I Just Love Playing It

Walking on Planet C

I Just Love Playing It

Jumping into bed with the Hitmaker

They say, "Music is good for what ails you" which is another way of saying that music has the power to heal. It's always been my savior and I've been feeling very bad lately.

I saw two doctors and have been medicated and had some good bed rest, but surprisingly when I practiced guitar today instead of sleeping I felt a lot better. This could all be coincidence and timing or it could be everything good working together.

Tonight, I'm jumping into bed with my guitar which I call The Hitmaker, and I'm going to play myself to sleep. I know I'm going to feel better because it's always worked in the past. Besides, I Just Love Playing It.

The Hitmaker

The Hitmaker and me with Adam Lambert

The Hitmaker played on all of these Gold and Platinum records

The Hitmaker and me with Anita Baker

The Hitmaker and me with The Roots on The Jimmy Fallon Show

The Hitmaker and me in an early CHIC UK Promo

 

 

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The Doctor Is Helping Me

Walking on Planet C

The Doctor Is Helping Me

I'll Be Better Tomorrow. The Doctor is Helping Me

The doctor came to visit me at my hotel in Frankfurt. He is really good. I'll be able to do the show tonight and then on to Luxembourg. I should be one hundred percent in a few days.

When I'm on stage music is the cure, but when I'm off stage it's a different matter. Now I'm back in my hotel and The Doctor is Helping Me.

 

 

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I Hate Being Sick!

Walking on Planet C

I Hate Being Sick!

This is the finale We Are Family - Right after this last night the doctor made me Go To Bed!

Today, I am very sick. The doctor looked at me last night and made me go back to the hotel right after the finale. I will let you know what's up when I get to Frankfurt. After today's long drive I'll see another doctor and thankfully I'll be there for two days. I Hate Being Sick!

 

Nile Rodgers & CHIC - Le freak 01 (Night of the Proms) by Promstycoon

 

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A Funky German Walk

I hit the streets of Bremen early in the morning

After I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer last year the doctors started me walking to keep up my strength. I hit the streets of Bremen early in the morning. The weather was uncommonly nice. It's just a few weeks before winter but it feels like the beginning of autumn.

I never take a music player on my daily walks because I have a massive playlists embedded deep inside my cerebral cortex. The sights and situations inspire the appropriate soundtrack to accompany me.

As I left the hotel "Spring Affair" by Donna Summer was playing in my head. The entire 8:32 album version. Maybe because I was in Germany, or maybe because of the pleasant weather, or maybe both? I'll always think of Donna Summer as being on Oasis Records, the German label owned by her über producer Giorgio Moroder, whose real name is Hansjörg Moroder. He also did Munich Machine's "Get On The Funk Train" - which I sang next as I walked in the park in front of my hotel.

When I saw a family feeding birds across the lake I started singing "We Are The Robots" by Kraftwerk. I don't know why but I figured they do this every day. Between Donna, Giorgio, and Kraftwerk I had A Funky German Walk.

Doing A Funky German Walk on stage with the CHICettes

Donna Summer "Love to Love You Baby" Single on Giorgio Moroders Label

Giorgio Moroder "From Here to Eternity"

Munich Machine "Get on the Funk Train"

Munich Machine

Kraftwerk "We Are the Robots"

 

VIDEO: Donna Summer "Spring Affair"

 

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By Kraftwerk

Walking on Planet C

By Kraftwerk

Today I'm simply going for a long walk in this park in front of my Hotel

Today, I'm simply going for a long walk in this park in front of my Hotel in Bremen, Germany. Ever since cancer attacked me about a year ago walking has become part of my exercise routine. I can't wait to see what songs pop into my head when I'm walking around Germany.

I spent a lot of time touring in Germany back in the day. I've got a feeling my internal playlist is going to be loaded with classics. While I'm typing this, I'm tapping out the rhythm of "Trans Europe Express" By Kraftwerk.

Me on tour back in the day

Kraftwerk "Trans Europe Express"

 

VIDEO: Kraftwerk "Trans Europe Express"

 

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So Much HIStory There

Walking on Planet C

So Much HIStory There

Today we'll be heading to Bremen, Germany. Back in the day, CHIC used to go there a lot to shoot a TV show called Musikladen. We did it with everyone from Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show to The Jackson 5.

When we taped a show with the Jackson 5 there was some sort of bomb scare. One of our string players was getting makeup in the room with Michael at the time. During the bomb scare, Michael was more worried about his makeup being right than a bomb going off. There's something super-show business about that to me.

