A Perfect Pop Act: Gorillaz

On this episode of The Perfect Podcast Nate Zablan, host of The Tone Podcast,  joins me to discuss A Perfect G-Funk Song. He chooses "Let Me Ride" - the third single from Dr. Dre’s seminal album The Chronic.

Nate share his passion for the song and discuss why "Let Me Ride" is emblematic of the very best of G-Funk.

We also discuss:

• How the political and social climate of 1990s Los Angeles helped produce G-Funk
• The genius of the Parliament Funkadelic samples used in the song.
• The classic tension between West Coast based G-Funk and the East Coast based native tongues movement in the 90’s.
• Nate's personal connection to hip hop culture.

Back in the day I was strictly East Coast - but Nate’s passion for and knowledge of West Coast  G-Funk has given me an appreciation of Dre. Dre’s music I’ve never had before.

"Let Me Ride" is a song everyone needs to revisit - or for some -  listen to for the very first time. Listen to my conversation with Nate to help you appreciate the musicality and social relevance of this incredible song.

Check out the Video for the Song HERE

Follow Nate on Twitter, Instagram and Medium @NathanielJams

And visit his Official Site - www.nathanieljames.com

And make sure to check out his pop culture podcast - The Tone Podcast

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Twitter @PodcastPerfect

Instagram @perfectpodcast

Visit Our Wesbite at www.theperfectpod.com to listen all episodes, get bonus content and subscribe to the podcast.

Previous Perfect Podcast Episodes include:

A Perfect Pop Act: Gorillaz

A Perfect Song to Motivate: J Dillas's "Workinonit"

A Perfect Cigar

A Perfect Portrait: Richard Avedon's "Lew Alcindor"

J Dilla created Donuts, one of the most influential and respected albums in hip hop history, while he was fighting a fatal blood disease. The album was released in February 2006 just three days before his death and many consider it to be a masterpiece. The album is filled with songs that are heady and soulful; funky and futuristic.

My guest this week, Shannon Cason, chooses the track, "Workinonit" as his Perfect Song for Motivation. Shannon is a storyteller and the host of the podcast, Shannon Cason's Homemade Stories. Like J Dilla, Shannon was part of the Detroit 90's Hip Hop scene and he even had the opportunity to record once with J Dilla.

The new documentary Strike A Pose chronicles the lives of the dancers who performed on Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour and are featured in the iconic film Truth or Dare. On this episode of The Perfect Podcast two of those dancers, Jose Gutierez aka Jose Xtravaganza and Carlton Wilborn join me to share what life was like touring with Madonna in the early 90's and why they decided to bare it all once again for the Strike a Pose documentary. But we begin each conversation focused on the subject of Voguing as A Perfect Dance Style.

Just like other great American cultural creations like Jazz and Rock and Hip Hop; Voguing was created by young African American and Latino artists. The creators of this dance style were also gay and voguing became a way for them to create community, to dream, to survive and ultimately to express themselves.

Highlights of the conversations include:

• Jose discusses what it was like to teach Madonna how to Vogue
• Carlton reveals why he is missing in key scenes from Truth or Dare
• Jose explains why houses - like the House of Xtravaganza are integral to Voguing culture.
• Carlton tells me that the first time he ever vogued was at his audition for Madonna.
• Carlton and Jose share the experience of filming Strike a Pose and reuniting with their fellow dancers after years of being out of touch.

If you are a fan of Madonna and/or a fan of dance this is an episode you MUST LISTEN TO. But this episode is really for anyone who enjoys hearing artists speak passionately about what they do. Jose and Carlton are two dancers and choreographers who also happened to be part of one of the most iconic phases of one of the biggest pop stars in the world. That experience change their lives and touched the lives of millions of others.

The issue of race in America is one of the country's most longstanding, most painful and most challenging problems. So how is it possible to turn the issue of race relations into a laughing matter? How do you get an audience to laugh at their own prejudices and their own pain?

On this episode of The Perfect Podcast Comedian and TV Personality Chuck Nice joins me to discuss what it takes to craft a perfect joke about race. He selects clips from some of the masters of comedy - Richard Pryor, Louis C.K., Paul Mooney and Dave Chappelle - and examines how these brilliant comedians find humor in the darkest corners of the American psyche.

Getting an audience to laugh about mass incarceration, white privilege and police brutality? Chuck Nice helps us understand that jokes told about these topics have to be more than funny. When the joke is perfect it can also be informative, challenging, healing, accusatory and thought provoking; and it stays with you long after the last laugh.

