Drunk History (2013) s05e03 Episode Script
Game Changers
1 (Patriotic music) Grand Wizzard Theodore is like (Imitates record scratching) Oh, snap, I think I just invented scratching.
(Imitates DJ scratching) And Diana Ross was like, I can sing! And Berry Gordy was like, that vocal range is supreme.
And Nichelle Nichols was like, Captain, I have something to communicate with you.
Live long and prosper.
I do this.
I go there.
Yeah, that's the shocker.
(Laughs) (Patriotic music) (Passionate string music) So you just pop it like this, yeah? Yes.
(Grunts) See how strong I am, Quest? - (Cork pops) - Ah! Check, please.
Sorry.
- Yo, you just missed - Oh sorry, sorry, sorry My day manager by, like, seconds.
(Laughs) Party people in the place to be.
My name is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about the birth of hip-hop culture.
Now, it's 1973, and Clive Campbell, AKA Kool Herc, born in Jamaica, has come to New York to find a better opportunity.
And he's like, yo, I'm gonna be a big DJ.
So, he's playing soul music, and there was always a part in that song where they would literally give the drummer some, and that's called "the breakdown.
" The breakdown.
So, soon as James Brown warns you that we 'bout to give the drummer some, suddenly, the place would go out their mind.
Like (Imitates drumming) And then Kool Herc would just be at the turn table, like, yo, I got it.
I'm gonna play only the best part of the song, only the break, and then move on, and then move on, and then move And then, his sister, Cindy Campbell, is like, hey, Herc no.
She was saying, hey, Clive, I want you to DJ my back-to-school jam.
And Kool Herc is like, yep.
So, August 11, 1973, at this particular party, Kool Herc invented the Merry-Go-Round theory.
First of all, he was using two turntables, which was unheard of back then.
And he's like, watch, and he played those 11 seconds, the break.
And then, when that part was over, he'd fade it and then go to the next song, using this other turntable.
And the party was spinning on their heads, spinning on their knees, spinning on their backs, spinning on their noses.
And Kool Herc is like (Burps) Sorry, I just feel like the Michael Jackson "Smooth Criminal" lean, - when it was about to happen.
- (Laughs) (Chuckles) Like that.
That's what happening.
Anyway, so, his his claim to fame was inventing hip-hop.
Pretty good invention.
And then, in 1976, Joseph Saddler, AKA Grandmaster Flash, would take a crayon and mark the point where the break starts.
And then one day, he was just tired of doing that.
How can I take the Merry-Go-Round theory and make it better? And so, he goes to Radio Shack, and says, I want a queuing system that will allow me to hear a record before the audience hears it.
How can I do it? And they said, are you out your mind? There's no way that you can do it.
And so, he's basically taking a razor and slicing (whooshes) the chords and inserting the chords into the back of the mixer.
And, you know, everyone's like, no, no, no, you're gonna destroy the system! You're gonna destroy the system! And he's like, no, I got this.
And with his scien scientific trickery, he invented the queuing system.
Now, Flash is like, I'm able to take a four-bar drum break (Imitates drumming) One, two, three, and extend it.
(Imitates drumming) He has two copies of the same song.
(Imitates drumming) Damn.
I'm so dizzy right now, you just don't know.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
Anyway So, Flash had an apprentice named Mean Gene, and Mean Gene had a little brother named Theodore Livingston.
So, Mean Gene, Theodore, and Mama Livingston, all living in this apartment complex.
Now, there was one rule for young Theodore Livingston, and that rule was, don't touch our equipment when we're gone.
He's like, all right.
Five, four door shuts three.
(Imitates drumming) Now, he's like, I'm 12 years old, but if it kills me, I'm gonna be bigger than Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash.
But, uh, Mama Livingston, she just told him, yo, just keep it down.
And he's like, sorry, Mom.
But he, uh, started making a mixtape, and he was loud.
(Imitates drumming) And she bust in again.
I thought I told you to turn it down! And he's he puts his hand on the turntable.
And he's like, ah, man, I'm gonna get it now.
But, here's the thing, his mixtape that he was recording was still recording.
But she startled him so much that he started shaking, (Imitates record rumbling) And then, he decides to stop the tape.
(Pops) And he wanted to hear the progress he did.
So, at the point where she's yelling at him, he had an epiphany.
He said, wait a minute, you're meaning to tell me when I put my three fingers on this record, and I do this (Brushing) it makes this weird noise? He's like, maybe it's a fluke, so then he gets another record.
