Briefly, and I'm sure I'll have more later for the man walked very tall in my imagination, here is my initial reaction to the death of Michael Jackson today:
May you rest in peace, Michael. You brought excitement, joy and wonder to millions and millions. I pray that God will have mercy on your soul. I recently had a "paradoxical reaction" to a clinical procedure and I suspect Michael *lived* his life as a paradoxical reaction to juvenile stardom.
I loved the guy. Always have, always will. And I deeply mourn his death.
Vanderleun! What a talented guy. With the Slipstream Media idea, he's attempting to lay out a path forward, a path many of us are seeking and have been seeking.
This needs to be remembered, I do believe:
Summary:
The Media is how America fights its civil wars. In this war at least half the country is both under-served and is painfully aware it is being under-served and lied to. In pop culture parlance, “We’re going to need bigger guns.”
Seen as the 4th branch of government, the unelected and self-selected Mainstream Media, in cultural and political collusion with the present government, knows this and – even as it dies – will do everything it can to prevent the arming of the people with more and better media.
To control the medium is to control the message. And control of the message means control of the hearts, minds, and votes of the people. To bring a better, clearer, and brighter message to the American people, we must have media that, like the Internet itself, “sees censorship as system damage and routes around it.” To accomplish this we must, in a network of small pieces loosely joined together, work to create a pervasive new media across America. Many of these pieces are already in place. Many more need to be created. All need to be joined in an affiliation. Mainstream media already knows how to do this and we must, to paraphrase Abby Hoffman, "Steal Their Book." Media not busy being born is busy dying.
This is the first in a series of articles on how to go about building a new American media; a media composed of newspapers, television, radio, film, music, publishing, and the multi-media capabilities of the Internet; an American media open to all and founded on the five bedrock principles of “Duty, Honor, Country, Truth, God.”
When dinosaurs die large opportunities for growth bloom within the ecosystem. The death of the old media is such an opportunity. It affords a wide range of possibilities to create a new media, a media that runs to the side of the mainstream media, but ultimately supplants it by slipping by it. For now I call it, The Slipstream Media.
By “The Slipstream Media” I mean the use of all forms of media currently in use to inform and persuade the public that "There is another system."
This series of articles will be composed of theoretical and practical observations on the content, forms, principles, funding, and business structures involved in creating a new media network in the rapidly changing marketplace of today and the foreseeable future. It will focus on, in Lenin’s phrase, “What is to be done,” as well as what can be done, and how the creation of the Slipstream Media might be accomplished.
What is to be done.
The Premise: Better ideas require not only better arguments, but also better means of distribution.
To survive and thrive, better ideas also require funding, a sound business model based on the realities of the present, and a path to positive cash flow.
Now, what about that -- huh? Go read the rest, and keep his website near to your thoughts. The man is on to something.
Where is the shame in the game, ladies and gentlemen?
This rambling post will nominally be about two male artists (Musiq and Chris Brown) but might as well be an open question to all of African America, in particular, and all of America, in general. Years ago a line developed in the black community that you could hear all over the place; don't hate the player, hate the game. Another version that seems pulled straight from the underground economy was this: there's no shame in my game. Thus my question many years later: have we no shame, no self-respect? Have we completely tossed away everything, even admirable pretense, regarding male-female standards of conduct?
