I LOVED this band too! Vernon Reid was named No. 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Imo, he was/is a very underrated guitarist. That's awesome about your daughter too! #MusicUnites

Shit I'm a 32 year old white dude, I got a lot of Vanilla Ice jokes for liking rap, yeah I'm pre-Eminem, if you appreciate good talent and artistry in music, regardless of genre, like me, then life will be a little better

I love people who go against the grain. Not to be different but to honestly be who they are. I appreciate your comment.

I dig it I’m mixed white/Latino but one of my really good friends is black/Philippina who is way into rock and metal and her experiences have been pretty similar to yours. Glad you never caved to pressure, you and your kid always do you and keep on rockin!

Have you every checked out the black metal band Bad Brains - "Rise"? I used to rock out to it.

So true!!

Mr. Video, you gotta check out "Bad Brains"! They were a big influence on Living Colour, and so many other bands!

@Hammer hand That's more the case with major labels. Many of the underground/independent labels thrived without having to kiss the butt of Record Executives. Look at some of the legendary Punk bands... They followed the DIY esthetic, and they have huge fanbases to this day.

Is, not was. They are still active as far as I know. They released a new album like a year ago or so...

AGREED! I have always thought that. Amazing band 🔥

Seems like things go backwards. This was a WHILE back. Anyway 🤟

Amen!

We as individuals are The Cult of personality. We won’t get real. Use your God given sixth sense and this song is crystal clear.

Amen

The Romans were not Gentiles. They were pagan and had a multitude of gods( and goddesses) they worshipped. Christianity ( that you equate with gentiles) didn't exist at the time of Jesus. It was created by his followers after he was killed

"Cult of personality" simply means a person or persons who are good at playing on people's fears and tell them what they want to hear.

My favorite genre of reaction videos is black people hearing a song that’s by an artist who they’re either shocked that theyre black like living color or they’re shocked that they aren’t black like Bobby Caldwell😂

Me . I love it. So heart warming.!!! ❤😂😂😂

Wait till he finds Bodycount...

@Thomas Whipple You have expertly described this song to its most basic parts

Amen.

*you're

The genius of their lyrics: In the second verse, the final line is "Only you can set ME free"...we are responsible for following, and then in the second to last verse, it changes slightly to "Only you can set YOU free"..we are ultimately responsible for freeing our minds and thinking for ourselves. The whole album has such intelligent, passionate lyrics.

crushed that explanation.

I always interpreted it as saying the real person is killed and replaced with the leader's mask, his cult of personality

Pretty sure they’re describing leaders who use charisma, propaganda, mass media, big lie, spectacle and other means to create flattery or praise of them. Usually authoritarian or totalitarian states.

@@gpresty1231 the good thing about the song is cult of personality is not only applied to totalitarian leaders but also to the good ones like Gandhi and M.L. King.

I've always been sure the lyric says "lie" and not "dies"

@@justkerv look up the lyrics. I bought this album (on cassette actually) back when it came out and read the insert repeatedly. The lyric you are thinking about is "when a leader speaks, the reflection lies."

I wonder why they didn't hit it bigger, hmm...🤔

Definitely ...he fucking shredded on guitars.

Larry Leeder That time period had a lot of bands that came and went, also known as one hit wonders. Write a really good song or two, and then just kinda fall off. Happened to plenty of bands, such as A-ha, Skid Row, Flock of Seagulls, White Zombie, Social Distortion, etc. We can’t blame one hit wonders on racial injustice.

The band did develop a cult following (no pun intended.... well maybe a little)

@@LarryLeeder They come out at the end of the genre. Within a couple of years, grunge come along and killed rock and roll.

I once chatted with him about Miles Davis for like 20 minutes. He gave me a set of guitar strings.

Awesome!!!! (Tell Nelly I said Hi.)

Burnin' Vernon Reid!

As a kid, this was one of my favorite videos, also, check out Bad Brains, another all black band, but they were in the "hardcore scene" out of D.C., and was one of the biggest influences for everything heavy music I vs I is a hard track.

