Last night, I had the pleasure of experiencing The Mountaintop, a new play written by Katori Hall, based on the last night of Martin Luther King's life, and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. The show is currently in it's 9th night of previews here in NYC (@ the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre), so it would be unfair to write a critical review, as plays and musicals in the preview stages generally work out their kinks during this process. That said, I'll just stick to the basics and say that aside from sitting four rows away from two of our most treasured and iconic figures in the acting world while not getting distracted, that the version I saw was pitch perfect.
The action takes place in one act, without intermission, in a room at the now infamous Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, where in the beginning, Dr. King is pondering over the details of an upcoming speech. In walks a fictitious maid named Camae, and an inevitable dance of sexual flirtation fused with threads of cultural rules, manners and attitudes, all invoked with a modern vernacular. Simply put, Dr. King smoked (Pall Malls), drank and cussed and loved him some sex, y'all! There's even a reference to cell phones; don't ask me how this works, but believe me, it does. Much has been written about his alleged sexual proclivities, with even some hints of bisexuality, which humanized him, for me, anyway. The just released personal tapes of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy hints at some of these allegations, and it is well known that the FBI kept a file on him. It soon becomes apparent that Camae is there for a reason; is she a figment of his imagination? His alter ego personified? Or is she a spv? I won't reveal the answer here, but when it is revealed, it's a stunner, and at that point, Bassett turns in a Tony-worthy performance that will have you clapping and hollering!
This is SamJack's first stage performance, but like everything else he does, the performance seemed effortless. He peppers his dialogue with Dr. King's vocal inflections at the right times and while at first I couldn't get past the fact that SAM was up there on the stage, I soon got past it as he melded into his character. All of his classic deadpans and sardonic wit is on display, so you will not be disappointed!
After previews, the show will run for 16 weeks, and I predict a sell-out, so get with this show if you can.
Game, set, match. Next time, don't bring a knife to a gunfight. Yeah, we know how much you want to be the center of attention, but what happens when your wish is fulfilled? You didn't expect to get served tRUMP roast at the White House Correspondence Dinner, did you? You took it on the chin for a hot minute, then it got deep! As you sat there simmering in your own juices with your lips poked out, President Obama and host Seth Myers took it to your ass so hard, it would be virtually impossible for anybody to take you seriously. And the beauty of it all is that it happened in front all of therealplayers. To put it succinctly, you're done. Game over, thanks for playing!
I hope this will put to rest any doubts you might have about Obama’s academic record. I’ve attached a copy of a 1989 essay written by Prof. Lawrence H. Tribe of Harvard Law titled, “THE CURVATURE OF CONSTITUTIONAL SPACE: WHAT LAWYERS CAN LEARNFROM MODERN PHYSICS”. In it, he explains scientists’ understanding of the Relativity theory, the challenges of Quantum physics and “uses these paradigm shifts in physics to illustrate the need for a revised constitutional jurisprudence” (can you wrap you feeble mind around that one?). Oh, and guess who he thanks for their analytic and research assistance in the third paragraph??
If you are a straight man and possess a pair of these manties patterned after a pair of Daisy Dukes, perhaps you have a healthy sense of humor, or maybe you're just comfortable with your feminine side . If you have a drawer full and wear them faithfully, then you are most likely gay. Very gay. Maybe even beyond gay. You are new and improved gay, now with 33% more gay! You are over 3 rainbows gay. You are so gay that you give even the most flaming queen you know a complex. Your gay flames have the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. RuPaul's Drag Race rejected you because you were too gay. Your level of gay is unattainable. You have won Gay.
And there's nothing wrong with that, you crazy queen! You can find these and more super-sugary fashion abominations at If Style Could Kill.com
When it comes to President Obama, some people can really get it twisted. They'll say things like, "Oh, he ain't really that black", and "I wish he would he would just get tough and go ghetto on these motherfuckers". Or, "I'm so disappointed. He's weak and he always caves in to the opposition". But I'm here to tell you that our Prezzy is not a punk. He's a cerebral strategist which makes him the most formidable type of opponent, and he plays his hand much likes he's playing a cutthroat game of Spades. Do not make the mistake of sleeping on him when he's trump tight (more on the Trump the Hustler later), because he will "run it" and cut all of your fucking books while popping shit about busting your mama's ass and going to get a six-pack after doing so. Trust me when I say that although the man's an eloquent orator and a seemingly diplomatic player, he will fuck your shit up if need be. Strategically and verbally, that is. He wouldn't hold the highest office in the land if he couldn't. He is the most powerful man in the world, whether you choose to believe it or not, and don't think for a minute that he is not aware of this his every waking moment. But there is a line he must walk as a black man in a powerful position; an unspoken rule, and those of us who have worked in the corporate world know exactly what I'm talking about. That rule is, one must remain cool, calm and most importantly, don't get all LOUD, or "passionate". The conservative media (FOX News, Breitbart, Newsmax, et al) knows this, and have shamelessly choreographed a bizarre, nasty dance of portraying him as dispassionate leader while simultaneously calling him a "thug". They shoot poison-tipped arrows at him relentlessly and try to get under his skin. They want him to crack and show them that Black:
He came close here, when he was caught on an open mic discussing the details of the recent budget deal. He brushed it off, though.
