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Books by
Marvin X
Love and War: Poems /
In the Crazy House Called America /
Woman: Man's Best Friend /
Beyond Religion Toward Spirituality
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In the Crazy House Called America
Essays By Marvin X
Introduction
By Suzzette Celeste Johnson
"He
walked through the muck and mire of hell
and came out clean as white fish and
black as coal" The reader may feel anger, congruence and/or enlightenment as you read
these essays. You may feel personally attacked, insulted or even
"feel sorry" for the brother based on his ranting and ravings
on AIDS, sex, love, freedom, revolution, addiction, power, politics,
imperialism, religion and God,
poverty and education. In his essay - "63% of Black 4th
Graders Can't Read," Marvin illuminates "This is not news to
me, especially as a former teacher and as a writer--I saw middle and
high school students with third grade readers. As an author,
I am permanently depressed by the fact that a large majority of the
people I want to read my books cannot." No matter your
personal views, you will agree Marvin is the Master writer and story
teller. He weaves us through his experiences and observations of
life with delicacy, intelligence and complexity. Through his own
spiritual, personal and
political expansion we are allowed to visit the sanctuary of
"Marvin's World" as he so arrogantly defends and defines his
divine and inalienable right to his views and perspectives.
As he will so fondly tell you, "You either love me or hate
me-probably both." I have chosen to love him. My brother is
articulate and utilizes his passion and God-given skill of the
"written" word as a "double-edged" sword. Despite
his arrogant, crude, rude, impatient and sometimes primitive
person--we have a brother that despite his failings, errors, "sins
if you will", mistakes, pain and suffering, knows that he is a
perfect personification and manifestation of creation and our brother
has come home.
I am an avid reader, a spiritual practitioner, revolutionary change
agent, social worker, public administrator, speaker, former dancer,
addiction specialist, adult child of an alcoholic, mother,
daughter, sister, teen of the 60's, lover, friend and African American
female born in this country--.I
know a good book, an excellent writer and awesome storyteller when I see
and hear one! In The Crazy House Called America is some
good stuff! The stories are heartfelt, theoretical, and insightful,
passionate and private, with psycho-social, political recommendations
and commentary on what Black folks need to do to get reparations, our
"40 Acres and A Mule".
The essay "Let There Be
Peace in the 'Hood" indicates the author's willingness to unify:
"It's time to reach out and embrace all the true troopers and true
believers in the righteousness of our struggle for freedom.
Do you think it matters to our enemies whether we are in the NOI (Nation
of Islam) or Sunni or Shi'ite or Sufi or Christian, Communist, Pan
African, New Afrikan, old African, progressive, conservative? Can any
nigguh, rich or poor, get a taxi to Harlem from downtown late night?
It's a new era, a new day. " "Hunger in
America" reconciles the author with humility: "There was a
point in my life when I looked down on the poor. I had heard about
skid row, but didn't know what it was until I found myself on San
Francisco's Sixth Street, living in a room sometimes, sometimes sleeping
in the alley--But it was a great lesson for me, making me forever
humble, thankful and grateful God delivered me from the bottomless pit.
And yes, I want to be like Rev. Cecil Williams. I want
to walk in his shoes. I want to show agape love to all that I
meet."
The brother is courageous, bold and exercises his right to free speech. Marvin
dedicates this book to his youngest son Darrel (Abdul Ibn El Muhajir).
Darrel committed suicide on March 18th of this year. Marvin is
hurt and simultaneously clear and confused, helpless and serene as he is
profoundly
affected by Darrel's transition, in which this father had no power.
In the essay "Manic Oppression and the Suicide of My Son" the
author elucidates: "My own mental state is in chaos and I am making
every attempt to deny that it happened in order to resist rather than
accept the painful reality so many of my friends have had to endure: the
self destruction by suicide and/or homicide of our children--finally, I
want the world to know that my son, in his days of sanity, was like my
brother and friend. There was nothing we did not discuss,
nothing we did not do as men. I pray that all fathers have the
type of relationship I enjoyed with my son. May his soul rest in
peace."
Marvin, a former wife beater, crack-head, alcoholic, cigarette smoker,
sex addict, university and college professor is ever humbled by his
son's death. He cried, was angry, tender and gentle,
organizing every aspect of his being to understand the pain his son felt
and the guilt Marvin felt as an
unavailable father--pre-occupied with "making" revolution,
writing, crack and pussy.
I honor Marvin. He perseveres, despite himself. Marvin
strives for order, understanding, emotion and love as he continues this
complex journey called LIFE. He is clear that it is not his life--¦however,
rather God's life in which he breathes and has his being. This
time around, with wisdom, humility, tremendous breadth and more depth--he
better comprehends his spiritual self in the necessary details of his
surroundings.