Make sure to check out Chuck Nice's official website HERE at http://www.chucknicecomic.com/

Follow Chuck on Twitter @ChuckNiceComic

A very big thank you to Molehouse Post - a state of the art edit and post house in NYC. They were gracious enough to let me use space in their beautiful facility. It's a great place to edit, record voice over, mix and master!

Visit our official site at www.theperfectpod.com

Follow The Perfect Podcast on Twitter @PodcastPerfect

Follow The Perfect Podcast on Instagram @PerfectPodcast

Vince Aletti has spent decades looking at pictures. As the current photography critic for The New Yorker and art editor for The Village Voice (1994 –2005), he’s studied tens of thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands—of images. When I asked him to choose one picture to discuss, amazingly he didn't hesitate: it would be the Richard Avedon photograph "Lew Alcindor, Basketball Player, New York City, May 2, 1963."

The image is an undeniably great work by one of the masters of 20th-century photography, but for Vince, it's a personal connection that elevates it.

Listen to discover how Vince first came upon this photograph in a special 1965 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Vince describes how the magazine and the photograph affected him and how that influence continues today.

Lew Alcindor, the teenager pictured in the portrait, grew up to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport (and today he maintains an equally impressive career off the court).

This Perfect Portrait tells the story of a photographer, his subject, and one viewer whose passion for the image has shaped his way of looking for more than 50 years.

Jamie Broadnax is the founder of Black Girl Nerds -  a community for women of color to gather and, "... express themselves freely and embrace who they are." I'm thrilled to have Jamie join me on this episode of The Perfect Podcast to discuss . .  A Perfect Fictional Character. And I'm SUPER thrilled that Jamie agreed to choose Ororo Munroe aka Storm - Mutant. Leader of the X-Men. Queen of Wakanda. Head Mistress of The Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.

For over 40 years the character of Storm has held many titles and has been interpreted  and reinterpreted by a number of different writers, artists, actors and directors. But throughout all of her incarnations Storm has remained a layered creation and an empowering symbol for thousands of fans.

On this episode Jamie shares the story of her personal connection to the character, her favorite Storm storylines  and her opinion on why Hollywood has consistently failed to get Storm right.  Plus, Jamie shares the creative dream team she'd pick to helm a live action Storm feature film.

We also take a quick tangent to allow Jaimie to tell me what it was like to be in Hall H when the Black Panther (the former Mr. Storm) cast appeared at San Diego Comic Con earlier this year.

Storm - Feminist icon. African hero. African American hero. A richly drawn character who also happens to be a kick ass mutant with fierce fashion sense who can shoot lighting bolts, create tornadoes and fly over 300 miles per hour. Perfect for me.

Jeff Yamaguchi is a digital media maker, marketer and educator who can often be seen running through the streets and parks of Brooklyn, NY . . .  and beyond! Jeff laces up for everything from a 'quick' 5 mile run through Prospect Park to half and full marathons. I thought it would be interesting to speak to Jeff about whether, after logging countless miles, he could name one specific run that stands out as his ideal running experience.
Jeff tells the story of what happened one afternoon while vacationing in Nicaragua. He planned to take a typical run along the beach but the result was an experience he'd never forget.  He achieved an ideal combination of physical exertion and mental serenity. A Perfect Run.

After spending the past two weeks watching Olympic track and field athletes break records and perform seemingly super human feats of athleticism I find it refreshing to focus on another aspect of the sport that is just as inspiring. Face it, you will never run as fast or jump as high as any of the folks competing in Rio. But that doesn't mean that achieving your own type of athletic perfection is out of reach. Jeff's perfect run isn't about speed or distance. It's about a singular personal experience. And that type of experience can be within the grasp of anyone.

Gordon Hurd is an executive editor and writer, based in Brooklyn, NY. He loves bourbon, espresso, philosophy, and jazz. He also has a deep affection for and knowledge of cigars.

When Gordon accepted my invitation to discuss the perfect cigar, he had one stipulation: With the enormous variety of cigars in the world, I had to narrow the parameters. So, how about "a perfect cigar to smoke in the backyard"? Lucky for me this led to an invitation to smoke a good cigar and drink rum in a beautiful Brooklyn garden.  It was an easy decision for Gordon, who chose the Ramon Allones Specially Selected.

So out of the hundreds of Cuban cigars why does Gordon choose this one? Whether you're a serious aficionado who owns a humidor or just a person who doesn't get why cigars are such a big deal, you'll find his answer illuminating. What do we talk about when we talk about cigars? Well, in this podcast episode we talk about solitude, shared culture, a reverence for the handmade, and the ability to slow down in a fast-paced, sometimes chaotic world.