Nile Rodgers: The Evolution of Creativity – Review – Leeds Playhouse

 By Steve Crabtree, October 2024

We all know Nile Rodgers as a true icon of the music world. His career stats are off the charts – more than 75 million singles sold and 500 million albums shifted globally.

He’s worked with some of the biggest artists you could name: Madonna, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Duran Duran, and Daft Punk… we could be here all day.

His place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a no-brainer, and he is a two-time cancer survivor.

I’m a fan. I love his music, and being able to see him speak at Leeds Playhouse as part of The Evolution of Creativity series, I found out what a decent, genuine, down-to-earth guy he is too.

“Anecdote-laden, yet humble”

Nile was in conversation with the lovely musician and artist BEKA. And, right from the start, this anecdote-laden, yet humble guy came across as someone you could listen to for more than just the couple of hours we were in the room with him.

What we got from him was an entertaining evening full of insight, honesty, and lots of laughter along the way.

Rodgers made it clear from the beginning that he’s made himself the person he is today, and despite hardships getting in his way throughout his early life, he tackled all that with positivity.

“The soul of a million strangers”

It was a lovely start. Despite a ‘mic-drop’ moment that wasn’t planned! Nile shared some remarkable stories about his upbringing: Born to a 14-year-old mother, his early life was anything but conventional. His father was rarely home, then his stepfather was a white man. Something very rare back then.

And, despite his family being loving, they were also gripped by addiction…both parents were heroin addicts, and although Rodgers’ himself took drugs when he was 13, he picked up the guitar and that was his addiction – one that helped him take a journey to the top.

A classical guitar player in the beginning, as there were no classical guitarists at that time he told us that he saw a problem there.  So he knew he had to switch direction.

“Genius”

What opened my eyes to this genius who I’m a big fan of, was that his journey then took him down Sesame Street. And it was here where he saw that kindness was a key factor in life.  Kindness was a big thing for Nile Rodgers throughout his career, so he says. And this was further pressed on him when he told his music teacher he was fed up with playing ‘Sugar Sugar’ by The Archies.

He complained to his music teacher about the lack of substance in that song, being almost a music-snob in the process.  But the music teacher said something to him that would have an impact on Nile Rodgers’ creative mind forever. He told him that song had sold over 1,000,000 copies, to people who didn’t know The Archies personally.

But it speaks to the soul of a million strangers. And that’s what music is all about.  The way he told us that story made it clear that this was perhaps the most influential words that Rodgers’ had ever heard. One that played a part in how his creativity had mapped out over his life in music.

Nile was in tears telling the story.  But that wasn’t the only scenario where emotions impacted his life…

“FREAK OUT!”

One of the tales he told us in Leeds is a quite well-known one, was nice to hear Nile Rodgers tell it to us whilst we were only a few feet away.

When Grace Jones invited him and his bandmate, the late Bernard Edwards to see her at the Studio 54 nightclub, the doorman told them to “F*CK OFF!”  They tried again, and was met with “AHH F*CK OFF!”

Angry at this, they went home and jammed, using the expletives as lyrics to some sort of funky tune that was coming out of the guitars.  As they picked up on something special, they decided to censor the lyrics a little bit and replaced them with “FREAK OUT!” – giving birth to hit song Le Freak. 

As a side story from that, Luther Vandross happened to be around as that track was coming together and made use of the what if theory that we learned also plays a huge part in his creativity. Apparently, after “FREAK OUT!” there was a bit of music that needed something else to plug a gap. “What if…” Vandross said, and the lyrics “Le Freak, c’est chic!” were fused in.

Now, how’s that for a creative story about the biggest-selling record ever from Atlantic Records?

“A musical genius with heart”

We were lucky enough to hear him strum out some music on a replica of his Hitmaker guitar.  With no backing music, his work on that guitar was unmistakably him.  No-one can play a guitar like he can, and he deservedly earned applause with snippet he treated us to.

To close out the evening, with said guitar in hand Nile shared his creative process – and the what if method by telling us how David Bowie played him his version of ‘Let’s Dance’. Not very impressive, but we were let into the step-by-step, what if process of changing up a key, varying the tempo, changing things again, creating the song that was a smash hit for the Brit.

It was really fascinating to watch and listen to, and really – that sums up Nile Rodgers. Fascinating. I think everyone had found themselves in a room with the coolest, humblest and most talented person they’ve ever been in a room with.

And, as for The Evolution of Creativity…well…Nile Rodgers was tonight’s perfect guest.

Images: Tom Martin