Sha-Clack-Clack

If I could find the spot where truth echoes
I would stand there and whisper memories of my children's future
I would let their future dwell in my past
so that I might live a brighter now
Now is the essence of my domain and it contains
all that was and will be
And I am as I was and will be because I am and always will be
that nigga
I am that nigga
I am that nigga
I am that timeless nigga that swings on pendelums like vines
through mines of boobytrapped minds that are enslaved by time
I am the life that supersedes lifetimes, I am
It was me with serpentine hair and a timeless stare
that with immortal glare turned mortal fear into stone time capsules
They still exist as the walking dead, as I do
The original sulphurhead, symbol of life and matriarchy
severed head Medusa, I am
I am that nigga
I am that nigga!
I am that nigga!!
I am a negro! Yes negro, negro from _necro_ meaning death
I overcame it so they named me after it
And I be spitting at death from behind
and putting "Kick Me" signs on it's back
because I am not the son of Sha-Clack-Clack
I am before that, I am before
I am before before
Before death is eternity, after death is eternity
There is no death there's only eternity
And I be riding on the wings of eternity
like HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! Sha-Clack-Clack
but my flight doesn't go undisturbed
Because time makes dreams defer
And all of my time fears are turning my days into daymares
And I live daymares reliving nightmares
of what taunted my past
Sha-Clack-Clack, time is beatin my ass
And I be havin dreams of chocolate covered watermelons
Filled with fried chickens like pinatas
With little pickaninny sons and daughters
standing up under them with big sticks and aluminum foil
Hittin em, tryin to catch pieces of fallin fried chicken wings
And Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben are standing in the corners
with rifles pointed at the heads of the little children
"Don't shoot the children," I shout, "don't shoot the children!"
but they say it's too late
They've already been infected by time
But that shit is before my time
I need more time
I need more time
But it's too late
They start shooting at children and killing them!
One by one, two by two, three by three, four by four
Five by five, six by six, but
my spirit is growing seven by seven
Faster than the speed of light
Cause light only penetrates the darkness that's already there
and I'm already there
I'm here at the end of the road
which is the beginning of the road beyond time, but
where my niggaz at? (Oh shit!)

Oh shit, don't tell me my niggaz got lost in time
My niggaz are dying before their time
My niggaz are serving unjust time
My niggaz are dying because of... time

- Ray, Slam

Artists I Like: Takashi Miike

In the cinema world and amongst film fundis, the name Takashi Miike needs no introduction. He rose to international fame in ’00 when two of his films (Dead or Alive and Audition) blew up on an international platform, thanks to film festivals. He is a director with well over 60 films under his belt, and is often called out for not sticking to what is considered “normal” and he has a penchant for the OTT. This is a man that doesn’t limit himself to the horror genre of ‘the unknown’ but more towards the horror of what people are capable of. Though he prefers not to classify himself under any genre- the horror genre you may find him under is what he’s been classified as, but he doesn’t see himself that way.

"I'm happy that my films were discovered by chance by foreign film festivals. That makes me realise more that there is a world outside Japan too. For me, it's an occasion to meet many people and to experience directly the response of international audiences to my films. But for me as a director, my attitude towards making films hasn't changed with the fame. I feel it's not good to change as a person anyway" - Takashi Miike

In a 2001 interview, he explained that his directing style often includes collaboration with the actors and actresses in which he is more of an “arranger” than a director. In other words, he puts scenes and situations together, makes suggestions to the actors/actresses and they would interpret it for themselves- I think this style allows for his movies to be a little more organic in their nature than a lot of other films. Takashi Miike is also very well known for including (or portraying) people from nationalities other than Japan in his characterisation or in his film crews- as opposed to sticking to a traditional Japanese crew and mix of characters. This is a really important element of his work, as it becomes more inclusive of people from other walks of life, making him more international in his appeal.

Above: The different faces of Takashi Miike

Takashi is not short of emotion or imagination for his work; he is well known for the sometimes gory scenes in his works, as he is always trying to push the envelope regarding societal norms in the cinematically conservative Japanese landscape. If you’re a horror buff and can’t place where you’ve seen Takashi’s face before, you probably spotted him in his cameo scene in Hostel (as Miike Takashi), which he did as a favour for his buddy Quinton Tarantino.

So next time you're craving a good horror movie, go to your nearest good video store and pick up some Tashaki Miike dvd's, you won't regret it!

STILL DOING THE RIGHT THING...

I found this article and Spike Lee puts it down when he talks about Obama vs the Clinton clan... I still love Spike and I'm so gonna see his next film.


ARTICLE VIA NY MAG

Several people have surprised me by saying that one of the movie’s biggest legacies is the impact you had on diversifying New York film crews.
Do the Right Thing was my first union film. I looked at the rosters, and for the most part, it was white males. Especially the Teamsters. So we had some conversations.

This was your third film. What was different?
That’s when I became a director. She’s Gotta Have It and School Daze, I really didn’t know what I was doing. And the biggest indicator of that was the acting. Do the Right Thing was like the first film where I really felt comfortable working with actors.

Your cast was nearly very different.
Originally, I wanted Robert De Niro. He wouldn’t do it. And it turned out to be a blessing, no disrespect. For it to work, it had to be an ensemble piece, and a star of that magnitude would have changed everything. So Danny Aiello was great. Then we had Sam Jackson—before he was Samuel L. It was Martin Lawrence’s first film. The great Robin Harris. Ossie and Ruby, Frank Vincent, John Savage, Bill Nunn, my sister Joie Lee, John Turturro. Richard Edson, who I knew through Jim Jarmusch, two years ahead of me at NYU … It was a hella fine cast, hella fine.

AND ABOUT MORE SPECIFIC POLITICS...

What do you think of Obama?
I’m riding my man Obama. I think he’s a visionary. Actually, Barack told me the first date he took Michelle to was Do the Right Thing. I said, “Thank God I made it. Otherwise you would have taken her to Soul Man. Michelle would have been like, ‘What’s wrong with this brother?’ ”

Does this mean you’re down on the Clintons?
The Clintons, man, they would lie on a stack of Bibles. Snipers? That’s not misspeaking; that’s some pure bullshit. I voted for Clinton twice, but that’s over with. These old black politicians say, “Ooh, Massuh Clinton was good to us, massuh hired a lot of us, massuh was good!” Hoo! Charlie Rangel, David Dinkins—they have to understand this is a new day. People ain’t feelin’ that stuff. It’s like a tide, and the people who get in the way are just gonna get swept out into the ocean.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE