After the artifact donation, Brown met fans and let them take selfies. He then gave a short press conference in front of a few reporters in the Rock Hall’s administrative conference room. Reporters were instructed to only ask questions about his music and not his personal life (so that meant no questions about his relationship with the late Whitney Houston and no questions about his well-documented struggles with substance abuse).
Brown, who talked about how artists such as James Brown, Rick James, Prince and Marvin Gaye have influenced him and “paved the way” for people like him, said it’s been “a long ride” for him.
“Forty years is a long time to do anything,” he said. “I don’t care what you do. You could be a carpenter or electrician. To be a musician and entertaining performer, 40 years is a long time. Like every musician, there are ups and downs, and being in the public eye so much has given me respect for who I am and respect for my family and for the craft that I chose, which is entertainment.”
Brown didn’t have a chance to tour the Rock Hall but said he hoped to return with his wife and kids so that he could spend some time going through the various exhibits.
He also said that he’ll “continue to entertain and make music” and that he hoped to one day direct a feature-length film.
Earlier this year, the BET mini-series The Bobby Brown Story won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special. Brown also received the Black Music Honors R&B Soul Music Icon Award for his 40 years in entertainment and 32 years as a solo artist.
“I want to keep on pushing and keep on pushing the envelope,” he said. “I’ve been through some rough trenches in my life, but I’m grateful that I have the family I have, and that my kids understand that their father is only a man.”
The hat and coat that Brown donated will be on display as part of the Rock Hall’s Stay Tuned: Rock on TV exhibit.
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This article appears in May 8-14, 2019.
