Singing Horn Parts, Baselines Like Thunder

While I can be just as romantic as the next woman—roses and all have their place—over the last five years, or so, I am completely jaded by music artist whose main objective is always to love me down, massage my toes, “lick me up and down ‘til I say stop,” (there was actually a song that says that), get me pregnant, take off my clothes, and well, you know the rest. Sometimes after driving home from work having my ears and sensibilities musically molested, I often want to call the DJ on my cell phone and ask if it was as good for him as it was for me, then smoke a cigarette.

Maybe it’s just me, but what happened to songs that documented what was going on in the world? Curtis Mayfield’s 1972 album “Back to the World” was essentially a commentary on men coming back from Vietnam facing the hardships of no job, dealing with the stress and memories of the horrors they’d seen in war, drug abuse encouraged by war, and even worse, coming home and learning that your woman cut out on you. His “Super Fly” soundtrack, while some say the movie glorified the life of a drug dealer, balanced if not negated that life by exposing the detriment of the drug user (“Freddy’s dead, that’s what I said”), and the lost souls of friends as in “Eddie You Should’ve Know Better”:

Eddie you should’ve know better,
Brother, you know you’re wrong,
Think of the tears and fears
You bring to your folks back home,
They say where did he go wrong, my Lord?

We all remember James Brown’s “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” and in 1978 the Whispers lamented the plight of many young girls who succumbed to the streets and slick talking men,

“…a wolf in lambs clothing came,
Blew her mind and changed her ways,
And now she’s turned out…”

Or, Dion’s 1968 classic “Abraham, Martin and John”:

"Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he's gone".

Still, a beautiful song.

Where is our “What’s Goin’ On?” album for the 21st century? In an interview, Smokey Robinson discusses a conversation he had with Marvin Gaye about the making of that album in which Gaye reveals that it was in fact God who was writing the lyrics for that masterpiece. I believe him. Gaye’s soulful plea to “Save the Children” makes me shutter in light of the children in today’s world who are suffering needlessly.

So, where’s our Marvin Gaye?

Where’s our Parliament/Funkadelic, Chicago or Earth, Wind and Fire? Where are the bands, I mean, real bands with 20 members, two drum sets and a brass section? All you have to hear is the horn parts to songs like “Shining Star,” (Earth, Wind & Fire) or “Sir Duke,” by Stevie Wonder, and you’ll know the song before a word is sung.

So, why is it that:

“We don’t listen anymore
To baselines like thunder, and
Guttural testimonies in the midnight hour
Professing anguish for a wayward woman.
Soldiers return from war
Back to the world they thought they left behind.
No baselines for them;
Just drum machines and angry lyrics
Numbing rhythms that freeze the brain like ice.
We don’t question anymore
What goes on in the world or,
Sing horn parts, like words to the song, or
Name that tune because we’d recognize the baseline
Driving past in a ’72 Duce and a Quarter,
Lemon yellow, fuzzy dice, and gangster whitewalls,
Like, sunshine on a cloudy day”.

Before There was "Milk," There was "Philiadelphia"

A few weeks ago I finally got to see Sean Penn’s portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay rights activist and Politian who was gunned down in San Francisco in 1978. His Oscar-winning performance of the popular Milk was a stark contrast to his brooding and masculine portrayal of Jimmy Markhum in Mystic River, for which Penn also won an Oscar. But, before there was Penn as Milk, let’s not forget Tom Hank’s brilliant, 1993 portrayal of Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s Philiadelphia.
We see a youthful Hanks transform from a healthy, crackerjack attorney with a top law firm, to the withdrawn, gray shell of man who sues his employer for discrimination after discovering that Becket has AIDS. The scene where Becket (Hanks) is interpreting the opera, "La Mamma Morta" by Maria Callas, to his lawyer (played by Denzel Washington) still moves me to tears.

Contemplating My Non-Traditional Time

Though this semester was supposed to be a little less stressful in order to have more time to work on my thesis, I’ve managed to incorporate History Society meetings, a fitness class three days a week, Sigma Tau Delta, and a hour between classes, twice a week, for elliptical and treadmill. My victory for the last few weeks though is that I have managed to stay consistent in my workouts. (And I’ve even lost a few inches and a few pounds!)

