With hits such as “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Use Me” and “Just the Two of Us” still being played frequently on Smooth Jazz and other radio stations it’s hard to believe that the last time Bill Withers recorded any music was way back in 1985. Even harder to believe is that, despite his success, he walked away from the music business voluntarily.
Now, more than two decades later, a reluctant Bill Withers is being drawn back into the spotlight. HBO is using “Use Me” to promote the new series “Hung”. And there are two films being released that prominently feature Withers. The first is “Soul Power,” about the concert that preceded the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman boxing match in Zaire in 1974. The second is even more personal, “Still Bill,” a documentary about Withers’s life and career.
In a recent Washington Post article Withers shared some of his story and his lack of interest in a comeback. About the comeback he said, “There’s a time for everything. And at certain times in your life, when you’re young enough for that kind of vanity, you draw attention to yourself. And some people can do that into their eighties. It depends on your personality and how you’ve been socialized. I wasn’t socialized in the entertainment business. I was in the Navy for nine years, I had a life outside of this well into my thirties [Withers worked in the aeronautics industry even after “Ain’t No Sunshine” became a hit]. You know, this whole music thing was something that came into my life after I was formed socially. So it was fun, it served its purpose, I still like it, but it’s not my main focus. In fact, it hasn’t been for a long time. There are other requirements. You’re somebody’s father, you’re somebody’s husband, you’re somebody’s friend. And for me, it was important that I not neglect those other requirements just to satisfy some personal need that I might have for approval or attention from people that I don’t even know.”
“I think we protect ourselves, if we’re lucky, [from taking] on more than we’re naturally equipped to handle. And I don’t know if I’m built to be the center of attention all the time. I’ve been fortunate enough that the music that I’ve done seems to have its own life without me having to show up everywhere and wave. Then again, we all live according to the options that are provided to us. Maybe if I had to, I’d be grinding it out every night in some joint somewhere.”
When asked about the movie “Still Bill”, the ambivalence toward fame it portrays, and whether he had seen the film, Withers responded, “Some of it. When we got down to the end and they were editing and re-cutting and stuff, I got tired of it. I turned it over to my wife. I was like, “This is wringing me out. I’m done.” I said, “I wanna go to Home Depot. If there’s anything embarrassing, make them take it out. I’ll be over in the aisle with the new flush valves.” You know, I’m accustomed to working in the 3-to-4 minute format. Songs don’t last that long, so it doesn’t take me that long to say what I need to say. Films are a lot more involved.”
“Still Bill” is being shown at festivals and screenings around the world. For more on the movie, see this web site: www.stillbillthemovie.com
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