ByD
The Pied Ptper of soul
music (Motown founder
Berry Gordy) has littered the
record company's path to
fame and fortune with
abused. disillussioned co­
workers. employee, and
even an ex-wife. Thi , ac­
cording to newsstand racks
cluttered with "Motown and
Me" exposes. Badmouthed as
a ruthless businessman who
trampled on friends and as-
ociates in his mad ru h for
"In God We Trust," Gordy
nevertheless got off easy.
What about the children of
the sixties who were cor­
rupted by Motown's rocking
rhythm and sex-laden mes­
sage?
As one of the kids.T' d hual
Mr. Motown into court on
child abuse charges if I could
get a wi tness to the pain I've
suffered at his hands. For the
damage he's done to an entire
generation. Gordy should not
be permitted to keep hi
blood-splattered bucks.
Every little bit hurts. Even
now. hearing the same old
song , but wi th d i ffe rent
meanings now that youth has
gone. is torture. I�d love to
sue him. I should sue him.
Why not? Tobacco com­
panies are successfully sued
for marketing cancer stick .
Mr. Moto vn marketed sugary
rhythms and syrupy rhymes
that left under-aged, un-
u pc cti ng Ii ic ne r mal­
nouri hed i ntellectua II y and
emotionally retarded. Surely.
such children deserve con­
pen ation. A proof of his
Byron's
Flowers
11851 WOODWARD r
Detroit, I 48203
dastardly deed, every
motown hit is a strike against
him.
I hear a symphony inside
my head at the most incon­
ve nie nt moments. I can' t
help my elf. Sometimes a
melody will reach out and
touch me in the morning.
Once. a few note beat me
i nto submi sion before cart­
ing me off into the pa t on a
rush of rhythm. Like a heat
wave, exciting day of danc­
ing in the treet swept over
me, leaving me breathless
and incredulous. Torn, I
bounced between "Ho
wee 1 it is" and It Rescue
me!" While a part 'of me
longed to flee the funky beat.
there was nowhere to run,
• nowhere to hide.
Even today, I carr't escape.
Where will I go? Rap? Pop?
No, I don't think o. A lot
of today's entertainer would
love to hitchhike to greatness
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ia the tim. to order your 18 1 C.'end.r.
thanks to "oldies but
goodies." However, M.e.
Hammer can pray and pray
until hi knee give wyand
. still. he can't touch the
sixties' magic. The machani­
cal sounds and contrived mo­
tion , the es .cncc of today'
musical creativity, ain't noth­
ing like the real thing: offer­
ing only a brief high-tech
flash before they're out of
here.
MAYBE T'S JUST my
imagination running away
with me but .ur rc nd er i ng
again and again to the ody
language of the Motown
Sound ma es me believe I
never can ay goodbye to the
melodies. Makes me think I
ain't too proud .ro beg, with
every bit of my heart, for a
chance to rcturn to a impler
placeand timc.
Wait! I've lost my focus;
my sense of purpo e. This
ain't a Motown promotion
piece. There' more to "The
Sound of Young America"
t ha n "Le tit W hip" and
"Ro c k i n ' Ro b i n." A
childhood neighbor wa a
perfect example qf the
. damage Mr. Motown caused.
For him, Psychedelic Shack
was just where it wa t, until
he heard it through the
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your lovi ng:
our loving. It
full of tears, a note promislng
that "omeday we'll be
together, cause ain't no
mountain high enough to
keep me form getting to
you."
Recently I approached thi
childhood neighbor bout
suing Mr. Motown. Through
tear of a clown he said he
vaguely understood how
Motown turned hi world up­
sidedownbut,still it's a" pe­
cial occasion to greet the
sunshine listening to Good
morning, Heartache."
I knew at that moment that
my last hope of Mr. Motown
paying for his abuse w s
gone. I'll be doggone if I
didn't wi h it would, rain but
"Baby, baby. don't cry,"
echoed in my brain, stopping
me in the tracks of my tears;
thinking Mr. Motown may
stop in the name of love.
D
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