Vernon is such an amazing guitarist and a very nice man. We talked about how much he loves Santa Cruz, CA and the boardwalk there. One day I'll see them again.

Oh my God, those would be my favorite late 80's bands.Geeeezus, honestly I thought Doug Pinnick should have fronted Living Clour. I don't know if it would have worked but I think Corey Glover was the weak link.

Also saw Living Color and Kings X on that same tour! Security had to pull me out because I was getting crushed in the front row (at the time I was an 18 year old, five foot tall college student). Great times!

I was there too!

I have lived in Alabama my whole life and this is such an awesome story!! Thank you for sharing!

Wow this is f’n dope

One of my favorite lines too, I’d include early 90s too.

🖤🖤🖤

Facts

ya im havin a flashback to the 80s here....i was 12, and when my parents were at work, its time to blast MTV!! if he started watching faith no more's epic, id prolly time travel

@@kristophertower3476 I didn’t have mtv till much later in my young life.... but I had a channel for music.... it was like 53 or something on the dial.... back when kids were the remotes. 🤣🤣🤣

And the dude when he realizes the message...yeah. Awesome.

Yup. Stalin era Soviet Union.

Either good or bad people follow charismatic speaker's

Kinda like now

It's so relevant now, it's almost scary.

Awake not woke 👍

Living Colour is still living.

It's true! I think Bad Brains as well.

I dunno. They were good but too over commercialized. It was like the last shot at glam rock. There were a lot of bands at the tail end that had great musicians but never got too far because they missed that window on the timing.

Ran to tower records bought the album. 88.

If you like ILC you might also like Death

Nooo not in Switzerland. This band was a hype...we loved it...

Bots. Vodun, 22 spy’s, fishbone, death, skunk anansie, nova twins, stir that line stitch, unlocking the truth, radkey, skindred, Black pantera songer in oceans of slumber, fever 333. So many great black rock artist out there and that’s not to mention all the dudes in hardcore bands

God forbid!!

Yes PLEASE react to Sevendust!

What about Death - waaay before their time!

FISHBONE!!!!!!

Saw them in 2019 in Glasgow (Scotland) and they are still epic!

Great tour, Syracuse by is where I saw it, the stones were good but I was in for my 2nd living colour show, peace

Saw them at the 1st lollapalooza in 1991

Mick Jagger signed off on Living Colour. He was a impressed when they came out, and endorsed them.

I saw them the next night. Corey stayed on stage that night. Glad he wasn't hurt. Helluva show & band.

Yep, 54 years old white bavarian metal fan here, and i loved the vinyl LP. It 's still in my possession.

Greetings from down under - me too!! Saw them in 91 at Festival Hall in Melbourne. Vernon jumped off a stack of Marshall amps in the crowd, and we lost our minds. Lol One of the most underrated rock bands ever.

Yeah they were badass. What ever happened to them

I remember being 12 years old and my soul purpose for 2 weeks was to see Living Colour play on Saturday Night Live.

@@1leisure1 I remember this SO MUCH!

I didn't know that! Thanks for the info!

Corey Glover was on a tv ad way before Living Colour was formed. Plus he had a role in the Veitnam War flick Platoon.

Is he? What's his dad's name?

Thanks for that info!

Um fun fact: Corey is not related to Danny in any way!!

Representing Washington state as well here!!👍👍 Always loved this band since day 1.

Lol, I’m a 45 yr old white guy in North Carolina, and I’ve been watching Mr. Video for, god, must be 8, 9, 10 months now (I check his channel every few days and binge-really makes me smile)-anyway, Leo (mr. video), he has serious charisma, he can hold people’s attention just staring into space becuz his mind’s been blown-he’s a great kid, and a gifted entertainer, maybe a genius (the first reactor I know of to do whole movies)....who knows what he’ll parlay this into-sky’s the limit-go Leo, go!

I think you pretty much described it.