Before discussing this subject further, I attempted to test the Grooveshark widget this morning by directly posting from their site to this blog. That test, as we used to say in the Army, was a "no go." So, here's the selection I wanted to post. First, some of the lyrics from Musiq's fantastic single, Buddy:
[Verse 1:] Pardon me, darling . . . if I alarmed you I don't mean to bother you I just wanna Get you to pause and slow your walk so Maybe we can talk and I can try to charm you (I'm) Just trying find out who you are I don't mean to come off like a telemarketer I ain't no hood, no crook, no robber I just wanna part of your heart I can borrow
(sometimes)
[bridge:] and maybe I could call you up (sometimes) And maybe I can take you out (sometimes) So let's exchange digits and later arrange visits Either your place or mine (yeah) This a different type of commitment (yeah) I'm talking 'bout a true friendship (yeah) Someone I can depend on To be down no matter what Let me know if you with it 'cause girl-llllll
[chorus:] It would be fly if you were b-u-d-d-y Don't be shy, give it a try I could be yours and you could be mine I can't lie it would be fly if you were my b-u-d-d-y Don't be shy give it a try I could be yours if you could be mine
And here's the actual tune:
Yep, I love this song; the guy has a great sound and is illustrative of what we have largely thrown away in the black community in the decades-long rush toward braggadocious thuggery that can only conceive of women as chickenhead service providers. We're now treated to the disheartening and somewhat sickening spectacle of Chris Brown beating up a black woman (bigtime music star, Rihanna) . . . and many ordinary black women actually defending him. For all that I know, Musiq may be just as bad in his relationships with women. Who knows? But his music has a different vibe, one that reaches back to an aspirational time when black guys weren't pressured to be so superficially callous, shallow and absolutely demeaning to women. Hell, entertainers by definition are superficially callous and shallow without any sort of inherent, internal pressure from the community that gives birth to them futher requiring that they actually live down to such an embarrassing standard.
[1] I just shake my head at the sadness of it all; [2] personally, I had never knowingly heard of or seen Chris Brown before this incident. I hope he fades away into irrelevance.
I'm not going to castigate Rihanna (I love the chick!) for apparently taking him back; a man and a woman have to handle their business and I know that can be a very complicated thing. She's caught up in the relationship. I understand that. However, we (the outside parties) have a responsibility to attach severe shame to his behavior. I see that as our job, our role, in reinforcing what is and is not responsible behavior. What will and will not be tolerated. In my estimation, we do an incredibly poor job of this in the black community.
Yes, we are all sinners and yes, personal responsibility mandates that I put myself number one on my own personal list of known sinners. I also know there's a long history of this in our overall community. But . . . has there ever been a time where a lesser-known male star has beaten up a bigger female star and survived the shame of such a punkish act?
Could the disparity between Barack and Michelle vs. Chris and Rihanna be any greater? Is there something of substance to discuss here or nothing more than a blip on the screen? Is all of this reducible to a mathematical certainty of a young couple getting in a fight and boyfriend beats up girlfriend? Separate and apart from politics, this Rihanna/Chris Brown situation presents an instance where the Barack/Michelle coupling has to be used to change the dysfunctional dynamic now prevalent in Black America's popular culture. We'll see if this possible discussion is embraced or buried.
The Keith Urban thing from a few days ago has me in something of a music mode. Nothing deep, nothing obsessive; I'm just amazed, though, at the technological leap that removes you from browsing used record stores and -- at the click of your mouse -- allows you to hear old favorites. Or completely removes you from any record store and allows you to sample or fully hear all kinds of new music.
I'm almost tempted to feel sorry for kids these days. Almost. How do they get work done with so many phenomenal stimuli floating around within easy reach?
Back to the music mode thing; I'm going to test out a Grooveshark Widget in this post; a selection from Darius Rucker (Don't Think I Don't Think About It) should play once clicked by you, dear reader:
My goodness, I love it when new technology works as advertised! Yes, I really do appreciate Darius Rucker and what he's trying to do with his music. This probably won't work out or, at the very least, I'll be wildly inconsistent with it, but I'm hoping to periodically post music selections via Grooveshark on this blog.
Urban was the featured pre-race act recently at the Daytona 500. I read a story in the Orlando Sentinel on his press conference on one of their blogs, NASCAR Nuts and Bolts, and it had a link for audio of the press conference.
Wow.
To me, he seemed to have a great personality and displayed natural talent by singing to open the press conference and to close it. Plus, ladies and gentlemen, he sang well. That counts for something in these days of over-produced, little talent, music stars. If you've never heard him, check it out for yourself:
Sister Golden Hair Surprise? Fantastic! Sweet Thing? Very nice! After listening to the online mp3, I immediately eMailed one of my older sisters. She's a huge country music fan for years and years now. Natually, she was overjoyed to see me appreciate Urban's obvious talent.
Clearly, his Hootie and the Blowfish days will not be it for Darius. This Carolinian has a great future ahead of him and I was pleased to see he sang the national anthem on opening day when the Carolina Gamecocks played their first game in their new stadium.
