Crew Love Vol. 1

This is a tribute to those of you I have known the majority of my life. A group of men who have traversed life's treacherous highway at my side. I love you man.....(I will attempt to chronicle them chronologically).


Anthony Owen Taylor Jr. - Sonny Corleone-My feet-This is my big brother, I say this laughingly because he hasn't been bigger than me since first grade. My brother and I disagree on nearly everything, we even disagree on how much we disagree. However for as long as I can remember he has been right there having my back and showing me things even when I don't want him to. "Righty tighty, lefty loosey." If people make up your life, and you view your life as a body, then he would be the feet. His relationship has carried me through my life, and taught me how to interact with everybody else. He is hilarious in his own right, but he has allowed me to be Eddie Murphy while he played Charlie. One love ......Darkness.

Edward Jones- Johnny Fontane- My hands-This is my cousin/brother he has been there for me longer than anyone else excluding my brother. He has been my competitor, cohort and counselor for most of my life. We have broken, busted and burned so many things I think we need professional help. Any relationship I was in, my girl had to get along with him because sooner or later we were going to all be together. In the body that represents my life he is the hands, because everything I touch has his imprint. For our time together had a huge impact on my sense of humor and perspective. We don't hang out as much as we would like but any time we hook up it's like '86. Love ya boy.

Naamon Johnson-Luca Brazi-My heart-This is my friend/brother who has rolled with me for as long as I can remember. I don't even remember meeting him. It seems like he has always been there. Naamon and I were kicked out of Sabbath School together for playing too much. It may seem impossible to get thrown out of a church function but we found a way. The most spectacular thing about Naamon was that he was cool playing the background. He never fought attention, or sought the spotlight he was just happy to be down. Naamon is my heart not because that's what you call someone special who passed away. No Naamon is my heart because our relationship existed on minimal communication. We could sit for hours and not feel forced to have contrived conversations just to entertain each other. There was also no need to hide or conceal what was really going on with the other. We both experienced breakups that were tough in there own ways and we shared that without concern for embarrassing ourselves. RIP Big Dawg, Love ya.

Andrew Jennings-Fredo Corleone-Inner Voice-This is my cousin/brother who is a few years younger than me. We have grown closer, and I remember vividly the moment it happen. He was starting college the following morning and we sat in my room and discuss my college career up to that point and what was in store for him. I saw him as an individual I could learn from and teach at the same time. That has been the nature of our coexistence an ebb and flow of information going both ways. Whether debating Kobe's superiority to Vince Carter or Jay-Z's lyrical dominance over Eminem he's stood his ground. He's earned my respect, keep ya head up baby brother. He is my inner voice because oftentimes when I write or debate certain thing in my head he is the sparring partner.

Conan Andre Patmon-Tom Hagen-Spine-This is my friend/brother who I have known for 20 years this summer. (Dang we old). Over the last ten years I have probably more time with him than anyone aside from my wife. He is the one who challenges my BS, and the reason I always have my arguments together. There is an unstated rule between us that if I don't know it he is supposed to. For the most part that has remained true, to the chagrin of our other friends. We may both agree that Kobe is the best player but for completely different reasons and argue them to the death. It has gotten so bad on occasion that people start to preface their statements with "I ain't trying to argue this but..." I call him the spine because by our association I have less passive and more assertive. It's like sparring with Mike Tyson you start to realize your hitting a little harder and you can take a lot more. Two fingers. One.

I have written this because ya'll don't read anything else I write. Will you read about you. Kanichiwa B****es. PS check out Dre's art show October 15th at Holiday Inn Dayton Mall.

Genius Wrap Up

It has been a while since my last post apologies to the one's who have been eagerly anticipating this. Let me stop exaggerating, the one who has been anticipating this. Last time I pose the question, "can a director be considered a genius?" My personal belief is that even with the smallest budget,there are several individuals that contribute to the making of a film. There are individuals who have an extraordinary track record, and have brilliant films but the editor plays a part. The actor and writer are also hugely responsible for the outcome of the picture. So unfortunately I can't consider any directors quantifiable geniuses.

7. Bruce Lee- The manifestation of physical genius. For those over twenty five he is quite possibly the catalyst for many kung fu fantasies. His brilliance supercedes the fantastic images immortalized in the films of the mid 1970's. A student of martial arts since elementary school, Lee devoted his entire existence to becoming the best martial artist possible. Taking fighting beyond the instinctual to the intellectual. Incorporating boxing, wrestling, and numerous styles of martial arts to his own distinctive style now known as Jeet Kun Do. Your style was not a predetermine set of moves but an attack contingent on your opponents style. This was best represented in his renowned match against Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon. Adapting to Norrises power, he relied on his speed to subdue his opponent instead of trying to combat his strength. The Lee legacy was cemented in a four to five year period. Every film we have seen was filmed between 1970 and 1973 the year of his demise.


