In year’s past, the BET Awards old school performance always steals the night: Earth, Wind & Fire and Prince slayed. Al Green was this year’s legendary honoree/performer. In his acceptance speech Al Green thanked.. The Academy.. like he was at the Oscars.
Thinking he was joking.. everyone laughed. He wasn’t. Not getting the response he was looking for, Al Green said the hell with this speech and walked backstage.. veer left . over to his performance.

I wish I could say I was surprised that he seemed so wacky, but in a WaxPoetics interview I kind of got a hint that he was..

I’ll let him tell it.

“I’m not the hangout type of guy. I’m not the hangout type. I dont hang out with people. I’m kind of like, um, I don’t know what I am. I don’t have any friends. I don’t have no hangouts. I don’t have no parties. I don’t have none of that. I’m just not a hangout type of guy.

If they was sitting in my dressing room, I still wouldn’t be hanging out with them, cause I’m like a [laughs] I don’t know what I am, man!
I can’t figure out what I am. I’m just the way I am, and that’s it!

Do I act normal to you?”

Waxpoetics: I’m sorry?

“Do I act normal to you?”

Waxpoetics: Well, I wouldn’t know normal if it smacked me in the head, so I don’t know!

“There ya go, thank you! That’s exactly what I was saying. Normal could be normal for someone else but not normal for another person.”
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He ended that interview in mid-sentence with.. “Well, I’ll tell you what, it was nice talking to you and have a good and blessed day. Now Mahalia Jackson and Satchmo and Ella Fitzgerald and.. “

Yeah, he said goodbye, hello.

Still gotta love him and even though I felt like I was on a cruise ship, his performance too.

Note this: Lay it Down Al Green’s new album, produced by The Roots ?uestlove is an A- affair.

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Image: (Wireimage)