Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp Page #5

man, was like boystown.

That was nothing

after chicago, man.

Chicago was rough, man.

- During those days

in the forties,

You could either be a barber

You could be a lawyer

if your parents had money,

You could be a boxer,

you could be a musician,

Or you could be a pimp.

We saw pimps everywhere.

Serious, serious pimps.

I don't mean

jheri curl pimps.

- Baby bell

was the big pimp in chicago.

- Baby bell

was phenomenal, man.

He was big time.

It's a level

that players wanna reach.

Baby bell used to travel

with 32 pieces of luggage.

Do you hear me?

And he used to have

white women.

And this was at

an early time

When this was a no-no.

- Once you're in the street,

you need father figures

'cause you don't just

walk out in the street

And become the greatest pimp

in the world by osmosis.

You need to learn.

So in a way,

a cat like baby bell,

You know, bell

is like a father figure

As well as a teacher,

as well as a professor,

You know, a mentor.

I became a pimp

Primarily because of

the influence

Of well-heeled pimps

and other hustlers

During a period

of dire poverty in my life.

And I feel that

I was influenced

By the flashy glamour,

The infestation of diamonds

on these hustlers,

And also

by their big flashy cars.

And I wanted

a sense of importance.

- There was an area

on the south side of chicago

Called 39th

and cottage grove,

And basically it was

a red light district.

And iceberg slim

Was one of the neighborhood

role models.

When I first heard

iceberg slim,

My impression of him

was a towering intellect.

He was talking about

The economics

of sexual intercourse

And how he looked upon

what he was doing

As a broker.

- You know,

a lot of people think

That top pimps are dummies.

That's not true.

They're just perverted.

I've never known a top pimp

who didn't have a high iq.

- Actually, I think

he would have been

A good salesperson.

Do you now how it takes

a lot to sell a woman,

To make a woman

sell her body.

- Most of the prostitutes

that I've known

And the ones

that I've controlled

Were fascinated

and bewitched

By my phony glamour,

Of the poisonous

pimp charisma,

And they lived in

my reflected glory, so to speak.

It gave them

a sense of importance.

- What is the life

of a prostitute like?

It's got to be holy hell.

The booby traps

in the street,

The death traps

in the street for a prostitute,

Her life-

the life of a prostitute

Is filled with tension

and the pressure of the pimp.

I hope you won't mind

Asking you in here

for a drink

After meeting you

on the street there.

Slim tells his girls

They can leave

whenever they get ready.

But they don't wanna leave

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