8. Marilyn Vos Savant- The Smartest Person In the World. This college dropout, was reported to have an IQ of 167 at the age of 10 years , 8 months. The astronomical score of 228, reported in the Guinness Book of World Records, was recorded just 8 months prior. Worst case scenario her IQ is considered somewhere between 186 and 230. That alone is enough to land on this list. Vos Savant has a part time job with Parade magazine, where she administers advice on a litany of subjects from seemingly impossible equations to philosophical issues. She also serves as the CFO of Jarvik Heart and does cardiovascular research with her husband Robert Jarvik.

Genius continued....

As i promised geniueses 4-6 are up next, these are not listed in the order of their greatness or brilliance for those that are wondering.

4. Prince- an astonishing array of talents and capabilities. Prince can channel Hendrix like guitar, Art Blakey drum stylings, Beatleish songwriting and a kinky Eddie Kendricks falsetto effortlessly. Over a seven year span, ( creative peaks), he gave you Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and Sign of the Times. These titles testify to the brilliance and breadth of this man's genius.

Has hip hop produced any geniuses the art form while the most challenging music style is not for it's acceptance and patience. Thereby making it difficult to establish one's genius. The nature of this beast called hip hop is what's fresh, what's hot right now, which makes it hard for an artist to find his lane or create one. With that being said it has produced two geniuses......

5. Jay-Z- Hip Hop's most consistently stunning artist. The fact that he gave you an every 9 months on average in his career is enough to applaud. However what magnifies his majestic talent is that he never wrote one lyric down. 12 albums in seven years, no for a peaks and valley debate his entire career was a creative peak, touching on love, jealousy, fear, loyalty and his mistakes. Rappers rarely let their guard down and he did it and never lost his cool.

6. Notorius B.I.G.- Hip Hop's Haley comet. Biggie Small's is the illest, he said it himself and never has a self proclamation been truer. Biggie had an ability to craft lyrical visuals like no one else. The rhymes transported to some awful Brooklyn alley and allowed to bare witness to the horrors and leave unscathed. His type of talent comes around so rarely that people are still picking over his lyrics, and regurgitating them 9 years after his demise. The most amazing thing about Big is that he started writing rhymes the traditional way, pad, pen and whatever studio stimuli necessary. After his first album, he grew tired of Puffy's insistence on proofreading his material, so he began storing his rhymes in his head. For an individual to do that between projects and get better, phenomenal.

There you have it 7-10, coming soon, until then can a filmmaker be a genius considering the fact that so many work on a movie. Discuss.

Genius?

"Stevie Wonder is a musical genius I have all his albums. Music on my Mind, Talking Book, Fullfina, Fullfinna , aw f&*% it, you know the good one. " This a portion of a joke told by Eddie Murphy, yet in it lies a truth about the perception of genius and how guarded we as individuals are concerning our geniuses.

Genius is defined as attendant spirit; an extraordinary aptitude or level of infulence. This definition is vague and not very definite. Leaving me to believe that genius like love is neary impossible to define. In other words there aren't a group of words that give a definite understanding of this one word. So I am here offering my own "definition" and a few individuals who fall into that category. (The real reason for this blog).


I believe a genius is one possesses a protuberant amount of talent, understanding, skill and potential. There is a thin line separating the genius and the gifted, but there is a line.

The genius is prolific in his or her field of brilliance. Whether it be music, painting, or stand up comedy, the individual has abundance of mind blowing material. There is a consistent level of excellence that is indisputable and usually comes during a season of magnificence.

How many people actually fit the category of genius? Very few. How many fit the category as I've defined it. Even fewer, ten to be exact.

These are from my lifetime, there will be no Einsteins, Beethovens or Mozarts.

1. Richard Pryor- the benchmark for comedic excellence and the greatest recording artists of all time. One of the few artists to mine his own existence and give life to so many classic routines. His anger, fear, joy, pain and love all became fodder for his performances.

2. Marvin Gaye- the musical equivalent to Pryor . Gaye could not salvage the wreckage he called relationships, yet he sang about it most beautifully. His life was the muse for the fantastic canvasses he created in the vocal booth.

3. Stevie Wonder- Wonder has created remarkable recordings for nearly forty years. That in and of itself is commendable but when you review the influence he has on those that came after him it is even more amazing. Over a five year stretch he gave you Music of my Mind, Talking Book, Innervision, Fullfingness, First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life. Hitting a creative a streak arguably unrivaled by anyone. Stay tuned for 4-6. Until then has hip hop produced any geniuses discuss.

Why?

This blogspot is entitled distant intimacy in an effort to connect with those I am separated geographically, mentally and spiritually. This will serve as a window into my mental abode, allowing those of you who aren't familiar with me to become so. Finally this will permit me to sharpen my skills as an amateur scribe. Stay tuned........One Life, One Love