Afternoon Aural: Nina Simone
Nina Simone may have died back in 2003, but her spirit lives on, especially during Pride Week, when we all remember the revolutionary spirit that gave us gay life. Simone used her immense talent to combat America’s – and the world’s – civil rights abuses of the 20th century. As we march further into the 21st century, let’s all use Simone as an inspiration, shall we?
Above you’ll see Simone seeing “Ain’t Got No – I Got No Life” performed life in Harlem in 1969, the same year as The Stonewall Rebellion. After the jump, check out “Young, Gifted and Black” from the same show, as well as another Simone classic, “Mississippi Goddamn”.
it’s amazing what the artists of the 1960′s did. and how have we reacted to the crisis of the bush administration?
I don’t think I’d use Ms. Simone for inspiration. She was wildly homophobic & I think if more young gays knew about it, they wouldn’t place her in such high regard. The great blues vocalist Gaye Adegbalola (of Saffire) recounts an ugly story on her website, if you care to go searching. I’ll say it again — support the legacies of the divas who were cool about us: Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan. I threw away all my Nina discs after I met a young woman who worked for her in France, and told me how hateful she was.
If I threw away all my books and cd’s because an artist was hateful my room would be bare. I listen to Simone because she has a beautiful voice, not to get any political points.
I love Nina Simone more than anything. What a petty and shallow reason to throw away such great music.