powerHouse Arena Gets Funky with Talk by James Brown Biographer
DUMBO — On Thursday, March 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Los Angeles-based music critic R.J. Smith will read and discuss his new biography of James Brown with writer Dave Tompkins.
In the early 1970s, a PolyGram Records press release announcing the signing of James Brown provided these remarkable statistics:
“James Brown will perform 335 days this coming year, losing as much as seven pounds each performance. In an average month, he will give away 5,000 autographed photos and 1,000 pairs of James Brown cuff links. He will wear 120 freshly laundered shirts and more than eight pairs of shoes. He will change his performing costume 150 times and will work over 80 hours on the stage, singing, dancing and playing at least 60 songs on one of more than eight instruments.”