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1
00:00:00,621 --> 00:00:03,072
[wind whooshing]
2
00:00:34,310 --> 00:00:36,829
[bell ringing]
3
00:00:36,829 --> 00:00:40,350
[gritty psychedelic music]
4
00:00:42,007 --> 00:00:43,491
[crow cawing]
5
00:00:43,491 --> 00:00:45,804
- [Mike] Good morning, America.
6
00:00:45,804 --> 00:00:48,669
Here's a crazy new piece
of breaking music news.
7
00:00:48,669 --> 00:00:51,568
You won't believe what
just came across my desk,
8
00:00:51,568 --> 00:00:54,364
a new album of material
about to be released
9
00:00:54,364 --> 00:00:57,057
between jazz legend Miles Davis
10
00:00:57,057 --> 00:00:59,576
and his one-time
wife, Betty Davis.
11
00:00:59,576 --> 00:01:02,614
Yep, the Betty Davis,
extreme funktress
12
00:01:02,614 --> 00:01:05,134
and the Queen of Jazz Fusion.
13
00:01:05,134 --> 00:01:09,793
If this isn't musical
history, I don't know what is.
14
00:01:09,793 --> 00:01:13,107
♪ F-U-N-K
15
00:01:20,873 --> 00:01:25,878
♪ Funk, funk y'all, funk
16
00:01:28,122 --> 00:01:30,883
♪ Ow, help me,
nigga, now, help me ♪
17
00:01:30,883 --> 00:01:35,888
♪ I was born with it
18
00:01:36,648 --> 00:01:39,133
♪ I will die with it
19
00:01:42,274 --> 00:01:43,655
[quirky electronic music]
20
00:01:43,655 --> 00:01:45,070
[crow cawing]
21
00:01:45,070 --> 00:01:47,969
♪ Sing, sing.
- I love [laughing], I love.
22
00:01:47,969 --> 00:01:50,593
[phone ringing]
23
00:01:52,974 --> 00:01:56,530
- [Betty] Miles,
naw, we're fixing
24
00:01:56,530 --> 00:01:58,325
to get ready to get it on now.
25
00:01:58,325 --> 00:02:02,639
- Well, good.
[Betty laughing]
26
00:02:02,639 --> 00:02:05,573
- For a long time,
Betty was just an enigma
27
00:02:05,573 --> 00:02:06,919
for many people.
28
00:02:07,851 --> 00:02:09,336
Betty was very much immersed
29
00:02:09,336 --> 00:02:14,203
in this explosive, creative,
cultural world of Andy Warhol
30
00:02:14,203 --> 00:02:17,275
and obviously, Miles Davis.
31
00:02:17,275 --> 00:02:20,070
When she left the music
industry, she just vanished.
32
00:02:20,070 --> 00:02:22,280
I mean, she wasn't,
some artists,
33
00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,593
they'll come back and they'll
do reunion tours or concerts
34
00:02:25,593 --> 00:02:28,665
or things of that sort, or
they'll give interviews.
35
00:02:28,665 --> 00:02:32,738
But Betty was, her reputation
for being reclusive
36
00:02:33,981 --> 00:02:36,259
was almost mythological
in the ways
37
00:02:36,259 --> 00:02:39,504
in which people
would talk about it.
38
00:02:39,504 --> 00:02:43,715
An Army Reserve DJ who put
out a series of interviews
39
00:02:43,715 --> 00:02:47,581
with different stars in the
R & B and soul music world,
40
00:02:47,581 --> 00:02:50,170
and one of the people that he
interviewed was Betty Davis.
41
00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:51,964
And this was, I don't
know if I have a year,
42
00:02:51,964 --> 00:02:56,659
oh, sorry, there we go,
air date July 21st, 1974.
43
00:02:56,659 --> 00:03:00,007
Betty's reputation, you
know, in more recent years,
44
00:03:00,007 --> 00:03:02,182
and by recent years,
I mean recent decades,
45
00:03:02,182 --> 00:03:03,769
is that she's very reclusive,
46
00:03:03,769 --> 00:03:06,013
she doesn't like
to give interviews.
47
00:03:06,013 --> 00:03:07,635
And there are written interviews
48
00:03:07,635 --> 00:03:10,259
that have been done with
her from back in the 1970s.
49
00:03:10,259 --> 00:03:15,056
But really, outside of hearing
her on her own records,
50
00:03:15,056 --> 00:03:17,093
this interview with
Al Gee is, again,
51
00:03:17,093 --> 00:03:19,164
one of the very few
examples I can think of
52
00:03:19,164 --> 00:03:22,132
of any kind of footage
you can find, really,
53
00:03:22,132 --> 00:03:25,308
of Betty, in her own
voice, in this moment
54
00:03:25,308 --> 00:03:27,759
in which her career is
still on the upswing.
55
00:03:27,759 --> 00:03:29,519
♪ You've gotta do it
56
00:03:29,519 --> 00:03:31,349
- [Al] That's Betty Davis.
57
00:03:31,349 --> 00:03:35,007
Betty writes, produces,
and directs and,
58
00:03:35,007 --> 00:03:36,492
[Betty giggling]
hey, I guess you do
59
00:03:36,492 --> 00:03:38,597
a little bit of everything
in terms of your music, huh?
60
00:03:38,597 --> 00:03:40,772
- Yeah.
- Betty, how's come
61
00:03:42,118 --> 00:03:45,811
we haven't really had an
opportunity to see you perform?
62
00:03:45,811 --> 00:03:47,917
You've been recording
for quite a while.
63
00:03:47,917 --> 00:03:50,368
- [Betty] People, they
only see the surface part
64
00:03:50,368 --> 00:03:51,817
of the music business, you see.
65
00:03:51,817 --> 00:03:53,819
They don't know what's goin' on.
66
00:03:53,819 --> 00:03:56,443
And it's not all
glamor, you know.
67
00:03:56,443 --> 00:03:58,824
And it's not all star lights.
68
00:04:01,793 --> 00:04:03,519
I've known a lot of musicians,
69
00:04:03,519 --> 00:04:05,417
and I know a lot of pain that--
70
00:04:05,417 --> 00:04:06,694
- I see.
- Mm.
71
00:04:06,694 --> 00:04:09,732
- [Al] Well, if you had
to categorize your music
72
00:04:09,732 --> 00:04:12,838
in a word, could you,
what would you say?
73
00:04:12,838 --> 00:04:14,978
- [Betty] Mm, I'd
just say it was raw.
74
00:04:14,978 --> 00:04:19,983
[gritty psychedelic music]
[audience applauding]
75
00:04:32,824 --> 00:04:37,000
- In House, 1976
[laughing], wow.
76
00:04:42,730 --> 00:04:44,767
"Seeing Betty Davis
for the first time
77
00:04:44,767 --> 00:04:47,287
"is like seeing your
first X-rated movie
78
00:04:47,287 --> 00:04:50,151
"when you were
expecting Walt Disney.
79
00:04:50,151 --> 00:04:51,843
"The audience at New
York's Bottom Line
80
00:04:51,843 --> 00:04:55,364
"is staring straight
ahead in mute shock.
81
00:04:55,364 --> 00:04:58,367
"The innuendo of illusion
that has come to represent
82
00:04:58,367 --> 00:05:01,542
"the rock concert
stage is here denuded
83
00:05:01,542 --> 00:05:03,958
"to a hot night in the bordello
84
00:05:03,958 --> 00:05:07,479
"where a long-legged,
deliciously devourable female
85
00:05:07,479 --> 00:05:09,101
"sings lusty songs."
86
00:05:09,101 --> 00:05:11,794
♪ I've got a feeling
87
00:05:11,794 --> 00:05:14,624
♪ That I'm gonna
give your children ♪
88
00:05:14,624 --> 00:05:17,489
♪ Funky like a donkey
89
00:05:17,489 --> 00:05:21,321
♪ When you feel it
get down with it now ♪
90
00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:23,564
♪ Ah, yeah
91
00:05:26,567 --> 00:05:27,810
- [Vernon] She
was just something
92
00:05:27,810 --> 00:05:28,638
that people had
never seen before.
93
00:05:28,638 --> 00:05:31,192
♪ Walk on, walk on
94
00:05:31,192 --> 00:05:33,988
♪ Walk on, walk on
95
00:05:33,988 --> 00:05:35,852
♪ Walk on, walk on
96
00:05:35,852 --> 00:05:39,373
♪ Oh, I've got a feeling
97
00:05:39,373 --> 00:05:42,203
♪ That I'm gonna
give your children ♪
98
00:05:42,203 --> 00:05:44,344
♪ Funky like a donkey
99
00:05:44,344 --> 00:05:45,862
♪ Oh, I've got a feeling
100
00:05:45,862 --> 00:05:50,315
- Her audience was really
appalled at her performance
101
00:05:52,248 --> 00:05:53,767
because it was very sexual.
