It was a good year

I am a fan of Michael Jackson. I am a huge MJ fan. That said I am also a fan of reality, by that I mean I am aware of the world in which I live in. So to summarise this blog so far, I am a fan of Michael Jackson, but as far as I know I don’t live in never ever land.


There is a consensus being established that as a whole 2008 was a god awful year. Really? Lets see: the financial crisis, the Mumbai attacks, Israel and Gaza conflict. To my understanding that is it. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that isn’t a bad list, it is…but lets look at this year in context.


For the first time in a while, black people of western decent can no longer use race as an excuse for any and all grievances (that is a massive generalisation of my people, but what the heck). Lets not kid our selves, Mr Barack Obama is a big deal. Now young people of colour can look to the leader of the (once) most powerful nation in the world and find a face that resembles their own (if only in colour). That is a big deal. For that face to not represent a struggle or victimship of some sort but represent actual significant accomplishment is a big deal. Again this is no disrespect to people that came before him, but Barack Obama should represent a new day. And I haven’t even mentioned how much this one man has managed to galvanise young people to take part in their own political system. Great Britain, we should be jealous.

Ok that was the political field but I also believe a new day can be seen on the creative horizon as well.

As a hiphop fan, I can say thank god for Nas. His (untitled) album was pretty much everything that I love about the genre encapsulated into forty five or so minutes of digestible poetry and beat making wizardry. But I thought 2008 also came up with great albums from Portishead and Erykah Badu. All in all for music, this year wasn’t as bad as most. In fact, it felt as though people had something intelligent and substantial to say.

When it comes to film, two words, Dark Knight. One day I will write my thoughts on this epic piece of work, but not today. I have already seen this film more times than I can remember and I am still finding new things I like about it. For once, a comic book film which I truly believe can win best film at any “prestigious” award cere…(sorry)… “awards ceremony”.

To conclude, if money is the only reason why you have found this year to be gruesome, well then fair enough. I can understand. I however was born very poor and remain somewhat poor to this day. I find this uproar about a recession to be...well...boring,so I look to other factors to justify my assessment of a year.

Like a Michael Jackson fan I find myself trying to argue that this year was all in all a great year on many fronts, but I find myself being shouted down that this year is a ghoulish, disastrous, plastic year masquerading as a golden one.

Ahh, to be french!

Ahhhh, to be french. Not just for the culture, or the food, or the women...but for the uncompromising use of common sense.

We all know what the english think of the french. My adopted country's feelings about the country across the pond is stuff of legend. But what has inspired me to write this post is the current economic mess we find ourselves in and where it originated. The United States of America.

So please permit me to take you back to 2004, October to be exact. A time when Senator John Kerry and Governor George Bush were fighting it out for the presidency of the United States. To say George bush was running a dirty campaign is like saying Mick Jagger had never had sex with women, but his chosen line of attack is what i find ironic in retrospect. George Bush was (successfully) painting John Kerry as unpatriotic (ignoring his distinguish service career), elitist (just dumb talk for intellectual) and worst of all FRENCH (John Kerry fought this quip by speaking french on the stump). As a result John Kerry was turned into this.

So what did the American people choose to do; re-elect a dumb ass because of their own intellectual insecurity (I mean really, is it that bad to have a president who is smarter than you), they re-elected someone who was liberal with the spillage of the most precious American resource, american blood and well some one who was un-french-like.

I mean is it that bad to be like a nation that are congratulatory to those who possess intellectual and cultural excellence? Is it bad to be like a nation that are not phobic about government and allows them to take the lead in important health and social issues such as childhood obesity, global warming and sex education? (And the point to all this is...) Is it that bad to be like a nation that absolutely detests debt, therefore chose not to build an economy on fake money?

The French must be laughing their asses off. I know I would be. They are going to be hit with a recession no doubt, but not a screw you in the ass while I listen to McFly (for all those not getting the reference, either look them up or change to the worst type of music possibly imaginable) recession like we, the british or them Americans will be facing.

George Bush proves that a huge percentage of the American electorate are idiots, dumb asses, dill weeds...I can really go on and on but i will not hit the word needed that describes what a monumental cock up bush was. The blame can't be all on bush, it has to go to the country that elected him.

I have heard so much about this American leadership, but this has got to be the single greatest threat to that myth. America is supposed to lead the world? Really? So please explain to me how they voted for someone like George Bush, Twice. TWICE PEOPLE. No amount of Barack Obama clean away that JuJu.

Now hear we are, approaching a crushing financial Tsunami.

Don't you want to have a beer with George Bush now everybody

debt, debt, debt

It’s been a long time. Nothing worthwhile to blog about recently. Apart from the British public seemingly getting dumber by the day. How on earth are we still considering these debt loving morons for government (The Labour for those that don't have a clue about what I'm talking about)?

I found out that in France it is looked upon in shame if you are in unnecessary debt. If you want a mortgage you have to go through a brilliantly inhumane vetting process which assesses your health and your living habits. THEY HATE DEBT. The majority of the French rent because they don’t want to be stuck with unnecessary debt. Yes the French will most likely hit a recession, but it will likely be short and relatively painless because they don’t have a debt culture like the British or the Americans. They missed out on the housing bubble, but they didn’t have to fall into shit when the bubble burst.

