0:00:02 > 0:00:07This programme contains strong language
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Most people probably don't know what a sideman,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23or sidewoman, for that matter, is.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27I'm a sideman. Have been for 40 years.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30My name is Earl Slick.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32I was David Bowie's sideman.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33CHEERING
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Yeah, Earl Slick on guitar!
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Our job, as sidies, is to back up the big names.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41You don't compete with the lead guy.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42That's not a sideman.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Matter of fact, that's an out-of-work musician.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Most of the time, we're invisible.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Ghosts at the top table.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Our story takes you behind the scenes
0:00:56 > 0:00:58with some of the world's biggest-ever stars.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00MUSIC: I'm The One by Material
0:01:03 > 0:01:06It's a song the girls in the band wrote. Lisa and Wendy.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11# I'm the one, I'm the one
0:01:11 > 0:01:12# I'm the one you want... #
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Our job is to fit in with the star's vision.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Personality - yes. Ego - no.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20# ..I am the one... #
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Mr Bernard Fowler!
0:01:22 > 0:01:24# ..The one for you
0:01:24 > 0:01:25# Yeah... #
0:01:27 > 0:01:31The sideman or sidewoman is mainly the dude on tour,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34but sometimes, the lines are blurred.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Are you ready, Steve Cropper?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39# ..I'm the one, I'm the one
0:01:39 > 0:01:41# I'm the one you want
0:01:41 > 0:01:43# I'm the one, I'm the one... #
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Some are guitarists, some singers,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48keyboard players, horn players,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and some are all these rolled into one.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54On percussion and saxophone,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56keyboards, harmonica, you name it,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Professor Crystal Taliefero!
0:02:00 > 0:02:02# ..I'm the one you want... #
0:02:02 > 0:02:04And for the new generation of sidies,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06it's a whole new ball game.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09# ..I'm the one you want, yeah... #
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Give it to Momma.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14# ..I'm the one you want. #
0:02:14 > 0:02:18This film tells the untold story of rock and roll's guns for hire -
0:02:18 > 0:02:22how we began, how we survive,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26and how our lives are very different from what you guys imagine.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30# ..I'm the one, I'm the one
0:02:30 > 0:02:31# I'm the one you want... #
0:02:31 > 0:02:35The hard thing for a sideman is, the better you are at your job,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38the less people will notice you.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40And that's the whole point.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43# ..I'm the one, I'm the one
0:02:43 > 0:02:44# The one you want
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- # I'm the one you want - The one you want
0:02:46 > 0:02:48# I'm the one, I'm the one
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- # The one you want - I'm the one you want. #
0:02:50 > 0:02:53CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:02:56 > 0:02:58The revolutionary Ronnie Wood!
0:03:00 > 0:03:02People always ask, "Do you get nervous?"
0:03:02 > 0:03:06When I'm putting my clothes on and getting into my make-up, no.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Charlie J Watts!
0:03:09 > 0:03:13When I'm, you know, walking to the stage, no.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Keith Richards!
0:03:16 > 0:03:20The minute I hit that stage, I start to feel...
0:03:21 > 0:03:23..this energy.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Mr Bernard Fowler!
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Drum starts, and then I start to get nervous.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34MUSIC: Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Then I look out of my peripheral and then I see the boys.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41They were just ordinary, now I'm looking at them
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and they've literally turned into superheroes.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47# Yeah, and the storm is threatening... #
0:03:47 > 0:03:51And I'm nervous all the way up until I sing the first note.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The minute I sing the first note...
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I slowly become settled.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And now I'm in the machine, and we're running.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02# ..War
0:04:02 > 0:04:04# Children
0:04:04 > 0:04:06# It's just a shot away
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- # It's just a shot away - Ooh... #
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It's special because it's...
0:04:12 > 0:04:14It's the fucking Rolling Stones.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17It's the world's greatest rock and roll band.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19That's special.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20# ..Ooh... #
0:04:22 > 0:04:27My friend Bernard has been sideman to the Stones for 30 years.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29He's very much part of the show.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I really like working with Bernard. It's really nice having him there.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I mean, most of the show, when he's out there,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39he's out there with a light on him in front of, like, 60,000 people.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43And stepping forward and joking around and...he's definitely there.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And he's introduced, his name is called, he's applauded.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48He's part of this team.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49# I never
0:04:49 > 0:04:51# I never
0:04:51 > 0:04:52# No, I never
0:04:52 > 0:04:53# No
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- # Never - Never
0:04:55 > 0:04:57# No, I never... #
0:04:57 > 0:04:59He's very good at what he does.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01He's hard-working, he doesn't screw up.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05I mean, I'm not very good at learning from other vocalists.
0:05:05 > 0:05:11I mean, I probably could learn a lot from him if I put my mind to it.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13# ..I never... #
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Bernard brings a reliability to Mick.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19From sound check,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22where they have a rapport and a strength
0:05:22 > 0:05:24that carries on to the live gig,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26where it's got to be delivered right.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Wait for it, wait for it.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30No, not yet.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Here.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I think there's been a couple of other times where
0:05:34 > 0:05:37either, for one reason or another, Mick got off the stage
0:05:37 > 0:05:39to blow his nose, or whatever,
0:05:39 > 0:05:40you know,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and B has taken over
0:05:42 > 0:05:44for a verse or two.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46# I saw her today
0:05:46 > 0:05:48# At the reception
0:05:48 > 0:05:50# In her glass
0:05:50 > 0:05:53# Was a bleeding man... #
0:05:53 > 0:05:57It would be very, very difficult to think of the Stones without him.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00God, I rely on him for so many things on stage,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02because he knows exactly what's going on,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and sometimes, I'm lost in the haze.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06# Can't
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- CROWD:- # Always get what you want. #
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I like that, here we go!
0:06:10 > 0:06:12And all I do is look at B, and he goes...
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Come on now. # ..You can't... #
0:06:17 > 0:06:21To be versatile, and to be like a fireman, as well,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25probably another requirement of the ultimate sideman.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30I mean, we did 30 years without any backup,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34but he certainly brings a quality and class to it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:41For me, Bernard Fowler is one of the best undiscovered voices in America.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- BERNARD:- I love the Stones, I've watched their children grow up.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I love the music.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52They're like family, at this point.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58I look at Bernard, and I see the Rolling Stones, I go,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01that guy, this guy sings with the boys, man.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03He's singing WITH the boys,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07- not for them, not background vocals. That's how- I- see it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Look, I've nothing against the audience,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12the audience gets caught up with the Rolling Stones, they get caught up
0:07:12 > 0:07:15with David Bowie, they get caught up with the Beatles, whatever.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17You are just an appendage of that.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I remember walking into some club...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23..and some guy says,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25"That's Bernard Fowler.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28"He's a backup singer for the Rolling Stones."
0:07:28 > 0:07:31And the guy said, "Bullshit!
0:07:31 > 0:07:34"Ain't no black people in the Rolling Stones!"
0:07:34 > 0:07:36THEY LAUGH
0:07:38 > 0:07:42This guy had obviously... obviously seen all the shows!
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It's your job not to horn in in any way whatsoever.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53That word "side" takes on all connotations,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55you know? You're to be invisible.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59That's the sublimation of the ego.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01A big ego is no good for a sideman.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03You've got to know who you are,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07where you stand in the hierarchy of things.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11If you're a background vocalist, that's what you have to accept.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13You might say it's a bit of an indignity,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16but, you know, if you're clever enough, you'll understand that,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18you know, there's a reason I don't...
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's not because you're ugly and I don't want on the stage.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27# Tonight, I'm gonna love you... #
0:08:27 > 0:08:30I grew up in Long Island City, Queens.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I grew up in a place called Queensbridge projects.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35If you're taking the subway,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38it's the first stop outside of Manhattan.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Queensbridge was a rough area,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42really rough when I was growing up,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and it stayed that way for a long time.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49This used to be a really bad area,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and I was part of the bad area.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Before I came to my senses,
0:08:54 > 0:08:55I was really young...
0:08:56 > 0:09:00..and I was doing, like a lot of young black kids in the inner city,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02I was hustling.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04And here come the rollers.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05The cops come in.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07We're scattering like roaches,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10everybody's throwing their shit, throwing their shit,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I threw my shit.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16And the cop came by with his flashlight,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and he looked at me...
0:09:19 > 0:09:22..and he said, "You know what, Fowler?
0:09:22 > 0:09:24"I could take you to jail.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29"I know your mother. I know Miss Pearl."
0:09:30 > 0:09:33He said, "If I catch you down here again,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35"if I catch you down here again,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39"I'm taking your ass in jail, whether I know your mother or not.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41"Your ass is going to jail."
0:09:42 > 0:09:44That was a wake-up call.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46MUSIC: Don't Make Me Wait by New York Citi Peech Boys
0:09:46 > 0:09:49# No, no, no, no... #
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Bernard, like most of us sidies,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54didn't set out to be a backing musician.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Most of us wanted to be the star.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Hell, yeah!
0:10:03 > 0:10:06We put this band together, the Peech Boys.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08The next thing you know,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13we're in the studio. I went in and sang this song,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Don't Make Me Wait.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17# Don't make me wait Don't make me wait... #
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It took off. We were king of the airwaves when that record came out.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Every club that you go, you hear Bernard,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30so he started to build up his name
0:10:30 > 0:10:32and I wouldn't call it as a background singer,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35cos a lot of his stuff was lead vocal.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40# I drank from the devil's cup... #
0:10:40 > 0:10:44And I had done some pretty diverse records,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48and when vocals are needed, I thought of Bernard.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54But just as Bernard was becoming a respected front man in his own right,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58touring the world, he got a call from producer Bill Laswell.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The call was going to change the rest of his life.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05I go home, Bill Laswell calls me.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08"Hey, man. What you doing, man?"
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I said, "Nothing, man."
0:11:10 > 0:11:12"Cool. Go to the airport."
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I'm like, "Nah, man, you don't understand.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20"I just came from the airport, I just walked into my apartment."
0:11:20 > 0:11:22He says, "Go back to the airport."
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I said, "Bill, you don't understand, I just walked in."
0:11:26 > 0:11:28"Go back to the airport."
0:11:28 > 0:11:31So I go back to the airport, say to the lady,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33"Is there a ticket here for me?"
0:11:33 > 0:11:36This is the good old days. "Yes, we have a first-class ticket for you
0:11:36 > 0:11:38"to go to..." I said, "Where am I going?"
0:11:38 > 0:11:40She said, "You don't know where you're going?"
0:11:40 > 0:11:43"No." "You're going to London."
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I arrive in London.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Still don't know why I'm there. Bill picks me up.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Huge black Bentley.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54We walk up the steps to this house.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Ding-dong.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Bill walks in, I walk in behind him.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02There's a guy sitting on the floor with a guitar in his hand.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And the guy turned around and looked at me.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It was Mick. I had no idea.
0:12:10 > 0:12:16I'm standing there, I'm saying to myself, "Oh, shit. Oh, shit."
0:12:16 > 0:12:20That's all I could think, was, "Oh, shit."
0:12:20 > 0:12:22He gives me a cassette and he says,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25"You know, when we get to the studio tomorrow, this is the stuff
0:12:25 > 0:12:27"that we're going to be working on."