102
00:05:53,767 --> 00:05:55,734
♪ And it's gonna get, uh
103
00:05:55,734 --> 00:05:57,357
♪ And you gonna feel good
104
00:05:57,357 --> 00:05:58,634
♪ So get get ready
now, get ready ♪
105
00:05:58,634 --> 00:06:01,533
♪ 'Cause I'm gonna
walk right down ♪
106
00:06:01,533 --> 00:06:02,845
♪ Walk on, walk on
107
00:06:02,845 --> 00:06:05,675
♪ Get down, walk on, walk on
108
00:06:05,675 --> 00:06:06,952
♪ Get that walk
109
00:06:06,952 --> 00:06:09,748
♪ Walk on, walk on
[crowd roaring]
110
00:06:09,748 --> 00:06:12,441
♪ Walk on, walk on
111
00:06:12,441 --> 00:06:13,925
♪ Walk on, walk on
112
00:06:13,925 --> 00:06:15,927
- And we as a people will--
♪ Get down, walk on
113
00:06:15,927 --> 00:06:20,310
- We were really just coming
out of the Civil Rights era,
114
00:06:20,310 --> 00:06:23,555
so black people wanted
to still present
115
00:06:25,108 --> 00:06:26,869
a certain image of themselves.
116
00:06:26,869 --> 00:06:30,010
♪ Baby love, baby love
117
00:06:30,010 --> 00:06:33,427
- [Vernon] You know, the
Supremes, the Temptations,
118
00:06:33,427 --> 00:06:35,671
all these groups
wanted to present
119
00:06:35,671 --> 00:06:38,087
a very polished, genteel image.
120
00:06:38,087 --> 00:06:39,985
♪ Let's do some
kissin' and makin' up ♪
121
00:06:39,985 --> 00:06:41,401
♪ You know I love you
122
00:06:41,401 --> 00:06:44,438
- We're civilized,
we're just like you.
123
00:06:44,438 --> 00:06:48,477
See, we dress nicely, we wear
tuxedos, we wear nice dresses,
124
00:06:48,477 --> 00:06:51,997
we wear high heels, our hair
is done, we're just like you.
125
00:06:51,997 --> 00:06:55,656
♪ Baby love, ooh, baby love
126
00:06:57,071 --> 00:06:59,557
- That was the image that
they wanted to present
127
00:06:59,557 --> 00:07:00,592
to the world.
128
00:07:03,008 --> 00:07:06,426
So for Betty Davis
to turn the tables,
129
00:07:06,426 --> 00:07:10,878
sing such suggestive songs
and dress the way she dressed
130
00:07:10,878 --> 00:07:13,225
was something that was
really hard to accept.
131
00:07:13,225 --> 00:07:16,228
[gritty funk music]
132
00:07:18,023 --> 00:07:20,060
♪ Gals, he's a
fine, fine thing ♪
133
00:07:20,060 --> 00:07:24,789
♪ Ain't he fine
134
00:07:24,789 --> 00:07:26,929
♪ Lord knows he sure is fine
135
00:07:26,929 --> 00:07:31,692
♪ Ain't he fine
136
00:07:31,692 --> 00:07:34,523
♪ Gals, I can't help myself
137
00:07:34,523 --> 00:07:37,940
♪ She's gonna do it
138
00:07:37,940 --> 00:07:40,943
♪ She's gonna do it
139
00:07:42,116 --> 00:07:44,671
- I thought that
the time had come
140
00:07:44,671 --> 00:07:46,845
when we were really
are liberated,
141
00:07:46,845 --> 00:07:50,124
but she showed that
really, we weren't.
142
00:07:51,574 --> 00:07:53,024
♪ And when my goose gets loose
143
00:07:53,024 --> 00:07:56,924
- So she basically sacrificed
herself to pave the way.
144
00:07:58,201 --> 00:08:03,137
♪ I'm gonna do it 'til
the cows come home ♪
145
00:08:04,898 --> 00:08:06,589
♪ And when my goose gets loose
146
00:08:06,589 --> 00:08:10,766
♪ He's gonna know I'll
still be gettin' it on ♪
147
00:08:10,766 --> 00:08:13,285
♪ With him around, now
148
00:08:13,285 --> 00:08:18,290
♪ Move it, move it
149
00:08:19,499 --> 00:08:20,983
♪ I'm gonna move it
slow like a mule ♪
150
00:08:20,983 --> 00:08:24,055
♪ Gonna move it, gal
151
00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:28,300
- [Betty] Da da, and
then you go down.
152
00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:30,026
If you can keep
going da da, da da,
153
00:08:30,026 --> 00:08:31,303
you know, like that, you know.
154
00:08:31,303 --> 00:08:32,960
- Okay.
- And like, chop it.
155
00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,273
You know, whatever you do,
just chop it, you know.
156
00:08:35,273 --> 00:08:37,344
It'll be better for you
to get that guitar thing
157
00:08:37,344 --> 00:08:38,759
'cause the guitar will help you.
158
00:08:38,759 --> 00:08:39,933
You know, that it'll--
159
00:08:39,933 --> 00:08:41,106
- I figure it'll fall into my--
160
00:08:41,106 --> 00:08:42,349
- Okay.
- when he was here.
161
00:08:42,349 --> 00:08:43,350
- I'll just have to--
- I'll know exactly
162
00:08:43,350 --> 00:08:44,454
what to play.
163
00:08:44,454 --> 00:08:45,663
- Okay.
- I'm gonna just--
164
00:08:45,663 --> 00:08:47,112
- Play it through once.
- Okay.
165
00:08:47,112 --> 00:08:48,769
- I don't wanna overplay.
[Betty laughing]
166
00:08:48,769 --> 00:08:50,875
- One, two, three, ready go.
- I could never overplay.
167
00:08:50,875 --> 00:08:52,117
- Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.
168
00:08:52,117 --> 00:08:54,050
[gritty funk music]
169
00:08:54,050 --> 00:08:57,398
♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa
170
00:08:57,398 --> 00:08:59,573
- You know, this is not a
rehearsal, that's a track.
171
00:08:59,573 --> 00:09:02,852
♪ Walk on this soul
172
00:09:02,852 --> 00:09:05,027
- This is the first
song we did, by the way.
173
00:09:05,027 --> 00:09:06,684
"Walkin' the Road"
was the first,
174
00:09:06,684 --> 00:09:08,168
very first song we worked on.
175
00:09:08,168 --> 00:09:10,480
♪ I've got a fever
176
00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,553
♪ That I'm gonna
give your children ♪
177
00:09:13,553 --> 00:09:16,452
♪ Funky like a donkey
178
00:09:16,452 --> 00:09:20,939
♪ Men, feel it, get
down with me, men ♪
179
00:09:26,738 --> 00:09:28,982
- So we're gonna look for,
180
00:09:28,982 --> 00:09:31,571
if there are any
rehearsal tapes,
181
00:09:31,571 --> 00:09:35,989
which would be cassette,
right, back in those days,
182
00:09:35,989 --> 00:09:38,060
we're talking like early '70s,
183
00:09:38,060 --> 00:09:41,132
from the sessions
with Betty, right?
184
00:09:43,272 --> 00:09:48,277
[laughing] And I could
see if I could find it.
185
00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:56,906
You know, after we
did the first record,
186
00:09:58,045 --> 00:10:00,634
her life seemed like
it was changing,
187
00:10:00,634 --> 00:10:03,326
and things were getting intense.
188
00:10:05,915 --> 00:10:07,468
And then, you know,
years went on,
189
00:10:07,468 --> 00:10:09,574
and then she disappeared.
190
00:10:10,506 --> 00:10:12,750
I mean, really disappeared.
191
00:10:15,131 --> 00:10:19,791
Then after decades go by,
you know, talked to her,
192
00:10:19,791 --> 00:10:21,724
but she was very, very quiet
193
00:10:21,724 --> 00:10:24,416
and very withdrawn at that time.
194
00:10:25,521 --> 00:10:29,214
So whatever did
happen over the years,
195
00:10:29,214 --> 00:10:30,733
I still had no,
196
00:10:30,733 --> 00:10:34,392
but at least I knew, well,
she's alive, she's there.
197
00:10:34,392 --> 00:10:36,843
And you know, it's been heavy,
198
00:10:39,569 --> 00:10:41,641
or it's been deep, you know.
199
00:10:41,641 --> 00:10:45,161
[traffic whooshing]
200
00:10:45,161 --> 00:10:47,888
[sirens blaring]
201
00:11:01,937 --> 00:11:03,524
[music box handle creaking]
202
00:11:03,524 --> 00:11:06,596
[music box tinkling]
203
00:11:31,380 --> 00:11:32,553
[cassette button clicking]
204
00:11:32,553 --> 00:11:35,971
[cassette tape rattling]
205
00:11:40,458 --> 00:11:43,495
- [Betty] One, two,
three, recordin'.
206
00:11:45,359 --> 00:11:50,330
How do I begin after so long
without talkin' about it?
207
00:11:50,951 --> 00:11:52,539
[crow cawing]
208
00:11:52,539 --> 00:11:54,437
Let me begin with Crow.
209
00:11:55,438 --> 00:11:58,131
I first met Crow
on the mountain,
210
00:11:59,408 --> 00:12:02,376
the mountain that
changed everything.
211
00:12:05,586 --> 00:12:09,349
There's always been
a bird inside me.
212
00:12:09,349 --> 00:12:13,249
It used to sit outside my
window when I was a girl,
213
00:12:13,249 --> 00:12:16,943
me feedin' the hogs
across the cornfields.
214
00:12:16,943 --> 00:12:20,532
Then, that little bird
was orange and bright,
215
00:12:20,532 --> 00:12:23,363
but it grew into
crow, black crow.
216
00:12:25,020 --> 00:12:28,609
Crow who has always
been with me, even now.
