Accept no substitutes

Month: August 2005 (Page 1 of 3)

Ruby gets roses and a new headline

The article on Ruby Sinreich was republished today in the Chapel Hill News with several improvements. First it’s headline is now Public Allies names Sinreich ‘change-maker’. The paper version has a color picture; the NandO one was in black and white, but both web pics are color. There seem to be fewer editorial changes except that this one has a more amusing close.

Ruby also received “Roses” (even if they are of the 2-D black and white ink on newsprint variety they are a good recognition).

Blood Done Discussion 2

Now at Tim Tyson’s talk that is a closeout to the Campus Reads a Book program. Tim introduced by director of the Stone African-American Culture Center. “Mercy” says Tim. Tim talks about the number of Methodist and Free Will Baptist preachers in his family. He introduces his parents and also Eddie McCoy who we all know from the book. Much said about Eddie as a local historian and notes that Eddie’s tapes and transcripts are in the Southern Historical Collection. September 8 5 – 7 Tim, his father, Eddie and Jacqueline Dowd Hall will be speaking at the Wilson Library.

3 point sermon to be delivered. MLK was a Southerner. The Black Power Movement was born in the South like King. King and Black Power Movement had much in common. The South is the major arena on which the problems and successes of our country are played out.

Tim’s talk is on MLK (Sally will have more on her blog later I’m sure. She’s writing now.).Tim talks about food. MLK’s fav food was fried pig’s ear sandwiches. Tim is big on food.

[taking time to listen here]

King as a realist not a genial black santa claus as we have made him. Eloquent description of King and is radicalism. Tim now speaks of King’s first speech at age 27. Embrasses the non-violent and Christian part of the movement.

Quotes King’s Chapel Hill speech. (Sally says that she’s read all that could be found on that speech and that she can’t recall that quote tho).

Now about the Black Power Movement. Black independent and Black separatism. Black Power are a revival of a tradition of resistance. James Meredith’s march and shooting changed the chat “Freedom now” to “Black Power” also the scene of Stokley Carmichael and MLK’s debate about the nature of power and how Irish, Italians and Jews had become white and how that might apply to blacks. They did not agree. No one was shouting “Irish Power” in order to get accepted in Boston.

Along Freedom Road: Hyde County, North Carolina and the Fate of Black Schools in the South by David S. Cecelski gets mentioned. As does Governor Aycock’s overthrow of the elected govenment of North Carolina.

Fusion movement turn of the century success of democratic vision. The Wilmington riots are mentioned. More readings on that movement here.

Standing ovation for Tim.

Active question time. Is violence necessary? How did he come to tell that story and how long did it take him (since he was 11)? What about the reappropriation of the word nigger is asked by a young black woman senior from Oxford. Tim talks about reappropriation of Tar Heel, Linthead, Redneck, etc. Now about the Wilmington takeover. Aycock and the next six governors were all involved. The beginning of the Jim Crow South. In response to a recently released soldier’s concern that he had never heard of the Wilmington riots. How can a white man do African-Amercian studies asks a young white man in African-American Studies. Tim talks about talking on Robert Williams to the Republic of New Africa. Funny but tough talk.

What do we do about working on racism? Friendship is fine but what about public policy asks Tim. How to keep the public sphere open?

Mary Williams will be playing and singing songs that are referenced in the book including a take the roof off the church version of “Blood Done Sign My Name”

Blood Done Discussion

At one of the many discussions at UNC of Tim Tyson’s Blood Done Sign My Name. This is not a discussion of undergrads, but one of graduate students and faculty. Since this is not exactly a private discussion but it is not exactly a public discussion either, I’ll be broad in my remarks.

Coordinator Dr. David Carr notes that he and several other folks here have come from leading freshmen discussions today. He tells of wanting to talk alot but that he once got a chinese fortune cookie fortune that said “Today is a good time to shut up” He then acknowledged that he has yet to learn to do that. Now he tells us that the freshmen were born in 1987 parented by parents born in 1962 (if their parents were 25 when they had these freshmen). David contextualized the period by describing the Kent State killings and the Augusta and Jackson State killings — all in the same month as the killing of Henry Marrow. May 1970.

Folks mention other books: “A Lesson Before Dying” and “Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” and Tyson’s “Radio Free Dixie” Personal reflections are brought up along the way. A bit about small town concepts and how the particularlity is more touching to some than the broad national pagents. “Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Devil: My Life and Times in a Racist, Imperialist Society” is being read by one man. Another person talks about the portrait of the South. Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” Bebe Moore Campbell’s “Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine” High school students are very aware of class notes Carr. I mention Frank Johnson and Sally’s class. I only know a little or do I know a lot?

