So the question is....


Did MARVIN beat his children? Or wives?

So the question is....


Did MARVIN beat his children? Or wives?

graecophilos said:

He NEVER beat his children, as for his wives, yes there were physical fights indeed. But it seemed like his wives fought with him rather than just be hit, more so Anna since she was older.

Marvin's dad was abusive towards Marvin's mom too. Not that that is trying to make up for an excuse because I don't believe in domestic violence but you know...
[Edited 5/28/09 11:38am]

Timmy84 said:

what do you mean with you don't believe in domestic violence. You mean it's a myth?

graecophilos said:

No I'm just not down with couples beating on each other.

Anyway, back to Marvin and his dad...

Bobby Taylor once said that Marvin told him that his father basically tried disowning him. Marvin Sr. oddly enough thought Marvin Jr. "came from the devil" and that was his excuse to Marvin's mother as to why Marvin Jr. "wasn't his" so to speak.

Annas Song..... by Marvin Gaye is one of my favorite songs. I am assuming he wrote this for his first wife because her name is Anna? [Edited 5/28/09 22:20pm]
[Edited 5/28/09 22:24pm]

Annas Song..... by Marvin Gaye is one of my favorite songs. I am assuming he wrote this for his first wife because her name is Anna? [Edited 5/28/09 22:20pm]
[Edited 5/28/09 22:24pm]

OldTeenager said:

Most of the songs on Here My Dear are about Anna and her relationship with him.

graecophilos said:

The entire album is about their relationship. Marvin didn't give a damn since Anna was receiving the royalties from that project as part of the divorce settlement.

Do people still do this?

daPrettyman said:

Nah, I think Marvin's a rare case, lol.

Timmy84 said:

Eric Benet's CD, Hurricane was all about his mash up with Halle. They cd was a mess just like their marriage.

Timmy84 said:

Eric Benet's CD, Hurricane was all about his mash up with Halle. The cd was a mess just like their marriage.
[Edited 5/29/09 11:08am]

shorttrini said:

Oh you mean like albums that talked about the fading of public marriages? In that case, yeah.

Though they don't claim it was related to their divorces, I found it interesting both Diana Ross and Patti LaBelle released albums (Every Day is a New Day and When a Woman Loves) that talked about the demises of love affairs/marriages.

Janet talked a few times about her divorce from Rene in All for You ("Truth").

Timmy84 said:

If you listen closely to all of the songs on "All For You" (with the exception of maybe "Doesn't Really Matter") it's all about Rene. I even took the title track to be about him. It's like the initial attraction they had for each other.

daPrettyman said:

You got a point about that. It does sound like she's chronicling their years together.

^ Right, this album was like saying goodbye to Rene and hello to JD, lol!

^ Right, this album was like saying goodbye to Rene and hello to JD, lol!

Timmy84 said:

She had to choose between the lesser of two evils, is what you are saying?

Marvin's father at court few days after Marvin's death.

Timmy84 said:

He was shot by his father on April Fool's Day, 1984, a day before his 45th birthday. What puzzles me is that his dad was a minister! I remember you saying they were conflicted christians. I read that Marvin was deep in his cocaine addiction, and attacked his dad for beating his mom over the years. His dad walked down to his bedroom came back with his shot gun, fired twice in Marvin's chest and he died instantly. He was a christian though, he must have had mental issues himself and just wasn't aware of it, I don't get this part!

I know Marvin battled depression but do you think if he wasn't on drugs he wouldn't have attacked his dad? He only got five years for murder?

Chic35 said:

Yeah I don't think he would've attacked his dad if he was high but I think in a way, Marvin was probably fed up with everything that he just said "fuck it". According to Marvin's mother, Marvin's dad was yelling and cursing at her and Marvin yelled to leave his mama alone. And then told him "you got anything to say, say it to my face!" This is how it all went down, the two had a struggle and Marvin, who was already fucked up from years of cocaine abuse, blacked out. Marvin's dad had suffered a tumor not long before and I guessed because of what that triggered, he blacked out himself remembering the gun Marvin BOUGHT for him and then used it to shoot him at point blank range. Marvin, Sr. was fucked up himself as he suffered from alcoholism.

And he only got five years because:

1.) He was "elderly".
2.) He had a brain tumor and was already "ill" so to speak.

Either way, it was a senseless tragedy that probably would've never been avoided unless Marvin had stayed in Europe but he wanted to take care of his mother, who had bone cancer and was recovering.

Crazy, ain't it?

Oh and Marvin's mother filed for divorce after the shooting.
[Edited 6/1/09 20:23pm]

graecophilos said:

He NEVER beat his children, as for his wives, yes there were physical fights indeed. But it seemed like his wives fought with him rather than just be hit, more so Anna since she was older.

Marvin's dad was abusive towards Marvin's mom too. Not that that is trying to make up for an excuse because I don't believe in domestic violence but you know...
[Edited 5/28/09 11:38am]

shorttrini said:

Yeah, kids in school and around the neighborhood used to tease Marvin and his family especially him and kid brother Frankie because of it. They also used their father's effeminacy to attack them. Of course being devoted sons, they tried to fight it off. It got to the point where Marvin's relationship with his father deteriorated and he was tired of the gossip that he looked at what Sam COOK did adding the e to his name so he did the same thing so he would "free" himself so to say.

Plus Frankie's full name was Frances Gay. Both Frances and Frankie, as it turns out was a unisex name though Frankie said in his book that his parents gave him a "girl's name".
[Edited 5/25/09 21:05pm]