217
00:12:30,473 --> 00:12:33,960
Crow brought me Howlin'
Wolf, Jimmy Reed,
218
00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:36,134
Chuck Berry, Bessie Smith.
219
00:12:37,342 --> 00:12:41,381
Crow brought me Jimi and
Miles and the whirlwind.
220
00:12:41,381 --> 00:12:42,796
[wind whooshing]
[crow cawing]
221
00:12:42,796 --> 00:12:46,904
There it all began, the
beginning of being different,
222
00:12:48,112 --> 00:12:51,874
like a piece of sugar
cane, sweet to the core.
223
00:12:53,945 --> 00:12:55,050
[introspective music]
224
00:12:55,050 --> 00:12:57,777
[train roaring]
225
00:12:57,777 --> 00:13:01,539
[train crossing bell ringing]
226
00:13:21,766 --> 00:13:23,250
- [Phil] Why do you think Betty
227
00:13:23,250 --> 00:13:25,218
cut herself off and disappeared?
228
00:13:25,218 --> 00:13:26,426
- [Elnora] Pardon me?
229
00:13:26,426 --> 00:13:28,048
- [Phil] Why do you think Betty
230
00:13:28,048 --> 00:13:30,913
sort of wanted to be
alone and cut herself off?
231
00:13:30,913 --> 00:13:34,434
- She was only alone in
person, she was only alone,
232
00:13:34,434 --> 00:13:35,262
she loved to be alone.
233
00:13:35,262 --> 00:13:36,539
She read a lot.
234
00:13:38,196 --> 00:13:39,749
She loved to be alone,
235
00:13:39,749 --> 00:13:44,168
but she was extremely close
to her father, extremely.
236
00:13:45,410 --> 00:13:47,585
And her father died first.
237
00:13:49,621 --> 00:13:50,830
And I don't think Betty Gray
238
00:13:50,830 --> 00:13:52,107
ever got over her
father's death.
239
00:13:52,107 --> 00:13:53,936
She never got over it.
240
00:13:55,973 --> 00:13:57,560
This is Betty here.
241
00:14:00,046 --> 00:14:03,704
She was an unusual person
back in those days.
242
00:14:09,814 --> 00:14:12,713
[breath whooshing]
243
00:14:20,825 --> 00:14:22,585
[introspective music]
- Recordin'.
244
00:14:22,585 --> 00:14:26,486
[cassette tape rattling]
245
00:14:26,486 --> 00:14:28,660
When I think about it now,
246
00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:33,320
I know many people
tried to find me,
247
00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,564
wanted to ask me questions.
248
00:14:36,772 --> 00:14:40,534
Before a time in my
life, Crow and I,
249
00:14:40,534 --> 00:14:43,434
we really didn't
know how to speak.
250
00:14:50,199 --> 00:14:53,789
[poignant music]
251
00:14:53,789 --> 00:14:54,859
Now, I'm old.
252
00:14:57,758 --> 00:15:01,452
But I feel I reached
the top of the mountain,
253
00:15:03,488 --> 00:15:08,183
and from there, I can see
clearly the path I have taken.
254
00:15:08,183 --> 00:15:13,188
[introspective music]
[cassette tape rattling]
255
00:15:14,672 --> 00:15:18,158
I still remember the record
player in Daddy's cupboard,
256
00:15:18,158 --> 00:15:20,126
him lifting me upwards,
257
00:15:20,126 --> 00:15:23,715
and me singing on
our kitchen table.
258
00:15:23,715 --> 00:15:27,788
Then the southern breeze
would come in my window.
259
00:15:29,100 --> 00:15:33,104
Outside, black hands
sweatin' in the cornfields,
260
00:15:33,967 --> 00:15:36,073
lemonade on the sidewalk,
261
00:15:37,281 --> 00:15:39,697
segregation, black and white.
262
00:15:41,492 --> 00:15:43,908
The policeman, always white.
263
00:15:43,908 --> 00:15:46,946
[gritty blues music]
264
00:15:48,361 --> 00:15:51,019
[train roaring]
265
00:15:52,952 --> 00:15:57,335
Dad, my daddy, leaving
to work the furnaces,
266
00:15:57,335 --> 00:16:01,270
steel sparks a-flying,
and his strong back bent.
267
00:16:02,892 --> 00:16:04,964
All the voices falling
over each other
268
00:16:04,964 --> 00:16:08,691
and evenings with
Grandma tappin' time,
269
00:16:08,691 --> 00:16:11,039
spinnin' her snuff and
boogeying to Elmore James.
270
00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:13,006
♪ I'll wake up soon
in the morning ♪
271
00:16:13,006 --> 00:16:16,354
- [Betty] And me, me
just wantin' to write
272
00:16:16,354 --> 00:16:19,288
that first little
burnin' in my heart.
273
00:16:19,288 --> 00:16:22,809
And at 12 years old,
I wrote my first song
274
00:16:24,086 --> 00:16:25,950
"Bake a Cake of Love."
275
00:16:29,609 --> 00:16:33,475
The neighbors complained,
came a-shouting
276
00:16:33,475 --> 00:16:36,926
asking me to be quiet,
but I didn't care.
277
00:16:36,926 --> 00:16:39,377
I lifted my voice in song.
278
00:16:39,377 --> 00:16:42,967
♪ I'm gonna write a letter
279
00:16:42,967 --> 00:16:47,972
♪ Gonna call every town I know
280
00:16:48,869 --> 00:16:52,252
♪ I'm gonna write a letter
281
00:16:52,252 --> 00:16:54,392
♪ Gonna call every town I know
282
00:16:54,392 --> 00:16:57,568
[introspective music]
283
00:17:05,679 --> 00:17:06,887
- [Phil] How long have you,
284
00:17:06,887 --> 00:17:09,511
how many years have
you known Betty?
285
00:17:13,032 --> 00:17:18,037
- Let's just say over 50 years
[laughs], seein' as I'm 55.
286
00:17:22,524 --> 00:17:25,044
No, but it's been a long time.
287
00:17:31,533 --> 00:17:36,055
I think what she wanted to
do was already in her head,
288
00:17:37,539 --> 00:17:39,782
that women have feelings, too,
289
00:17:39,782 --> 00:17:43,441
that women can stand
up and be equal to men,
290
00:17:47,135 --> 00:17:48,791
and expressing themselves.
291
00:17:48,791 --> 00:17:51,415
And that was something
that women didn't have,
292
00:17:51,415 --> 00:17:52,795
women didn't voice.
293
00:17:52,795 --> 00:17:55,522
[poignant music]
294
00:18:00,631 --> 00:18:03,392
I can't remember
exactly how we met,
295
00:18:03,392 --> 00:18:06,499
but I do know we
became fast friends,
296
00:18:06,499 --> 00:18:09,329
and Betty attended
church with me.
297
00:18:12,470 --> 00:18:16,578
And after church, I always
went to Betty's house.
298
00:18:17,786 --> 00:18:20,720
And I spent Sunday
afternoons there.
299
00:18:21,928 --> 00:18:24,344
She wrote songs all the time.
300
00:18:26,070 --> 00:18:29,798
I remember one time in
particular, she called me,
301
00:18:29,798 --> 00:18:31,869
and she said, "Connie,
I just wrote this song,
302
00:18:31,869 --> 00:18:33,905
"and I wanna sing it to you."
303
00:18:33,905 --> 00:18:37,012
And so I knew what
to expect by then,
304
00:18:38,151 --> 00:18:40,912
and she sang, she
started singing.
305
00:18:40,912 --> 00:18:42,880
I put the phone down.
306
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,433
Five minutes later, I came back,
307
00:18:44,433 --> 00:18:45,779
and Betty was still singing.
308
00:18:45,779 --> 00:18:47,988
They were the longest songs.
309
00:18:47,988 --> 00:18:52,096
And she was in talent
shows here in our hometown,
310
00:18:55,962 --> 00:18:58,206
so I think that
this whole notion
311
00:18:58,206 --> 00:19:02,382
that she could get up on
stage and not be inhibited
312
00:19:03,832 --> 00:19:07,836
just was a manifestation of
the kind of love and care
313
00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:15,326
and adoration from her
grandmother and her father.
314
00:19:21,401 --> 00:19:23,334
She chose independence,
315
00:19:26,026 --> 00:19:29,237
and that was something
that women didn't have.
316
00:19:29,237 --> 00:19:31,998
[crow cawing]
317
00:19:31,998 --> 00:19:35,346
[wind whooshing]
318
00:19:35,346 --> 00:19:39,971
- [Betty] The road out
of Pittsburgh, I was 17,
319
00:19:39,971 --> 00:19:44,010
my bag in hand, little
notebook of songs,
320
00:19:44,010 --> 00:19:46,185
and Daddy's crushing hugs.
321
00:19:47,151 --> 00:19:49,774
Crow was with me on the journey.
322
00:19:49,774 --> 00:19:52,087
Crow was the heartbeat,
323
00:19:52,087 --> 00:19:55,815
beatin' a rhythm into
those city lights.
324
00:19:55,815 --> 00:19:57,368
New York, New York.
