Al Sharpton banging on about Jackson

It must be hard for Al Sharpton, watching the death of Michael Jackson. After all, Jacko's period of being any good is as firmly in the past as Sharpton's period of being taken seriously. So perhaps Sharpton sees his current round of honking stupidly into microphones as his farewell tour, too:

"I'm here because of the disgraceful and the despicable way [the media] is trying to destroy the legacy [of Jackson]," Sharpton said.

"You have had other entertainers that have had issues in their life; you [the media] did not degrade and denigrate them."

Sharpton called upon the media to show respect during the family's time of mourning. "Michael was no freak," he said. "He was a genius."

"We want love. That's what Michael Jackson sang about," Sharpton said. "Let's talk about love. Let the media deal with the mess, while we deal with the message."

Is it just me, or did he say the media should leave Jackson alone, and then tell them to "deal with the mess"?

Still, Sharpton has a point, doesn't he? After all, it's not like the global media has been fawning over Jackson solidly for a week and a half now; and you certainly didn't see anyone mentioning the mafia business when Sinatra died, or repeatedly speculating over Presley's secret love for saturated fat within seconds of Elvis sliding the 'Engaged' sign for the very last time, is it?

The Brown Estate regrets

It is, of course, what James Brown would have wanted. Or, at least, there's no simple, non-spooky way of proving it isn't, as James Brown's family throw his name behind Al Sharpton's campaign to get radio stations to refuse to play rap with sexism and racism in the lyrics.

Brown's family echoed Mr Sharpton's message later at a private gathering at the Apollo Theater, where thousands had gathered to pay their respects to the singer shortly after he died.

"How did we get from 'Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud,' to where we are today?" said his daughter Deanna Brown Thomas, referring to her father's famous lyrics.

Perhaps via lyrics like, erm, your father's Hot Pants, Deanna?

Hot pants! hey! hot pants smokin?!
Hot pants make ya sure of yourself -good Lord
You walk like you got the only lovin' left hey
So brother - if you're thinkin' of loosin' that feelin'
Then don't - ha
Cause a woman got to use what she got
To get just what she wants hey!

Or maybe that isn't the sort of sexist lyric Sharpton has in mind?

Shut up, says Sharpton

We're minded to think of the flavour of the month club as we watch the current war on rap profanity. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network is now onboard, planning a march this Thursday on the HQs of three major labels in New York:

"We aren't marching against artists -- we are marching against record companies to ban these words completely," says Tamika Mallory, who is leading the NAN's decency initiative. "It's nice that Russell Simmons asked for these words to be bleeped out, but if we start from the top and ban them, then we won't have to answer questions at the bottom."

It's an interesting and depressing view of the music industry and creativity that the NAN believe that commercial organisations ought to be the conscience and arbiter of art, and that individual artists aren't considered worth appealing to, or capable of exercising their own judgement. Wouldn't it be better if people didn't make records which called women whores because they didn't think of women that way, rather than because Sony-BMG have instructed them not to? Shouldn't rappers (and rockers) be asked to exercise a little personal thought?