Splenderously Crumby World

This strange, hump-backed, looking fellow is Harvey Pekar and he’s actually one of my heroes.

Harvey Pekar really loved collecting stuff. At one point he collected comic books and then later on he began to collect rare Jazz records.

This somewhat obscure hobby led him to meet Robert Crumb. Crumb had a love of rare Jazz music also. Crumb was also beginning to become well known as an underground comic book artist. Crumb’s adult-themed art work impressed the normally cynical Pekar.

Through reading his friend’s material Pekar began to realize the immense untapped potential of the whole comic book medium. Sure the medium had it’s full range of masked superheroes but Pekar felt there was a huge range of stories still waiting to be told.

“Comics could do anything that film could do,” Pekar realized. “And I wanted in on it.” he said. However it took Pekar some time to decide just what he wanted to do. “I theorized for maybe ten years about doing comics,” he says.

Pekar laid out some stories with crude stick figures and showed them to Crumb. Crumb became the first artist to illustrate American Splendor.

American Splendor was a groundbreaking series of Comic Books. The comic documents daily life in the aging neighborhoods of Pekar’s native Cleveland, where Pekar worked throughout his life (even after gaining fame) as a file clerk in a large Veterans Administration hospital.

American Splendor basically chronicles all the everyday events of Harvey who is a kind of everyman character. Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff seems to be the basic theme.

It’s laced with a realism and subtle humor that reminds me of Woody Allen or Seinfeld at their best.

Pekar gets material from anything at all. For this reason I think bloggers (especially those that write about anything like my Blogfather Madbull) will really enjoy learning more about him and his work.

For example Pekar would write about things like “How do you pick the best line to join while waiting at the Supermarket ?” or he might ponder his own name and write about what happened when he looks up his own name in the directory (and who hasn’t done that ?).

He also wrote interesting pieces about movies, books, politicians or music
he liked.
For samples click here or visit

http://www.sparehed.com/2007/05/22/40-part-37-harvey-pekar/

More poignantly though he wrote about his personal battles with Cancer. Later on as he got famous and appeared extensively on popular shows like Letterman’s Late Night Show he wrote about that new found fame also.

A recent movie about his life presents an easy way to learn about him. In the movie entitled “American Splendor”, Pekar finds love, family and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates. Along the bumpy journey, he meets, marries and falls for Joyce, an admiring comic book seller.

The movie also shows the real life Harvey and his friends in some revealing snippets that enrich the heart-warming film. Be warned this film may even make you cry at a few points and will certainly make you laugh at many points.

It gets my highest recommendation, when you see the story of my hero Harvey you will be inspired too and you’ll realize it’s really a Splenderously Crumby World, full of Unexpected Possibilities.

More Wood for the Fire.

Recently I saw that Michael Jordan was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Basketball. Unfortunately I read Yahoo Sports Writer Adrian Wojnarowski
and he said Jordan had turned the momentous and historic occasion into a vicious and vapid attack, like a bully tripping the nerds of his past.

Fortunately I saw the video of Michael Jordan’s Induction speech for myself on Youtube and while it’s true that he recounted  many bad experiences of his past, I think that the speech overall was great and hugely inspiring.

In my opinion Michael Wilbon wrote a more accurate view than that of Adrian Wojnarowski, but opinions will differ.

For me it was an incredibly frank speech and definitely straight from the heart. The tears were flowing copiously before he even began.

Michael Jordan has been criticized in the past for having an image that was too commercial and over managed. “Not politically savvy” and “not real enough” said some critics formerly. Now when they get Michael talking straight from the heart he’s again criticized for not being graceful or not sanitized enough.

I like the “Unplugged” Jordan a lot, the passion and the intensity and the competitive spirit are what made him a great player, possibly the greatest ever. That’s what Michael Jordan demonstrated in his speech.

