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| Archives December 10, 2006 www.webdigestweekly.com |
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| The Incomparable Susaye Greene Supreme To The Extreme Apart from her distinction as being the last official member of The Supremes, Susaye Greene has amassed an incredible body of work in more areas of the entertainment world than most entertainers would ever dream of boasting. Susaye began at an early age and has done nothing but flourish ever since. Along with her tenure with The Supremes, she has also worked with the likes of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, New Birth, Courtney Pine, and Billy Eckstine. Her most recent CD, Brave New Shoes, released in 2005, has created a loud buzz in the music industry. It celebrates her evolution from Supreme to accomplished soloist in an exquisite manner. A totally different approach than what she used on her first solo album, No Fear Here, Susaye exhibited her growth as a singer and as a songwriter with first class results. Listening to her music is like stepping into a zone that is all Susaye. You don't really want to step back out of it. Although music is the forte for which she is best known, Susaye has been very active in other venues as well. She is the creator of SupremeXtreme, a character in the superhero mold who bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful Miss Greene herself. She is also a poet and a writer. I was honored to have the chance to interview her for Web Digest Weekly. JCP: Thank you very much for this interview, Susaye. SG: It is certainly my pleasure. JCP: Tell us what you've been up to in recent months. SG: I have been in the editing studio, going through parts of my documentary, I have been painting furiously. I’m working on my animated character Supremextreme and I am painting a series of paintings in collaboration with some wonderful artists. JCP: Are you planning any live concert dates in the near future? SG: Yes, of course. For me, this has been a strange journey. People assume that you can just go out and do shows, but there is much planning and support needed. I’m just getting the right connections to do all of those things properly. JCP: Tell us about SupremeXtreme and what plans you have for her. SG: Supremextreme was created as both a mirror of our society and the things it is interested in, and a tool for introducing my film projects. The fact that she is an alien, female, and able to leap through dimensions makes it possible for her to do most of the things that we all wish we could do in our fantasies. She is able to wake up in Paris, go shopping on the Champs-Elysee’, go snow boarding on Mars, interview past and future presidents, scientists, sportspeople, movie stars, and cyber-technicians, ride giraffes for fun and wrestle dinosaurs, while looking cute and being a kick-ass kinda girl. That makes my job really easy. All I have to do is think up fantastic things for her to do, and draw them for the world to see. LOL. It’s an artist’s dream. JCP: Are you planning another CD in the future? SG: Yes, I am. I’m very excited about the progression my music has taken. It’s funny, when I used to sit in the studio for hours watching Ray Charles produce his music, I was fascinated, very attentive and I picked up an ethos of excellence from him, in the approach I have for producing. But Ray was very traditional in his outlook. Of course, there was a great age difference between us, and while he was quite chauvinistic in his outlook toward women, I’m proud to say he always treated my musicianship with great respect. He trusted my experience and my intuition. He told me so many times, “Son, (that was his joke, because I was such a girly little thing, and he loved to pull my leg) I’d do music for free, it’s my breath. It’s the only thing that has been purely constant in my life.” Of course he made me promise to not tell the world that he would be in music for free. And that is how he left that 100 million dollar legacy. Ha! I feel that same depth of passion about music, though I don’t know if I’d do it for free! There’s just too much grief involved to not be compensated. I’m starting to write new material and I’m listening to a lot of songs. If a song attracts me, then I will sing it. It’s an exciting process, and recording is my favourite aspect of the business. I’ve met a lot of tremendous artists who have asked to work with me, so we will see how things go. But not too quickly. I’m not quite finished wearing my “Brave New Shoes” yet. I feel like I’m just starting to make an impact with that CD. More and more, people around the world are being exposed to my music and that is a wonderful phenomenon. JCP: I have to ask you about The Supremes. Can you share any memories from that time in your life? SG: To be specific, I have a lot of memories, both great and not so, but mostly, because I’m an extremely uplifted kind of person, I try to remember the good stuff. We had a hectic schedule, traveling constantly and doing a lot of shows, TV and interviews. It was a heady mix of flash and dazzle. Great hotels, fabulous food, terrific shows, the gowns, the music, the lights, all good stuff. Scherrie , Mary and I had a great working relationship. Very professional ladies who step up to the challenge. Exciting and competitive. I don’t feel I did my best work in The Supremes. There was so much going on underneath. I was hired to do leads and it was the time that Mary wanted to step out more. Because Scherrie had done most of the leads, that meant she had to give some things up to make space and I’m sure that was not fun. Also, when I watch old videos (someone is always sending them to me), I realize I was trying so hard “To Be Noticed”, which is not always good. But if you can see it from my perspective, I was given songs mostly not of my choice and limited time out front. So, one tends to push too hard. I guess, in retrospect, one could always do things differently. I’m generally proud of what I did; I tried to