Some folks have ENTIRELY too much free time on their hands…smh
I take a little hiatus from the blog to enjoy the season for JUST A MINUTE and stuff pops off…smh
We should be collectively ENJOYING the very positive burn that the clip posted above is getting from media outlets all over the world. Blogs, Newspapers, and all sorts of Digital Media have chimed in on this clip, recorded during a weekend that represents all that is good about ‘The Craft’, HBCU football, and the fabric of being part of the HBCU culture in general. whether you’re a fan of the Human Jukebox or a rival, you got to fell good about the almost UNIVERSAL out-pouring of positive vibes surrounding the feedback of this single clip, right?
Right….Almost….smh.
*Takes DEEP BREATH…..Exhales Slowly*
Fast forward to 12/2/2015, Slate Magazine and De Facto ‘Culture’ Blog promotes the following from one of it’s ‘editors’:
There are a couple of directions I COULD take this blog entry, given the utterly ridiculous tone and nature of the aformentioned Slate article. I COULD say that the writer of the article is incredibly un-informed, not necessarily because she had an opinion, but because the overall dismissiveness and tone of the article just screams, ” I’ve never been outside of my lane before, but I’ll offer up an opinion on something that I know absolutely NOTHNIG about, because I can”.
I’m not going to do that. The general audience that read that article on twitter? I can’t speak for them, though:
I COULD fill this blog post with insulting hot takes and snarky, heat-filled memes about how clueless this writer sounds, given that the ‘sound’ being heard by her sensitive ears is part of an overall sound concept that MANY of our programs employ (In Southern’s case, one that’s firmly rooted in the jazz and culture of New Orleans and Delta Blues), or the fact that she would KNOW that caveat if she actually did what GOOD journalists are supposed to do before writing about something that she has no prior expertise in; Doing a little bit of good, old-fashioned research? IJS, it’s NOT hard to do, these days, with all the music industry and other Pop cultural and musical establishments (not to mention colleges and programs outside of the HBCU sphere) that TAKE their cues and influences from stuff that we’ve been innovating and doing collectively for over 4 or 5 decades. I mean, there IS an underlying HISTORICAL element to HOW we do things on the field (or in ANY venue).
I mean, you DID research this stuff before fixing your fingers to type that piece out, right?
smh…Let me stop…I’m not going THAT route, either.
Mrs. Anderson, I understand that you’ve got a job to do. I also understand that sometimes putting an opinion out there that everybody doesn’t agree with gets you (and Slate) more visibility. Does that include marginalizing things that people hold sacred and dear? Possibly. I’m going to choose NOT to make that assuption of you. Instead, I invite…no…I challenge you to use all this negativity you brought about with your article to actually LEARN more about what we do, and how we do it.
At the very least, learn how to offer such an opinion from a position of understood context and knowledge behind the basics of what you’re listening to. I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, but offering up stuff like the following:
“It’s not the band’s fault that this cover is so bad—the responsibility lies with the person who arranged the music, and whichever person affiliated with the band has the authority to pull the plug on orchestrations that just aren’t working. Everything about this arrangement, from the plodding tempo to the mournful trombone bassline to the unnecessary woodwind countermelody, is totally at odds with the intimate spirit of Adele’s chart-topping single.” – L.V. Anderson.
or…
“The worst part, obviously, is the sforzando chorus—or “drop,” as Huff Post calls it—featuring dozens of trumpet players who have not even had the chance to warm up, blasting their instruments at the very top of their range. (God bless you, trumpet section, you did your best.) The dancers’ incongruously slow, sexy routine is the awkward icing on the cake.” – L.V. Anderson.
Well…At the very BEST, you come off as un-informed. At the very WORST? Well, you saw the responses you got from your SLATE article comments, twitter, and just about anyplace else this article got visibility. I’m just a small, lowly, part-time blogger, that happens to be an alum of an HBCU Band Program similar to the one shown in the clip. What do I know? smh.
I would invite you to actually ATTEND an HBCU event, a Pro Football Game, heck, even a high school performance. It might give you a little better insight into what you actually see and hear. Also, don’t be afraid to actually TALK to someone that has HAD exposure to what we actually do.
Yeah…That would seem a bit more fitting than offering up an ill-informed hot take.