He recounted a whole slew of obstacles but the purpose was to show that he used these things as motivation to get better. He said the competitive Fire forged in him by his family was the key to his success and then he described each of these obstacles he overcame as more wood to the fire. Without this wood he would not have become great.

Seeing the speech for myself I didn’t get a sense of bitterness or arrogance at all, he was actually just explaining the key to his success and for that this fan is very grateful.

His closing line “Limits, like fears are often an Illusion” was very powerful.

As for his critics, well folks they’re just going to be more wood for the Fire. MJ , “his Airness” will probably be playing somewhere at age 50 and I wouldn’t bet against him.

Roxanne’s Revenge.

Jamaica’s leading DJs have sparked an international feud over which is better Gaza or Gully.

The battle has even reached to the real Gaza and various parts of Africa but this is certainly not the first or even the biggest lyrical battle ever.

I’m old school. I remember rap back in the days before Lil Kim, before Salt_N-Pepa and even before Queen Latifah. In those early days of Rap music there was really only one woman worth mentioning and her name was Roxanne. She was so pretty and talented in fact that you called her name twice and the song about her called “Roxanne, Roxanne” by UTFO was a smash hit. It spoke of a lady who was refusing their advances.

Roxanne Shante’ (birthname Lolita Gooden) made what we’d call the “counter action” song “Roxanne’s Revenge” which also became a hit for the teenage singing sensation.The single was released in late 1984, taking the original beats from an instrumental version of “Roxanne, Roxanne.” It was very confrontational and vulgar, but was an instant hit that sold over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone. Legal action followed, and it was re-released in early 1985 with new beats and the obscenities removed.

A series of Roxanne songs then came out in fact it may be the longest running series of Answer records in history according to Wikipedia. Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxanne_Wars
for a list of the various songs in the Roxanne Wars.

There was even another woman  who did a song calling herself “The Real Roxanne”.

However for Roxanne Shante’ after two albums she became disillusioned by the cut throat music business  and as a teen age mom she felt swindled.

When she was around 19 she suddenly remembered a “throwaway clause” in her contract had said that the company that signed her would fund her education for life.

Amazingly the teenage mom who had felt tricked and cheated turned the tables on the whole music game and earned her PhD. in Psychology and made the label foot the bill.

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said Shante is now a shining role model for the rap community. “Dr. Shante’s life is inspiring,” Simmons said. “She was a go-getter who rose from the struggle and went from hustling to teaching. She is a prime example that you can do anything, and everything is possible.”

Shante, 38, is now active in the community. She offers $5,000 college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association.

This blog is partly based on the story Rapper behind ‘Roxanne’s Revenge’ gets Warner Music to pay for Ph.D by Walter Dawkins please read it.

Sean Paul.

Sean Paul.

Those two words found themselves into the top ten search words on Yahoo on August 11,2009.

 Sean Paul.

 

While others debate who the King of the dancehall really is, Sean Paul made an Imperial statement the way only he can. With his new album entitled “Imperial Blaze” about to drop he looks set to score big yet again.

Sean Paul.

Visit www.allseanpaul.com

Everything is right. Everything. Everything from the new blazing orange logo, which seems like a variation of the fleur-de-lys, the suave almost hispanic pretty boy looks, the stylish clothes, the intelligent interviews (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a162014/sean-paul.html), his personal continually updated website http://www.allseanpaul.com/ with new appearances on You Tube and MTV.

Sean Paul.

Although he appeared on Jamaican televison telling consumers to avoid pirated CDs,  in my personal opinion he is actually one of the first major players who seems to realize the real power of piracy and the net.  It is a highly effecient distribution method. This time around Sean Paul’s team has cleverly found a way to incorporate free downloads into their media blitz.

Sean Paul.

The summer is gonna be Scorching Hot, there’s gonna be a worldwide bonfire, an Imperial Blaze and before it’s all over you are not going to even remember who was fighting about being King of the Dancehall. All you’re gonna be talking about is …

Sean Paul.

Are you Mandingo enough ?

Are you Man Enough ?

Can you Resist ?

The quest for high perfomance enhancers seems to be never ending and widespread. While athletes have long been accused of taking steroids and testosterone and even “horse tonic” to run faster and longer, now the general public is following suit and digesting record amounts of so- called Energy Drinks.

The Great Coca Cola perhaps started the trend with their famous secret formula. Now every drink is boasting some  secret and potent additive that will boost the drinkers performance. Coca Cola’s name actually comes from the Cocaine and the Kola Nut (containing Caffiene), the key ingredients, in it’s original formulation. It was sold at pharmacies back then and it’s creator Pemberton claimed that Coca-Cola cured many diseases, including morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and yes even impotence.

Coca Cola goes Blak

The local energy drinks are also focusing on the sexual shortcomings in the market place and have names like Taboo, Mandingo and Jagra which one blogger assumes means “JamaicanViagra”. They should do well in a culture that already traditionally has Roots drinks with exotic names like “Front End Lifter”.  Red Bull, the German drink, with the English name, and Monster also have a strong local following.

Are you Man Enough ?

Personally I’m inclined to think these products are all a bunch of Mumbo Jumbo though. However  I guess if you think they’ll help you then they will. Placebos have been known to effect great cures. Who am I to knock someone trying to uplift their spirits before taking an All Night Exam Study Session ?

I'd prefer if the model was in focus and the drink blurry.

Interestingly the words Mumbo Jumbo and Jagra and Mandingo are related. See for example this quote taken from a blog on the net;

You will be the hit of the cocktail party when you hold forth on the origins of the word “Mumbo Jumbo,” which is a botched transliteration of the name of a Mandingo secret society. The account originated with the 18th century explorer of Africa Francis Moore, who wrote that the all-male society, bound by terrible oaths, existed primarily to adjudicate disputes between men and women… in favor of men. So how did Moore find out about this “secret” group?

About the year 1727, the king of Jagra having a very inquisitive woman to his wife, was so weak as to disclose to her this secret; and she being a gossip, revealed it to some other women of her acquaintance. This at last coming to the ears of some who were no friends to the king, they, dreading lest if the affair took vent, it should put a period to the subjection of their wives, took the coat, put a man into it, and going to the king’s town, sent for him out, and taxed him with it: when he not denying it, they sent for his wife, and killed them both on the spot. Thus the poor king died for his complaisance to his wife, and she for her curiosity.

The first rule of Mumbo Jumbo is DON’T TALK ABOUT MUMBO JUMBO!

Mandingo Energy Drink.

As someone who is addicted to Pepsi I hope you will avoid my weakness. I hope you’ll be Mandingo enough to avoid these Energy Drinks and stay healthy with some less addictive natural Juices.

Are you Man Enough ?

Drinks can make you do Crazy things.

Dora the Sexplorer.

 

 Dora is praised for being very educational for kids but we adults can also learn a few lessons 

from her cartoons.

 Always walk with your Boots.

  Swiper No Swiping 

 

 

Dora the Explorer, the famous Nickelodeon cartoon character, is growing up, and while many fear this is happening too quickly, I think it’s inevitable. 

Dora the Teen will be able to impart life lessons to those at the very impressionable and important Teen Age stage of their lives.

But will the trend to grow this booming Dora Industry really stop there ?

Dora is praised for being very educational for kids but we adults can also learn a few lessons from her cartoons.

Dora for Adults will no doubt contain the following lessons;

 Lesson One 

Always walk with your Boots.

Boots is Dora’s best friend in fact Dora is never seen without Boots.

 

  Lesson Two 

Swiper, No Swiping 

For those parents who buy every new Dora product please take heed, the second lesson, from Dora for Adults, is that when using a Credit card, on a low paying salary, it’s best to follow the catch phrase “Swiper, No Swiping”.  Use cash to stay within your means or better yet just teach your kids that “No means No”.

