[00:00:05] Speaker A: You're listening to casual talk radio, where common sense is still the norm. Whether you're a new or longtime listener, we appreciate you joining us today. Visit
[email protected] and now here's your host, Leister.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: It's a cold and breezy day out here. Casual talk radio welcomes you or welcomes you back. My name is Leister. I'm your host. It's a cold, very cold, very breezy, very windy. To the point it's like you're wondering when is it just going to figure itself out and start snowing. That's how cold it is. I woke up early this morning to weird noises coming from my patio. Turns out the lighting that I had out there, which is for holiday, the lighting had shifted and was about to fall off the patio.
And I wasn't really happy about that. But I noticed how strong the wind was. I figured, okay, it's just wind. No, it was freezing wind. Freezing wind. So I had to get out and at least settle the lighting. I couldn't fully attach it for multiple reasons, but at least settle the lighting so it stopped doing what it was doing.
This is like 04:00 a.m. In the morning. I got it settled, went back to sleep a little bit, got back up and I noticed something. And this is really od and I'm going to talk about how it relates to my topic. But when I was in high school, as I think back, I was in terrible shape. I could run fast, but I couldn't sustain it. I just couldn't sustain. So I could blitz at first and then I had to take a break. I just couldn't sustain. I was in horrible shape. Now, mind you, I was probably about 160 pounds soaking wet. I was not large or any of this. I just was not in good shape. And I assumed it was a lung issue or something else. And certainly there were times when I would get set off, if I ran or exerted myself and I would start coughing. But this was just weird. I was never able to keep things up. When I would play certain sports then, like badminton, I could do badminton pretty much all day long.
I would sweat, but I would never get winded, tired, worn out.
This told me that there was differences in being in shape, and I didn't appreciate this till I was much older. But the truth is my upper body was always in decent shape. My lower body, although muscular, I would argue, was not nearly as in shape as it probably should and could have been muscular. Yes, I could leg press 500 pounds. So it was never that I was having a hard time with my legs. Seemed like it was just whatever reason, running was really doing something. And I went to a chiropractor, this was years ago, this was 2012, 2013. I went to a chiropractor and the chiropractor gave me the impression, and I never did verify it, but gave me the impression that one of my legs was slightly longer than the other.
And if you don't know when you are running and there's an impact because your feet are hitting on impact as you run, there's an impact. Well, the impact is expected to be even and you create a rhythm and that's what helps you keep speed, keep pace. And the theory is having mismatched length of leg was causing more exhaustion because I'm not in rhythm, so I'm not able to float like I normally might have done. I remember when I got older. So we're talking twenty s or some OD. And I went on a slight run to chase after an animal and bit it. Fell, didn't feel good.
Well, here where I'm at, I'm pretty much forced to hit. I can hit the elevator, but it's like stupid to do so. So I usually would take stairs, and before just doing stairs, I'd say four flights. I'd be dead tired by the time I got to the top. In pain, not completely immobile, but I would be in pain, certainly not feeling good. Now I can take them and it's nothing I can do. Walk, brisk walk, run. Running is a little bit questionable because of a different issue, but that's because of age, that I know, but it's nowhere near the fatigue that I once had.
And I realized what changed. Two things changed. Number one, diet absolutely changed. I shared on social media because I was teasing somebody I'm aware of about my current breakfast. I was showing how I, for people, and there's one person in particular named John. If he's listening or somebody that knows him listens, he'll tell you. Nobody cooks a better breakfast than I do. I mean, it's just what it is. Leicester is the master of breakfast in all of its form.
It comes out perfect every single time. And so I've switched breakfast diets and I focus on breakfast more than the rest of the meals.
And I've been doing the same, largely the same breakfast every, and I'll cheat every now and then, but largely the same. And it's going to be sliced avocado, scrambled eggs, perfectly, mind you, scrambled eggs and bacon. And sometimes I'll go high on the bacon. Sometimes I'll go low. Applewood, if you're curious.
