(Another) Birthday Post

The traditional Birthday song, as we Americans know it, sings:

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday dear Yooouuu, Happy Birthday to You!

Really crunk folk might take it one step further:

How old are you now? How old are you now? Okay I really don't feel the need to be extra redundant with this one.

A thought that comes across my mind every time around this year, is what will they be singing when I'm 40? 65? 113? (my ultimate goal).

Growing up, my mother always had to throw some BLACK into the mix. Spice up the song a little. Most years, once the traditional song was sung, she'd go right into the National Black Birthday Song (like that title? Yeah I made it up):

Haaaappy Birthday to Ya.(insert soul clap).. Haaaappy Birthday to Ya.(insert soul clap).. Haaaaappy Biiiirrrthday!

Later on, I realized that was that song was popularized in getting Dr. King's birthday as a national holiday. But to me, it was the "updated and hip" way to sing Happy Birthday.

As kids, we may have gone the silly route...

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, you smell like a monkey, and you look like one too!

HaahaahaahhaaNO. I think if a kid sung that at MY kid's party, I'd whoop that ass right there. Ain't NO ONE messing up my (future) babies' party!

I know kids still say it, as I've been to a few kid parties in the last year. Even weirder, though, is what my young cousins like to sing. My cousin swears that's what they sing at school, but I really think he went to a party at Chik-Fil-A... But who really HAS a (whack ass) party at Chik-Fil-A??? The song basically ends:

Happy Birthday to you! EAT! MORE! CHICKEN!

And yes, that shit is yelled at the top of your lungs. And the kids think its hilarious.

A few years ago, the way we sing a birthday song was changed equivocally. You know what I'm talking about:

Go, go, go Go Shawty, It's ya Birthday
We gonna party like, it's ya Birthday
Gonna sip Bacardi like, it's ya Birthday
You know we don't give a fuck cuz it's ya Birthday!

On your birthday, someone is singing it to you, or at the very least you are singing it to yourself. Getting crunk in the middle of class, doing a little shimmy or butt shake in ya seat. Nodding your head little cuz shit...

It's ya Birthday!

And I think that is what we of my generation will be singing at 40... 65... even getting a little crunk at 113.

So I guess I may actually owe 50 a thank you for that one..

On second thought, hell nah, it's my birthday (biaaatch!)

Birthdays Revisited...

My birthday is this week. I will likely be playing the homely role, possibly wildin out with my favorite lil' men... only thing I really need is that red velvet cake!

I have been thinking about how I have spent birthdays past. We did it all. Slumber parties. McDonalds. Roller Skating rink. Slowly I'm realizing I had some really good ones! Most memorable...

Age: 7
Place: My House
The Scene: A bunch of snot-nosed kids over for a rompin good time! I seriously remember playing Pin-The-Tail on the Donkey and hitting a pinata. Aww, to be young again when games didn't consist of men lying just to kick it!

Age: 12
Place: Roller Skating Rink
The Scene: Ahh, that tender age. We wore bras like sore thumbs and danced like we knew something! I invited like half the sixth grade class there; there was likely 45-60 kids. We roller skated, played the rink games (4 Corners holla!) and met up in the center of the rink to dance. This was the year of the Tootsie Roll and The Train, so there was plenty of both. I will never forget BJ, the cool white boy from Las Vegas who could Tootsie Roll like no other....

Age: 13
Place: My House
The Scene: About seven friends over for a sleepover. Left to our own devices in the great room. We laughed, did girl talk, and of course did the obligatory sleepover games. I'm talking Raise the Dead, Bloody Mary, Ouija board, all the scary games. Of course, by the age of 13 these things were old news. So one of my cooler suggested a game. Basically it involved making each other hold our breaths and making us faint. I know, crazy right? Most of us stepped up to the plate to have a very short glimpse of "The Light at the End of the Tunnel." Mostly when we fainted, we had very short (probably 4 second??) dreams. I guess we all felt good about taking the death-risks. I'm sure everyone there will always remember that party. And I'm sure my dad would whoop my ass if he knew!

Age: 19
Place: Atlanta, GA
The Scene: My first grown birthday. It couldn't have been any sweeter: the CAU vs. MC basketball game to start off with, and a Que party at NV, my favorite club at the time! The basketball game was off the chain, and I happened to run into my major secret crush at the LetOut. I was good for a week after that!

Age: 22
Place: SWATS & Austell, GA
The Scene: What happens when five friends - three of them from out of town - get together in celebration of one friend's birth? Mother Nature Lets Loose! We try to go out to Vision, but we make it halfway and decide to turn back after seeing no less than four car accidents on I-20. Yall know niggas in Atlanta don't do Ice.. or Snow... or Rain! Fortunately, we stop at the liquor store on the way back. The next day our cars have inches of ice on top. The power goes out in our rinky dink neighborhood. We end up calling a friend's mom to come rescue us! Thank god for caring people. I did a little ghetto sledding, talked to my major secret crush of senior year, let his niggas fuck with the dog, and reminisced about old songs and TV shows with my good friends. Could have been better, yes, but will always be memorable.

