what in the holy fuck??

''Elvis don't mean shit to Chuck D''

Bono was on some shit when he did this

For the record, when Chuck D was asked about how he felt about Elvis about 15 years after "Fight the Power", he actually gave Elvis props for what he contributed and that he initially didn't understand at first because he was under the impression about that uncredited ignorant quote associated with Elvis that he told JET he never said (and JET never found proof he said it). But this is a reason I don't take Bono (or U2) seriously.

Timmy84 said:

For the record, when Chuck D was asked about how he felt about Elvis about 15 years after "Fight the Power", he actually gave Elvis props for what he contributed and that he initially didn't understand at first because he was under the impression about that uncredited ignorant quote associated with Elvis that he told JET he never said (and JET never found proof he said it). But this is a reason I don't take Bono (or U2) seriously.

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

Gunsnhalen said:

Timmy84 said:

For the record, when Chuck D was asked about how he felt about Elvis about 15 years after "Fight the Power", he actually gave Elvis props for what he contributed and that he initially didn't understand at first because he was under the impression about that uncredited ignorant quote associated with Elvis that he told JET he never said (and JET never found proof he said it). But this is a reason I don't take Bono (or U2) seriously.

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

And from what I can tell not many folks really bothered with it since it actually rhymed and it was like "eh".

Timmy84 said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

And from what I can tell not many folks really bothered with it since it actually rhymed and it was like "eh".

Public Enemy are my favorite rap group & so they may have a few rhymes that are eh. But the song was a moment of power... it wasn't like an angry diss song where rappers just say dumb shit in the heat of the moment

Gunsnhalen said:

Timmy84 said:

And from what I can tell not many folks really bothered with it since it actually rhymed and it was like "eh".

Public Enemy are my favorite rap group & so they may have a few rhymes that are eh. But the song was a moment of power... it wasn't like an angry diss song where rappers just say dumb shit in the heat of the moment

Exactly lol

So wrong. Do a search Elvis did an interview with Jet to clarify. Correct Chuck D did make that comment and was even featured in an Elvis special saying so. He still performs the song unedited. I dig PE, but that wasn't right. John Wayne well that's another thing. Elvis loved black music and was vocal about it. Damn these threads.

Well yeah... growing up (in New York pre-internet like Chuck D)... all I heard from people was that Elvis said something like 'all black people can do for me is shine my shoes'.... so, my image of Elvis was always tarnished. When "Fight The Power" came out and I heard that line, I was like "RIGHT ON!!!".

Wasn't til about a couple of months ago that I discovered he ever talked to JET, and that he'd faced his own adversity (being called n---lover) for the music he sang and was influenced by....

There's always something new to learn and opinions that can be changed with a little research I guess....

i could be wrong.. but i'm pretty sure the Chuck D Thing was mainly a joke. Bono is a PE fan and although i thought the line was funny it was probably just said as a joke.. i think.

I mean supposedly this ''poem'' is about Bonos love of Elvis but seem's in here he is talking down to him & also about how America ''made him fat'' and ate him first. Only Bono can turn a poem about fucking Elvis to a political talk on America ./.. but i still love him

Bono's a prick.

Timmy84 said:

Bono's a prick.

He is but damn it timmy... i still like the guy

But as said i'm not one of those psycho stans that get out of control when someoen is dissed. I can see why people don't like Bono cause he is well.. a prick

It's just like when people Diss Axl Rose and call him an asshole & expect me to be offended... i'm like boo boo water is wet, cum is white, bright lights are bright & Asians are hot. Any othher life changing news you want to tell me

Axl's a prick too.

I mean I still like music of artists who were pricks (James Brown) but...

Those two are pricks on a different scale, thinking they're the bee's knees on anything especially Bono with his "I wanna be a politrickan so bad" ass.

Timmy84 said:

Axl's a prick too.

I mean I still like music of artists who were pricks (James Brown) but...

Those two are pricks on a different scale, thinking they're the bee's knees on anything especially Bono with his "I wanna be a politrickan so bad" ass.

