Stand Up! Femi Kuti

An interview with Femi Kuti

By Nathan Ley on June 28th, 2007

Nigerian singer/songwriter/performer/political activist Femi Kuti will perform this coming Monday, July 2nd, on the Briggs and Stratton stage at 7:30 p.m. as part of Summerfest 2007 in Milwaukee. Kuti, 45, is the son of Fela Kuti, an Afrobeat pioneer and fellow political activist. Femi Kuti collaborated with noted hip-hop figures Common and Mos Def on his 2001 album Fight to Win. In an e-mail interview, Kuti discussed his father, his music, and his passion to help Nigeria’s impoverished.

1. I’m sure you get tired of all the numerous questions between your father and yourself and I’m sorry that I have to bring it up again. You have been described as less biting in your criticism of the Nigerian government than your father was. Do you agree with that statement and if so, can you explain why that is, or why you might be perceived as less harsh? Do you feel that being less biting is a positive or negative characteristic of yourself?

FK: I agree I am not as “biting” as him but you are forgetting that his environment at the time was quite different to mine now. He had just come back from America and the discussions of the time were all about the Black Panther movement and Malcolm X empowering black people to take action. It was a time for change not only in America but worldwide, a time to fight for rights and my father was energized by all this. I feel passionately about the same issues but feel they can be resolved in different ways. I do write about issues that I feel strongly about; I became the UNICEF goodwill ambassador which raised issues in protecting children to cherish them for the future of those countries.

Everyone acts in the way that they feel can get the best out of the situation and this is how I feel I can do it by talking to the press and media and they telling a wider audience.

2. Along those same lines, your lifestyle/choices seem to be at odds with your father’s, especially on the subjects of drugs and alcohol, marriage and safe sex. Is this a case of learning from your father’s mistakes or do you attribute it to something else?

FKl: Yes my father smoked, yes my father had many wives, yes my father had fun. Yes I am different but this is me and that was him. Just because my father was excessive does not mean that I would inherit this personality. Maybe I did learn from his example and did not want the same as him but this does not mean that I did not love him.

3. Which do you consider yourself most? A political activist, or a musician? How much of your music is meant to inform and educate and how much is made simply to entertain?

FK: I am a musician; I just like to write about what I feel is important and politics and social issues are. If one person takes on board my message then it is one more then there was yesterday — that is quite an achievement.

4. How much does the memory of your father still influence the music you write and record? After writing or recording a song, do you think, “I wonder if Fela would approve of this or would Fela like this?”

FK: Well of course what Fela wrote does influence me. I listen to a lot of jazz that he used to listen to as well as a lot of his music. But I think my music has developed from his; I have integrated hip-hop, remixed my tracks. Fela was very proud of his children and taught me everything I know so of course he would be proud. And now my son is a great musician — he would also be proud of his grandson.

5. When you’re not touring or working on new music, what kind of music do you enjoy listening to? Do you have any favorite artists? What kind of books do you read, and what kind of movies do you like?

FK: I don’t have time for movies or reading. I have a large family and a club to run that takes up all my time and I extensively tour. When I do listen to music it is jazz, such as Dizzie Gillespie and Miles Davies. I do listen to the music my son plays which is interesting but ultimately I go back to the music I enjoy.

6. What other American artists would you like to collaborate with?

FK: I have just written and recorded a new album, which my son performed. I decided not to do any collaborations as the last studio recorded album had a lot of collaborations. I just wanted to perform with my son and positive force.

7. Do you have a favorite place to perform in the United States? In the world? In Africa?

FK: It has to be the new Shrine in Lagos. I also enjoy performing at Summer Stage in New York — just amazing.

8. Would you ever consider experimenting outside of hip-hop, soul, afro-beat, and jazz and perhaps incorporate elements of blues, rock ‘n’ roll, country or folk into your music?

FK: Not really. I will stick to what I enjoy.

9. Can you explain to me your role in UNICEF, and what kind of influence that has on your life?

It is a humanitarian role and is very important to me. I went to Zimbabwe and these children have nothing, there are 1.3m orphans. If I can make people aware of this then hopefully things will change. Life is not about what you have; it’s about what you do. We must ensure that we make this a better place for our children, so that when we die they will say “thank you.” Right now, I don’t think they would.