This year.. we'll see.

Change It All

I'm not much of a "music" person. I buy approximately one CD a year. I don't have a burner on my computer, so I have to be really pressed about an album to bug someone to burn me one. It's actually kind of embarassing, with hip-hop being the essence of our generation. I even took a class on hip-hop; a few weeks into it, I realized I was definitely NOT a hip-hop head, and never will be. But I'm not a neo-soul junkie, rock lover or Celine Dion fan either. I just enjoy what's good, what's hot. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a CD. But last night I decided to treat myself and cop the one album I've been sweating, the one songstress my soul has been achin to hear... Goapele. I am so proud to have actually purchased two of her albums! Of course, the first one got messed up then subsequently lost. It broke my heart, because it was one of those Insert CD, Let it Play types of albums where you just sit and listen to tracks 1-13. And to think, I would have never known if it weren't for Chewbacca back in 2003 giving me a listed to "Closer." Have you ever had a song move you at your core? This song did and repeatedly does for me. I'm not one who readily connects with music, but this song connects for some reason. Luckily, it's a bonus track on her new album, Change It All. Goapele really makes me want to be from the West Coast, krumpin and shit. You just listen and know she is a special spirit. However, it is my goal to one day spread my knowledge and cop all the other good neo-soul music out there... maybe even dab into some house/down-tempo stuff. So what do you recommend?

Little Known Movies That Little Know I Love

Movies that get little love...At least from a black person!

Think about it. Every black person loves Love & Basketball, The Wood, or The Best Man. Friday and Coming to America are classics. But we do love and admire other films.. right? According to the Facebook pulse, the only predominantly white movie Spelmanites list as their favorite is The Notebook (which was a damned good movie). So here is a short compilation of random movies I like, or hold fond memories of.

GREASE. 8th grade, finally saw it. Maybe downloaded a lyric or two (or all) of the songs....what can I say? I love a musical, and maybe admired the good girl turned bad motif?

HOCUS POCUS. I'm not one to watch movies twice in a weekend, but I remember seeing this when I was young...I liked it so much I think I watched it three times in a weekend. Just a really fun movie, even now that I'm grown. SJP is a witch, Bette Midler is a witch, and they are pretty funny. Course I haven't watched it in about 5 years...but I'm sure.. still funny.

URBAN COWBOY. Another Travolta flick I saw sometime in high school. I really enjoy this simple film for some reason. It's country, its Texas, they live in a trailer. Reminds me of North Carolina living. The movie has enough drama to star Vivica (as the bitch slapped wife) and Ving (as the bitch slapping boyfriend).

FREEWAY. I saw this when it originally aired on HBO. Instant classic in my household. Something about hicks that strike a cord with us I guess? Reese Witherspoon explodes into the hollywood scene with this one. Her character is just straight psycho, but you love it! Keifer Sutherland is classicly creepy. I think Selma Blair is a jailhouse chick...Another dark, disturbing comedy perfect for the fam!

FOOTLOOSE. This is like, almost a musical and I love it! And Kevin Bacon. Yes, a black girl in love with some Kevin Bacon. This is about a big city boy who moves to this backwards ass town that plays no rock music. Now it falls on Kevin's jaunty shoulders to free the young people of the town and make them dance! dance! dance! Nah, it's really an entertaining film...in a way, gives you a greater appreciation of the expression we call dance.

SHE'S HAVING A BABY. Another Kevin Bacon film, but way lesser known. I think his wife is the Breakfast Club darkhaired chick. Don't know why I ADORE this film. It's just a smart film. Kevin Bacon is a newlywead buppy, adjusting to life as a young adult. They live in the NY Metro Area. Love it.

ELECTION. This film is tooo funny. For all those who enjoy dark, witty comedies, and love to see Ferris Bueller grown up.

DROP DEAD FRED. Okay, were me and my sister the only ones who have seen this? It seems to be an obscure film... a woman who's crazy ass imaginary friend comes back to befriend her as an adult. Sounds stupid, right? But the thing is.. Fred is friggin CRAZY. He cuts off her hair. Does other stupid shit. It really just sticks out as a crazy movie my sister & I always referenced...

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. I finally saw this popular movie about 2 years ago. It gives me hope... who hasn't pondered the very questions they ask in the movie? I've learned clearly that men are incapable of creating friendships with women (yes the blame is solely on them). A resounding theme for all generations...

Now this is clearly a random list with not much thought into it. Scrape togeth $4.50, go to blockbuster, check some of these out, let me know how you feel them!




*I had more pics to upload, but I still do an old school dial up connection. Sorry!

