*Road conditions from Detroit to Los Angeles have changed a bit since the early eighties, when Aretha Franklin vowed never again to take on the four-day road trip. The drive was so unpleasant – with all its mountainous terrain and vast, flat nothingness giving way to roller coaster altitudes – that Franklin abandoned the mere thought of driving Interstates 80, 70 or 15 ever again, no matter how desperate her West coast fans were to see her perform.

Of course, taking an airplane had not been an option since her early twenties, when the vocalist took a nasty puddle jumper from Atlanta to her Detroit hometown and was so shaken, literally and physically, that she gave up flying for good upon touching down at Metropolitan Airport. So for the past 21 years, fear of flying and an aversion to long road trips has kept Aretha’s heavenly voice from blessing the West side.

Cut to Friday, September 17, 2004, when Franklin takes the stage under the stars at LA’s Greek Theater for the first of a two-night stand before performing two more shows in Las Vegas next weekend. What momentous event, you ask, inspired the Queen of Soul to change her “ain’t no way” attitude about travel? What made her “think” differently about her fears?

One word: Albuquerque.

“I had legal business in Albuquerque, and I was very annoyed that I had to drive to Albuquerque,” Franklin tells EUR’s Lee Bailey via cell phone from Detroit. “But after getting there, it was such a pleasant drive, I said to the driver, ‘Well how far is LA from here?’ When he told me, I said, ‘Oh boy, we’re going to LA.’ I knew at that point that we could drive to LA pleasantly and it would not be that bad. It was so close to Las Vegas, that we could sleep over in Las Vegas and just drive on into LA the next day.”

And it was that simple. Somebody could have pulled her coat on this a lot sooner.


“Well why didn’t they?” she laughs.

After a 21-year Aretha drought, Los Angeles will play host to the eighth world wonder as she reacquaints herself with all of the glorious, touristy things one must do upon arrival in the City of Angels.

“I’m going to Fatburgers for sure, Pink’s Hot Dog for sure, perhaps a movie in Westwood and I plan to lunch with some girlfriends. I’ll definitely be going to Tommy Burgers,” says Franklin, referring to herself as a “fast food lady.” “Although I do eat nutritiously, hamburgers are my favorite food, that’s all I can tell you. I’m definitely a connoisseur of the great hamburger.”

While in town for the shows, Franklin is also scheduled to meet with the producers of “American Idol” to discuss a possible performance on the show, as well as a spot next to Randy, Paula and Simon as a guest judge. God bless the poor contestant who has to sing an Aretha song, in front of Aretha Franklin, right after Aretha Franklin performs. Now that kind of pressure is cruel and unusual.

In the meantime, Franklin has a show to put on in two days, a 70-80 minute workout that promises “lots of good things” for ticket holders.

“I’m bringing the hottest, baddest dancers with me, and I have [personally] selected the ladies and gentlemen,” she says. “I put out the call for dancers and held auditions, and this is the final group from those auditions. I’m singing all the hits, doing songs from ‘So Damn Happy’, my last album, doing a few arias here and there, and some surprises.”

Perhaps, the biggest surprise is the singer’s gradual willingness to combat her fear of air travel.

“After this trip, I’m willing to try to go through the whole procedure, and that is going out to the airports, and desensitizing; going to the ticket counter and going through the same procedure that I did years ago when I did fly until I am desensitized to the point where I’m ready to fly again,” she says. “You’re also supposed to go out to the gate and just sit and watch a certain number of takeoffs and landings and so on, so I’m willing to try again.”

About eight years ago, Franklin actually took a “Fearless Flyers” class, which called for the “Respect” singer to board a plane, zoom down the runway, then slow to a stop in what is called a “rejected takeoff.”

“I went that far,” Franklin says of her attempt to fight her fear. “It was with US Air.”

Still in tact after all these years is Franklin’s refusal to get behind the wheel of a car.

“I don’t drive at all,” says the national treasure. “I did, back in the 60s, but I was not one of the greatest drivers. I had a hard time getting on the freeway and things like that. Never could quite calculate how to get on the right way. So it was not a good idea.”

Who knew that the “Freeway of Love” singer could not actually get on the freeway herself?


Although Franklin remained mum on the reason for a brief hospitalization in March, just before her 62nd birthday,” she says she’s doing “fabulously well” these days, and looks forward to showing fans in LA and Vegas just how “damn happy” she is to make her way out West for the first time since 1983.

“I drove to California when I was much, much younger, with my Dad, and it was a different drive altogether then,” she says. “You had this very mountainous terrain with no railings and things, and of course now it’s a completely different story. It isn’t anything like it was it used to be in the 60s. It’s much more pleasant and much more of a beautiful drive. Albuquerque was a blessing in disguise, or I probably would not be coming to L.A. at this point.”

Don't do it, Aretha!!!!


NOOOOO!!!!!

I once drove from California to Detroit and it is indeed a long,boring ride

Aretha said:

Get outta here!

I'm going to the friday night show! I am so excited!!!!!

Supernova said:

Pink's...

...is the bomb.


Can't mess with Nathan's though


I'm hungry all of a sudden.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Yeah, Aretha needs that.