As a kid, I fell in love with a Hank Williams song
that I think we first saw in a movie. This movie would be shown (it seemed to me) every year in Jacksonville and we tried our best to never miss it. However, for me it was all about the song. It had to be the reason why I loved the flick because I can't tell you anything about the movie but this here song stuck.
Hank Williams: Hey Good Lookin!
My oldest sister, to this day, is a country music fan. And I think I've mentioned on here before my surprise at meeting quite a few West Indians at U.F. who were also country music fans. Of course, way back in the day, you didn't have much choice on the television and if Porter Waggoner and Dolly Parton were on, hell -- all in all, they weren't bad at all. Naturally, if you love a Hank Williams song like Hey Good Lookin' and the child of that man also becomes a country singer, you check him out. Hank Williams Jr., also known as Bocephus (it's hard for a black man not to love a name like that!), has been a country music maverick all his life as best as I can tell and this may be his signature song.
Hank Williams Jr: Family Tradition
Damn good stuff. Of course, I was super pleased to hear that Hank appeared at a McCain-Palin rally the other day and sang a song playing off of Family Tradition and I'm pleased to post it now.
It would be hard to overstate the phenomenal pride the University has in the marching band. Historically quite conservative (take note, FAMU --unlike most other black college bands -- does not parade out skimpily clad coeds to dance and gyrate), this band far exceeds most others. There is nothing any other band can do that this band can't also accomplish but the contrary is simply not true. There are many excellent black college bands with tremendous pride (Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State, Tennessee State, Grambling, etc.) but I suspect most Rattlers only acknowledge one real competitor -- Southern University's Human JukeBox out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana). They are an excellent band but . . . as Joe Bullard, the announcer for the Marching 100 regularly says, there can only be one.
FAMU is that one.
Back in October 2003, ESPN's Kieran Darcy, did a good piece on The Hundred titled, "The Best Band in the Land." This isn't a band that simply brags about being the best; they are objectively acknowledged by more folks than any other as the best marching band.
As is the case with so many other things at historically black colleges and universities, we need this kind of demonstrated excellence made apparent across a far broader range of disciplines. Academic disciplines not related to performance arts. We also quite probably need to protect the band from itself. These are young kids, 420-strong, and these days that's one hell of a gang. God only knows what potential for foolishness walks with them.
But that's the case with most all young students, so why at this moment harp on it. Kudos to Dr. Julian White, band director, and all involved with the Marching 100.
And for the uninitiated, FAMU is pronounced with two strong and equal syllables and it is definitely not fam-moo or fa-moo -- it is fam yoo. I mention this because so many white Floridians who should know this, don't. And it is an immediate signal to Rattlers that you know nothing about the school. And that's not a good thing.
I still love my girl and no punk ass surrender monkey is going to turn me against her. Here's a nice effort in support of our new star from Jay Speight:
Not bad, not bad at all. Now it's time to go enjoy some college football!
Bo Diddley's funeral rocked and rolled Saturday with as much energy as his music.
For four hours, friends and relatives sang, danced and celebrated the life of the man who helped give birth to rock and roll with a signature beat that influenced Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and many others.
As family members passed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's casket, a gospel band played his namesake song. Within moments, the crowd of several hundred began clapping in time and shouting, "Hey, Bo Diddley!"
I'll simply post a few clips in honor of the legendary man. First up, here he is in his prime:
Next, here he is in his later years and (appropriately, I think) playing with Gainesville's own Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:
Today I posted my initial profile on grooveshark.com and thought I would post it here since this blog really boils down to an open conversation with myself. The basic profile:
Black
to the bone in my own kind of way, raised in northeast Florida, living in
Tallahassee, married, no kids, too curious for my own vocational well-being,
big sports fan, probably too old to be messing around with grooveshark but I'm
intrigued by the concept
As for my favorite music:
R&B mostly but I genuinely like all kinds
of music, including Hip-Hop and Country.
I often use classical music as my elevator
music; I couldn't tell you who composed what but . . . it can be very good to
listen to.
As we used to say in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, with an appropriate nod to the Austrailians: roger that, mate!
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