Interview with me

Maybe this "self-interview" will be more therapeutic than anything. As the reader, feel free to submit a question; and I'll add it to the blog!

CAREER
Blogger (B): So what DO you do?
Eddie (E): Media and entertainment. I'm the public relations director at a university, a part-time radio producer/personality, a speaker, speaking coach and stand-up comedian.

B: Out of all of that, what do you enjoy the most?
E: Without a doubt, speaking. Speaking has given me a foundation for everything I do now. I feel free when I'm in front of a group. And I also know that I'm making valuable connections with audiences when I speak, because they see the best I have to offer.

B: When did you start speaking and media, respectively.
E: I started media work at 18 years old as a production assistant at WWL-TV. I really sunk my teeth into public speaking in my teens. My love for it manifested itself at the age of 16 when I joined the St. Augustine High School speech & debate team. We were an outstanding, highly competitive group who won the "Individual Events" state championship in 1988.

B: What has been the highlight of your career?
E: Speaking for Monster's Making It Count Programs, a division of Monster Worldwide (Monster.com). I was surrounded by positive people, I spoke in 28 states and to more than a quarter of a million high school and college students. Most importantly the MIC programs are priceless when you talk about the information they provide to students and parents. I delivered those programs 1,249 times in 7 1/2 years.

B: Why did you leave? Sounds like you loved it.
E: At the time, having a then-4-year-old demanded that I spend more time at home. I had been traveling several times per month.

B: What do you like the most about being a comedian?
E: I love to make people laugh. My dad was the consumate host when we had company at the house, so it rubbed off on me.

EDUCATION
B: What college/university did you attend?
E: Loyola University New Orleans. Graduated "Thank ya, Lawday!" *LOL* I got my degree in broadcast productions in '95. I'm very proud of that, because LU easily has one of the best communications programs in the South. Many of our grads dot the national broadcasting map. In fact, one of our recent successes is a WWL-TV anchor named Lucy Bustamante. She recently had a guest spot on "Live! with Regis and Kelly".

B: High schools are a big deal in New Orleans. You mentioned your alma mater, St. Aug, by name? Why the big deal?
E: I have a theory that high schools are a big deal in N.O. because we're such a small community. The high school rivalries are huge in N.O., so the memories stick with folks forever. There's actually a joke that goes around the rest of the country that if you ask a New Orleanian where he/she graduated from, that person will mention his/her high school. We're the only ones who don't get the joke.

B: And where does St. Aug stack up?
E: *GRIN* Of course, I believe we're the best! Honestly, St. Aug is the best at what it does--educate young Black males. I say that with confidence. There's hardly another place in America where you have a high school specifically opened for young Black males during the Civil Rights era (1951), and has created the academic and leadership tradition than we have. We send at least 95% of our graduates to colleges all over America, and the others normally move on to good careers in the military.

And this needs to be said to those who attack us based on our "not being what we used to be". America isn't what it used to be. Parents aren't what they used to be, so kids aren't what they used to be. Nothing stays the same; but St. Aug is still a place where young Black males of many temperaments can go to school and feel it's OK to be who they are. We encourage them be disciplined and be the best nerd, athlete, musician or whatever they can be. St. Aug is STILL a place where the mind of the young Black male is developed. Just because we don't produce billions of dollars of scholarships every graduating class, doesn't mean that the Purple Knights are dead. So our critics can put that in their pipes and smoke the s*^% out of it. Next question.

WHAT EDDIE THINKS
B: Alrighty then. Let's talk about your opinions. You're known as a very opinionated person on the weekly Saturday morning talk show "Real Talk" on Q93 (WQUE-FM). And comedy certainly gives you an outlet to tell people how you really feel. Do you ever say things you regret?
E: I regret when I say things based on pure emotion, because pure emotion tends to overshadow rational thought. My problem is that New Orleans is a place where I think people are afraid to communicate, and face the realities of their feelings. I think a lot of us are deathly afraid of what other people will think of us, and I'm included in that group. So, when the words finally come out, the emotions pour out with them. That's what often makes situations nasty.

B: It almost sounds like New Orleans bothers you.
E: I can do without the pettiness of my fellow New Orleanians. There are people who refuse to work with you if you they think you're trying to take something from them. They don't need proof; they just need the feeling. Now you're talking about a relationship that never develops, because somebody felt something.