But he deflects the arrows and insults effortlessly. And they cannot deal. This is unheard of. They (Rush "Piggy"Limbaugh) go after his wife and children (Glenn Beck). Their hatred of him is almost sexual-like in nature, and I think they secretly want to hate-fuck him. After all, they're always complaining that he's trying to cram his big, black socialist policies "down their throats".
But I know that he "gets it". And he knows just how to handle that ass. He knows that as a Formidably Cerebral Strategist With A Boston Straight (remember he plays Spades!), he must tap that ass correctly. He must analyze and count the cards and suits he's holding accordingly. During the game, he may even have to cut his own partner's books, but that may be because he is indeed trump tight. His partner might be a little perplexed at first, but if they are an astute player, they should pick up on it immediately and go with it. Relax. He's got this, and you're not going to end up back in the hole he's trying to get you out of. He's gonna make his books.
Obama to GOP: You got served
More on that later - now, let's get back to tapping that proverbial opposing ass on the mental. He knows that he's dealing with pearl-clutching pseudo-prudes with a probable hidden penchant for being dominated (I'm sorry for all the sexual connotations, but I really think they fit in this case). The conservative media seem to consider the POTUS as if he were the sort guy, like, you know, the kind your parents and friends don't approve of, you know, because of that color thing, but you're so curious about what it might be like to get with him 'cause he doesn't seem to be like those other ones, and besides he's really cuteand smells nice and he's really smart and he talks all correct and all, and went to college but you didn't, so you feel insecure about that, but you asked him out on the down low anyway, and he said no, and so now he thinks he's better than you, and he thinks he's so elitist and he's stuck up and stuff and I'm gonna say that he asked me out and I turned him down and he wasn't born here anyway and my daddy says he talks down to people, and anyway, his mooslem people blew up the Twin Towers, whatever...........and he knows this, so he simply doesn't respond. Genius! And it sends them into a zombie-like state of self-righteous indignation! Do not attempt try and get them to engage in any reasonable or factual discourse. Their version of that is to gather together on panels on Fox News' pundit forums and fervently stroke and stoke each others mutual hatred and jealousy of him which is so intense, I hope to high heaven that they really do get some sort of "release". If so, and it's very likely that it is, then he gets to "tap" that ass without ever having to go near or touch it. A true mental fuck. And I know that he's enjoying this. Every. Fucking. Minute. Of it.
However, I don't think that the biggest protagonists in this saga, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beckor Piggy Limbaugh, and more recently, Donald Trump, are necessarily motivated by the reasons I've mentioned (well, maybe Piggy, he seem freaky that way). In the case of Sarah Palin, I think it's just flat out jealousy. I don't think that she possesses neither the mental capacity nor sophistication to feel or think about anything more complex than that. Period. She thinks and speaks like a petty, vacuous, vicious, self-loathing high school cheerleader who lost the election for Most Popular. Relax, Sarah. You're not VP, but you actually were deemed most popular for awhile, at least until that crazy, back-stabbing, ex-BFF Michele Bachmann came into the picture (who she think she is???).
Recently, Glenn Beck was called on his bullshit by his own bosses at FOX and his show will end in December. But don't worry, he'll still be broadcasting on the radio, so if you still believe the sky is falling and Natalie from The Facts of Life is heading up the Islamic caliphate, tune in for your daily updates. Glenn will not disappoint.
I truly believethat Piggy Limbaugh, and I call him "Piggy" because he's just a nasty, vile, racist human being with zero redeeming qualities. And like most racists, his venom is based on fear, so I believe he's simply afraid of the President. Oh, and like Sarah, he's also jealous. Again, nothing too complex about this. This cowardly POS throws insults at the First Ladyand her children. Now please bear with me while I get real here for a minute. I'm from the 'hood and I know that if the President was not in the position he is in, a motherfucker would get his teeth stomped out for calling out his wife and kids. Point blank. But Piggy knows this won't happen. He knows who to pick on and get away with it. He doesn't say things like this about Mike Tyson, okay?
Donald Trump, birther/huckster/hustler extraordinaire, who's been screeching to anybody who'll listen that he's got investigators looking into the president's birth records, is doing just that; hustling. He just wants you to look at him and say his name. He craves that shit. But scratch his surface and rub away the orange pancake makeup and you might find something interesting:
Yes, he actually said he has a good relationship with "the blacks"The fuck?
So with all of that said, I gotta tip my hat to this man. I know that I, myself, have learned quite a bit from him in terms of trying to hold it together and remain "cool" when people are popping some serious hateful shit about you. My first instinct is to fight, or at the very least, respond to my adversaries verbally. Especially when it seems like there may be a racial issue under the surface. But the lesson is, which battles are worth fighting? Are they really that deep? Smart thinking would be to let it fly and watch your opponents hang themselves. They almost always do. Play your hand, think strategically and play to win.