 This lesson and catch phrase will also come in handy as Dora grows up and begins to face the unwanted attentions of peers and even sick depraved adults.

Lesson Three

“No means No”

No matter how far they push the dress code in these cartoons let’s just hope that viewers get the key message and remember always that  “No means No”.

Pepsi or Coke ?

Rivalry seems ubiquitous. Pepsi or Coke ? JLP or PNP ? Cobra or Mongoose ?

In all spheres of life there are competitions and the human mind strives to place things in order. Who is the Best ? Who is the greatest ?

A sports radio station ,locally, has endless debates about which football (soccer) player is better, Maradona or Pele ? The fact that the men played in completely different eras and positions has little effect on slowing the debates. Grown men actually spend the whole day arguing both sides of the issue as if they actually expect to convince their rivals to change their views. 

Blessed are the few wise enough never to argue about Politics or Religion. Revealing your loyalties in these areas can often lose you a few so-called friends and create serious enemies. The arguments never change anyone’s views anyhow.

One long standing rivalry is taking a new turn though. For years the media has compared Michael Jackson to Prince and Jackson usually comes out ahead thanks to the phenomenal success of his Quincy Jones produced Thriller album.

 

Thriller

 

 

Interestingly though with the successful release of his LotusFlow3r album Prince now outstrips Michael Jackson in terms of having top ten albums. This includes albums released by Jackson with his brothers. An amazing achievement.

 

Purple Rain

 

 

That is the real power of rivalry, it spurs both rivals to greater heights and it excites the fan base, it actually expands the market for both competitors.

When Fifty Cent entered a “beef” with Kanye West it helped them both break new sales records.

 Sampras made Agassi a fortune in endorsements even when he lost tennis matches. 

Would Muhamad Ali be called the greatest without Joe Frasier ? Where would Beenie Man be without Bounty Killer ?

Rivals keep us on our toes. A key part of winning, mentally, is that even whenyour rivals are actually out of the picture you still act as if they are breathing down your neck.

If you don’t have an enemy you’re possibly not really trying to do anything really worthwhile.

Pepsi is the best thing that ever happened to Coke. Success is inevitable, we compete only with ourselves.

Mind Frack Movies and other Subliminal Sugar Coats.

“May the Force be with you.”

What does Battle Star Galactica have in common with Mormons ? Absolutely nothing right ? Wrong.

Most people are caught up in the superficial they are not even interested in the deeper side of things.
The viewers may choose to remain “Clueless” but many of these shows have powerful and profound origins packaged

carefully to seduce their minds on a subconscious level.

Many people watch shows and movies religiously , some even think of themselves as experts, on them, without having a clue

as to the origins or the hidden messages they contain. Many movies, and even comics and cartoons, are like Trojan horses. They
appear as one thing and contain something else, way more potent.

The entertainment is really just a ruse, it’s like the sugar coat, that they put on medicine, to get you to swallow it. The shows
with the deepest, most religious, or politically subversive, ideas are often coated in an innocent garb. They suck you in with a
Pied-Piper like melody, it’s sweet like R. Kelly’s music and then it leads you somewhere you never even knew existed.

What message was more politically astute than that of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” ? It’s still told today, as a kid’s story.

Did you realize that the movie “Clueless” is just a repackaging of “Emma”, the classic by Jane Austen ? Do you realize the depth of religious messages some people find in movies like Star Wars, Matrix, and Lord of the Rings ?

“Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” is all innocent fiction or just fantasy right ? What about Harry Potter ?

“You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.” the Borg are real but now they are making movies and video games like Grand Theft Auto and your kids are eating it up. Luckily you adults are not so gullible, right ?

“Live Long and Prosper”. Oh yeah, that Vulcan hand salute of Spock has a special significance in Judaism. Maybe you watch religiously because these shows, these cultural memes, are religion.