Remembering Kirk Anthony of Smooth 98.1

After a long day at the office yesterday, Friday, May 31^st, I went to see a movie to pass time and allow rush hour traffic to ease up on the roads. I saw “Olympus Has Fallen” and after it was over, I was already at the first Lekki toll heading away from the island when I tuned in to Smooth 98.1 around 10:50pm. Friday nights from 8pm to midnight are hosted by “The Genie” on a show called “Club Classics” where he plays songs from the 80s and other memorable periods.

I was surprised to hear the voice of Jennifer Netimah, host of “Real Talk” and “Single & Smooth,” (both shows which only run from Monday to Thursday evenings), on air with the Genie. They were both referring to Kirk Anthony in past tense saying things like “This was one of Kirk’s favorite songs.” My initial thought was that Kirk had announced his resignation from the company. I sent in a text message to the show asking what was going on, and then I heard the voice of MaZI’no, host of the morning newspaper review show “Freshly Pressed” responding to my text saying I should stop by the studio if I could. Then I heard other hosts speaking about their memories of Kirk Anthony including Aderonke and pHisayo. It was at this point I feared the worst. I turned around and headed back to the island.

I arrived at past 11pm to see the Smooth 98.1 parking lot full of cars. The studio owner was there with his wife along with all the hosts I mentioned previously, janitors, and security. I went to speak with MaZI’no privately, and through bloodshot eyes that provided evidence of lots of crying, he informed me that Kirk Anthony had suffered Cardiac Arrest in the studio earlier that day and passed away. Aderonke, host of the morning weekly show “Strictly Soul” and Saturday morning show “Breakfast in Bed,” and the Genie were the only ones in the studio to witness what happened.

The Genie administered CPR on Kirk while Aderonke called an ambulance. I won’t hijack the memory of Kirk Anthony by ranting about the slow response of emergency medical services in this country, but we all have a responsibility to put pressure on our government to improve what is currently a tragically inept healthcare system. However, I should note that the ambulance (which was 30 minutes late) which picked up Kirk and the clinics (the first one refused to treat him because they claimed not to have enough “capacity”) he was taken to, were both private enterprise.

Kirk Anthony was a bubbly, warm, principled man that hosted “The Smooth Drive,” “Late Night Blues,” and “Smooth Motivations.” His career in radio spans over 25 years and you could tell easily by listening to his professional command of his material when on air. Speaking of having a command of things, what a voice! The baritone could make one tremble and I always said he could easily play a villain as a voice-over in an Animated feature film.  I remember one afternoon on an episode of “The Smooth Drive,” he was talking about dieting and exercise and I sent in a text about eating salads. He responded; “I’m sorry Mr Rotus, but I’m not a rabbit” and I still chuckle to myself when I think about that.

I feel fortunate to have met Kirk, worked with him on promotional material for the station, and partied with him at concerts hosted by Smooth FM. I’m deeply saddened by his sudden passing and my condolences go out to his wife, children, relatives, friends, and his professional family at Smooth 98.1. The radio industry has lost one of its greats but memories of his incredible work will remain with us all forever. He will be sorely missed.

Children's Day and the importance of independent thought

"I definitely don't want to become a parent. It's not my bag" - Hollywood actor Sam Rockwell, on November 11th, 2007.

It should be noted that Sam Rockwell's parents separated when he was a young child. He moved to San Francisco with his father, and spent summers in New York with his mother. Where that fits into his decision not to become a parent is anyone's guess.

This is because, children that grow up with divorced parents can either be apathetic to marriage and parenting, or vow not to end up like their parents and choose to build strong, healthy marriages.

The important point is the role of personal choice that isn't influenced by reasons which can be detrimental to one's decision to start a family. If you are yet to have children and the multitude of pictures you've been bombarded with today act as peer pressure, then you need to take a step back.

Parenting is a lifelong investment. One that ties up resources and can be very restrictive when one considers the opportunity cost. Contrary to what many think, it is entirely possible to have a fulfilling life without having any children; Mother Teresa or former CNN journalist Roland Martin serve as examples.

Anyone who tells you to have children simply because;

1) "God said you should"
2) "Your mates are having children"
3) "You owe it to your parents"

without considering your economic status, is not to be considered sympathetic to your well being.

With a 60% poverty rate in Nigeria that hits millions of our children the hardest, the last thing we need is more begging on our streets, or resorting to crime simply because they've been neglected.

We also don't need more families in financial struggle or ruin simply because they couldn't afford to take care of children they didn't properly plan for.

I've noticed status messages today saying;

"Every child is my child."

It's a very trendy thing to say on a day like this, too bad it's not more mainstream enough to make a difference where it matters.

