Comments on: I Apologize for Being Black

By: Following a blog about Oscar Brown Jr. « LindaKosut's Blog

Following a blog about Oscar Brown Jr. « LindaKosut's Blog — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:26:43 +0000

[...] a blog about Oscar Brown Jr. I found this conversation on Oscar Brown Jr. that has been very provocative for me. About OBJ’s poetry and statements about being black in [...]

By: lindakosut

lindakosut — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:08:56 +0000

Sadly, I am in total agreement with you. About both Oscar and Barack. On one hand, Oscar had both the advantage and disadvantage of growing up black in Chicago in the late 20′s, early 30′s. (he was born in ’26). On the other hand, Barack, too, had his advantages and disadvantages of growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia, but being black and white. I want him to speak as firmly as Oscar. And I’m a white Jewish girl from the Bronx.

I want our politicians, and particularly our President, to stand up and say, “no more of this crap”. I’m afraid he can’t though – I’m afraid of what will happen to him if he does. And perhaps, he is smart enough to know that possibility is real.

There is a piece that Oscar performed and wrote – voice and drum, it’s called “Muffled Drums”

Before I knew the date of the piece, I thought he wrote it after the assassination of Marin Luther King. But when I found out the year it was written, 1965 (three years earlier than either MLK’s or Bobby Kennedy’s assassinations), and in conversations with his daughter, Maggie Brown, I discovered it was written about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was then that I realized the depth of Oscar’s pain. He knew that JFK was a sea change. And the pain his death brought to him and to our culture.

I love this piece and I have performed it many times. However, I will no longer do it for fear that the crazies out there will make it real once more.

Here are the lyrics to that piece – read them with a ‘listen’ for the drums beating in the background or listen to me singing it … http://www.lindakosut.com/music-72.html

Words & Music: Oscar Brown Jr., 1965

To the pound of muffled drums
Behold, a fallen chieftain comes
Caissons drawn by steeds snow white
But to his eye now all is night
Cannon boom, a grand salute
But to his ear their mouths are mute
And his mind can give no thought
To grave events the day has brought.

To the pound of muffled drums
And flanked by warriors, here he comes
Past the marble citadels
Wherein our sovereign power dwells
Let the governments of men
And every single citizen
Witness what our native hate
Today has cost our nation state.

To the pound of crepe draped drums
Behold, the man and as he comes
Pray the preacher and the priest
Will draw this parallel at least
That like Jesus he has died
And both of them were crucified
Jesus’ cross on Calvary’s height
The other on a rifle sight.

To the pound of muffled drums
Behold the fallen chieftain comes
Genius blasted into clay
It’s dust we now must cart away
Let a cry that hate is hell
Arise above the bigots yell
Let that be one lesson learned
From this great dust to dust returned.

By: Unindicted Co-Conspirator

Unindicted Co-Conspirator — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:15:12 +0000

Apart from its sinuous sound and lovely rhythm, Brown says ugly things using pretty words. Apart from his obvious talent, he hits the listener between the eyes.
Obama is disappointing me, but perhaps after Bush II my hopes were unreasonably high. After all, he hasn’t robbed a liquor store.

By: lindakosut

lindakosut — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:46:53 +0000

I’m a big fan of OBJ which led me to create an accompanying tribute show to him and record an accompanying CD of his material, which CD won the 2008 Bistro/BMI Award. His daughters in Chicago, Maggie Brown & Africa Brown, both sing his material as well. He is sorely missed in today’s political fray. I would have loved to hear his voice speaking out.

Linda
http://www.lindakosut.com
“Long As You’re Living – the songs & poetry of Oscar Brown Jr.” – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kosut2

By: kwame

kwame — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:28:33 +0000

My take: Whereas OBJ challenged racism forcefully with his artistry, Prez. Obama bends over backwards to avoid it. And won the presidency by convincing white folks that he (and the nation) was somehow above race. kzs