Touré: The “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?” Interview

with Kam Williams

Headline: Tora! Tora! Touré!

Born in Boston on March 20, 1971, Touré is a cultural critic for MSNBC, as well as the host of a couple of shows on Fuse-TV: “Hip Hop Shop” and “On the Record.” A contributing editor at Rolling Stone, his articles appear regularly in publications ranging from The New York Times to The Village Voice to The New Yorker.
Touré is also the author of a collection of essays called “Never Drank the Kool-Aid,” a collection of short stories called “The Portable Promised Land,” and a novel titled “Soul City.” Furthermore, he serves on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, and is a member of the Adjunct Faculty of the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism.
A devoted father, Touré lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn with his wife, Rita, and their two children, Hendrix and Fairuz. Here, he talks about his new book, “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?”

Kam Williams: Hi Touré, thanks for the interview.
Touré: Hey, man, what’s happening?

KW: Not much. Nice to make your acquaintance.
T: Yours, too.

KW: I really enjoyed reading Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness, and I have a lot of my own questions for you, as well as a lot from my readers.
T: Whatever you want to talk about is totally cool.

KW: What inspired you to write the book? Let me guess, the incident in college where somebody embarrassed you by saying, “Shut up, Touré! You ain’t black!”
T: Yeah, that was definitely an inciting incident. I had already been thinking very actively about what it means to be black since I was very young. But that got me thinking about it with a different intensity on an extremely deep, personal level. So, that sort of got the ball rolling, but the more specific influence was the success of Barack Obama which was an indication to me that something had changed in terms of race and what it meant to be black in America. We are not post-racial, but some things have changed. For instance, I think the younger generation has a more progressive attitude, and that definitely played to Barack’s favor.

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: It's one thing for artists to feel that blackness can mean anything. But how can so many in the period you describe as post-blackness give up being boxed in by race if they have neither the educational nor economic opportunities to leave the ghetto locality?
T: What I’m saying is that you have the ability to embody blackness however you wish. I believe Harriet’s right that you see greater opportunity for education and advancement as you go up the class scale, but America is the land of rapid class ascension within a generation, within a decade, even within a year. So, I don’t think this only applies to middle-class black people. If you go into the ‘hood, you’ll encounter a huge variety in terms of blackness.

KW: In the book, you talk about being from Boston, and how your parents taught as a child you that some areas of the city were dangerous for blacks. I learned that the hard way when I was in law school there in the Seventies, like the time I was refused service in a pizzeria because I was black.
T: That highlights the stupidity of racism. You were simply saying: “I’m just trying to give you money for the thing that you produce. I’m not looking to start a fight; I’m trying to engage in the commerce that you do every day.” And they’re response was, “We don’t want your money, because you’re black.” Unbelievable!

KW: Troy Johnson asks: Do you see any value in the government census trying to keep track of people by race: black, white, etcetera? If so, how can we truly become post-racial??
T: I don’t think the goal is to become post-racial. I don’t want a world in which we’re not thinking about race. I want a world where people are proud to be who they are, and where everybody feels comfortable imposing the beauty of their culture on America. The goal is that prejudice based around those differences ends. Post-racialism is not the goal, because it’s not even possible.

KW: Rene Harris says: One time during a Twitter interaction with you, you freely used the actual n-word, but only referred to a slur against Jews as the k-word. When I questioned you about it, you never answered. Care to clarify now?
T: I remember that interaction. It transpired a long time ago before I made a personal decision to not use the n-word anymore. Twitter is a very particular venue where it can be very easy for someone to misunderstand something that you’ve written. So, you have to be very careful when you are dealing with really incendiary ideas. For me to use the n-word as a black person is not going to be as potentially controversial as using the k-word. It can be tricky, if someone reads my tone wrong. But there’s a big difference between using a word and talking about that word.


KW: Judyth Piazza asks: What is something your fans may not know about you?
T: I don’t know how to answer that question.


KW: Judyth also asks: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
T: The ability to take a “no,” because in order to become successful at anything, you’re going to experience a lot of setbacks and a lot of doors closing.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What message do you want the public to take away from your book?
T: Two things: First, I want the black people made to feel like outsiders because they like opera or sushi or scuba diving to know that they’re not weird and that they are black. You can do black and be black in any way you choose. And secondly, I want the self-appointed, volunteer identity cops to be frozen in their tracks, because they’re not really doing the race a service. It’ time for them to take off their badges and let people be black in whatever way they see fit.