(Imitates record scratching) He says, yo, this sounds crisp.
So I can do I can go (Imitates record scratching) Oh, snap, I think I just invented scratching.
So, he had a Batman, "Wait till they get a load of me" moment.
(Chuckles) So, he waits for this perfect block party, because he knew that he had lightning in a bottle.
And Flash, Herc, every DJ is there.
I mean, he's he has to stand on a crate, in order to reach the turntable.
That's how much of a kid he is.
And he it's just a moment full of tension.
He just looks looks at the stylus, and he goes (Imitates record scratching slowly) (Scratching picks up tempo) (Imitates drumming) And the audience goes apeshit.
He doesn't just extend it like Flash does, like an extended loop.
He is like (Imitates drumming) And people stop dancing, and they just watch him.
(Imitates record scratching) And they never that's the first time they ever heard scratching.
And Grandmaster Flash is looking like, what the hell was that? And Kool Herc is like, what the hell was that? And Grand Wizzard Theodore felt elated and justified, so he takes Kool Herc's Merry-Go-Round theory, and he takes Flash's Peek-A-Boo system of hearing records ahead of time, and then puts the perfect cherry on top, precise cutting and scratching, and that completes the final word of hip-hop DJing.
The art of turntableism is a beautiful invention.
Hm.
I mean the best babysitter I ever had in my life was my dad's turntable.
One, two, three, four.
(Record scratching, modulating) (Dynamic percussive music) - This is called - Oh, that's nice.
Extending the beat.
BOTH: One, two, three, four.
Mm.
(Record scratching) Well, that was your quasi-lesson.
I love that.
This is math and science.
- It is.
- It also reminds me of this.
I'm gonna see if I well, I don't wanna school you, - but, uh - School me.
Ta, ta, ti-ti, ta Ta, ti-ti What do you know about ta and ti ti ta's? Rest (Laughs) You just spoke my language.
What's with that hat? (Laughs) This hat is White Women hat, and it is my improv group, and we are seven black gentlemen.
Okay.
It's fun.
Right.
(Laughs) Greetings.
I'm Carl Tart, and today we're gonna talk about the man, the myth, the legend, Mr.
Berry Gordy.
Our story begins in Detroit, Michigan.
And Berry Gordy got this job at General Motors.
He would be on the assembly line, being like, ooh, I feel the revving of the engine.
It's, like, rhythmic.
(Imitates rhythmic revving) Like, these the sounds that these cars are making, it's like music to my ears.
I got to be a music producer.
It's hitting me, Derek.
It's okay.
- This liquor is hitting me now.
- (Chuckles) Anyway, so, Berry Gordy bought this house, and he was so dope, he called it Hitsville U.
S.
A.
- Hitsville.
- Hitsville.
He's like, this is where hits come from, in Detroit, Motor Town, or as I like to say it, Motown.
(Whispers) Motown.
Ooh, that's what we gotta call it.
- Mm-hm.
- Ooh, that shit is dope.
- You like that? - (Chuckles) So, in 1960, all these people from Mississippi and Alabama and Texas, they go to Detroit, where they can get a job at an auto place.
You'd get off the bus and be like, Ooh, bah, doo, doo Bah, doo, doo, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, boom And because of his experience at GM, Berry was like, I'm gonna go get some of these kids off the street, and I'm gonna build an assembly line of people that can sing, so here I go.
And he was like, yo Oh, shit, sorry.
You're all good.
It's in my ass now.
I know.
Get that ice cube out of your ass, Carl.
Get that ice cube out of your ass.
BOTH: Get that ice cube out of your ass.
(Laughter) Anyway, after that, Berry Gordy was like, all right, I need some women singers.
Come on in here.
Let me hear you sing.
And they were like I can sing And he was like, that vocal range is supreme.
I'm gonna call y'all The Supremes.
So, The Supremes had a lead singer.
Her name was Diana Ross.
And Berry Gordy was like, oh, shit, that's the woman I wanna be with right there.
I'm in love with you, Diana Ross.
I want us to be together.
And she was like, no, I'm not in love with you back.
You not my type.
You ugly.
I'm not into you.
And he was like, all right, that's fine, we can keep this relationship working.
So a part of this assembly line during the building process of these artists.
And Berry Gordy was like, I need Maxine Powell and Charlie Atkins, the etiquette coach and the dance teacher.
And Maxine was like, I'm the most classy woman in the world.