But, I sometimes feel like a bit of a fraud. Classmates and colleagues seem to think I have it all together, but as a non-traditional student I have to work really hard to maintain some kind of orderliness in my life. And let me tell you, even though I invested in a really good planner this semester and keep my vacuum cleaner in a visible spot, the truth is, I’m not that good when it comes to organization; that is, organizing my time, activities, studies, etc. I’m more spontaneous, and I tend to handle things as they come; is that bad? I work on class assignments according to what’s due next. And if I can get in a little house cleaning, do a couple loads of laundry, cook a meal, I feel like I’ve had a productive day. But then there are those little jobs I’ve been meaning to get to, but just haven’t had the time, like taking all my photos out of old shoe boxes and buying some of those cute little photo storage boxes to file them in.

In a recent lecture on How to Write a Research Paper, there were two words that stood out for me: Time Management. Does that mean scheduling everything? Does it include learning that in the middle of your thesis that your hard drive is dying? Does that include having to wait a half hour before someone takes an hour and a half to install a new hard drive? Does Time Management include standing in those long lines at Wal-Mart to buy a frozen dinner when you don’t have time to cook? How about chatting with your spouse about how his day at work went? How about when the garage door opener stops working?
Alas, this is the life of a non-traditional student.

Look Ma', A Conference Just for Us!

It had to happen, right? That's right sistahs and brothas,now there is a conference that celebrates the growing number of African Americans using the web to publish our thoughts from politics to family photos. And why not? There's a convention for superheros, and Tupperware (I imagine). The Blogging While Brown Conference will be in Atlanta July 25-27th. (Oooo, right in my back yard, and summer school will be over!) The Electronic Village reports that there are currently 1,269 Afro-blogs, and lists them, (I'm uh...still looking for Boldness-Genius). Of the top ten black blogs it lists, the topics are politics and entertainment...(no literary or personal journals in the top ten). But that's okay, it's an international conference for people of color and they also have a uh, a blog! So, if you're Blogging While Brown you may want to come on down to Hotlanta; it looks like it could be fun. But you'd better hurry, registration ends July 14th!

Funerals for Us Tree Huggers

Though in my old age I am becoming increasingly practical about my ultimate demise, admittedly, even for me just the sight of a casket can evoke the heebie jeebies. But let's face it folks, while death and dying is something we all hate to think about, one thing's for sure: you can't get out of this life alive. If you are not quite comfortable with the very commercial (and unnatural)way in which we bury our dead, or you're confused about the funeral industry, or even if you're simply concerned about the environment, this might make for an interesting and enlightening read. This article by Brendan Kiley of Newsweek talks about the possibilities of a "green burial" for those of us who are not Muslim, but also may not want our bodies preserved (with the help of embalming fluid) through the year 3052.

What Is Soul-II-Soul?

There is about four or five weeks left in the semester, and I have three 8-10 page papers to finish within that time; and not-to-mention a Spanish composition, presentation and final exam. And, while I was poised to graduate in December, I’ve decided to stick around for one more semester to try and increase my grade point average just a little more. I’m hoping this move will help increase my chances for getting into graduate school. Besides, I’ve been pursuing a college degree since I graduated in 1981, one more semester won’t kill me…(or at least, I hope it won’t).

So, meanwhile, I’m thinking about my trip to London coming up in May, and wondering how I should spend my free time while I’m there. For this two-week trip, I’ll receive three semester hours, so tours, theatre, reading a novel, and some class time will count as course work. But, evenings and weekends we’ll be on our own. One of those weekends, I’m certain will be spent in Paris (or possibly Venice but, I’d prefer Paris). And, I’ve been online checking out jazz spots: Jazz Café, 606 Club and maybe Spitz. And, then I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to see Jazzie B and Soul-2-Soul perform in some, cozy joint in London?

And, whatever happened to Soul-2-Soul anyway? And, Caron Wheeler…and Carl McIntosh with Loose Ends? Y'all remember "Keep on Moving", Wheeler's "I Adore You", and "Hangin' On a String".

