afro-punk.

last week (?) or so, i was reading my favorite blog, status ain't hood, a music blog by resident suburban baby tom breihan, hip hop connoisseur and village voice blogger.

he wrote about this documentary film called afro-punk, the 66 minute story of four black protagonists in the punk scene. i recall hearing about this documentary some time ago as it's original release was back in 2003. the story line tries to tell the tragic, sometimes romantic, sometimes adventurous tales of these black aliens in an overwhelmingly white genre. there is not a music genre more overwhelmingly white than punk rock.

i must admit that my classic "punk rocker" image is of a thin, white, cry baby who screams for fear of crying. that's my own prejudice. i fully respect the art form & those truest to its real message.

i was flipping through a paper voice only to see an advertisement for an afro-punk screening in brooklyn at the brooklyn academy of music (BAM), an urban cultural art center. i decided to go, venture to another borough, and see the film last friday.

the crowd was a healthy group of about 40, perhaps 50. the director, james spooner, was there to answer questions following the screening. i asked a question about the decisions he made in filming the protagonists faces in partial shadow & obstruction. james spooner is a fairly thin, light skinned black guy with scrawing arms. he was wearing suspenders a top hat at friday's screening.

i recommend seeing the film if you can. put bluntly, it offers nothing than any other "race" film. each character is navigating their racial identities amid whiteness. i did that in my connecticut suburb.

i learned a bit about the punk scene, including an early 80s all-black punk band called bad brains.