Noj

I can't say I disagree, and I'd wager it's so organic that genetics are actually influenced by cultural tendencies. However, it's up to each artist to run with the individual talents as far as those talents can possibly go. By this, a culture can at most claim a certain under-riding element evident in the artist's creation. Yet art is an intellectual territory, and there's nothing which prevents any intellect from properly appreciating any given art. This is because even though culture is a part of the artwork, ultimately its expression is human. And, it's more likely to be fully appreciated by a properly-tuned intellect than anything inherent in every member of an ethnicity. Cultures are also far more specific than the blanket of race. Cultures are far more diverse. There's jazz cultures of various cities. There's basketball cultures of various areas. There's dance cultures, specific art genre cultures, skateboarding cultures, etc. etc. And while any one might be predominantly people of a specific skin tone none are exclusively so. And within any one of those cultures there are leaders and talented individuals who set the standards who are of diverse backgrounds. There are participants and fans of each who belong to a variety of other cultures. A person can belong to more than one culture. The assertion of a hard divide along an ethnic line in any one of them is sloppy, inaccurate, not inclusive enough, and doesn't tell us much about anything. All the meat is ultimately in who each person is, not in what most of the people are.

It's a beautiful essay. Thank you for creating and sharing it, Allen. Somewhere in this there's the simple truth that art is created by individuals, and while the culture of each individual is sure to shine through in each creation, it's never as important as the identity of the individual. Cultures encompass all the good and bad of which a whole group of people are capable. An artist, while of course also capable of good and bad, in his or her greatest creative achievements makes something which is wholly good and wholly memorable. While great art can be associated with a culture, its first and most important association is with the individual intellect(s) responsible for its existence. The artwork speaks above and beyond its cultural category. The individual is more specific than the culture. The individual artist is more intelligent/more interesting/more creative/more in tune than the vast majority of those he/she is associated with in said culture. It's not that the painting is French, it's that it's a Matisse. It's not that the artist was white, it's that he was a really cool cat who saw things differently and was able to express them in this amazing way. Any clown with a few lessons can tinkle around on the ivories. That doesn't make him Duke Ellington. What is most interesting about, say, Michaelangelo? His culture, or the sheer scope of what he accomplished as an individual? True, the two are inseparable. But it is the individual talent which is most fascinating. It's what he did with his time on earth as one man which made him who he was. The culture part is this unchosen happenstance which was lucky to have spawned Michealangelo's genius. As a white man who grew up playing basketball, I can say without question that the best players I ever played against were black. And that's an entirely objective opinion. I have also played against white players who were great. And Mexicans. And Armenians. And Asians. I have played against players of all sorts of backgrounds (even black) who I was better than. Yet there's a certain level of athletic ability which more black players are able to attain than those of any other descent. Those of other descents can get there, but such individuals don't happen nearly as often. I can imagine musical and dancing ability being the same way. It's just that it comes more naturally to those of a certain genetic background. It's not racist, it's just the way it is. And just because they were black and good by my standards doesn't mean they were Michael freaking Jordan. Jordan was an individual great--and it had more to do with his individual genetics and his individual experiences which molded him into the exceptional individual he was. His race wasn't nearly as important as his experiences and his identity as a man. It's not that he's black, it's that he was extra clutch and did things most people don't have the fortitude to accomplish on such a stage. Culture and race didn't hit the big shots, one man did. It was much more a matter of personality than a matter of being black. I think the same thing goes for talented musicians. It's more about the intellect and personality of each than it is about the culture or race of each. This attempt by race and culture to claim what any one man accomplishes is the territory of people who want credit for shit they didn't do. Know what I mean? This race and culture thing is a great big expanding folder full of mostly useless crap and all the best stuff is buried in individual sub-folders like needles in a haystack. If we're going to credit race or culture for the great accomplishments of individuals who dedicate themselves to an art, then we're going to have to blame race and culture for the great failings of the worst criminals and horrible people associated with each. Once all the positive is completely outweighed by all the negative and worthless, you gotta wonder what the fuck we were keeping score for.

Magic Johnson is my favorite basketball player of all time and one of my childhood heroes. I thought he was going to die soon thereafter. If you're going to judge NBA players for promiscuity you're going to have an awful short list of players to root for. My guess is you're not much of a basketball fan at all, and should troll elsewhere.

Most of it. I can remember hearing the news that Magic had HIV in my science class in high school. Our teacher turned on the radio. I cried.