I start out with just yogurt. Coffee, mostly because the coffee is for energy. The yogurt is for gut health. In preparation for the breakfast. Then lunch is usually something light. It's going to be a sandwich or something easy for a different reason. There's a different issue. Dinner. I'm not nearly as heavy as I normally would have been, because I learned the heavier I go on dinner, the worse I feel when I'm about to go to bed.
All of this got me thinking.
Diet was the key all that time. And I never realized because when I was in pe, in school, physical ed, they had a candy machine out there at the lockers, and I would every day get a Twix bar before doing the day because it would give me the energy.
Of course, it's not good energy, but it would give me the energy. And then the notable story about the fact that there was a whole period in time, I think it was a year, when I would eat a full medium pizza by myself, two liter by myself, breadsticks by myself, little sleazers, if you're curious, just because obviously that's not really that good. We would eat Jack in the box like crazy, friends and I. And so that was the key the whole time. Now, I knew diet had to be certain things. What I didn't appreciate was that I didn't have to eat like a rabbit, but I could still eat foods that are good. And if I picked the right foods at the right time, with the right prep, I could feel better without half trying because I don't work out as heavily as I used to. But I feel like I do. I feel my body wise, I feel the energy is there that I lacked before.
Aha. Because I certainly have more energy. I don't have nearly the energy I had when I was in my twenty s, but that's because I was drinking, like, energy drinks all the time before I gave that up. But I certainly have more energy than I did in my 30s. Some OD, way more. And I'm old. Dirt old. Well, as I was thinking, this is my topic and the reason I told that story about diet. I have another book that I purchased in my expanding library of such. These are going to be. Somebody's going to. Well, it's different because people don't appreciate books anymore, but I have a growing library of just what I think are quality books for quality people that I didn't want to deal with online where they could be edited, censored. I didn't want to deal with it. I wanted the physical piece of something so that no matter what, they could never be modified. The truth could never be lost.
And I've been doing some coverage of some of these, and one of them that came up is for a person who, when he passed, it really hit me. Luther Vandross, the life and longing of by Craig Seymour. And I didn't know this book was out. And I saw it, and I was immediately I was compelled to purchase it because I think so highly of him, not just as a musician, but as a person. He was a great person. And that one hit me. Just like Prince hit me, Luther hit me, lufa hit me. And I wanted to share a segment of the book because it was something I was always curious about, and it didn't click to me. And I want to give you the background, give you the preface here. There was a point where Luffa had gone on Arsenio hall, and he actually did an acapella, one of his songs, because he know he doesn't need the beat. And he killed it, as he always does. And he looked normal, didn't see anything wrong. He came back, and he was large, like, he had gained significant amounts of weight. And it didn't affect his singing, it didn't affect his performances. But it was surprising to see it. It was surprising to see such a drastic weight gain in such a short period of time. And I never knew what happened.
Later, he comes back on the show, and I'll never forget this. And Arsenio made the statement, quote, you thin man, you thin.
And everybody's clapping.
And now he was so slimmed up. But then the slimming kept going, and he was getting thinner and thinner, and I was concerned. It's like, what was going on? And I didn't really know. And there's more to the story that I'm not going to spend time on here. But there was just one segment I wanted to share, because if anybody else didn't realize what was going on, I think it helps you realize that these are normal. With the exception of Kim Kardesian, these are essentially normal people. They're normal, everyday people. They happen to have a presence, they happen to have wealth, but they're normal, everyday people.
I'm going to start this here publicly. Luther declared himself ready for a fulfilling relationship. He was eager to embrace the long awaited love of his life. As usual, he didn't discuss it with any specificity. I'm in the perfect place to find happiness, he said. I'm ready. When you're in love, there's nothing to cope with like feelings of loneliness and isolation, and somehow the food is no longer as important. Besides, he added, I'm drug free, rich and fabulous. This is, stop. This is a person who's smiling inside, right? This is a person who's coming across as they're happy with where they're at. They may want more, but they're content.
I continue.