The readers will also chuckle and howl at Marvin's essays. You may
experience some tears and profound empathy from the emotions evoked.
You will appreciate the command of the language and the extensiveness of
the subject matter, the areas in which Marvin was stuck, is stuck and
where he
has transcended. You may concur or disagree with his use of nigguh,
nigger, motherfucker, punk-bitch, ho, sissies and "bitch
behavior" when he educates in "The Psycholinguistic Crisis of
the North American African" or "Wanted: One Hundred Black
Murderers."
Marvin was in Newark, New Jersey on September 11, 2001 when the World
Trade Center became Ground Zero. It was no coincidence that his
daughter Muhammida (who was home) did not answer the phone in her Harlem
apartment at 8:00 a.m. Her daddy was on his way to visit her and would
have been under the World Trade Center at 8:47 a.m. that infamous
morning. However, synchronicity in the Universe would have it the
brother instead was taking videos of the "Fall of America" vs.
being a victim of it. In his essay "Beyond Bin Laden" he
writes "If Bin Laden's dark deeds have brought any light to our
vacant minds, we should rejoice and thank him for being such a wonderful
teacher. It's unfortunate his teachings cost so many lives, but
America's actions
throughout the world cost even more lives each day as we see when our
information is not limited to the nightly news." It is
understood both in the 'Hood and enlightened spiritual circles--ye will
reap what you sow.
His movie and CD reviews of Training Day, Ali, Baby Boy,
Lumumba, The Green Mile and Bobby McFerrin's Beyond
Words and Angie Stone's Love Song is commentary about artists
on art by an artist. In "Beyond Words" Marvin himself
becomes the musician: "Words cannot describe this bird from heaven
singing outside my window as dawn approaches, singing sounds without
words, beyond words, beyond birds, beyond scatting, a world of his own,
without peer, conjuring, configuring sounds that take us beyond the
beyond, stopping by Brazil, getting off the boat in Africa, passing
through America, stepping, prancing, dancing, chanting, floating on top
of the piano and drums as they carry him along as he joins Sun Ra on
some planet, maybe Jupiter, Mars, who knows where Bobby goes, but we go
with him, enjoying a genius at work." I guarantee the reader
will go find and watch the movies or buy the CDs. Finally, brother
Marvin X is in a long and unconditional love affair with his people.
If you talk with him he will deny this with passion.
However, if
you have the time and/or the skill to pin him down, he will with some
reluctance agree that his 40 year obsession has been about his people
and for his people. With all of his wisdom, experiences and
intelligence--he still tends to operate (cause it is habit, he is
stubborn, cause he has free will and maybe he really doesn't know) from
lack of trust, chauvinism, arrogance, impatience and insensitivity,
emotional unavailability, and an acknowledged attention deficit disorder
when he deals with his people. However, spiritually, emotionally, and
mentally Marvin is passionately and unconditionally in love with black
folks-and all people. He knows too well the pain, suffering,
oppression, poverty, disease, ignorance, fear of his African American
brothers and sisters whom he knows is himself.
In The Crazy House Called America is a general call for our
people to wake up from the separation of recognizing their real selves,
from doubt, fear and platitudes of complex defense mechanisms that cease
to protect and defend us and which have distracted us for too long.
Become conscious and make your ancestors proud, the author would say.
It is our obligation to focus on the truth, the freedom, quality of
life, love, health and prosperity in social and economic liberation.
Stand Up! Take from Marvin's essays an unleashed and expanded
understanding of yourselves, ourselves. Recognize and acknowledge
our ignorance of the spiritual and universal laws, the denial of our
understanding of the law of cause and effect that continues to keep us
in bondage. As America moves completely to the political and religious
right with escalating unemployment, homelessness, murder in the Black
Community, severe chronic illness and disease, mental illness,
addiction, domestic assault and trauma, poverty consciousness and
limitation, it is past the time for African Americans to reclaim our
integrity, our knowingness, our liberation and what is rightfully ours.
Choose Liberty over Death! Ache.
Suzzette Celeste Johnson, MSW, MPA, RScP
Richmond, CA
July 5, 2002
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In the Crazy House Called America, Essays By Marvin X,
200 pp. $19.95
plus $5.00 for handling and mailing: Black Bird Press, 3116 38th
Ave., Suite 304, Oakland, CA, 94619.
For readings and/or performance, contact Marvin X call 510-798-9155
Or email xblackxmanx@aol.com
or go to www.marvinx.com
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updated 10 April 2009 |
