comment #1

lazespud says ...

"Second "Soul Men" star dies"

Samuel Jackson better watch out...

Like many people, I loved Hayes through South Park. I felt bad how that whole thing ended....

comment #2

C-PhreekII says ...

This one hurts.

Mac was gifted comedic actor who never got a chance to really shine on his own (his bits in OCEAN'S 11 are studies in underplaying a moment for better effect. Just watch him with the rental car guy).

But Hayes... Those opening cords of the "Theme from Shaft"... Fuck the Bee Gees and Travolta, when I walk the streets of New York wanting to feel like "da man" it's that tune that runs through my head. He was embedded in the 70's and the 90's zeitgeist in ways most artists can only dream about.

It is a shame his last moments in the celebrity spotlight was over his departure from "South Park" and how much it reveal his manipulation by Scientology. But, the reminder that it is a brainwashing cult is always needed.

comment #3

Craptastic says ...

The main question I have regarding his death is: Did he indeed crap himself?

comment #4

Adonis says ...

If Scientology actually rebuilds him I'm going to be awfully impressed...

comment #5

huntermdaniels says ...

Scientology is no more brainwashing than Christianity and both make about as much sense. Revelations ends with dragons fighting zombies for supremacy of the universe. So shut up about how "bad" Scientology is. Judeo-Christian faiths have a body count of 100,000,000 and Scientology has an alleged count on 7.

I'm sorry to see the man go. And all of your crass jokes are disgusting and should be deleted.

comment #6

Marty Melville says ...

I watched Truck Turner for the first time a couple of weeks ago...Jonathan Kaplan's movie is a blast, trotting out every Blaxploitation trope in the book while throwing in a hilariously foul-mouthed Nichelle Nichols along with an appropriately ominous Yaphet Kotto.

For the first ten minutes or so, it seemed that Issac Hayes had no business stepping in front of the camera. But as the movie progressed, Hayes loosened up and his performance, while amateurish, became extremely likable and even warm-hearted.

RIP, Mr. Hayes

And yeah, the general assholery of the comments here is pathetic.

comment #7

The Hoyk says ...

Jeff, I can see how you might not be enamored of the SHAFT theme, as it is one of those cultural touchstones that's been so exposed and parodied as to lose some of its lustre. I mean, I disagree with that, but I follow the logic.

But, have you ever, say, heard Isaac perform "I Stand Accused," especially with it's long spoken-word prologue? That one still gives me chills.

comment #8

BurmaShave says ...

"Scientology is no more brainwashing than Christianity and both make about as much sense. Revelations ends with dragons fighting zombies for supremacy of the universe. So shut up about how "bad" Scientology is. Judeo-Christian faiths have a body count of 100,000,000 and Scientology has an alleged count on 7."

YEs!!!! Bingo. Thank you.

comment #9

C-PhreekII says ...

Nice to see Karl Rove has so many admirers here. It's the old "Oh, yeah, well what about what Kennedy/Clinton did...?" retort when it comes to Scientology.

Say what you will about other faiths, but when I left mine no one hounded me to come back. When I spoke out against its dogmas, no one threatened me with legal action. It didn't sue the Cult Awareness Network in bankruptcy and buy up its assets.

But when any dogma crosses over from a life affirming faith to individual crushing cult, I have an issue with it. The secrecy and litigation is just downright creepy. Put another way, you don't have to reach the 10th level to find out about Buddha, you don't get hooked up to a machine no one can examine to have Allah revealed to you and aren't required to sign over your assets to accept Christ or Yahweh.

comment #10

quitstaringatme says ...

Ugh, spare me the "Christianity is worse than Scientology" bullshit. No Christian church charges people to attend, with prices growing higher while working towards higher levels of "enlightenment". Christianity doesn't have giant cruise ships stationed in international waters to make sure laws don't allow their congregation to escape.

And I'm so tired of the "body count" of the Christian faith, admittedly fucked up things people did in the name of Jesus hundreds of years ago. It's like being mad at the cotton industry for slavery.

It's still a shame that Isaac Hayes passed. No matter what he believed, I hope his beliefs brought him some comfort, and some comfort to his family.

comment #11

Chicago48 says ...

The theme from Shaft won for the same reason that the "Pimp" song won for Hustle & Flow, it was integrated into the story, and basicallydescribed the man - Shaft. As for his acting -- he wasn't an actor in the same way that Terence Howard or Tom Hanks is an actor. He was more like a cameo actor, with minor roles in movies. He would probably be the first to tell you music was his first love and talent, so to criticize him for his acting "skills" is like criticizing Aretha's acting skills in the Blues Brothers. He didn't make acting his targeted goal.

