20th Anniversaries Make Me Feel Old

Since this weekend, MTV and MTV2 have been commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Yo! MTV Raps. This has me feeling just a bit old. "Why Amy?" you might ask. I'll tell you why my dear readers. I feel old because I remember when Yo! MTV Raps first came on TV.

I was 12 years old and in 8th grade. I was introduced to rap by several cousins. At that time, it was popular in big cities but was just making inroads into suburban and rural areas. In my town, there were only a few rap fans. Most people like top 40 or country music. My tastes made me a bit of an outcast. My best friend, Eroica, and myself would try to be home at 3pm ahrsp to watch Yo! MTV Raps. You would see videos that were not on all day.

Now, things have changed. MTV rarely shows videos and MTV2 has enough rap to make anyone know a few songs. But, one thing has kind of changed that I find completely ridiculous.

(tangent below)
Before I go on, let me start this by saying, I am a 32 year-old white mother of an infant. I went to college and got a master's degree. I am stating all this because I don't want what I say to be dismissed.
I AM TIRED OF EVERY WORD BEING CENSORED IN A RAP VIDEO!!!!!

Ok, curses not allowed by the FCC and the N-word are understandable. But, currently any words related to drugs, robbing, or murder are beeped. You can't say "gat" in any context, "ho" in any context. or any words that might be related to the topics. Never mind the words are being use in a metaphorical way. There is no way you will hear it.

Why does this bother me?

Because, currently MTV rides on the backs of rap. When it was a niche market they should most videos (excluding things like By the Time I get to Arizona by PE) with only the most extreme curses bleeped. Now, it's everything. What happened? Did the amount of white faces ingesting the videos mean things had to change. If anyone out there knows, please write your girl.
(end of tangent)

But, all week MTV2 celebrated the anniversary of Yo! MTV Raps. I sat and watched many of the specials and watched a huge amount of old school videos. The whole thing left me both happy and sad. The memories it brought up made me smile and think about the time I spent with these artists and their work.

But, I also realized that I am now an old person. 20 year anniversaries are happening for things I remember...well.

My Favorite NY Places

Part One:
The Fulton Mall
Brooklyn, NY

I have decided to write an on-going series of pieces about some of my favorite places in NY. I want to cover the boroughs I enjoy and the things I like to do in these places. I wanted to start with a place near my house that doesn't get a lot of love, the Fulton Mall.

The Fulton Mall is not pretty. In fact, it is pretty ugly. Every awning has, like, fifteen qualifiers (ex. Pagers, Sneakers, Leather, DVD) and none of the stores are exactly neat and organized. And that is why I love them. On both sides of the mall, gentrification has hit hard. Brooklyn Heights and the Promenade surround the enterance of the mall. BAM, Mark Morris, and the Atlantic Center loom at the end of the mall. No matter what happens on either side of the mall, the mall stays the same.

The charm of the mall is the fact that it seems preserved in amber. The stores remind you that NY used to have a hip-hop beating heart. The stores might as well all be named "B-Boy Megamart". The stores feature CD's, bootleg DVD's, electronics, cell phones, and all the trappings of "urban" culture. But, some of the trappings are whimsical. The dearth of airbrushing spots makes one wonder when you stepped into Myrtle Beach. There are several shops that anchor the mall like Duane Reade and Cookies. But, what makes the mall run is the small shops providing a variety of goods and services.

Unfortunately not everything in the mall can stay the same. Beat Street Records has closed and now you have to hit web sites and few small places in the city for vinyl. However, the store lives on forever in Jay-Z's video for "99 Problems".

The mall seems to stay the same. When the weather is good the crowds surge. The street vendors are on every square inch of pavement (look for the guy selling Evisu, True Religion, and other high end jeans). It can smell a little weird. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Holy S@!T!!!!

Go read this blog. I almost wet my pants!!!!

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com

TV on DVD

There's a bit that Jim Gaffigan does about watching a movie ten years after it came out. You see it on cable and then want to talk about it. But, noone wants to talk to you about it because they saw it TEN YEARS AGO!!!!

Where am I going with this? I am recommending both "The Wire" and "Battlestar Galactica" to watch on DVD. I think that both of these shows benefit from watching in a chunk and really enveloping yourself in the experience. Both shows have small episode-centric plots along with expansive overarching stories. They develop their characters and engage you in ethical debates along with nerdy water-cooler talk. Both shows have an Altmanesque and Dickensian sensibility.

The first four seasons of "The Wire" are on DVD and the final season will be out soon. "Battlestar Galactica" has the mini-series, first 3 seasons, and the "Razor" prequel. The final season of BSG starts this Friday. Both shows are amazing and feature some of the best writing on TV.

Good writing leads me to my next tangent. My husband and I watched "Michael Clayton" on DVD. It was a tightly directed and written movie. My husband was like, "Why did I like that movie so much?" I basically stated in this day and age very few scripts and films last as long as they need too. Many are too long. Roger Ebert has a theory that states: all good movies can last four hours and you will not feel it, a bad movie can last one hour and you will check your watch. I cannot state how much I believe this. Any good experience in entertainment can last as long as it needs to.

It's a shame that a competent piece of filmmaking can get you that excited. But, as long as Michael Bay keeps making "awesome" movies and shows like "Rock of Love 2" get greenlit, gems like "Michael Clayton", BSG, and "The Wire" will get gobbled up by hungry viewers.

All of this comes down to demographics. White men aged 18-35 consume the most entertainment. So, until the rest of us ask for more, we aren't going to get it.