0:12:27 > 0:12:29So I went back to the hotel
0:12:29 > 0:12:36and I did all the vocal arrangements on this four-track machine.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40# Just another night Just another night with you... #
0:12:40 > 0:12:43He did some good things on the She's The Boss album,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45we worked together quite closely on that.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I can't remember exactly what we did, it's a long time ago,
0:12:48 > 0:12:49but we worked quite closely.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52# ..And I'm thirsty
0:12:52 > 0:12:55# Thirsty for your loving, baby... #
0:12:55 > 0:12:59I did all the vocal arrangements on She's The Boss.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04That means all the, you know, the choruses and all the background
0:13:04 > 0:13:09stuff, you know? All the vocals you hear other than his lead, I did.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14- # I will play the jack of spades - Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
0:13:14 > 0:13:17# You play the queen I'll play the knave
0:13:17 > 0:13:21# Oh, I'm lucky in love
0:13:23 > 0:13:26# Yes, I've got the winning touch... #
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Normally I do most of my own harmonies,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31but he can change his vocal style to fit in with yours,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35so it sounds like me singing twice, he can make it like that,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37or he can make it sound like another person,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39so he can sound like two different people.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41# ..Lucky in love
0:13:43 > 0:13:45# When I think I had enough... #
0:13:45 > 0:13:51The relationship was very easy with Mick and I. It got...
0:13:51 > 0:13:57It got not so easy once... once the band came.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Yeah, want to get up there, need another chord.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Bernard finally got to work with all of the Stones
0:14:02 > 0:14:05on their Steel Wheels album in '89.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09# With mixed emotions... #
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Mick calls and says, "You know, the Stones are getting ready to
0:14:12 > 0:14:16"do a new record, and I can really use your help."
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I'm like, "OK, cool. Well, where are you?"
0:14:19 > 0:14:22You know, he gives me the address to the studio.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25One by one, the Stones started coming in.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Let's try and go from the top, then.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Charlie come in.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31I'm like, "Oh, shit."
0:14:31 > 0:14:37You know, I say "Oh, shit" a lot. Bill Wyman comes in. "Shit."
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Ronnie Wood walks in.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44"Hey! Cool."
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Keith walks in. "Oh, shit."
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And I'm in there, you know, coming up with the ideas.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54That's when Mick says, "Hey, OK.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58"I like the ideas, so let's go and do it for real now."
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Not bad. Nice. Nice, right?
0:15:00 > 0:15:05I feel some heat, and Keith is looking at me.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08And I'm like, "Oh, man, this is not good."
0:15:08 > 0:15:12I'm looking at this dreadlocked, you know...
0:15:12 > 0:15:16This staring went on... It went on way too long.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21So I said, "I've got to say something to this cat, man."
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I looked at him and I said, "Is everything all right?"
0:15:24 > 0:15:27At which point he says...
0:15:27 > 0:15:29"You know, I didn't want to like you."
0:15:29 > 0:15:31HE CHUCKLES
0:15:31 > 0:15:33And I'm like, again, "Oh, shit."
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I said, "Why, man?" I said, "I'm cool."
0:15:41 > 0:15:47And he says, "I thought you were one of Mick's boys."
0:15:47 > 0:15:51I'm like, "Oh, fuck."
0:15:51 > 0:15:54As Mick and I were on our... Oh!
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Anybody that Mick picked up
0:15:55 > 0:15:58is not going to end up on a Rolling Stone session, you know?
0:15:58 > 0:16:00# Button your coat... #
0:16:00 > 0:16:04And then he says, "I know you're cool."
0:16:04 > 0:16:07# ..And you're not the only ship... #
0:16:07 > 0:16:11We get on with work and we were working so well together.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16I mean, that day, you know, we became firm friends
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and...it was a funny way of meeting, you know.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23# Baby, I can't stay
0:16:23 > 0:16:26# You've got to roll me
0:16:26 > 0:16:32# And call me the tumblin' dice... #
0:16:32 > 0:16:35When Bernard is singing background,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38he's a support singer, you know.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40He is supporting what they're doing.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44# ..Honey, I got no money... #
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And it's interesting, because a lot of singers
0:16:47 > 0:16:50when they're doing background and can sing lead as well
0:16:50 > 0:16:54as he sings, usually one or the other thing will suffer.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Either the background singing isn't strong or he can't remember parts,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01or he can't do this or he can't do that.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05There's, like, nothing in my book that he can't do, once he says,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07"Yeah, I've got this."
0:17:07 > 0:17:11# ..Call me the tumblin' dice... #
0:17:11 > 0:17:16I've always thought about Bernard, the guy's actually too good.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19But at the same time, I understand it
0:17:19 > 0:17:21because he just loves to work with the Stones.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26You know, coming up through the ranks,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30something that was always important to me was to be acknowledged
0:17:30 > 0:17:36and respected by the people that seemed to be above where I was,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39the people that I wanted to play with, you know?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43That's something that I always...
0:17:43 > 0:17:49I look for that more than anything, to be received by those cats,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52those cats that are out there doing it, you know.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55They're someplace that I've strived to be.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59And that means I'm good enough to hang.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I'm good enough to hang out with them.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03I'm good enough not just to hang out with,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I'm good enough to play with them.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Yeah, that's a validation.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14The validation that Bernard feels when he is with the Rolling Stones
0:18:14 > 0:18:16is what we all want -
0:18:16 > 0:18:19to feel part of something, rather than an outsider.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I worked for 40 years on and off
0:18:24 > 0:18:27with David Bowie, and it defined my life
0:18:27 > 0:18:31but playing music was never a choice - it was a calling.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37I was a lousy student, I can't take orders,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39don't like being pushed around or being told what to do.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43So that eliminates probably 99% of the job market right there.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I sucked in school, so college was out.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I barely got through high school.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And I just loved it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55First of all, I just loved playing and listening,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58which I did 24 hours a day, and still do.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01But I didn't even know what the hell a sideman was.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It's not what I... I never sat around thinking,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06"Boy, I'd like to be so-and-so's guitar player."
0:19:08 > 0:19:13By the time I was 18, I had my own band and a new name to go with it.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18He created a persona.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Instead of Frank Madeloni, now he was Earl Slick.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23That sounds pretty good, you know.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27He had the look, he had the attitude, he had the arrogance,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29he had the certainty, he had the cockiness.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36In 1974, I got a call from a British guy called David Bowie.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I wasn't really that familiar with his work
0:19:40 > 0:19:42but I thought, "What the hell?"
0:19:44 > 0:19:48I'm sitting like a jerk for a couple of minutes and then comes in this
0:19:48 > 0:19:52skinny, spooky-ass-looking guy with bright red hair and no eyebrows.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54No eyebrows. Like, what?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Anyway, he sat down and he was great.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00It was David and it was great. He had a guitar with him.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Jacket with a bottle of brandy.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06I just threw it down and we played, had some brandy,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08we talked for a little while.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It was fun, it was pleasant, and he said, "Great, you can talk
0:20:11 > 0:20:14"to my assistant and we'll let you know what's going on."
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The phone rang the next morning, thank God, and she said,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19"David wants to know if you're interested in doing this,"
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and that's where it all started. I went for the sure shot,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28and that's when the sideman thing started. That was not my goal.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31# The Jean Genie lives on his back
0:20:31 > 0:20:35# The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks... #
0:20:35 > 0:20:39David could have taken on any guitarist of any level of skill
0:20:39 > 0:20:41but instead he took on
0:20:41 > 0:20:46this talented but raw, young kind of unbridled spirit from Brooklyn
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and I think, coming to know David as I did,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I really see why he did that.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56He really dialled into sort of people's spirit, people's vibe,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58what they could bring to the situation,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01not just musically but personality-wise.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Dialling into what you could bring to the artist
0:21:06 > 0:21:08is what all sidemen want.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13David didn't tell me what to play or what to do.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16He allowed me to express myself within his music.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21He accepted me as part of his vision.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I wasn't an outsider.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41The Station To Station album which Stay came from
0:21:41 > 0:21:45was one of the most exciting periods I had with David
0:21:45 > 0:21:50because he was actually asking me to come up with parts and things
0:21:50 > 0:21:56and this was actually the first one, and a proud moment, you know.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01He would look at me and this big smile...
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Just before even the solos came in,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06he had this big smile on his face, man,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and that would drive me home, man.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10That would drive me home.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Respect for what we bring to the table is what we sidies live off.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20It makes you go that extra mile.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28But I never forgot that it was David Bowie's name on the billboard,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29not mine.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39But there are times when sidies are thrust right into the spotlight,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42almost as visible as the stars themselves.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49When Prince became Prince and the Revolution
0:22:49 > 0:22:53he wanted sidemen or, in this case, sidewomen,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56who could bring something a little extra to the party
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and look the part.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00That would be Wendy and Lisa.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06# She wore a raspberry beret
0:23:07 > 0:23:11# The kind you find in a second-hand store
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# Raspberry beret
0:23:14 > 0:23:19# I think I love her. #
0:23:19 > 0:23:24I think Prince's vision about the band being mixed -
0:23:24 > 0:23:26male, female, black, Jewish -
0:23:26 > 0:23:31that was a very conscious decision and a desire on his part.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Lisa and I not only
0:23:35 > 0:23:39being female, we were lovers.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41We were a couple.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44And he was like, "Oh, my God,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48"it's female, it's gay, and everybody's just freaking, right?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51"It's controversy. This is it. Oh, my God!"
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Back then with new wave music,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58a lot of bands were coming out with girls
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and it was just the novelty, I think, at first,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05and just sexy arm candy,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08somebody to play that role.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09# You jump up on the one
0:24:09 > 0:24:11# Woo! #
0:24:11 > 0:24:13But Wendy and I turned it into power
0:24:13 > 0:24:17instead of just like, a frilly little something pretty to look at.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I had, like, '80s stockings and I was like, "Yeah, OK, I'm going to...
0:24:22 > 0:24:26"I'm going to add a nastiness to it so I'll accept the garter
0:24:26 > 0:24:28"because I am playful...
0:24:29 > 0:24:33"..but I'm not going to... I'm not going to show you my tits."
0:24:33 > 0:24:37I was the female facilitator so that he had all the room to
0:24:37 > 0:24:41be like this sexy, hot, androgynous tornado, right?
0:24:44 > 0:24:49He knew where to dig and once he found his gold it was like,
0:24:49 > 0:24:50"I'm free now,"
0:24:50 > 0:24:56and we were a perfect frame, and that is great side players.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03Give that front person the freedom to fall on their asses,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06you make sure they've got the perfect little environment to
0:25:06 > 0:25:08be the freak they want to be.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Wendy and Lisa got Prince.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16They understood him,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19knew what he needed before he did.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21And, boy, could they play!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28And again, clusters all the time.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Lisa was actually a trained, serious player.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Lisa could push back to Prince because she was the only player
0:25:35 > 0:25:38who could do things better than he could
0:25:38 > 0:25:40on her instrument.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Wendy and Lisa had grown up together.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Lisa essentially invited Wendy
0:25:46 > 0:25:48to come along on some of the tours,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50and she was around,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52she knows the parts and she can play,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and apparently Prince is kind of, you know,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57knocked sideways in that moment, like,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01"That's not just Lisa's friend, that's a real player."