No you're absolutely right. Doesn't matter if it's Hitler, Stalin, Mao or Trump. Charismatic demagogues at both ends of the political spectrum have led legions of hapless followers into despair and ruin. The only solution is for people to know their politics inside out, have a mind of their own, and not allow themselves to be swayed by false promises and partisan allegiances. But it's been hundreds of years, and we still fall into the the same traps. If we haven't learnt by now, I doubt we ever will.

Exactly right!

Indeed, and even leaders with the best intentions can lead their followers into danger and ruin (the Kennedy soundbite at the end juxtaposed with Vietnam footage, for example). My favorite line in the song is "you gave me power in your God's name...;" meaning that by following religious leaders we risk alienating ourselves from the true source of faith (whichever faith it may be) and following the preacher and not God.

yeah like the demoncrats

All their tunes are killer. Check out Solace of you, and Walls, as well as Time's Up and Elvis Is Dead. Oh and under cover of darkness. This song is about when a leader ( good or bad) become so powerful they are bigger than the system

For the record- watermelon, hot cheetos and fried chicken are awesome. This old white loves that too. Soooo glad you discovered this band. They are near and dear to my heart. Enjoy this journey- bro

Also check out TYPE. THEIR BEST TUNE

I liked "Glamour Boys," too, but the video enhanced it for me. Back when MTV still played music videos.

The cult of NO personality

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Alright, THAT made me pee my pants!

Lol, my dad was the same guy. Full blast, windows open. Everybody got to hear this jam! Lots of others too

I'm with you. I listen to everything from classical to heavy metal to gangster rap. If it grips me then I run with it. Music doesn't have color

There never was a racial divide in music. Music is the great unifier. In recent years kids have been going to college and getting "woke" by racist professors who churn out more and more "educated" racists. They attack people for cultural appropriation which is ridiculous because music has always evolved from what came before. It's that cancel CULTure that is causing the problems right now.

Primus opened up for them in Mesa, Az when our governor Ev Mecham vetoed the MLK bill, which we were the only state to do. It was a one off show on short notice back in '91. I've caught them at least 10 times since, last time at my buddies club with less than 200ppl a year and a half ago. I hung out for load-in and soundcheck, and it was the first time I've seen a drummer that had mastered the looper! These guys are on a whole other level musically, and they are still the most humble of humans as well. Much love to these cats!!

Saw them at a free concert in 88 at Univ of MD. It was absurdly awesome. (The Godfather’s opened fire them).

@@semaera birth, school, work, death...heck yea!

I saw them in LA opening up for The Rolling Stones way back in the day.

yes he is

Amazing guitarist, isn't he?

Doug Wimbish, their current bassist is just as awesome.

F yes

Especially today...Too bad that Cult 45 members don't get it.

Relevant today

Yes, I think it was The Beatles. Great song x

Not true, before them there was the Bus Boys...an all black rock band that kicked ass. Not quite as heavy but still probably had more white fans than black fans.

They were also badass.

I'm just referencing the genre they were being shown with on MTV at the time. Van Halen, Aerosmith,.... all the white 80s hairbands.

Bad Brains started that revolution.

@, it WAS unusual to see & STILL is. You don't see many black artists in country music either so when you DO see one, it's a big thing. The main point here is that when this song broke & they got noticed, the fact that they were black was surprising, yes, but they weren't rejected or looked down on or turned away because of it. That only seems to happen in country & hip hop. Country music seems to be loaded down with my-shit-don't-stink snobs while hip hop (MY genre) is filled with self-righteous brats screaming "Mine!". Rock/metal, on the other hand, (with the exception of a few outliers) just like to jam. And EVERYONE is invited to the party.

I was there, and you're right. Get lost, C.C. Deville

Right up there with Hendrix and Iommi and Morello

Except for the fact that Nuno Bettencourt and Ty Tabor were/are a lot better than him. Reid is great but he was not the best of his era, not by a long shot.

Did you not know about Hendrix back then?

@@bassage13 Lol Better point than mine 😂

I miss George 😞

@@poobearsbeautifulgoddess2416 Absolute wonder of a man.

John Lennon.

All who want peace die, I think John lennon was set up still to this day.