What is this book about? asks David. One says: Information Access. (Glad he came to the ILS ;->). Special mention of Tim’s having left the paper that had the pages torn out. Tim left it that way so that people would know that it had been damaged. Mid-westerner claims she had no clue of the culture. She was shocked at first by Silent Sam, but then thought that avoiding history is not a good thing. Back to information. Why did it take so long after Brown v Board before segregation ended? How far have we really come? “Wolf Whistle” and James Baldwin’s interview with Martin Luther King are mentioned. David was on faculty at Rutgers with the former president of NC A and T. A little talk of Viet Nam. Viet Nam included black and white soldiers and that effect in noted. In Camp Lejune, racial tension was extremely strong.

“Henry Marrow thought he was going out for a soda” not to change anything. A young black woman talks about “Color Purple” and how racism infected and infects the black community as well. How racial heirarchy infects us all even blacks.

“Founding Brothers” is mentioned by one faculty member and how the founders couldn’t deal with it and left it for us to determine.

David envies Tim as a writer. How Tim uses the work “kenneled” in the phrase how he realized when he refused to drink from a certain water fountain that “racism was kenneled within him.”

Discussion of complexity. Return to the water fountain. And other stories told.

Ending? or Going on after an hour. What would we talk about if we had another hour to meet?
Sex and race (not gender but sex) brought up. The combination that killed Emmett Till and Henry Marrow. How to personally recognize racism within oneself.

David talks about the “Color of Water” which will be read by the Durham community. David is arranging and training the reading group folks there. He’s looking for volunteers to help out.

Carrboro on September will have a community book forum which will begin with “Blood Done Sign My Name.” Tim asks for sweet potato pie to be brought.

On September later, Richard Florida’s “Creative Class.” and in November “Rescuing Patty Hearst”

Good Charlotte @ Green Day?

During the Green Day concert the other night, Billie Joe pulled a band out of the mosh pit. He started by asking for a drummer and interviewing people from the stage: how many years have you played drums? how old are you? can you keep this simple rhythm? The lucky but somewhat timid drummer was then raised on stage and begin tapping with the help and instruction of Tre Cool.
Next was the bass player. A 16 year old guy was pulled up and set up with help from Mike. The father of the new bass sensation is looking for photos. If you have one, get in touch with David Menconi at the News and Observer .

Next after a longer set of teasing interviews, a young woman was pulled up to play lead. There was a lot of shuffling around and she was sent off to the side of the stage. A replacement was pulled up. This guy was unlike the rest. Blonde dyed spiky hair, dark glasses, black Ramones t-shirt, dark jeans, perfectly confident on stage, quickly strapped up into the guitar, immediately playing some blazing licks. And soon as was egging on the bass player and drummer as he posed and walked the stage and took a mike and begin to add harmony and back up vocals.

At the end of the song, Billie Joe brought the young woman back to center stage and gave her the guitar that had been used to play lead. The Ramones wearing guy grabbed the mike and shouted something like “I don’t need your guitar; I’m in Good Charlotte!” But from what I can find, Good Charlotte was in the UK or just back.

Does anyone know of this mystery guitar and have any idea what he said? Is he a regular part of the show, hitting the stage as a ringer each time?

Apache – a song silly and sad

A current net.meme is the 1977 music video of Tommy Seebach playing Apache. Yes it’s bad. Very bad. Scantily dressed Euro chicks dance as Indians around the fringed Seebach for far too long.

But this was not the end for Seebach. In 1979 when he won the Danish Melodi Grand Prix with Disco Tango and represented Denmark (his home which in part explains the unconvincing Indians and fringe) in the Eurovision Song Contest. Tommy was to represent Denmark in 1980 and 81. Tommy was one of only two bands to have won the the Danish Melodi Grand Prix three times.

He died of a heart attack brought on by alcoholism at age 53. Even though dead, he entered the Grand Prix in an entry that caused some scandal in 2004. A “Kopiband” called the “Tommy Seebach Show” tours Europe as well.

[see wikipedia entry]

Green Dazed

Green Day’s show was not only about professionalism (despite being a punk band, well sorta in the beginning) and spectacle (flames, lights, confetti, water, etc) but also about audience involvement. From posting SMS messages to projected screens (yes ours got posted) to pulling audience members on stage to form an impromptu band with chants, waves, call response and rushes toward the crowd inbetween.
preshow – phone pix and sms messages from the crowd posted on screens
jimmy eat world – okay and energetic
giant pink rabbit – okay, not giant just some one is a rabbit suit teasing the crowd with small pink rabbit toys and dancing to the Village People’s YMCA then disolving into the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop That Ho-Hi-Let’s Go would recur throughout the night.
American Idiot – many better set lists on the net which i will find in a bit
Jesus of Suburbia
Holiday
Saint Jimmy

Shout in the best James Brown style disolving into Stand By Me then back to Shout
Wake Me Up When September Ends
Minority

Maria
Blvd of Broken Dreams
Cover of Queen’s We are the Champions
Time of Your Life

[more to be said later — off to meeting]

Google Talk Lives

Google Talk Logo
Just what I needed another messenger service, but here I am as smalljones (same as my Gmail address). I need buddies to test it out, so drop me a note there — not Gmail but Google Talk. It supports numerous clients including GAIM, iChat, and Psi. See the Google Talk pages for set up info. There is also a custom Google Talk client for Windows.
Note: The audio portion of GTalk only works with the official Google Talk client for Windows.
Rumor: Is Google Talk a prelude to Google buying Skype?
Note: iChat to iChat using the Google Talk server (not the client) supports audio chat.

