Prince - A Giant Performer

Yesterday, I was talking to my friend, Fran, about the passing of Prince. She asked me if I had planned on writing anything on the subject. I really hadn't planned on it. But after discussing his musical significance on our generation, I decided to should share a few of my thoughts.

First off, no one can deny the talent of Prince. When it came to writing and performing, he was in an elite class.  While many people can write a decent song, it takes a special person to bring the song to life. Prince had that unique ability. Through his dynamic vocals and electric stage presence, he was able to squeeze every drop of energy out of his songs. And, for a performer, that's about as good as it gets.

But before I go any further, I need to say a few words about this....

Last May, Prince announced an impromptu show at Baltimore's Royal Farms Arena. The concert, which was called "Rally 4 Peace", was supposedly organized in an effort to help the city heal after the recent "unrest" surrounding the death of Freddie Gray. Many excited fans lined up to buy their tickets to the much-anticipated show. However, the superstar's trip to Charm City also proceeded to anger many others. Although the concert was said to promote unity, some saw it as Prince taking sides with the protesters and casting unfair judgment on the police department.

Prior to the concert, Prince wrote a song, appropriately called "Baltimore". The song includes the familiar protest mantra "If there ain't no justice, there ain't no peace". There's also a line which says "Let's take all of the guns away". Not surprising, many people saw this as Prince taking a political stance instead of bringing people together. 

But to be fair, Prince made a plea to the youngsters in the crowd with the following statement: "The system is broken. It's going to take the young people to fix it this time. We need new ideas, new life...The next time I come to Baltimore, I want to stay in a hotel owned by you." 

On a lighter note, I used to be really jealous of Prince. And it wasn't because he was a great musician or that he had a really bad-ass looking guitar. You see, I used to have a big celebrity crush on actress, Kim Basinger. So, when I heard that Prince was going out with her, I become quite envious. (Of course, when she later married Alec Baldwin I was absolutely crushed. But that's another story..)

And remember when Prince "changed" his name to "the artist formerly known as"? Of course, most people thought he had lost his mind. But he actually had a pretty good reason for doing it. You see, although the singer was born Prince Rogers Nelson, the record company owned the rights to market the name "Prince". So, in effect, the singer felt like he had lost his identity. So, when he refused to use the name "Prince", it was his way of taking a jab at his record company.

The thing that I found so intriguing about Prince's music is that is was uniquely diverse. It had elements of rock, pop, funk and R&B. There really wan't anything else that you could compare it to. You could almost recognize his songs from the first few notes. He put his virtual signature on almost every tune. 

Prince also wrote (or co-wrote) huge hits for other artists such as Sinead O'Conner (Nothing Compares To You), Stevie Nicks (Stand Back), The Bangles (Manic Monday), Sheena Easton (Sugar Walls) and Chaka Khan (I Feel For You).

Prince may have only stood at 5'2" but he was a giant on stage. During a conversation last night over a few beers, I mentioned that Prince was one of the greatest live performers of our generation. Although I received a few raised eyebrows, I also said that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Elvis and Michael Jackson. His ability to connect with a live audience was something really special . When he took the stage, he absolutely owned it. Price's performance at the 2007 Super Bowl is ranked as the greatest halftime performance ever. In the pouring Miami rain, Prince made everyone forget that there was still 30 minutes of football left to be played.

As a tribute to the Minneapolis native, many places around the world were showered in "purple rain". This is a visual representation of the impact that his music had on people everywhere. While many of his most devoted fans are still in shock over his untimely death, they can rest assured that Prince's music will live on forever.....

kw

The Adventures on Lexington Street

Today, I found myself working in downtown Baltimore near the "world famous" Lexington Market. As I parked my car on the open-air lot next to the market, I gathered my laptop and made my way to the office building across the street.

Along the way, I encounter a wide variety of people. None of them seem to have any particular place to be. In the distance, I see a woman with multi-colored dreadlocks which glisten brightly in the morning sun. Her hair reminded me of one of the colorful sun-catchers that you hang in your kitchen window. I was really glad that I wore my sunglasses.

As I move along the busy sidewalk, I catch pieces of several different conversations. Most of the people are very loud and animated. They have no filter.  They let the profanity fly like nobody's business. F-bombs permeate the morning air like a pack of angry butterflies. Approaching the entrance to one of the subway stations, I see a guy in a hoodie leaning against the wall talking to himself. I'm not sure what he was saying, but he seemed very amused. Oddly, he seemed harmless and scary at the same time.

I see an older man dressed in what looks like a Zoot suit. With his wide pants legs, I half-expected him to launch into a MC Hammer-style break dance. I fight the urge to shout, "Can't touch this!" The guy also sports a bad-ass looking fedora. And instead of walking, he strutted. This guy really had it going on.

