1/26/23
Newsletter #231
The Crack of Dawn
In 1953 in an impressive display of self-determination, the Iranians overthrew the oppressive rule of the Shah and democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh as their prime minister. Because the U.S. had been doing business with the Shah (meaning, buying oil), in one of President Dwight Eisenhower’s first and worst decisions, he had the CIA overthrow Mohammad Mosaddegh, then had the Shah reinstated – for 28 more years oppressive rule. When the Shah finally died, the mullahs took over and it’s been an oppressive theocracy ever since. Well, so much for American foreign policy.
However, who should be touring the Middle-East and playing Iran’s capital, Teheran, in 1953 at the exact same time as the overthrow, or “coup d’etat” as they called it – Duke Ellington and his orchestra. So, when Duke returned to the U.S. the press descended upon him to get his eyewitness account of the action. Duke Ellington, the coolest man who ever lived, who was not about to get embroiled in international politics, gave what I believe was the perfect, jazzman’s response. With a big, shit-eating grin, Duke said, “Those cats were swingin’.”
Duke Ellington is one of my heroes. The civil rights movement in America was and is crucially important, but the big strides in social equality were always initiated by individuals from sports and entertainment. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Jim Crow laws of the south were at their most blatant and egregious. The south was completely apartheid and black people were lynched regularly. Federal legislation would not even begin to catch up until 1950s, nor start take effect until the 1960s.
What occurred, and is still occurring, is that individuals – whoever they are – prove that not only are they equals, but at least in their specific ability, they’re better.
The biggest sport in America in 1900 was boxing, which had only become a professional sport in the previous 15 years. Since it was their club, the first five champions were all, naturally, white men. But what’s brilliant to me, and undeniable, is that the arts and sports are purely democratic meritocracies. And boxing is the simplest, clearest example of meritocracy – two people get in the ring and one of them will prove to be stronger, smarter, faster, whatever. (As a complete sidenote: everybody now goes on and on about concussions in football, but they can’t mention boxing because a concussion is a knockout and that’s a homerun).
In 1895 boxing became a professional sport and the first champion was John L. Sullivan, the “Boston Strong Boy” (perfectly portrayed by Ward Bond in one of my favorite movies, Gentleman Jim [1942]). Sullivan was a big Irish brawler. Terrific. But the doors had been thrown wide open. If the game is purely based on merit – ability – and it’s about strength, brains and agility, you can bet your ass there is going to be a black guy in America who can do it better. Slaves were bred to be stronger.
His name was Jack Johnson, and he is another of my heroes (I have a poster of him on my wall). Jack Johnson was the Heavyweight Champion from 1908-1915. He could not be denied, and Lord knows they tried. And that’s the beginning of true equality. White guys set all the rules, then a black guy wins.
One of Ken Burns’ best, and shortest, documentaries is Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2005) that I cannot recommend highly enough.
The next step was in music. Right at that same time, 1910-1920, the record player was introduced, as were records. Now, in the most democratic way possible, people could vote with their money – what kind of records did they like? At first the novelty was enough; anything that was recorded was good. By the end of the decade, however, came the introduction of jazz music, and that turned into an all-out craze, both white and black.
Which brings me back to Duke Ellington, the coolest man who ever lived. He and his orchestra toured all the time for 30 years. He had pretty much the same guys in his band for 25 years. There’s a terrific, revealing, black and white documentary about Duke Ellington, made by Canadian Broadcasting in the 1960s. In the Cinema Vertie style of the time, they casually follow the Duke through his standard, concert day. I don’t remember, nor care to look it up, but Duke was playing that night in some big concert hall.
Duke began his day by waking up in a gigantic presidential suite of some big hotel at 3:00 PM. From the second he awakens he’s annoyed. This hotel staff knows that first thing for breakfast Mr. Ellington wants a full steak dinner with potatoes, vegetables, and everything, and above all, a coffeepot of boiling water. Now the poor man, already in his 60s, deep, sad pouches beneath his eyes, watches – while being filmed by the CBC – as they fuck up his whole order and cannot deliver hot water under any circumstances, let alone boiling water.
Sports, music, the arts. Anybody can do it. As Laurence Olivier said, “You think you’re an artist, prove it.”
Jack Johnson’s fights are some of the earliest examples of filmmaking, from 1908 to 1915, so I dig them for that. But on a boxing level, Jack Johnson was a small heavyweight – 6”1’, 200 lbs. – and was the first guy to come in the ring completely ripped, lithe, dexterous, and obviously smart. He honestly could’ve whipped Muhammed Ali’s ass, and everybody who led up to Ali, including Joe Louis. And they all knew it, too.
Ha’motzi lechem min ha-oritz. That’s the Hebrew prayer for wine. Or is that matzoh?