KW: Patricia also says: In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois said that "The problem of the 20th Century would be the problem of the color line, the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the seas." If Du Bois were alive today, do you think that he would just cross out 20th and change it to 21st and consider it as relevant today, or would he see another issue as the prevailing question of this Century?
T: Well sure, it’s still a dominant issue in America. However, now, class enters the equation and makes it a three-dimensional game, instead of a two-dimensional game. So, the issue is only getting trickier and more nuanced as class boundaries change, and as expectations and perceptions change. Plus, there’s a growing class of mixed people who are going to bring a variety of additional new perceptions.

KW: Finally, Patricia asks: What advice do you have for young people who are interested in entering the field of journalism?
T: Oh God! Think about something else that might make you happy. I’m serious. I don’t think the opportunities are there to make a comfortable living in journalism anymore.

KW: Professor/film director/author Hisani Dubose asks: How did you first become a Pop Culture consultant for CNN, and how did you go from there to being a regular contributor?
T: I started off at Rolling Stone. From there, I was given an opportunity to appear on CNN with Paula Zahn when she was hosting American Morning. That went well, and they asked me back more and more, and eventually had me do a panel three times a week called 90-Second Pop. After that I became a correspondent.


KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
T: No.

KW: Do you have a good question you can give me that I can ask other celebrities?
T: Yeah, who is the person that led you to become the person you are?

KW: Thanks. That’ll be known as the Touré question. The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
T: I suppose, but not very often, because I always feel like there’s something I can do to get out of any situation, sort of like MacGyver.

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
T: Yeah, absolutely! I’ve got two great kids and a wonderful wife. And I just published the best book that I’ve ever written. So, I’m very happy right now.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
T: All the damn time! One of my kids said something earlier today that was incredibly funny.

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
T: Bacon. It’s not just for breakfast anymore. I know it’s wrong health-wise. But even though it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. At the butcher store, they’ll sometimes talk me into a pork fillet which is like eating a steak of bacon. That couldn’t be good for you.

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
T: I just finished “Retromania” by Simon Reynolds which is an excellent discussion of modern pop culture’s obsession with its own past.


KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: Who are you listening to on your iPod?
T: I spend a lot of time looking for new music, because I’m a very restless listener. Lately, I’ve been listening to Kanye West and Jay-Z, The Kills, The Weekend, The White Stripes, Abbe May, Cults, Danny Brown, Ariel Pink, Vampire Weekend, LCD Sound System, Tyler the Creator, The Black Keys, Jay Electronica, Childish Gambino and I brought back Amy Winehouse after she passed away.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
T: I’m really not that good a cook. I can make a nice steak. But is frying a rib eye in a pan cooking? My favorite dish to eat might be fried chicken. I love eating fried chicken to death. It’s good, man!

KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?
T: Everything! My kids… my wife… the future! The possibilities! The ability to connect with people through new ideas excites me. Great pieces of culture, be it music, TV or a movie. Great food! The thrill of spectator sports! Doing yoga... running… playing tennis… playing basketball…
So many things.

KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
T: I don’t have one.

KW: Dante Lee, author of "Black Business Secrets, asks: What was the best business decision you ever made?
T: I bought some shares of Google and Apple a few years ago. It’s going good so far.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
T: Me. It’s always a bit of a surprise where we’re at today.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
T: [Mark] Zuckerberg money. I could handle all the rest after that.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
T: Standing in front of my father as he was getting ready to go to work one day, and saying, “You’re white,” because he’s light-skinned. He answered, “No, I’m not.” And I responded, “Do people think you’re white?” And he said, “No, they know.” I accepted that, but as a very young person, I didn’t understand. I don’t know why that memory stands out.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
T: Read a lot, write a lot, try to experience a lot, and take a big bite from the buffet of life.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
T: Oh, man, I don’t know. That’s too hard to call, and it’s too early.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Touré, I really appreciate it.
T: I’m glad. Cool!

