Joe Biz - August 3, 2009

Joe Biz – August 3, 2009
By Joe Leary

In the pantheon of iconic singer/songwriters, the name Smokey Robinson proudly ranks high among them.
From his earliest days as a member of a local Detroit group called The Matadors, the musical legend would soon become a member of the of the then fledgling Motown Records, for which Smokey not only wrote and recorded his own material, but composed countless classics for other artists in the Motown family, in addition to producing, developing talent, and helping with promotion.
Today at 69, Smokey Robinson can proudly lay claim to an incredibly rich musical catalogue and subsequent legacy, and is looking forward to returning to the area he tells me ranks among his favourites.
“I love Vancouver,” says Smokey. “Not only is it one of my favourite cities, but it is easily one of the most beautiful places to be in the world.”
The true musical genius that is Smokey Robinson returns to our town this Sunday, to headline the 10th Annual Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival at Deer Lake Park.
Despite all the Motown legend has accomplished; from an incredible body of musical work, to Hall of Fame inductions, and a litany of awards and musical doctorates among his personal and professional achievements, I asked him if there is anything left on his career wish list.
“Believe it or not,” Smokey tells me, “I would like to be in a movie. Not as a lead or anything, but just the chance to have some kind of role in a film.”

In the early nineties, Toronto-born Rob Stewart starred as Nick Slaughter, a pony-tailed, bare-chested P.I. on the short-lived Canadian TV series, ‘Sweating Bullets’ that became part of the CBS lineup known as ‘Crime Time after Primetime’. By his own admission, it was a B-Grade version of ‘Magnum P.I.’
The show disappeared after just three seasons, and save for occasional appearances on Canadian television, it was generally accepted that the show was all but forgotten.
You can then imagine the surprise that Stewart had when he launched a Facebook search for the program - under its international title of ‘Tropical Heat’ – just to see if anyone still cared about it, and found links to a number of Serbian websites paying homage to the character. It appears that Nick Slaughter had become a cult hero to the Serbs, and the actor was suddenly very much sought after.
While having virtually vanished from TV screens elsewhere, ‘Tropical Heat’ became a Serbian sensation in the nineties; being broadcast on four of the country’s five television stations, providing the nation with one of the few alternatives to the litany of state-controlled propaganda.
And when the nation’s youth took to the streets of Serbia in 1996 to protest the atrocities of the torturous regime of Slobodan Milosevic, Nick Slaughter became a poster boy of their opposition to great extents.
“They used the slogan ‘Nick Slaughter for President’ in their protests,” Stewart tells me. “It started in a sort of ironic, humorous way, but they even resorted to spray painting it on the side of buildings.
These students were very cunning because they were going up against massive armed force. They knew they couldn’t provoke violence, so they did it with humour. They just chose Nick Slaughter as anybody was better than Milosevic, and it just went viral after that.”
Armed with this knowledge, Stewart recently journeyed to Serbia with a filmmaker in tow and the response was overwhelming, with the actor cause bouts of public hysteria.
Hordes of media and screaming fans alike awaited the actor’s arrival, with thousands following and chronicling his every move. The visit culminated with Stewart appearing onstage alongside local punk band Atheist Rap, who performed their tribute song, ‘Nick Slaughter, Serbia Hails to You.”
The actor – soon to be seen in ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ - tells me that it was an overwhelming, albeit extremely emotional visit. Having had the ensuing mayhem and idolatry documented by an accompanying filmmaker, the resulting footage is currently being shopped around and could soon appear on the independent film circuit.

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It was 40 years ago this summer that nearly half a million concertgoers witnessed one of pop culture’s most iconic events in upstate New York. Warner Home Video has released, ‘Woodstock: Ultimate Collector’s Edition’; a beautifully-remastered DVD collection of the legendary music festival, containing never-before-seen performance footage, in addition to the full Director’s Cut of the film. To enter to win a copy of this must-have collection, simply click on the link below – and good luck!

www.tvweekonline.ca/contests

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