10. Are you still distancing yourself from MASS, and if so can you explain to me why/what happened? Also are you organizing any other groups like MASS or in accordance with your role in UNICEF?

AC: If I can just interrupt, why did you disband MASS [Movement Against Second Slavery]?

FK: I founded the Movement Against Second Slavery in 1998, pushing for social changes in Nigeria. I disbanded it because everyone was coming after me for my money and not the interests of MASS. If I brought some money back everybody wanted some, and of course it wasn’t for the people who really deserved it, people who require the basic amenities such as water and electricity. Ultimately no one really believed in, or worked hard enough, towards the objective.

But I will continue. You don’t need an organisation to speak the truth. My music does it.

11. Have you ever played Summerfest here in Milwaukee before? What attracted you here, and why exactly did you choose to come here? Do you have any specific expectations of the show and the venue?

FK: My agent booked the tour. It is a big American tour and I look forward to visiting all parts of the USA.

12. Do the politics in your music stay mainly on subjects within Nigeria, or do the events taking place in Darfur and the Sudan and the events that took place in Rwanda find themselves in your music and bearing down on your mind?

FK: It is mainly Nigeria and how we behave towards each other. But as a good will ambassador of UNICEF I have been to many countries seeing the issues of child poverty and recognize that we have a lot of problems. The children are our future and we are doing little to alleviate the misery of these poor children. Instead of Madonna adopting a child why doesn’t she give to these children so that they are not taken from their surroundings but brought up in the surroundings of their heritage? She should be contributing to villages — this would help more people than only one child. Why should Africa be damned?

13. What is your greatest goal for the Nigerian people and their government?

To be treated equally, stop being so corrupt and think of others.

14. If you had one word for the people of Milwaukee awaiting your show, what would it be?

Let’s have a good time, but also remember to take something of what I say away with you.

Festsummer

Summerfest.

By Nathan Ley on June 21st, 2007

You’re on a bus. Sometimes it’s the classic big yellow.

Sometimes it’s a coach.

You’re drunk, and this is to be expected. In fact, for the last hour and a half, you’ve been slamming beers and pounding shots, knowing the alcoholic buzz you are working toward has to last you all night.

You’re wide eyed and a little wild. You’re still drinking, but you’re also observing and pondering. You’re observing the diversified group of people with whom you are sharing this public transportation, and you are pondering the numerous choices of different entertainment that await you upon destination. You can’t help but have a “Wonder Years” moment. A narrator in your head wisely says, “I can’t help but be in awe of this bus and event. While living in one of the most diverse and gang populated cities in the United States (the Latin Kings currently most prominent), this single event has the unique power to strip individuals of their differences and connect them with one single event.” The “Wonder Years” moment passes, and you shotgun another beer and pretend to be interested in the girl next to you.

The bus travels down I94, which turns into 894. It passes the state fair grounds, Miller Park, the Pabst Brewery, and Marquette University. It’s destination is downtown, across from the art museum shaped like a yacht

and on the lake front (Lake Michigan). You exit the bus, thirteen dollar ticket in hand, and make your way toward the front gates. Walking casually to one of the sides, you slip a water bottle of Admirals Rum through the fence, to be picked up later. At the gates, your ticket is scanned, your body felt up and your inhibitions let go. You breathe a sigh of relief and thank God you live in Milwaukee. You’re at Summerfest, the largest outdoor music festival in the United States.

There is no other event in the Milwaukee summer that works harder to draw it’s city population together, and rightly so. Before, during, and after the music festival, the city of Milwaukee holds numerous festivals meant to highlight the differences of its people. Two weeks ago, the Pride festival (The Gay and Lesbian community festival) was held. This weekend, Polish Fest will begin. During Summerfest, the annual Italian Fest will be held, which culminates into a fireworks display at the end of the night. After Summerfest, German Fest will delight the area’s schnitzel lovers.

While those events clearly celebrate diversity, Summerfest crams all of those different groups in front of music stages and forces them to accept the fact that they all like the same music. They all sing along to the same songs and they all secretly want to be rock stars. They are all connected to the universal language: music. I think Stevie Wonder said it best when he stated, “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.” Whether the people of the city like each other or not, it doesn’t matter as long as they each like a certain performer or group.

