Thanks, Tim!

This came in the mail Saturday in response to the interview seen below. Made my weekend.



Free music? You serious? Hell yea! Lol.

Doesn't stop here, folks. You need this album in your life.

"Authentic art does not compete."

Ebay: Divine Inspiration

Interview with Tim Dillinger

Today, December 8th, 2008 marks the release of Tim Dillinger's first book, Snapshots: a collection of journal entries, epistles, and other prosaic introspections.

I was able to chat with him about the book on Yahoo IM (endorsements, please--no, really), and the majority of the interview appears unamended here. Tim's book can be purchased in download and print versions at http://www.lulu.com/timdillinger. You could also take the scenic route and go to Tim Dillinger's site; there's a link there that will take you to the book purchase site.

Snapshots is, as the title suggests, a collection of short prose stories, some song lyrics, journal entries, and other lexical arrangements that show the spirit of Tim Dillinger. [Bolding and emphasis below is added by the editor.]

RevKris: ok, so my first question will be for those who may drop by the blog who have never heard of Tim Dillinger, the artist, the writer, the anamolic white boy with some crazy soul
RK: so could you fill them in quickly as to how you see yourself, who you are as an artist, as a person, or whatever you'd like to disclose

Tim Dillinger: i think the easiest way to describe myself is to say that i'm a seeker. i despise boxes and have sought throughout my life and my short career thus far to question the boxes that we put on ourselves and try to place over others. for me, that has meant exploring quite a bit of terrain: asking questions regarding religion, race, sexuality, musicality and culture. In the big picture, my seeking has required that i attempt to find, in embracing individuality, our commonalities.

RK: commonalities in what way?

TD: well, that's where the can of worms opens up. in my mind, the greatest commonality that we have is that we come from the same place. we are spirit. we all have the same creator, regardless of the name that we give him/her. to me, if we can embrace that general premise, the premise that we were/are created in the image of god, then we should be able to agree to disagree about theology, philosophy...the details of our faith.

RK: and faith is one of the first things I noticed that you confronted in "Snapshots"
RK: if I may ask, what was your direction with this book?

TD: originally, i conceived it to be a collection of essays and poetry. the process began and it just didn't feel like a fit to me, as i originally wanted it to be far more essay driven. then i began re-reading my blog entries and journal entries from the past two years and realized that those entries, blended with my poetry, told more of the story i was interested in sharing. so, i began printing them out and kept the essays i felt were most vital (about reba rambo and teena marie, respectively) and began "collaging" the pieces to find their flow.
TD: i was most interested in sharing my journey to find an "integrated " life: something that merges the worlds of spirituality, sexuality, culture and artistry with some sort of balance.

RK: I see
RK: now your journey starts with a very interesting quote...it hit me as soon as I read it
RK: "imagine before you sleep/ dream while you're awake/ sleep to collect the energy to live the dream"
RK: why start here?

TD: well, i wrote that one night while journalling...and i was thinking about how much unconsciousness is encouraged in our culture. we talk about dreams, but never really take action on them. in christianity, people live for an escape (the rapture) and never actualize themselves here in this place. i started consciously dreaming while awake about eight years ago, but what i didn't realize was that i started dreaming while awake all those years ago on the floor listening to reba rambo.
TD: in a sense, i guess you could say, i returned to that child place about eight years ago, where you dream out loud before societal "norms" take that permission away. imagine the things we could accomplish if we never stopped dreaming and consciously living to actualize those dreams...after all, those dreams and visions are all god-given. i've been very blessed to see so many of my dreams already come true....but that has come through not being willing to submit to convention...

RK: well convention typically leads to stagnation and mediocrity, as it's easier to bring everyone down than to raise everyone up
RK: which is why I think it's awesome that you allow your readers to see the world as you did from the very beginning, even if they have the added bonus of the articulation of the idea

TD: well thank you. i was very fortunate to be raised in an era of christian music that is much different than today's christian music. the artists were dreamers and pioneers. there was no genre or real "industry" per se. they were creating the music of their inner most beings because it was what was natural to them. therefore, there was no dogma, no legalism...it was simply a free expression of their individual perspective and experience. reba's work was foundational for me because i would end up dealing with alot of what she wrote about: self-acceptance, the possibility of "i can", and being a child/dreamer in an adult body.
TD: because that music is my first memory, i believe with everything in me that's why i've always seen the world in a very general way from the place that i do now...the difference is i understand more of the details of that perspective now as an adult.

RK: Reba Rambo is one of the first stories you talk about in Snapshots
RK: It's the first actual snapshot
RK: and the story that precedes the picture makes it all the more poignant
RK: what was it like to be standing literally right next to someone who changed your life before you knew it had a direction?

TD: it's an indescribable feeling. it's funny to be a poet and not really have words for what something so monumental feels like. the night that we took the picture in the book was the release of my album, the muse, and i remember sitting right at the stage entrance listening to her and flashing back to being that kid in the living room. it felt completely unreal, yet entirely natural, if that makes any sense at all. perhaps the kind of natural--or real--we spend our lives searching to find...and then when we find it, it feels so real, that it's a little uncomfortable.

RK: a kind of full consciousness?

TD: yes. a remembering of sorts. because i always tell people that i KNEW her before i ever heard her music or met her in person. i've had that experience with a handful of people. i was able to actually put that aspect of it into words this past year with another friend who upon meeting me said "i remember you"...and i remembered him.

RK: I can tell you right now that what you just said is going to throw a lot of people

TD: lol. well, i mean...we have to keep in mind that we are spirit. we have seen it all and been it all before. that's what de ja vus are. simply moments where you "remember". the more work we do to become conscious, they more forefront our spirit can become with our natural bodies.