Sam Rockwell is a hollywood actor that could easily afford to have a child. He chose not to. It's my hope that those of us that are yet to have children have the independence of mind to decide whether or not it is the best thing for us and the children we plan to bring (or not bring) into this extremely harsh world.

Plan accordingly

Happy Children's Day.

A First Reason To Like Chris Brown Since 2009

I was buying groceries last night (May 20^th) when first I heard the catchy beat for what I did not know at the time was Chris Brown’s latest single “Fine China” from his upcoming sixth album “X.” I strained my ears to catch lyrics from the song that I could google later and got “Baby, you’re my baby” which didn’t make sense (but turned out to be “Baby, you’re my favorite.”) but I used them anyway and got results that included “Number One,” “I Love You,” and “Make Love.” I filtered through “Number One” in mere seconds before discarding it and then came upon the “Fine China” video before even checking the other two.

Nothing spectacular or original about the storyline in the above video. Overused plot and poor acting was what I was greeted with, and did Mr Brown really have to hit us over the head with the theme by including Asian actors in a video titled “Fine China”? C’mon man…..but anyway, this wasn’t directed by John Landis and I didn’t watch the video for Chris Brown’s acting skills. The song is what drove me to search online and what a lovely tune it is. It’s a refreshing head nodder that sees Brown going back to R&B after a lot of what I consider to be House/Techno-influenced garbage like “Don’t Wake Me Up,” and “Don’t Judge Me.” 

Despite nauseating songs (and videos) like the two I just mentioned, one thing that has always been impressive from Chris Brown is his dancing and he really put on a show in “Fine China.” What I especially liked was the nod to Michael Jackson and as far as I’m concerned, nobody in mainstream entertainment does it better than Breezy. An argument can be made for Usher but that’s about it. Don’t bother wasting my time with Ne-Yo and Justin Timberfake.

Thanks to YouTube, I found out that Chris Brown performed the song on Sunday the 19th at the Billboard Music Awards 

He put on an entertaining performance even though he seemed to struggle a bit with his voice, but my favorite clip for "Fine China" is the one below where he just dances throughout the entire track. 

Visuals from this clip where included in the original video but you kinda feel that Brown had to release a “Dance only” video to placate MJ fans like myself around the world. Peep the flawless spin move (from a crouching position, no less, with balance and form maintained throughout) at minute 1:32. I got chills at minute 1:50 when he belted out the legendary “Woo Hoo” ad lib. Look at the break dancing from 2:15 – 2:27 and how the camera pans out to give this talented young man the space he requires to dazzle the mind with his footwork. Absolutely loved the closing from 3:05 - 3:20 (especially 3:14 and the way they all switched perfectly with the beat). I’ve now watched this over a dozen times and already started thinking about how well it would work as a choreographed piece in a wedding reception or an office Christmas party. Ha!

As the title of this blog post states, I haven’t had a reason to like Chris Brown since 2009 and think his “Bad boy” image is completely unnecessary but like all truly gifted artists, he has the ability to silence all talk about anything other than his music and dancing and make you focus on exactly why he is such an authentic reincarnation of Michael Joseph Jackson on the dance floor.

Does this mean I’ll be purchasing his upcoming album “X”? I doubt it. For the record, I don’t own any of his previous albums. I just watch his videos for his moves and sing along when he releases something decent. In an interview with Ebony Magazine about his upcoming album, Brown is quoted as saying; 

“When you go through the album it’s diverse, it doesn’t just have that one sound”

That tells me we could be in for more horrible House/Techno (or whatever the hell it is) stuff like “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Don’t Judge Me.” Don’t get me wrong though, I like that stuff when it works and a perfect example is 2010’s “Yeah 3x” which was the last time I checked for a Chris Brown song (and why I’m almost two months late on “Fine China”), but a lot of that hasn’t worked so I’ll patiently wait to hear the album first before deciding to buy. However, no matter what the album turns out to be, Chris Brown has given Michael Jackson fans everywhere a reason to crack a bright nostalgic smile and admire his effort on “Fine China.” I for one am very grateful. 

A Family Debates Sexism in the Church

This occurred earlier today between three siblings in a instant messenger chat room which the family uses via mobile phone to keep in touch. Rotus (yours truly) took one side, while Orhie and Ovie took the other:

Orhie: Tweet from @BBCBreaking: Justin Welby - @ABCJustin - confirmed new Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of 80m Anglicans around the world [Web link]

Rotus: The sexism of the church continues.

Orhie: This has nothing to do with sexism. He was appointed a while ago has been confirmed today. They're still trying to resolve the issue of appointing women as Bishops. Once they finalise it, there'll be female Bishops and then one can be appointed one day as ArchBishop of Canterbury.

Rotus: Why is this an **issue** in the first place? Why haven't female bishops in leadership positions been part of the Church's history?

