Tonight… it’s Lalah Hathaway!!
Tonight I’m very excited to see the incredible Ms. Lalah Hathaway performing live at BB Kings in Times Square. If you’re in Manhattan, definitely be sure to come check her out. Also, just in case you missed it, I’ve added the recent Studio 360 feature I created for her during the release of her latest album, “Where It All Begins.” Just press play on the player below and enjoy!
Be sure to read the original post of Lalah here. I’ll be adding more content to my blog and website soon, so PLEASE subscribe! 
MMA Fighter, Jon Jones: “I don’t drink alcohol.”
Mixed martial artist and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, was recently arrested for allegedly drinking and driving in Binghamton, New York.
Officials say the 24-year old was behind the wheel of his 2012 Bentley which crashed into a telephone pole early Saturday morning.
As some of you may know, I blogged about this fighter two years ago after seeing him fight live in Las Vegas at UFC100.
My disappointment in Jones stems from a recent interview I conducted with the fighter last month for WNYC Radio. Although the April 18th interview lasted 15 minutes, the station only used a couple of 10-second sound bytes related to the sport of MMA.
But here’s what Jones said towards the end of the phoner:
“To be a fighter you have to have a supreme confidence and a reassurance of who you are as a man and just who you are in self. And I have that now because of mixed martial arts. So it’s really given me goals and it’s taught me so much about life. So that’s how I maintain my close relationship to Christ. And being an elite-level fighter, I realize that in some ways, Christ would be proud of me for the man that I’ve become: I’ve taken care of my body, I don’t drink alcohol. In fitness, I think God wants that for all of us: goal-setting and being an achiever, it’s things that He wants for all of us.”
When Jones stated during the phoner that he didn’t drink alcohol, I thought — ‘wow, this guy truly has a ton of self-discipline!’ But fast-forward a month later, after hearing reports of a DWI charge, I’ve experienced a quick glimpse into his character.
Perhaps this incident for Jones was needed. Negative incidents force many of us to take inventory of what’s going on in our life and how it affects others, namely a relative or a fan. These moments help validate those people in our lives who are genuinely authentic versus those who simply just provide lip-service. Perhaps it took that telephone pole to deliver the best strike to an elite fighter with so much skill and a tremendous amount of promise. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured or killed.
Everything that happens to us happens for us.
Hopefully this serves as a wake-up call for Jones. If nothing else, I’m hoping this ordeal builds a mentally-stronger, more authentic Jon Jones than ever before.
Role models are certainly human; but humans are not invincible. I still applaud Jones’ spirit as a fighter — that spirit will remain invincible. But there is another fight that he, alone, has to confront: the battle within himself.
Jones has defended his championship belt three times. His next scheduled bout for the UFC is in September. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on DWI charges and expected to enter a plea next Tuesday in a Binghamton City Court.
Renowned Composer, Terence Blanchard at The Greene Space!
4-time Grammy-award winner, Terence Blanchard
Tonight’s showcase will also provide a status update on New Orleans’ restoration efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina of 2005. Blanchard’s award-winning, “A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina),” was the soundtrack to a 4-hour Spike Lee documentary which aired in 2006 on HBO. Blanchard, along with his mother and aunt were featured in the documentary. His mother actually lost her Pontchartrain Park home in the tragedy.
His recent film score is the critically-acclaimed, “Red Tails” — a movie inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen and directed by Anthony Hemingway with George Lucas serving as Executive Producer.
Tonight’s Global Salon will also feature author and award-winning literary translator, Susan Bernofsky. Susan is also responsible for connecting dozens of prolific writers from all over the world through her blog, Translationista. As a native of New Orleans, we’ll discuss with her how the city has inspired her as a writer, Susan’s upcoming projects about the Gulf region, and how she sees the city of New Orleans and its residents moving forward.