My nostrils are soon ambushed by the pungent smell of marijuana. I glance around to see if I can catch the source but I find nothing. Judging from what I've seen so far, everyone must be smoking something. This includes a very pregnant woman who has a cigarette dangling from her mouth. I'm not sure who the woman was talking to, but she lets out an enthusiastic, "I ain't give a f*ck!" Somehow, I don't see her excelling at the whole motherhood thing.

After my brief adventure, I finally enter the office building. I complete my work and after a few hours, I exit the building and re-enter the Twilight Zone. What I see next is quite disturbing...

As I stand in line to pay for parking, I see a woman who is totally wasted. Big surprise, I know. But the thing about this woman is that she's pushing a toddler in a baby stroller! I couldn't believe it. She bends over to retrieve something from the back of the stroller. But after a couple of minutes, she's still bent over. It appears like she's passed out! (I was later informed that this is known as the "heroin pose") Eventually, she comes to and pushes the stroller a couple of feet. But when she releases her grip and the stroller starts rolling towards the parking lot. I move to catch it. Fortunately, the stroller ran into a nearby wall before it picked up too much momentum. I impulsively blurt out, "Are you out of your mind?!" But I instantly realize that this was a stupid question. The woman probably didn't know which planet she was on. It really made me sick to witness this. I quickly retrieve a group of security guards and tell them that they need to do something or call someone before she kills the poor kid. The guards come over and quickly intervene. I had to leave but I sure hope they didn't send the kid home with this idiot.

It's always an adventure when I'm down in that part of the city. But this one takes the cake....

kw

North Carolina - The Bathroom Law

Yesterday, I touched base on Mississippi's controversial HB1523. Today, we're going to take a field trip to North Carolina. So, pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable and let's get started.

Last week, Governor Pat McCrory signed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (HB2) into law. In a nutshell, the new law requires individuals, when in a government facility, to use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex. This is the sex that is defined on the individual's birth certificate. For those who are having trouble following this, it basically means that if you have a penis, you point it toward the men's room.

So, you're probably thinking, "So, why is this such a big issue?"

Well, in a country where everyone seems to be offended about something, the new law has ruffled the feathers of the LGBT community, as well as their supporters. As in Mississippi, they view this as another instance of open discrimination against them. The new law specifically targets transgender individuals who view themselves as the opposite of what's on the birth certificate.

As with the Mississippi law, the North Carolina law can also cause you to scratch your head. Although it seems quite simple, it can get quite complicated. Let's try to make some sense of it...

Most people have probably heard of Caitlyn Jenner. So, let's use her as an example. Once upon a time, as most of you know, Caitlyn was Bruce. But somewhere along the way, Bruce discovered that he was essentially a woman trapped in a man's body. So, after several years of cross-dressing and hormone replacement therapy, Bruce officially became Caitlyn. However, because Caitlyn never had sexual-reassignment surgery, she still (I assume) possesses a penis. So, by North Carolina law, if Caitlyn has to take a leak, she would have to head into the men's room. No doubt, there would be some serious double-takes as Caitlyn waltzes up to a urinal. But it's the law...

(On a side note, I can somewhat relate to some of the bathroom scenarios. For instance, at a concert years ago, I had a woman pull up to the urinal beside me in the men's room at Merriweather Post Pavilion. It was a bit weird to say the least. But my most traumatic bathroom experience came at the Southwest Bowling lanes several years ago. If you want to read the details of both of these, search for my blogs "One Crazy Concert" and " Charming The Cobra".)

If we were strictly dealing with "legitimate" transgender folks, it would be complicated enough. But supporters of the law also cited that without the law, women and children would be vulnerable to sexual predators. I think this is a fair point. For those who think that it's not, let me ask you this. Would you want a grown man walking in on your wife or daughter in a public ladies room?

And while there are some people who have taken that full step into "transgenderness", how do you determine who's legit and who's not? Let's say that after watching a Lifetime movie marathon, Joe is feeling rather feminine. Is this grounds enough for him to drop trou in the ladies room? Or maybe someone just happens to be a good old fashioned pervert. How do you keep him from casually exploring what's behind the door #3 in the ladies room? Will the legitimate transgender folks have ID cards? Are you starting to see how crazy it can get?

Keep in mind, the new NC law only applies to public restrooms. Private companies are free to make their rules regarding who uses which bathroom. I highly suspect that the overwhelming majority of these companies and businesses will adopt the state law as their own. However, if any of these companies have an issue with the new law, then they should open up their bathroom doors to everyone.