325
00:19:59,715 --> 00:20:02,718
[sultry jazz music]
326
00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:12,211
♪ Yeah
327
00:20:15,593 --> 00:20:19,287
♪ I'm goin' uptown to Harlem
328
00:20:19,287 --> 00:20:23,291
♪ Gonna let my hair
down in Harlem ♪
329
00:20:23,291 --> 00:20:27,467
♪ If the taxi won't take
me, I'll catch a train ♪
330
00:20:27,467 --> 00:20:31,057
♪ I'll go underground, I'll
get there just the same ♪
331
00:20:31,057 --> 00:20:35,199
♪ 'Cause I'm goin'
uptown to Harlem ♪
332
00:20:35,199 --> 00:20:39,514
♪ Gonna let my hair
down in Harlem ♪
333
00:20:39,514 --> 00:20:43,897
- [Betty] I enrolled in the
Fashion Institute of Technology.
334
00:20:43,897 --> 00:20:46,521
By day, I found work as a model.
335
00:20:47,867 --> 00:20:51,422
Clothes were an
expression of who we were,
336
00:20:51,422 --> 00:20:54,977
but the nights, the nights
was where I came alive.
337
00:20:54,977 --> 00:20:58,947
♪ I'm gonna party
for days in Harlem ♪
338
00:20:58,947 --> 00:21:00,189
♪ Leave the downtown
ways for Harlem ♪
339
00:21:00,189 --> 00:21:02,813
- [Betty] I felt
the fire of others.
340
00:21:02,813 --> 00:21:04,539
♪ 'Cause I'm goin' uptown
341
00:21:04,539 --> 00:21:06,679
- [Betty] All the
time, I was ripe.
342
00:21:06,679 --> 00:21:08,197
I stood on the sidewalk
343
00:21:08,197 --> 00:21:12,788
and sung the Chambers Brothers
my song, "Uptown to Harlem."
344
00:21:13,651 --> 00:21:15,964
They took it then and there.
345
00:21:15,964 --> 00:21:18,518
I was a songwriter at last.
346
00:21:18,518 --> 00:21:22,522
♪ I'm going make it to the
Cave and the Shadow Park ♪
347
00:21:22,522 --> 00:21:26,423
♪ I'm goin' to uptown
faces and down to swat ♪
348
00:21:26,423 --> 00:21:30,427
♪ I'm gonna make it to the play,
I'll stand red-goosed too ♪
349
00:21:30,427 --> 00:21:32,049
[crow cawing]
350
00:21:32,049 --> 00:21:36,018
[wind whooshing]
[cassette tape rattling]
351
00:21:36,018 --> 00:21:40,195
- [Betty] I met Jimi in
the Village, Jimi Hendrix.
352
00:21:41,403 --> 00:21:44,475
He understood Crow,
saw Crow right away.
353
00:21:48,341 --> 00:21:51,482
Then one night, I was in
the Blue Note with a friend.
354
00:21:51,482 --> 00:21:54,692
[audience applauding]
355
00:21:57,039 --> 00:22:01,941
There was this trumpeter
onstage with a straight suit.
356
00:22:03,149 --> 00:22:05,358
I didn't care much
for his jazz mind.
357
00:22:05,358 --> 00:22:08,706
When I saw his shoes,
I dug those shoes.
358
00:22:13,401 --> 00:22:16,576
And I told him so
right there and then.
359
00:22:16,576 --> 00:22:21,581
[jazzy trumpet music]
[cymbals crashing]
360
00:22:32,834 --> 00:22:35,561
Me and Miles were
married in '68.
361
00:22:40,876 --> 00:22:42,326
He got me a limo,
362
00:22:43,983 --> 00:22:46,226
and I filled the
trash with his suits.
363
00:22:46,226 --> 00:22:49,368
[audience applauding]
364
00:22:49,368 --> 00:22:52,025
[train roaring]
365
00:22:56,616 --> 00:22:59,585
[mellow jazz music]
366
00:23:03,416 --> 00:23:06,488
- We're here today to
look at this connection
367
00:23:06,488 --> 00:23:08,732
between Betty Davis as muse
368
00:23:10,527 --> 00:23:13,599
and Miles's turn to
the electric era.
369
00:23:16,153 --> 00:23:19,398
[mellow trumpet music]
370
00:23:23,643 --> 00:23:26,266
Everybody really was trying
to create a soundscape
371
00:23:26,266 --> 00:23:27,647
that matched the intensity
372
00:23:27,647 --> 00:23:29,373
of the cultural,
political moment
373
00:23:29,373 --> 00:23:32,065
[sirens blaring]
374
00:23:32,065 --> 00:23:34,551
that paralleled what was
going on politically,
375
00:23:34,551 --> 00:23:37,657
you know, as far as Black
Panthers, Civil Rights movement,
376
00:23:37,657 --> 00:23:42,282
the assassinations that were
going on, the Vietnam War.
377
00:23:44,388 --> 00:23:47,011
- I'll stand as
necessary for days
378
00:23:47,011 --> 00:23:49,600
in front of these
big, hard buildings.
379
00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:54,363
- At the point at which
they met, he was about 40.
380
00:23:54,363 --> 00:23:57,332
And you know, Miles was
just kinda really obsessed
381
00:23:57,332 --> 00:24:00,646
with not growing old,
not growing stale,
382
00:24:00,646 --> 00:24:02,544
you know, artistically.
383
00:24:06,099 --> 00:24:09,862
[mellow trumpet music]
384
00:24:09,862 --> 00:24:14,314
Jazz had really become this
music that had lost ground
385
00:24:14,314 --> 00:24:16,213
in the black community.
386
00:24:18,180 --> 00:24:20,251
But among younger,
there's Motown,
387
00:24:20,251 --> 00:24:23,738
you know, Stack,
psychedelic generation,
388
00:24:23,738 --> 00:24:24,566
didn't know anything about it.
389
00:24:24,566 --> 00:24:25,809
♪ Got it bad
390
00:24:25,809 --> 00:24:26,499
♪ Dance, dance,
dance all night ♪
391
00:24:26,499 --> 00:24:27,811
♪ Oh, yeah
392
00:24:27,811 --> 00:24:28,984
♪ We gonna do it now
♪ Dance, dance, dance
393
00:24:28,984 --> 00:24:30,469
♪ Have a good time
394
00:24:30,469 --> 00:24:31,884
♪ Dance, dance, dance
♪ Go on and do it all night
395
00:24:31,884 --> 00:24:33,920
♪ Dance, dance, dance
♪ Go on, go on
396
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,476
♪ Get those up
397
00:24:37,476 --> 00:24:41,307
♪ Get in there
398
00:24:41,307 --> 00:24:44,828
♪ Oh, let's give
Carlos a shout ♪
399
00:24:44,828 --> 00:24:46,519
♪ On that wah wah pedal now
400
00:24:46,519 --> 00:24:48,521
♪ Clap, clap your
hands to the rhythm ♪
401
00:24:48,521 --> 00:24:50,627
♪ Clap, clap your
hands, let it go ♪
402
00:24:50,627 --> 00:24:52,629
♪ Clap, clap your
hands to the rhythm ♪
403
00:24:52,629 --> 00:24:54,493
♪ Okay, so come on
404
00:24:54,493 --> 00:24:56,667
♪ Now, move your feet
in time with the beat ♪
405
00:24:56,667 --> 00:25:00,395
- I just imagine, Miles comes
home, you know, from a gig,
406
00:25:00,395 --> 00:25:03,156
and Betty's blastin' "Voodoo
Child" on the stereo set
407
00:25:03,156 --> 00:25:04,606
and dancin' around the house.
408
00:25:04,606 --> 00:25:09,438
[gritty psychedelic music]
[audience applauding]
409
00:25:27,940 --> 00:25:29,735
Betty had a huge influence
410
00:25:29,735 --> 00:25:31,840
within a very short
period of time
411
00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:33,842
on not only the way Miles played
412
00:25:33,842 --> 00:25:35,016
and what he was listening to,
413
00:25:35,016 --> 00:25:37,397
but even the way he dressed.
414
00:25:37,397 --> 00:25:40,884
You know, Carlos Santana
talks about how, you know,
415
00:25:40,884 --> 00:25:42,402
seeing the transition.
416
00:25:42,402 --> 00:25:45,267
You know, Miles kind of
retiring the Italian suits,
417
00:25:45,267 --> 00:25:47,546
and then here comes the
fringe and the leather
418
00:25:47,546 --> 00:25:49,582
and the turquoise
and the big shades
419
00:25:49,582 --> 00:25:54,173
and leather pants and platform
shoes and all of that.
420
00:25:54,173 --> 00:25:57,348
[jazzy trumpet music]
421
00:26:00,593 --> 00:26:04,079
What Betty allowed Miles
to be was just bolder
422
00:26:04,079 --> 00:26:07,289
in his conception
of his own music.
423
00:26:07,289 --> 00:26:10,948
[psychedelic trumpet music]
424
00:26:12,950 --> 00:26:15,746
When he makes this
leap into bringing in
425
00:26:15,746 --> 00:26:18,991
louder electric guitars
and electric basses
426
00:26:18,991 --> 00:26:21,510
and drummers playing back beats,
427
00:26:21,510 --> 00:26:25,273
it's really a testament
to a sense of freedom
428
00:26:26,654 --> 00:26:30,450
and just ballsiness that
Betty brought into his life
429
00:26:30,450 --> 00:26:31,555
and into his music.
430
00:26:31,555 --> 00:26:34,213
- [Miles] One, two, three, four.
431
00:26:38,251 --> 00:26:42,911
- [Greg] Betty, Jimi
into Miles [laughing].
