Reflections for 08-26-09 - reflections for 08-26-09

Category: Entertainment Published on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 13:48 Written by Steve Holsey

We all have problems, but R. Kelly made himself sound rather silly and overly self-important when he said this regarding his well-publicized problems: “All of a sudden you’re like the Osama bin Laden of America. He is the only one who knows exactly what I’m going through.” (Can you believe he said such a thing! Hopefully next time he’ll think before speaking.)

THE OTHER day I was listening again to what might rank as the most incisive song ever recorded about the horrors of drug addiction, “Home Is Where the Hatred Is.”

The hard-hitting song was written by spoken word artist, poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, and became a big hit for the great Esther Phillips, who had a long history of drug addiction. (Scott-Heron recorded the song as well.)

The lyrics included, “Stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why…Hang on to your rosary beads, close your eyes, watch me die…You keep sayin’ ‘kick it, quit it,’ but did you ever try, to turn your sick soul inside out, so that the world can watch you die.”

And then, “Home is where the needle marks try to heal my broken heart.”

It was ironic that Scott-Heron ended up receiving a three-year jail sentence for cocaine possession.

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that Barrett Strong, famous for the many superhits he wrote for Motown, also co-wrote the Dells’ classic “Stay In My Corner.”

MEMORIES: “Superwoman” (Karyn White), “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (Aretha Franklin and George Michael), “Let’s Go Crazy” (Prince & the Revolution), “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” (Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams), “Let’s Dance” (David Bowie), “Out of Sight” (James Brown), “Oh Sheila” (Ready for the World), “When I Think of You” (Janet Jackson), “I Want to Know What Love Is” (Foreigner), “Let’s Do It Again” (the Staple Singers).

BLESSINGS to Reuben Yabuku, William Andrews Jr., Yvonne Gullick, Ted Talbert, Myron Wahls Jr., Rita Ross, Kimmie Horne, Stephen Singleton, Jim Campbell and Carol Prince.

WORDS OF THE WEEK, from Alan Cohen: “You create your own reality. You do not have to justify, explain, rationalize, apologize or compromise what makes you happy.”

Let the music play!

(Steve Holsey can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and P.O. Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.)