She wants to expand her operation into Harlem, presumably with the help of her tricked-out gangster son, Clarence a.k.a. Velez built a government-funded center in the South Bronx that provided medical and social services, and was credited with turning the National Puerto Rican Day Parade into a major event.īackstory: “I got this here club, plus the disco downstairs, plus three after-hours joints, prostitution, gambling, numbers, a day-care center, and I still got time to control half the cocaine in the Bronx,” declares the crime boss in the first episode. Velez, the son of a Puerto Rican farmer, was once called a “poverty pimp” by Koch, who later revised his opinion of the Bronx kingpin and lawyer, saying no evidence of corruption could ever be tied to the man known variously as “El Jefe” (“the boss”), “Don Ramón,” and “El Padrino” (“the godfather”). Soon he’s convinced to back Edward Koch over Beame for mayor - when he’s promised $10 million for his pet housing project.įact, Fiction or Inspired by: Ramon S. Spoilers ahead for the first six episodes of The Get Down.įrancisco ‘Papa Fuerte’ Cruz (Jimmy Smits)īackstory: Mylene’s leisure-suited Puerto Rican power-broker uncle is called a “poverty pimp,” and gets funds from Mayor Beame while working out of a community center that bears his name. But what’s fact and what’s fiction in the period piece set in New York City’s South Bronx, which tells the tale of aspiring DJ Shaolin Fantastic (Shameik Moore) and disco singer Mylene Cruz (Herizen Guardiola) as they vie for the attention of orphaned poet-pianist Ezekiel “Zeke” Figuero (Justice Smith)? We break it down. via Getty Imagesīeyond the real 1970s news footage and commentary woven into The Get Down, Baz Luhrmann’s music-infused drama that’s equal parts teen love story and ode to the origins of hip-hop, the hyperstylized extravaganza gets its street cred courtesy Luhrmann’s crew of collaborators: Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, DJ Kool Herc, the Furious Five’s Rahiem, Afrika Bambaataa, and hip-hop historian Nelson George. Photo: Anthony Calvacca/New York Post Archives/NYP Holdings, Inc. More, More, More, Pt.L-R: Francisco Cruz in The Get Down, Ramon S.I Don't Know If It's Right - 3:48 ( Evelyn "Champagne" King).He's the Greatest Dancer - 3:34 ( Sister Sledge).I Love the Nightlife - 3:01 ( Alicia Bridges).I seem to pull it out around once a year or so. The soundtrack album captures everything that I loved about disco, and most (not quite all) of the tracks are fantastic. There is an obscure movie about the end of the disco era called The Last Days of Disco. No idea what that was doing there but I took it anyway. And ' A Team of Rivals ', a biography of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet members. I mentioned earlier that were books in the cast-off box. So I'm glad I got this today, a little blast from the past. There was too an element of phoniness attached to the whole club scene but dancing to these songs played at extreme volumes was fun and the women were sexy and inviting. Always felt Disco got a bad rfun There was a lot of crap to be sure but what was good was very good I thought. Listening to these songs brings back a lot of memories. A lot of the usual suspects are present ( Ring My Bell - Anita Ward, I Love The Night Life- Alicia Bridges, Boogie Oogie Oogie- A Taste of Honey, I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor, That's The Way I Like It - KC and The Sunshine Band.) Spent many a night at the clubs cherchez la femme.Īnyway.am playing this CD now and enjoying same. I was in my early 20s when Disco ruled and living in Montreal, surely the Disco capital of Canada. There were about twenty CDs but the only one of interest to me was a compilation called ' Disco Fever ', a collection of 21 songs. I always enjoy seeing these potential treasure treats! On my way to work this morning I saw someone had put out a box of books and CDs for garbage pickup.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |