David Mills, right, working on the HBO mini-series "The Corner" in 2000 with Robert Colesberry, center, and David Simon.Gee-Chee said...
Hollywood machine on whitewash cycleToss some Tosh in that blanco
More flakes around "Mills" in this photo
than cereals with the cursive 'G' logo
Got some Negro-ish scriptYet you get a Jew to do it's shyt
The last they probably held a bic ended with "Sit Ubu, sit"
10 comments:
Hollywood machine on whitewash cycle
Toss some Tosh in that blanco
Flakes surround "Mills" in 'general'
like cereals with cursive 'G' logos
Got some Negro-ish script
Yet you get a Jew to do it's shyt
The last they probably held a bic ended with "Sit Ubu, sit"
DV there are some amazing amazing writers on this blog. I don't know what to say. So I will stop.
I mean, we all know the Wire was that ish, so obviously they knew something.
Simon was a former police reporter who made it his business to get cool with all the hustlers on the street and the junkies.
Two of his co-writers were former police officers and one was a former teacher.
I don't have a problem with white cats writing stuff about black folks, particularly when it's the caliber of what The Wire put out.
Hell, I'd be pissed if some white folks told me I couldn't write "white stories" because I wasn't white. Like I haven't learned a lot about how white folks think just be living in this country.
Simon and his writers, and I think there was one other black dude besides Mills, did a good job of reflecting some of the mindsets of the a certain segment of black society. That doesn't mean they got everything right, but then again, nobody ever does.
The Feds could give an accurate account of the Panther Party. I'm certain they could substantiate dates, times, events just as, if not, more efficient than any ex-Panther can. Still, I prefer to get the H. Rap Brown version.
History is his story, mystery is my story.
-Sun Ra
Sorry I'm posting on this site so late re: the late great UBM.
I discovered this site through his site. One of the wonderful things he did at UBM was provide a hub for black intellectuals online...the quirky, intelligent voices that put most professional black pundits to shame.
His site was so tight he inspired me to step it up on my website.
I was always impressed by his commitment to debate here. As much as he debated folks here, he kept coming back. He was a fearless searcher for truth, and knew there was worthwhile conversation here. Whether I disagreed with his point or not, I always respected that he could stand his ground but still listen.
If one way to judge a man is by his friendships, then David Mills was a great man. He touched amazing people.
It's hard to explain the loss of someone who you have a online relationship with. I met David years ago, through our mutual love of p.funk, and stayed in touch over the years while we both worked in Hollywood. But we were closer online than in real life.
Undercover Black Man was a true Brother.
RIP
Reginald Hudlin
www.hudlinentertainment.com
The lyrics gestures a history of Hollywood's ineptness to deliver "black stories" since black's inception onto the screen.
If you are attempting to write a “white story,” the question is not only, "what is a “white story?” but why? It’s reducing everybody to some sort of monochromatic narrative. Def Jam allowed the Beastie Boys to tell their story and allowed PE to tell theirs. Hollywood doesn’t work like that. The Wire is not redemption for Hollywood.
If Hollywood would imagine black people how they imagine white people, then ok. M. Knight did that with Samuel Jackson’s character in “Unbreakable.” Yes he was evil, but he was an evil genius. His genius vs. Bruce Willis’ naturally gifted athletic prowess. Some of the most formidable characters in comic books are Batman, Reed Richards and Doctor Doom. Why? Not because of their powers but because of their brains. Superior intellect that rivals the most power foes. White super intellectuals. Not smart through radiation or some serum but naturally smart. Name one black character like that. I bet you can find a black Hancock who’s kryptonite is a white woman that he has a sexual desire for...and a dead beat white person that gave him hope. The black image has been in the control of the white writer for so long. In the art world we deal with white writers trying to explain our work all the time…all the time.
Charlie Ahearn will tell you that he is not an authority on the black community. He refuses to allow people to use him as some sort of reference point despite his work being the most well respected hip-hop film. He will emphasize that he is an outsider looking in. He allowed blacks and Puerto Ricans to be in control of their imagery in his films. That’s reasonable.
…and yes, they will get everything right. Who can tell you how you depict you? Did Malcolm X not get his story right as he narrated it to Alex Haley?
Thanks for the kind words Reginald Hudlin, UBM certainly had a unique digital presence.
Gee Chee,
Truth.
Gee Chee
Your comment was a good one. Just wanted to say that.
But, you and I both know that Malcom had issues with how Haley did his autobiography, he complained about some of what "that writer" wrote for years, although he admitted that most of it was correct.
I get your argument about the failure of 99 percent of films about black people produced by white folks to give an accurate and holistic view of black life. I would never argue against that point.
But, you know what they say about broken clocks. The Wire was outstanding. It was written by white folks, but it was still outstanding. You had cats with amazing intelligence, cats with superior courage and you had lame suckers.
I don't care that the cats who wrote the Wire were mainly white, they did a good job giving me black characters with depth. The Wire is a testament to the futility of the War on Drugs and the failure of this country's government to provide honest and effective services to poor black folks. All while illustrating the inherent skills that black folks possess and can use to their advantage.
One of the main lessons I took from The Wire was all of the wasted potential in the hood. And yes, I don't care what DV says about stepping outside of the Plantation to get paid, being a dope dealer is a waste.
Every time I think about The Wire, I think about the fact that if many of the cats portrayed could have been offered real opportunities they could have transformed the hood.
So, I think the messages and characters created by the white folks who wrote The Wire were just as powerful and amazing as Dr. Doom, Batman and Reed Richards.
Two out of those three were independently wealthy, and the third got wealthy thanks to his govenment connections as much as his intellect.
You telling me Stringer, Prop Joe and Marlo didn't show the same sort of intelligence and drive?
I perfer my Blackness straight with no chaser..I do not wanta Brubeck or Kenny G..I want Miles, Coltrane, Duke, Sarah, Cannonball..
White writers like Simon used Mills to fill in the gaps ..Many Black writers, actors are confronted with the choice of employment or no employment...
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