Common
Ultimate Ruffness
You Got To Feel It!
Posts: 7,442
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Post by Common on Sept 17, 2010 20:00:10 GMT -5
Common, I concur with your sentiment. I was thinking "Does this author really expect me to take this book seriously when he refers to Tammi Terrel as "major pussy". I mean, his he serious in allowing that quote to be published about a woman who has recorded some of the best duets in music history? How offensive and crude. I mean, how much lower and trifling can a book about the Temptations go. Citystars, I don't expect our artists to be saints and I'm sure alot of them were 'street' but they were able to separate the professional from the personal. Give them that respect. I'm tired of Black artists being treated like a joke or feel that this is the only way the audience can relate to them. Nobody would ever refer to Yoko Ono or Linda McCartney or any other ladies that the Beatles might've slept around with in this manner. I'm sure the audience is intelligent enough to figure out that David, Paul, and Eddie were popular with the ladies. No need for the author to be gutter about it.
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Post by Duchess on Sept 17, 2010 20:24:04 GMT -5
The author wasn't the one throwing around the "pussy" word, it was Billy Wilson lol. And believe me, Tammi is not portrayed as some weak & meek delicate flower who was abused by the evil brute David Ruffin! Tammi was portrayed as damaged goods by the time she got to Motown, and she was like the female version of DR. Someone even said it was Tammi that got DR started on cocaine. I'll be back with some Tammi excerpts (and to be truthful, Tammi was really not discussed that much in this book...she took up maybe a combined 10 pages outta of what? 300? And that includes her relationship with DR).
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Common
Ultimate Ruffness
You Got To Feel It!
Posts: 7,442
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Post by Common on Sept 17, 2010 20:41:35 GMT -5
The author wasn't the one throwing around the "pussy" word, it was Billy Wilson lol. And believe me, Tammi is not portrayed as some weak & meek delicate flower who was abused by the evil brute David Ruffin! Tammi was portrayed as damaged goods by the time she got to Motown, and she was like the female version of DR. Someone even said it was Tammi that got DR started on cocaine. I'll be back with some Tammi excerpts (and to be truthful, Tammi was really not discussed that much in this book...she took up maybe a combined 10 pages outta of what? 300? And that includes her relationship with DR). I know it was Billy Wilson but damn, he could've chosen better words. Richard Pryor, Billy ain't! LOL! Okay, you just had me doing a double take. Are you for real??? Who said that Tammi that got DR started on cocaine?? Her sister said in her book that the strongest thing that Tammi took was weed. But I agree, she was the female version of DR ( alot of us have stated that many times on this board). Yikes!! BTW, have you read TT's sis' book? Molly, what do you think about that revelation?
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Post by Ruffette on Sept 17, 2010 21:39:38 GMT -5
The author wasn't the one throwing around the "pussy" word, it was Billy Wilson lol. And believe me, Tammi is not portrayed as some weak & meek delicate flower who was abused by the evil brute David Ruffin! Tammi was portrayed as damaged goods by the time she got to Motown, and she was like the female version of DR. Someone even said it was Tammi that got DR started on cocaine. I'll be back with some Tammi excerpts (and to be truthful, Tammi was really not discussed that much in this book...she took up maybe a combined 10 pages outta of what? 300? And that includes her relationship with DR). I appreciate the info. There's no telling when I'll be able to get a copy of the book. As for Tammi getting DR hooked on cocaine...that wouldn't surprise me if it were true and it really upsets me to even think about it. I've wondered sometimes what led him down that path. When did he get his first hit and who gave it to him? What was it like for him and why did he keep going back to it? Anyone else ever wonder these things? Anyway, I'm glad that the book doesn't focus much on Terrell. It's supposed to be about the Temps. Personally, I'm only interested in David and there was definitely more to David than Terrell. That part about her possibly introducing him to cocaine is disturbing though.
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Post by citystars on Sept 17, 2010 22:52:37 GMT -5
Sorry, but I can't and will never give credibility to any book that uses that quote about Tammi Terrel. I don't think he's keeping it real or telling it like it is. He's trying to sell books and make money at other's people expense by being provocative plain and simple. I wonder would he have included that quote about Tammi if either she or David were still living? It's so easy to cast asperions on the dead when they are not here to defend themselves.
