Marvin X: Godfather of Oakland Soul

"The Godfather of Oakland Soul: Marvin X" (Community Voices)

Marvin X

Marvin X

Marvin X! The X Man! The Godfather of Oakland Soul!

King Catalyst for the post Civil Rights, Black Arts Movement of the WestCoast, simultaneously with his bi coastal literary arts buddy, AmiriBaraka of the east coast. The Senior Citizen General on the front linesagainst White Supremacy. Former crack addict who helped save himself andscores of others with his institution of The San Francisco RecoveryTheater.

Former university professor and lecturer turned poet, patriarch, philosopher, prophet, psychologists, pastor and parablist atthe Academy of da Corner in the heart of "The Town," on 14th andBroadway, where he holds office; not preaching to the choir, but to thecommon folk who come by seeking knowledge, solace and Father's Milk!Plato Negro, deemed by fellow Oakland play-write, poet and icon, IshmaelReed, the modern day Plato of Urban America, because of his school'ssimilarity to the philosopher Plato's "Walkabout" schools in Athens ofancient Greece.

More than just a Pan African and blacknationalist, he's a World Sentinel of Human Decency who I would wagerknows more about politics and has a keener, clearer and more humaneperspective than most U.N. representatives. And if they had a chair inthose hallowed halls for poets, and they should, my choice would beMarvin X!

Marvin's poetry and approach can be rather raw forsome. And it may yet be a little early to fit him for a halo andsainthood. However, his current hottest selling of his dozens of books,which he churns out annually, not to mention his newly released $100book, "The Parables of Plato Negro," is a chapbook called "The Mythologyof the Pussy and the Dick." This title often times ruffles the feathersand suit collars of the bourgeois and academia (who Marvin sometimesaccuses of not being able to get past linguistics and vernacular to savepeople's lives), but it is an honest account of how modern folk who tryto claim ownership of people's sexual organs is causing many of theproblems in the world and in relationships today, and have done sothroughout history.

The message in this book is resonating on a grassroots level, like Eldridge Cleaver''s "Soul on Ice" did when itfirst came out, and has become a hit amongst urban youth who claim ithelps them "step up their game" or realize that they have something -and are something - of value that deserves appreciation and respect. Andthe youth who otherwise don't read, do read this book and even squabbleover ownership, as if it were black gold!

On a similar note, inone of his books of poetry he makes a hilarious and yet poignant pointabout how people get mixed up with each other intimately without evergetting to know one another. If I may paraphrase from memory: Lastnight we had sex ... but you don't know me. We're about to get married... but you don't know me! We're going to have children .. .but youdon't know me! We just had a fight ... but you don't know me! You'regoing to jail ... but you don't know me! We're getting a divorced ...but you don't know me!

Marvin's multitude of disciplesinclude Ptah Asar who said, "Black studies went to college and nevercame home!" Wordslanger aka Ayodele Nzinga, director of the Thea BowmanTheater and founder of the Lower Bottom Playazz, and myself, Paradise,who was introduced to Marvin through one of his seminal classic poems,"Black history is World History."

Marvin can be reached and readon his websites, which has readers from all over the world. His newestproject is touring with a local band of world class performing artistsin a Readers Theater of parables from his new book, who were recentlyfeatured at the San Francisco Theater Festival.

Check out his books and book him and his reading group at these sites:

Black Bird Press News & Review

The Best of Dr. Marvin
YouTube
Parables, Fables, Musings Of Plato Negro By Marvin X

Paradise Love's picture
Paradise is an Oakland poet, party host, and creator of Midnight Fantasies on Blog Talk Radio(http://www.blogtalkradio.com/midnightfantasies). Visit him on Facebook!http://bit.ly/9KtqCM
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