The blues has the blues

Koko Taylor, Queen of the Blues. (September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009)

Marilyn French (1929-2009)

I'm a little late getting to this but ...

Marilyn French, one of feminism’s leading writers and theorists, died of heart failure last weekend at age 79. French, along with Gloria Steinem and Germaine Greer, was a major influence on boomer feminists like me.

It was her 1977 debut novel “The Women’s Room’’ which catapulted her into the public eye.

About fictional feminists in the 1950s and 60s, the 20-million-plus bestseller was best known for one of the characters claiming that “All men are rapists.’’ Needless to say, that phrase ended up being attributed to French herself, mostly by those who fought women’s attempts to gain equality in the U.S.

Here's a great analysis of her work, ironically by a man:

Much has been made in the obituaries of French’s anger, and there’s little doubt that in many respects “The Women’s Room” is an angry novel. But righteous anger in the face of blind privilege, reckless entitlement, and crushing social norms is no vice — and I found French’s work to be a powerful and damning indictment. At 19, I recognized aspects of myself in some of her less sympathetic male characters — and in no small way, the book contributed to the beginning of my intellectual journey to (at least attempt to) become a different sort of man.

Also misinterpreted was her declaration that her "goal in life is to change the entire social and economic  structure of Western civilization, to make it a feminist world.’’

 To those who would eventually refer to feminists as “femi-nazis,’’ that was twisted to mean that French and her cohorts wanted to squash men.

That must sound awfully familiar to regular readers of the comments section in this blog.

In a tribute to French, Carol Jenkins, president of the New York City-based Women’s Media Center, wrote:

She was dedicated to making sure women understood their compromised position, and that men could see their part in the domination — historically and currently. She denied that made her a man-hater, and never altered her position. Marilyn had witnessed, recorded, interpreted, and predicted the condition of women in the world for most of her life. I can’t say that near the end she was overly optimistic about our progress and our future. But once again, Marilyn left the lasting impression. And, the Goddess knows, she tried.

Golden Girl

Maude is gone.

Actress Bea Arthur, who starred in the popular Maude and Golden Girls TV series, has died at age 86, according to her family.

The gravelly-voiced performer won Emmys for her role on both series, which were also critically acclaimed.

Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, but gave no other details.

"She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for six years.

<SNIP>

Arthur first appeared on TV in the landmark comedy series All in the Family as Edith Bunker's loudly outspoken, liberal cousin Maude Findlay.

In 1972, Arthur took that character to a spinoff series, Maude. Maude lived in an affluent community with her husband Walter (Bill Macy) and divorced daughter Carol (Adrienne Barbeau) .

I don't normally mark the passing of sitcom stars but Arthur was a true doorkicker for the Maude episodes she did on alcoholism, divorce and, most bravely, abortion back in a time when women were supposed to shut up and stand behind their man. Everything about her Maude Finlay was controversial. She was not afraid to speak her mind, she didn't sit at home vacuuming in pearls and high heels, and denounced Republicans in the Nixon era.

That despite her own political leanings.

In real life, Bea Arthur’s attitude toward feminism was much more ambivalent than that of her alter ego. In the early 1970s, Arthur insisted that she did not understand the women’s movement: “I’ve never felt that being a wife and mother isn’t enough.” Interviews portrayed her as a gentle, unpretentious woman deeply tied to her husband and two adopted sons, and nothing like the threatening Maude. By 1978, however, the series had produced tensions that shattered Arthur’s longtime marriage to Gene Saks, and in later interviews, Arthur actually adopted the language of the women’s movement: “I don’t think I ever truly believed in marriage anyway,” she told an interviewer in 1985. “I guess marriage means that you’re a woman and not a . . . person.”

On the show, Maude was constantly admonishing her adversaries and those who angered her with her stock phrase, ''God will get you for that.''

Bet God, if there is such a thing, has Bea Arthur now.

UPPITY WOMAN DATE: The wonders of YouTube.

Miriam Makeba, 1932 - 2008

Nelson Mandela pays tribute:

"The sudden passing of our beloved Miriam has saddened us … For many decades, starting in the years before we went to prison, MaMiriam featured prominently in our lives and we enjoyed her moving performances. When she went into exile she continued to make us proud as she used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid. Her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. She was a mother to our struggle and to the young nation of ours.

"It was fitting that her last moments were spent on a stage, enriching the hearts and lives of others - and again in support of a good cause."

I chose this clip not because of the music but because it shows what she stood for.

"I never understood why I couldn't come home. I never committed any crime."