Wow! Michael Jackson is dead at 50 years of age and the world mourns......or at least a substantial portion of the world is reflective. For obvious reasons, a substantial amount of time of our show will be devoted to Mr. Jackson's musical and cultural legacy. Our readers undoubtedly know that Mr. Starks and I will use our ever discerning analytical skills to really discuss this man's life-the good, bad and surgically altered ugly. We will also try to squeeze in some much need discourse concerning a recent New York magazine article that delves into a story of The First Couple's anticipated trip to Martha's Vineyard. One may ask why this is an important story. Well, The Vineyard has always been the haunting ground of the wealthy White liberal elite, however there is also a well-heeled African-American bourgeoisie that vacations in the area as well, but rarely the twain shall meet. For further edification on the Obama trip, check out this snippet from the aforementioned New York Magazine piece:
The arrival of two presidents and a secretary of State will be an invasion of another sort. Some Vineyarders are nervous about the motorcades and traffic; others are preparing for a summer stimulus package. Many blacks from Oak Bluffs are elated that the Only One–in–Chief may be joining them. “People are going to lose their minds!” Tonya Lewis Lee says. At the same time, there’s also a bit of wariness among the wealthiest ones, an uncertainty whether Obama will affirm them. “Obama is more a man of the people,” says a Vineyarder who’s part of black high society. “He doesn’t seem to identify with affluent black people. His wife definitely doesn’t; she is basically a ghetto girl. That’s what she says—I’m just being sociological. She grew up in the same place Jennifer Hudson did. She hasn’t reached out to the social community of Washington, and people are waiting to see what they’ll do about that.”
It’s probably unfair to expect Obama to make new friends on this vacation. “They’re not trying to meet the billionaires,” says one person who knows the president well. “The Vineyard’s a place where everyone sheds their professional skin, and out there he does, too.” In the past, Obama has spent time playing golf with Vernon Jordan, swimming off South Beach, playing basketball, sitting on Jarrett’s porch while reading and watching the ferries, and taking the girls for ice cream on Circuit Avenue. “He’ll be Mr. Dad, as opposed to Mr. President,” Charles Ogletree has said. Surely he deserves it.
For the New York article in its entirety, click here.
Again, The King of Pop has expired and in some circles our Ivy League educated and barrister of a First Lady is ghetto....the world truly is insane. But we'll get into the specifics-join us tonight at 7pm (ET) and call in with your comments/questions at: 646-915-9620 or via email or IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.com.
Afronerd Radio's Take on the Passing of Michael Jackson
And lastly, although the clip below is not of MJ, it is a another cultural icon and colleague that for the duration still walks among us.....the great Stevie Wonder performing an impromptu rendition/alteration of the Soul Train theme. Enjoy this while you can because it will be a cold day in Hades before our current crop of Black artists can rise to Wonder's standard of musical excellence:
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