I tend to be hard on myself because I hate being the product of an environment where people's feelings dominate their thinking. The most productive communities get so much done because their leaders think. And they deal with each other based on what needs to get done, not what they feel about each other.

SUBMITTED QUESTIONS FROM READERS
B: How has working at a university compared with other places you have worked in your career?
E: A university is like a small city. What I really like is the energy that the students bring forth, especially surrounding sports. And college athletics are very cool. But I'll comment more if I ever work at another institution of higher learning. *LOL*

B: Which charity appeals to you most and why?
E: Don't know about a charity. I have a cause that I've become a little passionate about lately. I met a gentleman by the name of John Thompson. He's the executive director of an organization called Resurrection After Exoneration, and I've interviewed him about what happens to folks after they've served time. I realized that this is a huge problem, because it looks like people enter in droves and come out in droves. I really want to be a part of the solution in making sure that these folks make a smooth transition back into mainstream society. I intend to keep using the airwaves to deal with that issue.

B: What gives you the most satisfaction in love, work, and play?
E: Loving me for who I am, respecting my boundaries in the workplace and keeping the energy up during playtime so everybody has fun.

B: If you chould change anything (of those three) what would it be?
E: Play. I don't play enough. I don't know how to relax.

B: Before leaving this life, what one thing would you say would give you a sense of satisfaction or completeness?
E: A career that I navigated my way.

Morehouse takes a bold move in resetting a standard

On the October 24th "Real Talk" (Q93 radio New Orleans), I took in listeners' feedback on Morehouse College's new dress code with great interest. For the most part, it seems that the "Real Talk" listenership feels that Morehouse is very much in touch with the world in their adoption of this policy. But let's put this issue of Morehouse being a private college doing whatever they want aside. This, to me, is more about a community taking control of its standards at the expense of no one.

Sure, it seems that this policy on attire is a bit stifling to some. In fact, the part of the policy that seems to be getting a weird type of attention is the college's refusal to allow cross-dressing on campus. The most liberal of us view it as an attack on one's personality. I will unapolgetically say that cross-dressers, in particular, need to get over it. Find another institution if you, a male, feel that wearing high heels is more important than the institution's standards. And the same goes for saggers, outdoor do-rag wearers, indoor sunglasses wearers and everyone else in between.

Every society has its rules. The rules may be unfair to us, personally, not including crap such as Jim Crow (I think we understand that those laws were created specifically to marginalize an entire segment of society). I'm talking about rules that were set by organizations and communities to maintain standards so as to project a certain image to promote that institution.

Dr. Steve Perry made a great point in his CNN interview with Don Lemon. Perry pointed out that we have a bad habit of making our personal lives public in America. Although his point was geared more toward criticism of saggers' showing the world their undies, it is also important to point out that we simply have a habit of trying to impose our personal beliefs in situations that simply do not apply.

We now have public HBCU's phasing in dress codes inside classrooms and across campuses. Why? Is this much ado about nothing? Will my employer, Southern University at New Orleans, who is considering a student decorum policy, be fighting an uphill battle if they give professors the latitude to dismiss students who are sagging in class, for example? For a public institution, it may be a tricky call, but students should not miss the bottom line.

The bottom line is that employers and potential business partners are looking at students as they matriculate through college. While students are living it up and expressing their independence, potential employers and business partners are comparing those very students to other students across the land. There is absolutely no secret that the Black community is judged more harshly by mainstream society. So a Black student sagging and displaying his/her unmentionables with a drink at a party on Facebook should be aware that he/she is being compared to a student whose profile reflects a sense of professionalism. Sorry. That's life.

And let's be fair. These free spirits who dare to be different are neither unintelligent nor bad. As a person who chooses to live in the creative portion of his brain, I identify with the urge to buck the system. But emotional leadership can often lead to counterproductive results and, most annoyingly, wasted energy. What this boils down to is whether or not an individual is a match for the environment, and whether or not the relationship can produce benefits for both parties.

Obama's "harmful" education address

Who said that President Barack Obama's education address to the nation was harmful? Read this Facebook post from my buddy, Nina Weber, about a discussion her two children had.

"Peyton (11) became frustrated while trying to complete a complex equation containing many difficult variable factors for her gifted math class, so she shut her book and frowned. Loren (6) asked what was wrong; Peydi replied that she couldn’t do it. Loren immediately responded… “Obama said NOT to give up! Even when it’s hard, you have to keep trying… you can’t give up- Obama said that! I saw him on TV @ school."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, neo-cons.