0:26:03 > 0:26:06On Purple Rain, there's a song called Computer Blue.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I mean, we co-wrote that song with Prince.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12He came up with an idea and said, "I just...
0:26:12 > 0:26:15"I need to put the frame in it. I've got to put it in the pot
0:26:15 > 0:26:18"and put the pressure cooker on now, and let's see what we come up with."
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I started playing the lead line to this with the...
0:26:25 > 0:26:27# Ba-ba-dem, ba-duh-duh-duh. #
0:26:29 > 0:26:31When we were first writing the song,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34the lead line came out of Wendy,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36and I just was fooling around synth sounds,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and I think that really inspired Prince.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I think that he thought that was a really important part of the song
0:26:42 > 0:26:44and the groove.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50He was just like, "Yeah, high-five," and a writing credit.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Computer Blue was one of the songs performed
0:26:56 > 0:27:00so memorably in the Oscar-winning film Purple Rain.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03It's hard to think of any other sidies who have ever been given
0:27:03 > 0:27:05this kind of spotlight.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Most of us are relatively unknown outside the industry.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Wendy and Lisa were different.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20I find incredible grace and delight being able to find the holes
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and to enhance what's missing.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25I find that a great task for me,
0:27:25 > 0:27:30as someone who tries to be as good of a musician as I can be,
0:27:30 > 0:27:31not just an instrumentalist,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35but, "What can I offer the artist to be better?"
0:27:35 > 0:27:38It's a song the girls in the band wrote.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Lisa and Wendy.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42The song Purple Rain...
0:27:42 > 0:27:43In the movie he says, you know,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46"I'd like to perform a song that the girls wrote."
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I had an interview and someone misquoted me
0:27:50 > 0:27:52when asked, "Did you write Purple Rain?"
0:27:52 > 0:27:55And the answer in the print was, "Yes."
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I get a phone call from Prince,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and he's EXTREMELY upset.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03"Why did you say that?!
0:28:05 > 0:28:07"Do you think you wrote Purple Rain?"
0:28:09 > 0:28:10And I said...
0:28:11 > 0:28:14"..Stop.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15"No.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17"But we helped you."
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Prince walked in the room and said,
0:28:21 > 0:28:22"Here's the chord progressions."
0:28:22 > 0:28:24I thought to myself,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27"Oh, that looks like a very country progression."
0:28:27 > 0:28:30And what I pride myself on
0:28:30 > 0:28:33is finding a way to re-harmonise
0:28:33 > 0:28:35something that's very simple.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40# I never meant to cause you any sorrow. #
0:28:40 > 0:28:41So I played the chords,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45but I stretched bottom notes and I put ninths, different shades.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49# ..I never meant to cause you any pain. #
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Here comes the chords.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Those are the opening chords of Purple Rain.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Did I write Purple Rain? No.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16But would Purple Rain have been the song that you hear to this day
0:29:16 > 0:29:19without Chef coming in,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21"This is the dish I want to cook.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24"I've assembled an incredible crew here.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26"What are we going to do?"
0:29:28 > 0:29:31# I never meant to cause you any sorrow
0:29:36 > 0:29:39# I never meant to cause you any pain
0:29:44 > 0:29:48# I only wanted one time to see you laughing
0:29:50 > 0:29:54# I only wanted to see you laughing
0:29:54 > 0:29:58# In the purple rain
0:29:58 > 0:30:02# Purple rain, purple rain... #
0:30:02 > 0:30:05The version of Purple Rain used in the film was a recording
0:30:05 > 0:30:10of Wendy's first live appearance with the Revolution.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12She was just 19 years old.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19I wanted to be a great guitar player in a great band.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21I wanted to be a great player.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26But there's ambivalence about that role that I had
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and what I knew Lisa and I were giving him.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35I did have moments of anger at him.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39I always wanted him to say, "You're great!
0:30:39 > 0:30:42"God, I couldn't do this without you!
0:30:42 > 0:30:44"Man!"
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It never...
0:30:46 > 0:30:49That didn't come out of his mouth.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Prince made it perfectly clear that if you were there
0:30:55 > 0:30:56and you had that role
0:30:56 > 0:30:59and you were next to him playing,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01that was his validation.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04But in the spirit of full disclosure,
0:31:04 > 0:31:06I wanted his validation.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12THEY HARMONISE
0:31:14 > 0:31:20But when it came right down to it, he had every right to ignore you.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22He hired you,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24he wanted to do this thing,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and he was signed to Warner Bros,
0:31:26 > 0:31:28and it wasn't specified,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30there wasn't a distinction made
0:31:30 > 0:31:34that - "You are now going to partake in my soup."
0:31:35 > 0:31:39It was just like, "This is going to be AWESOME.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40"Aren't you going to have fun?
0:31:40 > 0:31:43"I'm having fun." And we're like, "Yeah!"
0:31:43 > 0:31:46# I don't care, pretty baby. #
0:31:46 > 0:31:48AUDIENCE REPEATS
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Being on stage in front of tens of thousands of people alongside
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Prince - or Bowie, or whoever -
0:31:59 > 0:32:00is a pretty special feeling.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02It is.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10But what all of us sidies have to accept is that we are not the stars.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14I knew where I was in the pecking order with David Bowie.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17I was the gun for hire with a job to do.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21As sidemen, we are there to support.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24# Now put on your red shoes and dance the blues. #
0:32:24 > 0:32:28If he's tired or a little distracted,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31he relied on me to take that spot.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33That's my job.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Slick could be a foil.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42That was definitely part of what he did for David.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Slick was really the... maybe the more animal of the two,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48and that animal element really needed to be there,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52that earthiness, and Slicky was really that personified.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57But it's still his tour.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00So to make it his tour and to make sure that he came
0:33:00 > 0:33:03looking in the best light, my job is to catch him
0:33:03 > 0:33:05when he's going to fall down,
0:33:05 > 0:33:09make sure that I pick up the energy if he doesn't have it
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and make it work on that stage.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16As sideman, that's what I do. And, um...
0:33:16 > 0:33:18And you've got to remember...
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Cos I've seen sidemen go sideways.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23All of a sudden, they think THEY'RE the star.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Uh-uh.
0:33:25 > 0:33:26Bad move.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31MUSIC: Space Oddity by David Bowie
0:33:32 > 0:33:37They work together in a sonic way,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40and they can work together visually.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Earl never upstages David.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46You know, it's just kind of a great matchup
0:33:46 > 0:33:47of mutual respect.
0:33:47 > 0:33:53# Though I'm past 100,000 miles
0:33:53 > 0:33:56# I'm feeling very still
0:33:57 > 0:34:01# And I think my spaceship knows... #
0:34:01 > 0:34:04When I worked with David, I got to play both on the road
0:34:04 > 0:34:08and in the studio and, for me, that was just great.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15But there are also those players
0:34:15 > 0:34:17who are only hired to work in the studio.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21The session musicians.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I mean, there are guys that just do sessions
0:34:28 > 0:34:30and they don't go on the road.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33They don't necessarily ever play live.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35So I think that's the difference
0:34:35 > 0:34:37between a session man and a sideman,
0:34:37 > 0:34:42that a sideman is expecting to play to an audience, live.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46A session man maybe never plays live or only occasionally.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51A session player, you think of him being in recording studios,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53but the sideman has
0:34:53 > 0:34:56a little more input to the artist they're working with.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58His feedback is amazingly important,
0:34:58 > 0:35:02you know, but I've been in recording sessions where I've changed
0:35:02 > 0:35:05the whole vibe of the studio, you know,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07just based on what I played.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Sometimes that's not wanted by the artist
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and it's not comfortable.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16"This is not your gig," they'll say. "This is not your gig.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19"What are you telling us? We have a vision.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21"Your job is to execute it."
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Executing the vision of the artist
0:35:25 > 0:35:28was extremely important for session players,
0:35:28 > 0:35:30especially in the '60s.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34But one guy who I really looked up to
0:35:34 > 0:35:39and successfully combined the roles of session man and sidemen
0:35:39 > 0:35:41was guitar legend Steve Cropper.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45RINGTONE: Green Onions by Booker T & the MGs
0:35:45 > 0:35:50Hey, call me back. I'm in the middle of an interview, doing a video. OK.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Sounded pretty good.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56MUSIC: Green Onions by Booker T & the MGs
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Steve Cropper was part of the Stax record label,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01based out of Memphis, Tennessee.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08I would say that Steve Cropper, without a doubt, is
0:36:08 > 0:36:14one of the greatest sidemen/session men I have ever seen in my life,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18because he could adapt to whatever the flavour and role would be
0:36:18 > 0:36:22in a credible way. And his commitment to it would be all-in.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25And that was the thing that made Steve special.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30When we first heard Booker T stuff,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34we naturally assumed that it was an all-black affair, you know,
0:36:34 > 0:36:39and I was quite amazed to find out that Steve was white and Duck Dunn,
0:36:39 > 0:36:41the bass player, was also white.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45That, at the time, this was still pretty unique.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Booker T & the MGs had hits
0:36:49 > 0:36:53and then also functioned as the brand that was backing
0:36:53 > 0:36:55the different vocalists that came through.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58# Do you like good music?
0:36:58 > 0:37:01# That sweet soul music... #
0:37:01 > 0:37:05With Stax, you have a sense that it's a band that's creating
0:37:05 > 0:37:07a sound that's a signature sound.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10# ..Way out here on the floor now
0:37:10 > 0:37:13# Oh, going to a go-go.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15# And they're dancing to the music
0:37:15 > 0:37:18# Oh, yeah, oh, yeah... #
0:37:18 > 0:37:21The formula back in the '60s,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23everybody had their own studio
0:37:23 > 0:37:26and their own set of musicians,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29you know? They didn't look up in the phone book
0:37:29 > 0:37:31and call this guy cos he's good
0:37:31 > 0:37:33or that guy cos he's good.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34They're the same guys all the time.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38And we played on almost every session.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40# Don't you ever be sad. #
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Alongside Steve's work with Booker T,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46he was also the indispensable sideman to Wilson Pickett
0:37:46 > 0:37:49and to Sam & Dave,
0:37:49 > 0:37:54and in a business where everyone is indispensable, that's unusual.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55Everybody!
0:37:55 > 0:37:58# ..Hold on, I'm comin'... #
0:37:58 > 0:38:02When we would do a Sam & Dave session, Steve would bring
0:38:02 > 0:38:05the flavour that we were looking for and we're communicating
0:38:05 > 0:38:06for the Sam & Dave project,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09that you could tell that sounded like Sam & Dave.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13And if he were then, in fact, doing Booker T & the MGs,
0:38:13 > 0:38:15he would take that role
0:38:15 > 0:38:17and it would sound like Booker T & the MGs,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19yet it's the same four players.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21And you've got to be a special,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25special sideman to make that work that way.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30MUSIC: Time Is Tight by Booker T & the MGs
0:38:30 > 0:38:32It's Stax Records.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36You had white musicians as a support for black artists.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38We were the leaders in that.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41And you have to understand, we're talking about the '60s.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45There were idiots of racists in the '60s,
0:38:45 > 0:38:49white racists that hated to even look at blacks walking on the same
0:38:49 > 0:38:53street with whites, let alone playing in bands with them.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55And then you put them in a role that's backing up
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and supporting someone that's black, that was revolutionary.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01But that's what was happening at Stax Records.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04You had guys like Steve Cropper
0:39:04 > 0:39:08who were willing to go into that role of support,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11and then, on concerts,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14willing to get on stage and be called all kinds of names.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Steve Cropper was an amazing sideman,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but it was what he contributed to the song.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25He played the rhythm parts,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28but he was clever enough to come up
0:39:28 > 0:39:31with intros and different parts,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34like we did Knock On Wood.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Eddie Floyd and I were writing at the Lorraine Motel
0:39:39 > 0:39:40and he said,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43"I got a great idea for a song." I said, "OK, what?"