I love U2 for there political lyrics, but Bono does take it WAY seriously. There is standing up for something and then there is ..nukka shut yowr ass up'' Territory if he wants to change the world that much he should run for something

And yes... Axl imo has still not been beat on asshole quality thus far People where always dissing on Kanye & i was always like... yall must not have fucked with Asshole rose yet.

And as for JB well.... yeah.... he was as u said a bully but he never started riots at least... or to my knowledge hasn't

^ Well his band performed in Boston and they didn't riot lol

That's a recital of a song that appears on Brian Eno and U2's Passengers

This is how the song actually goes:

This video present an adaption of the Passengers track noted in Cinny's post. The video was created for the tv special "Elvis Lives" that was on NBC a few years back. In context of the special it provided an ending that connected a lot of the dots from special which was a montage of interview pieces about Elvis.

The video and the original track are an attempt to capture the contradictions of Elvis' career and image. The good southern Jesus loving mama's boy vs the rebel rocker who shocked and shook up the nation.

Even before the special Chuck D had done his own research and changed his opinion about Elvis, so Bono certainly new about his change in perspective, but the line from the song was(still) is very widely known, so it was just another nod by Bono towards the complicated perspectives of Elvis in American culture.

As for Bono himself, I don't think he is so much a prick but he is definitely pretentious. I guess when you have been around as long as he has and maintained success, you eventually start buying the hype....Of course, like Prince, if you watch and listen closely you will usually catch moments self depreciating humility. After a while it feels like it is just another part of the image.

Maybe in 25 years some well established stars will do videos trying to capture the complexity of Prince and Bono and the complicated images they have.

HAHA...y'all try to make controversy out of everything. Bono is talking about Elvis - good and bad - and cleverly (yes, I think its clever) includes a nod to Chuck D's famous line about Elvis.

There's lots of reasons to jump on Bono's case but this is def not one of them.

Gunsnhalen said:

Timmy84 said:

For the record, when Chuck D was asked about how he felt about Elvis about 15 years after "Fight the Power", he actually gave Elvis props for what he contributed and that he initially didn't understand at first because he was under the impression about that uncredited ignorant quote associated with Elvis that he told JET he never said (and JET never found proof he said it). But this is a reason I don't take Bono (or U2) seriously.

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

I agree, to me it was not so much about hating elvis & John Wayne, it's about saying not everyone has the same icons

NDRU said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

I agree, to me it was not so much about hating elvis & John Wayne, it's about saying not everyone has the same icons

You guys really interpret it that way? Why? Just curious... I'm not saying you're wrong... only asking your point of view...

Chuck D respects Elvis now, but Chuck has gone on record as saying that that line in "Fight The Power" was a direct swipe at Elvis based on that unfounded racist quote that many of us believed to be true back in the day. Same thing with Living Colour's "Elvis Is Dead". And John Wayne supposedly had some racist leanings as well, which is why those two were lumped together.

gemari77 said:

NDRU said:

I agree, to me it was not so much about hating elvis & John Wayne, it's about saying not everyone has the same icons

You guys really interpret it that way? Why? Just curious... I'm not saying you're wrong... only asking your point of view...

Chuck D respects Elvis now, but Chuck has gone on record as saying that that line in "Fight The Power" was a direct swipe at Elvis based on that unfounded racist quote that many of us believed to be true back in the day. Same thing with Living Colour's "Elvis Is Dead". And John Wayne supposedly had some racist leanings as well, which is why those two were lumped together.

ok, fair enough, that may be true. I guess I could clarify and say that the fact that they were saying JW and Elvis were icons only to some was the importance of the line to me, since I never really got behind the racist part. But that's just how I heard it and felt about it, maybe not how it was intended.

As for Living Color, I never got that it was specifically disrespecting Elvis (even though it's disrespectful to him in its tone). I thought it was disrespecting his crazy fans.