I really liked Michael a lot and we always loved seeing each other. The last time I saw him was when I played on the HIStory album. The last time I was in Bremen was in the late 70's. I can't wait to go back. I have So Much HIStory There.

Michael Jackson's "HIStory"

 

The Jackson 5 doing Musikladen in Bremen

CHIC doing Musikladen in Bremen. I have So Much HIStory There

 

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Very Funny and Very Weird

Walking on Planet C

Very Funny and Very Weird

A quick snapshot right before CHIC's performance

Tonight, right before CHIC's performance, we took a quick snapshot and I could hear the orchestra playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in the background. Ironic - on so many levels.

Back in the day right before CHIC hit, musical mastermind Walter Murphy did a brilliant reworking of this famous symphony and called it "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. We used to be called The Big Apple Band but Walter's smash forced us to change our name to CHIC.

Our current German tour cities are almost identical to the cities we played on the last Big Apple Band tour with New York City ("I'm Doing Fine Now"). There are so many things that feel like a complete circle in my life that it's a little spooky.

I think Luther Vandross, Raymond Jones, Tony Thompson and especially Bernard Edwards, would find this current CHIC tour schedule Very Funny and Very Weird.

This is my current German tour Schedule. Almost the EXACT same cities I did on the last Big Apple Band tour

Luther, Tony and Raymond on an early CHIC tour

Stu and Bernard

The CHIC Organization and Seal tearing up "We Are Family" in Hamburg, Germany

 

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Hotel Motel...etc!

Walking on Planet C

Hotel Motel...etc!

Hotel Motel

"Hotel Motel Holiday Inn," was the refrain I started singing as soon as I looked out my window this morning. It's just the way my mind works. I see something, in this case a mere flag, and out pops a song.

"Rapper's Delight" is always prone to pop up, not only because it's one of my biggest copyrights but because it's got so many lyrics, and once I start singing it I wind up singing the entire song.

After I finished my daily chores in the business center I looked over tomorrow's schedule, which shows I have an interview. As soon as I saw the word 'interview' my internal DJ started spinning: "I was walking home late one dark afternoon, reporter stopped me for an interview. I said, 'By the way baby what's your name,' she said, 'I go by the name of Louis Lane. And you can be my boyfriend, you surely can. Just let me quit my boyfriend called Superman.' I said"...well, I said the rest of the song.

However, I then read my upcoming interview will take place in my (here we go again) Hotel Motel...etc!

The hotel's business center

"I said..."

Lyrics to Rapper's Delight

 

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More Music from Coming to America

Walking on Planet C

More Music from Coming to America

"Coming to America" poster in German

Happy Thanksgiving! Today I'm in Hamburg with the CHIC girls getting ready for a month of tour dates across Germany. We'll be touring with Seal, Alyson Moyet and Stanfour for Night of the Proms. I'll also be bouncing back to the UK promoting my memoir "Le Freak."

The past few days I've been sharing videos inspired by surprise messages from John Landis. He's directed many notable films, including Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America" which was my first big orchestral film score.

It's really great to see the impression this film has made on pop-culture and I detail the experience of creating the music for it in my memoir.

The very end of my book takes place the day before Thanksgiving, last year. I had just been diagnosed with very aggressive cancer and was headed to Las Vegas for my family's yearly gathering. You can read about that in my memoir, too.

Today, I am very thankful for my family and friends all around the world. I'm also thankful for being able to share with all of you More Music from Coming to America.

 

In this behind-the-scenes video, I'm conducting the orchestra for the very end of the "King's Motorcade" movement. This composition of mine was also featured in another big Hollywood film, "Drumline" and was performed by the protagonist marching band.

Here's the finished scene with my score

This is "King's Motorcade" in another Hollywood blockbuster, "Drumline"

 

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The Making of Coming to America

Walking on Planet C

The Making of Coming to America

Yesterday I talked about John Landis reaching out to me and how I was really happy to hear from him. The rest of the day I thought a lot about the time I spent making the soundtrack for "Coming to America." It was my first big orchestral film score and I detail the story in my book, "Le Freak."

I wanted to share yet another behind-the-scenes video. This time of me conducting the orchestra for Dottie's big scene.

I'm sure you'll remember Dottie - Cleo McDowell's faithful poodle - as she chases away Darryl "Prince of Soul-Glo" Jenks.

Thank you again John, for giving me that opportunity and for an amazing time during The Making of Coming to America.

 

John Landis and I discussing the music for the scene when Cleo McDowell finds out that Akeem is a Prince and is trying to keep him from leaving

Here's the finished scene with the revised score

 

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