Monday, August 27, 2007
Tay Zonday is a socialist
Regular readers will know this is a good place to learn about year-old trends. But in this case, I've only missed the bandwagon by a couple of months. I'm really digging Tay Zonday:
Once you get over the novelty value, Tay has got a lot to say (and yes, that's his actual speaking voice.) His youtube video has got over 7 million views. It's spawned thousands of parodies by people who are not just targeting how he sounds, but what he says. He's also been the target of online white supremacists, who apparently only like black entertainers if they have nothing to say. Which makes Tay's message important, too. Chocolate Rain is about resistance to racial oppression. It's surprising how many people don't get this, given the lyrics are so straightforward:
Kind of like this guy - Paul Robeson
This kind of historical materialist analysis doesn't just happen - whenever you encounter someone talking about riots in France and poor workers, they're probably socialists. Granted, Tay defends his right to be anonymous by saying:
It's wonderful to see an anti-corporate musician getting so much airtime by saying things too left-wing, anti-racist and sophisticated for the mainstream. I'm pro-Tay.
Once you get over the novelty value, Tay has got a lot to say (and yes, that's his actual speaking voice.) His youtube video has got over 7 million views. It's spawned thousands of parodies by people who are not just targeting how he sounds, but what he says. He's also been the target of online white supremacists, who apparently only like black entertainers if they have nothing to say. Which makes Tay's message important, too. Chocolate Rain is about resistance to racial oppression. It's surprising how many people don't get this, given the lyrics are so straightforward:
This is no liberal, 'why can't we all live together' platitude. It's about the political economy of race: Tay is connecting the labour of non-white workers to their resistance.Chocolate Rain
Dirty secrets of economy
Chocolate Rain
Turns that body into GDPChocolate Rain
The bell curve blames the baby's DNA
Chocolate Rain
But test scores are how much the parents makeChocolate Rain
'Flippin cars in France the other night
Chocolate Rain
Cleans the sewers out beneath Mumbai
Kind of like this guy - Paul RobesonThis kind of historical materialist analysis doesn't just happen - whenever you encounter someone talking about riots in France and poor workers, they're probably socialists. Granted, Tay defends his right to be anonymous by saying:
Honestly, why do people tie ANYTHING about my psychology to the songs I write? My songs have zero to do about my personality or identity. Enjoy the song. Hate the song. But don't make any assumption that the lyrics reflect who I am cause honestly, each song is experimental. The public should love or hate music at face value on the merits of the music . . . and not on some inaccurate fantasies about my psychology. You don't know me.I may not know Tay, but his lyrics from The Other Way sound awfully familiar:
None for the peopleI know socialism is a dirty word in America, but that's as close as you can get without naming the red flag. Tay also has a lot of intelligent things to say about nationalism, machismo and activism. He cites Sun Ra and WEB DuBois; his youtube tags include Paul Robeson.
It's trickle-up cash
Paying more for bottled water
Than I do for gas
To subsidize a system
With oblivious victims
Make me work so hard
That I can't resist 'em
The bread and circus
Makes me desert us
I party away
All the violent urges
Revolution? I'm watchin my sitcom
Playin Nintendo
'Til Kingdom Come
Waitin for a leader
To make me believe
There's more to life
Than what they say I can be
It's wonderful to see an anti-corporate musician getting so much airtime by saying things too left-wing, anti-racist and sophisticated for the mainstream. I'm pro-Tay.