Gunsnhalen said:

Timmy84 said:

For the record, when Chuck D was asked about how he felt about Elvis about 15 years after "Fight the Power", he actually gave Elvis props for what he contributed and that he initially didn't understand at first because he was under the impression about that uncredited ignorant quote associated with Elvis that he told JET he never said (and JET never found proof he said it). But this is a reason I don't take Bono (or U2) seriously.

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

I don't understand why Bono felt the need to bash Elvis. At least he made it rhyme though.

The few problems i have with Elvis don't have anything to do with his supposed comments about blacks. From my understanding, he gave props to black Gospel singers and to blacks in general. Black culture was an influences on Elvis and Sam Philips. Most of the evidence indicates that Elvis admired black folks, i just wish he'd done more to help the musicians and singers he copied from though.

As far as John Wayne. That dude was a racist.

He did this interview with Playboy Magazine where he talks Major shit about blacks......I'm with Public Enemy on that one.

JoeyC said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Well U2 is one of my favorite bands. But i feel ya as much as i love them i can also see why some peopel are eh on them. I think Bono is a good writer but then there are times like these where he just......... uhhh yeah idk what to call this

And yeah as for Chuck D he still has respect for Elvis... and i personally never took any offense to the fuck elvis & john wayne comment

I don't understand why Bono felt the need to bash Elvis. At least he made it rhyme though.

The few problems i have with Elvis don't have anything to do with his supposed comments about blacks. From my understanding, he gave props to black Gospel singers and to blacks in general. Black culture was an influences on Elvis and Sam Philips. Most of the evidence indicates that Elvis admired black folks, i just wish he'd done more to help the musicians and singers he copied from though.

As far as John Wayne. That dude was a racist.

He did this interview with Playboy Magazine where he talks Major shit about blacks......I'm with Public Enemy on that one.

I don't think Bono is actually bashing Elvis in the poem. I think he is trying to capture the fact that Elvis' image was complicated and that depending on who you asked you would get wildly different understandings of Elvis.

Elvis actually did give back to several of the musicians that influenced him. Members of his entourage have gone on record that he helped with the medical expenses of Jackie Wilson and that he helped pay for the sessions that Otis Blackwell did for his album of his songs that Elvis recorded. He also donated heavily to the Cycle Cell Anemia charities in Memphis as well as the NAACP.

Elvis did a lot of charity work for the underprivilged in Memphis as well (regardless of race), but unlike many performers his real charity work was all done under the radar except on a few rare occasions.

kalelvisj said:

JoeyC said:

I don't understand why Bono felt the need to bash Elvis. At least he made it rhyme though.

The few problems i have with Elvis don't have anything to do with his supposed comments about blacks. From my understanding, he gave props to black Gospel singers and to blacks in general. Black culture was an influences on Elvis and Sam Philips. Most of the evidence indicates that Elvis admired black folks, i just wish he'd done more to help the musicians and singers he copied from though.

As far as John Wayne. That dude was a racist.

He did this interview with Playboy Magazine where he talks Major shit about blacks......I'm with Public Enemy on that one.

I don't think Bono is actually bashing Elvis in the poem. I think he is trying to capture the fact that Elvis' image was complicated and that depending on who you asked you would get wildly different understandings of Elvis.

Elvis actually did give back to several of the musicians that influenced him. Members of his entourage have gone on record that he helped with the medical expenses of Jackie Wilson and that he helped pay for the sessions that Otis Blackwell did for his album of his songs that Elvis recorded. He also donated heavily to the Cycle Cell Anemia charities in Memphis as well as the NAACP.

Elvis did a lot of charity work for the underprivilged in Memphis as well (regardless of race), but unlike many performers his real charity work was all done under the radar except on a few rare occasions.

Yep.

kalelvisj said:

JoeyC said:

Elvis actually did give back to several of the musicians that influenced him. Members of his entourage have gone on record that he helped with the medical expenses of Jackie Wilson and that he helped pay for the sessions that Otis Blackwell did for his album of his songs that Elvis recorded. He also donated heavily to the Cycle Cell Anemia charities in Memphis as well as the NAACP.