RK: speaking of spirit
RK: (and by the way, I hope you're enjoying my segways)

TD: (i am...you are brilliant)

[Don't you just love this guy? lol]

RK: There's a picture of you
RK: in which you're standing with a mic in hand in front of a church, to the left of a raised pulpit
RK: you
RK: are standing maybe 10 feet away from the musicians...looking kinda stiff actually (no offense)

TD: lol. yes. lol.

RK: and you talk about--I'm guessing--your first holy ghost encounter?
RK: at least, that's what church folks would call it

TD: yes. the finding spirit essay.
TD: it was another one of those "rememberings". i walked into that church as a teenager and knew that it was home. i remember the feeling as if it happened yesterday and i knew that that place would be intregal to whatever was going to happen next for me. having a place to experience and express what i felt with spirit brought more of "tim" forefront, because there was nothing that i had to hold back. we were a go-for-it, get-loose, get-with-it-right now kind of church...services could go from 11 am to 5 pm when the spirit was high...and being in an environment that didn't just allow free expression in worship, but encouraged it was so freeing to me as a little surpressed kid who felt so much inside.
TD: that experience has made it much more difficult for me to co-exist within the current church structure--even within affirming congregations--because so many churches strive to be the kinds of churches they see on christian television. mega churches. one church i was involved with here in nashville said that he wanted his service to transition like "the david letterman show"...and they wanted to give me 15 minutes to do praise and worship. church, for me, has always been about experience, not showmanship...heck, even my non-gospel show is about experience, not showmanship. i think that again, church has become a corporate experience, and we view the kinds of demonstations i grew up with as embarassing or no longer relevant...and i couldn't disagree more.

RK: so they were basically telling you to think your way through the praise and worship...

TD: they basically wanted a cute, A&B selection: not praise and worship. i had no idea how to do that. i remember they had this huge countdown clock on the wall in the back and they would send someone to hold up their fist if you ignored it. i just kept doing things they way i knew to do them until i was no longer welcome...lol.
TD: praise and worship is something that one must give themselves over to. an intimate experience that serves us the best when we can simply let go...let all of the self-consciousness give way to the rising of spirit within us: which is actually the real us. that realization is why i think pastors seek to so control praise and worship. what would happen if the congregations all began to find their true selves....

RK: the blackberry industry would fall apart completely, because people would start to realize that the best things in life go unplanned by human hand

TD: ah yes.
TD: people have lost connection with their humanity. it's why customer service suffers. it's why people can say such cruel things on the internet. it's the reason people can so easily brush off world events. we forget that we are one collective body...not individual entities with keyboard glued to our hands.

RK: very true
RK: now I have a story for you
RK: because I suppose I could call you a sort of experimental artist, with your searching nature and your openness to the move of the spirit
RK: am I close enough?

TD: yes.

RK: ok good
RK: so this past easter service, I was asked to bring and direct one of the songs for the combined choir
RK: typically I have my own on fourth Sunday, but for big services, we put everybody together and have everybody collaborate--more-or-less
RK: anyway, I decided that I was going to challenge the choir, and slam together Kurt Carr's "Psalm 68" with Ton3x's "Alive" and "Alive 2"
RK: the idea in essense felt like it would have worked, but somewhere in between the end of "Psalm 68" and the beginning of "Alive," things just fell apart completely
RK: the sopranos were supposed to hit an acapella melody and it's like all 15 of them were singing different notes

TD: lol.

RK: some weren't ready to come in
RK: things just didn't seem to go the way I expected or wanted it to go
RK: and I have no IDEA what the congregation must have been feeling
RK: to recover, of course, I did what I know, I took the mic and said "the devil's not gonna win in here today," and we did it again and again until we got it right
RK: but I say all that to say that sometimes when you bring a new sound to an audience, unless you're particularly happy with it and can convince your audience that they should like it as much as you do, it can be a little difficult to get it to them
RK: and I say all THAT because I noticed in that same story that the comfort level of your audience began to drop with the newness that you were bringing to them
RK: has that experience affected you as an artist, and if so, how?

TD: well, there was a huge shift when i came out. people thought i was crazy. my last album (the muse) had done very well and i was in pre-production on my gospel album...and it was like it was just too much for many of the people who had been following me. my quest has always been to be honest and, like so many of my heroes, tell my story through the music...i am not one of those glossy artists who reveals nothing...it all hangs out with me...and this year has been the hardest year of my life. this year, i understood what i felt like to want to die. i understood what it felt like to never want to sing again. i understood what it felt like to resent the gift and the call on my life. i am blessed to have great friends and mentors who "held the space" for me when i just wanted to, and was making every attempt to, walk away from it.
TD: But...in that, and as a result of that, my vision was crystallized...my confidence was returned...and actually came back stronger...It's the ying-yang effect. If on one hand there is such a pull for me to walk away...the flip-side would have to be that there is a great purpose that i have yet to accomplish...messengers were sent to remind me of that...from out of no where...helped me center again...
TD: i have always believed that there is a "tribe" of people that i am called to assemble...people that will "find" the work just as i found the work of my favorite artists...it's a huge part of the reason i am relocating to NYC in just a few weeks...being seated in a place that encourages artistry...where there is a larger stream of people...being able to create in a place, much like that holiness church i grew up in, that encourages individual expression.

RK: this "tribe" you mention
RK: is this the "team" the healer asks about in "the icon's pen"?

TD: no. the "team" that the healer was referring to is like my personal assortment of spirit guides who work on my behalf...everyone has one...they just may not be aware of it. the tribe i am referring to is an assortment of people that will gravitate to the work because they find some identification with it. one of my other heroes, laura nyro, always referred to her fan base as a tribe, because her ultimate goal, as is mine, is to create community: a community of true diversity.

