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Little Richard’s induction of Otis Redding into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is one of the best inductions ever. It’s a mess, in a good way. It’s unorganized

Little Richard’s induction of Otis Redding into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is one of the best inductions ever. It’s a mess, in a good way. It’s unorganized. Richard talks more about himself, but it works and it’s pure Rock and Roll. RIP. He was a pioneer. Seriously, watch the first minute. It’s beautiful. https://youtu.be/YUvHBirr1PI https://youtu.be/YUvHBirr1PI

kitotik 6y ago
I can’t even guess why this comment has downvotes, but that video is a spectacular example of a great personality with amazing talent. To wake up a room as stodgy and boring as the rock and roll HOF is no easy task, not to mention having the balls to even attempt it. Thanks for sharing that!
fredsanford 6y ago
"Ya'all gonna make me scream like a white lady..." LOL RIP sir.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
lisper 6y ago
I never realized that Little Richard was gay until I saw that video. That led me to this: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7990551/richard-sexuality-religion-history https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7990551/richard-sexu... That piece also has some very interesting videos of LR performing in the 50s. The manifest racial segregation in those videos was the norm at the time but seems truly shocking today, at least to me.
- tptacek 6y ago
  Go track down the original lyrics to Tutti Frutti. :) He was a drag performer earlier in his career, too.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- beenBoutIT 6y ago
  Little Richard didn't identify as gay, he was a deeply conflicted man and viewed his homosexual behavior as a problem. In an interview he lumped together both his penchant for gay sex and his love of angel dust(PCP) as his two biggest problems.
  - lisper 6y ago
    I think that's tragic.
derriz 6y ago
Another wonderful tiny slice of LR is when he's interviewed about Jimi Hendrix (search for "Little Richard on Jim Hendrix" on youtube - it's a very short video). I must have seen it 20 or 30 times as I was a Hendrix fan and it was on some VHS copy of a documentary on Hendrix I had at the time. In theory it's an incoherent mix of religiosity, homosexuality, flamboyance and almost narcissistic self-regard but for some reason on some level, it all seems to make perfect sense. I've just watched it again - having not seen it for 20+ years and I'm still smiling as I'm typing this.
- DonHopkins 6y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHlRa-RPjWE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHlRa-RPjWE "That time that he used to make my big toe shoot up into my boot!" Wow. His freaky look gave Jimmy Hendrix confidence.
  - pfarrell 6y ago
    Wow. I love both Jimi and LR and had never seen that! He was something else. Thanks for mentioning it derriz and for posting the link DonHopkins.
- wyclif 6y ago
  "[Jimi Hendrix] was a star! When I got him, he was a star!" Easy for Little Richard to say that after Hendrix blew up, but apparently the reason Hendrix quit LR's band was because the band hadn't gotten paid in five weeks. There's a letter from Hendrix that he wrote to his Dad from the road where he talks about this. OTOH, LR's brother claimed that Hendrix was fired because ‘he was always late for the bus and flirting with all the girls and stuff like that.’ So who knows what the real story was there. I think it's closer to the truth to say that Little Richard could not tolerate anyone else getting the spotlight and diminishing his star power, while Hendrix was too flamboyant himself to settle for being a sideman and already had his own original ideas and ambition to go solo.
lonelappde 6y ago
There is no greater tribute than to have the architect of Rock and Roll sing your songs. Nothing Little Richard could say about Otis Redding could top that.
- pfarrell 6y ago
  You nailed it.

kitotik 6y ago

I can’t even guess why this comment has downvotes, but that video is a spectacular example of a great personality with amazing talent. To wake up a room as stodgy and boring as the rock and roll HOF is no easy task, not to mention having the balls to even attempt it. Thanks for sharing that!

fredsanford 6y ago

"Ya'all gonna make me scream like a white lady..." LOL RIP sir.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

lisper 6y ago

I never realized that Little Richard was gay until I saw that video. That led me to this: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7990551/richard-sexuality-religion-history https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7990551/richard-sexu... That piece also has some very interesting videos of LR performing in the 50s. The manifest racial segregation in those videos was the norm at the time but seems truly shocking today, at least to me.

tptacek 6y ago
Go track down the original lyrics to Tutti Frutti. :) He was a drag performer earlier in his career, too.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
beenBoutIT 6y ago
Little Richard didn't identify as gay, he was a deeply conflicted man and viewed his homosexual behavior as a problem. In an interview he lumped together both his penchant for gay sex and his love of angel dust(PCP) as his two biggest problems.
- lisper 6y ago
  I think that's tragic.

derriz 6y ago

Another wonderful tiny slice of LR is when he's interviewed about Jimi Hendrix (search for "Little Richard on Jim Hendrix" on youtube - it's a very short video). I must have seen it 20 or 30 times as I was a Hendrix fan and it was on some VHS copy of a documentary on Hendrix I had at the time. In theory it's an incoherent mix of religiosity, homosexuality, flamboyance and almost narcissistic self-regard but for some reason on some level, it all seems to make perfect sense. I've just watched it again - having not seen it for 20+ years and I'm still smiling as I'm typing this.

DonHopkins 6y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHlRa-RPjWE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHlRa-RPjWE "That time that he used to make my big toe shoot up into my boot!" Wow. His freaky look gave Jimmy Hendrix confidence.
- pfarrell 6y ago
  Wow. I love both Jimi and LR and had never seen that! He was something else. Thanks for mentioning it derriz and for posting the link DonHopkins.
wyclif 6y ago
"[Jimi Hendrix] was a star! When I got him, he was a star!" Easy for Little Richard to say that after Hendrix blew up, but apparently the reason Hendrix quit LR's band was because the band hadn't gotten paid in five weeks. There's a letter from Hendrix that he wrote to his Dad from the road where he talks about this. OTOH, LR's brother claimed that Hendrix was fired because ‘he was always late for the bus and flirting with all the girls and stuff like that.’ So who knows what the real story was there. I think it's closer to the truth to say that Little Richard could not tolerate anyone else getting the spotlight and diminishing his star power, while Hendrix was too flamboyant himself to settle for being a sideman and already had his own original ideas and ambition to go solo.

lonelappde 6y ago

There is no greater tribute than to have the architect of Rock and Roll sing your songs. Nothing Little Richard could say about Otis Redding could top that.

pfarrell 6y ago
You nailed it.