0:39:43 > 0:39:46He said, "I want to write a song about superstitions."
0:39:48 > 0:39:49I said, "OK.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51"Eddie, what do people do for good luck?"
0:39:51 > 0:39:53And he said, "Well, they go..."
0:39:53 > 0:39:54HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:39:54 > 0:39:56That's it.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59So we started writing, and we knew we had it.
0:39:59 > 0:40:00We finished the song,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02and I know I sat there for a long time
0:40:02 > 0:40:04trying to come up with an intro,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06and I couldn't come up with one.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08The only idea that hit me, I said,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11"I wonder what In The Midnight Hour would sound like backwards?"
0:40:11 > 0:40:14And I don't know how I came up with the original
0:40:14 > 0:40:17of In The Midnight Hour, but it started on a D chord...
0:40:30 > 0:40:33So it's the same walk, just in reverse, so it...
0:40:37 > 0:40:40# I don't want to lose... #
0:40:41 > 0:40:43And that was Knock On Wood.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45# I don't want to lose
0:40:45 > 0:40:48# This good thing
0:40:48 > 0:40:49# That I got
0:40:49 > 0:40:52# If I do
0:40:52 > 0:40:55# I would surely
0:40:55 > 0:40:58# Surely lose a lot
0:40:58 > 0:41:00# Cos your love
0:41:00 > 0:41:01# Is better
0:41:03 > 0:41:05# Than any love I know
0:41:05 > 0:41:08# It's like thunder
0:41:08 > 0:41:10# Lightnin'
0:41:10 > 0:41:13# The way you love me is frightenin'
0:41:13 > 0:41:15# I better knock
0:41:15 > 0:41:18# On wood. #
0:41:18 > 0:41:20I said, "You want to learn how to play guitar?"
0:41:20 > 0:41:22All guitars have the same dots on them.
0:41:22 > 0:41:23HE CHUCKLES
0:41:23 > 0:41:26It's a scale thing, I guess, I don't know.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28I said, "Just follow the dots
0:41:28 > 0:41:30"and you can write hit songs!"
0:41:30 > 0:41:33- HE LAUGHS - It doesn't matter!
0:41:33 > 0:41:35# Oh, yeah
0:41:35 > 0:41:37# Knock
0:41:37 > 0:41:39# Oh, my, my! #
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Steve Cropper not only played on hit songs, he co-wrote them.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48Knock On Wood, In The Midnight Hour and many more.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51He was a songwriter, a session man,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53a producer and a sideman,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55all rolled into one.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00# What you want, honey, you got it. #
0:42:00 > 0:42:01So, when wanna-be soul star
0:42:01 > 0:42:05Otis Redding turned up at Stax in 1964,
0:42:05 > 0:42:10Steve and Stax owner Jim Stewart just knew they had someone special.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13# Respect is what I want! #
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Al Jackson, the drummer in Booker T & the MGs,
0:42:15 > 0:42:16came to me and he said,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18"You know that guy, that big tall guy?"
0:42:18 > 0:42:19I said, "Yeah." He said,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23"He has been bugging me to death for somebody to listen to him sing."
0:42:23 > 0:42:27I said, "Yeah, OK. Bring him down to the piano."
0:42:27 > 0:42:29And this guy comes up, and I said, "OK,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31"there's the piano, play something."
0:42:31 > 0:42:33He said, "Well, I don't play anything."
0:42:33 > 0:42:34I said, "Well, I don't either."
0:42:34 > 0:42:37And he said, "Well, can you play me some of them church quads?"
0:42:37 > 0:42:40"Quads" instead of "chords".
0:42:40 > 0:42:41Church quads.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43And he starts singing These Arms Of Mine.
0:42:43 > 0:42:51# These arms of mine
0:42:51 > 0:42:54# They are lonely... #
0:42:54 > 0:42:55And I said, "Stop, hold it."
0:42:55 > 0:42:57He said, "What, you don't like it?"
0:42:57 > 0:43:00I said, "No, I like it great, I just want Jim Stewart to hear it."
0:43:00 > 0:43:02And I went to the control room, I said,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06"Jim, you got to get out here and hear this guy sing."
0:43:06 > 0:43:11# ..These arms of mine
0:43:11 > 0:43:14# They are yearning... #
0:43:14 > 0:43:18And I'm not lying about this, the hair on my arms stood up.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- Like that. - # ..Yearning from wanting you... #
0:43:22 > 0:43:26By my recollection, we had 17 hit singles in a row with Otis Redding.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28He never had what we would call a flop.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31# ..Let them hold you... #
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Steve is one of the most original guitar players.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38When I heard those first licks on his Otis Redding records,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42"Oh, there's one, there's one."
0:43:47 > 0:43:51Probably the other thing about a sideman, and I'll throw this in
0:43:51 > 0:43:57with Steve Cropper, is the ability to read a song very quickly.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00# Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. #
0:44:00 > 0:44:03There was sort of context here with the piece of music that
0:44:03 > 0:44:06you're playing, and to put your own thing on it,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10but it's that sympathy for a song which is a sign of a good sideman.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12# Sad, sad song, y'all
0:44:12 > 0:44:16# Sad songs, that's all I know. #
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Otis Redding's relationship with Steve was so great
0:44:19 > 0:44:21that he wanted his sideman on tour with him.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23# ..Sad songs, that's all I know. #
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Otis said, "You guys have to go on the road with me,
0:44:26 > 0:44:28"you have to be my backup band."
0:44:28 > 0:44:31That's what made it unique and so special.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34The band that played on the hit records was the same band that
0:44:34 > 0:44:36played on stage with the artist.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Same licks by the same people,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42playing the same thing with the same feeling -
0:44:42 > 0:44:46never heard of, because you have what you call session players,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49and then you have your touring musicians.
0:44:49 > 0:44:50They don't do both.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57In our story, Stax is really important.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01Here, musicians like Steve were given, if not star billing,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05at least visibility in a way that was pretty rare before then.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11Steve was behind Otis but crucial to his success.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15# Sitting in the mornin' sun
0:45:15 > 0:45:19# I'll be sittin' when the evenin' comes
0:45:20 > 0:45:23# Watching those ships roll in
0:45:23 > 0:45:27# Then I'll watch them roll away again
0:45:27 > 0:45:31# I'll just go sit on the dock of the bay
0:45:31 > 0:45:35# Watchin' the tide roll away
0:45:36 > 0:45:39# Sittin' on the dock of the bay
0:45:39 > 0:45:43# Wastin' time... #
0:45:44 > 0:45:48- OTIS:- # I left my home in Georgia
0:45:49 > 0:45:52# Headed for the Frisco bay... #
0:45:52 > 0:45:56This was the last song Steve and Otis worked on together,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58though Otis never heard the final track.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01He was killed in a plane crash.
0:46:01 > 0:46:02He was just 26 years old.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06# So I just goin' to sit on the dock of the bay... #
0:46:06 > 0:46:08The role I had with Otis...
0:46:09 > 0:46:11We partied together, we'd go to clubs together,
0:46:11 > 0:46:13we'd do different things.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15# Sittin' on the dock of the bay
0:46:15 > 0:46:19# Wastin' time... #
0:46:21 > 0:46:23Otis calls himself a backwards country boy,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26but there was something that was extremely magic...
0:46:26 > 0:46:29HE WHISTLES
0:46:32 > 0:46:35- EMOTIONAL:- There'll never be another one.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Steve's relationship with Otis was kind of special,
0:46:46 > 0:46:49and his reputation was sealed.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52He would go on to work with everyone from Rod Stewart
0:46:52 > 0:46:54to Eric Clapton, to the Blues Brothers.
0:46:57 > 0:47:02And as a sideman, that's what you need - a reputation.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06Because the artists you work with don't always have work for you.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08But if you are lucky, someone else might.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14And my luck was certainly in when I got a call in 1980.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19So I hadn't seen David Bowie since '76,
0:47:19 > 0:47:23and I got a phone call from the producer Jack Douglas,
0:47:23 > 0:47:27and he said, "Oh, I got this session for Slicky."
0:47:27 > 0:47:29"Who is it?" "I can't tell you."
0:47:30 > 0:47:34But after three or four days, I kind of figured it out.
0:47:34 > 0:47:35It was John Lennon.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43I was a little nervous. I don't get nervous. That one made me nervous.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47John had certain session guys that he had used,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50and John said, "Well, I need a wild card in here.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53"I need a street player that can't read, that's just like me -
0:47:53 > 0:47:55"irreverent and does what he wants."
0:47:55 > 0:47:56That's how I got the gig.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04It was not a challenge working with John at all because he left me
0:48:04 > 0:48:06alone to do what I wanted to do.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10# Here in some stranger's room
0:48:11 > 0:48:14# Late in the afternoon
0:48:16 > 0:48:21# What am I doing here at all? #
0:48:21 > 0:48:23I was really ecstatic.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26It was a really good time in my career.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29It really was. And not just my career, in my life.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33I loved it. John just let me loose.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50When I'm with one of, like, these so-called stars,
0:48:50 > 0:48:54I feel like a peer, you know, that's the way I'm treated.
0:48:54 > 0:48:55I'm treated like a peer.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59# I'm losing you. #
0:48:59 > 0:49:03I was really lucky to work with both David and John in a period
0:49:03 > 0:49:06that I now see as the heyday for us sidies -
0:49:06 > 0:49:08the '70s and the '80s.
0:49:09 > 0:49:14At this time, there were superstar solo artists who needed sidemen
0:49:14 > 0:49:16and respected the role they played.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20And if you were a sideman or woman during this golden age
0:49:20 > 0:49:24who could play - not just guitar but were a multi-instrumentalist -
0:49:24 > 0:49:26then you were going to get a lot of gigs.
0:49:26 > 0:49:27Hey, what's up, y'all?
0:49:27 > 0:49:29On percussion
0:49:29 > 0:49:31and vocals
0:49:31 > 0:49:34and saxophone, keyboards, harmonica,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37you name it, she plays it out of Gary, Indiana.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40That's Professor Crystal Taliefero.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Crystal is always there. She's a total professional.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45When we're on stage, she delivers.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48She's a show unto herself.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50I can always rely on her to come through,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53no matter what we're doing, and that's...