RK: I see
RK: and when you do create this community, where would you fall in? or would you?

TD: well, as an artist, i would simply continue creating and hopefully inspiring those within the community to do the same: to find their voice and expression. my shows are always more of a collaborative effort than something with me as a centerpiece. my background singers are more front singers with me than anything remotely behind me. i have always featured other artists within the context of my shows...so...i hope that i can simply help create the space for others to do the same. i've often toyed with the idea of creating a worship center of some sort, but i don't like the hierarchy of the church, so there would have to be something creative in terms of the structure...

RK: that's a whole new discussion on its own

TD: right.

TD: lol

RK: one last thing I want to touch on with your book (I'm trying not to spoil it but there's so much info in here)

TD: lol

RK: actually, let's talk about the shoutouts at the beginning of the book

TD: ok

RK: the first person you actually thank is "Isis"
RK: what was that about?

TD: well, this past year, i discovered my connection with the Isis/Osiris story via a book called "The Passion of Mary Magdalen" by Elizabeth Cunningham, which landed in my hands at precisely the right moment. I was living a piece of the Isis story and until that realization, the heartbreak I was experiencing made no sense to me. So, I referenced that at the beginning of the book because of how pivotol that experience was/is for me.

RK: Understood

RK: so where can people get "Snapshots"?

TD: people can order it at www.lulu.com/timdillinger and there is a link at www.timdillinger.com that will take them there as well. i'm in the process of setting up some book readings as well, so all of that can be tracked on the site...

…Tim Dillinger has also conducted interviews with the likes of Bishop Carlton Pearson and other talented, controversial individuals. More about Tim Dillinger can be found at his blogspot at http://www.outtheboxwithtimdillinger.com and www.timdillinger.com.

[By the way, Tim gave me some compliments on the blog, and I had to include them.]

TD: i really appreciate what you are doing with your blog, etc.
TD: people need the insight...
TD: so at the risk of cliche, be encouraged.

RK: I appreciate it

TD: you are a great writer.

RK: goes with my long-windedness as a preacher

TD: lol. yes and amen. underneath it all, we're all "bards" and that's what we do. we just love words.

Earthtones!

[There's always a story.]

A couple days ago, my dad was watching PBS, and he called me downstairs repeatedly to check out some of the music that was going on. It was an ode to the oldies: O'jays, Jerry Butler, and the like.

[Yes I'm just now appreciating the O'jays...everybody learns at a different speed, thank you very much.]

I probably didn't show it, because I was trying to prepare a Sunday school lesson for the next morning, but I was actually pretty into it.

So today I was checking out this guy,


And I ran by the page he had in his description.
http://www.myspace.com/earthtonemusicgrp

I Love Music is CRAZY. Enough said.

Snapshots

If you have not heard of Tim Dillinger, you have officially done yourself a great injustice, and I suggest you rectify that by visiting his myspace right away.

I'm serious! Go! Don't even bother wasting time reading the rest of this entry.

But just in case you decided to stick around and finish this first, let me just officially inform you that you need to hear this dude. If iron sharpens iron, then I argue that soul also sharpens soul, and that's what I feel when I hear his voice. I'll go ahead and prepare you: it's a bit unusual. The best voices are.

I got a chance to chat with him about his new book, "Snapshots" (available in about a week), and...

You know how you can tell when someone writes their own stuff? I literally had difficulty keeping to the book within my own mind during the interview, because he's incredibly profound, and he makes you think (which is a bit too real for some Christians, but hey, let me not unnecessarily stir up a blaze...)

You'll find out for real next week. I'll be posting the interview to coincide with the book release.

Until then, find Tim here:
www.timdillinger.com
www.myspace.com/timdillinger
http://outtheboxwithtimdillinger.blogspot.com

One side of the Issue: California's Proposition 8

For more information on Proposition 8, please visit the following sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_8_(2008)
http://www.protectmarriage.com/
http://www.noonprop8.com/

My view?

Later.

I just wish Olberman had done this talk 10 days ago.

Something to consider...full length article coming soon.

Something to Consider...coming soon (edited)
Initially I compared Langston Hughes to Tyler Perry, but apparently, the better research question is:
Is Langston Hughes yesterday's Soulja Boy?
Hughes' contemporaries seemed to think so.

More to come...

Hmmm...

I'm not gonna talk about this just yet...I just want to put it out there.

It's Here!

Bapostogic mixtape has finally arrived!

(I don't really like the voice on this trailer, but it's interesting.)

I'm gonna have to mull this one over a bit before I write a true review. I like it, but that's not enough for a full review. I will say that of the 20 tracks, my favorites are (in order of appearance):

Gospop Milli Mix
The Blood
The Funky Evidence
A Year Ago 1967
My Father'z House 1962
Make You Happy
Bapost.o.g.i.c

I'll stop right there for now.

I don't know if I told you guys here, but...

You see that keyboard in the column to the right?

Yea. I own it now. Bladaow.

And I'm already being hated on for it.

It's funny. Oh well. It was a hell of a sacrifice for me to get, and it's still a hell of a sacrifice for me to prove again and again every day that I deserve that gift, and that I'm not a wicked and lazy servant. So I really don't have time to be concerned about people hating.

Plus, I'm in school. The freak am I doing here?

Back in a couple months.

Virginity and Purity

It seems this particular virtue did not get the memo. He still shows up to parties in tow with his ward, clad in an embarrassing, bright red and orange, checkered ensemble that he hasn't been able to fit just right into since the '30s. He just wants to stand out. He did not watch enough movies to realize that by year 40--or even by year 30--he's well overstayed his welcome.

He saunters around the room, awkwardly distant from everyone around him, yet with an air of accomplishment. Of course he does; since his ward still wears his promise ring, he is totally not a slut—thank you, Jordin Sparks, for being such an easily irritable, defensive jackass and showing it with your rude comment at the MTV Video Music Awards. He looks down on those around him, not realizing in his naiveté that everyone else is looking down at his and his ward's inexperience. He is closed off from the world, apparently waiting for his protégé to find that one special person to open up to, after which this overprotective stain on the ego will expire from his ward, leaving them to live happily ever after.

Yes, friends, I am talking about Virginity. The silent killer. The one guys hide in their closets, and the one some women falsify and display until it’s time to take somebody home at the end of the night. This virtue spends his time hovering over his ward, protecting—or overprotecting—him or her from being taken advantage of by the evil, evil perils of exposure.

Though Virginity has been looked down upon in recent years as the mark of inexperience, he has his perks. For example, no virgin has ever been represented in that awful Valtrex commercial in which the male portion of a heterosexual couple proclaims proudly, “I have herpes. She doesn’t. And we’re trying to keep it that way.” Usually, you can rely on your virginity to keep you free from venereal diseases. We have all sat through horror movies disguised as sex education classes and been stabbed repeatedly in the optical organs with mesmerizing images of ordinarily frivolous infirmities that have festered over time. And if you haven’t, shame on you; it’s really a wonderful experience. Virginity actually provides amusement for his ward at these indoctrinating scare sessions when they can just watch the others ransack their brains, searching through the memories of their obviously numerous sexual partners to make sure that they did not acquire any symptoms of stage 4 syphilis.

Yes, Virginity has his perks. Virginity has been courted for years by churches all over America, from the excessive, right-winged evangelicals who preach not only against pregnancy out of wedlock, but against contraception and barriers in general, to parents who would rather believe that their children are still the same five-year-olds they became attached to sixteen years ago than sit them down and have “the talk”. Virginity certainly has his place. Virginity exists for that rare case female who—usually by choice—proudly professes her “purity” until marriage. Virginity lives also for that even rarer-case male who—either by choice or by default; either instance is acceptable—will wait for that special moment until he will let his Virginity go.

The preceding circumlocutory tools simply suggest that Virginity's biggest accomplishment is also his biggest flaw: his association with the virtue Purity. The naiveté and inexperience that gives Virginity and his followers—virgins—their bad name is synonymous with the lack of negative experience and the newness that defines his pride. And very often, it can be postulated that those who harass Virginity and his virgins for their relationship with Purity are just jealous of the “pure’s” accomplishments, and have therefore redefined what it means to be a venerable member of society with experience rather than adherence to innate purity. Of course, there would be little problem with Virginity if he had not chosen to integrate himself with such a massive portion of society; after all, who wants to be dirty? However, what makes this association so much more grievous is that Virginity has no right in his mainstream, Judeo-Christian American form to associate and necessarily compare himself with Purity.

Purity’s beauty shines like the sun from her large, discriminating eyes, and even through her disapproving scowls. Amazement never ceases to show itself within her marriage to Virginity. Mankind carelessly thrust Virginity against Purity’s bosom, and the couple begat children like Cleanliness, Recyclovirgin (the black sheep of the family; the second-chance child), Hivtest (the child through which Virginity and Purity acquire the most accountability for the family), and several others too obscure and meaningless to name. Purity has watched as countless cousins have integrated themselves into her family; every time the in-laws, Slut, Whore, Tramp, Trollop, and Nympho drop by for a visit, Purity retreats into the nearest corner. Sure, she remains visible, for how else will one be able to improperly mimic her discriminating eyes? However, their association seems invalid, and the people—especially in the Judeo-Christian culture—who ineptly forced Virginity and Purity together like a rectangular rod into a triangular slot may have seriously injured Purity.

Virginity married upwards. A Judeo-Christian culture that embraces the innate evil, impure nature of mankind also suggests that mankind is born with an innate Purity that is robbed from them, along with Virginity through experience. However, the same Judeo-Christian culture suggests that Purity is gained later on in life, even after years of experience, provided that the toxins gathered through the years are shed so that Purity can occupy a space.

I must disclaim again any idea that suggests any problem with Virginity, Purity, or Judeo-Christian roots. Even if there are problems, the focus is not on their livelihoods, but on their interactions. Purity and Virginity do not go well together, especially since Purity, when she is widowed from Virginity, is forced into obscurity and falsely accused of absence. Perhaps before the days of suffrage, Purity would have been lifeless without the care-taking nature of Virginity, but now Purity is more powerful and frankly, she can hold her own without being forced on Virginity. Unfortunately for him, he has not realized her new independence.

So now, Purity bides her time. Recyclovirgin, Cleanliness, and Hivtest will soon show their mother’s characteristics, rather than their father’s. She will no longer reside in the background of Virginity; she will have her own spotlight, and under the stage make-up, her disapproving scowl will become a slightly more welcoming smirk—the in-laws will still have to stay away. Not to say that Virginity will be dethroned entirely, of course. He can learn to live without relying so heavily on Purity. The churches, parents of pubescent children, the rare-case females, and the rarer-case males will continue to court Virginity for his usual tenure. He still serves a function in keeping venereal diseases away; he may not be the only person functional at the job, but let’s face it: he is the best. And he can ride that success for as long as he wants.

Just don’t forget: Purity is her own woman now.

I'm on a Jazz tip right now...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Davis

You know what's awesome?

And I don't get in much to mention awesome stuff.



In case you're not understanding, he's following the ORIGINAL Coltrane sax solo on piano (Motif series keyboard), and later he follows the bass line on the bass guitar while carrying the Coltrane solo.

The name of the song is "Giant Steps" by the way.

Goes by the name of Kevin Wyatt...haven't been able to find much info on him besides this...I'll have to look a bit deeper.

Bad. You hear me? Baaad.

I cut my hair!...

Ok. Not because this is relevant to the blog in any way, but just because I figured you need something to chew on while I'm off on my "education and work spree."

How presumptuous! When you could just as easily visit one of the blogs on the bloglist to the right and dump me altogether.

Anyway, yea. I didn't cut off the mohawk, but I shortened it significantly. I can't even grab the whole top with my hand anymore.

The process--cutting my own hair--took about 3 hours, and I'm still not satisfied with how it came out. Then again, this is the second time I've ever tried to cut my own hair, and the first time since 9 years ago when I took a razor to my head, nicked myself a couple times and had to go bald for a week or so. Anyway, I digress. The process was long and drawn out because the clippers I was using (God bless the manufacturers) kept running out of battery power, so I had to wait on it to recharge At one point, I fell asleep for about a half-an-hour. Hence me being up at 12:03 writing a blog about my hair.

Of course a barber could have done it better. But I still haven't told you why I can't stand Goodphellaz, and I just don't like being so overcharged for a haircut just because it's a mohawk--who in the hell charges a $10 style fee on an advertized $15 haircut? And it ain't even like the style was all that intense--and I think my biggest problem with Goodphellaz is that the prices are so fluid that dudes end up just spouting out a number, and I ain't about to haggle with somebody over a haircut. It's JUST hair. Not to mention customer service was deplorable, the manager suggested (actually said) he'd hire someone who couldn't cut hair over someone who could based on whether they had a barber's license (really?) and it was too obvious that dude didn't know what he was doing with my hair--I haven't been back.

But again, I digressed. A good barber could have done a much better job in 45 minutes to an hour, but I haven't been feeling barber shops lately. So I haven't been. Maybe I'll go tomorrow though so they can fix the mess I've made. Pictures will be up tomorrow.

Oh. The Love Lockdown video is out...I'll add that tomorrow too. But let me just warn you that to even begin to understand the theme of the video, it will require some thought. More thought than you put into that last Soulja boy video.

Honestly though...I still haven't begun to understand what Kanye was going for. It's interesting though.

Ok...

So yes, I'm short on time, and I didn't even have time to do a drawn out birthday blog entry, but this story here just pissed me off enough for me to blog about it:



Are...you...serious?! Really?

The biggest problem for me was the letter sent in by the "frustrated" parent who claims that "ALLOWING" (actual word) the religious message is wrong and scary.

Allowing? And these are the same hypocrites that want free speech. Allowing? The school didn't sanction it. The school didn't ask for it. The school just left their hands off, and let the kid THINK and CHOOSE. Isn't that what America is supposed to be about?

Hypocrites. Pisses me off. Let the kid say what she wants if she's not attacking anybody, and I don't see how real love can attack anybody.

Ugh.

Lifeway Censors Gospeltoday Over Female Cover

I've been hearing random rants here and there, and a commentary is here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/23/martin.hairston/index.html

I don't have a view on it yet, because I don't know enough of the story to make a comment. I can say, however, that whatever it is, it's probably going to be stupid of Lifeway. We'll see though.

Destiny Praise

The last time I preached from a pulpit, I preached from John 8:1-11. I spoke about adultery against God, having to go through stuff that God didn't plot for you--please don't get it twisted, not every problem you go through is brought on by God; sometimes it's your fault--and recovering from being outside of the plan of God.

That was on April 20th.(I'm terrible with dates; I actually had to go look that up).

Anyway, it wasn't two days later when I heard this song, which basically sang EVERYTHING I had preached about. It was one of the best confirmations I had ever gotten in my life.



This is the group that sang it. I will say that for that particular single, I'm not excessively impressed with the production or the quality of it, or the arrangement. I think it's because for most of the verses, the snare they use is a snap, and...I don't know...it feels kinda low. Personally, I would have made different instrumental and mixing decisions. But who am I to talk, right?

The group is actually pretty hot. And I'd heard the instrumental for "Broken" before, but I didn't know that this was the group it was attributed to. I will say that this beat is crazy.

If you're any sort of gospel head, you'll recognize "Changed" as a redone classic, and "Lion of Judah" as a slightly different version from Beverly Crawford's version, and I'm sure there are others. I don't mind, because they did take ownership of the songs, did them their own way, and it wasn't a reduction in quality nor was it cheesy, like most artists like to do.

Check 'em out.

Also, cool beard, dude.

We Love You (Live)

J Moss feat Byron Cage and Marvin Sapp




w00t! More drums!

And this time I own the sticks, and they didn't break!

I have herpes...

She doesn't. And we're trying to keep it that way...



And now we're doing more to keep it that way...

I'm a bit late...

And a little offensive, but

"That thing you got behind you is amazing..."
"Let it rain"
"She got me sayin'"
"Walk it out"
...

Which black person pieced this song together?

More Ton3x news

Blogger alert!

I don't know if you guys know, but I'm a PHE (peer health educator) at Georgia State, and have been one for a couple years or so.

Well, we got a new addition to the team earlier this month, and he's turned out to be a pretty cool guy. Kinda quirky (reminds me a bit of myself in a way...but then again, who doesn't these days?), but yea. He's cool. Check him out.

The Carter Factor. "Positive values for you b*tches."

History in the making?