Much of what Duchess has reported to date, I either already heard in conversation with others or read somewhere else. The stories and rumors surrounding the Temptations and/or Tammi Terrel or any other Motown star are not new to me.
This book just sounds straight up trilfing and as a result, I have chosen not to read it.
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Post by Duchess on Sept 18, 2010 20:59:52 GMT -5
Here's another quote from Billy Wilson regarding Tammi Terrell:
"...David got major pussy. Let me tell you, Tammi Terrell was major pussy. Of course, she also was an accident waiting to happen. She was wild, she'd been turned on to drugs, hard drugs, cocaine. She got David hooked on drugs. That's a fact. Look, David was an accident waiting to happen too, but she got him into all his destructive behavior. Him roughing her up, I'm not making excuses for that. But it was a factor of what Tammi was."
And so, whoever was more to blame, these codependents in madness and excess just went on destroying each other, and for Ruffin the worst consequences of getting "major pussy" would become all too clear, all too soon enough.
WTF is Billy Wilson's deal against Tammi? And btw, who the hell is Billy Wilson anyway lol? I'm not naive or in denial about TT...I know she was wild and had been very experienced very early on in her life, but what the hell!?! Did Tammi put roots on DR or what lol? I don't care how "major" a woman's pu$$y is, she can't make no man do cocaine if he doesn't really want to...ya heard!
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Post by Duchess on Sept 18, 2010 21:32:00 GMT -5
Here's a quote showcasing Otis' contradiction in retelling stories about DR & TT's relationship:
Ruffin's barbaric treatment of Terrell is not a subject many Motown survivors can comfortably dissect. In fact, Otis, in Temptations, took the easiest way out, avoiding it save for oblique, between-the-lines hints, writing with circumspection, "His thing with Tammi was intense and quite tumultuous. Later on, they began to fight as [sic] lot. Their relationship was definitely a rocky one....Still, no matter what problems they had, one thing was certain: She loved David and I'm sure David loved her." He also made the sutured case that she was "very good for David," in that she didn't cater to his ego; for example, not letting him miss rehearsals if he was with her.
But what he didn't put in his book was what Tammi confided in him when David wasn't around. "One time we were talking and she kept saying, 'My head hurts.' I asked why and she just came out and told me that David had hit her in the head with a lamp. She went, "Here, feel,' and put my hand up to the back of her head. I felt a big lump and just went, 'Wow.'
"It's still something you think about, like, how could he hit a woman with a lamp? It's not like the rest of us were perfect husbands and boyfriends, but we didn't beat up on our women. My wife and me argued and shoved one another, but I'd never do what he did. You might get your nuts cut off for doing that. I don't want to sleep with one eye open."
Here's my take on O's contradiction: Otis' book originally came out in 1988 when David was still alive. So I doubt punk-a$$ Otis would have put some mess about lamp beatings in his book while David was still alive because O knew what would happen to him (David would beat O's a$$ with a lamp! lol). Now, even if this lamp story is 100% true, it looks very bad that O switched up like that only after David died! If O would've told that lamp story in his '88 book, I would have been more inclined to believe him...but now???
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Post by Duchess on Sept 18, 2010 22:01:23 GMT -5
Okay, here's the last quote for today. It has nothing to do with Tammi, it just made my jaw drop a little after reading this: At least right away, Ruffin, for all of his tantrums about being axed, seemed prepared to get on with his own future, even playing good soldier for the group. In fact, he himself informed his replacement, having been privy to Otis's soft spot for Dennis Edwards, the erstwhile Contour who was such a fan of David and had worked so hard to become his friend, that his recent romance with Sandra Ruffin was actually undertaken only after David himself gave permission for Dennis to move in on her....[/color] To quote Snoop Dogg, "It ain't no fun if the homies can't have none!" LOL! So not only did Dennis replace DR in the Temptations, but he replaced DR is Sandra's bed as well! Bad, Duchess! Bad, Duchess! If this is true, I don't know what's more shocking...Dennis pushing up on Sandra, or DR actually giving Dennis permission to push up on Sandra
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Common
Ultimate Ruffness
You Got To Feel It!