0:49:53 > 0:49:56a great thing to be able to rely on.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58I never have to worry about what she's going to do
0:49:58 > 0:50:00or how she does it.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05# Harry Truman, Doris Day Red China, Johnnie Ray
0:50:05 > 0:50:08# South Pacific, Walter Winchell Joe DiMaggio... #
0:50:08 > 0:50:11I've never wanted to be a star, not even when I was a kid.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13I didn't even know what a star was.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15This whole thing chose me.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17I thought I would be married with five kids.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Maybe an accountant or something.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25- Seriously! I mean... - SHE LAUGHS
0:50:25 > 0:50:27# But when we are gone
0:50:27 > 0:50:30# Will it still burn on and on and on? #
0:50:30 > 0:50:34But, you know, I'm glad it turned out this way. Best time of my life.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36Who knew? Who knew?
0:50:36 > 0:50:40# The man said, There's a storm front comin'
0:50:40 > 0:50:45# White water runnin' And the pressure is low... #
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Crystal hooked up with Billy in the '80s,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50having worked with some of the biggest names of the day
0:50:50 > 0:50:55including John Mellencamp, Joe Cocker and Bruce Springsteen
0:50:55 > 0:50:59# I've got a woman. #
0:50:59 > 0:51:02She went from the keyboard and then she picked up the saxophone,
0:51:02 > 0:51:05and, you know, it was kind of like, "Wait,
0:51:05 > 0:51:09"she's gorgeous and she's grounded...
0:51:11 > 0:51:15"She's talented. She's got great stage presence."
0:51:15 > 0:51:19That is, I think, how Crystal is still in this business,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22because she's an asset to anybody.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25# White water runnin'... #
0:51:25 > 0:51:30We started working together, and right away, I say,
0:51:30 > 0:51:31"Oh, this woman knows what she's doing."
0:51:31 > 0:51:36She was going to help us arrange harmonies, play percussion...
0:51:36 > 0:51:39I didn't know if it was going to be permanent.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41I thought it might be temporary. It was up to her.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51Today, women sidies are part of the show.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54But it's easy to forget that, back in the '80s,
0:51:54 > 0:51:55this was all about the guys.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03A woman coming to the band was different.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07A couple of flags went up, you know, you know.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09But I knew that was going to happen.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11# The papers say she was seen in LA
0:52:11 > 0:52:13# With a stranger... #
0:52:13 > 0:52:15I was expected to be the sexy one.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Thank you, Billy, for...
0:52:17 > 0:52:19I don't think he purposely meant for that to happen,
0:52:19 > 0:52:21it just happened to be that way, and I'm...
0:52:21 > 0:52:22I'm happy I was there.
0:52:23 > 0:52:30# I've read where it's said she sleeps in a bed made of satin. #
0:52:30 > 0:52:32I mean, I want to hear guys say, "Hey, you're sexy, I think that..."
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Hey, thank you. You know? Yeah, it makes me feel good.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Yes, there are benefits to being a sexy sidewoman.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Lots of benefits.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52Guys like sexy, hot girls. I mean, you're popular.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54You know, you get a lot of recognition.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58# That's not her style. #
0:52:58 > 0:53:00And I got a lot of recognition.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02And it's probably why I got a lot of gigs.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09I didn't notice that there was any issues with her being a woman.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11I mean, she was a good musician.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12So right away,
0:53:12 > 0:53:15all the people that I was working with at the time
0:53:15 > 0:53:16had respect for her.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20And that's really what it, I think, came down to, was just,
0:53:20 > 0:53:24she's a good musician and so you better hold your own, you know?
0:53:26 > 0:53:31Being one of the guys but not a guy, doing the hang.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36When they say, "OK, you one of the fellas, you can hang,"
0:53:36 > 0:53:39that's a compliment.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42That means they're accepting you as one of the fellas and they still
0:53:42 > 0:53:43respect you as a woman.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Now, when I first came in now, that was the first time
0:53:46 > 0:53:51I guess Billy had worked with a female, which was interesting.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53He did very well, by the way.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56He did. He did good. The guys did good too.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02- Here's Johnny! - SHE LAUGHS
0:54:04 > 0:54:09After 28 years, Crystal still plays with Billy's touring band,
0:54:09 > 0:54:10but at the end of the day,
0:54:10 > 0:54:13it doesn't matter how long you're with the star,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16when the tour's over, for most of us sidies, it's a case of,
0:54:16 > 0:54:18"What happens now?"
0:54:27 > 0:54:31As a sideman, I live like a king, I'm treated like a king.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35I don't want to do anything but play music. It's great.
0:54:35 > 0:54:40It's Disneyland. I get to do what I want to do every day.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Nobody questions what I do. All my needs are taken care of.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Then, said tour is over.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Said sideman goes home
0:54:50 > 0:54:54and said sideman sits there waiting for the phone to ring,
0:54:54 > 0:54:58which is OK at the very beginning cos there's some money left,
0:54:58 > 0:55:01but this money gets smaller and smaller and smaller,
0:55:01 > 0:55:03and nobody's calling, and you're going,
0:55:03 > 0:55:06"Why are they not calling?"
0:55:06 > 0:55:10Is it possible to hit you up again and be a big pain in the ass?
0:55:10 > 0:55:13And you'll come up with whatever reasons you come up with,
0:55:13 > 0:55:17which may be true, may not be true,
0:55:17 > 0:55:21but I think the more known you are and the more visible you are
0:55:21 > 0:55:25as a sideman, to your front man,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27the less approachable you are.
0:55:29 > 0:55:30I'll sit out here all year.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35The phone doesn't ring because they think you're owned.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36And in a way, you are.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38What are we doing here?
0:55:39 > 0:55:42So they're thinking, we're rolling in money,
0:55:42 > 0:55:44and we're buying houses, and we're working,
0:55:44 > 0:55:45and we're on retainer,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48and any minute we're going to be doing this,
0:55:48 > 0:55:49and that's just not the truth.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52The truth was that in between there would be times
0:55:52 > 0:55:54when years would go by.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58I mean, this is one of them good-ass do-nothing days. I like this.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04I'm going to do nothing today after you guys go.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13MUSIC: Show Biz Kids by Steely Dan
0:56:15 > 0:56:17You know what? It's a double-edged sword.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20You're playing with the world's greatest rock and roll band,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24and when it's over, it's going to be hard to get another gig,
0:56:24 > 0:56:26because, first of all, people, for some reason,
0:56:26 > 0:56:28they think that you're part of the band.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30I'm a gun for hire.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32I wish I made that kind of money.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35I wish I made Rolling Stone money.
0:56:35 > 0:56:36But that ain't the case.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41I don't take make that much money where
0:56:41 > 0:56:44I can take a vacation or take a break.
0:56:44 > 0:56:49I've tried, you know, taking a break after a Rolling Stone tour.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54And when that money got low, trying to find another gig -
0:56:54 > 0:56:55super hard.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Oh, my God!
0:57:04 > 0:57:06It's not like you can just call
0:57:06 > 0:57:10and say, "Hey, I'm Bernard Fowler and I want to tour, NOW!"
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Shit don't happen like that.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16And, like I said, I've done that before,
0:57:16 > 0:57:18and it bit me in the ass.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24I might take a few weeks or so, but I'm back at it.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29I've been blessed that every time the Stones have gone out,
0:57:29 > 0:57:32I've gone out, but...
0:57:32 > 0:57:34It's really funny because, like, sometimes, you know,
0:57:34 > 0:57:37I get telephone calls from friends or fans and they're like,
0:57:37 > 0:57:39"Hey, man, I hear the Stones are going out,
0:57:39 > 0:57:42"aren't you going with them?" I'm like, "I didn't hear anything."
0:57:45 > 0:57:48And when that happens, it kind of fucks with you a bit
0:57:48 > 0:57:51because you're not even sure if you're even going.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55That's part of being a sideman, I think,
0:57:55 > 0:57:57- not being sure! - HE LAUGHS
0:57:57 > 0:57:59But...
0:57:59 > 0:58:02Brother B has nothing to worry about on that.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05It's whether the Stones will still be around,
0:58:05 > 0:58:09it's not whether he'll be with us, for sure. You know?
0:58:09 > 0:58:12It's up to him. As long as he wants.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14- # What's my name? - Ooh ooh... #
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Yeah, he'll be with us till the end.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18Then we call him a Rolling Stone.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21When we all retire, he can become...
0:58:21 > 0:58:23We'll give him a little badge with,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26"I am finally in there."
0:58:26 > 0:58:27- # Ooh ooh - Yeah!
0:58:27 > 0:58:28# Ooh ooh... #
0:58:28 > 0:58:30Well, as far as I'm concerned,
0:58:30 > 0:58:32he is officially a Rolling Stone.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34By now, Brother B...
0:58:34 > 0:58:36The rock, I mean...
0:58:37 > 0:58:40- # Ooh ooh - Oh, yeah! #
0:58:40 > 0:58:45I still do see myself as a sideman with the Rolling Stones.
0:58:45 > 0:58:47By no means am I a Rolling Stone.
0:58:49 > 0:58:51And nor will I ever be.
0:58:51 > 0:58:53- # Tell me, baby - Ooh ooh
0:58:53 > 0:58:55# What's my name? #
0:58:55 > 0:58:58Would the Rolling Stones suffer without me?
0:59:00 > 0:59:01They can continue.
0:59:03 > 0:59:04But they'd miss me!
0:59:06 > 0:59:08HE LAUGHS
0:59:10 > 0:59:13- RECORDING:- This is something special for you.
0:59:13 > 0:59:15Bernard's kind of lucky.
0:59:15 > 0:59:17Despite some insecurity,
0:59:17 > 0:59:20he does have a long-term gig with the Stones.
0:59:20 > 0:59:24I worked with David on and off for 40 years,
0:59:24 > 0:59:27but the work was by no means constant.
0:59:27 > 0:59:29I never really knew what was around the corner.
0:59:31 > 0:59:34He sacked me once, but then I was called back.
0:59:34 > 0:59:39Every time one of his guitar players vaporised or quit or whatever,
0:59:39 > 0:59:41I got the phone call.
0:59:41 > 0:59:43And people say, "Doesn't that make you feel used?"
0:59:43 > 0:59:44No!
0:59:44 > 0:59:47He was doing what he needed to do at the time.
0:59:47 > 0:59:51I took the gig, which meant I did what I needed to do at the time.
0:59:51 > 0:59:54So it was... It was, you know, one hand washed the other.
0:59:54 > 0:59:56# Girls and boys... #
0:59:59 > 1:00:04But being sacked, let go, replaced, whatever you want to call it,
1:00:04 > 1:00:07when it happens, it hurts, and it really does piss you off.
1:00:11 > 1:00:15From the moment I was hired till the moment it all ended,
1:00:15 > 1:00:16it was nonstop.
1:00:16 > 1:00:19# I only knew her for a little while
1:00:20 > 1:00:23# But he had grown accustomed to her style... #
1:00:23 > 1:00:27So I never felt that it would end, until it ended.
1:00:27 > 1:00:29So, you know, it almost felt like someone kicked the bed
1:00:29 > 1:00:31while you're sound asleep, where you're like,
1:00:31 > 1:00:33"What, what, what? What?!"
1:00:33 > 1:00:38That's kind of how... Or, like, that's how it felt when it ended.
1:00:38 > 1:00:40# Baby, I love you so much... #
1:00:40 > 1:00:41Me and Lisa were fired.