Book Report: Flyy Girl & Them

I recently read the third in a 'trilogy,' if you will. Or at least, the second sequel. You may have heard of the first of the series. It's a little book, a large urban phenomenon named Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree. Most black women who have read a book have likely read it. It's a classic, right up there with The Coldest Winter Ever. The two sequels that Tyree wrote after Flyy Girl are For the Love of Money and Boss Lady.

The second sequel, Boss Lady, was published just last year. I was very satisfied to finally see it in the library (yes, people actually go there). However, after finishing the book, I had to wonder what Tyree's agenda was...

You see, the first book Flyy Girl is really really good. It tells the story of Tracy, a young girl growing up in lower/middle class Philly. It kind of chronicles her relationships with different men from age 6 to age 18. She learns a lot about herself as she uses her feminen wyles to get what she wants from men. There is also a side story of her neighbors who are sisters--one who is too fly and too fast and ends up into drugs, the other a straight laced do-gooder who never has relationships. This was one of the first books to really tell the urban girl's story. Now I am clearly a suburban girl, but it still was a book that tells the African American girl's story.

So then, many years later, Tyree puts out a sequel. I remember thinking "Why?" The book Flyy Girl truly comes full circle. For the Love of Money was decent, but he added a twist in that the character "wrote" the first book Flyy Girl. So now she has all these fans of her book/life story and she is in Hollywood trying to become famous. A major thing that bothered me about this book was that it was told in the 1st person, and we are supposed to more so believe that Tracy is a real live person that is letting Tyree tell her story. Flyy Girl was told in the third person, which enabled you to gleen more of the world of Flyy Philly in the late 80s. The book was aiight, but no where near Flyy Girl. Pretty much was "Tracy is grown, dealing with crazy people in Hollywood."

Finally comes Boss Lady. "Why!!??" I think there clearly was no need. This book was told from Tracy's NIECE's point of view, as she convinces Tracy to turn her Flyy Girl story into a screenplay. Tracy is thus the Boss Lady telling people what to do. But you really don't know Tracy's motivations, because it is told through her neice's POV. WHAT IS THE POINT? Clearly Tyree just wanted to say "readers, please beg Hollywood to make Flyy Girl into a movie!" He must have repeated the same passages in the book a dozen times. I don't know how I got through it.

I as so mad I was duped into Tyree's hidden agenda! Although I'm sure there are tons of people who have asked him to make it a movie, did he really need to write a book just to gain support? The funny thing is, in the book, the niece creates a Flyy Girl website. I decide to check out Tyree's website, and sho' nuff, there is a tacky Flyy Girl website linked to his page! It basically promotes a magazine, which probably only had one production, and some other random stuff. Looks as though the projects on there have been abandoned.

So, these are basically my thoughts as a classic urban novel has been ruined over the course of a decade. The theme is to leave well enough alone...let legends live!

NOTPRON.COM

Literally just found this.

It is very very hard. Only for the smartest with time on their hands.

Not your average riddler... www.notpron.com

You Should Peep...

The Michael Baisden radio talk show, Love, Lust and Lies.

You may have heard of him. Author of the popular books The Maintenance Man, God's Gift to Women and the killer, Men Cry In The Dark. MCITD didn't really tell me why men cry in the dark... but it did expose that the have feelings just like humans should!

Love, Lust and Lies is an excellent talk show. Maybe even better than Tom Joyner & Co., maybe even better than Ryan Cameron & Co. (circa 107.9). I think what I love about it is the simplicity. Not a lot of random talk among the hosts, just Michael talking to the viewers. The best part is that it is a straight call-in show...you just don't see that everyday on the FM dial (at least the stations I listen to). It's the host connecting directly to the audience. He plays the ever-fantastic old school jams from our parents' generation, you get to listen to your share of smart and stupid people, and you get to hear about real issues: sex, infidelity, race relations, the prision industrial complex, gold diggers... he covers it all! He even brings neo-soul acts on the air.

Find it in your area and tune in! It plays in the afternoon in my area (another reason I love it, an option out of Billboard Top 40). Check it out: www.michaelbaisden.com/index/about.

Random Ones DBA "The First One in 2006"

It's a part of my nature to reflect, analyze. I enjoyed parts of 2005. I hated even more. You would think I'd be ready for a new year? But this is the first year not attached to school.. just another fiscal year. I've never given a second thought as to what would happen to me in 2006. So, all in all, it's a little bittersweet.

No resolutions. Never was big on them.

My only consolation is that it's January.. my favorite month. Let's just hope an ice storm doesn't fuck up this birthday like last birthday. This year's celebration will take place in Atlanta; guess you could say it's a round 2.

Growing up, I always sought change in myself. Except I never was able to implement it; figured the change would just magically appear. Now as an adult I am stagnant. My main wonder is if 2006 will be the year to break the cycle.