Drive

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Grisly Crime Caper Finds Getaway Driver on the Run

This riveting cat-and-mouse thriller represents another solid outing by Ryan Gosling in which the underappreciated actor further establishes himself as among the best actors yet to win an Academy Award. Here, he plays a Hollywood stuntman whose secret dream is to save enough money to become a professional race car driver on the NASCAR circuit one day.
When not executing dangerous rollovers on movie sets, he supplements his meager income by moonlighting as a getaway driver. And just like Jason Statham’s character in The Transporter (2002), he doesn’t even want to know what each job is about, provided his price is met and his privacy is respected.
This philosophy works well for the unnamed loner we’ll call Driver so long as he religiously protects his anonymity. But complications ensue soon after his Achilles heel, attractive women, rears its pretty head in the person of Irene (Carey Mulligan), a flirtatious neighbor living right down the hall.
Driver naturally assumes her to be a single-mom, since she shares the apartment only with her young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). Sparks fly, and they start spending quality time together, almost like a family.
But before their budding friendship has a chance to blossom any further, Irene admits not only that she’s married, but that her husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is about to be paroled from prison. When he arrives home a week later, the two hide their feelings for each other.
The ex-con, who wants to go straight, is too busy to be suspicious anyway, because he’s being pressured to pull one last heist by a loan shark (James Biberi) he’s deeply indebted to. Against his better judgment, Driver decides to break his unwritten rule about not knowing his clients when he agrees to drive a getaway car for Standard.
Unfortunately, the robbery goes horribly wrong, and Driver ends up in sole possession of the million dollar take. He subsequently finds himself being hunted by an army of vengeful mobsters threatening to harm him, Irene and the boy unless the cash is delivered.
The chase is on and, again and again, Driver makes the most of opportunities to demonstrate his elusive skills behind the wheel. The slippery fugitive is forced to fight on occasion, too, and he’s not one to shy away from a good rumble either.
Based on the James Sallis best-seller of the same name, Drive is an alternately atmospheric and grisly crime saga which devotes as much attention to character development as to gruesome action sequences. The film was directed by Denmark’s Nicolas Winding Refn who boldly blends elements of the seemingly-incompatible blood sport and romance genres.
The picture features a profusion of spellbinding performances besides Gosling’s, most notably Carey Mulligan as the femme fatale, as well as Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks as a couple of the scariest villains to grace the screen this year. Provided you have a strong stomach for gore, don’t miss this novel cinematic treat offering both an adrenaline fix and a compelling love story.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, ethnic slurs, nudity and graphic violence.
Running time: 100 minutes
Distributor: FilmDistrict

The Weird World of Blowfly

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Godfather of Rap Belatedly Gets His Due in Jaw-Dropping Bio-Pic

Clarence Reid is a legendary songwriter who wrote R&B hits back in the Sixties and Seventies for everyone from Sam & Dave to KC & the Sunshine Band. What many people don’t know, however, is that he also donned a flamboyant costume, periodically, to perform raunchy rap tunes as his irreverent alter ego, Blowfly.
With titles like “Rapp Dirty,” “Porno Freak,” “Butt Pirate Luv,” “Electronic Pussy Sucker,” “Funk You,” “Burning Pussy,” and “Destructo Cock,” the bawdy ballads were laced with explicit lyrics which left little to the imagination, such as “Should I [expletive] that big fat ho?”. Basically, Blowfly’s act involves bragging about his sexual prowess in much the same fashion adopted decades later by gangsta rappers.
Although well past retirement age, Clarence still tours the country as Blowfly, and he is being well-received by young audiences which appreciate his critical influence on the Hip-Hop Generation. Those debatable cultural contributions are the subject of The Weird World of Blowfly, an aptly titled documentary directed by Jonathan Furmanski, with an emphasis on the word ‘weird.”.
What makes the film fascinating is the fact that several rap pioneers like Chuck D. and Ice T. make appearances to pay tribute to their degenerate mentor, thereby confirming that what otherwise appears to be just a dirty old man in a mask is telling the truth when he claims “I invented rap.” For example, Chuck D. states that “Rapp Dirty” served as the inspiration for the Public Enemy anthem “Fight the Power.” Who knew?
Cringe-inducing debauchery courtesy of The Godfather of Rap!

Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 89 minutes
Distributor: Variance Films

Top Ten DVD List for September 20th

This Week’s DVD Releases
by Kam Williams

Headline: Top Ten DVD List for September 20th

Bridesmaids


Breakfast at Tiffany's [50th Anniversary Edition]


The Kennedys


Dumbo [70th Anniversary Edition]


Chrysanthemum… and More Whimsical Stories


Baseball’s Greatest Games: Derek Jeter’s 3000th Hit


Spooky Buddies


Area 51


Scholastic Storybook Treasures: My First Collection, Volume 2


The Mentalist – The Complete Third Season



Honorable Mention

Body of Proof – The Complete First Season


Set Up


Castle – The Complete Third Season


The Bachelor Party


Forever Plaid


I Want to See


Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World


Spongebob’s Runaway Roadtrip


Blue Sunshine


Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2

Bridesmaids DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Female Answer to The Hangover Arrives on DVD

Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) has been in a tailspin since her bakery failed during the recession. And she’s currently in danger of losing the job she got at a jewelry store only because a member of her mother’s (Jill Clayburgh) support group took pity on her.
Annie’s problems at work stem from her bad habit of openly expressing her skepticism about marriage to customers shopping for engagement rings. She has good reason to be cynical, between hearing her biological clock ticking and her poor track record in relationships, including the shallow guy (John Hamm) she’s currently involved with who treats her like a doormat.
Annie is also close to being kicked out of her apartment by her roommates (Rebel Wilson and Matt Lucas) for falling behind in rent. This means she might have to move back in with her mom. Given all of the above, is it any wonder why Annie has such mixed emotions upon being asked to be her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) Maid of Honor?
For on the one hand, she’s happy that the ecstatic bride-to-be has finally landed the man of her dreams (Tim Heidecker). On the other hand, however, the impending fairytale wedding promises to serve as a constant reminder to the thirty-something spinster of just what an unmitigated mess her life has become.
These diverging fortunes set the stage for a boatload of laughs in Bridesmaids, a screwball comedy co-written Kristen Wiig who enjoys her best big screen outing to date courtesy of a character displaying oodles of that trademark sarcasm we’ve seen her display on Saturday Night Live for years. The plot thickens when the other bridesmaids are introduced, and Annie suddenly finds herself constantly in competition with Helen (Rose Byrne), the filthy-rich wife of the groom’s boss (Andy Buckley).
Even though Helen hasn’t known Lillian very long, she shamelessly lobbies to replace hapless Annie as the Maid of Honor because she has the bucks, taste and class to help plan a more lavish bridal shower, bachelorette party and wedding reception. The only other bridesmaid of consequence is Doug’s larger than life (literally and figuratively) sister, Megan, played to perfection by scene stealer Melissa McCarthy in a peerless performance.
Motor-mouthed Megan intermittently provides comic relief as a constant reminder that the escalating tension between Annie and Helen shouldn’t be taken seriously, especially once the former finds herself being wooed by an Irish cop with a heart of gold (Chris O’Dowd). An estrogen-fueled adventure featuring madcap hilarity ranging from the scatological to the sublime!

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for pervasive profanity and graphic sexuality.
Running time: 125 minutes
Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Gag reel, deleted scenes, extended and alternate scenes, “Line-O-Rama” and “Cholodecki’s Commercial.”

Kam's Kapsules: For movies opening September 23, 2011

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening September 23, 2011


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Abduction (PG-13 for sexuality, teen partying, intense violence and brief profanity) John Singleton directs this action thriller about a teenager (Taylor Lautner) who ends up on the run from a team of hit men when he tries to determine his true identity after seeing his baby photo on a missing persons website. With Sigourney Weaver, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello and Denzel Whitaker.

Dolphin Tale (PG for mature themes) Fact-based family drama, shot in 3-D, recounting the heartwarming story of a boy (Nathan Gamble) befriended by a bottlenose dolphin which lost her tail in a crab trap. Cast includes Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson and Harry Connick, Jr.

Killer Elite (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity and graphic violence) Jason Statham stars in this cat-and-mouse caper based on the case of a special-ops agent who came out of retirement to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro) caught in the clutches of an Arab oil sheik (Rodney Afif) with an army of assassins. Cast includes Clive Owen, Dominic Puircell and Yvonne Strahovski.

Moneyball (PG-13 for profanity) Baseball bio-pic about Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the Oakland Athletics’ general manager who pioneered a successful method of drafting players on a modest budget by relying on computer-generated, statistical analysis. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill and Robin Wright.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

A Bird in the Air (Unrated) Romance drama about a freewheeling librarian (Rachel Nichols) who helps an uptight loner (Jackson Hurst) locate the owner of the loquacious parrot that flew into his trailer home. With Buck Henry, Judith Ivey, Linda Emond and Anjanette Comer.

