Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

avery r. young: (Hip-) Hopping to His Own Beat
by Andrew Davis
2007-05-02

This article shared 4806 times since Wed May 2, 2007
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


avery r. young. Photos courtesy of the artist

_______

The Second Annual Hip-Hop Theater Festival is taking place at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago, through May 6. Windy City Times recently talked with one of the scheduled participants, avery r. young, about influences, sexuality—and Vanilla Ice.

Windy City Times: Your performance style is described as 'Sunday mornin' jook-joint.' What exactly does that mean?

avery r. young: Sunday morning jook-joint is how I describe how things come out of me. 'Sunday mornin'' [ reflects ] my upbringing in a Baptist church, where I listened to [ artists like ] Walter Hawkins and Aretha Franklin. At the same time, I had uncles who listened to the blues, and I was exposed to Millie Jackson, Redd Foxx, Rick James and B.B. King. For me, it's a combination of saint and sinner. You know that one point in The Color Purple where Shug Avery made it back to church? [ Laughs ] That's it.

WCT: You've just said a lot about yourself.

ary: [ Laughs ] I'm just answering the question. It speaks to the Mahalia Jackson but it also speaks to the Millie Jackson.

This writer, Kevin Coball, has written that I am 'the James Baldwin of house and the James Brown of poetry.' With the juke joint, there's a certain energy, and there's a certain energy with the Baptist church. There are buckets of sweat with the juke joint and buckets of sweat with the church—so I'm just buckets of sweat all the time.

WCT: I hope you have a towel with you. Looking at your MySpace page, I noticed a collage of musical acts, including Lauryn Hill, Alexander O'Neal, Sade and even The Doors. Have all of these musicians influenced you?

ary: Oh, yeah.

WCT: Well, who has been the most influential?

ary: I'd have to say Nina Simone. I have music that's all over the place, [ and ] her music is all over the place. She wasn't ashamed to present ( through her work ) everything that she came in contact with. She wasn't ashamed to let you know that she was from the church, that she had classical training [ or ] that she played in blues clubs. She was tender, but also resistant. She was a revolutionary and human. She wasn't afraid to let you know all that. Every time I listen to her, I'm always inspired. At the end of the day, though, she lived to improve her craft—and that's what I strive to do.

Also, Gil-Scott Heron has been a really big influence, along with James Baldwin and James Brown.

WCT: Let's switch gears a bit. How big a problem do you think homophobia is in hip-hop?

ary: Homophobia is a problem that [ transcends ] hip-hop. As someone who considers himself a hip-hophead, an Afropunk and a househead, I think that hip-hop is full of many people and perspectives.

Homophobia is a problem in country music; it's in music, period. It's across the board.

I'm going to be who I am, regardless of where I am. I can't worry about other people's hang-ups. Is there a problem with homophobia? Yes. Is there a problem with homophobia in hip-hop? Yes, but it's in a lot of other stuff, too.

Homophobia is based on ignorance—and there's ignorance in a lot of [ areas ] . I have dear friends who are part of the hip-hop game, and my sexuality is never in question or is something that needs to be defended. However, there are some who don't rotate like that, and you honor them and they honor you. Keep it respectful.

WCT: Let's go to something basic. What is hip-hop?

ary: Hip-hop is a culture that speaks to the creative politics of urban people. Hip-hop is where James Brown and Gil-Scott left off.

Rap is the music of hip-hop. Hip-hop is a culture; it has [ its own ] politics and language. And like every other culture, no one person is representative of [ it ] . And there's ignorance among those who listen to hip-hop and rap; they'll say that Mos Def is hip-hop but that Mims is rap. It's all hip-hop. Regardless of the content, it's the context that's important.

When people come with their feelings about hip-hop, I ask them what they own. I listen to everyone from Lil Wayne to J-Live to The Family Tree. I have hip-hop from Johannesburg [ South Africa ] and France.

WCT: Yeah, but do you have Vanilla Ice?

ary: I'm aware of Vanilla Ice. [ Laughs ] I will say this about Rob Van Winkle [ Vanilla Ice's alter ego ] , to be fair: A lot of people trip on him, but he's just [ one person ] who fell victim to hip-hop becoming a commodity. He was given some money and he danced around like a Black boy so people thought [ he was ] cool. It worked for Elvis. [ Laughs ]

This is America. We've always had an issue with authenticity. As long as we can dress it up and put some blush on it, we can digest it. But when we get the real shit, we can't handle it.

avery r. young will be featured on May 5 in 'Shorts: A night of Excerpted Works.' See www.mcachicago.org for more info. Also see www.myspace.com/averyryoung.


This article shared 4806 times since Wed May 2, 2007
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24
- At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19
- Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13
- The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08
- COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26
- From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.