Our government (I didn't vote for them) is thinking about borrowing more money to get us out of the debt-atude they have placed us in already. So it was because we borrowed too much that we are in this mess, now they are going to borrow more?

Man, how many times does somebody need to spit in your face before you punch them?

If Labour wins the next election, I am moving to France, end of.

If its magic?

Sitting down and listening to "Songs in the Key of Life" I asked myself a question? Where are the new Stevie's of today? Seriously Where are they? Cause let me tell you through all these 15 to 20 track albums, I cant find them.

I know I am moving into very contested territory when speaking about musical taste, but damn it can you name me any one who can undeniably be considered a modern-day legend? A name that can live beside the likes of Robert Allen Zimmerman, Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr, The Beatles, Stevland Hardaway Morris, Aretha Louise Franklin, The Rolling Stones,Robert Nesta Marley and so many others of yester-year.

Maybe its time that considers who falls into the category of legendary popular musical status, but I have a feeling that when Blond on Blond or Whats going on or Sergeant Pepper or Talking Book or Let it bleed or Exodus came out people just knew, knew that what they where listening to was something special.

So my question again, wheres our generations Marvin? Stevie? Beatles?

Is it Coldplay? Beyonce? Kanye?

Really? If so god help this generation.

I think that the golden generation (1960- 1987)was temporary because the magic was not everlasting like the sun that always shines (too corny?).

Take it away Stevie:



Good-day.

UK should follow Americas lead?

Firstly, let me say that I am still trying to find the words to describe how I feel about Barack Hussien Obama, President Elect of the United States of America.

All I will say is that I wanted him to lose. Not because I dislike him or his politics but because I strongly disapproved of the lame duck president, george w bush (emphasis on the lower case) who will pass Obama the worst inherited presidential situation in (my) living memory. Obama might come out of all this after 4 years owning Bush's failures which will have an adverse effect on race relations in the United States.

I have seen this lame duck tell a nation to go “shopping” in response to a terrorist attack when he should have provided a defiant call to arms, a call to protect the liberties and freedoms which the United States people enjoy. I have seen America turn a blind eye to a whole community while it was drowning, for which there are no conceivable exonerative explanations to explain the lame duck's actions. I have seen this lame duck lie to a global community in order to pursue, as the now president-elect rightly characterised, “a dumb war”.

I can’t find any reasons for which george w bush hasn’t been impeached or tried with war crimes. BUT there is time.

So what does this election say for England? Can we find our very own Obama?

Let me say this: That is the single most short sighted question I have heard people ask.

It wasn’t long ago that a group of people other than people of African origin here in the United Kingdom and in the United States of America where unable to vote, treated as second class citizens and disrespected by people in their own home. What did England do about it? Well on May 4th, 1979, they elected Margret Thatcher Prime Minister by voting the Conservative party to government.

I wish people will stop seeing the UK as the poodle to the US. We have a long history of leading and breaking barriers. Yes, Obama’s election has broken another one of the western worlds longest held taboo’s but as a nation, the US has a long way to go to fulfill Dr Martin Luther King,Jr’s dream.

Shout out to Bill Maher

New Rule:

Anyone, White, Black, Asian, Hispanic or Alien can call this fool a nigger.



Yes I said it. Before you make any judgments about yours truly read what this modern day minstrel has to say about the slave trade:

Last week in Atlanta, I got to interview Soulja Boy Tell Em. I found out just how young he really is. He was one of about ten rappers I interviewed in one day for my BET show, The Black Carpet. I decided it'd be fun to give all the rappers part of the Proust questionnaire. I thought it'd be a way to get beyond image and into who they really are. Most of the guys gave good, thoughtful, intelligent, sensitive answers. I asked Juelz Santana, “How would you like to die?” He said, "Loved."

Then came Soulja Boy Tell Em. I asked him, “What historical figure do you most hate?” He was stumped. I said, "Others have said Hitler, bin Laden, the slave masters..." He said, "Oh wait! Hold up! Shout out to the slave masters! Without them we'd still be in Africa."

My jaw, at this point, was on the ground."We wouldn't be here," he continued, having no idea how far in it he'd stepped, "to get this ice and tattoos."

You can find the original blog here.

So excuse me for using a disgusting (so people say) racial epithet to describe this...this... well, boy. Now words can describe what level of stupid this boy falls into but damn its sad ain't it. To think that on one hand America might be electing its first black president and then on the flip side have something like this being said is just beyond incredible.

Let me know what you think of this guys comments.

BBC gone grey

I know it’s been a while (what two days?), but since the last time we spoke the United Kingdom has lost its collective marbles all because of two men, a grandfather and a erotic Gothic dancer.

Now I never thought I would ever be defending Russell Brand because I hate his guts, BUT, this man has hardly done anything wrong. The fact of the matter is he did have sex with this erotic dancer, and I admit it was wrong for him to ring the girl’s grandfather, but damn it, he apologised.

