![]() “I never was able to tell that full story, but right when we ordered dinner, I was like, ‘You know, my mom was a vocalist and her name was Tina.’ It totally grabbed her attention… and then our food arrived, then the conversation totally changed. “She started asking us about our families and our lives,” Martin said. Then I realized that Tina Turner has her own incredible narrative that is just admirable in so many ways.” Thus she became like a nemesis in our household and that was my introduction to Tina Turner. “So as a kid, I’d literally see strangers hit on my mom and call her Tina Turner. “They would say, ‘Hey Tina-Tina Turner!’ That was the only other Black woman in rock they could associate her with.” My relationship with Tina Turner was unique in the sense that my early association with her is through people, like men on the street, hitting on my mom-not because they knew who she was but because she has a rock aesthetic,” Martin said. Strangely, it was through his mother's treatment when he was a child that Martin first became aware of who Tina Turner was. “I’d have to prep myself emotionally for that deep dive in thinking about doing a scripted version. “I am still at the edge of the cliff, but I’m considering a story on my mom,” Martin said. Martin says he’s considering how to tell his mother’s story. Her legacy now lives on not just through her work but through her son’s filmmaking. That podcast is just one of many pieces that revisit and give long-overdue credit to the legacy of Tina Bell, the “Black woman who created the sound of grunge.”īell did not live long enough to see the resurgence of interest around her work, passing away in 2012. Martin highlighted KEXP’s recent retrospective on Bam Bam on their Sound & Vision podcast, titled: “Tina Bell: Unsung Goddess of Grunge.” The episode explored the band’s unshakeable impact on Seattle and how Martin’s mother was a leading force in creating a grunge band before the genre had broken out. “To make matters even more interesting, my mom’s story has been getting a little bit more attention.” “Oh 100 percent, how could it not?” Martin told me over a video call with a chuckle. The shared first name and love of music is something Martin says was in the front of his mind when making Tina. Bam Bam was a revolutionary Seattle grunge band that remains a core part of the area’s music history. Tina Bell was a talented musician who started the group Bam Bam with Tommy Martin, TJ’s father. Martin now lives in Los Angeles, though he was born in Seattle and is forever tied to the city’s history through his late mother: Tina Bell. It is harrowing and honest, a balance Martin said he worked hard to find. The documentary discusses the impacts of his abuse and how Turner has spent nearly her whole career working to repair his damage. An abuser and manipulator, Ike would become a torturous force in her life. And Tina Turner is a gift that that will always be 'simply the best.' Angels, sing thee to thy rest…Queen," she concluded.Tina Turner had to fight from an early age-one of her foremost obstacles being Ike Turner, her former musical partner, manager, and husband. So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. "I am humbled to have helped show her to the world. ![]() Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.' I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. Her final words to me - for me - were 'You never mimicked me. "Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like. ![]() “How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world? Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her," Bassett wrote.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |