REVISITING Buffoonery and Blackface in the 2nd Decade of the 21st Century
In the Summer of 2013 Miley Cyrus mande a big sensation with her twerking escapades. Justin Beiber, Miley, etc are the latest incarnations of BlackFace. It is a lot more covert in the 21st Century - just as most forms of racism - to serve the purpose of concealing it. Yet most important: to make folks of color look like paranoid, chip carrying blowhards. Cool, I get it...not going to stop me though.
Original Post:
This whole thing swirling around Ms Cyrus and the way she was behaving during this 'show', is just another wack take on the music industry's looong history of appropriating what they THINK is African American culture and putting it in a package that appeals to Caucasian male youth. Continuing the sick, sexist AND racist cycle; passing it down to yet another generation of Americans. As a woman of color, who learned culturally-based popular dance from Soul Train, to then watch it repackaged an sifted out sideways on American Bandstand a week later, I am not surprised at this baffonery. Home girl may as well have gone all-the-way-live and busted out in 'Black-Face'.
My boy from Maroon 5 says, "I've got the moves like Jagger." Well, where do you think Mr. Mick got his moves? Can you say, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and James Brown? Mick Jagger is not alone in his appropriation however. Musicians such as Dr. John, Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel were all influenced heavily by Professor Lonhair and Robert Johnson. This mooching of 'Black' and Continental African cultural style has been going on ever since Europeans discovered Africa, lol. On the one hand, they felt as though people of African descent were beneath them and uncivilized, yet they were fascinated by the so-called primitive's level of artistry in music and adornment techniques. In addition to their knowledge of agriculture and complex cosmology.
George Barnes "was a world-renowned swing jazz guitarist, who claimed he played the first electric guitar in 1931...George Barnes made the first recording of an electric guitar in 1938 in sessions with Big Bill Broonzy." ~WIKI
Mr. Barnes grew up in a suburb of Chicago's South side and spent many hours in the inner South Side area, where all the folks of color are, soaking up the Blues and Jazz.
"He started his professional career at the age of 12, when he received his musicians' union card, and toured throughout the Midwest. By the time he was 14, he was accompanying blues vocalists such as Big Bill Broonzy and Blind John Davis." ~WIKI
Now, during the time that the young teen Mr. Barnes played with them, both Mr. Broonzy & Mr. Davis did not have the provilage of being given musicians' union cards, since they were not welcome in any 'White' man's union at that time. They were stuggling to establish their careers while Mr. Barnes was on his way to stardom. Mr. Barne's is "world-renowned", whereas the two gentlemen that he developed his chops from are just codas in American musical history. Yet when the two gentlemen went to tour Europe in the late 40's through 1952, they were greeted with standing ovations and media accolades. They are still highly respected and well known in European Jazz music circles yet virtually unknown in their birth country. During the time Mr. Broonzy and Mr. Davis were on tour in Europe, many young ones like, Mick Jagger, Steve Winwood and other musicians of the 'British Invasion' were exposed to this music and promted to delve into it further.
Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, Charle Patton, Big Bill Broonzy Blind John Davis inspired the next generation of Black performers like Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino, who seized upon the introduction of the electric Guitar, incorporated the old Blues, injected it with the energy of the inner-city aesthetic and the struggle for equal rights. They turned it into something entirely new.
Out of this innovation and redefinition of African American cultural style and music sprung good ole Rock and Roll. Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Steve Windwood, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton have all said, in interviews throughout their career, that they were influenced accordingly by these 'new' musicians; in additon to Blues singer's like Bessie Smith, Jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Early 'Motown' Soul music. Miley Cyrus' performance is yet another generation sucking on the teat of African American culture.
The other issue in this otherwise irrelavent drama is her 'dancing'. The ridiculous choreography in her 'performance' only served to project her sexual immaturity rather than reflect any kind of Feminist expression. The silliness surrounding this yong lady is making it difficult for women who have consciously made the choice to be professional entertainers; Exotic & Burlesque performers and dancers. Strong, confident and empowered women that not only enjoy what they do -- they take it very seriously as an art form.
Belly Dancing is an ancient art form -- as well as the sensual dance forms that are part of the Vedas' Kama Sutra & Tantra. I was s Modern, Jazz & Improvisational dancer as well as an Exotic dancer for over 14 years; a continuing Belly Dancer and, recently (the past 3 years), a Tantric dance practitioner. I am concerned about the escalation of this into the ridiculousness of minutia, such as the wrangling over grinding vs gyration and making issue of whether Ms C is making a "feminist statement" or not.
I have no judgement regarding a young woman of any age experimenting with Sensual Dance Forms yet someone under 25 would not have the Life experience to truly and fully express the power of this Divine Feminine activity. It appears that Ms. Miley doesn't either.
ORIGINAL ARTCLE
http://www.newstatesman.com/music-and-performance/2013/08/memo-miley-twerking-not-feminist-statement