1:00:41 > 1:00:44# Maybe we can stay in touch... #
1:00:47 > 1:00:53The night that we got fired, I can't say that Prince thanked us.
1:00:53 > 1:00:57I could just feel his feelings just contradicting each other,
1:00:57 > 1:01:00themselves within him.
1:01:00 > 1:01:02- # Boo! # - MANIACAL LAUGHING
1:01:02 > 1:01:04I think he was at a crossroads.
1:01:04 > 1:01:09I think it was hard for him to say thank you at that time.
1:01:09 > 1:01:11He said, "You know, I've just gotten to this place where I just
1:01:11 > 1:01:15"need to change it up now because I've spread myself too thin.
1:01:15 > 1:01:20"You guys are your own people and I need more of it in my control."
1:01:20 > 1:01:25We were blown away by it and understood at the same time.
1:01:25 > 1:01:29That's what it is when you're a side person -
1:01:29 > 1:01:30everybody's expendable.
1:01:33 > 1:01:36Yeah, it felt like my life exploded.
1:01:36 > 1:01:38It took me on this incredible ride,
1:01:38 > 1:01:40and then suddenly... Pshoo!
1:01:40 > 1:01:44You know, "Let's not do this any more."
1:01:44 > 1:01:47It was really like a romantic break-up, you know?
1:01:48 > 1:01:50And I think he missed us, too.
1:01:50 > 1:01:54Which always freaked me out when I'd get signs of that,
1:01:54 > 1:01:57that he was missing us or wondering where we were.
1:01:57 > 1:01:59It would make me mad.
1:02:01 > 1:02:04It was a facade in that Prince was never going to be
1:02:04 > 1:02:08a member of a band, that he was never going to be as collaborative
1:02:08 > 1:02:10as, you know, what it was
1:02:10 > 1:02:12that he was putting forward.
1:02:12 > 1:02:17I will say that Purple Rain was the most collaborative period
1:02:17 > 1:02:18in his career.
1:02:18 > 1:02:20After the success of Purple Rain, you know,
1:02:20 > 1:02:23there was no possibility of collaboration after that.
1:02:23 > 1:02:26I mean, at that point, nobody could ever say no to him again
1:02:26 > 1:02:29because he had shown that he knew better than everybody else.
1:02:31 > 1:02:35Wendy and I were pretty lost after the break-up
1:02:35 > 1:02:40and weren't really sure what we were going to do.
1:02:40 > 1:02:43We rented a house for a couple of weeks
1:02:43 > 1:02:47and licked our wounds, kind of like, together.
1:02:47 > 1:02:52We commiserated. And then we started to write songs.
1:02:55 > 1:02:59People were waiting for us to write, you know, a Prince track,
1:02:59 > 1:03:01but it's not Prince & The Revolution,
1:03:01 > 1:03:03that's a different thing.
1:03:03 > 1:03:06# Come in, take a chair
1:03:06 > 1:03:08# Nothing else to do out there
1:03:11 > 1:03:14# It's what you want and what you need
1:03:14 > 1:03:16# Decisions made in privacy... #
1:03:16 > 1:03:19Now we're not the arm candy, you know,
1:03:19 > 1:03:22we can actually be the centrepiece.
1:03:22 > 1:03:24And that was the desire.
1:03:24 > 1:03:27# I'll name your fate
1:03:27 > 1:03:30# Don't be shy, I'm waiting
1:03:30 > 1:03:32# Come to the sideshow
1:03:32 > 1:03:34# Come to the sideshow
1:03:34 > 1:03:36# Yeah! #
1:03:36 > 1:03:39And then ensued the dynamic of,
1:03:39 > 1:03:42"What are you talking about?
1:03:42 > 1:03:44"What do you mean, what are you selling?"
1:03:44 > 1:03:46OK, we understand commerce -
1:03:46 > 1:03:49we've got to sell a product, there's branding, da-da-da-da-da.
1:03:49 > 1:03:52But this is where that being a woman
1:03:52 > 1:03:55in the music business
1:03:55 > 1:03:57- is sort of like an oxymoron. - SHE LAUGHS
1:03:57 > 1:03:59You need to be fuckable...
1:03:59 > 1:04:01first.
1:04:01 > 1:04:03Straight up.
1:04:03 > 1:04:05# Where it's at
1:04:05 > 1:04:08# Time can't wash away the fears
1:04:08 > 1:04:12# Stay away from the devil's tears. #
1:04:12 > 1:04:15That's what the species is.
1:04:15 > 1:04:19I don't want to play a part in that game, but when my twin sister came
1:04:19 > 1:04:24and sang with Wendy & Lisa, the marketers fucking loved it.
1:04:26 > 1:04:28Because Susannah was, like,
1:04:28 > 1:04:31hot and sexy, fuckable,
1:04:31 > 1:04:32and, like, woohoo!
1:04:32 > 1:04:34"We can market that!"
1:04:37 > 1:04:39I thought Wendy & Lisa were great,
1:04:39 > 1:04:42but the move from sidie to solo artist is really a tough one.
1:04:44 > 1:04:47# Well, didn't your mama tell ya?
1:04:47 > 1:04:49# Didn't your papa tell ya?
1:04:49 > 1:04:52# To get a little satisfaction... #
1:04:52 > 1:04:55We ended up getting, like, dropped repeatedly.
1:04:55 > 1:04:58On every label, we'd be signed and dropped, signed and dropped,
1:04:58 > 1:04:59signed and dropped.
1:04:59 > 1:05:02And, you know, because they were just like,
1:05:02 > 1:05:05"Well, where's...?" You know...
1:05:05 > 1:05:08I don't know what they wanted. A little red Corvette.
1:05:08 > 1:05:10But that wasn't going to happen.
1:05:12 > 1:05:14With us, it was a more subtle success,
1:05:14 > 1:05:17that we could play clubs and sell them out.
1:05:17 > 1:05:21In my estimation, I think that means that we made it
1:05:21 > 1:05:23and we're able to keep working.
1:05:23 > 1:05:27I haven't had to get a job at Staples
1:05:27 > 1:05:29or McDonald's or something, so...
1:05:30 > 1:05:33# Didn't your mama tell ya?
1:05:33 > 1:05:35# Didn't your papa tell ya? #
1:05:35 > 1:05:39Was it disappointing for me to realise that I wasn't a star?
1:05:39 > 1:05:42- I feel embarrassed saying it. - SHEEPISHLY:- Yeah!
1:05:42 > 1:05:44# Didn't your papa tell ya? #
1:05:44 > 1:05:47I wanted to be as important as the artists
1:05:47 > 1:05:50that are important to me, to other people.
1:05:50 > 1:05:54I wanted to be able to have people listen to the work that I did.
1:05:54 > 1:05:57My idea of being a rock star
1:05:57 > 1:06:00probably didn't match
1:06:00 > 1:06:02what my musical output was.
1:06:04 > 1:06:06# If love can melt down barriers... #
1:06:08 > 1:06:11- PERCUSSION BEATS - There it is.
1:06:11 > 1:06:12All right, let me just try it.
1:06:13 > 1:06:18When Wendy and Lisa didn't turn out to be huge pop stars on their own,
1:06:18 > 1:06:22they were able to adjust because of their training,
1:06:22 > 1:06:23because of their versatility
1:06:23 > 1:06:25and because of their brand name
1:06:25 > 1:06:28and the awareness of Wendy & Lisa to go on
1:06:28 > 1:06:32to be hugely in demand and to play with folks like Madonna
1:06:32 > 1:06:34and Joni Mitchell and Seal,
1:06:34 > 1:06:37and able to build a career
1:06:37 > 1:06:38that way.
1:06:38 > 1:06:42It's too busy at that tempo. It's too much.
1:06:42 > 1:06:48And then from that, springboard into writing scores, soundtracks,
1:06:48 > 1:06:49TV shows, films.
1:06:51 > 1:06:53It's still...
1:06:53 > 1:06:54It's not ironic enough.
1:06:54 > 1:06:57It feels too, like, anthemic.
1:06:57 > 1:07:00Wendy and Lisa's contribution is much like an actor on the show,
1:07:00 > 1:07:03and I always treated them as if they were actors.
1:07:03 > 1:07:04With an actor,
1:07:04 > 1:07:06you don't tell them how to do a scene.
1:07:06 > 1:07:09You don't, say, don't give a line reading.
1:07:09 > 1:07:11And as much as maybe the studio and network at times
1:07:11 > 1:07:15on parts of the music would want a line reading,
1:07:15 > 1:07:19a specific kind of music, I always resisted giving them that note.
1:07:19 > 1:07:23So we should be playing something ironic, not too romantic.
1:07:23 > 1:07:25In my experience in working with them,
1:07:25 > 1:07:28I don't think we ever have them rescore something more than maybe
1:07:28 > 1:07:33three or four times, and I'm talking about...200 episodes of television.
1:07:33 > 1:07:35That's amazing.
1:07:37 > 1:07:41Wendy and Lisa made it again as sidewomen, but now in TV.
1:07:41 > 1:07:44They're writing music for some of the biggest US shows.
1:07:44 > 1:07:46Yeah, that was good.
1:07:46 > 1:07:49And they even got an Emmy to prove it.
1:07:49 > 1:07:51SHE PLAYS: Nurse Jackie theme
1:07:51 > 1:07:52SHE LAUGHS
1:07:56 > 1:08:00So, to survive when you're not on the road, us sidies
1:08:00 > 1:08:04need to find other ways to use what we've got to make a few bucks.
1:08:06 > 1:08:09I don't think that I've been versatile enough during my career.
1:08:11 > 1:08:13What are you, a cop?
1:08:13 > 1:08:16I don't see a fucking uniform on your sorry fat ass.
1:08:18 > 1:08:21A lot of the other guys, though, that weren't versatile enough
1:08:21 > 1:08:25disappeared completely off the planet, and they ain't coming back.
1:08:26 > 1:08:28That's something that really hit me
1:08:28 > 1:08:31like a tonne of bricks about ten years ago,
1:08:31 > 1:08:34that I'm going to have to sort of...
1:08:34 > 1:08:37spread out here, but where?
1:08:37 > 1:08:41- It's got such a...like a natural leather scent.- Yeah.- It works.
1:08:41 > 1:08:45So I thought, "What are my talents? What the hell can I do?"
1:08:45 > 1:08:49Yeah, I play music, but I also paint and customise my own clothes.
1:08:49 > 1:08:53So I thought, "Why don't I do something with that?
1:08:53 > 1:08:54"Worth a try?"
1:08:54 > 1:08:56- This is great.- "No?"
1:08:56 > 1:08:58Extra bullet holes.
1:08:58 > 1:09:02That? Oh, that's 40-grit sand paper.
1:09:02 > 1:09:06- You can make bullet holes that way. - Really?- I can trash anything.
1:09:06 > 1:09:08I do it anyway, might as well, like, you know,
1:09:08 > 1:09:11- maybe make money out of it.- Yeah.
1:09:11 > 1:09:14Christian Benner is a New York fashion designer.
1:09:14 > 1:09:16I really like his style.
1:09:16 > 1:09:18So I brought a load of my stuff to see
1:09:18 > 1:09:21if we might be able to do something together.
