Re: Friday show, some thoughts

[cyberhabilis <cyberhabilis>]

Bruce Libby wrote:

> lo-lite:  After a lot of thought, and even though the version Friday did
> smoke, I wish she would not do RnRN.  First, it made me cringe when some
> pinhead screamed out " Nigger Nigger Nigger "

I think RnRN is one of the most challenging songs in RnR history,
emotionally, intellectually. It says volumes about feeling outcast, and I
have no problem with PS, esp. now, saying "outside of society, is where I
wanna be." PS has said she has mixed feeling about the song, someone noted
she's editing out the "Jimmy Hendrix.." part.

Up front, it's a rude and angry song, easily mistaken as insensitive.

I had a friend, who recently died, who loved the song, because it conveyed
to everyone how he felt as a gay black punk rocker. Many blacks don't feel
the way he did, it's a hurtful word, but the song is throwing the word of
the oppressor back in it's face, by it's defiance of cultural norms and its
abuse of politeness. IMO, the song redirects the oppression into defiance.

I'm certain many folks in this list knows what it's like to be
white-by-accident, quietly listening while other whites join in a litany of
racist or homophobic comments, feeling what it's like to be a nigger or
queer. Every time it happens to me, I remember a mixed race child of mine
that was aborted during the 2nd trimester, and lately I've started telling
the assholes about it, in excruciating detail, including my confusion as a
young man fearing ostracism from my family, and how I feel about the racist
and classist neglect of children by our society, how I see my child in every
chocolate coloured kid.

No, the song is a good song, it's just a challenging and difficult one. I
think PS knows that, and sings it because of the complexity of the song. As
for PS herself, I don't know why anyone thinks that PS "has a lot of gall"
saying "outside of society, is where I wanna be." Since when has Ms. Smith
been a conformist? That alienated feeling is common to many artists,
successful or otherwise, because they don't accept cultural definitions or
see things thru societal lenses.

You have to be 'outside of society' to create good art. The greatest poetic
art of the post-war era comes from guys like Al "I am a homosexual"
Ginsberg, William "Shoot 'em up" Burroughs, Erica "zipless fuck" Jong and
others who remain very much 'outside of society' in many ways, and shocked
open the minds of people who secretly felt the same way.

Just my opine.
-leebert
--------------------------
Experience has a structure - change the structure and you change the
experience