Every year when Talib Kweli performs (like he will again this year) blacks and whites can each be seen standing side by side, hands in the air either mouthing the ill verses or face to face spitting the rhymes as quick as their novice wannabe abilities will allow. As Roger Waters picks the beginning riff of “Wish You Were Here,” the generally richer conservatives of Brookfield will stand arm and arm with the poorer, “white trash” kids of ‘Stallis (West Allis) and believe that they truly are two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year…

Summerfest is the time of the summer when Milwaukee shows it’s true colors. It’s the time when the city can say “Up Yours” to Chicago and laugh even harder because today (Wednesday), the Brewers took a 7 game lead in the NL Central over the Cubs. It’s the time when everyone is hung over and cursing the heavens at work if only in an attempt to make the day go faster so they can hurry downtown, drink themselves into a frenzied stupor, scream for some band, drag their ass home and do the whole thing over again the next day. It’s the time when it’s okay to say you like Nickelback if you’re drunk, because no one remembers it the next day, and it’s the time to realize that while you may not know the people next to you, for the 45 minutes to an hour the band plays, you are all the same. You are all human beings.

*For the next few weeks, my posts will be strictly Summerfest. I will have interviews with certain performers, eye witness accounts of the festival, and much more. Tune in for all the exciting action (insert unnecessary exclamation point).

Summerfest begins June 28th and lasts until July 8th. Here is the music lineup as posted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=605313

Here are the acts I am most excited for:

Femi Kuti, Spoon, Talib Kweli, Weird Al Yankovic, Lewis Black, Lupe Fiasco, and Buddy Guy.

Word of the Week: Pertinacious: 1: adhering resolutely to an opinion or purpose. 2: stubbornly unyielding or tenacious. Example: Although Rusted Root, Peter Frampton, and John Mayer were playing at the same time, Nathan was pertinacious about seeing Spoon perform.

YouTube Video of the Week: My Lipgloss be cool, my lipgloss be poppin’ … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt_QNoKlXwU

Worst thing about Facebook Ever (Note: Worst thing about Facebook Ever changes weekly): The notifications bar that appears on your homepage. I’m sorry, but if you’re too lazy to actually look at your own profile and/or inbox to see if you have a wall post or message, you should probably just lie in bed and never get out, because if you’re too lazy for Facebook, you’re clearly too lazy for life.

- Lates

Ga Ga for SPOON

I know the title of this post is somewhat stupid and lame, but if you are a fan of the band Spoon, you will get it. Their new album, titled: ga ga ga ga ga is now being streamed online at: www.gagagagaga.net Spoon is also playing summerfest this summer and they are one of the shows that I am most excited for. Enjoy.

http://www.mergerecords.com/gagagajuke/

I Jest, Do You Jest?

I jest — do you jest?

By Nathan Ley on June 14th, 2007

Here is a check-in on the local Milwaukee arts stories:

The MJS reported on the return of the city’s official municipal jester, Ann-Elizabeth Shapera, from the International Festival of Fools jester tournament in London towards the end of May. Shapera, an administrative assistant at City Hall was the first American woman ever to compete in the event. After falling short of a winning performance she stated, “Obviously, they wanted a circus act.”

No Shit? You don’t say? Who would have thought that the judges at a jester competition want to be entertained with jokes, skills, and strange happenings, much like they might be at a circus? Apparently, not Shapera. If you look up the definition of a jester on dictionary.com, the second entry under noun is as follows: 2. a professional fool or clown, esp. at a medieval court. If I’m not mistaken - and i really believe that I’m not on this one - clowns are the essence, if not one of the most representative things, associated with a circus. When I think circus, I think mother-freaking clowns. When you do a thesaraus search for jester, the word clown appears in the first row. For final confirmation, here is a picture comparison. I searched both the word jester and clown on Google images. Here are the results:

Clown:

Jester:

Holy double image Batman! Yes, as you probably guessed, it returned the same results. Glad to know that this woman is in our City Hall. Luckily though, she is just an assistant (aka a secretary meant to do bitch work and entertain — aka a jester).