1:09:21 > 1:09:24And then you take this shit and you put it in bleach
1:09:24 > 1:09:28- and then use a bunch of rusty nails and...- Yeah, yeah.
1:09:28 > 1:09:30- ..shotgun shells and...- Yeah.
1:09:30 > 1:09:31Can't play it, but it looks cool.
1:09:31 > 1:09:33- THEY LAUGH - It's beautiful.
1:09:33 > 1:09:37I don't have what he has,
1:09:37 > 1:09:39and he doesn't have what I have.
1:09:39 > 1:09:41This is gorgeous, though.
1:09:41 > 1:09:42I want what he has,
1:09:42 > 1:09:44he wants what I have,
1:09:44 > 1:09:47which makes for a great partnership.
1:09:47 > 1:09:48A Christian D original.
1:09:48 > 1:09:52- I did fuck with it, though. - Yeah, I noticed.
1:09:52 > 1:09:53What do you think?
1:09:53 > 1:09:55I do belts and jackets,
1:09:55 > 1:10:00but the way I paint things and the way I do things can actually add
1:10:00 > 1:10:04to his thing, and even some of my stuff will stand on its own.
1:10:04 > 1:10:08- That's...- Oh, my God, I did a good fucking job. I'm good, thank you.
1:10:08 > 1:10:12He's been in business. He's got the machine to do it.
1:10:12 > 1:10:13Whereas I don't.
1:10:13 > 1:10:16Therein comes your trade-off.
1:10:16 > 1:10:21He gets my name to help him out a little bit, I get the machine,
1:10:21 > 1:10:25I get the help, promotion, all the stuff you need.
1:10:26 > 1:10:29- Why don't our managers talk to each other?- Yeah, let's start this.
1:10:35 > 1:10:36For me, it's fashion.
1:10:36 > 1:10:39But all of us sidies have to find our own way.
1:10:41 > 1:10:44Crystal Taliefero is - no shit -
1:10:44 > 1:10:46Professor Crystal Taliefero
1:10:46 > 1:10:50from Indiana State University when she's not touring.
1:10:50 > 1:10:52Can't see me doing that.
1:10:54 > 1:10:58I think I'm talented in more ways than just being a musician.
1:10:58 > 1:11:01I think I'm talented, I think, more so in social skills.
1:11:01 > 1:11:03I think I have good social skills.
1:11:04 > 1:11:07Which I think should be weighed on the same level
1:11:07 > 1:11:09as the performance skill.
1:11:09 > 1:11:10You could have a talented person
1:11:10 > 1:11:15and he could play 50,000 instruments and have zero social skills and...
1:11:15 > 1:11:17Who wants to hang around with him?
1:11:17 > 1:11:20He can't do the hang. He's out.
1:11:20 > 1:11:22SHE LAUGHS
1:11:22 > 1:11:24THEY HARMONISE
1:11:24 > 1:11:27Crystal teaches up-and-coming musicians.
1:11:27 > 1:11:30Who knows? Maybe the next generation of sidies.
1:11:30 > 1:11:32SHE SINGS
1:11:33 > 1:11:36HE RAPS
1:11:36 > 1:11:39I'm teaching how to get the job, how to keep the job,
1:11:39 > 1:11:43performance, stage performance, delivery, spontaneity.
1:11:43 > 1:11:46I'm teaching basically how to survive.
1:11:46 > 1:11:50I want you to use those eyes, those big, terrific eyes you have.
1:11:50 > 1:11:53# You, you turn my life... #
1:11:53 > 1:11:57Are there opportunities here for my students doing what I do,
1:11:57 > 1:11:58as a sideman?
1:11:58 > 1:12:02Yes, they are there, but it's a little more difficult
1:12:02 > 1:12:04now for the younger generation.
1:12:04 > 1:12:07They're all talented, great musicians, of course,
1:12:07 > 1:12:10but I think they've been watered down.
1:12:10 > 1:12:12There's no more identities.
1:12:12 > 1:12:15Only the star's allowed to have an identity.
1:12:15 > 1:12:20Maybe I should rethink and start grooming solo artists instead!
1:12:27 > 1:12:30The music business today, hell, it's like another world.
1:12:30 > 1:12:32One, two, three, four!
1:12:33 > 1:12:37Thankfully - ha, ha - there are still some big artists out there
1:12:37 > 1:12:41that need great sidemen, or in the case of Beyonce, sidewomen.
1:12:43 > 1:12:46And when Beyonce toured the Beyonce Experience in '07,
1:12:46 > 1:12:49she worked with some of the best sidewomen in the business.
1:12:51 > 1:12:54There's anywhere from 20 to 30 people on stage with Beyonce
1:12:54 > 1:12:56at any given point. I'm seeing everything.
1:12:56 > 1:12:59I'm seeing people losing their minds, going crazy,
1:12:59 > 1:13:01seeing their icon for the first time.
1:13:01 > 1:13:05I'm seeing a big party, honestly, in the Beyonce concerts.
1:13:05 > 1:13:08I wish everyone had the opportunity to get that point of view.
1:13:08 > 1:13:10# Your love's got me looking so crazy right now
1:13:10 > 1:13:11# So crazy
1:13:11 > 1:13:14- # Got me looking so crazy right now - Your love
1:13:14 > 1:13:16# Your touch got me looking so crazy right now
1:13:16 > 1:13:19# Looking so crazy, my baby... #
1:13:19 > 1:13:22Crystal "Rovel" Torres is extraordinary.
1:13:22 > 1:13:24She's a multi-instrumentalist
1:13:24 > 1:13:28who started working with Beyonce in '07 as a trumpet player.
1:13:30 > 1:13:33When we first began, much of Beyonce's repertoire
1:13:33 > 1:13:34didn't have horn parts.
1:13:38 > 1:13:41We had a lot of creative freedom, you know, as long as it wasn't
1:13:41 > 1:13:45stepping on the melody or getting in the way what was happening.
1:13:49 > 1:13:52We had creative license to kind of add what we wanted.
1:13:54 > 1:13:57She asked me to do a solo. She didn't... She was very open.
1:13:57 > 1:14:00She didn't say specifically what to play.
1:14:00 > 1:14:03There were 40,000 people staring at me,
1:14:03 > 1:14:05and Beyonce said...
1:14:05 > 1:14:07"Give it to Mama!"
1:14:08 > 1:14:10And there's my moment.
1:14:34 > 1:14:37She suggested that I do something really dramatic
1:14:37 > 1:14:40and put the horn up, you know, back like this when I solo.
1:14:47 > 1:14:50Sometimes it came out, sometimes it didn't, cos it's really hard
1:14:50 > 1:14:52to play a trumpet in heels, you know, doing a backbend.
1:14:56 > 1:14:58I'd done maybe five world tours,
1:14:58 > 1:14:59but you have to understand,
1:14:59 > 1:15:01the story was obviously about Beyonce,
1:15:01 > 1:15:04so you have your choice to take it or leave it.
1:15:05 > 1:15:10The quintessential, modern sideman or musician
1:15:10 > 1:15:15has to be open to all of the many places that music leads you.
1:15:20 > 1:15:24After being part of Beyonce's touring band for several years,
1:15:24 > 1:15:27the day came when Crystal didn't get the call
1:15:27 > 1:15:29to join Beyonce's 2012 tour.
1:15:33 > 1:15:36When I actually didn't get the call after all those years,
1:15:36 > 1:15:39it hurt, it definitely hurt.
1:15:39 > 1:15:41Sometimes you are a part of an artist's vision, you know,
1:15:41 > 1:15:45and that's a beautiful thing. And sometimes you're not.
1:15:45 > 1:15:48And I think how every musician deals with those setbacks
1:15:48 > 1:15:53really determines their fate and their success and their future.
1:15:56 > 1:15:59You have to be aware that this is a business and you're working
1:15:59 > 1:16:02with a star, so it's not that they don't want you
1:16:02 > 1:16:06to promote yourself, but you just... you are working for a bigger brand.
1:16:06 > 1:16:09And sometimes it's about that brand first.
1:16:09 > 1:16:12This needs to be protected, so you have to find how you fit
1:16:12 > 1:16:14and how they can work together.
1:16:17 > 1:16:19Nowadays, much more so than in the past,
1:16:19 > 1:16:22you have to be able to switch gears quickly.
1:16:24 > 1:16:27And that would be the time when I developed my songwriting
1:16:27 > 1:16:30and production skills and got into that and met Lupe.
1:16:30 > 1:16:32# I love her and I hate to leave her lonely
1:16:32 > 1:16:35# Ring, ring went the iPhone It was my homey... #
1:16:35 > 1:16:38Lupe Fiasco is a Grammy award-winning rap artist
1:16:38 > 1:16:41who was always looking out for new talent.
1:16:42 > 1:16:47Crystal's name kept popping up and I was like, who's this Crystal woman?
1:16:47 > 1:16:49And then it was like,
1:16:49 > 1:16:51"Hey, Crystal, would you mind coming in and,
1:16:51 > 1:16:54"you know, playing on certain records?"
1:16:56 > 1:17:00It's so cool to be able to have a working relationship
1:17:00 > 1:17:04with somebody who operates at an internationally renowned level.
1:17:07 > 1:17:10So I show up, not really knowing what to expect, and he said,
1:17:10 > 1:17:11"Just do your thing."
1:17:11 > 1:17:15And so I went into the live room and just put in a harmon mute
1:17:15 > 1:17:17and he immediately responded to that sound,
1:17:17 > 1:17:19that Miles Davis Kind Of Blue kind of sound.
1:17:24 > 1:17:26It's like I'm in the studio with Miles Davis, right?
1:17:26 > 1:17:30To have somebody of a high calibre, being able to, like,
1:17:30 > 1:17:33"Hey, can you play it like this?" Then they'll play it like that.
1:17:33 > 1:17:35And, "Oh, it was amazing! Now can you play it like this?"
1:17:35 > 1:17:37"Yes, I can play like that."
1:17:37 > 1:17:39"Oh, my God. Can you just play?"
1:17:39 > 1:17:42HE RAPS
1:17:46 > 1:17:49By the end of that session, the song just became
1:17:49 > 1:17:53this moody, jazzy, organic hip-hop mix.
1:17:53 > 1:17:57# Are you ready to die? You just a baby
1:17:57 > 1:18:01# Why them tears up under your eyes? You just a baby... #
1:18:01 > 1:18:05It graduated into my next album where it was like,
1:18:05 > 1:18:07it was a no-brainer, it was like,
1:18:07 > 1:18:09I'm going into the studio, I need Crystal.
1:18:12 > 1:18:15I feel that the best artists understand that we are all
1:18:15 > 1:18:17working in service to the music,
1:18:17 > 1:18:19and while everyone has their roles,
1:18:19 > 1:18:24at the end of the day, the music is what brings people to them.
1:18:37 > 1:18:40There's clearly a place for the next generation of sidies.
1:18:40 > 1:18:44But what about those of us who've been around the block a few times?
1:18:44 > 1:18:48As far as the future goes for me as a sideman,
1:18:48 > 1:18:50I would say that it looks bleak.
1:18:50 > 1:18:55In 2016, my main man David Bowie passed away.
1:18:55 > 1:18:57That changed everything.
1:19:02 > 1:19:06Ah, that's where the lift-off part comes in, isn't it?