I'm Maxine Powell.
Look how I hold my long cigarette.
Listen, white people got tight butts, and it's the '60s.
Y'all need to have tight butts like white people.
And so, they all tightened their butts up, and they squeezed them.
And Charlie Atkins was like, yeah, tight butts, but we also gotta teach you how to dance.
A-five, six, seven, eight.
And they would do all this dope stuff.
And they became these superstars across the world.
They go to London, tight butts.
America, tight butts.
Canada, tight butts.
So in the 1960s, Berry "Gorda" get Berry "Gorda.
" Abe Vigoda.
(Chuckles) Berry Gordy was pushing out all these artists.
And he'd be like, I got The Temptations, I got The Supremes; I got Marvin Gaye; I got Martha Reeves and the Vandellas; I got The Contours; I got Stevie Wonder.
Stevie Wonder can't see shit, but his music is dope.
And so from 1965 to 1968, Motown had $15 million in sales.
And they desegregated music.
Motown was like, we bringing our black asses up in here.
Killin' the game.
Motown, we here.
But Berry did love Diana Ross, and he loved her so much that he took her to Paris.
So they went up to the hotel, and she was like, okay, well, I'm wooed by this.
I'm a woman of my own means.
I'ma let you hit it.
I'ma let you smash.
And Berry was like, for real? She was like, yes, I'm gonna let you smash.
Let's get in the bed.
And Berry's getting into bed.
He has all these thoughts in his head, and his head is like, this is the best moment of my life.
This is bigger than when I started Motown.
I'm about to smash Diana Ross.
I've been wanting to do this for a long time.
But then, he was like, I can't I can't get it up.
I can't get it up.
My dick's not working.
And it's the '60s.
There's no Viagra yet.
And he looked at her.
He was like, Diana, no! Not right now.
My dick ain't hard.
And she was like, all right, that's fine, all right? I like you now, so you ain't gotta get it up tonight.
But we in Paris (Sniffs) so let's go get some baguettes and eat at the Moulin Rouge, 'cause those are Paris things, you see.
And they ended up smashing for a bunch of years.
Wow.
But, eventually, in 1988, Berry Gordy was like, I'm done with this.
I can't run this record label no more.
None of all my artists is gone.
Damn.
And then, somebody was like, hey, I'll buy it for $61 million.
And Berry Gordy was like, hell yeah.
And then, he went on to retire.
He's just an old ass man, 86 years old sitting on the beach, buying stuff on Amazon.
R&B music binds cultures, and I commend Berry Gordy for starting that.
What he did was take these artists, and he said, hey, this is what people wanna hear.
Like, everybody likes rap.
Everybody likes R&B, and Berry Gordy's the father of all that stuff.
Berry Gordy, I'll cheers to that.
Berry Gordy I got nothing to cheers to.
(Chuckles) No.
(Chuckles) Live long and prosper.
All right, you're gonna teach me.
- You have all your fingers together - I do.
And then, you just go like this.
(Groans) Stay together.
Put them all together.
Okay.
And then, just I do this.
- I go there.
- No, that's that's the shocker.
(Laughs) Hi, I'm Ashley Nicole Black, and today we're talking about Nichelle Nichols.
So it's 1964, and Nichelle Nichols guest stars on an episode of a show called "The Lieutenant," that's run by Gene Roddenberry.
And Gene Roddenberry was like, you're amazing; you're so beautiful.
Do you wanna be on this new show called "Star Trek"? Here's my plan.
It's gonna be super utopian, and black ladies can be bosses, so this is exactly a really big deal.
So Nichelle Nichols is like, that sounds chill as hell, so let's do that show.
So they start filming "Star Trek," and Nichelle Nichols plays Lieutenant Uhura, who's the communications officer, so she's like, Captain, I have something to communicate with you.
Boo-boo-boo-boo-boo.
And she has nails that are way too long for space.
But also Nichelle Nichols doesn't actually watch the show, because back then, TV came on at a certain time, and she was at work during that time.
So at the end of the first season, she's like, "Star Trek" is cool, whatever.
I don't know if anybody watches it.
But my dream is to be on Broadway.
I wanna sing.
I wanna dance.
And she goes to Gene Roddenberry, and she's like, hey, I'm gonna go to Broadway, so I'm done Trekking.
I'm done.
So, he tells her, like, please, just, like, take the weekend to think about it.
And she was like, whatever, bitch, fine.