As for the most part, the arts scene, at least that of which that I am interested in, is quiet at the moment. Summerfest (the largest music festival in the United States) is on the verge, and I will devote the next two weeks blogs to it, including an interview with Femi Kuti among others. I would, however, like to introduce some things to the blog while I have the chance.

Word of the Week: Taradiddle:

1.	a small lie; fib.

2.	pretentious nonsense.

Example: I can’t decide whether I like reading Nathan Ley’s blog because I cannot decide if it is humorous observation or just ridiculous taradiddle.

YouTube Video of the Week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0p-U1LBbQ

This is somewhat of an old-school one. I think I originally saw it in 5th grade on the website www.albinoblacksheep.com, which is always fun to look at. I hope you enjoy.

Worst Thing about Facebook Ever (note that the “Worst Thing about Facebook Ever” changes weekly): All of the new applications recently added. As if we didn’t waste enough time on Facebook already, now we have absolutely no reason to ever log off. Ever. Plus, with things like the tracking application, we can’t creep and stalk our secret fantasy girls anymore. Not like I do that, but….

Lates (sic)

What is this, Eastern Laos.

I will be double posting my entries from now on. Officially they are with the Daily Iowan, and can be viewed that this link every Friday: http://blogs.dailyiowan.com/arts

Here is Friday, June 8ths.

In high school - specifically my sophomore geometry class - I was introduced to what has become one of my favorite and at times most irrelevant responses/phrases. Two individuals, and I must give credit where credit is due (Don Braaten and Ryan Galganski - Facebook them) when feeling particularly oppressed or harassed by our teacher would sarcastically exclaim, “What is this, (insert cardinal direction) Laos!”

Day by day the direction would change as well as sometimes the country - at times there were utterances of Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan and even the entire Myanmar Peninsula- but the most common and frequently used was Eastern Laos. There is nothing special about Eastern Laos, I’ve looked it up (thank you Wikipedia).

At the time, I didn’t even think the phrase had any relevance to the situation, or if the two who uttered it so often even cared. It was funny mainly because of the way they said it, and the baffled look that implanted itself on our teacher’s face. Naturally I integrated it into my dictionary and over time it has become a personal gem of my vernacular.

The phrase is legit. Besides being a communist-run country (poor bastards), Laos is ranked among the lowest countries in terms of political and economic freedom. It’s newspapers are all published by the government, while Internet and satellite access are strictly monitored by the government. Here are some more useless facts about Laos:

1. This is where it is located on a map:

2. The national instrument is the Khaen:

3. Laos has no railways.

Why does any of this matter? Don’t worry, Laos is not simply a random country that I decided to write about. Today while at work and listening to the news radio here in Milwaukee, I listened to some interesting, humorous, and awesome news. Today, an affidavit was released by the United States Government linking former Wisconsin State Senator Gary George to a plot to overthrow the government of where else, but LAOS! How sick is that? j/k…maybe.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that on Monday, 10 individuals were arrested and charged in California with plotting to attain hundreds of stinger missiles, AK-47s, mines, and other devices for use in toppling the Laotian government.

George is currently serving a previous criminal sentence in a Milwaukee half-way house and for the time being, I say, good for him! While most inmates are lifting weights and fashioning makeshift knifes and stabbing implements (broad stereotypical exaggerations) Gary George was doing something productive with his time.

If nothing else, he was getting himself ready to re-enter society. Granted it wasn’t an American society, but it was a society nonetheless. How can I, a college student working as a lowly painter for the summer, condemn a man who had not only the imagination but ambition to plot the overthrow of another country’s government? Talk about productive alone time!

Not only did George have the guts to plot a coup, but he was also thinking about covering his ass. The affidavit details a discussion that one of George’s former staff members had with an unknown Midwestern individual (most likely George) about how to NOT get caught in an FBI sting operation. Solid planning guys! So much goes into a government overthrow: weapons, timing, location, support… avoiding the possible sting operation your own government may or may not throw together when they hear that you’re planning to take over another country’s government… from prison.

As of right now there isn’t much else to the story. For the time being, George hasn’t officially been charged with anything. His lawyer, playing it coy, says he won’t be, but the man is in prison already, not exactly the greatest track record. I can only hope that when George heard the news, he said aloud in his cell, “What is this, Eastern Laos?”