Between a Rock, a Hard Place and a Dystopia
Chat Shit, Get Banged
Mad Geniuses
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Mad Geniuses

How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn't pull the trigger?

I have only love for the mad ones. I wrote about it here in Let Us Eat Cake!

As Jack Kerouac said in ‘On the Road’,

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!"

And Virginia Woolf posed the question

How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn't pull the trigger?

Today is a different kind of show as it was a different kind of week. Media Diversified hosted the Trashies; the UK's premier award ceremony for Bad Journalism at Ruby Zoe Hotel in Notting Hill and what a night!

We had the quiet brilliance of poet and speculative fiction writer Lalah Simone-Springer followed by the wild and temptous stylings of griot Joshua Idehen. I got a lovely man called Oleg to record it so that's this week's show.

Joshua Idehen, Lalah-Simone Springer and Samantha AsumaduJoshua Idehen, Lalah-Simone Springer and Samantha Asumadu
Joshua Idehen, Lalah-Simone Springer and Samantha AsumaduJoshua Idehen, Lalah-Simone Springer and Samantha Asumadu
The Trashies 2024

But first I was prompted by something I said at the awards to do this little segment. When introducing Joshua, I called him a legend amongst other hyperbole, shout out to my Brother from another Mother.

I also called him mad. Mad in the best way. A mad genius. I have a thing about mad geniuses. I think they are all around us.

Britney Spears is a mad genius. Fela Kuti was a mad genius, Grace Jones is a mad genius, Kendrick Lamar is a mad genius, Sydney Sweeney is a mad genius, Little Simz is a mad genius, same with Enny and Billy Eilish.

Most jazz musicians are mad geniusus. Listen to this and this for examples

My mate Nate is a mad geniu. Both of us wrote musicals ss youngsters. Me a musical about climate change inspiredby Westside story. And I wrote a play when I was 22 because a friend and director had stoped directing and I wanted to inspire him to start again. Lowkeywrote ĥ Soundtrack to the Struggle at 25.

Rachmanov is a mad genius. Imagine writing prelude in C Sharp Minor at 16 years old and all the pain and beauty that is that song.

Francis Ford Coppala is a mad genius.

Orson Welles was a mad genius.

James Carlin was a mad genius.

The Day to Day was mad genius.

Freddie Mercury was a mad genius.

Aamer Rahman is a mad genius.

Whoopi Goldberg is a mad genius.

Rosie Perez is a mad genius

Toni Morrison was a mad genius.

Nicki Minaj and Beyonce are mad geniusus.

James Baldwin was a mad genius.

John Martyn was a mad genius.

Most synth musicians are mad geniusus. I've been collating a thread of videos of mad geniuses here for the past two years. A lot of poets and actors, rappers and writers including Bashy.

So I dedicate this show to the mad geniuses.

Purchase Lalah-Simone Springer - An Aviary of Common Birds

Purchase Joshua Idehen's Songbook : Collected Works

Hope you enjoy Episode 3 of Chat Shit Get Banged Season 1

Catch up with all the episodes here


P.S I know there is going to be some non-black women and /or middle class women who try to take my experiences and use them as their own. Trust me, I will hunt you down if you do and you will catch these hands

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