Singer Erykah Badu strips nude at JFK death site

[Swede]

Must need a kick in sales.


Grammy-winning singer Erykah Badu has sparked controversy after stripping naked and getting 'shot' at the spot where former US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as she filmed her new music video.


In Window Seat, Badu, 39, can be seen walking down the Dallas, Texas street, shedding her clothes as she goes. When she is totally nude she falls, as if being shot, close to where JFK was killed in November 1963.


http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1545145.php/Singer-Erykah-Badu-strips-nude-at-JFK-death-site

[WilliamPitt]

1. (facepalm)

[SharonRB]

2. This is for real? Not an April Fool's joke?

Sheesh. I'm taking everything with a grain of salt today.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Nope, its slightly old and has been previously reported

[rocktivity]

3. Well, let's be fair

Maybe if we knew the lyrics of the song, it might make sense.

:eyes:
rocktivity

[hlthe2b]

All I know is the "hip" music reviewer stated she did it as some

kind of statement on the "assassination of creativity..." If that makes sense to you, well, we live on different planets.

[Bluerthanblue]

10. watch the video- you might be surprised-

It has a message many here echo and others have yet to hear.

[hlthe2b]

13. perhaps

A link would be helpful

[Bluerthanblue]

25. see # 11, there's a link

provided.

[mitchum]

15. That's a really dumb and sophomoric concept...

"assassination of creativity"
I was giving her the benefit of the doubt and assumed it was a commentary on public spectacle. Oh well...

[Bluerthanblue]

42. it makes very good sense- especially if you

take the effort to view it.

You don't have to like the message, but she makes her message very clearly.

Watch the reaction of the people in the video, and make note of the fact that they aren't actors. This was filmed in 'real-time' with actual people. Listen closely to her words at the end. Ask yourself why this location was chosen. Think. For yourself. Without fear or pressure from anyone else.

You may well take away something different that I did, but at least that will be yours and not someone elses recycled opinion.

That would not only be the fair thing- it would be a good thing.

peace~

[n2doc]

5. This thread is useless without pics n/t

[Solomon]

19. (snark)

lol

[hlthe2b]

6. I hope any fans she has (had?) find it as offensive as I

But, no to those who asked, it is real. I heard a piece on public radio with the "oh so cool" music reviewer defending it as a cutting edge (and by extension, brave) effort.

I could care less about her nude stunt--but to do it at Dealey Plaza? I can only hope the backlash earns her the infamy she deserves. And, no, Erika, not all 15 minutes of "fame" are good.

[Bluerthanblue]

14. did you actually watch the video or are you reacting based

on others opinions?

somehow I doubt that you did.

[hlthe2b]

17. I heard the interview

and I am not knee-jerk opposed to pushing the envelope among artists. She could have done her thing in front of the White House, at Buckingham Palace, or in front of CBS news, for all I care and as nude as she wanted to be. Dealey Plaza, for those of us old enough to remember that pain (and I am just barely so) is not the place.

Insult me all you wish, I will always feel that way, no matter how great her artistry or anything else. And, there are one hell of a lot of those like me, who remember what happened that day in Dallas, first hand.

[superduperfarleft]

24. "And, there are one hell of a lot of those like me, who remember what happened that day in Dallas"

And I doubt many of those people are Erykah Badu fans. Just a hunch.

[Bluerthanblue]

27. since when do you have to be a fan of Erykah Badu to

understand the concept of INDEPENDENT THOUGHT?

I'm no fan of hers, had never even heard of her before this video- but what she has to say has merit, and I say that having actually watched and listened to the video in question rather than just jumping on the outrage bandwagon, which ironicly is exactly what the message in question addresses.

[eShirl]

38. +1

[hlthe2b]

28. I don't know if that is true or not

I've enjoyed her in the past. But, even if that is the case, so?

[Bluerthanblue]

32. you are knee-jerk in terms of criticizing something you haven't

actually seen.

I'm NO fan of this artist- (her music isn't mine) but rather than instantly condemn her based on what other people's opinions are, I actually watched it and formed my own opinion.