My spiritual journey (not for the weak-minded to read)

I have been pretty apprehensive about writing this commentary. Spirituality, to me, is a very personal thing; yet I feel compelled to share this journey. Let me say, first, that my opinion is as blunt as it could be on this subject; but I am fully aware of the sensitivity of the subject. Still I will express myself, not in an effort to offend, but rather in an effort to try to lend some perspective of the importance of personal temperament. In other words, if you're one of these super-mega-feel-that-the-world-needs-to-know-that-you're-a-Christian people, you might want to skip this commentary.

I am a Christian. I was baptized into Catholicism, and attended Catholic schools all of my life. Dare I say, it's a big part of the reason that I drink so much and I'm so cynical about life. That's Catholic humor, by the way. The Catholics get it. What's important to me, on a serious note, is that I respect the teachings of Jesus Christ more than I respect dogma. My journey, however, is about understanding what guides me to make good decisions in life. Ironically, the best quote I've ever heard about steering clear of bad choices came from my high school theology teacher, Fr. Patrick McCarthy. He used to simply tell us, "Bad decisions lead to bad consequences."

In reorganizing my life for nearly a year and a half, I have asked myself over and over again, what I believe in. I immediately determined that I don't believe in quite a few of the people sitting in churches. Not that I disrespect or dislike them. I just know that not every person in there is following every law of their respective churches. I don't fault them as much as I question what their purposes are.

I have also determined that I have next to no tolerance for people I call "scary Christians". These are the folks who sport the attitude that if everyone doesn't share their respective philosophies, then everyone else is living their lives completely wrong. These are the folks who can't have a conversation without imposing a Bible verse on you. They're the ones who can't seem to figure out that not everyone in the world is a Christian because not everyone in the world is alike. They put themselves on moral pedestals, and attempt to impress folks around them with Bible verses. When Karl Marx wrote, "Religion is the opiate of the people" he had these types in mind.

Mind you, I don't believe that people are foolish for being religious. I certainly don't believe that we're foolish for believing in God. I believe that people are foolish for thinking that their beliefs are the only ones that matter.

The former NBA player John Lucas once said, "Religion is for those who are afraid of hell. Spirituality is for those who have been to hell and back." When I read that, I immediately understood it. What Lucas meant is that spiritual people understand that a higher power is what has kept them alive through the extremely rough times, whatever those times have been. Some call that higher power God, others call it Allah, Yahweh, Jah, Buddah, etc. That higher power, according to Lucas's quote (in my humble opinion) is an unexplainable salvation that saves us from our worst decisions. That quote touches me 'til this very day, and it has served as a compass for this journey of mine.

Call me silly, but I believe that one of the most spiritual movie series of our time is the "Star Wars" saga. What do you think "The Force" is? Think of the original film in which Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker, "(The Force) is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."

Yoda later goes on to advise Luke, during his training in The Empire Strikes Back, "A Jedi's strength flows from The Force. But beware of the Dark Side. Anger, fear, aggression---the Dark Side of The Force are they . . . A Jedi uses The Force for knowledge and defense, never to attack". All of this is said while Luke is training to become stronger in order to defeat The Empire. And the big scene in that sequence is where Luke attempts to get his X-Wing Fighter out of the swamp and gets frustrated. Yoda gets it out with ease, to which Luke says, "I don't believe it." Yoda responds, "That is why you failed." Faith. It's an area where I continue to struggle.

The series is all about a classic battle between good and evil, and good wins at the end. Hey, it may not be the most desired path to embracing that higher power, but it's getting me there.

I have begun to feel a spirit all around me, and I identify that spirit as God. I view God as being a guiding force who wants me to make decisions that serve the best interest of humanity. That belief is making my journey more worth while than ever.

Lead from the bottom, New Orleans

New Orleanians will have a chance to do something special in 2010. We have the opportunity to choose a leader who will continue to lead the rebuilding of one of the most significant cities in America. It is too early to tell which leader we will chose, so I think that it's best to figure out what kind of person would be an appropriate mayor.

The voter who will make the difference in this race will be the voter who leads from the bottom. To lead from the bottom means rallying folks for a common goal, but to do it without a title. It makes sense, of course, to focus on the guy or the woman with a title, but the people who really make the world go 'round are the ones without titles.

