R.I.P. "Fats" (1 Viewer)

[The_Doc_Man]

This week in New Orleans, we noted the passage of Antoine "Fats" Domino, one of our native sons with a distinctive voice and piano style. When interviewed, he said that he didn't know if he actually started Rock-N-Roll as a music style, but that when he started, nobody else was doing it like he did.

He passed away at age 89, survived by many children and grandchildren. He lived through the horror of Hurricane Katrina, which hit his Lower 9th Ward home very hard, destroying his favorite old piano.

In a world where people threaten others with war, he offered music. He was not a perfect human being, but when people think of "Fats", they smile because they remember his music. When you come down to it, not a bad legacy.

http://www.newsweek.com/fats-domino-dies-new-orleans-rock-and-roll-692843?yptr=yahoo

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/new...roll-pioneer-dead-at-89/ar-AAu2dEn?li=BBnbfcL

https://www.yahoo.com/music/fats-domino-rock-n-roll-143733048.html

I never met him but as it happens, I did meet a couple of people who were close to him. His band toured Europe every other year during the years before 2005 (and Katrina). Where he played, it was always sold out.

Now you're gone, "Fats." Ain't that a shame?

 

[NauticalGent]

Another legend traverses into the great wide open...

 

[ColinEssex]

What confuses me is that we all know the USA is totally racist. Blacks hate whites and whites hate blacks, ok white police shoot blacks rather than arrest them.

Why is it that in racist USA, people like Fats and Chuck Berry were universally liked by whites and not despised like normal blacks?

Col

 

[kevlray]

It seems that the racists accepted entertainers no matter what their skin color. But they still did not treat them fairly.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

It seems that the racists accepted entertainers no matter what their skin color. But they still did not treat them fairly.

And gay's ...

 

[The_Doc_Man]

First, your views are colored by the blur of distance. We are not quite that bad. You only see the sensationalist headlines, and I know with absolute certainty that your journalists are equally as extreme as ours when it comes to selective reporting. They are emotion-mongers and it is never about good emotions except maybe one or two articles so they don't get branded as ONLY publishing bad news.

Second, your question, even taking into account the blur of distance, is actually a good one despite you seeing our culture through crap-tinted glasses.

The USA doesn't hate blacks. Certain people in the USA hate blacks. BUT when a black person was brought up to always show love, respect, and charity - as was the case for "Fats" - then that person is accepted. I know less about Chuck Berry so I cannot comment on his personal traits. "Fats" was always happy, always respectful, always a hard-working man. I know a family member from his band and from that person I know that the band members were always paid on time, well paid, and got to travel a lot. They were treated with respect, as though they were members of his extended family.

"Fats" established some charities and often appeared at benefits. He didn't have time to be very active in his local community, but he absolutely was not an out-of-control person. He worked hard for his money.

It is the thugs, the haters, the welfare kings and queens, the societal drop-outs that we don't like. AND that includes WHITE drop-outs. We have a phrase, "poor white trash," that gets applied to people of low ambition. People who think that it is enough that they are alive in order to be qualified for getting their welfare checks. I think your side of the pond calls this "on the dole" or something like that.

For us, the ideal is that you work to earn what you get. You "pay your dues" by getting some schooling (not always college, because trade schools and music schools also count). You MAKE something of your life.

That means, in the case of "Fats" Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Prince, Rihanna, Marilyn McCoo, Whitney Houston, Billy Preston, Louis Armstrong, and other musical talents of African heritage, that they were accepted - despite glaring flaws - because they at least worked their way to success.

You are looking at it as a race issue. But that hides the truth. We see it as a class issue and look down on people who COULD but DO NOT improve their lives. If you look at your question through THAT filter, perhaps you will learn something about us.

Look at the refugee problem in Europe and the UK. We see headlines on our side of the pond relating to your UK immigrant problems. Why do you despise them? Would my comments apply to your situation as well?

 

[ColinEssex]

Immigrants are a pain, they come here scrounging off our welfare system whilst we have to wait on trolleys for 4 or 5 hours to see a doctor in hospital, our schools are in need of urgent repair, roads have potholes the size of golf bunkers, our police (due to shortages), don't answer emergency calls unless it's serious, prisoners riot because not enough warders etc etc etc.
Yet we give hundreds of millions in so called aid to tinpot little countries who spend it on war. Plus, we spend billions (not just millions) on funding these losers who come here.
Ask yourself, why don't they stay in France or Italy? Because we are an easy touch that's why. No bugger gives us aid, and the EU want to stuff us for as much as they can get.

Our papers exaggerate, yes of course, silly me, and there's me thinking Sandy Hook, Waco, Collumbine, Rodney King, 11/9, Las Vegas etc was all real. I'm glad white police don't shoot blacks.

Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Ah, Col ...

Your pendulum likes to swing to exaggeration either way, doesn't it. Those other things happened; they were real. White police SOMETIMES do shoot blacks. It's the world as it is. I wish it were better, but I think I recall some studies done by animal behaviorists. They said that when you overcrowd a population of rats in communal cages, they will differentiate into aggressors and victims. The "alpha male" will lead a gang to terrorize other rats into keeping away from the food. Unrest increases as population increases.

Yet we give hundreds of millions in so called aid to tinpot little countries who spend it on war. Plus, we spend billions (not just millions) on funding these losers who come here.

I feel your pain. Despite our differences, your complaints and ours are not really THAT different.