And what was Jonathan Ross doing in all of this you asked? Well, Mr Ross was being his usual childish self. Getting carried away with the moment and behaving like he is 16 years of age. Now even that isn’t a big deal because that is what he does best. The man has made a whole career out of being childish and people want to complain about it now. Now people are only on his case because of his pay packet and lets be honest, here in Briton were a bunch of jealous drunks who love to put people down.

Ross and Brand rightly apologised for what they did and I am of the opinion that they did enough to repent their sins. But apparently the BBC shat their pants when 30,000 people (I wonder how many of them actually listened to the program) had a hissy fit and because of this Brand resigned and Jonathan Ross is suspended for 3 months. THIS IS BULLSHIT. Now considering that Ross averages 2-4 million people every week on his Friday night program, why the monkey excrement are BBC worried about 30,000 people.

This whole mess has sent out one undisputed message to all the young audience members who enjoy the brand of comedy that Brand and Ross brings to the BBC and that message is… YOUR VOICE OR OPINION DOESN’T MATTER. The BBC doesn’t care about comedy that pushes the envelope, comedy that pushes the boundaries of taste. All of this leads me to ask one simple question. Can the BBC provide a comprehensive entertainment service for the whole public if they start marginalising huge demographic of the British public?

If it wasn’t for Richard Pryor pushing the boundaries of comedy you, I truly believe race relations in the United States (and you could argue the world) would be much different to what it is today. He not only reflected the beauty, severity and the absurdity of African American culture and race relations but he also did this being aggressive with a fearlessness which the BBC would do well to adopt.

Now I feel that you can’t say what is on your mind anymore. The BBC has been taken over by a bunch of uptight, grey haired, sensitive twits with no sense of what the emerging generations finds entertaining. And what do they still have on air, Terry Wogan, Strictly come dancing and Antiques Road Show. They might as well go all out and bring Parky back.

Below you can find what real comedy should be.

Anyway I’m off to obsess about the coming American Elections.

Being Black I have an invested interest in this abstract concept of a black president.

Peace.

Oh, America!

I found myself in an indifferent mood today. Today I found myself being optimistic about the American election.

Let me say off the bat that I think Obama is by far the better candidate (just compare his campaign to McCain's).

Anyway while I was being…you know, optimistic, sense and cynicism hit me like a train. THIS IS AMERICA.

On the basis that Obama is black alone is the reasons why I should be more than skeptical about the outcome on November 4th.

Not only his race but the fact that his name is Barack Hussien Obama, BARACK HUSSIEN OBAMA.

You might say that the Americans have learnt their lessons from Bush, that they now know not to vote for the person they want to have a beer with and that’s why this year will be different. I say to you BARACK HUSSIEN OBAMA.

I think people give Americans too much credit. Only in America can they misinterpret their own constitution (2nd amendment), withhold rights human rights from citizens (civil rights and gay rights) and watch their whole country burn in the name of ineptitude (Katrina).

I tell you, I used to love that country, and I mean truly love that country. Every since I was young, I consumed nothing but American products and watched American programming. But I find myself replaying the image of desperate black people looking for food in abandoned shops and houses and having correspondents define the act as looting while white folks doing the same thing is presented in a more favorable and sympathetic light.

I think we will still be calling Obama, Senator after the election. I hope I am wrong but I very much doubt it.

You get the leadership you vote for. Well America you voted for Bush, so you deserve him. Can America be fooled again?

Exposing Brown

Hello. My name is Edgar. I am from England and I am very new to this blogging malarkey.

Now the introductions are out of the way, let me make my first point.

Please take a good look at the picture that introduced this blog.

To the left is John Prescott, former deputy Prime Minister, then we have Tony Blair, former Prime Minister and finally (the point to this primary blog) we have Gordon Brown, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and our current Prime Minister.

Please take a good look at this picture, study it hard and study it well, and let it be evidence that Gordon Brown has been part of the Government for 11 years. He is not new to the scene, he is part of the Westminster establishment.

Now when Tony Blair was stepping (being pushed) down as Prime Minister her endorsed Gordon Brown as his successor and sited his management of the economy which saw growth throughout his time as chancellor. The same economy that is failing today was constructed by the man to the right of the picture.

So why are the Conservative timid about making the argument that Gordon Brown has to OWN HIS FAILURES. This is not a Conservative or a Liberal Democrat problem. Labour got us into this mess. If he can be lauded for his stewardship of the economy in the good times (while failing to save for the bad times may I add) he can damn sure be blamed for the failures of it today.

He is being treated like someone who did not have a say on whether we built our economy of lies, debt and ineptitude. He failed to see that the housing boom that we were experiencing was temporary.

Yet conservatives are ready to fuck this all up by playing stupid games with Russian billionaires when they should be telling the country that THEY HAVE BEEN FOOLED. The person who has fucked us with this economic break down is asking us to let him fuck us again.

Jesus. If someone raped you and then asks you to trust him again are you going to let him off easily? Gordon Brown thinks we are stupid.

Sometimes I think that this country’s politics are beginning to be as unintelligent as our American counterparts.