James Brown As Sympathetic Figure

By the end of The James Brown Reader (Plume), you'll feel more sympathy for him than elation. From the late 80's when he was thrown in jail for close to 2 years until his death, Brown seemed as bewildered by his plight as we are. A man who told kids not to do drugs, but did them. Put on a good face for the public, but had personal demons. And thanks to the IRS, lost most of his fortune. But the first half of the book is a joy ride into genius. Most of the early articles catch him at a peak, and don't touch on his troubles. By the mid-70's Brown's work goes downhill and only a brief spurt in the mid-80's keeps his recording career alive. But after that Brown became a touring act, bigger in Europe than the U.S. (they love our Soul singers). By the time of his death he was still fighting the Man for money and respect. The former we couldn't provide, but the latter was always there.