 

[NauticalGent]

The first FD song I was exposed to was “Strawberry Hill” courtesy of Richie Cunningham. Had no idea where he got that song from, but he sure sang it when the world was his oyster.

Then one day while watching one of the three channels we were able to get on TV, Time-Life showed an advertisement for FD’s greatest hits for a whopping $9.95 but you had to act now because operatorers are standing by! ...and the rest is history.

That was about 42 years ago...when in the HELL has time gone?!?!

 

[ColinEssex]

Isn't it "Blueberry Hill"?

Anyway, Doc, I understand what you are saying about the music transgressing the racial issue. Although I understand they did still do a show for whites only and one for blacks only. In fact, The Beatles were asked to do that and they refused and demanded a mixed audience or they wouldn't play at all.

In the Uk when I was at school, we never saw a black person until I was aged about 11. This black kid came to our school, there were all sorts of stories, like they sweat fluid differently to us, their internal organs are different, plus they carried infections if you touched them - prior to that, we used to sing what my teacher called "nigger songs" like Old Zip Coon and De Campdown Ladies but I had no idea what it was all about.

Col

 

[NauticalGent]

Isn't it "Blueberry Hill"?

Wanker. You're right of course, but still a wanker.

 

[ColinEssex]

Wanker. You're right of course, but still a wanker.

I think you need to drop the "gent" bit of your username and replace it with "child", that would be more in keeping with your uncalled for childish comments. However, if you still want to show everyone how immature and common you are then please feel free to continue, I'm sure readers will get a laugh at you.

I keep forgetting, you are American so obviously you have no class.

Col

 

[scott-atkinson]

Immigrants are a pain, they come here scrounging off our welfare system

Col

Col,

Britain needs Immigration but the right sort, we do not need the Extended families of lay abouts and Gypsies, but we do need skilled and unskilled Labour..

It's a fine balance, one that we are sadly losing and have been for some time now..

There is lots of Skilled Immigrants in the NHS, if we ban them all the NHS will only get worse because we don not have the Pool of British people to fill those places..

We also need Unskilled Immigrants too, my last girlfriend worked in recruitment for a Soft Fruit Grower, and no matter how may times they advertised locally for Fruit Pickers and Farm Laborers they would also have next to no responses so they get the majority of their unskilled labour from Eastern Europe

Our Welfare system is to blame here, it pays you more to stay at home and claim your sick.. the minute you try to better yourself with a paid job you are taxed to the hilt and have to pay for everything, so people choose not to work...

 

[NauticalGent]

Spoken like a true wanker that cant stand being on the receiving end of what she normally dishes out. Pity.

You're sure you're British? I seem to remember the Brits I have met being a little more thick-skinned.

And... I can assure you that any pleasure the readers get from this thread is without a doubt at your expense.

Tooddles Sweet-Pea...

 

[AccessBlaster]

In the Uk when I was at school, we never saw a black person until I was aged about 11. This black kid came to our school, there were all sorts of stories, like they sweat fluid differently to us, their internal organs are different, plus they carried infections if you touched them - prior to that, we used to sing what my teacher called "nigger songs" like Old Zip Coon and De Campdown Ladies but I had no idea what it was all about.

Col

It's a bit like "The pot calling the kettle black" or was it "The sinless of you -- let him first cast the stone at her", either way a tad hypocritical.

 

[ColinEssex]

It's a bit like "The pot calling the kettle black" or was it "The sinless of you -- let him first cast the stone at her", either way a tad hypocritical.

I must have Alzheimer's setting in, I don't understand what you're trying to say here. Try the Queen's English.

Col

 

[ColinEssex]

Col,



We also need Unskilled Immigrants too, my last girlfriend worked in recruitment for a Soft Fruit Grower, and no matter how may times they advertised locally for Fruit Pickers and Farm Laborers they would also have next to no responses so they get the majority of their unskilled labour from Eastern Europe

We have plenty of labour here already.

Simple, tell the layabouts on the dole and benefits they have to do a minimum 6 months work or their free money is cut totally. They are quite capable of picking a few carrots or strawberries. The welfare system saves 6 months money and gets tax from their earnings.
I agree we need doctors etc, so adopt a points system to allow in only those we need like they do/did in Australia.

Col

 

[AccessBlaster]

I doubt this will help.

I must have Alzheimer's setting in, I don't understand what you're trying to say here. Try the Queen's English.
Col

What confuses me is that we all know the USA is totally racist. Blacks hate whites and whites hate blacks, ok white police shoot blacks rather than arrest them.
Why is it that in racist USA, people like Fats and Chuck Berry were universally liked by whites and not despised like normal blacks?
Col

In the Uk when I was at school, we never saw a black person until I was aged about 11. This black kid came to our school, there were all sorts of stories, like they sweat fluid differently to us, their internal organs are different, plus they carried infections if you touched them - prior to that, we used to sing what my teacher called "nigger songs" like Old Zip Coon and De Campdown Ladies but I had no idea what it was all about.
Col

It's a bit like "The pot calling the kettle black" or was it "The sinless of you -- let him first cast the stone at her", either way a tad hypocritical.

 

[isladogs]

I doubt this will help.

It helped me by giving me a laugh at my namesake's expense.

The words hypocritical bigot come to mind....

 

[NauticalGent]

The term/concept “...pearls before swine...” comes to mind.