I'm old enough to remember JFK- and all the shit that surrounded that time, and has happened since and I'm not intimidated by your claim that her use of the place where JFK was murdered to make her point is somehow sacrilegious. As a matter of fact, I think you are missing the entire point. She is actually honoring JFK in her video- if you aren't able to consider that perspective, then I'm sorry.

I find your criticism to be pretty shallow and unfair in light of your admission that you haven't personally seen the video you are so eager to condemn.

Please do watch it- and judge for yourself. You are entitled to your own opinion, but please just be sure it actually IS your opinion, an informed one, before attacking.

thanks-
:hi:

[hlthe2b]

35. Honoring or Exploiting for personal benefit? That is the question

That video is not work-safe so, I will not be watching until this evening. Despite your wavey smiley, you are not giving OTHERS benefit of their own feelings of what is appropriate or THEIR RIGHT to find the location--no matter the intent-- offensive. Sorry, BTB, but I find that to be a pretty shallow and unfair attitude.

I will try to watch it this evening. Thank you for the link. While I may ultimately agree that the choice of location is not as offensive as it might appear, I do not believe that artists ALWAYS have the unfettered right to push THEIR creative envelope with total disregard of how that might impact others. AND, that is a point worth making.

[Bluerthanblue]

40. the smiley at the end is and was

an effort to gentle the tone of my reply.

I admit to being incredibly frustrated with the snap-reaction of YOU and others here who were so quick to jump to the negative conclusion of this womans statement without being honest, or FAIR enough to make their OWN judgment- and not simply react to it based on the comments of others.

That attitude- the willingness to take others opinions and perspectives and run with them is a tremendous part of why we are all in this shit hole we are in today.

I'm not talking about 'pushing envelopes' or anything like that, I'm talking about the right to be judged fairly- not as a result of hear-say. And the right to have your perspective HEARD, without prejudice, and judged on its merit, and not on 'group-think'.

Please do take the time to watch this, and listen to her words at the end closely. I would never have expected to be defending this video- and actually WOULD never have come up thinking it was either good- or even ok, had I not taken the effort to know just what it was that was being said.
This video encourages us to THINK. deeply.

I'm sorry to have replied so angrily to your outrage.

I wish you peace-

[hlthe2b]

41. Thank you for the apology

I will watch and judge it fairly. However, note that there are others on this thread who have watched and still find the choice to be inappropriate. If I end up in that category, will you honor me and the others with respect for OUR opinions, though differing from your own? I hope so.

Have a nice day.

[Bluerthanblue]

45. yes indeed-

if you watch the video, and still feel that the message she makes is wrong, or could have been made without being done at a controversial place or in such an outrageous way- or if you don't like the message at all, that's ok.

thank you for listening rather than simply turning away.

I wish you a nice day as well- (the sun is shining here at last, and though our road is closed due to flooding, dry weather is on the menu)

[Bluenorthwest]

48. So do you think those who get to STOP artists from doing

what they wish should at least look at the work before screaming about how offensive it is? And please, feel free to explain exactly what parts of the First Amendment you think should be revoked and from which artists.
You think there should be limits to creative expression. Specify please what the limits should be, and who is to be the judge?

[hlthe2b]

52. How ironic... you read none of my posts but deign to draw

an opinion on ME and my intent. You have a pattern of becoming very unnecessarily rude and abusive towards those with whom you disagree. I'm sure you'll find someone to "bite," but not me.

[Texasgal]

31. She's well over 15 minutes

She is a talented artist who has done many albums and has been out for years.

Do I agree with her video? No...not really, but to say she is looking for her 15 min slot for fame you've got it all wrong.

[hlthe2b]

36. re:

you misunderstood. Yes, she is an established artist that I have enjoyed in the past. The question was whether this stunt was meant to garner 15 minutes of fame in the sense of publicity, not a statement of her career worth or significance.

[joeybee12]

7. Let em repeat a line from "The Producers"..."Talk about bad taste." n/t

[Brickbat]

8. I like her work.

[BlueIris]

9. So do I.

This sounds bizarre, though.

[superduperfarleft]

11. It's based on a Matt & Kim video.

And the "assassination of creativity" makes more sense when you watch the whole video. It can be viewed here: http://www.erykahbadu.com/

(Warning, the homepage has sound, and the video may not be work safe, even though the nudity is censored.)

