Archive for the ‘Bernie Mac’ tag
Timeless Legends, Suddenly Gone
The deaths of Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes last weekend kind of shook me on two fronts. The constant reminder that life is indeed fleeting and fragile made me consider how lucky I am just to have made it this far.
Then, I reflected on the careers of Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes, and thought about what their careers meant to black culture. Bernie Mac was an icon in black comedy; a careful and thoughtful blending of rage, irony, and thankfulness. He was negotiated everyday, ordinary pains and made them tangible to any audience, anywhere. He was not a political mouthpiece, nor a lightening rod for controversy. He was just a funny guy saying the things you always thought about, in a way you never thought about them.
Isaac Hayes was a musical extraordinaire, who was able to check the pulse of the culture and prescribe for it an elixir of soul and mellow funk. His songs are a veritable soundtrack to the happy feelings of the 70’s, with a hint of the blues that spawned the excitement behind being able to actually be happy. Hayes transcended generation gaps with a genuine sound, and a humorous and appealing nature that anyone at any age could appreciate.
Fortunately, we live in an age of information where they will never truly be forgotten. The copies of their movies and concerts will sell like wild-fire in the next few days, and children of today will be formally introduced to their talent and charisma.
They get to live forever, almost like they never had to leave.
Why Does Bernie Mac Have to Be Dead?
Bernie Mac is in the hospital undergoing treatment for pneumonia, so why is one of the top search terms on the web today “Bernie Mac dead?”
Every time a famous black person is in the hospital, people are trying to figure out if he or she is dead. It’s like health care for black celebrities can only be admitted at the hands of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Just in the last ten years, I can remember hearing death rumors about Louis Farrakhan, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston.
Entertainers and civil rights leaders just gotta stay up on their vitamins, push ups and prayers, don’t they?
