April 7, 2021
Page 7
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Tina : ‘Goodness did not balance out Bad’
HBO’s
touching story
of music icon
by Dwight Brown
She’s like an eternal flame.
Can’t remember when she
wasn’t around. Can’t imagine
life without her. That’s the mag-
ic that some music legends can
create. They get people to think
about them in the past, present
and future. The here, now and
always.
Tina Turner’s journey into
the world of professional mu-
sic began in 1957 when she, as
Anna Mae Bullock, became the
star singer with the Ike Turn-
er’s Kings of Rhythm band. The
1960 hit song “A Fool in Love”
and a name change to Tina Turn-
er kickstarted her on the road to
fame and formed her persona as
the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
In “Tina” the new HBO
118-minute tribute by directors
Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin,
Turner, in her own words, de-
scribes various pivotal epochs in
her life and career. Confessions,
revelations, setbacks and break-
throughs.
Yes, Angela Bassett, Oprah
Winfrey, MTV’s Kurt Loder
Tina Turner performs in 1973 in this photo released by HBO for the new documentary
“Tina.” (Photo via AP)
and her manager Roger Davies
appear and recollect their inter-
actions too. Rare footage, audio
tapes (a pivotal 1981 interview
with People magazine), person-
al photos and new interviews
abound. But no one and noth-
ing leaves a stronger impression
than the reflective 79-year-old
Turner reminiscing and explain-
ing the pitfalls and rewards of
her stardom: “The goodness did
not balance out the bad.”
Measured, thoughtful and
determined to tell her story, she
goes back to that fateful time,
meeting the brilliant, troubled
musician/showman Ike Turner
and being enthralled then dis-
mayed: “ I was 17-years-old.
I was young, naïve.” Once the
floodgates open, it all comes
back to her. The live shows,
recording studios, Ikettes and
physical and emotional trauma.
Then fleeing her husband, reviv-
ing her career, working in night-
clubs and dreaming of filling
rock stadiums one day.
The hardest memories to ex-
press are the times with Ike.
Though, once the world could
see how much she’d suffered
and transcended, that scenario
became part of her branding, like
it or not. A blessing and a curse.
The good part is that music
fans and everyday people relat-
ed to her courageous story. The
trouble is that mentioning the
bad times retraumatized her. She
thought she could abolish that
Hall of Fame Honor for Eddie Murphy
Actor-Comedian moved
by NAACP Image
Awards induction
(AP) — Eddie Murphy has been inducted into
the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
Murphy accepted his induction during the orga-
nization’s annual award ceremony on March 27.
The award was presented by his longtime friend
and “Coming 2 America” co-star Arsenio Hall.
“I’ve been making movies for 40 years now ...
40 years. This is the perfect thing to commemorate
that and be brought into the hall of fame,” Murphy
said. “Thank you very much. I’m very moved.”
The hall of fame induction is bestowed on an
individual who is viewed as a pioneer in their
respective field and whose influence shaped the
“profession for generations to come.”
Previous inductees include Oprah Winfrey,
C ontinued on P age 10
Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy has been inducted into the NAACP
Image Awards Hall of Fame. (AP file photo)
part of her PTSD by revealing it
all in her 1986 bestseller I, Tina:
My Life Story, co-written with
Loder. It had the opposite effect.
The bio fueled even more at-
tention towards the nightmarish
parts of her life. The 1993 film
What’s Love Got to Do With It,
which earned Oscar noms and
$56M at the box office, contin-
ued to hold that same spotlight
on her.
Listening to her personal an-
ecdotes and seeing how she has
gracefully aged is like sitting at
the feet of a great aunt waiting
breathlessly for her to retell her
life stories. She may tire of the
exercise, but her fans will not.
And hearing one more time how
the denial of love from her mom,
dad and Ike made her look for
love as a performing artist never
gets old.
In-between the memories and
testimonies, a parade of songs
and extraordinary performances
keep the footage vibrant. “Proud
Mary,” “River Deep Mountain
High” and “Nutbush City Lim-
its.” “Let’s Stay Together,” “Pri-
vate Dancer,” “We Don’t Need
Another Hero.” It’s all on her
jukebox. If there is one song/
performance that is missing, it’s
C ontinued on P age 10