If you were to ask me “What’s Going On,” I would say the
Marvin Gaye play, “My Brother Marvin,”
co-produced and written by Zeola Gaye, Marvin’s sister.The play is being presented at the Beacon
Theatre, located at 2124 Broadway (74th
St)in New York, on April 11th
through April 14th. Presently on a 22
city tour, Zeola took the time to chat.
“My brother was passionate, loving, kind and giving.He had a sense of humor off the charts.And yes, he had a temper.He wasn’t perfect.None of us are.Marvin was very spiritual however.He had his ups and downs, but his good
outweighed his bad,” remarked Zeola who wrote a book bearing the same title as
the play.
Writing “My Brother Marvin,” was cathartic.Sometimes it’s hard to discuss unpleasant
things but I felt if I could not be honest and truthful, why write the book”
explained Zeola. “My purpose was to try
to get people to understand how difficult it is when someone is under the influence
of drugs.I would say most people
normally would not do the things they do while under substance abuse. Please understand, I am not apologizing for
what went on with my family.I am only
telling you what happened and giving background into how things were so you
understand some of the struggles my family went through” continued the author.
Marvin didn’t take drugs prior to getting into entertainment.There were a lot of demands upon him to
create good music that sometimes found him working night and day.He was exhausted.Someone brought drugs into the studio to help
him stay awake so Marvin tried them.The
drugs kept him alert and before long Marvin got hooked and began the long
spiral into drug abuse.
Marvin dreamed about being successful so he could make life
more pleasant for his family.And, he
did.However, despite the fact Marvin
made a lot of money, he had poor business management and other marital
pressures that drove Marvin to thoughts of suicide.Marvin had pressures with the IRS, dealing
with crooked promoters, personal problems with his wife Jan and struggles with his
father.
“Marvin could be rebellious and hard headed, but he was
really a genius.I believe God put that
genius in Marvin at an early age.The
conflicts with father and Marvin started in teenage years. Marvin always felt protective of my mother and
he didn’t agree with some of the things that went on between our father and the
way he sometimes treated my mother,” explained Zeola, who mentioned in her book,
her father’s jealousy that led to peculiar ideas about Marvin and his mother but
had no basis in reality.
“As kids we grew up in SW
WashingtonDC.Our family was religious with my father working
as a bishop in the PentecostalChurch.We were close knit and had a pretty good
childhood; although my father was a strict disciplinarian and an alcoholic.We thought at the time alcohol accounted for
his mood swings.But my father was not
abusive.Sure, if we did something wrong
he would spank us.My father was a father, not a Daddy.It was difficult for my father to accept that
Marvin became the breadwinner.Although
we enjoyed the change in lifestyle, my father sometimes resented Marvin’s
success.After Marvin was killed it was
discovered my father had a brain tumor that pressed on the emotional side of
his brain, so that may have been the real cause of my father’s actions.”
Singing defined Marvin who used to hang out and sing under
street lights.Eventually, his group,
the Moonglows, met Berry Gordy.The rest
is history. Marvin later married Gordy’s sister Anna, a woman several years his
senior. After their divorce, Marvin later married Jan, his second wife.Though Marvin loved Jan with all his heart,
their marriage was stormy.
“My Brother Marvin,” is not a musical, it’s a drama.None of Marvin’s music is in the play. I
tried to license it but could not get it.But there is music in the play. There are sad parts, funny parts and
very entertaining parts. Lynn Whitfield
plays my mother, Tony Grant the young Marvin and Keith Washington, the older
Marvin during his drug period.Marvin’s
paranoia from drugs and its affect on him was no laughing matter. This play talks about the man behind the music
and my family.I provide closure and
tell what really happened the day Marvin died.Only my mother was there at the time of the shooting. I can tell you
what I know happened and why it happened.I do so in my book and show. You’ll have to read the book and see the
play to learn more.It’s important to know background and understand
the dynamics, so you see what led up to the fateful day of Marvin’s shooting. Marvin, Frankie, my father and I were hooked
on alcohol and drugs. My sister and mother never were.I was on drugs but I have been clean 11
years.I arranged for Marvin to get help
but he got shot the day before he was supposed to go into rehab,” stated the
former drug user.“Every day is a
struggle to stay clean. One has to want to seriously quit drugs.Crack for example, is the deepest drug ever
to hit the streets.You totally lose all
control. That’s the one I used and it’s the one that brought me down until I
finally said I can’t do this any more,”
stated Marvin’s sister.
“I do encourage folks to come to my play and read my
book.I will say this -- my father was
arrested for killing Marvin and charged with manslaughter. An examination
discovered my father’s brain tumor and it was removed.My parents did not divorce but they never
lived together again after that night.”
Click on blogtalkradio link to hear the show.
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