R. Kelly - "Trapped In The Closet"

Who is Adam Beales?

Hearing that in my head a la Mike Jones is not helping my sanity.

R. Kelly is obviously at least kinda/sorta crazy --the craziness being obvious for the reasons Mr. Sick Mouthy mentions above, among others. And his material is (again, obviously) rooted in a frankly stereotypical vision of black culture and the entertainer's role in that culture. Oh, and he's black. Am I allowed to admit that I noticed that?

So what? The appeal to his work as a whole is the craftsmanship, the pop genius, the genuine humor, the controversy, the lunacy and (yes, to some extent) the total obliviousness. It's universal.

http://pajamasmedia.com/images/2006/02/Fingerpoint.jpg

Aaargh. I'm not saying that.

I am saying that it's reasonable to suggest that Kelly's not totally in control of his persona. If you don't think he comes off at least a little bit messed-up in a deep-down, genuine sense, that's cool. I'm not sure either way, but I think it's reasonable to have doubts about who he is and what he imagines he's up to.

And even if you read it as ENTIRELY self-aware meta-comedy, TITC is pretty blatantly chowderheaded. Again, that's fine. Recognizing that something is kinda dumb shouldn't prevent you from enjoying it.

We had to sing "I Believe I Can Fly" at 8th grade graduation

Makes you thirst for some New Critics to come along and tell us to judge the work completely on the basis of the text, and ignore the bloody artist.

...

Um, so I just saw a commercial on IFC "10 brand new chapters on DVD in stores August 21st" and they're playing it on the channel on the 13th.

http://ifc.com/static/sections/kelly/trapped.html

lol this thread

space jam was a minstrel show
-- max (maxreax), Thursday, 11 January 2007 16:43 (8 months ago) Link

lolol

I still stand by my initial excitement over the first 5 chapters. I only got halfway through those shitty new chapters released this year, though.

The second set of chapters were so, so, so awful

REDEMPTION

R. Kelly was like "if Dan's gonna call this a minstrel show, then I'm gonna give him a motherfuckin minstrel show."

All that was missing was Twan getting caught in the chicken coop

lololololololololololololololololololololololol

(ps I have been drinking)

Soon playing at the Cinematheque Francaise:

http://tinyurl.com/2y2996

I mean, what if Scott Stapp DID make something like TITC, and a lot of black people dug it because of the "juxtapositions of white stereotypes with outrageous non-sequiturs"?

rip adam beales

the cinemathèque thing is insane

I just want the audio of chapters 6 through as many more as I can get (I have TP.3). Is the audio for all the chapters packaged together in some fashion, preferably CD?

(this thread is bonkers/funny:
R. Kelly was like "if Dan's gonna call this a minstrel show, then I'm gonna give him a motherfuckin minstrel show."

-- da croupier, Thursday, 4 October 2007 22:36 (5 months ago) Link)

Sure, if a white guy made TITC shot for shot, line for line, it'd be racist. Blackface. Appalling. I didn't think you were suggesting anything so obvious.

But if a white person of similar infamy made a similarly plotted, similarly brilliant/retarded film, it would be received in precisely the same way. It would reflect white culture instead of black culture of course, but the basic dynamic would be the same. People of all sorts would adore it in a condescendingly ironic fashion.

I mean, what if Scott Stapp DID make something like TITC, and a lot of black people dug it because of the "juxtapositions of white stereotypes with outrageous non-sequiturs"?

So what? Comedy = stereotypes + stereotypes punctured. Big deal. White guilt about what's okay or not okay to laugh at is retarded. Every culture in the world thinks other cultures are funny to the extent they don't think they're evil.

Therefore, thinking other cultures are funny is a GOOD THING. Or at least it can be...

-- Adam Beales (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, January 10, 2007 5:03 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

Stapped in the Closet

Pye Poudre morelike Pye PUD-re

my choice for worst single of the 00s

wasn't a single?

Then he continues to rough up the midget as if the midget was under attack.