This is why I love the internet. It turns out that all three of these 80’s, British R&B hipsters have MySpace pages. And, though I don’t think Loose Ends is still performing (hit me up, if you know different), it just so happens that Jazzie B will be performing at Jazz Café twice while I’m in London town. If I can make that set, it alone might just be worth the trip.

A Lot of Music in a Tiny Box

So, I didn't make a resolution, but I starting working out and eating less back in October in anticipation of graduating in December a size 8. (Hey, it's possible!) And, for small weight loss milestones I'm trying to reward myself with something other than food. For example, instead of a slice of cheesecake, I give myself a nice, hot bubble bath, or a CD, or a new blouse, right? So, today I rewarded myself with an iPod Shuffle; it's like the iPod Nano for those of us who can't afford the $150 bucks for the Nano. Which is fine. It holds 250 songs and that's just enough to fuel my workout. I spent the evening loading it up with my first workout playlist, (which was no small feat if you're over 40).

Once done, I got a pretty good workout in my kitchen. (No carpet there, so I slide a lot easier in my socks!) Now, I consider my music taste to be relatively diverse, but for a workout, I downloaded some good old fashion party music. I start off kinda mellow, and crank it up and then cool it down. Check out my playlist:

1) Private Party by India Irie

2) Diamond in da Ruff by Jaheim

3) I Am Not My Hair by India Irie

4) How to Survive in South Central by Ice Cube (yeah, that's right!)

5) Home Alone by R. Kelly & Keith Murray

6) Work That by Mary J. Blige

7) Wanna Be Startin' Something by Michael Jackson

8) Pressure by Sounds of Blackness

9) Just Fine by Mary J. Blige

10) Atomic Dog by Parliament Funkadelic

11) Represente by Orishas

12) There's Hope by India Irie

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There was a young man sitting at a table at the entrance of a book store in the mall today. And, usually when I'm in a mall it is for a specific purpose, and I tend to have blinders on; only searching for that thing that I went for, and nothing else. So, the first time I walked past, I just knew that I wasn't in the market for books right now, at least not any that doesn't pertain to one of my classes, and so I didn't pay much attention to him. But, once I'd passed the store, I realized that he had books on the table, and I thought.."he must be doing a book signing".

So, leaving Sears (after having purchased a couple of articles for in-laws in Trinidad), I decided to stop by the table afterall. The young man lit up, "Well, I see you decided to come back." He sounded enthusiastic, and right away I was beginning to feel a little bad. You see, right away I noticed the brightly colored cover of his books, with big, silver bold letters, and I just knew it wasn't something I'd be interested in reading. "What type of writing do you do?" The answer I already knew, "Urban fiction."

To make a long story just a little shorter, he was self published, no use for agents or publishers..."get yourself a distributor" and do-it-yourself. Inside, I cringed. I thought, see Persistence, your turning into one of those literary snobs that Marlon James and Matt Johnson talked about.

As If...

...I shouldn't be studying for a Spanish exam, or like I actually have time for fun reading in the thick of the semester. But Danticat has a new book, and I couldn't help myself. I just love the wisdom, loveliness and intensity in danticat's work. She is an old soul who writes as though her life depended on it.

First Life Overloaded? Try a Second!

Well, now that I've safely made it through the first half of an Early British summer with a midterm 'A', I can tell you about my latest partial obsession. I think it's even better than Spider Solitare as a being totally time consuming and an excellent object for procrastinating when I should be studying: it's Second Life! It's an online, three-D world where you create a personality, live, work and play....like in real life...but, it's sort of a cartoon...with some very real like avatars...or, people....anyway, it's a lot of fun.

For my second life, I've chosen to be a man...a black man. (Hey, why not?) And, I'm trying to see just how much second life money I can make on a free account. Second life money is called Linden dollars, after the company in San Francisco that developed it called Linden Research Lab, Inc. With Linden dollars you can buy and sell anything from yourself...yeah...to an island.

Not are there companies that are experimenting with Second Life to do virtual job interviews, but apparently some people are even finding religion in their second life.

For me, it's just a fun way to relax exercise my computer skills.