Gotta Broken Heart Again

The true gift of an accomplished musical artist is the ability to capture and pass on relatable songs musically and especially lyrically. When you catch a song you haven’t heard in years and you’re able to sing along word for word, beat by beat it’s indicative of musical genius. It’s also because originally you were presented with a story, Darling Nikki or an experience, When Doves Cry with which you connected. It’s funny that Head came on my iPod this morning at the gym (save that dirty joke for later) and I had to catch myself because not only was I dancing along, I’m pretty sure what I thought was me singing in my head was actually out loud…lets’ just be happy it wasn’t the more controversial song which follows Head on the Dirty Mind album, I may have been asked to leave the gym. The artists I appreciate most all have this talent in common. Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Maurice White and Prince. The genius is not in just having something to say but in making people want to hear it…again and again.

There are so many songs he wrote that touched me it would literally take pages and pages to fill.  I know a lot of people attribute me with turning them on to Prince but in reality it was my sister Wanda who gave me that first album, For You. She had purchased it on a trip to Texas because she liked the single Soft & Wet but wasn’t really feeling the rest of the album…she would learn to appreciate him in later years. I know a lot of people didn’t really get that first album but I was hooked from that point on. I saw him perform at Flippers Roller Disco (I know) in West Hollywood in 1979 and our relationship was cemented. I bought every single album he put out from that moment up to and including the millennium. I was there with him and the Revolution, the New Power Generation and don’t fool yourself that first album by the Time was all Prince… Jamie Starr my ass. I remained a fan through it all, even when he was releasing albums annually, I bought them all. No matter the name he used Prince, the Sign, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince I bought them all.

Over the years I would see him perform several times. The last time I saw him was 2011 at the Forum in Inglewood when he did his 21 shows. I was with several friends and we, just like the entire audience were on our feet from the time he hit the stage through to the end, two solid hours.  Each song triggered a different experience from the past and I found myself racing through a multitude of emotions and memories trying to keep up. When it was over I was drained but I wanted more. I’m thankful I got see him that last time and I’m gonna miss him but I refuse to linger in sadness. For me he’ll live on in the many memories he helped me create through his music and for that my heart continues to dance and I remain forever grateful.

I was dreamin' when I wrote this

So sue me if I go too fast

But life is just a party, and parties weren't meant to last

War is all around us, my mind says prepare to fight

So if I gotta die I'm gonna listen to my body tonight

                                                                    -Prince

Bitter Betty

We’re gonna fool around and blow a golden opportunity handed by us by the Republicans. They have managed to allow Donald Trump yes Donald Trump to become the front runner in the Republican primary and we need to take full advantage of their blunder. Unfortunately there are those who would let this chance pass us by. I’m talking about all you Bernie Sanders supporters who say you won’t vote if Hillary is the democratic nominee and not Bernie. Look everyone has the right to be stupid irresponsible idealistic? Ok so that I don’t intentionally insult anyone, we’ll go with idealistic. So everyone has a right to be idealistic and committed to a cause but that doesn’t mean you get to be a spoiled 6 year-old brat and decide to not play when you don’t get your way. Even if your candidate of choice doesn’t make it to the finals you still have a responsibility to stop the other side in their contentious strategies of voter suppression and their xenophobic misogynist policies…and let’s not forget the old reliable gerrymandering which a Republican majority allows. A non-vote aids in their goal to push back all the advancements made by the Obama administration for women, minorities and the LGBT community.

 This election cycle has given us two great Democratic candidates amidst the crazies of the Republican pool. To be honest the ideals of Hillary and Bernie are not that far distanced so if Bernie doesn’t get the nomination and you don’t vote you’re essentially saying you don’t care about any of the things for which he advocates. Of course there are reasons to dislike both candidates. But everything I hear about Hillary is rooted in fake scandals and fabricated or exaggerated stories which usually have origins rooted in the Republican opposition. Hillary isn't evil, she's progressive and pragmatic and Bernie is a liberal socialist. Certainly not worlds apart. It's really a shame that all these Bernie supporters have bought into the total smear campaign the GOP has been running against Hillary for years now.

This no Hillary vote seems to be embedded in the minds of Gen X and Millennial voters who are avid Bernie supporters and apparently under the impression that they are the first anti-establishment generation. Look it’s great that you’re excited and committed enough to say Bernie or die but it’s just not practical and to be honest its political extortion. What does not voting ever accomplish? If Hillary wins the nomination and doesn't win the presidency because you didn’t think your vote would matter, then you obviously don't mind if Trump or Cruz appoints another Scalia clone that we’ll be forced to live with for 40 years. You also don't mind if they then replace Ginsberg and Stevens with Scalia clones as well. This is simply not the time for apathy, especially among young African-American voters who have no privilege to fall back on…you will be affected. Unlike nut ball privileged one-percenters like actress Susan Sarandon who suggest a non-Hillary protest vote, you will not be insulated from the craziness of a Trump or Cruz presidency…and I’m sure they’ll thank you for your support.

To be clear if Democrats had gotten up off their asses to vote in the 2014 midterms the senate would not have been tipped and we would be celebrating the presidential appointment of a new Supreme Court Justice. Instead we are left to suffer the reign of Super Turtle, Mitch McConnell. This is the man who was famously among those Republicans who on the night President Obama won his first term vowed to make him a one term failed president. So it’s no surprise he leads the obstructionist movement which consistently votes no to anything Obama.

Here’s the thing as I said before, the Democrats have two great candidates. It's stupid to think otherwise and everyone who says they're voting for Bernie should vote for whoever's on the Democratic ticket come November. If you don’t care about systemic racism or police and justice reform, if you’re willing to let the poor, women, minority voters, the LGBT community, immigrants, and children all suffer because Bernie isn't the nominee it’s an indication of outright selfishness. I’m not a Bernie supporter but if it turns out he’s the nominee, I will definitely vote for him as both he and Hillary are the true antithesis of any Republican opponent…period. You gotta have respect for history folks, people died to give your dumb ass the vote, so use it.