Machine Gun Preacher (R for sexuality, profanity, violence, disturbing images and drug use) Redemption drama chronicling the real-life exploits of a recently-paroled biker (Gerard Butler) who ventured with his wife (Michelle Monaghan) to war-torn Sudan in order to rescue hundreds of kidnapped orphans after becoming a crusader for Christ. With Michael Shannon, Kathy Baker and Madeline Carroll.

Mardi Gras (R for crude humor, graphic sexuality, frontal nudity and pervasive profanity) Ribald road romp about three college buddies (Nicholas D’Agosto, Josh Gad and Bret Harrison) headed to New Orleans to sow their wild oats over Spring Break. Featuring Carmen Electra, Regina Hall and Dominique DuVernay.

Puncture (R for profanity, drug use, nudity and a sexual reference) David vs. Goliath courtroom drama about a substance-abusing attorney (Chris Evans) who sues a mammoth pharmaceutical company on behalf an emergency room nurse (Vinessa Shaw) accidentally pricked by a contaminated needle. With Mark Kassen, Kate Burton, Michael Biehn and Brett Cullen.

There Was Once… (Unrated) Tolerance-themed documentary about a Hungarian high school teacher who recently decided to create a memorial for members of the local Jewish community totally wiped out during the Holocaust. (In Hungarian with subtitles)

Thunder Soul (PG for smoking and mild epithets) Musical documentary chronicling the 35th reunion of members of Houston’s history-making, Kashmere High School Band with 92 year-old Conrad “Prof” Johnson, the legendary coach who led the ensemble of African-American, inner-city kids to a number of championship titles in nationwide competitions during the Seventies.

Weekend (Unrated) Out-of-the-closet drama about a straight guy (Tom Cullen) who picks up a man (Chris New) at a gay club for what was supposed to be just a drunken, one-night stand only to have the homoerotic encounter blossom into a full-blown love affair.

White Wash (Unrated) Hang Ten documentary, narrated by Ben Harper, exploring race relations through the eyes of black surfers in Hawaii, Jamaica, Florida and California.

Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists

by Valaida Fullwood
with photography by Charles W. Thomas, Jr.
John F. Blair Books/Foundation for the Carolinas
Hardcover, $36.50
390 pages, Illustrated
ISBN: 978-0-89587-564-8

Book Review by Kam Williams


“’To whom much is given, much is expected.’
This Biblical passage from the Gospel of Luke conveys a belief that I and many of my African American family and friends hold dear… We are acutely aware of what others have given up to pave the way and contribute to our successes. As a result, we share a sense of responsibility about honoring and sustaining that legacy…
While this cultural legacy of giving back prevails today, it is often overlooked by mainstream society and rarely celebrated within the African American community… Media coverage and reports of prominent philanthropic leaders and institutions advance a false view which places African Americans only on the demand side, not the supply side of philanthropy.
The truth of the matter: African Americans give 8.6% of their discretionary income to charity—more than any other racial group in America.”
-Excerpted from the Preface (pgs. xviii-xix)

Cultivated by ancestors in Africa for ages, black folks’ spirit of philanthropy was ingrained way before their arrival on these shores. During the slave days, it was evident in the altruism of fugitive Harriet Tubman who risked recapture to help others in chains find their way to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Such behavior has basically been the rule, rather than the exception, for a people whose very survival has often depended on selfless displays of compassion towards the least of our brethren. For, as mentor Michael Sales points out, “What’s most remarkable is that even as we help those who are at risk, we ourselves are often at risk at the same time.”
This attitude persists despite the still precarious position of those African-Americans living above the subsistence level who have managed to extricate themselves from poverty. Giving Back is an uplifting opus celebrating the generosity of charitably-inclined blacks, a touching tribute told in portraits, proverbs, anecdotes and micro-biographies.
The book is the brainchild of idea whisperer Valaida Fullwood who collaborated with award-winning photographer Charles W. Thompson, Jr. to create a visually-captivating, coffee table book chock full of intimate homages to unsung heroes as well as inspirational sayings like the sage notion courtesy of Frederick Douglass that “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
An overdue salute to an underappreciated segment of African-American society.