Posts: 7,442
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Post by Common on Sept 18, 2010 22:32:51 GMT -5
Here's another quote from Billy Wilson regarding Tammi Terrell: "...David got major pussy. Let me tell you, Tammi Terrell was major pussy. Of course, she also was an accident waiting to happen. She was wild, she'd been turned on to drugs, hard drugs, cocaine. She got David hooked on drugs. That's a fact. Look, David was an accident waiting to happen too, but she got him into all his destructive behavior. Him roughing her up, I'm not making excuses for that. But it was a factor of what Tammi was."
And so, whoever was more to blame, these codependents in madness and excess just went on destroying each other, and for Ruffin the worst consequences of getting "major pussy" would become all too clear, all too soon enough.WTF is Billy Wilson's deal against Tammi? And btw, who the hell is Billy Wilson anyway lol? I'm not naive or in denial about TT...I know she was wild and had been very experienced very early on in her life, but what the hell!?! Did Tammi put roots on DR or what lol? I don't care how "major" a woman's pu$$y is, she can't make no man do cocaine if he doesn't really want to... ya heard!This is straight up shocking! Billy Wilson is the head of Motown Alumni Association. I had no idea that he was all up in the mix like that. I really don't know what to believe....however, if Tammi had David like that, I can believe it. The 60s was the decade of drug experimentation and I think these folks got into it because they thought it was fun. I don't think anyone thought that this behavior was destructive until they realize they were addicted. If Tammi was such a big influence in David's life, as per Ludie's book, I don't think it's unconceivable that she got David to try cocaine (if this really happened, which I'm on the fence about). When people are young and in love, they do all kinds of crazy things together. I don't think that's far fetched. On a whole, Billy's account sounds a little crazy to me and I wonder if there are other people who will back up his account.
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Common
Ultimate Ruffness
You Got To Feel It!
Posts: 7,442
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Post by Common on Sept 18, 2010 22:39:46 GMT -5
Here's a quote showcasing Otis' contradiction in retelling stories about DR & TT's relationship: Ruffin's barbaric treatment of Terrell is not a subject many Motown survivors can comfortably dissect. In fact, Otis, in Temptations, took the easiest way out, avoiding it save for oblique, between-the-lines hints, writing with circumspection, "His thing with Tammi was intense and quite tumultuous. Later on, they began to fight as [sic] lot. Their relationship was definitely a rocky one....Still, no matter what problems they had, one thing was certain: She loved David and I'm sure David loved her." He also made the sutured case that she was "very good for David," in that she didn't cater to his ego; for example, not letting him miss rehearsals if he was with her.
But what he didn't put in his book was what Tammi confided in him when David wasn't around. "One time we were talking and she kept saying, 'My head hurts.' I asked why and she just came out and told me that David had hit her in the head with a lamp. She went, "Here, feel,' and put my hand up to the back of her head. I felt a big lump and just went, 'Wow.'
"It's still something you think about, like, how could he hit a woman with a lamp? It's not like the rest of us were perfect husbands and boyfriends, but we didn't beat up on our women. My wife and me argued and shoved one another, but I'd never do what he did. You might get your nuts cut off for doing that. I don't want to sleep with one eye open."Here's my take on O's contradiction: Otis' book originally came out in 1988 when David was still alive. So I doubt punk-a$$ Otis would have put some mess about lamp beatings in his book while David was still alive because O knew what would happen to him (David would beat O's a$$ with a lamp! lol). Now, even if this lamp story is 100% true, it looks very bad that O switched up like that only after David died! If O would've told that lamp story in his '88 book, I would have been more inclined to believe him...but now??? I don't believe O. He needs more people! Even if it did happened, why didn't he confront David? Nah, he's too busy gossiping and talking about 'oh, how terrible that he did that'. Where in the hell are the real men in the story and why didn't O stand up to David? After the Tempts movie came out, he stated he added another chapter to his Tempts book. So why didn't he add this revelation in that book as well? Nah, O needs more people and all those Motown people who didn't do a damn thing while Tammi was being treated 'barbarically' by David, were punks, too! Get the hell outta here with this crap! You mean to tell me none of them men could've jumped and beat David's ass to stop that foolishness? I don't know what's worse: David's treatment of Tammi or so-called Motown 'people' who flapped their lips about how they detested David and didn't do a damn thing to help Tammi! They all were a part of the problem!
