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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2010)
11 Street roots Jan. 22, 2010 go back to women — learning from, or because of, women.” WILLIAMS, from page 10 that never got released, and there was this vet of the Gulf War that was homeless, but for him it was almost more like an aesthetic—he was someone who had given up his material existence because he didn’t believe in life in that way. He wanted to coftriect to something more grounded.” Since moving to Paris, Williams says he’s noticed “whole communities of people living in boxes, a lot bf people living on the streets.” People who focus a lot erf attention oh racial/ equality issues often tend to get jaded, cynical, arid even prejudiced, but Williams seems to have ^voided th a t “In a lot of my work that’s - what I’m' fighting against What you’re hearing is the fight scene, the crime scene ... If I haven’t become jaded or more prejudiced, it’s also true that that has been a conscious part of the goal - to stay open.”S Williams went on to comment that he sees mhny aspects of the concept of race as being “silly.” . - “I have sat on a lot.of different angles, weird angles”; regarding race, he says. “As a teen I lived in Brazil, so all of a sudden ‘black’ meant poor but ‘American’ meant rich, so they were < confused about how to perceive me. Then there’s the way that I spoke: black kids would tell me, ‘You talk kinda white,’ but at the same time I was the darkest person in the room. All thatcfisscrossing going on basically opened me up.” He addresses this “color; complex” issue directly in his 2004 song “Black Stacey,” in which he talks about feeling self-conscious growing up because of his complexion, and calls orr “bailer players” to “share your essence with us” and be honest about any insecurities, “and if you dare to share your heart, we’ll nod our heads to its beat.” Much of Williams ’s work has also had a feminist bent. His book “S/he” (1999) explores man’s relationship to woman in the context of ' “A lot of that stuff is just bays; ‘“It m akessehseto me that, for instance, if a stick is bent this way and you want it to come back to center, you push it to the opposite sideso it bourices back to center. I encourage myself to understand the idea of / woman so I have aft idea of man — to balance myperspective, check my self-importance — and I’ve continued to do that as time evolves. I have a daughter, Saturn, who’s 13 now. I’ve had relationship problems, which have challenged me to change myself, and also there’s the spiritual aspect. All of these things — .— . „ ™ „ — ..................................... ‘Not in My Name’ reflects ^responsibility’ In 2003 Williams and DJ Spooky released an EP, “Not in My Name,” that included th e track “The Pledge of Resistance,” which states, “We believe that as people living in the United States it is our responsibility to resist the injustices done by our government in oür names.” Streetwise asked Williams, “Did you believe the war in Iraq would go on this long?” He took a moment to respond, then said, gravely, “IPs so crâzÿtd me how unrealistic war remains. As an American I talkabout it, watch movies, read the.news, but I can’treally imagine it, the fear that I personally would live with if I felt that unsafe all the time. No, I can’t believe that there is still war going on make change. We have to make change. Just like how everyone got up to vote (last year), we have to speak up to people who oppose (Universal health care) for silly, asinine reasons, like that it’s a step closer to communism. We have to dialogue with people . .. When we talk about health care we don’t need to be talking about Obama, we need to be talking about how it would make a lot of sense for all of us. All it takes is us reassessing our resources and priorities. It doesn’t mean ending capitalism. The market will remain free, but in order to achieve real freedom we need to pool our resources into something other than defence. “Since I was a ,teen and I learned that other countries had better (health care) plans, I questioned why we didn’t have that here. I know people who decide ‘I want to be a lawyer,’ for example, but think ‘I can’t go because I don’t know how I’ll pay for it,’ whereas in Switzerland, elementary school (up through) college is free. You can be whatever " If s so crazy to me how unrealistic war remains* As an American 1 talk about it, watch movies, read the news, but 1 can't really imagine it, the fear that 1 personally would live with if 1 ielt that unsafe a ll the time. No, I can't believe that there is still war going on after a ll this time. I can understand it intellectually, but can I believe it? No." after aH this time. I can understand it * intellectually, but can I believe it? No.” Regarding the George W. Bush era, he says, “The hardest thing is when he got re-elected. The further I get away from it, the more amazed I am. Living in the midst of it made more sense than now — part of me thought it was great he was being re-elected because we were rooting out our deepest, worst beliefs . . . we needed something to point to and go, ‘Oh, twdw’ - ..His reign was symbolic for America, you want to be, supported by your country,' and if you get sick, you will be taken care of. That’s real patriotism. If you want people to fight and die for their country, give them that | first.” Qnstage, DJ CX Kidtronik pogos behind his laser beats, guitarist Davin Givhan wails away in a prom suit, and Kwame Brandt-Pierce, dressed as Dracula (the Double Door show tookplace a few days before Halloween), pumps a fist in the'air over his keyboards. The > heat of thecrow dis overwhelming as they’bop ’ ‘ b^ro/AMHeh’it'w is’cbtYboys'who raped and : pillaged in the name of pioneering. To be able to see a ‘cowboy’ in office, what that m eant. . . like, ‘Wow, that’s what I have to watch out for’—blind arrogance.” During the show at the Double Door, Williams asked the crowd, “How are you feeling, Chicago?” As the expected cheer went up, he chided, “No, no, I mean health wise, how are you feeling? Is everybody insured?” “It’s not Obama’s health-care thing, it’s our health-care thing,” he told Streetwise backstage. “We have to stop looking at him to up-and down.'?-? w “Would y’all like to hear a new song? We’re still working on it.” The band plays the in utero tone for about a minute, after which Williams proclaims, “Congratulations, you just helped us write a new song.” At the end of the show, he jumps off the stage and disappears, becoming part of the crowd. Nicholas Souder contributed to this article. Reprinted from Streetwise, Chicago, III*© Street News Service: www.street-papers.org • ■ Mother Nature’s pW Earth Friendly Baby Products : S IO 1 S * ’isr - ’t I ~ Large selection of cloth diapers & wraps, natural baby & mama care products, baby slings & carriers, organic cotton -, baby clothes, wooden toys, personal service 2627 SE Clinton St 5O3-23O-7O77 . j 300+ Q&CoJL OaufrorUr Get your 00k today! »ÄS®
