Episodes

  • COMIN' HOME TO AFRICA ... If James Brown Don't Kill Us All!
    Dec 11 2024

    The music festival promoters hustle hard to secure a plane to Zaire. Finally on board, all the artists are nearly killed by James Brown and his oversized ego. Despite the high drama, the flight is a magical experience for all aboard when the musicians turn the plane into an epic jam session. This shared joy carries the crew through to Zaire. Upon arrival, they are greeted by the drums and voices of The Motherland. Meanwhile, fight promoters scramble to rearrange the weekend after Foreman’s cut and, in doing so, find out who President Mobutu really is.

    LITERARY REFERENCES

    “The Greatest, My Own Story”by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)

    “By George” by George Foreman (autobiography)

    “Hit Me, Fred” by Fred Wesley (autobiography)

    “LATIN NY” (Magazine, Issue No. 20, Nov 1974 Editor-in-Chief, Diane Weathers)

    Courtesy of Lola! Love

    OTHER MEDIA

    US State Department cables (available online in the US State Dept Archives and Wikileaks: https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1974KINSHA07638_b.html)

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    45 mins
  • SILENCE vs. NOISE
    Dec 4 2024

    Ali and Foreman continue to train for their upcoming title fight and the great writers of the day document the progress. Across the Atlantic, Don King and Hank Schwartz oversee the preparations for the title fight and sweetens the deal by announcing the music festival. On the plane to the mother land, Ali instantly recognizes the significance of this moment. Upon arrival, he instantly wins over the people of Zaire, pitting them against Foreman automatically. When Foreman arrives, an unwitting faux pas seals his fate as the villain.

    LITERARY REFERENCES

    “The Greatest, My Own Story” by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)

    “The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg

    “Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig

    “The Fight” by Norman Mailer

    “Shadow Box” by George Plimpton

    “Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage” by Budd Schulberg

    “Ego: the Life” article by Norman Mailer (Life magazine Cover Story, March 19, 1971)

    FILM & VIDEO REFERENCES

    When We Were Kings” (documentary, 1996) directed by Leon Gast (available on streaming)

    “Soul Power” (documentary, 2008) directed by Jeffrey Kusama–Hinte (available on streaming)

    Richard Nixon resignation speech (CBS News, Aug 8, 1974) (available on YouTube)

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    52 mins
  • CASH IS KING AND KING IS CASH
    Nov 27 2024

    Fight promoter Don King and his business partner Hank Schwartz join forces with African strong man, President Mobutu of Zaire to put on an epic boxing event. To up the star power of this international affair, Don King joins forces with Hugh Masekela and Stuart Levine to build the three-day music festival, Zaire ‘74. It will serve as the lead-in to the next great superfight. As Ali and Foreman get into fighting shape, jazzman Hugh Masekela pushes both musical and social boundaries, strengthening the bond between Black Americans and their roots.

    REFERENCE BOOKS:

    “The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg

    “Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig

    “Only in America” by Don King (autobiography)

    “The Fight” by Norman Mailer

    “The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery” by Gary Stromberg

    “Hit Me, Fred” by Fred Wesley (autobiography)

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    55 mins
  • ENTER DON KING
    Nov 20 2024

    Don King swans into the boxing world and manages to get both Ali and Foreman to trust him completely. By working their egos and their dreams of a huge payday –– Don King’s able to persuade the two heavyweights into setting a date for a new title fight. The twist? This title bout, Ali’s latest attempt to reclaim his lost crown, will take place in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali nicknames their upcoming fight: The Rumble in the Jungle.

    NEWS REPORTS (AVAILABLE ON NEWSPAPERS.COM)

    “The Akron Beacon” March 25, 1974

    “Philadelphia Daily News” March 25, 1974

    "Akron Beacon" March 29, 1974

    REFERENCE BOOKS

    “Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig

    “Only in America” by Don King (autobiography)

    “Lawdy Miss Clawdy: The True King of the ‘50s” by Lloyd Price and William Waller (autobiography)

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    48 mins
  • BLUES BEHIND BARS
    Nov 13 2024

    In the wake of the Attica Prison Uprising, BB King performs for the prisoners at Sing Sing Prison in 1972. The Thanksgiving Day concert sparks a new conversation about prisoner rights. Documentarian Daivd Hoffman recalls his time behind the camera, watching BB King perform, and how he softened the hearts of otherwise life-hardened men. Meanwhile, with the surly Sonny Liston as a role model, George Foreman rises in the ranks as a heavyweight. He fights the Champ, Smokin’ Joe Frazier, and is held hostage in Venezuela.