Did you guys know that Isaac signed over all his royalties decades ago because of bankruptcy and divorce? He literally had to start over from scratch because he was broke. Whatever royalties he received didn't come from his early 60s and 70s music.

comment #12

filmfestivalgeek says ...

"Issac Hayes does a passable job playing the cool and calm Moriarty, and was a good choice to play off (Anthony) Newley's frantic performance. He also has a very nice moment towards the end, where he drunkenly destroys all the plaster creations in his studio with a sledgehammer."

From review posted on IMDB re: It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, a lame but likeable Canadian tax-shelter comedy from 1975. Saw the film at the Hollywood Theatre on Yonge street in Toronto when I was working as an usher. I dare anyone to come up with a more obscure Issac Hayes performance than that.

Yeah, the Scientology fallout was unfortunate and , yeah,... the voice was amazing!

Peace, brother.

comment #13

huntermdaniels says ...

100 years ago? What about AIDS? Hmm? Reagan repressed information about the ways AIDS was spread because of undue influence from "Moral Majority" that saw any information about homosexuality or drug use (which they disgustingly conflated) as an encouragement of said behavior.

The social formatting of Christianity is on a whole other level. You aren't even assimilating the date for the ways that Judeo-Christian faiths screw with your life. Read up on Foucault's concept of the hierarchy of knowledge. The concept of righteousness itself has been subverted by Christianity.

Listing "wacky' things that Scientology does, does not an argument make. No. The Catholic Church doesn't own a cruiseliner. But 1-in-3 LGBTQ youths will attempt suicide because of the church's influence.

Go ahead an hate Scientology and call it scam. It is. You know why? Because it's a religion. But picking on this faith simply because it's different than the earlier faiths makes you look like a real schmuck to anyone with half a brain.

comment #14

The Hoyk says ...

What's also curious is that the descriptions of SOUL MEN (long-estranged partners in a soul duo reunite) sound fairly similar to a UK TV movie Isaac appeared in called SOUL SURVIVORS. In that film, Ian McShane plays a d.j. obsessed with a long-defunct U.S. soul group who tries to reunite them for a UK tour - Isaac and Antonio Fargas play the main men in the band. It was nothing great, but pleasant enough and it had good music in it. I'm sure there's plenty of differences between the two films that it's not worth a discussion about plagirism.

comment #15

huntermdaniels says ...

Also, as to the equivocation comment from C-PhreekII.

No, the evils of other faiths are relevant when discussing this topic. Many of the people who bash Scientology are doing so because they see it as an affront to their own faith. After all, if this religion has the gall to be based around a science fiction author, then what does that say about other faiths?

When the legitimacy of a faith is being questioned because of possible wrongdoing on the Church's part, a comparison to other faiths is warranted.

Interestingly enough, you yourself are actually guilty of the equivocation charge that you have lobbed my way.

comment #16

quitstaringatme says ...

huntermdaniels, while I can't, nor have any interest, in defending organized religion, you're forgetting the billions of dollars in financial aid and man hours that the Church has provided for humanitarian efforts worldwide, and the various other "good deeds" Christians have provided for the modern world. The reputation for the Church, or any Church, is not sterling, without a doubt, and their are many legitimate grievances.

But you can't blame suicidal teens and homophobia on Christianity at large, that is a problem of small minded individuals that have strained awfully hard to indict homosexuality based on their beliefs. There are many denominations of Christianity that openly accept gay people, and a silent majority of Christians that actively follow the message of peace and love that the Church was based on.

I can't speak about the Catholic church, which has long been dwindling in power and influence anyway, but for the most part, Christian doctrine does not support hate in any way. I'm sorry if you've encountered otherwise in your life, but those filled with hate and fear, that awful vocal minority that has so unfortunately become the face of Christianity, would hate and fear under any pretense.

Also, I'm pretty sure blaming the spread of AIDS on the "moral majority" is revisionist bullshit. As I remember, AIDS did spread lightning fast through the homosexual and heroin-loving communities at first, and that unprotected anal sex and needle sharing are still very high risk factors for the disease. But it's always fun to hate on republicans, so it doesn't bother me much.

comment #17

Craptastic says ...

Huntermdaniels...

Don't you have a sec check to attend?

Scientology is NOT a religion. It's a philosophy and complete scam.

What other religion do you know of that has a "navy"?

What other has its "navy" children working all hours of the day and feeds them only rice and beans if they screw up?

What religion punishes its adult members by making them wear all black and constantly run (you can't deny this-- I live next door from the Sea Org dorm and have seen this with my own eyes multiple times).

What other religion has a current leader that, according to many reports from high-ranking former members, beats the shit out of his underlings if they back-talk?

