*SCENE 1: And Sometimes...Why?
In truth, it should go without saying that I am an artist who can actually back up what I claim to be. An actor/rapper/singer/director/writer/photographer. But in the thick of the things I see, daily, I don't dwell on the fact that I AM who I say I am...
"Denny Green"
...because, what I am, as an artist, is so miniscule in comparison to the home invasions, senseless murders, homelessness, hunger and hatred I see daily...on any given news channel. They riot in Egypt...which mirrors riots in Pakistan at any given time. They Tuskeegee the medicine in Africa with the HIV virus as if on sum, new age cleansing of Jews..........except, these are Africans. What I see is reality. Not a screenplay I wrote. Not a song I'm rapping. Not a character I'm playing. Sure......the things I'm doing as an artist, will ultimate cement my legacy...........not only as an artist, but as a father for my children. But ultimately..........the shit happening in the world TODAY...is carving the shape of the world my adult children will live in, tomorrow. When tomorrow comes.
The climate has shifted. It has shifted so much, 49 states had snow in January, leaving Florida as the lone state without snow. Ironic.......................Florida was the state that.......................LOL...............in 2000, I went to bed on election night with Al Gore being my new president, only to wake up the next day - to the start of 8 years of George W. Bush being my president.........thanks to Florida. Nimrod Fuckery at itz FINEST! And so....................here we stand. A nation, under God.........trying to keep the dividing lines INVISIBLE, with Liberty and Justice for all. A nation...who is subliminally divided by the fact that an African-American is the President. NO...................we don't always say it out loud.....in the open. But I'd bet you my right nut......we say it in our homes. And this is the world my children face when they become adults. The climate has shifted............hello Atlanta! Hello Dallas...........time to invest in sum snow plows and salt deposits.............you now get snow and ice just like we do in the midwest...
"Wake UP!"
So all thas around me...and all that I am, got me to thinking. Like..........what separates me from you? What makes me different from the person standing next to me. What separates me from the Denzels & Samuel L's.......the Kanyes & Mos Defs.............the Spike Lees & Martin Scorseses.....? Is it timing? Is it where I live? Is it luck? It most definitely ain't drive.....or passion......or skill. What separates ME.........from YOU? What makes me believe in God where an atheist doesn't? What makes me treasure every single second I'm around my children, when the next man doesn't give a fuck about his kids? What makes me love...........when the person sitting to my right, hates...........while the person to my left, hurts?
Simply put..............What makes us who we are...and what makes us do the things we do?
"A-E-I-O-U.................................and sometimes Y."
*SCENE 2: Gravity
You have a dream, you have a passion.........yet, the world is oblivious. You were given your gifts loooooooooooooooong before you ever arrived in your mama's womb...
"Man you was who you was 'fore you got here" -Shawn Carter
...but, everything happens in due time.
I knew who and what I was........long before now. I knew who I was as a child. If you asked Reverend Brown Jenkins.....he'd tell you I was gonna be either a baseball or basketball player. I was molded as such. If you asked Teresa Harlan, I was gonna be a doctor......or - a writer. At age 12, at a private school called Park Tudor, I stepped on stage for the 1st time.........as an extra in a 7th & 8th grade production of Peter Pan. I don't remember the specifics....................I just know, somebody Higher than me, turned on a light, much brighter than the stage lights.............and I took my 1st breath. Nobody but I, could have predicted that I'd be standing where I am right now. My uncle had the unfortunate pleasure of playing for the Los Angeles Clippers back then...........LOL, but it also was a blessing that he did, because I took my 1st trip to L.A. at age 14. I remember standing inside Universal Studios when I made the decision to ditch sports and become a professional actor. At the time.......I wanted to do it to get my mama outta working in a factory...............lol: and to meet Alyssa Milano. Okay....that last reason was misguided, but........the decision was made. It was etched in stone.
I didn't realize how much WORK (mentally and physically) acting could be, until I got to college and truly studied it as an art. Years later.............if you are one of the people who HAVE seen me work as an actor, it may appear to be effortless. And.....in some ways, it is. But only because, one - I have a God given gift that allows me to totally dissolve into whatever character I'm presenting...............and two - because that God given talent gift has been thoroughly trained and cultivated. The mistake would be, to ever think I don't WORK at it. Like......I'm gigless right now......but I go over monologues for auditions EVERY DAY! Same for my music.................I literally rehearse my rhymes every day. Same for my writing. Every day! I SLEEP with my pen and notebook! The point is...........up top, I asked What separates us as individuals? What separates the good ones from the greats? To me.........the good ones get to a point where they are comfortable with their success. But the greats...........well, we can call it paranoia....because the GREATS, never rest. They never get comfortable with their success...no matter how "famous" they may be. They NEVER stop working at making themselves...
"Better!"
Jordan, Ali, Kobe Bryant, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Michael Jackson, Brando, Pacino, Scorsese, Spielberg, James Cameron, Spike Lee, Don Cheadle, Will Smith, Derrick Jeter, Joe Montana, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, etc.............what separates these individuals from others is.....they NEVER stop working to become BETTER than the last time you saw them. A will to succeed and paranoia.
Mama........I'm paranoid. And I'll deliver that Best Actor Oscar before I turn 50....like I told you I would at Universal Studios when I was 14.
Copyright © 2011 by Monty Jey.
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