Long on Horns, Short on Books

The University of Texas Library has found a way to decrease library costs — eliminate books.

Kris Axtman of The Christian Science Monitor reports:

When students wander into the former University of Texas undergraduate library this fall, gone will be the “Quiet Please” signs, the ban on cheeseburgers or sodas, the sight of solemn librarians restocking books.

The fact is, there will be no more books to restock. The UT library is undergoing a radical change, becoming more of a social gathering place more akin to a coffeehouse than a dusty, whisper-filled hall of records. And to make that happen, the undergraduate collection of books had to go.

This summer, 90,000 volumes were transferred to other collections in the campus’s massive library system – leaving some to wonder how a library can really be a library if it has no tomes.

[more at the Christian Science Monitor site]

How Should Parents Behave at a Green Day Concert

Green Day
My 12 year old son saved enough money and was quick enough on the draw to get good seats for the upcoming Green Day concert. I’m going with him and a couple of his friends and their parents. As I look back, I could not begin to imagine going to a rock concert with my father (fine person that he is and was). I saw most of my early rock as an usher at the Charlotte Coliseum which is no longer called the Charlotte Coliseum any more, but Independence Arena instead. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a big venue concert and when I was there (maybe the Elvis Costello/Nick Lowe tour), I paid no attention to how a parent should behave at a rock concert.

So tell me what would you suggest is appropriate parent behavior? I’ll post my observations after the concert (Wednesday night unless Billie Joe’s voice is still on vacation).

Rich News at least in Features

This morning’s News and Observer is full of stories, features and articles on or by some folks I know and some I love.

Artist Jane Filer (we own one of her paintings) whose show will open next Sunday at Jane Tyndall’s Gallery at University Mall is the subject of a longish feature in which both Janes are quoted.

Bob Moog and theremins are part of a feature story on the Ether Music 2005 (in Asheville) and are subject of another feature as well as a photo and audio slide show. Steve Burnett, who has commented here, is the Rasputin lookalike in the fifth picture.

Susan Gladen’s short story which won the Doris Betts Award is featured in the Sunday Journal section. Susan and Peter Kramer let me write in their chicken house occassionally.

Sam Ruby and Michael Teiman talk about corporate blogs in the Business Section. (I was deep background on part of this. So deep that Jonathan Cox may have forgotten he even spoke with me ;->).

My favorite real life pirate, Captain Horatio Sinbad, is Tar Heel of the Week. Besides leading raids on local to Beaufort and Morehead City waterfront restaurants and tourist cruises, the relatively good captain won a sailboat race and as part of his prizes, he will be bringing sailing ships to Beaufort. Great profile of a man who never grew up — in th every best way.

Remember that Bob Moog is undergoing cancer treatment at Duke. You can sign his guest book and leave him a message.

Pirate alert from 1974

“Next time you’re out shopping for records or tapes — watch out for pirates. Not the kind with skull and crossbones and crusty cutlasses–watch out for music pirates. There are plenty of them around and, like their 18th Century colleagues, they’re breaking the law, to the tune of $200 million a year.” So begins the alert, the “Buyers Bulletin,” on the record sleeve of the Vassar Clements LP from 1974 that I was revisiting. Besides describing how to tell an official versus a pirated 8-track cartridge, we are treated to a tale of extra-legal and sociopathic behavior by the Killer Jerry Lee Lewis as he finds himself at a gas station in the south with rack of illegal 8 tracks as told by John Polk an RIAA investigator. It’s not clear what behavior is being celebrated as legal what which as morally wrong. Obviously the target is the right one. Massive amounts, allegedly, of 8 track tapes suddenly showing up for sale is definitely a negative market force, but then we have the Killer who smashes what he deems to be a rack of illegal tapes and drives off saying “Tell him ‘Killer’ was here.”
The confusion persists to this day. Bands and rappers are presented as outlaws up until there’s product involved. Then when the distribution systems fails and that structural hole is filled by entrepreneurs as indifferent to norms as the bands the name calling starts. And even then “Killer” is held up as an example of “taking the bull by the horns” — without irony.
The confused message does not serve the industry well and worse for all of us, we have become numb to it after 30 years of handwaving.
I too oppose massive illegal file trading and the more harmful cousin counterfeit recordings, but clarity here is a persistant problem.

« Older posts

© 2024 The Real Paul Jones

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