Issac Hayes

I'm going to post about this in here because I think it would be in very poor taste to start a flame war about this elsewhere on DU.

Does anyone else think that it's almost tragic that a brilliantly talented man like Issac Hayes gave himself over to Scientology near the end of his life? I wonder how much of his money they got that would have gone to his family.

Sorry to see him go, though.

Unfortunately his music and his work on South Park have been overshadowed by that.

Crappo. Hell of a day. Bernie Mac checked out and I'd just read that Paul Newman has gone home to die. Paul Newman! Damn.

Mocking everybody else's beliefs is OK, but $cientology is s-o-o-o special:

But Hayes angrily quit the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins," he said.

Co-creator Matt Stone responded that Hayes "has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians." A subsequent episode of the show seemingly killed off the Chef character.

AP story -- More than 'Shaft': Hayes was goldmine of influence

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080811/ap_en_ce/obit_isaac_hayes;_ylt=AonmYCwzUu2ck4SknSHv88VY24cA

his hypocrisy that was exposed after he left South Park always bugged me a little bit. South Park had many, many episodes making fun of other religions (one that comes to mind is the episode where they discuss how the Mormon religion was founded) wherein he seemed to have no problem whatsoever.

I am sorry to see him go, though. RIP.

His agent was a Scientologist who made the public comments criticizing the show. Granted these aren't the best sources but he said he was ok with the episode after it aired and I highly doubt with a baby on the way and after having had a stroke he would've left the show like that, especially considering he got ripped off in the 70's so he really needed the money.

Isaac Hayes' Quitting Controversy

Isaac Hayes did not quit "South Park." My sources say that someone quit it for him.

I can tell you that Hayes is in no position to have quit anything. Contrary to news reports, the great writer, singer and musician suffered a stroke on Jan. 17. At the time it was said that he was hospitalized and suffering from exhaustion.

It’s also absolutely ridiculous to think that Hayes, who loved playing Chef on "South Park," would suddenly turn against the show because they were poking fun at Scientology.

Last November, when the “Trapped in a Closet” episode of the comedy aired, I saw Hayes and spent time with him in Memphis for the annual Blues Ball.

If he hated the show so much, I doubt he would have performed his trademark hit song from the show, “Chocolate Salty Balls.” He tossed the song into the middle of one of his less salacious hits and got the whole audience in the Memphis Pyramid to sing along.

.....


The plot just gets thicker

According to The Superficial, Isaac Hayes actually doesn't have a problem with the way Trey and Matt handled the Scientology episode. They even have a clip from of an interview that Hayes gave in December where he said he was okay with it.

It turns out that the Church of Scientology are the ones who wrote the press release over a week ago which said:

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the soul legend said. "Religious beliefs are sacred to people and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."