It is my hope that the everyday person reads this, and gets inspired to rally his/her circle of friends and family to vote intelligently. Honestly, I don't have a candidate of choice. What I have is a leader of choice. I want to see someone who is dynamic, grassroots, informed, hands-on (but not micromanaging), a servant, unattached to the New Orleans status quo, and simply has the balls of brass needed to be an effective mayor. Even a woman needs that last one, for the record.

Look, people, it's time to stop bullcrappin' around. Your cousin might be cool but he might also be incompetent. Your friend might be fun at parties but she's still be a crook. Your frat brother may be your frat brother but that doesn't mean he's right for a city . . . or even a fraternity (but that's for another blog on another web site). New Orleans is desperately in need of a team of objective, courageous thought leaders. The city is in need of folks who will lead without pride or prejudice.

This morning on Real Talk I got some interesting feedback from listeners. Of course, everyone wants the most ethical leader they can put in office. But what New Orleanians want, based on a tiny sampling of African-Americans roughly between the ages of 25 and 54, is a grassroots, Obama-type people person who will not lose the common touch. And it also seemed that voters want other voters to be more educated about their choices. The question is, will New Orleanians, as a whole, put in the necessary work to elect the most appropriate leader?

How Edwin Hampton helped brand St. Augustine High School

St. Augustine High School (New Orleans, La.) has a mystique. It is a mystique that has been represented largely by a marching band of young African-American males. That band not only represented their school but they also represented the African-American community and, eventually, the city of New Orleans. And it started with a hard-nosed, military man with an eye for field shows and an ear for a powerful sound.

I never had the fortune of playing for the St. Augustine "Marching 100" but I had the honor of watching my brother be part of a movement. At the tender age of 5, I went to my first St. Aug football game. At that game, the Marching 100 took the field with their classic "horseshoe" formation as the crowd let out the loudest cheer I had ever heard in my very young life.

At the time, the two drum majors would dramatically march to the middle of the field from either side to a military drum roll. After they met, they would count the band off, "ONE! ONE, TWO! ONE, TWO, THREE!" The cadence, beginning with the crisp sound of snare drums, would begin as an articulate young man would begin over the football stadium's public address system, "And now, introducing the St. Augustine Marching 100 . . ." flowing seamlessly into an description of the unit's style, drum majors and music selection for halftime. As the band marched into formation, the crowd once again cheered to a sea of purple and metallic gold uniforms, topped with gold helmets and tall purple plums. The mesmerizing motion of white band shoes moved together with the impressive 90-degree kneed bends that became the band's signature look. And then, they would count off and begin playing the latest soul tunes or Hamp's favorite John Philip Sousa marches.

I remember this particular show featuring Earth, Wind and Fire's "Getaway" and The Meters' "The All Asked for You". It was 1975 so EWF was beyond hot. What I will never forget are two major things. The horns mastered an intricate breakdown in the song in "Getaway", and the band had the cleanest, stateliest look to match their wonderful field patterns. At 5 years old, I witnessed approximately 100 young Black males put on a show accented by a solid sound, discipline and style. That was my introduction to St. Aug.

Edwin Hampton, who led the school's band program for 50 years, left a legacy that can only be described with the words "Purple Pride". He was hard on the young men when they practiced and they received immeasurable praise from the public as a result. Because of the work that the late Hamp put into his field shows and parade appearances, the band gave the public the impression that St. Aug is a school of some of New Orleans' most talented, disciplined and well-rounded young men. For the record, they have been right for years about that assumption. My brother, Emile J. Francis, told one of the assistant band directors that Marine Corps boot camp almost seemed easy because of the discipline he received at St. Aug by way of the band.

Over the years, the quality of the band has come into question. In my opinion, St. Aug has fallen victim to generations of young men who have listened too much to their rivals. Let's just call it what it is. As other schools' marching bands became more competitive, flashier and louder, many young men (at St. Aug) allowed the pressure of competition to compromise the discipline that had become synonymous with the St. Augustine Marching 100. Not only that. As the generations of parents changed, so did the parental support that Hamp received as a disciplinarian.

You see, Hamp knew one thing. If he wanted to have a truly disciplined, quality band he needed to be hard on the musicians. We're talking about 100, and eventually well over 100, teenage boys. Teenage boys are nasty little freaks who will get away with as much as you let them get away with. Any parent of a teenage boy would agree, I'm sure. And to get a group of them to reach a level of excellence, they had to learn to do three things---sit down, shut up and listen. That's what Hamp taught his boys to do, and that is why St. Aug became what it is today.