step up to the plate and I think that’s what counts. Mostly though, we had a lot of laughs and I saw a lot more of the world. JCP: Have you maintained friendships with your former groupmates? SG: Some yes, some no. That’s not to say we’re unfriendly; just involved with our various lives and careers. Basically, people in show business tend to do their own thing. Of course, you have friends, but they often do not understand the intensity of focus it takes to stay in this business. There is so much traveling, rehearsing, schmoozing, planning, etc., it is hard for people who are not in show business to understand it all. Friends who are in the business understand, but they are so busy themselves. It’s really an obsessed world. You have to present yourself to the world and if you are accepted on any level of success then you have to constantly be “on it” to move forward. Real life gets in the way, of course, and you have to find a real balance between business and reality. That’s true for all of us. Some are luckier than others, to have real family and friends. I dearly love Scherrie, Cindy and Lynda, and Jean, though we do not really spend much time together. We make the effort to support each other. Mary has her life and so does Diane. I spoke to Mary while she was ill to show her my support, of course. I haven’t seen Diane in a long time. Basically, we just all have our interests and we get on with it. I think people tend to think of The Supremes as some kind of secret club, where we have meetings and hang out all the time. While it is just curiosity on their part, it’s been a long, long time since we worked together and we all have things to do. Funny thing is, Mary and I used to hang out quite a lot. She’s terrific fun, full of adventure and spice. Scherrie is sensitive, emotional, extremely talented, even more than people know. Lynda is dynamic, loves to talk and laugh. Jean is thoughtful and a bit standoffish, but she can be tremendous fun too. Cindy is very spiritual; and acutely tuned in to the needs of people’s hearts. Diane and I have only really talked a few times, so I don’t really know her well. But I most admire her as a mother. Her children are beautiful and you can see the love there. JCP: Were you happy with the results of the Supremes 70's Anthology? SG: I thought it was a beautiful package. I’m glad on the one hand that it was made available for the fans' sake and that it gave kudos to the ladies who kept the Supremes going. On the other hand, I thought it was Mary’s way of separating the ladies who came after the original Supremes in the public’s mind. I was hired as one of the Supremes, not one of the 70’s Supremes. The politics that swirl around this issue are many and deep and while I do understand, I do not like. I won’t go into it any further, but needless to say, history will take care of itself. JCP: Where are you going from this point? SG: Forward, always forward. I’ve got some mighty plans and God willing, I will accomplish some of the things I’d like to do. JCP: Okay...Now for the questions to satsify your many fans. Married/Divorced/Single/Involved? SG: Married to the world’s most romantic, loving, flower-giving man. I deserve him. ;oD JCP: Do you have any children? SG: I have one beautiful and exciting son. JCP: Who were your influences? SG: Of course, my mother was my greatest influence. Such training and support, she gave me, I can never be thankful enough for. And most importantly, such a strong sense of self, she gave me. My musical influences are very varied. I love many things about many artists. Monk, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, James Ingram, Aretha, Chaka Khan, Mozart, Judy Garland, and of course, Ray Charles was probably the most influential man throughout my life other than my father. I have been surrounded by supportive nurturing people all of my life, thank God. I would like to thank the New York Public Library for keeping me busy on most weekends growing up. Without them, I would not know………the words. I love the words. JCP: What are your hobbies? SG: I adore gardening. I am quite a good organic gardener. And I’m studying gemology. JCP: Favorite place: SG: The secret place inside my head. JCP: Favorite food: SG: Popcorn and/or whatever’s good and varied. Though I have been considering becoming vegan again. Unless they come up with a new meat. I love most kinds of cuisine. I’ve been most places where food is really good and if I only had six months to live, I’d go to Italy and chow down till the end. “Last Supreme’s Last Meal” I can see it now: One of everything. I rest my case. JCP: Favorite movie: SG: The Godfather, The Matrix, Gone With The Wind, The Third Man, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Blade Runner, Lord of the Rings…I love movies. I’d rather see a good film than a bad one, but if there’s good company and popcorn, I’m there. I enjoyed Return of the Killer Tomato and Steve McQueens first movie The Blob as much as any of the serious stuff I’ve seen. It's all a lark. JCP: Shoes, socks, or bare feet? SG: Bare everything. Ha! Or beaded glory! LOL JCP: What one kernel of wisdom would you like to share? SG: To be passionate about all you do and don’t be afraid to do all that you’re passionate about. And don’t listen to bitchy people, cause they bring you down. JCP: Finally, what are you most proud of? SG: My family. And my ability to survive and continue to be creative. JCP: Thank you very much for the time you've given me. SG: Aw shucks, dude, time is what we give to those we care about. Thank YOU! As is easily readable above, Susaye Greene is a lovely lady with a zest for life. She's still supreme after all these years and she has so much to share with the world. This lady is a tribute to greatness. She is Supreme to the Extreme. Susaye's Website: www.supremextreme.com www.supremextreme.deviantart.com www.angelles.com (for Susaye's artistic prints gallery.) Susaye's My Space Page: www.myspace.com/susaye JC Parrish |
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