432
00:26:42,911 --> 00:26:45,776
[cassette tape rattling]
433
00:26:45,776 --> 00:26:48,227
- [Betty] Miles was pure energy.
434
00:26:48,227 --> 00:26:51,506
Sometimes light, but also dark.
435
00:26:51,506 --> 00:26:54,889
He was driven, inspiring,
and also angry.
436
00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:03,173
Every day married to him was
a day I earned the name Davis.
437
00:27:03,173 --> 00:27:06,176
[moody piano music]
438
00:27:17,774 --> 00:27:22,226
Miles introduced me to
Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky
439
00:27:22,226 --> 00:27:24,125
and told me to perform.
440
00:27:25,264 --> 00:27:27,646
He wanted Crow and me to fly.
441
00:27:30,476 --> 00:27:34,894
Don't just write, Betty,
don't have no more, go sing.
442
00:27:35,964 --> 00:27:39,588
[gritty psychedelic music]
443
00:28:05,545 --> 00:28:10,550
♪ I said if I'm in luck I
just might get picked up ♪
444
00:28:12,794 --> 00:28:14,693
♪ I said I'm fishin' trick
445
00:28:14,693 --> 00:28:19,698
♪ And you can call it
what you want then ♪
446
00:28:20,595 --> 00:28:22,597
♪ I said I'm wigglin' my fanny
447
00:28:22,597 --> 00:28:24,530
♪ Ha ha, oh man, get down
448
00:28:24,530 --> 00:28:28,499
♪ I want you dancing, I'm
a doin' it, doin' it ♪
449
00:28:28,499 --> 00:28:29,811
♪ Get down
450
00:28:29,811 --> 00:28:33,056
♪ This is my night out
451
00:28:38,164 --> 00:28:40,270
- Hi, Damon, how are you?
452
00:28:41,650 --> 00:28:42,721
- Good, how're you doin'?
453
00:28:42,721 --> 00:28:45,965
- So good to see you, come in.
454
00:28:45,965 --> 00:28:49,728
- Two legs.
[Winona giggling]
455
00:28:53,007 --> 00:28:57,183
- Betty was always this
lady with flair and class,
456
00:28:58,875 --> 00:29:03,811
and just ever so
fashionable [laughing].
457
00:29:05,019 --> 00:29:06,227
And I think it was
at the Bottom Line
458
00:29:06,227 --> 00:29:08,885
she invited me to
come down to her show.
459
00:29:08,885 --> 00:29:13,406
One of, I guess, one of the
first shows that she did.
460
00:29:13,406 --> 00:29:17,169
When I walked in, and
she walked out onstage,
461
00:29:18,204 --> 00:29:19,619
my mouth dropped.
462
00:29:20,931 --> 00:29:22,484
♪ I'm gonna write it down
463
00:29:22,484 --> 00:29:24,314
♪ Tell 'em anything
you wanna now ♪
464
00:29:24,314 --> 00:29:27,869
[gritty psychedelic music]
465
00:29:29,250 --> 00:29:34,255
♪ I ain't nothin' but
a nasty gal, now ♪
466
00:29:36,326 --> 00:29:39,018
♪ A hey, hey
467
00:29:39,018 --> 00:29:43,402
♪ I said you said
I was a bitch now ♪
468
00:29:43,402 --> 00:29:46,439
♪ Uh huh, didn't ya, didn't ya
469
00:29:46,439 --> 00:29:50,340
♪ You said I was a witch now
470
00:29:50,340 --> 00:29:52,169
- And then when she
started singing,
471
00:29:52,169 --> 00:29:53,653
♪ I'm gonna tell 'em why
472
00:29:53,653 --> 00:29:58,589
- the raunchiness of these
songs that she was belting out
473
00:29:59,452 --> 00:30:01,282
in this deep, gravelly voice,
474
00:30:03,802 --> 00:30:05,907
I was just taken aback.
475
00:30:05,907 --> 00:30:10,912
No, this is not Betty, this
is not Betty [laughing].
476
00:30:12,051 --> 00:30:14,398
Yes, so her alter ego
was on that stage.
477
00:30:14,398 --> 00:30:17,574
[introspective music]
478
00:30:21,129 --> 00:30:24,823
I'm sure that what Betty
did as a performer,
479
00:30:27,826 --> 00:30:30,276
every woman would love to do.
480
00:30:32,761 --> 00:30:36,248
What she wanted to say
in her performance,
481
00:30:37,628 --> 00:30:40,424
there were no other
women doing it.
482
00:30:40,424 --> 00:30:43,048
When you're ahead of your times,
483
00:30:44,463 --> 00:30:47,638
it can also mean that you're
ahead of your country.
484
00:30:47,638 --> 00:30:50,676
And they're just
not ready or willing
485
00:30:52,643 --> 00:30:54,438
to accept who you are.
486
00:30:55,854 --> 00:30:59,927
And, you know, let's not
forget, she is a black woman.
487
00:31:01,445 --> 00:31:05,518
So she started off the
race from behind the rest.
488
00:31:10,765 --> 00:31:12,663
[funky psychedelic music]
489
00:31:12,663 --> 00:31:16,736
♪ I woke up this morning
490
00:31:16,736 --> 00:31:20,085
♪ I was feelin' so bad
491
00:31:20,085 --> 00:31:23,605
♪ I didn't know what was wrong
492
00:31:23,605 --> 00:31:27,299
♪ I had a pain in my head
493
00:31:27,299 --> 00:31:30,681
♪ My mind was so troubled
494
00:31:30,681 --> 00:31:33,719
♪ From what I did not know
495
00:31:33,719 --> 00:31:37,550
♪ I took a look at my
face in the mirror ♪
496
00:31:37,550 --> 00:31:41,140
♪ And lo and behold
497
00:31:41,140 --> 00:31:46,145
♪ The blues was there, I
said, the blues was there ♪
498
00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:48,734
[cassette tape rattling]
499
00:31:48,734 --> 00:31:50,874
- [Betty] Since I was a girl,
500
00:31:50,874 --> 00:31:55,223
I always had something inside
of me that had to come out,
501
00:31:55,223 --> 00:31:57,501
a kinda restless feeling.
502
00:31:57,501 --> 00:32:00,401
I asked my grandmother
if I had to just fit in
503
00:32:00,401 --> 00:32:02,265
and be like I was told,
504
00:32:02,265 --> 00:32:05,130
be sweet and pretty
for the boys.
505
00:32:05,130 --> 00:32:08,409
Grandma, she didn't say nothin'.
506
00:32:08,409 --> 00:32:12,758
She sat down and played me
"The Women of the Blues."
507
00:32:14,484 --> 00:32:19,489
♪ I want all you women
to listen to me ♪
508
00:32:20,904 --> 00:32:25,529
♪ Don't trust your man no
further than your eyes can see ♪
509
00:32:26,737 --> 00:32:31,535
♪ I trusted my man
with my best friend ♪
510
00:32:31,535 --> 00:32:36,195
♪ But that was a bad
bargain in the end ♪
511
00:32:39,405 --> 00:32:43,582
- [Betty] Women who sang
about how they felt inside,
512
00:32:43,582 --> 00:32:45,722
who were struggling
to make ends meet
513
00:32:45,722 --> 00:32:48,345
in their lives with men.
514
00:32:48,345 --> 00:32:52,349
Women who sang about
things that were not right,
515
00:32:52,349 --> 00:32:54,834
work, relationships, and race.
516
00:32:57,147 --> 00:32:59,391
Old women who sang it real.
517
00:33:00,979 --> 00:33:05,190
♪ You ain't nothin'
but a hound dog ♪
518
00:33:05,190 --> 00:33:08,676
♪ Been snoopin'
'round the door ♪
519
00:33:08,676 --> 00:33:12,231
♪ You ain't nothin'
but a hound dog ♪
520
00:33:12,231 --> 00:33:15,821
♪ Been snoopin' 'round my door
521
00:33:15,821 --> 00:33:19,169
♪ You can wag your tail
522
00:33:19,169 --> 00:33:22,759
♪ But I ain't gonna
feed you no more ♪
523
00:33:22,759 --> 00:33:23,967
♪ Well, I'm tellin' ya
524
00:33:23,967 --> 00:33:26,004
- [Betty] I have never
let my being black
525
00:33:26,004 --> 00:33:29,662
interfere with what
I wanted to do.
526
00:33:29,662 --> 00:33:32,527
You should always
know who you are
527
00:33:32,527 --> 00:33:35,530
and just do what you have to do.
528
00:33:35,530 --> 00:33:38,154
♪ Sit down
529
00:33:38,154 --> 00:33:40,949
♪ On my second couch
530
00:33:40,949 --> 00:33:43,711
♪ Smoke a little hash
531
00:33:43,711 --> 00:33:47,128
♪ Ah, let's talk about it
532
00:33:47,128 --> 00:33:48,578
♪ Let's get
533
00:33:48,578 --> 00:33:50,580
I first discovered Betty
534
00:33:51,995 --> 00:33:56,379
when I was desperately looking
for some kind of blueprint
535
00:33:58,277 --> 00:34:01,798
for what I was doing and
what I knew I wanted to do.