@@gazwheeldon5952 Possible, but unlikely. Culture, policy and personnel had shifted quite a bit when Lennon was murdered. That said, he was almost actually assassinated by the state. Nixon did not like him, and put him the list of people considered for assassination by the FBI. If Nixon didn't resign and served his term in full, it is very plausible that Lennon wouldn't have lived the 6 extra years between that and his death.

lol, that's what I was waiting for.

Great song and message for its time.

@@jaipoh3965 sadly it's still pretty relevant today. I'm really surprised if they weren't more popular than they were back then. Just a damn shame. I think maybe if they came on the scene ten years later around when Rage Against the Machine was getting really popular they would have been better appreciated.

@@Eviltopia You're right. I should have left off the "for its time".

Love it lol talent knows no bounds

So sad but true

It is sad to say but, we black people pigeon hole ourselves A lot and can be quite ignorant. I have been listening to rock all my life. When I first saw living colour the colour of their skin was secondary to their music. They were just great.

I was always a white rocker and in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s I thought these guys were the BEST band around. When I first saw them, I thought black people were going to reclaim Rock music because it was black people who invented Rock & Roll. Sadly, it didn’t happen. I don’t know why.

Corey Glover is the lead singer

@@jeffbarnes19fg76 that's right my bad. Got the two mixed up.

Corey Glover was in Predator.....I didn't know he could see in infrared! Lol jk

Whaaa?! I did not know that! Thanks. That was a great movie.

Yep, he was Francis. “We gunna get hiiiigh yes sir.”

Don't forget dUg Pinnick, vocalist and bass player for King's X. He's also done some excellent solo albums and is doing KXM with George Lynch from Dokken and Ray Luzier from Korn.

You forgot the legendary Rocky George from suicidal tendencies! How dare you!!

GroinFaceGroin you’re right, SO sorry lol

Since we are on the topic: Tony MacAlpine (virtuoso guitarist and keyboardist solo and Planet X), Skin (vocals for Skunk Anansie), 24/7 Spyz, Fishbone, Tosin Abasi (guitarist for Animals As Leaders), Benji Webb (vocals for Skindred), Ice-T (vocals for Bodycount), and Derrick Green (vocals for Sepultura) to name a few.

Um 2 of the greatist guitarists ever Tom Morello and Jimi Hendrix

LMAO!

🤣😂

“That’s illegal!” Lmao I died

Omg ,So Weak Lmao!!!

Yep before this he had killswitch engage this fire burns as a theme that song wasn't bad either.

@@jakedull2553 in my opinion fire burns was better in my opinion it fit him more when wwe went pg they switched to that song

@@jakedull2553 well trying to find a song cuz the metal wasnt gonna work with the little kids dont get ne wrong cult of personality is fire but i just think fire burns is better

@@julioostrum6115 he had that as a theme in ECW too I always liked killswitch engage and yes it did fit his style. But that was back when WWE was good and the wrestlers we call vets today where competing in a daily basis. Now the theme song are ok at best but I miss when the themes where music for top bands.

@@julioostrum6115 Actually, having WWE license Cult of Personality for him was part of his contract negotiations. He used it a lot on the indies whenever he wasn't using random straight edge groups. The only reason he had Killswitch to begin with is because it was originally licensed for Randy Orton, but after one try on a Raw, they realized it didn't work for him. They had the license and had to do something with it, so they gave it to Punk when he was called up to WWECW from OVW.

Joe Haynie. Yeah body count are hard.

Body Count is fucking dope

Good suggestion

Or Sevendust.

I thought it was dope at 13, but that shit was garbage

"Only you can set you free." Perhaps the most important lyric of the era.

Bad Brains - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h5uHnr2Qspe0gIU.html Fishbone - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e5hki7uA09O3d58.html Body Count - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r8Bmm86cstLJYYU.html

Rock for Light, Rock for Light, Rock for Light. I also want to see him react to the late great Lucy Brown.

TOTALLY!!!!

Body count for sure!