Boy, I don't know how many of you guys saw the speech yesterday. It was all I saw of the DNC, but when I tell you that place was electric! For almost 5 minutes all Obama could say was thank you, because the crowd wouldn't stop cheering. Denver Broncos stadium was packed beyond normal capacity and people were waiting outside to get in. Even Clinton supporters went to hear Obama one last time to see if they would change their minds and support him. It was historic, without a doubt. I almost wonder why I asked that question in the title. The speech was given (it's common knowledge) on the 45th anniversary of MLK Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Heck, even McCain had some incredibly vague words of congratulations for Obama (you may have to scroll down to see the video).

"How perfect that your nomination would come on such a historic day!"

And then he spoke. And my did he speak. In the words of a really good friend of mine, "he ripped the republicans a new one."

He called out John McCain as an elitist, suggesting that McCain considered "Middle Class" to be anyone who makes $5M a year. "It's not that John McCain doesn't care. It's that John McCain doesn't get it," said Obama.

What really got me though was the stuff he said about himself. He made some bold statements and promises: Raising teachers' wages, investing in energy saving practices, cutting dependence on foreign oil in 10 years...and I need to stop there for a minute.

For Obama to cut foreign oil dependence in 10 years--and I don't even know how he intends to do it--his plan would have to be so fricking awesome that two years after the absolute max of his terms, whoever came afterwards would have to have been so enamored with this plan that they'd pick it up for the next two years.

Much of Obama's planning has to do with rallying the country to step up. He called out Americans, saying that the ones who deserves taxbreaks were the hard workers, and the real hardworking folks in America was being punished for their hard work. He praised workers, family, and other easy traditional American values.

He even took some stances on gay marriage, even though it was kinda shaky...and you could tell in his voice that he was thinking "I'm taking a huge risk with this one." He basically said that gay marriage may not pass in the next 4 years, but the LGBTQIQ Community (which he just called Gay and Lesbians) should be allowed to visit their significant others in the hospital at least.

My sum up: Obama pissed some people off. I know it. He was direct and powerful, and he has the ability to rally the people. I feel like if America votes him in as president, he'd have their support. So I'm really not even worried about his assassination, because I know it would only come from a grassroots, closed-minded, archaic attempt at throwing the country in a frenzy at the worst possible time out of extreme selfishness. I just really noticed that Obama has a very strong people-oriented government plan, and I don't know if after 8 years of saying "how is Bush going to protect us," the people are going to be ready to do some work. Nobody likes change but a wet baby, and I don't know if many of the people realize that the government is not just going to change around them; everybody has to change.

I think the changes are good. And hopefully, with Obama's ability to rally people, the changes will come full-force. But the campaigning won't be over after this election, and it probably won't even take a break.

(By the way, in terms of picture sources, most of my pictures come from online sources. To find the source itself, click on the picture. It will open in another window (or tab; your choosing) and the location will be in the Navigation bar. Or you could just right-click the picture and say "copy location" and paste it somewhere else, but why would you want to do a thing like that?)

Obama Chooses Biden

So if you haven't heard by now (first of all, shame on you), Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate.


from the Chicago Tribune

So first glance...

Huge differences. Most obvious? The racial issue.

Second on the docket? Age. Biden is 65.

He's been in the senate since the late 1970's, and some columnists from CNN have said that Biden's experience will make up for Obama's lack thereof.

The question also arose though: if Obama is trying to enact "change," why bring in an attack dog like Biden who's been in the game so long he's probably used to the status quo? The optimistic side says it is first necessary to learn the rules before you can properly break them, and Biden will be Obama's teacher in terms of old laws.

Also, Obama can have faith that Biden will know who's in charge when it is time to break the rules.

So it seems. We'll let it play out, shall we?

I'm back in school!

Alright, folks, so here's the deal.

My entries have been a little sloppy and short lately...and partly it's because I've been trying to guard from rambling and such...I have a tendency to do that.

But now it's also gonna be because my time is limited...I'm now a full time student (and I MEAN full time...18 credit hours), so I'm ALREADY feeling the effects.

Anyway, what I may end up doing is posting some relevant material from my classes on the site, provided I don't get accused of plagiarizing from this site...which would suck.

Anyway, yea. Expect a bit less, but a bit more at the same time.

Chew on it. Swallow. You like it, don't you?

Heck yea you do.

Tough news

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/21/tenn.school.shooting/index.html

There is nothing new under the sun...

Who came first? Who cares?

This was funny...

Phelps is weird looking.

Now that we've established that, I have a few questions:

1) Why she had to be the black one?
2) Launching personal attacks...kinda crappy, don't you think?
3) Saying "ew" to making out with your little brother is kinda customary, no?

How silly.

More Ton3x news

It's officially an anachronism to call Anthony Williams II by the name "Tonex" since the release of the Naked Truth Mixtape--or probably even before that, with the release of the song Naked Truth on his myspace page.

The name is now TON3X. Same pronunciation. But "Tonex" is dead, according to an interview by VesselVibe magazine, a magazine I never even heard of until I noticed that Ton3x had it plastered all over his page.

Anyway, the interview is solid. And it's part of the reason Ton3x intrigues me so much...his power, skill, and style as a musician, performer, preacher, etc is something I as a musician can shoot for...for now anyway.

I haven't got my money yet, but when I do, I'm still trying to go buy the Bapostogic mixtape.

Also on the soon to be acquired list:
"Nigger," Nas
"Metropolis: The Chase," Janelle Monae

Happy Birthday Chase!

This cat here is something else. He's one of my closest friends--we have a strange friendship/relationship/marriage lol. (Again, let's all gasp together...ready? Ok. GASP!!!!) But we've grown closer over the years, and his is one of the few friendships that I'm particularly secure about.

He's also the reason I started blogging here, and the reason I even have a blog (he designed it).

He makes a lot of people smile with his sharp wit and his extravagant stunts and shows, and he's an avid thinker who at times inspires me to think beyond. In short, because I could ramble on and on and none of this would end up making any sense, he's just freaking awesome.