536
00:34:01,798 --> 00:34:05,112
♪ And talk foolish games
537
00:34:05,112 --> 00:34:08,149
- So when I was skimming
around looking for, you know,
538
00:34:08,149 --> 00:34:12,878
a goddess to pray to, you
know, on the internet,
539
00:34:12,878 --> 00:34:14,880
I found this picture of her.
540
00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:16,399
And, you know, she
was wearing, like,
541
00:34:16,399 --> 00:34:18,539
I think it was a
zebra-detail body suit
542
00:34:18,539 --> 00:34:20,058
with like the feathers
on the shoulders,
543
00:34:20,058 --> 00:34:21,887
and she had her hair big,
544
00:34:21,887 --> 00:34:24,579
and she just looked so powerful.
545
00:34:24,579 --> 00:34:26,064
She's like straddling this bike,
546
00:34:26,064 --> 00:34:30,275
and I was just like, whatever
she's selling, I'm buying.
547
00:34:30,275 --> 00:34:31,586
[Militia laughing]
548
00:34:31,586 --> 00:34:33,312
♪ Aces high
549
00:34:33,312 --> 00:34:36,074
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh
550
00:34:37,799 --> 00:34:42,390
Women's place in music still
seems like a struggle now,
551
00:34:43,771 --> 00:34:46,946
especially if you're
doing rock and roll.
552
00:34:46,946 --> 00:34:48,845
There's like this
saying, it's so funny.
553
00:34:48,845 --> 00:34:51,434
People say, like,
"Men get on stage
554
00:34:51,434 --> 00:34:54,161
"and they sing about what
they wanna do to you.
555
00:34:54,161 --> 00:34:55,679
"And women get on stage,
556
00:34:55,679 --> 00:35:00,270
"and they sing about what's
been done to them." [laughing]
557
00:35:00,270 --> 00:35:02,100
And it's so true.
558
00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:04,792
And I feel like for a long time,
559
00:35:07,243 --> 00:35:09,107
I don't know, maybe women
have felt like it's safe
560
00:35:09,107 --> 00:35:11,695
to, like, be victims onstage
561
00:35:11,695 --> 00:35:13,939
or their messages of victimhood,
562
00:35:13,939 --> 00:35:18,840
and that's not, just not what
people like Betty's about.
563
00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:22,844
♪ Ow, did I leave
some love and ♪
564
00:35:24,363 --> 00:35:27,021
Betty, by no
intention of her own,
565
00:35:27,021 --> 00:35:29,196
just by being herself,
566
00:35:29,196 --> 00:35:34,132
has been, really, a beacon
of hope to a lot of people.
567
00:35:34,132 --> 00:35:39,137
♪ He was a big freak
568
00:35:40,621 --> 00:35:45,212
♪ I used to beat him with
a turquoise chain, yeah ♪
569
00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:58,535
♪ When I was his woman,
well, I pleased him ♪
570
00:35:58,535 --> 00:36:01,055
- Betty Davis, she was
pushing against the grain
571
00:36:01,055 --> 00:36:04,092
because the objectification
of women via men
572
00:36:04,092 --> 00:36:07,303
and their fantasies
was very real,
573
00:36:07,303 --> 00:36:11,652
whereas Betty owned hers
in a way that was atypical.
574
00:36:12,584 --> 00:36:15,449
I mean, songs like "Big Freak,"
575
00:36:15,449 --> 00:36:18,728
that's like so powerful
and challenging
576
00:36:20,178 --> 00:36:25,183
to the system of thinking
where women's place should be.
577
00:36:25,942 --> 00:36:28,807
♪ When I was his woman
578
00:36:28,807 --> 00:36:30,049
♪ Well, I pleased him
579
00:36:30,049 --> 00:36:32,949
♪ I'd lead him to the tip
580
00:36:32,949 --> 00:36:35,986
♪ When I was his mistress
581
00:36:35,986 --> 00:36:39,645
♪ Ooh, ooh, I gave
him cheap thrills ♪
582
00:36:39,645 --> 00:36:42,683
♪ When I was his princess
583
00:36:42,683 --> 00:36:46,238
♪ Silk and satin and
lace I'd wear for him ♪
584
00:36:46,238 --> 00:36:48,896
♪ He was a big freak
585
00:36:48,896 --> 00:36:52,037
♪ Flim, flam, floozy, fantasy
586
00:36:52,037 --> 00:36:56,524
- Betty didn't speak from
a space of oppression.
587
00:36:56,524 --> 00:37:00,977
She expressed herself based
on knowing who she was
588
00:37:00,977 --> 00:37:02,220
and what she deserved.
589
00:37:02,220 --> 00:37:06,948
[introspective music]
[cassette tape rattling]
590
00:37:09,537 --> 00:37:11,436
- [Betty] I left Miles.
591
00:37:12,885 --> 00:37:15,612
His genius gave
and took from me,
592
00:37:17,752 --> 00:37:20,238
but my smile had become false.
593
00:37:22,723 --> 00:37:25,967
I told no one of how
Miles was violent.
594
00:37:30,248 --> 00:37:34,493
Crow hid my pain, so I
wrote and sung my heart out,
595
00:37:37,462 --> 00:37:39,636
three albums of hard funk.
596
00:37:40,637 --> 00:37:42,570
I put everything there.
597
00:37:46,056 --> 00:37:49,508
The doors in the
industry kept closin',
598
00:37:49,508 --> 00:37:53,754
always white men behind
desks tellin' me to change,
599
00:37:54,858 --> 00:37:57,792
change my look, change my sound.
600
00:37:57,792 --> 00:38:00,036
"Change your music, Betty."
601
00:38:01,451 --> 00:38:05,800
I needed to fit in, or else
no contract, no silver dollar.
602
00:38:07,630 --> 00:38:10,805
I learnt that stars
starve in silence.
603
00:38:12,324 --> 00:38:15,776
Crow and I, we found
ourselves alone.
604
00:38:15,776 --> 00:38:18,951
[introspective music]
605
00:38:26,304 --> 00:38:30,238
- I got some pictures
here from the early days,
606
00:38:32,344 --> 00:38:36,106
and as you see, of
course, you know Betty,
607
00:38:36,106 --> 00:38:37,763
and you have myself.
608
00:38:40,421 --> 00:38:42,354
For three months, a 78.
609
00:38:43,804 --> 00:38:47,325
We stayed in the Carver
Wood Hotel and rehearsed.
610
00:38:47,325 --> 00:38:50,293
♪ And I don't wanna love you
611
00:38:50,293 --> 00:38:52,433
- [Fred] And rehearsed.
612
00:38:52,433 --> 00:38:56,126
♪ 'Cause I know how you are
613
00:38:56,126 --> 00:38:58,991
- She went to town, and we
didn't have the manager.
614
00:38:58,991 --> 00:39:00,441
♪ Stayin' away from you
615
00:39:00,441 --> 00:39:03,030
- And she was doin' most
of the stuff on her own.
616
00:39:03,030 --> 00:39:07,862
♪ And that's why I
haven't called you ♪
617
00:39:07,862 --> 00:39:12,867
♪ 'Cause I know you
could possess my body ♪
618
00:39:14,006 --> 00:39:15,180
- [Fred] When things
weren't happening right,
619
00:39:15,180 --> 00:39:16,423
she always had it in mind,
620
00:39:16,423 --> 00:39:18,321
it was somewhere in
the back of her head
621
00:39:18,321 --> 00:39:22,083
the phrase, "If I was
a man, if I was a man."
622
00:39:24,845 --> 00:39:27,399
I think she was fed
up, I really do.
623
00:39:27,399 --> 00:39:29,367
I think she was fed up.
624
00:39:32,059 --> 00:39:34,199
If you're somebody like Betty,
625
00:39:34,199 --> 00:39:36,822
it's all Betty or it's no Betty.
626
00:39:36,822 --> 00:39:39,791
And it got to the point
where there was no Betty.
627
00:39:39,791 --> 00:39:42,587
[introspective music]
628
00:39:42,587 --> 00:39:45,279
[phone ringing]
629
00:39:49,387 --> 00:39:51,734
- [Phil] Is that,
is that Desmond?
630
00:39:51,734 --> 00:39:53,149
- [Desmond] Yup.
631
00:39:53,149 --> 00:39:55,669
- [Phil] Hey, I'm a
filmmaker trying to find out
632
00:39:55,669 --> 00:39:58,879
about Betty Davis,
the funk singer.
633
00:39:58,879 --> 00:40:01,502
Sorry to call, I heard
you used to know her?
634
00:40:01,502 --> 00:40:04,850
- [Desmond] Oh, it's been
a long, long, long time.
635
00:40:04,850 --> 00:40:07,094
- Okay.
- What is this for?
636
00:40:07,094 --> 00:40:09,130
- [Phil] We're trying to find
out what happened to Betty
637
00:40:09,130 --> 00:40:11,961
to sort of piece
her story together.
638
00:40:11,961 --> 00:40:13,687
You used to, like,
hang together,
639
00:40:13,687 --> 00:40:16,759
or what was the relationship?
640
00:40:16,759 --> 00:40:20,107
- [Desmond] Yeah,
yeah, I mean we met,
641
00:40:20,107 --> 00:40:22,937
we'd go out, hang
out for a while,
642
00:40:24,145 --> 00:40:28,046
and it was right before
she kind of disappeared.
643
00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:34,052
Well, when she was
getting a little more,
644
00:40:37,745 --> 00:40:39,954
when her issues were piling up.
