In writing the movie “Dr. Strangelove”, Stanley Kubrick and his co-writers faced a problem. They had set out to write a serious movie about the dangers of nuclear proliferation, but every time they talked about the characters and their interactions they began to laugh – hysterically. There was nothing inherently funny about mushroom clouds, war rooms, bomb shelters or apocalyptic wastelands, but the notion of creating weapons that could wipe out all human life on earth for the sake of ‘security’ was so ridiculous that it was hilarious. Sometimes comedy gives us the distance that we need to comprehend the true horror of a predicament, which brings me to the state of popular music. I’ll admit at the outset that I’m not the target audience for most popular music, so I don’t expect to like it, but it doesn’t necessarily have to suck. I’ve been wondering for a while, when…
The recent reincarnation of Robert Kelly should remind us of the dangers of waste: wasted time; wasted money; wasted potential. Defenders of R. Kelly are legion. The sophisticated R&B connoisseur points out the brilliance of his arrangements; the strength of the vocals; the audacity of the lyrics. The indifferent consumer reminds us that there are bigger concerns in the world and every purchase involves a deal with a devil of one kind or another. And the generous of heart remind of us the old adage ‘do not judge, lest ye be judged’. These and many others are rational defenses of buying and supporting R.Kelly, but do not address the moral dimensions of the question. What does it mean to support a man who has sex with and urinates on children? That R.Kelly is brilliant in his way is not beside the point at all. It is the point. If his…
The reaction from some on the right to Jay Z and Beyonce’s Cuban vacation reminds me of the moments following the death of Stringer Bell on ‘The Wire’. Bunk Moreland interviews the only witness to the murder – an unscrupulous contractor – who describes the shooter as a ‘big black guy with a big gun’. Moreland nods to his partner whispering ‘big negro, big gun’ an allusion to the inability of folks with racial bias to distinguish between blacks, especially in high stress – or high opportunity – situations. Jay Z and Beyonce, two celebrities with a combined net worth of around $750M visited Cuba, a nation – official propaganda aside – anyone can visit and yet somehow we have a controversy. Here is Marco Rubio: “Since their inception, the Obama administration’s ‘people to people’ cultural exchange programs have been abused by tourists who have no interest in the Cuban…
“Django Unchained” leaves me in the odd position of contributing to a problem while I propose a solution to it. Django’s not a serious film about slavery or race or anything really and does not warrant the attention or the controversy that it has created. It’s both a blood-soaked, action-packed romp and a rescue revenge story. It’s also a kind of thought experiment akin to gun rep Larry Ward’s claim that if slaves had had guns they could have shot their way to freedom. Nothing about Django as an idea is offensive or inspired or controversial, but that seems to be a problem for Tarantino. Django’s lack of the kind of depth and complexity that spawns real debate seems to have spurred the filmmakers to manufacture dissent by manipulating the press and pundits, which explains Tarantino’s criticism of Roots, his use of “niggers” and his pretend outrage at critics who question his…
Last week, as rappers Jay Z and Kanye West were about to go onstage and perform their hit single ‘N*ggas in Paris’, actress Gwyneth Paltrow tweeted “N*ggas in Paris for real” and caused a bit of controversy. There’s some debate about whether or not she was announcing the song or saluting her ‘niggas’ or whatever. Regardless, a mediocre actress using the n-word in any context isn’t something we should be losing sleep over, but I was sort of surprised by the hearty defense that she got from some of Hip Hop’s elder statesmen and luminaries. Black women have been attacked in and around the hip hop industry for decades, but I’ve never seen so many prominent artists and spokesman leap to their defense. Dream, Nas, Ice T, Russell Simmons and perhaps more to follow donned their capes, strapped on their Kevlar and dove into the fray, announcing to the world…