My brother Shawn stopped by to visit me yesterday, which is always a pleasure because he's a complete househead. By that, I mean he enjoys the real deal, that true, deep underground shit. If you know me, you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, as he's perusing my iTunes library for tunes to burn, he mentions that he was trying to hook up with a friend who was going to help him upload a video of him singing a cover of Stevie Wonder'sRibbon in the Sky onto You Tube in the hopes of catching a little piece of internet fame. Now, there are plenty of talented singers, dancers and actors in my family. Some of us have tasted some level of success, starting with my great-grandmother Etta Mooney, an early blues singer who recorded a little ditty called Cootie For Your Tootie back in 1922. She predated many of the greats of her time including Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, and according to family lore, was credited in making the sound of modern gospel popular in Brooklyn back in her day. I love this factoid, because it confirms that I'm a true Brooklyn boy through and through! But I digress.
My father, Theodore "Teddy" Marsh, was also a singer. In 1959, at the age of seventeen, he wrote and recorded a song called My Love with The Arcades which you can sample here:
Like my great-grandmother, my father might not have been very famous, but at the very least, he is also acknowledged my many popular music purists, and has had the great honor of being listed amongst the greats of his day as well (check him out here:The Dead Rock Stars Club).
My mother, Doris Marsh nee Wiggins, also a great singer in her own right, sang in a local (Brooklyn) gospel group comprised of her sisters Evelyn & Helen, cousins Lydia & Maxine (Bummy), along with friends Delores and Betty Jean, called The Angel Lites. She shared lead vocals with Delores and the group enjoyed success by appearing on the now legendary gospel promoter Joe Bostic's weekly radio show on WLIB. Joe is noted for producing the 1950 Negro Gospel and Religious Music Festival concert at Carnegie Hall. Noted as the first time gospel had ever been performed in that venue, it featured Mahalia Jackson and the girls were uncredited as part of the local lineup (my mom's still trying to locate the original concert program which does include the group on the list of performers).
My grandfather, Theodore "Snooky" Marsh (yeah, that's right, now you know where Jersey Shore'sSnooki got that - ha!) was a vaudevillian comedian who performed along with the legendary R&B guitarist T-Bone Walker (read more about a show he didhere). An excerpt from that link goes as such:
....The Defender gushed, "The greatest floor show in Rhumboogie, the largest crowds to attend a nightery in local history, are but a few of the 'firsts' being offered at Charlie Glenn's emporium of fun, 343 Garfield Boulevard this week." The paper continued: "Topmost of the entertainment you'd expect, rests on the vocal chords and the guitar fingers of T-Bone Walker who is even better now than when last appearing here. T-Bone has added a number of new 'blue' tunes to his large collection and with the old ones being encored all over the place things are jumping."
The revue featured a comedian (Snooky Marsh), another singer (Bobbie Caston), a dancer (Mildred Whilow), plus some leggy chorines and a full band, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.....
My father's brother Bernard J. Marsh is a former Broadway singer/dancer/actor/choreograher/director, who in addition to playing the leads in The Wiz and I'm Not Rappaport as well as supporting roles in Fences, Eubie, Bubbling Brown Sugar, Bob Fosse'sBig Deal and Ain't Misbehavin', also wrote a book, Great White Way,Great White Lies chronicling his efforts as an activist who fought for equal equity for black stage actors. His activism led to an evitable blackball from the stage, but that did not deter his efforts.
My sister Kim Marsh is doing her thing gigging upstate along with my nephew Gregory Marsh (choreographer/dancer/actor) and cousin Tiffany Washington. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to uplaod a clip of Kim and Tiffany singing, but look for it soon. As far as I'm concerned, they can blow us all away!
As far as myself, I have been lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to write for the now-defunct Radar Magazine, some local stage work, and most recently, I was background performer (can you say extra?) on this season's The Good Wife. I saw the episode yesterday, and the scene I was in which featured Chris Noth and Alan Cumming briefly flashed the side of my head!
But to my little brother, I say this; It's a start. If this is what you want to do and how you want to do it, then by all means do it. It's in our blood. You can count on many rejections, and as far as the internet goes, perhaps even some rude comments. But you will have at least tried. Develop a thick skin. You might get some love, as well. So here's to you.
I have to say, I don't know why there isn't more righteous anger over the fact that self-described clown and gold shill Glenn Beck would even consider holding a rally on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. At the same location, no less. There is a bizarre effort on the part of conservatives to rewrite history in terms of the civil rights movement, in that they are trying to claim the movement for themselves! Honestly, if I were to spend too much time thinking about this, I'd give myself a brain aneurysm. I don't want to die, so perhaps I should just shift my focus to other matters for the time being:
Embattled Congressman Charlie Rangel has a strong response for President Obama with regard to his political future