Other than his lingering loneliness, the only other major problem in his life involved the continued struggles with his record label, Sony. After twelve albums, his contract with the company was nearly complete. He only had to deliver a couple of songs that could be used on the new greatest hits album. At this point, Luther was tired of fighting over who should write and produce the cuts. Sony, in his opinion, had never liked the tunes he wrote. Label executives said that he had never gotten them a song that could go to number one on the pop charts. They maintained that so much of his music sounded the same. Luther was ready to cry uncle. He told label executives. Okay, fine. Show me the songs I should have been recording all along. Show me where I was deficient in my whole career.
For one of the new cuts, they put Luther with one of the hottest new acts around, a man who was singularly refashioning contemporary R-D-R. Kelly. What was so awesome about R. Kelly's talents was that his songs had such breadth and range. He could do a tawdry sex you up romp like his smash bump and grind, then switch up and deliver an uplifting, gospel inspired anthem like I believe I can fly, a song he did for Michael Jackson, you are not alone, topped the pop and r b charts. Kelly seemed like the perfect person to help freshen Luther's sound.
Luther met R. Kelly on the night of the recording session. Kelly hadn't sent Luther a tape of the song before then he wanted Luther to learn it fresh in the studio. He played the song titled when you call on me, baby, that's when I come running once for Luther who hmm, that has a pretty melody. Then Luther said, let's go, point me to the mic.
The song turned out beautifully. Not only was it one of Luther's most evocative performances, some of the lyrics also encapsulated what had been one of Luther's strongest appeals over the years. The way he related to so many of the female fans who, like him, had everything in life going for them except love.
It doesn't take much for me to know when a woman's lonely, Luther sang, especially when I'm all alone myself.
Though it was an artistic triumph, the tune failed to even break the RMB top 30. Luther left his record label of more than ten years on a downbeat note rather than a high. Now it was truly the end of an era. Stop.
Two parts, two takeaways of that segment here. Number one, you're dealing with a guy who, for the vast majority of his career, put out classic after classic after classic after classic. And for his record label, it was never enough.
Never enough. They wanted number one.
The pressure was on. This was a message that was communicated by multiple artists over time. If you remember, when Prince turned into the artist formerly known as. He was having fallout with his record company for similar reasons. Multiple artists have had this issue where it's their passion, it's their love, it's what they want to do, is to sing and share with the world the musical voice. But then the business of it comes into play. Remember what TLC said and what left eye said about the business, the music business? It's not what you were told and you learn, but it's not what you thought when you're getting in there and when you're young. New edition went through the same thing.
A lot of artists at that time and around that time went through the same turmoil of fighting your record label and learning. Arguably, the way the business works, as in, you are subject to what they want you to do, and it's no longer your passion. Which is why it was such a win, arguably, for people like Snoop Dogg to purchase death row after so many years, to take over and finally lead some of these things. When PDD was at his peak, PDD was not at his peak. When he was at Arista, P. Diddy was at his peak. When he started taking stuff on his own, then he became that guy. He became the one looking for the number one out of his acts, and none of them were ever satisfied.
My point is that the business, the music business has been the same. And Luther was no exception, despite how successful he had been. Remember, this is a guy who was selling millions of records. It didn't really matter. The record companies always wanted number one. They always wanted you to surpass and surpass and surpass and surpass. Very few artists have managed to do that.
It just is what it is.
I continue.
He didn't spend much time thinking about his years at Sony. However, he had soon moved on to a new label, Virgin Records, home to the Rolling Stones, the Spice Girls, David Bowie, George Michael and Janet Jackson, with whom Luther once recorded the duet the best things in life are free for the soundtrack to the movie mo money. Luther liked the way of the careers those acts have been handled, so he's pleased to be there.
Virgin offered him complete creative freedom, and Luther felt relieved that his artistic instincts were being trusted again.
