I was glossing over the MOG gazette and saw a link to "candymanlive's post":http://mog.com/thecandymanlives/blog_post/17185 that was more or less a reply to Bawston Sean's missive on race relations in music which I think some may ask of the MOG-osphere. Simply put, as a melanin covered man, I don't think there's a lot of people of color who even know that MOG exists, hell, I meet people (of all, er, stripes) in the music industry on the regular who don't know about MOG yet, but I'm certain that that will change with time. Until the latter unfolds, however, I get, like Paul on the road to Damascus and, continue to spread the MOG-spell which I think, given time, will seep into the very music industry itself and shatter a lot of that pigeonholing and scatter those who do to the four winds...The above reminds me of articles I've read about the "RAR Movement":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Against_Racism that took place over in England during the 70'S when up-and-coming musicians of all colors joined forces to "Rock Against Racism" while they performed in dives overrun with National Front Skins (neo-Nazis and their lot) who would wreak havoc, throw bottles, start fights and spit in the faces of the musicians on stage...I particularly recall an interview with David Hinds, the lead singer for the reggae band Steel Pulse. He spoke on playing in such places back in the UK and how it inspired him to write the tune "Jah Pickney" which is a cut featured on their seminal (and now out of print) Tribute to the Martyrs LP back in 80-81; the cut can now be found on "Soundsystem: The Island Anthology":http://www.thestore24.com/Music/Album.aspx?A_ID=R+++256914&P_ID=P+++++2940&si=rhino ,however...
"They believe in Aparthied, for that we gonna whoop their hides..I won't rest 'till I'm satisfied...The National Front, said we're gonna hunt the National Front...Jah Pickney show them..."That tune inspired me, a teenager when I first heard it, to write a (really bad) play that was performed in front of the student body of my highschool. And while that might seem inconsequential to some, still, I think it supports my initial point...No matter what kind of racial scape I got into when I was on the road, especially in the deep south, (and there were many) I never forgot about the hardships endured by the (then) fledgling acts like the Pulse Posse and the Clash (they were "down with the RAR movement too":http://mog.com/CrashPryor/blog_post/16444 and that's word). All of this stayed in my mind's eye and helped me push on through whatever SNAFU that I was embroiled in at any given moment and get to wherever I was going...
All of that stated, from what I've seen since I've joined MOG, I think I'm preaching to the choir. To all newcomers (of any color) I say: be passionate; be champions; post your thoughts on the muse and do so to your heart's content; spread the word and, as long as the point of the whole exercise is kept in play, we've got nothing to fear on the racial tip...those who forget the past are destined to repeat it,yo...variety is the spice of life...MOG it and they will come...R.A.R., y'all...
Locating MOG account...
Comments (16)
@crashpryor - your words truly helped me today. I needed to read them! Thank you! Missing you kid!