What other religion lies on a consistant basis about not having major revenge and stalking policies for people who speak against it?

What other modern day religious leader made his own wife do jail time for forcing her to break into IRS headquarters?

I could go on forever...

I bet you also believe that LRH fought a giant squid with his bare hands and cured his own blindness.

comment #18

huntermdaniels says ...

The social stigmatization of homosexuality comes from Christian culture. (Actually, all of "The Big Three").

The books, in no mixed terms say that women are less than men, gays should be killed, Jews are evil, and that slavery is A-OKAY. Just to name a few things I can think of references for off the top of my head.

That message of peace is there, but there is so much filth surrounding it that it is but a voice in a screaming crowd.

And, no. The Church was not based upon love. The Church was based upon control. Jesus has NOTHING whatsoever to do with any of the Churches. In fact, all they have done is drown his voice out. When you confuse the words of Jesus with the Dogma of the Church you actually demonstrate my points about the evils of the church.

"God is Dead" was not an accusation against a deity. It was a note that people's perspectives of the nature of G-d had become so warped by 1000 years of false preaching from fascists that we as human beings had become incapable of comprehening the "true" word any longer.

As for "The Moral Majority" that was an actual group lead by the likes of Jerry Falwell. It had regular correspondence with Ronald Reagan. He used them as advisers. Reagan never even said the word "AIDS" until 6 years after it hit. There were no PSA's or information spread. In 1981 scientists knew exactly what was up with AIDS, but the US Government did NOTHING about it.

Hundreds of Thousands died. Millions are dying now. As in, TODAY. And the best that the Pope is willing to do is permit condom usage for married couples where one partner has AIDS and the other does not. And that is seen as progressive.

You're probably older than I am. So you might not know how horrible sex-ed is in our schools. When we had the sex-ed people come in, there were literally from a Christian Abstinence only group. I just so happened to have printed out a copy of various CDC documents the night before, so I tore them a new A-hole, but you wouldn't believe the lies they were telling. And I'm in CA. We don't even accept the Government funding for sex-ed because they (because of undo religious influence) will only fund abstinence only (mis)education.

The negative influence of Christianity is still alive and well.

So, unless everyone here is willing to go and complain about every celebrity with any religious affiliation on their obit pages, they should shut up. Scientology is weird and creepy. Not because it's different, but because it's exactly the same as every other religion.

comment #19

huntermdaniels says ...

RE: Craptastic

Thank you for lowering the debate to simple name calling.

As for your accusations, they are tangential. Having a navy doesn't actually mean you're not a religion. Although, I guess there is the Salvation Army :P.

In fact, NOTHING you stated has any relevancy as per being a religion. I'm going to take everything you say with a pound of salt. You know why? I'm of Jewish ancestry, and I never grew horns. Your slurs are simply intolerance hidden under the guise of faux-concern. You don't care about the "victims" of Scientology. You fear the "other" and you take that out through violent rejection of their culture.

Case and point, your disgusting comment earlier.

That said, the south park episode was very funny. You know why? Because it was consistent with their anti-authority stance. When you say it, you come off as a hypocrite and a cretin.

comment #20

D.Z. says ...

I think the difference between Scientology and Christianity is Scientology has no moral values, tenets, or history. It's just a giant pyramid scheme for the sake of making money. It doesn't try to improve people's lives as much as make people think there's something wrong with their lives in the first place, so it can pounce on people's insecurities. As for religions having blood on their hands, well, the fact that L.Ronites have no standards in whose money they'll take means they could easily have people connected to human trafficking and war crimes-kind of like the Swiss. Remember when they were pretending to be innocent, too?

comment #21

huntermdaniels says ...

As I mentioned before, the very concept and definition of "morality' has been co-opted by religious groups through what Foucault called, The Hierarchy of Knowledge.

Okay. Scientology could have people connected with human trafficking and war crimes, but the Bible and Torah (haven't yet read the Koran), endorse these actions. Who was it you were calling immoral again?

comment #22

Craptastic says ...

Hunter,

Since I've been dubbed a cretin by you... get off the soapbox you f'ing know-it-all jackass.

comment #23

camster says ...

Since the dialogue seems to be taking a turn for the worse, can I just sit and be amazed that no one has acknowledged Hayes' wonderful Gandolph Fitch on The Rockford Files? Jesus, people, half of you are in LA. Show some respect.

comment #24

quitstaringatme says ...

Hunter,

You've obviously had some very negative experiences with so-called Christians, and as a recovering Methodist-turned-agnostic, I fully understand. Like I've said before, the Church is responsible for some fucked up shit, especially in the past.

