LIVING COLOUR's VERNON REID On Timeless Message Of 'Cult Of Personality': 'It Tells The Truth About Who We Are'

During an appearance on the latest episode of the Music Buzzz Podcast — hosted by Dane Clark (drummer in the John Mellencamp band since 1996),Hugh Syme (world-renowned graphic artist who has created albums covers for RUSH, AEROSMITH, BON JOVI, Joe Bonamassa, MEGADETH, DEF LEPPARD, KISS, WHITESNAKE and more) and Andy Wilson (an entertainment executive and president of ELEVATE Entertainment & Event Support Services) — LIVING COLOUR guitarist Vernon Reid spoke about the timeless message of the band's breakthrough single "Cult Of Personality". He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it tells the truth about who we are. We become infatuated by charisma. We become infatuated by the story, by the presentation. It was true — I can look at Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and talk about what they stood for, but they both were as handsome as matinee idols. And that's a part of it. The surface and the substance are together. What was it about Gandhi [Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule] that galvanized the nation? What was it about Mussolini [Italian politician and journalist who was the dictator of Italy during the Fascist period] that hypnotized the nation?

"Interestingly enough, many conservative people love this tune," Vernon added. "They get a different thing, they get something else from it. Because the song is really about a part of the human condition that we are never going to fix. We're never gonna fix it."

Reid previously discussed "Cult Of Personality" in a 2021 interview with Guitar Player magazine. He said at the time: "I love the song for obvious reasons. Sure, it's our most popular song. What it did for our career is incalculable. And it's had a lasting impact on the public. The lyric has a catchphrase that, while we didn't coin it, has become more relevant over the years. But there's another reason why I love it so much. When we wrote it, it was the best day in our collective life. As a group, we got out of our way and allowed ourselves to create. That's why it's special to me."

"Cult Of Personality" is a pointed, politically charged tune which opens LIVING COLOUR's debut album, 1998's "Vivid". The track includes audio snips of political speeches and references to John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Stalin and Mussolini, and it became LIVING COLOUR's signature tune and the accompanying music video was an MTV hit. A searing indictment of politicians that readily addressed the concerns of an electorate during the mudslinging Bush-Dukakis presidential campaign, "Cult Of Personality" hit No. 13.

In an April 2024 interview with "The Logan Show", LIVING COLOUR singer Corey Glover stated about "Cult Of Personality": "I think if it weren't for that song, I'd be working for UPS. How about that? If it weren't for that song and the evergreen nature of that song, because it seems like every so often it pops up in very interesting places — with CM Punk or the video games or 'Guitar Hero' or even within the political discourse, where people use it and quote it on newscasts. It has a weird sort of continuing life that I am very happy and very grateful that it exists."

"Vivid" went on to become the first album by an all-black rock band to win a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and the video for "Glamour Boys" was the first to be closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

LIVING COLOUR disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2000. (Original bassist Muzz Skillings left the group in 1992 and was replaced by Doug Wimbish.)

Reid's new solo album, "Hoodoo Telemetry", was released in October 2025 via Artone / The Players Club Records.

Photo credit: Justin Borucki