PULSE / Music
A
s a serious actor, soulful singer, and ridiculously funny comedian, JAMIE FOXX is a triple threat. Raised by his grandparents in Terrell, Texas dur- ing the racially turbulent 1970s, he’d cut up in his el- ementary school class to get laughs. Whether portray- ing himself as a seven year old playing piano for his grandmother, clowning on the Jamie Foxx TV show, playing a mentally ill person in The Soloist, or rocking the microphone on his very own Sirius satellite radio channel, Jamie always gives himself - a wickedly tal- ented, whirling dervish of a man.
Jamie Foxx: What’s happening? Scrappy: Love your radio show, dawg! It’s intelligent. J: Yeah Scrappy, we tried to stick with a black Howard Stern format. People really gravitated to it and now we’ve got people all over the world listening to this radio show.
So what made you do radio? J: Years ago, a guy by the name of Dick Gregory, who’s big time into civil rights, a comedian, and an entertainer, said to me, “Young man, if you ever get a chance to get a radio station, get it. You’ll always have a voice, you’ll always be able to tell your jokes and tell your commen- tary; you’ll always be able to promote and you’ll always be able to talk about life.” So when the chance came, I jumped on it.
S:In some essence, you’re naked on the radio. As an actor, come- dian and singer, you’re surrounded, but on the radio, it’s just you. J: Yes! And it’s great. I have the chance to get personal. I’ve had a couple of self-help guys come on and talk to the fans, and I get to tell jokes that I normally wouldn’t be able to. It lets me be me.
30 | Pulse Magazine SWFL
S:What is the most surprising part of your success? J: Winning the Oscar. I was cryin’. My friends who knew me by Eric Bishop (real name) were cryin’. Halle and Denzel are supposed to win Oscars, not me!
S:Were you nervous on Oscar night? J: I was anxious, but also filled with a sense of accomplishment even before they announced my name.
S:How did you feel when they did announce your name? J: I was floating! Suddenly, there was my respect for my craft. I had to go into humble mode. It was like winning the Super Bowl, NBA Championship and Stanley Cup all at once – and with my daughter there beside me!
S:You gave your daughter a memory! J: Fabulous!! I look for any opportunity to strengthen my bond with my daughter. I want to be the man that shows up for her. I want to be a huge influence on her.
S: Is it hard to be a role model when your parents were not around for you during your childhood? J: I did have role models. Although my parents weren’t around, my grandparents adopted me when I was seven months old. I was never short on the love of a mother and father, although it came from an earlier generation of family.
S: What’s the most important lesson your grandmother taught you? J: My grandmother was a very confident woman. I think about what she must have endured during the sixties. She knew who she was and passed on that confidence. And the love she and my grandfather al- ways extended to me.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72