So that weekend, Nichelle Nichols goes to an NAACP fundraiser, and one of the organizers comes up to her, and is like, hey, there's a guy here, and he's your biggest fan, and he really wants to meet you.
And she's like, okay, cool, whatever.
Bring on the nerd.
And she sees her fan, and he's like, your show is the only show that I allow my three little children to stay up and watch.
We love "Star Trek.
" It's so good.
And she's like, excuse me, are you Martin Luther King? And he's like, yes, I am Martin Luther King, and I'm a Trekkie.
And she's like, fuck me.
(Chuckles) But it's real.
Martin Luther King loved "Star Trek.
" And he's like, you are the only black woman on television who doesn't play a servant.
You're the only person out there providing hope to black people that there's a future, where maybe they won't be seen as less than, and they'll be seen as equals.
And she's like, wow, that's great, except for I'm leaving.
I quit "Star Trek" this week.
I'm so sorry.
And he's like, no, you can't quit.
Do you realize that you are the first black "women" who's black woman.
He wasn't drunk when he said it.
No, it's okay.
I was drunk.
But Martin Luther King was like, if you leave, this one image that children have of a black woman as an equal will just disappear from television.
And she's like, well, fuck, that's a lot.
That's, like, a lot.
That's a lot on my shoulders.
Can you chill? And he's like, No, I'm Martin Luther King.
I have no chill.
And she was like, okay, I'll think about it.
Stay tuned for more "Drunk History.
" Do you know how the first interracial kiss on television happened? So Nichelle Nichols goes into Gene Roddenberry's office and she's like, Gene, I met Martin Luther King this weekend, and he really likes your shit.
And he's like, oh, my God (Gasps) Someone understands what I'm trying to do here.
She's like, oh, my God, shut the fuck up.
That's not the point.
The point is, this show is going to advance racial equality.
I'll stay on your show.
So, you know, they're filming "Star Wars.
" - It's great.
- Is that true? Oh, my God.
(Laughter) Also very good.
So they're doing "Star Trek.
" It's great.
People love it.
At some point, Gene Roddenberry's like, I know we're gonna push the envelope.
We're gonna have the first interracial kiss.
And William Shatner is like, hell yes.
And Nichelle Nichols is like, whatever, fine.
But the network came down and was like, whoa, hold on, we can't have an interracial kiss on TV.
So William Shatner convinces them, let's shoot it both ways.
We'll shoot it with the kiss first, and then, we'll shoot it without, and you can decide what you wanna do in editing.
So they shoot the scene with the kiss, and then, he's like, you know what, I have a note.
Let's try it again.
Let's try it again.
Let's do it one more time.
And they shoot it over and over and over again.
And they're like, William, enough kissing, okay? We only have time to shoot this one more time.
And he's like, okay, let's just do one without the kiss.
So it isn't until the next day that they watch the scene and see that William Shatner crosses his eyes to the camera.
And they're like, what the fuck, is this really happening? And William Shatner was like, I guess we either have to air this interracial kiss or not have a scene.
And that is how the first interracial kiss gets on television.
Wow.
And then, in 1969, America lands on the Moon.
And everyone in America's like, oh, my God, we landed on the Moon.
It's amazing.
And Nichelle was like, uh, hold up, that's all white dudes.
What the fuck, right? So she gives this big speech, and she's like, NASA, get your shit together.
Can you please recruit someone to be an astronaut who's not a white dude? And NASA's like, okay, cool, but, like, can you do it? 'Cause we don't know anybody who's not a white dude.
So Nichelle Nichols was like, ugh, black ladies have to do everything.
So she travels around the country, and she recruits people to be in NASA, and she's like, hey, black people, Asians, lady people, do you wanna go to space? And they're like, okay, cool.
And she recruited Sally Ride.
And then, she recruits Colonel Bluford.
He was the first black dude to be in NASA.
How cool is that? And then, she recruited Mae Jemison.
And she was like, hey, you should apply for NASA.
And Mae Jemison is like, oh, my God, you were on "Star Trek.
" I love you.
But she's like, pay attention.
So Nichelle Nichols was, like, the first black lady to go to space for fake, and she recruited the first black lady to go to space for real.
She literally integrated space.
Everybody who's really good at math, or whatever you have to be good at to be go to NASA, can do whatever they wanna do.
But we still need to prosper if we're gonna live long.
Yeah.
(Laughs) Is this America right now? - That's trying so hard, but - (Laughs) Yes.
