The Drama For January, 2009 @ CrazyPinoy.com Seattle

[Gene Dexter]

No sooner did I add "limiting the news I read and see to positive messages" to my new year's resolution than the deluge of bad stuff started streaming in. Immediately. Like, within minutes of January 1st. It's actually a concerted effort now to simply shut down or ignore all this stuff designed to continue dragging people down. But life isn't made that way, is it.

I once heard the theory that our world is meant for strife, hardships and challenges with glimpses of happiness in between. If so, 2009 is in alignment. From the horrible aggression and human rights violations being committed by countries we finance and support, world economic woes, 50 billion dollar ponzi schemes, suicides by formerly rich people, to shootings in Seattle nightclubs that are devastating businesses and urban music Industry locally, and everything in between such as bad weather and toxic people, I'm already over it. I'm turning the channel and holding the mute button down.

January 20th is going to be a bittersweet day. A new president facing some of the worst challenges in a new century. But we'll party just a lil' bit, won't we. Hope is alive and well.

Because of the negativity and general nature of things within our "new normal", a couple of very cool things may have been overlooked this month. But I'm here to remind you!

Beginning with the publication of Alexis Wolfe's pictorial tome Emerald City Hip Hop, a collection of MCs, tastemakers, promoters, stories and music within a Northwest timeframe of 2003 - 2008, which happens to be the concurrent years it took to get the project off the ground. As one of the first advisors Alexis reached out to way back when about it, I'm thrilled to say the wait was worth it. Available on Amazon, fans and Industry alike need to add this to the collection. I'm carrying my copy around for the next six month's in an attempt to get everyone's autographs to go with their pages in the book. And everybody is in this one way or another.

Next up, a smattering of cool and misc. things going on in Seattle urban music: www.BlogsisWatching.com , www.DynamicVIPs.com, Zulu Nation 206 and Umoja Festival planning, The War Room as new power broker in the game (in view of what happened at Chop Suey last week), and an emerging nightlife district developing in Bellevue.

As real estate is a joke right now, I'm seriously following up on four artist possibilities plus the ones I already have. Stay tuned for that. You know I can't sit still even in a downturn! Challenging times breed creativity, let's see what can happen.

BUZZ FOR JANUARY: Marcel Wanders, Moooi, Mondrian Hotel Miami, Aitutaki (Cook Islands), 1OAK Club (NY), Gold Vish, Slingbox, Isaia suits (www.Isaia.it), Marc Davis (NASCAR), St. Paneras Station (London), the return of Valextra luggage, the all new Rolls Royce EX101 Coupe, South Beauty (NY).


WANKSTER FOR JANUARY: B.A.R.T. Authority, East Bay/Oakland, California. There is absolutely no way you're going to tell anyone how one of your cops can't grip a gun knowing it's not a taser just by holding it. R.I.P. Oscar Grant. And may his family seek justice for this heinous crime at the hands of people who really didn't give a rat's ass until they realized how camera phones work.

SENATE SHOUTS FOR SALE: DJ Scene, Bobbito Garcia, DeeDee Cocheta, Big Ced, Kevin Cooper, Nasty Nes, and Mystic.



"Rather than thinking 'Oh My God', You'll find yourself thinking, 'Ah, there it goes' ".
Richard Carlson, PH.D.



Gene Dexter, Urban Polygamist
Crazy Pinoy Promotions