Review: Mike Judge Presents: Tales From The Tour Bus “Rick James Pt. 1”

Do we really need two parts of this?

Overall (Spoilers Below)

This week, we get to learn about the up and coming career of Rick James. A funk legend that got his start in Buffalo, NY by avoiding that dreadful Vietnam War, nearly joining Neil Young in what would’ve been a supergroup for its time. As it turns out, it didn’t need to happen because Rick did just fine in his career and released quite a few hit records all without the help of MTV. So how does a seemingly promising career wipe out? We’ll find out next week!

Our Take

My favorite episodes of Mike Judge Presents are episodes that really utilize animation to tell various aspects of the musician’s career using a medium that allows the story to really flourish and take on a life of its own. I’m not sure the first half of Rick James’ story did that here. While last week’s episode of George Clinton effectively showcased the craziness of the funk musician’s career with all of the outfits and wacky shows, I couldn’t help but feel James’ story didn’t quite have the imagination as the show’s first episode of the season. In fact, I’m not even sure if Rick James should’ve been a two-part episode, as episode one showcased a seemingly normal guy whereas episode two appears to be more about the debauchery that might require the animated retellings. Until then, we’re Rick James, BIATCH!