Al Green: 'Life's about family'

Pastor and musician Al Green, 64, shares his truths about love, life in the fast lane, and being born again

Last updated: September 15, 2018 | 19:54

By Gareth Grundy, Guardian News

2 MIN READ

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Don't let the reverend business scare you. I'm a nice Reverend Al Green.
I'm pretty down to earth.
The best thing about being a reverend is the chance to get down to the nitty gritty on what love is. Love is care, compassion, concern.
I'm infatuated with being concerned about you. If you let that grow it will get to be everlasting love. From there you get to God is love.
When I was a boy, I wondered why they sang so mournful in church. The teacher told me: "Mr Green, if we were singing to try to get your attention, we'd sing it... the way you want it sung. But we're not trying to reach you. We're trying to reach a little higher."
My daddy drank liquor. He would always leave me in the truck when he went to the liquor joint. He'd come out sloppy drunk and say: "Don't tell your mama." I'd be sitting in the back laughing. I didn't have to tell her. All he had to do was try to get out the truck.
I was born again in 1973, when I was just getting started in music. I looked up at the sky saying: "What are you doing? I just had a song on the radio and now you gonna give me religion?" They were saying from upstairs: "Al, we want to save your life." I thought: "Oh yeah, maybe I should at least help."
I was hooked up on jet planes, good times, fast women. Everything of mine... was fast.
You can't compare a congregation to a crowd at a concert. A concert crowd does what they want. A congregation's got rules and regulations.
I'm not trying to fool anybody. I'm a Christian, but I've lived a life that's full.
I've been married a couple of times, been up and been down, been right and been wrong. These are the things you go through in this life.
Life is more than snapping your fingers and having on a fine suit. Life is about devotion. It's about family, it's about the kids, it's about school. It's about going on a picnic with the boys.

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