[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Hiya Vince, > > Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't our pal Em get thrown in jail for beating > up the guy who looked at his wife? And didn't he also make news just shortly > before he made it big, for saying crappy things about gays?
Marshall Mathers was convicted on an assault charge against a guy named Guerra who was involved with Marshall Mather's wife, and was, in MM's opinion, making out with her in public. He is on probation. The conviction was handled in Oakland County, no friend of controversial rappers, and the lack of jail time was considered by defense attorneys who handled the case to be because it really was a minor case, and only brought about because of MM's star status. The probation officer and the court felt that it was a one time thing and that MM was not a violent person nor a threat to anyone. He also has another probation, both cases same time, for I believe a misdemeanor (if I remember right). He has never been incarcerated. Funny you ask, since I have the court records in my office but I am at home now, one of the benefits of working in the legal field in Michigan. In the custody issue in his divorce from Kim Mathers, MM was awarded custody of his daughter. That was a very interesting insight into who he is, because the courts don't usually favor the fathers, especially controversial rapper fathers who are violent. By all accounts, including an intensive Friend of the Court investigation, Marshall Mathers is an outstanding father devoted to his daughter. Interestingly, the other Detroit white rapper, Kid Rock, also has the reputation of being a great father, and also has custody of his child. Would I prefer my musical heroes to have no criminal convictions? Of course. But if I insisted on that, that would eliminate an awful lot of musicians out there. Knowing how the Oakland courts treated his conviction, as well as the custody decision, gives me a lot of context to place these things. If there were any real issues here, Oakland would have hammered him with jail, not probation, and he would not have his daughter. He got in trouble because he had a fight with a guy in a bar parking lot over his wife. Not my preferred behavior, but again, if I eliminated every guy who has ever gotten into a fight with a another guy over a woman... So that is why I think this was a minor thing and he was only charged because Marshall Mathers is Eminem, not because it was any great act of violence. As far as the anti-gay remarks, that is matter of interpretation. Some feel that his lyrics have been homophobic. I thought so once. I do not anymore. When list member Michael Yarbrough challenged us all on that, I checked it out more deeply. Michael and I have discussed this a bit off list. There are wordplays that Eminem does on everything and everyone. There is context. And simply put, I don't think he is homophobic at all. I did a lot of research on the issue, and it was a major reversal of position on my part. In some old, old threads from long ago you will find me saying the opposite. Then I researched it because of Michael's challenge. Even in the most controversial of his lyrics, he raised the question of why two men cannot marry and and did not approve of them not being allowed to. And in the context of everything that he has said, I am very comfortable with Eminem's lyrics on gays. And I think the Elton John/Eminem joint appearance on the Grammies was a statement by both men on this being a non issue. Terry, I am usually very sensitive to even the hint of gay bigotry, and I don't find it in Eminem. The fact the the movie does in a sense go way of its way to denounce homophobia is a statement in itself, not just something in the script in one scene. The movie later makes a second point of the friendship that the character Jimmy Rabbit Smith has with his gay co worker, very positive, and the movie ends with his character returning to be with his gay coworker, and not be with his other friends who want to score with women. Make of that what one will. I probably should get hired as one of his publicists. I think about these things having a 7 year old grandson who is an Eminem fan, and he didn't hear his music from me originally Gage is a kid who lives in his world and the music is everywhere. I have no worries, in part, because we talk about it and what all the music means. I was really impressed with the major spread that the Detroit Free Press gave the movie yesterday. The Kalamazoo Gazette overdid itself in praise of the movie. The movie has the feel of real Detroit (and I did live there for 1.5 years). Many of the locations are near to where Joni first played in Detroit, in the new city area, around Wayne State. In some ways that is the same territory - struggling young artists striving to improve their art. Terry, always good to see you post! Pleas be more present with us! And Brian, this was in part for you in response to your off list post, to answer what you said more fully. I am not trying to bore anyone. I present my case with as much fervor with people who do not get what Joni is all about, and her greatness, too. Of course Joni is great after a lifetime of work still ongoing. Em is half of age and still in the first part of a journey that I think will be equally noteworthy, and has already had some major accomplishments. Vince
