Dave,

The Betty Davis // Angela Davis comparison is stupendously ridiculous. Flashy conduit maybe, uber-smart trend amalgamating Pez-dispenser sure. But relevant counter-culture figure on the scale of a prominent civil rights activist or even Betty's level of gritty/psychadelic/funk-bombery, MIA is certainly not. Reached a bit too far there bud.

Maybe you were just hoping to catch MIA's media-combing eye, as she scans outwardly to the horizon to see if she is in fact "over," as opposed to looking within for inspiration to move her forward, past this dreadful album. Obviously Mercury, et al. were snubbed for an actual interview. Though that is probably due more to an over-zealous publicist reigning a clearly not-so-saavy former media darling in, than the fact that The Mercury's underground/ear-on-the-tracks/harbinger of what is cool-ery/street-cred often isnt worth the paper its printed on.

"if you vow to pull up the people, you can't eat truffle-flavored fries, apparently." <<--- This snarky, in parentheses, flailingy-weak attempt at subversiveness, perfectly encapsulates how far removed most Portlanders, and sadly the cultural mavens who cover the arts "for" this community, are from what it means to be conscious of progressive social movements, to be in true solidarity with disaffected and disempowered minority groups, or, in short, to actually care about the people suffering in the world. Something Angela could teach you something about, if you had more than a passing awareness of her or her work.

Instead, we get another posturing of oneself with actual movements for justice, actual sparks of humanity that come from the heart of people committed to changing this world, in the vain hopes of gaining points for association. MIA and Mercury are perfect for each other, now that I think about it. Skimming the surfaces of the cultural landscape for snippets of truth in order to sample a break, or quote, or icon in order to gain some semblance of authenticity; while, consciously or not, just moving more product, acquiring more capital, further following the spinning currents of depravity down the drain of conformity. We are different/creative/unique by acting the same, just slightly, ever so slightly, askew than the mainstream! This is hipsterdom at its core: safe revolt + comfortable irony + informed indifference = "being cool," without ever having to leave your sad, little bubble.

True revolutionaries, those truly "cool," dont have to be told that posturing yourself as a person of the people while eating truffled fried potatoes in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel bar as you are interviewed by a cultural editor from The Times might come across to some as less than "authentic." Some might actually see through the PLO-name dropping when you clearly spend more time caring about the theme of your pending photo shoot than....I dont know, actually going to the West Bank; maybe even going through the Ramallah checkpoint into East Jerusalem, herded through cages like cattle, while guns are aimed at you from the towers looming above.

Thankfully people like Maya have people like Dave to help them maintain their pedestal. Otherwise, how would this whole system predicated on a fabricated social and cultural hierarchy stay afloat? Governmental control? Corporate dominance? Pop icons? All only exist because we believe in their power over our lives, because we allow them to exist.

Guess what? That emperor being paraded down the street? He has no clothes on. Maybe its time to stop pretending that we see what is not actually there and doing so just for the sake of our own amusement. Maybe its time to go back outside and live a little bit. It is a beautiful day, after all.

Sincerely,
Johnny Thundercorn

Hirschberg reminds me of the funniest kind of yellow journalism.
If you have to fabricate stories to sleight someone, then you know you go nothing.

Why mess with the most important artist alive when you have the wit of a fry?

Wow, that was quite the essay Mr. Thundercorn. You are so smart.

Sounds like she's been found out! Let's see what's best for MIA's career, sleeping with Diplo? Check...Having a child with an heir to billions? Check...Picking up and moving to a classy California neighborhood? Check...Sounds like she can say whatever she wants to say in her music...it's not indictative of her life (anymore). She's fake & is only after the fame!!