Ovie: Because men have dominated all part of human history

Rotus: Thank you. Including their interpretation of a woman's place in the church passed off as coming from a so-called "divine" source. I rest my case

Ovie: Why haven't asked why there aren't many women in the National Assembly? Or why there are so few women that head governments?

Orhie: I don't understand your intransigence about the Church. You pick on it over EVERYTHING. There is sexism EVERYWHERE, in the workplace, in the police force, everywhere. The Church is at least, trying to resolve its issues. You're acting like sexism started 1st in the Church. You're don't believe in Christ, that's your entitlement. But it's wrong to continually pick on the Church every single day.

Ovie: Whether women head or don't head the Church is irrelevant. God used both sexes as He pleases to carry out His work

Orhie: Nigeria has never had a female Governor, let alone President. Even America the 'land of the free and the home of the Brave' has never had a female President. So why this constant picking on the Church?

Ovie: I tire oh. You don't like the Church and that's fine. But don't use things that are general and common place and make it out like the Church is the only offender

Orhie: But the Church did not start sexism, did it??

Ovie: Iv never heard you complain about sexism in any other place apart from the Church or Islam

Orhie: You just said 'a woman's place in the Church'; what about elsewhere? Did the Church decide women were 2nd class elsewhere too?? You're just using your prejudices to heap blame on the Church for things it had nothing to do with. And that's not fair.

I remember you telling Batarhe (a cousin) at Rume's (another cousin) wedding about how I don't cook and you acted like it was a really big thing [Editor's note: This isn't what occurred.]. If you're such a Champion of equal rights for women, why do you see it as a big deal that I don't cook?

You should eschew such traditional roles if you're such a proponent of equality of the sexes.

Rotus: As Lawyers, you both shouldn't introduce red herrings or straw men to distract from the crux of a point you're trying to put forward. It's poor form.

That you cannot logically infer the sweeping presence/agenda of patriarchy in religion, as you've alluded to in other parts of society, and it's denigration of the position that it's the will of a "divine" source, then you're just in denial and being emotive which faults your case.

Let's swap patriarchy for tribalism since you clearly don't get it (which is laughable); If Urhobo (Southwestern Nigerian tribe) people ran the govt, ran the private sector, and then claimed that the "bible" said urhobo people are the dominant tribe in all religious institutional affairs, then whose agenda is being promoted; God, or the Urhobos?

Please, you're adults, the writing on the wall is too clear to even pretend to deny it. That's disingenuous.

Ovie: You like to skip peoples points. I think you're the one in denial. You just don't like the Church. You're never objective in your arguments when it comes to the Church. Why does sexism in Church mean so much to you? Why not sexism in other parts of society?

Rotus: You don't hear me saying "You like church" as if to highlight a bias to aid my argument. #FAIL I'm simply raising gaping holes in your argument which you cannot defend head on. If you tried that in court, you'd get your clock cleaned by the opposing counsel.

Ovie: All your arguments are duds if you ask me. You go no were with them.

Rotus: Using "other parts of society" is an incredibly **weak** excuse to justify sexism in church because the so-called "divine" source shouldn't have a biased mentality towards one sex. If you can't see that, then you've lost before you even attempt to formulate a point to defend yourself

Ovie: If the women were continuously put down in Church and not allowed to do anything then I would see your point. But as it is women are free serve God and work in the Church. So all your 'talk' is negated. One can use examples to buttress their points. You just like to run around them and make it seem like such examples are pointless. You have no case against the Church. You choose to see the Church from one view point and you've convinced yourself that no matter what other people say its irrelevant. Your views are right and no other persons opinions or arguments matter. Whatever rocks your boat

Rotus: Looks like you guys have given up. Didn't even have the courtesy to address my analogy with the Urhobo tribe. Typical. All I've heard is "Why don't you point fingers elsewhere?" as if "elsewhere" like the National Assembly, operates under guidance from a so-called "divine" source that is supposed to be above sexism. 

Again, if you can't see the failure of the equivalence you're trying to present between "God" and the corrupt, inept national assembly, then you're lost in the woods. The point is - and pay attention here - the doctrine of the church is supposed to be above the failings of society with regard to sexism, racism, xenophobia, etc. To make the argument that one should question other parts of society where such similar deplorable attitudes exist is to make the church subversive to patriarchy when it should be the other way around. 

I feel for you guys though. It's a really difficult proposition to accept a belief system that you've been raised to think is perfect, then be confronted with realities that glaringly contradict this false idea of perfection and then be stuck running around in circles trying to defend the indefensible. My condolences

Ovie: Christianity is perfect. Accept my condolences for not accepting christ. You're missing out. There is no sexism in the church. Say what you want but you've lost even before you started.

Rotus: Yes, Christianity is perfect, thanks.