Took another one of those online polls today, “What Pisses You Off?” I got “Stupid People Piss You Off.” Well, duh! That’s not worth posting.
On a lighter note, Sunday’s Pietri benefit was a great success. Kudos to Fish for pulling it off lovely. I got there about an hour-and-a-half in, Isaac on one arm, his diaper bag NOT on the other! Realized it when I offered him his juice. Thankfully, he held the bodily functions in check the whole time and we made it home afterwards without incident. He’s a funny kid – painfully shy in unfamiliar company but a nonstop chatterbox once he gets comfortable. The ride home and later to the store was a never-ending conversation that covered everything from his taste in music to talking about Eric wearing his vest on his head! (Uncle Kracker’s Drift Away is his favorite song right now and he knows most of the words!)
The show itself flowed well as I took over the hosting from Oscar who held down the first half of the show. Several of the “special” guests were no-shows, including the overrated Barakas, but those that were in the house showed mad love for the Reverend, each sharing one of his poems along with some words of hope and praise, and usually a poem or two of their own. The one tacky moment – think beauty pageant stage mom tacky – came from the father of an impressive 5-year old who read a short Pietri piece and two of her own, offering one of them in English and Swahili..all memorized! (Not the Pietri piece.) The poetry itself was the standard rhymey black-power stuff that is only interesting coming out of a 5-year old’s mouth but the real low point was when she finished to a rousing applause and her father leads her through the audience, press kits in hand, passing them out to anyone that would take one! Maybe I’m biased by my own disdain for blatant self-promotion but I couldn’t help but be annoyed, especially as their buzz continued into the next person’s performance.
Other than that, the afternoon was a blast. There’s another one tonight, this time at the Nuyorican, and again on the 21st, then on February 12th uptown at the Julia de Burgos Center. No matter how much money they raise in the end, I imagine the positive vibes being pointed in Pietri’s direction as a result may be equally effective.