But it can't get over But its ring finger just can't deal with it.
(Patriotic music)
(Imitates DJ scratching) And Diana Ross was like, I can sing! And Berry Gordy was like, that vocal range is supreme.
And Nichelle Nichols was like, Captain, I have something to communicate with you.
Live long and prosper.
I do this.
I go there.
Yeah, that's the shocker.
(Laughs) (Patriotic music) (Passionate string music) So you just pop it like this, yeah? Yes.
(Grunts) See how strong I am, Quest? - (Cork pops) - Ah! Check, please.
Sorry.
- Yo, you just missed - Oh sorry, sorry, sorry My day manager by, like, seconds.
(Laughs) Party people in the place to be.
My name is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about the birth of hip-hop culture.
Now, it's 1973, and Clive Campbell, AKA Kool Herc, born in Jamaica, has come to New York to find a better opportunity.
And he's like, yo, I'm gonna be a big DJ.
So, he's playing soul music, and there was always a part in that song where they would literally give the drummer some, and that's called "the breakdown.
" The breakdown.
So, soon as James Brown warns you that we 'bout to give the drummer some, suddenly, the place would go out their mind.
Like (Imitates drumming) And then Kool Herc would just be at the turn table, like, yo, I got it.
I'm gonna play only the best part of the song, only the break, and then move on, and then move on, and then move And then, his sister, Cindy Campbell, is like, hey, Herc no.
She was saying, hey, Clive, I want you to DJ my back-to-school jam.
And Kool Herc is like, yep.
So, August 11, 1973, at this particular party, Kool Herc invented the Merry-Go-Round theory.
First of all, he was using two turntables, which was unheard of back then.
And he's like, watch, and he played those 11 seconds, the break.
And then, when that part was over, he'd fade it and then go to the next song, using this other turntable.
And the party was spinning on their heads, spinning on their knees, spinning on their backs, spinning on their noses.
And Kool Herc is like (Burps) Sorry, I just feel like the Michael Jackson "Smooth Criminal" lean, - when it was about to happen.
- (Laughs) (Chuckles) Like that.
That's what happening.
Anyway, so, his his claim to fame was inventing hip-hop.
Pretty good invention.
And then, in 1976, Joseph Saddler, AKA Grandmaster Flash, would take a crayon and mark the point where the break starts.
And then one day, he was just tired of doing that.
How can I take the Merry-Go-Round theory and make it better? And so, he goes to Radio Shack, and says, I want a queuing system that will allow me to hear a record before the audience hears it.
How can I do it? And they said, are you out your mind? There's no way that you can do it.
And so, he's basically taking a razor and slicing (whooshes) the chords and inserting the chords into the back of the mixer.
And, you know, everyone's like, no, no, no, you're gonna destroy the system! You're gonna destroy the system! And he's like, no, I got this.
And with his scien scientific trickery, he invented the queuing system.
Now, Flash is like, I'm able to take a four-bar drum break (Imitates drumming) One, two, three, and extend it.
(Imitates drumming) He has two copies of the same song.
(Imitates drumming) Damn.
I'm so dizzy right now, you just don't know.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
Anyway So, Flash had an apprentice named Mean Gene, and Mean Gene had a little brother named Theodore Livingston.
So, Mean Gene, Theodore, and Mama Livingston, all living in this apartment complex.
Now, there was one rule for young Theodore Livingston, and that rule was, don't touch our equipment when we're gone.
He's like, all right.
Five, four door shuts three.
(Imitates drumming) Now, he's like, I'm 12 years old, but if it kills me, I'm gonna be bigger than Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash.
But, uh, Mama Livingston, she just told him, yo, just keep it down.
And he's like, sorry, Mom.
But he, uh, started making a mixtape, and he was loud.
(Imitates drumming) And she bust in again.
I thought I told you to turn it down! And he's he puts his hand on the turntable.
And he's like, ah, man, I'm gonna get it now.
But, here's the thing, his mixtape that he was recording was still recording.
But she startled him so much that he started shaking, (Imitates record rumbling) And then, he decides to stop the tape.
(Pops) And he wanted to hear the progress he did.
So, at the point where she's yelling at him, he had an epiphany.
He said, wait a minute, you're meaning to tell me when I put my three fingers on this record, and I do this (Brushing) it makes this weird noise? He's like, maybe it's a fluke, so then he gets another record.
(Imitates record scratching) He says, yo, this sounds crisp.
So I can do I can go (Imitates record scratching) Oh, snap, I think I just invented scratching.
So, he had a Batman, "Wait till they get a load of me" moment.
(Chuckles) So, he waits for this perfect block party, because he knew that he had lightning in a bottle.
And Flash, Herc, every DJ is there.
I mean, he's he has to stand on a crate, in order to reach the turntable.
That's how much of a kid he is.
And he it's just a moment full of tension.
He just looks looks at the stylus, and he goes (Imitates record scratching slowly) (Scratching picks up tempo) (Imitates drumming) And the audience goes apeshit.
He doesn't just extend it like Flash does, like an extended loop.
He is like (Imitates drumming) And people stop dancing, and they just watch him.
(Imitates record scratching) And they never that's the first time they ever heard scratching.
And Grandmaster Flash is looking like, what the hell was that? And Kool Herc is like, what the hell was that? And Grand Wizzard Theodore felt elated and justified, so he takes Kool Herc's Merry-Go-Round theory, and he takes Flash's Peek-A-Boo system of hearing records ahead of time, and then puts the perfect cherry on top, precise cutting and scratching, and that completes the final word of hip-hop DJing.
The art of turntableism is a beautiful invention.
Hm.
I mean the best babysitter I ever had in my life was my dad's turntable.
One, two, three, four.
(Record scratching, modulating) (Dynamic percussive music) - This is called - Oh, that's nice.
Extending the beat.
BOTH: One, two, three, four.
Mm.
(Record scratching) Well, that was your quasi-lesson.
I love that.
This is math and science.
- It is.
- It also reminds me of this.
I'm gonna see if I well, I don't wanna school you, - but, uh - School me.
Ta, ta, ti-ti, ta Ta, ti-ti What do you know about ta and ti ti ta's? Rest (Laughs) You just spoke my language.
What's with that hat? (Laughs) This hat is White Women hat, and it is my improv group, and we are seven black gentlemen.
Okay.
It's fun.
Right.
(Laughs) Greetings.
I'm Carl Tart, and today we're gonna talk about the man, the myth, the legend, Mr.
Berry Gordy.
Our story begins in Detroit, Michigan.
And Berry Gordy got this job at General Motors.
He would be on the assembly line, being like, ooh, I feel the revving of the engine.
It's, like, rhythmic.
(Imitates rhythmic revving) Like, these the sounds that these cars are making, it's like music to my ears.
I got to be a music producer.
It's hitting me, Derek.
It's okay.
- This liquor is hitting me now.
- (Chuckles) Anyway, so, Berry Gordy bought this house, and he was so dope, he called it Hitsville U.
S.
A.
- Hitsville.
- Hitsville.
He's like, this is where hits come from, in Detroit, Motor Town, or as I like to say it, Motown.
(Whispers) Motown.
Ooh, that's what we gotta call it.
- Mm-hm.
- Ooh, that shit is dope.
- You like that? - (Chuckles) So, in 1960, all these people from Mississippi and Alabama and Texas, they go to Detroit, where they can get a job at an auto place.
You'd get off the bus and be like, Ooh, bah, doo, doo Bah, doo, doo, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, boom And because of his experience at GM, Berry was like, I'm gonna go get some of these kids off the street, and I'm gonna build an assembly line of people that can sing, so here I go.
And he was like, yo Oh, shit, sorry.
You're all good.
It's in my ass now.
I know.
Get that ice cube out of your ass, Carl.
Get that ice cube out of your ass.
BOTH: Get that ice cube out of your ass.
(Laughter) Anyway, after that, Berry Gordy was like, all right, I need some women singers.
Come on in here.
Let me hear you sing.
And they were like I can sing And he was like, that vocal range is supreme.
I'm gonna call y'all The Supremes.
So, The Supremes had a lead singer.
Her name was Diana Ross.
And Berry Gordy was like, oh, shit, that's the woman I wanna be with right there.
I'm in love with you, Diana Ross.
I want us to be together.
And she was like, no, I'm not in love with you back.
You not my type.
You ugly.
I'm not into you.
And he was like, all right, that's fine, we can keep this relationship working.
So a part of this assembly line during the building process of these artists.
And Berry Gordy was like, I need Maxine Powell and Charlie Atkins, the etiquette coach and the dance teacher.
And Maxine was like, I'm the most classy woman in the world.
I'm Maxine Powell.
Look how I hold my long cigarette.
