James Brown

It's not just the pantsuit.

It's not just the scorch-earth singing.

It's the fact that the Godfather is there, in all his black and white glory behind her, like a guardian angel.

She, octaroon daughter of an Ecuatorian and an American, resplendent in technicolor white.

Before her, a roomful of jaws agape standing, and clapping and testifying; while a Jamie Foxx, one of the true believing fanboys, standing there, stunned and speechless seconds before the closing of the clip.

With just one performance she rises to feminist icon for a whole generation of girls with her possessed, Cassandra-like interpretation ...

This is a man's world
But it would be nothing, nothing
Not one little thing
Without a woman or girl.

Hell yeah, Christina.

PREACH!

While I understand the importance of mourning, dignity, and paying respect to the dead, I believe that if you died on Decemeber 26th, then your-not- wishing-to-be-President-but-Speaker-of-the-House- soul has already risen up to that great rotunda in the sky. And as such, your body should already be buried or cremated.

The money wasted on these burials slays me. The United States contains so many people that are hungry, homeless, and uninsured that the money spent seems like a slap in the face to the living who suffer these indignities. Our governemnt tells us they can't afford to feed everybody, but they sure can afford to bury the hell outta someone.

Even James Brown's solid gold casket offends me. Who the fuck needs a solid gold casket?
He's the Godfather of Soul! He should be keepin' it real, even in the afterlife. (I am also not one for mythologizing the dead so I just have to mention the fact that James Baby shot up an insurance seminar because he thought someone used his office bathroom. Also, he endorsed Richard Nixon for President. I guess Nixon's resignation was "Payback! Hey hey hey!")

Of course, you are not suppose to point out that the money could be better spent or that the dead might have done some awful things because it is "disrespectful".

And I agree. The truth almost always disrespects those who benefit from the waste and the lies.

Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) Lyrics

Now we demand a chance to do things for ourself

We're tired of beatin' our head against the wall

And workin' for someone else

We're people

We're just like the birds and the bees

We'd rather die on our feet

Than be livin' on our knees

Say it loud

I'm black and I'm proud

    

There has got to be meaning to this juxtaposition :

James Brown, the hardest working man in show business who took shit from nobody and represented the emerging black powered pop culture revolution. He dies on Christmas day.

Gerald Ford, the man who had to clean Richard Nixon's shit while nurturing the emerging white supremacist neo-con movement introduced by his presidency. He dies the day after Christmas.

James Brown, no matter how fucked up his situation, he always seemed to be able to overcome through hard work and determination. His foibles? Pardonnable because even though he was superhumanly talented, his shortcomings and humble beginning just made him more like us.

Gerald Ford, on the other hand, never seemed to break a sweat. His photographs in the White House make it look like he is more like a vacationer than a president; just passing time before his time to go. And his biggest foible? Pardoning Nixon, and letting him skip free from the consequences of his corrupt actions.

Seriously. There has got to be some meaning to these seemingly asynchronous deaths. The universe is never that clueless or random.