RSSThe naked truth
Apr 07
Of Interest, Press, Video erykah badu, lady gaga No Comments
Alright, this is more like what should come from an artist’s video premeire, not an increase in sales for hair gel and energy drinks.
What’s the Fuss? – John Cheney-Lippold on Badu’s new video
Whether or not Badu’s video intended to bring up the race card or whether or not she really just wanted to pay a slightly confusing homage to JFK is something I’m not sure of, but the people are discussing. The song Window Seat could have gone into obscurity, perhaps noted by fans and a few inquisitive folks, but otherwise just another one to toss into the pile. I can’t say I would have given it the time of day, but yet here I am giving it more notice than a lot of other things going on.
To be fair, after reading the lyrics and watching the video, I think the song has some merit. My own personal spin on it plays more towards the curse/lure of celebrity and the video seems to push that even further. For years now, maybe even a decade or two, we’ve been pushing the sexuality envelope as far as we can go, and Erykah is just one of a few folks who have come to realize that it has gone far enough that getting naked is the next step.
However, and here is where I give her and the director a lot more credit than most of the pop tarts out there today, by paralleling it with the death of one of the most loved presidents of America, the question is posed of what the next step is? Even if an artist bares it all physically, as they already do emotionally, will the world be satisfied? How many artists/celebrities have not been appreciated until they were dead? How much longer do we have on the path that we’re on until a musician decides to burn out in front of a live audience instead of to fade away in the discount bin of a box store record section? Plenty of celebrities have chosen overdoses and other outs instead of their own episode of Where Are They Now? Sure, Lady Gaga brought it to the stage at the MTV VMAs in 2009, but we all knew it was not real.
I hope we never see the answer to this question, but I hope the art you make continues to ask questions just like it. The world needs artists to put people in check when they’re on the edge of something dangerous, and it also needs them to celebrate when they’re doing something great.
If you do it right, and put your heart into it, you can be the marker someone has to more than just a great Saturday night. The art you put out there could become the turning point for someone you may never meet, if you’re willing to bare your soul. And of course, if you have the talent, and plenty of luck, you might also get more in the history books than an obituary.
keep on rocking in the world, whether it’s free or not,
Ryan