Therefore,

(Yea I made it in paint. So what?!)

GoodPhellaz

Indeed, they are phellaz.

Good?

Hardly. I'll explain tomorrow. Just know it's pretty negative. To me anyway.

Pitch Black

So I was perusing Guitar Center's website when I caught a glimpse of these little beauties...



The look is hot to me. The sound?

Well, you'll have to decide for yourself.



Just the Crash Ride goes for about $170 at Guitar Center, and according to musicradar.com, a complete set (7 cymbals, even though the picture above has 8) goes for about $1803, even though music radar's Crash Ride quote is significantly higher.

Apparently they're designed for rock, and designed to be loud. We'll see though. I'm gonna wait for more reviews--or my own chance to mess around with them (yea right) before I jump on the band wagon.

Um...no

Hmmm...Nelly, Akon, Ashanti.

I thought I'd give these three a chance to work together. But the awkward Nelly yelling doesn't really do it for me.

Neither does some of that "singing."

Neither does that line from "Touch my Body" by Ashanti.

I like everything but Country

The more I hear that, the more I wonder.

It just seems like the cool thing for black folks to say. "I like everything..."(which means you're educated past hip/hop and R&B) "except country" (but you still can't make me white.)

Silly? I think so. I think it's silly that country is such an out of reach genre for people that this crap is the hottest collab for country and hip hop. And honestly, I have very little against this song, but it's incredibly simplistic. It was a start. And people are looking at it's the finish, and the best that will come from a country/hip-hop collab.

I honestly feel like if people gave country music a chance, beyond the heavy alcoholic references, redneck culture, and in some places, a die-hard devotion to the Confederacy, Country as a music genre can be pretty good. In terms of instrumentation and arrangement, country music can be really good.

That said, you find a few songs that escape CMT and make its way onto VH1, and escape 94.1 the Bull (exclusively country I think) and make it on to 99.7 (Hits). For example, Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." No matter who you are, that song was hot.

Recently, though, another song has escaped from CMT and made appearances in the pop mainstream: "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock.



It's alright. Either the key signature is kinda hard to follow, or when the guitar solo comes in, he's in a completely different (and by different, I mean wrong) key. They might argue they did it on purpose...I'm not buying it.

The song's alright though. Does it necessarily count as country? I don't know...CMT doesn't typically play much outside of country though, and I caught it there this morning. Anyway, here. Some country flavor for you.

Reel music.

You know what touches me most about this song?

Listen close to what the lead is singing about.

"Cigarrette in my right hand"
"Coulda been a junkie"
"Sittin in the gutter,"
"with a needle in my arm, trying to find a vein"
"The weed I used to smoke
Coulda been laced with angeldust, so I woulda had a fit."

This ain't your momma's "I once was sick and couldn't get well" testimony.

And I remember how the president of a choir that I used to direct tried to come to them with a testimony about how his marriage was falling apart, and instead of helping him and praying for him, everyone was pissed off because they knew his wife, and one woman was his mother-in-law. So the hell what? God knows everybody anyway.

It makes my blood boil every time I think about how that choir screwed that guy over. But he's at peace now, he tells me. And they'll be straightened up soon enough.

But this right here is a REAL testimony, and for y'all cookie-cutter Christians who can't handle the truth of the real FECES-filled, stagnant quagmire of a septic cesspool that God brought some of us out of, you might need to check your walk.

Industry loses greats

I'll go in order of death...


After a little over a week in the hospital, Bernard McCollough, better known as Bernie Mac, died in Northwestern Memorial Hospital from complications stemming from pneumonia. There are talks that it was linked to sarcoidosis, but the disease had apparently gone into remission from 2005. Either way, it sucks. And what sucks even more is that for like a week, there were rumors circulating that the dude had already died, so I was kinda routing for him to come out of the hospital and be like "I told y'all I wasn't ready to go." But...he's gone. At 50.

Also,



Isaac Hayes, best known for the theme song for the 1971 movie, "Shaft," was "found dead" according to AOL.com yesterday. When his relatives found him, he was unconscious, and his treadmill was still going.

He also was the voice of Chef from the hit animated fiasco "South Park," but left after the show mocked Scientology, which Hayes has professed.

It's crazy...these are icons of our time...for a lot of people, Heath Ledger counts in this category too, but he died of an overdose. Mac died of illness, and Hayes died either of heart-failure (that's my personal guess...the way the story is reported, he was running on the treadmill and passed out...

I don't want to sound selfish here, but it's like coming to terms with your own mortality to watch icons that you thought had at least a couple more years in them just dying. Bernie Mac just finished doing a few jokes at an Obama get together that Obama had to denounce because they were divisive and offensive. And then he's gone. Just like that.

Crazy stuff yo. Pray for the families.

Again, I'm not great with death, so I don't know what to say besides pray for the families.

For those of you pissed off about me cursing occasionally...

It's your choice to get offended...

Shout outs

Ok, I know I haven't been around for this week. I've just been busy with training for PHE (Peer Health Education) from 9-5 all day, and those are my main access hours for blogging. Anyway, finally took a minute to steal away and share a couple of things that were on my mind.

First of all, shout out to the choir. You know who you are.

Let me just say that I'm tired of the bullshit. Straight up. Talking to the director, interacting with members of the choir, watching members of the choir interact, watching behavioral patterns, listening to how they sound on a Sunday morning, listening to how they sound during choir rehearsal...

All in all, it is incredibly fucked up. Back-biting, cracking rude jokes, disrespecting leadership, not standing up for yourself, being fake, being too weak to be strong and too strong to let God be strong, is ruining this choir.

