I love Nina, now that was one fierce lady, She didn't take shit from no one! Her version of "Pirate Jenny" gives me the chills and "See-line Woman" always makes me shake my ass also check out the Masters at work remix--gorgeous. Sinnerman (the original version) is so good musically but I thought Felix the Housecat did a great job on his remix. and her version of Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" makes me cry. And she was right to live abroad, she was always an American treasure and a true diva in all senses of the word!

There is a new mash-up out (it's new to me anyway).
"Ain't Got No, I Got Life" by Groovefinder vs Nina Simone.

It's pretty good.
It's so happy and up-beat, I'm sure Nina is throwing up in her coffin.

Haven't heard that one, but the Nina's original was pretty groovy (it's from Hair, hence the hippie-speak!) That would be cool to hear.

I saw this thing on the ovation channel with Nina doing a concert. When she performed "see-line Woman" she started dancing and the crowd cheered her on. So I hope she doesn't mind being remixed for the modern-day dance floor, because some of her originals are funky and the material I've heard remixed, like "see-line" "Little Girl Blue" "Feeling Good", etc., are really good. But she's dead so I can't really speak for Nina.

And Nina's version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" takes the song to totally new heights, both in rhythm and in phrasing.

My two faves are her 11 Minute version of Isn't It A Pity on the Emergency Ward LP and the live version of Westwind on the Black Gold LP. The early 70's RCA stuff is excellent! Seeing Kabuki Starshine perform Isn't It A Pity at PS122 for (I think) the Marsha P Johnson Story blew my mind. And then there's her Bee Gees covers - don't get me started!

I was lucky enough to see her last performance in NYC at Carnegie Hall - she was frail and while the house was hooting and stomping for an encore, she was helped out to center stage by to able-bodied assistants and merely said into the mic - "Why don't you people go the hell HOME?"

Her autobiography is a must-read, too!

My two faves...

1) "Feeling Good"
The BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT Basil Twist used this song as the theme for "Jackie's Baby".
Picture it:
The "Rosemary's Baby Carriage" on stage. "Feeling Good" starts and out crawls "Jackie's Baby" who does this totally demonic dance number to it. Her eyes light up red, she sprouts devil wings and flys away.
If you can't picture it don't worry, it is highly featured in the Jackie 60 Movie.
Now if we can just get the rights to the song. But hey, how difficult could Nina Simone be? It shouldn't be that hard right?
(Thanks a lot Basil!!!!!)

2) "Everybody's Gone To The Moon"
The MESSY MESSY MESSSY Messy Bonnie Raitt used this Nina Simone song as the music to her stunning "Outer Space Christmas Number" at Cabaret Magique. A sad drunken Bonnie crawls through the stunned crowd as Nina sings, "Everybody's Gone To The Moon".

(It's always "stunning" to see how bad Messy Bonnie is. I know it's suppposed to be bad but...
it really is bad. Actually, it's more sad).

Bonnie's space helmet was obviously "inspired" by the Boy George tribute to Leigh Bowery, "Taboo".

George didn't mind but I'm not so sure how Nina and Leigh felt (wherever they are).

Helmets aside, daddy, I have heard that the daughter holds the rights now and is amenable to getting her mother's work out there again, so it won't be forgotten... which is why there is a HUGE compilation supposedly in the works...

It seems like there are tons of Nina Simone "best of" compilationd on CD these days, both of the Phillips and RCA stuff. I need to get some more of her later material though, I have like three best ofs on Verve alone! I guess with some artists the term "best of" is a weird one because there are so many opinions of what the artist's best material is.

You're right Hattie,

I know her daughter is working on getting a movie produced.

And I hear that Mary J Blige wants the part.

God Help Us (IMHO)
Satori

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Zazoo and Satori,

Oh no, not MJB! I don't really see her as Nina either..any thoughts on who should play her?

Paul Alexander.

Sweet. that's a good look for the younger incarnation of Nina...but I can't think of any others right now.

True, I could see Paul (Opal Tuesday) as Nina-- young and older, with a bit of make up magic for the latter.
But, for a genetic female, I have no ideas. She needs to have those beautiful "negroid" Black features, which are not particularly in vogue now among Black American actresses and singers. Some of the Broadway "Color Purple" actresses could do it, but their voices are all wrong.

Me'shell Ndegeocello. I think she could pull it off and make it really interesting. She's so stunning, and has the attitude; she has a different type of voice, certainly, but I think she'd be able to stretch it out for this.

Yeah but who can pronounce that name!
Not me.

But I like her and think she would be good.

She use to drive the girls crazy at The Clit Club".