Authentic, complimentary New Orleans food and wine will be served as well! So if you’re anywhere near New York City and would like to have a soothing, meditative pause from the comprehensive Whitney media coverage, come check out our season finale of ‘The Global Salon‘ tonight at The Greene Space (44 Charlton Street at Varick). The show starts promptly at 7PM.
And if you’re outside of the tri-state area, you’re more the welcomed to view the event in its entirety live as a webcast at www.TheGreeneSpace.org! Complete video of the event will also be available on the website for future viewing.
Whitney Workout!
For those of you who enjoy working out at the gym (or listening to a hot mix in your car while driving), here’s a mix to help you shed the pounds, all while honoring the legendary songstress, Whitney Houston!
With this mix, you’ll hear many of your favorite Whitney tunes (“I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance,” “How Will I Know,” and more) all given a sweet, progressive-dance touch-up! So click here to download!
Shout out to WNYC colleague, Annmarie Fertoli and my friend, Rob Deletis, out in Bethel, CT who have been waiting patiently (months actually) for me to conjure up a 30-minute music mix download.
So I hope you enjoy the workout mix and forever rest in eternal peace, Whitney!
Japan’s Spotlight… Tonight at The Greene Space!
Tonight, I’ll be hosting another event at The Greene Space here in New York City. One of my favorite smooth jazz artists will be performing — Keiko Matsui. Get ready for an enchanting evening of spiritual reflection and soothing, naturalistic emotion! And for the first time ever, Keiko will be collaborating with Japanese pop singer, Akiko Yano, for an exclusive 4-hand performance on the Greene Space Fazioli! Akiko has a massive Japanese following and has worked with artists like Pat Metheny, Thomas Dolby, The Chieftains, and The Yellow Magic Orchestra.
The Global Salon also provides an amazing platform for discussion — so I’m very excited to have the Deputy Chief at the Consulate General of Japan in New York — Yasuhisa Kawamura.
We’ve also invited prolific writer/editor, Roland Kelts, and renowned author, Ian Buruma, who’s written very insightful books about Japanese culture, including “Behind the Mask,” and “God’s Dust: A Modern Asian Journey.”
Once again, tickets for this event are SOLD OUT, but check out the live webcast of the event tonight at 7P (EST) at www.TheGreeneSpace.org.
Many thanks to PEN World Voices Festival for their partnership, every single staff member of The Greene Space who work effortlessly behind the scenes making sure everything’s on point, and the Executive Producer, Indira Etwaroo. You believed in me and you’ve given me an opportunity to shine! Thank you for providing me with the freedom to design remarkable showcases dedicated to our global, cultural landscape. I could not have done any of this without your support.
Mark your calendars for the next Global Salon on Wednesday, February 15th, featuring Grammy award winner, Golden Globe recipient, Terence Blanchard!
So Is a ‘Good Man’ Hard To… (De)fine?
Click here for the latest episode of David Alpern‘s “For Your Ears Only,” which aired nationwide on the radio this past weekend. I was excited to co-host this particular episode because I was given the assignment to write a segment about an online magazine called, “The Good Men Project.”
To hear that segment, click here.
The Good Men Project is a media alternative to traditional perceptions of what constitutes and defines a man [think anti-GQ/Details/Esquire, or even Sports Illustrated]. This movement offers up a glimpse into the world of the “enlightened masculinity.” There’s also an associated book published under The Good Men Foundation, a nonprofit that donates book proceeds to the Boys and Girls Clubs and other charities.
I had never heard of this project before. But after reading a few posts, I was impressed with some of its content.
I mean — check out some of the post titles: “All I See Are White Men:” Confronting Racism in Silicon Valley,” “Non-Monogamy,” and two of my personal favorite posts: “Mostly Straight, Most of the Time,” and “The New Macho.” The last two posts address a topic similar to a post I had written on my personal blog last year which featured the rugby legend, Gareth Thomas: “The Courage of a Real Man: Defy StereoTypes.”
Tom Matlack is co-founder of “The Good Men Project” online magazine at goodmenproject.com, whose latest issue features the Occupy VC argument — the story primarily covered on David’s radio show.