I don't really get what all the fauxtrage is about.

[Bluerthanblue]

18. I think the outrage is mostly from people who haven't seen it-

she makes a point-

An excellent point, that goes beyond just the killing of creativity, over into the killing of our individuality and our willingness to simply follow the pack.

[superduperfarleft]

21. Oh, absolutely.

I didn't see the same outrage when Matt & Kim stripped naked in Times Square and ran down the street.

Just more "kids these days" kind of crap, if you ask me.

[burning rain]

12. There was shock & horror at Phoxnooz (toads!).

Artist does something edgy! Call out the National Guard! :eyes:

[marmar]

16. I got the point, after watching the video....

The reaction to it seems a bit much to me.

[Bluerthanblue]

20. a friend posted it on facebook recently and one of the

comments was a reminder:

“I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live.
You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.
You refuse to do it because you want to live longer. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab or shoot or bomb your house. So you refuse to take a stand.
Well, you may go on and live until you are ninety, but you are just as dead at 38 as you would be at ninety.... See More
And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.
You died when you refused to stand up for right.
You died when you refused to stand up for truth.
You died when you refused to stand up for justice.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the sermon “But, If Not” delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church on November 5, 1967.

maybe that helped me hear the message a little clearer, but I think it's a damn good statement.

[hlthe2b]

22. there has been no outrage.. The only reason it has gotten any

attention at all, is recent, and after the fact because the mayor and police of Dallas found out about the stunt and reacted. The piece I heard on public radio was part of a longer review of music and musicians and was quite short.

I find her choice of locations insensitive and personally offensive, but there has not been a big outrage to my awareness.

[Bluenorthwest]

50. You find a thing you have not seen to be personally offensive?

How in the world does that work? Osmosis?

[arcadian]

23. Is she an American Idle alum?

sounds like it

[superduperfarleft]

26. (facepalm)

DUers talking about music is going to give me a stroke.

[arcadian]

30. Whaaat?

:D

[superduperfarleft]

33. Some background

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erykah_Badu

First album released to widespread critical acclaim in 1997. She's a talented artist in her own rite, and has nothing to do with the banal manufactured garbage that American Idol produces.

[Dreamer Tatum]

43. I think you need to call Tyrone nt

[WI_DEM]

29. Dumb.

[Bluerthanblue]

34. the responses on this thread make her point- what she says at

the end of the video = all the more profound.

:shrug:

geez people!!!

[eShirl]

37. As Alice Cooper said, people are not so upset w/ what she did, as where she did it.

[blondeatlast]

39. Exactly. I kinda liked the song and the vid was okay--but she and the producers had

go go just a bit too far with it, IMHO.

But it's their thing and I'm okay with them doing it.

[Laughing Mirror]

44. Brava! Erykah

Have always loved what you do.

[Lilyeye]

46. Clearly some people missed the point or just didn't watch the video at all.

[FarCenter]

47. That may not be the "death site"

The death site would be somewhere between there and Parkland hospital...

[thursdayofmysteries]

49. USELESS W/O PICS!!!! Why that teaser of a link?

She's a cool chick. I really dig her hippie style.

[Bluenorthwest]

51. Erykah is a great artist

I've not seen this video, so it is not possible for me to have an opinion on it, unlike many others here. But she's an artist who tends to make her point with precision, which is part of her long lasting success.
People get pissed off at artists all the time. Frankly, that's half the fun.

[Tx4obama]

53. Video: Badu on the Wanda Sykes Show, Wanda does parody - LINK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdV80sOdZHg

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. Damn there's a lot of culturally illiterate people at DU.

[Heidi]

55. The debate in this thread is exactly what Erykah Badu hoped to generate.

For those who haven't seen the video, here's the safe-for-work version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCaCIstoOsU

And here are the words she speaks at the end of "Window Seat":
“They play it safe…Are quick to assassinate what they do not understand. They move in packs ingesting more and more fear with every act of hate on one another. They feel most comfortable in groups, less guilt to swallow. They are US! This is what we have become, afraid to respect the individual. A single person within a circumstance can move one to change, to love our self, to EVOLVE.”

[rcrush]

56. Meh

So what