Listen, white people got tight butts, and it's the '60s.
Y'all need to have tight butts like white people.
And so, they all tightened their butts up, and they squeezed them.
And Charlie Atkins was like, yeah, tight butts, but we also gotta teach you how to dance.
A-five, six, seven, eight.
And they would do all this dope stuff.
And they became these superstars across the world.
They go to London, tight butts.
America, tight butts.
Canada, tight butts.
So in the 1960s, Berry "Gorda" get Berry "Gorda.
" Abe Vigoda.
(Chuckles) Berry Gordy was pushing out all these artists.
And he'd be like, I got The Temptations, I got The Supremes; I got Marvin Gaye; I got Martha Reeves and the Vandellas; I got The Contours; I got Stevie Wonder.
Stevie Wonder can't see shit, but his music is dope.
And so from 1965 to 1968, Motown had $15 million in sales.
And they desegregated music.
Motown was like, we bringing our black asses up in here.
Killin' the game.
Motown, we here.
But Berry did love Diana Ross, and he loved her so much that he took her to Paris.
So they went up to the hotel, and she was like, okay, well, I'm wooed by this.
I'm a woman of my own means.
I'ma let you hit it.
I'ma let you smash.
And Berry was like, for real? She was like, yes, I'm gonna let you smash.
Let's get in the bed.
And Berry's getting into bed.
He has all these thoughts in his head, and his head is like, this is the best moment of my life.
This is bigger than when I started Motown.
I'm about to smash Diana Ross.
I've been wanting to do this for a long time.
But then, he was like, I can't I can't get it up.
I can't get it up.
My dick's not working.
And it's the '60s.
There's no Viagra yet.
And he looked at her.
He was like, Diana, no! Not right now.
My dick ain't hard.
And she was like, all right, that's fine, all right? I like you now, so you ain't gotta get it up tonight.
But we in Paris (Sniffs) so let's go get some baguettes and eat at the Moulin Rouge, 'cause those are Paris things, you see.
And they ended up smashing for a bunch of years.
Wow.
But, eventually, in 1988, Berry Gordy was like, I'm done with this.
I can't run this record label no more.
None of all my artists is gone.
Damn.
And then, somebody was like, hey, I'll buy it for $61 million.
And Berry Gordy was like, hell yeah.
And then, he went on to retire.
He's just an old ass man, 86 years old sitting on the beach, buying stuff on Amazon.
R&B music binds cultures, and I commend Berry Gordy for starting that.
What he did was take these artists, and he said, hey, this is what people wanna hear.
Like, everybody likes rap.
Everybody likes R&B, and Berry Gordy's the father of all that stuff.
Berry Gordy, I'll cheers to that.
Berry Gordy I got nothing to cheers to.
(Chuckles) No.
(Chuckles) Live long and prosper.
All right, you're gonna teach me.
- You have all your fingers together - I do.
And then, you just go like this.
(Groans) Stay together.
Put them all together.
Okay.
And then, just I do this.
- I go there.
- No, that's that's the shocker.
(Laughs) Hi, I'm Ashley Nicole Black, and today we're talking about Nichelle Nichols.
So it's 1964, and Nichelle Nichols guest stars on an episode of a show called "The Lieutenant," that's run by Gene Roddenberry.
And Gene Roddenberry was like, you're amazing; you're so beautiful.
Do you wanna be on this new show called "Star Trek"? Here's my plan.
It's gonna be super utopian, and black ladies can be bosses, so this is exactly a really big deal.
So Nichelle Nichols is like, that sounds chill as hell, so let's do that show.
So they start filming "Star Trek," and Nichelle Nichols plays Lieutenant Uhura, who's the communications officer, so she's like, Captain, I have something to communicate with you.
Boo-boo-boo-boo-boo.
And she has nails that are way too long for space.
But also Nichelle Nichols doesn't actually watch the show, because back then, TV came on at a certain time, and she was at work during that time.
So at the end of the first season, she's like, "Star Trek" is cool, whatever.
I don't know if anybody watches it.
But my dream is to be on Broadway.
I wanna sing.
I wanna dance.
And she goes to Gene Roddenberry, and she's like, hey, I'm gonna go to Broadway, so I'm done Trekking.
I'm done.
So, he tells her, like, please, just, like, take the weekend to think about it.
And she was like, whatever, bitch, fine.
So that weekend, Nichelle Nichols goes to an NAACP fundraiser, and one of the organizers comes up to her, and is like, hey, there's a guy here, and he's your biggest fan, and he really wants to meet you.
