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"With two whiskey bottles, I want to see which bouncer can hold me. I'll bite their ears off."
Tim Maia
When Tim Maia was saying this, he probably had a big smile on his face. This does not mean that he wouldn't do it, and there might be an earless bouncer or two in Rio to prove the rule, but it does give the uninitiated an idea of the man Tim Maia was. He had both the sense of humor and the total self-destruction clocks ticking down at the same time. Something like a madman joyriding in a clown car, Maia careened through his short life fuelled by cocaine, drink and extra terrestrial cult worship until he hit the wall with a massive coronary at 55 and vaporized, leaving behind only his music and his litter of children scattered across Brazil.
However, like most of the maniacs that history remembers, Tim Maia did leave a substantial creative legacy. In his music he blended Brazilian samba rhythms with American soul and cultivated a powerful voice that was just as happy and gravelly as it was a floating falsetto. He had soul, whether he was singing an old classic or one of his Mo-Town-samba hybrids. And with lyrics as funky and defiant as "Let's Have a Ball," and "I Don't Care," Tim garnered much acclaim in Brazil-- he wasn't dubbed the godfather of Brazilian soul for nothing.
Just as he tinkered with American soul music in life, Tim Maia bent American musician stereotypes in death. In some ways, he was playing the stock role of the doom-bound rockstar and untimely death was inevitable. But whatever else might be said, Tim Maia did not get shot by his father nor was he found in a hotel bathtub with a couple syringes sticking out of him. He was just on stage and his body finally gave out. His madcap spirit, which was a constant source of amusement to him, would never have given out in the same way and is not crushed by his tragic death. Wherever else it may be and let's hope it is somewhere with aliens Tim Maia's soul can be enjoyed, with a smile, whenever his albums are played.
CHECK OUT THE YOUTUBE TIM MAIA KARAOKE LOUNGE:
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KARAOKE LOUNGE: VIDEO 2
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