I must admit that I simply want to blame D'Antoni because I don't like him and his big mouth. And I'm glad Phoenix never won anything with him at the helm.

Neither of those guys have any excuse. Defense is mostly effort. They need a coach who will stay on them to work hard on defense.

I think the biggest problem for the Knicks is that D'Antoni preaches nothing but offense. That was the same problem he had with the Suns, except he had one of the best offensive floor generals to run his show in Steve Nash. If the Knicks become a defense-first team, their offense will fall right into place. The same goes for this years' Clippers. They have tons of terrific young offensive players, but they have the defensive fortitude of a wet paper towel.

The Lakers made some good moves today, moving Luke Walton (and his ridiculous contract) with Jason Kapono (dead weight) to the Cavs for Ramon Sessions, a significant PG upgrade. They also sent the aged Derek Fisher to Houston for Jordan Hill, a young athletic forward. Fisher's locker room leadership was probably the biggest loss, but it's been several seasons since DFish could guard anyone.

I grew up with my brothers' Van Halen records so their music will always take me back to my youth. To me, the DLR Van Halen is the very best "heavy metal" party music group, followed by AC/DC. Like all music, it has its own place, its own intended audience, and its own set of standards. My brother exclusively loves all guitar rock and metal, so that's what's playing when I hang out with him. I "get" it, but it gets tiresome and I can't understand how anyone can just constantly be immersed in that rock sound alone. Having heard the new VH, I'd say it's much better than I expected but I didn't hear any tracks which can compete with their biggest hits from the past. It's an album of second-tier Van Halen, without the high points of their older albums.

I love that one too. "Louisiana Slim!" RIP

By coincidence, my friend on FB just posted this link.

My Photoshop sense is tingling.

Doesn't all this boil down to the fine print of contracts designed to favor the investor? It's a dishonest business, and it sucks for the artists, but the artists signed the contract...so they're screwed.

Damn. I bought The Time Has Come just recently. Cool album.

Sad. Can anyone make an educated guess as to who that is?

The fact that that a dirty cheater like Siragusa does sideline reporting for the NFL speaks volumes as to how strongly they actually feel about players who purposely injure other players.

They really are among the best skateboard shoes, Jim. That model in particular.

The weird thing is LeBron has shown the killer instinct in some big games, but has pulled a disappearing act in others. When he wins his first title (which I really think will be this year), it will just be a matter of him playing his game until the final buzzer. The Heat got to the Finals last year with a really spotty roster, in their first year playing together. They've added a premier defender in Shane Battier. That plus the extra time playing together ought to do it. Of course, I'll be rooting for whoever plays against the Heat, but I'm prepared to be disappointed. Since the Lakers really haven't got the depth of personnel to win it, I'll be pulling for the Bulls to beat the Heat and whoever comes out of the West (likely OKC).

I think the Heat will win the title this year fairly easily, with the Bulls being the lone team which can possibly beat them. I agree LeBron is already one of the greatest NBA players of all time. My guess is LeBron will step up at some crucial moment, and all this chatter of him being a choker will evaporate. "Kobe-style hero ball" has hurt the Lakers so much that he's helped win five NBA titles. For all the crap the "hack pundits" love to dish his way, Kobe is without question 2nd only to Michael Jordan all time at the shooting guard position. He's also the toughest player in the NBA, playing through pain and scoring at will on everybody. I literally laughed out loud when ESPN ranked him the "7th best player in the NBA." People really let their hate for Kobe color his every stat and every accomplishment, and where other all-time greats still active in the NBA receive constant praise Kobe gets constant criticism for not being perfect.

I can't imagine Sheed in purple and gold, but it is somewhat surprising he isn't still in the NBA. Usually guys with his size and shooting ability stick around longer if they're healthy. The NBA discussion here has been dormant for a while.

The "play count" sorting tab in iTunes gave me a similar revelation as the one being discussed here. I was shocked to see zero, one, or two plays for songs that I really love. It got me thinking, "how many times will I ever hear any of these songs?"

An interesting bird phenomenon in my area are wild parrots. Small groups of these escaped pets have grown into full-blown flocks of the beautiful but noisy little buggers. They seem to migrate between Burbank and Pasadena, which coincidentally enough is where my home and work are respectively. So I've seen them quite a bit. It's really odd to see a big group of green birds in the sky or in trees.

Good to see you back, Bruce! I hope your hammies heal up nicely.