CommentaryMarshall Mathers, a man I want to write about
Just watched Eminem’s performance from last night’s Video Music Awards three four five times. It’s playing through a fourth fifth sixth time now as I type this.
It’s controversial—at best—for me, as a Christian, to like him. But I love Eminem. Well, maybe “love” isn’t the right word. I’m drawn to him. I want to know his story.
I want to know Marshall Mathers. I believe that there’s something beautiful beneath the black surface people have painted over him.
This probably makes me sound like some weird stalker. But I see the impact of celebrities in American culture, and for many of them in the world as a whole. I also know that there’s nothing more powerful than redemption, because redemption shows us how much potential we, humanity, really have. How capable we are of doing good. How possible it is for us to be restored.
I believe that in Marshall Mathers’ story, I’d find some of that redemption. Maybe one day, when I’m a more established author and journalist, I’ll get to find out for real.
I have my moments where mankind frustrates me to no end. The oil spill. Pretty much anytime a politician opens his mouth. Terry Jones, the disillusioned pastor from Florida and the media that made a misguided man an international terror.
But we’re not a hopeless people.
Thanks to Jeff Pearlman for posting this on his blog, because I probably wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. Perfect headline for the post, too: “The King Still Lives.”
Reader Comments (8)
I had heard that he went to rehab and the new album is the result...probably the best album I've ever heard from him-and I'm not a complete fan. He's a great artist and rapper. I've never heard a complete album though, so I could be completely wrong about the newest being the best. It's just thatI think it has really made a difference in how people look at certain issues. Of course, he kinda always had a way of doing that. There's just something about this new album, I guess. Rehab was a great thing all around!
B,
Celebrities in general are NOT interesting, imo. They're very much a product, so they're created and packaged a certain way by a Corporation (Film Industry, TV Industry, Music Industry, Print Industry, etc.). The product very often is born/manufactured, manipulated, and trained not to stray from Corporate philosophy. I've been listening to MM since "Slim Shady" came out, what? 1999-ish or so. I do agree he's a talented rapper, but beyond that, nothing really should matter to anyone. His "backstory" (family life/relationships w/his mother and Kim, his on-again-off again wife) is most likely manufactured to elicit responses from his audience, aimed at buying the product (the at-all-costs goal).
I would wish and hope that a young wanna-be journalist like yourself move away from covering celebrities and their "hard-luck" back stories, and actually cover events or story leads that can help us get along or get through these awful times, or un-cover injustices...anything but celebrities. Celebrities don't really have any sort of value in the grand scheme of things; they entertain, they let us escape. Which is fine, but that's it. Any celeb who's pushing some sort of virtuous agenda cannot be taken seriously.
The real people making differences are out in the trenches; and we don't usually hear about them. Unless people like you decide to seek them out and bring them to all of us. This is what I hope young journalists strive for nowadays. "Journalism" as I knew it, and as I worked within it, has been dead for almost 20 years. In fact, were Murrow to be alive he'd say it died sometime in the late 50s.
Lx
On the whole I hate Eminem (and most rap music). It seems to me, just a uninteresting music form. But I see your point on redemption. Redemption is always and interesting story, and I'd be interested in any take you might have on Marshall Mathers
I agree with you about 99 percent, (S)wine. That's why I've been sending out book proposals, and getting rejected pretty soundly so far, about other people that nobody hears about. That's why I've written this first book I have. It's about a guy nobody really knows, and a great story nobody would ever hear otherwise. That's what I'm really all about.
People want books about people they know, so publishers want books about those people. They want name brands, because they know they will sell. That's a little frustrating.
My ultimate goal is to tell the stories of people nobody knows about. Seriously. That is my dream, my endstate, my "I've arrived" moment: getting book deals to tell stories about people that nobody knows.
Maybe Eminem is like all the other celebrities. Maybe if I do get to writing about him one day, I'll find that out. And if that's the case, then that's OK. Because I know there are plenty of people in the trenches waiting to have their story told, and I'll go find them.
But what if he actually does have a "real" story, like the people in the trenches? What impact could that have?
Thanks for the comment, man. It was encouraging, for real. That really is my dream: tell the stories of people who'd never otherwise be recognized. It's tough developing a platform that lets me do that, but one day....
Hey Paul, thanks for the note. Like I just said RE: (S)wine, there might not actually be any of that redemption to Eminem's story. But something in me feels like there is. One day, hopefully I'll know.
Thanks again for stopping by, dude. Hope you're doing well.
Hey, Shelley, thanks for the comment! Heard something like that too. And I'm pretty sure he mentions it fleetingly in "Not Afraid."
Yea, I like that...the b-ball player's story; the one guy most people hadn't heard about. As far as publishing..."traditional publishing" is on its way out. You'll have to reconcile yourself to the idea of indie publishing, then working your butt off to market it and sell it. Which isn't a bad thing: it's YOUR baby, so it should be published and marketed the way you want it, not some big wig sitting in his office looking to pad his investment portfolio with your blood and sweat. I'm so excited about technology and where we're headed. Art has no boundaries now, literally. I love what technology has done to the music industry and the big labels. Basically artists now are saying: screw you Sony, I'm doing it my way. Great, dynamic stuff has come out of all this. Publishing is the next big institution to fall, you'll see.
Yeah man, it's exciting. You do know that I'm actually self-publishing that book about the basketball player, right? We formed our own publishing company to do it, and went about it based off research I did -- Internet, conversations with authors much more successful than me, etc. -- and the end product turned out beautifully.