In the fall of 1996 I was at a party at Jamie's apartment, and someone said something about Tina Turner being passe, and - in the way only the right number of cocktails can steer you - I found myself giving an impassioned speech about the history, legacy and import of Tina Turner, and that we were lucky to share the planet with her.
I swear to god, I hadn't thought that hard about Tina Turner since sorting through the lyrics to Private Dancer as a kid. I hadn't ever even see What's Love Got To Do With It? because the idea of watching an entertainer I enjoy get beaten by fucking Ike Turner was in no way appealing. I should have seen it (still haven't for same reason. Fuck Ike Turner.)
I guess the speech stuck with Jamie, because a few months later she produced Tina Turner tickets for us to see her at the Alamodome in San Antonio. And, friends, that show was amazing.
The crowd was made up of all demographics. I had never seen the concept of "dress" before, but it was on full display there (I was a dopey 22 year old in college-kid concert clothes) and I immediately got it and was aware I was improperly attired. Folks from the aged to children were in attendance. And Jamie had bought seats at about the 13th row, dead-center facing the stage. The view was phenomenal.
I still think about that show and Nutbush City Limits maybe once a month. And GoldenEye, because, I mean, y'all know me and Bond and Bond themes, and it was wildly sexy, to boot.
In 1984 when Turner exploded back into the pop culture consciousness with the single and video for What's Love Got To Do With It?, I was 9 and pretty much unaware of who she was. I think she'd been on MTV for a while when my dad made mention of "Oh, Tina Turner" and I got that she was not a new act and this was, in fact, a sort of return to prominence for the artist. I sort of vaguely had ideas of what her stage show and persona had been via descriptions from people, but this was all years before YouTube, and so it wasn't until the film came out that I got what she'd been with Ike when TV ran clips.
And then, of course, YouTube had clips pretty early on.
Man, she's just amazing
Admittedly, maybe I should have watched that movie because it wasn't until the 2021 documentary Tina was released that I got the full picture of Turner's life, and of the abuse and career devastation that followed until 1984. I highly recommend the doc, which we discussed when it was released.
Turner was so popular that I never bothered to buy her records until the aforementioned concert. She was just on the radio all the time or on VH1 and MTV. I find it odd that she doesn't get the same play as other 1980's and 1990's artists on oldies stations as she was so a part of the soundtrack of everyday life for so long, and I don't quite get how she's been shelved to the point where I'm not sure folks ten years younger than me get who she was and the scope of her stardom. But she'd also pivoted out of the world of R&B to rock in the 1980's, and that's probably a whole other discussion about rock's legacy.
I'm the guy who thinks she was awesome in Thunderdome, and was welcome wherever she showed up. If I can recommend one record to get, or put on your streaming service of choice, it's Simply the Best. Which is a greatest hits which prominently features one of her best hits, The Best.* Which has been my favorite Turner song for 25 years now. Wowsers.
I can't put my finger on exactly what I liked about Turner. Clearly the stage show I saw cemented her in my mind. But her voice was perfect for both rock and R&B. Her presence was elegant and exuberant at the same time. She was gorgeous and could dance like mad. Really, she was one of the most complete packages of American musical performance talent I can think of.
Turner married a Swiss gentleman quite some time ago, and the pair retired to Switzerland in more recent years. Tina did her farewell tour and sort of stuck to it. I salute that.
In 2021, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There's a musical based on her life that's a Broadway show that's now also touring.
I don't think Turner is anywhere near forgotten or will be. Her place is secure for the next several decades.
But, yeah, I'm crushed to hear of her passing. She was the best.
Y'all take some time and listen to some Tina tonight.
*which, yes, Schitt's Creek took the song and made it their own
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