I'm thrilled to have an association with Virgin Records, a company which I've long admired, Luther stated. Their track record, both internationally and domestically, excites me and fills me with passion. They love their artists and that's that. I'm glad to be part of their family. He also reiterated his primary career goals. I see my peers, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Richard Marks, and they've all had number one records and I want one too. It's that simple, Luther said. My eyes are really wide open now for my career proceeding. What I have to do is make the music I have faith in, and after that, someone has to serve as the carrier of that music to the most people who potentially will hear it. Luther titled his first Virgin album. I knew it contained the most diverse blend of music that he had made in years. He seemed to be trying to please all the different musics and all the different types of listeners he had picked up throughout his career. He had featured everything from a faithful cover of Leo Sayer's adult contemporary staple, when I need you to a soaring dance track, are you using me? Produced with the underground club guru's masters at work, this marked a glorious return to the dance floor, he explained. I started out, you know, with never too much and glow of love and searching all big club hits at the time, and I really enjoyed that. He invited Stevie Wonder and acclaimed jazz singer Cassandra Wilson to guest on a couple of tracks, and for the first single, nights in Harlem, he revisited his youthful days hanging out near the Apollo. I wanted to write about that in a celebratory way, Luther said, and state what it was like when I grew up. I know. Hit the stores in July 1998, and shortly after its release, Luther suspected that something was wrong with the way it was being promoted. He'd be at airports or walking down the street when people would come up to him and say, hey, Luther, when are you going to put a new album out? By November, I know had only sold a couple hundred thousand copies, becoming Luther's least successful album in the history of his career. It broke his record of having consistent million sellers. He was devastated. This was supposed to have been a new beginning after leaving Sony, but now he had dipped to an unprecedented career low. He responded to the disappointment the same way he had dealt with troubles ever since he was a teen. He felt that eating was the only thing that could soothe his pain. He knew he shouldn't. He was well aware that as he got older, carrying such excess weight became more and more dangerous. Most perilously, it inflamed his diabetes, the condition that already had taken his father, brother and sister. Yet Luther couldn't stop himself. On a rational level. It should have been scary, Luther later explained, and it should have been enough to deter me from doing the things I was doing. But the food had its clutches on me strong enough that it sort of demanded that I ignore reason that thanksgiving he ate enough for a family of six. The food didn't make him feel better, though. If anything, he felt worse than ever. I was just disgusted with my lack of self control, he recalled. So I said, that's it. That was my last hurrah. Stop. I'm not going to read more because I want that to settle in of the multiple things that were said there, because that was the shock moment.
When you do analysis of these celebrities, whether they be artists, musicians, whatever, and you hear stories, and it's after they've passed, but you hear stories of what they're struggling with and you recognize they're just normal people. Luther Vandross was a normal person, wealthy, but a normal person.
But also, you think about how he was treated, just as an artist, considering his level. This guy, he's a legend in music. And considering how he was treated, and you look at the album and the way that that went down and not promoted and this, that and the other, and contrast with his story that there's so many people here that have number ones. Certainly it has to work out for me. And you question why it is that certain artists were getting pushed, number one versus other artists.
The reason this one caught my eye in particular, it's a very strong contrast to what Tina Turner said about Madonna. Tina Turner left the United States largely because she felt she was underappreciated by Americans, whereas overseas she felt more appreciated. Now, I would argue, just like with Luther, Tina Turner was regarded as a legend. But music tastes changed. It's no different than when the british invasion came in and people like Ike Turner, people like Tina Turner and other ones that were domestic started taking a seat. It didn't mean that they were forgotten, but the british invasion simply was that era. And largely, you can't disregard the quality of the music that those guys and gals were putting out at the time. This was quality music. Even if I say Elton John, who I'm not really a fan of Elton John myself, but I recognize just how talented the guy was for that period of, you know, Tom Petty, all these other artists that start coming up that nobody had focused on. I think people in general wanted something different out of music, and that's okay. They go in these ways. There's different tastes. They change all the time. We see this now. I listen to today's music, and I think it's terrible, all of it, compared to what we used to have, because I don't feel like I'm being told a story by the vast majority of them. It feels like, and I can sense they're just kind of going through the motions. They're reading words off a page along to a beat. That's fine for those that like that.