I'm about ready to put y'all on Front Street, because you don't seem to understand how shitty this entire organization is right now. And I'm "cursing" and being real so I don't take any credibility for myself. I wouldn't and shouldn't have had to say anything for you to realize that this isn't right. And I hope you do see it so something will change, though I'm sure nothing will because you've been faking it for the past 4 plus years.

Yea. I said it.

Shout out to David Banner...I guess...



First let me say that there is method to my hateration. Certain songs don't make mention on this blog because they aren't even good enough for me to hate on. For example, this crap.

But anyway, the song was a good idea, and it was a good spin on relationships...granted it had its little commercial "then she sucked my dick" aspect to it, but all in all, it was a good try.

Sample from Weezy's "Lollipop." Good idea. Really. It just didn't work, because first of all, the sample was off pitch from the beat. Secondly, David Banner was on pitch with the beat, so yea...it was weird.

I also think he rode the hook too much, and beyond the first verse, the hook mainly made the song. That is to say, it was riding the success of Lollipop...good idea, probably, but whatever.

You can do better, dawg. And you're smart too.

Soapbox Derby: Gospel Music

A little something to chew on for the weekend. I wrote this maybe a year ago as my "about me" on youtube, and I figured it'd be interesting for you to look at.

"...I selected "Gospel" because it's my driving force. Gospel is how I seriously learned music, and it's one of the reasons I am where I am today. It's where I get a lot of my riffs and chords and what not. I don't, however, like the direction that the Gospel music industry is headed in, and I hate the notion that all "gospel" music is inherently good, because it's all made and grouped by flawed humans. Who are we to even say what kind of music God likes? Know what I mean?

The entire nomenclature of Gospel Music is tricky. The Gospel literally is good news, and is traditionally associated with the overall good news of Christianity: that Jesus is our Savior, died on a cross, was resurrected, and is coming back soon to take His people with him. By that definition, though, a lot of preachers don't preach the gospel very much anymore. Granted, they preach the Bible, and the overarching theme of the Bible is this Gospel story that I described. Yet, preaching verse by verse is not necessarily good news based, especially if someone takes a wrath verse from the Bible and describes God's *bad* news. Know what I mean? And not every gospel song mentions Jesus, but that doesn't mean it loses its ability to minister His name to people.

I just don't think that the genre of Gospel is as untouchable as many people want to make it. Plus, I believe that people can be ministered to through all sorts of other man-made genres of music, because God is not a respecter of person, so He'll work through what He chooses.

In terms of my original tracks (that you probably haven't heard if you haven't been to my myspace page; /revkris) my main goal is to not put the same stuff out that's been out forever, and my influences are any artists who try to be different for a purpose. It's not enough just to be different, because being different just for the sake of being different is about as mindless as falling into the fads, except for the fact that you're now stupid and lonely. :)

But anyway, I'm not just Gospel. And I have no problem saying that. I'm a musician. That's all. But in every note I play, every chord I form, and every song I bang out, God gets the glory. That's what's most important to me."

I'm excited.

I just like these because it's a glimpse into the industry beyond CD's and singles.

Boom kak is back too! I'm excited.

Friends in the biz...

Make-up Artist. Model.

Multi-talented.


SoChevon.

Photo by K-Wud

I really like change; have I made myself clear?

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

"It's time for some campaignin'."

Maybe it's not funny...

What the [beep] ever!

This was a pretty clever Budlight commercial. I won't get into the semantics of alcohol advertising and how "the big companies are ruining our lives," or whatever. Just laugh. For once in your [beep]ing life.

EARTHQUAKE!!!

AOL News Item of the Day: Media Biased against Obama?

Check this out.

Now there's a headline sure to make Rush Limbaugh's face a little redder. The claim comes to us from George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, which has studied network newscasts for 20 years running. After analyzing the nightly ebb and flow of our current race, the center's researchers see a pattern (Via the Los Angeles Times):


"...that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign."

You read it right: tougher on the Democrat.


Just how does one measure "tougher," you ask?


"During the evening news, the majority of statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks were neutral, the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative."


Yes, it seems as though the "Big Three" (cable TV and print journalism were not looked at in the study) are so sensitive to the accusation of liberal bias that they're going out of their way to knock the Illinois senator.

McCain also has been the recipient of negative commentary, but not nearly to the same degree:


"Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically, with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the Washington-based media center."


While it is true that Obama gets more coverage than McCain, that coverage itself -- at least from the 3 major network -- tends to show a conservative bias. Here's how Robert Lichter, the director of The Center for Media and Public Affairs, put it:


"This information should blow away this silly assumption that more coverage is always better coverage,"


No, the old advertising adage -- there's no such thing as bad publicity -- doesn't hold true for politics. Just ask Gary Condit, or Ted Stevens.

But how many people really watch the Big Three anymore for their nightly shot of news? According to TVNewser, about 21 million Americans.

Though the influence of network news is falling fast, especially with younger Americans who are moving in droves to the internet for their information, 21 million eyes still represents a significant portion of the voting population.

So, could the pro-McCain bias be having an effect on the race? No doubt. Maybe it's the x-factor that commentators like Robert Novak have been searching for to explain why Obama still has only a 9-point lead over McCain in national polls. After all, we know that Obama tends to do better with younger voters, while McCain is the preference of those of advanced years. Not surprisingly, the Big Three networks also do well with older viewers, those Americans who have long ago settled into a routine of planting themselves in their recliners each and every night to receive that definitive half hour of world events. The question then, it seems to me, is whether ABC, CBS and NBC are playing to their audience of older viewers by being more critical of Obama, or if their coverage, in part, helps account for older voters' reticence to support the new guy.

[From AOL News]