If you want to watch a Bad Brains video, this 2 minutes will probably change your image of the punk scene in the 80s ... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jq2qdJt8vb2Xh30.html

He knew he could rock that Body Glove gear!! They should've made him a spokesperson. Song STILL has that power!!

@@lepoetress OMG BODY GLOVE YES YES YES THAT WAS THE BRAND I FORGOT...

Exactly the same here. I couldn't give a flying F**** who these guys were or the colour of their skin. It Meant abso-fucking-lutely nothing. They were one of the greatest heavy rock bands of that decade. Waaaay ahead of their time.

Bad Brains started as a Jazz Fusion band, named Mind Power, in 1978. One of their former bandmembers introduced them to Punk Rock, and they later saw Bob Marley, live in DC. The rest is history!

Had to pack a bowl for this one! 🤘🔥🤘

Rolled up and toked a fat hashish doobie in honour of Heidi's post!

word

Agree 👍

I also light up with him 😂

So true, and just being honest here, his character Francis as well as Rah were my favorites in that movie

holy shit man. i had no clue

Francis...in Platoon

"I'll catch you in the hospital. We gonna get high, high!"

I didn't know that!

Francis..

Corey Glover is his name. He's the son of actor Danny Glover.

@@BigBabyJane no hes not

@@BigBabyJane He is not related to Danny Glover. Google is right in front of you.

@@BigBabyJane no, just no

Vernon is a beast, and a helluva nice dude.

Now, we're living it, not just listening.

Agreed!

Agreed about the difference hearing it as a teen and now- Saw this when he first uploaded it- but I’m always re-watching his videos- gotta love Mr. V!!💟✌️

my comment was hearted by one of my favorite reaction channels on KZfaq! I can die now😉 at least they know someone gets the message. But in all seriousness, THANK YOU, Mr. Video, for taking the time to read my comment AND putting so much effort into your reactions! I watch you, nonstop, for months, and this is probably my first comment, but your reactions are PRICELESS! You know how to add humor and comedy to even the most heartfelt songs, and you will definitely be one of the reaction channels that I publicly thank (the inspiration) When I eventually start my own reaction channel.....which should be within the next few years, considering my OCD🥴😆

And let’s not forget President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as well for promoting civil rights. RIP JFK.

I agree, but I think there is a little more there. There were over 18 assassination attempts on Hitler by the German military alone. It's mind boggling the near misses he had. So being assassinated doesn't necissarily mean you were good though it certainly doesn't mean you weren't. "When a leader speaks, that leader dies" is for all of them Mousilini and Stalin included. Mousilini was assassinated and Stalin almost certainly was though there is some debate on this. The same as "I exploit you, still you love me" is for everyone MLK and JFK included. MLK and JFK exploited their followers in much the same way Stalin and Mousilini did. When I use the word "exploit" I mean the actual definition of the word: "make full use of and derive benefit from" MLK 100% made full use of and derived benefit from (exploited) the power given to him by those who followed. The difference is MLK exploited that power for the benefit of all humanity where others have exploited that same power to divide and destroy for their own singular benefit. Power is only obtained through being given it from others. As such we who are giving that power need to be very mindful of who, when and why we are doing so not to mention making certain it is being used as we believed it would be.

Wow great comment👍👍👍

True facts

I hope he already knows Lenny Kravitz. If not, that would be a terrific rabbit hole to go down.

@@justjudijjb3455 I think Kravitz is a underrated guitarist. Absolutely brilliant song writer

And while you're checking on Santana, hit "Samba Pa Ti"--for my money the most beautiful instrumental EVER.

Santana would not be if not for Peter Green. Listen to His "Black Magic Woman" since he wrote it from his experiences. Hear where Santana came from. Good job on The Guess Who from Canada . You did mention 2 cover songs so I thought of bringing that up. Since Lenny is a spoiled brat with shit given to him acting all cool when he is a fool singing a song about American women being not good enough for his American upbringing. Kind of fake. Who he end up marrying?

@@josephsage3524 he did not write "American Woman" he is a rich kid with connections to HOLLYWOOD.