There's a wonderful story about the Marching 100 uniform. It is an iconic uniform that rivals even almost every single college band uniform. Lawrence Winchester, who passed in the fall of 2008 and had served as an assistant band director, designed it. The story goes that he drew the uniform on a napkin and said, "This is it. This is what a Purple Knight should look like." And there you have it.

What really speaks of Hamp's legacy, however, is how crowds still react to St. Aug during the Mardi Gras season. As the band approaches and crowds hear the classic blare of the brass, word travels throughout the crowd, "That's St. Aug!" Girls scream, kids run to the sound and out-of-towners exclaim, "These guys are great! Are they a college?" And we Purple Knights proudly stand back, listen and say, "No, that's St. Aug." Do you have any idea what it does for a young Black male to hear so many praise something that he is a part of? Edwin Hampton was a big part of that. So prominent is Hamp's legacy that the first question every St. Aug graduate gets is, "Were you in the band?"

The irony is that the very thing for which Hamp had come under fire for in recent years is what the world is now begging for. So many mamas didn't want Hamp touching their "babies" but now society is begging for young Black males to once again receive hard-nosed, physical discipline from the village. So many want the classic St. Augustine Marching 100 from their golden years of the 70's and 80's, but not the road traveled to reach that excellence. I'm sorry, people, if you want million-dollar results you have to put in more than 50 cents worth of work.

I refuse to simply sit back and remember Hamp's legacy. I issue a challenge to those whose sons attend St. Aug, those who want their sons at St. Aug and those who admire St. Aug to rebuild that support system that cultivated a band that represented excellence. I challenge folks to reach a point of excellence in their lives, and tell me that hard lessons learned were not a significant part of their success journeys. If you think that Edwin Hampton's journey to create the St. Aug Marching 100 legacy, and represent the school itself was easy, you simply don't understand greatness.

I'm In Love (1988 BOTB)

Michael was the "greatest of all time" . . . so?

I know I've ruffled a few feathers already with that title. Just wanted your attention.

Ever since Michael Jackson's untimely passing, I've gotten quite a few long-faced "Don't mess with Michael" comments. I dare not stomp on the man's grave. Karma is a mutha. But acting as if it's the end of talent, as we know it? C'mon, man.

I really find it disturbing on the level of pure entertainment. How about this? How about we celebrate his music while cheering on the next big star, whoever that may be? I take comfort in knowing that a little encouragement could influence the next generation of entertainers in a special way. 'Cause Pretty Ricky ain't gonna get it.

What are we doing in this inspiration-starved society to encourage the next one who will be the "greatest of all time"? Are we telling him that he will never measure up or are we telling her that now is her time to rise and shine? As a native of New Orleans, I have access to people with limitless talent. The first person who comes to mind is Kurt Brunus. Here is a guy who can play the piano and trumpet at the same time, yet he has to go all the way to Brazil to get properly "jocked" (as we used to say in the '80's).

And, New Orleanians, please spare me the "I know that fool so I shouldn't have to pay to see him perform" speech. If you wanted support on your journey towards success, you would want folks to hold you up and not tear you down with the ol' "familiarity breeds contempt" attitude.

Part of our problem, as music consumers, is that we have made the grievous error of trivializing the value of music education. There are thousands of music teachers ripping their hairs out because society is constantly telling them that it's useless to teach the works of Bach, Mozart, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Debussy, James Brown, Kidd Jordan (non-New Orleanians need to get hip to this man) and others. Debussy, in fact, influenced many a jazz musician. The Beatles' sound was influenced by Baroque music. Earth, Wind & Fire's sound was heavily influenced by Maurice White's innovative use of the Kalimba. This foundational knowledge has proven to be the difference in many a superstar's career, truth be known.

This is why the innovation of Go-Go music and New Orleans' Brass Band music wows me. Here we have two musical styles which are indigenous to their respective urban areas. The creators of these forms of music may not be the greatest but they all reached deep down inside to pull out sounds that are hard to duplicate and easy to enjoy.

So I ask you. When that kid is singing his heart out . . . when that young lady is dancing until her feet can't take it . . . when that group insists on perfecting the unified, harmonic sound of the Jurassic 5, how are you responding? Are you trashing them for not conforming to Pop Culture, are you telling them "You ain't no Michael Jackson", or are you encouraging them set their minds free so your a$$ can follow?