1:19:07 > 1:19:12Which is kind of what I felt happened when David...
1:19:13 > 1:19:16..passed, you know, he lifted off.
1:19:16 > 1:19:19# This is ground control to Major Tom
1:19:19 > 1:19:23# You've really made the grade... #
1:19:23 > 1:19:30David comes into my head every day since spring of 1974.
1:19:30 > 1:19:34When you're entrenched with somebody that long,
1:19:34 > 1:19:36it just does not go away.
1:19:37 > 1:19:39David meant a lot of things to me
1:19:39 > 1:19:44because he is the first person in my career
1:19:44 > 1:19:47that I walked onto a stage
1:19:47 > 1:19:51with 20,000 people and had a gold record within six months.
1:19:51 > 1:19:56And how much I learned from him, I was always HIS guitar player.
1:19:56 > 1:19:58Now I'm Earl Slick the guitar player
1:19:58 > 1:20:02that used to work with David Bowie when he was alive.
1:20:04 > 1:20:07With David gone, it's going to be tough.
1:20:07 > 1:20:10# Here am I sitting in a tin can... #
1:20:10 > 1:20:13A lot of the guys I knew that WERE hiring sidemen
1:20:13 > 1:20:17are now retiring, which is kind of scary, but who knows?
1:20:17 > 1:20:19Maybe liberating.
1:20:19 > 1:20:21# Planet Earth is blue
1:20:21 > 1:20:25# And there's nothing I can do... #
1:20:26 > 1:20:29Bernard is doing more of his own thing
1:20:29 > 1:20:31alongside his work with the Stones.
1:20:31 > 1:20:32And that's got to be good.
1:20:32 > 1:20:35# Ah-ah-ah... #
1:20:35 > 1:20:37Hopefully more people will see
1:20:37 > 1:20:42that I am only a sideman for the Rolling Stones.
1:20:42 > 1:20:44When the Stones ain't rolling,
1:20:44 > 1:20:47Bernard's out shaking that money-maker.
1:20:47 > 1:20:51The future is, I see myself as a solo artist.
1:20:51 > 1:20:54# Walked up to the Redbreast playing
1:20:54 > 1:20:57# Everybody starting swaying
1:20:57 > 1:21:00# See baby shaking her hair
1:21:00 > 1:21:03# Hands swinging up in the air... #
1:21:03 > 1:21:07You know, it's all independent, I'm doing it myself,
1:21:07 > 1:21:11there's no machine behind it, and it's hard to get stuff heard.
1:21:14 > 1:21:16# Say goodbye to strife
1:21:16 > 1:21:19# Groupies gonna tell your wife... #
1:21:19 > 1:21:21I don't think he's hampered as a solo artist
1:21:21 > 1:21:23by being with the Rolling Stones.
1:21:23 > 1:21:27But it's very hard to succeed as anything in show business.
1:21:27 > 1:21:30There's thousands of groups looking to make one single,
1:21:30 > 1:21:33I mean, it's not an easy business to be in.
1:21:33 > 1:21:36# Shake it, baby, shake it
1:21:36 > 1:21:38# Shake it, baby, shake it... #
1:21:38 > 1:21:42Bernard loves to step out of the shadow, he loves to go and project.
1:21:42 > 1:21:44He'll make people feel good.
1:21:45 > 1:21:48And I think that's the reward for Bernard.
1:21:49 > 1:21:52# Baby, baby Baby, baby... #
1:21:52 > 1:21:59If I knew how to make my solo stuff break big enough for me
1:21:59 > 1:22:04to go out and perform it all the time, I would.
1:22:06 > 1:22:10It's a great dog, but it's still less than two years old,
1:22:10 > 1:22:11so it's still a puppy.
1:22:11 > 1:22:15Steve Cropper, as ever, prefers to be in the shadows.
1:22:15 > 1:22:16And he can afford to,
1:22:16 > 1:22:19having written some of the biggest hits of all time.
1:22:19 > 1:22:21You can tell, as I haven't hung it yet,
1:22:21 > 1:22:26but this is for 10 million plays from BMI.
1:22:26 > 1:22:29Still in the package they give it to me.
1:22:29 > 1:22:31I've always wanted to just be the band member.
1:22:31 > 1:22:35I would never want to be that famous where, 24/7,
1:22:35 > 1:22:37somebody's trying to get to you.
1:22:38 > 1:22:42And I pride myself on the fact that I, for years,
1:22:42 > 1:22:45was able to stay under the radar.
1:22:45 > 1:22:49Cos I get to play behind singers that are great and they entertain,
1:22:49 > 1:22:50they dance, they do it all.
1:22:50 > 1:22:53I'm back there just grooving, having a ball.
1:22:56 > 1:22:58And as long as there are great singers,
1:22:58 > 1:23:00there are still going to be sidemen.
1:23:02 > 1:23:04But the job may change a bit.
1:23:06 > 1:23:08My job has changed in the last 30 years.
1:23:08 > 1:23:11I'm not doing as much featuring spots,
1:23:11 > 1:23:15moving over for a new person to come in now.
1:23:15 > 1:23:18And we do that, you know,
1:23:18 > 1:23:22to make room for other artists to be featured that are coming in.
1:23:22 > 1:23:25So...and that's fine, that's the natural progression.
1:23:27 > 1:23:29You're in that one, Crystal.
1:23:29 > 1:23:31I'm just loving the place that I'm in.
1:23:31 > 1:23:35I think I've just got more seasoned. You know?
1:23:35 > 1:23:37That's what I want to call it - "seasoned".
1:23:40 > 1:23:45Today, one avenue for us sidies is to revisit our past,
1:23:45 > 1:23:48which, to be honest, is a bit of a double-edged sword.
1:23:49 > 1:23:53Prince's Revolution have recently reformed to play a few gigs
1:23:53 > 1:23:55to celebrate the life of Prince.
1:23:57 > 1:24:00The fans will always want it.
1:24:00 > 1:24:02They're going to want the Revolution to go out there
1:24:02 > 1:24:06because that keeps Prince alive for them, right?
1:24:08 > 1:24:11- Is this still in the A? - To D, A to D.
1:24:13 > 1:24:17But how could this not be a slight midlife crisis
1:24:17 > 1:24:22and want to sort of get back the taste of your own greatness
1:24:22 > 1:24:24from that moment?
1:24:25 > 1:24:30But what I believe we're trying to do as a band is to try
1:24:30 > 1:24:36and figure out, is there a life to it or is it just that?
1:24:39 > 1:24:41I'm not going to be stupid.
1:24:41 > 1:24:44If what ends up happening is
1:24:44 > 1:24:47a midlife crisis is leading the pack,
1:24:47 > 1:24:50if that is what's driving this,
1:24:50 > 1:24:53bye, folks, I'm out.
1:24:54 > 1:24:56I always hated ending on that D.
1:24:56 > 1:25:01Unless we can make it huge, you know, like, wah!
1:25:01 > 1:25:04I too have been revisiting my past.
1:25:04 > 1:25:06And it has thrown my whole life into perspective.
1:25:08 > 1:25:10For me, David Bowie was always there.
1:25:10 > 1:25:12Even when he wasn't.
1:25:13 > 1:25:18And now, performing his stuff without him is weird.
1:25:18 > 1:25:20But there is a healing here
1:25:20 > 1:25:24and doing it with a fellow sidie makes me feel OK...
1:25:24 > 1:25:25somehow.
1:25:27 > 1:25:31You know, two sidemen from two different camps
1:25:31 > 1:25:36coming together to do something, but we're not just bringing
1:25:36 > 1:25:38the sideman stuff with us,
1:25:38 > 1:25:43we're bringing our own individual vibe and feel.
1:25:43 > 1:25:46You've got vocals all around, yes?
1:25:46 > 1:25:51I think something really good is going to come out of that mix.
1:25:54 > 1:25:56I did not want to try
1:25:56 > 1:26:01to emulate David Bowie through a pseudo-Brit Bowieoke dude.
1:26:04 > 1:26:05Mission accomplished.
1:26:05 > 1:26:09And I got to work with Bernard and we are now best friends
1:26:09 > 1:26:12and we'll continue working together because I love the guy to death.
1:26:14 > 1:26:17It's good to see y'all, how you doing?
1:26:18 > 1:26:20Hang on to it.
1:26:20 > 1:26:24My name is Bernard Fowler and I'm happy as fuck to be here.
1:26:28 > 1:26:32Let me say hello to my partner in crime. The reason I'm here.
1:26:32 > 1:26:33Earl Slick.
1:26:33 > 1:26:37CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:26:37 > 1:26:39I couldn't think of anybody but him that could really
1:26:39 > 1:26:42not only pull it off, like, vocally,
1:26:42 > 1:26:45but, you know, has his own stage thing.
1:26:45 > 1:26:47And he wasn't going to imitate, you know,
1:26:47 > 1:26:52I know that he was just going to be Bernard and that's what I wanted.
1:26:52 > 1:26:54# Look at the sky, life's begun
1:26:54 > 1:26:58# Nights are warm and the days are young... #
1:26:58 > 1:27:00# Maybe if I pray every
1:27:00 > 1:27:02# Each night I sit there pleading
1:27:02 > 1:27:04# Send back my dream test baby
1:27:04 > 1:27:07# She's my main feature... #
1:27:07 > 1:27:09# I could be only one in a million
1:27:09 > 1:27:13# But I won't let the day pass without her... #
1:27:13 > 1:27:15Bernard is magic.
1:27:15 > 1:27:18Damn, y'all sound good tonight.
1:27:21 > 1:27:25He made them cry, he made them laugh, he made them scream.
1:27:25 > 1:27:29# ..They call them the Diamond Dogs... #
1:27:31 > 1:27:34The man got right to their gut.
1:27:34 > 1:27:36And that ain't easy to do.
1:27:38 > 1:27:41# We can be heroes
1:27:42 > 1:27:45# Just for one day
1:27:46 > 1:27:49# We can be heroes
1:27:49 > 1:27:53# Just for one day... #
1:27:53 > 1:27:56I mean, some shit happened last night on that stage.
1:27:56 > 1:27:58That was my pay cheque.
1:28:00 > 1:28:02I'm going home with a smile on my face.
1:28:02 > 1:28:05# Just for one day
1:28:06 > 1:28:21# Just for one day. #
1:28:24 > 1:28:27CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:28:32 > 1:28:37I'm working to make money to pay my bills, take care of my children
1:28:37 > 1:28:40and eat, just like the rest of you guys do, you know?
1:28:40 > 1:28:43But I do have something that the other guy doesn't have -
1:28:43 > 1:28:45I've got freedom.
1:28:45 > 1:28:50I don't like being told what to do and I like the fact that, you know,
1:28:50 > 1:28:53I can just sit out here by this creek sometimes
1:28:53 > 1:28:54and just fucking do nothing.
1:28:54 > 1:28:57And I'm not sitting in traffic four hours a day
1:28:57 > 1:28:59waiting to be 60 years old
1:28:59 > 1:29:02and collecting some bullshit pension and a fake gold watch.
1:29:04 > 1:29:05Then what?
1:29:05 > 1:29:08Reality TV, Budweiser and popcorn?
1:29:08 > 1:29:10Jesus, shoot me!