As I continued to read through several posts on “The Good Men Project,” I couldn’t help but remember an incident that happened to me about three years ago. Back in 2008, I went with a group of (gay male) friends to see the film, “Sex and The City.” Immediately after the movie ended, I almost wanted to throw up! I began thinking to myself — “Eddie, you’re gay, aren’t you supposed to love this movie and go completely bizarre over the story lines and fashions of Carrie and Samantha and all the rest of those characters who I seriously couldn’t attempt to name right now!?” Low and behold, I walked away from the theater incredibly depressed and actually kind of disgusted.
Afterwards, we all went out for dinner and I remember exclaiming at the table, “Why can’t there be a film FOR men — I mean, real men? Why can’t men feel good about themselves?” And the 3 of them looked at me like, “Hmmm, Eddie, that’s a thought… but that’s why we have therapy — anyway, pass the guacamole.”
Well, fast-forward to present-day, it feels amazingly refreshing to read stories and comments from The Good Men Project about the complexities of men. The site discusses issues related to race, family, gender, and sexuality — subject matter I think about mentally but perhaps I try to avoid talking about openly.
Matlack recently made a comment in one of his interviews stating, “Men are not Bud Light commercials.” Although Bud Light [Lime] is actually the only beer I’ll drink, I get where he’s coming from. Men are as complicated, if not more complicated, than women. But Tom’s statement impacts advertisers. For instance, there are whiskey ads on “The Good Men Project,” but no beer — so I’m curious as to how other advertisers have reacted to his project’s perspective, ‘Good Men’s’ level of growth, and how they’ve been able to measure their success.
Unfortunately, the length of the FYEO segment only allowed us to talk very briefly about the Occupy VC story and the origins of the project.
I’m sure we’ll continue to hear more about The Good Men Project as well as its provocative ideology known as the new ‘Manhood Movement’ in the very near future!
Thanks again to David Alpern for bringing this project to my attention. I’ll be co-hosting FYEO with him throughout the remainder of the month, so stay tuned.
Lalah Love!
Be sure to check out PRI’s Studio 360 this weekend for a new Lalah Hathaway feature! Lalah is a contemporary R&B/Jazz singer who’s also the daughter of the late, soul legend, Donny Hathaway.
With the duration of the 360 piece only 8 minutes and our interview lasting for an hour, there were tons of tape left on the cutting room floor! (lol)
During our session, I reminded her that she was actually the very first celebrity I had ever interviewed! I conducted this interview for an NPR-affiliate, KPVU-FM back in 1991 inside her tour bus at the time. Right when the interview started, Lalah pulls out a cigarette! Lalah then asks if I would be offended if she smoked! I was so caught up in the moment of meeting her at the time that I actually told her: “Sure, Ms. Hathaway, it’s totally fine!” But in my mind, I was literally DYING — friends who know me are completely aware of my hatred of cigarette smoke! But yet, we conducted the interview on that tour bus anyway.
That was 20 years ago! And I shared that story with Lalah during our 360 interview — and she cracked up! Thankfully, she informs me that she’s given up smoking!
Lalah and I also talked about one of my favorite songs, “Small of My Back,” taken from her latest album, “Where It All Begins.” I told Lalah that it reminded me of a track leftover from the “Off The Wall” recording sessions of Michael Jackson! She flipped out! According to Lalah, the background vocals of that track [which are all sung by Lalah] are actually a tribute to Michael Jackson! She mentioned that all the layered vocals you hear in the song are reminiscent of what Janet and Michael would do in their recordings!
My interview with Lalah’s mother, Eulaulah Hathaway, was also very rewarding. I actually had an opportunity to meet her during Lalah’s NYC performance at the Highline Ballroom a couple of days after we conducted our interview.
I would love to hear your comments about the feature! Amazing shout-outs to Andrea Greene, Rick Nuhn, and Joel Amsterdam for making this interview happen!