Elvis did a lot of charity work for the underprivilged in Memphis as well (regardless of race), but unlike many performers his real charity work was all done under the radar except on a few rare occasions.

I had heard about the Jackie Wilson and NAACP stuff. The other stuff is good to hear about. Elvis is alright in my book.

I always wondered about his Geneology. He had soul.

We may have been wrong about Elvis' feelings about black folks, but it still bugs me that most of America gives him so much credit. 'King of Rock & Roll'? - please.

I remember what Bo Diddley said years ago on the Howard Stern show. He said as an entertainer Elvis was awesome, but musically he "didn't really do anything". I have the interview on tape, but I'm sure it's posted on YouTube.

Elvis was a much, much more versatile performer than Bo Diddley. Elvis could do country, pop, standards, gospel, soul, rock, and all effectively. Just listen to "From Elvis in Memphis" or "Elvis Country."

Diddley had one style and one beat.

uPtoWnNY said:

We may have been wrong about Elvis' feelings about black folks, but it still bugs me that most of America gives him so much credit. 'King of Rock & Roll'? - please.

I remember what Bo Diddley said years ago on the Howard Stern show. He said as an entertainer Elvis was awesome, but musically he "didn't really do anything". I have the interview on tape, but I'm sure it's posted on YouTube.

I didn't have a problem with anything Bono is saying here. Sounds like they were just lyrics to song...or a poem.....

You guys are taking this way too seriously.... IMHO:-?

uPtoWnNY said:

We may have been wrong about Elvis' feelings about black folks, but it still bugs me that most of America gives him so much credit. 'King of Rock & Roll'? - please.

I remember what Bo Diddley said years ago on the Howard Stern show. He said as an entertainer Elvis was awesome, but musically he "didn't really do anything". I have the interview on tape, but I'm sure it's posted on YouTube.

It don't bug me. It was the times. Even Elvis would shake his head at all the attention. All that praise was actually a reason he didn't do much interviews or even perform on TV because they were building him up to be something he wasn't and I think deep down he really hated it... HATED IT. But he didn't wanna hurt nobody - the fact he didn't fire Col. Tom Parker when you think he had ample opportunity shows you what kind of person he really was. He trusted everybody and most of the people around him fucked him over. When you're being pushed into being something you're not, you stand there without knowing what to do. He was literally an Emperor with No Clothes On.

And Watch Them Fall is right, Elvis didn't just do rockabilly and country, the guy did all sorts of genres - gospel (which he actually grew up singing to), blues, R&B, soul, country rock (in fact he may have helped to pioneer that particular genre alongside Carl Perkins, Bill Haley and Buddy Holly because of rockabilly), almost close to operatic pop, modern pop, traditional pop... because of that voice. That voice was a reason people loved him so much. It surely wasn't his dancing or instrument playing that got them.

I couldn't even compare him to someone like Bo Diddley because he was so different from that.

Timmy84 said:

uPtoWnNY said:

We may have been wrong about Elvis' feelings about black folks, but it still bugs me that most of America gives him so much credit. 'King of Rock & Roll'? - please.

I remember what Bo Diddley said years ago on the Howard Stern show. He said as an entertainer Elvis was awesome, but musically he "didn't really do anything". I have the interview on tape, but I'm sure it's posted on YouTube.

It don't bug me. It was the times. Even Elvis would shake his head at all the attention. All that praise was actually a reason he didn't do much interviews or even perform on TV because they were building him up to be something he wasn't and I think deep down he really hated it... HATED IT. But he didn't wanna hurt nobody - the fact he didn't fire Col. Tom Parker when you think he had ample opportunity shows you what kind of person he really was. He trusted everybody and most of the people around him fucked him over. When you're being pushed into being something you're not, you stand there without knowing what to do. He was literally an Emperor with No Clothes On.

Yes, and unlike someone else we know, he was not a self-proclaimed king!

It was a title that others gave him. He was just a singer, and a pretty good one.