And she's like, okay, cool, whatever.
Bring on the nerd.
And she sees her fan, and he's like, your show is the only show that I allow my three little children to stay up and watch.
We love "Star Trek.
" It's so good.
And she's like, excuse me, are you Martin Luther King? And he's like, yes, I am Martin Luther King, and I'm a Trekkie.
And she's like, fuck me.
(Chuckles) But it's real.
Martin Luther King loved "Star Trek.
" And he's like, you are the only black woman on television who doesn't play a servant.
You're the only person out there providing hope to black people that there's a future, where maybe they won't be seen as less than, and they'll be seen as equals.
And she's like, wow, that's great, except for I'm leaving.
I quit "Star Trek" this week.
I'm so sorry.
And he's like, no, you can't quit.
Do you realize that you are the first black "women" who's black woman.
He wasn't drunk when he said it.
No, it's okay.
I was drunk.
But Martin Luther King was like, if you leave, this one image that children have of a black woman as an equal will just disappear from television.
And she's like, well, fuck, that's a lot.
That's, like, a lot.
That's a lot on my shoulders.
Can you chill? And he's like, No, I'm Martin Luther King.
I have no chill.
And she was like, okay, I'll think about it.
Stay tuned for more "Drunk History.
" Do you know how the first interracial kiss on television happened? So Nichelle Nichols goes into Gene Roddenberry's office and she's like, Gene, I met Martin Luther King this weekend, and he really likes your shit.
And he's like, oh, my God (Gasps) Someone understands what I'm trying to do here.
She's like, oh, my God, shut the fuck up.
That's not the point.
The point is, this show is going to advance racial equality.
I'll stay on your show.
So, you know, they're filming "Star Wars.
" - It's great.
- Is that true? Oh, my God.
(Laughter) Also very good.
So they're doing "Star Trek.
" It's great.
People love it.
At some point, Gene Roddenberry's like, I know we're gonna push the envelope.
We're gonna have the first interracial kiss.
And William Shatner is like, hell yes.
And Nichelle Nichols is like, whatever, fine.
But the network came down and was like, whoa, hold on, we can't have an interracial kiss on TV.
So William Shatner convinces them, let's shoot it both ways.
We'll shoot it with the kiss first, and then, we'll shoot it without, and you can decide what you wanna do in editing.
So they shoot the scene with the kiss, and then, he's like, you know what, I have a note.
Let's try it again.
Let's try it again.
Let's do it one more time.
And they shoot it over and over and over again.
And they're like, William, enough kissing, okay? We only have time to shoot this one more time.
And he's like, okay, let's just do one without the kiss.
So it isn't until the next day that they watch the scene and see that William Shatner crosses his eyes to the camera.
And they're like, what the fuck, is this really happening? And William Shatner was like, I guess we either have to air this interracial kiss or not have a scene.
And that is how the first interracial kiss gets on television.
Wow.
And then, in 1969, America lands on the Moon.
And everyone in America's like, oh, my God, we landed on the Moon.
It's amazing.
And Nichelle was like, uh, hold up, that's all white dudes.
What the fuck, right? So she gives this big speech, and she's like, NASA, get your shit together.
Can you please recruit someone to be an astronaut who's not a white dude? And NASA's like, okay, cool, but, like, can you do it? 'Cause we don't know anybody who's not a white dude.
So Nichelle Nichols was like, ugh, black ladies have to do everything.
So she travels around the country, and she recruits people to be in NASA, and she's like, hey, black people, Asians, lady people, do you wanna go to space? And they're like, okay, cool.
And she recruited Sally Ride.
And then, she recruits Colonel Bluford.
He was the first black dude to be in NASA.
How cool is that? And then, she recruited Mae Jemison.
And she was like, hey, you should apply for NASA.
And Mae Jemison is like, oh, my God, you were on "Star Trek.
" I love you.
But she's like, pay attention.
So Nichelle Nichols was, like, the first black lady to go to space for fake, and she recruited the first black lady to go to space for real.
She literally integrated space.
Everybody who's really good at math, or whatever you have to be good at to be go to NASA, can do whatever they wanna do.
But we still need to prosper if we're gonna live long.
Yeah.
(Laughs) Is this America right now? - That's trying so hard, but - (Laughs) Yes.
But it can't get over But its ring finger just can't deal with it.
(Patriotic music)