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rfmcdonaldThe first time that I heard of Meshell Ndegeocello was in 1996, when there was a to-do about single off of her 1996 album Peace Beyond Passion and its associated music video.
I've copied out some of the lyrics of "Leviticus: Faggot" below.
It goes without saying that this was an immensely controversial music video. It managed to acquire for itself a whole episode of Too Much 4 Much, which saw one of the members of the discussion panel--a gay playright, perhaps Sky Gilbert--storm off the set while the whole things was being debated. (MuchMusic decided to play the video on the grounds that it was anti-homophobic; some saw lyrics like the above as encouraging homophobia. I think that last is ludicrous. Anyone who actually listened to the last lines of the insidiously catchy song would know this.
Sometimes people deserve to suffer.
In a 1996 interview, Ndegeocello talked about some of her motives behind this unsettling song.
A lot of things were killing me at the time. It was my fear of failure, mainly, my fear of failing to do whatever was expected of me in a global sense, sexuality but one element of many, too many. (Best to hide, quietly, and to meep if anything might bring someone's attention to me.) Things have unraveled nicely since those terrible teenage years, continue to unravel, but the memory of that fear can still be paralyzing if I let it. Thank God that unthinking bigotries and reactions of any kind are declining, at least in my corner of the world; thank God that reason is starting to prevail, at least lately and in my environment. As the video above illustrates graphically, especially in the last half-minute, anything is possible outside of the safe environment I've enjoyed. It wasn't luck acting in my favour, but it was something.
I've copied out some of the lyrics of "Leviticus: Faggot" below.
Faggot better run learn to run 'cuz daddy's home
His sweet lil' boy just a little too sweet
Every night the man showed the faggot what a real man should be
The man and the faggot will never see
for so many can't even perceive a real man
[. . .]
No love dreams
only the favors sweet Michael performed for money to eat
'Cause the man kicked the faggot out the house at 16
Amen mother let it be
Before long he was crowned QUEEN for all the world to see bloody body face down
The wages of sin are surely death that's what mama used to say
So there was no sympathy
It goes without saying that this was an immensely controversial music video. It managed to acquire for itself a whole episode of Too Much 4 Much, which saw one of the members of the discussion panel--a gay playright, perhaps Sky Gilbert--storm off the set while the whole things was being debated. (MuchMusic decided to play the video on the grounds that it was anti-homophobic; some saw lyrics like the above as encouraging homophobia. I think that last is ludicrous. Anyone who actually listened to the last lines of the insidiously catchy song would know this.
Let he without sin walk amongst the hated and feared and know true trial and tribulations
See my dear we're all dying for something searchin' and searchin'
Soon mama found out that god would turn his back on her too
Sometimes people deserve to suffer.
In a 1996 interview, Ndegeocello talked about some of her motives behind this unsettling song.
AP: Will it be unplayable because It breaks ground by being openly gay?
MN: But it doesn't break ground. You ever heard a tune by Funkadelic called "Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him"? You know, a lot of gay men just aren't with it. They won't like "Faggot."
AP: Is that because you'll be misinterpreted as saying that homosexual life is difficult and therefore something to be saved fr
MN: But I am sort of saying that. I feel that way. By that I mean, I went through a period where I thought, Oh God, I'm gay and it's killing me. It's not easy, and I'd like to meet someone [who's gay] who's never felt that way.
A lot of things were killing me at the time. It was my fear of failure, mainly, my fear of failing to do whatever was expected of me in a global sense, sexuality but one element of many, too many. (Best to hide, quietly, and to meep if anything might bring someone's attention to me.) Things have unraveled nicely since those terrible teenage years, continue to unravel, but the memory of that fear can still be paralyzing if I let it. Thank God that unthinking bigotries and reactions of any kind are declining, at least in my corner of the world; thank God that reason is starting to prevail, at least lately and in my environment. As the video above illustrates graphically, especially in the last half-minute, anything is possible outside of the safe environment I've enjoyed. It wasn't luck acting in my favour, but it was something.