645
00:40:39,954 --> 00:40:43,268
I didn't see her as much
'cause she was retreating.
646
00:40:43,268 --> 00:40:47,306
So I remember she had
moved from one place
647
00:40:47,306 --> 00:40:48,791
to another place,
648
00:40:48,791 --> 00:40:52,588
and when she moved to
the last place, she was,
649
00:40:54,037 --> 00:40:56,730
it seemed like she was
trying to hide away.
650
00:40:56,730 --> 00:40:59,595
[melancholy music]
651
00:41:01,562 --> 00:41:05,739
But as I saw her, I could
see there were a lot of,
652
00:41:08,673 --> 00:41:11,192
she had some issues that were,
653
00:41:12,780 --> 00:41:14,541
that were starting
to weigh on her.
654
00:41:14,541 --> 00:41:18,441
Between Miles Davis,
that's a heavy thing,
655
00:41:18,441 --> 00:41:20,995
to be Mrs. Miles Davis.
656
00:41:20,995 --> 00:41:23,791
And also her own
musical contribution
657
00:41:23,791 --> 00:41:26,104
she felt was not appreciated.
658
00:41:26,104 --> 00:41:28,382
And I thought, I mean,
now in retrospect,
659
00:41:28,382 --> 00:41:32,455
I think that I didn't know
her nasty gal persona.
660
00:41:35,182 --> 00:41:37,909
So when I later really found out
661
00:41:37,909 --> 00:41:40,981
what her whole
performance thing was,
662
00:41:40,981 --> 00:41:45,813
it really struck me because
she said to me something like,
663
00:41:47,056 --> 00:41:50,956
"Well, you know, I'm a
very sensitive girl."
664
00:41:50,956 --> 00:41:54,753
And so that was her real
person, that was her,
665
00:41:55,927 --> 00:41:58,516
but her persona, this nasty gal,
666
00:41:58,516 --> 00:42:02,450
you can't get further
away from that, the split.
667
00:42:14,566 --> 00:42:17,051
[phone ringing]
668
00:42:17,051 --> 00:42:20,710
[answering machine beeping]
669
00:42:29,685 --> 00:42:33,412
[cassette tape rattling]
670
00:42:33,412 --> 00:42:36,415
- [Betty] London,
trying to survive.
671
00:42:37,555 --> 00:42:41,041
Playing where I could
with no record deal.
672
00:42:41,041 --> 00:42:45,701
And then Mommy called.
[phone ringing]
673
00:42:45,701 --> 00:42:50,706
♪ I'm just a child
[answering machine beeping]
674
00:42:58,437 --> 00:43:00,923
That phone call, spinning pain.
675
00:43:03,891 --> 00:43:07,585
Those strong arms
lifting me upwards.
676
00:43:07,585 --> 00:43:08,586
He was dead.
677
00:43:11,519 --> 00:43:15,593
I returned to Pittsburgh,
but all color had gone.
678
00:43:16,973 --> 00:43:21,599
Now the voices inside me, voices
never stoppin' in my head.
679
00:43:22,703 --> 00:43:24,498
[phone ringing]
680
00:43:24,498 --> 00:43:28,157
[answering machine beeping]
681
00:43:29,399 --> 00:43:31,816
Strange faces I did not know.
682
00:43:34,715 --> 00:43:36,993
They put a lock on my door.
683
00:43:39,651 --> 00:43:43,068
There, I lost music,
gone, a void, shame.
684
00:43:51,629 --> 00:43:53,389
My heartbeat changed.
685
00:43:54,666 --> 00:43:57,013
I could no longer hear Crow.
686
00:43:58,256 --> 00:44:00,914
[wind whooshing]
687
00:44:09,405 --> 00:44:11,407
- She adored her father,
688
00:44:12,580 --> 00:44:15,445
and so I think that
that really had a,
689
00:44:16,999 --> 00:44:20,727
of course, it would have
an impact on anyone.
690
00:44:22,314 --> 00:44:24,800
But the impact was
greater on Betty
691
00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:28,044
because it kind of
affected some stability,
692
00:44:28,044 --> 00:44:30,219
some mental stability.
693
00:44:30,219 --> 00:44:34,119
And from that time forward,
there was a change.
694
00:44:41,264 --> 00:44:43,853
[bell chiming]
695
00:44:55,071 --> 00:44:59,731
- [Betty] I could not remember
how long I was in the void.
696
00:44:59,731 --> 00:45:02,596
But in Japan, I
found the mountain,
697
00:45:06,048 --> 00:45:09,879
the men who said nothing,
the bells, the wind.
698
00:45:16,161 --> 00:45:20,269
Two monkeys, one with a
dead baby, my baby, wind.
699
00:45:27,897 --> 00:45:30,693
[wind whooshing]
700
00:45:34,145 --> 00:45:38,252
- I think that, I think
she sort of lost herself.
701
00:45:39,564 --> 00:45:42,291
[poignant music]
702
00:45:43,810 --> 00:45:46,709
I know that she didn't
write for a long time,
703
00:45:46,709 --> 00:45:51,058
so I'm sure that she was in
a deep sense of depression.
704
00:45:51,058 --> 00:45:55,062
I don't know who was
around her at that time,
705
00:45:55,062 --> 00:45:58,825
but I know that she was
basically on her own.
706
00:46:03,726 --> 00:46:06,522
She's a very strong woman.
707
00:46:06,522 --> 00:46:09,352
Might have been a sad
woman for a moment,
708
00:46:09,352 --> 00:46:13,909
but I'm hoping that that
sadness is slowly dissipating.
709
00:46:14,772 --> 00:46:17,326
I look forward to seeing her
710
00:46:17,326 --> 00:46:19,259
in the very near future.
711
00:46:19,259 --> 00:46:23,366
[introspective electronic music]
712
00:46:26,024 --> 00:46:27,370
- Hey, hey, hey.
713
00:46:29,787 --> 00:46:31,305
- Well, you're still trouble.
- Hey.
714
00:46:31,305 --> 00:46:32,720
- You're on time, bro.
715
00:46:32,720 --> 00:46:36,034
[band members laughing]
716
00:46:39,037 --> 00:46:40,176
- [Band Member] Hello.
717
00:46:40,176 --> 00:46:41,695
- We'll take a break.
- Get back on.
718
00:46:41,695 --> 00:46:43,110
[bass string reverberating]
[band members chattering]
719
00:46:43,110 --> 00:46:44,802
- Yeah.
- Two weeks?
720
00:46:44,802 --> 00:46:47,563
[band members chattering]
- Yeah, man.
721
00:46:47,563 --> 00:46:49,358
- Look at that.
- That was her homecoming.
722
00:46:49,358 --> 00:46:50,842
- [Band Member]
Man, look at that.
723
00:46:50,842 --> 00:46:53,776
The last time I saw Betty,
I guess so many years ago--
724
00:46:53,776 --> 00:46:54,984
- [Band Member]
Never heard from her.
725
00:46:54,984 --> 00:46:56,572
- Yeah, nineteen
years, seem like.
726
00:46:56,572 --> 00:46:57,435
- Yeah, really--
727
00:46:57,435 --> 00:46:59,195
- Been a long time.
728
00:46:59,195 --> 00:47:01,819
[phone ringing]
729
00:47:07,825 --> 00:47:09,930
- Please answer the phone.
730
00:47:09,930 --> 00:47:13,900
- It's Carlos, Fred,
and your cousin, Larry.
731
00:47:13,900 --> 00:47:15,591
- And Nick.
732
00:47:15,591 --> 00:47:17,075
Pick up the phone.
733
00:47:22,632 --> 00:47:23,841
- [Betty] Hello?
734
00:47:23,841 --> 00:47:25,773
- Betty, when's
the next gig, baby?
735
00:47:25,773 --> 00:47:28,121
[band members laughing]
736
00:47:28,121 --> 00:47:28,949
- Hello, baby.
737
00:47:28,949 --> 00:47:30,088
- [Betty] Is this Fred?
738
00:47:30,088 --> 00:47:31,365
[band members laughing]
739
00:47:31,365 --> 00:47:34,299
- Of course, you know
it is [laughing].
740
00:47:34,299 --> 00:47:35,783
- [Betty] Happy New Year!
741
00:47:35,783 --> 00:47:37,716
- Hey, the same to you, doll.
[band members chattering]
742
00:47:37,716 --> 00:47:38,648
- And this is Nick.
743
00:47:38,648 --> 00:47:40,133
- [Betty] How've you been?
744
00:47:40,133 --> 00:47:42,066
- I can't complain, sittin'
here with the rest of the guys
745
00:47:42,066 --> 00:47:43,826
in the band.
746
00:47:43,826 --> 00:47:44,792
- [Betty] Who's there?
747
00:47:44,792 --> 00:47:46,311
- [laughing] The band.
748
00:47:46,311 --> 00:47:48,003
- The whole band.
- The whole band?
749
00:47:48,003 --> 00:47:49,936
- Yup.
- Carlos is here.
750
00:47:49,936 --> 00:47:52,421
- Nick.
- Is Carlos there, too?
751
00:47:52,421 --> 00:47:54,354
- Sure is.
- And your cousin, Larry.
752
00:47:54,354 --> 00:47:55,873
I'm here, too.
753
00:47:55,873 --> 00:47:57,598
- [Betty] Larry and Nicky, too?