    FILM/VIDEO REFERENCES

    Muhammad Ali poem from the Cathal O’Shannon TV show (available on YouTube)

    Sing Sing Thanksgiving, documentary by David Hoffman (available on YouTube)

    BOOKS

    “The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg

    “Angela Davis: an autobiography” by Angela Davis

    “Hit Me, Fred” by Fred Wesley (autobiography)

    “Smokin’ Joe” by Joe Frazier and Phil Berger (autobiography)

    “Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier” by Mark Kram Jr.

    “By George” by George Foreman (autobiography)

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    48 mins
  • UNDISPUTED CHAMPION
    Nov 6 2024

    In their epic showdown, “The Fight of the Century,” Muhammad Ali takes on the Champ, Smokin’ Joe Frazier. It’s a stunning exhibition of strength, pain, and violence. Their fight is covered by many great writers, who transform Ali into an avatar of the age as they celebrate his ascendance as the People’s Champ. A new boxing contender enters the scene: the giant George Foreman while Miriam Makeba wins hearts as she’s dubbed Mama Africa by her fans.

    REFERENCE MATERIALS:

    "Ali: A Life" by Jonathan Eig

    "The Fight" by Norman Mailer

    "Ego" (Life magazine Cover Story, March 19, 1971) article by Norman Mailer

    "The Redemption of the Champion" (Life magazine, Sept 9, 1966), article by Gordon Parks

    "Shadow Box" by George Plimpton

    "Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage" by Budd Schulberg

    "The Greatest, My Own Story" by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)

    "Smokin’ Joe" by Joe Frazier and Phil Berger (autobiography)

    "Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier" by Mark Kram Jr.

    "By George" by George Foreman (autobiography)

    Miriam Makeba FBI file (available online at: https://vault.fbi.gov/miriam-makeba)

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    54 mins
  • SMOKIN' JOE FRAZIER: THE HELLRAISER
    Oct 30 2024

    Ali’s time in exile only strengthens his position as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. James Brown plays his first show in Paris, and his dancer, Lola Love!, recalls seeing The Godfather of Soul for the first time at The Apollo Theater. Muhammad Ali befriends heavyweight champion, Joe Frazier, only to realize that in order to win his title back, he must face his comrade in the ring.

    FILM REFERENCES

    When We Were Kings” (documentary, 1996) directed by Leon Gast

    “Soul Power” (documentary, 2008) directed by Jeffrey Kusama–Hinte (available on YouTube)

    BOOKS

    "The Greatest, My Own Story" by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)

    "King: A Life" by Jonathan Eig

    "Smokin’ Joe" by Joe Frazier and Phil Berger (autobiography)

    "Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier" by Mark Kram Jr.

    "The Rumble in the Jungle" by Lewis Erenberg

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    50 mins
  • SAY IT LOUD
    Oct 16 2024

    A season of assassinations sparks a loud cry for change. Young Cassius Clay befriends Malcolm X, joins the nation of Islam, changes his name to Muhammad Ali, and refuses to fight in Vietnam. Meanwhile, James Brown’s Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud becomes an anthem for Black America, and Hugh Masekela escapes the evils of apartheid.

    FILM/VIDEO REFERENCES

    Nelson Mandela “Ready to Die” speech April 20, 1964 (available on YouTube)

    Miriam Makeba UN Address speech March 9, 1964 (available on YouTube)

    ”The Hate that Hate Produced”, documentary (1959) WNET Mike Wallace (available on YouTube)

    BOOK REFERENCES

    Muhammad Ali books (Cassius Clay period):

    Ali: The Greatest, My Own Story by Muhammad Ali

    Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig

    King of the World by David Remnick

    Hit Me, Fred by Fred Wesley (autobiography)

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    43 mins