While many people see the law as discriminatory against homosexuals, it's really not. The law simply dictates that penis-wielding men, gay or straight, must use the men's room. And the same thing holds true for ladies. This is the way it's been forever and no one really seemed to have an issue with it. So, I'm not quite sure why it's become such a big deal now...

kw

Mississippi - Bibles & Wedding Cakes

There has been some recent political contention in Mississippi and, surprisingly, it doesn't involve Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Instead, we're seeing a bare-knuckle throwdown between religious freedom and the rights of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community.

No matter which side your on, things can get a bit complicated. So, let me try to break it down.

Last week, Governor Phil Bryant signed a controversial "religious freedom" bill (House Bill 1523) into law. The new law essentially gives business owners the right to refuse service to individuals, based on religious opposition to gay marriage, transgender people and extramarital sex. Leaving the latter two behind for now, let's focus on gay marriage. This, in itself, is a double edged sword. While many people may legitimately oppose it on religious principles, the fact of the matter is that same-sex marriage is now a legal right in the United States.

We've all heard the "gay wedding cake" scenario, but where do you draw the line? If a gay couple walks into a Mississippi hardware store to buy some painting supplies, can the cashier simply point to his bible and refuse to serve them?

According to the way I understand it, the law only applies to "wedding-related" services. But couldn't this present a certain "vagueness" that could leave the door open for selective discrimination?

Additionally, the new law gives state employees the right to refuse marriage licenses to gay couples.  However, the service must provided by another employee. Hmm....that sure sounds like a snafu in the making. For instance, let's say all of the employees at this particular location are part of the same bible study group. Who will issue the marriage license then? Do they draw straws? Is there a person on call for this? I can see the gay couple standing there saying, "WTF" as the state employees thump their bibles and shrug their shoulders. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but just wait.

The controversial law has also drawn the ire of celebrities such as Bryan Adams. The Canadian pop star recently announced that he was cancelling a scheduled concert in Mississippi in protest of the new state law. Hmm, if he's so supportive of gay rights, I wonder why he performed concerts in places like Oman, Qatar and Syria a few years ago? Last time I checked, those countries took discrimination, especially against homosexuals, to a whole new level. I don't know, maybe Bryan didn't get the memo?

Not surprising, the gay community sees Mississippi's latest law as state-sanctioned discrimination. But ironically, the official name of House Bill 1523 is the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act. So, in effect, it's the supporters of the bill who were originally claiming discrimination. And when you throw in the First Amendment and that whole "freedom of religion" thing, it adds a bit of credibility to their argument. Are you scratching your head yet? See, I told you it could get complicated...

You can go back and forth on this all day. And there are other parts of the bill that I didn't even talk about. There are also other states such as North Carolina that are currently debating similar laws. If I have an abundance of mental energy, perhaps I'll talk about the controversial "bathroom bill" in a future post. Stay tuned...


kw

Gapkids - Racially Insensitive?

By now, most of you have probably heard about the GapKids "racially insensitive" ad. While most people saw nothing more than a group of young girls posing in their GapKids clothing, a least a handful of race-hustlers saw something far more "sinister". In the controversial photo, a white girl is seen resting her arm on the head of shorter black girl. Seems innocent enough, right? But, as we know, when there's black and white involved, the imagination of the malcontents begins to run wild.

So, in this particular case, they looked at the picture from all angles, trying to weave the best story possible. In the end, their imagination led them to the brilliant assertion that the white girl was using the black girl as a prop (or a "piece of furniture"). My initial reaction was, "You've got to be kidding me." But before you could say "Get Reverend Al on the line", the Gap pulled the ad and followed up with an apology to those who may have been "offended".

Instead of issuing an apology, the Gap should have told the "offended ones" to f*ck off and get a life. Sure, it may have ruffled a few feathers. But, in my opinion, it would have also sent the message that they had done nothing wrong or deceitful. By issuing an apology, the Gap played right into the race-baiter's hands by essentially admitting that they were guilty as charged.

Oh, and for what it's worth, the two girls of interest in this ad are actually sisters. That's right, a little white girl and a little black girl with the same mother living together in perfect harmony. Imagine that! Maybe instead of spewing bullshit, the race hustlers might want to at least acknowledge this? Or better yet, celebrate the fact that not everyone is a racist.

Ironically, there was a similar GapKids ad from last year that featured a black girl with her arm resting on a shorter white girl's head. But no outrage about that one. The only thing you hear is crickets (which is the way it should be, in both cases).

Nothing to see here folks. Let's move along.....

This is all unfortunate for the Gap because, aside from their apology, they did nothing wrong. And there certainly wasn't any racism. The people who try to find racism in every little thing are just as bad as the racists themselves. I wish companies would start standing up to these bullies. When they cave in, like the Gap did in this case,  it only empowers the race-hustlers to keep doing what they do....

kw