754
00:47:57,598 --> 00:48:00,118
- Yes, yes, yes.
[band members laughing]
755
00:48:00,118 --> 00:48:02,810
- You sound exactly the same.
- Same.
756
00:48:02,810 --> 00:48:04,467
- Exactly.
- You sure do, babe.
757
00:48:04,467 --> 00:48:06,849
Now Betty, I miss you, I'm
tellin' you the truth, babe.
758
00:48:06,849 --> 00:48:09,507
I miss you, I ain't no--
- I miss you, too.
759
00:48:09,507 --> 00:48:12,130
- So you doin' all right, baby?
760
00:48:12,130 --> 00:48:13,752
- [Betty] Yeah, I'm doin' okay.
761
00:48:13,752 --> 00:48:15,789
- Everybody wanna
know where Betty is.
762
00:48:15,789 --> 00:48:16,617
- Yeah.
763
00:48:18,033 --> 00:48:20,898
- We wanna do one more thing
with you, at least, you know.
764
00:48:20,898 --> 00:48:22,451
We'll come to your
house and record.
765
00:48:22,451 --> 00:48:24,798
All these new recording
things they got now,
766
00:48:24,798 --> 00:48:26,282
you ain't got to
leave the kitchen.
767
00:48:26,282 --> 00:48:27,697
- That's right.
[band members laughing]
768
00:48:27,697 --> 00:48:28,906
[Betty laughing]
769
00:48:28,906 --> 00:48:30,045
- Just cook some spaghetti.
770
00:48:30,045 --> 00:48:31,874
- And Betty, you
ain't gotta go through
771
00:48:31,874 --> 00:48:34,187
what you have to go through
with record companies no more.
772
00:48:34,187 --> 00:48:35,774
- No more.
- 'Cause they ain't
773
00:48:35,774 --> 00:48:37,915
real important no more,
you know what I'm sayin'?
774
00:48:37,915 --> 00:48:38,743
- We'll sell her at the chart
[band members laughing]
775
00:48:38,743 --> 00:48:39,675
at the top.
776
00:48:40,607 --> 00:48:42,091
- You understand
what I'm sayin'?
777
00:48:42,091 --> 00:48:45,198
Social media in now, you can
do a lot of things with music.
778
00:48:45,198 --> 00:48:47,062
- Well, look, Betty.
779
00:48:47,062 --> 00:48:49,029
- [Betty] Yeah.
780
00:48:49,029 --> 00:48:53,102
- When we left Bogalusa,
what happened, baby?
781
00:48:56,174 --> 00:49:01,110
- [Betty] Well, well, it
was nice talkin', everybody.
782
00:49:02,284 --> 00:49:03,078
[band members laughing]
- They was broken bro.
783
00:49:03,078 --> 00:49:04,562
- Say, hey, look.
784
00:49:04,562 --> 00:49:07,703
It's about time you came
home for a minute, ain't it?
785
00:49:07,703 --> 00:49:09,877
- Well, what can I say?
[band members laughing]
786
00:49:09,877 --> 00:49:11,707
- I'm too old to travel.
787
00:49:11,707 --> 00:49:12,915
[band members laughing]
788
00:49:12,915 --> 00:49:14,503
- But we'll come pick you up.
789
00:49:14,503 --> 00:49:15,331
- [Band Member]
Yes, that's right.
790
00:49:15,331 --> 00:49:16,919
- [laughing] Okay.
791
00:49:16,919 --> 00:49:19,922
[gritty funk music]
792
00:49:32,900 --> 00:49:37,905
[introspective music]
[cassette tape rattling]
793
00:49:39,079 --> 00:49:41,702
- [Betty] People tell
me I've paved the way,
794
00:49:41,702 --> 00:49:44,188
that I was part of a struggle.
795
00:49:45,499 --> 00:49:47,743
Well, I'm happy about that.
796
00:49:49,020 --> 00:49:51,885
I'm happy my music
is still alive.
797
00:49:55,337 --> 00:49:59,755
For a while in my life,
I flew high and strong.
798
00:49:59,755 --> 00:50:01,515
[crow cawing]
799
00:50:01,515 --> 00:50:04,587
But the struggle to
break through hurt me.
800
00:50:04,587 --> 00:50:08,522
Everyone wanted me to
be something I wasn't.
801
00:50:08,522 --> 00:50:13,079
♪ I'm just a child
802
00:50:13,079 --> 00:50:17,635
♪ Trying to be a woman
803
00:50:17,635 --> 00:50:22,640
♪ And you
804
00:50:23,537 --> 00:50:27,403
♪ Oh, you are a strange one
805
00:50:27,403 --> 00:50:31,407
♪ Trying
806
00:50:31,407 --> 00:50:35,963
♪ I love you, I love
you, I love you ♪
807
00:50:35,963 --> 00:50:40,554
♪ But it's so hard
for me to be me ♪
808
00:50:40,554 --> 00:50:43,419
♪ I wish I could give to you
809
00:50:43,419 --> 00:50:46,802
In the end, I found I
could only be myself.
810
00:50:46,802 --> 00:50:50,599
♪ I'd be free
811
00:50:50,599 --> 00:50:54,499
♪ I'd be free
812
00:50:54,499 --> 00:50:57,054
♪ I'd be free
813
00:50:57,054 --> 00:51:01,989
♪ Oh, then I could be me
814
00:51:03,129 --> 00:51:07,409
♪ I'm just a child
815
00:51:07,409 --> 00:51:11,275
♪ Trying to be a woman
816
00:51:11,275 --> 00:51:14,416
- But if I wanna leave
one thing behind,
817
00:51:14,416 --> 00:51:18,454
I wanna say that bein'
different is everything.
818
00:51:18,454 --> 00:51:20,284
It is the way forward.
819
00:51:21,492 --> 00:51:25,082
[gritty psychedelic music]
820
00:51:31,226 --> 00:51:33,400
♪ You just shut off the light
821
00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:35,747
♪ Ooh, let the good
times roll, child ♪
822
00:51:35,747 --> 00:51:39,130
♪ I said I said take me, make
me do anything you want ♪
823
00:51:39,130 --> 00:51:40,338
♪ Don't you answer your phone
824
00:51:40,338 --> 00:51:43,272
♪ Just let it ring
825
00:51:50,728 --> 00:51:52,833
♪ You just shut off the light
826
00:51:52,833 --> 00:51:55,215
♪ Ooh, we're gonna boogie
like a fool, child ♪
827
00:51:55,215 --> 00:51:57,666
♪ I said, I said we
got a feelin' now ♪
828
00:51:57,666 --> 00:51:58,667
♪ Baby, let's keep it
829
00:51:58,667 --> 00:51:59,840
♪ Don't you answer that door
830
00:51:59,840 --> 00:52:02,912
♪ Just let them knock
831
00:52:10,127 --> 00:52:12,129
♪ Just shut off the light
832
00:52:12,129 --> 00:52:14,510
♪ Ooh, we're gonna get
right down, child ♪
833
00:52:14,510 --> 00:52:16,685
♪ I said, I said
don't you fret ♪
834
00:52:16,685 --> 00:52:17,962
♪ I'm not playing hard to get
835
00:52:17,962 --> 00:52:19,688
♪ You say you want it
and you got it now ♪
836
00:52:19,688 --> 00:52:20,930
♪ They say I'm different
837
00:52:20,930 --> 00:52:23,105
♪ 'Cause I'm a piece
of sugar cane ♪
838
00:52:23,105 --> 00:52:26,626
♪ Sweet to the core,
that's why I got rhythm ♪
839
00:52:26,626 --> 00:52:29,663
♪ My great grandma
didn't like the foxtrot ♪
840
00:52:29,663 --> 00:52:31,493
♪ Nah, instead she'd
spit her snuff ♪
841
00:52:31,493 --> 00:52:33,978
♪ And boogie to Elmore James
842
00:52:33,978 --> 00:52:38,983
♪ Spit on
843
00:52:40,605 --> 00:52:44,091
♪ They say I'm different
'cause I eat chitlins ♪
844
00:52:44,091 --> 00:52:45,334
♪ I can't help it
845
00:52:45,334 --> 00:52:47,716
♪ I was born and raised
on 'em, that's right ♪
846
00:52:47,716 --> 00:52:50,167
♪ Every mornin', I'd
have to slop the hogs ♪
847
00:52:50,167 --> 00:52:54,240
♪ And they'd be gettin' off
humpin' to John Lee Hooker ♪
848
00:52:54,240 --> 00:52:59,210
♪ Get it on
849
00:53:01,143 --> 00:53:04,526
♪ They say I'm different 'cause
I'm a piece of sugar cane ♪
850
00:53:04,526 --> 00:53:07,943
♪ And when I kick my
legs, I got rhythm ♪
851
00:53:07,943 --> 00:53:10,704
♪ My great grandpa
was a blues lover ♪
852
00:53:10,704 --> 00:53:14,501
♪ He'd be rockin' his moonshine
to B.B. King and Jimmy Reed ♪
853
00:53:14,501 --> 00:53:19,506
♪ Rock on now
854
00:53:21,128 --> 00:53:26,133
♪ And that's why they
say I'm different ♪
855
00:53:27,583 --> 00:53:32,001
♪ And that's why they
say I'm strange ♪
856
00:53:32,001 --> 00:53:34,728
[wind whooshing]
857
00:53:34,778 --> 00:53:39,328
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