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About Us
ThisClose to Shirley MacLaine!
Amy and I were recently blessed with being introduced to one of our most important heroes, Shirley MacLaine. We got along like old friends and yesterday we went to the theater in New York City, just the three of us, and saw "In The Heights," certainly one of the best musicals I've ever seen, if not the best. The story, presentation, choreography, music, lyrics, orchestra, sets and costumes were matched kilowatt for kilowatt by the electrifying singing, dancing, and acting talent of the cast. If you like musicals, you owe it to yourself to see "In The Heights," which won the 2008 Tony Award as best musical. Amy and I were further privileged to take Shirley backstage to meet the cast who, as you can well imagine, were thrilled beyond measure to meet one of the legends of Broadway, not to mention film (and she was the "mascot" friend of the Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Joey Bishop - the mind boggles!!!)
"In The Heights" has the lead character, Usnavy, played by the play's author, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote the songs!, opening up with a rap song and it worked, something of a miracle for me who, as a musician, has not been a particular fan of a genre that seems to see the work of learning to play music as not important. Anyway, at every moment everything in the world is changing so I guess I'm included in that and, after watch Nas rap about Fox News on the Steven Colbert show, which I didn't really like but at least I understood the words and admired this line "When I see CBS I see B.S." So I was inspired to concoct the following rap scenario, complete with my new Rap Name and album title. I hope you enjoy "ThisClose."
ALBUM: Mighty White Tee
ARTIST: Fatty Tumor (aka Monte Farber)
SONG TITLE: ThisClose
I had The Last Poets play ThisClose to me in college
Their bad conga righteous poetry imparted to me knowledge
Russel Simmons says rap music is descended from their legacy
Then why is it that none of you can rap their wisdom words to
me?
ThisClose, you’re ThisClose to appreciating history
ThisClose, you’re ThisClose to being music worth a dime to me
ThisClose, you’re ThisClose to being music and you’re
pissing on yourselves
I used to think rap music meant the end of civilization was
ThisClose
Until Broadway showed me In The Heights and realized that I
was right, but
The civilization that was ending was mine, it’s time to give
up on thinking that rhyme
Is all mine and the dead poetry teacher taught me, so
sublime, was just right for its time but its time has no rhyme or reason now,
why write about the seasons now? It’s all about treason now.
You fools keep pointing out what’s wrong and making fun of
what’s so wonderful and right and soon you’ll be rapping in your closet in the
middle of the night when the evil doers do their evil in the name of profit or
their prophet, take your pick, both do the trick to turn the nicest guy into an
evil prick just to get ThisClose to a god who doesn’t need them, doesn’t feed
them, doesn’t want them to kill anyone and yet they kill, they get it done
because somebody else’s fun is watching me die and you die because they think
they’re ThisClose to a world without Fidel, or infidels, or bells on naked
nipples, they’re cripples but they’re mighty crafty cripples and if we fiddle
while their hate burns we’ll take turns getting third degree burns ‘cause we
didn’t learn that we were ThisClose to keeping the greatest nation in the world
growing – who else is going to save the world.?
ThisClose, disclose, you’re ThisClose to being sick of just
venting you’re
ThisClose, disclose, you’re ThisClose to being relevant and
reinventing
Your music, your life, your neighborhood, ThisClose, you’re
ThisClose to being good for something other than money making and booty
shaking. Stop faking, start taking responsibility for what you do to you and
me.
ThisClose, you’re ThisClose, but will you close the deal? Or
will you take the easy way and just keep making ‘em squeal for you and feel for
you and poverty, wo is me, child of poverty, boo hoo, I don’t like you or
anyone who wallows in their pain, that’s insane, get up and fight again, that’s
me, who are you? I’m ThisClose to taking a punch at you, you’re not the only
one who eats their lunch at two in the morning, I do, I’m working on words into
books into games into lives that help people help themselves, can you say the
same? What’s your game? Are you insane? Then stop playin and get moving on
saving your world, my world, our world.
Or will you drop out of school and drop out of the race –
did I say race? You bet. In your face, it’s a race, it’s the human race to keep
up, death is creeping up, read the tea leaves in your coffee cup and change
because you’re ThisClose to winning.
Or will you take the shortcut to nowhere and keep your sexy
gangsta message; that presages disaster – do you know what “presage” means?
Then open up a dictionary, get yourself a dictionary, enough about “dicks” and “cherries,”
you know where that’s gotten you, ThisClose, ThisClose to a real job away from
the real slobs, you don’t have to be a snob and look down your nose at those
who do well in school, you’re the fool if you think it’s cool to look cool when
you’re a fool who can’t read or write or reason, you’re the reason for what’s
happening to you, don’t you know? But you’re ThisClose to being who you are,
not far, but not there, you’re ThisClose.
Close the gap, then, when you rap and tap your truth I’ll
listen ThisClose.
Fatty Tumor (aka Monte Farber)
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