Just allow me to reiterate that it's kind of reductive to blame the negative perspective of homosexuality on Christians. Not all that long ago, there there were assholes out there that thought hating black people was smiled upon by Jesus, and could bullshit some vague bible references into supporting that theory. There are flat out ignorant, angry, and ultimately frightened assholes out there that irrationally hate things that are different, but that's not religion's fault. If these, as Jeff likes to put tit, Bubbas worshiped, I dunno, Ted Danson, they could probably cite episodes of Becker that prove why gays are the worst thing ever. The bible, at least the new testament, doesn't mention homosexuals at all. It's the assholes that you should be mad at, not the message.

That said, Christians still don't charge you at the door. If you need a little spirituality to get you through whatever recent crisis you've faced, the doors of the Christian church are open. Scientologists have a cover charge. That's what pisses me off so much.

comment #25

D.Z. says ...

hunter: "Okay. Scientology could have people connected with human trafficking and war crimes, but the Bible and Torah (haven't yet read the Koran), endorse these actions."

So text from some random scholars who lived hundreds of years ago is the same as an organization which might have blood money now?

comment #26

D.Z. says ...

Hundreds=thousands.

comment #27

quitstaringatme says ...

Holy shit, DZ made a relevant and salient point.

I suddenly feel at peace. Thank you, DZ. Thank you.

comment #28

Adonis says ...

Jesus, talk about threadjack...

I'd only add this, and I'm an athiest: Homosexuality is something condemned, villified the whole world over. Christianity's not a fan, nor Islam, but I can tell you first hand of Chinese parents disowning gay children, and various African nations with little to no European religion who loathe homosexuality as well.

Rarely in history has homosexuality been embraced... even when it's been tolerated it's still usually been seen as pejorative.

From a purely scientific perspective, it's relatively pointless trying to equate Scientology as more or less fictitious than Christianity... I mean, as some of said, if you believe a man rose from the dead then you might as well believe anything.

Still, 20th century science fiction writer? Omnipotent giver of knowledge? Really?

comment #29

Terry McCarty says ...

Back to movies: Anyone see THREE TOUGH GUYS--with Hayes and Lino Ventura? If so, any good?

comment #30

chappiesan says ...

Nice work, dumb fucks. Next time Wells posts a story about scientology, I'll make sure to start a debate about which performance Isaac Hayes should have won an Oscar for, his role as Possum in Doctor Doolittle 2 or Asneeze in Robin Hood Men in Tights.

Fuck your religions. To the Christians, the angry scientologist guy is right about you. To the Scientologists, the holier-than-thou Christians are are dead on,... and, oh, thanks for buying up all sorts of nice beach front property to build your sanitariums, tearing down the forests to print the millions of books, which are overflowing from every scientolgist haunt, and for leaving your whacked-out personality tests on the public tranit here in Portland so I'm forced to listen to some crazy ass old man talk about finding solace in L Ron's "teachings," since his doctor is shutting off his oxycontin addiction, every time I step on the bus.

Isaac Hayes' performance in I'm Gonna Get you Scuka made my 1988.

comment #31

D.Z. says ...

chappie: I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is totally underrated in general; it's what Jackie Brown should've been, if QT wasn't wasting my time with bad music videos.

comment #32

chappiesan says ...

DZ, you always bring the goods, despite what the more vocal commenters may say.

A message brought to you by your friends at richloving.com.

comment #33

bmcintire says ...

Wow. Color me shocked and a little more than slightly freaked out. I was DJ-ing tonight and randomly put on "Run Faye Run" back-to-back with "Don't Let Go." Everyone seemed to enjoy hearing them both quite a bit, unsuspectingly. He will truly be missed. Sigh.

comment #34

Chicago48 says ...

Jeff, you should read Roger's column today about Isaac Hayes. Even more tragic is that he died broke.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,401321,00.html

comment #35

Monument says ...

"Scientology is no more brainwashing than Christianity and both make about as much sense. Revelations ends with dragons fighting zombies for supremacy of the universe. So shut up about how "bad" Scientology is. Judeo-Christian faiths have a body count of 100,000,000 and Scientology has an alleged count on 7."

I'm cool with religious discussions, but this is some uninformed bullshit from someone who likely took a semester of philosophy. Do yourself a favor and shut the fuck up.

comment #36

T. S. Idiot says ...

It Could Happen to You is a waste of time, but it livens up a tad every time Hayes' guardian angel appears. And what about this for a truly eclectic supporting cast: Hayes, Seymour Cassel, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins, Vincent Pastore, Red Buttons, Emily Deschanel, and Charles Busch?

comment #37

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comment #38

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