End of the Year Awards, 2005

Greetings, Friends!

As you know, much has passed since our last post. Contrary to the predictions of some pundits, 2005 was actually quite eventful. Alas, given the long inactive stretches for Blue Skies Forever (5/24 – 7/07, 7/13 - 12/31), it might also be consider underblogged. Thus we return, in the spirit of tokenism, and give you our End of the Year Awards:


Where Are They Now? Tabron

As was the case last year, our inquiry is sincere. (We’d still love to hear anything on the whereabouts or doings of the resourceful Perley King.) Web searches don't confirm even the one-time existence of 1980s hip-hop duo Tabron, who helped pave the way for the modern era's great, two rapper duos, such as Black Star and Outkast. Tabron might be best known for their video tribute to a certain former NBA player. Blue Skies Forever is currently in negotiations to post the video online. Stay tuned!


You couldn’t have done it without Tabron.


Best New Artist (new to ourself, at least): Blue Scholars

We were introduced to this Seattle-based hip-hop duo by Science Man, who seems to have rediscovered his radical roots. The Blue Scholars combine superb sampling with intelligent and angry politics, as well as many shouts out to the 206, most notably their tribute to the glory days of "the Ave." You can listen to some of their songs here and here.


Best Urban Life Anecdote

This one is taken directly from the Last Days section of Seattle's The Stranger:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 In much lighter news: Today brought a world-class Hot Tip from gifted Hot Tipper Ismael, eyewitness to an extraordinarily rich collision of humanity on that celebrated petri dish of human freakishness, Seattle Metro. But as Ismael makes clear, Metro-based lunacy isn't limited to riders, but occasionally strikes drivers as well, with driver-related psychosis typically taking the form of fierce bureaucratic hostility dished out by hair-trigger taskmasters ready to pounce on every perceived slight to their necessary but arbitrary superiority. Case in point: Today's driver of a midday #43 heading from downtown up Capitol Hill, a 40-something man whose slow-burning spite flared to life with a dose of itchy racial tension. "At Sixth and Pike, the bus stopped to let on a gentleman in a wheelchair," writes Ismael. "To prepare for the boarding, the bus driver 'asked' an older lady to move from her seat in the handicap area up front. (I punctuate 'asked,' because all I heard him say was, 'Move.') The older lady, who was African-American, said, 'I'm moving!' and the driver—who was also African-American—said it again, 'Move!' As the older lady obeyed, she asked, 'Why didn't you pick that side?' indicating the handicap seat opposite her own, occupied by a Caucasian woman. 'I'll pick whatever side I want,' the driver said, 'Now move.' 'You don't wanna disturb the white lady,' the older lady said, reportedly sending the driver into a tizzy: 'That's it. Either you get off, or this bus ain't moving.' The older lady replied, 'I ain't gettin' off the bus.' You can guess the rest," writes Ismael. "A trickle of exiting passengers soon became a mass exodus as everybody got off that damned bus—including the driver, who made a show of disconnecting the bus poles from their electric cables. One relocated on a #14 bus, I looked into the near-empty #43 and saw the guy in a wheelchair, who looked despondent. All he wanted was to get up the hill, for Christ's sake. Bonus irony points: The older lady was sitting in one of those seats recently designated In Honor of Rosa Parks."



That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for occasional news of Science Man, Pinto, MeShow, Jeffrey, Hot Atmosphere, ourself, and the rest of the Blue Skies Forever gang. Happy New Year!