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Common
Ultimate Ruffness
You Got To Feel It!
Posts: 7,442
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Post by Common on Sept 18, 2010 22:45:29 GMT -5
Okay, here's the last quote for today. It has nothing to do with Tammi, it just made my jaw drop a little after reading this: At least right away, Ruffin, for all of his tantrums about being axed, seemed prepared to get on with his own future, even playing good soldier for the group. In fact, he himself informed his replacement, having been privy to Otis's soft spot for Dennis Edwards, the erstwhile Contour who was such a fan of David and had worked so hard to become his friend, that his recent romance with Sandra Ruffin was actually undertaken only after David himself gave permission for Dennis to move in on her....[/color] To quote Snoop Dogg, "It ain't no fun if the homies can't have none!" LOL! So not only did Dennis replace DR in the Temptations, but he replaced DR is Sandra's bed as well! Bad, Duchess! Bad, Duchess! If this is true, I don't know what's more shocking...Dennis pushing up on Sandra, or DR actually giving Dennis permission to push up on Sandra [/quote] Now, the question here is: What the hell did David have over some of these people? O runnin scared and Dennis gets permission to screw his ex-wife! Didn't genna mentioned in her book that Dennis helped her with baby stuff for jr.? This is straight outta of a Donald Goines novel! Folks have the nerve to hate on Tony Turner and this guy prints trash like this? C'mon now. Who gave the writer this information? Man, I honestly don't believe this. I really don't. This is the same guy who claimed that Otis and Flo were cousins!
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Common
Ultimate Ruffness
You Got To Feel It!
Posts: 7,442
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Post by Common on Sept 18, 2010 22:51:37 GMT -5
BTW, Tony Turner stated in his book that Tammi was beaten by different people in and outside of Motown. I also recall Martha Reeves (who didn't have anything nice to say about Tammi in her book but in Ludie's book, she had a 'change of heart'), said that she didn't care for Tammi because 'she did things that weren't right'. What were those 'things' that she talked about? She had no problem talking about Diana's nasty behavior but suddenly she's 'mum' on Tammi's. Martha used to brag about 'knowing where all the skeletons were hidden'. Hmmmmm....I wonder if Martha was bought off to keep quiet? Just thinking out loud....
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Post by Ruffette on Sept 19, 2010 0:14:31 GMT -5
Are there any more quotes from his children, Sandra, or any non-Motown people that may have some credibility and substance to it Duchess?
What I was really interested about was his childhood, last days, and his attempts at rehab. Any info on this stuff?
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Post by Ruffette on Sept 19, 2010 0:28:15 GMT -5
I wonder how much love his children had/have for him. Reading Nedra's quote about money made me think of the other story about her...I think it was told by Tony. Nedra asked someone to look for David's diamond earring after his death. My first thought was that she wanted some type of heirloom or something...something to remember him by. But after reading those other quotes, I wonder if she just wanted to sell it.
Jr. seems to have alot of love and respect for him, but what about the girls?
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Post by Queenie on Sept 19, 2010 19:05:20 GMT -5
The author wasn't the one throwing around the "pussy" word, it was Billy Wilson lol. And believe me, Tammi is not portrayed as some weak & meek delicate flower who was abused by the evil brute David Ruffin! Tammi was portrayed as damaged goods by the time she got to Motown, and she was like the female version of DR. Someone even said it was Tammi that got DR started on cocaine. I'll be back with some Tammi excerpts (and to be truthful, Tammi was really not discussed that much in this book...she took up maybe a combined 10 pages outta of what? 300? And that includes her relationship with DR). Duchess, now we know how the author feels about DR and TT...what is he saying about the rest of the fine temps excluding O and Mel?
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