Talk:Charles Mingus

The Philadelphia incident

Does anyone have any details about the memorial concert in Philadelphia, [where] he reportedly attempted to crush his pianist's hands with the instrument's keyboard cover? I have heard this story many times, but I've been unable to dig up any more information about it. If it actually happened, it would be nice to have at least the pianist's name and the date of the incident, or else it's just gossip. Timo Metzemakers (talk) 15:15, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

I added a ref to Allmusic, but there's no additional info, alas. скоморохъ 15:09, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Hmm. I'm suspecting that the Allmusic bio is slightly mistaken. A specific incident involving Mingus punching Knepper in the mouth happened on October 12, 1962 in NYC (this is adequately sourced). Either Mingus punched Knepper in the mouth twice, or Ginell is lumping two separate incidents together. The second alternative is more likely, IMHO. I guess the Santoro bio has some more information, maybe a kind soul owning that book could look it up... Timo Metzemakers (talk) 20:12, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

On a related note, the following text uses a dubious reference: When confronted with a nightclub audience talking and clinking ice in their glasses while he performed, Mingus stopped his band and loudly chastised the audience, stating "Isaac Stern doesn't have to put up with this shit." I checked the following reference: "René Marie: Jump, and the net will appear". Interview by Bruce Crowther.. It's an interview of a singer who uses a Mingus quote to illustrate a point. That doesn't cut it, IMHO. Timo Metzemakers (talk) 21:06, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

I have heard this story before too. It is always used to describe his temper. -Kylelovesyou (talk) 05:11, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Personal Life

This article is seriously lacking on his personal life. It says nothing of his struggles with mental illness. He admitted himself to Bellevue Hospital to get treated for mental illness despite being encouraged not to admit himself and eventually had troube getting out. There was a time when doctors actually recommended him to get a lobotomy which he didn't get. His psychoanalyst wrote the liner notes for his Black Saint album. It is also lacking on his family life. The article is also lacking on his nationality. He is of Chinese, African, and European decent. -Kylelovesyou (talk) 05:10, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

I'd like to see his love of cats addressed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 32.215.223.211 (talk) 03:25, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

Dead external links to Allmusic website – January 2011

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56 whales?

This morning I am restoring the paragraph which RepublicanJacobite reverted. I was very offended that he would consider my edit "rubbish" after spending perhaps two minutes studying it. Did he bother to read the Joni Mitchell interview which I used as a reference?

I was not proposing that the whales beaching was a demonstrable fact. I described it as "may be apocryphal" which is on about the same level as some of the descriptions of Mingus' sexual activity which are quoted from his autobiography.

One of the byproducts of the renown of a public figure is the lore and legend which build up during or after his or her life. These apocrypha are sometimes embellishments on actual events and sometimes inventions without the benefit of any factual origin. Joni Mitchell attributed the whales story to Sue Mingus. Did Charles' widow invent the story? Did she hear it from some other source? It matters little. What does matter is that the story acquired a life of its own and has been repeated over and over in the 32 years since Mingus' death. It is now as much a part of his life story as the tales of his sexual exploits and violent temper.

Could as many as 56 whales possibly beach themselves at once? Yes. Only last fall, that number of whales was reported as having died on a beach in northern New Zealand. --DutchmanInDisguise (talk) 16:11, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Kitt Kitty-Cat (talk) 22:20, 10 December 2020 (UTC)On December 31, 1978, fifty-six whales were found beached "along two miles of rocky beach between San Marcos Island and the village of San Bruno on the east coast of Baja California." (NYT, January 14, 1979) In their January 9, 1979 obituary of Charles Mingus, The New York Times states, "died Friday [January 5] of a heart attack in Cuernavaca, Mexico." (NYT, January 9, 1979). This indicates that the claim fifty-six whales beached themselves the same day Mingus died is not based on fact, and lends credence to Joni Mitchell's explanation of the story (above). Kitt Kitty-Cat (talk) 22:20, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

By your own admission, the story is speculative, it is not "a demonstrable fact," and "may be apocryphal." But, it is not, as you claim, on the same level as statements quoted from his autobiography. You try to build this trivial fable up to the level of the rest of his life story, but it is not working. The story is trivial, the source is inadequate, and there is no original source, just word-of-mouth. ---RepublicanJacobite_{The'FortyFive'} 16:26, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

The story is completely coincidental even if true. So no valid reason to include it. Philip Cross (talk) 16:59, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Affairs

" He claims to have had over 31 affairs over the course of his life (including 26 prostitutes in one sitting)." What on earth does this mean? If the "affairs" are "including" the prostitutes this means he must have had an impressive total of 5 affairs, which doesn't amount to much for a popular music star. As for those 26 floosies, what exactly is "one sitting"? Is that a technical term in prostitution theory, or is like a dining sitting? Was this a party, or did he just bring them to his table one by one? Paul B (talk) 19:26, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Mingus CAT-olog

I've heard a few places that Mingus published a guide for getting your cat to use the toilet called the CAT-olog. Apparently it was a step-by step guide that was available for mail-order purchase. I don't know if this adds to the article but I think its an interesting anecdote that sort of displays what a crazy guy Mingus was. Studio 360 published an article on how it was a dismal failure and how Mingus should stick to jazz. Again not sure if this adds to the article or not. 2601:7:9E00:8:F0D2:13F3:F77F:2AAF (talk) 01:24, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

Harlan Ellison anecdote

The story he recounts about Eric Dolphy suffering at the hands of Charles Mingus is here on Ellison's YT channel from about 13 minutes in, and dates from 2013. Probably not worth including though, because it does not meet WP:IRS. His recall does not seem entirely reliable in the video (it seems mean to detail his obvious errors), so its removal looks legitimate. Philip Cross (talk) 18:02, 17 March 2016 (UTC)

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