I like to experience a story. When you think about people like lighter shade of brown on a Sunday afternoon, they're telling a story, and you can picture in your head with how well they're telling the story. PM dawn set a drift on memory bliss. I could go on and on.
All I'm saying is, when I hear Luther was struggling at the time to get on the same page with his record labels, despite the quality of what he was putting out, and then did not feel like he was being promoted sufficiently the way he should have been.
You take a person like him that's apparently not able to fix that, and that's shocking to me.
And Michael Jackson, if I contrast Michael Jackson, when he took control of his situation and then bought the Beatles and et cetera, I think was the smartest thing he could have done, and questions of why Luther couldn't have done sane.
Was there something else going on where he wasn't able to partition it out and take ownership and say, I'm going to make a stand and make my own company? I don't know.
I'm saying I was moved by the story.
I was also moved by hearing, which I didn't know, that so many of his family had passed due to this situation, and that made him vulnerable to it. But he still fell victim to this because of something that was happening to him, where he felt, this is my only out, this is my only recourse. So then when I look at the Arsenio visits, the first visit, this is a person that looks like he's happy with what he's doing.
And then he had gained so much weight, and I couldn't piece it together. It didn't make sense. Not because of the weight gain itself, but because it was him and how sudden it was.
And then the third, when Arsenio was extremely excited to see he had dropped the weight off, and it seemed like he was keeping it off, but then the weight seemed like it went extremely off. He was getting extremely thin, shockingly thin. I remember when he did the tribute to Smokey Robinson, he was real thin. Remembering Whitney Houston that one time when she went up on stage and she looked like skeleton. She was just skeleton. That's what I saw of Luther when he went up that time. He was skeletal at times, and I was frightening to see, and it was frightening to see and sad to see and hear that he was struggling with this behind scenes. And all I'm sharing is they're real people, too. They're normal people. They may not seem like it because they're out of reach, right? They're over there, they're wealthy, but it's not even about the wealth. They're still normal people, that they're physical, they're human, they're normal humans, and they deal with physical ailments just like you do. The only thing they don't struggle with are money issues, but they work for that. Except Kim Kardesian. These other ones, they work for that money. They worked hard to build the brand that got them that money. It wasn't that. It was just given to them for the most know, Donald Trump or whatever. I'm talking in the framework of Aluta Vandross and these other artists that have left us too soon.
So what did the money really get them? Not much in some cases. Like Michael, he was able to set his kids up for life. But how's that any different than somebody who's working a nine to five and it's a dual family, let's say income, and you're taking care and setting your kids up for life. How's that any different? It's not really. The only real difference is that there's levels. There's levels to how much of that wealth. And people like you and I may have to work harder to build generational wealth for those that come after us. We may have to work a little bit harder.
Personally, I don't necessarily have that problem, but if I did have that problem, hearing a story like this would inspire me. It would inspire me to simply work that much harder and try to avoid those mistakes. When I said at the top of the show, I don't want this kind of material digital because I don't want to edited, censored or whatnot, do I think somebody's going to edit Lucas'book? Maybe we've had book destruction know they were censoring children's books not long ago. It's possible this is offensive to a certain group of people, so we'll just edit it and take these pages out or whatnot. It's possible. That's a real thing. That's a real concern. It shouldn't be, but it is. But the stories told here. Not just him, but otherwise. Stories from the past. When we hear from people of the past, whether it offends us, whether it bothers us, whether it sickens us, whether it makes us sad, we should feel those emotions. We should appreciate what they make us feel, because by feeling those emotions, it should inspire us to either do the opposite or do the same.
The inspiration piece is what's missing. Nobody's inspired to do anything because they're afraid of truth. They're afraid of hard truths that make us sad or angry, and we shouldn't be.
I do think society struggles with what I just described, and I do think that the demise of people reading physical books plays a factor. Tinfoil though I may be, I hold fast to what I believe.
[00:28:12] Speaker A: Oh.
Ha.
You all close.
