That's where I took those pics of Sting with Ruben Blades, in the mess hall. Nile and his band members were milling around there too. He's got prettiest smile.

And his clothes are always so nice . Even when he's dressed very simply in shirt and pant, you can tell from the cuts and the fabrics that them sh*ts is expensive. He's got that savoire faire thing down pat

The brutha IS sharp. I've ALWAYS had a crush on Nile. I think he's sexy. But we gon' have to resolve the hair issues.

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/B2ssY.png[/img:$uid]

Identity said:

Nile attends another book party in NYC.

Nile knows the GZA! Cool!